Jason Loewenstein - At Sixes and Sevens (CD, 2002)

I'm doing this one slightly out of order, as I always forget that Loewenstein's name has that pesky "e" in it.

I've been an on-and-off fan of Sebadoh since I bought Bakesale in 1994, and although I certainly enjoy Lou Barlow's brand of oft-timid rockery, I was always drawn to Loewenstein's contributions to the band, especially "Zone Doubt" from 1996's Harmacy. I love that song. I may always love that song.

So, when I randomly came across this solo effort some years back, I snatched it up. And lo and behold, it's chock-full of songs that are a lot like "Zone Doubt." It's home-recorded, dude plays all the instruments, and the songs are solid. My kind of album. Loewenstein could be accused of keeping things a bit 90's, but I actually think that's part of what's great about this record. The guitars are warbly and thick, his vocals are double-tracked and slinky, and the lyrics are great.

He'll always be thought of as the dude from Sebadoh who's not Lou Barlow, and that's a damn shame. This is a ruggedly raw collection of songs, and makes a great companion to the fire he started on Harmacy years earlier. Rock it.

You can listen to "Casserole" and "Circles" here.

Lords of the Underground - Keepers of the Funk (CD, 1994)

There is no excuse for me not knowing this album better. As I sit here listening to it, I realize it's been a while since I've spun this bad boy, and that's a damn shame.

But like any good mid-90's hip hop, it's not hard to slip right back into it. Lords of the Underground never achieved the level of fame that a lot of folks probably thought they would, but any fan of the "golden era" of hip hop will tell you these guys are dope. This record sounds positively dated now, but whatever. The thick bass lines and snare-happy drums hit hard, and the vocals are delivered with the sort of pressure that can make a slow beat sound frantic.

The Lords – like most rappers – tend to get a little hook-heavy, and the George Clinton guest spot would have been more impressive if dude hadn't shown up on nearly every rap record in 1994, but this album is decidedly dope. The beats ride the drums hard, and at times it sacrifices the melodies in the samples. But, it allows the vocals to ride high, and that's a good thing.

This is the kind of rap I dig. Ostensibly, it's angry and hot-blooded, but if you take the time to listen to the lyrics, it becomes clear that these dudes aren't dummies. And they're looking to drop the knowledge and out-rap your ass, not pull out the nine. I'm not anti-gangsta rap, but I'm definitely pro-smart shit. And this works.

"Tic Toc"

I'm Moving.

And my music's all boxed up. I'll be back soon!

These are not my records. But it would be nice if they were.

Stallion Alert at the Movies: Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008)

I kept meaning to Netflix this movie, and managed to forget for quite some time. I finally worked it into the queue, and I'm glad I did.

I have to admit, I didn't know jack about Anvil before I saw this movie. I had heard the name in some of my various metal travels, but had never heard the band. Thankfully, knowing anything about this band isn't a prerequisite for enjoying this movie. Their backstory is told in the first segment, and it gives you all the info you need to jump right to the present day and catch up with the main players.

The movie tells the story of an 80's band who now find themselves in their early 50's, still, against all odds and common sense, trying to make it in the music biz. It's sad, hilarious, depressing, uplifting, and really well made. Like any good documentary, the end is a great payoff, but it wouldn't be so without an interesting journey to the final scene.

I won't give too much away, but if you enjoy a good rock doc (or documentaries in general), this is definitely worth checking out. Great live footage, great archive footage, and personalities that are simply engrossing to watch. And seriously: it's a really nice story.

Also includes some worthwhile deleted scenes which, given the sub-90 minute running time of the film, should have been included. Still, who cares. Everyone's telling you this movie is great. They're right.

Official Trailer

Local H - Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? (CD, 2004)

First off, the cover and title to this album are both fantastic.

The songs are damn fine too, and this record is much more Pack Up the Cats than it is Here Comes the Zoo. It's big, involved, and features some really short songs and some really long songs. Lots of variety, and lots of rock. The production value is somewhere in between, with most of the cuts sounding raw, though there are plenty of overdubs. It's a nice mix, and the recording ends up with a live-in-the-studio vibe that suits the band well.

Tracks like "Dick Jones" get more abstract than Local H ever has before, with the band bringing in a (gasp!) mellotron player to add some spacey depth to the loose riff. Does not sound like Local H at all, and though I respect them branching out, it's not really my cup of tea. Luckily they follow it up with the nutso-ness of the two-minute "Money on the Dresser" and the guitar almost-balladry of "P.J. Soles," a song with great lyrics that occasionally get lost in the mix, which is annoying.

"Buffalo Trace" is classic rock-y and, at over ten minutes long, a patience-tester. Still, it goes along with the vibe of the rest of the record, which is the band getting out of their comfort zone. Still, the songs that remain true to their sound (like the rampaging "Heavy Metal Bakesale") end up being my favorites.

Makes me think I need to rediscover this record and give it some more time.

"Hey, Rita"

Local H - The No Fun EP (CD, 2003)

Featuring three songs that almost made it onto their previous album but didn't, along with three covers, this is a textbook EP that does the job and does it well.

The title track is a solid rocker, quickly proving that it deserves top billing. "President Forever" is ostensibly political, but it eventually gets so ambiguous that you can't really tell who's being sung about. That's fine by me. "Birth, School, Work, Death" is a cover of the classic Godfathers number. Pretty sure this was from a compilation. I'm not a huge fan of Local H doing covers, but they pull this off.

"Cooler Heads" is a Local H original, and while you can see why it may have been left of their album, it's not a bad tune. Nice b-side material. The cover of the Ramones' "I Just Want Something to Do" is fairly pointless, but whatever. The EP closes with the almost-ten-minute "Fuck Yeah, That Wide," which takes some patience but works in some sweet moves. I guess it's kind of a cover, but not really. Hard to explain, and not sure I really understand it anyway.

Overall, a nice placeholder for fans of the band.

"No Fun"

Local H - Here Comes the Zoo (CD, 2002)

Local H switched it up in the aughts. For one thing, longtime drummer Joe Daniels left the group, and was replaced by equally hard-hitting Brian St. Clair. The lineup adjustment didn't change the sound of the band much, but they do seem more focused on separating the songs and allowing them to stand alone. While Pack Up the Cats was ambitious and meticulous in every aspect, playing out as a fine-tuned rock opera-ish thing, this record is more or less just ten big tracks, each within their own space, and each markedly different from the others.

If Local H is anything, they're consistent, and this record stands up well against any of their other work. "Hands on the Bible" is maybe the most well-known of the songs here (which, admittedly, isn't saying much) and it's uncharacteristically serious. It's not a bad move, and it's of course balanced out by the cheekier numbers, like "Keep Your Girlfriend Away from Me" and "Rock & Roll Professionals." Josh Homme shows up for a guest spot on the latter, and adds some of his trademark thickness to the song.

This album is also personally notable for containing one of my all-time favorite Local H songs, "Creature Comforted." I have a soft spot for rock songs that call out people that the singer perceives to be pussies, and this is really a top-notch entry into that legendary canon. ("Hey, come on/We're all defanged and declawed" - good stuff.)

I always forget how much I like this record. I bought it at a weird time and didn't really ingest it until a few years later. Another great album from this band that will forever remain unrecognized. If you want to strap on and rock, this ain't a bad avenue to go down. I'm just sayin'.

"Creature Comforted"