Untitled (1992)

Untitled (1992)

Out of the experimental haze that was Twin Infinitives, Hagerty and Herrema would emerge and reinvent themselves as a lo-fi-ish (times were tight pre-major label dough) indie rock band, which would include their early masterpiece, 1993’s Cats And Dogs. The 1992 Untitled record (sometimes referred to as “Skulls”) was certainly an album of firsts for the band. It was their first foray into conventional songwriting and arrangements. It was also the first real glimpses into Hagerty and Herrema’s musical chemistry, and Hagerty’s guitar chops. This is also where the Rolling Stones, and to a lesser degree, Velvet Underground, comparisons begin. Finally, it was their first “clean” record, though a good half of the tracks here (“Lightning Boxer,” “Blood Flowers,” “Hallucination,” and “Junkie Nurse”) either reference their former lives or were written and performed back in the early ’90s. While tracks like the aforementioned “Hallucination” and “Lightening Boxer” certainly sound more akin to their earlier material, more conventional song structures were rearing their head, as well. Album opener “Air” feels like, well, a fresh breath of air and has an almost late-’60s, sunny West Coast feel, whereas “Junkie Nurse” shows off Hagerty’s acoustic fingerpicking skills. Then there’s “Sometimes,” which is probably the poppiest thing they did until Veterans Of Disorder, and it’s almost danceable! “Blood Flowers,” on the other hand, is the first real Stones-like song they would record, sounding like a drug-hazed attempt at a Sticky Fingers outtake, while the garage stomping drums and repetitive and feedback-heavy guitar, along with Hagerty and Herrema taking turns speak-singing verses and shouting out the chorus together on “Sun On The Run,” reveal a likely obsession with White Light/White Heat-era Velvet Underground. By 1992, Hagerty and Herrema were coming out of the haze, but weren’t quite in the clear yet. It would be another year before they would produce their first (and probably best) great record, Cats And Dogs.