Live Trax Vol. 35

I could take or leave this release. On the plus side: BARTENDER is always a great opener, even if it's a more or less standard performance. SQUIRM is, in my opinion, one of Dave's finest post-Roi songs; the violin and sax are really going in unison in the build-up to the chorus, and then there's the tasteful trumpet over it with Tim's crunchy finish and thumping bass. Excellent. PIG is very solid. There isn't much to benchmark it against from a live release point of view, but DIVE IN is a great example of how a tightly-edited studio track can be given room to breathe live. I'll never turn down STONE, although this one is probably a bit subpar. DREAMING TREE has a kicking jam that makes up for Dave's voice not being all there. The violin and sax on TYPICAL is excellent. CRUSH is great. TWO STEP is solid, even if not my favorite. On the minus side: The mix is muddy, as are quite a few of the performances: BURNING DOWN, ANTS, #40, JANE, YOU AND ME, and TIME BOMB. HALLOWEEN I could take or leave; it certainly isn't my favorite performance of the song, not even close. All in all an interesting listen but I wouldn't return often.