That Yo La Tengo song is one of the finest pieces of pop culture homage— taking a throw-away gag from the Simpsons and creating a back story to write a shimmering pop song around.

The surprising thing is there really isn't a "Smiths" sound. If each song had a different singer, it would be hard for a casual listener to peg many songs as The Smiths.

Rage it up, Dr.
YOUR HIGHNESS was a minor goofy pleasure, and it was totally queer-friendly.
No "gay panic" whatsoever- there are plenty of squirm-worthy 'gay' gags that are met by the heroes with near-equanimity, a shrug, and onward with the adventure.

McNutt,
Why is it that any random sampling of comments would be more entertaining and engaging than this entire review?
How about trying to deliver your criticisms of this comedy with some humour or levity?

I saw the American RING 1st and thought it was lame- until later that night when I realized I could not look into my rearview mirror for fear I would see Her there.
Still think the movie sucked, but give it props for that one lingering horror.

Incorrect. The 80s were awesome. The lows may have been lower (maybe,) but the highs were higher.
Music that was great in the 90s was unmistakably the culmination of 80s trends and the co-opting of 80s alternative rock for the massmarket, and , no, I don't think that argument applies when carried over to late-nineties,…

Kinda really like it
Haven't taken the time to read the comments yet, so Sorry for any redundancies.

Hartford and hope
Maybe they "sound" alike metaphorically.

Very fine record.
I don't understand this review. The songs are "evocative" and maintain a "general mood-" and that's a BAD thing?
The most uniform thing about the album is it's sterling songwriting and playing, but i guess uniformity of any quality is somehow a flaw. Strange.
CIVILIANS is certainly of a piece, captured…