Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

I am a fan of modest mouse at least most of there stuff I didn't like long drive loved moon and antartic and thought lonesome crowded west was good this one however has only one good song to offer the fruit that ate itself is a great song well worth downloading better than any song on long drive or lonesome crowded west but the rest of the cd is garbage so save your money and download that one song.

Let me start off by saying this is my 3rd favorite Modest Mouse album, (1st Lonesome Crowded West, 2nd The Moon and Antarctica.)
I find this to be the album where modest mouse really established thier sound. Parts of "This is a long drive..." sound like a totally different band. Heres the tracklist:

(Skipping untitled tracks)
1.The Waydown- 9/10-very calm and cool way to start off with.

2.Dirty Fingernails-6/10-loud, but if you try to figure what Isaac's trying to put across...you'll understand.

3.Sunspots-10/10-great song, great lyrics. Isaac's voice sounds awsome on this song.

4.Fruit That ate itself-10/10-Latin percussion, heavy bass, shouting vocals, great lyrics,---recipe for an awsome song.

5.Summer-10/10-Great song about the freedom, energy, and crime that happens during the summer.

6.Karma's Payment-10/10- Best song to end the album with. Catchy rythym, simple yet inspiring lyrics, cool bass.

In conclusion, this a shorter modest mouse album...but more like-able. I'd much rather listen to this than long drive any day. If you are a modset mouse fan seeking for a new gem, this is it.

This CD is less refined and genius tha their actual first released CD "this is a long drive..."...It is more primitive (i mean, there are THREE untitled songs), yet still a pretty little piece...and it is less boldly a "Modest Mouse" cd. but this is their original work and their later which stemmed makes this CD better than it might have otherwise been.
I'll just say it's a good thing they didnt stop here. (it deserves maybe 3.5 stars). but because of my biased devotion, i give 5

The inherent problem in this recording is inconsistentcy. At times it almost reminds me of a "previously unreleased" comp recording. The opening track will do nothing but confuse the uninitiated--a noisey number titled "Crisis" that abrubtly slows down and is in fact hard to listen to. However one should continue on because the next track "Brand New
Love' is amongst the best songs of the 90's. It accurately projects Lou Barlows--folk come--punk attitude.Other standouts include the Nick Drake cover of "Pink Moon", "Vampire" and the amazing closing track "Mind Meld". This record would have been a 5 star ep if some of the fat and filler had of been trimmed. However it still has it's moments of genius and is worth buying if just for 'Brand New love".

I wasn't really expecting much from this album because it was the last Sebadoh album for me to get and I didn't really hear anything from it. So I went with what people were saying here and listened to it. The opening track Crisis got me confused if this was the same band actually until the middle part. Crisis sounds more like metal then punk rock with Eric screaming his mind out. But then everything switches paces with Brand New Love which is a redux version only with the guitars plugged in, it's probably one of the standout tunes on the album and is really loud with the feedback near the end. The next song Notsur Dnuora Selcric is a confusing song with a weird title that makes it out to be another screamfest from Eric. But it's a solid song. Track four Vampire is pretty good, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. Good Things is a short but good song. Cecilia Chime in Melee is a loud instrumental that kinda drags on with the noise. I wasn't a huge fan of Everybody's been Burned. Junk Bonds is probably the most punk-sounding song on the album, I really like the lyrics and the sounds of it. Great song. Another standout song is Mean Distance which starts pretty mellow but goes totally nuts in the last minute with Eric literally screaming his heart out. Standout track #3 is Pink Moon which is really catchy and really done well. But the closing track made the album to me. The song Mind Meld which is a 7 minute noise-fest is just awesome. It saved the album from being so-so.

I don't know how to recommend this. The sound was alot like the Pixies actually only with Barlow on vocals.

I've never really been too big a fan of the Sebadoh. When I went through my early 90s sub-pop phase, I bought one of their albums at random (Bubble & Scrape), and although I liked it, I didn't think it was fantastic, and I thought (and still think) it goes on too long, so I never bought another. But a few days ago, I learned that the wherehouse music here was closing and discounting everything, so I went to see what they had. At 5.99, minus 20%, I figured this would be a good buy. Anyway, when I thought of Sebadoh before putting this in, I always thought immediately of Soul and Fire. Suffice it to say, track 1, Cry Sis, was a surprise. I managed to make it through, somehow, but I thought I'd have to just get B&S back out when I got home. But then, Brand New Love sounded like I remembered Sebadoh sounding, so I took it in and listened to it. Cry Sis was, the second time, not only better, but enjoyable. Brand New Love is the best song on the album, and maybe my favorite Sebadoh song, but the whole thing is good, and I believe, consistently good.

I've read many reviews about this album (showing my age with that word) stating that its a great album for those who like Slanted and Enchanted, but those who like albums like Wowee Zowee or anything else, will hate it. That cant be further from the truth. Here's the deal. Like most good bands, Pavement grew. They started with a pretty indie/punk sound (which is great) that turned into the amazing Slanted and Enchanted. With that being said, this is the roots of that sound. Very raw, indie recordings that are uptempo and very fun. I love later Pavement albums, and I love this album. If you like the bands full catalog, not just Terror Twilight/Brighten the Corners, then you'll love this album. Get it! The good bands dont sound the same on every album, Pavement included. Yet, there ALL great. Just different. You dont get a completely complex album like Wowee Zowee, without having some roots. These are those roots. Enjoy! I do.

there are those albums that you listen to, say what the??? and they sit for a year or two. then you revisit them and find a lost treasure. this is one of those albums. i bought this little gem when it first came out, loved a couple of songs and basically shelved it for 2 or so years. grabbed it for a road trip and fell in love . this album, in some cynical produced unproduced way, captures the insanity that is pavement live. go see stephen malkmus... he's still making the rounds and gives me faith that some where great music is still being made... this album ist rad from start to finish. pop it in yer ipod and walk around the city watching people for a few hours.... just make sure it's loud... ...

in my opinion this album is worth it for one reason alone. 23 songs in 47 minutes, it may not have the majesty of the fine albums to follow, which ever be your favorite, but it showcases pavement in the early nineties, its beautiful on vinyl and not much more than the cd , well worth owning

i like Damien Jurado's first two records and was moved by his gentle and simple way of telling a story through a good song; but this album fails to stir any emotion inside of me. the album seems lost and unfocused in a haze of directionless abandon. these tunes sound desperate and play out like unfisnished sketches of songs that any kid with a four-track and a guitar could have put to tape. a few tracks on "Ghost Of David" have some worth, but none really merit the puchase of this full length abum. a shame.

Damien Jurado has been one of my favorite artists since seeing him play bass and scream in Coolidge. I would never have guessed that this guy would go on to make the most beatiful folk music around. I have probably seen him play 20-25 times from when I lived in Seattle and was around when Pedro the Lion, Damien Jurado, Roadside Monument and other groups like that were playing little shows all of the time. He has never disappointed in his live shows.

Jordan Walton helped produced this album in his room and it is one my favorite albums of all time for its sound as well as the songs. It truly does feel like you are a part of the songs with the ultra-personal production. Great job. Jordan has also worked on Denison Witmer's "Of Joy and Sorrow" which is a pretty good album as well.

"Ghost of David" would certainly be in my top 5 albums because of the way that I am touched when I hear it. I am always moved by the album and I hope I continue to be until I die. Check out "Medication", "Johny Go Riding", "Ghost of David" and "Rosewood Casket". Rosie Thomas does some great vocals on this as she does in all of her other work.

Buy this album if you enjoy meditative music. It is as beautiful as music can be. Their is a feeling of brokeness that I find very comforting. Check it out. Thank God for Mr. Jurado!

I picked up my first Damien Jurado album in college after a certain boy put him on a mix tape for me...and you know what mix tapes can do to your heart....Anyway, Damien has a presence which will resonate in your mind long after you are done listening to him. He is eloquent, and soft, and sings from his gut...what more can you ask for? Every album he has ever made is worth buying, but Ghost of David is a great one to start with...and please take this on car trips with you,...I think that you will find yourself listening to it again and again trying to get more from each song.

This record is awful. I haven't been this burned by gushing amazon reviews and recommendations since I bought Jellyfish's Spilt Milk. For years I thought that was the worst pop album ever made. It's not. This one is.

First and foremost, the comparisons other reviews are making with Brian Wilson and/or Paul McCartney are ridiculous. I'm pretty sure the 'lost' Smile sessions didn't involve the Beach Boys playing kazoos and a circus organ while an Alvin and the Chipmunks impersonator sang lyrics like these:
Gaily gaily glee
gaily glee gaily gaily glee
Green glass fish glide
cream colored glass
Umi ni ukande means floating on the sea
Me and my pussycat floating on the sea

After I listened to this, I told the missus, "Think of the lamest, sappiest, written-in-5 seconds repetitious Paul McCartney song you can think of. Now replace the musicians and instruments with a bunch of kids slamming around junk you'd find in a garage. Put the out of tune singer in a helium chamber, mix it all together on a tape recorder and not in a studio, and you have this record."

I am not kidding. The liner notes credit four (4!) people with 'jumping on furnace'. Granted, two of these are 'holding hands' while doing the jumping and another is 'woo-wooing' so I should probably give them some slack as they may have been distracted during the recording lending to the less than perfect results heard on this album.

The Kinks did a great job capturing slice of life with Face to Face, Village Green Preservation Society and Muswell Hillbillies and the aforementioned Paul McCartney does it better even on his lamest, sappiest, written-in-5 seconds repetitious songs. Just because this is an album with songs about ordinary people doesn't automatically qualify it to be ranked at the level of The Kinks or McCartney (or Springsteen or Westerberg or Reed, etc. etc.)

As a concept it falls completely flat. In terms of believable characters and a thematic whole, Dream Theatre, Styx, Jethro Tull, ELO and Rush actually succeeded better back in the 1980's than this thing does (even if the musical genre is a complete opposite).

Lastly let's mention the title itself - try as these self-important folks might, a ridiculous sounding band name with no discernable musical ability being put out on a third rate label isn't going to bring enlightentment to the masses about the word 'gay'. Especially when coupled with 'parade'.

I had to backtrack to figure out why amazon recommeded this album highly to me. What I've found is that my sometimes quirky pop tastes (Neutral Milk Hotel, Flaming Lips, Starlight Mints and Super Furry Animals to name a few) are responsible. Looks like I have a lot of re-rating to do.

If you're looking for pop experimentation and haven't yet run throught the catalogs of those bands I mentioned in the last paragraph or those of Radiohead, Wilco, Spoon, Yo La Tengo, Galaxie 500, The Pixies, Velvet Underground, and Pavement go do that first.

If you need to hear the legacy of Brian Wilson in modern music look no further than the Wondermints. Wilson even tapped this band to back him up on tour. Actual instruments, in tune singing and quality production make up their records.

Every single thing I've heard by every other band I have mentioned in this review (and that includes those space themed rock opera albums from the 80's as well as the horrible Jellyfish record) is better than Of Montreal's The Gay Parade.

Quite frankly, every other thing I've ever heard, including listening to the missus sing snippets of Green Day songs while she does the dishes, is as well. Stay Away.

The first few times you listen to this album, it's hard not to compare it to some of the psychadelic/pop bands of the 60's. This in itself makes it a good album from the get go. However, after repeated listens, you start to realize and hear all of the concepts and experimentation behind the songs that make just about all of them great. Some of the highlights include "Old Familiar Way", "Fun Loving Nun", "Tulip Baroo", "The Autobiographical Grandpa", and "Advice From A Divorced Gentleman." They're all great songs.

Of course, I like ALL the songs (I did give it a PERFECT score after all). "Nickee Coco" is a stunning fairy tale-esque story told half in dialogue and half through singing. It makes the song hard to sing to, but a pleasure to listen to (it's also a bit humorous at times: listen for a part about an owl).

"My Favorite Boxer" is a nice guitar based pop tune about a boy's favorite boxer. What makes it so great is the sudden tempo changes, along with the beautiful harmonies.

"The March of the Gay Parade" (Kevin Barnes is trying to disregard the common misconceptions about the word) is a very experimental piece with very high pitched voices squeeking out the melody while fuzz and static are present in the background. It's weirdness makes it very fun to listen to, especially when Barnes finally begins to sing near the end (with a muffled voice echoing his own in the background).

All in all, it's the way the pop tunes, the concept of a character's story in every song, and the experimentation with instruments come together that makes this album so great. Kevin Barnes, along with everyone who helped him, has great talent for not only creating pop, but also molding his songs into something more than the term can describe. He combined 60's experimentation with 90's sensibilities. Let it be said, however, his latest works took a mighty turn away from this approach, making "The Gay Parade" all the more important. it's the pinnacle of Kevin Barnes' career, and although he has made some decent albums lately, he never catches the humor and simple charm that he does with "The Gay Parade" (with the exception of "Coquelicot"). A must buy.

Of Montreal has built a career on exuberant, sweet concept albums that bounce with life and love. "The Gay Parade" is a snapshot of them at their best -- it has the strangeness of "Cocquelicot," but is more accessable. These songs cheery oddball pop, but it sounds so uncalculated that it never quite sounds twee.

The acoustic/piano-ballad "Old Familiar Way" starts off the album, but it mostly focuses on how "It's amazing the wonders you can find/Just by stepping outside." Only at the end does Kevin Barnes greet listeners with "Welcome to the Gay Parade!" The album then switches to a bunch of songs about the glorious people, such as the bouncy dancey "Fun-Loving Nun," singsong "Tulip Baroo," and "The Miniature Philosopher."

While describing boxers, grandfathers and stuttering organ grinders, Barnes and Co. don't stray away from their typical little sweet songs: there's a carnival sound to "March of the Gay Parade," a goofy little sweet song. Elsewhere Barnes sings eagerly about the "Domestic Life," longs for special friends, and chronicles the story of Niki Coco, before finally bidding farewell in "The Gay Parade Outro."

The entire album more or less revolves around the Gay Parade, and how much happier the people in it (and near it) are. The general feeling is that it's not so much a real gathering as a state of mind -- enjoying the little things, "making friends with trees and animals," and seeing the magic of the world.

The songs rely heavily on Barnes' acoustic guitar, and the sweet piano pop that comes into the intro and outro. Little chimes and psychedelic swooshes give it an even more whimsical feel. And an electric organ gives a sort of dancey fun feel to "Fun Loving Nun," to the point where it's hard to notice Barnes' weird lyrics.

Kevin Barnes has that sort of likably offbeat voice that really sounds good in oddball pop. Sort of like Jeff Mangum, but a bit less nasal. And the songwriting is either goofy ("I'd be a yellow feathered loon for you baby/Be a German shepherd on the moon for you baby") or brilliant ("He would suddenly appear at Meg's door/He'd rent a mariachi band and respectfully demand/His dear Meg to take his hand/And to be his forever more"). You make the call -- often they're both.

Somehow the most enjoyable part of the whole thing is where where Barnes solemnly informs us, "Now that you know the way/And perhaps someday/You'll be able to stay with us/Forever inside the gay parade." In other words, hit repeat.

Only gave 4 stars because this album isn't for everyone, and a 5-star review makes people go out and buy stuff. In this case if a lot of people did that, they'd be disappointed and would post negative reviews here.

I gave this album to an intelligent musician with great taste, and he said he couldn't get through it because it's too slow. So again, it's not for everyone. With that said, when this album first came out in 1997/8 I turned several other people onto it and it stuck in permanent rotation in all of our collections for months and months.

It's a minimalist album, and it does unfold at Bill's own pace. But holy schmidt, pretty much every time you listen to it layers upon layers show themselves, and you're slack-jawed. A friend listening to him stammered with respect, "You just...you just can't DO that!"

Best listened to in fall/winter. It's the musical and thematic equivalent to bare branches sillouted against a bleak sky.

And it's a dark as hell album. Lyrically sardonic, self-observing, sad, removed, mildly sadistic, more than mildly self-loathing, resigned, anguished, amused and amusing, charming, engaging, self-deprecating, astonishingly witty, narrative-driven. Musically it's haunting, hypnotic, and quite beautiful. He's brilliant.

For example, the first track, "The Morning Paper," opens for several bars with singular, repetitive, dissonant notes on an accoustic guitar, against a dull low buzzing backdrop, and then Bill's voice, sounding tentative and slightly disoriented, comes in for just a few lines...his character wakes up logily and, not finding compelling reason to fully come to consciousness, capitulates to lethargy to "roll right over/and go to sleep/the evening sun/can be so sweet."

Then--still in the space of maybe 6 lines--introduces the concept of "this thing...Red Apple Falls," seemingly an allegory for the place his emotionally damaged and damaging protagonist had been in, in a complicated relationship where he behaved very badly, and basically now has the reaction of the scorpion in the scorpion and the frog story (when asked why the scorpion has stung the frog who is giving him a ride across a river, since they'll both sink and drown -- i.e., "it's in my nature...I'm a scorpion").

But many other reactions and ripples are revealed throughout the album, its stories, anecdotes, and side trips.

Some people have commented on Bill Callahan's lack of vocal strength or something...I disagree. This is a pretty emotional album. And Bill's voice is an expressive instrument. You won't hear his voice crack or eep out uncertainly or tiredly without it tying into the album's narrative. And often he sings in the monotone of someone still in the aftershock of whatever that trip into Red Apple Falls was all about.

Last note: I like other Smog albums a lot too--but this is my hands-down favorite--and have *not* enjoyed Bill Callahan live, at all, much to my chagrin.

Smog's Red Apple Falls is indicative of Bill Callahan's direction towards a more easy-to-swallow pill of indie folk. The songs have more form, the instruments are all pretty much conventional instruments, and Callahan's voice has adopted a rather soothing drawl. That's not to say Callahan has dumbed down his sound in any way. Instead of the lo-fi mess-terpiece of Wild Love, we have the country-tinged Red Apple Falls, a record filled with Callahan's usual tales of lost love and lost confidence. The pedal steel takes a rather prominant role on many of the album's more fleshed-out tracks such as "Inspirational," giving the album a sort-of alt-country feel reminiscent of Will Oldham's work. Sitting along with a rather uncharacteristic slice of upbeat pop ("Ex-Con") are some of Callahan's best pieces of minimalist folk. While "Red Apples" and "To Be Of Use" are carried by rather simple piano and guitar figures, they say so much with so little as the clich? goes. Thus with this record, Callahan has proven himself a master of both the full-band and the lone musician. Red Apple Falls is a great starting point for any potential Smog fan.

I own just about all of the official Smog releases from the gritty home tape recordings, to the newer albums that will keep some steady friends around. This is by far the best (Smog) album that I've heard. Think Leonard Cohen meets The VU w/a touch of beautiful pedal steel over the top of it all. This album really is amazing and it embraces all of the different stylings that Bill Callahan employs throughout all of his works. From violent pop songs set over a cheary beat (ala Ex Con), to the isolated and introspectiveness w/a gritty sense of humor (es Stranger). This album really hits home. The one thing that may annoy new comers to this album is the heavy handedness of all the symbolism that reoccurs throughout the album. To me it's perfect but to others it can possibley ware you down. If you get this album and are looking for more Smog to listen to then the next logical step is Knock Knock. If you own Knock Knock and want more of the same then pick this one up.

Do you know who these guys are? Well first off its pretty much just one guy, John Darnielle. And he is a legend. He has recorded over 300 songs and scores of albums. His prolific song bank includes songs of love lost and found, songs of travel and adventure and songs of tragedy and hope.

Are all the songs true accounts? No. But that doesn't make them any less compelling.

This album would be hard pressed to be called his best but definitely is not a bad starting spot, though i would personally recommend All Hail West Texas.

If you have ever wondered what is up with this Low Fi nonsense this is the man to teach you your lessons. He shows the true spirit of the content quality in place of prduction quality tilt that makes Low Fi the fabulous genre it has become.

It's a good Goats CD to start on, no doubt. It's a little more polished than some of his other stuff, but overall a very very solid CD. I personally prefer the scratchy, record sounding recordings that came before, but I love the Mountain Goats, so even when it's not Low-fi it's still awesome music.

i have been listening to this CD for about a month now, and that is really rare for me. I mean i have not even taken it out of the CD player. I am confident if one gives this CD a few good listens, there is no way that person will ever regret purchasing it.

The voices on these folks! The man sounds like a depressed child with a head cold, and the woman sounds like somebody dressed up in a mermaid cosume somewhere in Disney Land. I don't know what else to say. The instruments are too light and fluffy, mostly done by a machine, and the whole thing just sounds like a bad, cheesy eighties album. Sort of like Annie Lennox meets Captain Kangaroo. I know 80's rock is making a whacky come back, but guys, listen to the album again and try not to chuckle. It's pretty hard.

Having all of Merritt's full length albums, I have to admit that none of them have ever touched me so close or lasted as long as this one has. The album is a perfect variety of synths, and each song sound so amazingly different from the next.

My favorites off the album include "Real Summer" and "Memories Of Love", both are which are perfect pop songs. "Real Summer" demonstrates how good bubblegum pop music can be despite what mainstream artists deliver. "Memories Of Love" isn't a wet, poppy song like many found throughout the album. It's still full of wonderful synths, and it grabs anyone's attention at once with its non-sugar sound and its hilarious lyrics- "Some are like a sip of champagne, some are harder stuff. Some are advertising campaignes. Memories of love."

Other key highlights of the album include "She-Devils Of The Deep" (a sly, hypnotic song) and "Hopeless", which is too amazing to describe with words.

"But You're So Beautiful" is another song that shows how good pop music can be without the wet, sugary sound. Out of all the songs on this album, "But You're So Beautiful" is the one that gets stuck in my head the most. But hey, I'm not complaining.

As I said before, this album is simply wonderful. It can even stand up to "69 Love Songs" and sound perfect. In my opinion, "Memories Of Love" is Stephin Merritt's best album to date, though others may beg to differ. Either way, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll love this album!

Oh, and by the way, the lyric booklet is delightful! Enough said.

This is my first FBH cd and believe me, I'm coming back for more. I am typically into heavy alternative sounds, but this band is totally addictive. Creepy yet realistic, emotional yet fresh, this cd is a very unique sound I thoroughly enjoy.

I will agree that Luke's review is ridiculous. BUT... this album is not quite as great as everyone says. Bill Callahan's guitar is always out of tune (this is especially apparent with doubled guitar passages), and all of the playing is very sloppy. It's almost as if Callahan is making up the music as he goes along, and is unsure of what note he's going to play until it's too late. This doesn't hurt all of the tracks, though. It gives a few of them the feeling of floating in and out of water (if you happen to be looking at the album cover while listening).
Those complaints aside, the songs on this CD are mostly very good. Callahan's simple, repetive, dark, and melancholy chord changes provide a perfect backing to his droning baritone voice. The lyrics are equally as dark and melancholy, and seem quite mysterious as well. It's as if they paint pictures of emotions (mainly sadness) rather than dealing with them in any direct sense. Most of the time, you don't really know what Callahan is talking about, but you feel his emotions.
"Doctor Came At Dawn" is Smog's darkest release to date. Highlights include "You Moved In", "Spread Your Bloody Wings", and "All Your Women Things". Personally, I prefer Callahan's partner Cindy Dall, Mark Eitzel, Ida, Red House Painters, Idaho, or Dakota Suite over Smog in the sadcore genre. But if you are a fan of lo-fi sadcore, this is still good stuff.

well first of all. this cd is a great, and powerful cd. in the review from Luke (which helped 5 out of 20 people) i think that some one who dosen't listen to smog should just keep their mouth shut. i guess all of the college drinking and smoking "dope" made all of the good taste pour itself from the pores of his skin only to be left behind on some cold and unused sidewalk. where it was left dying, but i don't think that it matters since apparently he didn't use it before. anyway in this cd you can hear (smog) coming to form. i can just read the lyrics to myself and hear the music, and think grace is the sound from which bill touches

Bill Callahan has created a masterpiece that is really beyond words. All I can say is that if you've recently had your heart torn out and stepped on with a pair of soccer cleats, THIS is the album for you. Tenderness and nostalgia, bitterness and despair, Doctor Came At Dawn is frighteningly accurate in its depiction of a breakup you can only relate to. Be prepared to reach for the Kleenex... Smog you're a genius.

The 69 love songs is some of the worst rock/pop music ever recorded. The music is so generic and basic that anyone could have written it. Stephin Merrit has a great voice, its a shame he doesn't have a good songwriter.

if you're considering buying vol.2 please don't be hindered by negative reviews found herein. if you like what you've heard on vol 1 and/or 3 make no mistake these songs have much to offer. although the styles are widely varied, merritt's fantastic melodies and clever lyrics still flow second to none one after the other. i feel blessed that this recording caught my attention because hours of blissful songwriting are to be had. of course the box set is the best bang for your buck but if you must buy only one or two, volume 2 has material which easily equalls that of the others. check out "(crazy for you) but not that crazy" and "when my boy walks down the street" to satisfy your indie/retro rock urges while the other tunes may encourage to investigate other music styles; merritt is a master of simple, catchy yet deep songwriting craft.

Although others here have said that it is impossible to like one volume of "69 Love Songs" over any other, I fear that it is. This is, currently, my favorite volume.

There are just too many good songs on here -- "Roses," "When My Boy Walks Down the Street," "Time Enough For Rocking When We're Old," "Very Funny," "Grand Canyon," etc, etc. And "Papa Was a Rodeo," "Epitaph for My Heart" and "Asleep and Dreaming" are some of Merritt's best compositions, lyrically and musically.

Sure, it sort of drags a little bit in the middle ("Washington, D.C." and "Kiss Me Like You Mean It" come to mind), but all three volumes have their share of somewhat mediocre songs.

It also has the best opening and closing tracks of the three volumes (although "Absolutely Cuckoo" is pretty amazing) -- "Roses" is a lovingly sung thirty second song that defies catagorization (there's no music, just a beautiful voice); and "I Shatter" also defies catagorization with it's Laurie Anderson-like vocals (anyone remember that oddity "O Superman"?).

Regardless, you should not just buy one or two volumes -- buy the box set. There are some songs ("Absolutely Cuckoo," "A Chicken with Its Head Cut Off," "Busby Berkeley Dreams," "The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure," and many, many more) that are not available on volume two. But, if you must buy one, I guess I'll be one of the few to say "pick volume 2."