My Bird Performs

Well, I'm back, and after a mere 10-month hiatus. Currently, I'm packing up the remainder of my life in Peoria, and getting ready to move back home for the big post-graduation summer. Things around here are terribly deserted, and walking around an empty campus is creepy and bittersweet all at the same time.

Senior year was interesting, to put it mildly. It's too big to cover now, but it'll get its own post in the near future (along with a general "Best Of" college retrospective). Right now, in the interests of feeling summery in the face of junky weather, I have some songs that should do the trick.



Zumpano - Temptation Summary. Zumpano was one of those bands whose members were always destined for bigger and (not always) better things. Essential to Sub Pop's mid-90s switch away from grunge-fueled alt rock and towards more pop-informed output, Zumpano's two albums feature work from guys like Carl Newman (of Canada's "it" group The New Pornographers) and group namesake Jason Zumpano (of Sparrow). Though their first album, 1995's Look What The Rookie Did, has many high points, this song may be its highest. Starting calm and quickly building towards a dervish of power pop and wistful lyrics, the song is perfect for augmenting the listlessness that summer brings.

BONUS: Zumpano - Oh That Atkinson Girl. A fun fact about my discovery of Zumpano: When I was staying in Peoria last summer, I happened to find Look What The Rookie Did in the ultra bargin bin at Co-Op, my local record store. The disc was an original pressing, and had a price tag of $.99. Of course, I bought it. The next day, after using the album as my soundtrack to the Moss Avenue Sale, I checked eBay to see how much it was really worth. As of last June, the lowest bid I could find was around $22.00, further proving that people in Peoria have no idea what they're selling.

Posted by Tyler on Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 5:59 PM | Permalink