Every now and again, I catch myself thinking, "geez, this playlist really sounds like something I'd love!" And then I think, come ON brain, what are you thinking? But my brain has already moved on. Well, anyway, today's playlist is pretty indie rock-y. And Haggard-y, I suppose.
The Wedding Present, "Big Boots"
I've always really liked the Wedding Present's slower numbers. The contrast with the usual hyperactive pop really centers David Gedge's lonely, weary lyrics. And sometimes you want that extra bummer, you know? This comes from Saturnalia, the last album from their first incarnation, before Gedge recorded with Colorama for a while. It's an excellent album, as is everything that that version of the band put out.
Merle Haggard, "Branded Man"
There's an unfortunate pattern with me, where when a major artist who worked in a genre I'm mostly unfamiliar with passes away, that's when I start checking them out, via the retrospectives people post. So it is with Haggard. I'm not a huge country person, but lots of people who had opinions I respect thought well of him, and the Down Every Road compilation was recommended as an overview. I still don't know much about him, but if you have any interest in country at all, I can recommend this.
The Dismemberment Plan, "Pay For The Piano"
What's with that deep, squelching noise? I like it. Anyway, the Dismemberment Plan were an indie rock band out of D.C. that were mostly active during a period where I wasn't paying a lot of attention to rock, so I'm afraid I don't have a ton to offer here. They do sound like a DC band, though. I only have one album from them, Change, and it's good but I didn't like it enough to follow up on it, apparently.
Modest Mouse, "Head South"
Wasn't it just the other day that I mentioned that this whole thing has made me like their first album more? (checks "previously"s) Indeed.
Crystalized Movements, "Third Half"
Here's a great example of what Wayne Rogers was up to with the Crystalized Movements: nine minutes of mostly just noisy guitar noodling, with a few lyrics thrown in, but who cares about them. If you love the Yo La Tengo songs where Ira Kaplan just goes nuts for a while, you'll love this band too.