As with most bands the are composed of a couple, the band ends with the relationship which can be brutal for both the band and the listeners. In the case of The Mendoza Line's last album, the listen is rewarded with some great songs and some throwaway b-sides.
Lane and Rory ran down the pros and cons of intraband dating in this pivotal conversation in "Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too" from season five of Gilmore Girls:
Lane: Need I mention the rock 'n' roll casualties from intraband dating?
Rory: I know they're numerous.
Lane: Not that there's not success stories. I mean, you've got your Cramps, your Yo La Tengo, your Kim and Thurstons.
Rory: Sonny and Cher, the Early Years.
Lane: Plus, you've got bands that have survived breakups: No Doubt.
Rory: Wish they hadn't.
Lane: X, Supertramp, The White Stripes. But in the negative, you have...
Rory: Sonny and Cher, the Later Years.
Lane: Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac. I know of two country music stars whose backup singers shot them in the groin.
Rory: Whoa. That's wicked hate.
Lane: Listen, I'm going to play two Rilo Kiley songs: one pre-Jenny/Blake breakup, one post. Tell me if you hear a quality difference.
The third track on 30 Year Low is a treat for all listeners who urn for the perfect fuck you song after a relationship ends. The opening line of 31 Candles tells you right away where the song is heading: "You left me in the bar for the skirt with the acoustic guitar." And she doesn't go easy on him throughout the rest of the song either. "Thirty-one candles don't a woman make. You didn't ever give me nothin' always take take take."
MP3: 31 Candles - 30 Year Low
Another highlight is Aspect of an Old Maid which is a duet with Okkervil River's Will Sheff.
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