Selfafornia
| Selfafornia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | July 27, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 1994–2001 | |||
| Studios | Bennett House (Franklin) Ocean Way (Nashville) Mahaffey's home (Murfreesboro) Treasure Isle (Nashville) | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 29:19 | |||
| Label | Spongebath Records | |||
| Producers |
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| Self chronology | ||||
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Selfafornia is the second compilation album by the American pop rock band Self, released for free via Spongebath Records as an internet download on July 27, 2001. It includes songs scrapped from Self's third and fourth studio albums, Breakfast with Girls (1999) and Gizmodgery (2000), along with other demos.
Production
During the creation of Self's third and fourth albums, Breakfast with Girls (1999) and Gizmodgery (2000), frontman Matt Mahaffey wrote the song "Suzie Q Sailaway". He recorded the song with toy instruments for the latter album but was requested by DreamWorks Records to put the song on the former.[2] Mahaffey subsequently re-recorded the song with a full band, stating that he didn't want any toy recordings outside of Gizmodgery.[3] This process delayed the release of Breakfast with Girls, which, combined with the song's shift in style, led to a retroactive dissatisfaction with it.[2]
In November 1997, Michael Simpson of the Dust Brothers began mixing Self's then upcoming album Breakfast with Girls,[4] creating a remix of the toy recording of "Suzie Q Sailaway". Mahaffey preferred this remix to the original version, stating a wish to use it on a future album.[3] Mahaffey later met Ken Andrews of Failure through a mutual friend,[5] hiring him as an engineer for Breakfast with Girls.[3] The two additionally recorded three songs together in April 1998,[4] including "Shelf Life" and "Wednesday Again".[6] "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?" is an adaptation of a fictional song created by Larry Underwood, a character in the post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel The Stand (1978), written by American author Stephen King, which is considered Underwood's breakout hit.[7]
Release
Selfafornia was intermittently released in portions through Spongebath Records beginning in Spring 2001, with the final set of songs releasing on July 27, 2001.[8] Available as a free internet download, it contains nine songs in MP3 format, primarily from the writing sessions of Gizmodgery,[1] and Breakfast with Girls.[4] Spongebath Records would close its doors shortly after its release of Selfafornia in late 2001.[9] The track "See If You Swim" was featured in volume 9 of the Japanese pop fanzine Kheer in April 2001,[10] and was later included on Self's third compilation album Porno, Mint & Grime, released on April 14, 2005.[11] "Resurrect" was additionally included on Selfafornia's download page,[1] previously released as a part of the Japanese edition of Gizmodgery.[12] Shortly after the September 11 attacks, the track "America" was removed from the album's download page.[8]
Reception
Laurent of Indiepoprock complimented the compilation's sound, describing it as encapsulating the band's bright and quirky instrumentation amidst a low budget.[1] Gerald Dih of AudioPhix described the song "America" as having an intentionally "jarring, unsettled quality", calling its "bitter mockery of clichés" and departure from the rest of the album's sound as highlighting Mahaffey's wit and comparing it to the Gizmodgery tracks "5 Alive" and "Chameleon".[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Matt Mahaffey except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "See If You Swim" | 3:20 | |
| 2. | "Wednesday Again" |
| 3:29 |
| 3. | "America" | 1:08 | |
| 4. | "Shelf Life" |
| 3:42 |
| 5. | "Waiting" | 3:03 | |
| 6. | "Anything is Impossible" | 3:57 | |
| 7. | "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?" |
| 4:04 |
| 8. | "Puppy Love" |
| 3:47 |
| 9. | "Suzie Q Sailaway" (Mike Simpson Toy Mix) |
| 2:49 |
| Total length: | 29:19 | ||
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.[13]
- Matt Mahaffey – guitar, vocals, drums, production
- Seth Timbs – piano, vocals
- Ken Andrews – guitar (2-4), vocals (2)
- Mike Mahaffey – guitar, backing vocals
- Chris James – piano
- Mac Burrus – bass
- Justin Dietz – bass
- Swan Burrus – backing vocals
- Jason Rawlings – drums
- Michael Simpson – production, mixing
- Neil Dietz – drum technician
- Todd Kinnon – mastering (1–4, uncredited)
- Brad Ross-MacLeod – artwork (uncredited)
References
- 1 2 3 4 Laurent (September 15, 2001). "Self - Selfafornia". Indiepoprock (in French). Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- 1 2 Harkey, Scott (September 11, 2000). "Self / Interviews". Silent Uproar. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- 1 2 3 Duritz, Darius (March 10, 2000). "The PiG Interview with Matt Mahaffey". PiG Publications. Archived from the original on May 16, 2001. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- 1 2 3 Robertson, Geoff (May 1999). "Self - News and updates". Splitt. Archived from the original on February 21, 1999. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Burleson, Ryan (June 5, 2014). "Failure's Ken Andrews: The Cream Interview". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on May 4, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Self - Discography". Jump.to. March 10, 2000. Archived from the original on October 29, 2000. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ↑ Drum, Nicole (January 31, 2021). "The Stand Official Soundtrack to Feature "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?"". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Dih, Gerald (July 4, 2026). "One forgotten Self song feels impossible to ignore right now". AudioPhix. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
- ↑ Besecker, Gabe (December 11, 2023). "sElf-Indulgent: A Retrospective on the Band That Started Matt Mahaffey's Career". Woof Magazine. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ↑ "加茂いづみによるpop zine。Vol.9から最終号のVol.15の7号はCD付きのzineとして刊行された。". RadiodAze (in Japanese). Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ Eades, Michael (April 15, 2005). "Self reveals Porno, Mint, and Grime". Silent Uproar. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ Mailman, Craig (March 10, 2001). "Self announces new album, web site". Soluble Sound. Archived from the original on April 10, 2001. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ Self (2001). Selfafornia (liner notes). Spongebath Records.
External links
- Selfafornia archived download at Selfies.com