''Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla'' is an EP by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Grandaddy Grandaddy is an American indie rock band from Modesto, California. The group was formed in 1992, and featured Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia and Tim Dryden, until Garcia's death in 2017 following a stroke. After several ...

, released on September 27, 2005 through

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

V2. According to frontman

Jason Lytle Jason Lytle ( ; born March 26, 1969) is an American musician best known for his work in the indie rock group Grandaddy. The group split in 2005, and Lytle continued to release music as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Gra ...

, the EP was "a way to fill the gaps of time while recording 'Just Like the Fambly Cat''. The EP received a mixed-to-favorable response from music critics.

Title and theme

The EP's title reflects frontman

's frustration with his hometown,

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and has been described as "not so much a farewell as a fuck off to the town". The name comes from something Lytle saw on the vanity license plate of a large truck in Modesto. In Lytle's words, the EP "was a nice opportunity for me to produce some whiney little complaining songs about my hometown. I think it's pretty blatant; it's pretty stripped down in terms of the message." It was recorded simultaneously with '' Just Like the Fambly Cat'', and Lytle planned to leave Modesto as soon as the album was complete, stating "In Modesto, it's like gravity is a lot heavier. There's something that just makes you feel like you're doing all you can just to keep your head above water, when in fact there's not a whole lot going on." He recorded the EP as "a way to fill the gaps of time while recording the new album. I just thought I could throw together some old songs and some newer ones and a really new one".

Recording

''Todd Zilla'' was recorded on 8-track equipment at one of Lytle's two home studios. Its eight tracks do not appear on the band's fourth full-length album, ''Just Like the Fambly Cat''. Some of the songs had been written much earlier, as far back as ten years before, as Lytle stated: "There are years-long gaps between a lot of these songs, and mostly they were just annoying me because they were sitting around doing nothing." Everything on the EP was written and recorded by Lytle with the exception of drum tracks by Aaron Burtch.

Release

''Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla'' was released on September 27, 2005 by record label V2. A limited-pressing vinyl edition was released by record label Devil in the Woods, containing the bonus track "Hidden Health Announcement".

Reception

''Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla'' received mixed-to-favorable reviews from critics. Marc Hogan of

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

gave it 5.6/10, calling it "a goofy, sloppy mini-album, cramming familiar

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...

fuzz, stoned piano ballads, playful analogue synths, and misguided Bad Company references into a little more than half an hour". Gareth Dobson of

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

gave it five out of ten, calling it a "mixed bag". ''

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' gave it a B+ rating, calling it "richly illustrated, grim but empathetic, epic yet humane art rock". In the view of Joey Lipps of ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...

'', "it falls short of the captivating quality of their previous recordings". Shilpa Ganatra of ''

Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...

'' opined that the EP represented "a wander into the field of revolution rather than evolution".

Track listing

References

External links

* {{Authority control Grandaddy albums 2005 EPs