welcome folks! this week we’re trying something different with the weekly discography review entry – i try to stick to records but i do frequently make pit stops for EPs. this week, we’re taking a look at both Sold Out, a rarities EP, as well as the next record on our list, Perennial Favorites. if you hate this and would rather i do them one at a time, let me know! if you love this and want me to do more condensed reviews faster, also let me know! if you feel ambivalent, keep it to yourself and i’ll keep doing this intermittently!
kicking Sold Out off is St. Louis Cemetery Blues – a very bittersweet track, i enjoy the way this one’s mastered, with the little bit of fuzz on it. Bedlam Ballroom is a very fun, very upbeat instrumental track. really dig the bridge on this one, with the weird little percussive riffs. the bass and guitar are doing some real work on this track. the sound bite at the end is p funny too. Pallin’ With Al is fine. not much to say here. i’m not a fan of this live version of La Grippe – there’s a few things here that are neat but the overall package ain’t for me. I Raise Hell is the only track here with Katharine Whalen on vocals, and she def puts in work, haha. neat song. Fell to Pieces clocks in at 12 minutes – jamming in some secret tracks and a few variety bits. neat, but i’m not huge on it. the “real” song, the one before the big gap, uses a similar mastering to St. Louis Cemetery Blues, but it doesn’t work at all here, it just blows out the vocals and weakens the instrumental work.
faves – St. Louis Cemetery Blues, Bedlam Ballroom
dislikes –
fun little collection of rarities. not a lot of connective tissue beyond the Squirrel Peanuts jokes, but also there doesn’t need to be. if you’ve loved what you’ve heard this far, check it out, otherwise it’s fine to skip, haha.
Sold Out – 4/10
Suits Are Picking Up the Bill is also a very good opener – fantastic instrumental opening with strong brass elements, and a really fun and catchy vibe to it. Low Down Man is an… interesting follow up track, largely because of how effectively the intro for the track slows the tempo built by Suits. Whalen’s vocals here are good and i like the big of twang they bring in around the chorus, but man its just a weird sequence. Ghost of Stephen Foster is p funny (he wrote Camptown Races, which was the clearest reference to me here, amongst many other well known Americana tracks). not my fave but a fun time. yknow it didnt strike me at first that Pallin’ With Al was also included here. still just about nice. Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter is another track loosely about class, and i like the hook on this one a lot. Trou Macacq feels like its ripping melody and vocal lines off of Hell. My Drag is a nice, slinking track. p nice! no big thoughts on Soon. Evening at Lafitte’s has that really nice strolling standing bass, makes for a phenomenal vibe for the track. i like this one quite a bit. The Kraken is an interesting instrumental track – got quite a few movements to it, with some really cool moments for sure. our last true track here is That Fascinating Thing. a nice, bombastic strut towards the end of the record. It’s Over is a fun, tongue in cheek way to close the curtains on the record.
faves – Suits Are Picking Up the Bill, Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter
dislikes –
yeah this was fine. a couple hits, a couple lower points, but on the whole very enjoyable and a nice additional helping of Squirrel Nut Zippers. i feel roughly as i did above – if you didn’t like what was before this, you probably wouldn’t dig this, but if you’ve been going hard for the swing this whole time, check it out and see what shines for you.
Perennial Favorites – 5/10
gonna be another odd week next week – the next record is technically their 1998 record, Christmas Caravan, but i’m not huge on holiday-only records and don’t really want to make that my focus – i’m gonna try and get both it and their last record before their first breakup in 2000, Bedlam Ballroom, next week.
first: The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers | previous: Hot | next: Bedlam Ballroom
all my reviews for Squirrel Nut Zippers
have a suggestion for a discography for me to review? let me know!