An album of memory-soaked lo-fi that peels out of the speaker like a ray of sunshine, Dan Lurie‘s first solo release The Spirit of ’98 speaks a vast volume for being just 10 tracks. Based on his college life (which includes the staples of our own collegiate experience — "girls, and cheap beer, and cheaper vodka, meeting friends, losing friends, remembering some, forgetting others, and discovering who you are"), it’s been eleven years coming, amidst the fruit of his seemingly neverending musical cornucopia (Solyoni, The Thrifty, The Grapefruit League, etc.). Between a $25 guitar, a miniature grand piano, an 8-track cassette recorder and a handful of other toys, Lurie’s laid down 10 tunes that swing from nostalgic romps to sonnets singing the real thing. At times it reminds me of early/live Elliott Smith, at times Bradford Cox, at times it reminds me of nothing (in the most melodic way possible). Why he’s been hiding The Spirit of ’98 away since then is beyond me, but I’m glad it’s out. Thanks for bringing me back to college, Dan, and this time without the endless hangover. –Mike Harper
Download the album for free! (Cheaper than college, and better!)