Oh Hump Day. We roll into Wednesday with a little Clem Snide. Who is that? Great question. I have no idea either! My buddy Heidi dropped Clem into the Suggestion Box a while back. No album or anything, just the name. Looking him up today - it's not a him, but a full band! Who'd have guessed? But apparently they've been doing this country thing for quite some time. Except country with a caveat. They have this alternative/indie feel to them too. They started making music WAY back in 1991 - and they dropped a variety of independent type albums. They didn't drop their first record until 1998, which is quite the delay from inception to release. They from the New York area though, so some bands end up being quite content playing music on such a big stage. Being from New York, the 9/11 attacks took quite the toll on the band. At first they banded together and wanted to tour around and hope their music was a brief distraction for those people that were in need of support. But that tour was quite ill-fated, and didn't go well. Between all those emotions from the tour, the actual event emotions coming together - they decided to break apart for a while. The breakup didn't last too long though, and Clem Snide is back making music again today. If I've ever reviewed them, or if you've heard them on your own, the lead singer sounds like he's the front man of the Decemberists. I'm not sure what exactly makes this country, but that's the label they want. It's got this great mood feel, and it's extremely laid back. Being a decade old now, I think this really holds up against the test of time. I'm listening to this right now for the first time and it could have easily come out last week. Needless to say, I really enjoy this. I love the vocals, they make me want to listen to more. The soft guitar arrangements are nice, and they make the album flow very well. A couple tracks have that banjo-y country feel, so I think it has something for everyone.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Let's Explode
2. Long Lost Twin"
3. Ice Cube
4. Chinese Baby
5. Don't Be Afraid of Your Anger
6. Evil vs. Good
7. Moment in the Sun
8. The Curse of Great Beauty
9. Joan Jett of Arc
10. The Junky Jews
11. Ancient Chinese Secret Blues
12. The Ballad of Unzer Charlie
13. No One's More Happy Than You
Listen To Samples
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Moment In The Sun
2. The Curse Of Great Beauty
3. Ancient Chinese Secret Blues
FINAL RATING:
4.25 out of 5 stars
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