LILYS - Classic / Dud + Search / Destroy

Glad I stuck with Lenola, then!

if you've got a moment, folks should check out this philly band called THE A-SIDES [http://www.a-sides.net/]. they started off as this rudimentary garage / 60's throwback on their first single but their recently released full length is as close as you're going to get to the second coming of classic lilys. and the thing is, when i listen to the record, there's no blatant ripping off of heasley's style -- its just got a similar vibe to the classic records. best local release of the year, hands down.

he certainly does. actually a lot of people do. he's the twee nigel godrich.

"ginger" from A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns" is catchy as hell. I can see Ned's complaints about their more-MBV sounding stuff. They aren't all that great at it (which, given the setting, is what you saw at that Terrastock set you mention upthread?). As dlp9001 sorta points out above, trying to do too much in some songs, not enough in others. When their songs are pop-y, they're quite fun.

i would listen to 'in the presence of nothing' before either mbv album any day of the week

Eccsame The Photon Band is an excellent album.
That split with a Aspera Ad Astra is smart too.

Moving away from the MBVisms to the Kinks - I thought that 'Better Can't Make....' was wholly listenable for want of a less boring description.

I love me some Lilys. Talented geezer.

They aren't all that great at it (which, given the setting, is what you saw at that Terrastock set you mention upthread?).

I honestly can't remember. We're talking six years ago now!

Def. The Three Way, which is the most Zombie-like. "Socs Hip." I don't have that record anymore and can't find it anywhere.

I still listen to Zero Population Growth on occasion, but now I honestly can't remember much of their other albums.

Some of the through-composition on The 3-Way is ridiculously impressive; I think it let itself get written off as a pastiche record, but it had that great pastiche-record quality where having heavy inspiration lets you make something a million times more complex and ornate and ambitious than a lot of the stuff you're drawing on.

There's a song on Eccsame called "The Hermit Crab," which I listened to once on a listening station in 1996 or so. I didn't buy the record, but the song stuck with me enough that I spent years afterward trying to re-write it myself, a bit, from bad memory: I'd try and write a song something like this great song whose details I couldn't begin to remember. I dug the song up, recently, and it was a bit weird to listen to: every other hook, riff, or melody has some distorted misremembered cousin in songs I've written since then. (Even one three-word snippet of lyrics!) I suppose a decent amount of the original wound up embedded deep in my head, and kept coming out without my realizing it.

There's an unreleased song that can be downloaded from the lilys' myspace page called "The right thing to do." It's odd, and not a greatest hit or anything. After downloading it, I notice that it's already labeled as track #10, and now I wonder just how many other unreleased tracks there are. Hmmmm.

I can see Ned's complaints about their more-MBV sounding stuff. They aren't all that great at it

they were about as good at it as anyone else; consider the sliver of money they recorded that first album on and, sonically, how close it is to Loveless (and consider when it was recorded as well), that's impressive. Songwriting wise it doesn't match up but everything else is close enough in my book.

I still think Eccsame the Photon Band is better though

i am hoping the mythical pas/cal album will end up in the place where i wish the lilys had ended up after 'the 3-way'. the first song from the pas/cal album is very lilys, well from that time period.

what up bitches i still dig this can anybody recommend other 60s type ish with real memorable hooks that i can go live inside whenever i get tired of how fuckin b.s. rap in 09 is

lol this song always reminds me how i eff w/ these dudes

i heartily recommend outrageous cherry

I guess I never paid enough attention to their "indie rock" album Brief History of Amazing Letdowns. Suddenly it sounds awfully good.

Someone was playing "Ginger" at a bakery that I went to the other day, and jesus it's great! I saw a movie not long ago (Keeping Up With The Steins) that has "Any Place I've Lived" over the closing credits. Took me a while to realize who it was. Their stealth album?

Whoa I didn't realize somebody was talking about them so recently (relatively) on here. I found that album used in April or May and I love it. Its their most consistent of their early period (which I guess is easier since its their briefest) but yeah it hasn't aged one bit as far as I'm concerned.

i am otm all over this thread

Loves them Lilys.

'Better..' is a desert island record.

Why they never made it on that stupid Neu tribute disc is beyond me.

People who like really big sounding songs should do themselves a favor and listen to "Eskimo" off of the Tone Bender EP.

been listening to the 3-way a lot recently and loving it.

I tried that one, but I can't get behind it. Its not bad, but I just feel cheated by them cause its so opposite of the sound they had that I love. This problem would have been 90% solved if they just decided to go by a different band name when they went all Kinks-y.

Eccsame the Photon Band is pure nostalgia for me.
It may not be their most unique or consistent record, but it always pleases me.

Is Day Of The Monkey on that one? I love that song.

Its so great, but whenever I try to play it for (most) people I know, they seem bored. As an album, not for pop fans.

Day of the Monkey is on that one and it was the song I was listening to when I wrote the post.

To my ears it's inconsistent in sound and almost a little too low-key in places but I really love that album. It gets better with repeated listening.

Oh it also totally soundtracked my first sexual experience so that probably has something to do with my fondness for it.

Also I disagree with you Trip on the uniqueness. Definitely their most unique.

Yeah, I guess that makes sense, too.
Such a schizo band.

so weird that the 3-Way gets so much hate. sure its pastiche, but that is some of the best-written pastiche ever. the arrangements are just INSANE, packed with so much detail, tons of bizarre changes and chords all held together by a seemingly endless supply of memorable hooks. I don't think its their best and I like all their incarnations, just felt this album needed defending.

yeah I completely agree

also I saw this dude live a few months ago and it was quite possibly the worst show I've seen in a while

i think the 3 way is my favorite. haven't been able to get into eccsame, but i just heard it for the first time in the last year or so, and i was into better and 3 way when they came out.

I don't hate the 3-Way, but I love the early stuff sooo much that 3-Way is a betrayal, regardless of its quality on its own.

band doesn't owe you anything FYI

Haha I know, I didn't mean it that way. I really just can't get enough of their earlier sound. Again I don't dislike the later stuff.

funnily enough the only songs that worked live for me were one off of amazing letdowns

ones

anyone have mp3s of the Which Studies The Past? 7" they'd like to share?

i really like eccsame, but i've listened only like 2 times. i will update once i've listened more. i DLed like some rarities collection from thread, and that any several sundays track is awesome. there's so much to hear. it's great. my buddy who's a huge bjm fan hit me with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epwvysOIk9U and now i'm just convinced i like whatever this guy does pretty much.

Eccsame still hasn’t soaked in next-level enough for me to comment, but the bcmylb and 3 way stuff is so in my head all the time for now…i’m like obsessed with trying to know all the things in a fanboy way.

first time i’ve ever seen heasley interviewed, and i at least get his charisma.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCm94bDG_FU

(Getting obsessed with great great talented almost-stars is def my style, prev jason falkner, where I end buying japan only releases and shit, or bid and monochrome set, in which i’m like, “i’m gonna have to go to UK to see this legend, but how? 🤷🏻‍♂️)

I DLed the import Precollection from above. this is fucking great. Bits of eatb (esp guitar attack) and teardrop explodes and VU, all with his usual shit and great memorable melodies. the songs, the songs.

idg the dislike on it i’ve read at all. I dont think its ever pastiche, it’s just…everything, while it sounds fantastic. To me. This guy blows my mind on merit, and also by having escaped my notice.

BCMYLB at its best (e.g. Tennis System) is like the song-form equivalent of babbling. Verbose lyrics that never come up for air, chord changes on every other beat that sometimes aren't repeated, and no dynamic range, with only vertical leaps in the melody to break up the monotony. I admire the audacity of disguising this super weird songwriting style as a British Invasion throwback record.

“never come up for air” 🤷🏻‍♂️

Heya Hunt3r, so good to read about your enthusiasm for Lilys, have you heard this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ITut57JiA

Timely thread revive

all aboard pic.twitter.com/oUFNpdYHf6

— l i l y s (@theLILYS) January 7, 2022

I thought that's why the thread was revived!

Anyway, count me among the people that missed out on the band more or less entirely. In my case I think I was always confused by comparisons to both the Kinks *and* shoegaze. At the time my brain could just not make that compute.

They have covered a lot of ground, even the differences between BCMYLB and The 3 Way (arguably in the same stylistic genre) are noticeable.

It definitely started off very beholden to MBV, before that 1966 feel crept in.

But even ETPB, which came before, is the most wonderfully unusual, soporific gaze record, slowly edging toward those 1960s elements.

I think I always got them mixed up with the Swirlies, too.

maresn3st, thanks. i had not heard that, i like it a lot-- edgy retropsych, sounds like from bcmylb era

I like peas

"I think I was always confused by comparisons to both the Kinks *and* shoegaze. At the time my brain could just not make that compute."

after listening to two alt takes of Any Several Sundays, then just now hearing the version off the Selected ep for the first time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOKeNxAxzfM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxuJUDCykGk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R4NdGAIE0U

Lilys
2022-01-20
Starlet Lounge at Harlow's
Sacramento CA

Setlist

00 intro [7:48]
01 The Hermit Crab [4:01]
02 Threw A Day [4:10]
03 There's No Such Thing as Black Horchids [5:40]
04 Coby [6:04]
05 High Writer at Home [6:57]
06 Ginger [6:01]
07 Overlit Canyon (The Obscured Wingtip Memoir) [4:53]
08 Claire Hates Me [4:43]
09 Tone Bender [3:28]
10 Day of the Monkey [4:49]
11 Elizabeth Colour Wheel [7:34]
12 Radiotricity [3:33]
13 Your Guest and Host [4:58]
14 Dandy [7:40]

15 Will My Lord Be Gardening [3:48]
16 Elevator Is Temporary [2:48]

https://www.fromsmash.com/6x42yu76ZN-bt

Hunt3r sorry I’ve not been engaging more with your Lilys dive I think it’s awesome though and glad you’re enjoying all of the phases!

Wow that’s a very overwhelmingly 1995 era setlist. Cool!

No worry at all— also, this thread has enough volume and depth that the education available is pretty nice.

Nice, the Harlow's recording was done by me. Used Zoom H1n with built-in mics.

Here's a more permanent link to the lossless version:
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZuhJrXZu2sel87QYNJcd9moKYsap7QYUiay

TY!