EDIT: This entire thread was deleted over a Google complaint (gee I WONDER who filed that complaint, certainly not someone who proudly BOASTS about filing complaints with Google over anything and EVERYTHING imaginable, including countless of his own posts, over being all butthurt over being banned for being a colossal doosh for years. No, I'm quite certain it was just some random blue-haired old ladies perusing Music Banter. Yeah, that's probably it). So seeing as the album cover of the Bops third album is SO OFFENSIVE I asked the inimitable Plankton to put some clothes on Amanda and Abby. He is amazing and did a fantastic job. I thank him, and also the mods Janszoon and Vanilla for helping restore this thread I worked on for MONTHS last year.
Change was afoot in 2008, and although that year's release by the Bops had me thinking they could just keep turning these amazing albums out one after another after another, Summer Rains was in fact a turning point. This was to be the last album the Bops would release as a band, and the first that they would market and distribute on their own, severing ties with record labels and Amazon dot com's distribution. After this album, things would be wonderful but totally different for my favorite female duo.
This album, however, is right there with the first two albums musically. The album kicks off with the beautiful title track
Then another episode of loveliness, "When's She Coming Home"
Then, just when you think maybe the ladies have left behind the upbeat swing style that had marked the first two albums, along comes "Skinny Bones". This song just launched me into the stratosphere when I first spun this album back then. The subject of the song is pretty obvious, Amanda is blasting her critics, and rightly so. I fecking love love LOVE "Skinny Bones". An absolutely incredible live in studio performance from the same session as the "Summer Rains" video I just posted
Then, the ladies ask the musical question:
Here we are, the third album, and not one weak track. This continues with the lovely "Next Best Thing", which is kinda the first glimpse into what the Bops were about to come, from the swing-influenced group that I had grown to love to the acoustic duo that I would be falling in love with on future albums
The band returns for the lovely "Because We Do". Another song I absolutely love
Then, the very good "Interlude For Ten Strings", Abby flexes her guitar playing muscle here
Then "I Stole Your Wishes", not that there were many that didn't either know or suspect but this is the ladies "coming out" that they are in fact lovers. Good for them. I always believed that they were, and I applaud any and all that proclaim themselves to be true to what they are.
*edit: The original video was replaced, I'll re-post the wedding video later in the thread
The song itself is a lot of fun, I love the string bass
"All Over You" continues the fun, by this time I was convinced that these ladies were simply incapable of anything else
"Feel From The Outside" is lovliness that again brings up a glimpse as to what the ladies would become on future albums, also featuring Jesca Hoop
Then, the final song with full band, the wonderful "Weeds Are Winning"
Summer Rains, and with it the band era of the Ditty Bops, concludes with the sweet, sweet sweet "Sugar and Spice"
As I've stated throughout, the albums (including EP's), and for that matter, tours, that followed would be very different. Up Next: Songs For Steve (EP - 2009)