Won't someone please think about the new American Music Club album?

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So I have a copy of the new American Music Club album in my hands, Love Songs For Patriots. Has anyone else had the chance to listen to this one yet? I have heard enough to say anything useful about it at this point, apart from the fact that it has fantastic artwork.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 27 September 2004 02:48 (twenty years ago)

I'm hoping to do a pt.2 this week but uh...

http://warshaw.blogspot.com/2004/09/american-music-club-love-songs-for.html

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Monday, 27 September 2004 03:06 (twenty years ago)

i've had it for a couple weeks without really listening to it.What i have heard i really enjoyed.Their seems to be a nice marriage of arrangment/melodies/words than on any Eitzel related project in a very long time>I once heard him say that after the third AMC album he starting writing songs differently.Thats about the time i lost interest.Nice to hear Vudi again.I'll listen to it tonight & have more to say manana.

― evan chronister (evan chronister), Monday, 27 September 2004 03:34 (twenty years ago)

it's great, no-one will care, same old story!

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 27 September 2004 04:22 (twenty years ago)

I saw this at Virgin records for 31.99 the other day, and really wanted to get it, naturally. I'm holding out for a better price, but it's Cooking Vinyl, and Virgin are often the only store in town to import from the UK. Is it out on an American label now or soon?

The artwork's ok; nothing special on first glance for me, at least on the cover.

What's the feeling on The Invisible Man, three years later? I honestly haven't felt the urge to play it for at least the last two of those years. The Ugly American, however, I'm all over.

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 27 September 2004 05:37 (twenty years ago)

any change? is he still a depressed homosexual alcoholic with a vicious sense of humour? any pop tunes? will it hit me hard?

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 27 September 2004 05:52 (twenty years ago)

Kyle, OTM

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Monday, 27 September 2004 05:55 (twenty years ago)

i care!

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 27 September 2004 08:26 (twenty years ago)

the American label is Merge, it's out October 19th in the US.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:08 (twenty years ago)

The artwork's ok; nothing special on first glance for me, at least on the cover.

Maybe I'm just weird, but shockheaded guy in a boat fishing for members of an aquatic orchestra = fantastic. Plus, inside, an octopus is squeezing the earth!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:33 (twenty years ago)

the artwork is by brad johnson who was in AMC in 1984 or thereabouts. He has a website I'm too bored to lookup.

I think the record is fantastic, it's very different from an Eitzel solo album (many of these songs were already recorded with Jay whatsit from Wilco producing and another band for a solo record, which Mark ditched when AMC showed interest in getting back together), but also very different from other AMC records. There is more political subtext than in anything he's done before; also, Bruce is gone and replaced by Mark Capelle, who, while working with Mark for the past ten years live, I think has rarely actually recorded anything with him that's been released. He's all over the album.

Standout tracks for me are Ladies and Gentlemen, Home, Myopic Books,and Song of the Rats Leaving the Sinking Ship (allegedly about leaving the US under Bush, although you could read it a lot of different ways). This record sounds very different from San Francisco and Mercury; Your Horseshow Wreath Will Bloom kind of hearkens back to Gary's Song, but otherwise this is really a different era. There's very little sad or depressing about it, but there's a lot of anger.There will be a vinyl version that includees A Thousand Miles as a bonus track; I don't knowwhy they left it off the CD, it's probably the best song Mark has written in 10 years.

They're touring all through the end of the year, I suggest going to see them live again. They still have it. My favorite band in the world.

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:47 (twenty years ago)

too bad you wouldnt share files with me on souls33k, but i have dial up, so i know.

i saw Mark solo with an excellent drummer a couple years back. hecklers aside, it was a great show , better than Low who were the headliners

― kephm, Monday, 27 September 2004 13:40 (twenty years ago)

? I got your message way later, I wasn't home all day; I wasn't not sharing anything with you. you never queued anything up to download though. I've left it up all day today, go rampant.

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 27 September 2004 14:42 (twenty years ago)

thanks. maybe when i get home in a few hours. (saturday was my first day back on soulseek so i was screwing things up overall)

― kephm, Monday, 27 September 2004 15:11 (twenty years ago)

good news on Merge, thanks. will the releases differ at all? Do we get the vinyl-only track?

oh boy, oh boy..!

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 27 September 2004 15:51 (twenty years ago)

the vinyl only track isn't on the merge version of the CD, as far as I know it's identical to the cooking vinyl version (I thought the resolution of the artwork on the cooking vinyl version wasn't very good, I hope it looks better on the merge issue). the double LP vinyl version is coming out on Devil in the Woods, but I'm not sure when. The bonus track is on a promo sampler that was sent out apparently.

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 27 September 2004 16:17 (twenty years ago)

i saw Mark solo with an excellent drummer a couple years back. hecklers aside, it was a great show , better than Low who were the headliners
I saw Low on that tour, and I agree.
Judging from the songs Mark performed that night (I haven't heard the new AMC yet), it doesn't surprise me that the album is more angry than sad. Oddly enough, despite his angry demeanour, his emotions were focused and controlled that night. Unlike during the AMC days, which featured sadder songs but you never knew when Mark might lose it, throw a temper tantrum, storm offstage, etc.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 27 September 2004 18:35 (twenty years ago)

Holy crap, Patriot's Heart is awesome.

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Thursday, 30 September 2004 13:05 (twenty years ago)

It turned out to be a useless exercise but here it is...

http://warshaw.blogspot.com/2004/10/american-music-club-love-songs-for.html

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Friday, 1 October 2004 15:46 (twenty years ago)

Hm, I definitely like it, but it's a very different beast than I've heard from Mark before. I'll be spending a fair bit of time with this, I expect.

Another Morning and Home are the standout pop songs for me on first listen. I like Ladies And Gentlemen here a lot more than the mp3 that came out a while ago.

― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 9 October 2004 01:48 (twenty years ago)

Album cover Artist Brad Johnson is also a member of the very excellent Virginia Dare (whose covers also feature his work) - they haven't had an album in a few years (the last one is on Absolutely Kosher, and I think last toured in 2002), but they're great. Very spare stuff; beautiful female country vocals, autoharp, bass, and unusual electric guitar playing.

― Brian Turner (btwfmu), Saturday, 9 October 2004 15:36 (twenty years ago)

Holy crap this thing is great! First Mission of Burma, then Trashcan Sinatras now AMC, what is it about all these bands releasing great albums years after their prior release?

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Friday, 15 October 2004 01:17 (twenty years ago)

Christ, this record is fantastic. Best reunion since Television.

Anyone seen them on tour yet? I know they played London last night - can't wait 'til they hit Pittsburgh next month, hot damn.

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Sunday, 17 October 2004 01:34 (twenty years ago)

Caught them in Austin last night. First time seeing them live. Despite some technical difficulties and a less than steller turn-out, they put on a remarkable show. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. There was a point during the set where Mark's vocals kept echoing leading him to make this priceless facial expression. Personal highlight of the evening for me was when they played "Outside This Bar" during the encore. All in all I was pleased as punch that I went.

― JC (JC A.), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:00 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

was this separate from the spoon show?

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 14 November 2005 20:58 (nineteen years ago)

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