Here's the deal: I got rid of my American Music Club CD's awhile back. I mean, a guy can only listen to so much, and, besides, I just didn't need the aggravation. AMC leader Mark Eitzel is a drag - depressing, morose, obtuse. He makes beautiful, dark, contemplative records about his horrible life, his cruel lovers, and his incalculably low self-esteem. Eitzel is the sort of self-obsessed, nakedly honest, self-destructive (personally and commercially) anti-hero that rock critics have long been wont to canonize. If that appeals to you, be my guest. You could do worse.

Or, as Robert Christgau puts it, "Misery as state of grace, and give him credit - he has a sense of humor about it." Generally, Eitzel deserves every bit of praise the critics heap on him, and he has been unjustly ignored by the listening public - if not the press - in his native country. Europe usually gets the joke a few beats before the United States, and American Music Club is something of an institution across the pond - particularly in England. Eitzel really does have refreshingly droll perspective for a guy so down on himself, and he professes to not understand why people see him as such a mope. Bottom line, his records are at the top of their lonely, borderline-suicidal class.

So, maybe I should rethink this AMC thing, or hope for a good "greatest hits" soon.... Anyway, United Kingdom (1990) and Everclear (1991) come highly recommended, in particular. At the time, the former album served as a sort-of career-to-date retrospective, cobbling together live tracks and leftovers yet somehow yielding a cohesive whole. Everclear, subsequently, presented a dazzling display of a band at the height of their powers - eclectic, bizarre, utterly moving. Eitzel's obsessions - disease, alcohol, definitive moments during turbulent relationships - had never been so clearly articulated, and the band played with a dexterity rare during those cacophonous days of grunge. Despite a consistent lack of sales, the steadfast din from the press corps led to a major label bidding war, and AMC's next few albums were released on Reprise. Good records all, but the group had peaked, and they disbanded in 1995.

Mark Eitzel - who had already released a live album in 1991 - soon commenced his (predictably lauded) solo career in earnest. After nearly 10 years, the American Music Club reformed in 2004, releasing Love Songs For Patriots. Shortly thereafter, the band compiled 1984-1995, a typically thorny retrospective mixing a handful of notable album cuts with assorted rarities, including b-sides, demos, and live tracks. In short, not the "greatest hits" I'd been hoping for, but essential listening for true fans. [top of page]