Search - Adam Schmitt :: Illiterature

I keep a copy in my car for emergency purposes

04/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put my favorite CD. I'm no music critic so my description may come across as complete nonsense. From what I've read I understand Adam wrote this while recovering from a serious accident. Lyrically the album flows great. You can feel the emotional highs and lows he was going through as he reflects on his life while recovering. Musically sometimes it reminds me of early Replacements, particularly the Tim album for some reason. Sometimes it reminds me of Nirvana, perhaps some of the angst you can feel in Shreds and Thanks for Showing. My 2 bit opinion this album is as good or better than anything in my collection. To understand my tastes I'm fan of REM, Replacements, Matthew Sweet, Wilco, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, Nirvana, Pearl Jam to name a few. What sets this album part from the best of the forementioned artists is it is a complete unknown. Never over played on the radio. I also own World So Bright which is OK and Demolition, the follow up to Illiterature, which was a major disappointment. Perhaps Adam is one of those artists who only has 1 great album in him but even so, he nailed it with Illiterature. Get it give it a few spins in the CD player and see if you don't agree."

Illiterature is a lost gem of pop rock music

M. Simon | 12/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had this CD for years and years now. But I every time listen to it its a rediscovery of how damn good it is. Its a pop rock tour de force.



Lots of reviews describe this album as Schmitt's disappointment -- the one that eventually lost him a record deal and pushed him into the background as a producer. And that may be so, but its not for the quality of the songs, nor their production, nor their ability to connect listeners with both the raw and complex emotions that these songs convey. I am certainly moved each time I listen.



Like many others artists who lacked timely marketability during the 90s, I feel Schmitt was a victim of the tide and turn of the record industry. The result of that misfortune however, is a lost gem of pop rock music. I have no doubt that if you like Gin Blossoms, Superdrag, Big Star or Matthew Sweet, you will like this record."