Polvo - S/T LP - Green Vinyl

Merge (2019, Reissue)

Now that it is completed and has wrapped up, I feel pretty confident in saying that the Merge Born Under A Good Sign 30th anniversary subscription thingy was not an effective way to spend my money.  When I originally signed up for it, I mainly did so assuming there would be an exclusive Superchunk release.  And while that did happen, I was pretty disappointed that the exclusivity was only the color of vinyl it was pressed on.  Not to mention it was an acoustic reinterpretation of the album Foolish that, while interesting, is not something I expect to listen to all that much.  The rest of the subscription's offerings ranged from 'pretty ok' to 'this is kind of terrible.'

That brings us to Polvo, a band who at no time have I really understood.  With apologies to my buddy Scott, I have never been able to figure out what Polvo brings to the table that I can't get a better version of from other indie rock bands of the 90s.  Their claim to fame seems to be the way they bring in noisy passages and noodle-y guitar solos to their songs.  Archers of Loaf do that much better on their first two albums, plus they hit with significantly stronger hooks and vocal melodies.  The times that Polvo did actually stand out to me, it was usually in a bad way.  I did a radio show in college with a guy named Todd.  He loved him some Polvo and I tended to only notice them when he played something terrible of theirs.

All that said, the songs on this LP (which is an LP reissue of songs from some of their early 7"s) is probably the best of Polvo that I've heard.  I suppose this was before the band got a little too nutty and these songs tend to be a bit more straightforward in a low-rent Archers sort of way.  Nothing really stands out to me as great, but these are average indie rock songs that aren't offensive or anything.  The green vinyl is exclusive to the subscription, but but the album is floating around out there on black vinyl for sale online and in stores.  Me? I've already sold this green version on Discogs.

Polvo - S/T
https://polvonc.bandcamp.com/album/polvo

A Giant Dog - Neon Bible LP - Purple Vinyl

Merge (2019)

This record was part of the Merge Records Born Under A Good Sign subscription series.  I've now received everything from the subscription, though I haven't written about everything just yet.  I'm not sure how I feel about it overall, but there have certainly been highs and lows.  Going into things I would have thought that a full album from A Giant Dog would be one of the records I'd be most excited to receive, as I've really enjoyed everything I've heard from them previously.  But, these aren't A Giant Dog songs, they've instead covered the Arcade Fire's album, Neon Bible, in its entirety.

I don't like Arcade Fire.  I don't have any of their records, but I had promoted some during my stint in the music biz in the early 2000s.  Whatever it is that they're selling, I was never buying.  Now that's not to say that their songs, when run through the A Giant Dog filter, couldn't end up being pretty good, but the end result is an album that's uneven at best.  When A Giant Dog takes on a rocker, like album opener "Black Mirror" or other louder songs such as "The Well and the Lighthouse" and "(Antiochrist Television Blues)," it's a huge success.  This is a band that knows how to push the pedal to the floor and blast out some high energy and catch rock.

That said, the majority of this record is mired in slower songs and a bit more keyboard/synth than I typically like.  I think it's probably due to the source material.  I don't like Arcade Fire, so unless the songs really sound like ones from another A Giant Dog album, it's just not for me.  There's a few standouts worth your time, but the record as a whole isn't something I see myself listening to very much.

A Giant Dog - Neon Bible:
https://agiantdog.bandcamp.com/album/neon-bible

Bad Banana - Stand Next To Me 7"

Merge (2019)

This 7" was in the most recent Merge records Born Under A Good Sign package.  It also came with an LP that I haven't had a chance to really listen to yet, but you can expect more about that in a couple of weeks.  This is a four song 7" by Bad Banana, a band I wan't familiar with until opening this package from Merge.

A little digging around the internet reveals that the four songs on this 7" were pulled from a 2010 demo tape that Bad Banana put out.  They are a two piece of Allison and Katie Crutchfield.  Those two have been involved in other bands that I've heard of such as PS Eliot and Swearin' among others.

The songs on the record are raw in a way that reminds me of the first Thermals record.  The vocals are totally blown out, but in a good way I think.  While I think these songs are reasonably catchy and have good energy, Bad Banana isn't the hook machine that The Thermals are, and because of how the vocals are recorded, that's who I keep thinking about when listing to this.

I will say this, it's a lot better than some of the other stuff that's come in from this Merge subscription.  I signed up knowing that Superchunk would have something in it, but aside from that, it's been something of a let down.  That said, I haven't listened to the new LP that came with this 7" and it is a band that I like.  And there's one more pack of records due before the end of the year, so we'll see what happens.

Bad Banana - Crushfield Cassette (I can't find the songs individually, but this has the four 7" songs along with the rest of the original tape):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKEZV2EDGf0

Gauche / Joyero - Split 7"

Merge (2019)

This split 7" came along with the acoustic Superchunk album AF as part of the Merge 30th subscription series.  Born Under A Good Sign has been pretty scattershot for me personally.  While I realize I haven't subscribed to a series of Superchunk records, I do wish I liked more of the bands that have had records be part of this subscription.

Gauche is kind of middle of the road, jangly guitar rock.  It's mid tempo and mid good.  I don't really like the vocals much at all, though they are the only thing that really stands out when you listen to the song.  Unfortunately, they don't stand out in a good way.

Joyero is even less up my alley.  "Evacuate" is built off of synth sounding 80s electronic drum beats and strained, reverb drenched vocals.  I don't listen to New Order, but they are who I thought of when this song was playing.  Except this Joyero is even slower and more forgettable.  Hey, at least there was a Superchunk record in this package.

Superchunk - AF LP - Blue Vinyl

Merge (2019)

When Merge announced their Born Under A Good Sign 30th year subscription thingy, I new I had to subscribe to it.  Even though money wasn't as disposable as I would have liked it to be when the subscription went on sale, I knew that if I didn't join and a Superchunk record came out as a part of it, I'd be hugely pissed off.  Luckily I scraped together enough money and I was rewarded with an entire Superchunk LP that's only available as part of the series.

AF stands for Acoustic Foolish and it's a track by track rerecording of Foolish done acoustically.  It's not just the exact same songs played with different guitars.  In many instances the songs reworked from the ground up with new tempos, arrangements and instrumentation. Looking for some strings and horns?  AF has you covered.  Highlights for me are the complete deconstruction of "Water Wings" and the folked up version of my favorite song from the original version of the album "Driveway to Driveway."

I will say, if I was hearing these songs for the first time on this album, I can't imagine I would like them as much as I do being already familiar with their punky origins.  Already having these songs etched in my head helps me appreciate what Superchunk is attempting with this release.  Songs that I love arranged in a way that a listener with a mellower palate might take a crack at.

Superchunk - AF:
https://superchunk.bandcamp.com/album/acoustic-foolish

Hollie Cook - Sweet Like Chocolate 7"

Merge (2018)

I subscribed to the Merge Born Under A Good Sign, 30th anniversary subscription thing.  The description of what would be in this subscription was somewhat vague, but I couldn't run the risk of a Superchunk release that I might miss out on.  After all, I really can't fathom a Merge 30th celebration that didn't include something from Superchunk.  I guess we'll have to wait and see what 2019 holds.

2018 brought the first surprise release from this subscription.  I received a 7" from Hollie Cook.  I don't know anything about Hollie Cook and have never heard of her prior to this 7".  I can say that this isn't my bag at all and it'll likely just be filed away in the collection.  The A side is "Sweet Like Chocolate."  It's an unoffensive little slab of light, reggae tinged pop.  There's nothing bad about it, but it's really just kind of there.  Background music maybe.  I don't know, it's a mid tempo song that exists in some tropical club that I'd never go to.

The B side is a dub version of the same song.  So it has more sound effects.  That's about it.  Hey, it's a free surprise as part of the subscription.  I'm certainly not going to complain that it was sent, but it isn't the sort of thing I would have ever bought on my own.

Hollie Cook - Sweet Like Chocolate 7":
https://holliecook.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-like-chocolate-b-w-dub-like-chocolate