What’s new? I got stung by a bee a couple times this weekend, which hurt a whole lot more than my memory of past stings. Fortunately, the swelling was minimal so now it just itches like crazy but should be fine in a day or two. Also, Roger Federer won another Grand Slam, which raises the question: is he the single most dominant athlete in the world right now? You’d have to say so, I think. He’s getting close to an argument as the single best tennis player in history.
Also, the US played Brazil, and played pretty well (despite losing 4-2). And Clint Dempsey scored another goal. Go Deuce!
As for me, things are insanely busy around these parts right now, so this may be the last you hear of me for a week or so. In the spirit of “blasts from the past” that seems to have been a bit of a theme lately, I’ll mention a new EP from a great 90s band I never expected to resurface: The Rentals.
You remember The Rentals, right? The bass player from Weezer, “Friends of P,” all-moog-all-the-time… classic stuff.
Well, they’ve re-formed and released a very nice little EP called The Last Little Life (eMusic) as a tantalizer. It’s pretty much what you’d expect – a few great boy/girl harmonies, some nice keyboards, and a big slice of pop.
The one small surprise for me is the very aptly named “Sweetness and Tenderness” which feels a lot less like classic 90s pop and a lot more like the soundtrack to the happy ending of some love story (replete with the long-fading coda). And I mean that in the best way. This is the kind of song you feel a little embarrassed about liking, but you still can’t stop listening.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Sweetness and Tenderness – The Rentals
Friends of P – The Rentals
p.s. – Matt Sharp played for Weezer on The Blue Album and Pinkerton and has not been involved since. You do the math.