LP III explained

LP III
Type:studio
Artist:The Soviettes
Cover:TheSoviettes_LPIII.JPG
Released:June 28, 2005
Recorded:February 2005 at the Terrarium in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Genre:Punk rock
Length:28:21
Label:Fat Wreck Chords
Producer:Jacques Wait
Prev Title:LP II
Prev Year:2004
Next Title:Rarities
Next Year:2010

LP III is the third album by the Minneapolis punk rock band The Soviettes. It was released on CD and LP on June 25, 2005, to mixed critical reviews.

Recording and release

LP III continued the Soviettes' trend of numerically naming their albums (their previous two albums being LP and LP II).[1] Unlike the previous two which were signed with Adeline Records, this album was signed with Fat Wreck Chords.[2] Reflecting on the change, bandmember Maren "Sturgeon" Macosko noted in an interview that "[t]he biggest difference between Adeline and Fat is, well, the size."[3] The second track on the album, "¡Paranoia Cha Cha Cha!", was first released on April 20, 2004, on the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 compilation, part of the Rock Against Bush series.[4] The disc was produced by Fat Wreck Chords, making "¡Paranoia Cha Cha Cha!" the first Soviettes track on the label.[5]

The other tracks on the album were recorded at the Terrarium Studios in Northeast Minneapolis during February, 2005.[6] [7] As before, Annie Holoien and Maren "Sturgeon" Macosko played guitar, Danny Henry played the drums, and Susy Sharp played the bass guitar while all four bandmembers sang.[8] Every track on the album clocked in at under three minutes in length.[9] The album was released on June 28, 2005, on CD and limited-edition pink vinyl, of which 220 copies were pressed.[10] "Roller Girls" was used from 2010 to 2016 as a "hype video" for the Minnesota RollerGirls, the roller derby league which inspired the song, and continued to be used afterward as the skate-out theme for the B-Team Minnesota Nice.

In early September, 2005, Macosko hinted that there would be an LP IV in the future. This never happened, as the band broke up thereafter.[11] Nonetheless, the band reunited in 2010 to play several shows in the Twin Cities and released a fourth album, called Rarities.[12]

Reception

LP III was met with mixed reviews, although it was professionally reviewed only a few times. It was given a positive review in Allmusic, noting its melodies and harmonies and calling it "the Soviettes' best-performed record yet". The service did note the short length of the album as its downfall, but otherwise had no negative feedback and rated the album as a four out of five.

In a review from IGN, the album was noted as a disappointment in comparison to LP II, noting only "Multiply and Divide" and "¡Paranoia Cha Cha Cha!" as bright spots on the album. ("¡Paranoia Cha Cha Cha!" was discounted, however, since it had already been out since the previous year and was thus a repeat.) They gave the album a six and a half out of ten.[13]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Multiply and Divide" – 2:47
  2. "¡Paranoia Cha Cha Cha!" – 2:03
  3. "Middle of the Night" – 2:14
  4. "Whoa" – 1:11
  5. "(Do) The Stagger" – 1:58
  6. "You Should Know" – 1:27
  7. "What Did I Do?!" – 1:48

Side Two

  1. "Roller Girls" – 1:43
  2. "Together" – 2:02
  3. "Thinking of You" – 2:51
  4. "Hanging Up the Phone" – 2:18
  5. "How Do You Like That" – 1:34
  6. "Photograph" – 1:55
  7. "Gotta Decide" – 2:30

Personnel

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: LP III. Amazon.com. 2009. March 24, 2009.
  2. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r778243|pure_url=yes}} Review]. March 25, 2009. Loftus. Johnny. 2009. Allmusic.
  3. Web site: The Soviettes Speak. September 7, 2005. March 27, 2009. IGN. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101215200357/http://music.ign.com/articles/648/648583p1.html. December 15, 2010.
  4. Web site: Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 [ENHANCED]]. 2009. Amazon.com. March 26, 2009.
  5. Web site: V/A Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. March 26, 2009. RevHQ. 2009.
  6. Web site: The Terrarium a Recording Studio. March 26, 2009. The Terrarium.
  7. Web site: Soviettes LP III CD. CD Universe. March 26, 2009. 2009.
  8. Web site: The Soviettes. 2006. March 26, 2009. Fat Wreck Chords.
  9. News: Grose. Jessica. Jessica Grose. The Soviettes. January 12, 2012. Spin. 5 July 2005.
  10. Web site: The Soviettes :: LP III. Fat Wreck Chords. 2006. March 26, 2009.
  11. Web site: BEST BAND TO BREAK UP IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. 2009-03-27. 2007. City Pages. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100226124220/http://www.citypages.com/bestof/2007/award/best-band-to-break-up-in-the-past-12-months-70159/. 2010-02-26.
  12. News: Spencer . Jack . The Soviettes: Then and now . A.V. Club . Twin Cities . March 19, 2010 . 2024-06-03 . 2011-06-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629164622/http://www.avclub.com/twincities/articles/the-soviettes-then-and-now,38779/.
  13. Web site: The Soviettes - LP III. March 27, 2009. IGN. June 29, 2005. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110527122835/http://music.ign.com/articles/629/629928p2.html. May 27, 2011.