Soledad Brothers : Classic Or Dud?

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3rd studio album is out. They also have a live album. Whats the best stuff to check out?

― William Gibson, Thursday, 14 August 2003 20:36 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't even know who they are!

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 14 August 2003 22:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Dud. They play that garage/bluesy, Stones-ish boogie that I absolutely hate. They fall somewhere between the White Stirpes and Blueshammer. Not as catchy as the Stripes or as obnoxious as "Blueshammer", but you get the picture. Mostly boring and forgettable.

― Juan (Juan), Thursday, 14 August 2003 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

John Sinclair did their sleevenotes on the 1st album. Classic!
Much better than the white stripes.
Von Bondies and Soledad Brothers are the best of these bands.

― Brett Le Monte, Friday, 15 August 2003 01:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm going to have to side with Brett on this one. The Soledad Brothers are easily classic. They're so rock 'n roll it burns when I pee. Not to mention the fact that they put on one of the most amazing live shows ever.

The 1Soledad Brothers, The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs, The Gories, The Detroit Cobras, and a whole lot of other bands coming out of the Motor City are simply amazing.

― AlienBoy (AlienBoy), Friday, 15 August 2003 04:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Soledad Brothers - easily classic and named themselves after the equally righteous prison martyr and black activist - George Jackson. Now signed to Loog Records ... waiting on my review copy from that groovy label ...

― st cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 04:43 (twenty-two years ago)

dud, it's like my dad wearing a cowboy hat and taking up smoking again

― minna (minna), Friday, 15 August 2003 07:01 (twenty-two years ago)

First coupla albums are great, grimy detroit boogie-blues, kinda chaotically minimal; self-titled debut features Jack White on the black sleeve, dressed up like George Washington and awaiting execution. Second album adds bristling sax to the mix. Their contribution to Jack's Sympathetic Sounds Of Detroit, 'Shaky Pudding', is a mean and sinful blues stomp that MIGHT be the best thing on a very ace compilation (its also on the recent Sympathy blues comp Root Damage which is also well-worth your money)... Great live band too, the live album is pretty killer. The new album though - i don't know what went wrong, but its just bloodless, like bad junkie music. Sigh. Hopin' it's a blip...

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 09:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Woah. Then you must not like Johnny Thunders and Big Star then.

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:09 (twenty-two years ago)

> The new album though - i don't know what went wrong

Signed to Loog.

― Wandering Boy Poet, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Eh? Before I query - have you heard the new album WBP?

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Woah. Then you must not like Johnny Thunders and Big Star then.

As dubious as i consider the 'romance' of the junkie idol, there's certainly none of that here. No, the new album sounds listless and disinterested, like all the time they're playing and the tapes rolling, they've got one eye trained on their bank balances. Definitely much worse than their previous releases; that it's their major label debut makes this doubly a shame, because it would be great to see them make a great record like their earlier ones, with a promo budget and press contacts to match.

Doomie, you haven't heard the album yet, have you? It really isn't very good.

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 09:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"Break 'em on Down" is resoundingly classic, not sure about the rest of their material...

― person#0 (person#0), Friday, 15 August 2003 09:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I like The Hiss and will probably dig The Soledad's new one. I'm not really into that dodgy area of 'indie underground ethnics' cause it's always ripe with contradictions. But yeah, HELL yeah, I'm excited, though.

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:22 (twenty-two years ago)

The new Soledads sounds nothing like the Hiss, and not much like their older stuff either. that it's shit has nothing to do with signing to a major. this is not about 'indie underground ethics', and i stated as much in my earlier post.

I'm impressed that you have the critical prescience to know that you'll 'probably dig' a record you've not heard a note of yet. that's quite a gift.

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 09:26 (twenty-two years ago)

'probably dig' - means may or may not, stevie.

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

i.e. i think i will have to listen to the album. and maybe not listen to someone who has such an obvious axe to grind against the label?

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

ah. i see. i mistook 'probably' to mean 'more likely than not' rather than 'i don't know yet, i would have to wait until i had heard the record to pass judgement'. sorry!

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 09:34 (twenty-two years ago)

admittedly i've been a fan of the soledads for some time. so i'm more excited to hear the soledad's record than the kym marsh or what not. i dunno. is that 'o.k'??

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:44 (twenty-two years ago)

don't ask me, Doomie! You don't need *my* permission to do anything!

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks! *phew*

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I will post my reactions to the new Soledad's record on this thread!

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:52 (twenty-two years ago)

that would be great! after all, this thread is about what the Soledads' music is like, not whether my opinions are suspect because obviously i'm all het up on a indie-politics thang, innit!#

Seriously tho... the first two are great grimy and intriguing. The live album's good if languid and loose (maybe that ain't yr taste). The new one's dull, featureless, spiritless. which is a shame, as with a major's backing they coulda gone somewhere and the world woulda been a slightly better place for that.

Fuck, that Mars Volta record's aces, innit?

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 10:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I heart Mars Volta. BRING ON THE PROG-ROCK I'M READY!!!

― st cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 10:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Y'know, what people miss in the stampede to declare multi-speed tempos and musical virtuosity in hardcore as prog (ie it sounds a bit like yes, sez clueless hack who has never heard Yes or got lost in the joys of Roundabout) is that this record actually DOES 'progress' hardcore or punk-rock or whatever, in terms of a vocabulary of expression, etc... like, yeh, its a very complex and impressive record, but also a really moving and intense one... or something. i need some time to unravel all these thoughts...

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

mars volta easily fits into the category of: DIFFICULT TO WRITE ABOUT.

many early eighties hardcore records i would easily define as 'prog' - butthole surfers, screeching weasel... but my prog definition is purdy loose.

― st cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

many early eighties hardcore records i would easily define as 'prog' - butthole surfers, screeching weasel... but my prog definition is purdy loose.

but there's none of those bands' sense of deconstructing/satirising prog in Mars Volta's noise... they're taking this utterly and beautifully seriously, whereas Buttholes (at least) rocked it all like some glorious fart joke.

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I have to step out of the conversation at this point Stevie as when I was fourteen I took Butthole Surfers seriously ... (!!!). OK, admittedly that is true regarding the serious nature of Mars Volta but that is why I love them more for it and their preoccupation with prog (again my loose definition of) ... Mars Volta possibly the Voivod of today?

― st cloud cool kid of death, Friday, 15 August 2003 13:57 (twenty-two years ago)

hey, i think the fact that Mars Volta take themselves and their music so seriously is a HUGE part of why i love 'em.... and Buttholes' god-spoofing contortions of prog were glorious any which way you take em...

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 15 August 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

they opened for Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions in SF last year and made everyone want to rip their ears off. Dud. Boring and not very imaginative.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Friday, 15 August 2003 15:48 (twenty-two years ago)

what the hell?
how did I miss this thread for so long?
medium-classic. getting better with each release.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 15 August 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I was so into these guys about a year ago. Their first 7" on Italy was one of my favorite records last year. Their first album was great and I did not feel the second one so much. I am glad to see these guys are getting ahead.

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:28 (twenty-two years ago)

classicish, getting there.

Upon seeing Pitchfork Media's 2.8 rating for their live album (and the 3.9 for the Immortal Lee County Killers ) I acquired both and enjoy them immensely! And yet the Black Keys get better reviews in there....hmm

(must be the glasses and facial hair?)

― ham on rye (ham on rye), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

haven't heard the new one, but I loved their first album - Front St Front and i75 Boogie are two of the sexiest new-bluesy tracks I've heard in a long time... so if they've kept up that form I'd say classic.

― too much for my mirror (too much for my mirror), Sunday, 17 August 2003 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

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