Monday, June 22, 2009

Gomez - Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline (LP, Virgin)


The question that begs to be asked about Gomez is how can five blokes from Manchester sound like a bunch of old geezers from the Deep South? Whatever the answer, their sunny, lo-fi take on American country rock has won them much adoration. Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline is a collection of their B-sides, live outtakes & radio sessions.

Interestingly, this collection allows Gomez to better define themselves as a band by allowing them to indulge in some of their more experimental tendencies. "Bring Your Lovin' Back Here" gets back to that "classic Gomez" sound, as does the eight-plus minute "Buena Vista". A cover version of The Beatles' "Getting Better" is also included, and has to be one of the best tracks on the album (and a pretty decent cover too).

Despite the fact that this is a collection of odds and ends, Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline holds together remarkably well as an album, due to good track selection and intelligent segueing. In fact, some of the songs actually run together quite smoothly, with no break between songs.

This collection shows Gomez to be an extremely self-indulgent band, but their instincts are so good they pull it off without a hitch. Initial pressings include the five-song Machismo EP as a bonus disc.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Muslims - The Muslims (LP, 1928 Recordings)



My solemn apologies to all the dedicated readers of this blog (by "all", I mean "both"). The last 6 months or so have been a whirlwind of activity and I have been unable to update this blog due to a lack of time (not a lack of good vinyl, I might add). Consider me duly chastised, I will try to be more regular henceforth.

The Muslims, despite a politically incorrect name, will appeal to fans of the Strokes, Modern Lovers, the Stooges and Velvet Underground. They play a catchy, upbeat rock and roll with a simple instrumental line and effortlessly catchy vocals.

These guys are not just another derivative garage rock schtick, they clearly are here for a purpose. As they state in "Future Rock", "Everybody's talkin' 'bout rock and roll...don't let it go to your head, that's all".

Recently renamed The Soft Pack, their debut 7-track LP comes in a silk screened sleeve that were shot with a .22 calibre. The inserts are hand typed, and they have included a CD version of the album with 3 bonus tracks. Frankly, they should have shot the CD with a .22 calibre, that would have been way cooler.

Unfortunately, "Extinction" (one of their best tracks), is available only on the bonus CD. Fear not, the remastered version of the debut comes with all 10 tracks on vinyl. And yes, they're still shooting the covers with that .22.