Are You Building a Temple in Heaven?

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:41:35
Butterglory: Matt Suggs (guitar, vocals); Debby Vander Wall (drums, percussion, guitar, vocals). Additional personnel: Jonathan Marx (clarinet, trumpet); Deanna Varagona (saxophone, cello); Dave Trumfio (piano, electric piano, percussion, organ, acoustic bass, background vocals); Mike Hagler (piano, organ); Stephen Naron (bass, piano, background vocals). Producers: Butterglory, Dave Trumfio, Mike Hagler. Recorded at Kingsize Sound Lab, Chicago, Illinois on August 4-15, 1995. ARE YOU BUILDING A TEMPLE IN HEAVEN?, Butterglory's third full-length album, stays true to the band's straightahead indie-rock ropes, eschewing the typical '90s alterna-rock production slickness for a trippy and often discordant pop feel. Debby Vander Wall and Matt Suggs' plaintive, complementary and idiosyncratic vocals blend perfectly with their quirky brand of pop songs (Suggs' voice has been compared with that of Pavement's S.M. for good reason), while their lyrics tend to be self-effacing observations about relationships. Devoid of formulas, the band is constantly pitching the listeners crafty instrumental curveballs--check out the gorgeous horns (borrowed from the band Lambchop) featured on "The Halo Over Your Head" and "Where Her Brow Curls," the somber piano of "Boy Burning Down," and the vibe-like sounds on "She's Got Akshun!" Their song arrangements utilize a wide dynamic range to great effect, particularly the beautifully subtle escalation on "The Lion Weeps Tonight" and "Rivers." Personnel: Matt Suggs (vocals, guitar); Deanna Varagona (cello, saxophone); Jonathan Marx (clarinet, trumpet); Dave Trumfio (piano, electric piano, organ, percussion, background vocals); Mike Hagler (piano, organ). Recording information: Kingsize Sound Lab, Chicago, IL (08/04/1995-08/15/1995). Butterglory had the misfortune to emerge at the same time and (originally, at least) from roughly the same geographical region as Pavement (Vidalia, CA). This is a case of two groups developing independently, and of their own accord, along the same lines. Unfortunately for Butterglory, the more famous Pavement has become a touchstone for indie rock comparisons. Even more unfortunately, it's hard to get over the fact that Butterglory sounds uncannily like Pavement -- no matter how much one would like to appreciate the group on its own terms. Nowhere is this more apparent than on Are You Building a Temple in Heaven?. Matt Suggs' slackerish vocals even sound remarkably like Pavement's Stephen Malkmus, whether he be settling into the lazy, hazy groove of "The Halo Over Your Head" or rising coyly up into a shaky falsetto on the bouncy, pretty "She's Got the Akshun." That having been said, Butterglory writes top-notch, sloppy pop gems, and often outdo Pavement at their own game. As such this album, is better than such mediocre Pavement albums as Terror Twilight. ~ Erik Hage
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)