The Mendoza Line
30 YEAR LOW- (GLURP)- Always a good thing , in my household to see a new record by the criminally underrated Mendoza Line. As most of you know, the band took their name from one of the old (1970’s â€" ers) members of the Pittsburgh Pirates (my favorite baseball team since I was a wee tike) who always had such a lousy batting average (at times under .200) that if you sucked at hitting you were told you might be under “the mendoza lineâ€�). Anywho, I know the baseball fan of the band, Peter Hoffman, left a few albums back and I’m now finding out that another major player, Shannon McArdle , has left the band too (she and band leader Tim Bracy have split up). The opening song, “Since I Cameâ€� is one of the most honest, heartbreaking, beautiful songs I have ever heard (it sounds to me like it is chronicling the breakup of Bracy and McArdle). With lyrics like “ I never know if I’m alone when I’m sleeping..â€� The next tune, is a call and response rowdy rocker between McArdle and Will Sheff (Okkervil River). “31 Candlesâ€� (again, sung by McArdle) is yet another honky tonk rocker that would have gotten my grandma dancing (and she didn’t dance often…I don’t think they did that sort fo thing in Savannah, GA). Bracy’s Dylan-esque croak finally comes in on “I Lost my Tasteâ€� ,but on this tune the band sounds more Velvet Underground than Dylan’s scruffy bunch. The final four songs on 30 YEAR LOW are all emotional heavyweights as well. The package also comes with a bonus disc that includes 18 songs of live gunk, radio shows, demos and the like. If this is indeed the last Mendoza Line record I gotta say, they have left us with one hell of a catalog.