| American Standard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Skywalker Sound | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Morgan Creek | |||
| Producer | Peter Asher, Niko Bolas | |||
| Mary's Danish chronology | ||||
| ||||
American Standard is the third and final album by the American band Mary's Danish, released in 1992. [1] [2] The band supported the album by participating in a Rock the Vote tour, following it with a tour with the Darling Buds. [3] [4] "Leave It Alone" peaked at No. 20 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. [5]
The album was produced primarily by Peter Asher, who also served as the band's manager. [6] [7] Niko Bolas engineered and assisted with the production. [8] It was recorded in 10 days at Skywalker Sound. [9] All six bandmembers contributed to the songwriting; the band rented a loft space in Central Los Angeles prior to the recording sessions so that they could jam. [10] [11] "God Said" criticizes the operations of televangelists. [12] "Porcupine" denounces detaching oneself from society. [13] "Gotcha Covered" is about life in Los Angeles. [14] Chad Smith played drums on the unlisted track, a cover of "I Fought the Law" that also appeared on the soundtrack to Buffy the Vampire Slayer . [7] [15]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [16] |
| Chicago Tribune | [17] |
| Entertainment Weekly | D+ [18] |
| The Indianapolis Star | [19] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
The Los Angeles Times wrote that "in the key moments ... the band asserts a confident and consistent voice, shedding some of its old, distracting eclecticism in favor of a more comfortable and appealing rock 'n' roll purity." [12] Trouser Press determined that "the album's consistency makes it more listenable, if less adventurous, with an immediacy and urgency missing from prior work." [7] The Chicago Tribune opined that "siren singers Julie Ritter and Gretchen Seager belt out 'Leave It Alone', a speed-metal oeuvre in which guitarists Louis Gutierrez and David King fire up the grunge." [17]
The Indianapolis Star said that "an occasional attempt toward mainstream rock, along with some overused themes, dooms a few tunes to mediocrity." [19] Spin deemed the album "rock with that everything-but-the-kitchen-sink vibe about it." [20] The Waterloo Region Record concluded that "Mary's Danish is probably a great alternative-singles band, but as a collection American Standard just doesn't stand up to repeated listenings." [21]
AllMusic wrote that "the material here is substandard in comparison to the earlier releases, and Asher's '70s-slick production style simply doesn't mesh with the post-post-punk eclecticism at the heart of the band's sound." [16]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Killjoy" | |
| 2. | "God Said" | |
| 3. | "Underwater" | |
| 4. | "O Lonely Soul, It's a Hard Road" | |
| 5. | "Weeping Tree" | |
| 6. | "Porcupine" | |
| 7. | "Leave It Alone" | |
| 8. | "The Living End" | |
| 9. | "Ode to a Life" | |
| 10. | "My Dear Heretic" | |
| 11. | "Shotgun" | |
| 12. | "Gotcha Covered" | |
| 13. | "Sister Shade" |
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