| Today's Active Lifestyles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 19, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | December 18–21, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Post-hardcore, noise rock, math rock | |||
| Length | 41:08 | |||
| Label | Merge | |||
| Polvo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Today's Active Lifestyles is the second studio album by the American band Polvo, produced by Bob Weston and released on Merge Records on April 19, 1993.
Critics have called Today's Active Lifestyles a math rock album. Music journalist Andrew Earles said the album "brought the band's Middle Eastern influences full circle and experimented more heavily with structure". The album makes use of unorthodox guitar tunings. [1]
Early versions of the cover art featured red tigers in the yellow color field, but these were soon removed due to a copyright dispute raised by Jehovah’s Witnesses. The band reissued the album in 2020 with cover art featuring nothing but similar red tigers, claiming in an interview that the original was all based on public domain artwork to begin with. [2]
The album was released on Merge Records. "Tilebreaker" was released as a 7" single with the song "Chameleon" and the instrumental "Tiara Fetish" on the B-side. ("Tiara Fetish" would later appear, with lyrics, as the song "Watch the Nail" on the Merge compilation 5 Rows of Teeth.)
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Great Alternative & Indie Discography | 5/10 [4] |
| Select |   [5] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [6] |
The album went on to receive mostly positive reviews upon release. Tracy Fey of AllMusic called it "an excellent album with many layers." "Never a band to follow formulaic musical styles," she writes, "Polvo once again shakes things up with its twisted song structures of multiple tempos and intricate, distorted guitars." [3] Gerry McGovern of Hot Press gave the album a very positive review, calling it "a massive album. In the sense that it is sprawling, falling, tipping all over the place." He writes that the album sounds the way "Sonic Youth might if Sonic Youth untuned their untuned guitars." [7] CD Review wrote that the album "has all the credentials for a bona fide indie rock classic." [8] Spin wrote that the "refreshingly potent" album sounds more like a "top-notch Glenn Branca spinoff than a college-rock favorite." [9] A mixed review from Select found the album to be derivative of acts like Dinosaur Jr. & Swervedriver, despite noting its "beguiling rhythmic charm". [5]
The Wire included the album on their year-end "Out Rock-Pop" list. [10]
Under the Radar called the album a "gift" that "explode[s] your mind with inventive guitar work." [11] Dusted Magazine called it "fresh and off-the-cuff". [12] The album is now described by many as being a "landmark" [13] and a "classic". [14] According to PopMatters , the album along with its follow up "found the best balance between [...] assaulting you with bending notes one moment, and soaring over you with crunching anthems the next." [15] Peter Watts of Uncut reviewed the album's 2020 reissue very positively, and hailed the closing track "Gemini Cusp" as a "lo-fi prog masterpiece." [6]
Treble included the album on their list, "Merge Records: 20 Essential Albums". [16] Similarly, PopMatters included it on "Merge's Silver Age: 25 Essential Albums Over 25 Years". [17]
Music journalist Andrew Earles said the album was an "out-of-nowhere shot in indie rock's arm" and a "game changer". [18]
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the second studio album by American rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded at a time when the band was thinking of signing to a major record label, but decided to release the album on Sub Pop in 1991. The album shipped 50,000 copies on its original release. It was credited with helping to keep Sub Pop in business.
Polvo is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band formed in 1990 and is fronted by guitarists/vocalists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski, with Steve Popson playing bass guitar and Brian Quast playing drums. Eddie Watkins was the band's original drummer, but did not rejoin the band upon its reunion in 2008, after breaking up in 1998.
Flip Your Wig is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in September 1985 through SST Records. It was the band's best-selling album to that point for their label SST Records, and was the last they made for that label.
God Don't Make No Junk is the first studio album by the American indie rock band The Halo Benders. It was released in 1994 on K Records. The album was the first full-length release by the Halo Benders, a side project of Calvin Johnson and Doug Martsch. Its catalogue number is KLP29.
Ride the Fader is the second and final studio album by American indie rock band Chavez. It was released on Matador Records on November 5, 1996. The album is considered by most fans and critics to be the band's best work.
Starlite Walker is the first studio album by American indie rock band Silver Jews. It was released in 1994 as an LP and CD on Drag City (DC55) in America and on Domino (WIG15) in Europe.
Exploded Drawing is the third studio album by the rock band Polvo. It was released in 1996 as a CD and double-LP on Touch and Go Records. The album was engineered by Bob Weston.
Wammo is an album by New Zealand band Bailter Space, released in 1995. It reached number 31 in New Zealand upon original release. Matador Records reissued the album on vinyl in 2021 for its 25th anniversary, after which it reached a new peak of number 23 in New Zealand.
"Makes No Sense at All" is a song by Hüsker Dü from the album Flip Your Wig. Written by Bob Mould, the song was one that Mould felt aged well. The song was released as the debut single from the album, reaching number 2 on the UK indie charts.
Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock is a compilation album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was released in 1992, and marked the band's debut on Sub Pop.
The Dirt of Luck is the first full-length album from American indie rock band Helium. It was released in April 1995 on Matador Records and was produced by Adam Lasus.
Safari is an EP by the Breeders, released in 1992 on 4AD/Elektra Records. By the time of its release, Kim Deal had enlisted her twin sister Kelley to play guitar for the band. It is the only Breeders recording that features both Kelley Deal and Tanya Donelly.
Only Life is the third album by the American rock band the Feelies, released in 1988. It was made with the same line-up that appeared on the band's previous album, The Good Earth. The album contains a cover of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On".
Happy Nightmare Baby is the only studio album by the American band Opal, released in 1987 by SST Records in America and Rough Trade Records in England. It was the only album released by the band while together, singer Kendra Smith leaving during the tour to promote it, to be replaced by Hope Sandoval, the band evolving into Mazzy Star.
Sunburn is the third album by the Blake Babies, released in 1990.
You Can't Pray a Lie is the debut studio album of American garage rock band Laughing Hyenas. It was released in 1989 by Touch and Go Records. It was reissued in 1992 accompanied with Life of Crime.
The Problem with Me is the second album by American indie rock band Seam. It was released in 1993 through Touch and Go Records.
Fossils is a compilation album by indie rock band Dinosaur Jr., released in August 1991 on SST Records. It contains three 7" singles the band had previously released on SST, including a version of the song 'Keep The Glove' which is different from the version on the reissue of Bug, as well as three covers. A deluxe 5"x7" edition, along with an accompanying book box set, was released on Record Store Day 2014.
Speed Is Dreaming is the sophomore studio album by American alternative rock band St. Johnny and their first release for DGC Records.
Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981–1996 is a music reference book by American music journalist Andrew Earles. It was published on September 15, 2014, by Voyageur Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group.
