Emotional Listening #21

Daddy's Highway - The Bats (Flying Nun, 1987)
So, let us again talk about New Zealand jangly indie pop band The Bats. Daddy's Highway is their 1987 debut LP, and it's where I started with them. However, I focused in more on 1991's Fear of God and 1995's Couchmaster until recently, for whatever reason. They're all phenomenal albums that have helped the band to become one of my all-time favorites, but there's good reason why Daddy's Highway is considered their seminal record. It is easily their most consistent, and also, it has the best songs! There are a few slow burning ballads of the highest quality, but what makes this a nearly perfect album is all the bright sounding, upbeat jams. "Treason" is the perfect opener, and you couldn't ask for a better closer than the title track. "Round and Down," "Block of Wood" and "Mid City Team" are all classic jangle pop gems with the latter two owning favorite-songs-of-all-time status. The way "Block of Wood" starts and ends just slays me. If you are as obsessed with chimey and jangly guitars as I am, and can tolerate great melodies, then Daddy's Highway is the album for you.
Top jams: "Treason," "Round and Down," "Take It," "Tragedy," "Block of Wood," "Mid City Team," "Had to be You," "Daddy's Highway"


Telephone Free Landslide Victory - Camper Van Beethoven (Independent Projects, 1985)
Bravender will be stoked that I'm posting about this. A couple of months ago he made me a PERFECT 10-song Camper Van Beethoven best of mix, thus the newfound interest in this incredibly bizarre band.  Telephone Free Landslide Victory is their debut full length, so I figured that would be a good place to start. I will admit that it features songs that I simply do not like. But, there are also some amazing ones, namely "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and "Ambiguity Song." This record is all over the place. There are jangly indie pop songs. There are punk songs. There are several ska instrumentals. There are even Russian-sounding ska instrumentals. Telephone Free Landslide Victory is confusing and disorienting, but wonderfully charming. The insanely funny lyrics certainly help.
Top jams: "Border Ska," "The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon," "Wasted," "Yanqui Go Home," "Oh No!," "Take the Skinheads Bowling," "Mao Reminisces About His Days in Southern China," "I Don't See You," "Ambiguity Song"


Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case (Anti-, 2006)
Objectively and technically, Neko Case has got to be one of the absolute greatest female vocalists around, right? Sultry and powerful, it's a pleasure to hear it in any context, whether it's power pop all-stars The New Pornographers or on her own. I didn't even check out any of her solo material until 2009's Middle Cyclone, which is deceivingly good and obviously gorgeous. Now I'm working my way backwards and decided to spend a little time with 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, which is equally as beautiful, though I prefer its successor. There is more of a variety of sounds on Middle Cyclone, whereas Fox Confessor... is pretty much exclusively country and southern folk. Of course, Case's vocals are beyond being on point, and is accompanied superbly by the subtle instrumentation and rich production. I really like the shimmering guitars and moody groove of "Hold On, Hold On," and the blatant country gospel sound of "John Saw That Number," but opener "Margaret vs. Pauline" is probably the jam of jams.
Top jams: "Margaret vs. Pauline," "Star Witness," "Hold On, Hold On," "That Teenage Feeling," "John Saw That Number," "Maybe Sparrow," "The Needle Has Landed"


Papas Fritas - Papas Fritas (Minty Fresh, 1995)
Now, HERE is a fantastic pop record. Papas Fritas were a power pop band based in Massachusetts predominantly in the 90s. Their self-titled debut LP is LOADED with jams. Their secret weapon here is the way the album's production and the arrangement of the songs work together. The drums and bass frequently have that muted 60s sound, which is a really nice touch when there is so much space in these songs. The melodies are memorable, and while a huge appeal of the album is its subtlety, there are hooks upon hooks. "Wild Life," "Kids Don't Mind" and "Smash This World" are great and clever as all get out, and to me, "Afterall" sounds like an awesome precursor to The Strokes. Opener "Guys Don't Lie" is not only the best song on the record, but also is my favorite song period at the moment.
Top jams: "Guys Don't Lie," "Holiday," "Wild Life," "My Revolution," "Kids Don't Mind," "Smash This World," "Lame to Be," "Afterall"


A Catholic Education - Teenage Fanclub (Paperhouse/Matador, 1990)
Teenage Fanclub's debut LP, A Catholic Education, has come to be another addition to my list of favorite guitar albums. There are certainly moments of outright wailing, but the real draw for me is simply the guitar tones, which are both fuzzy and jangly. Also, the chords and progressions rule. It took me a while to get used to the album's production, as the bass and drums are basically buried underneath the guitars. But, when your guitars sound like this, I'm not going to complain too much. I wouldn't go so far as to say the vocals here are sung well by any means, but, they sure are appropriate for the slacker 90s feel of the album, and the melodies are excellent. As much as I liked the band's latest, Shadows, I most definitely prefer this louder, sloppier version of Teenage Fanclub. "Everything Flows," "Critical Mass," and "Every Picture I Paint" should be in any conversation regarding the greatest songs of the 1990s.
Top jams: "Everything Flows," "Everybody's Fool," "Catholic Education," "Eternal Light," "Critical Mass," "Too Involved," "Every Picture I Paint," "Catholic Education 2"