Like a ghost, she'll disappear
We get tons of unsolicited CDs here at Robot Central's Minneapolis headquarters, which is great. It's really nice of people to send us their stuff, and it's even better when that stuff turns out to be good, like the CD Fourth Of July On The Plains by the band Fourth of July from Lawrence, Kansas.
Fourth Of July's record label is Range Life Records, which is very fitting. Not only is there a country tinge to their sound, there's a Pavement tinge as well, and it's the Pavement sound from "Range Life" that especially comes to mind. This song is one of the more country-oriented tracks on this record, but it has a charm that stuck out to me. There are other good songs on Fourth Of July On The Plains, but this is the one I played over and over.
I think it's great that Pavement has become such a touchstone for bands these days. While other bands can't pull it off, I think bands like Fourth Of July and Hockey Night have found ways to use the same shabby formula for good songs. And good for them.
You can download the entire Fourth Of July On The Plains record from Range Life Records.