Snailhouse
Fine [Reissue]
Grand Theft Autumn
This is Michael Feuerstack from the Wooden Stars playing solo in 1995, accompanied mostly just by an acoustic guitar, sometimes backing himself up on bass, drums, and piano. When he wants to Mike does a brutally wonderful job of vocalizing that bitter ache inside that gets kept under so many layers. Not all the songs are so trying, though. When he’s not sandpapering those reopened wounds his songs can be pleasant, albeit in a quietly tender, softly yearning way. The first song, “Preface,” is the most heartwrenching for me, though, which sets a moody aire about the whole album. Equally as moody is the second album on Rhythm of Sickness Records, although that time around his sound gets fleshed out by a bunch of friends on various instruments. Fine is a nice example of what he sounds like when it’s just him and a guitar, spare and heart bared. I kinda prefer the simpler approach at times. Recommended for those who fancy Kind of Like Spitting, Keith Welsh, and the like.
Grand Theft Autumn, 905 S. Lynn St., Urbana, IL 61801; http://www.grandtheftautumn.com
