Ken Stringfellow's first solo album, released on
Hidden Agenda Records in 1997, is...well, it's definitely all over the map. Ken himself described it as "four demos and some
filler". A lot of fans (okay, myself included) think it's a mess. It certainly can be frustrating, as guitar angst (most of which ended up in fully-fleshed out forms on
Saltine releases) blends into weird noodly
breakbeat experiments which in turn lead into power pop covers. All this and a
Pansy Division-esque shirtless photo in the liner notes, too! It's all thoroughly
dispensable; if you really want to see what the boy is capable of all by himself, listen to
Touched.
But.
The one demo that never ended up being rerecorded - "
Too True" - is genuinely stunning. Yeah, that verse about the refrigerator is fairly misguided, but hey, it's a
demo. Listening to Ken howl "Am I so bad?" over and over gets to you after a while. He's been playing it at recent solo shows and it holds up with the best of his recent work.
- Here's to the Future (later done by Saltine; also rerecorded as the closer for his next album)
- Trans Potato (playing with the drum machine)
- Your Love Won't Be Denied (Saltine)
- A Short Drum Break (self-explanatory)
- Any Sign at All (Saltine)
- Bi - Son (overlong samply...thing)
- Too True
- Anxiety Ryder (etc.)
- Unfortunate Threnody (etc. etc.)
- Take Care (minimalist Big Star cover)