This Ain't No Outer Space Ship

On the basis of their first two albums, it was easy to peg Love Tractor as the artiest of the Athens, GA, jangle pop brigades, but anyone who saw them live knew that, like Pylon and R.E.M., they understood how to turn their quirks into potent party music when they took the stage in front of a lively crowd (too bad they never recorded their potent cover version of "You Dropped the Bomb on Me"). On This Ain't No Outer Space Ship, Love Tractor finally made their peace with the human voice after an initial reluctance to write lyrics; nearly all the tracks here are vocals, and their words on "Outside With Ma," "Night Club Scene," and "Small Town" are as sharply witty as their music. They also achieved a new approachability in their songs, never quite shedding their Feelies-like angularity, but letting a surer sense of rhythm give it a greater warmth, and the album has a stronger, funkier undertow as a result — this is smart music that you can actually dance to. And the goofy but potent cover of the Gap Band's "Party Train" is clever without a hint of irony. This Ain't No Outer Space Ship is Love Tractor's most purely pleasurable album, and proves that even smart people can throw a good party when they put their mind to it. The 2001 CD reissue tacks on two bonus tracks, including an amusingly idiosyncratic cover of Neil Young's "Ride My Llama."