Customer Reviews

Blood on the Slacks

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

 

 

Just a quick response to those trashing this disc as "disappointing" and/or "bad sound quality and content". Are we listening to the same disc? I find it thoroughly enjoyable, perhaps with the exception of the last song "Insecure" which sounds to me like a bad (i.e.: any) Violent Femmes song. But these guys obviously don't take themselves seriously and neither do I. In fact, part of what draws me to the Smog is their ability to mix so many different genres in the same song set and pull it off so effectively. With "Insecure", they were just going for a genre that I'm not into- that's all. But in my opinion, the rest of the disc is solid- right up there with Down by the Old Mainstream and Wierd Tales, more cohesive than Another Fine Day and 1000% better than On Golden Smog (also made without Tweedy, I believe). I guess I just have a hard time understanding how a "fan" of this band could write a bad review of this disc. What exactly did you expect? Maybe you were thinking of Golden Earring?? I know my expectations as a mostly Wilco/Tweedy fan were completely exceeded. I recommend that others disregard the bad reviews, shell out the full price for the half-disc and make your own judgement. I think you'll be happy you didn't pass this one up because of some disgruntled "disappointed fans". The only reason I can't give it 5 stars (aside from the inclusion of "Insecure") is the album length (or lack thereof).

WOW, too bad, I've liked all their other stuff. But, what was going on here. Sound is bad and compositions just don't live up to what I've grown to expect. Sorry, skip this!

Let me put this review in context...it's been "one of those days." Faced the end of a relationship, had a particularly rough day at work, saw several household appliances quit on me, and smashed my finger in a door. My 30th birthday is impending and I'm kind of in a weird place thinking about the significance of this. This is the kind of night when a guy needs a drink.

But this wasn't just any day, and in the back of my mind I knew it through all the various pitfalls I experienced. I knew above all else that today saw the release of yet ANOTHER new Golden Smog disc, following Another Fine Day less than a year ago. After eight years of dormancy, The Smog has treated us to a second slice of pecan pie, somewhat slimmer but no less savory. I ended this awful day by driving up the coast right after sunset to the local indie record shop where this beauty was just waiting for me. The moment "Can't Even Tie Your Own Shoes" came on the car stereo, I knew everything was gonna be just fine.

This band possesses a special magic, a kind of feel-good vibe that pervades all of their songs no matter how depressing the subject matter. Even the suicide ballad "Making Waves" on 1998's Weird Tales disc provides a warm, sympathetic delivery that is comfortable and reassuring. This magic is in full force on the new E.P.

Perhaps it's the shorter format or the fact that several of these songs are outtakes, but this disc yields a looser feel than "Another Fine Day," hearkening back to their earlier sound while preserving some of the band's nascent post-Tweedy-power-pop influences. The Bowie and Dinosaur Jr. covers, for example, wouldn't sound so out of place among the other covers on the 1989 debut "On Golden Smog" despite the slightly more polished production here. The strummy, acoustic "Scotch on Ice," a tongue-in-cheek ballad that may or may not be about a blow-up doll (!!!) reminds me of the jokey "He's a Dick" from 1995's Down By The Old Mainstream. The humor is welcome. Elsewhere the band members contribute some A-list material, that being "Without a Struggle," "You Can't Even Tie Your Own Shoes," and "Look at You Now." These songs are loose, relaxed and playful, pure pop craftsmanship presented with an easy grace. Just check out the short carnival segment at the end of "Look at You Now" for proof. The final track is just a snippet, a 50-second tune reminiscent of the Violent Femmes with a bunch of noise tacked on about one minute after the mini-song ends. These guys sound like they're having a blast, which is what The Smog is really all about.

The five stars here are really for how this music makes me feel, how the sound of a group of guys getting together to have some fun playing tunes can make me forget my problems if even just for a short time. This music is like therapy. Apparently, the band members feel the same way when it comes to playing it (just read some interviews with the band and you will see what I mean). It's music to enjoy, to get you through it all without having to take that drink or worse. It'll put a smile on your face. And after all, isn't that what music should be about?

Let's all take a deep breath, we're gonna be just fine.

I haven't been this annoyed since I drove 2-1/2 hours to see the Jayhawks and they played for just 35 minutes. Gary Louris is all over the place collaborating with Rhett Miller, Dixie Chicks, Mark Olsen, Lucinda, etc, and working on a solo album. That might explain why there is so little effort on this release. So why do it except to extract a little more money from their gullible audience?

I love their music, but these guys have little regard for their fans. This CD is just a couple of songs that did not fit on their previous CD and a little filler trash. Pick up the few songs that are decent on one of the download sites.

Content aside, just for the fact that a gathering of these folks is not going to produce poor quality music, but the length is so short that I don't think it meets modern day E.P. cd specifications. The price should have been at least halfed. Because that's what they delivered. And I think that's a stretch.

For me it's worth it for Gary Louris' take on "Starman". I also love the poppiness of "Look at you Now". Notice a trend here? Granted, the Gary Louris tracks are the best here, but it's an enjoyable CD, probably not for the casual fan, but if you're a Golden Smog fan, as I am, you want everything these guys have and will do.

First of all, if you ding Golden Smog for having done a couple of covers on it, then you clearly don't understand them, their reason for getting together in the first place, and music in general. You obviously have no grasp of their history as a band. Thier first album was done ENTIRELY of covers. This group is a side project for all involved, and when you sign on for the experience, and pays your monies, you takes what you gets. This album is fun, and damn good, and the ONLY reason it doesn't get 5 stars from me, unlike Another Fine Day, is that it is that I wish it were longer. Thank god (tm) they continue to make music in an era when no talent clowns like Justin Timberlake are allowed to assault us with their particular brand of dreck, MTV kids with gnat-like attention spans want all their music on their cell phones and you can't make a dime selling CD's. 'Nuff said.

This was a real disappointment for me. I really like these guys, but it was a bad idea to put this out. Sounds like they had fun, but it sure isn't fun listening to it.

Skip this one - I wish I had.

I'm a bit surprised by some of the reviews for this CD. Golden Smog began as a fun side project, and this CD is great fun. Is it a great CD? Well, no: it's not up to the quality of "Weird Tales"--but very few CDs are that strong. But the musicianship is great, the originals are strong, and the covers are interesting choices and intelligently performed. I may prefer the Golden Smog "Starman" to the original.

This CD deserves a five-star rating for "Scotch on Ice," which is a touching, melancholic ballad about the narrator's relationship with a blow-up party doll. The brief instrumental "Magician" shows that the spirit of the great Les Baxter is alive and well--and it is a very good thing to keep alive the soul of exotica.

Is the CD brief? Well, yes. But that fact does not detract from the quality of the CD itself. My guess is that the musicians either had some leftover material from "Another Fine Day" or had some leftover energy from that project. In some ways, I find this CD more enjoyable than "Another Fine Day."

If I were comparing this CD to the standard of "Weird Tales," I'd give it about a six or seven. But "Weird Tales" ranks a 10 out of 5. And measuring this CD to most of what's available these days, I think that this one is sheer, intelligent fun.

First of all the CD has only 9 songs. That's pretty disappointing.When you consider , especially since two of the songs are covers. Also the sound lacks clarity and reminds me of 60's and 70's recordings.There are some decent tunes but all in all a poor effort in comparison to previous works.