Grandaddy

In honor of Modesto, CA's finest, I would like to rank Grandaddy's CDs. It's a shame that Jason Lytle and the bearded ones will no longer be releasing any more music under the moniker Grandaddy. And I regret never seeing them live. But I do have 2 fantastic CDs, 2 good CDs, and a bunch of quality songs to keep me satisfied. The question now is who will keep the Casio beeps and Atari squeaks alive?

1. Sumday - Definitely their best. My only complaint is that too many of the songs blend into one another. But this is some fantastic, breezy, messed up rock. If they would have taken out some of the rough edges and some of the video game sounds, this could have made them millions. At least the hidden song (on the website thing) was featured in a car commercial. This is great driving music for a summer day driving through a small town in the Midwest - well, at least for me since I've only ever lived in the Midwest. Rating - Fantastic.
2. The Sophtware Slump - Their most adventurous album and a close call to "Sumday". This is the album that makes you wonder what could have been. Exploring similar technology ground as Radiohead, this was a valiant attempt at creating a CD to rival "OK Computer" or "Kid A". And while it just missed that level, that's much more a compliment than a fault. And "Crystal Lake" and "Hewlett's Daughter" and "Chartsengrafs" are close to "AM 180" as their greatest singles. Rating - Fantastic.
3. Under the Western Freeway - There are some unbelievable singles on this CD. "AM 180" is far and away one of my favorite songs ever - you may remember it from the grocery shopping scene in "28 Days Later". And there's "Summer Here Kids" and "Go Progress Chrome". For some reason this just seems more like a collection of very strong singles than a whole CD. But it's still pretty amazing. Rating - Great.
4. "Just Like the Fambly Cat" - Their latest and so far my least favorite. Maybe I just haven't connected with this CD yet. It's still very good and it reminds me of "Under the Western Freeway" in that it feels like a collection of singles. It just seems to be missing the high points of Freeway and has a song or tow too many. Still, a very good CD. Rating - Great.

In an alternate universe right now Grandaddy is the biggest band in the universe. Well, at least among the hippie stoner crowd. And I will continue to listen to their music until the 2000 Man carries me off on his spaceship shaped like an El Camino in the West towards Louise.

Tags: * entertainment * pop culture * Grandaddy * Modesto * California * Jason Lytle * Under the Western Freeway * The Sophtware Slump * Sumday * Just Like the Fambly Cat * El Caminos in the West * The Nachure Song * Jeez Louise * AM 180 * 28 Days Later * bearded ones * Atari