BIG STAR
'In Space'
Finally, a new record by one of the architects of the musical genre known as 'power pop'. I delved a little into the band in one of my previous posts, when I talked about the excellent Chris Bell album 'I Am the Cosmos'. Countless alt-rock bands like R.E.M., the Replacements, the dB's, and Teenage Fanclub (to name a few) have cited them as a major influence and if you've ever heard '#1 Record', 'Radio City' or 'Third'...you'd see why.
After the band called it quits in the mid 70's, the band's catalog garnered a cult-following after all the name-checking by artists like the ones mentioned above. Then, in 1993, the Posies' Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow backed original members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens for a reunion gig at the University of Missouri...a smattering of subsequent gigs followed and over the course of the past 4-5 years, talk of a new album. Auer and Stringfellow released some dazzling p-pop themselves in the Posies, so their addition to the band made sense.
Upon hearing the news a full album was in the works, I had mixed feelings. The intital reunion resulted in a tepid one-off single ('Hot Thing') and, thusly, I didn't really know how this would end up sounding. While it's nowhere near the caliber of '#1 Record', it's still a great listen. Sunny sounding pop rock ('Best Chance We've Ever Had') to stoic balladry ('Lady Sweet') and surprisingly funky ('Love Revolution')...there's something for everybody. As always, I ask that you judge for yourself and DL some clips HERE.
While you're at it, make your record collection cooler and add the following:
(L to R): #1 Record, Radio City and Third/Sister Lovers
To make it easier, the first two are avail on one disc. Really, two of my favorite albums ever. Enjoy!
'In Space'
Finally, a new record by one of the architects of the musical genre known as 'power pop'. I delved a little into the band in one of my previous posts, when I talked about the excellent Chris Bell album 'I Am the Cosmos'. Countless alt-rock bands like R.E.M., the Replacements, the dB's, and Teenage Fanclub (to name a few) have cited them as a major influence and if you've ever heard '#1 Record', 'Radio City' or 'Third'...you'd see why.
After the band called it quits in the mid 70's, the band's catalog garnered a cult-following after all the name-checking by artists like the ones mentioned above. Then, in 1993, the Posies' Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow backed original members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens for a reunion gig at the University of Missouri...a smattering of subsequent gigs followed and over the course of the past 4-5 years, talk of a new album. Auer and Stringfellow released some dazzling p-pop themselves in the Posies, so their addition to the band made sense.
Upon hearing the news a full album was in the works, I had mixed feelings. The intital reunion resulted in a tepid one-off single ('Hot Thing') and, thusly, I didn't really know how this would end up sounding. While it's nowhere near the caliber of '#1 Record', it's still a great listen. Sunny sounding pop rock ('Best Chance We've Ever Had') to stoic balladry ('Lady Sweet') and surprisingly funky ('Love Revolution')...there's something for everybody. As always, I ask that you judge for yourself and DL some clips HERE.
While you're at it, make your record collection cooler and add the following:
(L to R): #1 Record, Radio City and Third/Sister Lovers
To make it easier, the first two are avail on one disc. Really, two of my favorite albums ever. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment