The Posies Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
The Posies sure have a funny idea about breaking up -- though they supposedly called it quits in 1999, the band has been playing reunion shows and releasing albums of archival material on a fairly regular basis since, and 2005's Every Kind of Light is their first full-blown studio effort since 1998's alleged swan song, Success. With founders, songwriters, and general frontal lobes Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow joined by Matt Harris and Darius Minwalla, Every Kind of Light seems to pick up where Success left off, finding the band in a low-key frame of mind on most of the songs, though the rootsy accents of that album have been abandoned in favor of a stripped-down variation on the baroque pop of Dear 23. (And if you were hoping for some of the guitar firepower of Frosting on the Beater and Amazing Disgrace, there is a taste of that on "I Finally Found a Jungle I Like" and "All in a Day's Work," though the more measured tempos certainly dominate the album.) The new lineup of the band sounds as accomplished as ever, and the production (with Auer and Stringfellow credited as the Ineptunes) gives the material clean and well-arranged settings. Auer and Stringfellow's political concerns also rise to the surface here, explicitly on "Sweethearts of Rodeo Drive" and "It's Great to Be Here Again" and implicitly on "That Don't Fly" and "Could He Treat You Better," all of which deal with their mixed feelings about life in America in the wake of George W. Bush and the War in Iraq. But for all the care that obviously went into Every Kind of Light and the firm sense of purpose in its political subtext, the album in toto rings a bit hollow -- it never hits as hard as it ought to, and there's simply too much dead air in the album's long mid-tempo stretches. It's nice to have the Posies back in the studio again, but Every Kind of Light isn't the triumphant return fans might have hoped for. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In'
Release Date 8/22/2000
Tracks 13
Label Casa
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In stark contrast to the Posies' previous live release Alive Before the Iceberg, this album features Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer in an intimate and informal acoustic setting. In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In opens with a rendition of "Grant Hart" that is drastically more subdued than its original album version then leads into a chilling rendering of "Every Bitter Drop," one of the Posies' most emotionally powerful songs. Stringfellow and Auer dig deeply into their past, performing such early classic as "I May Hate You Sometimes," "Believe in Something Other (Than Yourself)," and "Suddenly Mary," while never focusing too heavily on any one period of their career. The duo's between-song banter, including Stringfellow's anecdote about his childhood stuffed dog Brownie, and the crowd's electric reaction to the acoustic performance make this release a necessity for all fans. ~ Michael Frey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After the release of Amazing Disgrace, it appeared as though the Posies were through as Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow called it quits. They soon reunited, however (for the first time in what would become a series of break-ups and reunions), to record their fifth studio album, Success. Switching to an indie label from Geffen, the band were awarded more creative freedom and more room to move. Initially, Auer had stated the band was attempting to record a country-rock album, but along the way they were diverted. Still, from listening to the opening notes of "Somehow Everything," it's clear that some of that country influence made it through. Success is the most laid-back album the Posies have recorded to date; freed of the glossy production of their Geffen years and of the major label pressure to record a "hit," they turned out an album that was more immediate, more relaxed, and more theirs. The downside, of course, is that the Posies' three albums for Geffen are as great as they are, so by comparison this album comes off lazy at times. The problem is that as an album, Success doesn't work as well as its predecessors. It does have some of the finest songs the band has ever recorded (the opening country-rock of "Somehow Everything," the new wavey single "Start a Life," and the gorgeous ballad "You're the Beautiful One"), but those songs are sandwiched in between some of the closest things to filler that the Posies have ever recorded. It's a convincing statement that there was still trouble in the band, and, as mentioned earlier, they disbanded again following the release of this album. However, despite its faults, Success is the album that shouldn't-have-been, and for that reason alone fans will certainly be glad to have it. ~ Jason Damas, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Posies let their true power pop colors fly but with a tougher edge by steeping the songs on their fourth album in punk rock and '70s metal. "Throwaway" is a big guitar rocker with a harmonious chorus -- the kind that became the band's calling card. The band invited Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander to sing along on "Hate Song." Unfortunately, the elder pair's charms were lost in the mix, though "Daily Mutilation" would be a good choice of cover for their own band. "Everybody Is a Fucking Liar" takes a trip back in time with its histrionic guitar parts. Naturally, "Grant Hart" and "Broken Record" are punk rock. "Song #1" and "Will You Ever Ease Your Mind?" are the kind of gorgeous pop songs on which the band grew their reputation. Whether they tackle punk, hard rock, or soft rock, the Posies' brand of songcraft is extraordinary, though, sadly, it would appear this was their swan song. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Frosting on the Beater opens with a thick wall of distorted guitars and booming drums kicking up a very melodic fuss behind Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer's creamy-smooth harmonies on the psych-tinged "Dream All Day," and the track's sweet-and-sour blend immediately announces this is going to be a very different affair than the Posies' major label debut, Dear 23. With noisy rock dude Don Fleming in the producer's chair, it came as no great surprise that Frosting on the Beater was a much harder sounding album than the introspective Dear 23, but surprisingly enough, Fleming also knew how to make the most of the band's expert pop songwriting; with the tempos and guitars turned, the tunes gained a needed physical impact that brought the melodies and hooks into the forefront, where they belonged. Just as importantly, the spot-on harmonies that were the highlight of Dear 23 were still very much in evidence, resting atop the piles of fuzzy guitar chords like a dollop of hot fudge poured over a big scoop of ice cream. And prior to this, who knew that Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer could rock out so hard (and so well) on guitars? One could argue that the big guitar attack of Frosting on the Beater was simply the Posies' way of trying to cash in on the grunge sweepstakes that briefly turned their hometown of Seattle into the center of the rock universe. But one listen also reveals that it transformed a smart but overly precious pop outfit into a hard-charging power pop band that gained a wealth of strength without giving up any of their smarts in the process -- not a bad bargain. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Melodic, pensive, and pretty, this is a new generation of Big Star devotees. ~ Robert Gordon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Posies' first release, originally self-released on cassette in early 1988 but reissued by the noted Seattle indie Popllama later that year, was a duo record by Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. As such, it's the most low-key of the group's original releases, with a rough, homemade charm that sounds all the more refreshing to those familiar with albums like the majestic, Hollies-like Dear 23 or the grungified Frosting on the Beater. The vaguely folky songs have echoes not only of Chris Bell's post-Big Star solo recordings, but the occasional hint of Jonathan Richman (especially on "Ironing Tuesdays") and even, dare it be said, Simon & Garfunkel. (From the beginning, Stringfellow and Auer had their choirboy harmonies down cold.) Though Failure is probably still the least-known of all the Posies' albums, it contains at least two all-time Stringfellow-Auer classics, the impassioned "Believe in Something Other (Than Yourself)" and the wistful "Paint Me." Failure is a terrific album, made more so when one thinks of how thoroughly this set of winsome folk-rock and psych-tinged set of pop songs went against the grain of the late-'80s Seattle scene. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
