Brighten the Corners |
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain |
Slanted & Enchanted
You can't even call yourself a fan of indie
rock if you don't own and love this album. "Summer Babe," the
opening track, is as perfect piece of slacker rock as has ever
existed. From there Stephen Malkmus
and the gang take you on a tour of what a crappy, old electric
guitar and a drum kit can bring to the life of every white guy
who's ever wanted to start his own band. I rarely deem something
a classic, but this one with all of its hisses and crackles
and shambling choruses filled with bedraggled greasy-headed
wonderfulness really is a gateway album (in the way weed is
a gateway drug). One dose--at least in the context of the time
and place in which I first experienced it--will change your
musical world for the better. Every listen makes me love it
just a little bit more. |
|
Slanted & Enchanted Luxe & Reduxe |
Spit on a Stranger ep |
Terror Twilight |
Watery, Domestic |
Westing (by Musket and Sextant) |
Wowee Zowee
I think this album got a bad rap. I mean
it's certainly hi-fi compared to some of their past efforts,
but adding production quality to album releases is a sign of
maturity, isn't it? It's not like they're all of a sudden sounding
like some awful "modern rock" band or something. I
think most of the flak that was originally thrown at this thing
was all based on the fact some called it "all over the
place" and kind of "unfocused." On the contrary,
I like to think there is a loose cohesion to the album that
showcases a nice, little hint of the boys' home state of California.
There's a bit of inland Cali country and jangle that takes some
of the edge off the early fuzz of some of the prior albums.
It's not to say that any of their brazen disregard for being
typical has been worn away, but some of the more mid-tempo stuff
showcases a little bit more of the songwriting that you knew
was lurking in there somewhere. Granted, at 18 tracks you're
bound to have some inconsistency, but I believe time has shown
that this is in fact one of their better albums (my third favorite,
in fact), and worthy of the heaps of praise that it somehow
missed out on when first released. When I just want to chill
with an album that's like a warm blanket, and somehow reminds
me of my home, I throw this one on and float on a cloud of happiness. |
Musical Connections:
Stephen Malkmus
Preston School of Industry
Silver Jews
Spiral Stairs
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