I Become Small and Go is the debut album by the American band Creeper Lagoon, released in 1998.[1][2] The band promoted it by touring with Versus and Rocket from the Crypt.[3][4] The first single was "Wonderful Love".[5] "Empty Ships" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dead Man on Campus.[6]
I Become Small and Go | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1998 | |||
Genre | Alternative pop | |||
Label | NickelBag | |||
Creeper Lagoon chronology | ||||
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Production
editFounding members Sharky Laguana and Ian Sefchick, who had played in a high school band in Ohio, recruited a drummer and bass player through a want ad prior to the recording sessions.[7] John King, of the Dust Brothers and Creeper Lagoon's label, NickelBag, remixed "Empty Ships", "Dear Deadly", and "Wonderful Love".[8] In addition to employing sampling, the band used a long list of toy and found instruments.[9]
Critical reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Albuquerque Journal | [10] |
AllMusic | [11] |
Robert Christgau | [12] |
The Independent | [13] |
Spin | 8/10[14] |
Trouser Press dismissed the album as "by-the-numbers contemporary alterna-pop for listeners who’ve never heard any."[15] The Washington Post wrote that "singer-guitarist Ian Sefchick and guitarist-keyboardist Sharky Laguana compose melancholy ballads that suggest such elegantly downbeat rock composers as Mark Eitzel ('Wonderful Love') and John Cale ('Second Chance')."[16] Spin determined that, "aesthetically, they're between indie-jangle and art-pop, floating in space between the Matadorian arch-intelligentsia and the miniaturists of the Elephant 6 collective."[14] The New York Times stated that the band "turns the kind of noise that sounds like it came from inside someone's brain into achingly pretty, unraveling ballads."[17]
Music Week said that "Creeper Lagoon track a thoughtful, textured path through My Bloody Valentine and Spacemen 3 territory."[18] The Boston Globe labeled the album "a pleasant blur of folk-pop melody, noisy guitar workouts, sampled strings, and Bulgarian chants."[19] The Oakland Tribune concluded that, "live, this band motors along nicely on charisma and an edgy attitude, but this record tries too hard to finesse weak material."[20] The Rocket deemed it "basic, ready-for-airplay smooth pop-rock."[9]
AllMusic opined that, "without King's distinctive touch, tracks like 'Tracy' and 'Second Chance' seem stunted and colorless."[11]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Wonderful Love" | |
2. | "Tracy" | |
3. | "Empty Ships" | |
4. | "Dreaming Again" | |
5. | "Prison Mix" | |
6. | "Sylvia" | |
7. | "Dear Deadly" | |
8. | "Black Hole" | |
9. | "Drink and Drive" | |
10. | "Second Chance" | |
11. | "He Made Us All Blind" |
References
edit- ^ Sullivan, James (17 May 1998). "Big Things Come in 'Small' Package". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 55.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (26 June 1998). "And There's...". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 17.
- ^ Devenish, Colin (May 18, 1998). "Creeper Lagoon Sneak Up with 'I Become Small and Go'". MTV. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Rayner, Ben (28 July 1998). "The would-be San Diego rock gods...". Entertainment. Toronto Star. p. 1.
- ^ McCammon, Shane (Sep 10, 1998). "Creeper Lagoon I Become Small and Go". The Daily Utah Chronicle. p. 9.
- ^ Barrera, Sandra (16 May 2001). "Making a Splash on Radar". Orlando Sentinel. p. E5.
- ^ Vanderloo, Lydia (July 1998). "On the Verge: Creeper Lagoon". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 59. p. 14.
- ^ Reece, Doug (May 23, 1998). "Creeping Up on You". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 21. p. 22.
- ^ a b Mast, Eric (Jun 10, 1998). "Creeper Lagoon I Become Small and Go". The Rocket. p. 35.
- ^ Rodriguez, Kenn (Jun 12, 1998). "I Become Small and Go Creeper Lagoon". Albuquerque Journal. p. E19.
- ^ a b "I Become Small and Go Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Creeper Lagoon". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Perry, Tim (Oct 31, 1998). "Album Reviews". Going Out. The Independent. p. 43.
- ^ a b Dark, Jane (July 1998). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 14, no. 7. p. 122.
- ^ Pattyn, Jay. "Creeper Lagoon". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (24 July 1998). "Creeper Lagoon 'I Become Small and Go'". The Washington Post. p. N14.
- ^ Powers, Ann (5 June 1998). "Pop and Jazz Guide". The New York Times. p. E26.
- ^ "Creeper Lagoon: I Become Small and Go". Music Week: 12. Oct 24, 1998.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (11 Feb 1999). "Weird and proud of it". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 9.
- ^ Tassano, Aaron (Jun 2, 1998). "Album Reviews". Cue. The Oakland Tribune. p. 4.