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Classic Album Review: Lightning Bolt- Wonderful Rainbow

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Full Title: Wonderful Rainbow
Artist: Lightning Bolt
Year: 2003
Label: Load
Tracks:
1) Hello Morning- 7
2) Assassins- 8
3) Dracula Mountain- 7
4) 2 Towers- 7
5) On Fire- 8/9
6) Crown of Storms- 8
7) Longstockings- 6/7
8) Wonderful Rainbow- 4
9) 30,000 Monkies- 6
10) Duel in the Deep- 7

Comments: Every now and then as a fan of music I get a particular urge to go out and purchase a record I wouldn’t typically listen to or venture into a style that is less common on my ipod. Enter Lightning Bolt. Before I listened to Wonderful Rainbow I knew LB for about a year. I listened to several of their songs, researched the duo, and watched many a youtube video. I do this with various groups from time to time, so I when I got the aforementioned urge, I turned to these noise rockers and what do you know this LP was exactly what I was looking for; a musical (earthly) delight! From what I have read, this album is supposed to be their most accessible and I can definitely see why. The basslines are invigorating, memorable, and even hooky at times. As always the pair deliver a savage, brutal attack to your ears and never let up, not one bit. This may not be their harshest release, but without a doubt this is a euphoric onslaught of all different kinds of sounds and in many ways for a curious fella like me that’s part of the appeal. Just being blown away and perplexed, not knowing what the hell they are doing! It should be noted though that this isn’t just noise or collages of noise, it’s noisy alright, but has structure (amidst chaos) and certainly has musicality. It may be complex, but not too complex, if you are looking to just rock out, you can really enjoy this album. If you’re a musician or a recording engineer, you probably will appreciate the near flawless recording, production, and attention to the musicianship. Brian Gibson makes the bass sound more like a guitar, at least to me and he shreds like crazy. Brian Chippendale is easily one of the best drummers I have ever heard and brings a lot of force and intensity to his playing; his vocals are also extremely menacing, considering he (as always) uses a microphone that is made for a household telephone receiver. His yalps are eerie and sound like he is trapped somewhere, screaming for help from some damaged speaker. In any case, the group’s unconvential recording methods are not only unique, but ultimately effective in reeling the listener in and demanding their attention, unlike many other unconventional artists that usually end up boring you and me. In terms of tracks, I feel like this whole record is an entire experience and should be judged that way. But, at the same time each track has their own story, so to speak. The ratings listed above are more based on levels of enjoyment and not necessarily quality. Highlights for me include the transistion from “Hello Morning,” into “Assassins,” simply amazing. “Assassins” as a whole is one of the best tracks from the record and perhaps the easiest for the casual listener to get turned on to. “On Fire” is by far my favorite track, the riff is pretty damn catchy and ropes you in and never lets go. I really dig the variety of the tune and how it switches into gentler vibes toward the end, all while maintaining a pounding wall of bass. This continues on “Crown of Storms,” one of the other stand out tracks. I guess for my tastes the rest of the album, while still kickass in its overwheleming heaviness, didn’t WOW me as much as the earlier songs on the record, but this is more of a personal thing as I’m sure folks can find plenty to desire in these remaining songs. Lastly, another great thing about LB and this record is its recording; some of the best recorded music I have had the pleasure of hearing, with Shellac as the closest comparison that comes to my mind. Overall, this is not a record I will listen to all the time or through and through over and over again, but it is a little masterpiece in its own right and if I was more into the noise scene then I would probably rank this higher. All in all, a sound addition to my record collection, and I will be sure to listen to another record from the mighty Lightning Bolt again sometime in the future.

Grade: 7/10- I highly recommend, but I can’t give it a higher rating, because of my ultra pop loving soul.

Too bad they didn’t have “On Fire” live, since I wanted to post a live video. Here’s “Dracula Mountain” live instead, just as badass. I plan on seeing them live one day as they are on my concert bucket list. Looks insane!

Art, Bill Hicks, CD Review, Classic CD Review, Comedy, Hicks Vid of the Day, Honorary KLAYMERS, humor, Music, Philosophy, pictures, Politics, Quotes, rant, reviews, Video

Box Set Review: Bill Hicks The Essential Collection

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Full Title: Bill Hicks: The Essential Collection
Year: 2010
What’s On It?: “Ryko is proud to announce the release of The Essential Collection, a four disc set (2 CD/2 DVD) that encompasses Bill Hicks’ short but influential career as a satirist, social critic and stand-up comedian. The package contains double DVD discs with over five hours of footage from Bill Hicks’ personal archives including rare, never-before-seen performances from the early 80’s, the cult short film Ninja Bachelor Party (starring Bill Hicks, Kevin Booth and David Johndrow), in-depth interviews with Hicks and a photo gallery from his family’s keepsakes. The 2 CD discs offer over two hours of his best stand-up material with never-before-released performance pieces from a San Ramon , CA show recorded by Bill Hicks that was found in his archives. The box set also features new liner notes written by family members as well as renowned figures (including Henry Rollins, Eric Bogosian, noted UK author Paul Outhwaite, and UK journalist/tv personality, Clive Anderson), and a download card containing original song recordings by Hicks (that were mastered at Abbey Road Studios – London, England) entitled, Lo-Fi Troubadour.”- http://www.billhicks.com/essentialcollection.html

Comments: I am a die hard Bill Hicks fan (if you visit the site frequently, you should know that- hence the “Hicks Vid of The Day” posts), so when I heard about this box set I knew I had to have it. First, I threw in the CDs only to be somewhat dissapointed that I knew all the material. Hicks fans should be warned (though it was advertised) that the CDs on here are essentially the same as those found on Rant In E-Minor, Dangerous, and other Hicks albums. I had the impression that this would be new material and already owning all of Hicks’ recordings pretty much made nearly half of this box set obsolete. With that being said, considering this is an Essential Collection, it should have his best material. So, I guess I can’t complain. Now, the DVDs are another story. With a few exceptions, I had never seen any of the live performances they offer us here. They truly are rare, never before seen shows. Mostly we see early Hicks, all the way back to his teen years (or close to it) mocking his parents, teachers, and the drinkers of the world. Then just a couple of years later he, himself is pounding them back and discussing his experiences with cocaine and acid; I’ve never seen Hicks talk about doing blow before and being a Hicksian scholar, I knew he did plenty of it, but this just goes to show you how obscure and old some of these performances are. With some exceptions out there, before this collection was released you would be hard pressed to find footage of entire performances of Hicks from 81-88 (the wild, drunken, drugged out Hicks era). Though, on this DVD, his sets are all comedy and there’s no hullabaloo a la audience members heckling “YOU SUCK!” and Hicks retaliating with verbal rape. His routines range from school/home life to his earliest forays into the realm of politics/society, jokes about the military and government, amongst other topics. Some of the material you have seen/heard before, but there is plenty on the plate I guarantee you have not. Besides performances, the interviews are fun to watch as well as the epic kun-fu classic, Ninja Bachelor Party, which I was already a big fan of. If you’re into Hicks, I recommend this and if you have never heard of him or are not that familiar with his work, then this is a good place to start.

In the spirit of Bill

Grade: 8/10

Classic CD Review, Music

Classic CD Review: Cuts [2005]

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Band: Toy Love
Label: Flying Nun

1. “Squeeze” – A
2. “Rebel” – A+
3. “Don’t Ask Me” – A
4. “Sheep” – A
5. “I Don’t Mind” – B+
6. “Swimming Pool” – A-
7. “Death Rehearsal” – B+
8. “Bride of Frankenstein” – B+
9. “Toy Love Song” – B+
10. “Photographs of Naked Ladies” – A
11. “Bedroom” – A-
12. “The Crunch” – A
13. “Ain’t It Nice” – A
14. “Cold Meat” – B+
15. “Don’t Catch Fire” – A-
16. “Green Walls” – A-
17. “Pull Down the Shades – A++
18. “Frogs” – B
19. “Fast Ostrich” – A-
20. “Amputee Song” – A-
21. “Good Old Joe” – A-

Comments: Toy Love was an extremely short lived (’78-’79) band from New Zealand. Their legacy proved more lasting as Flying Nun decided to re-master the band’s first LP and include unreleased tracks in a greatest hits compilation called Cuts. The first disc in that set called The Authorized Version is a journey in new wave and punk rock. A song like “Squeeze” is a “Shout To The Top” before “Shout To The Top.” It’s one very rooted in New Wave before most of the world even knew of New Wave.  Speaking of that kind of stuff, “Rebel” sounds like a reaction to the Mod Revival that was occurring around the time of Toy Love’s inception. Choice lyrics: “Credit cards and a maserati/Don’t go to films/Less he knows they’re arty/Likes Women’s Lib/And the Values Party/He’s a Rasta, he’s New Wave/Don’t do nothing/Less he’s told exactly/How to behave.” “Don’t Ask Me” takes a sojourn back to the days of the Velvets/early early punk rock ‘n roll. A catchy chorus “I don’t know where I’m going to” followed by a lush organ equals a neat song in “Sheep.” I’m not so sure I can really grasp how well constructed most of these songs are. Kiwi rock was functioning on a different plane than most of its genre counterparts, taking aim at a bunch of thriving sub-genres from outside the island nation. The transition from “Green Walls” to “Pull Down The Shades” might be the most brilliant of its kind that I’ve heard. I first heard “Pull” when Jay Reatard covered it for Stroke, a Chris Knox tribute album. I prefer the one on this album, with its absolute raw energy and hooky as hell vibe. It’s one of my favorite songs (in general). As a whole, I’d say this record is on the very good end of things. Only a few tracks truly standout, but the rest of them are worthy of some merit. It’s easy to see the influence that this may have had on ’80s alt-rock and ’90s and beyond post-punk/power-pop.

Grade: A-

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Cape Dory [2011]

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Band: Tennis
Release: 01/2010
Label: Fat Possum

1. “Take Me Somewhere” – A
2. “Long Boat Pass” – A
3. “Cape Dory” – B
4. “Marathon” – B+
5. “Bimini Bay” – A-
6. “South Carolina” – A-
7. “Pigeon” – A-
8. “Seafarer” – A
9. “Baltimore” – A-
10. “Waterbirds” – A-

Comments: This band’s back story has been blogged about and blogged about and blogged about some more. Their music has been written about just as much, too. So how is the music, since that’s all we care about?…well pretty good.  It’s kind of like Best Coast if Best Coast was folkier and surfier. Cape Dory is pretty all-around surfy. Minimal surf, though, not hectic. That should be noted. The girl singer (what’s her face!) in Tennis can do some fine stretching of her vocal cords. The first song on here isn’t illustrious in the sense of musical creativity/expansion, but it’s merely a light pop song to be enjoyed. Her voice is like that of trad/mod pop singer, but she really packs the punches better and possesses that innocent-but-really-pretty quality. I’m a sucker for the drum beat on “Long Boat Pass” and the surf guitar twang. Don’t twang and surf go well together? That said, how much shore line can we take, damn it?! Not all is awesome (rarely is everything); some of the techniques are pretty tired a la “sha la la sha la la” on “Cape Dory” for instance. On “Bimini Bay,” Tennis brings to mind the stripped down, laid-back nature of label-mates Walkmen’s 2010 LP Lisbon. This aesthetic carries on deep into the second half of the record. Another album I’d compare this to purely based on the metric of ambition is Teen Dream. ‘Course that was one of the best things that I heard last year and this does not match up to that record, BUT compositionally and sonically Cape Dory similarly sounds so natural and free-flowing. I can’t really praise it enough for that. At the end of the day, the hype that Tennis has received seems well warranted. Their take on girl group/oldies revivalism is unique nowadays and will probably stay around for a while.

Grade: A- (90)
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Tennis plays Great Scott on February 28.

Art, CD Review, Classic Album Review, Drugs, Music, pictures, Video

Classic Album Review: 12 Golden Country Greats

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Full Title: 12 Golden Country Greats
Artist: Ween
Year: 1995
Label: Elektra
Tracks:
1) I’m Holding You- 9
2) Japanese Cowboy- 8
4) Piss Up a Rope- 9/10
4) I Don’t Want to Leave You On the Farm- 9
5) Pretty Girl- 7
6) Powder Blue- 7/8
7) Mister Richard Smoker- 9/10
8) Help Me Scrape the Mucas Off My Brain- 9
9) You Were the Fool- 7
10) Fluffy- 5

Comments: Every now and then I take a look at my vast quantity of music and pick out an artist- take a careful look at their discography and choose an album I feel my ears deserve the pleasure of hearing. This time it was Ween and the album is their take on Nashville Country with the 1995 record, 12 Golden Country Greats. Being a big fan of Ween, I had a feeling this record had some potential and I knew a couple of the songs already, so I wasn’t totally a stranger to this release. But, at the same time Ween typically shift from one style to another totally different style and for me this is one of most appealing aspects of their art, so, I wasn’t sure if the duo could pull off a one genre LP. Also most of the reviews of this album are unfavorable, could it be a case of critics schmitics or are they on to something. Only one way to find out, listen to the damn thing! And let me tell ya, I was suprised at how stellar this record is. They really capture the country sound to a tee and still manage to spit out their distinct, silly/sick humor, Ween touch! I mean, knowing their musical aesthetics, there are no major suprises here. In other words, unlike their magnum opus, The Mollusk (1997), which I reviewed almost exactly a year ago, this is pretty much what we would expect from a Ween country album, but that’s not a bad thing. They deliver, they deliver hard. The album explores a wide variety of country styles, but still maintains an overall album vibe, even with some of the weaker tracks, which are not many. Often when I hear a weak song on an album I feel like it had no place on the record and makes the good tunes look bad or fucks up the vibe of the record, but that doesn’t happen here. Songs like “Pretty Girl” and “Powder Blue,” didn’t hit me as hard, but they still complement the sound of the album as a whole and never distract you from the album’s tone. “I’m Holding You,” is a great opener, just simple, humble, 50s (?) country ballad, George Jones esque vocals. Not being a country afficionado, I don’t quite appreciate Ween’s clear dedication to the genre. Lyrically licentious tracks such as “Piss Up a Rope,” and “Mister Richard Smoker,” are classic, nasty, hilarious, typical Ween ditties. A bit more modern and of the Ween persuasion, but without a doubt for my tastes they are the best numbers featured here; like or not like, listeners will most likely muster at least a smirk, if not a gigantic burst of laughter or for some complete shock and disgusts! Haha. I won’t go through all the songs, but most are of high quality. The only below average track is the closer, “Fluffy,” which is amusing in its bizarre nature, but doesn’t do much for me and I would have loved a more epic, savage closer. Oh well, the Ween boys succeeded at what they set out to do (at least in my eyes) and I’m ultimately glad I revisted their discography.

Grade: 9/10

Biddley bah boo, biddley bah boo, biddley bah boo bow!

Art, CD Review, Classic Album Review, Films, Music, pictures, reviews, Video

Classic Soundtrack Review: American Graffiti

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Full Title: American Graffiti
Year: 1973
Tracks:

Side One:
1) (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & the Comets (1954)- 9
2) Sixteen Candles by The Crests (1958)- 9
3) Runaway by Del Shannon (1961)- 10
4) Why Do Fools Fall in Love? by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers (1956)- 10
5) That’ll Be the Day by Buddy Holly (1957)- 9
6) Fanny Mae by Buster Brown (1959)- 7/8
7) At the Hop by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids (1973)- 9
8) She’s So Fine by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids (1973)- 8
9) The Stroll by The Diamonds (1957)- 7
10) See You In September by The Tempos (1959)- 10

Side Two:
1) Surfin’ Safari by The Beach Boys (1962)- 9
2) He’s The Great Imposter by The Fleetwoods (1961)- 10
3) Almost Grown by Chuck Berry (1959)- 7
4) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by The Platters (1959)- 10
5) Little Darlin’ by The Diamonds (1957)- 7/8
6) Peppermint Twist by Joey Dee and the Starlighters (1961)- 7
7) Barbara Anne by The Regents (1961)- 8
8) Book of Love by The Monotones (1958)- 9
9) Maybe Baby by Buddy Holly (1958)- 8
10) Ya Ya by Lee Dorsey (1961)- 6
11) The Great Pretender by The Platters (1955)- 8

Side Three :
1) Ain’t That a Shame by Fats Domino (1955)- 8
2) Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry (1958)- 9
3) I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos (1959)- 8
4) Get a Job by The Silhouettes (1958)- 7
5) To The Aisle by The Five Satins (1957)- 9
6) Do You Wanna Dance by Bobby Freeman (1958)- 5
7) Party Doll by Buddy Knox (1957)- 8
8) Come Go with Me by The Del-Vikings (1956)- 7
9) You’re Sixteen – You’re Beautiful (And You’re Mine) by Johnny Burnette (1960)- 7
10) Love Potion No. 9 by The Clovers (1959)- 7

Side Four :
1) Since I Don’t Have You by The Skyliners (1958)- 8
2) Chantilly Lace by The Big Bopper (1958)- 7
3) Teen Angel by Mark Dinning (1960)- 9
4) Crying in the Chapel by Sonny Till & the Orioles (1953)- 7/8
5) A Thousand Miles Away by The Heartbeats (1957)- 8
6) Heart and Soul by The Cleftones (1961)- 8
7) Green Onions by Booker T. & the M.G.’s (1962)- 8
8) Only You (and You Alone) by The Platters (1954)- 8
9) Goodnight, Well it’s Time to Go by The Spaniels (1953)- 7/8
10) All Summer Long by The Beach Boys (1964)- 9

Comments: This is pure, good old, fun Rock and Roll from one of the best eras of music! Since, the film American Graffiti is set in 1962 all of the music is from 1950s and early 1960s. We hear a wide variety of hits, but overall the soundtrack has a cohesive, consistent sound. Mostly hoppin and boppin rockers (“Rock Around the Clock,” “Barabara Anne,” etc.), teen oriented love and dance numbers (“Sixteen Candles,” “At the Hop,” etc.), some slow ballads (“He’s the Great Imposter,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” etc.), and best of all the advent of surf rock in the form of the legendary Beach Boys (“Surfin’ Safari,” and “All Summer Long,”), a genre new at the time of the story’s setting. For my money, this is one of the greatest soundtracks of all times and the music is perfectly placed in each scene, literally. It should be noted that the film’s use of music is significant in the history of cinema for it was the first or at least one of the first movies to strictly use populars songs as its sole soundtrack instead of a more conventional score. Nowadays, this is more common, but at the time it was unheard of. On the other hand, looking at this in terms of a record, the second half is not nearly as contagious as the first and not all the songs on here are as strong as some of the others, but I suppose that’s custom. The top tracks for me are “Runaway,” (the structure of this song is incredible, there’s at least four or five stand out, pop hooks) by Del Shannon, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “See You in September” by The Tempos, “He’s the Great Imposter” by The Fleetwoods, and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” by The Platters. All in all, this is simply a great record to just kick back, relax, and rock out to!

Grade: 8/10- I highly recommend you pick this up if you’re a huge fan of early Rock and Roll and/or the movie.

CD Review, Music, Peter Bjorn and John

CD Review: Gimme Some [2011]

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Band: Peter Bjorn and John
Release: 3/2011
Label: Wichita Recordings

1. “Tomorrow Has To Wait” – A
2. “Dig A Little Deeper” – A
3. “Second Chance” – A-
4. “Eyes” – A-
5. “Breaker Breaker” – A
6. “May Seem Macabre” – B
7. “(Don’t Let Them) Cool Off” – A
8. “Black Book”- B+
9. “Down Like Me” – A-
10. “Lies” – A+
11. “I Know You Don’t Love Me” – A

Comments: Peter Bjorn and John have been around for more than a decade and, after many a pop song, have established themselves as an upper-echelon independent band. Their big break as you all may remember was Writer’s Block from 2006 which won ubiquitously positive reviews. It’s a personal favorite of mine. On that record was their biggest hit, the whistle hooked “Young Folks.” Their experimental follow-up came in 2009 with Living Thing, which was reviewed in the mainstream with far less enthusiasm and much more mixed feeling than Writer’s Block. My feeling is that critics weren’t expecting the band to make as much of a departure as they did from standard rock and roll. I actually really enjoyed Living Thing, which was still PB&J at its core, just with a bunch of electronic stuff thrown in the mix. Gimme Some is not really a return to their old style of songwriting, but more of an evolution towards unchartered territory. On this album, backing vocals and involved guitar riffs and parts are more dominate than ever before I’d say. I wouldn’t have expected PB&J to veer into a garage-pop/punk direction, but they do pretty nicely on “Breaker Breaker” and “(Don’t Let Them) Cool Off”. The power-pop of “Lies” is real good! If they have another brush with b-level ‘fame’, I’d like to think it will be because of this song.  Pretty sure I just said this, but they really never have played as fast as they do here! It’s awesome. Gimme Some initially lacks that ‘oohhh shit!!’ element that Writer’s Block has. That was almost a concept album, though. It ran the gamut of musical emotions. This is more of a variety platter, but one that has a little bit of all of the ‘good stuff’. It’s like ordering a pu pu platter that comes with a bunch of tasty items like chicken wings, fingers, and ribs and some other stuff that is edible, but not the greatest by any stretch.

Grade: A- (92)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Unlearn [2011]

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Band: Fergus & Geronimo
Release: 01/2010
Label: Hardly Art

1. “Girls With English Accents” – B+
2. “Wanna Know What I’d Do” – B+
3. “Powerful Lovin” – B+
4. “Baby Boomer/Could You Deliver” – B
5. “Michael Kelley” – B
6. “Baby Don’t You Cry” – B+
7. “Where The Wall Are Made of Grass” – C
8. “The World Never Stops” – B-
9. “Forced Aloha” – B
10. “Could You Deliver” – C
11. “Unlearn” – B

Comments: This, the debut by Texans Fergus & Geronimo, is an odd one. The vocal monotony is pretty bearable and at times enticing. The songs, however, are not as monolithic. There’s some white-man soul (“Powerful Lovin”) in addition to rock and roll and doo-wop. A promising characteristic of F&G’s music is that it doesn’t sound forced. In some cases, it sometimes feels as if bands try to sound weird just to sound weird. This group is innately weird. It works to a degree, but the album remains a bit of clusterfuck if I’ve ever heard one.

Grade: B- (83)

CD Review, Music, The Beets

CD Review: Stay Home [2011]

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Band: The Beets
Release: 1/2011
Label: Captured Tracks

1. “Cold Lips” – A-
2. “Dead” – B
3. “Hens and Roosters” – A-
4. “Watching T.V.” – B
5. “Pops N’ Me” –  A-
6. “Floating” – A-
7. “Eat No Dick 2” – C
8. “Let It Dim” – B-
9. “Knock On Wood” – B-
10. “Just A Whim” – A-
11. “Your Name Is On My Bones” – A-
12. “Young Girls” – B+
13. “Flight 14” – A-

Comments: The Beets of Queens, New York (word to Queens — the best borough in NYC), a staple in the NYC DIY community, have followed up their first collection of songs with Stay Home, thirteen new songs about staying home. The coy, stripped down nature of these tunes are typically inviting and catchy. Stay Home is definitely meritorious of better acclaim than it will probably get. The more ‘professional’ music personalities will most likely brush this to the side given its home recording quality. The songs themselves have a Beat Happening feel to them, driven by neat vocal harmonies (“Floating”) and puerile topics (“Hens and Roosters,” “Pops and Me”). What separates The Beets from the rest of them is the singer Juan Wauters…his accent and delivery, specifically.

Grade: B (86)

Art, CD Review, Classic CD Review, Honorary KLAYMERS, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video, Wavves

Classic Album Review: Wavvves

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Artist: Wavves
Full Title: Wavvves
Year: 2009
Label: Fat Possum
Tracks:
1) Rainbow Everywhere- 8
2) Beach Demon- 8/9
3) To the Dregs– 10 :)
4) Sun Opens My Eyes- 8
5) Gun In the Sun- 8
6) So Bored– 10
7) Goth Girls- 7/8
8) No Hope Kids– 10
9) Weed Demon- 9
10) California Goths- 9
11) Summer Goth- 9
12) Beach Goth- 6/7
13) Killer Punx, Scary Demons- 7
14) Surf Goth- 9

Comments: This record savagely raped my speakers. It just went in, did its thing, and then came back for some more. Seriously though, this album will fucking knock your teeth out and destroy your ear drums, especially if you blast it from a stero. If you listen to it on low volumes or from your ipod/computer, your ears should stay intact however. I first heard of Wavves about a year and half ago. Before hearing the music, my first impression was “this is just another whiny emo/teeny bopping angst group.” Boy, was I wrong! Looking at the titles: so many friggin suns, beaches, goths, demons, etc. I thought it was a joke. “No Hope Kids” sounded like a phrase a twelve year old would utter because his mom couldn’t take him to Newbury Comics that day. Haha, but as I said previously, I was totally wrong. Naturally, I didn’t just eschew them, I gave them a chance and I was blown away by how amazing the recordings were with such limited tools. They were sooooo damn catchy! I could tell Nathan had a true talent for songwriting. With all this being said, I didn’t “love” Wavves and I failed to listen to the first two LPs in their entireties, but I still tossed on some of my favve wavve tunes fairly frequently. Fast forward to June 2010. I hear King of the Beach and if you read this site you know how much we love that record (best of the year!), in any case, Wavves became one of my favorite bands (top ten). The songwriting was better, the production (though cleaner a shock for some perhaps) was greater/more adventerous, and overall the music was more mature. Since, becoming such a massive fan of the group, I decided to revisit their older material. Enter Wavvves. The album kicks off with the noisy, psychedelic “Rainbow Everywhere,” this smoothly transitions into the extremely loud “Beach Demon,” just a pure wall of noise and sets us up for what is to be expected on the rest of the record, both sonically and lyrically (Nathan yelps “going nowhere, going nowhere, going nowhere” this is teenage angst I can actually dig). Hell, if you can’t tolerate the sound of this song, then you might as well stop trying here, you little puss. The third track, “To the Dregs,” is easily my favorite Wavves number. This one truly showcases Nathan’s abilities as a songwriter. TTD is just a classic pop song, a burst of fun, unbelievably euphoric music, it’s almost anthemic. And to the critics out there, Nathan hollers “you see me, I don’t care!” The next few tracks (“Sun Opens My Eyes” and “Gun in the Sun”) continue the experimentation, but aren’t quite of the same quality as the first few songs. They are not bad though and the lo-fi recording still works quite well. Songs like “So Bored” and “No Hope Kids” are Wavves essentials and follow in the vain of “To the Dregs”: all three songs are undeniably powerful, as if we are being coerced to hear the emotion in them. Definitely my three favorite Wavves songs in general. On “So Bored,” Nathan hits an emotional tone, simply beyond the confides of a typical song, it’s unlike anything I can think of, with perhaps comparisons to similar “emotional” artists as Daniel Johnston, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash (particularly on “Hurt.”). SB exemplifies those great reverb drenched Wavves vocals. The rest of the LP features some kick ass rockers in “Summer Goth” and “California Goths, ” and “Weed Demon” is a fantastic, spacey-psychedlic number that just crawls under your skin and stays with you for a few days. Two tracks I’m not as fond of appear toward the end: “Beach Goth” and “Killer Punx, Scary Demons.” I like them, but not nearly as much as the others. I feel like they don’t bring anything new to the table to suck me in and captivate me. But, maybe with further eartime, I will favor them more. The final track “Surf Goth,” for me anyway, is very “unWavves.” I don’t know why, but it has this really dark underbelly to it, as if it could be featured in some Harmful Korine flick. I feel like I have to take a shower when I listen to it; this is precisely what fascinates me about it. A great closer for a great sophomore effort from Wavves. After hearing King, it has made me realize how invigorating Nathan’s songwriting has always been. For noise pop and lo-fi fans out there, you probably have already heard this, but if not, you have some serious homework to attend to. Not as harsh as the debut, Wavves and not as poppy/accessible as 2010’s King of the Beach, but without a doubt Wavvves stands proudly on top of my shelf of albums.

Grade: A-