Search - Preston School of Industry :: All This Sounds Gas

Worthy effort with the promise of more to come

08/22/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When Mick Jones left the Clash and formed Big Audio Dynamite, the joke among Clash fans was that if you dubbed the Clash's final Jones-less album and the new BAD album together on a tape you could pretend that the band had never really broken up. In some respects, this logic applies to Pavement with regards to Malkmus' wonderful solo debut and Scott's new band, PSOI. Much like Mick Jones, Scott had very few songs of his own with Pavement, but the ones he did have always stood out and his guitar work was a prominent part of the band. Can his songs hold up on their own however? "All This Sounds Gar" proves that indeed they can; Scotts guitar work is as strong as ever, his vocals hold their own, and his song arrangments are interesting. Unlike most Pavement releases, however, the music is far from groundbreaking. Scott's mix of guitar based indie rock with the slightest influence of twang-free country is tried and true, and purely a matter of preference; this is one album where fans know exactly what they're getting when they buy it, and it's consistent enough the few fans of the genre will be disappointed. There are a few standout tracks: Solitaire has some interesting keyboards, Doping for Gold has some stellar guitar work and vocals and, ending on an emotional, energetic note that recalls Scott's work with Pavement at its best, and Idea of Fires is an upbeat bit of folk-rock that slows down for it's brilliant sing-along chorus, only to pick up again for some trademark buzzing guitar. It's these standout tracks that make one believe PSOI is capable of much more, however. At recent live shows, the band ripped through only the best tracks on the album (and unofficial confirmation that other songs perhaps weren't up to par) with such energy that most of the crowd who had never heard of them were drooling. Doping For Gold, in particular, benefitted from the frantic and intense drumming; it rocked so hard most of the crowd had goose bumps , and the new found energy only made the underlying emotions behind the song that much stronger. Thus, it's not illogical to believe and PSOI is capable of producing songs much better than some of this material. Keep your eyes out for future releases by the band, we can expect great things. In the meantime, "All This Sounds Gas" is a rewarding way to pass the time before the band's inevitable "Wowee Zowee" epic is released."

A Positve Review

Bernie Hackensaw | Los Angeles, CA USA | 03/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I realize that every review I've ever posted on Amazon has been a negative one. I'm not a negative person; I just want to prevent people from making the same mistakes I've made, such as buying "The Man Who Was Dr. Seuss." So, I wanted to finally add something positive to this website and rather than give OK Computer its 1,200th 5-star review I'd like to try to turn someone on to this tragically underrated album. Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs) took all the most melodic and beautiful elements of Pavement's best work and brought them to PSOI. I wholeheartedly agree with other reviewers that All This Sounds Gas easily trumps any of Malkmus's post-Pavement efforts. Download the free Whalebones mp3 above. If you don't like that than take a high-powered rifle and kindly remove yourself from the gene pool. If you do then buy the album; you won't regret it.



P.S. I got a chance to meet Kannberg at an LA show and he's a geniunely nice guy!"

This one is really growing on me

Mickey | North Rockhampton, QLD Australia | 08/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought my first PSOI recording ('idea of fires' single) by accident on a CD buying binge. Luckily I'm a big-time pavement fan.Idea of fires is a cool song, but it was the last track 'save our happiness' that got me hooked. I had to get 'all this sounds gas' imported (i live in a cultural back-water) and i'm not regretting paying a huge amount for it. It's really just as cool as any pavement album (except crooked rain crooked rain and maybe not as cool as twilight terror) but it's different. The singing sounds different and there are alot more sounds going on and it takes a bit to get used to, but after a few listens, you'll love it.
There's also some wiered, cool lines that'll just get stuck in your head and give you a smile that will last a while. Lines such as 'jets are breaking sound, my feet still stuck into the ground' and others. What can I say, i'm no music schollar, but if you are into pavement, or any cruisy, popy, rock and roll, give it a listen."