The Green And Yellow TV-Record X (2002)

(Photography by Shaune McDowell; Design by Jill Simonsen)

I remember discovering this album around the time iTunes became a thing (I guess I would've been a pre-teen), and I would spend a huge amount of time wandering the iTunesphere looking for good stuff. On a whim, I popped "El Cid" (ya know-the medieval Spanish warrior) into the search bar to see what would come up...and I got this nugget; a nugget I have made sure to hype to absolutely everyone I meet (fortunately it's an easy sell).

I don't know if it's true, but I read somewhere that Jimi Hendrix once sculpted his hair into a pair of antennae so that he could "tune into the sounds floating around him". Or, there's The La's (a band I cannot recommend highly enough) "Timeless Melody", which muses on songs/ melodies finding their writers. I think Record X is one of those situations: where the songs existed in a timeless ether until they fortuitously collided with The Green And Yellow TV (or perhaps entered their antennae). That's why "Record X" is such a good title. It happens in "X" time and "X" location-not quite here, not quite there. It's like the audio equivalent of a Tarantino film; it can transport you-maybe even make you feel a bit nostalgic...but for what? It's the diner scene in Pulp Fiction (or all of Pulp Fiction for that matter)-when is it happening? Is it within a self-contained alternate universe?

I wouldn't make any direct comparisons to Hendrix or the La's though-there's more of a "mod" or "British Invasion"(or maybe British Invasion through an American lens, like Paul Revere and the Raiders....or maybe even a harder-edged Beach Boys) feel here. But don't worry, this isn't one of those novelty "retro" bands...have I not written enough about the timeless ether? The songs work on their own merits, as well as the undeniable talent of the musicians involved (check out those vocal harmonies). The production also achieves 21st century clarity; the guitars are allowed to bark and foam at the mouth a little without getting lost in the mix. All of this is epitomized by (you guessed it) "El Cid". Listen below:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_-6arHObGQ

Another goody:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ2LSKCtqhE

 

(Credits same as above)

(Photography and Design by Jill Simonsen)