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Tracklist | |
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01 - Destination 02 - Life Dances On... 03 - Make An Exhibition of Yourself 04 - Lullaby 05 - The Guitar Has Been Drinking (Not Me) 06 - Too Late To Sing This Song For Myself 07 - Contradiction 08 - Step Back 09 - Stab My Wasted Time 10 - Wake Up 11 - Lukewarm Beer, Cold World 12 - Goodbye 13 - Color Me Impressed 14 - (I Wanna Say Goodbye To) Telegraph Poles 15 - The Borderline 16 - Spinnin' On A 45 17 - The Milwaukee Shuffle 18 - Annie 19 - Broken Record, Unfinished Song 20 - Shirk & Bite 21 - July 1999 Sendai |
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Review | |
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There's something very special about sad songs sung happily. Blotto must think so too, but they've even taken it one step further and mixed it with something else that blurs the line between joy and despair: alcoholism! Is Blotto celebrating the communal brotherhood of drunk punk, or ruing the fact that they can't cope with life without their good friend beer? Let's find out. As the somewhat unofficial flagship band of Snuffy Smiles' roster, Blotto's gruff pop-punk could easily (and, might I add, complimentarily) be associated with the likes of other great bands from like-minded labels such as No Idea and pre-debacle Lookout (and you don't need to listen to the Crimpshrine cover just to make that connection). The vocals are growled more than they're sung, the bass guitar tone is super fat and punchy, and the tempos are usually kind of fast, fast, or a little bit faster than that. The twenty one tracks on here were culled from a multitude of 7" singles and splits released between 2004 and 2007, and could almost serve as Blotto's first album. The collection starts off with "Destination" in which the vocals proclaim, "I'm dead drunk as always." This pretty much sets the pace for the rest of the record. What follows is song after song about booze. If it isn't another confession that "Tonight I've drunk too much / I can't help getting fuckin' drunk" followed by a celebratory "Give me one more beer!" then it's wishful thinking like "If everyday was a holiday / in this way we can drink all day." I suppose it'd be overkill to mention every lyric about drinking, but, criminy, the band did name themselves Blotto! In all seriousness, though, songs like "The Milwaukee Shuffle" and "Annie" can't be construed as happy drinking songs in any way, but are full of frustration and loneliness, the first issuing a plea of "All I wanted from you was to hear 'don't leave'," while the next stubbornly decides that "I'll never go back! / Never go back to you / I know what you'll say / but I'll not be swayed." I don't mean to impugn the lifestyle of every band from Oakland, Chicago, Gainesville, and the Snuffy Smiles roster, but it is interesting to think about the spring from which their inspiration flows. If anything, there's a certain sentimental grace in forgetting your cares for one night and throwing your fists up with all your brothers. Maybe they're not so sad about being stuck in a rut, but sad that you're not stuck there with them. "Spinning on a 45" sums it up best: "It makes me smile, sometimes cry / My heart seems to be spinnin' on a fourty-five [sic] / Hey I wish you were here with me tonight." |
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