Blender (The Murmurs album)

Blender
Blender
Studio album by The Murmurs
Released	August 4, 1998
Recorded	1997–1998
Genre	Alternative pop
Length	33:37
Label	MCA
Producer	Larry Klein; k.d. lang; Matthew Wilder
The Murmurs chronology

Blender is the third studio album released by American alternative pop band The Murmurs; it was released in 1998 on MCA. The album was produced by Larry Klein, k.d. lang and Matthew Wilder.^[1] Blender includes tracks from their second album Pristine Smut (one of them, "I'm A Mess", remixed), and three new songs that were written around the time Pristine Smut was released in 1997.^[2]^[3] All of the tracks were written by band members Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody. One, "Smash", was co-written with members of rock band The Go-Go's, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey.^[4]

Reception[]

In a review for Allmusic, Alex Henderson gave Blender a star rating of four out of five, calling it "power-pop heaven". Henderson compared the sound of the album to that The Go-Go's and praised "Underdog", "Sucker Upper" and "La Di Da" in particular as "first-class ... fun, melodic offerings".^[4] Robert Christgau gave the album a B- rating and compared it negatively to its predecessor, Pristine Smut. He criticized the band's "pusillanimity", and said "they were cuter with slime on their pudenda".^[5]

In 2011, Pride.com ranked it 35th on their list of "The 100 Greatest Lesbian Albums of All Time".^[6]

Track listing[]

"La Di Da" — 2:57
"I'm a Mess" — 3:13
"Big Talker" — 2:58
"Misfit" — 4:03
"Smash" — 2:35
"Genius" — 3:42
"Don't Lie" — 2:56
"Underdog" — 2:56
"Sucker Upper" — 3:00
"Country Song" — 2:28
"About Nothin'" — 2:49

Personnel[]

Music^[1]

Gregg Arreguin — guitar
Teddy Borowiecki — keyboards
Heather Grody — composer
Leisha Hailey — composer
Larry Klein — bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. — drums
Greg Leisz — mandolin, pedal steel
Jerry Marotta — drums, Native American drums
Ben Mink — guitar
The Murmurs — ensemble, guitar, vocals
Sheri Ozeki — bass
Sherri Solinger — drums
Matthew Wilder — harmonium, keyboards, Hammond organ, synthesizer

Production^[1]

Phil Kaffel — engineer, mixing
Larry Klein — producer
k.d. lang — producer
Tony Phillips — engineer, mixing
Marc Ramaer — engineer
Skip Saylor — engineer, mixing
Eddy Schreyer — mastering
Matthew Wilder — producer, programming

Design^[1]

Christy Bush — photography
Danny Flynn — stylist
Kenny J. Gravillis — art direction, design
Russell A. Robinson — design

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Blender — Murmurs — Credits", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved June 12, 2011
^ The Murmurs press kit. MCA Records, 1998.
^ "Overlooked 'Smut' Gets Second Shot", Daily News, Kentucky, p. 5, August 26, 1998, retrieved June 12, 2011
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Henderson, Alex, "Blender — Murmurs — Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved June 12, 2011
^ Christgau, Robert, "CG: The Murmurs", robertchristgau.com, retrieved June 12, 2011
^ https://www.pride.com/box-office/100-greatest-lesbian-albums-all-time-50-26

[allmusiccredits-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Blender — Murmurs — Credits", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved June 12, 2011

[2] The Murmurs press kit. MCA Records, 1998.

[daily-3] "Overlooked 'Smut' Gets Second Shot", Daily News, Kentucky, p. 5, August 26, 1998, retrieved June 12, 2011

[allmusicrev-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Henderson, Alex, "Blender — Murmurs — Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved June 12, 2011

[Christgau-5] Christgau, Robert, "CG: The Murmurs", robertchristgau.com, retrieved June 12, 2011

[6] ttps://www.pride.com/box-office/100-greatest-lesbian-albums-all-time-50-26

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