Better Can't Make Your Life Better
Encyclopedia
Better Can't Make Your Life Better is a 1996 album
by the American
indie rock
band
, Lilys
.
subsidiary Primary for release in the US. The album originally had a budget of $8,000, but this needed to be more than doubled to $17,000, with the projected studio time of one month extended to two. Battles with the label over finance led to several compromises; Lilys leader Kurt Heasley had originally planned the album to sound "like Badfinger
backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
", and a big band
had been planned but was replaced by xylophone
and trumpet
players, with samples of clarinet
and bassoon
added later, and by the end of the recordings Heasley claimed to have been a nervous wreck and 50 pounds underweight from eating only garlic
.
identified The Kinks
, The Monkees
and The Zombies
as influences on the album. Robert Hickey, writing for PopMatters
called it "a great CD, sounding like something the Kinks would have made had Ray Davies embraced psychedelia instead of taking up charter membership in the Village Green Preservation Society." Tom Cox of The Guardian
gave the album four stars, calling it "an album of scrambled, dreamstate intellect and endless hooks...like The Byrds getting high and beating up The Monkees on fast forward."
-directed ad for Levi's
prompting its re-release (with new sleeve art and B-sides) in February 1998 and it became a hit on the UK Singles Chart
, reaching #16, the band's only major hit single.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, Lilys
Lilys
Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly...
.
Recording
The album was recorded for the British label Ché and picked up by Elektra RecordsElektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
subsidiary Primary for release in the US. The album originally had a budget of $8,000, but this needed to be more than doubled to $17,000, with the projected studio time of one month extended to two. Battles with the label over finance led to several compromises; Lilys leader Kurt Heasley had originally planned the album to sound "like Badfinger
Badfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
", and a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
had been planned but was replaced by xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
players, with samples of clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
added later, and by the end of the recordings Heasley claimed to have been a nervous wreck and 50 pounds underweight from eating only garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
.
Critical reception
Mark Jenkins of the Washington Post described the album as "remarkably seamless" and "assembled from shards of mid-'60s rock". Jason Ankeny, writing for Allmusic described the album's sound as "the Lilys hop into the time machine and travel back to the mid-'60s, immersing themselves in the style of the British Invasion." Neil Gladstone, writing for CMJ New Music MonthlyCMJ New Music Monthly
CMJ New Music Monthly was a monthly music magazine with interviews, reviews, and special features. Each issue included a compact disc with 15 to 24 songs by well established bands, unsigned bands, and everything in between...
identified The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
and The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
as influences on the album. Robert Hickey, writing for PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called it "a great CD, sounding like something the Kinks would have made had Ray Davies embraced psychedelia instead of taking up charter membership in the Village Green Preservation Society." Tom Cox of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave the album four stars, calling it "an album of scrambled, dreamstate intellect and endless hooks...like The Byrds getting high and beating up The Monkees on fast forward."
Singles
"Returns Every Morning" was the first single taken from the album, released in April 1996. "A Nanny In Manhattan" was first released as a single in November 1996 on 7-inch vinyl only. It was used in a Roman CoppolaRoman Coppola
Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris...
-directed ad for Levi's
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
prompting its re-release (with new sleeve art and B-sides) in February 1998 and it became a hit on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, reaching #16, the band's only major hit single.
Track listing
- "Cambridge California" – 2:16
- "A Nanny in Manhattan" – 1:58
- "Shovel into Spade Kit" – 3:47
- "Elevator Is Temporary" – 2:29
- "Can't Make Your Life Better" – 4:23
- "Who Is Moving" – 3:01
- "The Tennis System (and It's Stars)" – 5:04
- "Paz en el Hogar" – 3:34
- "Bring Up the Stamp" – 3:59
- "The Sammael Sea" - 3:06
- "Returns Every Morning" - 3:22
Personnel
- Kurt Heasley - guitar, vocals
- Michael Deming - bass guitar
- Thom Monahan - bass guitar, vocals
- Aaron SperskeAaron SperskeAaron Sperske is an American drummer, who has played in several bands, including Beachwood Sparks, Lilys, The Miracle Workers, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, and The Pernice Brothers. He also played drums on the Elliott Smith song "Coast to Coast" which was featured on the From a Basement on the...
- drums, percussion - David Shuman - bass guitar