Butterglory Are You Building a Temple in Heaven? Merge 1996

Butterglory Are You Building a Temple in Heaven? Merge 1996 CAT# MRG098LP

Throughout Butterglory's lifespan, it was focused around the duo of Matt Suggs and Debby Vander Wall, Californians who transplanted to Lawrence, KS after this album was recorded. They've had different players, but their sloppy lo-fi pop songs are primarily due to those members.

This LP represents the California version of the band when they were at their best. Like all their work, it sounds an awful lot like Pavement, but unlike the following album, Rat Tat Tat, it's much more obvious that Butterglory's sound developed independently of Pavement, the end result just happens to be similar, but, since Pavement got more popular, Butterglory gets dubbed a sound-alike.

Pavement took a lot of cues from Sonic Youth whereas Butterglory had a lot more Velvet Underground worship and if you listen hard enough, they even had jazz moves. Listening to this album, you sense that if given the chance, Butterglory would have made a huge sounding rock record, they just didn't have the budget to do so. The big riffs on "On Button On", make it pretty obvious, this band dreamed of a bigger sound, but without the means, you get the plaintive vocals and simple production. You end up with a lot of lo-fi cuteness, but still a great album.

On Button On

Giant's Chair Purity And Control Caulfield 1995

Giant's Chair Purity And Control Caulfield 1996 CAT# CR022

Had to hustle for this one, man.  This cost more than I'd like to admit, but it's so worth it.  A year after Red And Clear was released the band put together this album.  You can find abundant praise for their debut, but for whatever reason, Purity And Control, likely due to it's scarcity, doesn't get the same amount of mentions.  However, the obscure post-hardcore and emo blogs that do mention the album are high on it.

Despite the lack of info surrounding the release, those that do cite it are right to highly regard it.  Purity And Control is much more focused and dynamic than it's predecessor.  Moments on Red And Clear can sound a bit scrambled and overly excited.  This album as it's namesake suggests, is controlled.  The band doesn't run off on tangents and keeps it's focus.  The main reason the band is cited as emo pioneers is due to what you hear on this recording.  It's still jagged and edgy, but, Hobart's does throw down some emotive vocals.  Further, the band builds into the dynamics rather than employing start/stop dynamics (mostly, they don't abandon it completely).  To point out more emo cred, long before it was vogue and when Conor Oberst was 15 years old and just brimming on genius, Giant's Chair recorded tracks at Whoopass Studios with AJ and Mike Moogis

The album was primarily recorded in KC.  Hammer Press did the jackets, vinyl just shows the braille pattern, if I'm not mistaken the CD liner has actual braille type you can feel across.  The song "Ballad of Jody Hamilton" brings light to this artwork as it is a spoken word piece about a blind writer, it's pretty Velvet Underground-esq and has nothing to do with the word emo.  All told, it's a phenomenal album and highly recommended if you can track down a copy.  Even the CD is non-existent so below is a link to the full album, I don't think the band will mind at this point.

Full Album

BR5-49 Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts) B/W Hickory Wind Arista 1996

BR5-49 Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts) B/W Hickory Wind Arista 1996 CAT #07822-13046

Another 7" from the Lawrence native, Chuck Mead and his band BR5-49.  Like the previously posted, it contains two tracks form the band's debut album.

Chuck Mead wrote the song, "Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts)".  It's a solid western swing tune that tells the tale of a punk rocker who "traded in her Docs for kicker boots."  Mead is a solid story teller lyrically and this track is no exception.  The B-Side is the Byrds track "Hickory Wind" from the classic Byrds LP, 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo.'  The band doesn't stray far from the original and keep it just as much of a tear-jerker country ballad as the original.

Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts)

BR5-49 Even If It's Wrong B/W Crazy Arms Arista 1996

BR5-49 Even If It's Wrong B/W Crazy Arms Arista 1996 CAT#07822-13061-7

You get outside of the few cities in Kansas and out into the Western portion of the state and country music dominates.  It's about all you can find on the dial in the most remote areas.  Yet, it's not like there are/were a ton of country artists from the state.  There are some, Carson Robison who helped developed the genre comes to mind but, there aren't many huge names, Martina McBride (she's big, right?) and Chely Wright is cool.  But, if you compare Kansas to a place like Oklahoma we pale in comparison.

Nevertheless, there has and will always be a substantial country scene in the state.  A large bluegrass festival takes place every year and Manhattan, Kansas hosts the Nation's largest country music festival with the Country Stampede every year.  Further, Kansas has always had a strong local scene.  However, many of these talented locals don't venture far from the state, even in the 90's accailimed artists artists like Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys and Arthur Dodge & the Horsefeathers counldn't get crack the big time in Nashville.

Yet, in the early 1990's, Lawrence native Chuck Mead just said, "Fuck it."  Instead of waiting for Nashville to come to him, he just moved.  Brought his guitar and his songs and set up camp.  What he ended up doing was forming the band BR5-49 along with a Pacific Northwesterner Gary Bennett.  Mead brought in fellow Kansan Shaw Wilson to play drums and the rest of the band was pieced together with guys from the area and a friend of Bennett's from the Northwest.

The group was unabashedly retro both in music and looks.  They dressed like honky tonkers from the 50's and excelled at Western Swing, Honky Tonk, and Country Rock, something Nashville cared little about in the 90's.  Yet, despite shunning the Garth Brooks style, these guys made a name for themselves and became critical favorites for their strong songs and unwillingness to accept the current Nashville norms.

Both songs featured here are available on the band's self titled release from 1996.  It's a bummer when 7"s place multiple tracks from the album on a 7", but considering there isn't much available on vinyl from this band, I'll take it.  Side 1 is the Bennett original, "Even if it's Wrong," which is a solid honky tonk outing.  Side 2 is the country and rock and roll classic, "Crazy Arms," which the group covers in traditional country style.

Even If It's Wrong
Chuck Mead and Gary Bennett on Jools Holland doing Crazy Arms

The Get Up Kids Love Teller Contrast 1996

The Get Up Kids Love Teller Contrast 1996 CAT# CNTRST 3

Man, I love this little 7", it's so fucking emo.  These guys were just barely removed from high school when they did it, in fact, the drummer still was.  I love the band's early stuff because it was always filled with such a sense of urgency.  Like they were dying to share the songs with anyone who wanted to listen, sleep on anybody's floor who would allow them, and play anywhere.

The two songs featured, "A Newfound Interest in Massachusetts" and "Off the Wagon" that were both released later by Doghouse on the Woodson EP.  The tunes are lovesick and riddled with teenage emotions.  The songs cemented them into the emo scene and paired them to the likes of Promise Ring and Sense Field.

They are really great songs.  Two of the band's strongest.  Cool bits about the 7", the A-Side run off reads, "I'd Do Anything For You".  The B-Side reads, "I'd Give You the World if I Could."  Both lyrics from the tracks, but so fucking emo to do that.  It's also often mistaken for the first release by the band, which it is not.  That was discussed previously, but there was a self released 7" that did not feature Ryan Pope on drums prior to this.   However, this was the first widely available release from the band and provided them the exposure that led them to a label deal with Doghouse.

Terrible Live Recording, but when they were still "kids"
A Newfound Interest in Massachusetts

Boys Life Departures and Landfalls Cargo/Headhunter 1996

Boys Life Departures and Landfalls Cargo/Headhunter 1996 HED 063

So good.  The first album was aggressive and powerful.  This LP is a bit more restrained, but still employs the same dynamics as the debut.  It was recorded by Bob Weston and done directly to analogue tape.  As such, it is probably the most live sounding studio album the 90's ever heard.  Further, without Trombino producing, you get the sense the band was allowed to be a bit more true to themselves.  There's a definite twang on some of those chords.  It's still very dissonant and start/stop, but more organic sounding.  If post-hardcore can sound roots oriented, it's on this album.

Everything just comes together so well in this album.  By the time you get the 3rd song, 'Twenty Four of Twenty Five,' you feel so involved.  The guitars, despite being loud and out of tune draw you in and feel warm.  The 7 minute reprieve of 'Twenty Four of Twenty Five' is like a smoke break until the album regains course with 'Radio Towers' onto the B-Side which doesn't hold back.

It was the band's best and final work.  The "twang" and space they created in the songs shows up in the later projects.  The Farewell Bend was a toned down version of this album, but didn't really catch on.  The group Canyon, which featured Brandon Butler and Robert Winkle from Boys Life, was a fantastic Lo-Fi take on Americana.

Fire Engine Red
Radio Towers

Kill Creek Proving Winter Cruel Mammoth Records 1996

Kill Creek Proving Winter Cruel Mammoth Records 1996 CAT#MR-0135

Someday, this album is going to get its due.  It's gotten in the Lawrence scene, it's an accepted masterpiece here.  But, I'm talking nationwide, this album is going to get discovered.  For Kill Creek, it was a the nail in the coffin album.  In 1996 no one wanted to hear Scott Born's divorce album.  Sure, several years ago Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend album was a hit and it was about divorce, but it sounded happy.  This album was fucking depressing.  And, if you put it on because you were a fan of St. Valentine's Garage, well forget it, you didn't want to have anything to do with this.  I mean, it was 1996, by this point, all you had to do was do that fake gargle thing Eddie Vedder does and you could get yourself a pretty substantial modern rock hit.  You didn't even have to be from Seattle at this point or wear flannel, you just had to act like a pissed off teenager.

Kill Creek had that choice.  They could have easily sold out.  They had a major label and would have had the support if they dialed it in and served up something easy.  But, apparently that never crossed their mind.  They rallied behind the broken heart Scott Born and recorded an album no one expected, not even their fans.

And to be fair, it got some local radio play.  The song,"Unsteady" was in heavy rotation on the then "sort-of" cool 105.9 FM.  But, I'm not sure that meant much and probably had a lot more to do with the support of station programmers than it did people that listened to the station.  Outside of 105.9, I don't remember this getting much pub.  I would be willing to bet, Mammoth heard it and gave up on it shortly after putting it out.  The label was on the verge of going under and probably found it difficult to promote an album filled with references to alcoholism, pills and divorce.

Ultimately, everyone missed the mark on it.  Because years later, I'm convinced this is a masterpiece.  This is a an adult R-Rated record dealing with heavy topics.  Now, as an actual adult, the heartbreak behind it all sounds comforting and familiar.  I mean, it sounds like a Wilco album before Wilco existed, yeah, it's that good.  And someday, someone important is going to unearth this thing and convince everybody else.  I'm sure of it--someday it will be considered a lost classic.

It starts with the hit, 'Unsteady,' and the lyrics, "I'll stay sober when I come home this October, and I'll break the windows and let the chill put us to sleep."  The album keeps going from there.  In one line, you know exactly what's going on and what the rest of the album entails; cold, loveless relationship, looming divorce and alcohol abuse.  The song 'With You Around,' starts with Scott Born almost crying, "Well the cancer of the twisted word has pulled apart the confidence you've encouraged."  Holy shit!  Right?  What a bitch this woman is, that or Born's drug addiction is the source of  his twisted reality.  The song 'Role Model' about choosing sides in the divorce ends, "To the hurting kind, your some kind of role model.  It takes guts to save your pain from your friends."  And the song, 'Falsified,' man, it's absurd, hurtful and poetic all at once, "Eight years falsified by the last days.  I crushed your pride with the weight of five months crashing down in between us; three nights not one can repair.  And our cats are so playful while we fight; they're used to our years of sharpened claws."  And it ends on the tune "Punishment" which should be a nod to what Scott Born deserves after putting it all out for consumption like this.  I mean, I've seen some people deal with bad divorces, but the fact that Scott Born told ALL makes you almost want to side with his ex.  I can't imagine she deserved such vengeance.  Coincidentally, the producer of the LP, Ed Rose, once told me they called "Proving [actual ex-wife's name] Cruel" in the studio.

And that's the album, it sounds like a cold. dark, loner, folkie album.  Parts of it are, but it's beautiful.  You don't get this much reality out of music.  It's so autobiographical it's disturbing, but you can't turn away from this train wreck.

Falsified
Unsteady
Role Model

Vitreous Humor My Midget B/W New Victoria 7" Theater Mute America 1996

Vitreous Humor My Midget B/W New Victoria  Theater Mute America 1996 CAT#7006-7

Solid 7" from Lawrence, KS' Vitreous Humor.  Odd, this one is a bit tougher to track down than the stuff on Crank!, you'd think Mute would've been the more widely distributed, but who knows.

Regardless, the 7" represents sonic growth in the band.  The initial releases we're kids obsessed with the indie rock coming out of North Carolina in the 90's.  This adds elements of KC style post hardcore and definitely finds the band gleaming the emo sound from their label mates at Crank!.  My Midget spins for two minutes, building and building until Danny Pound decides to throw in some lyrics.

"New Victoria Theater" only appeared on this release.  It's a solid tune so it raises the question, why wasn't it contained on the Post Humous CD release?

My Midget

The Get Up Kids Shorty B/W Breathing Method Huey Proudhon 1996

The Get Up Kids Shorty B/W Breathing Method Huey Proudhon 1996 CAT #HP016

True story: Ryan Pope, the known drummer of this band, offered this to me 1st Period in our Student Naturalist class.  He said to me, "Hey, you need this."
I looked at it and said, "Ryan, why don't you just give it to me?"
"I'm not on it, [he isn't] and we need money for the tour, otherwise I would."
"Ryan, did you bring a bunch of records to school?"  I replied.
"Yeah," as he showed me a backpack full of the 7"s.  "Dude, I'm like the one here that owns a record player, who the hell is going to buy these off of you?"  "Friends," he replied.
Fuck.  He had me there.  I had $5 in my pocket and it was for lunch, but there was my friend, trying to get money for an upcoming tour.  What the hell was I supposed to do?  "How much?"  I replied grudgingly.
"Three dollars."
"I have a five, do you have change?"
"No, not yet, but I'll sell some more and get you your change."

I never got my change.  But, I'm glad I purchased the record.  At the time I bought it, the first Get Up Kids E.P. Woodson had already been released.  I wasn't too excited to own this at the time, Ryan wasn't on it, it wasn't like I was too deep into vinyl.  But, now I kind of wish I bought a couple of them.

Interesting tid-bits about this single...As stated, it doesn't feature Ryan Pope the longtime and current drummer of the band.  It features Nathan (I forgot his last name) who was studying at the Kansas City Art Institute with Robby Pope and Jimmy Suptic.  I don't think he ever got canned in favor of Ryan or anything.  I think he just wanted to pursue art instead of music.

Also, the band recorded this in Lincoln, NE by the Mogis brothers who are now legendary for the whole Omaha scene and recording Cursive and Bright Eyes among a ton of other stuff.

It was also a self issued, private press release.  The Get Up Kids footed the bill on all expenses and promotion of it.  Played shows on it, paid for it, folded all the sleeves, sent it to Zines for review, the whole nine.  Funny, because at the time, they would do interviews and try to talk up Huey Proudhon as an actual label that signed them.  I mean, they even went as far as to catalog it as HP016, as in the sixteenth release by Huey Proudhon records.  Funny, because people have always thought DIY was cool.  Nobody hates Fugazi for being DIY.  I didn't get why in those early days they weren't proud of it.