43: Rollerskate Skinny’s Horsedrawn Wishes (1996)

It’s really no surprise that a Shields brother was once in this band, and while this album’s constant comparisons to Loveless aren’t unfounded, I do hold it distinct in my mind from MBV and their work. It’s hard, when a band is constantly being compared to something else and that something else happens to be a benchmark for a genre – you’re doomed to never be appreciated for how incredible you might be, and if you ever change your sound to break out of that mold, you’re a disappointment to people waiting to hear more records by the band you were originally compared to. Any of this making sense? It’s like having the misfortune of being in a band that someone with some influence compares to Radiohead. You poor, poor shmuck. Anyway, if you like the orchestral shoe-gazing genre but lean more towards the Mercury Rev / Flaming Lips side of things, you’ll probably really love this. But don’t download listen to just one song, do it as an album, for cryin’ out loud.

Rollerskate Skinny: “Swingboat Yawning” (mp3)