So the Gin Blossoms recently came up in conversation... they will be performing at a small theater in downtown New Bruanfels called the Bruantex.
I briefly considered attending until I heard that tickets would be retailing for over 45 dollars. That's a hefty sum for a band I rarely go out of my way to listen to and I'm pretty sure I saw them perform in some capacity in the late 90's.
The album New Miserable Experience is certifiably one of the best debut albums I've ever heard. I recall purchasing this my Freshmen year of high school and listening to it a lot while commuting on bus between Mercedes and San Benito.
I didn't really listen to the record much until college... when the band kinda came up again in conversation. I vividly remember my friend Donald getting upset at me for owning the album. He had some weird issue with the band for failing to pull together a proper follow up album. He said something to the effect of "they were supposed to be the next Replacements... " then he drunkenly changed the subject to something else. Donnie is difficult like that sometimes.
Slipped the album out for a few spins last year when I heard my friend Robert Vito had covered them on his Blackbird Sing album. I'm still shocked by how incredible the song tracking is on this album.
The first four tracks are absolute keepers. The song "Cajun Song" is one of the few southern hill country songs I can actually stomach... and the deep tracks on the record such as "Found out about you", "Allison Road" and "29" make this album so easy to listen to all the way through.
If you haven't listened to this album in a while, give it a spin. I think you'll find it reading as I did.
Stand out tracks:
- Gin Blossoms – Lost Horizons
- Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy
- Gin Blossoms – Mrs. Rita
- Gin Blossoms – Until I Fall Away
- Gin Blossoms – Cajun Song
- Gin Blossoms – Found Out About You (I would love to hear what Peter Buck thinks about this song)
- Gin Blossoms – Allison Road
- Gin Blossoms – 29
- Gin Blossoms – Pieces Of The Night
Artist: Gin Blossoms
Album: New Miserable Experience
Producer: Gin Blossoms, John Hampton
Label: A&M
Recorded: Ardent Studios, AB Recorders