Radiation Vibe is in my top 5 Happy songs ever.

The first two Fountains of Wayne albums, those being the s/t and Utopia Parkway, are spectacular. "Stacy's Mom" off the third album is fine enough but it's basically the Cars + Weezer, who themselves were produced by Ric Ocasek when they actually mattered so whaddyahavetosayabouthat. We don't talk about the fourth album.

Can't say enough good stuff about their spares album, Out-of-State Plates, which happened to compile a slew of awesome b-sides and EP tracks, most of which my AP psychology teacher gave me in 2003 because I correctly identified "Stacy's Mom" before class started.
[INTERPOLATION]
He gave out albums to "broaden our horizons," but his means of doing so was an interesting catch-22: in order to obtain one of his horizon-broadening bands--which was admittedly just stuff like Fountains of Wayne or Belle & Sebastian or Death Cab For Cutie or whatever else passed for hip mindblowin' shit to high school seniors in 2003/04--one had to know who they were, but if you already knew who they were, what good did it do you to discover the album? and if you kept guessing in vain because you're trying so hard to meet him halfway on the broad horizon but he won't give you anything for your efforts, why even bother listening to anything more ambitious than Pink Floyd? I took some educated guesses to win my FoW comp and a pair of early Guster albums before they turned into a shitty band for bros, and I'm thankful for all that, but doesn't the entire exercise seem a little pointless to anybody else? especially considering that his zeal for imparting 100-level college psych couldn't hope to match his zeal for posing as a hipster to high schoolers? How did I ever snag a 4 on that exam when I prepared for it by watching tenuously pertinent Family Guy episodes and listening to bad turn-of-the-century indie? AP Psychology must be a big joke. Bet I'd have 5'd with ease were I ever taught.
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So imagine my pleasant surprise when two years later, they came out with like 23 out of the 25 I already had plus a bunch of other cool stuff I missed the first time around, like "Maureen" or "Baby I've Changed." Also, they have a live cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" that's like three or four times better than the original.

Agreed on "Radiation Vibe" being one of their best tunes, to which I'll add "Amity Gardens," "A Fine Day for a Parade," "She's Got a Problem," "Troubled Times," "Baby I've Changed," and "Sink to the Bottom." I noticed that I hit a lot of their more melancholy stuff on that list. That's something they outdo Weezer on by miles.

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collingwood/schlesinger are better songwriters than rivers cuomo.

Sick Day and Valley Winter Song.

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

"no better place" i have a personal attachment to.

courtesy of Bagels

that's a great summer album, good to crank up w/ the windows down

what?

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@audioidkid

Let the record show, I purchased this album back when it came out. The CD is scrathed to hell.

Its a great album all around. Simple Rock n Roll. Sister Havannah may be a radio song and not that complicated, but the fuckn thing rocks. The whole album is really good. Dropout is a nice change of pace. Tequilla Sundae is awesome. Just really really good all around.

yeah for sure. i've heard their other stuff...I have the one that came after that but I've heard the earlier stuff too and none of it ever really grabbed me..this was their peak i think

Yeah The Dragon album was ok.

You can find Nash Kato (best rock name EVER) at Phyllisis' doing shots and muttering to himself most weeddays.

does he still wear the big gold chain?

That's a good album, that I played way too much of in college. Saw them live - 17 years ago - at the Duke Ellington Ballroom at the THE Northern Illinois University.

Nash Kato was way better when he was doing body shots off of Liz Phair and muttering to her.

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This on the morning commute today:


Free show at Millenium Park - Monday, June 7, 7:00 p.m.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

I saw them open for the Pixies on their first reunion go-round and they were not good

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This is my signature...

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W_Z has really inspired you, huh?

Did he do a mean version of Bob Dylan at Karoke?

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yes indeed

They picked the right bands to open for.


After opening for Nirvana on the American Nevermind tour and Pearl Jam on the Vs. tour, Urge Overkill returned to the studio to record another EP

I'm actually a big fan of UO's entire discography, with "The Candidate" being my favorite track, probably. I loved those guys.

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

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nicely done

Oh no question the FoW boys are better than that overrated hack Rivers.



Crossy, do you like that Wilco album? I think I liked about three songs and the rest I can take or leave. It's no Sky Blue Sky, which is terribly underrated and unfairly slagged as "dad rock" because Pitchfork geeks too often value ancillary bullshit over musicianship.

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Yeah, it's not even close re: FOW > Weezer.
There are about 3 songs by FoW I don't really care for, and Weezer have like 4 full albums that I think suck ass.
And I stopped paying attention to Wilco new releases after YHF so I can't speak to Wilco other than I love their first 4 albums.

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

If you appreciate pure guitar chops, you really ought to check out Sky Blue Sky. Nels Cline can play like damn. It's not like YHF at all; no screwing around. It's just professionals hard at work.

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i still listen to weezer but it's really painful at times. i can't help it. i'm still sentimentally attached. i was 15 when they first came out and they "spoke" to me. but yeah, green album and after have produced some very very bad music. "raditude" has probably 2 good songs on it.

i couldn't get into "ghost is born" but i really liked "sky blue sky". reminded me sometimes of a more mellow and breezier "summer teeth".