tful282

I first heard this, at max volume, while sitting in traffic on the strip in Las Vegas during my first visit to that place. 

Review of THINKING FELLERS UNION LOCAL 282 discography:

http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=thinking_fellers_union_local_282

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Lovelyville is one of the Fellers' jokiest records, going so far as to include a cover of Sugarloaf's "Green-Eyed Lady." Dark and absurd, it points to the '70s childhoods of TFUL282 as an influence on their music. Hageman's vocals dominate the record; the lyrics he sings, with their visceral surrealism, are not enhanced by elocution. "Nothing Solid" is an epic closer to the main body of the album, as the band clusters together, chanting and tunelessly shouting the chorus. The CD includes an eight-song "sub-album," The Crowded Diaper: petite songs smothered by automatic writing via tape recorder.

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Find the album: http://p-l-m.blogspot.com/2008/06/thinking-fellers-union-local-282.html

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Friday, June 27, 2008

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Lovelyville (1991)

I recently received a request to post Thinking Fellers Union Local 282's 1991 album Lovelyville. Most of the requests I receive are for either stuff I don't have or stuff that's still in print. In researching the Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 catalog, I discovered that the three albums released by Matador Records are out of print. This sounds like a job for PLM!

Following the self-release of their 1988 debut album, the originally cassette-only Wormed by Leonard, and 1989's Tangle, interest in the San Francisco-based band increased to the level that they signed to respected indie label Matador Records. Lovelyville was released in 1991 and was immediately a college radio hit. TFUL282's sound is tough to describe if you've never heard them before. Their music is wildly imaginative and falls somewhere in that vague area between Butthole Surfers (but less abrasive and more experimental) and Ween (but less jokey and more odd). While there are memorable hooks and catchy melodies, these moments are interrupted by fits of overt strangeness. But there's a kind of weird humor at work here as well. Their cover of Sugarloaf's "Green-Eyed Lady" is an ample example. All of the members of the band contribute to the vocals, which range from druggie narration to smirky singing to outright yelling. Some of the tracks are less "songs" and more like bizarre audio scenarios. This is heady indie rock at its best and well worth checking out for the adventurous listener!

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