Grandaddy

[Peacock Johnson]

Jason Lytle has indicated that a new (and probably final) Grandaddy album is being mixed for release later this year, which is ridiculously exciting.

So in anticiaption, a thread about Grandaddy.

I love Grandaddy so much, a great band (albeit essentially just Jason the fact the core live group stayed in place until Kevin's death in 2017 is testament to them all).

Saw them in 2012 and then 2017 (and Jason solo thereafter) and were great live. Had a ticket to the orchestral Sophtware Slump tour last year but couldn't make it 😞.

Love the "chugger" songs like A.M 180, Chatsengrafs etc but they can also knock out some beautiful stuff too like Everything Beautiful Is Far Away and, Aim Towards The Sky.

Sophtware Slump is a masterpiece of course but they were/are so underappreciated its maddening.

[famethrowa]

Love Grandaddy too. The Sophtware Slump spoke to me so much in the late year 2000, I'd moved from my quiet comfortable town to the edge of the big city with my guitars and vintage synths and was feeling quite out of place, literally under the western freeway. So songs like The Crystal Lake, Miner at the DialaView were tailor made for me. The lines of Hewlett's Daughter still break my heart; with Crash United sewn on all of my dress shirts. You won't need them now, might as well put the corporate logo on it.

I remember being quite shocked at the drumming, it certainly wasn't like the 80s rock and 90s funk I'd been brought up on. Saw them in 2004, great show, bought the black and green "john deer" tshirt and wore it to death.

Also a shout out to The Warming Sun, all time fave.

Despite all this love, I still don't like the plinky banjo start to He's Simple... and the Crystal Lake could use some editing, too much repetition.

[The Mollusk]

I find a lot of their COMPUTERS R BAD lyrics far too twee for me to fully get immersed in them, especially Sumday which is an incredibly middling album. But if I'm not paying too much attention to that then musically/vocally they are lovely, and yeah Sophtware is particularly wonderful.

[turnstyle]

Fellow Grandaddy admirer here.

Unsurprisingly, got into them thanks to the 'bleepy bloopy' song, bought the debut album, then I was hooked. In fact, I remember creating the intro from AM 180 as my ringtone on an old Nokia, back when you could program your own ringtone using the keys.

Probably a real obvious choice, but Sophtware Slump remains the high point for me. Sumday was ok, but it never bowled me over. I fell off them after that, dipping into new releases here and there, but failing to really appreciate the newer material.

Sophtware Slump, for me at least, was a real 'time and place' record. It resonated with my so strongly when it came out. I always saw it as an Americana OK Computer. Probably a lazy parallel to draw, but it fits I think.

I saw them on the Sophtware Slump tour, at the Leadmill. An amazing gig. I remember buying the Windfall Varietal album from the merch stand, still have it somewhere.

And now I'm going to spend the rest of the day listening to Grandaddy.

[DrGreggles]

Add me to the list of fans.
Used to frequent an independent record shop (remember those?) and they were playing He's Simple... I had one of those go-to-the-counter-and-ask-what-it-was moments, and bought The Sophtware Slump there and then.
Can't say I can usually vividly recall the circumstances around buying an album, but that one has stuck in the memory for some reason.

[Brundle-Fly]

Under The Western Freeway was my intro. Actually, tell a lie, it was seeing them support Super Furries in '98. Great band. Eels, Beck, Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, Of Montreal. That was a funny old time in my record collection. Proper let's try something new after the parochialism of Britpop.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I got The Sophtware Slump in 2000 on the back of "He's Simple..." being on a covermount cd with Q Magazine. Withering putdowns for this cheerfully accepted, though I was 13 yrs old.

I still think that's probably their best song tbh

[Vodkafone]

As a fan of Midlake, it was Made Known to me in that way that things are that I would like Grandaddy, so a few years ago I bought Sumday. I thought it was fine but it didn't especially grab me and it didn't get many listens.

But on the strength of Peacock Johnson's post, I'm listening to the Sophtware Slump and it's good. I like the quirky synth parts. There's still something just a little too slight about their music for me though. I'm not completely sure what the issue is, maybe something with a bit more heft is needed to pierce the toughened grey hide of a man a little too close to the grave. It is a good album though.

[Peacock Johnson]

Sorry can't link but as part of Sumday anniversary marking they have released today an album of demos of said record, in usual streaming services.  More anniversary stuff to follow too.

[Tokyo van Ramming]

Someone I knew went to see Grandaddy in London, either before Sophtware Slump or immediately after it, and said people in the crowd were yelling at the singing feller to take off his baseball cap because he had it on so low that they couldn't see his face. Do people normally do that at Grandaddy gigs? Who cares! What pricks.

[The Mollusk]

Women get that sort of shit a lot. Maybe they thought he was a woman, you know on account of his voice

[Key]

I was a fan back in the day, but not a major one, had a couple of their albums and thought they had some truly brilliant songs and a lot of blander stuff that passed me by. Happened to catch them at a festival about 5 years ago and they were brilliant. I had gotten the impression that their sound wouldnt translate live cause of the hushed weedy vocals and lofi keyboards (like Sparklehorse) but they rocked supreme, with plenty of energy and sounded very close to the records.

[Peacock Johnson]

Jason's always been a reticent/reluctant frontman hence the caps and bank of keyboards to hide behind (saw him solo and he sat sideways almost backwards to the crowd). Hence Kevin's loss felt greater as playing live he just seemed to be having a ball and always got the biggest cheer of the night just far saying "are you ready?" in "He's Simple...".

Anyhow, 4LP Sumday reissue out later this year with lots of extras...

[ProvanFan]

I got The Sophtware Slump in 2000 on the back of "He's Simple..." being on a covermount cd with Q Magazine. Withering putdowns for this cheerfully accepted, though I was 13 yrs old.

Same, but for added coolness it was my dad who bought the magazine.

[Hat FM]

so was the sumday special addition the new release that Jason was hinting at or is there actually a new Grandaddy album on the way?

[king_tubby]

I saw them on the Sophtware Slump tour, at the Leadmill.

Same. Memorable for my mate turning around and shouting 'I don't give a shit who said what to who in your fucking halls, I'm trying to listen to the fucking band' at some students.

I was a big fan of Under the Western Freeway and that b-sides comp but I kind of gave up on them after Sophtware Slump, Sumday didn't really grab me at all. Didn't like them live much either, they played everything too fast.

[Peacock Johnson]

so was the sumday special addition the new release that Jason was hinting at or is there actually a new Grandaddy album on the way?

New album definitely in the works, the Sumday stuff just apropos of its anniversary.

[Das Reboot]

I had a spell of playing Way We Won't on repeat a few months ago. There's something delicious about the guitar tones on that track.

[Hat FM]

New album definitely in the works, the Sumday stuff just apropos of its anniversary.

great news!
Kind of surprised at the downbeat views on Sumday. i prefer sophtware slump but sumday is an incredible indie pop album.

[ProvanFan]

I probably wore myself out on Sumday in 2003, and for a years after the thought of the more plodding tracks would put me off sticking it on.

But then I saw them in Edinburgh a few years ago and the outro to Lost On Yer Merry way was the highlight of the gig. And The Group Who Couldn't Say is about as twee as it gets, but it proper hits me every time. And the three closing songs are moving in a more overtly personal way than anything on The Sophtware Slump.

Still prefer The Sophtware Slump, mind.

[lazyhour]

I listen to the following way more than I listen to The Sophtware Slump:

Under The Western Freeway
Sumday
Broken Down Comforter Collection
What Happened To The Fambly Cat

I do love Sophtware Slump but it's a bit too 'deep and meaningful' for me at times.

Grandaddy are great.

[lazyhour]

My scorching hot take has killed the Grandaddy thread :(

[Peacock Johnson]

New album in February;

"Grandaddy | Blu Wav - CD DIGISLEEVE - Rock / Hard Rock / Glam | Season of Mist" https://shop.season-of-mist.com/grandaddy-blu-wav-cd-digisleeve

and new single "Water cooler" out today in usual places.

[famethrowa]

and new single "Water cooler" out today in usual places.

Lovely! Certainly not pushing any boundaries there, it's #10 Dream as always, but very welcome. Missing the blippy synths a little though...

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Not feeling it, or maybe my tastes have changed

[Peacock Johnson]

Should add, album released digitally on 1st December seemingly...

[sevendaughters]

I like it. The vocal melody at the beginning is a slightly more chill 'Now It's On'.

[fuzzyste]

Grandaddy one of those bands where I fucking love one (Slump) of their albums but not so keen on the rest. Listened to Slump recently and I forgot how much I loved it. Not a bad tune on there, although its not a happy album eh?

[Peacock Johnson]

Should add, album released digitally on 1st December seemingly...

Nope but, new single out today and it's lovely

[Peacock Johnson]

So new album out today, have given it a couple of spins;

It's nice and as preempted it's very waltzy and full of steel guitar. It is very much more like a Jason solo album than a traditional Grandaddy type, does not seem like it would require the "normal" band (less Kevin anyway sadly of course 😥) to tour it.

Jason had mooted a final Grandaddy album and whilst he has rowed back a bit on that there are definitely hints on here it could well be, callbacks to older songs, themes of loss and time passing - reminds me how Collapse Into Now was in hindsight clearly the final R.E.M album in a similar way. Hopefully it won't be but as long as Jason is putting out music I will be on board.