na: nada surf, john doe
It’s the usual Tuesday gluttony, this one stocked with big names.
Nada Surf, Karmic: The Weight Is a Gift, Nada Surf’s big Barsuk comeback, got praise from all corners, but not from mine. I was bored by the record, didn’t really hear much to get excited about. This Karmic EP, though, is a whole different story. I really like this lots, love the fuzzy power-pop songs that are faster than they should be, love the energy that bleeds into everything, even the melancholy “Everybody Lies.” What are the chances that Nada Surf ends up outlasting and outperforming Weezer — their obvious early inspiration — in the end? I peg it at 8:1. Not too bad.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's where I admit I'm an idiot. Todd just pointed out to me that this EP was actually their first release, and that this is simply a reissue. Which probably explains why I like it. The more you know.]
John Doe, A Year in the Wilderness: I listened to this record for the first time last week, and was pretty disappointed by it. I hated X (always have), but was surprised by how much I loved Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet, his most recent record. This one didn’t hit me nearly as hard, but I have to say that Karen Schoemer’s review — which reads the album as a narrative song cycle — has me intrigued. I will definitely give it another try.
Joan as a Police Woman, Real Life & Real Life B-Sides: Todd has a lot more to say about this record than I do. I’m not terribly fond of it, to be honest with you.
O’Death, Head Home: Joe informs me that The Kids are all into this O’Death band, and I guess I can hear why. The vocals are very Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and the music is shambly and heavily orchestrated, flirting a little bit with the Beirut/Devendra/Sufjan aesthetic.
BOAT, Let’s Drag Our Feet: A goofy record that’s all over the place — synth-rock, country, indie rock — and very likeable. I’m not wholly on board, but it’s worth a listen.
Tuatara, East of the Sun: Featuring Peter Buck from R.E.M. and members of Luna and Screaming Trees, and this newest record has guest vocals from (note: this is cribbed from Amazon) the Jayhawks’ Gary Louris and Mark Olson, American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel, the Geraldine Fibbers’ Jessy Greene, Luna’s Dean Wareham, John Wesley Harding, Victoria Williams, Gina Sala, and Sufi poet Coleman Barks.
Hem, Home Again, Home Again: New EP from the folky New York band.
Moe., Warts & All, Volume V: The Warts & All series collects live performances by the upstate New York jam band (think Dick’s Picks), and this 18-track set collects a live performance from 2005.
Not to add insult to injury re: Nada Surf, but the band’s big Barsuk return was with Let Go. The Weight is a Gift followed a couple of years later and is the most recent release.
Love the honesty. Stay grumpy.
I was in a record store in Bowling Green, Ohio, (where there are two real reocrd stores) and they were playing the Nada Surf reissue in store. I didn’t know what was playing, so I asked if it was the new Dinosaur Jr album. They responded that while it really does sound like Dino Jr, it was this reissue of the first Nada Surf record.
It was pretty solid.
Right, #1 – plus, LET GO was/is a terrific record – one of my favorites of this “aughties” decade so far. THE WEIGHT IS A GIFT isn’t up to LET GO’s standard, but it’s still pretty good stuff.
Give John Doe another shot in fact I like it better than his previous release. In full disclosure, I bought my first X album in 1982 and have been a fan since. So I love X, John Doe, Exene, The Knitters and their whole musical family tree.
Therefore, I confess bias.
See my blog: http://amberwavesoftwang.blogspot.com
Chip