Friday, August 10, 2012

Tinsel - Quit While You're Ahead (1996, Jesus Christ Recs.)

Tinsel were one of several also-rans that spewed from Chapel Hill, NC’s collective technicolor yawn in the mid-90s.  No outright aping of the usual local yokels – Superchunk, Archers, or Polvo, but a likeminded, mid-fi aesthetic is highly palpable.  Early Built to Spill and Sonic Youth’s subtler sojourns were more Tinsel’s thing, thank you very much.  Munk's endearingly off pitched vocal aplomb and crooked melodic structures slotted the band in slacker territory, if not along the fringes of its cranky environs.   Overall, this isn't a particularly crucial artifact from what is generally regarded as a watershed era for indie rock, yet the vibes permeating this record are thoroughly quintessential of the genre. Give 'er a spin and you'll see precisely what I mean.  Quit... was preceded in 1994 with the more raucous Finding the Perfect Gift.  You can indulge in Tinsel's "Golden Retriever" 7" here.  Please excuse me for the chopped upper-right corner of the sleeve of this disk, which was apparently issued as a promo.

01. The New Machine
02. Major Warning
03. If I Had a Seizure
04. Gotta Get Some
05. Here Comes the Scum
06. Good to Loose
07. Esquire
08. Bottles and Tires
09. Spooky
10. Great White Hopeful
11. Scarface

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