Monday, March 21, 2005
Brief Reviews of Records I Should Have Owned Years Ago, or The Fruits of a Marathon Burning Session Whilst DJ'ing
1. Goo by Sonic Youth: Eh. Mostly boring, semilifeless murk from one of SY's occasional awkward periods. Of course it doesn't come close to Sister, EVOL, et al, but it's also surprisingly inferior to later, more assured major-label rock-hero stabs like Dirty and Washing Machine. Now that I've heard it straight through, I realize that it's not one that I've missed.
2. Upside Down ep by Yo la Tengo: A minor footnote, but a pleasant one. Basically two songs I've never heard before (the folksy, breezy "Farmer's Daughter", and the rollicking, Gun Club-esque "Out of Control"), plus alternate takes on the title track and the noise epic "Sunsquashed". Again, not the most notable YLT ep (1995's Camp Yo la Tengo might get that nod), but a worthy part of the catalogue.
3. Shapes by Polvo: Sledgehammer raga rock from '97, and the swan song from one of the most underappreciated bands of that era. Shapes sounds like the Blue Oyster Cult jamming with Ravi Shankar and Thurston Moore. Again, it's not their best work, but for the duration of a few certain tracks Polvo never rocked harder than on Shapes.
4. Self-titled ep by Polvo: Polvo's first release is worth it for "Can I Ride" alone. The eastern fixation is already noticeable, but not nearly as prevalent as on their peak releases. More straight-forward than Celebrate the New Dark Age or Today's Active Lifestyles, but mostly lacking in those records' jawdropping power and flexibility.
5. Everything Falls Apart by Husker Du: Not a fan of the hardcore stuff at all. The title track, "From the Gut", and the cover of "Sunshine Superman" are the only songs to really stand out after one listen. It's been over a decade since I've added to my Husker Du collection, and after listening to this my wariness of their early material is somewhat vindicated. I still plan on acquiring Metal Circus one day, but I'm in no hurry. Maybe not any worse than the last Husker Du cd I bought, Candy Apple Grey, which almost brought the Zen Arcade to Warehouse string of brilliance to a deadening halt.
1. Goo by Sonic Youth: Eh. Mostly boring, semilifeless murk from one of SY's occasional awkward periods. Of course it doesn't come close to Sister, EVOL, et al, but it's also surprisingly inferior to later, more assured major-label rock-hero stabs like Dirty and Washing Machine. Now that I've heard it straight through, I realize that it's not one that I've missed.
2. Upside Down ep by Yo la Tengo: A minor footnote, but a pleasant one. Basically two songs I've never heard before (the folksy, breezy "Farmer's Daughter", and the rollicking, Gun Club-esque "Out of Control"), plus alternate takes on the title track and the noise epic "Sunsquashed". Again, not the most notable YLT ep (1995's Camp Yo la Tengo might get that nod), but a worthy part of the catalogue.
3. Shapes by Polvo: Sledgehammer raga rock from '97, and the swan song from one of the most underappreciated bands of that era. Shapes sounds like the Blue Oyster Cult jamming with Ravi Shankar and Thurston Moore. Again, it's not their best work, but for the duration of a few certain tracks Polvo never rocked harder than on Shapes.
4. Self-titled ep by Polvo: Polvo's first release is worth it for "Can I Ride" alone. The eastern fixation is already noticeable, but not nearly as prevalent as on their peak releases. More straight-forward than Celebrate the New Dark Age or Today's Active Lifestyles, but mostly lacking in those records' jawdropping power and flexibility.
5. Everything Falls Apart by Husker Du: Not a fan of the hardcore stuff at all. The title track, "From the Gut", and the cover of "Sunshine Superman" are the only songs to really stand out after one listen. It's been over a decade since I've added to my Husker Du collection, and after listening to this my wariness of their early material is somewhat vindicated. I still plan on acquiring Metal Circus one day, but I'm in no hurry. Maybe not any worse than the last Husker Du cd I bought, Candy Apple Grey, which almost brought the Zen Arcade to Warehouse string of brilliance to a deadening halt.
