| Better Can't Make Your Life Better | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 37:06 | |||
| Label | Ché Trading Limited Primary Recordings/Elektra | |||
| Producer | Michael Deming | |||
| Lilys chronology | ||||
| ||||
Better Can't Make Your Life Better is the 4th studio album by the American indie rock band, Lilys, released in 1996.
The album was recorded for the British label Ché and picked up by Elektra Records subsidiary Primary for release in the US. [1] The album originally had a budget of $8,000, but this needed to be more than doubled to $17,000, with the projected studio time of one month extended to two. [2] Battles with the label over finance led to several compromises; Lilys leader Kurt Heasley had originally planned the album to sound "like Badfinger backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra", and a big band had been planned but was replaced by xylophone and trumpet players, with samples of clarinet and bassoon added later, and by the end of the recordings Heasley claimed to have been a nervous wreck and 50 pounds underweight from eating only garlic. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post'' described the album as "remarkably seamless" and "assembled from shards of mid-'60s rock". [5] Jason Ankeny, writing for Allmusic described the album's sound as "the Lilys hop into the time machine and travel back to the mid-'60s, immersing themselves in the style of the British Invasion." [3] Neil Gladstone, writing for CMJ New Music Monthly identified The Kinks, The Monkees and The Zombies as influences on the album. [2] Robert Hickey, writing for PopMatters called it "a great CD, sounding like something the Kinks would have made had Ray Davies embraced psychedelia instead of taking up charter membership in the Village Green Preservation Society." [6] Tom Cox of The Guardian gave the album four stars, calling it "an album of scrambled, dreamstate intellect and endless hooks...like The Byrds getting high and beating up The Monkees on fast forward." [4]
"Returns Every Morning" was the first single taken from the album, released in April 1996. "A Nanny In Manhattan" was first released as a single in November 1996 on 7-inch vinyl only. It was used in a Roman Coppola-directed ad for Levi's prompting its re-release (with new sleeve art and B-sides) in February 1998 and it became a hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching #16, the band's only major hit single. [7]
The Apples in Stereo, styled as The Apples in stereo, are an American pop/rock band associated with Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory System. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Robert Schneider, who writes the majority of the band's music and lyrics. Currently, The Apples in Stereo also includes longstanding members John Hill and Eric Allen (bass), as well as more recent members John Dufilho (drums), John Ferguson (keyboards), and Ben Phelan (keyboards/guitar/trumpet).
On Avery Island is the debut studio album by Neutral Milk Hotel, released on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records. At the time, Neutral Milk Hotel was a solo project of American musician Jeff Mangum, who recorded the album with producer Robert Schneider from February to May 1995. On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album, with a lo-fi sound.
Swingin' Utters is a Californian punk rock band that formed in the late 1980s. After a seven-year hiatus, the band reformed in 2010 and have since released four more records.
For Squirrels was an American alternative rock band based in Gainesville, Florida, United States, founded in 1992.
Alice Donut is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 1986. The band released six albums before splitting up in 1996. They reformed in 2001.
Ride the Tiger is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. It was released in 1986 by record label Coyote.
Dig Me Out is the third studio album by the American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on April 8, 1997, by Kill Rock Stars. The album was produced by John Goodmanson and recorded from December 1996 to January 1997 at John and Stu's Place in Seattle, Washington. Dig Me Out marked the debut of Janet Weiss, who would become the band's longest-serving drummer. The music on the record was influenced by traditional rock and roll bands, while the lyrics deal with issues of heartbreak and survival. The album cover is an homage to the Kinks' 1965 album The Kink Kontroversy.
Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tracks have been used in television advertisements, including the band's biggest hit, "A Nanny In Manhattan", which reached No. 16 in the UK after being used in a Levi's advertisement directed by Roman Coppola.
Misfits is the seventeenth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released in 1978. Following the minor success of Sleepwalker in the United States, Misfits featured a more rock-oriented style than many other Kinks records of the 1970s. Despite internal conflicts within the band, leading to both bassist Andy Pyle and pianist John Gosling quitting the band, the album made the Top 40 in America. The album also contained the minor hit single "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", as well as less successful releases "Live Life" and "Black Messiah".
Challenge for a Civilized Society is the sixth studio album by the American post-hardcore band Unwound, released on January 13, 1998 by Kill Rock Stars. It was produced by Steve Fisk and recorded from August 1, 1997, to August 15, 1997, at John and Stu's in Seattle, Washington. The album received positive reviews from critics.
The 3 Way is a 1999 album by the American indie rock band, Lilys.
Everything Wrong Is Imaginary is a 2006 album by Lilys, released on the Manifesto label.
Precollection is a 2003 album by Lilys released by Manifesto Records. The album was recorded over two years by the band's only constant member Kurt Heasley with a new line-up of the band, which included producer Mike Musmanno on keyboards. The album was reissued in 2004 on the Rainbow Quartz International label under the title The Lilys, with different sleeve art and three bonus tracks. Lyrical themes include "the acquisition of illegal substances" in the Hunting Park area of Philadelphia on "Will My Lord Be Gardening", which Heasley stated is "about loving someone after they get fucked up, I mean fucked...and that's fucked up," and his relationship with his children. "Will My Lord Be Gardening" was included on the soundtrack of the 2005 film Waiting....
In the Presence of Nothing is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Lilys, co-released in 1992 by Slumberland Records and SpinART. The album was written and recorded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns is a 1994 mini-album by the American indie rock band, Lilys, released on the SpinART label on 10-inch vinyl and CD. The lead track, "Ginger", was used in a CK1 commercial. The album was issued in the UK in 1998. The album saw the band make their first major stylistic shift; The early My Bloody Valentine-influenced sound had given way to what Trouser Press described as "pleasant, straightforward guitar pop".
Eccsame the Photon Band is the second full-length 1994 album by the American indie rock band, Lilys, originally released on the spinART label. The album saw the band move towards dream pop. The notoriously nomadic Kurt Heasley refers to this period of Lilys history as EPOCH I, also included is his first seven-inch single " February Fourteenth", the mini LP A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns and Lilys' first full-length album, In The Presence of Nothing. Eccsame the Photon Band was recorded at Mike Deming's Studio 45 in Hartford, Connecticut, largely as duo of Heasley and Harold Evans.
Smile was an American rock band.
Photon Band is an American indie rock band formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1994. The only constant member is Art DiFuria, who has played with several Philadelphia bands, including Baby Flamehead, Brother JT and Vibrolux, the Brother JT 3 and the Original Sins. Key members have included Simon Nagle (Drums) and Jeff Tanner. The band has achieved critical acclaim, but little recognition outside of Philadelphia.
"She's Got Everything" is a song written by Ray Davies and released by English rock band the Kinks. It first appeared as the B-side of the Kinks' 1968 single, "Days".
Good Times! is the twelfth studio album by American pop rock band the Monkees. Produced mainly by Adam Schlesinger, the album was recorded to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary. It is the first Monkees studio album since Justus (1996), marking the longest gap between Monkees albums to date, and the first since the death of founding member Davy Jones. The album features surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, as well as a posthumous contribution from Jones. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album in 48 years.
