Smog - Knock Knock

Smog – Knock Knock
Drag City, 1999
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2007
Price: $5

This is the Smog record I recommend to everyone. It's got the quiet grace of his later records in addition to some pretty spectacular rockers. Mostly though, it's pretty quiet. Serene, even. Just listen to “Teenage Spaceship” or to lovely ode to domesticity “Let's Move to the Country.” There's something bluesy to it all, but without ever being classified as the dreaded blues-rock. There's something about Bill Callahan's guitar sound that makes this a perfect record. You hear it on “Cold Blooded Old Times” and “Hit the Ground Running.” It's weird how this record runs between vindicating and fucking sad as hell. It's hard to find a song sadder than “Left Only With Love.” “When I lost you/ I lost my family/ You did what was right to do/ And I hope you find your husband/ And a father to your children.” Kills me every time. It's the Smog record that's most elemental, I guess. There is exactly one click/whistle on this album, and it's the incorporation of a children's choir on “Hit the Ground Running,” and he just barely pulls it off. It works, and mostly because there's a picture of the choir on the back of the sleeve. The rest is just straight up and stripped bare, and that's why it's sort of Bill Callahan's masterpiece.

Here's a video of "Cold Blooded Old Times" performed at Emos in Austin, TX.

Smog - Wild Love

Smog – Wild Love
Drag City, 1995
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2007
Price: $8

Jesus CHRIST Bill Callahan sounds young here. I realize now though I own this record, I've never listened to it. I must have bought it on the intention of listening to it, and being surprised that I'd never listened to it. And it's pretty fucking good! It's very orchestral, and apparently the Cello parts were played by Jim O'Rourke, which rules. The songs are all pretty short and honestly, he sounds like Conor Oberst every now and then (“Bathroom Floor” in particular). I just want to know when he develops the smoky baritone I know and love him for. I know it's before Knock Knock in 1999 and pretty sure it's either before or on Red Apple Falls. This is pretty damn good, but I don't know if it really stands on its own or really functions as a stepping stone, taking Bill Callahan to where he is now. Mostly, this sounds like a more ornate version of Letting Off the Happiness.

Here's an updated version of "Bathysphere," performed this summer. It's a lot better, and it validates the promise shown on this record, despite Callahan's voice being in development.

The Smiths - The Queen is Dead

The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
Sire/Rough Trade, 1986
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2006
Price: $6

I've come to realize that I know not nearly enough about the Smiths as I should. Most of my education was spent with Louder than Bombs and Hatful of Hollow, which are technically singles compilations (although I tend to like Louder than Bombs more than any of the records on their own). From their four LPs I would pick and choose. The Queen is Dead is the one I picked and chose from the most, and the one I spent the most time with as an album proper. And I have no idea why this is. It's weird realizing this. Like, I've never even listened to Meat is Murder all the way through. HOW CAN THIS BE? I do not know! How, until now, have I not realized that “I Know it's Over” is a fucking amazing song? Was I expecting every song to either be a.) epic b.) funny or c.) both? I do not know. I think The Queen is Dead is the one I own and have spent the most time with because it has “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” which might be my favorite Smiths song, and my favorite song to sing to girls. I'd initially shunned the Smith as a good, blindsided punk rock kid but once I got to college I felt like I was making up for lost time and it made me into the wimp I am today. To the point where I will write a line like: Morrissey is one of my favorite singers because not only does he have a wonderful voice, and not only do the words he sings sound good, but they read good too. Typically, you'll find yourself singing something profound and when you go to quote it somewhere it doesn't sound nearly as profound. 17 year old Ian would have scoffed, and probably called me a pussy. But “It's so easy to hate/ It takes guts to be gentle and kind” is one of my favorite lyrics of all time. There's something poetic about Morrissey's vocals without them having to try to be poetic. And he's got a dark sense of humor, which is my ultimate weakness in any sort of artform. And sometimes he's just goofy (“Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”). Etc etc. Someone told me that Morrissey does all the vocals on Smiths recordings because his ego is so big. So that weird high pitched background vocal in the chorus of “Bigmouth Strikes Again” is just Morrissey's voice pitchshifted, which I think is pretty funny. And I hate how Johnny Marr is always overlooked, and how I've overlooked him here, because the Smith's greatness is a 50/50 sort of thing. I really can't think of anyone else who plays guitar like him, you know? It's jangly and bright and adventurous, and it kind of ties everything together. The whole album is a combination of lightness and weight, and that's why it's great. And the songs are all total fucking jams. That too.

Here are a couple of shorts directed by Derek Jarman, and they are pretty fantastic.

The Smiths - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 12"

The Smiths – Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 12”
Rough Trade, 1984
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2009
Price: $8

“In my life, why do I give valuable time/ To people who don't care if I live or die,” Morrissey sings on one of the Smiths all-time Top 5 jams. It's a question I've been pondering, especially after randomly listening to the This American Life episode “Frenemies.” The whole show asks the question: Why do we keep around people who we either don't like or who are not really our friends. This song broaches the same subject and asks: What's the point of faking it? At the same time, the song also seems to be about drunkenly hooking up with someone and regretting it or feeling the repercussions for reading into it. It's just the ultimate sad bastard anthem, and I love it. And I also love a band that releases its best songs on singles. New Order did the same thing, maybe it's an 80s thing. Now it's unheard of, or the single is turned into an EP. It's as if the song is too GOOD to work on an album, it's so great it works just fine on its own. “Girl Afraid” is on the b-side (along with the pretty good but a little maudlin and too serious “Suffer Little Children” (it's based on some children who were murdered)) and is sort of the ideal b-side. That is, it's a song that could easily be it's own single but is just slightly not as good as the tune on the A-side. It's also a little too short, but that's what I love about it. Short and sweet, and catchy as hell. I really, really shouldn't have bought this. At the time, a few months ago, $8 was a pretty penny but I couldn't resist! The kitchen-sink realism-esque cover art was just too perfect. I saw it as a sleeve I could put in one of those record cover frames. And really, listening to it now I think it might have been worth it. Why not?

Elliott Smith - Either/Or

Elliott Smith – Either/Or
Kill Rock Stars, 1997
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2006
Price: $6

Not only is this the perfect balance of the lo-fi of Smith's earlier albums and the hi-fi of his later ones, it's also a perfect mix of the depressing and sad of Elliott Smith and his attempt to prove to everyone that he wasn't a total sadsack on XO and Figure 8. Although mostly, this record still has his trademark depression. And I would say that this is his strongest batch of songs. There's a more full-band vibe to it and it works for him. It's a departure from the self-titled record while still retaining everything that made that record great. “Angeles” was my absolute go-to song for the Angela debacle in high school. I actually recorded a version of it on my four track (strummed, natch), and it's somewhere on some cassette tape at my parents house. Man, those were bad times. Sad that Elliott Smith records are always associated with bad times. Even when I was listening to Elliott Smith during good times (like when Angela and I made out for the first time, which was soundtracked by XO's “Happiness,” ironically) they're retroactively bad. Later in the game I noticed that Gus Van Sant had used a few songs from this for key scenes in Good Will Hunting. That scene where Minnie Driver and Matt Damon kiss for the first time to “Say Yes,” at the only point in the song where two characters would kiss and it would feel sweeping and epic. Really love that. It's kind of like a coda, like “Unlisted Track” on Dear You. A bittersweet little send-off. It's still my favorite Elliott Smith record, and one I revisit quite frequently on vinyl. I was wondering why I had the CD booklet inside the sleeve, and remember that my penpal Rosalie mailed it to me for some reason years ago. I will always be biased to this album in that it soundtracked an important part of my life (2003-2004) in a big transitionary period and it felt so right then, and it still feels right today.

I will avoid the usual children's treasury of awful youtube covers, because there are tons of them for "Say Yes." Instead, here's his performance of it from his last show.

Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith – Elliott Smith
Kill Rock Stars, 1995
Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2006
Price: $12

My Elliott Smith story is that I confused him with Nick Drake. I was watching the audio commentary on The Royal Tenenbaums in 2003 and when Wes Anderson mentioned that Nick Drake had killed himself, I mixed this up. That's because “Needle in the Hay” Plays over Richie Tenenbaum's hyper-dramatic attempted suicide scene. So I confused them, and got really into this record and Either/Or. This went on for about two weeks, the thinking Elliott Smith had killed himself and it made so much sense listening to this album (which as you probably know, is pretty fucking depressing). Then I found out that he HADN'T killed himself and I was kind of relieved. And then, I shit you not, two days later he killed himself. Go figure. That was a blow. I'd literally JUST found an artist I really loved when I was just discovering how to love music and then he dies. Smith was one of those rare artists who did not put out a bad record. In fact, every record he put out ranged from great to flawless, which again, is incredibly rare. I also really enjoy the trajectory of his career. From four-track on Roman Candle, to real production but still stripped down here, to a middle ground between lo-fi and hi-fi on Either/Or, to mid-fi on XO and to hi-fi on Figure 8. And all of these albums are at least great. Despite the record being pretty depressing, I can listen to it at any time and it's always perfect. He's also an artist who can constantly avoid any sort of backlash in the new world where “indie” bands are derided for becoming too popular with the mainstream. Unlike the legions of people who denounced the Shins after Garden State, everyone still loves Elliott Smith and if they say they don't, they are most likely lying to you. It's rare to find a total package sort of singer-songwriter, especially these days. Lately the only one I can think of that comes anywhere close to the kind of talent Smith had is Bon Iver. That is, the ability to not only write songs with words and tone that reach right down into the middle of you, but someone who is an amazing musician and always plays it down. And since 2003, this has been my first go-to record following any relationship drama/getting dumped. For days, the ritual would be to lie in my room with the black (like my soul) curtains drawn and groan with “Alphabet Town” or “The Biggest Lie” making me accompanying my feelings of death. The line “Now I'm a crushed credit card registered to Smith/ Not the name that you call me with” still kills me. This whole record still kills me, just as much as it did when I was seventeen.

Oh man! "The Biggest Lie" with Rose Melberg!

Small Factory – For If You Cannot Fly

Small Factory – For If You Cannot Fly
Vernon Yard, 1994
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2006
Price: $5

This is a pretty great snotty indie-pop record. It's upbeat and a little punkish like Bunnygrunt but there's a little Heavenly-esque sweetness. It's fun and it's coy, and often incorporates elements from 90s emo, power pop and indie rock. The female vocal harmonies from their drummer, the amazingly named Phoebe Summersquash, really seal the deal though. “Expiration Date” has just the kind of driving distorted guitar sound that I love, and comes off as a song the Get Up Kids could have been inspired by. But then they drop it down a notch on the next tune, “Hi Howard, I'm Back,” which is perfect, jangly twee-pop bliss. It's not a groundbreaking record or anything like that, but it's a really good listen. The b-side drags on a little bit, but the a-side is pretty great. Maybe it should have just been an EP. Regardless, the first side is seriously fully of forgotten jams, and I desperately want to cover "The Last Time That We Talked."

Follow the link to check out the motherfucking AWESOME 90s chic of their video for this album's opening track "The Last Time That We Talked." Shit! This song is SO GOOD! The "Wait I'm not done part" is really clever and honestly, it's what makes this a pretty much perfect song. It's perfect! And Phoebe Summersquash! <3 <3 <3!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoJekie1Br4

Slint - Spiderland

Slint – Spiderland
Touch and Go, 1991
Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2006
Price: $12

I don't think anything about Tweez really hinted at anything that was to come with Spiderland. It took me a long time to finally understand this record, but once I did it was mind blowing. It was Fall of 2006. I remember it being rainy, and I remember listening to this in the car on repeat for weeks. It was a rough time, a really bad time, and these grim, mathy jams were exactly what I needed to compliment my growing disdain with everything and everyone. The trick is to create something complex and have it come off as very simple. Every movement here seems planned down to the last cymbal crash. The timbre of the vocals are precise every time, and different on each song. “Washer,” for instance has a real depressing sadness to it whereas the epic finale “Good Morning, Captain” (a retelling of Coleridge's “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”) is a bottled up boozy mumbling-under-breath walk up until the last minute when everything comes crashing down and Brian MacMahan screams “I MISS YOU” at the top of his fucking lungs (Jawbreaker would cop this a year later with the title track for Bivouac). I don't think I've ever heard a record this brooding. The vibe is almost metal-esque. I mean, fuck, the record basically caused the band to break up, which makes sense given that they not only created (or inspired) the whole post-rock genre that is still the toast of legions of kids keen to listen to 20 minute builds. They also ended up inspiring legions of imitators such as June of 44 and Rodan. Not too much more I can write about this record, really. I've written and blabbed at length about it to everyone already, so if you haven't heard or if it didn't click with you the first time you listened to it, please, I beg of you, give it another chance. And seriously, this has one of the best album covers of all time.

I think this video of spiders fucking to "Good Morning, Captain" is a pretty good visual aid:


And also, the Shins used this as part of their inspiration for their brilliant video for "New Slang." Squirrel Bait too! And Husker Du! And the Replacements! And the Minutemen!

Slint - Tweez

Slint – Tweez
Touch and Go, 1989
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2007
Price: $6

This is the first record, and they still haven't made the transition from Squirrel Bait to Spiderland. The noise rock elements are pumped up, and they're much more aggressive, although more toned down than Squirrel Bait. Ung, and why is it that any time it sounds like Steve Albini worked on a record he actually worked on the record. Although I love that the back cover uses the pseudonym “some fuckin derd niffer,” whatever the fuck that means. All of the songs are named after the band members parents, as dictated on the back (Ex: David Pajo, progeny of Nan Ding and Darlene, plays guitar), and it's pretty funny. At least these guys have a sense of humor, because it's a pretty serious sounding record. You know, post-hardcore. Instead of screaming they're either, well, screaming, or often they're muttering. It's much looser than Spiderland, and it sounds very much like the guys trying to figure out exactly which route to take. It's a cross between moody post-rock and well, Henry Rollins (See: “Charlotte”).

Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower

Six Organs of Admittance – School of the Flower
Drag City, 2005
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2006
Price: $7

Six Organs of Admittance's Ben Chasny is kind of like Jim O'Rourke's kid brother. Not in the sense that they have a working relationship, but in comparison to O'Rourke's acoustic guitar based records which never sacrifice his love of experimental music. Chasny tends to veer toward the folkier side of things, however. He had a track on the excellent Freak Folk genre-defining compilation, The Golden Apples of The Sun, and what he does can easily be lumped in with what Wikipedia calls “New Folk.” I kind of like that. I've been saying neo-folk for years, but New Folk seems more straightforward. And really, what's more straightforward than folk music? That is, on a base level. Mind you, he also plays in the psych-stoner-rock band Comets on Fire, so some of their dronier, spacier aspects carry over to his solo stuff. It's a little more out there than your average singer-songwriter. I should also mention that Chasny is one of the better guitarists you're going to come across these days. His fingerpicking ranges from rather traditional to avant-garde, depending on the mood of the track. “Saint Cloud,” for instance, is a gorgeous, cyclical tune that relies on the introduction of some spaced out synthesizers droning in the background and hums (or maybe chants) going along with the guitar. Actually, for the most part the guitar playing is fairly traditional (with the exception of a track or two on side two, when the electric guitar shows up and wails), but everything going on in the background is often either experimental or near-experimental. It's a gorgeous record, and none of the experimental aspects ever overshadow Chasny's guitar work. Also, when this is done I'm going to go through and figure out which record label dominates my collection, because I'd put money on it being Drag City. I've got even more Drag City stuff on the way, too. So I'd say they've got the edge.