I cant believe Im saying this, but Luna has been on of my favorite bands since 1992 and this album is so pathetically bad. I bought it the day it came out ( same day YHF came out) and barely made it through one listen. I tried again recently but it didnt get any better. After Penthouse they really took a turn for the worse. I am curious, are you familiar with their other albums and how do you think this one compares?
My list in no particular order:
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - The Flaming Lips
High Society - Enon
Slanted and enchanted (luxe and reduxe) - Pavement
I like Summerteeth a lot. It’s so poppy that I can only listen to it in spurts. It is a great great album but only in doses. I actually like Being there better than summerteeth but less than YHF.
I second the soundtrack for About a Boy, with songs by Badly Drawn Boy. Very good stuff.
I further submit the soundtrack for I Am Sam, a collection of Beatles songs re-interpreted by modern musicians. Included on the CD are The Vines’ performing “I’m Only Sleeping,” Heather Nova with “We Can Work It Out,” The Wallflowers’ rendition of “I’m Looking Through You,” and Nick Cave doing a surprising take on “Let It Be.” Great stuff, and one of the most solid albums of last year.
Speaking of Heather Nova, her album South was one of the highlights of last year for me.
And I’ll also second the soundtrack for The Two Towers. Howard Shore, a great composer already, is doing the best work of his career on The Lord of the Rings.
Watcher…
If you have yet to listen to any Wilco… you’ll also want to check out Uncle Tupelo (Jeff Tweedy’s previous band) and Son Volt the band formed by Jay Farrar, the other songwriter from Uncle Tupelo. I actually prefer Son Volt to Wilco… check out their album Trace
Actually, I only have Bewitched in terms of other Luna albums, but I think Romantica is only a shade below it. “Lovedust” in particular stands out as a favorite, although admittedly not on the same level as “Tiger Lily”. I listen to a lot of indie/undie and it’s rare to find a band as relentlessly catchy as Luna [except for the Apples (in Stereo)].
What Luna album should I get next? I was thinking The Days of Our Nights because “Superfreaky Memories” is my second-favorite Luna song, but you say they took a downturn post-Penthouse.
David Byrne’s Look Into the Eyeball was released in 2001, not 1991 or 2002. It is pretty good, although it loses its flavor after a few months.