The dialogue was often laughable (it sounded like old men had written to “sound like those crazy kids”), the plot more so (Who plays chicken towards a cliff over a lake?!?). Not to mention the weird homoeroticism thing happening between James Dean and Sal Mineo. I really can’t believe this movie gets talked up so much. Pass on this one…

The author of the book is a former writer/editor for SPIN magazine and it seems like much of the book is spent trying to “prove” her credentials based on the obscurity or semi-obscurity of the tunes chosen. Examples: a playlist where all the songs connected have in common is that they are from 70s movie soundtracks, meaning you get Cat Stevens alongside Sid Vicious and the Muppets. A house music playlist that includes a song with the note “Bootleg, never officially released”.

The “celebrity” playlists included are very ‘indie’: most mainstream readers won’t know the Caesars (I know who the band ARE..our local alternative station plays them..but I’d be hardpressed to name more than a song or two by them), several techno DJ types, and emo/pop punksters like Midtown and Taking Back Sunday who get the nod here.

Best bits of the book are the “essential genre” playlists which are pretty definitive short lists of songs every fan of (fill in music style here) should know and the essential artist playlists. Which artists are ‘essential’ is often questionable. (Yeah, I realize there’s a ton of “buzz” around Bright Eyes..and I even like Conor’s stuff..but he’s a few albums shy of having been around long enough to call him “essential”.) Plenty of hipsterism again there too with Fela Kuti and Guided by Voices on the list.

Bottom Line:
Borrow it if you’re curious, but do NOT buy it.

They’re nicely fresh and spongy but for my money Panera’s are a cut above these.

Initial impression:

Not a very good read. Ultra-dry and so far it’s not making me want to pull my Nat King Cole/Frank Sinatra albums off the shelf. I’m about 1/3 of the way in, maybe it’ll pick up….

EDIT:
It never really got involving. I made note of their suggested CDs to listen to, but otherwise this was pretty much a wash as a read.

Not enough melody to keep me happy. I like a lot of their stuff, but this excursion into sloppy punk rock left me cold.

Capsule review. Worth owning and lots of gems here but it sags in 2 spots: the middle (“Art in Me” and “He”) and the end (“Worlds Apart” and “Blind”). Best cuts here are “Love Song for a Savior”, “Boy on a String”,”Flood” and “Sinking”. Not at the standard of MUCH AFRAID or IF I LEFT THE ZOO (the 2 I still consider their finest) but one I will be adding to my collection.

Yes, this is technically a “horse opera”, you have your Western setting, the occasional gunfight and much of it takes place on horseback. You even have your good guys vs. bad guys (although in this case you only see the battle through the bad guys’ eyes). Ultimately, this is kind of a well-written “buddy cop” movie where the buddies are bank robbers instead of police officers. For those who haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil it except to say that the ending was very satisfying and completely fit the characters. This one may actually become a purchase. Recommended.

Definitely go for THE THESIS over this one. I honestly only like about half the tracks here but love EVERYTHING on THESIS outside of the interludes.

Definitely go for THE THESIS over this one. I honestly only like about half the tracks here but love EVERYTHING on THESIS outside of the interludes.

Later albums by the band are much better than this one. If you are deadset on sampling this, get the double-CD that also includes the album VIRTUES. That release is much improved on this one.