oh buddy: centro-matic.

sometimes, kids, it's more fun to re-buy an album you know is great than to take a flier on something new. while looking for derek and the dominos stuff at cheapo today, i meandered past the c section (not that kind; the letter) and saw what i thought was a new disc by centro-matic. it turned out to be an older disc (2002) but what i also saw was love you just the same, which was one of my favorite discoveries in summer of 2004. through a series of computer mishaps and itunes difficulties, i had lost the right to play these files on my computer, so i hastily snatched up the disc and listened to it all morning here in the offices.

damn: this is a fine record. it's a little alt.country and a little indie rock in the pavement mold. the guitars are gloriously fuzzy, pushing the speakers to the limit in fine "cut your hair" fashion and the ballads (the outstanding "all the lightning rods" and "without you") are spacious and lonely. singer will johnson has a definite way with words, and his free association lyrics are evocative without being direct, which is pretty much all you could ask for out of this kind of stream-of-consciousness stuff.

above all, though, the album's got a real texturality and feel to it from the instant the drums break in on leadoff track "the mighty midshipman." think long car drives and starry summer nights. dusty roads. analog everything. come to think of it, it's not unlike the rocking flipside to stuff like the ashtray hearts. they're the kind of band i'd want to be in. not too adventurous, in love with the sound of a good song coming out of shitty amps. can i say that on the internet? amps?