Emotional Listening #10

Apple O' - Deerhoof (Kill Rock Stars/5 Rue Christine, 2003)
Not surprisingly, here's yet another Deerhoof record for me to love and cherish. The only major difference I can hear between Apple O' and the record that followed it, Milk Man, is perhaps that the former is more cohesive. Otherwise, here is another, earlier example of Deerhoof doing what they do: bizarre, impressively complex guitar rock with high quality albeit overtly adorable vocal melodies. However, just like every other Deerhoof record that I know and love, it's the eerily beautiful guitar parts and the completely bat shit insane drumming that just kills me. It doesn't matter to me that between Apple O' and 2005's The Runners Four, nothing much changed in their sound. It still sounds fresh to these ears, because who else is writing and performing music this way?
Top jams: "Dummy Discards a Heart," "Heart Failure," "Flower," "L'Amour Stories," "Panda Panda Panda," "Hayley and Homer," "Blue Cash"

Where You Been - Dinosaur Jr. (Sire, 1993)

There was a time when I thought Where You Been was Dinosaur Jr.'s best album, at least out of the ones I'm familiar with. Then 2009 happened and Farm was released, and it has been my favorite since. Anyway, 1993's Where You Been is still really good. There's nothing out of the ordinary here. It is chock full of J. Mascis' slacker vocals and usual heroic guitar wankery as well as Murph's solid as hell drumming. "Goin' Home" and "I Ain't Sayin'" are standouts. "Start Choppin'" is not only the best song on the record, it is also my favorite of theirs, period. At some point soon, though, I need to start checking out the Dino Jr. records prior to this one.

Top jams: "Out There," "Start Choppin'," "On the Way," "Get Me," "Hide," "Goin' Home," "I Ain't Sayin'"

The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified - The Dismemberment Plan (DeSoto, 1997)

It has taken me too many years to come to terms with The Dismemberment Plan's second LP, The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified. I get it now, guys. Of course, it is zanier and much, much more flawed than Emergency & I and Change, and the band's subtle merging of punk and soul hadn't been fully realized yet, but there are definitely some highlights here. The record opens up strongly with "Tonight We Mean It," "That's When the Party Started" and then probably the best song here, "The Ice of Boston." Beyond that, things get a bit inconsistent. However, I was pleasantly surprised by "Manipulate Me," which most recently has ruled me pretty hard. The fact that Travis Morrison does more talking and yelling here than on the later albums isn't too much of a turn off. In fact, that vocal style is probably more appropriate for these songs anyway. At worst, The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified is simply an interesting transitional record. At best, it is some good, unique, arty and funky punk rock.

Top jams: "Tonight We Mean It," "That's When the Party Started," "The Ice of Boston," "This is the Life," "One Too Many Blows to the Head," "It's So You," "Manipulate Me"