The Argument - Recess Serenade | 00s Album Review

Power pop might be one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated genres under rock, and the 2004 album Recess Serenade by The Argument is a perfect example. Harmonies and hooks with loud guitars, what more could you want?   Songs In This Episode Intro - Song One 15:43 - Call In Sick 23:47 - Everyone’s Selling Something 26:45 - Soaked 31:51 - My Dumb Luck Outro - Incognito   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

The 1996 debut album Spiders by Liverpool’s Space is an eclectic mix of trip-hop, Madchester, Britpop, and more, including the 60s lounge of single “Female of the Species.” But eclecticism can slip into inconsistency, and attempts at various genres results in uneven levels of quality.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Female of the Species 15:51 - Dark Clouds 20:30 - Me And You Vs The World 28:50 - Major Pager 30:43 - Money Outro - Neighborhood   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

It's been many years and many albums since our introduction to Denmark's Kashmir, and while the line-up stayed the same, the sound has evolved. This time we check out the 2005 album No Balance Palace, with a studio legend (Tony Visconti) behind the board, and two more legends (David Bowie and Lou Reed) making appearances. Kashmir didn't work for us the first time around, will maturity and a trio of big names help us connect with the band?   Songs In This Episode Intro - Jewel Drop 9:14 - Kalifornia 11:26 - The Cynic 14:14 - The Curse Of Being A Girl 26:09 - She's Made Of Chalk 21:33 - Snowman 28:21 - Black Building Outro - No Balance Palace   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Refused famously titled their landmark 1998 post-hardcore album The Shape of Punk to Come, a nod to the trailblazing Ornette Coleman avant garde/free jazz album The Shape of Jazz to Come released in 1959. The short-lived band Swedish band Purusam released their second and final album Daybreak Chronicles in 1997 on the Refused-connected Desperate Fight Records, though it could have been titled The Shape of Metal to Come. More than just a post-hardcore outfit, the band dabbled in Iron Maiden-style twin guitar attacks and galloping rhythms before shifting into progressive-ish mode with cello drenched interludes while balancing screaming male vocals and ethereal female vocals.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Opening Theme/The Way of the Hero 15:47 - Leave and Forget 22:38 - Atma 35:23 - Starlit Outro - Hourglass   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Good Health, the 2002 debut album by Pretty Girls Make Graves, packs punches in all the right places and in under thirty minutes. Angular guitars bounce off of a confident, inventive rhythm section in service of indie rock earworms and an anthemic opener.    Songs In This Episode Intro - Ghost In The Radio 13:05 - Speakers Push Air 25:08 - The Get Away 31:12 - If You Hate Your Friends, You're Not Alone Outro - More Sweet Soul   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Never heard of Reacharound? You're not alone, which is a shame, because this band of UK expats playing punked-up rockabilly and 60s Kinks and Who influenced garage rock deserved your attention. Their only album, 1996's Who's Tommy Cooper? is a charming, straight-up rock album with enough variety to keep fans of Reverend Horton Heat, Social Distortion, or The Living End interested.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Big & Mean 22:22 - Big Chair 26:37 - Seen It Before 33:36 - Gene Autry Outro - Shaking Like A Leaf   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

2006 wasn't just any year in the 00s. It's the year Twitter launched, the year before the release of the iPhone, Nintendo debuted the Wii console, Borat burst into movie theaters, and Justin Timberlake made sure sexy was back. It was also when danceable post-punk, alternative metal, and UK post-Brit pop were making waves bubbling up to the underground, and much more. We've invited a group of our Patrons to revisit the year and discuss albums that stood the test of time (and a few that did not), overlooked and underappreciated albums, albums we were late to discover, and much more.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn and John, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley 22:00 - Unleashed by Front Line Assembly 31:53 - Family Band by The Tragically Hip 43:58 - Rockstar by The Fags 56:46 - Master Exploder by Tenacious D 1:00:39 - Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge 1:17:39 - Star Witness by Neko Case 1:22:34 - Come Clarity by In Flames 1:32:26 - Standing In The Way Of Control - Gossip Outro - Different World by Iron Maiden   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Released during the protracted second Iraq war, Josh Ritter's fourth album The Animal Years layers a singer/songwriter album with somber lyrical depth softened by effective melodies and thoughtful instrumentation.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Wolves 17:04 - Girl In The War 18:58 - Monster Ballads 25:29 - Thin Blue Flame 32:36 - Good Man Outro - Here at the Right Time   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Earnest without sliding into overwrought emo, Silkworm struck a balance between raw and refined on their fourth album, 1996's Firewater. Like most of their releases, the band turned to Steve Albini to engineer, capturing the live sound of the band crisp and clearly across the nearly hour running time. The band rarely overindulge, leaving those spare moments to the guitarist Andy Cohen, who channels the overdriven chaos of J. Mascis and Neil Young on tracks like "Wet Firecracker" and "Drag the River." The rhythm section, though never flashy, are tight and locked-in, with the bass taking melodic turns to support the sing-speak vocals that waver between understated and explosive. Though the band called Seattle home for the early part of the 1990s, the band eschews any grunge influence for post-punk and indie rock influences that helped separate the band from their homebase peers.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Nerves 19:28 - Quicksand 21:28 - Drag the River 29:06 - Cannibal Cannibal 31:07 - The Lure of Beauty Outro - Don't Make Plans This Friday   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Self-produced after parting ways with their major label, 12 Rods released the genre-bending Lost Time in 2002, combining elements of power pop, indie rock, 70s art rock and more. Eclectic songwriting, dynamic shifts, and a mixture of organic and treated sounds balance an album full of catchy hooks with inventive and occasionally straight-up weird choices, like the loungy-groove of "Fake Magic 8-Ball," falling somewhere between Eels and Ben Folds Five, or the relentlessly melodic "Twenty Four Hours Ago." The lack of cohesion is offset by the versatility of the material, never overstaying its welcome, and quality of the songwriting that welcomes repeated listens.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Terrible Hands 17:12 - Fake Magic 8-Ball 21:19 - Summertime Vertigo 26:05 - Boy in the Woods 30:16 - Twenty Four Hours Ago 41:31 - The Time Is Right (To Be Wrong) Outro - Accidents Waiting to Happen   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.