The Sophtware Slump - Grandaddy (2000)

Ideated from: the digital crate digging of pre-Napster MP3 sharing.

The year 2000 was the golden age of whimsical, self-deprecating white dudes dealing on guitars. To me, indie rock always seemed like an evolution from 90s alt-rock, not a revolution as such. In another year or two, the explosion of creativity, changes to the music business, and advances in recording and record-making technology would all change what was possible for popular music. But until then, what we got were mostly interesting permutations on what guitar bands had been doing for 30 years.

That’s not to throw too much shade on Grandaddy. They couldn’t help the period they made this record in, and they did a damn good job of it. They have some proggy tendencies to multi-part song structures, and they do some serious space rock by letting more synths run than most of their peers, while never going lightly on the guitar skronk. The songwriting is a little opaque but funny and interesting throughout, and occasionally heart-wrenching.

This isn’t necessarily a classic, but it’s a very enjoyable record.

Tracks I Liked

Hewlett’s Daughter - Kind of cookie-cutter indie rock, but very well executed.

Broken Household Appliance National Forest - Takes a while to get going, but then soars

Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground) - a gorgeous ballad, with the synths adding a beautiful texture