The Promise Ring / Texas Is the Reason
Split 7''
Revelation
1996
Rating: 8.5 fancy shotguns out of 10
I was a complete Texas Is the Reason fanatic back in my college days, and I still quite enjoy their very small catalog of music. Their song on this split "Blue Boy" was always one of my favorite songs of theirs, and I distinctly remember making a copy of this song (and the other side) onto a cassette so I could listen to it in my car over and over. Which I most definitely did. The other side is the Promise Ring, who I loved slight less than TItR back in the day but has not stood the test of time nearly as well. Still, their track here "E. Texas Ave." is pretty decent if not a little whiny.
Texas Is the Reason
Do You Know Who You Are?: The Complete Collection
Revelation
2013
Rating: 10 sensitive scarf wearing college students out of 10
My love of this Texas Is the Reason record, especially in the nineties, is damn near unparalleled. It would likely make my top ten of the decade, which is saying a lot since I'm still pretty much stuck in that period musically. Along with Sunny Day Real Estate, they were the high water mark of the emo movement of those days, and for my money their recordings still stand up well. This recording includes every song they ever recorded in their short career - the single album they recorded under the same name as this one, tracks from a couple of seven inches they appeared on (one a split with the Promise Ring), and even a couple of "new" songs. And by new songs I mean songs from their original period that had never been recorded until now. You'll get no unbiased review of this material from me - this is perfection to me, memories of college days, good times with friends, an era when life was easy and awash in golden light. I'm just glad I can finally pick it up on vinyl now.
