Amazing Disgrace

I've read through the reviews here and most of them seem pretty off-base to me. Hurt and disappointment are just as much a part of life as joy and happiness, and feeling a full range of emotions is a part of being human, so I don't see why people would criticize an artist for expressing hurt and disappointment, which is what many of these reviews seem to be doing. It's kind of ironic that many people would criticize this album as being bitter and dispirited when the majority of the most popular albums of the 90's are much more bitter and dispirited than this one (either that or mindlessly angry and aggressive with little to no attempt at being tuneful about it). This album is the picture of buoyancy compared to work by Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, Pearl Jam, Tool, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Portishead, Korn-I could go on like this for days. This could easily be one of the top 5 albums of the 90's, and it's better than anything that I've heard by any of the acts that I've just listed. And none of those guys' (or girls) chops can compare to the Posies', these guys are an amazingly tight band (even when they rotate rhythm sections). The rhythm section this time around is Joe Howard on the bass and Brian Young on drums, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow take on their usual roles as songwriters, guitarists, and vocalists. The Posies are also way beyond most of those other bands as lyricists, and it's a major plus that the lyrics are included in the liner notes. At 14 tracks this album is an "amazing" value, I've seen "Amazing Disgrace" described as a tour de force and it's hard to disagree. The masterful slow to mid-tempo rockers which dominate this release are extremely well constructed, and they hold up unbelievably well to repeated listens. This album remains engaging all throughout because they keep the power-pop sound consistent but with enough variety in the mix to keep things from becoming monotonous. They even manage to throw in a few psychedelic tricks such as the pretty effective Hendrix imitation guitar solo on "World", which almost sounds as if it was lifted straight from the title track for "Are You Experienced", backwards phrasing and all. They even have a "Strawberry Fields" type freak out at the end of "Grant Hart". They incorporate a variety of tricks and techniques yet they never indulge in gimmick-ery for the sake of, because it's all done with the same inerrant sense of craftsmanship. Even grunge elements that are so often that sub-genre's downfall are used to great effect and in just the right doses by the Posies on this release (the distorted power chords that sometimes ring-out for up to 8 measures or more-it works because unlike many grunge bands, the Posies maintain an absolutely stellar rhythm section and a strong sense of harmony). This album, like pretty much all of the Posies' work (that I've heard so far) is FULL of hooks with infectious harmonies. They maintained this focus at a time when most acts created hooks that seemed to focus more on catchy and biting refrains than harmony. Even the hook for the controversial (at least for many of the reviewers here) "Every Body is a F------ Liar" has a great harmony. It's one of the best rockers on the album, and it's far from the mindless rant that the title may seem to suggest. The entire album is thoughtful and well-crafted, and full of both highly effective slow to mid-tempo rockers that perfectly capture the hurt and disillusionment that comes from deep disappointment, and high energy rockers that show the group at its power-pop best. And while they express disappointment and disillusionment, they still manage to offer hope along the way (Fight it) and reach out to tell a friend to open up and lighten up because things could get better (Will you ever ease your mind?). I know that it went largely ignored and unappreciated but this is hands-down one of the best albums of the decade.

When i first got this album, i listened to the first few songs, and thought I was in for a major dissapointment, having bought into the Posies on the basis of Frosting on the Beater. These songs were angry, abrasive and discordant. I left it in my car, and after a few listens, the songs began to get their hooks into me. It stayed there for many months.

In retrospect I've come to understand that as an album, it's one of the best ones I picked up in the 90's, and the fact that I've never heard a single song from it played on any radio station only adds to its allure I suppose. I don't know what the Auer and Stringfellow think about it, but I have to wonder whether or not the dare u to like us ordering of songs hurt them when they clearly have gravitated to playing songs like Throwaway and Please Return it (songs 3 and 4) in their live shows (and on their Best of collection).

Like a bittersweet secret amongst friends, Amazing Disgrace is chock full of suprising melodies and lyrics. Posies fans will not be dissapointed with the depth or running time (14 songs!) It also contains what I consider to be amongst the handful of best unknow Alternative/pop recordings, Fight it (If you want), and like so many Posies songs, offers optimism and ethical choices made in the face of disappointment. This is no 3 song collection however, and one of the things I've always respected about the Posies is the depth of their commitment to the concept of an album without filler. From what I've read, this album was recorded over the period of almost a year, and the care and craftsmanship shows. Like any number of DGC releases I own, this is a fantastic album that never received the promotion it deserved.

It seems other reviewers here simply do not understand this release. When Geffen first started, they signed bands that were talented and were not going to get a sniff from the majors looking for the next Hammer or Wilson-Phillips. The Posies had a 3 record deal with Geffen. "Dear 23" sold well..."Frosting" sold better, and then Geffen, as we knew it, was gone. No longer interested in variety, Geffen hung onto it's major alternantive acts and cut the rest loose...The Posies included.
So a formally promoted band was left to fulfill it's contract and then vacate the premises. How did the Posies respond? Anger. This album perfectly captures the bands mood at the time.
A lot of the songs were left over from the Dear 23 and Frosting days and fit perfectly at this time. I prefer albums that have a real feel, and capture what the artist is feeling at the time. Like Springsteen's underappreciated Nebraska, Disgrace finds the Posies at the lowest.