Customer Reviews

Kiss the Crystal Flake

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a six-year hiatus, the Mother Hips are back with their finest disc to date. Taken as a whole the Hips catalog (some sadly out of print) has been a continuos progression to this point; a perfect distillation of everything that makes them a great studio band. Amazingly enough, they/re even better live. Start here and then work your way back through Green Hills of Earth, Later Days, Shootout, Part-Time and Back to the Grotto. You'll wonder where they've been all your life.

The Hips are the best unknown band in the world with a small, loyal following. Kiss the Crystal Flake may be the second best hips album, behind Great Green Fields. This album shows that the Hips songwriting has matured while they have returned at the same time to their rock roots. There are fewer time changes in the songs on the album but the songs are still mostly solid. "White Headphones" is a great example of their bluesy/rock style and is a song that I could listen to over and over again and never get sick of. The album has a number of other great songs that will get stuck in your head like "Confirmation of Love," "Time Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear" and "Mission in Vain." There are a few misses but the album is mostly very solid. And the songs are even better live. While all Mother Hips should have this album I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys rock with a blues edge.

Its a great album. Anyone who likes indie/folksie stuff that sounds classic rock influenced at times....pick it up. The quality of the LP is awesome as well.

jeez... I cant verbalize music like I can enjoy it so my words will be accordingly lame compared to this! anyway... creme de la creme album here. a pretty mellow vibe if you dont know this band.. think : mellow, harmonic, a touch psychedelic, very original and creative, slightly catchy too -- but all in all very very cool in the end. they also have this cool no-cal thing going - harmonies are country meets beach boys - great. anyway, if you are not all about pop but instead love quality, great and orginal music you will make this your top 100 of all time. I certainly did. an amazing album. get it.

I bought this CD as a gift because I've been enjoying this CD since the day it came out. I'm a long time fan and follower of the Bay Area band, Mother Hips. In fact, as a graduate of Chico State I've had the great fortune to watch them grow from the backyard college band to amazing recording artists and the best live band EVER! Kiss the Crystal Flake is a great album that will please anyone. It rocks, it grooves and it soothes. Part Timer Goes FullGreen Hills of EarthMake sure you buy their other CD's and try to catch a live show. Why this band isn't an international sesation is still beyond me. BUY IT, YOU'LL LOVE IT!

WOW, great CD, back to the older sound a bit but still capturing some of the essence of Green Hills, These guys are one of the best bands in Music today. I have over 3,000 CD's (probably listened and sold off another 2,000 and these guys are in my top 10 of all time.

I fell in love with the Hips in the mid 90's when they were staples on the bay area touring scene, and generally have always preferred their older efforts the most (Grotto, PTGF) - with each subsequent release getting 1/2 less star from me. So I bought this album with lowered expectations, but Wow - this effort blew me away on the first listen. I don't know why these guys aren't huge. They make me proud to be a (northern) Californian. I'm rediscovering the joy of a good set of headphones with this album. Buy it - don't steal it!

The Hips are back! After a hiatus in the real world (yuck) the Mother Hips are back with another interesting, toe-tapping, soulfoul, head boppin' album. Long time Hip fans will recognize "Time Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear", always a live staple. Tim and Greg's harmonies have never sounded richer, or better. This is an album that actually GETS BETTER with repeated listening. O.K you fans of the Mother Hips...it's time to pony up and support the Hips they deserve it...and god knows the music world is much more interesting with them in it!!

After a string of five brilliant albums, the Mother Hips offer up a record that is truly a mixed bag. The great songs on this record are indeed great. Sadly, the good stuff is surrounded by far too many forgettable (and occasionally embarrassing) songs. The uneven nature of Kiss the Crystal Flake make the record a laborious, and often disappointing listen. Track by track:
1.Mission in Vain: tense sharp chords open the album... a great song. 9/10
2.Wicked Tree: Greg Loiacono brings it. Wicked Tree is a dark building rumble. 10/10
3.Time We Had: Sunshine and emotion... I love love love this song. 10/10
4.No Name Darrell: super cool lyrics, great musical twists! 10/10
5.Let Somebody: A 'song in the style of' the Bee-Gees. Why? You can out Bee-Gee the Bee-Gees. Seriously dude. This is an ok song, but you're Tim Bluhm, not Barry Gibb. 6/10
6.Confirmation of Love: meh. Boring. doesn't warrant more words. 5/10
7.TGIM: A Tim Bluhm classic. 9/10
8.White Hills: Throwaway rocker. Pointless. who cares? 5/10
9.Not So Independent: A second 'in the style of' song, this time it's a Neil Young impersonation. Written around the Cinnamon Girl riff, except not nearly as good. 5/10
10.White Headphones: Terrible. Embarrassing lyrics and forgettable music add up to a song that is equally laughable and offensive. It's hard to believe that the same guy who wrote 'Time We Had' would put his name on this song. 0/10
11.Time Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear: An old live standby song finally gets a studio recording! I was excited about this one. Unfortunately, this version stinks. The performance feels lethargic and the added lines of the chorus add nothing good to the song. Painful. 4/10
12.In this Bliss: One of the finest moments on any Mother Hips album. Greg Loiacono knocks it out of the park with this song. It's cryptic, unexpected and intriguing.

This is a frustrating record. I'm a vinyl listener. The pressing is beautiful (except for that horrible cover), and sounds great, but after owning this for five years, I hate spinning this record. There are way too many times I am forced to approach the turn table to skip a song.
Because this band is so capable of making great music, this record is that much more painful to listen to.

This album is a culmination, in my minds eye, of the Mother Hips accent to being the greatest band nobody has ever heard of. If you are even checking this CD out and reading this review, you are already more aware of WHAT'S REALLY OUT THERE TO LISTEN TO than any average schlub. The Hips are not for the sheep that are listening to the inane, repetitious drone of the public airwaves. This band is truly a fine wine in an aisle filled with bottles of Ripple. If you truly enjoy musicianship, melody and originality, you have come to the right place. In a perfect world, the Hips would be a household name. Except for Confirmation Of Love, where I feel the boys are evoking a little too much Tom Petty, they are all gems. Enjoy