▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▐ █ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄█▄▀ █ █ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▐ ▄▓▄ ▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀██▒▓▓█▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▀▓▀ ▄ ▐ ▀ ▀ ▄▄█████▄▄▄▄▄ ▀▓ ▄ █ ▄ █ ▄ ▄█████████▓▓▓▓▓▄ ▀▓ █ █ ▄ ▄▄█ █ █ ▐ ▄█████▌ ░░ ▀███▓▓▓ ▒▀▀▀▀█ █ ▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓█ ▓█▄▄ ▄ ▐ ███████ ░ ▐█▓▓▓▓ ▄▄▄▄ ▀▀▀▓░██▀▀▀▀▀ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ ▐ ▀██████▌ ░▄█▓▓▓▓▓▀▄██████▄▄▄ ▀▀ ▄██▓▄██████▓▓▓▓▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▓▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄ ▄ ▀████▀ ▄▓▓▓▓▓▓▀▄████████████▄ ████▓██████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▄▄▄▄ ▀▌ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▄███████████████████▓▓████████████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▌ ▄██▓▌ ▐██████▀▀ ▀▀█████████▓▓██████▄ ▀▀▀██████████▓▓▀ ▌ ▄████▓▌ █████▀ ░░ ▀▀██████▓▓▌███████▄ ░░ ▀▀▀▀█▓▓▓▀ ▀ █████▓█░████▌░░ ▀███▓▓▓▌ ▀███████▄ ░ ▄░▓▓▓▀ █████▓██████▌░ ▐█▓▓▓▀ ░ ▀█████ ░ ▀▀▀ ▐███▓▓██████▌░ ▓▓▀ ░ ░ ▄████▀ ░ ▄▓▓▄ ▀▓░░ ▐███▓▓█░█████ ░░░ ░ ▄░ ░░ ▄████▀ ░░ ████▓▓▄ ▀▓░ ▐███▓▓▌ ▐█████▄▄ ░░░░░░░ ▄██▓ ▄████▀ ░░ ███████▓▓▄ ▀░ ▐███▓▓▌░ ████████▄▄ ▄▄███▓▓▄█████▄▄▄▄ ░░░▀██████▓▓▓ ░ ▐███▓▓ ░ ▀██████████████▓▓▓▓████████████▄▄ ▀███▓▓▓░ ▐██▓▓▌ ░░░ ▀██████████▓▓▓▓▓▀▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█████▓▓▓▓░ ░ ██▓▓▓▌░ ░░ ▀█▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▀ ▄ ▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▐█▓▓▓▓ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄ ▄ ░ ▄▄▓▓▓▀▀ ░ █▐ ░░░ proudly presents ▌█ ░ ▀▀▀ ░░ █▐ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▌█ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█▐▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▌▐▌▐ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █▐▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌▐▌▐▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌█ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ░ █▐ ▐▌ ▌█ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█▐▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ███████████████████▀ ▀███████████████████████████████████▀ ▀██████████████████ █████ ▐█▐ █▓███ ARTIST..: Grickle-Grass ▐█▐ ██▓██ TITLE...: The Discount Hits ▐█▐ █▓██▓ LABEL...: Veto ▐█▐ ▓█▒▓░ ▐█▐ ▒▒▒▓▒ RIP-DATE...: Mar-09-2004 STREET-DATE: 2004 ▐█▐ ▒░▒░░ RIPPER.....: Team-ICE SUPPLIER...: Team-ICE ▐█▐ ░░▒░▒ TYPE.......: Album GENRE......: AlternRock ▐█▐ ▒▒░▒░ TRACKS.....: 14 SiZE.......: 52,5 MB ▐█▐ █▒░█▓ ▐█▐ █▒▒▒▓ QUALITY....: 192kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo ▐█▐ ▓█▒▒█ ▐█▐ █▓█▓█ URL........: www.grickle-grass.com ▐█▐ ██▓██ ▀ ▀█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████▀ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▐█▐ ░ ▐█▌ ▐█▌ ░ ▐█▐ ▄ ▄▄▄▐█▌▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄ ▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▐█▌▄▄▄ ▄ ▐█▐ ░ ▐█▌ ▐█ █▌ ▐█▌ ░ ▐█▐ ▀ ▀▀▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▐█ ▀▀ ▀ TRACKLiST ▀ ▀▀ █▌▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▀▀▀ ▀ ▐█▐ ▐█ █▌ ▐█▐ █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ ▐█▐ █▐01 █▐ Readyabout! ▌█ 03:56▌█ ▐█▐ █▐02 █▐ You Locked The Door, The Keys Are Inside ▌█ 00:59▌█ ▐█▐ █▐03 █▐ Tractor Beam ▌█ 02:31▌█ ▐█▐ █▐04 █▐ Ollie ▌█ 02:52▌█ ▐█▐ █▐05 █▐ Meter Maid ▌█ 02:32▌█ ▐█▐ █▐06 █▐ El Cabra Pella ▌█ 02:25▌█ ▐█▐ █▐07 █▐ Ultra ▌█ 02:54▌█ ▐█▐ █▐08 █▐ The Casket's Ready ▌█ 00:44▌█ ▐█▐ █▐09 █▐ Stealth Mode ▌█ 04:21▌█ ▐█▐ █▐10 █▐ Treasure Hunter ▌█ 02:28▌█ ▐█▐ █▐11 █▐ 6/8 Ballad ▌█ 03:21▌█ ▐█▐ █▐12 █▐ Yrovi ▌█ 03:32▌█ ▐█▐ █▐13 █▐ That's A Joke ▌█ 02:39▌█ ▐█▐ █▐14 █▐ No Time For An Encore ▌█ 02:52▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ █▐ ▌█ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐▀▀▀▓▀ ▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ Total Playtime: 38:06 min▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▀ ▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▀▀ ▀ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▐█▐ ░ ▐█▌ ▐█▌ ░ ▐█▐ ▄ ▄▄▄▐█▌▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄ ▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▐█▌▄▄▄ ▄ ▐█▐ ░ ▐█▌ ▐█ █▌ ▐█▌ ░ ▐█▐ ▀ ▀▀▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▐█ ▀▀ ▀ RLS-NOTES ▀ ▀▀ █▌▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▀▀▀ ▀ ▐█▐ ▐█ █▌ ▐█▐ █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐A good new record, like local trio Grickle-Grass' latest, The Discount ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Hits, always seems to uncannily evoke the season in which it was made. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐The aural hues of the tunes blend in with those of the visual natural ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐world with sublime ease, achieving what I like to call "the haphazard ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐precision of the cosmos." On the all-too-rare occasions this happens, ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐it's usually unintentional; such cohesion can never be forced. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐With The Discount Hits (Veto), Grickle-Grass present us with a worthy ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐follow-up that picks up close-but-not-too-close to where their debut LP▌█ ▐█▐ █▐left off two years ago. Like Make Up A Word And Call It That (Moss ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Productions), Discount Hits was overseen by Mike Wisti at Albatross ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Studios and was recorded over the course of the last year. On the couch▌█ ▐█▐ █▐at my pad, singer/guitarist Kyle Kosieracki, bassist Joe Holland and ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐drummer Sean Davis sat in front of me in a neat row somewhat ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐reminiscent of a certain trio of monkeys and slowly began to represent.▌█ ▐█▐ █▐I began by asking how they thought their two full-length records ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐differed. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Grickle-Grass ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"I've heard people say it (The new record) has more feeling," begins ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Sean. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"It has more feeling?" Kyle asks laughing. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"That's what some people have said," returns Sean. "More than one." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"More than one person told you 'Well I guess it has more feeling'?" ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐asks Kyle again. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"I think my dad said that actually," Sean answers. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐I go on to explain that I think the record has a much more comfortable ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐feel to it, a laid back quality. "The compositions are stronger, and ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐when I say refined, I don't mean that in any negative way." Cue ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐explosive laughter from the boys. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"You guys just seem to have jelled more on this one," I continue. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"That's probably true," Sean concurs. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"It was our second time working with (Wisti)," explains Kyle, "so we ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐all knew what was going on, what to expect. We knew what our job was ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐and what his job was. It's all relationships." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"I just think it's an indication not only of maturing as individuals, ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐but as a whole band," I explain. "You know, greater self-knowledge, ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐greater collective knowledge." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐The typically demure Joe offers, "The only way you can make a record ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐like that is if you've been playing with the same people for as long as▌█ ▐█▐ █▐we have." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐In the spirit of debate, Kyle pipes in, "I don't know what that means."▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"Well," Joe begins in defense, "you can't start a band and then a year ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐later make a record like this." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"I don't know if that's true either," replies Kyle. "I don't think ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐longevity has much to do with recording something." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"I don't know then," concedes Joe. "I don't know what the answer is." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Powerfully autumnal in essence, The Discount Hits is filled with the ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐emotional sensations one associates with the change of seasons. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Resignation and renewal, growth and goodbyes - all are given equal time▌█ ▐█▐ █▐on the record. Maybe it's my own seasonal-affective disorder that makes▌█ ▐█▐ █▐it seem that way, but the colors here aren't humid and glossy; they're ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐soft and subtle. This isn't to say that the album doesn't rock, it ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐merely suggests a more sagacious and ruminative tone. Instead of ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐kicking up dirt, the songs sweep through the room like the rivers of ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐fallen leaves that flow through the streets and cover the boulevards. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐The leadoff track, "Readyabout!," acts as both port of entry and exit. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐The maritime metaphor figures heavily into the coming and going aspects▌█ ▐█▐ █▐of an impermanent relationship. At first, Kyle asks as he sings, ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"Seemed like a sure-fire fit/Begs to ask the question/Why did I ever ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐get off the ship?" only to realize the choice may not have been his own▌█ ▐█▐ █▐as Joe chidingly points out another lyric, "What about the `blindfold ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐and the blade shoved in his side.' What do you think that means?" ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"You tell us," I say. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"He's being forced to walk the plank ... " says Joe. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐"See," interrupts Kyle laughing, "Joe's been figuring it out himself. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐" ... which basically means it's about a chick," finishes Joe. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐More laughter ensues as Kyle quickly adds, "That's all that Joe knows ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐with girls...if it's blindfolds and blades, it's gotta be a woman." ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐The Discount Hits opens with a semi-martial 1-2-3 waltz line eliciting ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐the rising and falling action of the open seas before breaking into the▌█ ▐█▐ █▐headlong charge of verse and chorus. Track 2, "You Locked The Door, The▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Keys Are Inside," references the movie "Risky Business," and basically ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐acts as a hyphen between the opener and the third track, "Tractor ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Beam," just over two minutes of shifting patterns alternating between ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐4/4, a stuttering shuffle, chugging guitar and squirrelly little lead ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐flourishes. Next up is "Ollie," equal parts drone, dirty chords and ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐chiming bell guitar accents. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Among the strongest tracks on the record, "Meter Maid" begins as a ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐buzzing dirge with an almost inchoate pattern that gives way to lighter▌█ ▐█▐ █▐picking and eventually takes shape, then abruptly stops before kicking ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐into the crescendo/denouement which is strummed with gusto and ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐propelled by a sense of resigned, bittersweet triumph. Other standout ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐tracks include "Stealth Mode," which builds and boils before simmering ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐back down so Kyle can declare with a sense of relief, "True, I got ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐through/December, it's over." The penultimate "That's A Joke," along ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐with the first track, is one of the most rocking on the record. The ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐last track, "No Time For An Encore," is all bells and whistles; a ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐happy, whimsical and sudden exit. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Another prominent difference between The Discount Hits and its ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐predecessor is the sequencing of the tracks from start to finish. Hits ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐is more or less a smooth ride all the way through with perhaps a bump ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐or slump here or there just to make sure the listener is paying ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐attention, whereas the previous disc lost momentum somewhere along the ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐way and just barely managed to pick it back up before winding back ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐down. When I mentioned this to the band, they were quick to agree, and ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐informed me that drummer Sean Davis sequenced The Discount Hits in its ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐entirety, my suspicion that somehow the drummer was responsible for the▌█ ▐█▐ █▐overall flow of the album had been validated. Sean also played guitar ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐on most of the cuts. And, as always, bassist Holland acts as the ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐adhesive that keeps everything locked tightly down. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐The result is a solid work: rough enough for the bar crowd yet melodic ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐and sensible enough to please the palates of a wide range of music ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐fans. In fact, these songs are so fuggin' catchy I may require the ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐services of a cult deprogrammer, if only to get them out of my head so ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐I can think about other things. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐Despite its reflective/introspective quality, the album is by no means ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐somber or bitter. The Discount Hits is a record nearly overflowing with▌█ ▐█▐ █▐the inalienable sense of joy that being a musician can provide. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐- Donny Doane (pulsetc.com) ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▀ ▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▀▀ ▀ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▐█▐ ░ ▐█▌ ▐█▌ ░ ▐█▐ ▄ ▄▄▄▐█▌▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▓▄ ▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▐█▌▄▄▄ ▄ ▐█▐ ░ ▐█▌ ▐█ █▌ ▐█▌ ░ ▐█▐ ▀ ▀▀▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▐█ ▀▀ ▀ GRP-NOTES ▀ ▀▀ █▌▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▀▀▀ ▀ ▐█▐ ▐█ █▌ ▐█▐ █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ ▐█▐ █▐As 2004 brings about a new year, the month of February brings about our▌█ ▐█▐ █▐6-month anniversary. Bringing you well over 300 releases so far, we are▌█ ▐█▐ █▐striving to bring you even more quality releases in the time to come. ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐For those who have supported us through the tough times,you have our ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐gratitude and upmost respect. Look for more great releases from ICE ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐in 2004! ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ICE is currently seeking: ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ -New music rippers and suppliers ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ -Siteops seeking MP3 affils 10/100 mbit+ all locations ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ -Dump and HQ providers 10 mbit+ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ -Anybody that feels that they can add something to our team ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐If you can help us with any of the above please contact us: ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ [email protected] ▌█ ▐█▐ █▐ Last Updated:02.04 ▌█ ▀ ▀▓▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▓▀▀ ▀