My Collection Day 3: Acetone - I've Enjoyed As Much Of This As I Can Stand - Live at the Knitting Factory, NYC: May 31, 1998
Acetone are known for their gentle, morose tunes in line with the slowcore aesthetic but some of my favorite slowcore songs are dense and heavy, coming from despondent enigmas like Bedhead or Codeine. In that way, I've Enjoyed As Much Of This As I Can Stand is a great companion to the compilation 1992-2001. A recording of a band at their peak, many of the quieter cuts on this live album benefit from the heavier live guitar tone and the entire thing reeks of the anxiety that comes with playing in front of people. Lightcap plays masterfully—the wahwah on Every Kiss adds a fun layer to the song, Richie Lee's bass is full bodied and wreaths Steve Hadley's energetic playing in such a way that the whole thing feels psychic and like a photonegative of the comparatively surfeit-in-production studio works. Of the three covers on here, as much has I love the blisteringly heavy Misirlou which betrays their interest in surf music, my favorite is the cover of Link Wray's Rumble. Lightcap's guitar flourishes shine here but it's with an amazing support between the two compatriots. I really hope Dick Slessig tours.
