The album kicks off with Pollard, minus any other sounds, chanting for a minute, and then followed by a psychedelic and breezy tune called In the House of Queen Charles Augustus. I have a lot of trouble when deciding if songs like this (the ones that seem merely "ok") are a keeper or not. The problem is that I know there are tons of tracks I would rather listen too, however, it still bothers me that I will not get to hear it semi-regularly if it is not on the list. Breezy may also describe Captain Black, as Pollard goes for mood with Motel of Fools, an album which appears meant to be listened in full instead of having its parts plucked away onto a mix disc.
After a long trippy intro (basically, the song in reverse), the albums cuts into its "hit", Red Ink Superman. You can tell some songs mean business once the guitar kicks in, and Red Ink Superman is a wonderfully dour epic which finishes with a sudden explosion of noise and Pollard repeating "We'll even the score in World War IV!"
In The Vault of Moons, a lead guitar from what sounds like an entirely different song keeps intruding on a an acoustic ditty. Other effects are thrown in as well, but I find it is the weakest track of the bunch. Saga of the Elk continues the brooding atmosphere, and has grown on me each time I listen it. It also has some of the strangest lyrics, for example "Fort mold may feather / Personal grain in the heartache" and "Stain at calvary / Racehorse and deadness" are a sample of some of the seemlingly disassociated lines.
The Spanish Hammer is a four song musical consisting of She Drives Camaro, Lift, Love Set, and Wildlife Energy. Whereas She Drives Camaro, Lift, and Wildlife Energy are similar to effect-filled Circus Devils snippets (in sound and in title), Love Set is actually a beautiful piano tune which covers roughly a minute and a half. Both the melody and Pollard's vocals are perfect, and this is a great moment of clarity in an otherwise often fuzzed-out and psychedelic album.
Harrison Adams is the closer of this dark, weird, and short album, which ironically ends with a (relatively) up-beat pop song. Granted, it has the Motel of Fools minute or so of randomness, which is saved for the end of this particular track. That being said, the chorus of "You aren't happy with me / And I know it / And you are the world to me / But it's all gone now" slightly betrays its joyous sound.
Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent with Motel of Fools. Red Ink Superman does stand out on this album, which focuses more on overall theme and not individual success, and may not stand out so much on another GBV-related album. I feel that all of the other songs I picked for the playlist could have not made the list depending on when I wrote this entry, for example, if I waited a few months after the period I played it over and over again while driving around. This time, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Tracklisting (songs in bold make the list):
01 In the House of Queen Charles Augustus
02 Captain Black
03 Red Ink Superman
04 The Vault of Moons
05 Saga of the Elk
06 The Spanish Hammer *
07 Harrison Adams
* The third part of The Spanish Hammer, Love Set, would make the list if parts of songs were allowed to.
2 comments:
i love this record.........my favorite song...........captain black.......
The notion that this would made to be listened to in one setting is weird to me, because I find it difficult to get through but like almost all the songs out of context.
The Vault Of Moons is still the weakest track both here and on Crickets, I think. Captain Black would have worked much better on Bubble or Silverfish Trivia. Red Ink Superman is one of the highlights of The Electric Conclusion but the intro is too long here, I think. I fell in love at first chord with Saga Of The Elk; very Northern woods sounding. My viking blood perhaps. Harrison Adams is the most successful song here, lovely and melancholy, so of course he had to fuck with it by adding the intro and outro, and of course they work beautifully as contrasts to HA's life as described in the lyrics. My list has the same songs as yours.
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