It's hard not to listen to Telecommando Americano and feel a sense of loss, given that guitarist/songwriter Jim Ellison committed suicide shortly after completing the recording of these 11 songs. Technically, the record would have been demos for Material Issue's fourth album, but they are all that he left behind, and they demonstrate that he had a gift for both jangly and fuzzy power pop hooks. No matter how good these are, there's a sense that Ellison took his life before he reached his ful...   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

It's a shame it took so long for somebody to put out a Material Issue compilation, especially in the wake of collections from far lesser bands of the era like EMF, Screaming Trees, and Ned's Atomic Dustbin. The Chicago power pop trio may have suffered beneath the avalanche of grunge, but their racket was far more intelligent and melodic, yielding two of college rock's best singles, "Diane" and "Valerie Loves Me." Mercury's {^20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection: T...   [ read more ]

CD $9.45

A title like International Pop Overthrow suggests a far more revolutionary and ambitious approach than what Material Issue actually served up on its first album -- Jim Ellison doesn't sound like he wants to take over the world so much as he wants (a) a girl to like him, and (b) three-minute pop songs to regain their rightful place on the radio (which, come to think of it, was a fairly revolutionary notion in 1991). Singer/songwriter and guitarist Ellison and partners Ted Ansani on bass...   [ read more ]

CD $9.48