S&D - American Analogue Set

i started with From Our Living Room to Yours, with "Magnificent Seventies" and "Don't Wake Up" being the most accessible tracks IMO. i saw them live on a whim for the first time at Spaceland when they toured for this record and have been hooked since.

otto is right about The Golden Band. it's lush.

They have another singles etc. compilation out. And jesus, the long (12") version of Green Green Grass is just utterly amazing, and maybe the best thing they've ever done. I'd kind of stopped paying attention to them, and am a little horrified at the thought that I might have missed this.

Did anyone listen to that Wooden Birds album? That's the main guy's new thing. I heard one song and liked it but haven't heard the rest.

gosh I really loved these guys in hs.

the wooden birds album is kind of boring--sort of like the set without all the things that made the music of the set interesting--so it's v. focused on the songwriting which is probably not that guy's strongest suit.

The more I listen to it, the more I wish they'd do a half-hour long version of Green Green Grass. The 12" version > album version purely due to length. Even at almost eight minutes, the 12" version is still too short. Songwriting is totally not this guy's forte, but when they drone on 2-3 chords it's magic.

Sadly, the rest of the rarities comp isn't as good, though it's all listenable.

Really digging in with these guys this summer. Have always had Set Free because of the Codeine cover (and liked the whole thing quite a bit), but just now finally getting around to everything else. And boy, the Stereolab comparisons are right on the money. They do one thing. But, oh my, how well they do it!

The 'Late One Sunday' and 'The Following Morning' thingy is a nice oddball addition to their catalogue.

But yeah, Golden Band is probably the most consistent album.

Didn't they kinda shake off the Stereolab tag with the later albums? I thought they gave the farfisa a rest after the third album or so.

Andrew Kenny's new act, Wooden Birds, is very good--what I've heard of it. Similar to early Iron & Wine, in that it's whispery acoustic stuff.

Oh, looking above - I posted about Wooden Birds in 09, last time this thread came up. Guess I'm answering my own question.

the later albums were all about vibraphone. idk if stereolab used vibraphone a lot.

Wow, I 100% totally forgot this band existed, and it's all coming back to me in a wash.

Stereolab most certainly does use vibes to great success:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfZYmtBc0gY

Just like AmAnSet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gos_Ykt7Zwk

oh man. american analogue set. seems like know by heart is considered their best work, right? like, it's funny, i got really into the fun of watching fireworks when it came out, but i never liked it so much that i was like, "i need to hear everything they put out!" so i had already kind of moved on from them when know by heart came out, but i probably read some good things or heard an .mp3/.wav file that i thought "okay, let's do this." i think my brother got me the album for xmas, probably. like in that just-out-of-college-"have you heard of pitchfork?" period that certain dudes my age had. and yeah it's a keeper. all tight, compact pop songs. but without sacrificing the trancelike elements that felt so innate to their sound. kinda makes me want to make a mix of know by heart-era american analogue set and pinback. maybe, what? sea and cake? black heart procession? american football?

golden band >>> living room > rest

weird i am now listening to "kamera" by wilco, and it is reminding me of american analog set.

when i mention know by heart as the band's best work, i don't mean their best work, i mean their "best work." like it's their most popular on spotify and whatnot.

AmAnSet was the last band I saw at Liberty Lunch. Great Galaxie 500/Stereolab blend on first three albums.

still the best band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A2O8OQm9dU

seems weird that there's a whole thread on AAS without a mention of the gorgeous Aaron & Maria.
guess I'll defend the later 'poppier' albums-Set Free is amazing.

I was soaking in a pool in a Russian spa in Manhattan with a college friend and a dude from Versus. I forget how it came up, but I was trying to describe this band while somehow forgetting their name. He kept coming up with good guesses, but I knew they were wrong. Then my friend came back from a phone call and I described them again. Dreamy, I probably said. Vibes, I'm sure I said. Oh, he said. American Analog Set.

still the best band

― call all destroyer, Friday, March 14, 2014 2:31 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha, that's a great story Josh. I saw +/- gig at sxsw that was amazing.
we should have a TS: American Analog Set, Versus or Mendoza Line for all the tertiary indie bands that I love.

At the time I saw them live twice in very tiny places about as big as a living room in and near Frankfurt. They were at least as nice and easy going as their music. It really is sunny stuff. I miss them.

still the best band

― call all destroyer, Friday, March 14, 2014 2:31 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― call all destroyer, Friday, October 5, 2018 7:10 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I worked all day in the Texas sun and I'm on the bus home, and I think when I get home I'll eat some kratom and listen to amanset

still the best band

― call all destroyer, Friday, March 14, 2014 2:31 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― call all destroyer, Friday, October 5, 2018 7:10 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Saturday, October 6, 2018 2:34 PM (four years ago) bookmarkflaglink

"the nineties never happened and the american analog set was there."