January 2004 | As requested: what tiny dog is listening to

Isn't it funny how, in the reader letter linked above, a feature was requested... and here it is?? Think about it people...

It is a rare thing indeed, for tiny dog to recommend a record, as most have their ups and downs, and tiny dog so can't stand pandering record review adjectives like "lush," "distilled," and "swooning," and still has latent anger toward record snobs from college days, and so we've tended to stay out of this business altogether, and leave it to the fanboys. I have in the past recommended a listen to kexp.org if you need to freshen your perspective (as anyone long out of college, and not clinging to an aging hipster lifestyle, likely does).

But I just wanted to say, that The Wren's the meadowlands, which sort of seemed "huh?" to me on the first few superficial listens, suddenly wow'd people around the tiny dog household, compelling lots of listens in a row, which just basically doesn't happen very often (to me anyway, I usually have the opposite experience with records). Then I read the lyrics, which are like poems-- except involving, surprising poems about things you can relate to (if you can imagine this; I know it isn't easy).

I don't know, maybe you'll hate it. But it just kept surprising me, as a random listener out of the blue, and not a jacked-in fan who knew the history of the band or the record, like all the reviewers who wrote about it did. Give er a shot-- but listen straight through, a number of times. This is important, as, like I said, I thought it was random at first, then suddenly I was amazed.

Hey, peeps. Send mail to mail@tiny-dog.com.