Mid-'90s "hardcore" (read: "rock") band Painted Thin has recently become one of my new old favorites. At times sounding like the pop-punk bands that defined the Fat Wreck scene, and other times sounding like the early '00s Promise Ring set*, these guys had a couple of pretty solid, peppy albums. And by the way, do you like The Weakerthans? This band had most of them. Whoa!
There's nothing fancy or mind-blowing here, but man, "I Hold My Breath" (track 4) and "These Unremarkable First Ten Years of Life" (track 7) are such sweet '90s boil-overs. Really, the middle of this album, say tracks 4 to 8 or so, are just one great song after another. Short, under-produced, crackle-voiced and off-key, super-emotive exploratory pop songs for the 35 year-old nostalgia set. Just hook it to my fuckin' veins!
This band is a good personal reminder of why I never delete music. I've had one of their albums on my computer for, what, 10 years? Never really gave it much of a thought until a shuffle adventure brought them to my attention. Now I can't get enough. Nicely timed after a nostalgic Weakerthans love affair some months ago, too.
*So what if my knowledge of music pretty much covers only the outcasts of the 1994-2003 era?
