Alvarius B. (Alan Bishop as...)

Just finished my first listen through the 2CD set. this new set is not really that good IMO. It suffers from a standard "rock" band backing, a lotta predictable chords, and a lotta lazy rhyming lyrics.

the "suitcase handler" song is great, menacing and weird, and the version of Wanted Man is indeed pretty bad ass, but those were pretty much the only standouts for me. I miss the weirdness and bite of the S/T 2LP more now than ever.

2nd time through, listening at home, and this is opening up a lot more. Lotta good stuff on here that didn't reveal itself in the truck. Nice to have him doing fully produced bitter pissed off tunes after the last few years of barrel scrapings, which kinda soured me a bit. This set could probably have been cut to a single 80-minute disc/double LP instead of a 110 minute triple LP, though.

yeah, i've been enjoying it more and more after a kinda similar first reaction — some of it was pretty close to cracker van beethoven, I thought! but i think there's more than enough good stuff ...

heard some of this on WFMU, p impressive

Camper van second and third albums not worlds away from certain SCG stuff tbh

yeah, true! (didn't mean that as a slight on CVB, i dig 'em)