Customer Reviews

Mic City Sons [Vinyl]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a big fan of Elliott Smith, and I can't believe that it's taken me this long to buy anything by Heatmiser. I knew Elliott Smith was in the band, but I figured that since they're not often talked about that it wouldn't be anything like Elliott's solo stuff. Actually, this album is pretty similar to his solo work, though a little more upbeat and louder. But it definitely isn't too loud, and it kind of reminds me of Figure 8. Only about three tracks are sung by the other singer, and they're pretty good. This album has some of the best songs Elliott's ever written, especially the bonus track--figures, because it was released a year before Either/Or. If you're an Elliott Smith fan, drop your skepticism and buy this album.

This is one of the greatest albums ever made by the human race. I am an obsesive Elliot Smith, fan, god rest his soul. This album truly does rank amongst his best works. Neil Gust holds his own too, with some heartfelt, angst ridden, and incredibly catchy power pop anthems, which bounce off of Smith's melancholy folk-punk beautifully. The result is truly amazing. It is one of the few albums I have that works brilliantly being played for beggining to end. There isn't a weak track among the twelve it offers, and the sequence is bloody perfect. Get Lucky introduces us to the albums two voices, Gust, and Smith, shouting back and forth at each other, and then they go there seperate ways. And we get to follow both of their narritives, as each struggles there way through "mic city". No, this isn't a concept album, but the songs are so honest and personal, they all clearly arise from the same world. The album isn't a total downer either, the beauty of it is there is a fragile optimism behind so much of it, even when the songs delve into their darkest territory.....

I read this somewhere else, i forget where, but I think that it is about the best way I can summarize my feelings on this album. Mic City Sons should be broadcast into space, and when the aliens hear "plainclothes man", well it's probably the best introduction to humanity we can give. Showing all the pain, sorrow, hope, love, anger and confusion of the human condition, in all it's fragile beauty....

Okay that was incredibly heavy-handed. Sorry. Just buy the album, and really listen to it, and you'll understand what I'm talking about...That goes for you aliens too.

If you are an Elliott Smith fan, and love him, but wish he would rock out a little, this is the album for you. I started with Elliot's solo albums, bought them all, then found out he was once in a rock band (Heatmiser). I read the Amazon reviews and started buying. This is the ONLY album you need if you are a fan of E. Smith. It is clearly the best record. This record will also turn you on to Neil Gust who is the Lou Barlow to J. Mascis. I don't care for Cop & Speeder, Dead Air and others. This is a must own for indie fans and rockers out there. This album is perfect to me, and I wish to hear more like it. Buy it, you'll love it.

If you're a fan of Elliott or want to hear some beautiful pop gems that rival some of Big Star's finest work, start here.
Stand out songs all, 'See You Later', 'Low- Flying Jets', 'Pop in G', 'The Fix is In'. Just buy it, you will not be disappointed. The un-accredited and hidden 'Not Half Right' makes it well worth the purchase. Touching songs.... and it is nice to hear Elliott rock out.

So, your overtly obsessive fixation on Elliot Smith has brought you to the point where you seem to feel the need to listen to something different. Fear not, as you have found Heatmiser, musicians who seem to, in my ears, sound better than many of the indie seeds who have blossomed into grumpy flowers still not content with their lives. There is substance here, certainly not a negative point, but you must focus all your aural attention on the up-and-down flow of this post-grunge explosion to find it. It is strange, however, to look back and not help but notice that Elliot and Sam's newer works seem to have mellowed out, as tracks like "Get Lucky" prove. No matter what you think of it, this record is destined to become an indie cult essential for years to come. Post grunge explosion for the non believers...Elliot and Sam's pre-project.

I'm a big fan of Elliott Smith, and I can't believe that it's taken me this long to buy anything by Heatmiser. I knew Elliott Smith was in the band, but I figured that since they're not often talked about that it wouldn't be anything like Elliott's solo stuff. Actually, this album is pretty similar to his solo work, though a little more upbeat and louder. But it definitely isn't too loud, and it kind of reminds me of Figure 8. Only about three tracks are sung by the other singer, and they're pretty good. This album has some of the best songs Elliott's ever written, especially the bonus track--figures, because it was released a year before Either/Or. If you're an Elliott Smith fan, drop your skepticism and buy this album.

A great CD. While Elliott Smith fans DEFINITELY won't be disappointed (there are a couple songs in here that are better than a lot of his solo work, especially my favorite, the untitled track), there's a lot more here. Neil Gust has some great songs here too. While they're not very Elliott Smith-like, they are great melody-driven songs bordering on punk. Great CD. :)

I listened to and liked this record before I had heard Elliot Smith's solo work--probably the opposite of most of you who might be reading about this c.d. right now! It has a punchier, more jittery electric sound than his acoustic-based solo work, and the tension between his plainitive voice and melodic guitar with the more aggressive backing of an amped-up band works well. I gave this four stars only because of the occasionally derivative sound--something the now-defunct Heatmiser had always to overcome. But if you like the "emocore" sound of bands from the Northwest, you'll like this. I don't like "emo," but I like this. Go figure. Neil Gust contributes about five songs here, and they serve to offset any monotony which may set in after hearing just Smith songs. Although all of Smith's solo work is strong, he admittedly is a singer you have to be in the right (downbeat?) mood to listen to frequently.

It doesn't earn five stars due to one song that reminds me of the awful Canadian band (with an ex-member of X-Ray Spex!) Loverboy, who titled an album "Get Lucky." The Heatmiser song with the same name seems an unwitting parody of some new-wave 80s beer commercial jingle. It's annoying and damages the flow of the rest of the album. As with all three Heatmiser albums, the pace of the songs has been thought out, and the band's records are best heard as a whole. They take time to open up, and repeated listens expand what on first hearing may sound rather generic Northwest punk-pop into an intelligently arranged amalgam of gritty lyrics, youthful angst, and itchy melodies.

Tony Lash's Sunset Valley, Quasi, and No. 2 all emerged after Smith's bandmates took their own solo routes leading other groups, and all deserve attention--Gust's No. 2's closer to Heatmiser, while Sam Coombe's Quasi's the least recognizable!

The production on "Mic City Sons" has a warm, plugged-in feel, and each instrument registers crisply but not coldly--this sounds more like a vinyl "indie" or self-produced work than many 1990's "alternative" (whatever that was--now it's just adult-oriented non-metal/non-pop?)discs. An additional point to draw in the listener comes from its similar-but-distinguishable pair of serious singer-songwriters--Smith's tales of addiction and despair trade off with Gust's stories about gay life --the latter which may not be that apparent to a casual listener or at first hearing. Repeated spins reveal a richly crafted, accessible but not slick or pandering work that holds up the more you play it. And I just figured out, reading a beer from Portland the other day, why the record's called "Mic City Sons"--the beer label said: "Portland: City of Roses and Micros"--as in microbreweries! Raise a glass and turn this up...I hope Smith's deserved success sparks a revival of interest in his old bandmates. I play it over and over; it sounds familiar, but still intrigues.

If you're reading this, you probably already are a big Elliot fan...and if you're not, you should be ;-). Anyway, i recently acquired both Elliot's FIgure 8 along with this album, and curiously, Figure 8 - his newest album - (especially in songs like "LA") is reminiscent of this album in a way most of his solo work is not.
"Mic City Sons" is a fantastic album - as someone else mentioned, it's a warm "indie" record as opposed to much of the mid-90's alternative explosion. The songs are heavily electric-guitar driven, with straight ahead pop-rock (if a big punky or grungy) hooks. Fans of Elliot may take a few listens to get used to Neil Gust, the other singer-songwriter of the band - but the wait is well worth it. Some of the album's best come in his "rest my head against the wall" and "blue highway."
It's interesting to hear Elliot in the context of a band - the other instruments are heavily used, as opposed to Elliot's solo acoustic works. I love the drumming on this album, which tends to be a bit happier than the typical Elliot - or indie in general - record.
As a fan of Elliot - and great rock and roll in general - i strongly urge you to pick this one up. It's great from start to finish, and finishes quite strongly with an acoustic untitled Elliot song. Songs like "plainclothes man" are as good as anything Elliot has ever done, and the addition of another singer and full band make for a great record.

Coomes, Gust and Elliott form a bond which is collectively intellectual pop without all the synthesized vocals and sub-standard lyrics. There is a fusion of Elliott's folk with Gust's rock that creates a soulful harmony which is purely Heatmiser. "Plainclothesman" is illustrative of Elliott's softer, yet disillusioned side with a very folk acoustic guitar. While other songs submerge themselves in the eighties such as "Get Lucky" which combines shouting and a simultaneously sung "Ohhhhh". Yet Gust also adds his flavor to the album with "Blue Highway" which foreshadows his new project with No.2 The catchy guitar combined with gritty vocals and intellectual distaste for society. Elliott's folk and Gust's rock meet on the two songs, "You gotta move" and "See you later" in which Gust's rough vocals are combined with Elliott's smooth harmonies. The album is superb for those who enjoy a distaste with society and a better pop which includes both folk, anti-folk and rock in some odd mix.