If you're a fan of clever, memorable pop (Pavement, Weezer, etc.), then Nothing Painted Blue's Placeholders is the album for you. The band definitely has the strong hooks it takes to reel you in, as well as thoughtful lyrics. Clean, strummed guitar chords merge with tight drumming and simple, anchoring bass on "Rightful Heir," and while the opener, "Couldn't Be Simpler," focuses on plodding fuzz guitar, with a contrasting speedy chorus popping up here and there. "Weak" shows the band's energ...   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

Nothing Painted Blue racked up a healthy amount of singles, compilation tracks, cover songs and unreleased material from 1988 through 1995. Thankfully for fans of the band, the group has decided to collect all of these hard-to-find tracks on a single disc, entitled Emotional Discipline. But unlike their mini-album The Future of Communications (which contained a few rarities), this collection will appeal to more than just fanatics of the band. Some interesting tracks are "Go to Waste," which was...   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

On their first new full-length since 1994's Placeholders disc, California's Nothing Painted Blue returns with The Monte Carlo Method. Picking up where they left off, the band still excels at composing unexpected, quirky alterna-pop a la the Minutemen, the Feelies, and other similar bands. Vocalist Franklin Bruno still has a gift for unconventional lyric writing, utilizing the cut-and-paste approach (as heard on the track "Collage Elements"). "Explorer Scout" is comparable to {$Pavement...   [ read more ]

CD $14.23