Mercury Rev Deserter's Songs V2 By: Eric G. Mercury Rev’s first two records, Yerself Is Steam and Boces, were free form, psychedelic explorations of the boundaries of pop music with a lot of feedback and a little bit of harmony and melody thrown in for good measure. The band’s third album, See You On The […]

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Beck Mutations DGC/Bong Load By: Eric G. I’m so sick of reading that this isn’t the “real” follow up to Beck’s critically lauded Odelay album. Is this a new album? Is it by Beck? Did it come out after Odelay? Then it is a follow up, regardless of how the label couches its intentions. Mutations […]

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Don Caballero What Burns Never Returns Touch And Go By: Eric G. Typically, instrumental rock music is something you want to be careful to avoid, especially when it’s a showcase for guitar virtuosity, but Don Caballero will make you eat that train of thought. A quartet from Pittsburgh, Don Caballero has been releasing records for […]

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Belle & Sebastian Live @ 40 Watt, Athens, Georgia 10/28/98 By: Eric G. Living up to its elusive and coy reputation, Scotland's Belle & Sebastian only played a handful of dates in the United States in support of its third album, The Boy With The Arab Strap. The only date in the South was at […]

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Shellac Live @ Carrboro Elementary, Carrboro, North Carolina 10/27/98 By: Eric G. A Shellac show at an elementary school is relatively tame compared to some of the seedy non-music halls they've been known to play like the Clermont Lounge in Atlanta- a strip club for obscenely overweight, elderly strippers who crush beer cans with their […]

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The Black Heart Procession S/t Cargo/headhunter By: Eric G. The Black Heart Procession envelops you in a dank pool of loneliness and despair with its moody, melancholic balladeering. Pall A. Jenkins sings from the pit of his stomach about the tragic state of his heart over and over again: "Release My Heart", "Blue Water-Black Heart", […]

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Jets To Brazil Orange Rhyming Dictionary Jade Tree By: Eric G. After Jawbreaker sold out with its fourth and final album, Dear You, the band quickly dissipated in the wake of the ensuing backlash. Jets To Brazil is ex-Jawbreaker guitarist/vocalist Blake Schwarzenbach's new lease on life. Rounding out the trio are bassist Jeremy Chatelain, formerly […]

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