''Destination Universe'' is the second studio album by the American band
Material Issue
Material Issue was an American power pop trio from Chicago, Illinois. The band's trademark is pop songs with themes of love and heartbreak. A number of their song titles used girls' first names.
History
Material Issue was formed in 1985, led b ...
, released on
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
in 1992. "What Girls Want" made the top ten on ''Billboards
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart. The band promoted the album with a "Pop Against Recession Tour".
Production
Recorded at Short Order Recorder, in
Zion, Illinois
Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,655.
History
The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907), a Scots-Australian evangelical minister and faith healer who ...
, the album was produced by Jeff Murphy and the band.
Material Issue had more time and money to spend on the production. The album cover is a photo of a vintage Schwinn, purchased in
Calumet City
Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409.
Etymology
The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq and French word for ...
.
Critical reception
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote: "Think of this music as a sort of landlocked ’90s Merseybeat, and trust in Ellison’s expertise in the mechanics that made that original Liverpool stuff so memorable: pocketsful of melodies, bursting guitars, and the unspoken belief that these are the things that make life worth living."
''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' concluded that the album "suffers from a serious lack of strong tunes."
[
'']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 ...
'' deemed it "not exactly a wildly original piece of work, but it's full of memorable pop-rock tracks."The Indianapolis Star
''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...
'' determined that, "with rough Hollies vocals and keen grasp of styles that they heard as kids, Material Issue drives its own vehicle—but it's always cruising for girls."[
]
Track listing
All songs written by Jim Ellison
#"What Girls Want" - 3:55
#"When I Get This Way (Over You)" - 4:09
#"Next Big Thing" - 3:12
#"Who Needs Love" - 2:52
#"Destination You" - 2:49
#"Everything" - 3:48
#"Ballad of a Lonely Man" - 3:27
#"Girl from Out of This World" - 3:56
#"So Easy to Love Somebody" - 2:49
#"Don't You Think I Know" - 3:47
#"The Loneliest Heart" - 2:38
#"Whole Lotta You" - 2:52
#"If Ever You Should Fall" 2:41
References
{{Authority control
Material Issue albums
1992 albums
Mercury Records albums