Grandaddy

Grandaddy seems to be indie rock's answer to Radiohead, whatever that means.

Information: Grandaddy Landscape
Suggested First Purchase: The Software Slump

A Pretty Mess By This One Band EP (1996) -- Short (since it's an EP), but all of the songs are interesting, and all of them are pretty different from each other, making it a "pretty mess" indeed. However, all the songs (except a throwaway noise track) eventually appear on the Concrete Dunes compilation, so you don't really need this unless you're a collector. B

Under the Western Freeway (1997) -- A great little first album full of interesting noises and solid catchy music, especially "Laughing Stock." B

The Sophtware Slump (2000) -- Music that takes its time (the first song is almost nine minutes, though it doesn't quite seem like it), following a technological theme. The way the line "Last night something pretty bad happened, we lost a friend" is sung -- though it refers to a robot -- is more heartbreaking than most of the existing songs about dead humans. Some bits of the album just feel slow, but this remains Grandaddy's most consistent album. B

Concrete Dunes (2002) -- Not quite as solid as the regular albums, but a nice compilation of rarities for anyone who's a fan of Grandaddy. B

Sumday (2003) -- More poppy in nature than the previous, and not quite as solid. Song for song, this album is pretty good, but it doesn't seem to add up to a whole very well. "Now It's On" is one of the best songs by Grandaddy and "Stray Dog and the Chocolate Cake" is another standout. B

Just Like the Fambly Cat (2006) -- Their final album, kind of another version of The Software Slump, but a little more dull. However, even the slow and potentially boring stuff gets stuck in your head, like "Rear View Mirror." The most interesting song is probably "What Happened..." [to the fambly cat?] that has a child repeating that question over and over. B