I have posted a lot about It’s A King Thing over the years here at SAL, that is true. But, I can honestly say, Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo is the band’s coming out party. It really does take a lot for me to become obsessed with an album these days especially with the amount of stuff I try to listen to on a daily basis. But, you need this record! If you don’t know already, It’s A King Thing features former members of the criminally underrated Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start. If you love the first two Weezer albums, The Lemonheads circa-It’s A Shame About Ray or bands like Nada Surf and Guided By Voices this record is for you. In the past the band was a rotation of players but this is obviously a cohesive unit for the first time and it shows as the songs are even catchier than before. That’s a scary proposition but with With Buffalo…, It’s A King Thing has refined their sound and become sharper and a more focused in their approach. Despite the humor and innocence on the surface there is a noticeable depth to these songs that is infectious to say the least. Just listen once and you will be hooked. By god, I think we’ve already got a contender for album of the year folks!
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I have no idea whether Dead Pan Rangers are still active or deceased but this is a band I have listened to off/on for the last year plus and always enjoyed. The only thing I have by the New Zealand band is an EP called Not Much Less Further Than Last Time. The first two songs are instrumentals and while those are solid the band makes much more of an impact on the songs that feature vocals. This is kind of darker, noisier indie pop similar to Sonic Youth or Calla or The Muggabears (who sadly broke up I just discovered). Although my favorite song, which is posted below, sounds like a more instrumentally inclined Nada Surf perhaps? I don’t know, it’s good stuff. If anybody has any more info on the band feel free to share in the comments.
If I told you that a particular band in the 90’s opened for the likes of Jawbreaker, Gang of Four, Counting Crows and Jawbox, while also sharing the stage with Green Day, Ben Folds Five, Nada Surf and The Butthole Surfers, you would have to think that this band would have been pretty successful in that era, right? Sadly, that is not necessarily the tale of the San Francisco Bay area band, Engine 88.
Playing their first show in April of 1992, Engine 88 (who were initially called Engine, but later changed their name to Engine 88 to avoid a legal battle with a Florida band of the same name) quickly built their brand of rapid, quirky rock while also building a solid fan base in their local community. The band’s growth could not have been timed any better, as record labels big and small were flocking to the Bay Area after bands like Rancid and Green Day started selling records by the thousands. In the fall of 1994, in the presence of A&R reps for Caroline Records, the band played a show at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. After getting everyone in the crowd to simultaneously eat Pop Rocks candy as they played their set, they signed a two record deal with the label.
Engine 88 released their debut album Clean Your Room in 1995. Personally, this is my favorite Engine 88 record that I still adore to this day. Clean Your Room brilliantly mixes elements of punk rock with pop and even alternative rock to create a chunky driving sound, drawing comparisons to Fugazi, Superchunk and Pavement. Throw in singer Tom Barnes’ pleasantly peculiar voice and this album is truly unforgettable. Anchored by songs such as stand outs “Mangos”, “The Bottle” and “GTO”, the band churns out great song after great song. To support Clean Your Room the band toured the Midwest and even made it over to the East Coast for a run.
Caroline upped the ante on their 1997 follow-up, enlisting star producer Tim O’Heir to work with the band on the record. The result was Snowman, a record that took a bit of a more melodic turn for Engine 88 from Clean Your Room. This is an excellent record that would please fans of Clean Your Room, but would also allow the band to seek a wider audience. It thankfully wasn’t an overt move or a departure for the band, but rather that small step forward in the right direction. Songs like “Ballerina” and “Manclub” stand out on the record with their poppy, energetic sound. Snowman received great praise from the critics, but it failed to catapult the band to the airwaves of alternative radio that they had hoped for. Engine 88 supported the new record by opening for Counting Crows along the Great Lakes and the Midwest, playing bigger venues the band had seen before.
It was during this tour where the band realized that the dreams they had for Engine 88 would never come to fruition. Now without a label after fulfilling their deal with Caroline, the band felt that they would never be able to achieve the success that they were after and deciding to throw in the towel in late 1997.
Before their demise, Engine 88 had recorded some songs that they were very proud of and decided to release them posthumously. Flies and Death n’Stuff was released in 1998 on Wingnut Records. While very good, some of the songs on Flies sound like the band is trying to channel Sunny Day Real Estate, rather than playing their aggressive and witty brand of punk/indie rock.
Every time I listen to Clean Your Room and Snowman, I ask myself to this day what could have been if Engine 88 had decided to keep charging forward on the road and in the studio. While they may have never achieved the type of commercial success they were seeking, they may have attained more of a cult status like some of the bands they opened for did.
I love the way this (Little Brazil) record kicks off. Reminds me of hearing the first track off of Nada Surf’s Let Go. Both openers begin with simple instrumentation and great lyrics that help set the stage for the rest of the release. Both Let Go and Son sport similar sounds; honest, everyman type voices backed by sometimes alarmingly understated, sometimes alarmingly overstated accompaniments. Little Brazil seem to borrow from the Coldplay formula in this regard as well, but maybe with a bit of The Shins’ ability to sometimes pull back and not shoot for the stars when the moon will do.
Son is their third release and they sound pretty confident, especially when burning through a track like “Wasting Time.” And while using a horn section can (usually) seem pointless and burdensome, these guys are successful with the experiment on “Seperated,” which actually stands out from the album because of its country breeziness. It could almost pass for a more upbeat Bright Eyes tune.
The album can sometimes fall into U2 type posturing, which doesn’t quite work for anyone. But when the band hits their stride, the results speak for themselves. “Wanna Go Home” offers the band at their best; everything about the sound clicks. And the fact that Little Brazil can throw together a powerful, indie-stoner riff and a detached, beautiful bridge without completely ruining a tune is pretty impressive (I’m talking about “Wedding Glass”). The album is it’s most accomplished in the beginning and most interesting towards the end, which bodes well for keeping the listener’s attention. They kept mine.
Miranda Sound played their last show in August of 2008. It is a terrible shame listening to the band’s final album, 2008’s self-titled affair. This is power pop in a heavy Posies or Nada Surf vein but with an almost post-punk approach instrumentally. The band really reminds me of the younger crop of British bands like Dartz! and Tellison. Miranda Sound’s songs are driving and straight forward yet instrumentally a bit more diverse. The production is superb. I have got some digging to do in terms of the band’s back catalog cause this album has knocked me over. I even get a Jimmy Eat World feel at times. Believe me, Miranda Sound is a band you should seek out.
I can not believe that I am sitting here in the year 2008 and reviewing yet another chapter of the Emo Diaries. More than a few years ago Deep Elm thankfully ended their run of Emo Diaries at the nice round, perfect number of ten. Makes sense, right? The world rejoiced, some emo kids cried and we all moved on to bigger and better things. Yet, for some reason, Deep Elm has elected to bring back to life this compilation that just deserves to be left alone at this point.
Above Them – OK, this ain’t half bad. At times it reminds me of Waxwing. That is a good thing. But, the song is all over the place. Definitely promising though.
This Drama – Not too shabby…dance flavored indie rock with some screamy elements that I wish the band would embrace more.
While You Were Gone – Power pop/rock with female vocals. Oh, is this emo now?
Knockout Kings – Is Taking Back Sunday still around? Victory Records, do you have a spot left for these guys?
Andy Tanner & His Grand Piano – I dig Andy’s vocal style and this could be good if not for some questionable lyrics. “It’s nights like these that I wish I had a girl.” C’mon now!
The Crash Engine – The name just gives it away. I knew what this was gonna sound like before I even heard it. Generic.
The Decoration – Oh, I actually like this. Kinda reminds me of a band like Nada Surf. Well done.
I’m Fashion, You’re Victim – Besides being one of the worst band names ever, I’m Fashion, You’re Victim play metal “fashion” core. Oh yeah!
Young Hearts – Ah, these guys are too good to be on this comp. Rad pop/punk…can I get some more please?
The City Beautiful – Better than most of the stuff on here. Unique sounding and hell, they’re from Antarctica, so that’s pretty cool.
My Awesome Compilation – Easily taking second place in worst band names on Emo Diaries Chapter Eleven. Did they write this song for a boxing movie or something? I feel so motivated now. Think I’ll pass.
Panel – Rocking but entirely too long and on the verge of irritating.
OK, so, overall that was a disappointing listen. Probably not as bad as I was expecting but four or five memorable songs out of twelve is a poor average for any compilation. And for someone who actually owns all ten of the Emo Diaries (don’t laugh, I got them for free), I can honestly say this is the least memorable. So, please, do us a favor Deep Elm, stop beating a dead horse. You’re just making it (much, much) worse.
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