Presidents of the USA - POT USA Anniversary Edition

10 years ago, I was freaking 12 years old. I remember going to tuba lessons at a friends house in town (his father was the conductor at the local university). Frequently, I’d get there a little early or mom would come a little late, and I’d sit in the living room with my buddy watching MTV. This was a pretty big deal for me since we didn’t have cable back home and mom wasn’t a big fan of MTV. She’d never come right out and say I couldn’t watch it, but I knew if she found me watching it she'd be a little disappointed (and frankly I didn’t want to disappoint her). So I did what any good son would do, watched it behind her back. And one of my favorite memories from this (very, very) tame rebellion was the video for "Peaches." Back in 1994, grunge had come to a rather abrupt end with Kurt’s violent and untimely death, and we needed something…well, brighter. Life had gotten way too serious, way too quickly. With songs about petting kitties, miniature dune buggies, and a better life filled with an endless supply of organic fruits, but still with a grungey edge, the Presidents of the USA were exactly what we needed. Of course, when you listen to the album, you can tell it was made in 1994, but then a lot of good stuff came from the mid-nineties. Music that wasn't quite punk, wasn't quite grunge, but was "alternative." But then again, PUSA weren't your normal alternative band. They had fun, which wasn't very "alternative" at the time. Not taking anything seriously, but making some damn fine music along the way. The songs stand up after all these years, and in a world filled with all that crap that ours is, this album is a nice escape. And did I mention it has 13 extra tracks and a DVD (with the "Peaches" video!) to boot? The extra tracks are great with b-sides and really stripped down, artsey versions of their songs (that almost sound contemporary). So that's pretty much 3 albums' worth of stuff they're giving to us in this "Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition," and I couldn't be happier. [www.presidentsrock.com]