Mic City Sons

Last updated
Mic City Sons
Mic City Sons.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 29, 1996
Genre
Length38:35
Label Caroline
Heatmiser chronology
Cop and Speeder
(1994)
Mic City Sons
(1996)

Mic City Sons is the third and final album by American indie rock band Heatmiser, released on October 29, 1996, through record label Caroline.

Contents

Recording

Mic City Sons is the band's only recording for a major label; however, when individuals at Virgin Records learned the band might be on the verge of disbanding, the album was subsequently licensed for release through the smaller sister independent label Caroline Records (also an EMI subsidiary) and their independent distributor of the same name.[ citation needed ]

Content

The title of the album is taken from a line in the ninth track, "Pop in G": "Mic city sons seem to dumb everything down".

On the album's style, Michael Frey of AllMusic noted "a decidedly more pop feel than its predecessors". [1]

Release

Mic City Sons was released on October 29, 1996, through Virgin Records sub-label Caroline. [2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly A− [3]
Pitchfork 7.9/10 [4]

Michael Frey of AllMusic called the album "an outstanding collection of diverse and invigorating tracks". Tracks "Pop in G" and "See You Later" were called "two of the best indie rock songs of the '90s". He finished by saying "Despite the success Heatmiser's members have achieved since their disbanding, it's unfortunate that this collective decided to split up just when they had reached such a creative peak." [1]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Get Lucky" Elliott Smith 2:50
2."Plainclothes Man"Smith3:28
3."Low-Flying Jets" Neil Gust 2:50
4."Rest My Head Against the Wall"Gust3:31
5."The Fix Is In"Smith4:38
6."Eagle Eye"Gust2:18
7."Cruel Reminder"Gust2:41
8."You Gotta Move"Smith2:08
9."Pop in G"Smith3:18
10."Blue Highway"Gust2:48
11."See You Later"Smith3:43
12."Half Right" (hidden track)Smith4:22

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliott Smith</span> American musician (1969–2003)

Steven Paul Smith, known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. He had a distinctive vocal style in his solo career after Heatmiser, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies that were usually finger picked and recorded with tape.

Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent record labels, by the 1990s it became more widely associated with the music such bands produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocteau Twins</span> Scottish rock band

Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. Fraser's vocals included unknown words she found in foreign language books, adding to the band's dreamy ambience. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.

<i>Gish</i> 1991 studio album by the Smashing Pumpkins

Gish is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on May 28, 1991, by Caroline Records. The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan, with the latter describing Gish as a "very spiritual album" and "an album about spiritual ascension".

Slowcore, also known as sadcore, is a subgenre of indie rock characterised by subdued tempos with typically minimalist instrumentation alongside solemn and melancholic lyrical performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Records</span> American record label

Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label released the work of American punk rock, thrash metal and new wave music bands. Caroline had a number of subsidiary labels, including Astralwerks, Gyroscope, Caroline Blue Plate, Beat the World, Scamp and Passenger. In 2013, the brand was relaunched by Universal Music via the Capitol Music Group.

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

Heatmiser was an American rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in October 1991. Consisting of Elliott Smith, Neil Gust, Brandt Peterson and Tony Lash (drums), they were known for their well-crafted lyrics and songs often featuring the juxtaposition of melancholic and cheery words and melodies. The pop-oriented songs of Elliott Smith were a contrast to the darker songs of Neil Gust, while both Smith's and Gust's songs touched on subjects such as anger, alienation, loneliness and despair.

<i>Either/Or</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Elliott Smith

Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Either/Or was recorded in several locations, mostly in Portland, Oregon – while Smith was still a member of Heatmiser – and was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Book-ended by its two singles, "Speed Trials" and "Ballad of Big Nothing", Either/Or did not chart in the US, but was acclaimed by critics.

<i>XO</i> (Elliott Smith album) 1998 studio album by Elliott Smith

XO is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded from 1997 to 1998 and released on August 25, 1998, by record label DreamWorks; Smith's first solo album on a major record label. Two singles, "Waltz #2 (XO)" and "Baby Britain", were released.

<i>Elliott Smith</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded from late 1994 to early 1995, and released on July 21, 1995, through Kill Rock Stars, his first album on the label. It was preceded by the single "Needle in the Hay", released in early January 1995.

<i>Ben Folds Five</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Ben Folds Five

Ben Folds Five is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Ben Folds Five, released on August 8, 1995. A non-traditional rock album, it featured an innovative indie-pop sound, and excluded lead guitars completely. The album was released on the small independent label Passenger Records, owned by Caroline Records, a subsidiary of Virgin/EMI. Ben Folds Five received positive reviews, and spawned five singles. The record failed to chart, but sparked an intense bidding war eventually won by Sony Music. Several live versions of songs originally released on Ben Folds Five reappeared later as b-sides or on compilations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Coomes</span> Musical artist

Samuel J. Coomes is an American musician, and one half of the indie band Quasi, along with his ex-wife, drummer Janet Weiss. Coomes was also a member of the mid-1980s underground pop band The Donner Party and replaced Brandt Peterson as the bassist for the 1990s Portland indie rock band Heatmiser, playing on their final studio album, Mic City Sons.

Caroline Frances Kennedy-McCracken is an Australian musician and visual artist. Kennedy-McCracken has been a singer-songwriter and guitarist in several bands, including The Plums (1992–1995), Deadstar (1995–2001) and The Tulips (2002–2006). In 2013, she appeared as a vocalist on Don't Tell The Driver, a solo album by the Dirty Three's Mick Turner. Kennedy-McCracken is also a visual artist, working primarily as a painter and sculptor.

No. 2 is an American indie rock band that originated in Portland, Oregon in 1996 and consisting of Neil Gust, Gilly Ann Hanner and Paul Pulvirenti (drums).

<i>No Memory</i> 1999 studio album by No. 2

No Memory is the debut studio album by American indie rock band No. 2, released in 1999 by record label Chainsaw.

<i>New Moon</i> (Elliott Smith album) 2007 compilation album by Elliott Smith

New Moon is a posthumous compilation album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, released on May 8, 2007 by Kill Rock Stars. It contains twenty-four previously unreleased songs, most recorded between 1994 and 1997 during the sessions for Smith's albums Elliott Smith and Either/Or.

<i>Nightingale</i> (Erland and the Carnival album) 2011 studio album by Erland and the Carnival

Nightingale is the second studio album by the folk rock project Erland and the Carnival, released in 2011 on the Full Time Hobby label. The album combines British folk themes with original rock music and received largely positive reviews." Dusted Magazine stated that "Nightingale is a distinctive exemplar of folk revivalism for the age of indie," and This is Fake DIY marked the album as the point where the band had "proven their worth in instrumental experimentation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide Squeeze Records</span> US record label

Suicide Squeeze Records is a Seattle, Washington-based independent record label that releases rock, pop, and metal music. Suicide Squeeze releases content on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital. The label has also released comedy and performance art CD and DVDs.

"Velocity Girl" is a song by British alternative rock band Primal Scream, originally released as the B-side to their second single, "Crystal Crescent", in 1986. The song has been noted for its influence in indie pop, with Pitchfork Media saying that it reduced "the pop song to its subatomic essence: quick, breezy, quirky, and above all, exquisitely small". The song was partly inspired by the actress, model and Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Origin (band)</span>

The Origin was an American alternative/indie rock/power pop band formed in San Diego, California in 1985. The classic line-up of the band consisted of Michael Andrews, Topper Rimel, Rony Abada, and Daniel Silverman. During the band's active years in the early nineties, they released two full-length albums and five singles, with two singles charting in the top 20 of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. They broke up in 1993.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Frey, Michael. "Mic City Sons – Heatmiser | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic . AllRovi . Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  2. "Just Out". CMJ New Music Monthly . November 1996. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  3. Smith, Ethan (November 1, 1996). "Mic City Sons". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  4. Schreiber, Ryan. "Heatmiser: Mic City Sons: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on March 5, 2000. Retrieved April 26, 2013.