Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

A MUST OWN--CONTAINS THE DEFINITIVE VERSION OF "I AM A SCIENTIST" ONE OF THE BEST SONGS EVER WRITTEN--RECORDED "LIVE" ON 4 TRACK

Amazon didn't list all the tracks here -- it also includes "Planet's Own Brand" and "Curse of the Black Ass Buffalo," both fine GBV songs, especially in the latter when Bob croons "we'd rather throw parties than stones/we'd rather break virgins than bones" in his most soulful frat-brother style, but the real treat here is "Do The Earth," still my favorite GBV song -- rarely have they mused their melodiousness and their native jam-kicking together so seamlessly and with such determined, jet-fueled insistence: perfect pop-punk that goes down like chilled, Alex Chilton-infused vodka. The version of "I Am a Scientist" is different from the one on "Bee Thousand" -- it gets much more of a head-on, rock song treatment here. Mmmm. Can I get a double, please, bartender?

For me, this cd is about as close as I've found to my perfect album. It is brilliant from start to finish. Portastatic isn't as instantly loveable as a lot of popular bands. In fact, the first time I heard it I wasn't too impressed. Sounded like a guy with a less-than-perfect voice singing against somewhat simple and sparse music. But after several listens, you realize that is the whole charm. Each song has something in it that makes it seem raw and intimate. The songs all represent several styles of music, from the melancholy rhythm of Naked Pilsners to the hard-edge of Tree Killer. All are unique and irreplaceable.

Portastatic definitely is not a band that everyone will like. It takes a while to get accustomed to the music, but after that everything they do is golden. All 3 of their real albums up to this point are incredibly good, but this one is definitely my favorite. You can't really go wrong with any of them though.

Portastatic and this album will pull out your heart, listen to its lamentations, twist and sing them, and then shove your heart back into place. It made me cry. If you've ever been heart broken and love portastatic or superchunk, then you will love this album. A must hear!

A strange, wonderful, and scary album. Orso makes music that can be as beautiful as a lazy southern river, but then things can quickly become unhinged, and you are led off into the woods by shotgun, and the music begins squealing like a pig. Good stuff, especially for fans of Loftus' weirder moments.

Listening to this CD is like slowly waking from a restful afternoon nap. Murky and mysterious, both soothing and at times frightening, these pieces by Phil Spirito and company have a dreamlike quality. oRSo�s sound is unique. Trying to classify the music on this CD is like attempting to describe to someone an amazing dream that you had last night -- they�ll never understand it without experiencing it for themselves. However, for the benefit of the prospective buyer, I will attempt it. The music is reminiscent of Barry Black, Captain Beefheart and Brian Eno as well as composer Michael Nyman�s earlier repetitive musical pieces. The vocals show a possible influence by indie rock gods Dinosaur Jr. or Jad Fair. If all of these people were lost in the middle of the deep woods, surrounded by a thick fog and sinking in quicksand, their musical epitaph might sound like the songs on this recording. In other words, oRSo is what music should sound like. Buy this CD now.

Salako are a very special band, make no mistake. Formed in Hull, England in the late nineties the group pulled together a mish-mash of seemingly incompatable influences to create a sound that was at once familiar yet disconcertingly odd. For those totally unfamiliar with the Salako sound, think Beck, think The Zombies, Think Stereolab, think crazy guys splicing gentle and surreal humour with a plethora of naggingly insistent melodies all married to songs that barely reach the two minute mark. No sooner has a particular song begun to burrow into your consciousness than its over and your brain is leftconfused but somehow richer.Great songs on this debut are too many to mention, best just to dive in at the beginning and let the music be your master..

After this album the band turned a slight corner with 'musicality' which saw the band reaping more critical plaudits whilst refining their sound further ditching the scattergun techniques of the debut for fuller explorations of the songs. It too was completely ace.

At the time of writing this Salako are in somewhat of a disaray with two members leaving ( James the lead vocalist is still very much apart of the band). However even if they were to leave us only with this album their work would be done.

Buy, Buy, Buy!

This album is truly magnificant! I wish I could say what it sounds like...or relate it to something you've heard before... But it truly stands alone as a musical work of art.

Sometimes, CD singles seem pointless if you already own the album but this one is a must-have. The acoustic versions found here are unbelievable and prove how powerful unamplified music can be in the right hands. In fact, "Magnet's Coil", "Rebound", and "On Fire" actually make more sense and have more impact with the more initmate acoustical back-drop. Pick this one up, you won't be sorry.

I started listening to Sebadoh back in 1994 when a college friend introduced me to Bakesale. I really liked the CD a lot and a about a year later I picked up the Rebound extended single. Wow, this is a great find. Songs like Social Medicine and Magnets Coil(acoustic) are perfectly placed with the two great versions of Rebound and the wonderful simplicity of On Fire. Anyone who likes Sebadoh, especially Lou Barlow's creations, and has not yet picked up this CD should do so now.

Cherry Area and No Tan Lines are anthems of the Eccherstentialist movement. The wit and cheer exuded by these two jams eccspecially get the feet to tappin and the hindquarters to wigglin'. The line from Cherry Ares "...and your gross, gross television set" strikes a chord deeply within my gut and when you add the keyboardy outro? Golly. This band exemplified what it meant to be eccsellent. And as Ed McMahon said, "The Pavements are a good band."

this belongs in any Pavement fan's collection. It was the first Pavement product I ever bought (i only bought it cause it was cheap and I heard good stuff about the band) I listened to it non-stop for several days before realizing that it is one of the best cd's I owned. Slowly Typed is a faster version of Type Slowly (from Brighten the Corners). It is much better than it's slower counter-part, mostly because the verses are a little longer, and SM's vocals are amazing. It rocks. Cherry Area is a song that at first sounded like a throw-away b-side, but once it sinks in its greatness becomes apparent. Wanna Mess You Around is a fast, short, punky song, which is great. Finally, No Tan Lines has the best guitar solo in the world (well, not really, but it's awesome) and is really one of Pavement's best songs.

Shady Lane is one of the best singles Pavement has put out. The slower remake of Slowly typed is excellent. These guys deserve sainthood for their heavenly music.

whenever i think i've listened enough and take the cd out of my player, i wake up with ledenhed songs buzzing in my brain. and when i ask myself, "why that lyric?", by the end of the day, its secret meaning is revealed and i am content in the knowledge that ledenhed has mystical insight into my life.

"the small bang!" is a great cd. it's the followup to ledenhed's first cd, "central nervous system" (another remarkablly wise and reflective collection of songs contemplating life). while remnants of the dark side are still evident in this second cd, it offers radiant bursts of light, as in "open", a dulcet lullaby for adult children of pessimists. "open" would be my favourite track if it weren't for its spiritual opposite, "face the sun", which both haunts and obsesses me.

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this album rocks. this album groo-ha-hooves. this album thinks.

this dude is hot. this dude is real. his music rawks. he's clearly a musician.

a friend put me onto it who saw him live and "i couldn't believe he was real." you can get in on the ground floor, 'cause i don't even hear him on the radio yet. listen to the free samples, and you'll see what I mean. by no means do these supplant "deleted" or "the small bang" as hot tracks, though. too bad you can't hear "automatic", through which I cannot stay sitting--nor can I keep my head from doin' the beavis and b-head thing. raw. sweet.

the music is electronic, the guy has a voice and an amazing repertoire and range. you can go along for the guitar/rock sounds, or the trippy electronic sound, or the vocals and lyrics--it's a great ride, infectious. i can mix it in the player with moby or no doubt, erasure, pet shop boys, grandmaster flash--these are just those impulses i can recall. i know nothing about music, but i have diverse tastes and this is like poppy, hip, edgy, rocky, and a solid album--not sure what the single is, but it would be hard to choose. the title track is my current fave. it's clever music.

i HAVE bought it again, already. i can't keep my EXTRA copy on hand. it's grrrreat. i know when i can manage to pry it from my player for something else, this album will be the one i put in when i just have to get something done with music that reminds me what music does for my soul...

The Grifters must be one of the most underrated bands in history. Every song they write is a masterpiece as well as Lo Fi. Even though the sound is a bit distorted, this is the debut album from the Grifters and if you are a fan of indie rock or lo-fi you should definately get this album.

Don't be fooled by the 5 star reviews on this album. I happen to suspect both of them are buy the guy that sold me the damn CD. Please be warned that if you are a Wesley Willis Completionist this album is a rarity and a must have. However, be warned the production value is noisy and hurts ones' ears in addition it's not up to par with other offerings from this artist. Think of it like the other albums in his Discography are masterpieces and this album comes off sounding amateurish and bootleg quality that often pierces ones' ears. I am happy I bought it because I adore the songs' of Willis. I'm just letting you know it is not a 5 star album. Go buy Rush Hour, Full HEavey Metal Jacket, or Wesley Willis Greatest HIts Volume 1-3 or Rock N Roll Will Never Die Instead.

This is easily Wesley's best CD, containing 2 of his best "animal" tunes. "Suck A Horses A****le" and "Drink Kool-Aid in Camel P**s", along with "Britney Spears". It's easily up there with his "Rush Hour" CD

Wes just keeps turning out the hits and this one is no different. With such hits as "Britney Spears", "October 31" and my personal all-time favorite "Joe Hunter" this one is going to take him straight to the top!

The Roger Dean cover attracted me to it. Most of the music inside repelled me from it. The short songs aren't bad, a very indie style with minor psych leanings. But they are nothing special and I've heard it done better elsewhere. The long songs such as Where the F**ks my Wallet? which openings the album are absolutely horrid ambient noodling tracks which go nowhere and take forever to do it. This band simply doesn't have the chops to do progressive rock, and their attempts fall flat. Best thing about the album: I only paid fifty cents for it!

I'm surprised by the poor review above. This monumental record is one that has remained one of my all-time favorites over the years. It has a mysterious (but not creepy) quality that still rocks. The instrumentation and melodies are beautiful and even catchy. Check out "Never Lonely Alone."

I purchased this record a few years ago when it first came out. It still boggles my mind. It is such an abstract rock album, but incredibly powerful. It escapes genre definition, with many songs focusing on carefully layered guitar textures and tones. Flowers for Algernon is an exceptionally beatiful tune, gradually building to beautiful heights. The album is also graced with two Anti-Pop tunes, "Never Lonely Alone" and "Love Left us Strangers", very pop-style tunes but executed in such a raw way that it becomes an antithesis to the glossy strategic pop tunes that dominate the radio. This leaves us to simply focus on the melody and composition...There is not a bad moment on this album. This is one of the best albums you've probably never heard.