2nd Grade – Scheduled Explosions

Scheduled Explosions plays like a sketch book in audio form. There are a ton of ideas all in full motion (23 songs in all!) ranging from just under a half minute to just shy of 2 and a half minutes. Some are like gesture drawings while others are more realized. The one common thread is Gill’s penchant for crafting a catchy melody.

At times, 2nd Grade (Peter Gill) experiments with sound, at times letting white noise permeate it’s compositions. Other times, Gill plays it straight, giving us a hummable, hooky tune that with just a little bit of production polish, something that could have been a hit back when radio was friendlier to melodic, guitar driven pop. Pavement fans will prefer the former, dB’s fans the latter.

Do Not Pass Go

Some of the more accessible tunes include the infections “Uncontrollably Cool”, the contemplative “King of Marvin Gardens”, a minute and a half jangle-fest called “Made Up My On Mind” and the unforgettable “I Wanna Be On Your Mind”. When I hear these tracks, my mind wanders back to some of the basement demos I heard back in the day from bands such as The Nerves, dBs, 20/20 or Shoes.

Initially, I thought that perhaps some of the tracks may have been better served by glossier production. But the more I hear them, the more I think they’re perfect as they are. I’m guessing that many of these were recorded in a single session in the interest of spontaneity, ensuring that each and every track loses nothing in the process. Consequently, they all feel immediate and vital. Like a sketchbook. This seems to be the evolving approach to making music, necessitated by social media and the requirement to put out a stream of information as often as possible. Similarly, Liquid Mike cranks out an abundance of sketch-like tracks. I guess one could say that this is a Marshal McLuhan moment.

Schedule Your Explosions

Scheduled Explosions is a great deal of fun to listen to. Get your copy of 2nd Grade’s Scheduled Explosions at their bandcamp page. It’s available in digital or cassette. Yes, I said cassette.