Reviews
Nowwave review by Josh Rutledge
"Books About Miles Davis" was the teaser single for the new Ergs! full-length. But because I'm a slowpoking scurvy bastard, I didn't get this review written until after the album had already been released. Some help I am!
Fortunately, this single is one hot mover on the sales front. One pressing's gone, and another is going fast. Anyone who desired a preview of Upstairs/Downstairs would have purchased this title weeks ago. Anyone who buys it from here on out will most likely do so out of the burning desire to own every single thing the mighty Ergs! ever release. If you're in the latter group, you hardly need me to tell you that The Ergs! are one of the two or three best bands going today. So just a friendly suggestion here - move NOW if you want this puppy!
Whoever decided upon "Books About Miles Davis" as the single really knows what's up. It's the very best song off of the very best album of 2007. On one hand, it's classic Ergs! "song about a girl" type stuff, distinguished by an unfuckwithable melody and built around Mikey's earnest, oh-so-lovable vocals. Yet in other ways it's unlike any previous Ergian opus. Mikey's stellar vocal intertwines with a breezy jazz riff and egg shaker percussion, creating a wistful, melancholic feel. There's an absolutely beautiful instrumental break before the third verse, and then comes a pleasantly surprising climactic jolt. Lyrically, the last verse is some genius shit. I won't quote anything because I don't want to give away the significance of the song title. Let me just say that these lines are sad and funny and as truthfully bittersweet as a final passage from a favorite book.
"Only Babies Cry" is a Paul Baribeau cover done Ergs! style (In this case, "Ergs! style" means "sounding remarkably like late '80s Replacements!"). Baribeau is regarded as a god-like songwriter in certain indie obscurist circles, and this particular rendering underscores an exceptionally catchy chorus and some rather poignant poetry. But I gotta say that the original on the A-side strikes me as better-written and more deeply moving than the cover on the flip. Is this where we've arrived in the annals of Ergdom? Have the near-sighted three gotten so impossibly good that all their covers will leave us thinking, "Damn, I wish they had just done another original!"? Great bass playing on this track - which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Ergs! records.
Alright, kids. Don't snooze on this one. As they say on TV, supplies are running out!
Razorcake review by Megan Pants
Released as a preview for their release, Upstairs / Downstairs on Dirtnap, you’ve got one original, the title track, which will be on the album (in a slightly different version), and “Only Babies Cry,” a Paul Baribeau cover, which won’t. I’m not sure how I first heard the song “Books about Miles Davis,” but I do know I liked it immediately. I’m not sure how they do it (but I’m convinced the secret’s got to be in that egg shaker), but The Ergs have managed to write a song that references books that would be one of the most annoying books for me to read. It’s suspense all the way through, with a quick payoff at the end, which would make for a terrible, awful book. Fortunately, it makes a damn fine song. It just keeps building up to some sort of explosion that you finally resign yourself to knowing it’s just not going to come. Then, the most blissful ten or so seconds of energy completely surprise and fulfill you simultaneously. And then the song ends. Dear lord, that song is amazing.
Hip displeasure review by Mark Hughson
A nice lead off for the soon-to-be-released full-length. The A-side tells us a story of love and longing, one that inspires you to write a love letter, because THIS time it’ll be different. Easily the most mature Ergs! song in their entire catalog, and I think it’s great. Jeff Erg strums a sad but comforting melody, like a bucket of ice cream after the break-up. Mikey Erg, unable to hide behind his drum set, standing bare and vulnerable, sings with his heart in his throat. The lyrics and music have one fleeting moment of freedom, but the players probably decide that it’s best to just go home.
On the B-side we get a Paul Baribeau cover. I can understand that if you’re covering a lo-fi folk rock artist, you’d want to do it differently (and the Ergs! do; they rock it up several notches), but I say buck that trend, because I want more acoustic Ergs!! At least Mikey kept Baribeau’s cotton-gargle intact (though I’m not sure if that was purposeful or just Mikey’s vocal prowess showing its limits). Anyway, bring on the new album!
Razorcake review by Joe Evans III
I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you already know who The Ergs! are, or will find out soon enough. Anyway, you know the song where Mike gets up from the drum set to sing towards the end of the set now? You know, the one that's insanely good, even for them? Yeah, this is it (featuring more egg shaker here than on the LP), backed with a Paul Baribeau cover. I don't think the pressing(s) were that large, so I'd pick this up ASAP if I were you.
Nuthin Zine review by Danny White
Holy shit, the almighty Ergs have done it again. Books About Miles Davis is a teaser for the upcoming greatness that is going to be their next full length, and this toned down sing along song might just be one of the best tunes the band’s ever written. With that said, I cannot wait to hear the rest of the album. The b-side to this record is Only Babies Cry, which is a Paul Baribeau (of Plan- It-X fame) cover. This song is incredible as well, and makes me want to track down the original for comparison. Simply stated, this is another must own addition to the discography of a must love band, oh and it comes on pretty white vinyl as well!
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