American Alternative music reviews

I suppose we all have our lost causes, and one of mine is Thin White Rope. If they ever made a bad album, I haven't found it, and they left in their wake an astonishingly large number of truly great songs. Why didn't they make it hugely? I have no idea. I can only say that many far less talented bands have achieved far more success.

The heart of the band is Guy Kyser, who provided both the vocals and most of the song writing. Some find his voice unnerving, but I find it unique and perfectly suited to the strange lyrics he wrote. But if you don't like Kyser's voice, you won't like Thin White Rope.

The songs on this album are taken from the band's several studio albums. Not all of my favorites are on this disc; in particular, I miss "Disney Girl," but that is a personal preference only. All in all, it does a really find job of hitting all their best work. This album will either hit you right away, or not at all. If you aren't sold by the end of "Down in the Desert," TWR might be a lost cause for you.

I would strongly recommend anyone interested in Thin White Rope who doesn't are can't collect all the albums to at least pick up this anthology and the absolutely stunning live album they released, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. They may be gone, but hopefully thanks to these two great albums, they won't be forgotten.

I bought this because I'd heard the opening track "Down in the Desert" and thought it excellent. I was stunned to find the whole CD is supreme...this is surely one of the best kept secrets in all of rock. Thin White Rope are a combination of Television and Sonic Youth and Nick Cave and Pavement and better than all of them. "When Worlds Collide" is one of my most treasured CDs and one of the greatest compilations in the history of rock music.

I have to say that this is my all time favorite CD. I can't say enogh about this band, there awesome, great tunes, good beats, and it's all set just a little off the norm to create a great original sound. There national resease, Red Clay Harvest, has most of these songs but this recording surpasses it by far.

I have the orginal release of this album...if they didn't do anything drastic to the rerelease it should be great. If you like Freddie Jones Band, Sister Hazel, etc... you'll love Cravin' Better yet see them live!

This album is perfect. The music complements Lunch's dark anger perfectly without drowning in pretention. Filled to the brim with variety but arranged in a way where you hardly notice! It amazes me that Suicide Ocean isn't more of a classic. Endless fall is a solid and passionate song. Some of the tracks highlight Lunch's Poetry, others are all about the music. What pleases me most is that this doens't fall into the trap of many spoken word artists gone song. Some of those efforts come out simply as attempts to make bad poetry more interesting. But Lydia Lunch puts in the effort and hits both ends. There is every emotion on this disc, the most prominant being disturbing. This is not happy go lucky, this is never funny. But unlike many night crawlers, Lydia is all human, never a novelty or cartoon. Never pretentious or exhausting. This is a writer who knows what she's doing and evidently her collaborators do to. This album as everything one could want, it's a great retrospective of this historic writer. Buy it and you won't have to buy another CD for months and months!

well, actuaaly i'm a huge pop fan and i would never listen to another kind of music coz they're way too loud. BUT since i heard this song through the air for the first time, i realised that my thought was proven wrong. not only the lyrics will make you wonder but the tune will also pop into your head to soothe your mind especially when you're tired or having a stress. trust me, this song is GREAT!

well, actuaaly i'm a huge pop fan and i would never listen to another kind of music coz they're way too loud. BUT since i heard this song through the air for the first time, i realised that my thought was proven wrong. not only the lyrics will make you wonder but the tune will also pop into your head to soothe your mind especially when you're tired or having a stress. trust me, this song is GREAT!

My Favorite Half Japanese album of all time, although i haven't picked up their new "loud" cd yet.........but early, poorly recorded half japanese is essential.

How someone could such a muddled piece of work as this and make it as justifiably artistic as they did is utterly bizzare.

On the outset, 1/2 Gentleman/Not Beasts is a pounding anti-rock assualt, so anti-rock that it might actually be considered anti-music, by some. Rather than having actual inclinations some might use with music, such as, key or tempo, Jad Fair and the gang make this highly expressive piece of avant-post-punk.

It`s simply astonishing how great something so bizarrely primitive manages to be. Most percussion sounds like someone just pounding away, hardly worrying about any sort of beat. Guitars are jagged, and through waves of blungeoning, tuneless scrapping.

However, some great songs manage to worm their way through the racket, such as ``I Love Oriental Girls``, ``Patti Smith``, ``Dream Date, and ``Shy Around Girls``. While the music does work well through these individual songs, the album is most effective played straight through, as one whole long piece of pounding avant-rock.

So go ahead, go clean your house, or drive to work, or do anything, and let the noise of Half Japanese carry you on...don`t try sleeping to it, though. I doubt that will work.

Kwest is out of his damn mind. This single was one of the funniest songs when it came out in 93, or was it 94? any ways. The song is crazy, Kwest is explaing to the men out there who don't treat their ladies right. The 101 things he will do with them while you're at work, or at the club, basically just out. I haven't actually counted to see if there were 101 things mentioned in this song, but I wouldn't doubt it. Kwest is a bottomless pit of ill thoughts. Many will find this song disrespectiful, basically of the things he mentions doing with your girl. None of them seem to be playing Scrabble or Monopoly, or watching TV. Kwest should be called the hip-hop version of Luke. His lyrics are super tight, funny, and very original. It's even more entertaining if you've seen the video, or just seem him. He looks real tall, and tookpick skinny. This is one classic single, his album "This is my first album" is one of the rawest. Few people can match him verse for verse. He is just nutts!

13 Flavours of Doom is a dandy. "Hey Sister" is a highlight for its roots punk feel and its dead on lyrics.

The bands belief that punk rockers have brains strikes a positive note.

The darker songs such as "Time of Illusion" and "Phantom Zone" show how much ground D.O.A. really does cover. Not many bands have enough humour to start a CD with a tune "Already Dead" but this one does. The pace is fast from the start, the guitars grab you, the bass is uncomprimising, and the drums are fantastic.

The dated "Beatin' Rock 'n' Roll to Death" is even more hilarious in retrospect. Never a band to take other bands too seriously this CD presents a band that has to be reckoned with.

UauuuH!!. Vaya pedazo de grupo y vaya pedazo de obra musical. Desde que compr� este disco no he parado de escucharlo una y otra vez...Para aquellos pesimistas con el estado de la m�sica actual, aqui ten�is un disco como los de antes, m�sica sincera hecha con el coraz�

The All American Rejects are from Stillwater Oklahoma and this band knows their stuff. If you are the type of punk rocker this CD is for you! Different songs that have an AWESOME beat! This band is known for their most popular song, "Swing, Swing" So listen to this album today!

Believe there may be another EP by the same name.Either way,this four-song extended-play rocks,like about any other Surfer's releases.More or less,your typical sickly lyrics that are 'all ate up' with the Butthole's known warped sense of dry humor,good playing as well.Track listing:"Helicopter"(6:47),"Bong Song"(3:41),the ballad-like "The Colored FBI Guy"(2:46)-which later showed up on the 'Fox Hunt' soundtrack and "Booze Tabacco"(2:19).Usually,I don't bother with CD singles or EP's for that matter,but this is an exception.A should-have.

this e.p. is great, however i prefer ''locust abortion technician'' and ''hairway to steven''over it. i was lucky to find this out of print e.p., i got it for 5 bucks, i think they should reissue this with their long lost ''double live'' album.
the first track ''helicopter'' reminds me of ''jimi'' sounds like someone being molested. ''bong song'' beautiful then horrific. ''the colored f.b.i. guy (1401)'' mellow sort of tune and the fast paced drum machine driven ''booze, tobbaco...''
awesome e.p. should be given an audience.

Between 'Hairway to Steven' and 'Pioughd' there's a huge gap, with only this EP. I remember the drought of Buttholes material at the end of the 80's and how myself and all my Buttholes-crazed friends just gobbled this up when it was released in '89.

Each song is great (even though 'Helicopter' drags a bit).

For those who say this is 'transitional' to Pioughd I say rubbish. For starters this is good - Pioughd STINKS!!!

'Bong Song' sounds like something off 'Rembrandt Pussyhorse', 'Colored FBI Guy' could be off 'Hairway to Steven' and 'Booze, Cars, Pussy...' is one of those inspired pieces of madness (check out the drum machine 'solo') that will make me love the Buttholes always.

If you see it, grab it. better still order it from Amazon... :)