Mixerr Album Reviews #2,290

Country meets alternative rock on the 2004 album Lil Cap’n Travis - In All Their Splendor. You have the naive charm of the Beach Boys sprinkled with an edge of grittiness similar to Crazy Horse. Alternative rock can’t get any better than this. This album is one of their most lively and eclectic albums ever. In fact, In All Their Splendor is the best album to have ever come from Austin rock of all time next to Vallejo - Stereo and Sincola ‎– What The Nothinghead Said. This band is definitely underrated.

You can expect to hear three things in particular on this album which are love, country, and drinking. That has been the case with their entire discography. At least since the 2000's

Lil Cap’n Travis manages to have highlight songs on this album. Highlights on this album include the calming opener Steady As She Goes, nostalgic Natural Fool, the carefree improv tune Gone Fishin', honky tonk Bar Full of Fans, depressing Teenage Mustache, harmonic Dapple Gray, gritty The Grizzled Ones, airy With Caroline, and the distant Crawling Polaris.


The opener Steady As She Goes uses a calm relaxing steel pedal guitar you would hear in Hawaiian music. The song uses tropical beats over a calm melody with help from a marimba. World music meets country and rock on Steady As She Goes. 3 words to describe this song are calm, relaxing, and melodic.

The song alternates by using the A Major and E major keys in AEAEAE. Each verse uses A then E thus continually repeating that musical note pattern. The musical note pattern used is AE.

Imagine living life in paradise. It's like a dream come true. Steady As She Goes is about how living life in paradise being harder than it seems. Lil Cap’n Travis tells the story itself in song form and by singing.  Christian Braafladt is good.

Another mornin’, another day upon the sea. The wind blows steadily in the breeze. It’s another beautiful sunset. It's just like you always dreamed living life in paradise. It’s great. However living life in paradise is not always what it’s cracked up to be. That is factual especially when you are alone.

These lyrics represent loneliness of this song. “Livin' life in paradise is harder than it seems/The fishin's thrillin' but I hate cleanin' out the bones/Drinking all alone/Talkin' to myself” and “The stars are big and bright/Another romantic night/With no one else/The breathtakin' sunrise/Is like an angel watchin' over me/Is like bein' haunted/By everything that you ever dreamed”


Natural Fool explains how everybody needs a partner as this world can be so cruel. Natural Fool has a nostalgic feeling and tune as Lil Cap’n Travis blended country and rock together in one song. The xylophone gives off that friendly sensation of pop while the guitars give off a country rock sound.

This man took the tire gauge out of his pocket to check his tire pressure. However that was difficult to measure with all the things that were underneath. He made a lot of unnecessary stops along the way as he talked to children.  What he did was ask those children if they’ve seen a pretty lady around asking where she has been. He was just in Oklahoma, when the transmission dropped out.

Everybody needs a partner because this world can be so cruel. But it ain't in his nature to nurture a natural fool. He does not need a foolish partner.

The lyrics to the song are basically one verse.

He took the tire gauge out of his pocket, he was gonna check the pressure
but with all the things that were underneath, its difficult to measure
So he went to start er up, third times the charm
He was thinking about San Antonio with one on his arm
He made a lot of unnecessary stops, he talk to all the little kids
Asking if they're seen a pretty lady around, asking where she's been
He wiped the bugs off of the glass, he wiped the windshield clean
Cause the horizon is wide and the voices behind, confuse what you’re saying
He was just in Oklahoma when the transmission dropped out
And inside em he cried 'cause he knew he was no further than he'd started out

Everybody needs a partner, because this world can be so cruel
But it ain't in my nature, to nurture a natural fool


With Caroline is a teenage love song. We’ve got two teenagers in love that cannot be separated apart by anyone or anything. But we all know teenage love is not that simple since emotions often take over reality and rationality.

The song has that Sixties kind of charm. With Caroline is reminiscent to the naive charm of the Beach Boys sprinkled with an edge of grittiness and use of a woozy kind of twang. Gritty is one word to describe this song. With Caroline is another one of their most overlooked songs.


3.2 Beer Of Love is an ode to good ol’ 3.2% percent alcohol. Now 3.2% percent alcohol as better known as low-point beer to the rest of the United States. The song 3.2 Beer Of Love was used on the television series Friday Night Lights. This is one of their best songs and underrated songs hardly anybody knows about. In fact, LCT fans barely know about this song. Not that many people know about this song.

Bar Full Of Fans is driven by a hard country rock edge. The sound heard is similar to a honky tonk tune you would expect to hear from country music.

Dapper Gray uses an eclectic mix of blues, country, and rock. Think blues rock with a country edge. Blues meets country rock on Dapper Gray. Of course that harmonica you hear being used gives this song a blues edge. Dapper Gray has that Sixties kind of charm.

Rhinestones has that classic rock sound LCT fans have been known to love and favor.  This band is known for creating many classic sounds in their songs.

Gone Fishin' is a 34 seconds long carefree improv tune produced in low quality possibly using a mono speaker. 2 layers of instrumentation were used.  One could easily assume this song was a demo to an unfinished song of theirs.

Crawling Polaris is a rock song with a distant airy vibe. This song is an instrumental backed by an electric guitar and a steel pedal guitar. The steel pedal guitar gives Crawling Polaris a peaceful yet distant airy vibe with a tone of uncertainty and calmness.

I rate this album 5/5*****!