A Pretty Mess by This One Band is an EP by the band Grandaddy

Grandaddy

Grandaddy was an American indie rock band, formed in 1992 in Modesto, California by singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch. Guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden later joined the band in 1995...

, released in April 1996 on Will Records. It includes four songs taken from the band's earlier cassette-only release Complex Party Come Along Theories

Complex Party Come Along Theories

Complex Party Come Along Theories is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Grandaddy, released on cassette tape in 1994. It was self-released by the band and limited to 200 copies. It features only the band's three founding members, Jason Lytle, Kevin Garcia, and Aaron Burtch.- Track...

, and others from their unreleased 1995 album Don't Sock the Tryer.

The tracks from the EP were reissued in 2002 on the album The Broken Down Comforter Collection

The Broken Down Comforter Collection

The Broken Down Comforter Collection is an album by the band Grandaddy, released in June 1999 by Big Cat Records. It is a combination of the tracks from the mini-album A Pretty Mess By This One Band and the EP Machines Are Not She.-Reception:...

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Track listing

1. "Away Birdies with Special Sounds"
2. "Taster"
3. "Peeano"
4. "Kim You Bore Me to Death"
5. "Pre-Merced"
6. "Gentle Spike Resort"
7. "Egg Hit and Jack Too"

All tracks written by Jason Lytle.

Reception

Allmusic writer Dean Carlson gave it a three-star review, describing it as "a decent litmus test for the group's own potential. Definitely not as pretty as the title might suggest, but still one of the better -- although flawed -- messes from America's indie underground," and comparing it to Pavement

Pavement (band)

Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...

, Pixies, and Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...

. Guitarist Jim Fairchild put the similarities to Pavement down to their recording budget, stating "We had very meager means when we recorded our first album for Will Records, so it’s naturally going to sound more lackadaisical and sloppy than our current records."