Attractive Nuisance (album)
| Attractive Nuisance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Loud Family | ||||
| Released | February 22, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Rock, power pop | |||
| Length | 50:09 | |||
| Label | Alias Records | |||
| Producer | Scott Miller | |||
| The Loud Family chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[2] |
Attractive Nuisance, released in 2000, is The Loud Family's fifth full-length album. It has the same line-up as the 1998 album, Days for Days. At the time of its release, it was announced as the final Loud Family album.
Track listing
All songs written by Loud Family
- "720 Times Happier Than the Unjust Man" - 3:46
- "One Will be the Highway" – 3:42
- "Save Your Money" – 4:06
- "Nice When I Want Something" – 5:32
- "Years of Wrong Impressions" - 3:19
- "Blackness, Blackness" – 4:46
- "Backward Century" – 4:11
- "Soul D.C." – 5:12
- "The Apprentice" - 3:06
- "No One's Watching My Limo Ride" – 3:06
- "Controlled Burn (Parts 1 and 2) - 4:57
- "Motion of Ariel" – 4:26
Critical reception
PopMatters called the album "orchestral in [its] tapestry of sounds," with a variety of styles ranging "from catchy up-tempo pop, to blistering psychedelic rock, to piano balladry."[2]
The Chicago Tribune pointed out contrasting styles in specific songs: "the lush orchestral contours of 'One Will Be the Highway,' the nearly avant-garde interludes of 'Save Your Money' or the acid-metal roar of "Nice When I Want Something.'"[3] The review by Greg Kot also cited Scott Miller's "supple melodies" and "dense, often opaque lyrics", calling him a "quirky visionary [who] still delights in the possibilities of the three-minute pop song."[3]
AllMusic's Mark Deming wrote that the album's "alternately bracing and pensive melodies, angular guitar figures, and superb keyboard textures harked back to the best work of Miller's previous band, Game Theory," and called the result "a wickedly arch slice of intelligent power pop" with "smart, energetic hooks, and emotionally compelling melodies".[1]
Personnel
From the CD sleeve:
- Scott Miller - lead vocals on all songs except 5 and 9, guitar, some of synthesizer on 1 and 11, backing vocals on 9[3]
- Kenny Kessel - bass guitar, backing vocals on 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12
- Alison Faith Levy - lead vocals on 5 and 9, piano, synthesizer and sampled instruments, backing vocals on 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12
- Gil Ray - drums, percussion, guitar on 11, some of synthesizer on 11
- Mike Keneally - guitar solo on 4
References
- 1 2 Deming, Mark (2000). "Attractive Nuisance". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-10-25.
- 1 2 Fufkin, David (2000). "The Loud Family: Attractive Nuisance". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 2014-08-27.
- 1 2 3 Kot, Greg (April 30, 2000). "Loud Family Attractive Nuisance (Alias) Scott...". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-08-04.