One Adult Beverage Later....

Irish Whiskey is a wonderful thing.

I'm quite fond of Knappogue Castle. I  recommend it. It's a good buy for the money.

I personally have an issue with spending more than fifty bucks for a bottle of liquor. It's more or less that I have a hard time justifying it and would enjoy it less. I don't know. It's how I am. Knappogue is  near the top of my limit, delicious and on sale at my local shop often enough that I seldom have to pay list price.

I'm having a respectable snootful (which google tells me is spelled with a single L.) and reacquainting myself with the third Hang Ups full length which was a bit of a departure for them.

Second Story (1999)

So as the 20th Century ground to a close and Prince was likely able to redo his kitchen or something with the royalties from the song "1999" (which I'm not going to link to because all the links I googled up look kind of sketchy) the Hang Ups revamped and had a bit of a shake up. The bass player became the lead guitarist and the drummer started a slow exit and they became a bit of a different animal than on previous outings.

For this particular recording they worked with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon behind the boards marking the first time those two had collaborated on a recording project since the first couple REM albums. Hopes were, as they say, high.

All of that said, they do a fine enough job but this one kind of lacks the same kind of breath stealing wonder of the previous two. It's a transitional album. They're stretching. They're integrating new people and an expanded sonic palette. They're growing. It's not bad, but they weren't quite as solid in execution of the newer direction.

As it is, I really wasn't even aware that the band still existed by the time this was made. I'd gone through several different musical phases in the intervening years. I think my first exposure to this was some kind of free outdoor show on the West Bank and walking away with kind of mixed feelings.

 

It's not the one I reach for first. Let's put it that way. I won't reach and turn it off when it comes up, but it doesn't quite hit me in the same way as the previous two. 

 

Your mileage will vary. Take my assessments as always with a grain or two of sodium chloride. 

Some Irish whiskey probably wouldn't hurt either.