Customer Reviews

Better Can't Make Your Life Better

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Lilys burst onto the indie music scene in the early 1990s as classic shoegazers hiding behind walls of guitar chords and muddled lyrics.

As the decade rolled on, the Lilys traded their keds in for paisley shirts as they went in the direction of mid-60s psych/mod/pop, fashioning their tunes (at least on this record) right out of the Beatles' Rubber Soul days ("Cambridge California"), a 1967 Kinks single ("Who Is Moving"), or modern-day Elephant 6 band (Hear the Apples In Stereo in the CD's title track).

Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the band that they no longer have to hide their vocals and blur (pun intended here) all the catchy guitar riffs that are part of cool 60s-esque pop into another shoegazer anthem.

Better production would have made this disc a stellar record with no weak songs. Still, the positives far outweight the negatives, and I play this disc quite a bit.

Consistent with the other reviews, I believe this is one of the best albums in my collection. The songs are catchy--a lot of nice hooks and melodius vocals--but complicated, giving them a long shelf life. I wouldn't say, however, that it is straight out of the 60s, but more a postmodern mix of 60s psychadelia with 90s math/prog rock. Very few bands in the 60s could write songs with such maturity.

Here's another hearty endorsement of said CD. Mssr. Heasley & Co. tap the same pop vein that the Brothers Davies, Arthur Lee, and others have mined in the 60's. Yet, instead of sounding like a paint-by-numbers re-take of Kinks, Love, the Who, etc., Lilys manage to crank out some divinely f**ked pop gems that seem to come from a psychotic blender. Bravo!!!

Very impressive record. The second song amazes me every time I hear it. As the other reviews note, very much a hybrid of the 60's sound. This guy pulls it off unbelievably. I can't say enough for this album. This blows away OTC's new album "Animation music". Pop heaven

Intelligent, brilliant, sensitive, smart,technically perfect, great voice and singing, creative and cultivated!anachronistic and out of any trend, yet knowing very well which years they are talking about.To listen without moderation.

this album captures what was good about songs in the sixties, but the magic is that it works as well now as it did 30 years ago. Lilys will be the next big thing so you can get it first or wait until its trendy.

YES it's got an odd mix. YES the arrangements are bent, with cool meoldies skittering off into never-never land before the song's half-done. YES sometimes the vocals are sometimes a bit low (in someone else's opinion - they're spot-on for me.) YES the guitars are bright (and I do mean brilliant - as in smart, intelligent, etc.) and as you can see YES is the operative word here. Really one of the best pop rock albums ever created. Who cares if it sounds like the Kinks or the Beatles or whatever from time to time? The main point is that it always sounds like the Lilys. Period. I listen to this as often as any of my favorite records and then some.

Do you like the Monkees? The Beatles? The Kinks? How about kick drums, tambourines, la-la's, woo-hoo's, organ swirls, vintage-guitar riffs, cartoon harmonies, peeping-tom lyrics, and general strangeness? This album has it all. Find me a better pop song than "Who is Moving." You can't. It's a trick challenge. Buy this album dummy. What else are you gonna spend it on? Tortoise? Shellac? Sonic Youth? Better Can't Make Your Life Better was better than CATS. I will listen to it time and again.

The hit album from Kurt Heasley and co. this one is a sure fire crowd pleaser and the beginners first and best way to get into the sounds of the lilys. An amazing departure from Eccsame the Photon Band, this album stood alone and made Kurt the semi-star that he is today. Don't be fooled by those who can only talk about Lilys if they mention the kinks in the same sentence - this one has a sound that is all its own. Highlights, in my opinion, include the always inspiring "Returns Every Morning" and "Elevator (is temporary)" A great album - but missing some of the stoner insight and melancholy that made the earlier albums so haunting and wonderful to listen to. This is as good as bubblegum gets.

This is truly a great cd. There is not a weak track on the entire album. If you want a perfect example of great Lilys (or great music), this is the album. You won't regret it.