Belvedere Jehosophat - Friday, May 24, 2002 - Print Version
This review is not of a CD but a review of a review of a CD. The CD reviewed was All This Sounds Gas by the Preston School Of Industry. The reviewer is a chap called Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Now the first error in his review is his name, but we'll forgive that.
I began exploring the Preston School Of Industry because the guy in the band, a Mr. Spiral Stairs (real name Scott Kannberg), was in another band that I hold close to my black, black heart. That band is of course, Pavement.
Now, Erlewine starts the review well by talking about the lessening role of Mr. Stairs in the last Pavement album. He also quite rightly mentions the apparent tension between Stairs and Stephen Malkmus. Malkmus was the main songwriter in Pavement and according to a certain Norwegian girl Mr. Malkmus is, in her words, a 'hottie.'
At this point, Erlewine talks about how both Malkmus and Preston School Of Industry released their CD's a few months apart from each other. He also states that the Malkmus album was a 'loose, funny, heartfelt collection of songs' (this is also true, as the Stephen Malkmus album is an absolute corker). He then goes on to state that the Preston School Of Industry album sounds 'like a bunch of Spiral Stairs' songs only 'not as loose, funny or heartfelt' as those of Malkmus.
Moreover, he states that the Preston School Of Industry songs adhere to the indie rock rules that Malkmus spent his Pavement years ignoring.
Up to now, Erlewine is correct on all counts. The Preston School Of Industry album is a good indie rock album and that's it, it doesn't go beyond that.
But then Erlewine starts working against himself. This is when the review goes pear-shaped. And not just any pear, I'm talking a rotten pear.
See, at this point, he states that the Preston School Of Industry album is like a stale version of Pavement.
He then claims that they are the musical equivalent of another indie rock band Sebadoh, in that they are cranking out the same album again and again.
This is where things get complicated, so I'll wait a bit while you get your thinking sandwiches.
Ready?
Ok, pay attention now, Sebadoh is a band made up of Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein and Russell Pollard. (Past members have included Bob Fay and Eric Gaffney).
Now Sebadoh have always acted as a collective of musicians rather than a band. This is because each member writes their own songs and brings them to be recorded by the rest of the band. There are no, I repeat, no Sebadoh albums that sound alike. Now, it's possible that I'm taking this a little personally because Sebadoh might quite possibly be my favourite band. However, I hereby challenge anyone to find to any two Sebadoh albums that sound alike. You won't be able to do it.
My point is that Sebadoh rules.
Uh, my point is that Mr. Erlewine has completely and totally negated what was a perfectly coherent and reasonable review with his perfectly incoherent and unreasonable attack on Sebadoh.
It's hard to take the man seriously when his facts or his perception of music has been tainted thus rotten.
See, he works backwards against himself. What Erlewine has done is akin to killing off the Bengal Tiger so that it doesn't suffer the threat of extinction.
Subsequently, Erlewine has shown himself to be a right pip and not one who should be composing reviews, writing or holding a pen.
In conclusion, I'm afraid that I can only give Mr. Erlewine 2 out of 5 different sounding Sebadoh albums for his review.
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