Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Admonishing the Bishops (10" EP)

1993's Admonishing the Bishops is the Thinking Fellers most consistently extroverted rock release.  Where the group often includes weird asides and sound collages between songs, this 10" features only four somewhat-conventional songs.  The songs still capture much of the Fellers' weirdness, with deadpan vocals, strangely-processed guitars, and many structural surprises in what first appear to be pop songs.  While the band often grew frustrated with the challenging of capturing their incredibly dynamic arrangements on record, the guitars here nicely leap out of the mix as the songs build.  And the recordings are an interesting balance of studio clarity with some primitive sounds, especially in the vocals.  The 10" format provides a perfect length to encapsulate one side of the group's multi-faceted personality and approach.