Bluebird - The Two (2000, PacifiCo)

The Two wasn't Bluebird's first record, not was it their last, and furthermore it wasn't even their strongest release...however it was my indoctrination into the meager cult dedicated to this bunch of low-profile, L.A. denizens.  Bluebird's modus operandi (at least as The Two is concerned) can loosely be boiled down to "post-hardcore" with significant persuasion by a myriad of  '90s Dischord Records signees.  I should add, this is one moody mofo of an album, spanning spastic punk freakouts like "Two Friends" to the downright placid and contemplative "Moonless Night in the Monument." What really sold me on The Two was it's genius pair of opening tracks, "Skeletons Day Parade" and "Still Life (With Moving Parts)," both of which sport briskly paced tempos, chugging guitar lines, and most poignantly of all, illustrate how invigorating Bluebird's genre of choice can be when augmented with a walloping dose of melodicism.  

As mentioned above, The Two wasn't quite the band's finest hour.  That would arrive three years later on their Dim Mak Records platter, Hot Blood, which found them tacking towards the more tuneful and rocking rush of the Doughboys and Foo Fighters.  There's a thorough Bluebird bio on Dim Mak's site that you would do well to read if you have any further inquiries on this ostensibly departed Cali five-piece.  Original copies of The Two may still be available here and here.

01. Skeletons Day Parade
02. Still Life (With Moving Parts)
03. Birth of Inertia
04. Shedding Skin
05. Two Friends
06. Low Gear
07. Rider
08. Moonless Night in the Monument
09. Silver Touch
10. Bird on a Wire

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