Hidden Gems

For as long as I can remember, I've spent way too much money on music. The only thing that's changed over time, other than sheer volume, is that today, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I tend to have an idea what I'm buying before I buy it. Maybe the album doesn't always live up to the song or two I find on the net, but it's rare that I ever buy something and hate it. Unless, of course, it's called Per Second, Per Second, Per Second, Every Second.

This wasn't the case back in the day. Back in high school and college, I'd pick up all kinds of discs for all kinds of reasons - maybe a friend recommended it, maybe it had a cool cover, maybe the band had a bitchin' name (Assponys, huh huh), maybe it was on a label that had a lot of other good bands. There really wasn't any rhyme or reason, I just wanted to buy new music.

So, sometime in 1995, I was wandering around the Tower Records on South University in Ann Arbor (now gone, I believe), and saw a new CD from a band I'd never heard of on Subpop Records. These were the days when Subpop ruled the music scene, so I had no doubt that I was going to love this new band called Zumpano. So I pulled out the credit card, did a little math to make sure I could afford tuna to live on for the next week, and bought my new little prize.


Then I got home and listened to it. It was the most unlistenable piece of crap I'd heard in 19 years of life. And that includes "We Built This City (on Rock and Roll)".

Of course, being the music fan that I am, I refused to throw the thing away, or try to sell it, and put it into a box in a closet in Ohio and never looked back. Until last year, that is, when I was home visiting family and decided to have a look at the box. What did I find? Lots of late 80's metal (Whitesnake, Skid Row, Europe), some signs of my 1990-ish switch towards "alternative" (The Smithereens, The Church), a Pauly Shore "comedy" album, and Zumpano.

So what was the first thing I listened to? Skid Row. Big guns, baby. What was the second? The most unlistenable album of all time.

Except it wasn't as unlistenable anymore. Don't get me wrong, it's not a good album, but it has it's moments. And, more importantly, I recognized the lead singer's voice - Carl Newman, of the New Pornographers. So, mediocre as it was, I reclaimed the CD from the box and brought it back to New York with me. (Who am I kidding? I brought back all the other CDs too, except Europe.) And it's pretty much been on the shelf ever since, until I decided to share a couple songs with you.

The first song, "The Party Rages On", was the only song I could listen to in 1994, and is still far and away the best song on the album. The second song, "I Dig You", is unmistakable Carl, but deserves an award for "Worst Use of Piano in a Song" ever.

Zumpano, "The Party Rages On"
Zumpano, "I Dig You"