Sonic Youth: Dirty

Album: Dirty
Artist: Sonic Youth
Year: 1992

Is this another experimental band? Oops. Well... Sonic Youth is amazing. So they will be on here again in the future I think.

1. 100%

Maybe this is cheating, but this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love the guitar, the opening, and the lyrics are great. "Can you forgive the boy who / shot you in the head / should you get a gun / go and get revenge / 100% of my love / up to you true star." Its always been my secret opinion that this song should have been in Kill Bill.

2. Swimsuit Issue

This song has less of a pop element than the previous one. This one is HARD. It is relentless and Kim Gordon's smoldering vocals lead us into pandemonium. The guitars are loud and the drums are fast. This is a song you might listen to if you were robbing a bank. Around 2 minutes there's a sexy interlude, Gordon is just saying things and in the back the guitar is pulsing. I always thought that Sonic Youth was one of the sexiest bands ever. And they did it without trying... take that Justin Timberlake... who shares my initials. Fun fact.

3. Theresa's Sound World

This song has the sound of a more recent Sonic Youth song... like from Sonic Nurse or something. Thurston Moore's vocals are so distinct and distant. I can never get the sound of his voice out of my head. The song builds up into heavy guitar slamming which quiets down again into the verse. A great track, not to be looked over.

4. Drunken Butterfly

This song starts out with a wall of noise coming at you quickly. Aggressive guitar and vocals dominate this track, and it does not disappoint. There is a quieter part with both ethereal and guttural guitar sounds in the background, which transforms into a grungy guitar shuffle. This is probably the best love song since Counting Crow's Anna Begins. Which came out after this song so really that's not chronological.

5. Shoot

This song is like being in a desert. You can just see the band playing their instruments in the gathering dust. Wind strewn organic matter float around and stuff. You get the idea. I really like this song, it has a passive aggressive feel, it makes you want to put on sunglasses. I don't know if you can understand any of what I'm saying or how it relates to the song, but this is a very good track. Don't miss it.

6. Wish Fulfillment

This song is a little easier to listen to than some other Sonic Youth tracks. Its interesting. I don't have a whole lot more to say about it...

7. Sugar Kane

This song is pretty cool, the opening sounds totally unlike a Sonic Youth song, and then there is this... almost CCR like guitar thing... then it breaks into a usual Sonic Youth type riff. I'd say this is a standout track for sure... Thurston Moore sounds really good on this one.

8. Orange Rolls, Angels Spit

Don't turn up your noise-cancelling headphones up to loud for this one. It'll tear your ear out. This is something I've come to expect from Sonic Youth. This is something that if my father heard, he would turn to me and say: This is music? And I'd say... yes dad... I think so. This song is not the most punky song on the album, but it is quite punky, and it definitely has its moments.

9. Youth Against Fascism

This is another one of my favorite Sonic Youth songs. Sonic Youth definitely has a sound... but within that sound there is a lot of diversity. I think that's why Sonic Youth is so good. This is definitely one of their standout tracks though.

10. Nic Fit

This is a punk song. There's no two ways about it. Its punk with a Sonic Youth edge. It is only one minute long but it is raucous.

11. On the Strip

Kim Gordon shines here. This song sounds like it needs to be played underground, with lots of slime and black lights and etc. With sunglasses. The lyrics are pretty cryptic and almost creepy. The chorus is my favorite part, the vocals and guitar mesh really well... some really cool stuff. Not much else to say.

12. Chapel Hill

Major arpeggios begin this song, with minimal fuzz. Some pretty guitar hooks kick in and then Thurston Moore's vocals arrive. "back in the days when the battle raged / and we thought it was nothing." I like the chorus in this song as well. There is also a really cool guitar solo / interlude thing... heaving walls of distortion above the drums. If you listen to this song, make sure you make it to this shit, its rad.

13. JC

Jesus Christ? There's a nice bass hop here, slightly hidden in the fuzz. When the drums come in you know you're in for something... and there's Kim Gordon on cue... riding the waves of noise like a mermaid. A No-Wave Mermaid.

14. Purr

This song is wild... the guitar riff is awesome. Right off the bat you know this is going to be a standout, just like 100%. "I learned it all from you girl / i got it all from you." Just listen to this... hearing me talk about it won't do you any good. Hear it. I'm going to pick this for my representative track... even though its not my favorite... its like my second favorite... or third. But anyway yeah.

15. Creme Brulee

Here are those aliens again... only this time they are stoned! Imagine the hatch opens and just a cloud of smoke pours out. That would be pretty wild. This song sounds like it was recorded in teletubby land. Its got this lazy guitar dissonant groove, and Kim Gordon's half-sung half-spoken vocals. Not that being in teletubby land is an awful thing, its just that all the dimensions are confused... and nothing really seems real. A good closing to an excellent record. Its funny because almost no one I know personally likes this band... does that make me crazy?

Closing Remarks:

A great record from one of my favorite artists... Sonic Youth. We'll see more of them for sure... even if I have to tackle one of those SYR abominations. This record also has one of my favorite album covers of all time. Is that weird?

Can: Ege Bamyasi

Album: Ege Bamyasi
Artist: Can
Year: 1972

I don't know honestly. Halloween was last night, I saw Eve 6 a day or two ago and that was pretty cool. I was a lumberjack for halloween. Pretty awesome... here's some Can.

1. Pinch

This song has an undeniable groove. The vocals are aloof, sometimes shouted but always mumbled sounds that are impossible to understand. I love the guitar, its understated, the drums have the biggest presence in the song but everything is perfectly balanced for this feeling, this steel-and-bones feeling. Its a pretty long track at nine minutes thirty-one seconds, but that's okay. This is a great opening track, and a good introduction into this band in general.

2. Sing Swan Song

This opens with the sound of water in motion. Don't listen to this if you really have to pee. This song has more of a melody than the first, once the instruments finally arrive. It has some really cool guitar stuff in here... this is definitely a standout track, a must listen. This is my representing track I think.

3. One More Night

This song has a laid back feel even though the drums seem urgent / anxious. Definitely some more neat guitar stuff in this song, some very awesome sounds. That's why I like this band, you're never really sure exactly what you're going to hear, the album is cohesive, but its interesting and engaging.

4. Vitamin C

Love this song's groove, I really like the bassline. The melody is really unusual, I think, it sounds very out-of-place but it is still sounds awesome. There's some good shouting too... "Hey you!" If people played Can at parties (they don't) I would dance myself silly. This is definitely a standout track, listen to this one for sure.

5. Soup

The longest song on the record at ten minutes and thirty-three seconds. I'm expecting it to be a voyage. It has a slow start, but it really picks up around a minute thirty. I cannot describe this music for the life of me, but I am really enjoying it. Its like an ocean of cold colors, chaotic and swirling. The bass swells and guitar breaks over heaving sand. There are possibly aliens surfing here, skeletal and amorphous fish. Electric discharges dot the horizon, trying to break free of this weird miasma. Then at around five minutes forty, something truly terrifying begins happening. All these cold colors are washed in red... like magma consuming everything. If you thought music couldn't frighten you and make you paranoid you thought wrong. I keep thinking that there are ghosts in here. At around eight minutes thirty you will hear a language that was never intended for human ears. I'm not kidding. If i saw this live i think i would shit my pants (in a good way)

6. I'm So Green

This song is a breath of fresh air from the last. Like eating crisp green beans. (maybe i'm just hung up on green beans from the album's cover) Anyway, we're back into the groove of previous songs. I really like the guitar in this song as well... I guess in general on the record. It has a sound that is unusual... this was in the 70's and I still haven't heard a whole lot of stuff that sounds much like this.

7. Spoon

This is a great song, a good closing to a truly amazing album. Some really neat songs in here... I guess this is the song that earned Can the most commercial success because its my understanding that it was the theme in a German TV show called "The Knife." I've never seen that show, but I kind of wish that this song was the theme to "CSI," or, "House."

Closing Remarks:

Can is a German Experimental Rock band. I guess I have a penchant for the experimental. Anyway... I don't think they ever really had very big commercial success, but I think that have a pretty big cult following, kind of like a Pavement or a King Crimson. I think they are the main source of influence for a lot more recent experimental bands.

East River Pipe: The Gasoline Age

Album: The Gasoline Age
Artist: East River Pipe
Year: 1999

This is my 7th post and I guess this is an alternative band... its raining today and there is no end in sight. Let's break it down

1. Shiny, Shiny Pimpmobile

Great title. The song starts slow but it break into a nice electronic / acoustic verse. This song is three minutes and forty-one seconds long, but it goes by fast and its very repetitive, but overall a nice listen. I guess that's all I have to say about this opening

2. Hell is an Open Door

Its certainly is. Anyway, this song grabs your attention with a little guitar into which builds right up into the verse. It almost has a britpop sound, repetitive lyrics and soaring vocal harmonies. This definitely lacks the radio appeal of Oasis or Coldplay but it has its own strengths. This Cornog guy really knows how to make a song seem a lot shorter than it actually is.

3. Cybercar

This is a ballad of love for a Cybercar. Which... from which I can gather is a car that is able to drive into the sun. So its a car that can fly in interplanetary space. Its interesting to say the least. Solid track

4. Wholesale Lies

Not a whole lot to say about this one, its good, worth a listen.

5. My Little Rainbow

This song is melancholy on a record that kind of gives me the feeling of overcast skies in general. For being pretty simple, these songs are good. There's nothing really fancy about them, they just go one after another and each one leaves a generally good impression on me, so far.

6. Party Drive

This one has a cool introduction. Warm and cold chords dominate the mood. "A joint for me / a pill for you." This is an awesome party. Its pretty slow but it has some cool sounds in it.

7. King of Nothing Never

I like the title a lot, the song itself is pretty repetitive (not unlike the others) but this one seems to drag a bit more. There's some cool guitar work in here though, so don't skip it.

8. 14th Street Boys Stolen Car Club

This song takes you by surprise... the piano is good, and the vocal melody is fantastic. I think this song could be longer and better, but its already pretty good... so don't fix what's not broke I guess.

9. All You Little Suckers

Here we are with a return to form on All You Little Suckers. This song has got a catchy verse, and an even better chorus. This is definitely a standout track, listen to this one for sure.

10. Astrofarm

This song sounds like the rest, but its not nearly as good. There is some neat guitar stuff, but its not enough to hold my attention.

11. Down 42nd Street to the Light

The opening here is different from the rest, but it moves right into bouncy guitar. I like the vocal melody... and the lyrics are pretty good as well. I'm going to pick this song to represent the album... I like it. Listen.

12. Atlantic City (Gonna Make a Million Tonight)

Ethereal sounds here. Sounds like floating and dark clouds and street lights. I think this is another one of those long drive songs... but you'd have to be careful you don't go to sleep. This song has a relaxed, laid back atmosphere despite the supposed subject matter... "I talk to Jesus / but he won't forgive." Definitely a feeling of being forsaken. Weighing in at nine minutes and forty-three seconds this is the longest. "Baby I was your curse / yeah I was your curse." I hate to quote AFI but Cornog is definitely "singing the sorrow" here. This song is all atmosphere, the last few minutes are just noises... and it really isn't that interesting. So you could skip it if you want. The song is over. Definitely a good track overall, though.

13. Don't Hurry

Another waltz! I really wasn't expecting that. A slow waltz. After the last track I was hoping for something a little upbeat but this is just as slow and sad. A lot shorter, though.

Closing Remarks:

I don't know much about this band besides they have a lot more material besides just this... and I think rather than being a group, East River Pipe just refers to just a guy... Cornog is his name. Kind of like Bright Eyes and Conor Oberst... they are kind of synonymous but not really.

Son Volt: Straightaways

Album: Straightaways
Artist: Son Volt
Year: 1997

Six posts strong, welcome to Son Volt. Today has been super busy so I haven't got a whole lot of chances to listen but that's okay, the day is still young. Lets get into it.

1. Caryatid Easy

This is a fun song. The guitar throughout is lively and poppy, it has that unusual alt-country sound. A Caryatid, obviously, is a statue (usually female I think) that serves as a support like a column. As you can imagine these are found in Greece and places like that. What does it have to do with the song? I'm sure its some sort of metaphor... something to do with support or something. The lyrics are really good, interesting and engaging. There are some really cool vocal harmonies as well... this is a very good song, definitely a standout track on the record.

2. Back Into Your World

This song is slower and more acoustic / clean than the first. The lyrics in this song are almost heartbreaking. "Let me back into your world / no uncertain terms..." The subject matter of this song... I guess you could say its more country but lets face it almost every artist has an 'oh please take me back' song. This song maintains that alt-country sound. A solid second track, something you could play for someone that broke your heart, something that could melt a heart of stone.

3. Picking Up the Signal

Its apparent this is the song that the record's title comes from. This song is more upbeat than the last, it has a long drive sort of attitude. A long drive with the windows down in summer. Other then that not a lot to say about this song.

4. Left a Slide

I really like the opening to this song. Compared to the other ones, this song is downright melancholy. After this song I decided that this whole album is good for a long drive.

5. Creosote

I really like the opening lines of this song: "Passing under barren skies / waiting for our worlds to collide." This song sounds good, maybe suffers from sounding a bit too much like some of the other songs. There is a really neat slide guitar solo in this song though.

6. Cemetery Savior

I really like this song. "No one here says what they mean / no one here says what they mean." I like those two lines and the repetition. Not much else to say...

7. Last Minute Shakedown

These songs are really starting to blend together. There is a nice electric guitar hook in this song though... during the chorus. That made me happy.

8. Been Set Free

Great opening to this song, probably the best on the CD. This song sounds a lot different from the others which is good, its darker and more atmospheric... more bluesy I think. This is a good song for driving too, but I think it'd be best to drive in the darkness of pre-dawn. This is a standout track.

9. No More Parades

Son Volt always has good openings to their song, I've just decided. Sometimes they can get a little boring in the middle, is my only problem. Its not that they aren't talented, though. This song is pretty good though... not quite a standout though.

10. Way Down Watson

This song debuts the harmonica. Probably the best lyrics on the album, the best of the "melancholy" songs. You're going to have to listen to this one... I'm choosing it as my representative track for the record.

Closing Remarks:

Well there was this influential country band called Uncle Tupelo... and when they broke up they kind of split into two bands... one was Son Volt and the other was Wilco. Wilco really escaped out of that alternative country sound after a few records but Son Volt never really did, both bands are very talented. I just don't think as many people have heard of Son Volt. This is their 1997 release but they just came out with a new album this year I think, which is called American Central Dust. It has almost nothing to do with central america.

Pentangle: Basket of Light

Album: Basket of Light
Artist: Pentangle
Year: 1969

This is the 5th post and the second folk album I'm going to talk about. Smog was more of an indie folk band... this is 1960's english folk rock. So they sound different. Also, this band's guitar players are Bert Jansch and John Renbourn... I am a fan of both of their solo work and its likely we'll see it sometime later in the year... Lets break it down.

1. Light Flight

This song is incredible. Great instrument interactions... really standout guitar and vocal work. You can hear the medieval influence here as well... a lot of bands like this at the time were doing their own arrangements of traditional folk songs, so its not a surprise that these influences make it into the band's compositions. There is more to this song though, the instruments are really jazzy and I wish I could see them play this live, it would be really really cool, a lot of energy content in this song.

2. Once I Had a Sweetheart

Here's one of those traditional songs I was talking about. Its pretty good, but I wouldn't say its a standout song on the record. There's some good guitar work... and the sitar adds a really neat touch.

3. Springtime Promises

A song you would expect to hear in the 60's. I mean, I wasn't there but I'd imagine people singing about spring over pretty folk guitar was something that happened more often back then. I think the guitar in this song is well put together, a good composition. This song debuts Bert Jansch on vocals. Bluesy acoustic guitar solo toward the end. Very solid track.

4. Lyke Wake Dirge

This is another traditional song. I like this one better than the first one... this one has more atmosphere, its haunting. The vocal harmonies make it sound a lot like a hymn, but the instruments behind it retain the band's distinct style.

5. Train Song

This is my favorite opening of any song on the record. From the bluesy guitar intro into the debut of the vocals... this song moves along steady just like a train... its no wonder they called it that. There is some excellent guitar work in this song, as well as some vocal stuff that I find really impressive. There is another excellent solo towards the end of this song. A standout track all around

6. Hunting Song

Glockenspiel... do my ears deceive me? No. This song is awesome, this band really knows how to put the instruments together into a cohesive, interesting unit. This song has an unusual structure... When the vocals switch from the female to male vocals its surprising, and his voice is so much more engaging and the song kind of moves into a B section or a new motive or something. This song's lyrics carry some kind of story... something to do with Morgan Le Faye and King Arthur... further proof that this band loves English folk tales and mythology, these influences run deep.

7: Sally Go Round the Roses

I'm pretty sure this song is a cover... I'm not sure of who. I could look it up... but I don't really care. This is a pretty good song as performed by Pentangle, as usual there's some cool guitar stuff but it doesn't stand out as much as some of the other tracks.

8. The Cuckoo

This is another traditional folk song... not a whole lot to say about it. Its pretty and deserves a listen, but if you were looking for folk rock like I was, this won't hold your attention for long.

9. House Carpenter

Another traditional folk song, but this one is very good. Banjo is a nice touch, and I've heard this song as performed by Nickel Creek, but I must say this one is interesting. Banjo and Sitar... how often does that happen? It just doesn't happen.

10. Cloud Mountain

This is a b-side that is on my version of the album. I don't know the details about why its on here or whatever but I listened to it so I decided to talk about it. Its good, definitely worth a look if its on your version of the record. It has less of a traditional folk feel, and more of a... modern? folk feel? I'm not sure. It has a different mark though.

11. I Saw an Angel

This is an additional b-side... but I don't have much to say about this one. It features Bert Jansch on vocals. Not bad but not incredible.

Closing Remarks:

This is a great folk album and it deserves to be in your collection. I don't think Pentangle got as much attention as other English folk bands at the time... such as Fairport Convention or The Incredible String Band, but I think that is stupid because they are just as good if not better. Not to say that Fairport Convention and ISB are bad... we'll probably see them too eventually...

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo

Album: Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo
Artist: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Year: 2007

4th post and going strong...so far. Lets not get too optimistic yet. This album was released in 2007 and that makes it the newest thing I've talked about so far. After this I want to do something from before my time. ANYWAY. This record is definitely the most experimental, maybe less than Gentle Giant as a band, but the record I chose by them was less experimental and I talked about that... I'll return to Gentle Giant eventually. Some of the things on this record are so experimental its difficult to recognize it as music... but we'll get there.

1. The Lukewarm

This is only twenty-six seconds long and its more of an intro than anything else. I can't even determine what instrument is being played... if it is an instrument. It sounds pretty spiffy though, it definitely has my attention.

2. The Luxury of Infancy

This song is instrumental guitar and bass, with some pretty difficult-to-describe effects. This song is only a minute-thirteen long, so I'm not really even sure if the intro is over.

3. Rapid Fire Tollbooth

Great title for a song. This song is full of wah, and I happen to like wah, so i'll let it go. This song features vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who is in The Mars Volta with Omar, but we'll get to that later. Omar definitely has a recognizable style with the guitar. You can hear it a little bit in At the Drive-In, you can hear it A LOT in the Mars Volta, and here it is overwhelming. This is a very good song though. The lyrics are very good (as usual with this group of musicians), The song itself sounds great, and there is a really good (long) solo that closes the song. A great track, a standout on the record... although it lacks the cohesiveness of a true Mars Volta song... itfeels more like a one of theirs than an Omar Rodriguez-Lopez solo track.

4. Thermometer Drinking the Bussness of Turnstiles

Some titles just don't make good sense. I'm not saying its a bad thing, but Bussness isn't even a word. I guess it makes the song more interesting, I want to listen to see if I can make some sense of it. Once you get past the whirring opening, there are some very cool sounds in this song. If aliens made music and had Omar play guitar for them, this might be what it sounded like. About two minutes into the song, the guitar takes starts this arpeggio march thing and then it fades out suddenly into the background, and is replaced by more alien noises that leads us directly into the next song, which is the title track.

5. Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo

I really like the use of horns in this song. Cedric is back with some more vocals... although this doesn't feel as much like a Mars Volta song... it has a different mark on it. This song has some awesome vocal/piano/guitar interactions. I've never been much of a fan of vocal effects... but here I think it adds something to the song, it has an emotional pull and I think if I were in the right state of mind it might even bring tears to my eyes... hmm. Not what I expected to experience. At the end there's a piano/guitar/drum jam and this is an example of one of those things I'd like to be on stage for, it has so much energy. More signature guitar work from Omar, cue some more haunting vocal melodies from Cedric, and an abrupt closing. Great song, definitely a standout.

6. If Gravity Lulls, I Can Hear the World Pant

This song makes me feel like I'm in a desert on another planet. There are some rude interruptions of some pretty strange noises in this song. In fact, it kind of atrophies into something downright terrifying and then that suddenly quits and its a whole new part... still feel like i'm in that desert. Maybe some huge moons lurking just above the atmosphere, some huge monoliths hanging out in the hazy distance. I like this planet. Cue more alien sounds... and this is probably my favorite instrumental song on the whole record.

7. Please Heat this Eventually

Weighing in at eleven minutes and twenty-four seconds, this song is the beastliest on the record. Its got a slow, lulling start. However, your patience will pay off as the song EXPLODES into a latin-flavored guitar/organ romp. I think we're on another planet, but this one is a fucking party. Everyone is drinking mars-martinis and moon...shine. There is some cool sax in this song, there's one part where it trades for several measures with the guitar this is the way I wish my jazz band sounded. At about 5:00 there is something I cannot describe going on, but it is wonderful. Please listen to this song all the way through if you do listen. Strap on your phasers this is a shit-show (in the best way). Then, as mysteriously as it arrives, the jam begins to fade into a swamp of alien whirrs and beeps that turns into this great bass solo over what sounds like rapidly boiling MAGMA. Seriously good bass solo. Then the bass kind of takes over and does its own thing...after there is a sax(or something like a sax) soloing. Okay I'm not going to overanalyze everything that is going on, the point is, listen to this song all the way through, and be very surprised at how much you enjoy it.

8. Lurking About in a Cold Sweat (Held Together by Venom)

Right off the bat, without even listening to this song... the title makes me think of withdrawal symptoms, and the parenthetical part of the title makes me think of drug dependency. Does the theme of drug abuse from yesterday spill over into today? Okay. This song sounds slow and sad. Perhaps I can imagine myself lurking about in a cold sweat to this song... but it might be more like ballroom dancing across a glass floor of stars or something magnificent like that. There are some unexpected elements here that are not at all displeasing. When the guitars and drums come in, you are ready for it and it has a burning / smoldering effect after the cold, subdued part from before. For some reason I find this record very visual even though there aren't very many vocals. There are a few weird interruptions in the guitar part near the end of the song, it sounds like some sort of evil entity is trying to take over the song... it sounds cool actually, there is one place that has sort of an ingenious overlap. Then it ends... spills pretty well over into the next song

9. Boiling Death Request a Body to Rest its Head On

The percussion in this song is really cool. The guitar sounds a bit different, but its still something you've come to expect from our friend Omar. Nonetheless there are some rad riffs in this song, and it should not be forgotten.

10. La Tirania de la Tradicion

Cedric is back for the closing track of this record, and there is something very punky about this song. Its anxious and quick, quick-picked bass and weird synth give this song a strange 80's feel. Cedric is doing something very different vocally in this song... its got the sweaty strain of a singer from The Eagles of Death Metal or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or something else I can't really identify. There are a lot of parts in this song that are just completely insane, and every now and then the alien sounds will pop back in and at this point they are almost reassuring. This is the most confrontational song on the record, the most in your face... like if we were in space before that was awesome, but now we've been abducted and we're being yelled at for some reason.

Closing Remarks:
Omar and Cedric are both longtime members of modern-progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Actually, Rapid Fire Tollbooth was rewritten by the band and its name was changed to "Goliath." Its on one of their albums and its a lot different... I have a lot of trouble deciding which version I like better. So listen to this album and you'll probably see lights in the sky... that's right this music actually confirms the existence of UFO's. Notice just UFO's... not aliens. Who knows. This record is underrated and you should get it! If you are a Mars Volta fan at all you will like this... just do it. (Thanks Nike) Or whoever said that

Tad: 8-Way Santa

Album: 8-Way Santa
Artist: Tad
Year: 1991

Forget about folk, for now. This is my 3rd post and this is probably the heaviest band so far to be featured on my blog. (Haha, out of 3). Right now I'm listening to 8-Way Santa by Tad. A lot of people already have an impression of Grunge but if you go into this album expecting Nirvana or Pearl Jam then you are in for a surprise. I've had conversations before about people's voices, (actually I was just told that I like bands with strange sounding vocals.) Is that so weird? I mean, I think weird sounding voices are more interesting than your American-Idol-winner vocals. Certainly Bob Dylan would never have even made it into the first round of American Idol, and he's more famous than any of those guys will be. Anyway, I'm digressing and I regret that, lets break it down.

1. Jinx

If I were in this band, i would have a lot of fun playing these songs. The guitar is really cool and heavy, the drums have some variation, these are songs you can get really into on stage and I like that. Also, I'm a big fan of a lot of distortion when it comes to bands like this, and there is distortion to spare in this song. I think this is one of the songs released as a single for the band, which makes sense. Its a good opening songs, it has really good structure and it seems to be about drug use. People in this scene probably really dug that and I read somewhere that this album was named after a kind of Acid so, there you go. Drugs drugs drugs. Great song, definitely a standout, I'd choose this one to represent the record.

2. Giant Killer

This song wouldn't be as fun to play, but I do like the guitar and there are some vocally cool moments as well. Other then that I don't have a whole lot to say about this song. Its definitely not as good as the first song though.

3. Wired God

I don't have much to say about this one either. Some cool guitar stuff but I don't really care for the lyrics.

4. Delinquent

I like this song a lot more than the previous two. The lyrics are much better, and the guitar is still just how I like it. The vocals are half spoken-half spat. Tad Doyle definitely has the voice for this band, and on this song he shines.

5. Hedge Hog

I went into this song expecting great things. I think Hedgehogs are cool, Sonic the Hedgehog is probably one of my favorite video games. Of course, this isn't really a song at all, more of a bizarre break between songs where the band seems to express an interest in crushing hedge hogs.

6. Flame Tavern

I really like the guitar at the beginning. Vocally this song just doesn't deliver like the other ones... I think it might be a different vocalist altogether, which is fine, but I like Tad Doyle's guttural cries. Anyway this song is still pretty good, just not a standout. There is a guitar solo in this song but its nothing special.

7. Trash Truck

There are those guttural vocals I missed in the last song! This song is much better than the previous few, more of what I would expect after the album's awesome opening. I never thought of a Trash Truck as a vehicle of escape or redemption, but I think there is something very bad ass about escaping in a Trash Truck.

8. Stumblin' Man

This is another song I'd love to perform live. Just to grunt like that during a song, a lot of energy. For some reason listening to the guitar interactions in this song it reminds me of the planet Venom on the Star Fox 64 video game. Why am I thinking about video games while I listen to this? I have no idea. Some good lyrics. "Walk the crooked mile / it'll take away you're smile."

9. Jack Pepsi

The opening of this song reminds me of "Jesus Christ Pose," by Soundgarden. Once the vocals start, it is obviously nothing like that song, but the opening is similar, which I guess is what joins them in grunge. The vocals surprised me at first, I wasn't expecting just spoken words over the drums. This song is maybe better than the first song. Its interesting, engaging, and in-your-face. Who the hell is Jack Pepsi anyway... and what could he possibly do to help...? Oh wait... Jack Daniels and Pepsi. This record has more substances than a public service announcement. What does that say about the scene at the time? Maybe it foreshadows the deaths of some of its heroes... (Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain). Rest in Peace.

10. Candi

This song has a very badass guitar opening. The rest of the song just doesn't impress me.

11. 3-D Witch Hunt

Whoa. This is the debut of clean guitars on the album, and it sounds very alien. This song features the other vocalist, (if it even is another vocalist) But it is head and shoulders above the other. The guitar is more interesting, the melody is better... overall this song is definitely a contrast to the other songs on the album but its pretty good! I'm surprised I'm enjoying it as much as I am. "Smile and shake it off" Sounds like the themes of substance abuse have taken a turn into something a little more cliche. That's okay, I think this song has a lot of strength, lyrically. This song seems to be more like a relationship than anything else.

12. Crane's Cafe

This song starts with a very triumphant YEEEEAYEAH. Very urgent guitar, anxious vocals. This song has a lot of drive that some of the other songs are missing. One of the verses towards the end has a almost guitar except for a few cool embellishes and what sounds like pick grinding or whatever its called. I'm a little confused about the name of this song. Crane's Cafe. Not to be confused with The Decemberist's "Crane Wife," for sure.

13. Plague Years

The lyrics are a little cliche, but this song sounds very good. There is cool guitar and drums and the melody isn't so bad. This song is more rounded out with distorted and clean guitars. Again, for an album with only two songs with any clean guitar, both of them are pretty good. There are even some hooks in this song that sound as though Stephen Malkmus could have written them. The song is disappointingly short, but a good closing nonetheless.

Closing Remarks:

Tad was on the forefront of Grunge, that is for sure. They predate Nirvana and Pearl Jam. It is very clear upon listening to the album that they were drawing from a different pool of influences than most grunge bands were at the time... although I'm not entirely sure I would be able to tell you what influences those were. If you like grunge ok, but you've never heard of Tad, that's okay because I don't know if Tad ever truly got as farout of Seattle as other grunge bands like Alice in Chains or Mudhoney. This is an okay album. Maybe Tad isn't quite a record band, but they definitely know how to rock out and they deserve a listen.