American Alternative music reviews

A tired slumgullion of 80's era fratboy college rock interspersed with the occasional bad Bruce Springsteen imitation. Absolutely nothing here that you haven't heard before, done better, 20 years ago. Four-chord party rock at its most irritating. The only way to hear this band, if you have to hear them all, is the way their fans hear them; with a belly full of beer while trying to pick up college girls.

Drummer/Songwriter Fred LeBlanc's first band, Dash Rip Rock, was infamous for putting on good shows but being unable to translate that energy to record; Cowboy Mouth has the same problem but in spades. Further complicating the matter is a serious lack of good songwriting, something that Dash Rip Rock also suffered from.

And like Dash Rip Rock, Cowboy Mouth is a band that is dangerously close to self-parody, which is not good for a band that is still striving for recognition outside their small fanbase. LeBlanc's onstage antics may be entertaining in a live setting, but on record none of the wit and fun is present, and it all sounds labored, a bit sluggish, and very stuck in the 80's underground rock wanna-be-from-Athens vibe. Strictly small-time stuff, and deservedly so.

this album was defintely an indicator of the musical direction the band was headed for, but it in no way captures the incredible intensity of Cowboy Mouth. it is a DEFINITE must for any fan, but for someone who has never seen them live, it will give you a false impression of what this band is all about. if on the otherhand you can imagine the songs as if they were being pushed to their absolute maximum, then this CD will be priceless! if you have experienced Cowboy Mouth you know exactly what i am getting at, if not, get 'Are You With Me?' or 'Mercyland' to cut your Cowboy Mouth teeth on! either way, this is a band to give some attention to, they will make you happy you did!!

Like all Cowboy Mouth albums, this one smokes. It's surprisingly consistent, and consistently excellent. Any fan of the band must have it. Cowboy Mouth, as good as they are in the studio, must be seen live to really be appreciated, the frantic antics of wildman/drummer/frontman Fred LaBlanc will make converts of any but the most hardened anti-rock zealot. The band is basically a rocking bar band in the tradition of Rockpile or Tom Petty. Fans of mainstream alt bands like the Barenaked Ladies and Matchbox 20 will also be pleased, as will fans of alt country bands like the Jayhawks and Wilco. Stand Out Tracks include `Son Of An Engineer' `Another Cup Of Coffee' and `Any Little Bit', though all the tracks are excellent. Buy it, and buy the other albums too.

The legend of this album has only grown since it appeared, and the impossibility of finding a CD version (unless auctioned for over $100) makes it all the more desired. As the comments here accurately summarize, this ambitious collection should not be the first, but probably the fourth album you listen to. I am exactly the same age as Scott Miller, and so I have always felt as if he was speaking for me. Amazing to think that I read a review of their first or so EP in the same issue of BAM that mentioned on the same page another indie EP: REM's "Chronic Town." The other GT releases I'd recommend in order are Big Shot Chronicles, the most compact and punchy; Real Nighttime, the first strong one from the mid-80s; and either Two Steps, not nearly as lackluster as I thought it was in the wake of Lolita Nation when it first appeared, or the wonderfully titled Tinker to Evers to Chance compilation. Distortion of Glory collects, and re-records, some of the early ep's.

I had transferred LN from my LPs to digital files (recommended as the LPs can still be found used at a fraction asked for the much rarer CD), rather time-consuming, but it also allowed me to punch up the bass levels, for as much as I love Mitch Easter's production, the trebly quality and Scott Miller's pitch do make for a rather wobbly sonic assault at times as the minutes accumulate in an album that demands attention and concentration, and isn't background music. This is what made GT so engrossing: Miller and his ever-changing crew may have made him the Mark E Smith of college rock's heyday, but his talent, intellect, and self-deprecating persona made his gift for hooks and his ear for tunes and those who could express his musical swirl as if effortlessly--all this is concentrated and pulverized on these 27 tracks. It was compared to Finnegans Wake in one review; the possibilities of language and its fracturing and reassembly have, remarkably, been little exploited by others in indie rock before the advent of sampling and ProTools. Leave it to a computer code-writing genius with a penchant for recording on the side to make this a mind-expanding reality.

I played it the other day to see how it had weathered time. The collages and the tinkly keyboards, two characteristic features throughout Miller's career, come to the forefront here, sometimes at the expense of the guitar-bass-drum crunch. The album does go on at times beyond one's ability to sit through it, but the sprawl invites one's admiration, if not always promotes its willfully eccentric accessibility. The contributions of Gui, Gil, Shelley, Donette, and the supporting musicians Easter invited (along with himself) to play deserve acclaim. This is a perhaps inevitably uneven and at times playfully annoying album, but for sheer reach, it far surpasses nearly everything else from its time. Five stars for effort, if only four, honestly, for achievement: this could have been crafted for CD if not 2 LPs originally and better have used its running time, in hindsight. It's fun, but wearying in its density. Half of it's great, the other half never less than listenable, which for a struggling indie band working in bits and pieces on a tiny label and small budget is quite a success.

In closing, I might add that a former member of GT told me that even her CD copy of LN had been given to her by a fan years after it had been issued! Such is the rarity of it, apparently. So, tape the LPs and we can only hope for its reissue one day in some remastered remodeled 20th anniversary edition. I suppose some legal wrangling must be preventing the re-release of GT (and Loud Family) records? Here's a plea for them again, as new fans who missed out the first time around should not have to languish when such enjoyable and smart music awaits.

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this album when it came out (late '80's), and I still consider it a high point in the realm of alternative pop/rock. Some folks carp about Scott Miller's voice, but there's no denying that the guy wrote great lyrics and had a deft touch for writing musical hooks. This is a sprawling, double LP masterpiece that goes in many directions but remains interesting throughout. Excellent...

Let me just start by saying that this is not an easy album to like. It's not even an easy album to listen to at times, and that's saying something. Scott Miller, enigmatic leader of Game Theory (and later Loud Family) was always known for his brainy pop, but never shined brighter than he did here. His trippy, quirky senses were firing on all fours here, resulting in a double album that just manages to fit into one full length CD. And what a CD, I mean he encompasses jokes about computer programming and Star Trek, snippets of old and new songs, Stanley Kubrick references (btw, the title of track 22 is wayyy longer than what is listed here), Big Star acoustic tunes, straight up rockers, tape manipulations, etc. It's a tough listen, no doubt, but a lot of fun. It's a great piece of art start to finish, and it almost makes you feel like you've accomplished something if you sit through it and pick up on some of his wry humor. Reviewers have likened it to Big Star's 3rd/Sister Lovers, and while that record is by no means an easy listen, it's still at least easy to understand Alex Chilton's motivation for making that record. Lolita Nation? I can't even imagine - if you took every drug that ever existed simultaneously while reading Finnegan's Wake and listening to the Beatles and playing on the computer, you might end up here. A quick rundown of the album opening sequence: The opener from the first Game Theory record is reprised with some spoken word and sound effects (including a snippet from the opener from the SECOND Game Theory record), followed by what sounds like a broken record drum loop, followed by a sloppy shuffle with indistinguishable lyrics. Then it moves on to a falsetto vocal and synth only reading of a single line from old GT track "Shark Pretty", into a male/female vocal & bass only 30 second track called "Go Ahead, I Know Your Dying To" - then into the first real "song", "Dripping With Looks," another real oddball with separate vocal tracks and crushing feedback. It's hard to see how this all fits together, and maybe it doesn't, but that's not the point anyway. NOT the place to start for newbies looking to investigate more of Scott Miller, those should turn to "Big Shot Chronicles". Ultimately, this is an absolute milestone in the field of indie rock - fans of Big Star, Elephant 6 bands, Sonic Youth, later period Beatles, and James Joyce would do well to check this out.

Best Tracks:
"Dripping With Looks" - Weird, weird, weird. One track is falsetto vocals, and at the third (?) "verse" the other vocal track kicks in, barely audible over the waves of sound.
"The Waist And The Knees" - Almost industrial in the creepy, metallic soundscapes and pounding drumbeat, the semi-normal verses and almost poppy choruses give way to a spoken word bit about contracts and multi-headed infants and such that sounds like something out of a horror movie.
"The Real Sheila" - Somewhere I read that this got a bit of MTV play. It actually is catchy and rather normal, so maybe a few Flock of Seagulls fans dug it. Good pop rock tune with clever (of course) lyrics.
"Chardonnay" - Another semi-pop track with B-52's keyboards, a monster chorus, and a joke about wine that could be lifted from the film "Sideways".
"Together Now, Very Minor' - A very delicate, acoustic only song that is very reminiscent of Big Star. Miller's sardonic lyrics are yet again indecipherable (who is the "nice guy as minor celebrities go?" maybe this is how he perceieves he is seen from a desired other's point of view?) Catchy and quick, a great closer to a great album.

When I saw Nomeansno the first time, they were on the You Kill Me tour. All these songs are a little frantic, like the live show. But the cd is too long, which is why Wrong is right. "Self-Pity" is my particular favorite.
The subject matter throughout is dark and frightening. After you hear these songs you begin to understand that "No means no" was heard and then followed up with a slap, punch, kick or some other kind of assault.
"I'm the one that's bad, Dad. I'm the one that's bad, Dad."
This music is very fast, punk beats almost. Yet, occasionally the guitars explode in skyrockets of noise. Vancouver's noise legacy, so obvious in Skinny Puppy, jumps out at you.
The Wright Brothers are beyond brave with these psychic adventures. Just look at the pictures of dear old dad...

The beauty of Nomeansno is that they don't just slap you in the face with the obvious like many bands. Their music is intelligently written and executed. This album is haunting, brilliant, funny and poignant. If you love intelligent punk, you'll love Nomeansno.

As long as Andy was in the band, this band could pretty much do everything perfectly.

This album is beautiful, albeit different from their other albums. Songs like Dad and Long Days are especially haunting. This is a great album. Of course, if you are in the mood to hear another Wrong, then you might be disappointed. But if you want to hear Nomeansno, you will not be.

Being the 11-year-old that I am~this CD isn't very good b-cuz there is only like one song that I have heard of off this CD~but Having the kind of tast that I do~if you are about 16 or 17 you would like this CD

This was the first in the yearly Grammy Nominees compilations. These are the best songs from their respective categories. A good collection of rock, r&b and pop. These compilations are best to listen to a few years after their release, because during the year they come out, the songs get so much airplay you soon tire of them. At least I do. But now, 7 years after this release, this album is once again good to listen to. (Could do without "balls-in-a-vice-grip" Bolton though)

One of the things I like the most about Grammy complations is the fact that it collects some of the best music from the past year and puts it all on one CD. This CD is concrete proof of the fact. From R&B (Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross) to light rock (Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Elton John) to heavier stuff (Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow), this one has them all. Besides the point that most of these songs became huge hits in their time, they are also very enjoyable. When playing this CD, I find myself singing along to all the songs and smiling. It is great background music, great sing-along music, and great all around.

It's not just a song title, it's what was happening here. These guys who had so much promise and so much acheivement between them cut a bunch of crappy music that is short on ideas and high on pretensiousness. They had gotten tired of doing music that sounded like rock music, so they ended up making this strange attempt at anti-rock that is nearly impossible to enjoy.

Of course, they didn't fall apart entirely at once. They cut a few tracks on here with some nice angular variants of rock rhythms that swing hard - "Go", "Misery Goats", "Rounder", "Birdies". "Rhapsody in Pink" worked out okay. But by the time you get to "Arabia", you're going to realize that this record is as a whole astonishingly bad considering what these guys were capable of.

This album was originally released in 1980. Twenty years later, it still sounds contemporary and intriguing. The closest comparison I can draw are recordings of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band in the early 1980s. Beat vocals over obtuse and angular melodies (Arabian Nights, Rounder), new wave rockers (Go, Misery Goats), electronic noodlings (Young Miles, Crush this Horn) and assorted ranting (Birdies, Lost in Art). David Thomas has a vocal style that is mysterious and unique. Fans will enjoy the variety on this recording. Although this music is not for the casual listener, the casual listener will not be reading this review, so consider the source. If you like music containing any element of challenge, you will enjoy this somewhere bewteen three and four stars, depending upon your leanings.

Alright, so you love DUB HOUSING and THE MODERN DANCE, but aren't you finally finding yourself SATURATED? Don't the songs on those two disks finally wear so deep a groove in your head that there's nothing left to be learned by spinning them again? I mean, how many times in one lifetime do you NEED to hear "Non-Alignment Pact," HOWEVER great a tune it is? If you know what I'm talking about, it may be time to buy NEW PICNIC TIME and ART OF WALKING. NPT is a little darker and more "challenging," while this disc is more joyous, varied, and complex -- playful, quirky, rich, and goofy, too. Everyone I've ever made tapes for has "Rounder" somewhere on them... Or "Misery Goats," or "Loop," or... There is only one terrifically annoying tune best avoided here, "Lost in Art," the listening-to of which in no way is made easier or more enjoyable by getting the joke of the title. If you love ANY Ubu, I think you'll really like this disc. Of course, if I were you, I'd just buy the box set, if it's still around, but, well...

I bought this CD at the HORDE fest in 1996. The Edwin McCain, and Shannon Worrell (Dave Matthews sings backup) songs are wonderful, as is the rest of the CD. My only conplaint is that it gets a little bland, but it's definetely a CD worth checking out.

The CD is a fine compilation of up and coming artists. The stronger musicians include Shannon Worrell, noteworthy for her previous performances with Dave Matthews, and Hootie and the Blowfish.

This aware compilation has fresh, progressive rock groups such as better than ezra, vertical horizon, jackopierce, and wootie and the blowfish. Most bands on this compilation have tasted fame, and many are about to break through. For a great mix tape, already made, this is the CD to get.

Sometimes, when covering a certain kind of song, it always needs to have a bit improvement, or the original version seems to take the cake. That does come with the case for Sheryl Crow. She hasn't provided any heavy covers among any of her albums, but there is always the chance to add on for the hitting parades. Her cover of the Cat Stevens classic, The First Cut Is The Deepest really is one of the few lackluster songs that Sheryl Crow has ever done. Although it is nice for the die hard Sheryl Crow fan, it doesn't seem to the actual chemistry that Rod Stewart had conjured when he did it back in the 70's. Unfortunately, it was done in two different versions by Sheryl, and neither of them had a certain chemistry, very rarely said for a Sheryl Crow Track. Hopefully, she can make a better cover song soon.

The release of Sheryl Crow's "The Very Best Of" in October 2003 showcased a true talent in rock music which had reigned for 10 years. From 1993 to 2003, the album was a collection of Crow's best material from four studio albums. The early material from "Tuesday Night Music Club" was evident, where songs such as "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Strong Enough" brought about a striking combination of rock pop and hints of folk and country. The advanced rock pop of her self-titled second album with hits such as "Everyday Is A Winding Road" and "If It Makes You Happy" formed the backbone of the collection, with "My Favorite Mistake" and "Soak Up The Sun" the more recent hits adding to the already sizeable chunk of Crow's body of work.

The album has gone on to sell almost three million copies in America and more than 600,000 in the UK. These sales will add to Crow's already impressive world sales of 15 million considerably and will see her continue long into the future. The Very Best Of also featured a few new tracks. The lead single was "The First Cut Is The Deepest," a cover version of the Cat Stevens original. Most people usually approach cover versions with a little scepticism, as did I myself with this one. It's an average song and I don't really regard it as one of Sheryl's best, but it makes for an interesting look at where her career will take her in the future.

The song opens with some soft guitars before Sheryl starts singing the first verse, "I would have given you all of my heart. But there's someone who's torn it apart. And he's taken just all that I had. But if you want I'll try to love again. Baby I'll try to love again but I know..." Sheryl then starts singing the first chorus, "The first cut is the deepest. Baby I know the first cut is the deepest. But when it come to being lucky he's cursed. When it come to loving me he's the worst." The second verse then starts and Sheryl sings, "I still want you by my side. Just to help me dry the tears that I've cried. And I'm sure going to give you a try. And if you want I'll try to love again. Baby I'll try to love again but I know." Sheryl then sings the chorus again, before a guitar-laden instrumental plays.

Once this instrumental dies down, Sheryl sings the second verse again, before the drums build the song up and the chorus is sung again over and over until the song dies out and ends. The video to the song was really great in my opinion. We see Sheryl playing her guitar in the middle of no where, over an expansive landscape and riding a horse. She looks free and healthy and the video really works well with the tone of the song. Overall I do like this song, but it's not nearly my favourite Sheryl Crow song. The woman is a rock legend, but this song does nothing for that status. Buy it only if you're a die hard fan.

'THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST', the new Shery Crow single is actually a cover of an old Cat Stevens' song, which Rod Stewart made popular years ago. Sheryl's version is excellent, a slow-rock, acoustic song with nice guitar performances and a very emotional melody, among those which bring memories back. Nice job Sheryl!

Their minimalistic pop music was revolutionary at its time, but their incessant plugging of the same old ideas has yielded countless incompetant musicians who believe mugging and wearing cute clothes is equivalent to making an artistic statement.

So, thanks for nothing Beat Happening, but thanks a lot for this album which, along with Daniel Johnston's early work, and the Shagg's opus, create the triumverate of beyond basic pop love.

Album: 4 stars.
Beat Happening's impact on music, resulting in lots of pretentious, annoying, entitled white kids dressing up like Doby Gillis: 2 stars.

I bought this album and listened to it. It didn't take very long, but every minute was used to the limit. Every song is good. I absolutely love the band, the sound. They seem naive and experienced at the same time. They aren't geniuses at playing their instruments, but they are at writing catchy, bittersweet songs about adolesence.

I have no personal favourite record from the magnificent Beats but this one is a good start to new listeners. I was introduced to this masterpiece sometime ago by listening to Luna's cover of "Indian Summer". I was then and I'm still now crazy for so called 80' s Twee or Jangle Pop stuff from Pastels to Tallulah Gosh, scottish Postcard Records stuff, early Go-Betweens and so on...Then Beat Happening...How lucky my ears are! Before any new Yo La Tengo yet to come, listen to this magic songs.

jupiter coyote did a fabolous job with this awesome cd, it ranges from bluegrass, country rock and much more! from relaxing
twenty minute jamming, to straight out awesome rock
these guys have it all! Since this cd, there has been some changes in the band, so check out their newest stuff, its even better!!! help support them www.jupitercoyote.com

I've been a DJ for rock stations in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee, and I'm here to tell you....THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST GROUPS TO EVER EMERGE FROM THIS REGION! Their music just makes ya feel good, and "Lucky Day" is their best album! From the rather concise "Catch 22" to the 20-minute jamming of "Amorous", you'll find this to be a rich, deeply satisfying album. These young guys have old, wizened souls, and it shows in their music. Also a formidable live act!

Jupiter Coyote's sound on this particular LP is unmistakable and unique. The group fuses the sounds of rock, folk, and a strong vein of bluegrass to define what is becoming known as "mountain rock" - a title dubbed from their origins in North Carolina. Of all the Jupiter LP's, this is their most impressive work.

music to shrug to.

nothing wrong with this really, but for all the hype around it, i expected better (i probably trust pitchforkmedia a little too much). it's just standard guitar pop with a, um, oh yeah, "rough edge". i dunno. the lyrics are supposed to be pretty great, but if the music doesn't pull me in, the lyrics won't either. and plus, when i got this one in the mail, i discovered it was just a promo copy, with no liner notes or anything, and that pissed me off.

"The 21st century bores the hell out of me," proclaims Grand Mal mastermind Bill Whitten in the middle of the band's third full-length, Bad Timing. Well, duh, Bill. Anyone who's listened that far can easily discern that the songwriter is clearly a man out of time -- a guy whose record collection is most likely filled exclusively with albums released sometime during the Nixon administration. Even the title Bad Timing suggests that Whitten would feel more comfortable in 1973 rather than 2003.

This willfully anachronistic attitude towards music making is both endearing and frustrating: on one hand, it's refreshing to hear someone approach the classic rock genre with a decidedly un-ironic approach. Whitten and his bandmates appear to have a genuine love of '70s rock -- everything from Exile On Main Street-era Stones to Radio City-style power pop is referenced proudly here. There are even gospel back-up singers on a few tracks. Grand Mal takes a connoisseur's approach to classic rock, and when it works, the best of Bad Timing can stand tall next to its forefathers. The title track, in particular, is an undeniably perfect rock song: it's hard hitting, cocky (with just the right tinge of melancholy) and boasts a positively irresistible chorus.

On the other hand, the album at times slips into a general blandness that threatens to drag the band into mediocrity. A few songs have all of the elements of great rock and roll in place, but there's an ineffable quality missing. The excitement of the best classic rock is lost somehow.

Producer Dave Fridmann, who has manned the boards for the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev among other alt-rock luminaries, spices things up a bit with some unusual production, and Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd contributes various sonic bits and bobs throughout. Ultimately, Bad Timing won't thrill you with its daring, but Whitten and company deserve credit for crafting an album full of a kind of rock and roll that just isn't made very much anymore. It may not be as exciting as the canonical '70s records the band loves, but it's close.

Tyler Wilcox
Junkmedia.org Review

Bill Whitten's previous band, St. Johnny, often appeared to mistake "purposely annoying" for "musically challenging". That unfortunate propensity followed him to the initial releases by his more straightforwardly rockin' Grand Mal project. 1999's "Maledictions", for example, contained some great sleazoid glam rock concoctions like "Out on Bail", but dissipated that sporadic energy by wallowing mostly in melody-deprived slacker noisefests.

Thankfully, this time out Grand Mal jumps that glam beast and nails it to the floor. The lyrics make the band's intent plain by slyly referencing both the Only Ones' Peter Perrett and the Stooges' "Rock Action", and listeners who don't need footnotes to understand those particular namedrops will find much to enjoy here. Whitten's main stroke of genius amounts to combining the wasted vibe and lazy riffing of "Exile on Main Street" with the sultry boogie sensibility of T.Rex (even adding wailing Lady Soul backing vocals on some tracks). The resulting hybrid replaces glam androgyny with a kind of macho fatalism that sounds immediately familiar, though trust me, glam rock never sounded like this. But it should have.