For me (and likely many others who came of age through underground/college radio of the early-to-mid 90s), this music on this release typified the "midwest" -- angular guitars, equal parts frailty and catharsis, mumble-to-a-scream vocals, off-kilter time signatures and start-stop moments but not entirely "math rock," emotionally charged without being "emo." Records were released on Touch & Go or its Quarterstick subsidiary or a hometown DIY label (Peas Kor, Slamdek). Bands hailed from cities or college towns in Ohio and Kentucky and Illinois and Pennsylvania.

The Telephone Man was little-known outside of its hometown of Louisville, KY and deeply indebted to its hometown predecessors / contemporaries like Slint, Rodan, and Crain. Guitars alternate between "shimmer" and "crunch," vocals are often buried, rhythm sections are generally 3x as proficient as the rest of the band. This release is not quite a "complete discography," but it captures most of their recorded work occasionally released on limited run, hand-distributed cassettes and 7"s. Songs are arranged in reverse chronology (tracks 1-6 are from 1994 single and unreleased cassette, 7-10 are from 1993 cassette, 11-15 are from 1992 demo with drum machine). It gets a little same-y when consumed all in one sitting, but would have been killer to see live and works fine for radio play.

RIYL: Codeine, Don Caballero, Rodan, Bitch Magnet, Slint, Crain, Speaking Canaries, etc.

FCC: 11, 15

1. dn / builds, moody/dark, spoken/sung vox are barely discernable
2. dn, mixed male/female vox
3. varies from med+ to dn (and back), broad but unfulfilling journey
4. * dn->med, intro apes Rodan ("Bible Silver Corner") big time, then female spoken vox lead into the crunchy, raging portion which fades out in feedback squall
5. varies (dn -> med), ends loud, meanders a bit in the slow parts, false end after first loud bit so wait for it to fade back in
6. * med+, straight-ahead rawker with a little bass breakdown, frigidly cold end
7. * builds to med+, loping guitar lines, false end around -1:30, shouts but no lyrics, quick end
8. med+ /dn and back, some lurching start-stop action.
9. med+, dn bridge, false end, sing-song male vox over growling guitars
10. * varies, approaches the Platonic ideal of the "Louisville style"
11. FCC (multiple f-bombs); med(+), a boy, his fuzzbox, and his drum machine
12. * med+, shouty distorted vox and guitar
13. med(+), reminiscent of early Big Black minus Albini's acid/crystalline pdxn, or Jesus and Mary Chain's wall of distortion
14. med, a weakly-done Billy Idol cover
15. FCC ("fucked up dollar"), up, shouty, aggressive