Bang, the Earth is Round sets off a lot of Dear God No warning bells from the get-go, insofar as it (a) was a mid-90s Geffen "alt- rock" signing, and sounds it, and (b) is conspicuously "quirky," down to smug nonsensical lyrics and pitch- shifted lambish vocals at certain points. This is why it's impossible to convince anyone of how great this record is, and rightfully so -- keep in mind here that I am not necessarily "recommending" this release to any of you. But I do firmly believe that it is great -- a fact which is only enhanced by the seeming impossibility of that fact -- and while I could easily spew forth a lengthy article on why, I'll try to capture it as succintly as possible.
The first point is: it is prog. (Insofar as an obvious XTC influence can wind up "prog" -- i.e., they are prog like Stump were prog.) Ben Eshbach, the songwriter, is a clearly skilled guitar player, and what's even more notable is that he writes like it, something that's pretty hard to come across among the mid-90s rock label-jumpers. And he writes well, and even more amazingly he writes as if he doesn't even care how well he writes -- one is tempted to almost hate him at first, simply for devoting a decent ear to penning what seem upon first listen to be dorky jokes. But part of the fun is discovering that whatever the form and the production lead you to believe during the first ten seconds of several tracks, these are not four-chord Superdrag-style alt-rockers; they are chirpy and they wind around beautifully, to the point where memorizing their structures is sort of satisfying in and of itself. This is why the chirpiness and the easier "quirks" seem less smug than justified -- there's almost a sense that these were guys who were too smart, and having too much fun, to take the 90s alt- rock boom very seriously.
Which ties into the next thing: this is a record that reveals itself. Most notably, it's stridently weird, but in a way that takes some engagement to really work out. This is very possibly a personal preference, but I love records that do this -- that seem full of messy, contradictory signifiers that somehow come together during the 10th listen as both completely coherent and completely original. Bang... does this for me, in spades -- what seemed like calculated, if catchy, quirkiness eventually became transparent to me as entirely lovely, potentially quite serious, and for the most part brilliantly assembled in pure musical terms. I think it's the digging and the revelation that makes this appeal to me so much, more so than the initial signifiers.
This is not to say that large portions of the album are not quite bad. It is, after all, a mid-90s Geffen release -- but I like to imagine that the more boring of the tracks (the crunchy/quirky stuff that's so immediately offputting) was really the label's fault. And then there's the digging again: portions of this seem like potential brilliance that are just submerged under attempts to make them something they're not. Every one of those crap tracks reveals, at some point, either a mindbendingly interesting hook or a wonderfully complex song structure tucked somewhere into the bridge. It's quite possible, in fact, that I've listened to this record more than any other record I've bought during the past two years, for precisely this reason -- it's like candy that turns out to have meat in the center. In a good way.
I'll stop there. Again, this is maybe, well, personal -- my guess is that the majority of ILM would likely spit on this sucker, and I do think it takes a certain receptiveness to be able to sit down and do the digging I'm talking about above. But, like I said, it costs like a dollar, so why not grab a copy if you see it, if only to laugh at me? I already own three.
― Nitsuh, Thursday, 20 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Upon rereading, I think I overplayed the alt-rock references. This is not an alt-rock record -- it just comes from such a time-frame and production ideal that you're tempted to think it is. It's quite clearly just power-pop, though. Just sort of weird, fascinating power- pop.
Even after all those words, I don't think I've explained this well.
― Vinnie, Friday, 21 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Back to our regularly scheduled Breeders discussion ...
― Nitsuh, Friday, 21 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
but can i just say
Title TK
ROCKS (that's right marcello, it rocks ; ) )
the she? off you? the song that goes "swinger!.... oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ooooh..." little fury?
will somebody please back me up on this?
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:43 (seventeen years ago) link
As for Sugarplastic (see above) they have a great single called "Motorola Rocketship" that've very worth tracking down. Came out as a bonus track on a Japanese version of one of their albums, and on some compilation or other. Best to download it. Not that that's the only other song of theirs worth looking for, but it's a great great weirdo power pop thing that's of a piece with the Bang! stuff.
― dlp9001 (dlp9001), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:46 (seventeen years ago) link
and yes i still remember this VERY clearly
gave it like a 7.4, which i now realize isn't that bad, which i also now realise doesn't mean that much
but then i read a bunch of reviews, after its release. and i think people kind of got it. not enough, but kind of.
off you just came on. shoot me!
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:48 (seventeen years ago) link
the breeders are one of the few artists i'm a fan of that haven't released a bad song.
ever.
maybe a half bad one, but not based on taste, based on - mmm, will power.
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:55 (seventeen years ago) link
whole album seemed rather thoughtful to me
― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― Fetchboy (Felcher), Thursday, 8 February 2007 04:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 05:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― jimbo (electricsound), Thursday, 8 February 2007 05:24 (seventeen years ago) link
― Charmmy Kitty's Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (ex machina), Thursday, 8 February 2007 06:12 (seventeen years ago) link
that was like the point of the record. more stripped than Pod.
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:40 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 8 February 2007 15:20 (seventeen years ago) link
it better not be.
Pacer is amazing.
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― Surmounter (rra123), Thursday, 8 February 2007 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 9 February 2007 22:09 (seventeen years ago) link
AYE SIR!
― edde (edde), Friday, 9 February 2007 22:54 (seventeen years ago) link
― Surmounter (rra123), Friday, 9 February 2007 23:24 (seventeen years ago) link
New album soonish, I hear.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 1 November 2007 00:15 (sixteen years ago) link
Hoorah. I was just listening to Title TK again the other day and marveling at how it simultaneously sounds completely tossed off *and* completely planned out. And, the drum part to "Too Alive" is genius: always in the wrong place at the right time. In fact, I'm surprised that song isn't mentioned above as it's just amazing. I'm very ready for a new one.
― dlp9001, Thursday, 1 November 2007 00:53 (sixteen years ago) link
cool new breeders song
i like it a lot, very comfortable in its simplicity, nice sound
― later arpeggiator, Friday, 7 March 2008 15:08 (sixteen years ago) link
lol search function
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 7 March 2008 15:10 (sixteen years ago) link
i love the breeders! and the amps!
the new song is great!
hi!
― Drugs A. Money, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:48 (sixteen years ago) link
i also love the kelley deal 6000! at least their first album! it kicks!
― Drugs A. Money, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:50 (sixteen years ago) link
I love heroin and Nude Spock and jogging in extreme heat!
― wanko ergo sum, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:57 (sixteen years ago) link
whats so fuckin funny about the fuckin search function
― later arpeggiator, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I miss the Josephine Wiggs Experience.
― Terrible Cold, Saturday, 8 March 2008 00:24 (sixteen years ago) link
“Iris” is heavy as fsck, the drums make it
― calstars, Sunday, 14 April 2019 20:13 (four years ago) link
No Alternative version is even more haggard
― days of rags and noses (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 15 April 2019 09:42 (four years ago) link