The Anniversary Designing a Nervous Breakdown Vagrant/Heroes & Villians/BMG 2000/2016 Reissue

The Anniversary Designing a Nervous Breakdown Vagrant/Heroes & Villains/BMG 2000/2016 Reissue CAT #VR4401

Man, I remember being so excited for this record in 2000. I actually got an advance copy to promote through an indie-promotion company when I was doing "street team" work. The Anniversary was becoming a big deal, locally and nationally. They were touring with the Get Up Kids, the singles they had released up to their debut were frantic emo-pop sing-alongs.

However, when I got the album I remember being completely let down. The album starts out promising with "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" followed by "All Things Ordinary", but after that, I remember thinking the band had run out of ideas. The Rentals formula was wearing thin and in bursts, it worked for the band, but for an entire album, it gets thin. When the album was officially released, I never bothered updating my promo copy which was just a disc in a plain white envelope with a hype-sticker across the back.

Years later, when nostalgia took over, I regretted never buying it on vinyl. When I started looking for it, I would have been lucky to find a copy for $50. Then, just recently, Vagrant started re-releasing a bunch of their back catalog for the label's 20 year anniversary and this was included. I waited too long apparently to get a standard black copy and settled for this blue colored version...and once again, I was disappointed when I first put it on. Not because I felt I bought a bad album, I can now validate the purchase for two great tracks and some solid filler, I got more money than I did in 2000. But, what I was upset about this time was slightly warped vinyl...WTF. Quality control on recent vinyl pressings leaves a lot to be desired, but that's to be expected when everyone is buying records again.

Either way, the album sounds better today than it did back then. Bonus, the warp doesn't affect playback, so it's cool. I'm picking up on all the moments when the Get Up Kids association rubbed off on these guys, the pick slides, the obvious emo infliction, it's nice. But, mostly it's the nostalgia that gets me.

Designing a Nervous Breakdown

The Casket Lottery Moving Mountains Second Nature 2000

The Casket Lottery Moving Mountains Second Nature 2000 CAT #SN018

The pros will tell you this a typical sophomore album. They'll say it doesn't have the same energy as the debut. Or, the band started experimenting to add an edge to their sound, but hadn't fully developed into themselves. You can even read retrospective reviews that claim the follow-up is the one to own, it's the one that put all the pieces together.

Screw that, in 2000, the start/stop emo dynamic was morphing into garbage like Fall Out Boy. Yet, here's this Kansas City band smacking you in the face. Screaming and crying, even heavy metal gurgling at you that this style still had some moments to offer. The band's experimentation was the use of more progressive and metal influences that they threw into their sound. And it works. It works amazingly well. You could call it a little unbalanced compared to the later albums, but you could just as easily say it also adds an element of surprise to the album listening experience.

The kids know. This is a great LP. Regardless of what the "best" Casket Lottery album is, this stands with all their work on equal footing. There's also a great blurb written by Ed Rose about the recording of the album on the inner-sleeve. It's not legendary bathroom reading like the CD liners to Kill Creek's St. Valentine's Garage (if you have the CD, you understand), but it shows, Ed got it, too.

A Dead Dear

Shiner Starless Private 2000/2015

Shiner Starless Private 2000/2015 NO CAT#

This album was originally released as a CD on Owned & Operated Recordings in 2000. It was the third album in the Shiner catalog and I remember having it and being bored by it. I had loved Splay, tolerated Lula Divinia, but didn't have the patience for this album.

Looking back, I was in college when it was released and trying to understand complex subjects in class, I didn't want any complication in my music. I was feeling the lo-fi scene featuring Pavement, power-pop of the late-70's, and punk rock. I didn't have to think about that music, that stuff was plug and play. And, if I did have to concentrate on tunes, it was at KJHK and by the year 2000, post-hardcore had run it's course in the college radio scene. I just thought I had to have some sort of persona. I used to like Shiner, but couldn't anymore. They were like Rush at this point, way too old-man rock.

Looking back, I'm a bit embarrassed by that version of me. I had lot more of my own pretensions than this album has. Sure, it's math-y and each song is like an equation that only makes sense upon it's conclusion, but, its got a lot of depth and emotion to go along with it. Listening to it now, I get why they were big in Chicago and signed to a label owned and operated by post-hardcore darling, Jawbox frontman, J. Robbins. It's cause they were pretty great.

This new reissue was put out by the band themselves, vinyl only on blue/white splattered vinyl. The colored effect does go well with the original artwork which is greatly enhanced by the size of the cover. The pale guy in the suit and crown standing over a skyline looks much more grand staring at a LP jacket versus squinting at the old CD liner. Got to think Shiner may be able to get the rights to give the same treatment to Lula Divinia and Splay at some point. The doors are closed at DeSoto with Dischord only paying attention to the Jawbox catalog. I'd hope J. Robbins is a cool enough guy that he'd just let Shiner do what they want if asked.

SHINER - STARLESS

Reflector Where Has All the Melody Gone Status Recordings 2000

Reflector Where Has All the Melody Gone Status Recordings 2000 CAT # NINE

This is the only full length LP available on vinyl from Kansas City's Reflector.  Despite being the little guys in town, they do a solid job of filling out an entire LP.  I tend to enjoy their Prelude to Novelty album a bit more, but both full length albums are pretty interchangeable and represent the band well.

This one was recorded by Alex Brahl and it shows.  When the Shiner guys recorded the band, they may have overstepped the band's ability, I mean, they were just a three-piece and while they owed obvious influence to that band, they weren't writing math rock songs.  Brahl was able to calm the band down a bit and not lose that KC post-hardcore sound that the band was built around.  Previous efforts by the band felt tense and bottled up.  Brahl was able to soften some of the edges and even got the cello thrown in as a backdrop on a tune.

They even managed to get some soul into these tunes, not that it's dance-able, but the band was getting away from the discordant Slint-dynamics they previously relied on.  The first song, "Spell" is prime example, a midst the starts and stops, Jake Cardwell was able to catch a steady groove that moves the song.  They still got intense, the song "Alice" is a monster despite it's ballad-esque beginnings and ends with a slow moving segue into an actual ballad and the last song, "Flowers," which is one of my personal favorites from the band.

Spell
Flowers

The Get Up Kids/Rocket From the Crypt Split 7" Heroes & Villains/Vagrant 2000

The Get Up Kids/Rocket From the Crypt Split 7" Heroes & Villains/Vagrant 2000 Cat # VR351, HV 009

This band cracked Billboard charts as an independent recording artist from Kansas City.  They toured with big timers like Weezer and Green Day.  But, what I find the coolest, they did a release with Rocket From the Crypt.  To me, Rocket From the Crypt represents the last great Rock N' Roll band.  The last band that you could play loud and piss off your parents with.  They used nicknames, had a horn section, didn't hide behind punk agendas and alternative fashions, they just played fast and loud.  But, they're not from Kansas City, so it's probably best to stop there.

The song featured here, "Up on the Roof", was recorded on the road in Hollywood, CA.  The band utilized their sound guy and local legend, Alex Brahl, to produce the track.  It's a decent track, considering that they were splitting the time with Rocket From the Crypt, you would have thought they would opt for something a bit more up tempo.  But, in 2000, it represents the first steps the Get Up Kids took in trying to get away from themselves and the Emo Pop genre they unintentionally spawned with the release of 'Something to Write Home About'.  Albeit the song is bit sappy, it does feature a more organic sound that would find it's way onto the 'On A Wire' album.  Dewees' keyboards are set on piano rather than synth, they dump all the pick slides and woo-hooing for a subtle groove centered around the Pope brothers.  The lyrics also feel heavier and more adult than previous work.  Decent track, but still, they were following Rocket From the Crypt, the pick slides and woo-hooing probably would have been fine.

Up on the Roof

Mates of State My Solo Project Polyvinyl Record Co. 2000

Mates of State My Solo Project Polyvinyl Record Co. 2000 CAT# PRC-061-1

So, I watched a YouTube video and finally verified that 1/2 of this band is legitimately local to Kansas, not just formed here.  Kori Gardner was born in Lawrence Memorial Hospital.  Although, she moved away at a young age, her family is rooted in Lawrence and it's well known she came back to Lawrence for college.  Her other half, Jason Hammel, is a Minnesotan, he came to Lawrence for college and left town with Kori by his side.

This is the first album the two released after they had left Lawrence for the greener pastures of California.  It's chaotic and filled with huge pop hooks.  It caught the attention of indie hipsters and the ire of many Lawrence, KS locals.  People were mad at them for leaving, despite that no one paid the two piece attention when they booked shows locally.  The couple still speaks highly of the Lawrence and have stated in interviews they contemplated moving back to raise their family.  However, at this time it appears clear the two are firmly entrenched on the East Coast with children.

To draw a parallel, this album is about a million miles away from the band's current sound.  While the pop hooks and tendencies are firmly entrenched on My Solo Project, it's built around Pixies dynamics and jumps from one idea to the next rapidly.  The band's newer recordings consist of insanely good pop songs, well thought out and relatively harmless.  My Solo Project sound bombs pop goodness at you.  The two scream back and forth at each other, basically, you're not going to hear the songs on this LP at the Gap while shopping for khakis.

It begs the question, which era of Mates of State is better?  Part of me loves the pop hits of the new albums.  But, overall, if I want something to break shit to, I'm putting this on.  I love the unpolished sounds and the rawness of it.  The bad ideas that didn't get kicked out by a flashy producer or pop smarts, those moments make this album enduring.

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