Fiestas and Fiascos
Lifter Puller
2000 Self Starter Foundation
There once was a band, from Minnetonka, or Minnesota, or, well, actually, they were from Milwaukee... as were, I believe, Laverne and Shirley. They were here, they were now, they were discordant, they were literate, they were, arguably, beyond brilliant. They told stories, and then they were gone. Eventually, they were reborn as the Hold Steady, and, to a good degree, they were very similar. However, we are not here to talk about the Hold Steady. We do, however, love the Hold Steady; one could go so far as to say that we have a big boner for the Hold Steady. Again, however, our feelings for the Hold Steady are not up for discussion. We are here to discuss Lifter Puller, and, more specifically, the brilliant album "Fiestas and Fiascos".
Many years ago, I bought tickets to a show at Brownie's in NYC -- a club that most everyone will remember as being "important". Well, as clubs go, and importance goes, Brownie's closed for reasons that escape me, and, in any event, I bought tickets to the Very Last Show at Brownies in NYC, which was also a reunion of Lifter Puller... and then we didn't go. Tickets were purchased, but, sadly, flights were never booked, and an amazing opportunity was, literally, thrown away. However, this is not about Brownie's, or regret, or missed opportunities. This is about Lifter Puller, Nightclub Dwight, the Guy with the Eyepatch, a bar called the Nice Nice, and the place where they all come together, a record called "Fiestas and Fiascos".
In short, there's simply not much that can be said about "Fiestas and Fiascos", other than the fact that it is sheer and total brilliance. In fact, this may be the anti record review. There's not much to say other than, if you have not heard this record, then you must. If you have heard it, and don't love it, you are personaly deficient. An entire review could be written quoting Craig Finn, and anyone who spent their formative years in the Midwest will especially appreciate his tributes to 3.2 beer, mini-thins, park sex, hard drugs, and dangerous living. (We're from the Midwest, don't question us. We know about these things. Well, maybe not the park sex; that's just dirty... Well... oh, never mind.) There is easily a novel hiding in plain view amongst the lyrics of Fiestas, and it's impossible to describe the exhileration that Finn's literacy can incite. Each song yields something brilliantly quotable that makes you forget everything you just heard; and they manage to do it over and over again. Seriously, this is music that you can get lost in, and still consistently be amazed as the words unfold like a chinese puzzle; forever amazing.
Smokin' Weed and Makin' Money indeed.
Recommended? Only for the cool kids
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