| Not Exotic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 4, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | December 2001 – July 2002 Larry Crane's Jackpot Studio | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Label | Yep Roc | |||
| Producer | Jeff Saltzman | |||
| Dolorean chronology | ||||
| ||||
Not Exotic is the debut full-length album by Dolorean, released in 2003 on Yep Roc Records. The songs grew out of frontman Al James's home recordings. It met with a largely positive reception in the music press. [1]
Dolorean began recordings its debut LP in 2001, [2] with rock producer Jeff Saltzman engineering the album and providing the bass lines [1] at Larry Crane's Jackpot Studio. [3] To perform the music live, James Adair joined the group on bass. [2] Copies of Not Exotic were self-released by the band in the middle of 2002, though the official release came a year later in November 2003, [2] when the band signed a two-album deal with Yep Roc Records in North Carolina. [3]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The New York Times | (positive) [3] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.6/10 [4] |
| PopMatters | (positive) [5] |
| "The songs gesture at folk and country, but they do it quietly and slowly, as if hesitant to disturb Mr. James’s delicate parables. And yet, despite the stillness, this is a wild, passionate album.” |
| — Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times (November 9, 2013) [6] |
The album was well received by critics, and Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times featured the band and album in the publication on November 9, 2013, writing that the band were part of "the legacy of the late Elliott Smith: a generation of indie-rock songwriters... using their own ramshackle voices to sing their own stories of creeping sadness and fleeting joy," [3] and calling it "a wild, passionate album.” [6]
AllMusic gave it a glowing review and a score of 4.5/5, writing that "even with the addition of understated percussion, shimmering synth and piano, and stately cello, the record still runs on James' sharply rendered lyricisms and quietly deliberate guitar work." [1] The review further went on the state that the album's "confessional or diary quality aligns Dolorean with avant folk, but it's not that simple," as the album at times incorporates genres such as slowcore. [1] Pitchfork Media gave it a more mixed score of 6.6/10, [4] while PopMatters praised the release and the variety of songs. [5]
All songs written by Al James.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Morning Watch" | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Traded For Fire" | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Jenny Place Your Bets" | 4:32 |
| 4. | "The Light Behind My Head" | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Still Here With Me" | 4:46 |
| 6. | "So You're a Touring Band Now" | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Sleeperhold" | 5:50 |
| 8. | "Hannibal, MO" | 5:41 |
| 9. | "Spoil Your Dawn" | 3:16 |
Dressy Bessy is an indie rock band from Denver, Colorado led by songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, Tammy Ealom. The band is associated with the Elephant Six Recording Company and shares guitarist John Hill with The Apples in Stereo. Ealom formed the band with drummer Darren Albert and bassist Rob Greene in 1996. Hill joined the band after helping engineer early recordings in 1997. The name was taken from a popular Playskool doll of the 1970s.
Team Sleep is the eponymous debut studio album by American alternative rock band Team Sleep, largely produced by Greg Wells. It was released in Europe on May 9, 2005 and a day later in the United States through Maverick Records.
Body of Song is the sixth solo album from punk/indie/alternative rock veteran Bob Mould. It is his first studio album under his own name since 2002's controversial Modulate.
!!! is the eponymous debut studio album by dance-punk band !!!. It was released in 2001 on Gold Standard Laboratories.
Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Aoife O'Donovan, Chatham County Line, Dave Alvin, Amy Helm, Chuck Prophet, Gang of Four, Los Straitjackets, Nick Lowe, Paul Weller, Robyn Hitchcock, Ryan Adams, The Apples in Stereo, The Reverend Horton Heat, Mandolin Orange, and Tift Merritt.
Down with Wilco is the fifth album by American rock band The Minus 5. Produced by Scott McCaughey and Jeff Tweedy, it is a collaboration between McCaughey and Wilco, recorded at SOMA Studios Chicago in September and December 2001. Released on Yep Roc in 2003, it also features contributions from Peter Buck of R.E.M., Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Sean O'Hagan of The High Llamas, with Jessy Greene providing strings. The double-vinyl version adds five songs not included on the CD.
If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry is an album by Marah, released on Yep Roc Records in the United States and Munich Records in Europe on October 18, 2005.
Marah is an American Rock'n'Roll band that formed in the early 1990s and is closely associated with the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, New York. The band is known for its intense live performances, classic rock production style, and association with authors Nick Hornby and Sarah Vowell and musicians Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle.
Dolorean is an American band based in Portland, Oregon. Their current line-up is Al James, guitar/vocals, Jay Clarke, organ/piano, Ben Nugent, drums/percussion/vocals, James Adair, bass, and Jon Neufeld, guitar. They have released four studio albums. Their most recent, The Unfazed, reached No. 41 on the Top Heatseekers chart. The group has worked with Portland area musicians such as Jay Clarke who records with Knitting Factory Records under the moniker Ash Black Bufflo, and Emil Amos who records on Partisan Records under the moniker Holy Sons.
Attention Dimension is the first solo studio album by drummer Jack Irons. It was released on September 7, 2004 through Breaching Whale.
Sing Along with Los Straitjackets is the fourth studio album by American instrumental rock band Los Straitjackets, released on September 25, 2001 by Yep Roc Records. Contrary to their instrumental work of previous and subsequent years, Sing Along with... contains vocal contributions from eleven singers on thirteen cover versions, including Big Sandy, Raul Malo and Mike Campbell.
Nick the Knife is the third solo album by Nick Lowe, released in 1982 and his first since the 1981 breakup of his band Rockpile.
Violence in the Snowy Fields is the second full-length by Dolorean, released in 2004 on Yep Roc Records. The album is slightly more up-tempo than their debut Not Exotic. Reviews have made comparisons to the Band and Wild Honey-era Beach Boys. It received a favorable review from The A.V. Club, and a mixed review from PopMatters.
You Can't Win is the third full-length by Dolorean, released in 2007 on Yep Roc Records. The album was largely well received by professional critics, and met with positive reviews in Q and Uncut.
The Mayflies USA are a Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based power pop rock band signed to Yep Roc Records. The band is a classic example of power pop, as their songs featured catchy melodies, vocal harmonies, and prominent guitar riffs. Their style was influenced by older bands such as The Beatles, Big Star, and also more contemporary groups like Teenage Fanclub and Velvet Crush.
The Abominable Showman is the fourth solo album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe, released in 1983.
Killingsworth is the eighth studio album by The Minus 5, released on Yep Roc Records in 2009. The album was a collaboration with Portland, Oregon-based indie rock band The Decemberists.
Mark W. Doyon is an American author, recording artist, and creative director. He has led the indie rock bands Arms of Kismet, Wampeters and Waterslide, and produced tribute albums to Jonathan Richman, Lou Reed and Warren Zevon. He is the founder and principal of the record label and media company Wampus Multimedia.
Eleven Eleven is the eleventh studio album by folk rock musician Dave Alvin. It was released on June 20, 2011 on Yep Roc Records, and an expanded reissue was released on April 17, 2012.
Safe Travels is the third studio album by American power pop band, Jukebox the Ghost. The album was released on June 5, 2012 through Yep Roc Records.