Save it for a rainy day

First I want to say thanks to Eric and Sara for inviting me to guest blog on Vinyl Vagabonds. I’ve been working at Smash Records for a while now and have always gotten a kick out of watching them come in (typically looking for Devo records) then seeing their response via this blog. So thanks again!

Now down to the dirty work. As I sit in my apartment on this overcast day contemplating my first entry, one album comes to mind, American Football’s self titled LP released in ‘99 by Polyvinyl. This band was active in the late ‘90s and only had two released (the LP being proceeded a by a three song EP in ‘98). This is true emo, there are no silly haircuts, no guyliner, and no nail polish involved with this music. American Football is simply three incredibly talented musician laying down tracks that evoke memories in anyone who has ever felt heartache or lack there of. Lead singer and guitarist Mike Kinsella’s (Joan of Ark, Cap’n Jazz, Owen) melancholy voice and nihilistic lyrics resonate in your head for hours after listening to even a single song. Personally there are two stand out tracks on this album. The fist track “Never Meant” is about falling out of love, the line “you can’t miss what you forget” pretty much sums up the mood of this song. Track #7 “I’ll See You When We’re Both Not So Emotional” is a bit faster in tempo then the rest of the album. The lyrics speak of selfishness but not in a relationship but the lack of one. It is as if Kinsella is justifying loneliness. This album is not going to put you in a good mood, it may very well make you a Nihilist haha, but it is well worth the listen because of its sheer musical qualities. If emo sounded anything like this these days it would surely have a different reputation in the music world. Sadly you are not likely to find this on vinyl at your local shop but Mp3’s and CD’s are still available. Drop some dimes for the downloads and save them for a rainy day