GRANDADDY: Under the Western Freeway

This is one of those records that Tape Op readers will love to listen to. Its full of creative production ideas with each song employing a different recording approach. Chief songwriter Jason Lytle (see interview in Tape Op #7 ) recorded this magnum opus on his 16 track at Floater and Headcorders in Modesto, California. The opening track, "Nonphenomenal Lineage", starts with a murky keyboard and electric guitar intro and proceeds into a desolate acoustic guitar and vocal part which is soon accompanied by a perfectly placed mono recording of a drum kit reminiscent of garbage cans. There are a lot of unique keyboard sounds throughout the record, some tracks are more pop oriented and some are more stripped down entering into folk territory. Regardless of lineage, the entire record is well thought out and like all creatively recorded records, it gets better and more interesting with each listen. (Will Records, 1122 E Pike St. #511, Seattle, WA 98122)