''The Moldy Peaches'' is the debut album 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
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches were an American indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004. The appearance of their song " Anyone Else but You" in the film ''Juno'' s ...
. It was primarily recorded in a basement in
Port Townsend
Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census.
It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and was released in 2001. The album has the dubious distinction of being released in the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
on September 11, 2001, the date of the
attacks on the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
, while coincidentally featuring a song called "NYC's Like a Graveyard".
Critical reception
In a positive review for ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' magazine, music critic
Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''.
Early life
Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...
called ''The Moldy Peaches'' "extremely amusing and often brilliant" because of its endearing songs and
absurdist lyrics, which she felt distinguishes the band from other
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
acts.
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' found Dawson's songwriting more endearing and vulnerable than the "ambitious" Green, but said that they are both "cute folkies who break without warning into punk noise and sing a deeply catchy song called 'Who's Got the Crack,' cute floozies who'll fuck anybody with anything when that's their mood or stage of life".
In a less enthusiastic review for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'',
Jenny Eliscu
Jenny Eliscu is a radio host for Sirius XM and a contributing editor for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. She also had a recurring presence on the TV program ''I'm from Rolling Stone'' and has been on other music programs, including ''Behind the Music' ...
wrote that the "joyously messy" album is made up mostly of "low-fi, potty-mouthed indie rock" and raunchy humor, which listeners will either find "hilarious or stupid".
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Daniel Greenwald was more critical and said the Moldy Peaches tried to be funny with their use of provocative language, but sounded like a witless, untalented version of the indie band
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and lo-fi mo ...
.
''The Moldy Peaches'' finished 31st in the voting for the
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
, an annual critics poll run by ''The Village Voice''. Christgau, the poll's creator, placed it second on his own year-end list. ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
'' magazine ranked it 29th on its list of 2001's best records. In a retrospective review for ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' (2004), editor
Christian Hoard
Christian David Hoard is an American music journalist and music editor for ''Rolling Stone''. A 2000 graduate of the University of Michigan, he began his career as a music journalist writing for the ''Michigan Daily''. He later moved to New York Ci ...
wrote that the album showcased a songwriting duo who could successfully combine "oddball juvenalia and superb melodies".
In his ballot for ''Rolling Stone''s decade-end poll, Christgau later named ''The Moldy Peaches'' the 11th best album of the 2000s.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from original CD track credits
[The Moldy Peaches Credits - Rough Trade - 06076 83200-2, 2001]
; The Moldy Peaches
*
Adam Green
*
Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American folk singer-songwriter, one half of the anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches. Dawson's work with the Moldy Peaches earned them a cult following and critical acclaim, with their 2001 song " Anyone E ...
''Guest Musicians''
* Brian Piltin – bass on "Nothing Came Out", "Steak For Chicken" and "Who's Got The Crack?"; vocals on "Who's Got The Crack?"
*
Jack Dishel – drums on "Nothing Came Out", "Steak For Chicken" and "Who's Got The Crack?"; vocals on "Nothing Came Out" and "Who's Got The Crack?"
*
Chris Barron
Chris Barron (born Christopher Gross; born February 5, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of Spin Doctors.
Biography
Christopher Gross was born February 5, 1968, in Honolulu, where his father was statio ...
– guitar on "Anyone Else But You"; vocals on "Lucky Charms"
* Steve Espinola – piano on "Jorge Regula"
* Drew Blood – vocals and piano on "Downloading Porn With Davo"
* Denise Koleda – bass on "Little Bunny Foo Foo"
* Kurt Feldman – drums on "Little Bunny Foo Foo"
* Adam Goldstein – vocals on "Who's Got The Crack?"
* Hollis Smith – vocals on "Lucky Charms"
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moldy Peaches, The
2001 debut albums
The Moldy Peaches albums
Sanctuary Records albums