Georgie James – Places (Saddle Creek)
Another album from last year that I ignored until recently, this is an absolute must for any fan of power-pop or fans of indie rock that’s explicitly indebted to the sounds of the ‘60s and early ‘70s without sounding retro in the slightest. A band formed by former Q AND NOT U member JOHN DAVIS and singer-songwriter LAURA BURHENN, this is extremely different from Davis’ previous band’s politically-minded post-punk.
Instead, catchiness is the name of the game here. “Need Your Needs”, which sounds simultaneously like the UK band THE LODGER and a cross between CHIC, THE COWSILLS and CHEAP TRICK, is the best song here and honestly one of the best pop songs (indie or otherwise) I’ve heard this decade. However, the rest of the album, mostly sung by Davis but occasionally by Burhenn as well (like on the new single “Cake Parade”), doesn’t contain any duds, either. This stuff is so catchy that I woke up with the chorus of “More Lights” stuck in my head one morning after having listened to the album the day prior. Highly recommended!
Scott Plagenhoef – If You’re Feeling Sinister (Continuum, 2007)
It’s fitting that one of the best albums of the ‘90s is chronicled with one of the best books I’ve read so far in the generally excellent 33 1/3 series. In fact, other than COLIN MELOY’s take on THE REPLACEMENTS’ Let It Be and JOE PERNICE’s take on Meat is Murder, this is my favorite book in the series so far. Instead of focusing on the album exclusively and dissecting its songs verse by verse, Plagenhoef offers a broader perspective. The book places the seminal album in its context, both in terms of BELLE AND SEBASTIAN’s career and in terms of not only pop music trends in the U.S. and the UK at the time, but cultural trends as well and how the band’s perceived “twee” tendencies influenced attitudes about them. Also touched upon is their virtual boycott of the press in the early part of their career and the contrast between it (along with the shambling live shows of old) and the gregarious, playful yet professional and tight live shows they perform today.
Beach House – Devotion (Carpark)
I missed this much-hyped Baltimore band’s first album as well as their performance at last year’s Pitchfork festival on the small side stage (not to mention when they played here in Philadelphia with THE CLIENTELE last May) and now I regret it because this album is fantastic. An absolutely perfect tonic for a sleepy Sunday morning or a dreary, rainy afternoon, this will please fans of the aforementioned Clientele as well as GALAXIE 500, LOW, CODEINE and other lazy, hazy greats. This is a natural for Big Takeover readers.
Edgeplay: A Film about The Runaways (Not Rated)
As the title suggests, this is a documentary about the great ‘70s all-girl hard rock band THE RUNAWAYS. Put together by VICKI BLUE (now known as VICTORY TISCHLER-BLUE), the band’s bassist who replaced JACKIE FOX in 1978, it provides some stunning revelations into the band’s tenure from 1976 to 1981 and features interviews with almost all of the band members as well as manager KIM FOWLEY. However, it’s hampered considerably by JOAN JETT’s lack of involvement. Not only does she not consent to be interviewed, she denied the rights for songs she wrote or co-wrote to be used. Thus, the only Runaways performances you see are of them playing covers (including their take on THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “Rock and Roll”) and the frankly annoying and distracting background music used to accompany the interviews in the film are mostly solo tunes by LITA FORD, including her late ‘80s hair-metal hit “Back to the Cave”. My complaint isn’t with that music itself but rather that it doesn’t fit with the documentary’s theme. Still, despite these considerable hurdles and flaws, Edgeplay is well worth seeing for any fan or anyone else curious about this short-lived but extremely influential group.
Dead Milkmen – Bucky Fellini (Enigma)
Although not my favorite Dead Milkmen album (that honor would probably go to either 1985’s Big Lizard in My Backyard or 1988’s Beelzelbubba), this is essential for any fan of the band nonetheless and not just for “Instant Club Hit”, one of their most notable songs. Other highlights include the surreal “Nitro Burning Funny Cars”, a great cover of DANIEL JOHNSTON’s “Rocketship” and the great album intro (parodying THE SWEET’s “Ballroom Blitz”) before the opening song “The Pit”.
Supergrass – Diamond Hoo Ha (Parlophone)
In memory of drummer SEAN FINNEGAN, who passed away several weeks ago, I gave this a spin. Although I love their side of the great split Lp with THE FAITH, this material along with the stuff on the Condensed Flesh EP (originally released in the mid ‘90s on the notorious German label Lost and Found and then re-released several years ago) could be considered the material that best represented them in their prime because it’s even rawer and the songs are even shorter (none are over a minute and a half and most are under a minute) than on that split Lp! Of course, this is just a demo and as far as I know, it’s never been officially released though I also have it on a bootleg Lp that also contains the demos by 3 other early ‘80s DC bands. However, if you can find it and you like early ‘80s hardcore, then you definitely should pick it up. It’s a bit less metallic than the material on the split Lp (not to mention the material on the still unreleased 1984 Lp Potion for Bad Dreams that was recorded for Touch and Go but never released), which may appeal more to some as well.
Before this 2005 singles compilation came out, I already had most of this material, but nevertheless since reading the 33 1/3 series book on If You’re Feeling Sinister last week, I’ve been re-listening to these early singles. To be perfectly honest, not all of the material is transcendent (uh, “A Century of Elvis”, anyone?) and some is just so-so (and very little on here matches the absolute perfection of _If You’re Feeling Sinister), but this collection is well worth buying because it contains some of their finest moments ever. “The State That I Am In” (also on their 1st Lp Tigermilk), “Lazy Line Painter Jane,” “Legal Man”, the sublime “A Century of Fakers” and “I’m Waking Up to Us” are all terrific, for instance. The last song I mentioned is especially crucial here, its full-bodied ‘60s orchestral pop sound (compared to the lo-fi recording qualities of their earlier albums and singles) heavily reminiscent of LOVE and paving the way for their two most recent, much more hi-fi efforts.
Furthermore, until they signed to Rough Trade, none of the songs they released as singles (with the exception of the aforementioned “The State That I Am In”) made it onto their albums, giving fans a value for their money uncommon for the UK, where it’s customary to not only release multiple singles off a given album, but to release different versions of each song (with different B-sides) for chart purposes, ripping off the fans further in the process!
Be Your Own Pet – Get Awkward (XL)
I missed their first record, but I really like this one. It’s pretty much everything you’d expect from a teenage garage punk band and if they’ve matured at all (which I can’t really say), it sure doesn’t reflect it in the lyrics save for one song that seems to lament life on the road and feeling like a stranger at home. As for the rest, this is no holds barred teenage rock and roll featuring lyrics about slumber parties, food fights, drinking, partying and boredom all delivered by JEMINA PEARL, a frontwoman with more energy and attitude than KAREN O and BRETT ANDERSON of THE DONNAS put together. Is it juvenile? Of course it is. But it’s also a whole lot of fun and once this record starts up, it’s hard not to enjoy the ride.
Dengue Fever – Venus on Earth (M80)
The follow-up to 2005’s excellent Escape from Dragon House is another winner! With the Cambodian music of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s a pervasive influence, the notable change here is the lessened influence of the Afrobeat. However, as if to offset this, the songwriting is slightly stronger and thus the album sinks in better. The highlights are “Tiger Phone Card”, which is about a Phnom Penh/New York relationship, and “Sober Driver”.
