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If anybody wants to buy me a Christmas present this year, I'll take world peace. My second choice, if you can't find it, would be a copy of "Lolita Nation" by Game Theory on cd. What, you've never heard of Game Theory? I bet there is someone out there reading this right now who has spilled his or her cup of coffee all over the keyboard, and is madly jumping up and down yelling Me Me ME! And that person would happily spend the next week slaving over a mix tape featuring the best of the Loud Family, the '90s version of the '80s Game Theory. And that person would also like to tell you about Quantum Physics, Chinese art in the Shang Dynasty, and the best way to prepare duck. Much like XTC, the music of Game Theory and the Loud Family is music for smart people. Smart, list-making people.
Reasons why you should seek out records by Scott Miller's bands Game Theory and the Loud Family:
1. The Posies' Ken Stringfellow appears on the Loud Family's *Interbabe Concern*.
2. One of Scott's biggest fans is Aimee Mann, who lists LF's *Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things* at #5 on her essential 12 must-have records. Scott and Aimee have recorded an acoustic cd together which will hopefully be out soon.
3. Mitch Easter produced much of both bands' work.
4. Game Theory covered Big Star's "You Can't Have Me" on *Real Nighttime*, the Loud Family covered "Back of a Car" on the *Slouching Towards Liverpool* ep.
5. The Loud Family's *The Tape of Only Linda* is a reference to a bootleg of a Paul McCartney concert where Linda's vocals are isolated.
But none of explains what the bands sound like. Game Theory created swirling, hooky, '60s-influenced melodic pop. The Loud Family followed in the same vein, though updating it with more of a fuzzy edge. All of it is held together with Scott Miller's brainy, carefuly-constructed, often funny songs. Like I said, smart music for smart people, especially the people who always laugh at Homer Simpson singing "I am smart. S-M-R-T".
Neither band created more than a little splash in the college radio pond, and as far as I know the Loud Family is on hiatus. All the Game Theory cds are out of print and Loud Family is getting harder to track down, though you can find some of it at Loudfamily.com. The "Friend of the Family" sticker on the back of my red bass refers to LF.
So there. We do listen to other bands besides XTC.
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