honkycat-reviews

[honkycat-reviews]

Review of Spooky (1992) by Lush (stream)

Band Background: Lush was an English rock band existing from 1987-1996 (briefly reuniting in 2015), consisting of Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Steve Rippon, Chris Acland, and later Phil King. They are considered one of the early examples of "shoegazing" music, a mixture between alternative indie music and neo-psychedelic rock.

Personal Takeaway: My first note when listening to this album is that they have an awesome bass noise. I could barely understand any of the dreamy lyrics on any song but I did know I was dancing around my kitchen romanticizing sourdough bread as if I were Stevie Nicks.

Listen to this album if you: have always hoped Enya was a little more angsty and are a witch from an 80s movie

Songs of Note: Nothing Natural- feels like running away from a vampire castle with your white dress billowing behind you For Love- would play in the Bronze from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Laura- up-tempo bass layered with effect drenched guitars and vocals. actually delicious

Music is best on physical media, but like I did, try this album for a metaphorical spin on Spotify at this link.

[honkycat-reviews]

Review of Prints (2007) by Prints (Vinyl)

Band Background: Prints is a psychedelic easy listening band from San Diego. The band consists of songwriters and musicians Zac Nelson and Kenseth Thibideau (epic name). This is their only album, followed by EPs Just Thoughts in 2008 and Room Service in 2021. Upon a brief listen, this album sounds completely different from their EPs, which lean more rock-ish than instrumental.

Personal Takeaway: How I found this record at a McKays in Tennessee? I'll never know. This is easily world's best style of music to read to. Well, maybe not, because I put the book down to write about this album! What an awesome impulse grab! Very good time. If you listen to any of this, listen to the B side.

Listen to this album if you: got really into the indie bedroom boom of 2019-2021. This sounds like Khraungbin's "Con Todo El Mundo", Paul McCartney's "RAM", and a little bit of C418's "Minecraft".

Songs of Note: Blue Jay- bossa nova feel to it- but it's integrally a very easy fun tune. Definitely making this album a go-to background listen. End- this feels like playing minecraft drunk i don't know how else to describe it

Music is best on physical media, but try this album for a metaphorical spin on Spotify at this link.

[honkycat-reviews]

Review of Perennial Favorites (1998) by Squirrel Nut Zippers (CD)

Band Background: Yes, you read that right. Squirrel Nut Zippers. That's the name of the band. They are a North Carolina swing and jazz band formed in 1993 consisting of James Mathus, Tom Maxwell, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips, Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher. Their musical style is hard to pin down, but it's definitely 1930s swing and blues with a twang. This is their debut album.

Now about their name. A squirrel nut zipper, for your information, is a caramel and peanut candy from 1890. Conversely, a nut zipper is a southern term for moonshine. The band chose it because they saw this used as a newspaper headline about a drunk dude who climbed a tree and refused to come down even when police came. Fierce. Personal Takeaway: I can't talk about this album without mentioning how AWESOME the packaging is for this CD. Inside the sleeve, the lyric book is designed to look like vintage produce advertisements. Genius! I love it. This is also my favorite SNZ song to date. So much fun! Love the violin and horns throughout.

Songs of Note: Low Down Man- once again, a deliciously sultry song from SNZ. Ghost of Stephen Foster- this is a crazy ghost ballad? with a wild violin intro? hell. yeah. Trou Macacq- if this played in a small bar i would instinctually get up from my table and start to swing dance

Music is best on physical media, but try this album for a metaphorical spin on Spotify at this link.

[honkycat-reviews]

Review of The Inevitable (1995) by Squirrel Nut Zippers (CD)

Band Background: Yes, you read that right. Squirrel Nut Zippers. That's the name of the band. They are a North Carolina swing and jazz band formed in 1993 consisting of James Mathus, Tom Maxwell, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips, Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher. Their musical style is hard to pin down, but it's definitely 1930s swing and blues with a twang. This is their debut album.

Now about their name. A squirrel nut zipper, for your information, is a caramel and peanut candy from 1890. Conversely, a nut zipper is a southern term for moonshine. The band chose it because they saw this used as a newspaper headline about a drunk dude who climbed a tree and refused to come down even when police came. Fierce.

Personal Takeaway: I discovered this album on my first ever date with my girlfriend because how could you not. What in the hell is a squirrel nut zipper. We got in the car and listened to bits of this album and hey! Love blossoming. Anything is possible with Squirrel Nut Zippers. Listen to this album if you: have visited a small bar in the New Orleans French Quarter and got really into having a little swing playing in the background Song of Note: Danny Diamond- deliciously sultry, has a really slinky guitar sound which I really enjoy

Music is best on physical media, but try this album for a metaphorical spin on Spotify at this link.

[honkycat-reviews]

Nothing like holding my love

[honkycat-reviews]

I MADE THIS NEEDLE FELTING

multi day project and I am SO HAPPY with how it came out

[honkycat-reviews]

[honkycat-reviews]

I have GOT to stop getting Billy Joel and Billy Idol confused

[honkycat-reviews]

successful record store day 2025!

records snatched:

T. Rex- Electric Warrior

Laufey- A Night at the Hollywood Bowl- RSD EXCLUSIVE!!

Laufey- Everything I Know About Love

which was all three records I had on my huntlist! so excited and they all sound so so so lovely. here's my complete laufey record collection!

plus this super yum maple orange cappuccino! never had latte art before this was fun

[honkycat-reviews]

underrated artist of the week

Brian David Gilbert

genre: who knows. indie comedy? weird stuff.

years active: 2017- present

you should listen to his music if you enjoy songs that play with you, thought about being a film major at college, or if you are super into weird, well-produced short songs with great videos on youtube

you might recognize this dude because he did a really successful series with Polygon on youtube, where he was super charismatic and funny! he also has a million followers on youtube himself, but i feel like his music alone deserves some hype!

favorite songs: "talking small"; "i wish that i could wear hats"; "it's nesting season"

his youtube videos are so so fun and well-produced. here's a classic bdg video, but i'd recommend a deep dive. once you understand, his whole body of work is epic.

happy listening!!

[honkycat-reviews]

underrated artist of the week

Batdorf and Rodney

genre: folk rock, country (?), acoustic

years active: 1970-1975

origin: Los Angeles, California, USA

band members: john batdorf, mark rodney

you should listen to their music if you appreciate complex and melodic guitar jamming, the feeling of driving with windows down in the summer, and fried chicken from an old country store

if there are two batdorf and rodney fans in the world, it's me and my dad. he had these vinyls in his collection (god knows where he found these) but the instrumentation of this group are really unlike other artists. they received criticism because their songs are too long and "jammed too much", but i can't disagree more. i don't care that the songs are longer than most hits. their discography is SO pleasant and melodic and wonderful.

favorite songs: "where were you and i"; "life is you"; "oh my surprise"

if you're looking for them on streaming sites, i'd recommend searching them as "batdorf and rodney" or as "batdorf" because rodney has a bunch of other stuff under it that they didn't write.

happy listening!!

[honkycat-reviews]

Def Leppard- Pyromania

listened on CD from 1983

summary: picture this. a young punk rock lady has reached the end of her collegiate rope and all she seems to be enjoying is fun prog rock. as if from the cosmos, def leppard descended into her listening habits like a merciful angel. i love def leppard!! they are so so fun and talented?! call me basic but i absolutely adore this album. got hysteria and am on the cd hunt for high n' dry!

background: this album is a slight departure from the more heavy-metal attitude the band had with their earlier releases (high n' dry). this is when they introduced the absolute icon Phil Collen on the guitar!!! i think his noise is integral to the commercial pop-leaning success of this album, simply because his licks are so good that you sing the guitar part (which i've only experienced with eddie van halen, randy rhodes, and george harrison).

read below for tracklist & review!

tracklist

rock! rock! (till you drop): this is the most fun way to open this album. epic thirty second opening with a killer guitar lick and iconic vocals?! i'm a lesbian, so the rock and roll male obsession with "rocking" hot chicks isn't entirely lost on me, so i honestly have just chosen to find it funny. like sure. women are fabulous. mutual understanding. in my opinion a little bit of an underrated banger.

photograph: i feel so basic loving this track so much but there's a reason this song did so well commercially. i think it's because this song emphasizes the vocals the most out of any song on the album; other tracks on the album are aiming to showcase all the instruments on a more equal spectral field. this one is much more sing-along-with-joe which works because the lyrics are easy, memorable, and fun. i need joe's syncopated singing "I! NEED! ONLY! YOUR!" injected straight into my veins.

stagefright: this is my favorite song on the album!? this is so underrated?! if i love a song, i am able to get a pretty clear imaginative movie going whenever i listen to it; and this one is CRYSTAL CLEAR. HELL YEAH!!!!! do i have any clue what he's saying? barely. but i'm rocking right there with him.

too late for love: i can appreciate a good ballad and this one is that. a good. ballad. nothing crazy but i'm not going to hate on a ballad. musical diversity! the lyrics on the verses are unique and interesting.

die hard the hunter: this is the final boss music i didn't ask for, and don't really listen to often, but once i get into the groove of this longer piece i can really enjoy it.

foolin': i saw somewhere on here somebody hating on foolin' and it made me oddly protective over the song for a bit. i think i just really like how it's mixed and the background vocals work really well with the lead vocals. is the chorus the most life-changing thing on the planet? no, but those prechoruses are bangers.

rock of the ages: for a while listening to this album, i kinda wrote this song off since it's one of their more popular ones (my innate need to be quirky and different) but the more and more i listened to it and learned the lyrics, i am officially a convert. this is fun as hell!

comin' under fire: we're back on the power ballad train and i think this is the fastest tempo ballad so i'm more of a fan. when i put this cd in my player i want to be doing a quick little dance and making this most of my curly mullet. i wanna dance. so i usually go "this one is really good" and then skip it... (sorry...) guitar is epic!!

action! not words: yeah sure. they're saying "shock me". suuuuure. i've grown an appreciation for this one.

billy's got a gun: now THIS is the power ballad i've been WAITING FOR!!! never skipping this one. the bgv on "can you feel it in the air?" are reason to listen by themself. they clearly had fun constructing this song and all the different parts working together. major banger.

[honkycat-reviews]

been recently trying to DECREASE my hours in Spotify by listening to more CDs and lemme tell you my ears are happy

[honkycat-reviews]

[honkycat-reviews]

made this zine to illustrate why you should change listening habits!

save your relationship to music

one of my biggest soul-defining passions! physical music! this is a part of music that has been taken from us with streaming platforms, and I am very driven to take it back. my collection means something to me, and that has worth. I love to go to record/CD stores, I love second-hand media, and I love to listen to music and feel what it is meant to be. record store day is april 12th! give it a try!

album reviews at @honkycat-reviews

[honkycat-reviews]

rockstars from the 80s have me by the neck, I need to be chained to a tree like a werewolf during a full moon

[honkycat-reviews]

it bothers me that you often don't really hear about people having a "favorite album" the way they might have a favorite movie or favorite video game