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Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla

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Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla is an EP by American indie rock band Grandaddy, released on September 27, 2005. According to frontman Jason Lytle, the EP was "a way to fill the gaps of time while recording the new album [Just Like the Fambly Cat].[1]

Title and theme

The EP's title reflects frontman Jason Lytle's frustration with his hometown, Modesto, California, and has been described as "not so much a farewell as a fuck off to the town".[2][3][4] The name comes from something Lytle saw on the vanity license plate of a large truck in Modesto.[5][1] In Lytle's words, the EP "was a nice opportunity for me to produce some whiney little complaining songs about my hometown. I think it's pretty blatant; it's pretty stripped down in terms of the message."[3] It was recorded simultaneously with the final Grandaddy album, and Lytle planned to leave Modesto as soon as the album was complete, stating "In Modesto, it's like gravity is a lot heavier. There's something that just makes you feel like you're doing all you can just to keep your head above water, when in fact there's not a whole lot going on."[citation needed] He recorded the EP as "a way to fill the gaps of time while recording the new album. I just thought I could throw together some old songs and some newer ones and a really new one".[1]

Recording

Todd Zilla was recorded at Lytle's second studio[3] in Ceres on older equipment — "none of that glitzy 24-track business".[citation needed] Its eight tracks do not appear on the band's fourth full-length album, Just Like the Fambly Cat. Some of the songs had been written much earlier, as far back as ten years before, as Lytle stated: "There are years-long gaps between a lot of these songs, and mostly they were just annoying me because they were sitting around doing nothing."[6]

Everything on the EP was written and recorded by Lytle with the exception of drum tracks by Aaron Burtch.[3]

Release

Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla was released on September 27, 2005 by record label V2.[6] A limited-pressing vinyl edition was released by record label Devil in the Woods, containing the bonus track "Hidden Health Announcement".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicfavorable[7]
Drowned in Sound5/10[8]
Hot Pressfavorable[9]
The Michigan Dailyfavorable[10]
Pitchfork5.6/10[4]
SpinB+[11]

Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla received mixed-to-favorable reviews from critics.

Marc Hogan of Pitchfork gave it 5.6/10, calling it "a goofy, sloppy mini-album, cramming familiar Weezer fuzz, stoned piano ballads, playful analogue synths, and misguided Bad Company references into a little more than half an hour".[4] Gareth Dobson of Drowned in Sound gave it five out of ten, calling it a "mixed bag".[8] SPIN gave it a B+ rating, calling it "richly illustrated, grim but empathetic, epic yet humane art rock".[11] In the view of Joey Lipps of The Michigan Daily, "it falls short of the captivating quality of their previous recordings".[10] Shilpa Ganatra of Hot Press opined that the EP represented "a wander into the field of revolution rather than evolution".[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jason Lytle

No.TitleLength
1."Pull the Curtains"2:59
2."At My Post"6:08
3."A Valley Son (Sparing)"4:50
4."Cinderland"3:20
5."F**k the Valley Fudge"3:39
6."Florida"4:37
7."Goodbye?"5:41
Exclusive vinyl edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
8."Hidden Health Announcement" (contains a locked groove) 

References

  1. ^ a b c Long, Joe (14 November 2005). "Jason Lytle: The Grandaddy Landscape – Glide Magazine". Glide. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  2. ^ Rowland, Marijke (23 September 2005). "Grandaddy's Newest Inspired by City's Sprawl". Modesto Bee. p. H5.
  3. ^ a b c d Rubin, Joey. "Excerpts from the Misery of Grandaddy | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Hogan, Marc (25 September 2005). "Grandaddy: Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla EP | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  5. ^ Steininger, Alex (August 2005). "In Music We Trust – Interview: Grandaddy: Jason Lytle Talks About Grandaddy's Last Record, His Mood, and Why It Is Hard to Make Money As an Independent Musician". In Music We Trust. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (21 September 2005). "Grandaddy Can't Wait to Leave Home – But They Have to Finish Telling It Off First – MTV". MTV. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla – Grandaddy | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  8. ^ a b Dobson, Gareth (20 October 2005). "Album Review: Grandaddy – Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  9. ^ a b Ganatra, Shilpa (5 October 2005). "Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla | Music Review | Album | Hot Press". Hot Press. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  10. ^ a b Lipps, Joey (16 November 2005). "Grandaddy Coasts on Latest EP". Michigan Daily. p. 5. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Quick Cuts: Grandaddy Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla". Spin. October 2005. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
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