Swearing At Motorists: Postcards From A Drinking Town (Collected Singles From ’96-’02) [Album Review]

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Swearing At Motorists
Postcards From A Drinking Town (Collected Singles From ’96-’02)
Secretly Canadian [2011]

Rising out of the same lo-fi scene as their hometown friends Guided By Voices, Dayton, Ohio’s Swearing At Motorists also had the process down to an art. Until now, many of their minute-long gems were very hard to find. Postcards From A Drinking Town represents a comprehensive collection of their 7″ and compilation tracks from that earlier era, showcasing a band cranking out tunes on a consistent basis. There are numerous highlights within the record’s 31 tracks, including solid covers like the Great Plains song “Letter To Fanzine” and the minute-long GBV track “Volcano Divers.” The two songs Swearing At Motorists did on a split with Spoon are here, as well as some even harder-to-find items like the Stumble To The Zero Hour 7″ (2000), Tuesday’s Pretzel Night 7″ (1996), and the cassingle The Academy Award For Best Actress (1996). This compilation not only demonstrates the diversity of Swearing At Motorists but also how they mastered placing a melody in a 40-second track. This release should be a must for fans but could also serve as a starting place for anyone interested in the band. Not only does Postcards From A Drinking Town showcase all sides of Swearing At Motorists, but it also gears you up for checking out their excellent LPs and hoping for a new one in 2011!

Key Tracks: “Before The Flood” / “Valentine’s Day Massacre” / “No More James Dean” / “Letter To Fanzine”

Artists With Similar Fire: The Replacements / Guided By Voices / 84 Nash

Christopher Anthony
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