Shiner - The Egg

First post since July. I should have posted more during my long, leisurely Summer, instead of posting in the middle of a particularly busy school week. I guess I feel inspired by Eva and Sam, who both started up little bloggy poos of their own. Also, I've been listening to this really good album...

Today's album: Shiner - The Egg (Island 1969)
Genre: Alt-Rock, Indie Rock
Running time: 11 tracks, 49:01
In a nutshell: Brainy, Tool-like alt-rock

1. "The Truth About Cows" - 3:21 (Epley, Shiner)
2. "Surgery" - 3:23 (Epley, Shiner)
3. "Play Dead" - 3:30 (Epley, Shiner)
4. "The Top of the World" - 4:11 (Epley, Shiner)
5. "The Egg" - 5:42 (Epley, Shiner)
6. "Andalusia" - 3:56 (Newton, Epley and Shiner)
7. "Bells and Whistles" - 4:12 (Epley, Shiner)
8. "The Simple Truth" - 7:57 (Epley, Shiner)
9. "Spook the Heard" - 2:29 (Epley, Shiner)
10. "Pills" - 4:53 (Epley, Shiner)
11. "Stoned" - 5:27 (Epley, Shiner)

Sometimes I add music to my library without listening to it, forget what it was or why I sought it out, and then finally listen to it months later. This usually yields some sort of pleasant surprise, as the listen-through is divorced from any preconceived notions of what the music should be like. Too often I read a record review first, or somebody recommends the album, or I see a forum RIYL (read-if-you-like) tag, or something of the sort before I actually listen to the music, and it tends to spoil the experience a bit. I actually added Shiner to my iPod because I thought it was a new chillwave artist I hadn't gotten around to listening to yet. In fact, Shiner is the furthest thing from the steady hip-hop beats and atmospheric keyboards; instead, it is a whirl of mathy rock compositions and angsty, introspective vocals. I thought the album title was rather appropriate. Listening to this album is sort of like watching an egg roll across a flat surface: it might go relatively straight with just a bit of wobble, or the wobble might take over and take the egg for an unexpected turn. At one moment, the band will be surging forward with a fist-pumping hook, and the next it will devolve into guitar noodling and spastic beats. What's satisfying about this is that the Egg never seems to lose its momentum, making it both interesting and consistent. This is also its downside, as the record never seems technical enough for a full math-rock enthusiast, and the vocals come off as a bit abrasive without enough pop to back them up.