The Shambles were a San Diego power-pop band in the ’90s, mostly. They did not get the star treatment that other acts did, but they were quite a gem. Somebody in their infinite wisdom decided to create an album of Shambles covers, and here we are. A few San Diego acts are on there, but acts from as far as Serbia provided the 24 tracks on this record.
Liebling are from Denmark and performed “Survive.” It’s a very enjoyable listen and one that could create new Shambles fans as well. “Blurs Somewhere” is done by Happy Losers, who are from Spain, yet the band is not called Perdidores Felices. Well, I guess it’s not for me to say.
The Sleepwalkers are listed as being from California, but it doesn’t say where. They do “Days & Maybes.” This song actually is in Spanish. It is enough to make me doubt the track listing. “Plan of Action” sounds like Dance Hall Crashers are covering it, but alas, it is The Kingpins, straight from Canada.
Anna Troy was perhaps inspired by the to-her local band and contributes “31968.” Mod Fun’s “Nothing Can Be Everything” is quite sharp, as is “Innocence Becomes You” by the Ringles. But the best of the best is when Rachael Gordon decided the extra “a” in her name meant she could cover “Fun at Your House.” What a performance! It really offers up everything you could want. And she’s from San Diego also. It must be something in the water.
Marie Haddad has the sweetest voice of anyone on the record, and she sings “Where You Are” with a stripped-down subtlety that makes me want to buy cage-free eggs at the farmers’ market.
All the songs are good, but then that’s probably because the Shambles were good. This album may have a limited audience, but every member of said audience ought to pick this one up.
Various Artists “Forty One Sixty: The Songs of the Shambles”
March 10, 2010Episode 1328 is up
March 10, 2010Episode 1327 is up
March 10, 2010Episode 1326 is up
March 10, 2010Episode 1325 is up
March 10, 2010Episode 1324 is up
March 10, 2010Please Do Not Fight “Move”
March 9, 2010It’s an EP. “I Will Not Forget” and “Words Speak Louder” sound the same. This sounds like the next step for bands that dominated the early part of the last decade. I’m looking at you, Dashboard Confessional.
“BAMF” is a funny title because it is a “Swords of Chaos” reference — not that Please Do Not Fight know that, but it is. It also stands for “badass motherfucker,” of course. Might as well have called the song “MFCS.”
“Don’t Wipe That Smile Off Your Face” is better. “Up Up Up” is best. These bands always give one song to the woman, and that’s what they did here.
“Hard to Tell” is last and tries too hard to be clever. You can tell they are proud of their lyrics because they are mixed so high, but I bet when they play loud their instruments are so loud that you can’t hear them.
This record isn’t bad. They could be the resident band at Hemlock Tavern or Nickel City, and no one would bat an eye.
Kitten Forever “Magical Realism EP”
March 8, 2010Well, we had another Kitten Forever EP at the station, and it was better than this one. So here is your chance to listen to Kitten Forever back when they sounded less like Sleater-Kinney and more like Red Aunts. Luckily this is also an EP because there’s not much else to say. “Mind Meld” runs around and ends pretty quickly. “Fake Flesh/Voodoo” is two songs in one, the same way Certs was two mints in one about 20 years ago. The first part has the same basic sound but with backing yelling. It’s not angry yelling, but it’s not happy Bis-style yelling either. Maybe it’s just Red Bull-infused yelling. The second part is probably supposed to be a joke, but I really like it. It’s very cheery and upbeat. “Witch” has a more garage sound. “Death Bed” has a classic Red Aunts sound, including the requisite naughty language. I don’t know. I like the other record better.
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