One More From Shudder To Think

Via Chicago, glad to hear you were already a fan. Shudder To Think's actual albums tend to be a bit weirder than their soundtrack work, but that makes them even better in my opinion. (In addition to Pony Express Record, I strongly recommend Get Your Goat.)

But on the topic of their soundtrack material, I want to post 2 more tracks... these are from the movie First Love, Last Rites, which was directed by Jesse Peretz, founding member of the Lemonheads.

I've never seen the movie, but STT wrote all the songs for it, and they're really good. Unlike the equally great Bowie stylings of Velvet Goldmine, this is all 60's pop.

Here's two cuts with very special guest vocalists. First, "I Want Someone Badly," featuring none other than Mr. Jeff Buckley. (By the way, if they ever make a Buckley movie, Craig Wedren should sing his parts.)



And this is "Automatic Soup," my favorite track on the album, with lead vocals from Cheap Trick's Robin Zander.

Shudder to Think Bonus Material

As promised in my comment here's my personal experience with Shudder to Think - their spectacular song and video from Velvet Goldmine. I haven't watched this in years and it brought a smile to my face to see it again.



And just for kicks, here's Higher and Higher:

From the Vaults: Shudder To Think

Time to pull an old chestnut out of the archives: Shudder To Think. Originally from DC and signed to Dischord records (and now you know the origin of my internet handle-- dates back to when my family got AOL when I was 14). They released 3 albums and then moved to New York and signed with Epic Records. (They and Jawbox were the only Dischord bands to sign to a major.)

Unlike most indie "sellouts," Shudder To Think got better when they signed to the major label. "Pony Express Record," their first for Epic was completely uncompromising stylistically. If anything, it was even weirder than the stuff they'd been releasing on Dischord.

What I love about this band is their willingness to be off-kilter at any time. This is particularly true on the rhythmic front. Try counting along with the verse of X-French Tee Shirt, which was actually an (minor) alternative radio hit.



And my favorite track on the album is probably Gang of $, which is a nice showcase for Craig Wedren's bizarro tenor/falsetto voice w/ extra vibrato. Some people hate this voice; I personally love it. It's like musical theater superimposed onto indie rock, which is better than it sounds on paper! (Wedren, by the way, also writes film scores. And he wrote the incredibly catchy faux-80's "Higher and Higher" song from Wet Hot American Summer.)

Here's Gang of $



Anyway, the band is now touring for the first time in about a gagillion years, and I just missed them in LA. Boo!