Read Music/Speak Spanish

Read Music/Speak Spanish
Studio album by Desaparecidos
Released	February 12, 2002 (2002-02-12)
Genres	Punk rock, indie rock, emo
Length	31:32 (U.S. Version) 35:11 (International Version)
Label	Saddle Creek
Desaparecidos chronology
Read Music/Speak Spanish (2002) Payola (2015)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Pitchfork	(4.6/10) [2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Spin	9/10 [4]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[5]

Read Music/Speak Spanish is the first studio album by American punk band Desaparecidos. Released in February 2002, the record is the forty-second release of Saddle Creek Records. Reviews were mostly positive upon release.

About

Read Music/Speak Spanish is a punk/indie-rock concept album loosely centered on perceived American materialism and greed. Song topics include the pressures of upward mobility on marriage, the suburban expansion of Omaha, the desire to always follow the latest fashion or fad, the effect of consumerism on developing countries, and the mixture of religion and politics. ^{[6] [7]}

The album was recorded in one week, the same week of the September 11 attacks. Since the concept of the album is a criticism of American consumerism, the band considered not releasing it and partly due to this timing the album failed commercially. ^[8] Despite its lack of commercial success, the album gained an extensive cult following. ^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Man and Wife, The Former (Financial Planning)"	3:16
2.	"Mañana"	3:24
3.	"Greater Omaha"	4:14
4.	"Man and Wife, The Latter (Damaged Goods)"	3:39
5.	"Mall of America"	2:41
6.	"The Happiest Place on Earth"	3:02
7.	"Survival of the Fittest/It's a Jungle Out There"	2:56
8.	"$$$$"	5:10
9.	"Hole in One"	3:08
Total length:		31:35

International version

No.	Title	Length
1.	"What's New for Fall"	3:46
2.	"Man and Wife, The Former (Financial Planning)"	3:16
3.	"Mañana"	3:24
4.	"Greater Omaha"	4:14
5.	"Man and Wife, The Latter (Damaged Goods)"	3:39
6.	"Mall of America"	2:41
7.	"The Happiest Place on Earth"	3:02
8.	"Survival of the Fittest/It's a Jungle Out There"	2:56
9.	"$$$$"	5:10
10.	"Hole in One"	3:08
Total length:		35:21

Personnel

• Conor Oberst - vocals, guitar
• Denver Dalley - guitar
• Ian McElroy - keyboards
• Landon Hedges - bass, vocals
• Matt Baum - drums

References

1. Read Music/Speak Spanish at AllMusic
2. "Pitchfork Media review". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 4, 2002.
3. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2002.
4. "No More Tears". Spin . May 2002.
5. Kern. "Desaparecidos – Read Music/Speak Spanish". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved March 19, 2015.
6. Greenbank, Ben (November 9, 2006). "Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish". www.sputnikmusic.com. Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
7. "HYBRIDMAGAZINE.COM | REVIEWS | Desaparecidos - Read Music / Speak Spanish". www.hybridmagazine.com. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
8. Lincoln, Kevin (September 27, 2012). "Desaparecidos Makes the Perfect Protest Music (Again)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 14, 2015.
9. "Rolling Stone Australia — Rebirth of Desaparecidos" . Retrieved July 14, 2015.

External links

• Saddle Creek Records
• Desaparecidos website