Cheer Up - Plexi (1996 vinyl LP, Sub Pop Records)

$

27

Original 1996 vinyl LP on Sub Pop Records. Record, cover and insert are in excellent to near mint condition. Plays extremely well. Includes greeting card, also in excellent condition.
Release Year: 1996 Record Label: Sub Pop (Label) Genre: Alternative, Rock & Pop
Track Listing
1. Forest Ranger
2. Dimension
3. Roller Rock Cam
4. Peel
5. Dayglo
6. Ordinary Things
7. Bunny
8. Change
9. Fourget
10. Mountains
11. Magnet
12. 56
13. Star Star

Details Playing Time: 41 min. Producer: Jimmy Boyle, Jeff Powell, Plexi Distributor: WEA (Distributor) Recording Type: Studio Recording Mode: Stereo SPAR Code: n/a
Album Notes
Plexi: Michael Barragan (guitar, Mini Moog, Fender Rhodes, vocals); Michael Angelos (bass, vocals); Norm Block (drums).Additional personnel: Malopa Greager (cello); Paul Roessler (keyboards, sound effects).Recorded at Oceanway Studios, Fox Force Five Studios, Los Angeles, California; Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennesse.Personnel: Michael Barragan (vocals, guitar, Moog synthesizer); Michael Angelos (vocals); Melora Creager (cello); Paul Roessler (keyboards); Norm Block (drums).Audio Mixers: Jeff Powell; Jimmy Boyle; Michael Brauer.Recording information: Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN (01/1996/02/1996); Fox Force Five (01/1996/02/1996); Fox Force Five Studios, L.A., CA (01/1996/02/1996); Oceanway Studios (01/1996/02/1996); Oceanway Studios, L.A., CA (01/1996/02/1996).Photographers: Derick Ion; Robert Sebree.Plexi's debut is a ragged, noisy affair characterized by revved-up electric guitars, whiney vocals, and lyrics with an acidic bite. But this is artfully crafted noise, with memorable hooks planted subversively amid the electronic chaos. The chaos, too, is artfully constructed, alternating between an unsophisticated and uninhibited roar and ambient reserve. It also balances the caustic lyrics with healthy doses of irony and wit. The title of the album provides an example; Cheer Up seems an intentionally inappropriate summary of the record's angsty contents. The opening "Forest Ranger" is similarly winking, with lead vocalist Michael Angelos claiming that he, like Salman Rushdie, Che Gueverra, Huey Newton, and Phyllis Diller, is a "forest ranger." No definition is provided for that designation. The instrumentation has a creative diversity, spicing up the foundational guitars, drums, and bass with cello (on "Ordinary Things" and "Star Star"), keyboards, and toy spacegun noises. The clash between the prettiness of the melodies and the ruggedness of the arrangements creates an engaging tension throughout, and it is a difficult balance to maintain. A little too much noise and the music's superficiality begins to show. A little too much pop and the listener begins to question the sincerity of Plexi's hard rock facade. ~ Evan Cater