Mike G - Sugar Daddy

Name: Mike G

Album: Sugar Daddy

Year: 2000

Style: Lo-Fi Indie, Folk

Similar Bands: Grandaddy, Lincoln, Beck, Johnny Polanski, Ween, 

One Word Review: Harmonized Sludgy Warmth

Based Out Of: NYC? (recording @ Moose in NY)

Label: See Thru Broadcasting

 Sugar Daddy - Cover & CD

Sugar Daddy - Liner Notes & Back

Sugar Daddy (2000)

1. Clothing Store Girl 2:13
2. Standing at the Party 1:59
3. Sugar Daddy 2:33
4. Anything You Want 3:12
5. I Hope 2:37
6. Asian Girl 0:57
7. Uh-Huh 1:56
8. Frederique 2:42
9. Plastic Monkeys 2:03
10. Our Lives 1:00
11. Nothing in the Sky 2:54
12. Don't Get Any Better 1:16
13. Not the End of the World 0:45
14. I'm So Into You 2:47
15. When We Speak 0:49
16. Move On 1:31

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:
Mike G - Writing, Recording, Producing (Kabah, Dr. Manette, Pressure Point, Whiskey Rebels, Bill Hamel, Bray, US Roughnecks, Da Outsidaz, Four Finger Five)
Dave Berk - Writing, Drums (Johnny Moped, The Damned)
Greg Gordon - Co-producer, Transferring
D. Sardy - Executive Producer, Mixing
Jovar Andrews - Management
Seth Ginsberg - Legal
Marina Zurkow - Art Direction
Nancy Nowacek - Design
Susan Glenn-Matus - vocal

Unknown-ness: This record appeared on my CD shelf. I'm not sure when or why I bought it. Perhaps I read a brief snippet about this album, or perhaps I bought it because it was on the same record label as Enon & Starlight Mints at one time. I'm pretty sure I got it used for a few bucks. Based on the artwork, I would not be able to tell what kind of music was in store. It is bright, so I imagine it will be cheery. The font for Sugar Daddy has a bubblegum 60's pop feel to it, so perhaps it is fun & cheery. In the liner notes, he describes the music as noise, so perhaps it won't be fun and cheery, unless that description is just self-degrading. And unless the songs are 1-3 minutes long each, this will be a long album. But it seems very DIY too, so that offers some sort of catchy indie hope.

Album Review: What is to follow are 16 sketches and musical experiments. All catchy and poppy, but nothing fleshed out to a full song template style. I imagine these are DIY at home demos that were fleshed out half-way, but no plans were engaged to add or combined the individual thoughts. This one only one of four or five bands ever on the short, but brightly shining label See Thru Broadcasting. The samples here are tied together with the nasally and precious vocals that are closely related to Jason Lytel

“Clothing Store Girl” is a beatnik poem set to a simple jazzy three piece instrumental. It is funky, and then there is a fuzzy, noisy interlude. It jumps right back into the familiar melody, and enhances things with a Ween like fuzzed out guitar. It is simple and one dimensional, but a nice “period piece” that could also be described as slightly Captain Beefheart in nature. 

“Standing at the Party” also brings a funky bass and drum beat that I'd associate with BS 2000. The vocals, are rigid and again, it reminds me part of Ween and part of Beck, and a dash of Soul Coughing. It’s silly effects and vocal effects don’t detract from the song at all, which makes it a solid concept song.

“Sugar Daddy” is a dripping, slippery, harmonized pop single sung with light inflection like the majority of Grandaddy songs.  

“Anything You Want” is more folky at the beginning (the acoustic Flaming Lips stuff). A strong kick drum balances the light tambourine percussion, and the melody cruises along a steady path unchallenged. The vocals are slight and pining for affection in an Ass Ponies, or Lincoln way. But the general sentiment and melody of the song is identical to Johnny Polanski’s stuff.  

“I Hope” is a wash of gargling vocals and warbling electro-tinged instruments. It feels a little like a Rentals song, where there is a solid and simple power pop melody at the base of the song. The layering of instruments in the instrumental section is a driving, building “Spy Hunter/Theme of Peter Gunn” stylistic parody.When the weight of the additives becomes too much, the song emplodes in a fade out.

“Asian Girl” reminds me of Captain Beefheart, in an awkward amateur recording that is also unsteady and feels as if it could topple over at any time. It’s weird with a foot stop tempo.

“Uh-Huh” features a techno drum loop and catchy four power chord progression of fuzzy guitar. This feels like a song idea that was not fleshed out completely. It is a party song with the only lyrics Uh Huh, Come On and Yeah.

“Frederique” is a slow Starlight Mints like song in the beginning, but it never follows through on the complex melody the Mints employ. The vocals are quiet and hushed, like Grandaddy again. The song is sung in Spanish, but as most of the song sounds like a western tinged campfire song, an electronic element is added that brings the technological age into the song.

“Plastic Monkeys” is a side to side jangley guitar with a harmimonica played in the background. The vocals are a little distorted, and it has a bright, nasally, slacker voice. It never progresses beyond a sing-a-long intro & harmonica status.

“Our Lives” rests on the harmonized vocals holding and stretching notes an extra-long time. It is a solem and hsort number.

“Nothing in the Sky” reminds me of the deadpan delivery of Marcy’s Playground’s “Sex & Candy.” With the thick electric guitar and drum loop.

“Don't Get Any Better” reminds me exactly of the band Lincoln that opened for TMBG, who also lost their guitarist to TMBG. It is nasally, thoughtful vocals over a jangley guitar full of catcy melodies and a steady cymbal percussion beat.

“Not the End of the World” continues in a slightly different direction with the previous song’s style. The rapping drum beat seems out of tune with the rest of the melodies.

“I'm So Into You” begins with a bunch of annoying La-la-la’s but it quickly sheds that and becomes a powerful chugging guitar heavy track, reminding me of Track Star in its lo-fi production. It has the cleanest power-pop guitar hook, and it is produced with a steady density that is completely streamlined. It builds very nicely, and delivers in the chorus with harmonized sludgy warmth.

“When We Speak” heads back to the singer songwriter acoustic guitar and vocals. It is slow in its delivery, at least comparatively to the rest of the album. And does not last long, as it fades out before it has a chance to change or recover.

“Move On” is the album ender, but it feels like it should just be followed by 16 more rapid fire song sketches and bleeding heart sympathy. Like many of the songs that came before it, it feels a little old timey in the simplicity and delivery of the vocal-guitar pairing. But it is the other tidbits and electronic flourishes that keep it deeper than a harmless singer songwriter’s journal. 

Stand Out Track: I'm So Into You

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Gwen Mars - Magnosheen~ Driving a Million*

Name: Gwen Mars
Album(s): Magnosheen~, Driving a Million*
Year(s): 1995~, 2001*
Style: Alternative, Grunge-Metal,~ Indie-Rock*
Similar Bands: Smashing Pumpkins~, Nirvana~, Poster Children~, Tripping Daisy~, Mudhoney~, Filter~*, Psychedelic Furs.,~* Oasis*
"One-Word" Review: Popless-metal-noise~ Pop-Alternative-Noise*
Based Out Of: LA, CA
Label: Hollywood Records~, See Thru Broadcasting*

Magnosheen - Official Cover

Magnosheen - My Cover & Tape

Driving A Million - Cover, Back, CD

Magnosheen (1995)

1. Control 1:47
2. Heal Me 3:33
3. Cosmic Dick 3:23
4. Fisherking 4:21
5. Hollow 2:48
6. Shrink 3:36
7. Magnosheen 2:47
8. Stick B 3:20
9. Ruined 3:03
10. Dragster 3:11
11. Stuck to the Sun 2:50
12. Play Dead 5:14
13. Rover 3:06
14. Next to Drown 2:57
15. Ticket to Mars 1:39

Driving A Million (2001)

1. Neon Tom 4:37
2. She Hung The Moon 4:35
3. Radio Gun 3:36
4. Venus 3:17
5. Come Here 3:48
6. Hurry Up 4:18
7. Train Song 2:39
8. Electro 4:06
9. Strawberry Ice 2:57
10. Lisa Candy 3:54
11. The Race 4:48

Album Rating (1-10): ~6.0

*7.0

Members, Other Bands:

Mike Thrasher - Guitar, Vox~*

John Boutin - Drums~*

Matt Westfield - Bass~*

Bill Cooper - Engineer, Mixing~*

Richard Podolor - Producer, Mixing~*

Daniel Boom - Assistant*

Bob Demaa - Assistant*

John Fryer - Producer, Engineer, Mixer*

Stephen Marcussen - Mastering*

Nancy Nowacek - Design*

Bennet Salvay - String Arrangement*

Marina Zurkow - Art Direction*

Unknown-ness: I’ve actually heard of them. Twice. But never really knew what they sounded like. Back in 1995, I picked up their first album as a demo/promo copy on tape, probably because I heard of them, or saw a review of the album in CMJ or something, and saw the tape for a buck or so. But I don’t remember listening to the album at all. Then in 2001, I was just getting into the Starlight Mints, and Gwen Mars’ “Driving A Million” is on the same See-Thru label, so I picked it up for a dollar, knowing the label. But again, I did not know who they were, even though at that point I had their first album on tape. I never saw the cover of the first album, but I liked the geometry and pastel color scheme of the super sonic train on their second album’s cover. It seemed quirky, and calculated; like what I was enjoying about the Starlight Mints. But now I know better; that they are alternative “grungers” as my mom might perhaps say.

Album Review: ~“Control” starts with a driving drum beat, fuzz guitars and a vocoder vocal performance that is one part Tripping Daisy and one part Smashing Pumpkins. The melody haphazardly glides along the coincidental background music. Lots of distortion and fuzz bridge the song gap, as “Heal Me” begins next. It is very much like S.P’s Cherub Rock (“Who wants that honey”) when it gets to the chorus. It also reminds me of Mudhoney’s song “Touch Me I’m Sick” for some indefinable reason; which is weird, because the next song sounds more like a Nirvana version of “Touch Me I’m Sick” with the song “Cosmic Dick.” It has calm singing and more emotional growl-scream singing for the chorus. This is that perfect combination of dark metal and catchy hooks that defines Alternative-grunge. The chorus is fast, like a speed-punk song. “Fisherking” comes next with a thick guitar and bass parallel, that sounds like it could break into “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at any time. Then the metallic lead guitars spin out of control and the vocals bring us down to a Smashing Pumpkins style. The singer likes to use short rhyming phrases to repeat over and over again (“It’s a bitch. Getting’ rich”). “Hollow” all of the songs have the same production, eerie guitars buzzing out of control, heavy bass lines, and vocals sung like they are through a metal trash can. There is a watery, vibrating vocal breakdown that is peaceful and ruptures open, back into the heavy music without much delay. There is a lot of anger it sounds like here at the song’s end. “Shrink” has a more post-post-punk, Smiths/Cure/Psych Furs gothic guitar introduction, which is carried through out the song. The chorus is almost very catchy, but it lacks the final note to make it so. The vocals often return to the non-singing grinding distorted screeching. “Magnosheen” starts with a very dark bass intro. It struggles to get going, dragging its musical feet as it lumbers along. The song lacks interesting musical characteristics, but it is just brooding and stammering to get somewhere, but it never gets going. The theme never changes. The chorus is a slight relief for headbanging and moshing (ahh, those were the days) but over all, it feels like a half completed song.

“Stick B” starts side B with some annoying ringing guitar effects, and a bouncy deep bass line and a Filter-like vocal performance. The vocals in the chorus are almost catchy, but they are too simple to be memorable. Even with the 4-note Bowie-ish chorus end, it still fades too fast to be great. More heavy bass introduces “Ruined” with soaring Tool like guitars. The vocals, also like Tool, come in quiet and ominous. There are a few different sections in the song; again, like a sampler platter of alternative styles, I can hear everything Seattle was putting out at the time. There’s the metal chord progression of Nirvana and the building musical atmosphere of Alice In Chains. Dark, evil music starts of “Dragster” with metal fuzzy chords progress under the half-hearted, sometimes screeching vocals. “Stuck to the Sun” follows in line of dischordant eerie melodies played under distortion. This one follows the pace of a fast heart beat. But it is quiet never using the grinding metal guitars. Dark bass and ringing, looping and echoing bell-like guitars give way to soft vocals lacking their characteristic distortion in “Play Dead.” It is sort of a ballad in its quiet atmospheric ambience, rather than the in your face anger from the rest of the album. I think you might be able to do a waltz to this song: an evil, ghostly waltz. The repetition of the title is issued under a couple of different vocal styles. “Rover” starts with a very catchy bass and guitar part, but it take a turn down and sounds dark with one musical decision. The music gives the song great potential to be a solid catchy song, but the vocals don’t follow the melody until the chorus. Then they carry the song in the direction it needs to go. The instrumental at the 2 minute mark is draining, but it comes out with the catchy, somewhat sing-song chorus: “she’s everyone’s rover.” And the buzzing last chord just fades out. The energy is not lost, because the next song “Next to Drown” carries over with fast moving bass, guitars and drums. The chorus here reminds me of Nirvana’s Drain You: “Chew your meat for you / Pass it back and forth / In a passionate kiss / From my mouth to yours / I like you.” But it lacks the seriously catchy building and delivery of musical hooks that Nirvana offers nearly every time. Drums and space-like vocal distortion bring in the last song “Ticket to Mars.” As it is not really a song proper, more just experimentation with environmental sounds, back-skipping effects, and vocal samples. It is vaguely carnival in its looping nature, but it is kind of a downer way to end a downer album.

*Insect buzzing noise starts “Neon Tom.” Then the vocals begin with far less distortion and a more produced sound. It is almost catchy, progressing chords, and not dark at all, similar to Weezer a bit. The voice is still a little grinding, similar to Richard Butler (Psych Furs). There are many catchy sections to the song, and the fuzzy guitars don’t enter until half way through. It sounds like they mashed up a bunch of interesting song ideas into one song. And it ends on quite the hopeful, positive note. “She Hung The Moon” is an acoustic guitar near-ballad. The vocals are not distorted as the last album, so much as whispered though a mega-phone. Violins are used, as the song is orchestrated with a much more complicated arrangement than was imaginable on the first album. The song ends with a backwards sounding flute or recorder played. “Radio Gun” sounds completely inspired by brit-pop. Fuzzed noise returns again, but this time it’s accompanied by intelligent decisions to add catchy backing vocals and happy power chord changes, rather than gloomy deep changes. Watch out SFA, here comes GM’s song “Venus.” What started out as a loud rock song is slowed down with the vocals building to the chorus, which rocks out with the same energy of Cosmic Dick. But it is a grungeless version. I don’t love the aggressive rumble of his sand paper like voice, but musically, this is a great, catchy driving song. It is a great bridge gapping song to represent both albums. “Come Here” is more of a jangelly middle level rock song. Not a ballad and not a fast paced driving song; it is radio friendly, head nodding fodder. But I can hear how this song could easily be converted to a grunge first album song. It is neat to see the difference and appeal of a song just because of the popular production of the time.

“Hurry Up” is a noisy progressing song that would have fit well on the last album until they go all Semisonic and change up the instrumentation to acoustic guitars with the vocals. Then they blend the styles nicely and it sounds like a bad radio song. The light breakdown with harmonizing vocals seems very out of character, and kinda ruins their image. Lo-fi and loud characterize the beginning of “Train Song.” The band really takes it upon themselves to let the vocals stand up on their own, quieting the music around them. But this song carries good momentum and has a catchy vocal melody. The chugging drums in the background simulate a speeding train. “Electro” is a fast dancy song with sedated vocal through out the verse. The Chorus picks up the vocal energy. And different instruments are added, pick up, and carry the song through with little changes and a steady energy. “Strawberry Ice” is a little dark in its bass, but nothing like the last album. The jerky guitar work reminds me of Green Day, as do the nasally, whiny vocals. But it is more calculated and precise than the fun punk that Green Day perfected. But I think he’s saying “You’re all very nice” rather than the title “Strawberry Ice.” “Lisa Candy” has a nice quiet and slightly dark intro, but the guitars pick up in little spurts and make the song just another loud rock song. The song had potential but it was lost in over production especially of the chorus. There are some neat electronic ideas, but they are buried far under the noisy production, which might be good, because defiantly fit into the noisy rock category, and electronics might not fit them too well. “The Race” feels like it is going to be a long song. It is slow trudging, even with the drumming. It feels like a British rock anthemic ballad. The way he sings is again, similar to Psych Furs. This is a nice song, where it is different than the rest of the album; it still fits into their guidelines, with repetition and his Firewater style vocals. And it gives a nice upbeat ending to the album.

Stand Out Track: ~Cosmic Dick

*Strawberry Ice

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