Would You Lose If They Ask You

I don't really have an excuse for not paying more attention to Edsel back in the '90s; maybe there was so much similar-sounding stuff back then that after giving their records one or two spins I just filed them away. Still, after ripping the Edsel track on the "Vehicle" 7-inch a couple of weeks ago, I finally started thinking that they could be a pretty decent band, and so I dug out the one other Edsel vinyl that I own-- their "No. 5 Recitative" single on Jade Tree-- and, well, it has its moments. Sorta striding the middle between Jawbox/Fugazi D.C.-type stuff (obviously) and maybe some Touch and Go indie rock stuff like Seam (at least on the b-side, "Laugh Him to Scorn"), I'd say. You can't go wrong with the top-notch control of dynamics and the solid playing here, especially the snappy rhythm section, so I can dig this.




Edsel -

(these files are now listen-only)

"No. 5 Recitative"

"Laugh Him to Scorn"

Just Trying A New Way To Breathe

When you buy your records as you're going along (instead of cherry-picking them off eBay 15 years after the fact, the way most of the other blogs do), you wind up with some odd choices. For instance, I have no real idea why I ended up with a compilation 7-inch of some vaguely Jawbox/Superchunk-ish D.C. bands, yet here it is. I think it had something to do with the Holly Rollers t-shirt that Kevin from Creature Did wore once, so I figured a comp 7" would be an easy way to see what they were about.

As it turns out, the Edsel song on here is the one that I like the most (I think I have another Edsel 7", too-- the one on Jade Tree-- though I'd have to find it). Holy Rollers are OK, I guess, though mildly self-important, and the song from Trusty (the first ever non-D.C. band on Dischord) is decent enough pop-punk, amusing for the first couple of listens. I seem to remember that the Corm track gets better as it goes along, but it sounds bad and starts out horribly, so I didn't bother ripping it.




Holy Rollers -

"Sunshine"

Edsel -

"Suits Me Fine"

Trusty -

"Bus Stop"

(these files are now all listen-only)