Ed ackerson's crowning achievement
01/27/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ed Ackerson has been putting out quality records for over a decade now. His Minneapolis-based former band, the 27 Various, was a tragically underrated psychedelic rock band in the vein of late period Small Faces or My Bloody Valentine (depending on which album...) When his band fell apart in '93, he locked himself in the studio with a couple of buddies and, on a relative shoestring budget, knocked out this masterpiece. The songs are consistantly pop friendly, but they cover the gamut stylistically from New Order style dance pop to Grateful Dead-esque acoustic soul. His lyrics are often quite sad, but always eloquent. The thing that makes the record more and more interesting over repeated listenings, though, is the incredible and truly bizarre range of guitar noises. If you are a guitar player of any sort, or if you appreciate quality songwriting, this record will enrich your life."
Great textured indie pop record
Kurt D. Squire | Madison WI United States | 12/31/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"... The album is basically a collection of indie pop songs, played with layers of guitar, synth, loops and so on... a lot like Mercury Rev but with tighter song structures. There's some great pop hooks in here, and unlike the some other reviewers, I think it's played with conviction. If you disregard the hype, you'll find a nice little record here."
Don't listen to the naysayers
Kurt D. Squire | 01/24/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Just to give this album the respect it deserves, I had to jump in. Although much of the studio wizardry falls flat live (at least it did at the one time I saw them at T.T. the Bears in Cambridge), this album is a great listen from start to finish. Listen to it loud. It's got all the hooks and loops, feedback and fuzz for any of you wall-of-sound rock music fans."