Favorite Album: @Wet_Bandit_

January 9, 2022

Am I interested in what the elusive Wet Bandit listens to on a regular basis? Absolutely.

Name/Twitter Handle

Favorite Album

Local H – Pack Up the Cats

This was a tough decision for me since Local H is my favorite band of all time and there’s not a album of theirs I don’t love. I’ve seen them probably 50+ times and you can always count on them to play an abundance of shows in Chicago or the Burbs in mostly smaller venues & bars for usually less than $20. The pandemic obviously slowed things down a bit, but normally they’d play consistently through out the year in the Chicagoland area if they weren’t on tour.

If you’re not familiar with Local H, you still might have heard “Bound For the Floor” off of their album “As Good As Dead” which was a pretty big hit in the 90’s and is still played often on terrestrial rock stations. That album also features the song “Eddie Vedder” named after the lead singer of Creed, which is @BrewHandLuke‘s & @AdamKC1980‘s favorite band. But Pack Up the Cats still reigns supreme for me.

First time you heard it

The first time I heard it was after I first saw Local H live at West Fest Chicago (RIPIP?) in 2009. They had played some songs from Pack Up The Cats so I had to listen to the album. I got into Local H well after their heyday, but it didn’t take long to fall in love with their music. But I don’t think I love Local H as much as @Jsram311 loves Eddie Bauer Ford Explorers. Or as much as @Arude8 loves Matt Nagy.

How often do you listen to it?

I listen to songs from this album on a regular basis, sometimes every week. Most songs usually end up on playlists and definitely have landed on many of my yearly Spotify “Top Songs” since that’s been a thing.

But I definitely don’t listen to this album as much as I listen to Devil Without a Cause by the LEGENDARY Kid Rock. RIPIP Joe C!

**SPOILER ALERT**: The entire Kid Rock library will be Juan Uribes Cup’s favorite album in this series. I would provide his twitter handle, but his 83rd (shout-out EIGHTY THREE Nation) twitter account that he just made has probably been suspended already.

Why is this your favorite album?

This album is so well produced. Every song flows perfectly into the next. I think it’s Scott Lucas’s (Lead Vocals/Guitar/Whatever) best work. Kinda like @MrDelicious13‘s #SoxMath videos. This album should have also been WAY bigger than it was. It was released in 1998 on Island Records, carrying some momentum off of the previous album, As Good As Dead’s success. But at the time of release, Polygram, the parent label of Island, had merged with Universal so Pack Up The Cats was kinda lost in transition and it didn’t get the promotion it needed or deserved back then. Otherwise, I think it would have been their most successful album and boosted their popularity. Which I’m a bit selfish since I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thankful they’ve had more of a cult following than anything over the years. That has honestly made my personal experience better with the band.

I was also lucky to hear this album live, in it’s entirety. Back in 2010, Local H went on their “6 Angry Records Tour” where they would put their record names in a hat and an audience member would pick one record out and the band would then play that record in it’s entirety. This was perfect because they played it at The Metro, one of the best venues in Chicago to see a show.

Which track would be your walk up music?

Cool Magnet.

I mean, the song starts off with a COWBELL and then goes into this badass distorted guitar. Who wouldn’t get hyped up for that? I mean just the cowbell alone is gonna give you the juice to hit 74 home runs as @Chorizy predicts Eloy Jiménez will hit this season.

Fun fact: This song is written about Soxwood’s (@na_na_na_na_69) mustache. But the record company made the band change the song name from “Hog Magnet” to “Cool Magnet.”

Also shout-out to @Roxy__Virginia for choosing Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles for her favorite album in this series. Possibly the most underrated Local H album. If you find a physical copy of the album somewhere for less than $50, secure the bag!

See you at the next show. Except for you @SoxUnprotected. You aren’t invited.