In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is included in the Onion AV Club’s “Turn Off the Shuffle” list, described as “25 great albums that work best when listened to from start to finish.” You can read the article here. I’m a fan of the site, but it must be said that with their obsession with creating unnecessary pop culture lists, the AV Club is quickly becoming the late-90’s-era VH1 of the internet. Still, it’s a good read. Note that most Elephant 6 albums probably work best following the same “turn off the shuffle” rule, in particular those by Olivia Tremor Control and of Montreal; it’s merely a keen awareness of making the album work as a whole (although there are certainly an abundance of E6 “concept albums” too, and the collective is at least partially responsible for the resurrection of the once-loathed genre).
Note that I updated last week’s post about Marc Maron giving a shout-out to the Gerbils on Break Room Live, the Air America podcast. On Friday’s show (the one featuring Sarah Vowell), he made a correction during the post-show chat indicating he meant to say The Thermals. Such is life.
And apropos of nothing, a big thanks to anyone reading this blog who turned out for The Ladybug Transistor’s appearance in my city of Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday night. Despite the rather startling manifestation of a SPRINGTIME BLIZZARD, there was a large, appreciative, enthusiastic crowd (dancing!). The band responded in kind with a sprawling but tightly-played setlist, including an unplanned performance of “Choking on Air” which was simply phenomenal. This band has matured splendidly over the last decade; when they come to your town, don’t turn down a chance to see them.
