''Ain't My Lookout'' is the fourth full-length album by Memphis

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 Grifters, and their first for

Sub Pop Records Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB Computing and technology * , an HTML tag for subscript * SUB designat ...

. While Sub Pop released the

Compact Disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

, the Grifters remained true to their old home, Shangri-La Records, which was able to receive the licensing for the

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

release. The vinyl LP release is now out of print. The album marked a stylistic change in the band's sound, with the

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

sound featured on previous albums being devoid on this release.

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews. The album was given a 6/10 by Stephen Thomas Erlewine of

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 ...

, describing it as their 'tightest and cleanest' record to date. While stating that despite the higher production value, the band still stay committed to their lo-fi sound and refrain from selling out. Christgau also describes the effort as “Southern-fried hipsters uproot some pavement.” The album received a 2-star honorable mention, describing it as a “likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy.”

Track listing

Album credits

Grifters

* Stanley Gallimore * Tripp Lamkins * Dave Shouse * Scott Taylor

Additional musicians

Joan Wasser Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, ...

(Dambuilders) – Violin on “Fixed In The Sky” and “Radio City Suicide” * Michael Graber (Professor Elixir's Southern Troubadours) – Mandolin on “Pretty Notes” * Paulette Regan (Professor Elixir's Southern Troubadours) – Vocals on “Pretty Notes” * Davis McCain – Guitar on “Last Man Alive”

Additional credits

* Cover art and illustrations by

Jim Woodring James William Woodring (born October 11, 1952) is an American cartoonist, fine artist, writer and toy designer. He is best known for the dream-based comics he published in his magazine ''Jim'', and as the creator of the anthropomorphic cartoon ...

br>Hillbilly Rampage
* Photography by Dan Ball

References

External links

"Last Man Alive" music video
Grifters (band) albums 1996 albums Sub Pop albums {{1990s-indie-rock-album-stub