Call me clueless, but I had no idea that Mikey Erg was releasing solo records now. A lot of solo records from people who previously fronted bands have fallen flat for me (see, e.g., Ben Weasel), while relatively few have found a permanent place in my collection (see, e.g., Bob Mould). As such, my expectations weren’t set terribly high. Mr. Erg’s record, however, exceeded my expectations and then some (and maybe because others have lowered them, but that aside…). Had I been told that this was a new Ergs! record, my only thought would be, they’ve matured well. It’s not a small amount of maturation, as was seen between DorkRock and Upstairs, but we aren’t talking going from Stink to Don’t Tell a Soul, either. Rather, it’s more mature insofar as it has better instrumentation (and a wider assortment instruments, to boot) and better idea execution (which may be a result of the former). Definitely a really good solo record. Now Mikey Erg has me hoping he continues down the Mould Path (even if it means some not so great forays into the world of electronic dance), and brings the world another Copper Blue. –Vincent (Don Giovanni)