Editorial Review

It's written into the logic of creativity that something like urban clatter and din can create calm. That's Hem. The Brooklyn quartet makes acoustic latticework of guitars, mandolins, piano, an array of orchestral instruments, and the floating voice of Sally Ellyson, which is equally suited to whisper-quiet tunes like the brief opener, "Lord, Blow Out the Moon Please," as it is to "Stupid Mouth Shut" and the band’s boisterous rendition of "The Cuckoo." Hem’s mellowness follows a post-punk New Age bend in the neo-folk road (especially on the sentimental "Burying Song"), but mostly the lyrics recall early Cowboy Junkies, the Hank Dogs, and the Be Good Tanyas. "All That I’m Good For" combines pedal steel with a full complement of strings to create an almost Lambchop level of rustic richness-—while Ellyson’s voice goes from absolute glassy-lake calm to heights Sarah McLachlan would recognize. Read more

Reviews (67)

Beautiful, Sweet and Strong
It all started with noticing a remarkable song being sung in the background of a simple yet sweet commercial where people help other people. The song is "Half Acre". For the longest time I would hear it in passing yet it would stop me in my tracks and sometime give a moment of sad pause. It is strange. My Dad died recently. He died in a hospital. In the hospital...and for most of the day and evening for the past 10 years the tv was always on in his house. (My widowed Mom continues the tradition). I was in the hospital recently...with a tv of course. This song is so strong and important to me. The commercial comes on and I feel my Father. I feel him and see him at home watching tv happily...or sometimes think of him in the hospital when I remember the commerical coming on while I visited him. And being in the hospital myself and having the commercial comes on...I feel him. I feel my sadness of his loss. I feel his presents. I feel the simple times. I feel the rough times. It brings hope. It brings sadness toward our sad and terror filled lives. It reminds me of the humanity I sometimes feel we have lost in this world. It renews my belief that perhaps we will all be okay again. Its an amazing piece of art and music. And I thank HEM for it.

Pretty, but..
The songs & the singing are really booooring. I give it 2.5 stars. I really tried to like this album because it sounds like a lot of other music that I really love. It just didn't work out, though. There a ton of pretty albums by many artists, and this one doesn't stand out at all. The songwriting & arrangements are lacking, and the vocals are sedate. I own Eveningland, which albeit overproduced in some tracks, is an overall improvement from this record.

Very nice indeed
When I first heard Sally Ellyson's voice I thought it was Sandy Denny reincarnated. Truly a beautiful voice and destined to join the pantheon of female folk goddesses in the course time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Contemporary Folk    3. Indie Pop    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter    10. Twee Pop   

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (4)

Good value
So what is Daniel Johnston?Mental patient?Pop phenom?... Hopeless romantic?Chain smoker?Yes, he is all these things and more.But the Daniel Johnston I am here to talk about is Daniel Johnston the recording artist.He writes eccentric songs that he sings in a childlike voice.His music is very hard to describe, you really need to hear it to get what he is all about.Many of the songs on this album are about romantic yearning, one of his favorite subjects.They are really quite lovely if you give them a chance.Although this album has a more "professional" sound than his earlier albums, it still has a homemade feel to it.There are many instances of "mistakes" that were left in, and sometimes Daniel's voice cracks.These imperfections add to the charm of the album.Fans of "outsider" music should dig this album.

America's favorite indie eccentric grows up, over and out
Neither as good as 1990's "Artistic Vice," nor as lame as the 1989 re-release of "Yip Jump Music," Daniel Johnston's new album "Rejected Unknown" alternates between brilliant writing and erratic, primitive creations that barely qualify as actual songs. when it's great it's great, but...
Listening to Daniel Johnstson can be a a little bit exhausting. His spooky, cracked, school boys singing, angular arangements and amateur musicianship is certainly not for everyone. But, above all, it's obviously not an act either. Nope, no schtick here. This is all unsettlingly "the real deal". Idiosyncratic deoesn't even begin to describe this album. Some of the songs are rather catchy, almost straight-foward lo-fi folk rock numbers--- others are cacophonies of woozy electric noodling. There are a handful of bonafide classics, but mostly it comes across as a sloppy, unfinished record somewhere between Neutral Milk Hotel and The Beach Boys. I actually reccomend it enthusiastically as long as you know what you are in for. It's better than his last album "Fun", as this actually has some melodic songs. It's also an interesting-sounding recording, as it is very minimal and can sound very life-like... for some reason it reminds me of Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" at times. There is a tune where he cops the hook from The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and wraps it around his own factured tune and odd-ball lyrics--- such moments of sheer brilliance make the album easily worthwhile.Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Julie Ruin, the alias of Bikini Kill vocalist Kathleen Hanna, is a solo artist who makes up tunes on a broken sampler and a $40 drum machine. In the hands of lesser talents, this would be a project best left on a homemade cassette. But Julie Ruin's self-titled debut deftly regenerates the angry themes of Bikini Kill harangues into thoughtful songs whose primitive stylings effectively showcase an emerging feminist polemic. "I Wanna Know What Love Is" is as devastating an anti-cop rap as "Fuck tha Police," and "Crochet" takes out the fawning media that turned Hanna into a spokesmodel for the riot-grrrl movement. It isn't the direction one might think she would have taken, but Hanna's metamorphosis into Julie Ruin is fascinating. It's like watching someone think out loud in stereo. Read more

Reviews (21)

* * * * *
Punk Singer sounds like a Ramones song.
greatest
this cd was one of the best.kathleen hanna is just as good as she was when in bikini kill.the cd has a really nice poetry and techno vibe

cute and spunky
This is quirky party rock from a real cute kitty.good time "girl power" fun!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (2)

YES!!!
Keep and open mind, andpromise you will like this album.
Debut full-length album from the Blow
It's an audacious album that begins with the musical question "How Naked Are We Gonna Get?" and The Concussive Caress by The Blow (the newest manifestation of Khaela Maricich after Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano) is audacious indeed. But no one is more surprised at the fact that I am reviewing this album positively than myself, considering that my first introduction to Maricich as a solo artist (sidestepping her vocal appearances on various Microphones recordings) in The Blow was via the Invisible Shield compilation, on which her "The Democracy of Small Things" (originally from the Bonus Album EP) appears. It quickly became one of the few songs I would invariably skip and Maricich became known around my household as "the girl who talks to her molecules." Luckily, I had an open enough mind to approach The Concussive Caress on its own merits--once I determined that "The Democracy of Small Things" was not featured.

Subjects:  1. Indie Electronic    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (10)

A Little-known Masterpiece
This album typifies nineties indy rock.The Swirlies were way ahead of their time when this album came out in 1993.Sonic Youth's spacier tendencies collide with The Pixies' male-female vocal harmonies in a back alley full of angry guitars.

Blonder Tongue Audio Baton rocks!!!
Out of all of my favorite albums, this one would be around my top five. I bought this album here from this website for about (...) from someone selling it. It is the best (...) I EVER spent on a CD. If you are feeling apprehinsive for buying this CD because at the price it is now and how long it will take for it to get to you, believe me, it is worth the wait and the money. At first listen, it did not pass through because I had a migraine. Second listen, I never stopped listening to it since. Unlike most albums, this one does not wane off and weaken like some do after listening to it after awhile, it intensifies and becomes stronger. Most of what I have to say has been said by most the reviews here. This album is unbelievably incredible. I'm still absolutley shocked that this band never became as well known as My Bloody Valintine, or even slightly popular. The Swirlies are the best next to MBV. Their styles are very different but they have that same magical allure. Buy this album. If you like shogaze, indie rock, lo-fi, dream pop, or noise, you will love this album. I have just a few words just to describe this album the best way I can: whir, whoosh, haze, and yeah swirl. The Swirlies rock.

How Did the World Miss This?
This could be your next favorite album. I randomly saw BlonderTongueAudioBaton at a record store and decided to listen to it due to the amazing (and very indie rock!) cover art.The unique coveris an excellent reference point for the music, sharp and bent sounds all come together to form catchy, impressive, and cohesive songs.As it has been said already, it really is one of those seminal albums, the kind that challenge you, and then reward you for accepting it.For some reason (I'm going to blame the label) this album just stayed off the radar and now only a select few know of it.Swooning Distortion is laced with spontaneity, and somehow the brilliance of the swirlies make it work.After a few listens, these will be some of the most memorable and catchy rock songs you will hear."Bell" is the best opener ever, at first a tight experimental shoegaze rock song, then an odd bridge that leaves you waiting (rather excitedly) for what will happen next."Pancake" has been said to have been the other brilliant pop song that came out of the city of Boston, along with The Pixies "Gigantic.""Jeremy Parker" and "Wrong Tube" are the pinncales of the shoegaze aesthetic, distorted walls of sound that defy words. "His Love Just Washed Away" has some beautiful guitar haze, and "Tree CHopped Down" uses crunchy rythms that match any Sonic Youth tune.All of the songs have beautiful vocal swoons that give the album a pop song feel that is irresistable.I will always remember that day in the record store, when I found this, my new favorite album, by my new favorite band.
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Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Noise Pop    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Shoegaze   

Editorial Review

When the consensus is that you're the new Dylan, it's your prerogative to rewrite the record industry's rules. So in 1994, the same year Beck had major-label hits with "Loser" and the album Read more

Reviews (60)

You'll be strange.
This is collection of random stuff recorded by Beck between 1988 and 1993.It features folk music, country music, guitar freakouts, spoken word tracks and some indescribable weirdness.One of the odd things is some random guy named "Ken" singing a few lines from the Jimmie Rodgers' song "Waiting For a Train"."Rowboat" is a country song (written by Beck) that was famously covered by Johnny Cash.There are two unlisted bonus tracks on the CD.Track 24 features someone saying "Stuck out here in the sand, they shot my mule and burned my wagon. Ran out of sourdough two days ago. Ain't got no more lard. God bless all you folks."Track 25 features five minutes of silence followed by twelve minutes of noise.Serious Beck fans will enjoy this CD, but it may be too "out there" for some people.

Beck Album #1, Released 1994, Ranking: 8th
This will be the first in my series of brief reviews spanning Beck's major discography. Technically, "Stereopathetic Soulmanure" was an indie release set to accompany "Mellow Gold" in 1994 as part of Beck's innovative contract with Geffen, which allowed him the privilege of putting out records on independent labels alongside his "major" albums. This arrangement would collapse in 1999, after one such indie effort, "Mutations," was considered by Geffen so good as to warrant a widespread release - naturally, lawsuits and general nastiness ensued. But, in the beginning, all was well and in 1994 Beck virtually exploded on the alt-rock scene with the Loser single. Fans were treated to three albums coming out in the span of one year, of which "Stereopathetic" is certainly the weirdest, most varied, and ultimately head-scratching offering.
I LOVE this
I like all beck. But everyone knows that what made them like beck in the first place was, "Mellow Gold". I've been searching for a beck album that gave that same feeling as mellow gold for a long time. You know that mellow gold feeling?......And I've finally found it. This is a GREAT cd. You should buy it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Back in the mid '80s, when Conor was still in diapers, Lou Barlow was moaning gut-wrenchingly emotional indie-rock into a cheap tape recorder, on his own and with pal Eric Gaffney. It was a creative outlet separate from his day job as bassist for very loud proto-grunge act Dinosaur, but once Lou left the band the project took on a life all its own in the guise of Sebadoh. Barlow’s best songs are unabashedly dorky nursery rhyme songs sung in a honey-coated multi-tracked croon with generally minimal backing music, the strum of an acoustic guitar often its center. Lou doesn’t always write the best lyrics ("If you love me tell me with your eyes, they never lie"?) but Read more

Reviews (14)

Good album, but...
Some people may find the lyrics of the track "Mary" to be very offensive, especially if you are a Catholic.

Lou does it again !!!!
Morning's After Me, Royalty, Round'n Round, what a beauty !!!!

Lyrically intriguing masterpiece
I am really sad that no one else appreciated how deliciously blasphemous the song "Mary" is.Along with the commonly mentioned tracks "Puzzle" and "Caterpillar Girl" it is the highlight of this CD in my opinion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

No longer content to mumble low-fi and lovelorn, Bill "Smog"Callahan has taken it upon himself to construct actual songs. Ofcourse, he hasn't lost his darkly sardonic edge. On "Dress Sexy for MyFuneral", he instructs a lover (with his oddly compelling deadpandelivery) to add some spice to his wake. Elsewhere, Callahan busieshimself examining the wreck-strewn intersection of Sex Avenue and DeathStreet. Someone else's problems were never this interesting!Read more

Reviews (12)

still amazing
Just listen to the clips and you'll get a great sense of the mood set by this amazing album.What's really impressive is that unlike many "moody" albums it doesn't get old - the mood isn't artifice, it cuts to the bone.

Excellent album
I only recently got into Smog after being introduced to Bill Callahan's work by a friend of mine.This is the first Smog album I heard, and after going through two or three others, I must say that it's still my favorite.It's simply full of excellent music, from the sparse electronic beat of Justice Aversion to the drum and piano instrumentation on Permanent Smile.Along the way you have the dry as dust humor of Dress Sexy at my Funeral, the country simplicity of Strayed, and the haunting background vocals on Nineteen.Although a little more slick and well-produced than his earlier work, all of Smog's trademarks are here: Excellent lyrics, Callahan's voice (which perfectly matches the mood of the songs in both tone and pitch), a minimalistic approach to the instrumentation, and just the right touch of dark humor to break through all of the gloom.Why Smog isn't more famous is beyond me.

The long and miserable road
From reading the reviews below, I don't understand why everyone is shocked at this being a well produced album. The two albums that Bill released before this were produced by Jim O'Rourke, and you can't tell me that guy can't produce. Anyway, on this album teams up with Tim Mcentyre from Tortoise to produce this album and let me tell you it sounds great. The album is really long and full of some choice songs. Justice Aversion is a nice descending chord progression played out on a keyboard w/the classic Bill Callahan twists in the lyrics 'I root for the bank robber, in the getaway car'. Dress Sexy at my Funeral is a classic and should be a staple in any Smog fan's collection. Overall if you like (smog), Leonard Cohen, or the Velvet Underground you'll probably really enjoy this album. Good music for when you lie down and turn out the lights for bed. Highly recommended purchase. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Indie rockers loved for their lo-fi sound always risk losing fans when they shine their new releases with big-band polish. Luckily for Guided by Voices zealots, their prolific king, Robert Pollard, can't seem to steer his band any direction but up. On Read more

Reviews (72)

the last great GbV album
guided by voices closes their flirtation with the "big time" in high style. the sound is big, really big. but look under the surface and there is the heartbreak of a man struggling with divorce and failure. after this brilliant album GbV went back to basics and, well, you can never really go back. this was their most listenable record. it may not have anything revolutionary going on, but it does have a band showing why they were the best rock outfit of our times doing what they do best. write great songs and rock the hell out of them.

Very Good Hi-Fi from the Kings of Low-Fi
Big guitars, big drums...big production! Holy mackerel! What's going on here? I thought Guided By Voices were supposed to be `low-fi'. The only song on this disk that remotely qualifies is "Frostman", and it's such a toss-off that it barely has any relevance to the proceedings. The real action here lies in the bigness of it all. The production (done by Rob Schnapf - sorry, I don't know who he is either) almost takes center stage on this disk, but is thankfully overridden by the typically engaging melodies of songwriter Robert Pollard. Normally, production like this would go almost unnoticed, but Guided By Voices is a band that has released albums consisting almost entirely of cassette recordings, so the change is certainly notable, if not a specific reason to celebrate. If nothing else, the crappy, `low-fi' production of their past gave the band a unique identity that this record dismisses. Although Isolation Drills denies the band of one of its most definable characteristics, there is little real damage done, because what really matters is the songs, and Pollard has done a better than adequate job here, even surpassing some of his previous personal best. Full of hummable melodies and constructed from Pollard's typically twisted lyrical manifestations, each song grabs at you, holding on until you succumb and start singing along, even if the imagery is bizarre.
Drill this!
All I can say, Mr. Roy Pearl, is "Chasing Heather Crazy".
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The great thing about being part of a musical collective is that not only can you draw from the work of your peers for inspiration, you can rely on your peers themselves. As part of Elephant 6, the Apples in Stereo are involved in a symbiotic relationship with such like-minded bands as Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel. For example, Apples frontman Robert Schneider produced a previous OTC album and OTC controller William Cullen Hart designed the artwork for the Apples' new record, Read more

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Reviews (23)

A very good psychedelic pop EPwith three greatsongs - most should like it - 4.5 stars
"Her Wallpaper Reverie" may be a pretty short EP, but it's definitely worth it. The EP has three great psychedelic pop songs ("The Shiney Sea", "Strawberryfire" and "Ruby"), and while the rest aren't as great they're still very good. It's just a very interesting and creative EP. I wouldn't call it a "classic", but genre fans will definitely love every minute of it. The lyrics tend to be pretty pointless, although they can be interesting at times (and catchy - see "Ruby"). The musicianship is very 60's-ish - it could've easily come out in that decade. Indie pop fans will love this, and everyone else will probably like the first three "real" songs on here (the roman numeraled songs are psychedelic experimental instrumentals). For $10.00, though, I don't think it has enough songs on it to warrant a "5". All in all, this is highly recommended!
Good songs but too few
I got this Cd because I liked the two Cds "Fun Trick Noisemaker" and "tone soul evolution" and that I had heard the songs on it were the best so far. When I listened to the Cd I was disappointed, the songs that were there were indeed very good, but there were too few and the Cd was too brief. The Apples attempt to sound like Olivia Tremor Control with the artistic sounds didnt work for such a short EP, and the fact that they all sounded the same. But the songs that are there are very good, heavily influenced by the Kinks and the Beatles. A good Cd but shouldnt be priced over $5.

Too much noodling, not enough songcraft
Her Wallpaper Reverie is simultaneously one of the best and worst CDs I've listened to in a long time. How can it be both at once, you're asking? Well, it's rather like this...Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Neo-Psychedelia    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Power Pop    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (6)

Never heard anything quite like this
I first heard Julian Cope via his stoner-rock combo Brain Donor, and when I went to check out his solo stuff, I was expecting something along those lines.Boy, was I in for a surprise!The stuff on this album could probably be best described as glossy new-wave studio pop.You could even say that it is, to use the parlance of our times, kind of gay.Ironically enough, its the gayest song on the album, the ethereal "China Doll" that is probably my favorite.Ordinarily, such a description would be a deterrent to me, as I tend to go for harder stuff with a little bit of grungy edge to it.
Great Compilation
Floored Genius is a great compilation of solo Cope and Teardrop Explodes. While I highly recommend it there are some songs that are pretty poor (old British new wave crap). The opening track "Reward" is worth the price of the cd alone though rest assured there are a lot of great tunes on this one.

A few great tunes, but generally disappointing....
I bought this CD after hearing three of the songs that appear on it ("World Shut Your Mouth," "Trampolene," and "Charlotte Anne"), thinking that Julian Cope must be a true musical genius to have penned and recorded such inspired pieces--and thus concluding that his greatest hits CD must overflow with more of the same.Unfortunately, the three aforementioned tunes are the clear highlight of the collection, and, to my ear, only two or three of the remaining cuts even come close to them.The early material from The Teardrop Explodes is pretty forgettable for anyone who doesn't associate it with the time and place whence it arose, and my pop sensibilities, so satisfied by the three aforementioned tunes, make the later material somewhat unpalatable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Dream Pop    4. England    5. Indie Rock    6. Lo-Fi    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Popular Music    10. Post-Punk    11. Psychedelic    12. Rock    13. Rock & Roll    14. Rock/Pop    15. Space Rock   

Editorial Review

Portastatic may be a side project for Mac McCaughan, frontman of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records, but it never feels like an afterthought. Here, McCaughan has assembled a crack team of musicians from his home base of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to produce a lovely, mostly acoustic score for Matt Bissonnette's movie. (Bissonnette had codirected 2001's Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Film Music    3. Indie Pop    4. Indie Rock    5. Lo-Fi    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The Moaners erupt from the glut of guitar-and-drums garage/punk/blues duos with this debut, a hard-smackin' boil-down of bad love, grinding riffs, atmospheric droning, and vocal harmonies that justify their name. Singer and guitarist Melissa Swingle hails from Mississippi, where enough molasses and cotton powder stuck to her vocal cords to make her songs about juke-joint nights and hauntedhearts leap from elementary to elemental. She's also funny, in a sneering way, comparing men to breeds of dogs in "Terrier" and wryly paraphrasing author Flannery O'Connor in "Flannery Said." "Elizabeth Cotten's Song" pays tribute to the late North Carolina blueswoman by quoting her classic "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad." Nevertheless, the way Swingle's bittersweet drawl, raw, effects-colored slide guitar, and slow chiseled solos mesh with veteran punk drummer Laura King's uncluttered thumping sidesteps identifiable regional styles and musical eras to create the Moaners' evocative, distinctly Southern soundscapes. To call their music timeless would be an exaggeration, yet their take on rock certainly rolls to its own heartbeat. Read more

Reviews (6)

Now this is music!!
I loooooove this disc.A soulful pack of rock and roll songs that will get you movin'.The one drawback is it absolutley goes by too fast.The whole album leaves you wanting more.Bravo!!!!My faith in modern music has been restored.

They rock !!!!
I've seen those girls live a couple of times: they rock ! This album is *just* great.

Drags On
Same ol' tired voice over and over.Not horrible beginnning to end, but not so good either.The band's name sums it up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Though it's not widely known, guys like Bill "Smog" Callahan (and Beck, and Lou Barlow, and Daniel Johnston) who've made an art out of sitting in their basements and cranking out song after song fragment on a four-track tape recorder, have an unlikely patron saint, someone who represents everything they'd want to be if they had prolific creativity, the stamina of a perfectionist, and access to big time home studio equipment. His name used to be Prince, and he's the monarch of do-it-yourself recording.Read more

Reviews (6)

Smog doesn't gray
The music of Smog does not gray or grow stale with time.This is one of my favorite Smog CDs.

Pretty Cool Band....Pretty Laid Back Singer
I was sitting in a small bar, in Kitchener, Ontario Canada one night, when all of a sudden...in rolls SMOG! They had been on a tour and were just heading back to the U.S.A The bar owner didn't really know who they were, but he let them set up their instruments...and they played...and played...and PLAYED, all night long, while I sipped beer, sitting only a few feet away from the lead singer. Brilliant
This album is very beautiful and very depressing. It will take you a while to appreciate this album, but once you get what Bill is trying to say on this album you will be blown away. The album is full of synth and string lines with hauntingly dead pan lyrics. I read a Jim O'Rourke interview once where he said that his favorite thing about Bill is his ability to say something deep that he is feeling in the simplest language. I agree. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Sadcore    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

When the subject of Guided by Voices arose in a rock chatroom, someone remarked, "They're practically classic rock these days." I'm sure nothing would please GBV prime mover Robert Pollard more. A common misconception is that today's musician is hung up on "breaking new ground," seeking that untapped vein that will keep him or her munching at the trough of plenty for the next three or four records. It would be far closer to the truth to say that most folk trying to earn a living the indie rock way ("Send for our training video today!") are looking merely for an uncrowded train car to which they can quietly hitch their cabooses. Pollard makes no secret of the fact that he's a musical archivist, more interested in rekindling rock history's divine moments than in keeping his finger on the erratic, racing pulse of today's youthful consumer--inevitably leading to a glut of corporate-coated, disposable bands like Collective Soul, Bush, and Silverchair.Read more

Reviews (26)

change can be good
on this, GbV's tenth album, a new beast is born. there are flashes of the past, but as a whole, this is something new to be sure. longtime fans were not happy with this record, and even more dismayed by the uber-slick do the collapse, but taken on its own merits, this release does stand up very well. the clashing of styles and influences is in a way unique to mag earwhig. no other GbV album keeps you guessing as this one does. pollard sounds refreshed and the songs are truly weird and great. potable mens society is his most overlooked masterpiece. combine that track with sad if i lost it. bulldog skin, jane of the waking universe, learning to hunt, choking tara and mute suoerstar and what do you get? another fantastic guided by voices effort.

Getting Better with Age....
Egad, not another GBV review??!!! Perhaps you're tired of this band by now (or perhaps you're just tired of me writing about them), but they have become a recent obsession of mine, and I figure I might as well document my impressions while working through their immense catalog. Mag Earwhig! marks a dropping off point, though, where I myself begin to grow curious about the band's intentions.
Magnificent Earwhig, criminally underrated!
I'll never understand why so many Guided by Voices fans dismiss this album. In fact, I think "Mag Earwhig!" is rivaled only by "Under the Bushes Under the Stars" in the GBV canon.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Import

Reviews (11)

meet Peggy...and Sqwubbsy
Julian Cope is a bit of a legendary figure who has a tendency to write really earthy ragged pop songs with an offbeat edge. his songs are so great because he infuses them with pure personality. this kind of characteristic seems to drive the songwriting process forward into a solid effort everytime the studio reels start rolling. Cope's tunes are filled with joy, sorrow, confusion, and many times silliness. his love of obscure psychadelic music is well documented on his HeritageHead website; and his solo work draws alot of inspiration from that particular style. the guitar work tends to be a bit spacey at times, and the rhythms are primal and well thought out. every song seems to have it's own steady pulse and Julian rides over all of it like some sort of half-crazed insightful singing shaman.
Magnificent Cope at his best
Julian Cope really is a very erratic performer: some of his albums play like St. Augustine on acid - sweet, divine, censorious, libidinous and completely mad...check out "World Shut Your Mouth" for a taste of what I mean.
Beautiful Julian, where have you gone?
This CD was all I listened to for 5 or 6 months back in the early 1990's and I still pull it out frequently, especially while driving. This collection of songs is environmentally aware, but not preachy, and I believe that this, coupled with superb song-writing and the sincerest of devotions to the future of what Cope calls "mother earth" is what makes "Peggy Suicide" a theme album that works.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Chamber Pop    4. Dream Pop    5. Indie Rock    6. Lo-Fi    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Popular Music    10. Post-Punk    11. Psychedelic    12. Rock    13. Rock & Roll    14. Rock/Pop    15. Space Rock   

Reviews (6