Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow
(2005, Fading Captain Series)
Disc
7
A
Proud and Booming Industy [Original Version]-
4 The
real version APABI can be found on the debut GBV release, Devil
Between My Toes,as
a poorly recorded, third rate, downright frightening instrumental.
This, however, is a light pop song with some jittery guitar lines
interweaving with each other and gorgeous basement melodies. Boy,
those guys fucked up which one to put on their DEBUT!
Two
or Three Songs-
3 Acoustic
strums and plucks with single bass note hits. Inoffensive,
melancholy, Mountain Goats-esque sounding composition with baritone
Pollard vocals.
Little
Games- 1 Recorded
in 2005 and boy, it’s terrible. Acoustic battering with
inaudible drunk, broken harmonic wails.
Daughter
of the Gold Rush-
2 Credited
as a 2001 recording but definitely sounds older based on GBV
track-record. A long, dark and moody jam that is the the
original version of the eerie “Volcano Divers” off of Fast
Japanese Spin Cycle EP,
but 5 times the length.
Color
Coat Drawing- 4 Electric
guitar with Pollard vocals cut. Great bare bones display of a
reflective, rather sedate, yet uplifting song.
Learning
to Burn- 1 Remember
that scene in Carrie when
she comes home from the prom covered in blood to find her house
draped in candles? Well, this ‘81 recorded track would be a perfect
substitute for the soundtrack, but will never be used, so whatever.
Moody, and boring.
A
Minute Before the Evil Street-
1 Dual
vocals overlap, the snare drum hits are louder than the guitar
plucking. One minute long. Yup.
I’d
Choose You- 2
1984 recording
that’s a mid-tempo, early ‘70s pop-rocker that’s actually
pretty boring. Like many songs on this collection, seems as though it
was a sketch of thing to come. But sketch or not, at nearly four
minutes, it’s a tough road to walk. Has a kind of Sesame Street
chorus to it, don’t it? Seems to be a live recording from an
early gig.
You’re
Killing Me- 2
Beatles bluesy
type acoustic demo that’s got a nice rhythmic skip in it! Whoo
ooh oh oh. Black and blues, and demoed all over.
Old
Friend- 1 Sullen
and slow bass slides join ice cold guitar strums, while a depressed
sounding Pollard moans melodically. Sounds like this would be a
fitting song to listen to in the middle of a gray January for one to
wallow in their seasonal depression.
She
Don’t Shit (No Golden Bricks For Me)-
2 The
coolest part of this haunting song is that it only plays out of the
right speaker! Incredibly lo-fi pre-GBV recording where Pollard
actually kind of sings like Tobin Sprout. Short and weird.
I
Have a Hard Heart- 1 This
is might be the worst thing ever! Pollard loses his mind on tape, and
after the dust settled still thinks it’s okay for the public to
hear it.
Shoddy
Clothes-
3 Best
line: “Run around with my ass hanging out for you."How’s
that for poignancy? Sandbox era,
slower, "why-baby-why?" bluesy rock kind of jam. Strings
along with confessional lyrics that manages to hold up among the
mirth of Suitcase. Sounds
like mid-’90s GBV, but with a total Abbey
Road bluesy
freak out ending.
Sordid
Forst- 1 2011
recording. And that is really all you need to know about this heavy
stringed, heavy hearted instrumental lifelessness. Skip.
Shake
It Out- 3 Short
and succinct live 1984 punk-pop recording. Garaged-out as hell,
and capped off with Pollard’s melodic, frantic lyrics. Interesting
early sparkle in the muck.
Cowboy
Zoo-
2 Pollard
and an acoustic from ‘04! Early version of what would later become
“Our Gaze” off of the Pollard solo record Coast
to Coast.... Interesting
to unearth, but just as awkwardly constructed as the final recording
proved to be.
Soul
Barn- 3 Schizo
guitar leads open up the track into jagged verses that are filled
with pop confusion and deconstruction! Sounds crazy, don’t
it? Well, it’s a fairly rad, lo-fi tape-hiss ridden song.
Phase
IV (Rise of the Ants)-
1 Pollard/Mitch
Mitchell early 1980’s weirdness. Pretty much an Acid Ranch track. A
barely audible silly anthem. It’s nice to see 2 guys having
fun once in a while.
Piece- 1
… of shit. Too
easy. No, it’s actually a fairly mundane, sullen acoustic
instrumental for a minute. But yeah, still kind of a piece of shit.
Lonely
Town- 4 Summery
indie jangle that’s incredibly catchy in a “Hey! This is probably
another song I've heard before” kind of way. Uncharacteristically
GBV, but AM pop radio for the radio of a different time. Fire up the
BBQ and be sure to cut those cutoffs a little shorter.
Do
Be- 2 Incredibly
lo-fi, 1980 traditional sounding folk pop played on three chords.
First half comes out of the left speaker and then.... both!
Boston
Spaceships- 1 Not
only did Pollard’s future side project Boston Spaceships rework
several Suitcase songs for their albums, they also took the name off
these collections too. Too bad this song is absolutely terrible.
Check out the band Boston Spaceships for much better results. Oh
yeah, almost forgot. This song consists of a rickety bass line with
steadily played, 1st grade level drums, and Pollard seemingly patting
his open palm over his mouth.
Drugs
and Eggs- 3 Acoustic
guitar and vocals yet again. A solid Pollard harmony. Could’ve
easily found a comfortable place on an early GBV EP.
That
Ain’t No Good- 3
Early frame of
what could prove to be a promising lo-fi, noisy garage pop song,
that's ultimately buried in the dense files of GBV. Some potential
here, but nothing flooring. Sounds like it was recorded live at
a show.
Immediate
Frozen Lookalikes-
1 Pollard
picks strings for 43 seconds and sings on top of said random string
plucks.
Cowboy Zoo is the demo for Accidental Texas Who from Normal Happiness.
ReplyDelete^^^^ Think that asshole there might have been me before I logged in. Fun eh?
ReplyDeleteI was gonna be the second asshole to point out the same thing.
ReplyDelete