Normal Happiness
General
| Oct 2006
Reviews
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2007-03-05
Reviewed 2007-03-05
More great power pop/rock from the former Guided by Voices leader, of course. Maybe a bit more simple, wistful, than the preceding "From a Compound Eye" CD. More of an autumnal air.
Scrappy pop tunes with unconventional chordal twists. Often proggy in the sense of acoustic-strumming Yes (that is, pastoral and folky; no odd time signatures). Basic guitar parts with weird backing keyboards and other sounds from mad scientist/producer Todd Tobias, and Pollard's usual stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Some critics didn't like this one, but I say it's all worth spinning.
1- Straight strong pop, a bit Who-like. Bright.
2- Strident intro, into straight power-pop
3- Breezy fast pop
4- Fairly fast. A light wistful feel
5- Midtempo, quite lo-fi on the vocal. A bit sad.
6- Upbeat mid/fast, quite pretty despite the title
7- *FCC* "piss." Mid/fast rock, a chugging drive.
8- Gentle, acoustic
9- Dissonant pop. Spare and quirky.
10- Chugging mid/fast
11- A big sound, midtempo and grand. Abrupt ending.
12- *FCC* Mid/fast, like breezy power pop. Gets loud.
13- Simple, spare. Slowish waltzy chorus
14- Mid/fast, a bit wistful
15- Jazzy - whoa! Light airy feel. A bit melancholy. No, it's NOT about the band, The Eagles.
16- Chiming proggy chord. Fast and lightly poppy, pretty. Proggy synths during the fade-out, what a great way to end the album.
Scrappy pop tunes with unconventional chordal twists. Often proggy in the sense of acoustic-strumming Yes (that is, pastoral and folky; no odd time signatures). Basic guitar parts with weird backing keyboards and other sounds from mad scientist/producer Todd Tobias, and Pollard's usual stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Some critics didn't like this one, but I say it's all worth spinning.
1- Straight strong pop, a bit Who-like. Bright.
2- Strident intro, into straight power-pop
3- Breezy fast pop
4- Fairly fast. A light wistful feel
5- Midtempo, quite lo-fi on the vocal. A bit sad.
6- Upbeat mid/fast, quite pretty despite the title
7- *FCC* "piss." Mid/fast rock, a chugging drive.
8- Gentle, acoustic
9- Dissonant pop. Spare and quirky.
10- Chugging mid/fast
11- A big sound, midtempo and grand. Abrupt ending.
12- *FCC* Mid/fast, like breezy power pop. Gets loud.
13- Simple, spare. Slowish waltzy chorus
14- Mid/fast, a bit wistful
15- Jazzy - whoa! Light airy feel. A bit melancholy. No, it's NOT about the band, The Eagles.
16- Chiming proggy chord. Fast and lightly poppy, pretty. Proggy synths during the fade-out, what a great way to end the album.
Recent airplay
Full Sun (Dig The Slowness)
Daydream Disaster — May 05, 2011
Supernatural Car Lover
Something about music — May 11, 2007
Supernatural Car Lover
I once was canadian — May 09, 2007
Accidental Texas Who
Something about music — Apr 20, 2007
Accidental Texas Who
Biff Bang Pow — Apr 07, 2007
Full Sun (Dig The Slowness), Get A Facefull
college radio — Mar 30, 2007
Charting
2007-03-11 — 2007-05-13
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| May 13 | 2 |
| Apr 22 | 1 |
| Apr 8 | 1 |
| Apr 1 | 1 |
| Mar 25 | 1 |
| Mar 18 | 2 |
Track listing
| 1. | Accidental Texas Who | ||
| 2. | Whispering Whip | ||
| 3. | Supernatural Car Lover | ||
| 4. | Boxing About | ||
| 5. | Serious Bird Woman (You Turn Me On) | ||
| 6. | Get A Facefull | ||
| 7. | Towers And Landslides | ||
| 8. | I Feel Gone Again | ||
| 9. | Gasoline Ragtime | ||
| 10. | Rhoda Rhoda | ||
| 11. | Give Up The Grape | ||
| 12. | Pegasus Glue Factory | ||
| 13. | Top Of My Game | ||
| 14. | Tomorrow Will Not Be Another Day | ||
| 15. | Join The Eagle | ||
| 16. | Full Sun (Dig The Slowness) |