I’ve decided I won’t be buying the Wrecker’s album. I’ve kind of known for a few days, but i wasn’t absolutely certain, because I love Michelle Branch, and I’ve been waiting a couple years for anything new from her. Putting up with Jessica Harp didn’t seem like much of a price to pay, since I’ve heard them together live (although, not since they’d become The Wreckers, admittedly).

But, then I’d heard some vague mutterings about a posting a couple months or so again. I never saw it, because I never go to artists’ webpages. I’m on dial-up, okay, they load like ass, and they all include music in their layouts that just make things worse and nearly always, the volume is set to eleven, y’know? So I just don’t bother. A good fanpage has better info and images, anyway. But in this case, that habit caused me to miss the kerfluffle, and when I heard about it, it was via other people’s comments on LJ, and I didn’t want to butt in and demand further details.

So then the other week, Blender comes, and there’s a page focussing on them, and mentions what Michi posted. Or, at least, something that she posted on her site, I kind of thought the small bit I heard was in the official MB, but maybe it was just that fans took it to the MB and it got ugly. In which case I do not blame them, because even assuming she was fighting with her label and did it in the heat of anger, and factoring in possible late-pregnancy/post-partem stress, hormones, and moods…the words and the venue, just make it sound like a giant “fuck you” to the fans. And as someone who bought both her solo-albums the very day they came out, and saved any magazine she made the cover of, and would happily have bought live stuff if her label put it out (despite the fact that, honestly, she’s not that good live) — that stings. It saddens and alienates you and just. It makes you really not want to have anything to do with the new stuff. And hey, one less dick for you to suck, right, Michelle? And $14 for me to use on something else. Everybody wins.

Anyway, like I said, at that point, I was losing interest in actually buying the album rapidly, and the other day, I decided that it probably wasn’t going to happen. But just to be sure, I’m listening to a preview, and. Yeah, um. Its country. Which, really, is THAT what her problem was? She wanted to be doing country? Because she could have just done that from the start and been a lot happier, and I couldn’t spent my time and money on…I don’t know, anyone else, really.

Its not even good country. Its like trying-too-hard-to-be-crossover-country country. And its even less emotionally mature than her first album, which, hi, was written at least partially while she was still in high school. And I’ve heard better production values on independent albums. I have independent albums with better production. JoJo’s, for one, when she was still Joanna and sang shongs that actually show off your voice without requiring the vocal-masturbation of riffing. And Gailyn Addis, and — OH! Audrey. Collins, I think? I forget now, but Audrey from America’s Most Talented Kid, her indie production was fairly country, and way better than this. And she was like, 15.

(And dude, JoJo was on that, too, and that was how she GOT her contract, and oh! Cheyenne! She was my fucking favorite, I loved her, and…actually, didn’t Cheyenne win? Huh.)

……I have completely lost both my original thread and probably all credibility with anyone ever. But whatever, the point is, I am not buying the fucking Wreckers, and I’m not even sure I’m going to buy another Michi album at this point (if she even does one), and I really want to dig out my AMTK tapes and watch the highlights again.