THE YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS
''ELECTRIC BIRD DIGEST''
1991
41:29
1/The Telephone Tree/2:29
2/Sittin' on a Pitchfork
Scott McCaughey/2:34
3/Looking Around
Kurt Bloch/2:57
4/Hillbilly Drummer Girl
Scott McCaughey/3:02
5/Whirlpool
Scott McCaughey/3:48
6/Once in a While
Scott McCaughey/3:35
7/The Teen Thing
Tad Hutchison/0:42
8/Thirsty
Scott McCaughey/2:30
9/Fear Bitterness and Hatred
Tad Hutchison/2:41
10/Hard to Mention
Kurt Bloch/2:59
11/Tomorrow's Gone (And So Are You)
Scott McCaughey/2:24
12/Evening
Kurt Bloch/3:37
13/There's a Love
Scott McCaughey/4:39
14/Swiftly But Gently
Scott McCaughey/3:32
Kurt Bloch/Guitar, Vocals
Tad Hutchinson/Drums, Vocals
Tad Hutchison/Drums, Vocals
Scott McCaughey/Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals
Scott Miller/Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals
Jimmy Silva/Bass, Drums, Guitar
REVIEW
by Mark Deming
The decline in the Young Fresh Fellows' wackiness factor (and the growth of their relatively serious side) that began on This One's for the Ladies following the departure of Chuck Carroll continued on Electric Bird Digest. Musically, the band sounded harder and more aggressive than ever before, with Kurt Bloch and Scott McCaughey's guitars sounding much better integrated than on their previous go-round, though the pop sensibilities of primary songwriter McCaughey were still very much in evidence. And while there are glimmers of the band's trademark sense of humor (most obviously on the goofy snippet "The Teen Thing" and in titles like "Tomorrow's Gone (And So Are You)" and "Swiftly But Gently"), for the most part Electric Bird Digest is witty rather than laugh-out-loud funny, and there's a thin but audible undercurrent of angst running through much of the album (especially on Kurt Bloch's songs, which suggest the Fastbacks without their undertow of gleeful sloppiness) -- not particularly surprising from a band still trying to struggle by on a cult reputation after close to a decade on the boards. But as a rock band, the Young Fresh Fellows rarely sounded tighter or more emphatic than they do here, and, as on This One's for the Ladies, the best songs on Electric Bird Digest prove that the band could get serious and still have plenty to say, both musically and lyrically. And the production by Butch Vig gives the band's sound a muscle it rarely had in the past, without losing their melodic sense along the way. It's not one of the Fellows most fun albums, but, from a musical standpoint, it captures them at the top of their game.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Unsung heroes of the Seattle rock community, the witty, rough-edged pop unit Young Fresh Fellows formed in 1982. Originally comprised of vocalist/bassist Scott McCaughey, guitarist Chuck Carroll, and drummer Tad Hutchinson, the group debuted in 1984 with The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest, an understated pop nugget featuring whimsical numbers including "Teenage Dogs in Trouble," "Power Mowers Theme," and "Rock and Roll Pest Control."
The Men Who Loved Music
After recruiting bassist Jim Sangster to allow frontman McCaughey to switch over to the guitar, the Fellows returned to the studio for 1986's Topsy Turvy, spotlighting the adolescent hijinks of tracks like "You've Got Your Head on Backwards," "Hang Out Right," and "The New John Agar." The following year's The Men Who Loved Music (aka "Chicago 19") and the follow-up Refreshments EP solidified the band's cult following, which included among its ranks a number of other members of the indie music scene; the Replacements' Paul Westerberg considered the Fellows kindred spirits, and the two groups often toured in tandem.
Totally Lost
After 1988's Totally Lost, Carroll left the group. In the wake of his departure, the remaining three Young Fresh Fellows issued an authorized bootleg titled Beans and Tolerance (aka "Simply Wonderful, Wonderfully Simple") before enlisting Fastbacks kingpin Kurt Bloch for 1989's rootsy This One's for the Ladies, issued concurrently with McCaughey's solo side project My Chartreuse Opinion.
Electric Bird Digest
With producer Butch Vig in tow, the Young Fresh Fellows returned in 1991 with Electric Bird Digest, while Memphis R&B legend Willie Mitchell took over the production reins for 1993's then-swan song It's Low Beat Time. In the wake of the Fellows' demise, McCaughey formed a new band, the Minus 5, an ever-changing aggregate of Seattle area all-stars; additionally, he toured as a sideman with his pals in R.E.M. But the Young Fresh Fellows still had some life to them after all, and a "comeback" album, Because We Hate You, appeared in 2001, followed eight years later by the Robyn Hitchcock-produced I Think This Is from Yep Roc Records. The band's thirteenth long player, Tiempo De Lujo, arrived in 2012.
DoWnLoAd
''ELECTRIC BIRD DIGEST''
1991
41:29
1/The Telephone Tree/2:29
2/Sittin' on a Pitchfork
Scott McCaughey/2:34
3/Looking Around
Kurt Bloch/2:57
4/Hillbilly Drummer Girl
Scott McCaughey/3:02
5/Whirlpool
Scott McCaughey/3:48
6/Once in a While
Scott McCaughey/3:35
7/The Teen Thing
Tad Hutchison/0:42
8/Thirsty
Scott McCaughey/2:30
9/Fear Bitterness and Hatred
Tad Hutchison/2:41
10/Hard to Mention
Kurt Bloch/2:59
11/Tomorrow's Gone (And So Are You)
Scott McCaughey/2:24
12/Evening
Kurt Bloch/3:37
13/There's a Love
Scott McCaughey/4:39
14/Swiftly But Gently
Scott McCaughey/3:32
Kurt Bloch/Guitar, Vocals
Tad Hutchinson/Drums, Vocals
Tad Hutchison/Drums, Vocals
Scott McCaughey/Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals
Scott Miller/Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals
Jimmy Silva/Bass, Drums, Guitar
REVIEW
by Mark Deming
The decline in the Young Fresh Fellows' wackiness factor (and the growth of their relatively serious side) that began on This One's for the Ladies following the departure of Chuck Carroll continued on Electric Bird Digest. Musically, the band sounded harder and more aggressive than ever before, with Kurt Bloch and Scott McCaughey's guitars sounding much better integrated than on their previous go-round, though the pop sensibilities of primary songwriter McCaughey were still very much in evidence. And while there are glimmers of the band's trademark sense of humor (most obviously on the goofy snippet "The Teen Thing" and in titles like "Tomorrow's Gone (And So Are You)" and "Swiftly But Gently"), for the most part Electric Bird Digest is witty rather than laugh-out-loud funny, and there's a thin but audible undercurrent of angst running through much of the album (especially on Kurt Bloch's songs, which suggest the Fastbacks without their undertow of gleeful sloppiness) -- not particularly surprising from a band still trying to struggle by on a cult reputation after close to a decade on the boards. But as a rock band, the Young Fresh Fellows rarely sounded tighter or more emphatic than they do here, and, as on This One's for the Ladies, the best songs on Electric Bird Digest prove that the band could get serious and still have plenty to say, both musically and lyrically. And the production by Butch Vig gives the band's sound a muscle it rarely had in the past, without losing their melodic sense along the way. It's not one of the Fellows most fun albums, but, from a musical standpoint, it captures them at the top of their game.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Unsung heroes of the Seattle rock community, the witty, rough-edged pop unit Young Fresh Fellows formed in 1982. Originally comprised of vocalist/bassist Scott McCaughey, guitarist Chuck Carroll, and drummer Tad Hutchinson, the group debuted in 1984 with The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest, an understated pop nugget featuring whimsical numbers including "Teenage Dogs in Trouble," "Power Mowers Theme," and "Rock and Roll Pest Control."
The Men Who Loved Music
After recruiting bassist Jim Sangster to allow frontman McCaughey to switch over to the guitar, the Fellows returned to the studio for 1986's Topsy Turvy, spotlighting the adolescent hijinks of tracks like "You've Got Your Head on Backwards," "Hang Out Right," and "The New John Agar." The following year's The Men Who Loved Music (aka "Chicago 19") and the follow-up Refreshments EP solidified the band's cult following, which included among its ranks a number of other members of the indie music scene; the Replacements' Paul Westerberg considered the Fellows kindred spirits, and the two groups often toured in tandem.
Totally Lost
After 1988's Totally Lost, Carroll left the group. In the wake of his departure, the remaining three Young Fresh Fellows issued an authorized bootleg titled Beans and Tolerance (aka "Simply Wonderful, Wonderfully Simple") before enlisting Fastbacks kingpin Kurt Bloch for 1989's rootsy This One's for the Ladies, issued concurrently with McCaughey's solo side project My Chartreuse Opinion.
Electric Bird Digest
With producer Butch Vig in tow, the Young Fresh Fellows returned in 1991 with Electric Bird Digest, while Memphis R&B legend Willie Mitchell took over the production reins for 1993's then-swan song It's Low Beat Time. In the wake of the Fellows' demise, McCaughey formed a new band, the Minus 5, an ever-changing aggregate of Seattle area all-stars; additionally, he toured as a sideman with his pals in R.E.M. But the Young Fresh Fellows still had some life to them after all, and a "comeback" album, Because We Hate You, appeared in 2001, followed eight years later by the Robyn Hitchcock-produced I Think This Is from Yep Roc Records. The band's thirteenth long player, Tiempo De Lujo, arrived in 2012.
DoWnLoAd
