Music Library: Red Krayola, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Pony Clock, Leon Redbone, Redd Volkaert, Regina Spektor, Reivers, Remy Zero, Renderers, Replacements

Red Krayola - The Parable Of Arable Land (as Red Crayola, 1967), God Bless The Red Krayola And All Who Sail With It (1968), and The Red Krayola (1994). P-sychedelia from Houston! Mayo Thompson and pals (including Donald Barthelme's brother on drums on the first album) bring the nutso sounds, the wacky songcraft, and the sheer off-kilter brilliance of being a psych band from Houston. Sometimes they're Texas-style Syd Barretts and sometimes they're the band that gave Jandek the confidence to be Jandek. By the time of the 1994 album, Thompson has the Chicago avant-noise posse on-board, including Jim O'Rourke, John McEntire, and David Grubbs. Cool.



Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Talk About The Weather (1985), Paint Your Wagon (1986), and Nothing Wrong (1988). I didn't expect much from this band (I mean, obscure British goth rock?), but they won me over by being somewhere between Wire and Chrome and quite creative.



Red Pony Clock - God Made Dirt (2007). Big Lambchop-like outfit that occasionally drop some Norteno into their irony-drenched chamber-pop.



Leon Redbone - On The Track (1975). Dude's been huffing some life into hoary swing and country tracks for a long, long time.

Redd Volkaert - Telewacker (1998). Best guitar player in Austin. Hands down. The true heir to Jimmy Bryant. Wandering into the Continental Club on a Saturday afternoon back in the early 00s to hear his set was like finding Richard Thompson busking down at the bus station.



Regina Spektor - Songs (2002). I had the impression she was a Tori Amos ripoff before I heard this album. And she is not at all. She's kind of the anti-Tori Amos. But you can see where the surface similarities would have thrown me.



The Reivers - Translate Slowly (1985). John Croslin's great lost hyperliterate Austin cowpunk band.



Remy Zero - Remy Zero (1996), Villa Elaine (1998), The Golden Hum (2001). My childhood pal Jeff's  soaring and spacey band. They seemed too big for Birmingham back when they were based out of there, but I think LA chewed them up a little.



The Renderers - A Dream Of The Sea (1998). Fan-freakin'-tastic kiwi-rock band. Like so many NZ bands, they sound like every musician was raised on a steady diet of SST, Neil Young, and the Feelies.



The Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (1981), The Replacements Stink (1982), Hootenanny (1983), Let It Be (1984), The Shit Hits The Fans (1985), Tim (1985), Live At Maxwell's (bootleg, 1986), Pleased To Meet Me (1987), Don't Tell A Soul (1989), All Shook Down (1990), All For Nothing/Nothing For All (compilation, rel. 1997), Songs For Slim (2013). I have loved this band longer than most. Let me back up. I rarely listen to these albums because I know them so well, like how sometimes you go for years without really looking at your oldest friends. When I pick up a guitar, I play a 'Mats song. They are deeply written in my outlook, the songs I write, and the songs I like. Here's their great fuck-you to MTV.