Today we’re taking a look at Satellite Rides by Old 97s as it squares off against the self-titled debut from The Knife.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
Old 97’s- Satellite Rides
Thought for sure this would be one of those records where I’d know a track when I heard it, but no dice.
Rhett Miller strikes me as a poppier version of John Hiatt and a less sarcastic version of Paul Westerberg. The kind of guy who’s a bit of a wiseass (or asshole) on the surface, but is also somehow the first one over the table to defend you. My hometown was lousy with this sort of guy — they just weren’t singing about it. Maybe he hasn’t seen as much yet? You can see a world-weariness looming on the horizon, but it’s not quite at the door.
In the meantime, we get uber-catchy pop rock with some country and just enough Americana to keep everyone honest. The lyrics take layered looks at the people in the songs and the human condition overall. It’s a record that evokes scenes of surfing the dial while driving across Texas, and like that dial, the album has a little something for everyone. Want pop rock? “Rollercoaster Skinny” is just what the doctor ordered. Want to slow it down just a touch? “Buick City Complex” is right next door. Need a little twang? They’ve got you. Want some earnest, “I’m being serious for once” type stuff? Can’t go wrong with “Question” and “Am I Too Late” (it’s twangy AF, but with heavy lyrics).
I didn’t do any kind of research, but I suspect a lot of dudes in my demographic used “Question” as a pillar in marriage proposals. “Am I Too Late” is what happens when you don’t say what you want until it’s way too late. Regrets? Miller’s had a few. But at least we got an upbeat song out of it.
Tell someone how you feel today. And if it goes sideways? Well, at least you can say you did it. And there’s plenty of rockers on here to soundtrack your escape out of town. If it goes great? Maybe you can spin up a proposal using “Question.”
This is way catchier than I bargained for. It grew on me quickly, and lord help me, it’s a goddamn delight. Am I… am I an Old 97’s fan now? One record does not a discography make, but we’re off to a good start. It’s radio-friendly, with just the right amount of mesquite flavoring. Perfect for your next drive to Champaign or for filling the roadhouse jukebox.
The Knife- S/T
I like Fever Ray (“Even It Out” is my hipster pick for favorite Halloween song — you can only go with Ministry so many times!), but in limited doses. I think I’d like it more if I still got high.
I’d totally spaced that The Knife was Karin Dreijer’s earlier project with her brother Olof. There is something compelling about her vocals — whether in Röyksopp, as Fever Ray, or here. It’s novel, but not a novelty. I hope that makes as much sense on the page as it does in my head. It’s the same pull that Björk grabs me with.
On a track like “I Just Had to Die,” you’d be excused for thinking you’d popped Post in the tray by mistake. Doubly so for “I Take Time,” though that leans more toward a Björk/Flock of Seagulls mash-up. Something I’d definitely search the web for if high enough.
At any rate, couple all of that with a raw, gritty synth sound and you get the gist of this record. If you like that sort of thing, “Kino” will be a highlight. Dig a little chiptune? There’s some of that on here, too (“Zapata”). This record might be old enough to rent a car, but it somehow still sounds like it’s coming from the future. It’s a little delirious, but unapologetically so, and we’re better for it.
Bottom Line: Both of these were pleasant surprises and a nice blast of color after wading through all kinds of beige indie rock over the last few matchups. My bracket tells me I gave Old 97’s the nod, likely on name recognition, but my vote? Man, I didn’t know. It’s going to be a game-time decision, I think.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
My usual record store is on the other side of town from me. That’s just enough friction to prevent me from going bankrupt, but not enough to keep me away for more than a week or two at a time.
I’ve mentioned it before, but there is another, smaller, store right by me though — as in close enough to walk to. The only thing I have going for me is that it specializes in metal-a genre I’m not too interested in — and operates on irregular hours. This is truly a passion project, and the owner works in running the store when he can.
Like many shops, he’s taken to social media to tout new arrivals into the store. Most of the time I don’t recognize the covers and can’t read the script on the covers (what is it with metal bands all using the same unreadable font?).
This time was different. Over the past week there was a drip campaign (or whatever they’re called) about RSD— except he was pointing out that they’d only have a couple of RSD records…but also why not come in and grab some other metal/punk/whatever?
The store itself used to be a hole in the wall- literally. it occupied the space between two buildings, with a ~300 sq ft. room on one side towards the back. It was tiny, and fantastic.
And honestly, it still is. They’ve moved into one of the actual spots out front, but the place can still get packed, with everyone digging through different racks. With close quarters like this, you can’t really stand back to back, and instead have to stand just off to the side and reach over. Anywhere else, and I’d declare it too people-y and bail. But I’ve always rooted for this store, and so seeing it full makes me smile. And the line can get long too. That’s partly down to the owner chatting with everyone about what they’re picking up. A 4-5 minute chat about forgotten Dischord bands and Midwest tours? That’s not something you’re gonna get on Amazon. At Safeway this would be obnoxious. Here, it’s part of the appeal.
I almost always go 0-for-everything when it comes to what I walked in looking for. But this is a record store, a place full of things you don’t know you need until you come across them. Sometimes that’s vinyl. Sometimes it’s a chat about shows that happened years ago.
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This week’s list over indexes on old favorites, but we’ve also got new stuff from Wire (from RSD), Memorials, Kurt Vile, Rural France, Caroline in the Garden, and Maybe So.
This week, Side A is tracks 1-16 (ends with “Roadrunner”). Side B is tracks 17-31.
Today we’re taking a look at Elbow’s Asleep in the Back as it faces off against The Glow Pt. 2 from The Microphones.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
Elbow-Asleep in the Back
My notes have all of two lines on them:
Why this band name?
Debut record.
I should’ve added a third: I was very surprised to see they have almost 1M monthly listeners. How have I never heard of them?! Part of it again has to do with where I was in May of ‘01. My (now) wife was winding down her time on the corporate hamster wheel and looking to try something—anything—new. I was getting ready to start what was supposed to be a 4-month temporary position back home in Portland. Lots of packing, paring down, and gearing up. A debut record from a band with an offbeat name just wasn’t in the cards…
“Any Day Now” kicks things off low-key. There’s a really solid bassline groove, but a lot of layered vocals, which I don’t seem to have much patience for these days. Okay, so not the best of starts, but it is strangely infectious.
“Little Beast” has that same creeping uncomfortableness that Portishead made famous with “Sour Times.” Is it a pop song? Is it soundtracking a spy movie? Why not both? 4+ minutes is about 90 seconds too long, and that leads to my biggest gripe about this record.
We’ve talked about “sameness” before in this series. Not the worst thing in the world, but it’s a hurdle that keeps a lot of okay records from being good ones. Asleep in the Back doubles down on that, and each song is about a minute too long, but they’re also roughly the same. Look, I’m not expecting a metal song in the middle or anything. No one in Elbow needs to rap (seriously, please don’t do that), but a little mixing it up would go a long way. There are a couple of exceptions, but really, the only variety here is the placement of frontman Guy Garvey’s vocals in the mix. Sometimes he’s right up front, and sometimes he’s further back. I’ll carve out worthy exceptions for “Bitten by the Tailfly,” featuring bursts of jagged guitar hooks, and “Newborn,” which bursts into something really atmospheric…except we have to wait almost 6 minutes to get there. Otherwise, this is 61 minutes of what is often diplomatically referred to as “brooding,” “melancholy,” or intense.”
Doing some reading ahead of this, I saw that they were a live band for some time before heading into the studio. I can absolutely see an Elbow concert as being an incredible experience. A lot of bands are good in the booth, only to see it translate poorly on stage. Elbow strikes me as betting the other way. If only we were reviewing concerts instead of records! These days, Radiohead has cornered this market, but Asleep in the Back certainly gives ‘em a run for their money.
Highlights: Any Day Now, Bitten by the Tailfly, Asleep in the Back
The Microphones- The Glow, Pt. 2
On paper, this is a record I should like. They’re on K records→ It’s Calvin Johnson’s label→ I like Beat happening!→ They’re from Olympia.→ Some of the best bands and the best shows I’ve ever seen have taken place right there in Washington’s capital city.
And to be fair, I do… in parts. There are fleeting moments in songs that very much pull you in. A couple of times, I found myself thinking, “This is peak Olympia” (not derogatory). But while Asleep in the Back was held back by its sameness, The Glow Pt 2 is held back by its variety. It’s all over the map. Also, for some reason, the sort of nasally vowels made famous by Isaac Brock were in vogue here for a while. At times, singer Phil Eleverum reminds me of Stephen Malkmus. Other times, it models the worst parts of Brock’s. Johnson’s voice was a million miles away from both. Why didn’t he say something?! Look, I get that cities like this foster creativity in all kinds of ways, but that doesn’t mean you have to try to squish them all into one song, or even onto one record. This project excels at lo-fi sounds. There’s no reason for MBV-esque walls of distortion to pop up like thunderclouds on this thing. The Glow Pt. 2 is magnificent in parts and grating in others.
Highlights: I Want Wind to Blow, The Moon, I Felt Your Shape.
Bottom Line:
This comes down to choosing a wide palette of colors over a more monochromatic one. Variety is the spice of life and all that, I guess. The record cover looks like the sort of sticker I’d put on my car. Plus, The Microphones are from the PacNw, and like we saw yesterday, I’m not above factoring that into the equation… The Glow Pt. 2 it is.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Today we’re taking a look at Pulp’s We Love Life as it takes on Go Forth by Les Savy Fav.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
Pulp – We Love Life
I’m writing (at least) the early version of this on my phone in the basement. Nothing says ‘fun’ like being woken up by tornado sirens at 12:30 AM. At least they work, I guess? This was also how I learned that New Order/Joy Division had finally (!) made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cue some pithy bon mot about silver linings, etc.
Anyway…
Last year, Pulp made a lot of waves with More, their first record in over 20 years. They were back, baby, and made sure we all knew it. It’s a good record, and even made the annual Best Of list in this here newsletter, with me writing:
Has it really been 20+ years since Pulp put a record out? Man, time flies. Anyway, in my head, I have this vision of someone my age(ish) seeing their kid come home with this record, which leads to busting out a copy of Different Class, and it becoming some sort of “warm memory.” That won’t happen with me; one kid likes metal, and I’m not too sure what the other one is into right now. And tbh I didn’t get into this band until several years into their hiatus. But they’re back, and we’re all the better for it. More is, well, more. I mean, what else were they gonna call this thing? It’s a little more of a muted affair in places. It’s a little more catchy in others. It’s a little more mature. I guess even Jarvis Cocker grows up at some point? Mostly, it’s more of what most people loved about this band, and a whole new generation gets to experience it for the first time. Viva Pulp!
So that was their triumphant return. We Love Life was were they’d left off. And 2001 seems to have found them in a more sanguine—or at least reflective—spot than previous records. To be sure, they were as self-assured as ever, but Jarvis Cocker and co seem to be less interested in caustic wit and more into things like…trees? And FWIW, ‘The Trees’ is my new favorite song by the band. This is not what people are usually looking for when they pick up a Pulp record, which is might explain why it seems to get overlooked or underrated in any discography discussions. It was until last year, the band’s parting shot, and I wonder if people saw it as going out with a whimper. Maybe people prefer anthems about class over tracks talking about weeds.
I think they made the record they wanted to make, and in the course of doing that alienated a huge chunk of their audience. Again, I’m doing a post-mortem here as I wasn’t a fan until long after they’d gone on hiatus. I’m happy to be corrected!
Either way, it’s a shame really, because, well, its a good record! Maybe not on the same level as Different Class or His & Hers, but it certainly holds it own. Besides ‘The Trees,” “Sunrise” and “Bad Cover Version” are both fantastic. No one needs to wade through 8+ minutes of “Wickerman,” though. Take that out of the mix and one could make a solid case for this rounding out their top 3.
Les Savy Fav-Go Forth
Being terminally online as left me completely internet poisoned. When I saw the avatar for this band on Apple Music, my first thought was…fuuuuuuck. One of them is wide-eyed and huffing on a fire extinguisher, and I thought we were in for the same vein of unserious—and incredibly tedious— shit I mentioned earlier this week. Not so fast! This was a good bit of agitpop in some spots, while in others, if you squint you could almost see a Stereolab record in the background. Even the cover reminds me over Emperor Tomato Ketchup. I have to think this is a one-and-done record for this bracket, but well, we’ve seen what happens wen I assume. Either way, it was a pleasant surprise.
Bottom Line: I gotta think Pulp runs away with this one, but if nothing else I found a new band, and that was pretty cool, too. (Insert second bon mot about silver linings…)
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Today we’re taking a look at Drukqs by Aphex twin as it takes on Muse’s Origin of Symmetry.
Aphex Twin- Drukqs
As a teenager, I once read a Flipside review where the writer said they couldn’t get into the record because they couldn’t get past the stupid title. That’s a fair, if a bit harsh, point. It’s also one that I apparently agree with, since I’ve abided by that same rule most of my life. And when I say this, I don’t mean ones that are abstract, or that may point to a joke I’m not in on. I mean abjectly dumb titles- ones that go out of their way to be “incorrect.”
And here we come to Aphex Twin’s Drukqs. WTF am I supposed to infer here? Drug use? J’Accuse? I dunno, and frankly, I don’t have time to worry about it ‘cause almost all of the titles follow this same bizarre nomenclature.
Bbydhyonchord? Vordhosbn? Cock/ver10?!
C’mon.
Titles aside, the music is standard-issue Aphex Twin: some attempts at new-age or even ambient sounds over a hyperbeat, usually set to, like, 684 BPM. Fun for about one song. Two max. Anything after that feels like I’m listening to a strobe light while on a bad trip. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe it really is all a joke that people like me aren’t supposed to get?
I dunno. But bad titles, 30 songs that are repetitive to a fault, and an almost 2-hour run time are a bridge too far. Is there a record review equivalent to “this could’ve been an email”? ‘Cause this could’ve been an EP…Maybe.
Muse- Origin of Symmetry
If Drukqs is peak claustrophobia, Origin of Symmetry is peak “open.” It is garish, bombastic, and over-the-top in all the best ways. It’s what we keep saying we want from our rock stars! If a metal band ever decided to do a Broadway show, it might sound like this. Queen walked so Muse could run. Freddie Mercury was the consummate showman. Michael Bellamy clearly took notes in class, while his contemporaries like Chris Martin did not. And it shows.
There’s a dip in quality on the back side of the record, but even the biggest wave can only sustain itself for so long. You could also say that, like Drukqs, it suffers from a bit of sameness. Luckily, the pomp and glam that comes before it is enough to carry you to shore.
Bottom Line: I’ve got a feeling that Aphex Twin will carry the day. Because of name recognition and because people are more likely to pretend to like abrasive electro-clash dialed to 11 than they are to admit they like something so pompous. I’m not claiming any kind of high ground here; I’d do the exact same thing. In fact, I did do the exact same thing; my bracket pick went to Aphex Twin. But my vote is another story, and once again I’ll be voting against my own interests and pulling the lever for Muse. Good thing I’m okay with mid-table mediocrity, I guess!
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Today we’re taking a look at It’s a Wonderful Life by Sparklehorse as it takes on The World Won’t End by the Pernice Brothers.
Sparklehorse- It’s a Wonderful Life
Sparklehorse often feels like a car crash. Some of that (okay, a lot) had to do with Mark Linkous, whose life was very much a proverbial car crash for large stretches. That’s not to speak ill of the dead, but it’s true. Sometimes that makes for good records, and sometimes it makes for almost losing your legs after an OD. Linkous had the good/bad fortune to do both.
Like most of us, he contained multitudes, and for context, you should know that “Some Day I Will Treat You Good” is the litmus test for which I measure everything else in the catalog. It’s a high bar, but I think it’s a fair one.
It’s a Wonderful Life works best as a full listen. It stays in one emotional zone, which is to say sorta bummed out, but with flashes of light that keep it from collapsing under its own weight. That balance gives the album its shape, and it helps that Linkous brought some friends along for the ride.
The guest list is impressive, with Tom Waits, Dave Fridman, PJ Harvey, John Parish, and Nina Persson all making appearances, yet the album never feels crowded. A solid roster! All of them are adding something to the album in their own unique way.
The instrumentation is fantastic throughout the record, and while engaging, it doesn’t overtake the lyrics. Speaking of which, Linkous could pen some pretty surreal shit when he wanted to. It’s a fine line between offbeat and nonsense, and with any given verse, it’s always anyone’s guess which side of the line he’ll land on. I suppose that’s part of the appeal. Wouldn’t be a linklus record if it were as AB-AB-AB pitter-patter about puppies and ice cream, would it?
If there is a weakness, it’s that the album can wear thin after a while. Maybe it’s just me, but I can only do “wallowing” or tortured artist for so long. It’s a bit that doesn’t have staying power. A little more variation would’ve gone a long way. I mean, look at this guest list! Do some zigging! Maybe a little zagging! I also miss some of the rougher experimentation (and poppier elements) that show up elsewhere in Sparklehorse’s catalog. If pressed for time, ignore what I said about listening to this in its entirety and check out ‘Piano Fire” and “King of Nails.”
It’s not necessarily an album I’d play on repeat (or even revisit), but I get why others might dig it.
The Pernice Brothers- The World Won’t End
Last night, my wife and I went on something called a “date” and saw a movie. We’re in the throes of the Wisconsin Film Festival up here, and every year I’m reminded of how lucky we are to live in a place that punches above its weight. Ask me this again when it’s -22 and snowing. But I digress.
The film we saw was The Last Critic. Half documentary, half hagiography, it traces the rise of music critic Robert Christgau and frames him as sort of the last man standing. Lots of “they broke the mold with him,” type stuff. Love him or hate him, his reviews can be a work of art, telling an entire story in just a few lines. At the risk of cannonballing into the shallow end, allow me to try to channel my inner Christgau here:
With lovely, intricate melodies and an ear for gentle pop that would (should) make most bands pack up their gear, The World Won’t End is a template for some of your favorite bands and opens the door for some of the most annoying. Hipster outdoor goods stores rejoice! Your in-store playlist is here (not derogatory). B+
Bottom Line: Both surprised me and busted my expectations. I enjoyed The World Won’t End far more than I thought I would, and can easily see myself playing it again. On paper, It’s a Wonderful Life is the one I’d gravitate towards, but I found myself clockwatching while playing it. That’s never a good sign. I guess it depends which sort of melancholy you prefer. I am once again going against my own bracket pick and will be voting for the Brothers Pernice.
What do you think? Did I get it right here, or am I way off the mark? Share your thoughts in the comments!
I don’t watch a lot of TV series, but when I find something I like, I’m all in. Very few shows get to this rarefied air for me- mostly because I have the attention span of a fruit fly. To get me to sit down and stare at a screen (without scrolling) for an hour? Are you kidding me? The Americans did it for me. Mad Men before that. More recently, I’ve gone all in on The Pitt. The first season felt like one long car crash (which it kind of was; it takes place in an ER). This time around is a slow burn and more focused on the staff themselves. All have their flaws, and there’s a hierarchy of angels and villains coming clearer into view with each episode. So yeah, Santos can still F off, but my point here is that somehow, despite the nonstop firehose of chaos, they keep finding a way to push through. There’s a real resilience to these people, and given what’s happening today (waves have literally everything), there’s a lesson in there.
Sometimes the indignities are on a grand scale. sometimes, a smaller one, like a shitty commute. When I was a union rep, we’d often crib a phrase from an earlier era: “one day longer.” It was shorthand for “nothing good comes easy or quickly. You’ve just got to outlast your opponent. A better tomorrow is just over the horizon.”
There’s a lesson in that, too. And while no one can fix the bigger problems alone, we can at least make your morning commute a little bit better.
This week, we’ve got new stuff from Arlo Parks, Prism Shores, Paul Bergmann, Girl Scout, and Parlor Greens, along with a good dose of old favorites like Roxy Music, That Dog, and Velocity Girl. My abiding hope is that someday people will come around to Copacetic. One day…
This week, Side A is tracks 1-15 (ends with “Same Kids”). Side B is tracks 16-27.
Today we’re taking a look at Swimming Hour by Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire as it takes on The Coup’s Party Music.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
The Coup- Party Music
Earlier this week, I was listening to the Will’s Band of the Week podcast, and in the “banter” part of this episode, one of the hosts was talking about listening to another podcast (meta meta, I know!). That episode covered the discography of one of his favorite bands (Apples in Stereo), and partway through it hit him that he’d never heard one of the records being discussed. This, of course, was much more normal back in the day than it is now. Maybe a new release came out when you were broke. Maybe you were still so into the previous one that you weren’t ready for the next record. Whatever the reason, it could usually betied back to bad timing.
Speaking of which…
We can’t get too far here without acknowledging the album’s cover. The original artwork was a photo of Boots and Pam standing in front of the WTC as it exploded. It was originally slated for a September 11th release. You can imagine how this went (spoiler: not well at all). Riley’s spent a lot of time and energy explaining that it was a metaphor for tearing down the systems that hold us down, and that music is a powerful weapon to tear down those walls. He also doubled down on it all, mentioning more than once that the censoring of the cover was in response to the political climate and not any sort of empathy or sympathy. Where do you see that as staying true to one’s beliefs or stepping on a rake? I’ll leave it to you. Either way, you can also imagine how often this has fallen on deaf ears.
The cover might’ve been altered—it’s now a close-up shot of a drink on fire (a Molotov cocktail. Get it? (nudge nudge)—the music inside is as white hot as ever. Party Music consists of twelve funky slices of politically conscious body-moving music. Their tracks blend punk, funk, disco, and hip hop into a monster palette for their self-described revolutionary Communist frontman, Boots Riley. No one is safe.
“Those in the crosshairs police (Pork and Beef), the government, ‘Ride the Fence’, and anyone else that falls under the umbrella label of ‘the man’ (most everywhere else). That could be any number of hip hop records, really, but what Riley does well is steer away from just sort of blindly swinging at whoever is pissing him off today. There’s an upbeat vibe to it all, and in any revolution, the key ingredient is hope. Party Music might not be music for a party, but it’s perfect for a party takedown. Maybe even at a party while taking down the party in power. Imagine people singing (and dancing to) the chorus to “The Guillotine” (off 2012’s Sorry to Bother You) at the next No Kings rally!
Poor timing and that cover cursed this record to trivia status. Most “best of” discussions skip over it. They shouldn’t. The original cover art might not stand up, but the message sure does.
Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire- The Swimming Hour
If you’re pressed for time, here’s the TL; DR: A lot of bands go genre hopping in a way that feels like voyeur tourism or slather it in so much irony and cynicism as to overtake the whole thing. There are bands whose entire discography is built on this quicksand!
Andrew Bird doesn’t strike me that way at all. What makes the record stand out is the total absence of that nonsense. It feels curious, playful, and open-hearted in a way that one just didn’t see in 2001 (or today, for that matter). Whatever bands like Bowling for Soup and Alien Ant Farm are, this is the opposite.
Listening along, I keep seeing this vision of a guy who enjoys a bunch of different genres and just wants to try ‘em out in the studio to see what happens. It feels natural instead of gimmicky.
Not every song works for me—or works in general— but I think that should be expected. None of them is poorly done. This isn’t a bunch of demos strung together, or a “sessions” record dressed up and passed off as an album. But most of them do, and that’s enough to make the album strong overall.
For each of these, I tried to put myself in his shoes or at least in a scenario that would influence these tracks. “How Indiscreet” towards the end really captures what I like about it — there’s a lively, restless feel to it that reminds me of crate-digging for old soul records. Anytime I go to my favorite local shop, I spend some time in that corner, and while I was daydreaming at work, thinking about how best to put this review together, I imagined him there doing the same. In the end, I think that “realness” or authenticity is the album’s superpower. Doing a bunch of genres in a row isn’t easy to do, but Swimming Hour pulls it off.
Overall, The Swimming Hour isn’t perfect, but its animation, sincerity, and mix of influences left a great impression. I’ll be back to visit this one.
Bottom Line: Tough call here. Bit are good, if wildly different records. My bracket pick defaulted to name recognition (The Coup), and my vote later this morning will be largely dependent on my mood. Will I be burnt out on corporatist bullshit? Will I be riding high off a night of good sleep and a morning playing with Gizmo? Could go either way!
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Today we’re taking a quick look at BRMC’s self-titled debut as it takes on Spiritualized’s Let it Come Down.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- S/T
Put aside the name, kitschy band name, and the fact that you spend a good amount of time thinking you’re listening to Jesus and Mary Chain; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club rips. 2001 might;ve been an era of potemkin-vkillages-as band, but this wasn;t one of them. Robert Levon Been on bass and vocals, Peter Hayes on guitar and vocals, Nick Jago on drums—they came out swinging with actual songs. In short, they came to play 9, no pun intended. Been is also the son of The Call’s Michael Been, so that’s a nohter notch in the win column.
“Love Burns” is a slow burn that gets things off to a strong start. Red Eyes and Tears and “Whatever Happened to My Rock n’ Roll (Punk Song) are two more for your playlist. The latter will also have you thinking more about The Stooges than you have in a while. We’ll see where this bracket takes up, but that’s gotta be an early leader for “best opening run of tracks.”
The rest holds up as well. “As Sure as the Sun” has a steady churn that builds into something almost pretty (maybe that’s just me. I was listening at work before sunrise). “Spread Your Love” brings a fat bass line and a nice dose of distortion. As with lots of records, a couple of spots drop off—like the last seconds of “Whatever Happened…” — but these feel intentional, not because of any sloppiness.
I’m probably the wrong person to ask, but the lasting impression of this band is that People slept on them and this record. Maybe the JAMC comps were a distraction, but besides the fuzz and drone, there’s plenty of hooks too.
A lot of these records feel very much of their time. Or worse, like it’s a nostalgia exercise. This doesn’t strike me as one of ‘em. Besides mistakenly thinking it was JAMC, my other overarching takeaway is that this was a goddamn delight, and a record that could easily have been released last week.
Bottom Line:
Spiritualized vs BRMC seems like the most 2001 contest that ever 2001 contested, but here we are. Both are seeded roughly mid-pack (56 vs 73). On my bracket, I went with the higher seed. Seemed reasonable at the time! With the benefit of a couple of new listens for each, I’ll once again vote against myself and ride for BRMC.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Today Jason Kolenda’s got the keys to the truck and will be sharing his thoughts on Opeth’s Blackwater Park as it takes on Spoon’s Girls Can Tell.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
That death metal isn’t in my wheelhouse should not surprise anyone reading this. It’s a genre that’s never lacked for skill or talent, but I’ve just never found a way in. What I am into is hearing people’s backstories around records. What is it about any given release that resonates? What was so sticky that years later you can’t describe the album without superlatives (or utter contempt)? Where were you at (literally & figuratively both)? What was the on-ramp?
These are parts of larger discussions I could have all day- and as we go on through this year, I hope to have that become a sort of theme here. They’re important, and they matter. Sometimes it really is as easy as learning why New Order is someone’s favorite band, but zooming out, I think it helps us better understand the people we’re talking with, and in 2026, lord knows we could use all of that ya got!
So! We’ve got us a death metal album (a genre I don’t know much about), from a year that was a musical desert for me. Earlier this week, we looked at Converge’s Jane Doe, and I couldn’t finish the record, let alone find anything redeeming to say about it.
I didn’t want to do that again. One, it makes for a shitty read, and two, it’s kinda cheap. Like Converge, I kept seeing people online talking about this album in glowing terms. To hear them tell it. This is a landmark release…Changed the game forever…etc.
And I did want to hear them tell it—or rather hear one person tell it; Jason Kolenda. Some context: I run/edit an online publication on another platform, and Jason is a longtime writer. He’s also one of the resident experts on metal- and all of its subgenres- and more than once, his work has been a helpful resource in bringing into relief the appeal of death metal.
The words below the jump are all his, and appeared as part of a larger (much larger!) series. Whether you’re a long-time aficionado looking for a kindred spirit or someone like me looking for a way in, Jason’s writing should be one of your first stops. It definitely helped me see this record in a positive light.
KA—
Opeth- Blackwater Park
How am I to begin talking about this behemoth of an album? Even though it’s not #1, it’s by far the most transformative album in my collection. This album changed my life forever. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it isn’t.
Before I knew about this album, music was just a casual interest for me, like the average person — nothing wrong with that, of course. I liked a few bands, bought a few CDs once in a while, mostly radio hits and occasionally a suggestion from a friend, and that was that.
But my discovery of Opeth led to extreme metal as a whole, turning music into a lifelong obsession for me. From that point on, it was a hardcore hobby that I spent countless hours on — discovering new artists, albums, genres, making tables and graphs, and writing about them. It turned me into a music nerd. There’s no going back, and I would not want to anyway.
This obsession was far from instantaneous, however.
I never thought about the term “death metal” before discovering Opeth. I wasn’t interested in it and didn’t think much of it. But this album taught me that metal could be a lot of things I didn’t realize before. It could be interesting, complex, thought-provoking, and even mature. Despite sounding instantly off-putting to many, creating something worthwhile could still take tremendous talent. Hell, it could even be beautiful. It wasn’t just for angry, rebellious teenagers.
My Opeth introduction story is probably quite unusual. I had an online friend I used to chat with about music. There was no YouTube or streaming in those days, so we actually sent each other MP3 files that we had downloaded through a chat room. He sent me “Patterns in the Ivy,” a 2-minute acoustic interlude on this album. He proceeded to tell me that this is a death metal band, a term I was barely familiar with. I thought, ok, that’s cool, I like what I hear. I listened to this song a few times and then decided to check out more. I don’t remember what I heard next -it’s possible I just outright bought the album.
I did not enjoy the death growls at first. It took me several months to get accustomed to them. But I did like the heavy moments with clean vocals, as well as acoustic and instrumental sections. At first, I couldn’t stand the death growls and reacted like most average music listeners would—instantly repelled. For a while after that, I just tolerated them, really appreciating everything else this album had to offer. Slowly, though, I started to actually enjoy them.
For as long as it took me to appreciate the harsh vocals, Opeth was one of the best bands I could ask for to introduce me to this style of music. Fast forward to today, and I still think Mikael Åkerfeldt is the best metal vocalist out there. His growls are just monstrous, in the best possible way. His powerful, clean vocals have a hardy, roughness but exquisite richness. He can also serenade the listener with a delicate softness when necessary.
Blackwater Park is a record full of contrasting juxtapositions, both within individual songs and adjacent tracks. “Dirge for November” may be the most obvious instance of this — the meat of the song being one of the heaviest moments on the album, bookended by ultra-delicate plucking and singing on either side. “Patterns In the Ivy” — my unusual introduction to this album — is a 2-minute acoustic interlude sandwiched between two behemoth songs. And then there’s “Harvest,” a remarkable acoustic ballad in its own right. Opeth is pretty good about providing “breathers” at just the right time, before the listener gets too exhausted, and to give time to process long, complex tracks.
The musical contrasts may be my favorite thing about the band, not to mention one of my favorite things in music. But this album also has some of the best riffs in the metal world. “The Funeral Portrait” is probably my favorite, but examples can be found everywhere. Also, Steven Wilson’s production of this record results in a highly polished production, another attribute that would continue to define Opeth’s career.
When I discovered this, I wasn’t used to progressive music at all, other than maybe some Tool songs. The sudden, or sometimes gradual, changes in song structure and the length of songs were another new thing for me to adjust to. Looking back, it’s unsurprising that this took so long to grow on me. It was several orders of magnitude more complex and sophisticated than the Smashing Pumpkins and Foo Fighters that I was used to.
I have often contemplated whether this album should be #1 after all. Going back through my records, I don’t think it has ever been #1 and has been as low as #6. At this point, it’s still #2, although I’m constantly changing the numbers around.
Spoon- Girls Can Tell
What can I say about Spoon that I haven’t already? As far out of my wheelhouse as Opeth is, Spoon is in it. Not a whole lotta boxes they don’t check for me.
Ranking the records is an exercise in futility. A fun exercise, but still… really, the only consensus is that the first one is the worst one (Telephono), and even that’s relative. From there, it gets really subjective. Maybe you got Gimme Fiction at #3, and I’ve got it at #5 (or vice versa). It’s all a game of inches!
I won’t bury the lede here; I’d put Girls Can Tell at 4 or 5. It’s a solid record. There’s no easy pick for standout tracks; it’s a much more subdued record where the tracks slowly grow on you. They all sound “pretty good!” out of the gate, and before you know it, you’re spilling ink on the record and struggling to pick just one as a fave. That’s just how they roll.
But in the Spoon canon, this is a critically important record. It’s the first sign of what was to come. They’d caught a bunch of bad breaks with A Series of Snakes, took a couple of years to rework it all, and came out the other side with a new sound and a new mindset. I once read an interview (and I apologize for not being able to find it/link to it) where they noted that each member brought in new material, and the others had to guess which song it was based on. Sounds derivative, but if anything, this marks where they went from followers to setting the bar.
Intentional or not, it’s a lot less derivative than earlier records leaned toward; there’s a noirish (?) feel to it all. Britt Daniels purchased his ticket for the emotive/evocative train. Musically, there’s grooves for days. A & R reps might not’ve heard a single, but it didn’t matter. Reinvention. Pivot. Whatever. This marks the moment when Spoon went from a band lost in the mix among countless others to one of the most consistently fantastic bands going.
Bottom Line: First, thank you again to Jason for his take! This was a record I could’ve easily dismissed. Hearing a new perspective gave me a whole new appreciation for it. Still not my bag, but I get why it’s so important to so many. I can’t see a scenario where Opeth pulls off an upset and moves on to Round 2, but stranger things have happened! After today, I wouldn’t be bummed to see it.
Kevin Sent 
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