Labels: The Company With the Golden Arm
Review by: Ian Cavell
Painted Thin were an incredible band, possessing an ability to write songs that few bands could ever hope to match. This is their parting shot – 5 songs from 1997 that will have no doubt induce more people to lament upon their departure. Two songs (albeit different versions) from the Clear, Plausible Stories album – a record that stirs the emotions with each and every listen and three new tracks, each resplendent with emotive lyrical ingenuity and raw but loveable music. I tend to think of Painted Thin, along with bands such as the Weakerthans, as being on a completely different plateau in terms of the skill and imagination they put into songs – these final songs just help reinforce that opinion.
Sixty Stories (featuring the bass player from Painted Thin) contribute 7 songs to the split and instil a similar sense of wonder. I sincerely suggest you make your way over to www.smallmanrecords and download the first track from this record – ‘the place at the top of the stairs’ – a wonderful combination of raw melodic punk-rock, female vocals and the well placed use of electronic effects that actually sound like they belong which bucks the trend of bands ham-fistingly trying to cram them into songs because, I don’t know, that’s what the Get Up Kids do or something. And the lyrics! Fuck, the lyrics are incredible – “there is not much here: a wet blanket, a pile of dirty clothes, and our awe struck wonder of dissidence under the main street bridge”. Are you ready for that Weakerthans comparison yet?
Sixty Stories- raw and urgent, contemplative and honest, invoking nostalgic images of broken people in broken places, a fragile record to take to your heart.