Lost Classic Indie Albums

This week in my PO Box we received the spring 2007 issue of Magnet magazine with Connor Oberst of Bright Eyes on the cover. My husband told me about an article in the magazine called 75 Lost Classics that intrigued me. The article is about some of the best Indie rock records of all time that most people have never heard of. I know there were several that stumped me. Chris wrote his blog yesterday about the issue and for some reason I feel compelled to write my response to the article today.

ARCHERS OF LOAF – ICKY METTLE
I could not agree more with their very first entry. I loved the record when it came out and I still love it today. I will always have a soft spot for the Archers of Loaf guys. When I wrote my zine Scratch-n-Sniff they played at Deep Ellum Live in Dallas with Velocity Girl and The Lemonheads. I drug my friends Becky, Erin and younger sister Hope out to the show with me because I wanted to interview the band. Well they were first and the only way I would get the interview is if we left the show and went around back of the club so I could get a chance to chat with them, back then there were no ins and outs so that meant the rest of the show and our pricey tickets were blown. Around back we met the guys and got the interview and on top of that they got us all backstage passes where we got to watch the rest of the show and munch on Evan Dando's veggie tray. So not only is their music great, they are hella nice guys.

UNREST – PERFECT TEETH
I do love me some Mark Robinson and Teen Beat but I am not sure they have ever had one solid album, including Perfect Teeth that I would call a lost gym. Sure “Make Out Club” is a good song, but I would beg to differ that “World Cup Fever” by Air Miami is better. I just saw my old Teen Beat Records shirt when I was at my parent’s house last weekend. Does anyone remember when they had combs that said Teen Beat that would come with your records when you ordered through the mail? I also remember how long it took to get the order.

MAZZY STAR – SO TONIGHT THAT I MIGHT SEE
Sure I love this record a much as the next guy, but is it really a lost classic they played these songs on the big radio stations in its day. Boy they were a snoozer live, saw them at Trees in Dallas. Also if you have not heard "Sometimes Always" by The Jesus and Mary Chain with Hope on backing vocals go download it now. I have the 7" single on red vinyl somewhere now that I think about it.

VELOCITY GIRL – COPACETIC
I remember I bought this CD at the same time I bought Helium Pirate Prude and since I fell in love with that record so Copacetic did not really get the fair shake it deserved. However, I still think “Crazy Town” is one of the best songs of all time.

DRIVE LIKE JEHU – YANK CRIME
This is a fine record and all but I have to say I like their first record better because speaking of best songs of all time “Caress” is on it. I saw these guys play at The Orbit Room in Dallas once and they were awesome. Since I was a Rocket From the Crypt fan I was pretty excited to see John Reis. Oh and if you have not heard The Hot Snakes, you should.

BUTTERGLORY – ARE YOU BUILDING A TEMPLE IN HEAVEN
I’m not sure I have heard this record all I know is Crumble is dang good just listen to “The Skills of a Star Pilot” to prove it.

THOMAS JEFFERSON SLAVE APARTMENTS – BAIT AND SWITCH
When I saw their name in here I ran to my CD shelf and dusted off their records to add to my Itunes immediately. I added “Cheaters Heaven” to my mix for Saturday’s Cinco De Mayo party!

BRAINIAC – HISSING PRIGS IN A STATIC CULTURE
In college I had a tape of several videos I had recorded from MTV’s 120 Minutes and “Vincent Come on Down” by Brainiac was on there and I loved them so. This was back when I just thought my husband was a cute guy that drove my bus and I was not even sure of his name. I went to the Brainiac show at Emo’s hoping to catch a glimpse of my little stud muffin and hear my favorite song and I got both. I was glad I went to the show to hear “We are Brainiac from Dayton, Ohio” looped over and over because pretty soon after that the lead singer was killed in a car crash. However there awesomeness lives on in another of my favorite bands Enon.

GODHEADSILO – SKYWARD IN TRIUMPH
This was a heavy record my friends Ryan and Parker used to listen to quite a bit that eventually rubbed off on me. I remember we saw these guys a few times live, there is a show at The Argo in Denton I recall in particular. Apparently the guys do silk screening as well as rock out. Once at a SXSW years ago I was in my Kill Rock Stars T-shirt and one of the guys from the band proudly came up to me and told me how he had made my shirt.

VERSUS – SECRET SWINGERSRemember last year at Stitch when we had +/- play? James Baluyut from Versus is in the band. Chris bought this record when we first started dating and I have to say that we listened to the very long and very repetitive “A Heart Is A Diamond” quite a bit and I am still fond of that song and the band.

THE SPINANES – STRAND
I am assuming the only reason Manos is not listed is because this is a lost gems list and not a best of all time list. I have seen the Spinanes and Rebecca Gates solo a couple of times and swooned on all occasions. Manos breaks my heart every time. On Strand “Lines and Lines” is slow to start, but so dang good when it does and “Azure” makes my heart go pitter patter.

THE HALO BENDERS – THE REBELS NOT IN
I am pretty much going to like anything Calvin Johnson touches because I am a big K Records and Beat Happening fan. This is not one of my favorite Halo Bender records (I prefer God Don’t Make No Junk) but it is really good.

DUSTER – STRATOSPHERE
I did not learn about Duster until after college when I was writing music reviews for magazines. I got sent Contemporary Movement and remember thinking this is not my cup of tea, but for some reason I really like this. I recently walked into a coffee shop that was playing it and was reminded of the goodness. I need to bust that bad boy out, maybe I will even download Stratosphere while I am at it.

DUSTY TRAILS – DUSTY TRAILSSince I loved Luscious Jackson and The Breeders, clearly I was going to love this record. Since I was smitten on Sterolab too and that is kind of what they sound like it was a match made in heaven. I have not heard this record in a long while and need to change that. On a side note I have to say that I do like The Kostars better than Dusty Trails.

PAPAS FRITAS – BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
Melodic dueling chick and dude vocals, what’s not to love? Let me mention Stitch again because year before last we had “Way You Walk” as one of our runway songs. See we knew this was a lost gem 2 years ago, pffffffft.

TRIPPING DAISY – TRIPPING DAISY
Thank God for Tim DeLaughter’s Polyphonic Spree, it took the shame out of loving Tripping Daisy. I grew up in Dallas when Tripping Daisy was the local band phenomena and if you wanted to go to Trees that weekend that is who you were probably going to see (Sometimes it was The Toadies or Bedhead). Thanks to this article I just added some hits off of Bill to my Itunes and was guilt free about it.

THE ANNIVERSARY – YOUR MAJESTY
This band is in the same vein as Rainer Maria, Mates of State and The Annuals – except maybe a little quirkier. I always tittered on really liking them but they were one of those bands that when you saw them live all the kids standing around you were singing along at the top of their lungs and for some reason that annoyance rubbed off on the band for me. I think I like Designing a Nervous Breakdown better as a record although I really like “Sweet Marie” as a single.

SWERVEDRIVER – MEZCAL HEAD
It kills me that this is a lost classic because this record is so good everyone should know it by heart. I saw them a couple of different times in Dallas (I think once with Medicine opening) and once saw singer Adam Franklin solo at SXSW where he did some Swervedriver covers. Seriously “Duel”, “Last Train to Satansville” and “Never Lose That Feeling” are some of the better songs of the 90’s.

Ok thank you for bearing with me through that trip down memory lane. Apparently I miss writing music reviews more than I thought.