Grim (album)

Last updated
Grim
AssPonys Grim.jpg
Studio album by
Released1992 (OKra)
1993 (Safe House)
StudioUltrasuede Studio, Cincinnati, OH
Genre Indie rock
Country rock
Length65:42
Label OKra
Safe House
Ass Ponys chronology
Mr. Superlove
(1990)
Grim
(1992)
Electric Rock Music
(1994)

Grim is the second studio album by Cincinnati, Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was originally released in 1992 on OKra Records, and was re-released by Safe House Records in 1993.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [3]
The Daily VaultA [4]
Spin Solid green.svg [5]

Grim received mixed reviews from critics. Greg Adams of AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, writing that "Grim, when it hits its mark, is strong stuff." He added that on the album, "[Ass Ponys singer/songwriter Chuck] Cleaver takes twisted backwoods tales and freak-show tragedies and infuses them with just enough wistful reflection to turn Deliverance -style black humor into sometimes crushingly affecting narratives." [1] In a 3-star (out of 4) review, Greg Kot wrote that the album's "...harmony vocals are plaintive and, on tunes such as "It's Not Happening," just about the prettiest thing you'll hear on a pop record this year." [2]

In 2006, PopMatters' John Kenyon criticized the album for what he said was its "muddy production that made finding the hooks in some of the band’s songs an expedition of sorts". [6] Trouser Press was also critical of the album's production, writing that "Maybe it's the occasionally muffled production that takes the fun down a peg, but Grim takes the "more serious" mission too seriously." [7]

Track listing

  1. Big Rock Ending – 0:24
  2. Azalea – 4:13
  3. It's Not Happening – 4:32
  4. No Dope No Cigarettes – 4:45
  5. Ballpeen – 5:58
  6. Not Since Superman Died – 2:39
  7. I Love Bob – 2:57
  8. Stupid – 4:38
  9. Dirty Backseat Car Thing – 4:02
  10. High Heaven – 4:19
  11. Julia Pastrana – 3:31
  12. Disappointed – 3:31
  13. Her Father Was A Sailor – 5:33
  14. The Big E – 4:07
  15. Good With Guns – 5:11
  16. California Bingo – 5:17

Personnel

Ass Ponys

Other

Related Research Articles

<i>Flip Your Wig</i> 1985 studio album by Hüsker Dü

Flip Your Wig is the fourth studio album by American band Hüsker Dü, released in September 1985. It was the best-selling album to that point for the band's label SST Records, and the last they made for that label. As the band's first self-produced album, they spent months in the studio to achieve higher-quality production for its melodic power pop songs.

<i>Velocity of Sound</i> 2002 studio album by The Apples in Stereo

Velocity of Sound is the fifth studio album by The Apples in Stereo, released in October 2002. The American release has an orange album cover, while the European version is green and the Japanese version is blue. The bonus track is also different for each version.

<i>Confusion Is Sex</i> Album by Sonic Youth

Confusion Is Sex is the debut studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in 1983 by Neutral Records. It has been referred to as an important example of the no wave genre. AllMusic called it "lo-fi to the point of tonal drabness, as the instruments seem to ring out in only one tone, that of screechy noise".

<i>Growing Up in Public</i> (Lou Reed album) 1980 studio album by Lou Reed

Growing Up in Public is the tenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in April 1980 by Arista Records.

<i>Wrong Way Up</i> 1990 studio album by Brian Eno and John Cale

Wrong Way Up is the sole collaborative studio album by Brian Eno and John Cale, originally released on October 5, 1990 on Opal and Warner Bros. Records. The album sits between the electronic, prog-rock and art rock genres and features some of both Eno and Cale's most mainstream work.

<i>My Life</i> (Iris DeMent album) 1994 studio album by Iris DeMent

My Life is the second album released by singer-songwriter Iris DeMent. Released in 1994 on Warner Bros., it peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

Ass Ponys was an indie rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their sound combines rock and country into an off-kilter blend of Americana music. They have gone on national tours with bands such as Pavement, Throwing Muses, and Possum Dixon. Among other periodicals, they have been featured in Rolling Stone, CMJ, and The Cincinnati Post.

<i>Guts</i> (John Cale album) 1977 compilation album by John Cale

Guts is a retrospective compilation album by John Cale, released by Island Records in February 1977. It includes the songs "Leaving It Up to You", which was deleted from Helen of Troy (1975), and the previously unreleased "Mary Lou". It was compiled by Howard Thompson.

<i>Life in Exile After Abdication</i> 1989 studio album by Moe Tucker

Life in Exile after Abdication is the second album by Moe Tucker, released in 1989.

<i>Give Me the Reason</i> (Luther Vandross album) 1986 studio album by Luther Vandross

Give Me the Reason is the fifth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 26, 1986, by Epic Records. The album earned Vandross an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and a nomination for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" in 1988, while the title track was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 29th Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wussy</span> American indie rock band

Wussy is an American four-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (drums) and John Erhardt. Cleaver and Walker write most of the songs and either alternate lead vocals or sing them in harmony. Live performances feature the two vocalists having a "combative rapport". They have released seven albums, one live album, two EPs, one mini LP and a number of singles. The group has received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau, Chicago, and SPIN.

<i>Shot Forth Self Living</i> 1992 studio album by Medicine

Shot Forth Self Living is the debut studio album by American rock band Medicine, released in 1992 on Def American.

<i>Attica!</i> 2014 studio album by Wussy

Attica! is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Wussy. It was released on May 5, 2014 on Damnably in the United Kingdom, making it their first studio album to be released there, and the following day on Shake It Records in the United States.

<i>Some Stupid with a Flare Gun</i> 2000 studio album by Ass Ponys

Some Stupid With a Flare Gun is the fifth studio album by Cincinnati-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was released on April 11, 2000, on the Chicago-based indie label Checkered Past Records, and was produced by Brad Jones. The album's title is taken from a line in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water." The album won "CD of the Year" in 2001 at the Cammy Awards.

<i>Lohio</i> 2001 studio album by Ass Ponys

Lohio is the sixth and final studio album by Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was released on June 12, 2001, on Checkered Past Records. It was produced by Brad Jones, who also produced their previous album, Some Stupid with a Flare Gun. Ass Ponys frontman Chuck Cleaver thought that the album was the Ass Ponys' best, which was one reason the band disbanded soon after it was released.

<i>The Known Universe</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Ass Ponys

The Known Universe is the fourth studio album by Cincinnati-based indie rock band Ass Ponys, released in April 1996 on A&M Records. It was the band's second album for A&M, and was produced by the Afghan Whigs' John Curley.

<i>Electric Rock Music</i> 1994 studio album by Ass Ponys

Electric Rock Music is the third album, and major-label debut, by Cincinnati-based rock band Ass Ponys. It was released in 1994 on A&M Records. It was produced by John Curley of the Afghan Whigs, at whose Ultrasuede Studio the album was recorded. The band was planning to self-release the album after they recorded it, but then they landed an unexpected deal with A&M when Jeff Suhy, one of the label's representatives, called the band's frontman, Chuck Cleaver on the phone. Suhy told Cleaver that he had pitched a recording of the album to A&M executives, and that they had approved it for release.

OKra Records was a Columbus, Ohio-based independent record label established in the late 1980s. It was founded by Dan Dow, the former guitarist for the Gibson Bros. and the former owner of Used Kids Records, which he “co-founded” with Ron House in 1986. According to Cordelia's Dad drummer Peter Irvine, OKra was run almost entirely by Dow himself. The label stopped putting out records in 1993.

<i>Mr. Superlove</i> 1990 studio album by Ass Ponys

Mr. Superlove is the debut studio album by Cincinnati, Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was originally released in 1990 on OKra Records, and was subsequently reissued by Anyway Records with several bonus tracks. It was produced by the Afghan Whigs' bassist John Curley, and was recorded in his house. Upon its initial release, the album became a commercial flop due to distribution problems. In 2006, select remastered songs from the album and its follow-up, Grim, along with various new outtakes, covers, and live versions, were released by Shake It Records on the album The Okra Years.

<i>Center of the Universe</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Giant Sand

Center of the Universe is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1992. It was the first Giant Sand album to receive wide distribution and a traditional promotional campaign. It was also the band's first album for Restless Records, which had rereleased a couple of older Giant Sand albums. The band supported Center of the Universe with a North American tour.

References

  1. 1 2 Adams, Greg. "Grim". AllMusic.
  2. 1 2 Kot, Greg (16 September 1993). "Ass Ponys Grim (OKra)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015.
  3. Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "Ass Ponys: Grim". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s . Macmillan. pp.  10. ISBN   9780312245603.
  4. Crigler, Pete (2018-01-21). "Ass Ponys: Grim". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  5. Stowe, Jay (November 1993). "Grim". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. p. 137.
  6. Kenyon, John (25 April 2006). "Ass Ponys: The Okra Years". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  7. Gilmer, Vickie. "Ass Ponys". Trouser Press.