Friday, December 29, 2006
Common Sense Ain't So Common.....Siltblog's 'Best Of' 2006
I ain't one much for Best Of list's but at least it's a plug for some & a shout-out to others. I guess I could've been more in depth about these choices but I'm already runnin late (we're goin to Bolivia for the New Year's) & it ain't brain surgery (at least not yet) so fuck it. I got a plane to catch. My apologies to anyone I missed whoever you are.
Some CD's;
Meatus Murder-More Songs About Balling & Food
Chris Corsano-The Young Cricketeer
Kousokuya-Live At Minor
Country Teasers-Empire Strikes Back
Paeces-Otherroomly Soundtrack
xxNo Barbequexx-Sunshine Of Your Love
Eddy Current Suppression Ring-S/T
Solar Anus-Skull Alcoholic (dbl)
Some Vinyl;
Pink Reason-S/T 7"
Donna Parker-Debutante Lp
Evil- A True Untimely Atrocity 10"
Homo Stupids-Brutal Birthday 7"
Las Malas Amistades-Jardin Interior 3x7"
Clockcleaner-Missing Dick 7"
Hank IV-3rd Person Shooter Lp
Sapat-Tongue-Tied & Staid 7"
Psychedelic Horseshit-Who Let The Dogs Out? 7"
Sun City Girls-Djinn Funnel Lp
Nothing People-Twinkie Defense 7"
Major Stars-Syntoptikon Lp
Circle-Arkades Lp
Cassette's;
Blues Control-Riverboat Styx
Violent Students-Bitchy Woman
Hole Class-A Glimpse Of Hole Class
The Captain & Shaquille-Blood Bath & Beyond
The Pigeons-River Surfer (dbl)
Label's;
Vinyl-On-Demand
Sublime Frequencies
Intransitive Recordings
S-S
Live;
Times New Viking
Country Teasers
Clockcleaner
Hank IV
Endless Boogie
See ya next year!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Black Plastic Sound.....Psychatrone Rhonedakk's 'Disturbs The Air' CD
A belated Merry Christmas to all the readers out there. I hope it was fun & festive. Ours was spent up to Bethlehem, PA as the "guest's" of Mr. & Mrs. Clifford Knowtes, old (now ex) friends of mine from the Camp Century days. It weren't a traditional invite, more like a plea for help disguised as one. "You just have to come. You must, I will not take no for an answer" was the message on the voice mail. "And bring Miriam too, absolutely. Would you mind terribly if we impressed both your services for preparing Christmas dinner? I thought not. That's the spirit! Don't worry, we'll have everything here you'll need. I'll send a car down early Friday to pick you up. Report directly to the kitchen on your arrival, I mean, it will be so nice to see you both! Cheers Roland, Cheers Miriam, see you soon".
And so our dye was cast. By the way, Miriam is MG's 1st name. That's right, Miriam, Miriam Webster. Up till now I didn't want to get her implicated on this blog, but considerin the situation, it can't be helped. She & Cliff ain't never got along. He think's she's a pedantic know-it-all, she think's he's a lazy neophyte. But I see the goodness in both of'em. Or did. So yeah, we went up there & knocked out one helluva Xmas dinner; baked oysters, roast duck, plum pudding, a mulled wine...it was like something outta Dickens & the fuckers were just about as stingy too. It weren't but a few minutes after we was done w/the dishes & polishin the silver when some fella come in & said, 'your car is ready'. No after dinner drinks, no thank you's, goodbye's or leftovers,nothin! We was shown the door & driven out into the night as though we was banished servants. I was fit to be tied. I shoulda known. Cliff Knowtes was always looking for the cheap & easy way to go. And I played us right into it. As we was drivin down 309 on our way back I was recountin the story to our driver, York. He didn't seem too suprised by it all & I don't wonder why. Probably happens all the time. Like myself, York was a bit of a philosopher so when I seen his eyes lookin at me in the rear view mirror, all sympathetic as he pronounced "that's life" to our plight, I knew he understood. The he got to tellin us how he kept himself sane while surrounded by all the pettiness & backstabbin; ambient music. Specifically an artist know as Psychatrone Rhonedakk. He asked if I'd ever heard him. I felt myself tense up a bit at the question. See, I had heard some of his stuff a few yrs back & didn't take to it at all. But I thought better of tellin the truth & said 'No'. With that, York put in a cd called 'Disturbs The Air' & said 'check this out & tell me what you think'. So for the next howeverlongittook to get back to the Fishtown we listened in silence to the dark droning world of Psychatrone Rhonedakk. And I gotta tell ya, it was far out! I can't say what it was that had put me off his stuff them yrs before, but as we slipped through the rain 'n fog enveloped in his murky trance, I couldn't have been any happier than if I was home. There was alot workin & it seemed to come at us from all sides. I heard moments where I'd have swore it was DG 307 & others when it sounded like it could be some bizarre genius on the Limelight or Mainstream label.There was a little bit of Todd Clark & AK Process in the mix too. He even does a Warren Zevon cover & reworks it into an ominious fugue that recalls something off've Roxy Music's 'For Your Pleasure' more than anything by an excitable boy in dancing school. Overall it was decidedly atmospheric & in all likelihood I'd have probably never given it a chance if it was somethin I was to play at the house but that's why fate is so important. So I got hustled into workin Christmas by a shitbag & his wife. That's the hand I was dealt. But in the end it was really a setup for the wildcard (& moral of the story) which was Psychatrone Rhonedakk. Here I am writin up someone I'd written off all because of a ripoff & sendup that I shoulda been smart enough to see through. It was all an elaborate plot so's I could make good on my initial dumbheadedness w/the dismissal of Psychatrone Rhonedakk & his work. So while I didn't get to feast on no duck, I sure got myself plenty of crow to digest. One of these days I'll find them other cd's of his I got & see what I missed, & when that happens, I'll build a car to drive'em around, but for now, I'm content to just glide along w/'Disturbs The Air' as my sonic navigator through his DIY solar system. Contact http://www.summerstepsrecords.com/ for more info.
Friday, December 22, 2006
S.H.I.T.P.O.P. 2006.....Times New Viking/Psychedelic Horseshit Split 7" EP
Anyway, last post also mentioned a split "tour only" ep that perked the ears of some West Coasties. Their question was, 'is it true?' The answer is yes, as true as any of the truths that have ever been tittered on this testimonial. The Times New Viking side is a hot preview from their forthcoming 'Presents The Paisley Reich' (cd) release; 3 songs-including one track ripped from/inspired by half of a Half Japanese cover-that will no doubt continue to have the glossy compnoscenti spilling verbiage about comparisons to Pavement or Guided By Voices simply because they can't "accurately" reference (let alone ever heard) the Clean or Axemen. But it's all good, right? Psychedelic Horseshit's contrib continues to pile up the no-fi ante, tipplin towards the Axemen side of the coin; smearin, slashin both spleen 'n strings in the grand tradition of Bob Cardy & Stevie McCabe so expertly that if I didn't know better I'd have figured these tracks was culled from a Sleek Bott cassette. If this comparison sounds foreign to you, that's cause it is. We can't all be from God's Country. It's high time some of ya learned that. Wait, did I just say high? What in the hell is.......
This split 7" is available (if not now, soon) via http://www.midheaven.com/ or contact either band through their MySpace pages (sorry, you'll have to look those up yourself. I'm goin to bed!).
Don't be afraid to ask for the handcolored one's either.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Yes Virginia, There Is A Appomattox Courthouse, I mean, SANTA CLAUS.....Times New Viking/Psychedelic Horseshit Live! Last 2 Dates! Go See'em!!
Times New Viking & Psychedelic Horseshit got the bright idea to do a small tour of the near South & East Coast the week right before Christmas. And it has been about as hostile & inhospitable of a folly than it deserves. And so w/a couple of cancelled gigs, the little army of six decided to bivouac at my place for the past few days. Nice people's one & all. You can always learn from your houseguests, especially if they's in band's. For instance, up until today, I never knew what the inside of a cigarette filter smells like or that an entire floor of a building could replicate said aroma but that's what I got goin on now. You'd have thought they was all smokin clones devised by Phillip Morris in a 'Boys From Brazil' sorta way. They huff 'n puff them butt's like they was a life force.It's an eye burnin, sneeze inducin fog that won't lift. I was thinkin about leavin some bleach out to kill the stench but I'm afraid one of'em would drink it (they'll do just about anything to catch a buzz, especially the one called Jor-el, or Jarrod). They's went down to Baltimore yesterday for a skirmish at Talking Head & come back about 4am all the more worse for the wear. There's gear missin, eye-glasses what's been lost, toes broken & on top of all that, they didn't even get paid! I tell ya, listenin to the tales of woe & seein them all in various states of fatigue, anger & bewilderment, they's like a ragtag band of Confederate ruffians tryin to scavenge the landscape in the early days of April, 1865. And every time I open the door to the downstairs parlor-what w/the odor've forced heat blowin stale smoke,ripe socks, etc.-& see their bloated bodies wheezin & coughin as they sleep, it's about a close to a Matthew Brady repro of Antietam as I want in the here & now. But while's they might be bloodied, they remain unbowed & the last 2 shows will no doubt prove to be the dingers of this, uh, "campaign". Grey thumbs or not. So fans, enlist now! Here's where;
TONIGHT
Weds.
12/20/06
Philadelphia, PA
TRITONE BAR
1508 South Street
Times New Viking
Home Blitz
Psychedelic Horseshit
*
FRIDAY
12/22/06
New York City, NY
CAKE SHOP
152 Ludlow St
Times New Viking
Psychedelic Horseshit
Clockcleaner
And don't forget to ask for (& buy) the new tour only split 7" ep, limited to idon'tknowhowmany copies. They can't eat'em. Maybe you can.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
A Huffy By Any Other Name.....Top Ten List for 12/14/06
Why is it that the people's who nowaday's want to know so much about Desperate Bicycles is also the one's that ride'em? Ever notice that? Ponderous, ain't it?
Here's a play list for the past half hour;
Smelly Feet-Toe Tapping Songs 7" ep
American Gorilla-Forsaking All Others/Masters Of War 7"
Usch-LTO 7"ep
The Moodists-Gone Dead/Chad's Car 7"
TVP's-I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives/Magnificent Dreams 7" (Japanese Pressing)
Tom & Marty Band-New Wave Twist 7" ep
25 Cents-Y The Wich/Don't Decieve Me 7"
The One Takes-Extended Play 7" ep
Front-System/Queen's Mafia 7"
The Sleepers-Seventh World 7" ep
If You Can't Stand The Heat, How About Freezing To Death As An Option?.....Flaming Fire's 'When The High Bell Rings' CD
This here blog is my job as any readers out there in Readerland already knows. And because of my opinionatin, this blog has gained a modicum of interest, so's it seems to me that if promo's come, they oughta be mine, correct? And it also seems logical (to I) that some stuff should arrive bearin my name for my perusal. That's happened a few times lately & a certain someone started cavortin around w/the BF ('Bitch Face'). That was until he heard'em. Then it was all smiles 'n laughs as though he'd dodged a bullet. What a douche! Granted for the most part it ain't been a problem as there ain't many promo's arrivin. For that, everyone here at Siltbreeze & Siltblog (both of us) says THANK YOU. Sure, we's glad to get the good one's. Even the bad one's that the hipster's can't see through makes for lunch money. But then there's one what shows up & you come to the glarin realization of what a shit encrusted business the music industry is. For instance, bingo!, this here's that came by Flaming Fire. I ain't sure I can parley the utter uselessness of it's existence. How about an equation like; Reesa & The Rooters plus Picasso Trigger divided by The Tubes & there you go. Better yet, the "lost" Waitresses lp on Load! Or how about if Six Flags, Taco Bell & Red Bull were looking to mount a travelling production for the Punk version of Meatloaf's 'Bat Out Of Hell'..... I've got the cast they's lookin for right here! I know what your thinking & your right. It's worse. They gotta website to see for yourself at: http://www.flamingfire.com/
or just wait for the article in Blender that's sure to appear soon enough. For you local's that want a taste, in about 5 minutes I'm gonna drop this into the trashcan at Girard & Frankford, so if you's is ridin by on your ironic bike, feel free to "comp" this into the pocket of your vintage coat on the way to the coffeeshop so you can sit outside in the rain & smoke. And to the promo department of Silly Bird I say, thanks a latte. For nothing. There's only one Arthur in this town & it ain't Treacher's (RIP), so save them promo stamps to address to US when you got somethin GOOD to hawk. Like ol' Ken Franklin used to say "It's a cold world out there sometimes. Particularly when you've got no spark".
Ain't it the truth?
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Message In A Blotter.....Hototogisu+Burning Star Core's 'Volume One' CD
MG's lil sister Buzzy was here not far back at Thanksgiving & boy she sure has gone 'n growed up. But other than strikin a nice figure, I couldn't see any difference. At first. She's still prone to just sit there & give you the long distance stare all through the day & never has been much for talkin. But after we'd done went to bed it was a different story. Up all night she'd be, checkin out our various cd's & records, havin a whale of time by the sound of things. In the mornings I'd ask her what it was she'd been listenin to & she'd just giggle, eat some oatmeal, bat her eyes & giggle some more.If you know Buzzy then you'll know that this retard bit is a coin toss. Is it an act or is it real? I've learned not to let it dwell. Just take it on the chin. So we finally got her back on the bus home the other day & as I was cleanin up the guest room I found some journal she'd left behind. Most of it was filled with letters what was never sent, drawin's of mythical beasts, basically, the usual.And then I come across this entry & had a laugh. I was gonna review the cd myself but I think ol' Buzzy got the drop on me w/this one. I still ain't sure if she's runnin on a full tank mentally, but she seems to know a thing or two about a thing or two. An idiot savant perhaps? There ain't no way I could ever say somethin like that to MG or her folks, they'd kill me! All's they'd hear was the idiot part & my goose would be cooked. So's I'm gonna run it here for you's to decide. Like I said, it's got legs, but I may be bias seein as how she's family 'n all. Well, almost.
11/26/06 3:30am
Wow, Roland sure has a lot of music. My sister told me he was a total geek when it came to records & cd's but this is amazing. There's so much cool stuff. I guess if you have a blog then you get free shit. I want a blog! I would do mine like a diary or something. Make it more intimate and warm. Not cold & mean like Roland's. I basically like people even if I can't stand the sight of them. What would be my 1st review? How about this cd by Hototogisu + Burning Star Core. It looks rad!
11/26/06 3:38am
Wow, this is going to be good I can just tell. It's like industrial psychedelia! The only drag is that I don't think the drummer's much of an improviser. He's beating that snare like one of those windup monkey toys with the cymbals. He needs to be more organic, like Andrea Centazzo, and less intrusive, like John Bonham. I think he's the same guy in Hair Police. Roland says they are like Harry Pussy lite. I think that is funny. I'm always giving my Dad a hard time about listening to Aerosmith for the same reason. I'm like 'Dad, don't you have some shitty Rolling Stones records that are better than this"? He always says that what the Budweiser's for but he says that about alot of things. I hate Budweiser.
11/26/06 4:08am
Wow, now it sounds like a convergence of angels. But not Heavenly angels, rather, Angels of Satan. I was reading a magazine called Bananafish that I found lying around & it had an interview w/this guy Spencer that's on this cd. He was talking about how he was classically trained and preparing for conservatory and perhaps a career w/a orchestra or something but he decided to leave the light and embrace the darkness. Like Lucifer did. I know a few people that if I played this for them they would think they were trapped in some sort of sonic, aural Hell. Speaking of which, if this Spencer guy is still living in Cincinnati, then he's closer to Lucifer than he knows. Talk about a Hell on earth! I think I'd be mad too.
11/26/06 4:25am
Wow, what exactly is a Hototogisu? It is like a Hototoginsu, like a special knife? Would it be a knife for carving sound? What would a sound knife look like? Would it look like a Hototogisu or a Hototoginsu? Where do these people come up with these names? They must be really smart.
11/26/06 4:28am
Wow, this little pin just fell out of the cd case! It's a pin with the face of Marcia Bassett on it. It's just like her picture on the cover of the cd, only bigger. The resemblance is uncanny, it's almost exactly the same. Now that is intense. Not to mention psychedelic. I think I'm starting to see trails too. Killer.
11/26/06 4:50am
Wow, I think I nodded off there for a sec. This cd is soothing yet punishing. It sort of reminds me of that line from that one Hellraiser movie where the pinface guy says "Your suffering will be legendary. Even in Hell"! In a way I could see this music as a soundtrack for a horror movie. I guess. Maybe a colonial horror movie with Genesis P-Orridge as an evil George Washington. Or Martha Washington. Or both! Woah, that's a creepy thought. It could work, that's the really scary part. Is this cd great or what?
11/26/06 5:06am
Wow, that cd was neat. It's not even over yet. Or maybe it started all over again. Whatever, I have to go to bed. It's going to be great for that. It's like my ears are ringing after a night of mutilating cattle or listening to my parents scream at each other about all the empty Budweiser cans my Dad has strewn all over the house. I bet if we had this Hototogisu + Burning Star Core cd at my house, the place would be a lot cleaner, especially if I threatened my folks with it every waking minute of the day.Or maybe I should just move out. That's a good idea too. I'll have to sleep on it.
Okay, good night!
http://www.dronedisco.com/
Monday, December 11, 2006
What's The Difference Between Another Noise Rock Band & A Bucket Of Shit?.....Howlin Magic's S/T Cd
It wasn't all that long ago when somebody asked for a moratorium on bands usin the name 'Wolf' as a callin card. There is a bunch of'em
too, most as sad & borin as the day is long. This year Howlin was the name that caught on. Howlin this & Howlin that. 2006, the year Howlin broke....funny ain't it? Okay it's not. It's sad. Sad 'cause none of the Howlin bands I heard really howled. Whined maybe, rocked a little, stomped around. No howlin though & not all that convincin to my ears. But the name's trendy & carries a certain cache I reckon. I'm just waitin for some dumb duck's to come along & call themselves Howlin Wolf, thinkin that they's bein original. Mark my words, it'll happen. Probably come out on Sub Pop too, who'll put a spin on it & have it wreakin of irony. Some dud at Pitchfork will pick it up & run with it &...... gettin depressed? Hold on, I ain't even wrote nothin about Howlin Magic yet!
Listenin to the Howlin Magic cd, my 1st thought was that K-Tel came back in business. You know, cashin in on the New Weird America scene. Howlin Magic got all the moves & noises down pat, the results of which are as sterile as an operatin room. The guitars squall-just like their supposed to-the drums thud w/feral intentions, there's lot's of obligatory extraneous "found" crap, on the whole the thing is sufficiently "gnarly". On top of that, the artwork & layout is so incredibly lame that if I didn't know better I'd have thought it was the work of somebody w/a bone to pick takin the piss, you know, like the Pork Dukes. Stoic believers in the New Weird America bible live by a mantra that all noise is cool, so if they's butterin your bread, this is essential. I mean it has to be, cause it sounds just like everybody else. If this was a cdr I wouldn't have even bothered, but somebody's went & started a label w/this shit, got themselves a barcode & everything. Couldn't they have just saved that money & gone to law school instead? I guess that don't have the same resonance of cool down to the Tonic or Pink Pony or wherever. But hey, if bands could sue for blatant thievery, the brain-trust at Azul Discografia would know the error of their decision. If this is what's passin for Pollander All Fruit in the scene right now then alls I gotta say is make mine w/jelly!
And before I forget,the answer is-the bucket.
Your welcome.
azulddiscografica@gmail.com
Friday, December 01, 2006
Cosmic Tones From Hoosier Hotshots.....Lord Fyre's 'Destruction At 2013' LP
I got this friend named Vance Hitler who claims he's related to you-know-who. An uncle or somethin. I know, it's preposterous! Claims he growed up on Long Island where folks either hated or feared him 'cause of his surname. Says his line of the family had always kept a considerable distance from their despotic kin even as far back as the 1930's. So all's they got in common is the name. That's alot if ya ask me! But Vance is a funny guy & just about as opposite from his evil forebearer as a fella could be. He loves meat ('cept sausages), hate's marzipan, don't paint, not a dog fan, despises clowns, never done coke & likes his drink (not whiskey though. "makes me mean" he always says w/a smile). And comin up wherever in Long Island, he was surrounded by cults, paranormal mediums & ufo nuts of all sorts. Which might go a long way to explain why he runs this bookstore what's devoted to Flat Earth theories, conspiracies of all sort's, science fiction, the whole bit (the one exception bein anything on the Spear Of Destiny for, uh, obvious reasons). It's a neat place & there's always some curious smellin incense permeatin the room as well as atmospheric music waftin outta the speakers.Once when I was in to pickup this book on Mayan submarines the nose-ringed girl what sometimes filled in was playin this spacey instrumental buzz & I asked who it was. "Lord Frye" was the response, "like the boot". I don't know why, but right then I weren't no longer interested. I never did like them boots, they took forever to break in & yr feet hurt like hell all the way through. So I got what I came for & split. Then yesterday I was in to see if Vance had a recipe for Kykeon & he was playin something that sounded an awful lot like the boot stuff. 'Cept this time there was singin. It had a vibe that I couldn't quite pinpoint. It was sorta like Gothic Hut if they'd gone psychedelic or maybe even Culturcide if they's stayed the course instead of cashin in for laughs. Vance just rolled his eyes at all them notions. 'Mein Gott, it's this band Lord Fyre" & handed me the lp jacket. That changes everything! I had a gander at the inner sleeve to see what was what. Lots of names & instrument info that I didn't have time for so I went & got a copy for myself. Listenin to it again this mornin it's all right nice & suitably avant oddball w/hint's of stoner. They got this thing for Sun Ra & you can tell someone in the ensemble is very big on 'Strange Strings' &/or 'Atlantis'. Their overall psychic design seemed reminiscent of early Tower Recordings, as though a copy of 'Fraternity Of Moonwalkers' was somewhere within arm's reach (the cute aka's they give themselves was a dead giveaway too). And while I'm at it, there was moments on here where if I didn't know better I've swore I was listenin to parts off've Dashiell Hedeyat's 'Obsolete' album. And that sure don't happen much. I ain't criticizin'em for any of it, hey, them's good places to check in & see the sparks fly. I was very taken w/'Destruction At 2013'. And once I Sherlocked that insert but good I spied a name from the past that almost brought a tear to my eye. It's comfortin to know that some old coots can keep on rollin. I can't say how "real" Lord Fyre is, meanin, I know that some of'em got's other musical concerns (that I ain't all that interested in) that might take more of a front seat in the overall scheme of things. I understand. But this Lord Fyre stuff, I'd definitely be up for hearin some more. And to think I woulda passed'em by if it weren't for Vance Hitler. Thanks Vance! I tell ya, that guy....they don't come much better.
(Check it out at www.midheaven.com & www.emperorjones.com)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Heroes De Plastico.....High Tension Wires 'Send A Message' LP
There's always lots of tongues wagged 'n ink spilt on the authenticity of the retro Punk action available by bands what come from labels such as In The Red, Birdman, Shattered, etc. I ain't here to concur or dispute said claims, just throwin my cards on the table. Even Siltblog has endorsed Angry Angles whose stylee sounds like it could've been cut sometime between Carter & Reagan. Clone Defects, Time Flys, Gris Gris, Reatards.....it's all fine & captures-almost to a T-the sneerin, 1% ethos of bands they obviously admire &/or emulate from the halcyon days. Hell, I own records & cd's by them bands I mentioned & I gotta say, after a spin or 2 on all of'em, they was done. Not that they was bad or nothin, I guess it comes down to do I wanna hear someone who wants to sound like (for instance) The Pagans or do I want to hear The Pagans? It's a no brainer. I sometimes think it's just me. I'm too jaded but you know, I have done & seen lots of cool stuff in my time so havin it all rolled out again & again it loses it's luster. Then one day I go & buy some used lp by a contempo band called the High Tension Wires & am completely blown away. Released in 2004 (?) on a label called Dirtnap, 'Send A Message is a staggering throwback to Punk angst frenzy found on Bloodstains & Killed By Death comps more than any one particular band from...."back in the day". If I was to try & pinpoint their sound I guess I'd say it's along the lines of a hybrid of The Dils, The S'Nots & The Skunks. They even cover a song by The Kids to let us all know that they know.The pace 'n timing is superb, the hooks are plenty & it's dudless in it's entirety. 'The Sad Tale Of Mattie Lou Denton' is the best song from 2004 that sounds like it's from 1982 that I heard in 2006 but like I said, they's all keepers. I don't know nothin about High Tension Wires or Dirtnap Records. I kinda doubt that they's got anything else that's as ace as this but people tell me I've been wrong before. 'Send A Message' is the greatest record that never came out on VVV & I can't think of any higher praise than that. Can you?
http://www.dirtnaprecs.com/
htwires@hotmail.com
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
ESP Medium Dischord.....Gag's 'Caveman Shuffle Suffers Known As Patty/C2' 7"
Oh how I've been longing for the day when a new round-table fulla Anglo knights would lay waste to the landscape & relegate that tired "improv" scene (or is it house chores I'm hearing? Really, when all's your doin is turnin on a vacuum cleaner it's hard to tell if yr workin or playin) into servitude. The cdr, cassette & micro vinyl market is all gobbled up w/havenots tryin to pass themselves off as haves & while there are exceptions (do I really have to name them?) most of it is pure shite. On the flipside it slays me when so many scribes slobber all over themselves to champion whatever new Fall release is in the bins as "HIS best work to date" as though MES is doin us all a favor by clackin his dentures together one more time. I'm sure some of us could go around by this admittance of "heresy" but the way I figure it, that's your problem. I guess the gist of this post is that most pinetops out there don't have a clue as to what's goin on between the cracks in the cobblestone of Ol' Blighty's Rock underground. For instance, how many out there knows about this 7" by Gag? Released on Flitwick, this record disembowels post-puh angst the likes of which have not been splayed since the era of the Membranes, Sperm Wails, Kilgore Trout & Big Flame. Not familiar? Well, they ain't names you'll find over to Pitchfork that's for sure. Gag blast outta the gate w/all the charm of an English breakfast; burnt, fried, greasy & carcinogenic. Goes down fast too. You can't help but come back for more. Within their ranks is one Leighton Crook whose also the current rhythm engineer on the Country Teasers cruise ship (not to mention skipper of the Flitwick line). I guess here is where I'm supposed to say something like the Country Teasers are the new Fall, but the new Fall is the new Fall & I wouldn't wish that on nobody.Case closed. As for Gag, there may be those who choose to see their aural fuckery as a step forward in a classic Rough Trade direction, but in my tiki lounge this mixes it up & goes down with the same potency as the strongest hooch that was ever bottled up at the Ron Johnson brewery. Gag is just one of many excellent beacons bein flickered out over the crags 'n bluffs of the U.K. shoreline via Flitwick's lighthouse. There's lot's of other great singles, (includin one by the Fall! Best thing he's done in yrs!) cd's & lp's w/the Flitwick imprint just waitin for your dormant enthusiasm to recharge. So go ahead, check it out. For a guy that don't like meat (hates animals so much he won't even eat'em) Leighton Crook sure as hell ain't no simp. He knows the difference between wheat 'n chaff. Who said vegan's can't be doozers?
http://www.flitwickrecords.co.uk/
Monday, November 20, 2006
A Local Anesthetic In King Arthur's Court.....Hank IV's 'Third Person Shooter' LP/CD
I ain't one much for them Yahoo music group chat things but sometimes I am amazed by what floats to the surface. For instance, a site dedicated to Bum-Kon? I thought that was pretty cool! And the fella what moderate's it seems to have his head far enough away from his ass that it ain't a bunch've gratuitous dick-swinging. But hey, we're talking about Bum-Kon for fuck sake! Any interest in 2006 would be cause for celebration in my book (if I was them). And that's what I liked about the one post that I've swiped here for y'all to peruse. This Blaine fella don't seem like the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but he has connected some dots to Hank IV & one of'em leads back to the Colorado scene of yore & lo & behold, directly to the heart of the Centennial State's most prolific hardcore band. You can run, but you can't hide! Take it away, Blaine-
Bum-Kon Singer On The Loose Again. Hank IV=Killer Because Of It.
Yeah, hey everybody, Blaine Boyington checkin in (aka Blayne Binary back in the day. Shout out to Crutches: dude, them smokes at that Happy World/JFA show in '84 saved my life. Thanks bro). It's been a while since anybody's posted on the Bum-Kon site, like over a year now. I guess there hasn't been much activity or nothin. Can't say I know what anybody's up to these days. Personally things have been rough; I just got back into town after servin a stint in Alameda County Prison for passin bad checks. I didn't think anybody gave a shit about that stuff these days but the judge said it was the same as identity theft so away I went. And since I didn't have no fixed address, they figured I was trouble. Does anybody out there remember when Marty of Rok-Tots said the same shit to me back in '83? Man I should listened to him but I was young & stupid! Prison is a bummer dudes & that's straight up. My advice-don't get caught. The dudes inside are for real & give a whole nother meaning to the name bum-con. My punk ass didn't have a chance. But I tried to see my time philosophically. The things I was forced to do, I looked at them as "personal favors". I sure as hell didn't wanna do any of it, but my "friends" "insisted" & so I "helped". A lot of times I would shut my eyes & recite the lyrics to 'The Draft' or 'Slow Death' (as I interpreted them) in my head. It was brutal. But every cloud has a silver lining. I was "sold" to this nice enough, slightly older dude who helped me get my shit together to get out. He was getting sprung soon & told me he had a place on Polk St. in SF where I could hang till I got back to Denver. Man, gettin outta there, I felt like the dude in 'Midnight Express'. It was unreal. I wasn't sure I'd ever have freedom again. My "friend" ( I was told to refer to him as "Johnny") set me up in this one room efficiency like he said he would & it was right down the street from this place called The Hemlock that did live music. I was stoked. One night we went & saw this local band Hank IV. Very tight, very good, & the singer looked so familiar. I mean, not instantly recognizable, more like in a John Walsh, computer enhanced, here's-what-they-look-like-now kinda thing he does on 'America's Most Wanted'. It was Bob McDonald from Bum-Kon! Only the greatest singer outta 'Rado since Jello Biafra. And whoa, check out his moves; part Sally Can't Dance era live Lou Reed herk, part 'She Lost Control' era Ian Curtis jerk, part Jack LaLanne dedication, part Robbie Robot spazz arms from 'Lost In Space', part Robert Shields in sweat-face. Awesome! The rest of the band was killin too, the twin guitars were like the sonic attack of Bailey/Kuepper from prime era Saints, the bassist was throwin down solid & the geezerly dude on drums looked like he was wound pretty tight too. His arms & feet couldn't stop! It was great. Afterwards I was building my courage up to talk to Bob & in my mind I wanted to thank him for all the great Bum-Kon records, shows & parties, but I could see he had no idea who I was & besides, it seemed like those days were long behind him. And who could fault him for that? I know we're all solid fans & I wanna say their records will always have a special place in my heart & while those days are over, at least Bob McDonald is still rockin! Dudes, Hank IV need the Bum-Kon support hookup! It's not hardcore, not like we remember it, but it's snazz all the way. As they willingly acknowledge, their drama is definitely ripped from plot lines akin to Country Teasers or Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments & yeah, if this was the ass end of 1986 all over, I could see these guys w/a release on Homestead. "Johnny" bought a copy the lp which featured a cd version inside that I played the entire busride back Rocky Mountain way. Like I said it's no Bum-Kon but nothing is or ever will be again. Those were special days bros. Bob McDonald helped make them happen then, he's making them happen again. Go to the Hank IV Myspace page & check out the slurred, smelted, panic assault of 'Hole In My Eye' & tell me you miss Frantix. But hey, the whole of 'Third Person Shooter' rumbles and rakes with such a grizzled nuance that I might just be movin back SF way to see if they want a roadie or cocktail manager. Or maybe Bob would need a personal servant or house boy. Did somebody just mention Heaven?
Contact Hank IV via; http://www.hankiv.com/
or www.myspace.com/thehankfour
Thursday, November 16, 2006
As No Wave As The Next Guy.....Henry Flynt & Nova'Billy's 'I Was A Creep/Left Ear' 7"
You may recall when a few yrs back the magazine Halana ran a piece by Alan Licht entitled 'Minimalist Top Ten'. In it, Al rapped about the routinely ignored & misunderstood genre then went on to list & sketch the 10 works he considered pivotal for the erstwhile collector. One of the composers mentioned was a fella by the name of Henry Flynt whose sole release at the time was a cassette only thing from '87 entitled 'You Are My Everlovin'. Needless to say, once the list was loose & ingested by the wretched excess, it was only a matter of time till that thing got the boost from obscure tape to barely available cd ( I believe it's now out of print). At any rate, it is a pretty great swell of "Hillbilly Raga" & was (presumably) the linchpin for the interest from Locust to bankroll all his further releases that I have not participated in the buying of (I got my reasons). I know I know, the guy's a genius, all his work is of such an utter brilliance & singularity & yes I'm jealous & no I'm not gay & boy is it getting late but who has all that time? It's not like I'm boycotting the guy, in fact, I just bought this limited edition of 300, one-time-pressing-only 7" by him! How I came to stumble upon it's existence I cannot recall, but the format seemed curious for such a prolific cat that I figured it was worth 6$ to check out. Culled from a 1975 concert, the label makes some whoop about this being in the 'NY no wave groove' which ain't what I heard, so I guess I just don't get it. Or is it that nowadays you can just throw out any old shit, call it whatever & that's what it is? I thought No Wave meant somethin else, but since this predates New Wave, I guess-technically- they got a point. Okay, now that we got that settled, onto the record. In regards to the a-side, if I hadn't known already it was Henry Flynt, I'd have swore it was a recording of Bob Mothersbaugh fronting 10 60 75 (The Numbers Band) from some long forgotten Saturday night stint at JB's in Kent. Those chooglin barroom blues, we've all had'em! The flip is way more curious & show's the real Rolling Thunder that year didn't belong to Dylan's revue but instead to an anonymous bunch called Nova'Billy whose solid backbeats & higher key interactions of fiddle's 'n gits reduces the white frocked, turban wearing, mime-faced Renaldo & Clara folly to the outhouse of hokum.In fact, this is so great I got an uncontrollable urge to scream 'Fuck Bob Neuwirth'! at the top of my lungs. So please excuse me while I amble down to the basement & expell my catharsis. Thank you.
( http://www.locustmusic.com/)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Bumbling Forward Into The Past.....The Geeks 'Too Fat Pig/Visiting Day At San Quentin' 7"
Scott Soriano has deep knowledge & love for the obscure, so if he tells me The Geeks have been around for ____number of yrs, I'll play along. Why not? Who's it harm? That I never heard of'em till now is meaningless. Shit like that happens all the time. They got a unique 'n creepy sound that's so there, you can almost smell the stench of stale cigarette smoke 'n rotting pleather waft off this 7" as it spins it's sordid tales. The lounge vibe on here is as alive as a hair-nest full've syphilis spirochetes primed for action. Hell, I feel like I need to pack a switchblade just to walk in the room! The a-side, sung by a 15 yr old would-be chanteuse sorta resembles a poem cooed from the lips of Squeaky Fromme backed by a sloe gin fizzed 'Coral Rock' ensemble. The flip is indeed seething w/anger & intensity but it's foggy notions of revolution & revenge warmed the coddles of my heart in remembrance of Smiley Winters "That" Nigger Music' lp & hey, if the timelines had been wiggled just right, perhaps The Geeks coulda had a Touche matrix number. This kinda pugnacity just ain't around anymore so the fact that these tracks are from 79-80 make's sense (I guess). I sure would like to hear the rest. And while your at it, how about trackin down The Ragged Bags & Fiberglass Gorilla Limbs? Them's both got heavy archives that could use a barrel of ears too. But in a pinch, just more of The Geeks'd be swell, thanks.
http://www.s-srecords.com/
Monday, November 13, 2006
Amateurs Built The Ark, Professionals Built The Titanic.....Der Dritte Schritt/Der Pilz Split LP
For a short spell in my salad days I lived up in Toronto & ran w/a cast of characters unlike any's I met before or since. Take for instance this one fella, Cinco Cox. He was Mexican, ran a landscaping crew & had moved to Canada to perfect a hydroponic tomato. He had this greenhouse fulla plants & would go on forever about how Canadian tomatoes was the best in the world. This was before Corona was much known outside Mexico & 5-Dicks (that's what we called him) always had ample supplies on hand. It was kinda novel, sittin there drinkin Mexican beers in a Etobicoke greenhouse, hearin all about the history of Canadian minor league hockey (another favorite topic) & why hyrdoponics was the wave of the future, all spouted off by a little Mexicali fella who-get this-listened ONLY to German synth tapes! You'd ask him what was he playin & he'd dummy up & say "eez nobody". Basically his reason for playin possum was he didn't want us to know what we was hearin. In his mind he was "protectin" this music. "Senor Woodbe" he'd say, "you good guy, but collector. Collectors like Conquistadors, only want to ruin & exploit. Be happy you hear it at all, eez very rare". Then he'd rock back 'n forth in his chair, suckin on a lime wedge, wheezing w/laughter. Some of it I knew-like Der Plan or DAF-but sometimes he'd slip something in the deck what was mysterious 'n cool soundin & then go all shrugged shouldered when you asked him who it was. It was frustratin. I remember one time listenin to some stuff that sounded exceptionally great; this primitive slashing guitar dubbed over a mush of cut/paste loops, sorta dark wave soundin. It was definitely on the minimal side, but real naif & DIY in comparison to anything on Zickzack, Ata Tak or Pure Freude. 5-Dicks of course waved me off, except to say it come from a tape label called Trummer. He made me a dupe & I used to listen to it alot in the car (my only tape player at the time). But a bunch've moves back 'n forth across the continent & things like that just go missin. I'd liked to have forgotten all about it, cept the other day I ordered this here record-strictly outta curiousity-& on one side of it was the same motherfucking jams as that tape! What're the odds on that happening? Unreal, totally fuckin unreal. Entitled Der Dritte Schritt (or DDS for short) it has been rereleased as a split lp w/another old Trummer recording artist, Der Pilz. Listenin to these sides you realize how much influence Der Plan wielded back then on the German avant/experimental synth-wave scene. It's not really Punk, not really Industrial, but yet it's both, at least by the rules in play back when these tapes originally came out (83-84). The DDS side of synth/guitar & looped crud sounds like a crude, vocalless pulverization of 'Geri Reig' while the Der Pilz side borrows Pyrolator's penchant for whimsy from the same lp & heaves it into a blender filled w/aural blat 'n samples akin to something like Decayes meets early Maurizio Bianchi. It's definitely not Andreas Dorau if you know what I mean! Pretty awesome stuff that-unless you was like 5-Dicks back in the day-you probably never knew existed. It's menacing, it's minimal, it's my kinda party. This label what released it (Was Soll Das? Platten) have a whole slew of (previous) cassette-only works from other obscure bands/artists active in that nascent German elecro Untergrundbewegung that they've bumped up to vinyl & I have yet to find a dud in the bunch. Most are micro pressings, so if yr interested, go to http://www.fusetronsound.com/
& see what's available.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
We Have A Dream. Someday, We'll Have A Little House & A Couple Of Acres. A Place To Call Home.....Blasted Al Ackerman's 'I Am Drunk' LP
Well I do believe the years are catchin up on me. Why do I say this? 'Cause now someone has gone & released an lp by the guy who wrote the 'Hamburger Lady' letter to Throbbing Gristle back in 1978 that's on the reverse of their 'D.o.A.' lp. That's right, Al Ackerman, THAT Al Ackerman, now BLASTED Al Ackerman, has an lp of musings & blabber entitled 'I Am Drunk'. The longer ya stay in the trenches, the more likely your are to hear 'n see everything! I was perusin this album in a store the other day (ya gotta admit, the cover art is enticin) when the clerk got to tellin me the back story on it & I just about croaked from laughter. To me that's just hilarious; the guy who wrote the 'Hamburger Lady' letter-the whole 'Screwloose Lauritzen' & '250 lb meatloaf'- has a record out. In 2006! I had to buy it.
Now I ain't much for spoken word stuff. I had them Harvey Kubernik comps on Freeway back in the day & I guess they was decent. I had a Bukowski lp on Takoma that was okay, then there was that Terry Southern tape of him readin from the "Magic Christian' that was fun once. I remember fallin asleep in a car a few yrs back when someone put in a tape of William Shatner narrating from his autobiography. Good thing I wasn't drivin! Where's Landrew when ya need him? But this Blasted Al Ackerman lp ain't none of that. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's not the pontifications of a dullard. On the 'Crab' side he tells us about the moniker & how he come to get it. Blasted Al's got one of them radio readin voices, you know, the kind that just sounds right for the format. If your thinkin Garrison Keillor your way off, more like if that Jack Nicholson character in 'King Of Marvin Gardens', David Staebler, was a real life person spinnin them oddball yarns across the airwaves. It's a lot like that. It kinda makes the Hamburger Lady story seem suspect. Did he make it up? Was she real? It's hard to say. Never really mattered all that much to me anyways. Then there's this whole bit called "The Pepper Young Translations" where, presumably, he reads w/a bar of soap in his mouth. Nothin has ever made me wanna hear "The Lennie Small Wabbit Soliloquies" from 'Of Mice & Men' (performed in character by John Malkovich) over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over&over again more than this conceptual, fluxus-ish, nonsense. I gave it a flip & started listenin to the "live" side, but my chin kept pokin itself into my chest sayin it was time to snooze. Happens evertime I try & play it, them nappies come a callin somethin fierce! It's got 'ya-had-to-be-there' written all over it. The insert (& website) use words like "lugubrious" & indescribable" on the matter of Blasted Al & his work & I would concur. On both counts. What more can I tell you? If you wanna buy a record by the Hamburger Lady guy, here's where to go; http://www.ehserecords.com/
I can think of about a hundred worse ways I've spent 10$ & who knows, maybe someday I'll record an album tellin ya all about'em.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Harsh 90's Reality.....One More Time. Hey, We Got T-Shirts!
That's right, we've gone & run off a small batch of 'vintage' Siltbreeze shirts from the 90's! Get'em while you can. Plenty of time to break'em in before the upcoming ATP & the next No Fun Fest! Sizes are small, medium, large & extra large. 100% cotten to boot!
Dead C- Designed by band member Michael Morley, this was a tour only shirt from their 1995 US Tour. Black ink on white shirt.
Harry Pussy- Design culled from the 'Ride A Dove release, this was a tour only shirt from their 1996 US Tour. Black ink on grey shirt
Siltbreeze Label-Designed by Graham Lambkin from the Shadow Ring, this was originally a 'promo only' shirt done in a very small run & given to artists on the label at the time (roughly 1994). Blue ink on white shirt.
Shirts are 15$ each postpaid WORLDWIDE! Please specify size when ordering. To purchase, go to www.paypal.com
& our address is; sltrx@pil.net
Or, send cash or money order to;
Siltbreeze
727 South 7th St
Phila, Pa 19147
Let'em know you were there, even if you weren't!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Any Major Dude Will Tell You.....Guy Goode & His Decentone Orchestra LP & The Legacy Of Joseph D'Angelo, Part 2
I had sorta forgot about my deal w/NoVo (or whoever's signin the checks) about them Joseph D'Angelo articles till I got an email the other day from Taters that read simply WHAT THE FUCK"? I shook off the cobwebs & got to writin. With all the construction & general hubbub that's been goin on around here, I just spaced on the followup. I had more pressin concerns, you know? So I'll get right to the point, no filibusterin, pontificatin or long winded stories about how I come to connect x to y to z. Just some hard facts & speculative opinionatin. I think it was that roly-poly ass bag William Howard Taft who said "Fun can kiss my ass!" Right? If not, it was some rotund barrister of yore. That much I DO know.
Okay, well, the 1st part of this series about the Departmentstore Santas was a success I reckon. Got lot's of mail from collectors & fans alike. Seems everyone whose ever found a copy come across it in a similar way; yard sale, reduced/dollar bins or just piqued by the cover art. And I didn't encounter nobody who said they felt gypped either. It's a deep & persuasive record. And seein as how Will Soderberg ponied up w/his helpful Joseph D'Angelo website(www.white-rose.net/dss/)
you can get a peek at what followed by Guy Goode & His Decentone Orchestra enititled' There Are No Clean People'. Released in 1985, evidently this lp's distro was nil as I never seen nor heard a peep about it till a few yrs back w/I turned up a copy. Not a jarring surprise, I mean in couldn't really ride on the waves of the DSS album which was then languishing undiscovered in record shops & chapter 11 warehouses. The fella I got it from knew it had connections to DSS but couldn't recall how're who. The cover art was hardly revelatory & the insert gave up nothing. Listenin to it though, it did possess a similar lyrical aesthetic & the vocals sounded familiar. However, the emphasis was leaning more towards horns, woodwinds, a sort've mash of diy, psych 'n big band w/a running narrative that assumed the m.o. of a corny, two-bit lounge act. I wouldn't say I was thrown off, if anything, I was just as mystified by this lp has I had been w/the DSS. Lookin at this thing it had A/V Club written all over it, certainly not the image I had conjured up in my brain. But hey, whatever, the other record I had w/supposed DSS connections by Friends Of Ghost seemed just as illogical so I just took it in stride. Someone tried to con me & say it was a David Lowery/Camper Van Beethoven side project but I didn't buy it. That just solidified the need to know & track down any info I could to put all these ducks in a row.
Which is exactly what happened just about a year ago. We was down in Playa Del Carmen on the Mexican Rivera, drinkin & havin a relaxin vacation when we befriended this backpackin fella what asked us for a beer. He was right nice, told us all about the ruins & local lore, wasn't pushy, didn't seem like a smacked ass, so we broke out some more suds as well as a bottle of mescal we'd picked up earlier in the day. Soon we was off to the races fillin each other's in w/bio's'n backstories. Our man of mystery said he was originally from outside San Diego, Ca. I told him I'd been to Santee once in the early 80's & damn if that wasn't where he'd growed up! I said I'd seen a Fear show when I was there (which he remembered) & we got off on hardcore & the SD scene, blahblahblah. Then I mentioned DSS & he shot me this shocked look, like I'd mentioned the answer to some long-lost riddle. He asked me how I knew about'em & got to actin all secretive but after a few more snorts of cactus juice admitted that he had been pals w/those guys way back when. Said that lp was one of his favorites of all time, but that the followup record, the one by Guy Goode & The Decentones (!) was even better. I couldn't fuckin believe it! Suddenly, sittin around a fire on a beach in Mexico the mystery of DSS/Guy Goode was being unraveled. Basically what he told me that night follows-almost to the letter-the info on Soderberg's site. The main thing for me was findin out where the record fit in the discography & Mr. X-I never did get the fella's name-said it was right after the Santas one. He told about shows, how funny the Brashers brothers was, laughed w/distain at the Camper Van notion, it was mind bogglin. I asked about how come it was such a hard lp to track down but he just shrugged his shoulders & smiled, as if to say that's how it was meant to be. With that he strapped on his backpack, thanked us for the hospitality 'n reminiscin & was on his way. Then after the DSS blog, the White Rose site confirmed it all. I'll be a monkey's uncle. So there you have it. And it is a goddamn GOOD record too. Sure it don't have the detached, higher-key psychedelic ache as the Santas lp, but it is a cool customer of sideways swing nonetheless. And I gotta side up w/Mr. X, I think I might even like this Guy Goode lp even more than DSS one. So does that make me elitist? If that means I got it & you don't, I guess the answer is yes. Somethin tells me they's out there. Where I couldn't say & if anybody's got any leads, drop a line. This is one that definitely need's more ears.
So much for my non story tellin. Sorry folks, it couldn't be helped. Next up is Friends Of Ghost. All's I'll say right now is...what happened?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Sheep Are God's Cattle, But The Goat Is The Devil's.....A Playlist For 10/17/06
Sorry to say that things is slow here on account of many setbacks. The biggest problem is the landlord's diggin a huge bombshelter below the basement (I am not shitting you!) & it has wreaked havoc in the entire bldg. Some days the phone lines is up, next, they's down. The electric may or may not be workin at any given time. It's like we's in a state of siege. Most times when this type've activity occurs, it's the landlord's way of sayin GET OUT, but ours is sayin 'Stay, stay, for soon bunker is done. If plane crash or bomb drop, now is place to go. Beware of Dutch for is goat! I didn't understand the last part till the super, Mr. Bartkowski, told me the old man had a dream where he seen Darren Daulton flyin backwards through time & sensed it was an omen of impending doom. Hence, the construction of "the bunker". Hey, you don't have to be Kreskin to know that the symbolism of baseball players floatin around the skies ain't a good one. Once I knowed the reason, it put my mind at ease. I was actually touched by the concern. We all were. So last night we had a little community throwdown w/a mess've homemade perogie's, a big pot've borsch & grilled kyshka's, the best I ever ate. There was loads of beer & vodka, lot's of dancin & hilarity, not to mention some pretty good music spinnin as well. The super's daughter, Peytra, was the dj & below is a list of some album's she played. Most of'em I wouldn't mind hearin again. How about you?
The Hoax-Quiet In The Sixpenny's 12"
Butch Willis & The Rocks-Forthcomings lp
G.G. Allin & The Scumfucs-Eat My Fuc lp
Mekons-This Sporting Life 12"
The Noyes Bros.-Sheep From Goats dbl lp
Gilli Smyth-Mother lp
Giuseppi Logan-More lp
Randy Holden-Population II lp
F.S.K.-X lp
Door & The Window-Detailed Twang lp
Eric Hysteric-Fur Dich lp
David Redford Triad-The Mystical Path Of The Number Eighty Six lp
Mikolas Chadima & The Extempore Band-Velkomesto/The City dbl lp
Dislocation Dance-Coyote's Call lp
Doug Snyder-The Conversation lp
Yuzo Iwata-Drowning In The Sky lp
End Result-Ward lp
Cecil Taylor-Indent lp
Marie And The Atom-Yellow Read Aloud 12"
Monday, October 16, 2006
Grab The Cash With Both Hands & Make.....The Galactic Symposium LP
Before the advent of Karaoke & the wholesale bum-rush of the wretched excess to take a turn at becomin a blithering idiot behind a microphone, murdering the classics fell squarely on the shoulders of more-shall we say-idiosyncratic artists who'd occasionally toss an egg in the direction of various icons beloved by the doe-eyed milieu. Lol Coxhill, Steve Marcus, The Residents, they's all delighted me w/their clever 'n audacious cracks at the Lords Of AM/FM & who out there didn't smirk knowingly the 1st time The Flying Lizards cover of 'Money' crossed the ol' ear holes? Killdozer's drank from the well, Culturcide bared their teeth in disgust & why Meatus Murder ain't on Broadway is a ponderous quandry, but let me back up a sec. Or fast forward, whatever. What I wanted to say was the one group/record that falls squarely into assassin's catagory would be Galactic Symposium & their slaughter of 'YMCA/Money' on a 7" back in whenever. Sounding like the Portsmouth Sinfonia w/hoof & mouth disease, the savage rendition's of these...staples....helped propel their lone single into the inner stratosphere of 'John Peel Favorites'. Which would explain why his name graces the cover of this recent lp chock full've rib tickling deconstructions such as 'Paranoid', 'Alright Now' & 'Sunshine Of Your Love' among others (including the aforementioned 7" cuts). Supposedly all this was culled from a cassette somebody found at a car-boot sale, sent it to http://www.lowdownkids.com/ & presto! Instant lp.
So is it any good? Uh........sure! It's funny & you know, like any of this kinda stuff, a little bit goes a long way (w/me anyways). I never thought I'd want to listen to 'Baker Street' ever again but I was wrong. Now after hearing The Galactic Symposium draw & quarter it, I can adamantly make said claim.
Yeah, it's neat. Novel you might say. But I don't know. After a while it got a little too Wesley Willis for my likin. I know they's just takin the piss & there's no exploitation or whatever goin on & it is genuinely FUNNY, but still. If joke rock is your bag, these guys deliver great sheets of laughing blotter that are as sustainable as those found within the recorded works from everyone like Sebastian Cabot on down to Hybrid Kids. Real People snarks might not dig & snub their noses at it, but the 25$ I plonked down for this was real enough so that's all's I'm sayin. Them yuks don't come cheap, so if you wanna spend your money on snorts that're less adamant but equally abrasive, go buy a Blowfly album. Them shit's is hilarious too. See this? What do I care. Peace out.
http://www.blowflymusic.com/
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Osaka-16th August 1972, Are You There?.....Blues Control's 'Riverboat Styx' Cassette
Can I tell you it has been a severely long time since I took cassettes seriously. Am I lame or what? You can call me a Luddite, attack my presumed bourgeoisie notions, go ahead. I can take it. Hell, I might even deserve it. Time was where it weren't like that. Back in the early 80's I was a big proponent for cassettes. I had the Throbbing Gristle suitcase, a couple Sub Pop collections, all kind've DIY ones, the Light Bulb series, Boy Dirt Car, the list goes on & on.Them Fast/Forward "audio magazine" things outta Australia? Loved'em. Hell, I thought Graham Engels 'Castanets' column in OP was consistently the strongest readin around. Later I got some by Daniel Johnston & did I have a field day w/the Xpressway series or what? But at some point I just put'em all in a box & walked away. It weren't that people stopped doin'em, in fact, from the late 90's till now, they's stronger than ever! How do I know? On account of this fella Blande I met down the bar. He's Norwegian (I think) & he get's into cassettes like most people get into debt- it's outta control! One whole room of his house is a floor to ceilin library of'em. The sound system is vintage Macintosh & man is it loud. Blande's a funny guy. When we's out, all he ever drinks is blackberry brandy, but at home, in that tape room..... strictly Ports or Madeira's. Some folks call him Marple (as in Miss Marple) on account of it, but to me, he's just Blande (I don't think it's nice to tease foreigners, especially if they's bigger than you). I was over his place the other night after the bar let out, I had my cans've beer & he was fillin imperial pint glasses fulla tawny & BLARING noise tapes by bands w/names like (don't quote me) Penis Quilt, Enema Bench & Smoke Break. After a while I couldn't keep track. It all just sorta sounded like a condensed version of a construction site, like I was trapped inside a cement mixer while it rumbled around, surrounded by jackhammers & nail guns. I used to do that shit for a livin so I guess I weren't so impressed by the, uh, "sheer brutality" of it or whatever. So I said 'Hey Blande, you got any Rock?" He looked at me like I had six heads. I thought he was gonna puke, but then his head reared back & bellowed a stentorian laugh, like that fella on the Uncola commercial. "Oh Woody" he replied ( he can't say Woodbe for some reason), "Maybe it's for you bedtime. Rock.....yah, it's so funny! He reached over & handed me a Radio Shack portable cassette player, some headphones & a tape. "Here.This is Rock band. Please keep. I do not enjoy. There is no pain. Goodbye." I took the stuff & saw myself out. I was lookin at a bit of a walk & it weren't the friendliest of neighborhoods at 4am, so I felt damn lucky to have this tape 'n deck to buffer my discomfort. I looked at the case so's to get a gander at who I'd be listenin to. In very small print it read 'Blues Control-Riverboat Styx' (thank God for that streetlight). Well, it weren't like I had a choice in the matter, so I strapped on the gear & headed towards home.
As I cautiously navigated my way through the avenues of Port Richmond back down into the Fishtown hamlet, the sounds of Blues Control was a warm, comforting narrative for this nocturnal, pre-dawn trek. Riverboat Styx..... I practically felt like Charon himself as I dutifully weaved my way through the menacing corridors from one treacherous netherworld to another. Man was I glad to have Blues Control along! As their woozy keyboards plonked & guitars howled, the jam started to wildly unfurl. I felt as though I was being protected by both Hades & Persephone which instantly nullified all my trepidations. Soon enough I could see the comforting neon of Sappho's Bakery & I realized I had crossed into the Elysian Fields of friendlier territory.And I was fuckin hungry to boot.
Sappho's is a funny place, but damn do they make some great pasteries! I can never decide between the Rita Mae brownies or the Edith Head cheese danish's. The ladies what run it're from Amsterdam, so there's always an "early bird special", if you catch my drift. I grabbed one of each & hightailed it off to my abode. I'd become entralled w/the tuneage Blues Control was layin down so I sat in the recliner, glugged my last can've Fosters, gnawed them space tarts & let the tape click over. 'Rolling Fog Blues' it was called & as it poured outta them headphones directly into my brain it couldn't have been anymore right if I'd scripted it myself. Dense, desensitized 'n langourous on it's buildup, the more I listened, the more the Blues angle of this band became apparent. Then by the 10th or 11th repeat my imagination ruptured into an opiated epiphany & suddenly the Blues Control duo of Russ Waterhouse & Lea Cho became transformed into Deep Purple & I was livin in the grooves of 'Made In Japan'. And not even the whole of Deep Purple, but Blackmore & Lord as isolated entities; Gillan was eliminated entirely (minus some harp work), Paice & Glover becomin an electric sponge've looped background tapes & percussive crud. And not the whole of the songs either; imagine the instrumental beginnings 'n buildups within 'Highway Star/Child In Time' spliced & the bridge of 'Space Truckin' condensed, then all've that reduced & remastered at 78, jumbled, levels splayed, reedited 'n spit out on cassette tape. That's the sound! It's fuckin twisted! It was so good I had to take it off. That scream you hear, off in the background? That's the severed head of Ian Gillan wailing in concurrence for all eternity. The morning sun was beamin through the front window like a beacon, commandin me that it was time for a pillow to contain the fire that was smolderin in my head. But before I dedicated myself off on a sojourn to Nod, I found a Myspace page for Blues Control & gave a listen to some tracks posted from a prior release. What can I say? It was all I hoped it would be; like vintage Dead C deliverin a sonic symposium at Balco Labratories. Next day I listened to the 'Riverboat Styx', (sans lubricants) & it was even better. So I went out & got me a proper cassette player for the audio system. Looks 'n sounds good too. I am a believer. 'Que bene distinguit bene docet' goes an old Latin proverb. I don't know about the teachin part, but the bit about distinguishin....that I nailed! And I may never get or hear another tape for as long as I live, but this Blues Control one....my deck is it's castle. Long may it spool.
'Riverboat Styx' available at; http://www.fusetronsound.com/
Contact Blues Control at; www.myspace.com/bluescontrol
Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Power Of Thrice Compel's You!
Here's three little records that came my way in the past week whose roots & toots deserve-at least-a glancing perusal. I ain't got a lot to say about'em & the jury's still out as to whether they'll ever come up again in polite conversation, but for now, they's family. Onward!
Los Iniciados- S/T 4 song 7" ep
I was kind've excited to get this thinkin it might contain a Spanish angle on some post Suicide obsessed synth tweetery ala them Dutch bands who called the Plurex label home so long ago. I mean, it is from back in the day 'n all.And after a few spins I ain't sayin the moves aren't there, it's just that the insistent wave-ish pulse more closely resembles the ass waddle of the Hawaiian Pups than I feel comfortable knowing. The one track w/the female vocals & assorted electro bon-bons (sorta) reminded me of Minny Pops. In a submarine. On Mandrax. Stroft? Like, totally!
http://www.minimalwave.org/
Hurray-Hands 7" ep
Sources on the front lines tell me this group is hoverin close to the stratosphere of NYC's next ____ thing status (i.e, Mouthus, Sightings, etc) so I figured why not grab their debut & start from the beginning? My hat is off to these gents. This 7" from 2003 finds them milking the teat of a virgin cow named Henry, formerly owned by 3 amigos whose surnames are Frith, Hodgkinson & Cutler. Recommended? You bet.
http://www.fusetronsound.com
Slicing Grandpa/Penetration Camp-Four Flies On Grey Vinyl 7" ep
Done (I'm guessin, as both sides is titled 'Argento') as a tribute to the Dario Argento film entitled 'Four Flies On Grey Velvet', these two noisefarmers really know how to till & sow. Slicing Grandpa continue to dish out glorious 21st century Pigface chowder, their side bubbles & froths like a pallet of tear flavored Mentos being dissolved into a boiling cauldron of ether. It's spinabifidadelic to the max.
Penetration Camp's contribution is entirely laptop free, so does that mean it sounds more like a rusting, mechanical sock puppet throwing it's voice, the result of which reverberates like a crude, Non-like yelp from Boyd Rice, locked in an iron lung & careening down a steep slope into even further obscurity? Please say YES!
#rd edition of 313.
www.myspace.com/slicinggrandpa
www.backwardsrecords.com/penetration.htm
Monday, October 02, 2006
Life Is A Classroom & Boredom's The Usher.....Break On Through With Nmperign (& Jason Lescalleet)!
The summer after I was done w/high school I lit out for Bennington College to hang w/some buds who'd enrolled there for continuin education. They'd rented a nice rancher in South Shaftsbury, complete w/a outdoor grill, a yard big enough for some serious croquet & best've all, an in-ground, cement swimming pool. Man was that water cold! But refreshin too. It was a helluva time & we was all-surprisingly-well behaved (for the most part). There was a bamboo bar set up in the den in front of a sealed up chimney complete w/a working fridge & a beer meister that served cold Rolling Rock 24-7. When everything was goin great guns-which was often-you couldn't hear nothin over the din of free jazz records & enthusiastic repartee that hung in the room almost as thick as the smoke. When things was quiet, the room still hummed & buzzed, as though it was it's own living organism. Not that loudly, sometimes you almost had to strain to hear anything. But at other times it was almost static. I figured it was the generators, motors & pumps're whatever from the fridge & keg contraption & payed it little mind. We all did. But then one day as I was cleanin up after an evening of extreme Miles Davis I began to listen more intently. It wasn't them machines after all. It was comin from inside the chimney! I called the landlord who sent over an exterminator that did a whole insect witch doctor thing-knockin on the walls, listenin w/a stethoscope, up 'n down on his knees lookin for hell if I knew-that after a spell told me we was infested w/hornets. Or wasps, he wasn't 100%. He figured they'd probably been burrowin inside there for yrs, comin in from the top (what was still accessible) & for all he knew, there was maybe hundreds of colonies thrivin inside there, meanin there was THOUSANDS of those predatory fuckers alive just beyond the lathe & plaster. He told me to put my hand over a spot & when I did, I could feel a pulsing & hear this high pitched, anxious noise building just beyond. It was manic, like at any moment they'd come exploding through & let me tell you, swollen w/venom (or flat out DEAD) ain't no way to go through life. "It could happen" the exterminator said, "the plaster is already thin, it's just a matter of time." That's all I needed to hear. I was in my Camaro & headed south on Rt. 7 faster than you can say Marlin Perkins.
Just the other day while listenin to this double lp by Nmperign entitled 'We Devote Every Effort To Offer You The Best That You Deserve To Have For Your Enjoyment' (whew!) on the Siwa label, I was reminded of that chimney & them bugs as well as somethin I read by Cornelius Cardew that sorta tied'em together for me. It went " At the sound of a champagne cork popping commence animated social intercourse. Under the cover of the din, surreptitiously improvise." Now you ain't never gonna get a chance to experience the creepy, barely audible din of them insects. But you'll come damn close if you chose to investigate the menacing stillness & frantic skree's that Nmpergin burrow in & out of on this release. Their blats, toots, sniffs 'n snorts are punctuated by (what seems like) long periods of "nothing", but what's really happening is that anxious silence is propelling their improvised narrative. On 'Devote....', Nmperign's black holes & raw responses are as organically germane as anything you'd find in the works of The Scratch Orchestra, John Cage or Group Ongaku albeit less concerned w/minimalist intent but goin for more avant rapier content. That feeling also comes swarming through on their dbl cd release w/electronics/sampler extraordinaire, Jason Lescalleet entitled "Love Me Two Times' (on Intransitive Recordings). Lescalleet is an excellent sound spackler, & his clips of Julia Child, Mr. Rogers & other assorted characters-as well as his droning forward motion-compliment's the Nmpergin duo so fully that I cannot be reminded of anything except perhaps 'Love Me Two Times' bein a deconstructed, experimental translation of 'Journey To The End Of The Night'. You heard me. Each take's his stab as Bardamu & leads us through the unchartered darkness & like Celine's masterpiece, it's many brilliant strokes of paranoia, hilarity, misanthropy & absurdity, occasionally all in the same breath. Nmperign & Jason Lescalleet ain't afraid to attack & sting, draw a little blood even, but they do it as cockeyed doctors practicing in the name of wit & wisdom. So go ahead, lift open your brain.Inoculation never sounded so postgnarlsome.
(for further info, contact; http://www.siwarecords.com/
& http://www.intransitiverecordings.com/)
Friday, September 29, 2006
A Disc Even A Mother Can Love.....Kousokuya's 'Live At Minor 1979/10/14' CD
Got this voice message bright & early today. A doctor once told me if she ever removes her ear from the ground she will die. There are worse ways to go:
Hello Roland-
This is your mother, how are you dear? Just calling to check in & see how things are going up there in the big city. Do you still have your cats? Remember, they are pets. Don't eat them (laughter)! Oh Roland, you are a good sport. What's new here; well, your aunt Nutter & I got our Costco cards in the mail last week then went over & spent a small fortune stocking up. I sent you a big box of socks & toilet paper via UPS. Has it arrived yet? There's also some venison jerky in there from that deer your uncle Dink bagged last season. Don't let it go to waste! Let' see, what else....oh, I just got a box of cd's from the fella that's sweet on me at PSF. His note's are so cute, I mean, his English is terrible, but yet the things he says he want to do to me......my lord! I guess you don't have to be Samuel Johnson to know where to put one (laughter)! Goodness, anyway, I've only gotten around to playing this live Kousokuya from '79 because I can't stop listening to it. It is amazing. Whatever hype & stuttering hyperbole you have read or heard about it...all true. It is way more aimless, looser & less sludge obsessed than previous outings you may know from 90's incarnations. I mean, on here they're just going for it, like running through a gauntlet, the whole idea is to get to the end, any way it takes. Don't you love that? I sure do. What can I say to convince you? It starts out with some free form berserkness, kind of like Throbbing Gristle performing an exorcism on a copy of Space Ritual. There's lot's of bleeps, jagged shards & impulsive blabber, then it's onto track 2 that sounds like demos for the Plastic Eno Band, from there it careens into some damaged corner of blurred cognizance where the jammy tracks off the Falling Spikes bootleg are worshipped adoringly, i.e., not unlike that tape you sent me of the second UN lp that remains unreleased. Tell that idiot boss of yours to wake the hell up! Son, you cannot continue to work for a man without vision. I won't stand for it. Now go & buy this cd, right now! Do whatever you have to but get a copy. Sell those cat's to some restaurant in Chinatown-ANYTHING-just don't miss out on this number. I hope you have a great day. We miss you. Be well.
Mother Woodbe
(Live At Minor is available via www.forcedexposure.com)
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Drunk On The Cloudberries Of Lapponia.....Es' 'Sateenkaarisuudelma' Dbl LP
Allow me a moment to rant & say that you couldn't find a person less likely to endorse the parlour scene than I. Sorry folks, not my bag. I have a big problem w/the reverential nature of the thing, I feel like I'm in a Dianetics workshop or something. Believe me, you get "shushed" in those things but good (I should know, I was once a counselor). Yeah, it's too culty & the undercurrent is so.....clique-ish & besides, most of the performances I've seen just seem like dopey attempts to reenact (someone's idea of) a peyote ceremony or-even worse-recreate the magician/magic show from some long ago birthday party. I mean, c'mon, let's take that shit to a bar! At least I can go in the other room, have a drink in peace & listen as the tuneage wafts through the venue. I don't need to park my ass into a folding chair & staple my eyes open to watch it performed. I might even want to talk, ask a question perhaps, without someone blowing a fuse that the space isn't completely quiet.But that's me.The Holly Hobbie's, LL Beaners & trust fund bohemians can have their tea parties. I simply want to hear the music. I don't need to see it to be appreciative.Which brings me to this double lp by Es. These smurfs & smurfettes may've played here in town, I got no idea. I doubt I've have gone anyways. Not to say I didn't miss somethin, it was probably a right nice time, but then along comes this splendorous package from the (K-RAA-K)3 label & we're all even up! From what I can gather, Es is the moniker for a Finnish fella by the name've Sami & this is his forth lp, done-in part-w/the help of a few friends.I get the impression-gleaned from the few notes written on the lovely printed inserts as well as the titles on the spine-that this is a trilogy, broken up into 3 parts; Sateenkaarisuudelma, Maailmankaari & Pianokaari. It is a lovely & mesmerizing opus which effortlessly calls to mind-at any given time-the looping dervishes of Terry Riley, an unreleased Alice Coltrane session for ECM, Asmus Tietchens soundtrack adaptation for 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull', the incidental keyboard meanderings of a mischievous Herman Blount & the creaking mandalas of Limbus 4. It can most certainly warm up a room, even if I'm the only person in it, talking or not. Find it in the US at: http://www.fusetronsound.com/
or http://www.aquariusrecords.org/ elsewhere try http://www.kraak.net/
THIS LIST OF 100 ALBUMS ACTUALLY PUT DUST ON MY HANDS!
I know, I know, another list. But this one ain't your average, run-of-the-mill fanboy kind. Oh no. What I done is list 100 albums I looked at yesterday in a used bin. It's more a test of my memory than anything else. See, I take these Ginkgo Biloba tablets all the time & I wanted to see if they's actually any count. So I'm gonna flood the memory banks now & remember 100 lp's that I seen through the course of the day. It'll be like that automatic writin that WB Yeats' wife did but different. It's only fair to say that some of these records I ain't never heard of, let alone heard! Some I might even own & the rest, well, I understand why they was orphaned. So in no particular order, let's get started (I'll try & recall the labels too):
1) The Band-S/T (Columbia)
2) Andy Gibb-Flowing Rivers (RSO)
3) Ramsey Lewis-Prime Cuts (Columbia)
4) Jerry Jeff Walker-Jerry Jeff (Electra)
5) Chico De Barge-Talk To Me 12" (Motown)
6) The New King James Version-This Joy (Light)
7) Marshall Crenshaw-s/t (WB)
8) Ten Yrs After-Sssh (London)
9) Paul McCartney-McCartney (Apple)
10) Poison Girls-Songs Of Praise (CD)
11) David Bryce-Avant Garde Piano (Candide)
12) Loudon Wainwright III-T Shirt (Arista)
13) Julien Clerc-Julien (EMI/Canada)
14) Etta James-Best Of (United)
15) Evergreen Blues-Comin On (ABC)
16) George Benson-Livin Inside Yr Love (dbl lp, WB)
17) Alice Cooper-School's Out (WB)
18) Johnny Mathis-Theme From Mahogany (Columbia)
19) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers-Your Gonna Get It (Arista)
20) The Godz-Nothing Sacred (Casablanca)
21) Dexter Wansel-What The World Is Comin To (CBS)
22) Voyage-Fly Away (Marlin)
23) Gloworm-I Lift My Cup 12" (Pulse)
24) Nikki Giovanni-Like A Ripple On A Pond (Nikton)
25) Jive Bunny & The Master Mixers-Swing The Mood 12" (Atco)
26) Color Me Gone-s/t (A&M)
27) Slave-Stone Jam (Cotillion)
28) Black Sabbath-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (WB)
29) Tom Browne-Yrs Truly (Arista)
30) Led Zeppelin-Zozo (Atlantic)
31) Willie Hutch-One To My Lady (Motown)
32) Al Caiola-Tuff Guitar (UA)
33) Fatback-Hot Box (Polydor)
34) Seawind-s/t (CTI)
35) Pure Prairie League-Bustin Out (RCA)
36) Bunny Drums-Feathers Web 12" (Funk Dungeon)
37) Andrew Dice Clay-Dice (Def American)
28) Montana-I Love Music (Atlantic)
29) Cass Elliot-Mama's Big Ones (ABC Dunhill)
30) Lighthouse-s/t (RCA)
31) Nektar-Magic Is A Child (Polydor)
49) Chicago-Live At Carnegie Hall 4 vol set (Columbia) *I realize this is four lp's, but it feels like ten!
50) Fleshtones-American Beat 12" (IRS)
51) The Smothers Brothers-Mom Always Liked You Best! (Mercury)
52) Brook Benton-Home Style (Cotillion)
53) Barbara Streisand-Simply Barbara (Columbia)
54) Strapping Fieldhands-Wattle & Daub (Shangri La)
55) David Fanshane-Arabian Fantasy (EMI)
56) The Spy Who Loved Me-Soundtrack (UA)
57) Denis Coffey-Goin For Myself (Sussex)
58) Eric Burdon & The Animals-Greatest Hits (Polydor)
59) Yes-Fragile (Atlantic)
60) Phil Collins-Face Value (Atlantic)
61) Pretenders-Get Close (Sire)
62) Men At Work-Cargo (Columbia)
63) Argent-All Together Now (Epic)
64) Starship-Knee Deep In The Hoopla (Grunt)
65) Quarterflash-s/t (Geffen)
66) Joseph Haydn-Symphonies N0. 45 & 42 (Decca)
67) Joan Baez-5 (Vanguard)
68) Pilot-s/t (RCA)
69) Jose Feliciano-Fireworks (RCA)
70) The Leather Uppers-Bright Lights (Goner)
71) Dave Brubeck Quartet-Time Out (Columbia)
72-Richard Lloyd-Field Of Fire (Mistlur pressing)
Jesus fuckin CHRIST! Is that it? Shit, I felt like my brain was gonna explode! Man, what a bunch of useless knowledge! Why the fuck ANYONE would WANT to do shit like that for fun or worse, bragging rights, is beyond me. Now that I'm lookin at it I only got to 72. It felt like seven hundred & two. Wow! It was all comin to me fast & furious, then they started blendin in w/the cd's & singles I seen...it was gettin suffocating. I need to go lay down. I guess that Ginkgo stuff works. Remind me to leave that shit the fuck alone. Do they have pills that make you forget or am I gonna have to buy some weed? The next list I wanna see better be for a run over to Canal's Liquor's 'cause that's where I'm headed. Now where did I put that pen? I think I'm about to lose my fucking mind. Do I know how to fuck a day in the ass or what? Don't answer that!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Men Don't Cry, They Sing.....Alvaro's 'I'm Not So Young Anymore/Watching The Fridge Defrost' 7"
Keepin our little South American theme intact-this time by way of Chile-I just wanted to peck out a few words in regards to Alvaro. Maybe you know him maybe you don't-he certainly ain't for everybody-but if your in the throes of embracing the 'real people' music trend, then you best brush up on this dude & quick.
Here are some perfunctory notes regarding Alvaro Pena-Rojas; he's known as "The Chilean with the singing nose" (wouldn't you like to know), came to London in '74 & formed (w/Joe Strummer) the 101ers, released his 1st lp 'Drinkin My Own Sperm' on his own Squeaky Shoes label in 1977 which is namechecked on the Nurse With Wound list. Not an easy record to wrap a brain around, let's just say it's a dedicated mixture of naïf experimental, classical & strained pop. Or as Alvaro himself refers to it, Transitional Music. In a nutshell sort of like Wildman Fischer & Charlemagne Palestine locked in a studio. Since then he's put out a bunch've other releases, all of which are fantastically singular, diverse & entertaining. While they may not share alot in common musically, I've come to regard Alvaro w/the same mythic respect that I hold for Moondog. That's just how I roll.On this 7"-done to celebrate his 50th birthday-Alvaro goes busker; his tunesmithing on the a-side recalls the more chuffed moments in the Bonzo Dog Band repertoire while the flipside is reminiscent of the eccentric strum/croon ala Tony Snell via his lp on ESP-Disk. So why am I bothering to write about a record that's 13 yrs old? Because besides it bein a cool, highly unregarded record, it's also AVAILABLE & worth the 6$ it'll cost for those who wanna take the plunge. Personally I haven't had a session w/the man in a few yrs & last week said what the hell? & decided to fork over some hush money I'd been savin & blow it on Alvaro records. And I ain't sorry I did. Distributed (in the US) exclusively by Fusetron there's plenty Alvaro in stock to keep your head spinning morning, noon & night. Go to http://www.fusetronsound.com/ or if your wary, check out the Alvaro website at; http://www.don-alvaro.net/ & hit the downloads. Let the revival start now! Viva Alvaro!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Embrace The Herd.....Las Malas Amistades's 'Jardin Interior' 3X7" LP
Harkening back to my days in the intelligence community, I wanted to share w/you all this....."review"...from a couple've code talkers whose chat room I've been monitorin in the interest of, uh, national security. Let's see what's goin on:
Vee_8_Cong:so what's your opinion of siltblog?
Pun_G_Styx: it's ok. why doesn't he do a top 100 list (LOL)?
V8C: i don't think he can count that far (LOL)!
PGS:he would have to find 100 records that he liked 1st.
V8C:yea, that could prove to be a problem.
PGS:at least it's about new stuff.
V8C:yea
PGS: but sumtimes i beat him to the punch.
V8C: oh?
PGS: yea. do you know the band las malas amistades?
V8C: no. what are they about?
PGS: they are from colombia.
V8C: university?
PGS: no dummy, the country in south america!
V8C: duh, sorry.
PGC: cocaine, drug cartels, juan valdez.....hello?
V8C: okay, okay! i get it. so wht's up with this band?
PGS: they are excellent. they have a new triple 7" release out that is called 'jardin interior' & it's my favorite record right now.
V8C: is it like belle & sebastian?
PGS: is your mom?
V8C: gay!
PGS: you are!
V8C: no really, what is it like? are they new?
PGS: kind of new. this is their 3rd release. they have 2 releases on cd prior to this.
V8C: do tell?
PGS: yea. when i bought one of their cd's in new york city, the guy behind the counter tried to tell me it was like a cross between serge gainsbourg & os mutantes.
V8C: wow, brunch music (LOL)!
PGS: but it's not. it kinda is, maybe. but that's just nyc talk.
PGS: (LOL) yea, brunch music! 20$ for pancakes!
V8C: so what is the real deal with this band?
PGS: it's hard to say for sure. to me, they almost recall old minimalist uk pop. sort of like young marble giants.
V8C: really?! that sounds cool.
PGS: but not ymg per se. more like a cross between weekend & the gist. with a little steve beresford thrown in for good measure.
V8C: sounds awesome!
PGS: maybe like a modern take on the 49 americans. in spanish.
V8C: it's getting better & better.
PGS: really. it would have fit perfectly in the piano records catalog or on the choo choo train label. they are really cool.
V8C: sounds like it to me.
PGS: you should see the package too.
V8C: okay, let's have it?
PGS: it's an amazing fold out box w/printed lyrics, photos & artwork, with 3 individual handscreened insert/sleeves & all the 7" ep's have stunning & eye popping colored labels. it is quite the number.
V8C: fck, i gotta grab one of these before it's too late. who carries it?
PGS: i would try http://www.forcedexposure.com/ 1st. it's on a label called honest jon's & i think all that stuff comes through fe.
V8C: ok thanks. wow, i can't wait. how long do you think before it's on siltblog?
PGS: like, never.
V8C: why?
PGS: you know why.
V8C: gay?
PGS: like, totally (LOL)!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Charm City Don't Need No Pity.....Leprechaun Catering's 'Male Plummage' LP
Sorry for bein so delinquent w/my opinionatin. I was servin jury duty & sequestered in one of them Holiday Inn Express hotels. Right nice accomodations 'n everything,the cinnamon rolls & hard boiled eggs they put out for breakfast each mornin was quite enjoyable. I've had worse coffee too. There was a game room with an air hockey table that was a mess've fun till I got so good that none of the other jurors could beat me & quit playin. As far as I'm concerned, they was all GUILTY of bein lame. As for the trial, it's nothin to get worked up about (some fella was suin his neighbor because of a loud air conditioner. I stayed awake for most of it).Thank God that's over. I was tickled pink to get home & resume my daily what-have-you. There was a couple boxes of records waitin for me so the other night we had some folks over & commenced to playin some of'em. Ironically, the one I didn't spin-this here lp by Leprechaun Catering-seemed to command the most attention. Before I could put it on, my upstairs neighbor "Red" (on account of the birthmark on his neck) gave it a gander, held it up, made this Jo Anne Worley face & said sarcastically 'I bet this is good!" From then it got passed around & everybody had their little laugh 'n petty comment. I dunno, I kinda like it. It reminds me of that actor David Lochary from them John Waters movies. Which is funny, cause Leprechaun Catering is from Baltimore & nothin says Charm City more than John Waters. And let's be honest here, where else of the east coast would you be likely to find leprechaun caterers? I'm serious. Ever been to Baltimore? It's got some weird shit goin on. I can almost envision a building stuccoed w/graham cracker where many petite figgy puddings, mince meat pies & smoked salmon canapés are churned out at an inhuman volume. Leprechauns know one thing & it's work. Or is that elves? Leprechauns, elves, same difference! That said, the duo known as Leprechaun Catering put their collective nose to the grindstone on this top notch lp that speaks to me in tongues once reserved for records/artists from past worlds like Metalanguage, Parachute & Random Radar. The one fella on here, Jason Willett, I know from work w/Half Japanese, that Jaunties box on Stomach Ache & other 7"ers I'm too lazy to go & check out. The other one, Tom Boram, is a mystery-as is who plays what-but that's okay 'cause it smokes like a box've florescent lightbulbs launched from a cannon & exploding into the side of my head. Great crackled & glittering diy improv damage & quite possibly the greatest bucket of gunk to claim Maryland as a home state since 'The Zombies Of Mora-Tau' stalked the beaches of yore. On the excellent White Denim label & limited to 326 #rd copies. Get it at; http://www.whitedenim.com/
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
A Cold Clamey Bombing.....Homostupids 'The Brutal Birthday' 7" ep
I have been gettin email sputtering's from simps 'n soph's alike who seem to have a bee in their collective bonnet over the band, Homostupids. And it's got nary to do w/the music, but solely on account of the name. It is just.....you know.....mind numbing what people can find to complain about. I'm assuming the insinuation is that the name presumes anti Gay sentiment, i.e., homophobia. Uh....one question; why bother me about it? Sure, I am regarded as a 'homme d'esprit' but hardly would I consider myself in the league of 'homo faber'. I am merely a homo sapien, nothing more. If anything I subscribe to the old Latin adage, "Homunculi quanti sunt". You know what I mean? Let's not lose track of the bottom line here people, THIS BAND IS FROM CLEVELAND! The name is rife w/self deprecation. Have you ever been there? It's sorta like Helsinki, Finland but w/a pronounced Great Lakes accent (not as bad as Michigan or Chicago, but close). And like all the Helsinkians I met, Clevelanders LOVE to drink. In both cities you'll see the goobs go through 5 classic stages've chug-a-lug in the course of a night; Euphoric, Defensive, Wanton, Maudlin & finally, Oblivious. Even the abandon has no abandon. It can make for some precipitous highs 'n lows to be sure. So what's in a name? If they was Finnish they'd be called Inhimillinen Tyhma, or somethin there abouts. Sure looks cool! But enough about the goddamn name. This is the 2nd 7" the Homostupids have released this yr & while the 1st one might've filled the void left since Iron Cross slammed into the cement, this one practically recalls Chrome's hallucinatory transformation from demi-god to deity in the sonic, thunderous moments between Alien Soundtracks & Half Machine Lip Moves. Word has it that these tracks actually precede those laid down on their debut & as good as that is, I prefer the yak off this one a whole lot more. And it's all there on one side too, 6 tracks worth. No flipping! I can't say that I know just whose carryin this, but it's a good bet that all the usual suspects oughta have it by now. If your in a hurry though, do it the old fashion way, write; Richie Records, c/o GENERAL DELIVERY, Phila, Pa 19146. Who knows? Philadelphia ain't no Hooterville, but it ain't no Mount Pilot either. It just might work.
9/14-
THIS JUST IN: Richie Records has a blog site from which you can purchase this 7" + some other rad swag. Check out: www.testostertunes.blogspot.com
to find out more.