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mark eitzel, "the invisible man"
There was a time in the late 1980s/early 1990s that American Music Club would release albums which would cut through the trendy indie rock scene like a rusty knife. The group meshed an influence of introspective artistic post-punk with American twang long before Bedhead and Low were recording Joy Division covers, or Ida and Red House Painters were releasing albums.
With each release AMC would take a step further, incorporating more clever songwriting techniques, innovative sounds and lyrical proficiency. Unfortunately the music walked a fine line — too gritty for adult contemporary radio and not cute enough for modern commercial alternative rock. They were essentially a thorn in Warner Bros. side, a major label band without mainstream appeal, despite being hits with critics and music fans worldwide. Following the 1994 split, front man Eitzel continued with varying lineups which included heavy hitters like Peter Buck, Kid Congo Powers and members of Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and even Pearl Jam. Only now, on his fourth solo full-length album has Eitzel basically shut himself off from the big names, subsequently emerging with his strongest solo release to date. Three years have passed since the last record, in the meantime the invisible man bought himself a Macintosh G4 he affectionately calls "The Dumb Ass" and has written and recorded allegedly over 40 songs. The top 13 picks have materialized on this disc, with styles that incorporate a variety organic sounds, tied together with electronic computer-generated sounds and production. It's a completely new direction for him while the base of each song is undoubtedly pure Eitzel genius. The stories are all true, claims Eitzel, whose lyrics rarely need to match a rhythmic or rhyming scheme, comparing life experiences to fables, or holding no emotions back whether it's love or loss. Additional musicians do appear in various spots, including former AMC bandmate Vudi on guitar as well as horn, drum, and organ contributors. Look for him on tour shortly with a group who has been trained well to execute these ideas in a live environment with a certain grace only Eitzel can lead.
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