Nothing in the tank...

i did not blow the dust off anything this week (no it is not because i actually dusted) but I was just not overly inspired this week. Long weekend here will do me good. Check back next week if you would please.

FDF Volume 1: Issue 66: June of 44 - Engine Takes to the Water

Album - Engine Takes to Water
Artist - June of 44
Key Players - Fred Erskine - bass, Sean Meadows - vocals and guitar, Doug Scharin - drums, Jeff Mueller vocals and guitar
Produced By - James Murphy

Release Date - June 20, 1995

Overview - This is the debut album from Louisville Kentucky band June of 44. The band would slowly garner attention of the indie rock under ground over a few short years. Fans of "math rock" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_Rock embraced the band for the complexity of the music with odd tempo rhythms. Perhaps a little ahead of their time the band would dissolve five years later.


FDF Comments (aka the songs) - "Have a Safe Trip, Dear" is a slow rolling up track opener. The lyrics on this track, and virtually all the tracks, is more "spoken" than sung. The guitars chime over the top, only for everything to stop abruptly, and then re-started with a single guitar and a scream to bring everyone back into the track. It feels like 2 songs (it is also an 8+ minute long song) so its easy to do that. "June Miller" (partially where the band got its name) begins with a dual guitar matching each other on the riff, bass seems buried at the outset, and sadly it remains a trend through the record, its not as "up" as some may like. Pale Horse Sailor - the guitar gets a buzz saw tap and the ride cymbal washes over the top. Again the lyrics are more spoken than sung. The band ebbs and flows at the outset, teasing you with the moment of eruption and with roll down the drum kit it starts..but stops almost on a dime, and resumes the ride cymbal. It never fully explodes as you'd expect (or hope) but a great track. "Midel" opens with more urgency, the band wastes little time in setting off the chop chop pace. The drums are heavy on the track and the guitars both seem to be doing their own thing. As the "chorus" is reached there is a great howl and the band strikes a great groove (part of me wishes it was held through the track but hey). It does that marvelous 'start/stop' thing at least twice on this track as well. A single guitar with bass starts up "I Get My Kicks for Your". The spoken lyrics we are used to by this point start up almost immediatly. They are hard to hear, but the lyrics/singing, really take a backseat on the whole record. "Mooch" has a cool guitar riff that is repeated, that is almost "bubbly" then it will crunch back down. A quick start/stop a few times, once more, adds to the charm and appeal of the track....whoa, where are we going..ahh right back at it. Perfect. Also, part of the charm is a lot of the record seems to blend track to track. Case in point is how it rolls to "Take it With a Grain of Salt". The buzzy guitar is the highlight on this track. The track changes directions a fair number of times but its always fresh. "Sink is Busted" closes out the album. For the first time you can hear "some" bass as it swoops under the guitars during the intro. Its a quieter song, but complements the whole album nicley.

Where are they now? - The band broke up in 2000 and each has gone on to a series of other projects. The Shipping News is one of the most long running projects.

FDF Personal Comments (aka the Live experience) - I'll admit, I found out about this band after they disbanded.

Links
The band on their label page (Touch and Go)
Fan Site

Curious? Check out some MUSIC!

***Mp3's have been removed Sept 27, 2007 1:30 ET****

Mooch
Take it with a Grain of Salt

Tracks take from Engine Takes to The Water which you can buy here or here (and other places too)

Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.

FDF Volume 1: Issue 65 : Velvet Crush - In the Presence of Greatness

Album - In The Presence of Greatness
Artist - Velvet Crush
Key Players - Paul Chastain - bass+vocals, Jeffery Underhill - guitar, Ric Menck - drums, Matthew Sweet - guitars and harmony vocals.
Produced By - Velvet Crush and Matthew Sweet

Release Date October 18, 1991, the cd for this review has some bonus tracks via a re-issue in 2001.

What caused me to blow off the dust? - A buddy e-mailed me the other day "What is the Velvet Crush tune with all the great harmonies?" Thus the seed was planted. Oh, the song "Superstar" from this album.

Overview - This is the full length debut from Providence Rhode Islands Velvet Crush. After a series of shows the band was noticed by some folks in New York. Originally done on an 8 track recorder at Matthew Sweet's house in New Jersey it would garner the band a great opening tour slot on a Teenage Fanclub tour, thus the world or power pop rock was forever changed.

FDF Comments (aka the songs) - A slow build up to the wonderful opening guitar riff of "Window to the World" kicks things off. The pace of the song is a little on the slow slide, yet it bounces along nicely. A pop record for sure. No, not top 40 pop..just good pop rock. Why label it right? The guitar solo slides across the tambourine infused drum beat. "Drive Me Down" lulls the listener for the opening bars but then quickly clicks off (and kicks off) to a great example of their skill and sound. The ride cymbal gets a work out from Menck and his kit gets a good bashing to boot. Consistent on the entire record is a crisp and light guitar sound. Guitars only "crunch" when they need to, which is rare. Referring to the latter "Ash & Earth" is awash with Wah Wah guitars. "White Soul" follows suit, and by now new listeners of the band will get an idea of what the band is about. The track that got me in to the band, and which caused me to buy this album (twice) is "Superstar". Harmonies abound and its just a perfect track in so many ways. The drums are the stand out (as well as the vocals). I encourage you to check out this in the download section to "see for yourself". "Blind Faith" slows the pace down some, but the pure pop sound rings out. The vocal harmonies are again, in great form (notice a trend?). As Chastain sings "Faaaaaaaaaith" it just sounds so perfect. The guitars just wash over everything. "Speedway" opens with some great guitar riffs that open to the trademark 4/4 drum tempo. Chastain forces the chorus vocally, but it does not waver. "Stop" clocks in at just 2:20, and as you'd imagine gets to the point quick. It follows the same pattern of earlier tracks, not a throw away track by any means, but no new ground is tread. With a song having the name "Asshole" you'd figure it to be quick and angry. Its neither. Its a mellow track and is the longest on the record. "Die a Little Every Day" closes out the original version of the album. If you close your eyes you'd swear you hear Superdrag. It is easy to hear influences both past and present on this single track.

The cd being reviewed is the 2001 re-issue so it had a few extra tracks

"Circling the Sun" has the same feel, but is a little "cleaner" on the production side of things. Clacking of drum sticks count off "Everything Flows" with a false start. The guitar is layered on this track and the bass is slightly muffled underneath. "She Cracked" also opens with the drum stick count off, but the track really cooks along. Its got a very simple guitar riff that layers over the top. Easily the fastest track on this collection (bonus tracks or otherwise)

Where are they now? - The band has had a few ups and downs. Disbanded once in 1996 only to re-form in 1998. The bands last release was in 2004 and according to an entry on the bands myspace page they are currently on hiatus.

FDF Personal Comments (aka the Live experience) - The only time I saw the band was in the summer of 1991. Boston rock club TT The Bear's
came up with a few days of shows called "Lollypops and Booze" Tour. (a spin off/gag of the popular Lollapalooza festival). Velvet Crush was opening for (a soon to be showcased FDF Band) Neds Atomic Dustbin. We were not sure what to make of Velvet Crush, but they won me over in the end with the great guitar pop and harmonies.



FDF Overall Take - Upon talking this walk down memory lane and looking for an image of the cover to use I realized the "original" version of this release I had on cassette tape (that is the image you see here). New listeners to the band may find it not so ground breaking, or original, but their influence on a lot of power pop bands can not be denied. They borrowed for the bands they loved, and others have followed suit. Check em out, you may like the idea that a band can rock, and that you can still understand what the singer is saying.

Links

Official Site not too much here
The band on myspace

Curious? Check out some MUSIC!

***Mp3's have been removed Sept 27, 2007 1:30 ET****

Window to the World
Superstar
Blind Faith

All the tracks were taken from In the Presence of Greatness which you can buy
here

Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.

FDF Volume 1: Issue 64 : The House of Love - House of Love

Album - The House of Love
Artist - The House of Love
Key Players - Guy Chadwick - lead vocals, guitar. Pete Evans - drums. Chris Groothuizen - bass, vocals. Terry Bickers - guitar. (the cd has no liner notes and most places I checked I could not confirm certain members were on board).
Produced By - House of Love w/Stephen Hague and Dave Meegan

Release Date - Late 1989 - early 1990.

What caused me to blow off the dust? - Per the norm not even really sure. It was crunch time and I needed to pull something off the shelf. This record got a LOT of spins my freshman year of college.

Overview - This is the bands second album but also their second "self tittled" album. Formed after leader Guy Chadwick placed an ad looking for members in "Melody Maker" the band would generate a ravenous underground following.

FDF Comments (aka the songs) The album opener, and longest track on the album "Hannah" starts things off. A single guitar with some heavy chorus strums out a few chords before the other guitars and bass follow suit. The drums come up softly as well but the song slowly builds. As the breathy vocals come in its not long before the band hits down harder and the song comes full circle. The formula is repeated again, but its not a horrid repetition. One of the radio singles "Shine On", follows. The prior song hardly fades as it begins. The sound from the guitars and bass is very clear. There are not a lot effects on the instruments. The vocals are clear and punchy. It is very easy to understand what Chadwick is singing. Fans of "alternative" music from this time will notice a trademark sound, the guitars, bass and drums are all a collective, rather than one being more dominant that the other. With hardly stop again "Beatles and the Stones" begins. Early portions of the track are spoken bits, and sound bites of Beatles and Rolling Stones moments. A single guitar opens the music. The lyrics are given in a hush tone, there are strings and a simple brush driven drum line. Opening with a heavier drum beat "Shake and Crawl" comes up. The guitar gets a lot of punch and the drums are hit pretty hard (well so far for this record). The floor toms give it a strong marching feel. "Hedonist" has a fun, bouncy feel to it. The sound almost much like what the Farm had on "Groovy Train" if you will. It has chimes in the back but just over all "feel" of the track is of fun. The real shining moment on the record comes in the form of "I Don't Know Why I Love You", which is probably the bands most mainstream "hit". The guitars, the vocals..it has it all. Check the download to hear for yourself. The guitar works rings out with a final chime, then drops off. Bells and "conga" drums open "Never", which opens right up as an uptempo foot tapper. The song is sung rather quickly compared to the other tracks to this point. The guitars play wonderfully off one another. A somewhat somber "Someone's Got to Love You" finds the band toned down. The vocals are sung deep and the band never really gets going. "In a Room" room makes up for all that. Everything is just "faster" on this track and a lot more fun. The guitars crunch as the vocals again are sung a pretty swift pace. As the band builds to the chorus they are really firing off one another. We slow it down some for "Blind". It is a pretty song but somewhat generic at the same time. Acoustic and Electric guitars open "32nd Floor" and plug along until the drums lock down in a groove. The album closes with a start/stop track called "Se Dest". There are some real shining musical moments in this track, after the first verse comes to mind. A great album closer.


Where are they now? The band would release a few records after this, but never lived up to the hype, or their own expectations. Chadwick and Bickers wold get involved with drugs and alcohol and slag one another off in the press. By December of 1989 Bickers was no longer in the band. The band will be re-issuing the debut album in September of 2007. With all that, Bickers and Chadwick have resolved their issues and are working on new material.

FDF Personal Comments (aka the Live experience) - I thought I saw the band live once, but i can't confirm that. If I saw them it would have been as an opener probably for a Fontana (their label at the time) doing a multi band tour (Catherine Wheel perhaps)?

FDF Overall Take - In one review I saw on a site someone went so far as to say "If the band didn't fight they could have been the most important band of the last ____ years". Often times its interesting to go back to these records that were once "alternative" to what the mainstream was. Nowadays things feed off the past so much as many say you have to remember they may not have been the best at it, but they did it a long time ago. If you are looking for some decent, sometimes shoegaze meets jangle pop, House of Love will do the trick (if you can find any of the stuff)

Links
A very outdated Official Site.
A very good fan site


Curious? Check out some MUSIC!

***Mp3's have been removed Sept 27, 2007 1:30 ET****
I Don't Know Why I Love You
Never

This album is currently out of print. If you so desire, look for a used copy.

Here are some bonus live tracks. These were taken from the John Peel Sessions 1988-1989.

In a Room
Hedonist
Christine


Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.