Funeral At The Movies / Ten Spot

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Funeral At The Movies / Ten Spot album cover
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Total Tracks: 17   Total Length: 56:41

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Joe Gross

eMusic Contributor

Joe Gross hails from Falls Church, VA, one of the Chocolate City's most vanilla suburbs. He has written for Spin, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, the Washingt...more »

04.22.11
A group unlike any other on the Dischord label.
Label: Dischord Records

Shudder to Think was both like and unlike every other band on Dischord. On one hand, they were such insiders that Ian MacKaye's sister Amanda's label Sammich released their first album, 1989's excellently emocore Curse, Spells, Voodoo Mooses, and the "It Was Arson" seven-inch. On the other, they grew to sound like nobody else, thanks to Craig Wedren's Broadway musical falsetto soaring over often egregiously odd song-forms. On their second album, Ten Spot, thin production undercut the band's still-developing art-rock, but the Funeral at the Movies EP contains the seven-minute "I Blew Away/Ride That Sexy Horse" (sort of Shudder's equivalent to Jane's Addiction's "Three Days"), a sketchy Hendrix cover ("Crosstown Traffic") and the utterly wonderful original "Red House," which was so good they remade it twice. The follow-up, Get Your Goat, is both further refined and stranger, but it ain't no "Red House."

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crosstown traffic

beekayphilly

is not on the maxi-cd from dischord. it's not emusic's fault that the song is not here. blame ian mckaye

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Great Cd as usual

elspethm

I'm a huge STT fan, and Red House is one of their best!

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Review by Robert Celli

Garaputo

This combined release of 1990â??s â??Ten Spotâ? and 1991â??s â??Funeral At The Moviesâ? on Discord (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Rites of Spring) is a nice indoctrination into Shudder To Thinkâ??s divergent art-punk. Never really in step with the rest of the Discord catalogue, these first records turn on singer Craig Wedrenâ??s soaring, psuedo-falsetto. The tracks on both recordings point to the triumphs that would be captured on 1994â??s â??Pony Express Recordâ?. Future guitarist and songwriting force Nathan Larsen would join Shudder after these releases, forging the unique and supremely creative partnership with Wedren. The two would solidify the symbiosis that would bridge metal, art-rock, and indie-rock. Always inventive, this recording is ground zero for those looking to discover the creative genesis for this one-of-a-kind rock band.

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beautiful and complex

J'Adorno

Shudder to think were always strange: combining Rites of Spring and Queen in some sense. This is my favorite release by them (esp. the first ep: tracks 1-6), but all are very strong. I fell for "chocolate" ("Am I really second best/to the one who's on your chest?") and "lies about the sky" in a vegan's kitchen right around 1990 or so... The album still holds up incredibly well and is a solid "secret history" of pop and punk in the US. The physical CD has the Hendrix cover, but is, sadly, mastered like most dischord cds of the era: quiet and a bit thin. So digital might be a better option.

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Crosstown traffic

Cathead

Yes. I agree where is crosstown traffic. It a great version of the track and deserves to be included in the download. I have this album on tape (along with Get your Goat and "Up in it" by the Afghan Whigs. So am glad to finally get a digital copy. Discord sure brought us some great bands. Please add Crosstown :)

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Where is?

wiggam14

Great album, but where is the Crosstown Traffic cover?

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They Say All Music Guide

A compilation of two early releases, Funeral at the Movies/Ten Spot is part of Shudder to Think’s beginning. The band’s sound is already surprisingly complex and original, performed by their first lineup (which would splinter after one more release). Funeral at the Movies includes the first version of the recurring “Red House” (later re-recorded for the Hit Liquor EP and 50,000 B.C.), a manic version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic,” and the early fan favorite “Chocolate.” The first half of the lengthy “I Blew Away/Ride That Sexy Horse” is a soaring R.E.M.-sounding rocker, while the second half is nothing more than feedback with talking over the noise. Parts of Ten Spot were recorded a full year prior to Funeral, but the sound and formula are strikingly similar. “About Three Dreams” contains some intricate bass and guitar work courtesy of Stuart Hill and Chris Matthews, while “Corner of My Eye” shows off Mike Russell’s tribal drumming. And there are plenty of vocal heroics throughout, courtesy of the multi-talented Craig Wedren. The production and overall sound of the two albums aren’t as textured as future releases would turn out to be, as the group opts for a more straightforward approach. However, this compilation was an important stepping stone for the future musical schizophrenia of Shudder to Think. – Greg Prato

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