One Hundred Dollar Room (CD - 2002)

Additional personnel: Elizabeth Elmore (vocals).

Kind of Like Spitting: Ben Barnett (vocals, guitar, drums); Brian Grant (bass guitar); P.J. Aylward (drums); Corrina Repp, Elizabeth Elmore, Sandy Shockley (background vocals).

Kind Of Like Spitting is the brainchild of sole proprietor Ben Barnett, who lives in Portland and makes the kind of lo-fi, below-the-radar music that slowly becomes a hipster must-have. ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR ROOM, the prolific artist's third full-length album, has been a sought-after item ever since its first release in 2000. It's a seemingly effortlessly assembled collection of sometimes quirky, often confessional songs that recall elements of both They Might Be Giants and Guided By Voices. With titles like "Pick a Town, Find a Box, Live Alone," and "Sex Ruins Everything," Barnett could be accused of trendy ennui, but his passionate delivery propels these strange anthems to modern life way beyond the confines of his living room and directly into his listeners' hearts. minimize