Search - Lifter Puller :: Soft Rock

One of my "desert island discs"

Chuck | Minneapolis, MN USA | 10/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Soft Rock" is a collection of all of the Minneapolis proto-art-punk band's albums, EPs, and singles, with the exception of their final album, 1999's "Fiestas Fiascos". (They are essential companion pieces, as you'll find out in a minute.) Songwriter Craig Finn's voice will surely appeal to no more than 1% of the general public, and the band's main fans are typically card-carrying members of the very small, very nebulous "indie rock" scene. To me, it's the songs that carry the music - and Finn's surgical-strike wordplay, hip-hop-influenced rhyme style, and half-step-behind vocal delivery lifts a large portion of that weight (pardon the pun.) What Dylan did with "Tangled Up In Blue" - re-casting each verse's lyrics from different perspectives every time he sang the song - Finn manages to stretch across several albums and singles. A significant number of Lifter Puller tunes revolve around a private detective story, in which Finn casts himself as the PI who's been double-crossing, double-crossed, and witness to a series of events that seemingly climaxes with the last tune on "Fiestas Fiascos". (Perhaps this makes them the world's first "concept" band? If not the first, then certainly the best!) So, you'll hear about shady characters like "Juanita" and the "Eyepatch Guy", and places like "15th and Franklin" (yep, the intersection in South Minneapolis) in several songs at various times and situations. There's always enough to leave you guessing. In fact, the "mystery" was never really resolved, and may never be. Finn moved to New York after Lifter Puller disbanded in 2000, and has started a group called The Hold Steady. The characters from the Lifter Puller albums are not likely, he says, to re-appear in the new band's lyrics. The standout track, in the midst of all the mayhem, is "Let's Get Incredible" on the "Soft Rock" collection (originally from 1998's "The Entertainment and Arts" EP.) Lyrically, the track does not relate to the detective story. But it's a bombastic show-closer that always reminds me of the last time I saw them play. Joy."

The Apocalypse Interpreted by a Bar Band.

Randy Bratvold | Minneapolis, MN USA | 11/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lifter Puller's music is the apocalypse interpreted by a bar band. It is for anybody who can remember the fear and freedom they felt going out to that first college party that got out of control. And, it is for those same people who can't remember how they got home. "Soft Rock" collects the first albums, the EPs, and songs that Lifter Puller first released on compilations. Combine it with their last CD, "Fiestas and Fiascos", and you have pretty much everything Lifter Puller did. The songs were recorded in the mid to late '90s; and many of the songs capture and recreate how exciting it felt to be living on the verge of the new millennium. Their songs often tell stories. Songs like "To Live and Die in LBI" and "Half Dead and Dynamite" tell stories of parties gone awry.Lifter Puller consists of Craig Finn (vocals), Steve Barone (guitars and keyboards), Tad Kubler (bass), and Dan Monick (Drums). As a band they have a tight, funk-rock sound. The percussion keeps the pulse, while the music is driven by the guitars and keyboards and punctuated by Finn's sometimes-singing sometimes-speaking vocals. Finn's voice rings out like the intercom announcing last call and impending doom. At times the vocals have the familiarity of a conversation with friends because of the numerous references to pop culture. There is college party talk mixed with street slang and mentions of bands ranging from 2 Live Crew to Agnostic Front. The song "Roaming the Foam" finds the band fluidly going from a musical Guns and Roses reference into a Salt-N-Pepa inspired moment. It is hard to compare Lifter Puller's music to others. The best I can come up with is if the 1980's new wave band, The Cars, were to interpret Darren Aronofsky's film, "Requiem for a Dream", as a musical it would sound like Lifter Puller. "Soft Rock" is a must for Lifter Puller fans. I would recommend it to anyone who never wants the party to end."

Tell me what your girl wants

Randy Bratvold | 05/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine fun, clever bands like Pavement or the 'Mats, but with a harder edge, and an amazingly unique singing style and delivery from lead singer Craig Finn. Lyrics that are as entertaining to listen to as the music. Get all their recordings - except for Fiestas and Fiascos - on one CD."