Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla
Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla is an EP by indie rock band Grandaddy, released on September 27, 2005.[1] The name comes from something Jason Lytle saw on the vanity license plate of a large truck in his home town of Modesto, California.[2][3] The CD version was released by V2 Records, while a limited-pressing vinyl edition was released on the Devil in the Woods label, with a bonus track "Hidden Health Announcement".[4]
Title and theme
The EP's title reflects Lytle's frustration with Modesto, and has been described as "not so much a farewell as a fuck off to the town".[5][6][7] In Lytle's words, the EP "was a nice opportunity for me to produce some whiney little complaining songs about my hometown. I think it's pretty blatant; it's pretty stripped down in terms of the message."[6] It was recorded simulataneously with the final Grandaddy album, and Lytle planned to leave Modesto as soon as the album was complete, stating "In Modesto, it's like gravity is a lot heavier. There's something that just makes you feel like you’re doing all you can just to keep your head above water, when in fact there's not a whole lot going on."
Recording
Todd Zilla was recorded at Lytle's second studio,[6] in Ceres, California, on older equipment — "none of that glitzy 24-track business". Its eight tracks do not appear on the band's fourth full-length album, Just Like the Fambly Cat. He recorded it as "a way to fill the gaps of time while recording the new album. I just thought I could throw together some old songs and some newer ones and a really new one".[3] Some of the songs had been written much earlier, as far back as ten years before, as Lytle stated: "There are years-long gaps between a lot of these songs, and mostly they were just annoying me because they were sitting around doing nothing."[1]
Everything on the EP was written and recorded by Lytle with the exception of drum tracks by Aaron Burtch.[6]
Reception
Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media gave it 5.6/10, calling it "a goofy, sloppy mini-album, cramming familiar Weezer fuzz, stoned piano ballads, playful analogue synths, and misguided Bad Company references into a little more than half an hour".[7] Gareth Dobson of Drowned in Sound gave it five out of ten, calling it a "mixed bag".[8] SPIN gave it a B+ rating, calling it "richly illustrated, grim but empathetic, epic yet humane art rock".[11] In the view of Joey Lipps of The Michigan Daily, "it falls short of the captivating quality of their previous recordings".[10] Shilpa Ganatra of Hot Press opined that the EP represented "a wander into the field of revolution rather than evolution".[9]
Track listing
| 1. |
"Pull the Curtains" |
2:59 |
| 2. |
"At My Post" |
6:08 |
| 3. |
"A Valley Son (Sparing)" |
4:50 |
| 4. |
"Cinderland" |
3:20 |
| 5. |
"Fuck the Valley Fudge" |
3:39 |
| 6. |
"Florida" |
4:37 |
| 7. |
"Goodbye?" |
5:41 |
| 8. |
"Hidden Health Announcement" (locked groove on exclusive vinyl edition only) |
|
References
- ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (2005) "Grandaddy Can't Wait To Leave Home — But They Have To Finish Telling It Off First", MTV, September 21, 2005, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ Lytle, Jason. Grandaddy's Jason Lytle talks about Grandaddy's last record, his mood, and why it is hard to make money as an independent musician. with Alex Steininger. http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/71h20.html. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ a b Long, Joe (2005) "Jason Lytle: The Grandaddy Landscape", Glide, November 14, 2005, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ "Grandaddy to release mini-album", music-news.com, August 11, 2005, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ Rowland, Marijke (2005) "Grandaddy's Newest Inspired by City's Sprawl", Modesto Bee, September 23, 2005, p. H5 ('SCENE' section)
- ^ a b c d Rubin, Joey (2005) "Excerpts from the Misery of Grandaddy", PopMatters, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ a b c Hogan, Marc (2005) "Grandaddy Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla EP", Pitchfork Media, September 25, 2005, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ a b Dobson, Gareth (2005) "Grandaddy: Excerpts From The Diary Of Todd Zilla", Drowned in Sound, October 20, 2005, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ a b Ganatra, Shilpa "Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla", Hot Press, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ a b Lipps, Joey (2005) "Grandaddy Coasts on Latest EP", Michigan Daily, November 16, 2005, p. 5, retrieved 2011-08-07
- ^ a b "Quick Cuts: Grandaddy Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla", SPIN, October 2005, retrieved 2011-08-07
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