Archer Prewitt - Southern Wall 7'' (Motorcoat, 1998)

Archer Prewitt
Southern Wall 7''
Motorcoat
1998


Rating: 6.5 dairy deer out of 10


A perfectly cromulent (though probably unessential) release from Archer Prewitt, best known for his excellent guitar work with the Sea & Cake and the Coctails.  Both tracks are in the jazz / lounge rock family as you expect from Archer, but the title track has a bit of a psychedelic twist to the production.  Oh, and there's a flute on it!  The song has vocals but they're rather minimal...but there really is a shitload of flute though.  The other side, "Coleman," is an instrumental offering that is fine.  Just fine, nothing special.  Probably should have put some flute on it. 

Oneida - Best Friends 7'' (Turnbuckle, 1998)

Oneida
Best Friends 7''
Turnbuckle
1998

Rating: 6 diddling tremolos out of 10 

The first seven inch from Oneida, and it sounds nothing like the heavy, synthy kraut rock you expect to hear from this band.  The title track is somewhere close to psychedelic pop, for lack of a better descriptor.  The other side, "The Land Of Bugs," sounds like a really mellow math rock song, the sort June Of '44 occasionally dabbled in.  Neither song is bad, they're just not what you expect from this Oneida.  

When I hear a release of this nature, I like to imagine somewhere out there exists some fans who were way into Oneida starting with this seven inch, but then just couldn't get into the way they sounded as their musical direction changed, even though I think their later years are far superior.  God knows I've been on that side of the coin from time to time (My Morning Jacket peaked with "At Dawn" and that's a goddamn fact).   

Teenage Fanclub - Long Shot 7'' (Creation, 1998)

Teenage Fanclub
Long Shot 7''
Creation
1998

Rating: 5 corner kicks out of 10

This seven inch is for the most die hard of Teenage Fanclub fans only, and even then it would only be for completest reasons.  I ran across it in the bargain bin so no real gain or loss for me to be honest.  The title track is an instrumental the band recorded for the 1998 World Cup, I presume to be used in commercials and promos and whatnot.  It's a rather uneventful but upbeat number, and includes a brief portion of the Velvet Underground's "There She Goes Again" right in the middle of it for unknown reasons.  The b-side is a twelve minute version of this same song called "Loops and Stings," which is designed solely for TV production use.  The fact that they released this at all is pretty funny to me, and probably a sign of just how "football" crazy they are across the pond.

Looper - Impossible Things 7'' (Sub Pop, 1998)

Looper
Impossible Things 7''
Sub Pop
1998

Rating: 5 fat red-headed girls out of 10

To be totally honest, I only bought this Looper record because it was dollar and it has a Belle & Sebastian connection.  Both tracks sound like pop versions of something Arab Strap would have done.  I love the Strap but I'm not sure there was ever a need for another like them. 

The Make-Up / Lung-Leg - Split 7'' (Southern, 1998)

The Make-Up / Lung-Leg
Split 7''
Southern
1998

Rating: 7 super shredders out of 10

I'll buy anything that has the Make-Up on it, even if I already have the song ("Pow! To The People") on their compilation "I Want Some."  It's  rad song and there is no such thing as owning too many Ian Svenonius recordings.  The flip was totally new to me, a Scottish group called Lung-Leg - sort of a jangly, C86ish all female Fall or something, a good pairing.  Someone else recommended this short-lived band to me as well, I guess I need to get digging. 

Tristeza - Foreshadow 7'' (Caffeine vs. Nicotine, 1998)

Tristeza
Foreshadow 7''
Caffeine vs. Nicotine
1998

Rating: 7 airplane toilets out of 10

Sure, why include the playing speed of this Tristeza record, a band known for slow building instrumental songs?  It's not as if I'd like to be playing it from the proper speed from the start, I'd rather spin it for a couple of minutes and then see if I guessed correctly.  I dig both songs though, even if they kinda sound the same.  Tristeza are sorta like Explosions in the Sky without the bombast, in case you are wondering. 

Tortoise - Tour 1998 7'' (Thrill Jockey, 1998)

Tortoise
Tour 1998 7''
Thrill Jockey
1998

Rating: 7 broken floors out of 10

This is exactly what it says - a seven inch Tortoise sold on their 1998 tour.  Two songs - "Madison Ave." and "Madison Area," both very much sounding like Tortoise of that time period.  Not only did I buy this record on that tour, I even had stuck the ticket stub in the seven inch sleeve, something I never do but sixteen years after it's pretty cool that I did it.  On white vinyl. 

Sunday's Best - My Very Ethos (A Simple Star, 1998)

Sunday's Best
My Very Ethos 7''
A Simple Star
1998

Rating: 6.5 old homesteads out of 10

This is the early, more emo version of Sunday's Best, before they basically turned into a pop band (their full-length "The Californian" from 2002 was particularly good and sadly seemingly forgotten).  While I was way into the whole emo musical style of the mid-nineties, I didn't get into this group until their poppier later years so it's fun/interesting to go back and listen to them when they were clearly influenced by Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral and that lot.  Not sure how much I will ever go back and listen to this wax, but as I probably grabbed it out of the bargain bin at Amoeba or somewhere similar it was definitely worth a check out. 

Oranger - Circle Gets the Square 7'' (Amazing Grease, 1998)

Oranger
Circle Gets the Square 7''
Amazing Grease
1998

Rating: 7.5 weekly episodes out of 10

I honestly never paid attention to Oranger until I was given a copy of what turned out to be their final record "New Comes and Goes" to review.  Which was frankly stupid on my part, as they play well crafted pop songs.  The sort of pop you would expect out of a modern band that clearly listened to a lot of Cheap Trick.  There are three tracks total here, all of them keepers.  All of the songs can also be found on their "Shutdown the Sun" album, but I'm digging having them on this short player too. 

Mineral - February 7'' (Caulfield, 1998)

Mineral
February 7''
Caulfield
1998

Rating: 7.5 piles of bat guano out of 10

Oh emo music, how you filled my angst-ridden heart in the nineties, and no one was angstier than Mineral.  Mind you, I will still gladly listen to this music not just for the sake of nostalgia, but because emo from that era was a much different beast than it turned into five or ten years later.  Both the title track and the b-side "MD" appear to be exclusive to this record, and I'm down for both tunes. 

Sparklehorse - Come On In 7'' (Slow River, 1998)

Sparklehorse
Come On In 7''
Slow River
1998

Rating: special deliveries out of 10

I still kick myself for passing up seeing Sparklehorse the couple of times I had the chance.  Instead I just have to console myself by listening to his very, very sad music.  This record came out around the same time as his "Good Morning Spider" release, and both share the title track.  The b-side "Blind Rabbit Choir" appears to be exclusive to this slab, not even found on the odds-n-sods compilation "Chest Full of Dying Hawks."  So hunt this one down if you can, though I don't feel that actually needs to be said about any Sparklehorse releases. 

Mercury Birds - One Man Bandit 7'' (10' Industries, 1998)

Mercury Birds
One Man Bandit 7''
10' Industries
1998

Rating: 9 jam jars out of 10

The lack of info on the Mercury Birds online is both sad and disturbing.  Especially given at least one of their members has gone on to be a party of the fairly popular Red Fang.  Hell, a google search for their album "Saxatar Cosmosis" returns absolutely nothing!  There is absolutely nothing about them on Discogs, even though I have two of their full lengths and this here seven inch to prove they once existed.  Long story short, they were a mid-to-late nineties band from Greensboro that played some weird hybrid of space rock and hard boogie but with plenty of indie pop hooks to keep you rapt.  This seven inch fully follows that formula, and it's awesome.  Hopefully at some point there is some sort of renaissance for the band, they deserve it.

Various Artists - Lonestar Showdown - Volume One 7'' (Little Deputy, 1998)

Various Artists
Lonestar Showdown - Volume One 7''
Little Deputy
1998

Rating: 5 urban centers out of 10

Four bands, four tracks of Texas-based dirty, slightly goofy hardcore.  The Reclusives lead off with "UT Fight Song" and it's the strong point of the slab.  The other acts are Wormdirt, the Motards, and the Cryin' Out Louds, none of which put forth an effort worth getting worked up over IMO.  Not awful or anything just...you know.  Whatever.  No idea what led me to buy this. 

Track Star - Removable Parts 7'' (Suicide Squeeze, 1998)

Track Star
Removable Parts 7''
Suicide Squeeze
1998

Rating: 7.5 forks and spoons out of 10

I listened to the shit out of the Track Star album "Communication Breaks" when it came out - I had it on one side of a cassette and the first Death Cab for Cutie on the other, and I would just let the thing play over and over in my car.  This seven inch falls very much in line with the music from that record, and is damn enjoyable.  I've never been entirely sure how to describe this band - the aforementioned Death Cab isn't far off, but Track Star is a little more subdued or mellow with just a hint of shoegaze thrown in there maybe.  These guys never got as popular as they should have.