Another one out of the Allmusic guide. But this project kicked off with a Big Star album, might as well keep working through their noteworthy albums. Children by the millions sing for Alex Chilton.
Wow, this is really a weird turn. Brief flashes of pop, but they're pushing to the surface through a sea of defeat. The whole thing reminds me a bit of Elliot Smith somehow, its the kind of album you expect to later find out was written while the bandleader contemplated suicide. The song Holocaust, while having nothing to do with the holocaust as far as I can tell, is one of the most harrowing rock songs I've ever heard, sounding as stripped naked as John Lennon's solo work, with the stark sentiment of Xiu Xiu, and the delivery of Thom York at his most plaintive. If it came out today it might be embarrassing, but with the benefit of a less jaded time it comes of as pretty brutal.
The rest isn't quite so intense, again, there are pop moments, but they're all anchored. The strings on For You, the overblown vocals and upright bass buzz of Blue Moon, moments abound. In the end, it's like a Paul Thomas Anderson movie, worth experiencing once, stark enough to be glad to be done with it 3/5
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