Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Blast First bffp127cd

Allmusic:
The debut LP from Brooklyn's Liars is a churning collection of jerky punk rock, funk grooves, and computerized mayhem that oddly enough comes off quite charming. With sufficiently angular guitars, British-tinged vocals, and a truly pummeling bass presence, the group rocks with phenomenal energy and absolutely no restraint. The half-hour-long closer, "The Dust That Makes the Mud," collapses into a puzzlingly repetitive, sample-ridden hip-hop beat that ends things on a bizarre note, but the lead-up is pure rock & roll, complete with the attitude and aggression that makes for a great listen. Liars have a surprisingly unique approach that distinguishes them from other groups in their willingness to experiment with different tones, volumes, and styles, all of which make They Threw Us in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On an astounding debut. Catchy group vocals are all over the disc, and just about every chorus is instantly memorable yet still somewhat pummeling. The use of digital sounds and beats only adds to the unique properties of the record, giving it a feel somewhat akin to later Les Savy Fav records, only with a much more punk-fueled sound. Liars are something special, and when a young band puts out a record like this it is hard not to pay attention. Where they'll go from here is impossible to guess, but with a band this hyperactively creative, that seems to be the point.

Tracks
-1. "Grown Men Don't Fall in the River, Just Like That" – 3:03
-2. "Mr. Your on Fire Mr."[3][4] – 2:27
-3. "Loose Nuts on the Veladrome" – 2:19
-4. "The Garden Was Crowded and Outside" – 2:44
-5. "Tumbling Walls Buried Me in the Debris With ESG" – 4:05 (vocal cover of an ESG song)
-6. "Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend" – 3:03
-7. "We Live NE of Compton" – 3:01
-8. "Why Midnight Walked But Didn't Ring Her Bell" – 0:51
-9. "This Dust Makes That Mud" – 30:07

 sample & buy: They Threw Us All in a Trench and 

 

Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned (2004)

Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned (2004)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Mute Records

Allmusic:
Not content to be just the most challenging of the crop of groups reworking dance-punk, Liars -- now consisting of founding members Angus Andrew and Aaron Hemphill and new recruit Julian Gross -- redefine their radical aims on They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. Taking inspiration from the tape-loop experiments of This Heat and the finely chopped electronica of Matmos, the Liars also draw upon the legends surrounding Walpurgisnacht, the date in German folklore when witches fly to the Brocken mountain and perform rituals that coincide with spring's victory over winter. The result is an album that, from its witch-hunt alluding title to its songs, is a riveting exploration of the dangerously seductive power of fear. Making full use of the political potency of its metaphor, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned depicts the struggle between a village of Christians and the women they believe to be a coven of witches, alternating their sides of the story track by track. According to Walpurgisnacht legend, one of the main remedies against the night's evil spirits is noise; after sunset, the boys of the villages near the mountains make as much noise as possible to drive away the witches and demons that emerge after being trapped in the earth during the winter months. Liars take this part of the legend to heart: They Were Wrong, So We Drowned is sculpted from layers of digital and organic noise that create a suffocating sense of dread. "Broken Witch" starts the album with ominous drones and stuttering drums that eventually fall into a grinding, nearly industrial rhythm. It's a deeply unsettling song, and not just because the shouted refrain "blood, blood, blood" is one of its few immediate hooks. But as challenging as the track is, it's only Liars' opening salvo: as it unfolds, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned gets progressively darker, denser, and stranger. The first time through, its mix of crushing noise and eerie negative space is equally exhilarating and bewildering, and in many ways, the album is thoroughly disorienting: its juxtapositions of modern sounds and processes, centuries-old legends, and ageless emotions create a thought-provoking cognitive dissonance. Likewise, the album's electro-noise-prog hybrid is as much of a departure from They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top as that album's smart, angular rock was from most of the work of Liars' contemporaries. Aside from both having titles that tell stories from the viewpoints of the dead and defeated, the main similarity between They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top and They Were Wrong, So We Drowned comes from "This Dust Makes That Mud," the lengthy, lock groove-like track that closes the debut album and seems to have colored the intensity of the follow-up. The tribal drums that make up the album's pulse on the musique concrète-inspired "Read the Book That Wrote Itself" and the abrasive dance-punk of "There's Always Room on the Broom" have a lot to do with its relentless thrust, but the sounds surrounding the percussion are far from primitive. Co-producer David Sitek shows why he is a forward-thinking sound-shaper repeatedly on They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, particularly on "Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway," which pairs the prettiest melody on the album with savage guitars and more of those pagan drums. This song, along with "They Don't Want Your Corn - They Want Your Kids" and "They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives," injects dance-punk with some of the sense of danger that punk once had. By the time "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" turns from a brooding sea shanty into a desert island of chirping birds and mysterious clanking noises, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned proves itself to be more like a force of nature than a proper album. By not just defying but denying the expectations about what their music should be like, Liars have created one of the most fascinating, confrontational albums of the 2000s.

Tracks
-01. "Broken Witch" – 6:10
-02. "Steam Rose from the Lifeless Cloak" – 2:49
-03. "There's Always Room on the Broom" – 3:05
-04. "If You're a Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?" – 2:11
-05. "We Fenced Other Gardens with the Bones of Our Own" – 5:28
-06. "They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids" – 2:38
-07. "Read the Book That Wrote Itself" – 3:09
-08. "Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway" – 4:51
-09. "They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives" – 4:09
-10. "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" – 6:12

 sample & buy: They Were Wrong So We Drowned 

 

Julian Cope - The Unruly Imagination (2009)

Julian Cope - The Unruly Imagination (2009)

rock, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

HH24

This commemorative CD contains 50 minutes of music, including two songs from the unreleased E.P. DIGGERS, RANTERS, LEVELLERS, several brand new pieces especially recorded for this project, and songs from Cope’s vinyl-only 7” PREACHING REVOLUTION E.P. The CD features the same sumptuous packaging as Head Heritage’s Urthona album, replete with two poems printed on individual cards. This delightful package is a highly limited edition that will enjoy only this sole pressing.

> more info <

Tracks
-01. Preaching Revolution [7m12s]
-02. Militant Feminist Dream [3m12s]
-03. Mother, Where Is My Father? [2m34s]
-04. I Wanna Know What's In It For Me [2m20s]
-05. Fuck Me U.S.A. [2m13s]
-06. Gang Of Four (At Home He Feels Like A Tourist [4m6s]
-07. Alexei Sayle Driver Improvement Course [2m35s]
-08. Creedist Blues [3m51s]
-09. James Naylor Enters Bristol On A Donkey: 1656 [5m2s]
-10. Chairman Mao [14m4s]
-11. Spitfire Boys (British Refugee [3m19s]

buy CD on HH

Julian Cope - Black Sheep (2008)

Julian Cope - Black Sheep (2008)

rock, alternative | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 475MB

Head Heritage 23

Head Heritage:
BLACK SHEEP is Julian Cope’s new album for 2008CE, and is a musical exploration of what it is to be an outsider in modern Western Culture. Across 11 songs and one epic poem, Cope examines the idea of social outcasts and how they — through their sheer obstinacy and strength of personality — carve a path for themselves in the normal world, often changing society’s own concepts of normality in the process. On BLACK SHEEP, Cope attributes his personal descent into outsider-dom to his 9th birthday on which 116 children his own age died in the infamous Aberfan Disaster. Cope also asserts that the West has been rigorously directed towards the outsider concept, first by the rejected ‘Black Sheep’ prophet Jesus Christ, whose own people ignored his revelation, and secondly by St. Paul, another ‘Black Sheep’ whose singular take on Christianity has come down to us through the Roman Empire. Available on two half-hour-long CDs and later on gatefold double-vinyl, the 11 songs of BLACK SHEEP reveal Cope at a pinnacle of songwriting and feature sumptuous lashings of orchestral Mellotron, orchestral percussion and marching bass drums, plus oboe, wah guitar, rumbling synthesizers and gorgeous harmony vocals.

Tracks
Disc 1: Return of the Native
-1. Come The Revolution
-2. It's Too Late To Turn Back Now
-3. These Things I Know
-4. Psychedelic Odin
-5. Blood Sacrifice
-6. The Shipwreck of St. Paul
Disc 2: Return of the Alternative
-1. All The Blowing-Themselves-Up Motherfuckers (Will Realise The Minute They Die That They Were Suckers)
-2. Feed My Rock'n'Roll
-3. Dhimmi is Blue
-4. The Black Sheep's Song
-5. I Can Remember This Life

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Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide (Deluxe Edition) (1991)

Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide (Deluxe Edition) (1991)

alternative, rock | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 1050MB

Universal | rel: 2009

Allmusic:
Casting the ill-advised attempts at too-clean modern rock from his late-'80s days firmly aside and fulfilling the promise of Skellington and Droolian, Cope on Peggy Suicide produced his best album to date, overtopping even his Teardrop Explodes efforts. Showing a greater musical breadth and range than ever before, from funk to noise collage -- and more importantly, not sounding like a dilettante at any step of the way -- Cope and his now seasoned backing band, with drummer J.D. Hassinger in and De Harrison out, surge from strength to strength. Ostensibly conceived as a concept album regarding potential ecological and social collapse, Cope wisely seeks to set moods rather than create a straitjacketed story line. As a result, Peggy Suicide can be enjoyed both as an overall statement and as a collection of individual songs; its sequencing is excellent to boot, moving from song to song as if it was always meant to be that way. Cope's voice is a revelation -- for those not having heard the hard-to-find Skellington and Droolian, his conversational asides, bold but not full-of-itself singing, and equally tender, softer takes when the material demands it must have seemed like a complete turnaround from the restrained My Nation Underground cuts. He handles all the guitar as well, with Skinner concentrating on bass and keyboards; guest Michael "Moon-Eye" Watts does some fine fretbending as well, including an amazing performance on the awesome "Safesurfer," a lengthy meditation on AIDS and its consequences. Picking out only some highlights does the album as a whole a disservice, but besides offering up an instant catchy pop single, "Beautiful Love," Cope handles everything from the minimal moods of "Promised Land" and experimentation of "Western Front 1992 CE" to the frenetic "Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line" and commanding "Drive, She Said." An absolute, stone-cold rock classic, full stop.

Tracks
cd1
01. "Pristeen"
02. "Double Vegetation"
03. "East Easy Rider"
04. "Promised Land"
05. "Hanging Out & Hung Up on the Line"
06. "Safesurfer"
07. "If You Loved Me at All"
08. "Drive, She Said"
09. "Soldier Blue"
10. "You..."
11. "Not Raving But Drowning"
12. "Head"
13. "Leperskin"
14. "Beautiful Love"
15. "Western Front 1992 CE"
16. "Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry"
17. "The American Lite"
18. "Las Vegas Basement"
cd2
01. "Easty Risin (East Easy Rider Remix)"
02. "Ravebury Stones"
03. "Love L.U.V. (Beautiful Love Remix)"
04. "Dragonfly"
05. "Heed: Of Penetration And The City-Dweller"
06. "Bring Cherhill Down"
07. "Safesurfer ('91 Tour 7" Version)"
08. "If You Loved Me At All ('91 Tour 7" Version)"
09. "Butterfly E"
10. "Straw Dogs"
11. "Anyway At All"

Personnel
*Julian Cope (also credited as "DeHarrison" or "Double DeHarrison") - vocals, electric & acoustic 12-string/wah-wah guitars, bass guitar, Moog synthesizer, string arrangements
*Donald Ross Skinner - bass guitar, electric guitar, organ, Omnichord
*Michael "Moon-Eye" Watts - electric & infinite guitar
*Ron Fair - piano
*G.S. Butterworth - Moog synthesizer
*Rooster Cosby - drums, percussion, congas
*Mike Joyce - drums on "Hanging Out & Hung Up On The Line", "You..." & "Las Vegas Basement"
*J.D. Hassinger - electronic drums, tambourine
*Ronnie Ross - baritone saxophone
*Aaf Verkade - trumpet
*Dan Levett - cello
*Lulu Chivers, Edwin Vernon, Camilla Mayer - background vocals
*Hugo Nicolson - engineer

sample & buy: Peggy Suicide (deluxe edition)

Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa - Rare Beefheart, Vintage Zappa (released 1991)

Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa - Rare Beefheart_Vintage Zappa (released 1991)

rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 190MB

DCD5217

Allmusic:
Frank's half of this disc has six rare sides that he had a hand in for the Del-Fi label during the early '60s. These crude but adventurous productions clearly point toward The Mothers with their skilled R&B and doo-wop chops that walk the line between affection and parody, and inventive montage of sound effects on the bizarre Dracula novelty single "Dear Jeepers"/"Letter From Jeepers." Disappointingly, it isn't taken from the master tapes, but the singles themselves, although the surface noise is minor. Five rarities from fellow Southern California mad genius Captain Beefheart (alternate takes from his Strictly Personal album) fill out the disc; these are also available on a more complete CD of Strictly Personal outtakes on the British Sequel label, and it's too bad they couldn't have just fit everything from that collection, as there's plenty of room.

Tracks
-01. Beatle Bones & Smokin Stones Pt. 1 0'35
-02. Beatle Bones & Smokin Stones Pt. 2 2'35
-03. Trust Us (take 9) 7'20
-04. Gimme Dat Harp Boy 3'25
-05. Moody Liz (take 8) 4'31
-06. How's Your Bird? 2'10
-07. The World's Greatest Sinner 2'25
-08. Everytime I See You 2'29
-09. Dear Jeepers 2'26
-10. Letter From Jeepers 2'20
-11. Cradle Rock 2'52
Tracks 1-5 licensed from Kama Sutra Music Inc. and tracks 6-11 licensed from Del-Fi Records. (p)&(c)1991 Disky Communications B.V. Marketed and distributed in the Benelux by Disky Communications B.V.Hoorn. Cover Design: Van Dijken Enschede. From Pop Almanac Records of Holland(?)

Julian Cope - Jehovahkill (Deluxe Edition) (1992) (eac-log-cover)

Julian Cope - Jehovahkill (Deluxe Edition) (1992)

alternative, rock | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 1080MB

Universal | rel: 2009

-> bio & more info <-
Allmusic:
Moving into what he later described as the second part of a trilogy of albums, Jehovahkill sees Julian Cope's focus shift from environmental collapse to raging against the destructiveness of mainstream religion and an attendant celebration of earlier, heathen impulses. The artwork and design draw this out further, with Cope providing commentary on a number of ancient megalithic temples and sites, along with attendant poetry. As with Peggy Suicide, though, the music is what is first and foremost, and following that earlier album's success Cope was on a roll. With only Skinner and Cosby making up the core band this time out, plus a variety of guest performers and snippets (including cult musician/astronomer Dr. Fiorella Terenzi on the crazed Krautrock/funk of "Poet Is Priest..."), Cope turned in another 70-minute-long effort. If Jehovahkill isn't quite as perfectly balanced as Peggy Suicide, it comes darn close, definitely leaving the late-'80s trough behind. "Soul Desert," the opening number, actually almost picks up where Peggy Suicide left off, with "Las Vegas Basement," with the same low-key late-night vibe. Cope's voice is again at full strength, whether gently singing or just going all out; here he's able to do both as the song amps up further about halfway through. From there Jehovahkill move through three phases, much like Peggy Suicide was divided into four. The overall tone of the record is looser than Peggy, with Cope's various celebrations and condemnations often sounding like they were captured on a first-time run-through. He definitely sounds like he's more performing intense rituals instead of songs, as on the powerful, building intensity of "Up-Wards at 45 Degrees" and the awesome "The Tower." Combined with everything from the rural blues-goes-drone rock of "The Mystery Trend" and the combined Neu!/Stooges tribute "The Subtle Energies Commission" to the amusing "Julian H. Cope," it adds up to another fine Cope album.
--
A special deluxe edition of Julian Cope's most controversial and forward looking album, "Jehovahkill". The deluxe edition comprises two discs, the original "Jehovahkill" plus a 14 track second disc including eight previously unreleased recordings from the album sessions. Among these is a 22-minute version of "Poet is Priest", which, to borrow from Dave Cavanagh's original review in Select Magazine is "Further Out Than Even the Shipping Forecasts Are Prepared to Go." The remaining six tracks on the second disc comprise the "Jehovahkill Companion" originally released as part of a two cd format that made up "Jehovahkill"'s only single "Fear Loves this Place", a catchy little anti-christian pop ballad.

Tracks cd1:
Phase 1
-01. "Soul Desert" - 3:53
-02. "No Hard Shoulder to Cry On" - 2:44
-03. "Akhenaten" - 2:52
-04. "The Mystery Trend" - 4:17
-05. "Up-Wards at 45°" - 5:46
-06. "Know (Cut My Friend Down)" - 3:19
Phase 2
-07. "Necropolis" - 4:40
-08. "Slow Rider" - 2:18
-09. "Gimme Back My Flag" (Cope, Donald Ross Skinner) - 5:33
-10. "Poet Is Priest..." (Cope, Donald Ross Skinner) - 6:23
-11. "Julian H. Cope" - 2:49
Phase 3
-12. "The Subtle Energies Commission" - 7:49
-13. "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fine" - 2:25
-14. "Fear Loves This Place" - 4:16
-15. "The Tower" - 10:23
-16. "Peggy Suicide Is Missing" - 0:42

cd2
Phase 4
-01. "Nothing" - 2:01
-02. "I Have Always Been Here Before" - 4:35
-03. "This Is My Kin" - 4:16
-04. "Michael Rother" - 4:36
-05. "Gogmagog" - 2:45
-06. "Gone" - 4:56
Phase 5
-07. "Vivien" - 2:57
-08. "You Gotta Show" - 4:38
-09. "Sqwubbsy The Olmec" - 1:44
-10. "Sizewell B" - 4:40
-11. "Paleface" - 4:56
-12. "Free" - 5:00
Phase 6
-13. "Poet Is Priest" - 21:23
-14. "Starry Eyes" - 7:11
All tracks composed by Julian Cope; except where indicated

Personnel:
Julian Cope - vocals, wah wah guitar, bass
* Donald Ross Skinner - guitar, bass
* Rooster Cosby - guitar, drums, saxophone
* Hugoth Nicolson - synthesizer, mixer
* James Dowdall - Executive Producer

sample & buy: Jehovahkill

Residents - Hunters (1995) (eac-log-cover)

Residents - Hunters (1995)

rock, avantgarde, soundtrack | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

Milan

Amazon:
This is the soundtrack of music for Animal Planet created by our eyeball buddies. It's about time commercial programs besides Pee Wee's Playhouse discovers and utilizes the unlimited talent posessed by our mysterious musicians!
Listen to this album with your eyes closed and let your mind wander. Discover in your own head scenarios of Hunters-Hunted that the music evokes in you.
Progarchives:
This surely makes for an interesting combination! I really wasn't sure what you would get when you combine an excellent avant-garde band with the Discovery Channel, but the results are pretty good. Apparently, this album was recorded by the Residents for a Discovery Channel documentary of some sort. I haven't actually seen the program, but I'm sure that this music would most definitely compliment it.
The Residents do a fantastic job incorporating tribal tones with their already established avant-garde way of doing things. The tracks all flow together very nicely, as the album itself is very thematic. This album is also the most accessible Residents' album I have heard so far. There are no out-there weird vocals (actually no vocals at all!!!) or aspects of bizarre compistion and structure. The album is altogether very tame and fits along well with "jungle" themes and ideas.
This isn't a Residents album to start out with, but every fan should look into checking this album out. The final product is actually much better than you would think. Although I like this album, I think it's for Residents' fans only, so I have to award it two stars, but like I said, anyone interested, should check this album out.

Tracks:
-01. Hunters Prelude (0:49)
-02. The Deadly Game (4:47)
-03. Tooth and Claw (5:12)
-04. The Dangerous Sea (4:49)
-05. Rulers of the Deap (5:06)
-06. Track of the Cat (5:16)
-07. The Giant Grizzlies (6:27)
-08. Dawn of the Dragons (5:50)
-09. Eye of the Serpent (6:49)
-10. The Crawling Kingdom (6:30)
-11. The Savage Pacl (6:28)
-12. Hunters Reprise (1:02)

sample & buy: Hunters

Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (2003) (eac-log-cover)

Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (2003)
indie, alternative, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 380MB

Matador OLE 548-2

AMG:
Three years after 2000's brilliant And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, Yo La Tengo returns with Summer Sun, an album that's as settled and smooth as the previous one was inventive and eclectic. Musically, Summer Sun continues the band's progression away from intricate, guitar-based pop both loud and soft and toward an arguably more sophisticated sound. This move resulted in masterpieces like I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, which balanced their roots and their ambitions perfectly; on Summer Sun, it feels a little bit like a retreat. This time around, the post-rock, Krautrock, and jazz influences the band introduced on I Can Hear the Heart and perfected on And Then Nothing dominate Summer Sun, giving it a hushed, polished feel. Sometimes, this approach works, as on the lovely opener "Beach Party Tonight," which sounds appropriately warm and full of possibilities, and "Tiny Birds," a droning, spiralling track that sounds a bit like a fusion of post-rock and Pet Sounds. However, the fusion-inspired instrumental "Georga Vs. Yo La Tengo" and the jammy, ten-minute "Let's Be Still" veer dangerously close to noodling and bloat the album's length to over an hour; unfortunately, there's not quite an hour's worth of interesting music here. Much of this is due to Summer Sun's arrangements and productions: tracks like "How to Make a Baby Elephant Float" and "Don't Have to Be So Sad" are based on lighter-than-air guitars, drums, and synths and topped with whispery vocals. Individually, their understated prettiness works well, but collectively, they're slightly too understated for their own good. When the band does get a little livelier, they deliver some memorable moments, such as the percolating "Little Eyes"; the cute, poppy "The Season of the Shark"; and "Today Is the Day," a Georgia Hubley song that's nearly as gorgeous as "Shadows" or "Nowhere Near." A little more variety in volume and tempo could've made this album great instead of pretty good; for the first time in years, Yo La Tengo doesn't break out the feedback and distortion anywhere on an album. Summer Sun is so mellow and pretty that it feels uncharitable to call it one of their weakest albums in recent memory; many bands would kill to make music this accomplished. But, even though Yo La Tengo can still run circles around other groups even when they're running in place, compared to their best work Summer Sun is merely pleasant.

Tracks:
-01. "Beach Party Tonight" — 3:06
-02. "Little Eyes" — 4:18
-03. "Nothing But You and Me" — 5:13
-04. "Season of the Shark" — 4:27
-05. "Today Is the Day" — 5:33
-06. "Tiny Birds" — 5:07
-07. "How to Make a Baby Elephant Float" — 3:29
-08. "Georgia vs. Yo La Tengo" — 3:56
-09. "Don't Have to Be So Sad" — 5:53
-10. "Winter A-Go-Go" — 3:21
-11. "Moonrock Mambo" — 4:49
-12. "Let's Be Still" — 10:22
-13. "Take Care" — 2:32 (Big Star cover)

Sample & buy: Summer Sun

Residents - Gingerbread Man (1994) (eac-log-cover)

Residents - Gingerbread Man (1994)

rock, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

ESD

AMG:
The marriage of music and CD-ROM technology will never be fully consummated until developers, artists, and record companies collectively seek to create (and consumers begin to demand) a new kind of content, one native to the medium, rather than simply slapping pre-existing video, photos and other artifacts into a game-like environment. With Gingerbread Man, San Francisco's notorious, experimental music combo The Residents demonstrate one radical extreme of the artistic/technological spectrum. After wetting their feet last year with the decidedly uncentered Freak Show -- not a game, nor a music title, but a multimedia universe all unto itself -- the group now applies the knowledge gained to one of its own music projects. On an audio CD player, Gingerbread Man offers ten odd, thematically linked musical vignettes by the anonymous group, totaling some 37 minutes. But the real mind-expanding experience comes from plugging this doughboy into your computer's CD-ROM drive. In a manner similar to Ebeneezer Scrooge's final, speechless phantom guide in A Christmas Carol, the program's "gingerbread man" character escorts you through the cortexes of nine hapless protagonists, ranging from "The Dying Oilman" and "The Confused Transexual" to "The Sold Out Artist" and "The Aging Musician." These lost souls are trapped on some inner voyage of the damned and, as you explore, you are given various cryptic visual and soundbite clues to their past that (may or may not) serve to explain their current torment. The disc's haunting, repetitive theme music echoes throughout the scenarios whenever the grim gingerbread man appears encrusted with hieroglyphs, a baked-goods-from-hell roaming the computer screen on a relentless treadmill, the audiovisual representation of the numbing futility that life can sometimes represent. This somewhat unnerving, disturbing experience is not the thing to spend a lot of time with alone late at night (if you want to get any sleep afterwards) or if you already border on manic depressive. Visitors can access Gingerbread Man in leisure mode, which allows the passive viewing of a predetermined multimedia track that accompanies the songs in sequence. An extra dimension of surreality is added by going "interactive," where every mouse or keyboard click generates seemingly random, unpredictable results. In fact, Gingerbread Man never seems to play exactly the same way twice. One fault here, of the variety that movie critics often point out, is the lack of sympathetic characters. Each is pathetic and/or revolting, which doesn't exactly draw you enthusiastically back to enjoy their company. Such facile concessions are not to be expected from The Residents, however, and none are offered. Gingerbread Man is not the sort of title that will bring music CD-ROMs to the masses -- that was never its intent -- but it certainly stands to develop a strong cult following.

Tracks:
-01. The Weaver: The fool and the death-maker die alone
-02. The Dying Oilman: Blinded by the hostages of fortune
-03. The Confused Transsexual: Stamen and pistillate together again
-04. The Sold-Out Artist: Black are the legs inside the white sepulchre
-05. The Ascetic: Shadows doubt the strength of the sun
-06. The Old Soldier: Safety sells, but war always wins
-07. The Aging Musician: Narcissus knows no one naked
-08. The Butcher: The flesh of animals angers anew… and moos
-09. The Old Woman: Kissless are the isolated, rootless are their tongues
-10. Ginger's Lament

sample & buy: Gingerbread Man

rc

Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State (2003)

Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State (2003)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 405MB

Sounds Familyre

AMG:
Sufjan Stevens's third album is a charming homage to his home state of Michigan. Filled with heartbreak, the album cryptically addresses Stevens' frustration with the notorious job market in the city of Flint in a lovely ballad that opens the record, and documents the depressing struggle the city of Detroit has fought to once again attain the elegance it had prior to the riots in the late '60s; however, it also touches on a brighter side, as in the cascading "Say Yes! to M!ch!gan!" Its title is a reference to the campaign adopted by the state in the 1980s and serves as the centerpiece as well as Stevens' attachment and amour for the state he is from. Musically, Stevens often plays his Jim O'Rourke and Stereolab cards, riffing along with complex polyphony in building loops and dynamics, but he also frequently imports lightly strummed guitars and stark banjo picking to break up the album and give it a rustic northern folk aesthetic. Stevens comfortably handles nearly every instrument on the album -- an impressive task that includes various keyboards, woodwinds, guitars, and percussions -- but also enlisted the help of Megan, Elin, and Daniel Smith from the Danielson Famile to help out with vocal duties, and the outcome is a haunting and hypnotic studio opus certainly worth getting lost in.

Tracks:
All songs written and composed by Sufjan Stevens.
-01. "Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)" 3:43
-02. "All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!" 4:33
-03. "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" 3:57
-04. "Say Yes! to M!ch!gan!" 2:45
-05. "The Upper Peninsula" 3:23
-06. "Tahquamenon Falls" 2:18
-07. "Holland" 3:26
-08. "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" 8:20
-09. "Romulus" 4:41
-10. "Alanson, Crooked River" 1:18
-11. "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie" 2:52
-12. "They Also Mourn Who Do Not Wear Black (For the Homeless in Muskegon)" 6:21
-13. "Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)" 9:23
-14. "Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)" 2:02
-15. "Vito's Ordination Song" 7:06

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Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997) (eac-log-cover)

Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997)

indie, alternative, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 430MB

Matador OLE 222-2 

AMG:
Functioning as a virtual catalog of mid-'90s indie rock trends, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One is an astonishing tour de force from Yo La Tengo, establishing their deep talents as songwriters and musicians. Although the album may run a little long for some tastes, there are very few throwaways on the record — even the shoegazer cover of the Beach Boys' "Little Honda" is a revelatory gem. But what truly impresses is the way the songs, ranging from hypnotically droning instrumentals to tightly written and catchy pop songs, hold together to form what is arguably Yo La Tengo's finest and most coherent album to date.

Tracks:
-01. "Return to Hot Chicken" – 1:38
-02. "Moby Octopad" – 5:48
-03. "Sugarcube" – 3:21
-04. "Damage" – 4:39
-05. "Deeper into Movies" – 5:23
-06. "Shadows" – 2:27
-07. "Stockholm Syndrome" – 2:51
-08. "Autumn Sweater" – 5:18
-09. "Little Honda" – 3:07
-10. "Green Arrow" – 5:43
-11. "One PM Again" – 2:25
-12. "The Lie and How We Told It" – 3:19
-13. "Center of Gravity" – 2:42
-14. "Spec Bebop" – 10:40
-15. "We're an American Band" – 6:25
-16. "My Little Corner of the World" – 2:24

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Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000) (eac-log-cover)

Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)

alternative, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 490MB

Matador | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
After years as one of indie rock's standard-bearing groups, Yo La Tengo surpasses itself with And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. A culturally literate, emotionally rich album, on songs like "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House," "The Crying of Lot G," and "The Last Days of Disco," it alludes to The Simpsons, enigmatic author Thomas Pynchon and independent films while exploring the comforting, confining, complex aspects of relationships. "Our Way to Fall" sets Ira Kaplan's recollection of falling in love to a dreamy, down-to-earth backdrop of gently brushed drums, luminous organs and vibes; "The Crying of Lot G" transforms the syrupy sweetness of '50s ballads into a monologue about a relationship's shortcomings. "Madeline"'s shimmery indie bossa-nova and the countrified ballad "Tears Are in Your Eyes" showcase Georgia Hubley's buttery, empathetic voice; her singing makes these vignettes universal as well as personal. Like mature indie rock records such as Pavement's Terror Twilight and Jim O'Rourke's Eureka, And Then Nothing... favors mellow songwriting, detailed arrangements, and eclectic influences, such as the Silver Apples-like drum machines and doo wop backing vocals that adorn many of the songs. The wintry, implosive "Everyday" uses both of these elements, along with a plaintive guitar and hushed, hypnotic vocals, to begin the album on a surprisingly somber note. Similarly, the off-kilter beats, odd piano bursts, and harmonies on "Saturday" add to the song's awkward, uneasy beauty. Finally, nine songs into the album, Yo La Tengo breaks out the whammy and feedback action on "Cherry Chapstick," their most incandescent song since "Sugarcube." Easily one of 2000's most accomplished albums, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out isn't as immediate as some of the group's earlier work, but it's just as enduring, proving that Yo La Tengo is the perfect band to grow old with.

Tracks:
-01. "Everyday" – 6:31
-02. "Our Way to Fall" – 4:18
-03. "Saturday" – 4:18
-04. "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" – 4:59
-05. "Last Days of Disco" – 6:28
-06. "The Crying of Lot G" – 4:44
-07. "You Can Have It All" – 4:36
-08. "Tears Are in Your Eyes" – 4:35
-09. "Cherry Chapstick" – 6:11
-10. "From Black to Blue" – 4:47
-11. "Madeline" – 3:36
-12. "Tired Hippo" – 4:45
-13. "Night Falls on Hoboken" – 17:42

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Pere Ubu - St. Arkansas (2002) (eac-log-cover)

Pere Ubu - St. Arkansas (2002)

rock, alternative, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

Glitterhouse Records  | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
No band has sustained as much alt-credibility as long as Pere Ubu. While St. Arkansas doesn't divert from the paths the bandmembers have already traveled, it's worth remembering that these guys started this trip 27 years prior to this album, and noting as well that their lyrical and musical creativity is undiminished by time. Recorded dry, with a boxlike ambience, David Thomas's vocals gnarl like a weed, repulsive yet irresistible, in a garden of broken glass. While the band scatters shards of pointed sound around him, Thomas tells cryptic, twisted tales; on "Slow Walking Daddy" his strangled bleat transplants a Willy Loman character into shadows of vague but looming doom. For the song "Hell" he switches to a smoky mumble and reflects, with odd detachment, on finding himself in perdition -- a place depicted musically by a muffled, lurching drum motif, some keyboard wheezes, and a distant out of tune piano. The closing track, "Dark," wraps up the theme of the album -- tragic self-delusion in a world filled with indifference; Thomas' delivery of the key line, a hopeless mantra to "AM radio," is a masterful bit of expression. On each track he presents himself as more of an actor or a performance artist than a singer, an assumption of identity that would challenge almost any band's approach to accompaniment. In this sense, as well as in his poetic integrity and superb connection to his musicians, and in the dark majesty of his declamation, Thomas casts a dangerous spell with St. Arkansas and reaffirms his stature as a peer of Tom Waits.

Tracks:
01 - The Fevered Dream of Hernando DeSoto
02 - Slow Walking Daddy
03 - Michele
04 - 333
05 - Hell
06 - Lisbon
07 - Steve
08 - Phone Home Jonah
09 - Where's the truth
10 - Dark

Personnel:
David Thomas - vocals
Tom Herman - guitar, organ, backing vocals
Robert Wheeler - EML synthesizer, theremin, piano
Michele Temple - bass, piano, organ
Steve Mehlman - drums, organ
with Jim Jones - organ, guitar

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Jose Gonzalez - Veneer (2003) (eac-flac-cover)

José González - Veneer (2003)

alternative, indie, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 160MB

Peacefrog | RAR +5% recovery

AMG:
Don't let the name fool you; singer/songwriter José González is a Swedish-born and -raised son of Argentine parents. His debut album, Veneer, is a striking collection of hushed and autumnal indie pop bedroom songs that reside on the hi-fi end of the lo-fi spectrum. González is definitely a member of the "quiet is the new loud" school as founded by Elliott Smith and the Kings of Convenience. Veneer is about as intimate as they come; it sounds like he is sitting right on the end of your bed singing just for you. At times, González is a little more forceful than most of his schoolmates, often working himself into a tightly spinning ball of emotion (as on the driving "Lovestain" and the bluesy "Hints"). At these moments his voice is reminiscent of Mark Kozelek, only without the wild flights of pretension. Mostly though, he is content to cruise along on mellow vocals double-tracked behind gently plucked and strummed acoustic guitars. The beautiful "Heartbeats," "Deadweight on Velveteen," and the gently rollicking "Stay in the Shade" are the high watermarks of a remarkably focused and promising debut. González is a welcome addition to the q-school of indie pop.

Tracks:
1. "Slow Moves" – 2:52
2. "Remain" – 3:45
3. "Lovestain" – 2:18
4. "Heartbeats" (The Knife) – 2:40
5. "Crosses" – 2:43
6. "Deadweight on Velveteen" – 3:27
7. "All You Deliver" – 2:20
8. "Stay in the Shade" – 2:23
9. "Hints" – 3:52
10. "Save Your Day" – 2:30
11. "Broken Arrows" – 1:58

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Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (2007) (eac-flac-cover)

José González - In Our Nature (2007)

alternative, indie, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 215MB

Mute Imperial | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
José González earned himself a lot of fans with his first album, Veneer. Songs from it were placed in TV shows and featured in ads, he appeared on Top of the Pops and played festivals, and became a sought-after guest vocalist for electronic artists (Zero 7, Savath & Savalas, Plan B). His intimate, tender sound featuring just his voice and a skillfully played acoustic guitar struck a chord all around the world. The long lag between the recording of Veneer (which was originally released in Sweden during 2003 and only widely available in 2005) and the release of the follow-up, 2007's In Our Nature, might lead fans to think that time might bring about a change in González's sound. Those fears prove to be groundless. Despite teasing some changes with a fuller, more arranged sound featuring a backing band on the 2006 EP Stay in the Shade, In Our Nature is a near sonic clone of Veneer, right down to the cover of a classic electronica track (this time it's Massive Attack's "Teardrops"). This is great news for people looking for more of the same quiet, stark, but beautiful songs and performances, but if you were looking for some kind of change or progression, you're out of luck unless you listen quite intently and get past the smooth surface. What you'll find are more political lyrics (like on the opening "How Low," which shoots verbal daggers at war-mongering world leaders), more passionate vocals, some more forceful guitar playing, and a general sense of urgency and unease bubbling underneath the prettiness. It may take a few listens before the record reveals itself as a relative cauldron of restrained emotion, but it's worth the effort. Or you could choose to let the moody songs and melancholy atmosphere relax and sooth you. Either way the record is sure to please the fans who latched on to Veneer.

Tracks:
1. How Low
2. Down the Line
3. Killing For Love
4. In Our Nature
5. Teardrop
6. Abram
7. Time to Send Someone Away
8. Nest, The
9. Fold
10. Cycling Trivialities

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Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols (2008) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols (2008)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 475MB

BTW | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
On ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols..., Courtney Taylor and company do indeed seem to be a little more down to earth than they were on the very uneven Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars, debuting their own label with a much more consistent collection of songs. That's "consistent" in terms of quality -- the Dandy Warhols always seem the most comfortable when they're hopping from sound to sound, mood to mood, instead of sticking with just one approach for an entire album. If their eclecticism can be considered a signature Warhols sound, then ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... has it; it often feels like an update on Thirteen Tales from Modern Bohemia. The band roams from driving, psychedelic rock on the opening track, "The World the People Together (Come On)" -- which, with its trippy strumming and lyrics like "The love that you give is exactly the love that you take," sounds like a '60s love-in shot into space -- to "Mission Control"'s blobby synth rock to "Beast of All Saints," a massive, empty-hearted ballad that shoots past the band's own "Godless" to rival Spiritualized's interstellar brooding. The band even does its best impression of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" on "Welcome to the Third World," although Taylor's borderline-obnoxious vocals and attitude undermine some of the song's cool. Attitude also reigns on the stylishly tongue-in-cheek "Talk Radio" and more flamboyantly on "The Legend of the Last of the Outlaw Truckers aka the Ballad of Sheriff Shorty," a psychobilly-tinged rocker embellished with strings and gunfire. However, the camp factor is surprisingly low on most of ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols..., as is the number of songs about frenemies and drugs. The band focuses on love, rather than friendships, gone wrong on the deconstructed chamber pop of "And Then I Dreamt of Yes" and "Now You Love Me"'s minor-key brooding and bragging. Toward the album's end, however, the band's restraint unravels, with mixed results: "Mis Amigos," which is as much about hanging out with friends as it is about pot, is a gleeful, red-eyed fiesta; "Valerie Yum" starts out as stomping pop, then falls into an aptly slowed down, spoken word section before revving up again; and the final track, "Musee d' Nougat," a 15-minute trawl through French-accented vocals and formless synth drones, seems to be where the Dandy Warhols put most of their annoying ticks on this album. Before that song, though, ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... finds the band breaking some new ground with "Love Song," a bit of futuristic Americana with intricate fingerpicked guitars and banjos buffeted by keyboards, and "Wasp in the Lotus," an electro-psych epic swathed in massive feedback squalls. The best moments of ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... rival the Dandys' finest work, and despite some weak spots, it's a giant leap in the right direction.

Tracks:
01 - The World The People Together (Come On
02 - Mission Control
03 - Welcome To The Third World
04 - Wasp In The Lotus
05 - And Then I Dreamt Of Yes
06 - Talk Radio
07 - Love Song
08 - Now You Love Me
09 - Mis Amigos
10 - The Legend Of The Last Of The Outlaw Truckers aka The Ballad Of Sheriff Shorty
11 - Beast Of All Saints
12 - Valerie Yum
13 - Musee D'Nougat

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Dandy Warhols - The Black Album / Come On Feel The DW (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - The Black Album / Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols

alternative, indie | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 820MB

Dandy Warhol Music | rar +5% recovery

Wikipedia:
The Black Album was originally recorded in 1996 by The Dandy Warhols as a follow up to their debut album, Dandys Rule, OK?, but was rejected by the band's label Capitol Records. The songs "Good Morning", "Minnesoter" and "Boys" (as "Boys Better") were later rerecorded and appeared on the …The Dandy Warhols Come Down album.
After many years of being traded by fans, the album was officially released by the band on their own Beat the World Records label in 2004, available exclusively from their official website, as part one of a two disc set along with the B-sides compilation Come on Feel the Dandy Warhols.
The name of the album is a reference to the Beatles' album "The Beatles" which is more widely known as The White Album. Taylor-Taylor has said in many interviews that he is a big Beatles fan.

disc 1: The Black Album (47:10)
1. Appreggio Adaggio
2. Crack Cocaine Rager
3. Good Morning
4. Head
5. White Gold
6. Boys
7. Shiny Leather Boots
8. Earth To The Dandy Warhols
9. Minnesoter
10. Twist
11. The Wreck

disc 2: Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols (72:47)
1. Not If You Were The Last Junkie In Tony's Basement
2. Retarded
3. Free For All (Ted Nugent)
4. Dub Song
5. Call Me (Blondie)
6. Relax (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
7. Head
8. Thanks For The Show
9. Lance
10. Ohio (Neil Young)
11. One Saved Message
12. Hell's Bells (AC/DC)
13. The Jean Genie (David Bowie)
14. Stars
15. Dick
16. One Ultra Lame White Boy
17. We Love You Dick
18. The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot)

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Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 445MB

Capitol/EMI | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Although Dig! covered the symbiotic, love-hate relationship between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre more than thoroughly enough, more proof that the Dandies still want to be taken as seriously as the Massacre's misunderstood genius Anton Newcombe arrives with Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, an album that's half-inspired, half-embarrassing, and completely self-indulgent. As if the title weren't enough warning, Odditorium's opening track, "Colder Than the Coldest Winter Was Cold" -- in which A&E announcer/journalist Bill Kurtis explains how the Dandy Warhols invented rock & roll "after the great war" -- gets things off to a strange start. Unfortunately, in this case strange doesn't mean interesting or good. Odditorium is bookended by two of the most meandering, pointless tracks the band has ever recorded. "Love Is the New Feel Awful" is merely a song that could've been good if it weren't bloated with several minutes' worth of fruitless noodling. It's the closer, "A Loan Tonight," with its irritating, oddly strangled vocals, clunky keyboards, and listless guitars that go on and on for nearly 12 minutes, that is so infuriatingly bad you wish you could somehow un-hear it, and maybe the rest of the album while you're at it. Which is a shame, because the middle stretch of Odditorium has more than a few tracks that rank with the band's best work. "Down Like Disco" and "All the Money or Is It the Simple Honey" show off their skills as a smart, satirical pop group, while moody, hungover ballads like "Holding Me Up" and "Everyone Is Totally Insane" make emptiness seem profound. Meanwhile, "Easy," a slinky, hypnotic track that builds on a simple groove, and "There Is Only This Time," a spacious meditation with close harmonies and brass flourishes, balance the Dandies' pop and experimental leanings far better than anywhere else on the album. Taken as a whole, Odditorium is scattered and half-baked (in more ways than one), but its best moments are ripe for adding to play lists and mixtapes. Something this indulgent could only be a labor of love, but even die-hard Dandy Warhols fans might find embracing this album to be too much work.

Tracks:
01 - Colder Than The Coldest Winter Was Cold
02 - Love Is The New Feel Awful
03 - Easy
04 - All The Money Or The Simple Life Honey
05 - The New Country
06 - Holding Me Up
07 - Did You Make A Song With Otis
08 - Everyone Is Totally Insane
09 - Smoke It
10 - Down Like Disco
11 - There is Only This Time
12 - A Loon Tonight

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Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House (enhancedCD) (2003) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols  - Welcome to the Monkey House (enhancedCD) (2003)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 425MB

Capitol | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Over the course of their career, the Dandy Warhols alternated between slick, smart, slightly smirky pop singles like "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" and "Bohemian Like You" and the ambitious yet somehow empty-sounding tracks that made up the rest of their albums. With their fifth album, Welcome to the Monkey House, the band capitalizes on their pop sensibilities and even manages to turn their prior weaknesses into strengths, resulting in a collection of gloriously blank, cleverly stupid neo-new wave songs. It's true that, once again, the Dandy Warhols look to other people's music for direction, but this time around, the new wave and synth-pop revivals that inform the album sound so natural that it's hard to imagine the band in any other incarnation. Welcome to the Monkey House's glossy mix of synths, guitars, and drum machines -- aided and abetted by co-producer Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran -- are the perfect complement to Courtney Taylor's knowing, flip outlook. The album gets off to a strong start with sharply crafted songs like "We Used to Be Friends" -- which feels a little bit like a follow-up to Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia's "Bohemian Like You" -- and "I Am Over It," a slice of electronic pop that's delivered in appropriately blasé, mechanical fashion. Not surprisingly, most of the album's best songs revolve around emptiness, drugs, and narcissism, such as "The Dope," an electro-inspired number that could give Fischerspooner a run for its money when it comes to jittery, vocodered trendiness. "I Am a Scientist" is the album's trashy zenith; a hybrid of sleazy beats, breathy samples and a rather nihilistic celebration of science's lack of emotion (not to mention its contributions to recreational chemistry). "You Were the Last High," however, confuses drugs and girls in an unusually bittersweet way. Some shades of paranoia and existential crisis creep into the album from time to time, more playfully on "Plan A" and more seriously on the brooding "Insincere Because I," giving a what-goes-up-must-come-down balance to party-hard odes such as "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone" and "Hit Rock Bottom." Like any party, things start to fall flat toward the end of Welcome to the Monkey House; "Heavenly," "I Am Sound" -- an "Ashes to Ashes" homage -- and "You Come in Burned" provide a sluggish comedown to the rest of the album's go-go pace, although they're not as distinctive as what came before them. Ultimately, in general and on this album, the Dandy Warhols work best when they don't try to inject weighty matters like meaning and substance into their jaded pop confectionery. Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia might still be the band's most accomplished album, but by embracing their emptiness and stylishness on Welcome to the Monkey House, they've crafted an album that is no less enjoyable because of its disposability.

Tracks:
1. "Welcome to the Monkey House" – 1:04
2. "We Used to Be Friends" – 3:20
3. "Plan A" – 4:01
4. "The Dope (Wonderful You)" – 4:37
5. "I Am a Scientist" (Taylor-Taylor/Bowie) – 3:13
6. "I Am Over It" – 3:50
7. "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone" – 1:54
8. "Insincere Because I" – 3:49
9. "You Were the Last High" (Taylor-Taylor/Dando) – 4:46
10. "Heavenly" – 3:36
11. "I Am Sound" – 4:00
12. "Hit Rock Bottom" – 2:53
13. "You Come In Burned" – 7:24
"I Am a Scientist" contains a sample of "Fashion" by David Bowie.

Enhanced CD Content
The enhanced CD contained the short film "The End of the Old as We Know It," written and directed by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, and a link to The Odditorium, a (no longer active) website "where fans can see band web casts, play games, and download exclusive music and mayhem."

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