Since my perfect Duluth New Year’s Eve plans were squashed by heavy rain (which turned into all-out slush and, eventually, troublesome wet snow) and a bothersome cold, I decided to kill some time at Disc Go Round, one of my favorite former places of employment. While not all of these tunes are from today’s expedition, many are. Seventeen CDs for 30-some bucks? Not bad at all. (The accompanying “cover art” is a self portrait shot today in my kitchen.)1. Matthew Sweet – “Where You Find Love”
Many of Sweet’s compositions are blasé, mild mannered and just kind of bleed together, but he cranked up the glorious fuzz for this tight and infectious space anthem.
2. Prince – “Life ‘O’ the Party”
It’s nice to see Prince selling records again.Spare me the porno reactions.)
3. Wilco – “Theologians”
“Theologians / They don’t know nothing / About my soul.”
Wilco, honey? Please come back to Duluth.
4. Electric Light Orchestra – “Four Little Diamonds”
One of the last additions to my ELO master collection, 1983’s “Secret Messages” is a bit of an enigma. You’re pretty much conditioned to believe it’s going to suck as bad as Ali G’s full-length movie, but it doesn’t. Not even close. And – bonus! – this one made the cut for one of those “Grand Theft Auto” soundtracks.
5. Hot Rod Circuit – “Consumed by Laziness”
Likewise, HRC is quickly dismissed by many as “just another emo band.” While that statement is at least 85 percent true, they have a few great rock songs, like this one. Labels be damned.
6. Iffy – “Can-O-Cope (Freddy Fresh Mix)”
This is probably way too “hot summer night” for this weekend’s slushy grayness, but these guys disappeared way too fast, and that kind of sucks. But hey, at least they got to sell out to Kmart before the end.
7. Greg Cougar Conley – “Lonely in L.A.”
I moved on past “Billy Bumblebee” … aren’t you proud of me? “Lonely” finds Conley channeling Greg Dulli – pre-“Powder Burns,” of course, because that’s when his voice took a scratchy nosedive one toke over the line.
And, since it's moody and the City of Angels is referenced in the slightest, I’m going to have to say this would’ve fit in perfectly on the “Mulholland Drive” soundtrack.
8. Radio 4 – “This is Not a Test”
Strong percussion worthy of Blur’s “Think Tank.” An urgent, perky bass line Elastica (R.I.P.) would die for. A cowbell. Or at least something that sounds a lot like a cowbell. What’s not to love?
9. Cosmo Vitelli – “Alias”
I bought this “budget-priced” album simply because it was on Astralwerks. Guess what? Per usual, I wasn’t let down. Even that label’s forgotten releases are full of gold. I can really see Placebo fans getting into this track.
10. Songs: Ohia – “Nervous Bride”
More classic rock masquerading as indie rock. I love it. (Let’s just say Neil Young’s influence becomes more and more apparent with each Jason Molina release.)
11. Midtown – “Like a Movie”
Midtown suffers from the same plague as Hot Rod Circuit, except that these guys are far more consistent because – believe me, this is all speculation – they incorporate that ’80s FM rock sound that no one (except maybe my wife and I) will admit to absolutely adoring.
12. Sebadoh – “Rebound”
Aside from Robert Pollard, Lou Barlow is probably the most inconsistent songwriter in my record collection. But, as the Guided by Voices story goes, when this guy hits it, he really hits it. This single’s EP is worth seeking out.
13. The Promise Ring – “Best Looking Boys”
This song probably wasn’t written about me, but I can dream a little dream, can’t I? (Ha!)
14. The Minus 5 – “Emperor of the Bathroom (video mix)”
Not too many of this collective’s tracks sound the same, but that’s quite all right. This early “hit” benefits from the presence of the Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. Pretty tame compared to some of this year’s songs from the group, but quite enjoyable – jangly and loose like Wilco’s early records.
15. Love as Laughter – “Margaritas”
I actually hate much of this group’s output, but I still buy their records because … well, here’s the part where I admit that I have an addiction to buying music. But it’s more than that: It’s for songs like this. Each LAL release comes packed with a few.
16. Five-Eight – “Shouldn’t Be Here”
These guys are actually pretty decent, but they’re plagued by two very important issues: much of their artwork is crap (no joke) and the fact that all of their albums are always in the bargain bins kind of devalues the entire experience.
It’s not like in Denver, where I picked out a rare Sean Na Na release at Second Spin – that was good fortune. Finding a Five-Eight CD in those bins is, sadly, expected.
17. Ash – “Taken Out”
Ah, yes, another excellent Ash B-side that’s only available on – you guessed it – a $20 single. (Thanks, DGR, for not caring what items are currently going for on Amazon.com.)
18. Poststardom Depression – “Suntan Lotion”
This is an exercise in parallel ministries (if you will). Take a sleazy-sounding singer and put the best strings this side of “The Big Chill” behind him, and “Suntan Lotion” is born.
19. Sloan – “Everything You’ve Done Wrong”
How does this always happen? Every time I find myself living in Duluth (yes, all two of them), I just happen to be completely enamored with these lovable Canadians. Borderline obsessed, more accurately. Is it the relative proximity to the border?
But enough about me, this is the best Chicago-sounding song since the late ’70s – which is excellent news for closet Chicago fans (like me).
Right, sorry.
20. The Get Up Kids – “Mass Pike (live)”
Youngsters need more ivory in their diets.
21. Air – “Bathroom Girl”
Important people somewhere (elusive) say you can never go home again. Well, I did, and this is what I listened to. It was in “The Virgin Suicides,” sure, but it’s forever locked in my mind with that “transitional” month.
(By the way, please don’t take this as pandering to my local audience, but it really sucks living anywhere else in Minnesota when you know Duluth is just a few hours away. We may have our problems, but our city by the bay*, well, she’s a survivor.)
22. Idlewild – “Mistake Pageant”
I can’t say I was entirely “taken” by these guys when they opened up for Pearl Jam in Fargo, but they’ve really grown on me. This one will make you a believer too.
(Strangely, I wasn’t really “cuckoo” for Frank Black when he opened up for PJ back in ’98, either, but it’s probably no secret how I feel about him now: When I wasn’t being singled out in college for playing the role of “the guy who mentions his crush on Tina Fey at least once in each and every article he writes for the school paper,” I found time to fulfill my other “role”: “the guy who mentions his crush on the Pixies at least once in each and every article he writes for the school paper.”)
p.s. Eat your Ritter Sport Alpine milk chocolate. There is none higher.
*Tear? Journey lawsuit?
Many of Sweet’s compositions are blasé, mild mannered and just kind of bleed together, but he cranked up the glorious fuzz for this tight and infectious space anthem.
2. Prince – “Life ‘O’ the Party”
It’s nice to see Prince selling records again.Spare me the porno reactions.)
3. Wilco – “Theologians”
“Theologians / They don’t know nothing / About my soul.”
Wilco, honey? Please come back to Duluth.
4. Electric Light Orchestra – “Four Little Diamonds”
One of the last additions to my ELO master collection, 1983’s “Secret Messages” is a bit of an enigma. You’re pretty much conditioned to believe it’s going to suck as bad as Ali G’s full-length movie, but it doesn’t. Not even close. And – bonus! – this one made the cut for one of those “Grand Theft Auto” soundtracks.
5. Hot Rod Circuit – “Consumed by Laziness”
Likewise, HRC is quickly dismissed by many as “just another emo band.” While that statement is at least 85 percent true, they have a few great rock songs, like this one. Labels be damned.
6. Iffy – “Can-O-Cope (Freddy Fresh Mix)”
This is probably way too “hot summer night” for this weekend’s slushy grayness, but these guys disappeared way too fast, and that kind of sucks. But hey, at least they got to sell out to Kmart before the end.
7. Greg Cougar Conley – “Lonely in L.A.”
I moved on past “Billy Bumblebee” … aren’t you proud of me? “Lonely” finds Conley channeling Greg Dulli – pre-“Powder Burns,” of course, because that’s when his voice took a scratchy nosedive one toke over the line.
And, since it's moody and the City of Angels is referenced in the slightest, I’m going to have to say this would’ve fit in perfectly on the “Mulholland Drive” soundtrack.
8. Radio 4 – “This is Not a Test”
Strong percussion worthy of Blur’s “Think Tank.” An urgent, perky bass line Elastica (R.I.P.) would die for. A cowbell. Or at least something that sounds a lot like a cowbell. What’s not to love?
9. Cosmo Vitelli – “Alias”
I bought this “budget-priced” album simply because it was on Astralwerks. Guess what? Per usual, I wasn’t let down. Even that label’s forgotten releases are full of gold. I can really see Placebo fans getting into this track.
10. Songs: Ohia – “Nervous Bride”
More classic rock masquerading as indie rock. I love it. (Let’s just say Neil Young’s influence becomes more and more apparent with each Jason Molina release.)
11. Midtown – “Like a Movie”
Midtown suffers from the same plague as Hot Rod Circuit, except that these guys are far more consistent because – believe me, this is all speculation – they incorporate that ’80s FM rock sound that no one (except maybe my wife and I) will admit to absolutely adoring.
12. Sebadoh – “Rebound”
Aside from Robert Pollard, Lou Barlow is probably the most inconsistent songwriter in my record collection. But, as the Guided by Voices story goes, when this guy hits it, he really hits it. This single’s EP is worth seeking out.
13. The Promise Ring – “Best Looking Boys”
This song probably wasn’t written about me, but I can dream a little dream, can’t I? (Ha!)
14. The Minus 5 – “Emperor of the Bathroom (video mix)”
Not too many of this collective’s tracks sound the same, but that’s quite all right. This early “hit” benefits from the presence of the Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. Pretty tame compared to some of this year’s songs from the group, but quite enjoyable – jangly and loose like Wilco’s early records.
15. Love as Laughter – “Margaritas”
I actually hate much of this group’s output, but I still buy their records because … well, here’s the part where I admit that I have an addiction to buying music. But it’s more than that: It’s for songs like this. Each LAL release comes packed with a few.
16. Five-Eight – “Shouldn’t Be Here”
These guys are actually pretty decent, but they’re plagued by two very important issues: much of their artwork is crap (no joke) and the fact that all of their albums are always in the bargain bins kind of devalues the entire experience.
It’s not like in Denver, where I picked out a rare Sean Na Na release at Second Spin – that was good fortune. Finding a Five-Eight CD in those bins is, sadly, expected.
17. Ash – “Taken Out”
Ah, yes, another excellent Ash B-side that’s only available on – you guessed it – a $20 single. (Thanks, DGR, for not caring what items are currently going for on Amazon.com.)
18. Poststardom Depression – “Suntan Lotion”
This is an exercise in parallel ministries (if you will). Take a sleazy-sounding singer and put the best strings this side of “The Big Chill” behind him, and “Suntan Lotion” is born.
19. Sloan – “Everything You’ve Done Wrong”
How does this always happen? Every time I find myself living in Duluth (yes, all two of them), I just happen to be completely enamored with these lovable Canadians. Borderline obsessed, more accurately. Is it the relative proximity to the border?
But enough about me, this is the best Chicago-sounding song since the late ’70s – which is excellent news for closet Chicago fans (like me).
Right, sorry.
20. The Get Up Kids – “Mass Pike (live)”
Youngsters need more ivory in their diets.
21. Air – “Bathroom Girl”
Important people somewhere (elusive) say you can never go home again. Well, I did, and this is what I listened to. It was in “The Virgin Suicides,” sure, but it’s forever locked in my mind with that “transitional” month.
(By the way, please don’t take this as pandering to my local audience, but it really sucks living anywhere else in Minnesota when you know Duluth is just a few hours away. We may have our problems, but our city by the bay*, well, she’s a survivor.)
22. Idlewild – “Mistake Pageant”
I can’t say I was entirely “taken” by these guys when they opened up for Pearl Jam in Fargo, but they’ve really grown on me. This one will make you a believer too.
(Strangely, I wasn’t really “cuckoo” for Frank Black when he opened up for PJ back in ’98, either, but it’s probably no secret how I feel about him now: When I wasn’t being singled out in college for playing the role of “the guy who mentions his crush on Tina Fey at least once in each and every article he writes for the school paper,” I found time to fulfill my other “role”: “the guy who mentions his crush on the Pixies at least once in each and every article he writes for the school paper.”)
p.s. Eat your Ritter Sport Alpine milk chocolate. There is none higher.
*Tear? Journey lawsuit?
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