How ‘bout them Downsiders?
Two official releases that I’m aware of,
and both were actually quite good, so what gives? Indie label distribution issues? Late-80s-indie-band-overload victims? Not trendy enough? Too regionally obscure? Damned if I know.
Self-titled debut from ’87 was probably the
better of the 2 releases. Cryptic
lyrics, some melancholy, a lot of good jangly guitar. They don’t sound like The Replacements or
Dream Syndicate or Husker Du or (too much) like R.E.M., but you would
definitely hear them and say “Hmmmm…..
mid 80s American indie music.”
The second album is more willfully odd and
troublesome. I think that goes without
saying for any album that includes a cover of Wild Honey Pie, one of the Beatles more totally throwaway
tunes. It’s still a pretty fun album,
but the band seems uncertain what kind of aesthetic they’re looking to embrace. This was ’88, when pre-grunge dissonance was
on the ascendancy among hipster circles, and these guys definitely weren’t of
that moment. Oh well.
Both albums are long out of print, but can
be found on the internet with a little diligence.
Happy hunting.
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