Swinging Singles Club MN

 Boo!     Break Up Songs for Relationships That Never Happened (2004) That's all I got.

  I got nothing. But this will get me off the hook until my next week off.     Life on the Installment Plan (2004) The second full length by Valet .  Go ahead. You know you want to.

  Going to sync up the two blogs tonight. Stand by for posts to follow. Starting with this one.   [Infestation] (2004) The Chinch Bugs . Garage pop.  Some fun songs. Some funny songs.  (and I will forever maintain that it's a lot fucking harder to write a song that's funny than a pretentions depressing one) There's a freakin' oboe on some tracks. You need some double reed action in your playlist That is all.  

 Still can't remember what I as going to cook. But when I'm done here I really ought to get some bread dough going. It was probably a mistake to start making my own bread a couple of months ago because there's really no going back from this point. I just created more work for myself. I mean, it's easy as fuck and the result is well worth the effort, but I'm feeling pretty fucking lazy this deep into another Plague Year and right in the middle of Winter with the Solstice still months away. Anyway. This fits my current mood. Revolver Modèle (2004) This 6 song disc followed up a self released 3 song ep  I haven't got. So we're starting with it. Some bands wear their influences on their sleeves proudly. Revolver Modèle is one. It's pretty clear that they're big fans of Joy Division. It's a modern take on it, but someone is trying really hard to channel themselves some Ian Curtis at the mic. It's not a value judgement by any means, but it's al...

  I cooked a shit ton of food in the last couple of days. Much more than necessary, but I was on a bit of a roll. So I went with it. Now I'm hungry again. The Early Year (2001) Jan. Janeen Gauthier. Indiepop Smoke + Mirror (2004) I have nothing more to add

 No ado here either. Summer of the Jackyl (2004)   Bridge Club again.   Still rocking. Play slightly louder than the previous post.

 I like coffee.  Twin Town High Yearbook Volume 6 (2004) Full Tracklist on Discogs Highlights are a lot of folks I've already posted because I like them Hang Ups (version 2), Superhopper, Midnight Evils blow out the jams, and if you need some rarities there's Low doing the Beach Boys "Surfer Girl" Dig it.

  Well, more like an iced vanilla custard, I guess. Doesn't matter. De-fucking-licious. Best of Smoke-Free Saturday Nights (2004) Now here's a weird throwback item. In 2004 you could still smoke in bars. So shortlived local music weekly The Pulse of the Twin Cities was sponsoring what I believe were all ages shows where smoking was not allowed. It's like a fascinating little sonic time capsule like the blues compilation I picked up years ago in a junk shop that was a giveaway ad for antidepressants. This one doubles as a good cross section of what things sounded like at the beginning of this century in the Minneapolis/St Paul nexus. Consider it a sampler plate for a number of things to come and the only evidence of other things. and another Superhopper tune of which I feel like you cannot have too many.

 Boop      2004 - Escalator The follow up release by Alva Star. It aims to be a little more polished and is somewhat subdued compared to the previous release. But while still a nice listen, Just doesn't quite have the same flavor of the previous disc.  But then I haven't spent as much time with it. I may change my mind in the future. "Curtain Drops" is the highlight for me which transitions nicely into "Today" As always your mileage may vary.

  I got nothing.     2004 - Prescription Perils the Winter Blanket. Moved to the Cities in 2002 from the Quad Cities area. Recorded with and for Alan Sparhawk of Low fame. Semi-acoustic, male/female vocals. Slow and deliberate. Perfect for those evenings where it gets dark in the middle of the day and you're thinking it's probably some time well after midnight and you're tired and should turn in but when you look at the clock it's barely 8:30pm.  It's that with a Bruce Springsteen cover to boot.

  The week before last I broke a tooth and the car broke down.  This week one of my crowns is starting to be more than a little bit sensitive which past experience suggests that I may be looking at another root canal. Middle age is a fucking joy. 2004 - Lovers & Haters, Unite! The Bleeding Hickeys. Three women rocking it out with a boy drummer. They were a flash in the pan in the early 2000s and I find myself coming back to this disc more often than a lot of stuff that I could be listening to at any given moment. It's oddly compelling and I mean that in I can't specifically point to any particular thing about it that sets it apart. Are they punk rock? Probably by most definitions but heavier on the garage side of it, maybe. There's some Brix style leads which as a Fall fan is always going to catch my ear, but it's more than that. There's a confident conviction to it. "Cock Taco" from the first single makes a reappearance and is always a fan favorite in...