There were myriad reasons fer me to grab this one. Bill McNeal on NewsRadio had the middle name “Evelyn,” but it was pronounced EVE-lyn. One of the shift managers when I worked at Arby’s was named Evelyn, but she pronounced it Eba-LEEN. Naturally blond Filipinas are a trip. And the mother of my first penpal ever (also Filipina — huh) was named “Evelyn,” and she pronounced it the right way. Did I mention they lived on Joel Court? They did! And now they have no cops, because they live in Vallejo.
So at any rate, I was ready to get Jollibee with this record, and what plays before me now is a modern take on Simon & Garfunkel in some places and IBOPA in others. This record is meant to be listened to from beginning to end. It’s an epic in the truest sense — not in the overused slang of today.
But if you’re looking for songs to pick out to listen to and stand up on their own, look no further “Elephant Elephant.” A cross between 8 1/2 Souvenirs and They Might Be Giants, it’s whimsical both with lyrics and musical accompaniment. It’s fun enough that I would like to take a redneck, tie him to a chair and play this song for him. Absolute torture, it would be to him.
If you want something folksier, listen to the title track or “You Only Want Me ‘Cause You Want My Sister.” The obligatory cover? “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” All in all, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Archive for April 2010
Evelyn Evelyn “Evelyn Evelyn”
April 12, 2010Episode 1361 is up
April 12, 2010Episode 1360 is up
April 12, 2010Episode 1359 is up
April 12, 2010Episode 1358 is up
April 9, 2010Haight-Ashbury “Favourite Song EP”
April 8, 2010It’s an EP. Six tracks by this British outfit, trying to channel the neighborhood that made putting flowers in your hair fashionable. The result is an occasionally shrill, yet oddly pleasing, garage-folk medley.
“Freeman Town” is first and would make fans of The Murmurs happy. They do some distortion of the vocals, but it just adds to the experience. It pains me to say it, square that I am, but this is music to get high to. I’ve got your objectivity right here!
“Molitof” has me thinking in another decade, but it’s the ’90s that come to mind. Still, I can picture a circle of hippies holding hands and dancing in a circle. These songs have that stereotypical Middle Eastern instrument, too. What is it, a sitar? I don’t know instruments. To me, The Piano is a key component of The Twilight Zone pinball machine, nothing more.
The title track is in fact my “favourite” song. It takes the aforementioned Murmurs reference and raises it a Sister Soleil. It makes me want to have a Zima. “Million Man March” reminds me of another UK great, Sing-Sing. I am really excited now and look forward to the full-length, “In the Golden Rays,” due to come out in June.
“Sympathetic Strings” is alliterative. It focuses more on harmony. “Beauty” is slightly trippier and has tambourine, an instrument even I recognize. This must be where the Mazzy Star comparisons come from. I can go along with that.
Episode 1357 is up
April 8, 2010Episode 1356 is up
April 7, 2010Tuscadero “The Pink Album”
April 6, 2010One of many from the pre-Lilith Fair/post-riot grrl era, Tuscadero, along with the Breeders and Veruca Salt, set the table for acts such as Magnapop and, later, the Reputation and Damone.
“Latex Dominatrix” is more than a clever name. It has the perfect mix of guitar and vocals. Everyone gets something they want out of this one. “Just My Size” and “Dime a Dozen” also have some fun lyrics. This band is especially admirable because it does not take itself too seriously.
“Mt. Pleasant” is not about the high school in San Jose. I think it’s a euphemism of some sort, and who are you to disagree, after all? You can imagine what “Nancy Drew” is about. This record is the stuff dreams are made of, or at least were in 1994.
“Crayola” is the last track and one of the best. I wonder what Tuscadero are doing today. If they worked on a TV show theme song, I would watch the show no matter what. The liner notes say, “Foxy is as foxy does.” I’ll say.
Pixies “Trompe Le Monde”
April 6, 2010This album is so old that when it came out the president was George Bush — the first one. You might not have been alive. Maybe your mom played this when she thought you were taking a nap.
Your mom must have been pretty cool if she were doing that. Pixies were up-and-coming back then. For me, an early rendition of “Head On” is the highlight of this groundbreaking record. They sound so much younger — so much more sober — here. It’s kind of cute and kind of depressing at the same time, just like the rest of the ’90s would turn out to be.
I’d recommend “Lovely Day,” although this album taken as a whole is a nice trip down memory lane. It wouldn’t be right to favor one track over another arbitrarily. “The Navajo Know” is last and is more upbeat than the rest. The band never went in this direction, but if they had, it would have been just as good.
So bask in the goodness and put on a pair of stirrup pants while you’re at it.
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