I recently finished the job of filing all our CDs away in binders and chucking out the cases (for recycling, I’m not a barbarian). It was bloody tedious but also a nice nostalgia trip as I came across a lot of great albums from the 1990s I’d forgotten about, like Pedals by Chicago band The Aluminum Group.
The Aluminum Group took their name from a line of furniture designed by Charles and Ray Eames which was reason enough for me to like them, and played a crisp, smooth chamber-pop that was as beautifully put together as an Eames chair.
If their name wasn’t arty enough for you, Pedals opens with a 10-minute song about Marcel Duchamp called “Rrose Sélavy’s Valise” which is about as pretentious a move a band can make. Rrose Sélavy was Duchamp’s female alter ego, and the valise is a reference to this Duchamp work. With it’s epic length and multi-part structure it sounds something like Lounge Prog which should really be a thing.
Were they known as The Aluminium Group in the UK?
Download: Rrose Sélavy’s Valise – The Aluminum Group (mp3)
Photo: Rrose Sélavy (Marcel Duchamp), 1920, by Man Ray.
cryingallthewaytothechipshop.wordpress.com 
It all went a bit blurry when I read beyond: “..filing all our CDs away in binders…” What madness is this..??
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Saves space. Keep the disc and inner sleeve and chuck the plastic case.
We only play CDs in the car now
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I know nothing about The Aluminum Group, but this is an interesting noise.
Nerdy question alert…..What are these binders of which you speak? We moved 6 years ago and my CD collection (and records come to that) is still boxed up and inaccessible due to space issues in this house. I removed the plastic cases last year thinking that it would provide some magic solution and of course it did reduce the volume, but by nowhere near enough. There are around 3000 of the blighters.
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During the period ’76 to ’82 I collected a significant number of vinyl 7″ singles. Then one day I bought protective cardboard single record holders, so I could catalogue and label them myself. The original (paper) sleeve did not fit within the new cardboard holders…and in many cases was therefore simply discarded. Some of the more interesting picture sleeves were cut down so they could be crushed in…oh my… [sigh].. if only I knew what I’d done to the valuable collectibles of the unseen future!!
As you may be able to tell…I’M NOT OVER THIS YET.
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Binders. Ring binders/folders with plastic sleeves that take 4 CDs on each side
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I’ve kept all the nicer cardboard CD cases
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god bless you
i dont have the strength or fortitude that you do. The best i can do is move the cds i dont listen to as often and box them in storage. I still have my vinyl in precious crates waiting for me to crack (or my wife – which ever comes first)
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Hello, first time commenting. I enjoy this blog, thanks you!
The Aluminum Group made some fantastic music, and this tune was a highlight, for sure. Lounge Prog, indeed. As a Chicagoan, they are among my favorite “local bands”. Brothers John and Frank Navin are the founders and constants of the band, and they very occasionally still perform music. When I’ve met them, they are very classy and kind gentlemen. They played night of Bowie back in the autumn of 2014: http://www.hideoutchicago.com/event/675439-london-boys-aluminum-group-chicago/
Also interesting to note that the “Pedals” record was produced by Chicago native Jim O’Rourke, who went on to play with Sonic Youth, engineer / produce Jeff Tweedy / Wilco projects, and make wonderful records of his own.
Here’s another great tune:
The Aluminum Group: “Blur in Your Vision”
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Reminds me of one of my favorite Michael O’Donoghue couplets (from Evergreen Review):
Once their heart belonged to Dada
Now their art belongs to MoMa
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Lounge Prog? Some of Soft Machine might qualify, or maybe Hatfield and the North.
I see what you mean with this track, though.
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