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Label: DeSoto
Year: 2002
This was originally released in 1997 on Hitit Recordings, and re-released in 2002 with two extra tracks by DeSoto, who presumably smelled a big mid-Nineties emo resurgence on the horizon.
We have touched on a small sub-genre of 90s emo here on this blog before, that I feel has aged better than the remainder of larger body of work dubbed "emo". Counter to the screeching, flailing, spastic, overwrought heavyweights of the scene, who's work was often delivered in a hand screened manila envelope, there were a handful of bands who took a more "mature" route through the emo section of a post-hardcore world. The dynamics were less contrived, the sounds were fuller, the vocals were richer, and the records came in full color, machine printed sleeves. It was a bold new world, and it didn't last long.
Times changed, dudes graduated college, and folks decided it was time to get "real jobs". Can't blame em really.
The legacy Shiner leaves behind is of particular interest as they straddle the line between the workman-like subtleties of Castor and the Smashing Pumpkins inspired big rock hooks of Hum. Maybe throw some Sunny Day Real Estate in there for good measure while you're at it.
It's a nice place to be.
And a nice record to be listening to.
Then and now.
Nice one. I have to say though that I prefer Allen Epley's past-Shiner project The Life and Times over Shiner itself.
ReplyDeleteTragic Boogie > Shiner.
shiner was excellent. saw them at the 40watt when i first moved to athens. can't remember who they opened for. but it was your typical 40watt show of about 10 people. i had never heard them before but i distinctivley remember mentioning they sounded like a "harder jawbox", which i liekd and bought all the albums they had at the merch table.
ReplyDeletemy lovely wife had the pleasure of seeing them later on open up for aereogramme in atlanta. once again to abouit 10 people. i was very upset i missed aereogramme as they are one of my favoritest bands i never saw. also i was upset that i missed some drunken earl patron walk up and throw beer on the scottish grizzly bear of a bass player for aereogramme during their set.
my main posts in this post are that shiner was excellent, especially this album, and aerogramme was the best. so if you havent heard them, you are missing out. but get thir first albums first. they suffered from the isis syndrome of starting awesome and ending boring.
Lula is one of the most unheard, underrated albums of the 90's. The talent foams to the brim of this beautiful piece of work. Check out The Egg as well. Miss you Shiner...
ReplyDeleteVery nice. Maybe you could post the Splay album as well?
ReplyDeleteCheck out a podcast review of Shiner's Lula Divinia on Dig Me Out at digmeoutpodcast.com, a weekly podcast dedicated to unearthing lost and forgotten rock of the 90s.
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