Hagerty, Neil / Royal Trux Related
Neil Michael Hagerty
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

2001 Gatefold Original. Recorded June-October In 2000. "The (Ultimately True) Royal Trux Breakup Rumors Circulating Around The Release Of Neil Michael Hagerty Created A Tense, Chaotic Atmosphere That Reflected The Album's Character Perfectly. As An Extension Of Hagerty (And Partner Jennifer Herrema), Trux Was Nothing If Not Unpredictable, But The Band's Late-'90s Albums Found It Settling Into A Groove That May Have Become Too Comfortable For Hagerty's Restless Creativity. Neil Michael Hagerty Solves This "Problem" With A Collection Of Songs That Avoid Both Trux' Subversive Boogie Rock And Its Avant-noise; It's Not As Explosive Or Loud As The Duo's Definitive Twin Infinitives, But It's Almost As Weird And Self-indulgent. If Anything, Neil Michael Hagerty Is The Sonic Equivalent Of Hagerty's Novel Victory Chimp: Chaotic, Clever, And On A Very Specific Wavelength That He Doesn't Bother To Decode For The Uninitiated. A Study In Contrasts, The Album's Sound Is Considerably Less Polished Than Trux' Later Recordings, Yet The Melodious Voice Hagerty Uses On Songs Like "Know That" Is A Far Cry From His Usual Snarl. Neil Michael Hagerty's Mix Of Stiff, Cheap Drum Machine Beats, Psychedelic Organs, And Guitar Heroics Lends Itself To Some Of Hagerty's Most Mercurial Music: Lengthy Tracks Such As "Kali, The Carpenter," "Fortune And Fear," And "I Found A Stranger" Constantly Shift And Change In Alternately Fascinating And Alienating Ways. Most Of The Album's Strange, Unsettled Music Takes A While To Sink In, But The Percolating "Creature Catcher," The Droning Ballad "Oh To Be Wicked Once Again," And Appealingly Tossed-off "The Menace" Are Relatively Accessible. The Aptly Named "Tender Metal" Showcases Hagerty's Intricate, Lightning-fast Guitar Work, While The Back Porch Shuffle Of "Repeat The Sound Of Joy" And The Trux-like "Whiplash In Park" Add To The Kitchen Sink, Stream-of-consciousness Feel. Despite Bearing His Full Name, Hagerty's Solo Debut Is Hardly The Kind Of Self-aggrandizing Effort That Usually Marks The Beginning Of A Solo Career -- It Feels More Like A Vacation From Royal Trux Than A Departure From It. And Though It's A Strange Trip, Trux Fans Looking For The Spirit Of The Band Rather Than A Replica Of Its Sound Will Find A Lot To Appreciate In Neil Michael Hagerty." AMG - Heather Phares.