This one, of the 3 great records they made, sounds the most like a real band & less like a drunken side project. Fairly cohesive & still very rockin & funny. After you listen to track #1 a few times, make sure & get Built to Spill Live & listen to the same song done by BTS. It's amazing.
I remember when this came out reading an article where Calvin said that they took their time putting this one together. And it shows. In kind of a bad way. The charming haphazardous feel of the first two albums just isn't here. These songs are a bit more polished. Which is fine. "Viriginia," "Your Asterisk," "Love Travels Faster," and "Foggy Bottom" are all incredible songs. Songs like "Do That Thing" and "Turn It My Way" are serviceable, they just don't take it to the next level. And, for my money, "Surfer Haze" and "Rebels Got A Hole In It" just bring the album to a halt. Did we really need all 6 minutes of the latter track? Probably not. Whatever. This is still a great album. You know?
This sounds basically like a mix of half Beat Happening and half Built to Spill. This isn't a bad thing, it's just more the case than most collaborations.
Even if it's tongue-in-cheek, there is still something highly off-putting about a sloppy baritone singing about "rubbing your tummy"
if you don't get it then you just don't get it but this album was a classic in my late teen years.
Calvin Johnson is a modern miracle.
calvin johnson and doug martsch might be one of the most unlikely collaborative pairings...but i don't think it could've turned out any better than this album. great indie guitar pop with Calvin's classicly bizarre baritone interjections.
"your other cars a broomstick" i say whatever to you others... this is music for the fans of well put together thoughts lovingly matched to great music. "your asterisk" is possibly the greatest song on here. dont believe the nay sayers just try it..you'll like it.
... if you're into that sort of thing (tone-deaf baritone, funny lyrics). Most accessible: Turn It My Way. The first song has this line: "Rub your tummy and show your navel ... inny, outy, I don't care." Other good ones (these are just mellow and nice), Lonesome Sundown and Surfers Haze.
Totally bizarre album; the lead male singer's voice doesn't match the kind of music they are producing AT ALL. When they just play, it's OK, but the rest is utterly forgettable. Don't waste your downloads. Less than one star, if I could do that!
