I had a really busy week, but will have more time in August to get involved. Thanks for keeping this train chugging!!
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Good afternoon from the bar in the mall! I’ve been picked for this week. Wooo!
If pressed to name an album that more people should hear, Grandaddy’s The Sophtware Slump is one of a select few that come to mind. When this album dropped in 2000, my friend group was instantly enamored with it. It seemed like a lot of people I met loved it as well. It got a lot of buzz (think comparisons to Radiohead) and then —poof—. Admittedly, Grandaddy’s discography is (to my ears) uneven. Every album has a bonafide gem or two, but they never managed to string together a more melodic and memorable gathering of songs than this one. The music is a combo of synth and fuzz, dirge and rage, with Jason Lytle’s fragile, sometimes nearly childlike vocal delivery bringing it all together on the emotional level. The lyrics are all futurism and technology (like another band we all happen to love, there’s a self-aware robot!), with some environmental and relationship themes mixed in. The slower songs (about half the album, and the absolute best parts, if you ask me) have a shoegazy feel that stays melodic and is easy to get pleasantly, hypnotically lost in. And the flow from track to track is just impossible to argue with. I could go on and on, but I just want you to press play. Hope you all dig it. (And if you do, here are some ancillary recommendations.)
From Signal to Snow Ratio, the EP before Sophtware:
From Sumday, the full-length album follow-up to Sophtware:
They released another EP after Sumday, titled Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla that features this awesome and hilarious track:
And on the 20th anniversary, Lytle re-recorded the entirety of The Sophtware Slump unaccompanied on wooden piano:
Thanks for reading and listening. Pour one out for Jeddy 3!
Have never even slightly heard of this, always a good sign. Looking forward to getting into this over the weekend.
Here’s a Youtube link for the full album too:
These guys are from Modesto which is right down the road from me! I remember loving this album back in the day but it’s been quite a while, this should be fun!!
Well this is certainly a gem isn’t it? Its almost like if The Microphones made a neo-psych/space rock record.
Has a much more cozy feel to it than Radiohead does imo. I guess the angsty alienation of OK Computer captured the moment a more; but this also goes a long way to encapsulate the funny world that let it fall into relative obscurity compared to Muse or even Spiritualized.
yesterday was a busy day and i can’t listen rn but i will probably give it a listen later today, looks awesomeful
I gave it a first listen last night. While I enjoyed parts of it, I can see why it doesn’t get the praise of some similar albums of its time like The Soft Bulletin or I’m Trying to Break Your Heart. I think some of the tracks that were maybe meant to sound giant and grand could use more layers of density and texture…but it seemed like its most mostly bass, drums, guitar and then maybe one other sound like some simple keyboards or a horn. So, when compared to other neo psychedelic sounds of that time with layers of complexity, they just felt a bit basic. On the other extreme, I enjoyed ‘Underneath the Weeping Willow’ the most. Give me that scaled back raw melancholy instead of the weaker attempt at the psychedelia noise stuff. Do any of their albums sound more like 'Underneath the Weeping Willow?
Some other thoughts and recollections:
- I’m sorry, but Grandaddy is a really bad band name. Its not even so bad its good…its just bad imo.
- The first song felt like it was meant to be a statement piece and appears to be most popular on the album, but it just didn’t hit like I think it was supposed to hit for I think reasons stated already.
- The drum fills on the second song were a choice, and I respect that choice.
- Okay, now there are two songs with Jed in the title that I really don’t like (The Grateful Dead song being the other). The rhyming on this song killed me. Were the lyrics and rhyme schemes meant to be this simple…like Syd Barret or Flaming Lips lyrics? If so, I don’ t think the choice works here. Sometimes basic isn’t brilliant, it is just basic.
- 4th song, I had to actually look it up to make sure Tim DeLaughter was not in the band or a guest vocalist on this song since I know Grandaddy and Polyphonic Spree toured together back around this time.
- I like this Weeping Willow song
- at some point during the back half of the album I lost focus and started thinking about like when in movies or tv they try to make a character or situation seem psychadelic or druggy, but its so far from reality, kind of like that move Half Baked for example. Then I started thinking about if narcs created an album to sound druggy, this is might be an album they create…awful thoughts, I know…sorry.
So, one thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that a few hours before listening to this last night, I finally gave Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road a first listen. I know I’m late to the game, but I was mostly listening to live King Gizz for about a year as I built the spreadsheet, so only just recently getting back into everything else the last month or so. Ants From Up There may just be the greatest album I’ve heard upon first listen in a long time, if ever. So, like trying to follow King Gizz at a festival set, Grandaddy had a super ridiculous tough act to follow last night. Therefore, I’m going to give the album another listen, as I did find a few things to connect with, more so than with Jellyfish’s Spilt Milk a few weeks ago. A few of these songs may just yet make a playlist. Going for a smokey smoke before popping it on for another go.
Okay, nevermind, today was a busy day too. I’ll get around to listen to it soon though I promise
Yea, sorry, the rhyming schemes on He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot, Hewlett’s Daughter and Jed The Humanoid seem to significantly hurt my enjoyment of the songs. That drum fill in Hewlett’s was creative though…more bombastic stuff like that please. The music on these first three is mostly pleasant, its the lyrics/rhyme schemes I can do without.
The Crystal Lake song is very try-hard imo. I think this loop going on throughout the song combined with the “I got to get out of here” lyrics is what led to the ‘is this what marketing people or narcs think is psychedelic?’ thought last night. This is the song I had to look up to make sure it wasn’t Tim singing…the similarity is uncanny on this song in particular.
Chartsengrafs - two listens and still don’t know if this is weird good or weird bad…kind of up in the air. The rhymes again are rough, but the eagle or hawk sounds are dope…makes me think of Eagly from Peacemaker who is always a win. Team Eagly!
Underneath the Weeping Willow…yep my favorite song on the album so far. I believe him when he says he wants to sleep underneath the weeping willow. The simplicity of these lyrics work. Gave it a third listen just to be sure. I’m sure this one will make it to my ‘melancholy’ playlist.
Broken Household Appliance National Forest - I still don’t know what to make of this song except if feels disjointed and not in a pleasing way, at least after 2 listens. Like an attempt at quiet/loud/quiet, but not quite on the mark. This song also led to those Half Baked thoughts last night.
Jed’s Other Poem is certainly the better of the two Jed songs imo…and I like the Beck reference, but this album is no Sea Change. E. Knievel interlude is great for an interlude.
Miner At the Dial-A-View and So You’ll Aim Toward the Sky are decent songs, with Miner being the better of the two imo, but without more complexity and density they don’t quite move me enough as a psychedelic songs to make any playlists, and they are too spacy to move me as alt country/folk.
So upon second listen, my initial feelings were mostly confirmed. However, I would very much like to hear more from Grandaddy (that is still hard to type seriously), especially anything that is either more stripped back, in the vein of Underneath The Weeping Willow or more bombastic, like those drum fills in Hewlett’s Daughter.
BTW, this album was much less obscure than I expected, landing at 894 at besteveralbums.com. That is compared to 1815 for Spilt Milk and 6544 for Together We’re Heavy.
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@Gizzhenge, if “Weeping Willow” was your highlight, check out this track:
I wonder what you’d think of Sumday, the album after Sophtware. The production is a bit too slick for me, but I know folks who prefer it. YMMV.
LMAO at picking on the name of the band… in a King GIzzard and the Lizard Wizard forum.
Cool to see so many detailed responses and some healthy criticism so far. I’ve known this album for 23 years, memories of it are tied to people that have passed, etc., so it’s cool to hear what new listeners think.
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King Gizzard is a great name…it brings a smile upon all those faces who hear it
I wanted to love a band from Modesto…an underrated part of Northern California and hometown of George Lucas…growing up there inspired American Graffiti.
Yeah the whole thing seemed kinda samey to me. And slow, like to the point of being dirgey. Maybe it’s my mood today (which isn’t particularly great ftr) but I don’t really see myself revisiting this one. Goes to show how much a person can change in 20+ years I guess…
I agree King Gizzard… is a great name, but it does turn many people away. As I’m sure Grandaddy as a name has too, doesn’t seem as good a fit to me either, sounds weird without being endearing.
But still, I am finding the music very endearing. Maybe its because I’m too young to really remember 2000, but something a bit newer like Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole is what I would call try-hard in this vein.
The quiet moments like Underneath The Weeping Willow are done well and really suit the vocal, but I think The Crystal Lake most so far.
Yes, i immediately like this better, at least the first song.
There was an interview where Stu made the point that with a band name like King Gizxard and the Lizard Wizard, its impossible to take themselves too seriously. They were all in very serious bands before this and he didn’t want that. I think this attitude is an important part of what makes them Gizz and what i enjoy about them.
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I decided to check out Sumday tonight. Much better imo and definitely a more bombastic collection of psychedelic pop. I still struggle with some of the lyrics, and rhyme schemes in particular, but less so than the previous album. Although the most popular tracks on Amazon Music seemed to be my least favorite. Highlights after one listen were The Group Who Couldn’t Say (which I saw you also linked earlier), Saddest Vacant Lot in All The World, OK With My Decay, The Warming Sun and especially Lost In Yer Merry Way, Way. Now I feel like I need to check out Under The Western Freeway to hit their most popular albums. Signal to Snow Ratio EP doesn’t seem to be streaming at Amazon Music, otherwise I’d probably check that out too. Thanks for recommending the band!
Closing statement please! The next selection will be posted here soon.
Its not too late listen to this week’s + contribute to the discussion in order to get into the running as selector.
What do you know, this week’s album comes from myself 
For week 4 we will be listening to: Gurrumul - Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow)
I mainly suggested this because despite the fact that Gurrumul was the most popular indigenous Australian musician ever at the time, I think its unlikely anyone here would have heard it, or anything much like it.
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was born blind and generally followed a local Yolŋu custom of only speaking through music; in which he had a long career including as a member of the well-known supergroup Yothu Yindi before his solo recordings.
Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow) was his last record. It was four years in the making, and was completed and released by his long-term collaborators shortly after he passed on in 2017.
It is an entirely unique combination, primarily in the Yolŋu music tradition practised continuously for tens of thousands of years, arranged as and accentuated with classical-styled chamber music.
While the lyrics are not in English, the subtitles in the song names begin to give a sense of what the music is about, an oral history heavily anchored in the harmonious relationship of the culture of the artist with the natural environment.
That is about all the insight I personally can give on this. This is ‘Australian’ music in the truest sense, coming from a small island off the Northern edge of central Australia, very very far from me, anywhere I have ever been, or where King Gizzard and the Lizard or Tame Impala come from. In fact if King Gizz are New York and Tame Impala are San Francisco (separated by thousands of miles of desert of course), then this is from a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico with a population of 2000 (0.05% white) where only 5% of people speak English at home, and it is very special.
I’ll be away from home this weekend and absent here, but I will be having an experience with this incredible album and I hope you do too.
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