There are far and few bands that can achieve the greatness of a perfect 10 album, least likely was a tractor hat wearing band from Modesto, California called Grandaddy who lay hidden deep within Pistachio fields.
Grandaddy, released their sophomore album entitled “'Sophtware Slump”
A extremely funny and sad concept album about how brief things are and how things soon they become disposable and unappreciated once the novelty is worn off. Apply this message to your friends, lovers, cordless phone, pets or any other noun substitute.
'Sophtware Slump” takes flight with the eight minute epic ballad “He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot.” The clean and gentle reassuring voice of Jason Lytle with the sincerity of Neil Young sings “Adrift again 2000 man / You lost your maps / You lost you plans / Did you hear them yell, “Land Dam it Land?” / You say you can’t / Well I hope you can” against the light bird chirping and stuttering keyboard melody. Voices enter “Are you ready?” “Yep” “Okay 1-2-3-4” then launches in with gently strummed guitars and soothing keyboards, as Lytle sings “How’s it going 2000 man / Welcome back to solid ground my friend ? I heard your controls were jammed / Well it’s just nice to have you back again” with sparkling keyboard sequences spiraling about. The song then winda hrwn into lush piano sound-scape as Lytle sings “I believe they want you to give in / Are you giving in 2000 man?” in the background a repeated verse softly sings “Did you love this world? and did this world not love you?”
“Hewlett's Daughter” is a fun mid-tempo ride with grungy guitars and glassy keys and a snappy beat as Lytle sings “High above the wrecks on ice selves and glaciers / I spy below the mess and measure the pressure / Where sofas float on roads / And somebody stole your guns, Well sir I am the only one to get back your stolen guns / I should have been your son.”
“Jed The Humanoid” this lush keyboard haven track is the story of the creation and death of Jed the Humanoid, who was assembled in the kitchen out of this and that. Later after much neglect Jed was found dead drinking him self to death. As Lytle sings “Jed had found our booze and drank every drop / He fizzled and popped, he rattled and finally he just stopped.”
“The Crystal Lake” is a catchy pop song. The song has sequenced keyboards fluttering about with a groovy bass guitar work chunky as the Pixies and glassy as SlowDive. Lytle exclaims “”Should have never left the Crystal Lake for parties full of folks who flake / Italian leather winter games retired by duraflames.”
Rocking tracks like “Chartsengrafs” grunge and flow against the mellow ballad of “Under The Weeping Willow,” as the gentle then noisy “Broken Household Appliance National Forest” speaks for itself.
“Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)” revisits the story of Jed from one of his poems “You said I’d wake up dead drunk alone in the park / I called you a liar but how right you were / Air conditioned TV land 20 grand / Walk to the bank with snakes from the night before.” against this lush distorted keyboard driven track.
The mellow guitar wanders against the tight bass and drums of “Miner At The Dial-A-View” with sampled instructions to program the latitude and longitude of the Dial-A-View for a closer more detailed picture as Lytle sings “ I dream at night of going home someday / somewhere far away,” in tune with this well orchestrated dreamy track.
The near perfect 'Sophtware Slump' ends with “So You'll Aim Towards The Sky” with guitar goodness laden with samples and delicate keyboards as Lytle repeats “So you’ll aim towards the sky and you’ll rise high today / Fly away, far away, far from pain.”
Grandaddy are exhilarating! Wow a hard to top album, they are a friendly group of guys be on the look out for their follow-up album “Sumday” which promises songs about chocolate shakes and El Caminos.
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