"Jenny's poppin' birth control and still wearin' braces" - The Exploding Hearts

News item the first: Saw The Prestige last night with my good friend Chris (who writes over at the excellent film blog, Movie Mash - http://www.movie-mash.blogspot.com/). It wasn't bad, and serves as evidence that superb filmmaking can surmount average acting and virtually no emotional attachment. Besides, my future wife Scarlett was in it, so nothing to complain about on that front.

News item the second: Big ups to my homies at the Tokyo Inn on Backlick. Them shits is delicious!

I'm going on a brief hiatus from The Kids Are All Dead, so barring my ability to find Dokken's "Dream Warriors" for a Halloween posting, you won't see an update here until at least the 6th of November. The reason I'll be away is that I will be in Atlanta for most of the next week and half, and thus unable (and too uncaring) to update.

I thought I'd use my last post for a while to hype something you can buy when I'm gone. Scratch that, should buy. Dirtnap Records is reissuing the entire Exploding Hearts vaults, which amounts to their lone full-length and a rarities and singles collection called Shattered.

If you're wondering why it's got such a morbid title, well, there's a reason. Once one of the more promising bands to come out of the Pacific Northwest during the early 00's (along with groups like the Epoxies, the Briefs, and the Spits), the Exploding Hearts met a tragic end when their van flipped on I-5, killing everyone but the guitarist and the group's manager.

It seems especially tragic because they had hit hard and fast with their amazing debut, Guitar Romantic, and were generating enough positive attention to get offered a deal with the large indie Lookout! Records. Listening to Guitar Romantic three years after the accident that claimed their lives, it still boggles me how fresh and vital it sounds, especially when you consider they're channeling glam rock's giants. If you're a fan of the New York Dolls or the half of T Rex songs that aren't folky unicorn horseshit, you'll get a kick out of these guys.

"Getting Modern Kicks" is a crunchy rave-up about, what else, girls and drugs that rings high and kicks your gut. "Sleeping Aids and Razorblades" is a song I listened to bunches after I broke up with Kate and was still in the "man, whatever, I don't need you" phase, and to this day, still sing along to the "the dog don't remember your name" line. "Making Teenage Faces" is from their final single, put out months before they died, and it might be the best song they ever did. The 7" has been on my wishlist forever, but I'm not holding my breath - I've seen it go for $150+ before. However, if any of you loyal readers wanna change my lack of ownership, well, you know, I don't suppose I can stop you.

See you in November!


http://www.mysharefile.com/v/4927087/Exploding_Hearts_Modern_Kicks.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/988577/Exploding_Hearts_Sleeping_Aides_And_Razorblades.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/9444361/Exploding_Hearts_Teenage_Faces.mp3.html