Semper Fidelis.....Yet Another 7" Roundup

One of my Marine bud's from back in the Vietnam days(I done a tour there in '71) come up to stay w/me for a couple weeks, so say hello to Bill ('Bull') Turley. We's know each other since boot camp & has got into all kinds of scraps together through the yrs. One of Bull's favorite motto's is 'I'm damned if I do & damned if I do'! Get about 15 shots of whiskey in him & that's about all you'll hear too. And don't even think about takin that Pink Floyd record off unless you's is lookin for a fight ( 'Atom Heart Mother',Camp Pendelton, Ca Nov., 1970 & 'Animals'-8 track version-a car, US Route 52, just outside Morrisville, Ind., June, 1977). Anyways, I played this here bunch of new singles for him & this' what he had to say on their behalf. He's also fond of making recommendations, ie., records HE'D rather hear, so I've include them as well;

No Doctors-T-Bone Pts 1& 2

"That's a good lookin Porterhouse they got on the cover. It's hard to tell if it's the same one on both sides but I reckon it must be. What kind of a fuckin idiot would buy 2 steaks just to put'em on the cover of a 7" record? Remember them steaks we had that time in Japan just before we got rotated back to SD? Them was Kobe & the Japs that farm'em give'em whiskey, beer, massages....and they ain't even officers (laughter). Not a bad life.....till they put that bullet through yr brain when you don't expect it. No sir, them Kobe cows live pretty damn good. Better'n most folks I know & to tell you the truth, I'll take the cows over the people any day! Cows don't talk back. And you can eat'em. Are the Meister Brau's cold yet"?
(Recommended listening; Montrose- 'Jump On It')
http://www.nodoctors.com/



Little Claw/Michael Yonkers-split 7"

'Little Claw huh? Does Little Claw got a camel toe (much laughter)? I like'em, she reminds me of that singer Diamanda Galas for some reason. Now that woman could scare the pecker off a fella if he weren't expectin it. The band's good too, I'm thinkin they sound like that Swedish one, Butter Utter. Now there's a band what shoulda made an album! Diamanda Galas + Butter Utter=Little Claw. I like this new math (laughter).
What's the deal w/this Michael Yonkers dude? People say he's not to be ignored but in this case I'm willin to make an exception".
(Recommended listening; James Gang-'Rides Again')
http://www.x-recordings.com/

Tickley Feather/Bermuda Triangles-Split 7"
"Well she sure is a cute little thing! How come her legs is blue? Is she a hemophiliac? Yeah, I can see the Gili Smyth angle you was talkin about. How come I keep thinkin of the Y Pants? She's got a psychedelic DIY thing goin on even if them shoes she's wearin on the cover look about 10 sizes too big. Maybe that's all she can afford. Weirdly charming. The Grappa I mean (laughter).
This Burmuda Triangles guy looks like the Egyptian fella at the smoke shop I go to that's always tryin to sell me Shermans. And everytime I says to him, 'NO THANK YOU. IN THIS COUNTRY WE SMOKE MARLBOROS'. This ain't doin it for me. I keep thinkin of Skafish & for once, that seems like a good idea".
(recommended listening; Yes-'Relayer')
http://www.cnprecords.com/


The Amoeba Men-Enter!

"You know, when all the people talk about Chrome & the 'Chrome Influence', what they mean is the Chrome from 77-82. But there was them albums that Damon made as Chrome in the mid/late 80's that folks tend to forget about.Not the Amoeba Men! You get to believin somethings good-even if it ain't-& then next thing you know, you've sold yourself on it. Remember that time you brought back that Classix Nouveaux 12" ('Inside Outside/Every Home Should Have One) & tried to convice yourself it was good cause you'd spent money on it? Man that was hilarious (much laughter)! That record SUCKED! This Amoeba Men record is ALOT like that time, except we know better. And it was free".
(recommended listening; Rush-'2112')
http://www.cnprecords.com/


Tyvek/Cheveu Split 7"


"What's the deal w/all these split records? Is the bands so cheap they can't fill up 2 sides? For once here's a couple I'd like to hear a lot more from. These Tyvek boys really remind me of 'Never Been In A Riot' era Mekons. 100 what? Oh, 100 Flowers, sure, there's some of that workin too. Really good stuff. And you say the other bands from France? Please give them my sincerest apologies (laughter). Now these guys know the GOOD Chrome records. This' kinda like something from the 1st witchy mix off 'Alien Soundtracks' before it got fucked up or condensed or whatever happened to them subsequent pressings. I'm headed over to France later this year. I've always wanted to see Normandy Beach. Maybe I'll get down to liberate Paris for these guys while I'm there (laughter). This one's a keeper.
(recommended listening- Roxy Music-'For Your Pleasure')
http://www.s-srecords.com/


His Electro Blue Voice-Fog/Das
"Remember the Rough Trade shop in San Fran?. Great store, all kinds of weird shit that you'd never find anywhere else. That's where I got the 'Nag, Nag, Nag' 7" back in the day. I went there one other time around '85 or so & it had moved. Still had some killer stuff, like this one 7" I got from an Italian band, Rivolta Dell' Odio, that had the most amazing post industrial, creeped out Goth thing goin on. Just totally fried shit & I ain't never heard anything like'em before or since. Till now. These guys nailed it. And they're Italian too? This is like the 2nd coming of the 'Il Cuore Della Bestia' ep! Amazing. Where does the S-S Records guy find this stuff? Hey, more power to him. He ain't shit the bed once this year. His Electro Blue Voice huh? The names a little....you know what....but they tear it up. Keep'em comin!
(recommended listening;Hawkwind-'Hall Of The Mountain Grill')
http://www.s-srecords.com/

From The Desk Of Crocodile Dundee.....XNo BBQX & Pulled Out Records

I know, I know, your tired of the excuses. I'm sorry. My life is an endless series of crisis & chaos, what can I say? Imagine if I had to make this shit up! No chance've that, I ain't got the mind to conjure up such folderol. The truth is strange enough.
Oof........I just spent the better part of this month in an 'advisory' position. I weren't allowed to say exactly what my investigatin consisted of, but now that it's done, I can let the cat outta the bag. I'd been employed-in a "friend of a friend" sorta way-by someone at Tastykake to make some stock certificates go away. I don't now how many of you's out there is familiar w/Gary Heidnik (he was a local sicko who the Buffalo Bill character in 'Silence Of The Lambs' was based on) but evidently he made a small fortune investin in the company & it seems......well......let's just say that while ol' Gare might be long gone, them stocks was still earnin. The money was pilin up, but no one inside wanted to touch it fearin some kind've implication by the press or whoever might spark up a fuss. My job was to find & neutralize them dividends, get the money out & into a "charity" then walk away as if it had never happened. I can't say that I was so interested in such a cloak 'n dagger operation but I do love the shit outta them Butterscotch Krimpets & my contact said if I could make this problem disappear, I could eat them things-gratis-till I turned into one. Needless to say, such incentive helped propel me into doin a job well done. If you ain't ever had the pleasure of eatin such a delectable morsel as a Butterscotch Krimpet, waste no time & go to http://www.tastykake.com/ & order a case forthwith. They may not be food but man are they good!
But now that that's over I can concentrate on some more entertainin matters at hand. I've been hearin lot's of great stuff comin outta Australia lately & seein as how we's all live in a global village I figured it was time to take a virtual walkabout through their outback've noise. Or at least trumpet the doins over to the Pulled Out clubhouse. My 1st exposure to the (sub) genius of the label was by way of XNoBBQX, a rockin little duo who use sludge as a mascara. They had a cdr entitled 'Sunshine Of Your Love' that seemed to molecularly breakdown Harry Pussy & Mouthus into a vat of bubbling acidic porridge, each sputter slowly mushrooming then bursting into explosive SPLATS of such corrosive excellence that I had to track'em down & get the recipe. Known most days as Nick Dan & Matt Earle, they informed me that SOYL was but the tip of their iceberg & was kind enough to load me up w/all sort's of mayhem they had up their sleeves. XNoBBQX does seem to be the flagship band & if you got some time, check out their Myspace page for sounds & videos galore. You'll be smilin so tight your friends will swear you got a turd in your pocket. Who knows, maybe you do. Even Mr. Mogul over to Siltbreeze Records was so taken with'em he's doin 'Sunshine Of Your Love' as a limited edition lp, due the end of August. Then as I was gettin so I just about had my geezerly brain wrapped around the XNoBBQX (I guess the name insinuates hardcore veganism as Matt & Nick claim to be hardcore vegans. Shit, some of my favorite things to eat is vegans. I'm pretty hardcore about it too!) I get the Antipan & UnAustralians lp's & boy was I swimmin in it. Antipan teams'em up w/a fella named Sumugan & another what goes by Anthony (let's not forget Pete Blamey on desk 'n effects either) to produce a riveting one-sided bumper crop of tempered, post scrap heap minimalistic beauty. List makers & followers worldwide should waste no time by putting quill to stationery in an attempt to procure a copy of this fine LP ("Dear Mr. Pulled Out, I would like to purchase....."). The crystal ball says it will soon become an obscure object of desire & as such, shall surely enjoy a fond, evened rememberance somewhere in the annals of the future by that sauve diarist of the Avant Garde, Alan Licht. As there are only 275 copies available, time is of the essence. I won't tease you w/all the extras it comes with either. Ya gotta pay to play! On the UnAustralians lp you'll find neither Nick or Matt but instead the duo of Ein & Aus. These two spray their contempt through the air like a spread of rusted buckshot that obliterates the synapses 'n cells like early Boredoms or those Neo's records. A Martian Brain Squeeze indeed! The thing is they's claim to be grindcore, albiet, subverted-like.Admittedly I ain't got the greatest grasp on grindcore, so I'll take their word for it (I stand by the Boredoms & Neo's call too). This record can really suck the carcinogens outta the air & I gotta tell ya, I feel healthier just writin about it. This lp could add tears, I mean, YEARS to your collection & if you's is from outside Australia, you'll get a dvd download of our heroes in action. The room was closin in on me by the time I go to the Sun Of The Seventh Sister chapter of this Antipodean odyssey. SSS could best be described as a moderne-day festival style band, sort've like Here & Now if they'd been influenced more by Xenakis & Butthole Surfers than Gong or Daevid Allan. If you'd ever wondered what Hawkwind sounded like in that tent after they'd blowed up your eardrums & your lobes was caked w/blood, here it is. Pulled Out went & done a 3xlp lathe set what's now out of print (#'rd ed. of 21) but an offshoot of Pulled Out, Breakdance The Dawn (run by-suprise!-Matt Earle) has available a 6xcassette set of the SSS New Zealand tour housed in magnificent recycled material just waiting for 15 lucky fans to pony up. If you've been hankerin to get started on diggin that hole to China, Sun Of The Seventh Sister LIVE sprawled out over 6 tapes would be a most suitable soundtrack.
What else can I say? The Pulled Out Posse is a very busy bunch. And so should you; go on, limber up them fingers, make sure you got a good writin pen & paper. Get that keyboard all fired up too.Wait till you see the whites of their lines, I mean, EYES then email; http://www.pulledout.org/ , www.myspace.com/xnobbqx & http://www.halftheory.com/ for a deluge of aural action & adventures. And remember; XNoBBX 'Sunshine Of Your Love' LP (pictured above) AVAILABLE 8/21 ON SILTBREEZE RECORDS. Check http://www.midheaven.com/ & http://www.siltbreeze.com/ for further details.

The Odds Are Good But The Goods Are Odd.....Reviews Galore!

I FINALLY got the green light to vamoose from the hospital up to Maine. There was some lingerin business about an abscess on my cheek but they took a laser & cut the thing right out. The wonders of modern medicine.So here I am, fit as a fiddle. Nice folks what I've met too. I'd especially like to thank Doctor Lambsy for all the graftin & reconstructive surgery as well as for the amazin Lobster bisque he brought in on a daily basis. If I get the gout doc, I'll know who to blame! And a big heartfelt thanks to Nurse Maresy for her salacious bedside manner & for bringin in a copy of 'The Yankee Kama Sutra' so's WE could prove (that must've been some nursin program, wow!) it was simply a joke book. We sure had a time of it! Remember sweetie; just 'cause you do it 'doggy style' don't make you a dog. Ruff! Ruff!!
Of course what do I see when I get home? Just a table full've stuff for perusal is all. Tons of it.Some's will take longer than others, but here's gaggle what's needs gettin sorted out PRONTO;


Some cd from a band called The Bloggers come & stunk up the room. They seem to have a crush on Half Japanese 'cause they name check'em a few times in their widdle pwess wewease. I dunno, affected vocals,detuned guitars & "hapazard drums"....why does these bands always insist on blamin 1/2 Jap on account of the suck? I'll admit, the last couple things Jad & Co. released weren't all that, but spannin 30 yrs of releases, that's bound to happen. The Bloggers shit the bed right outta the gate! Like Colonel Kraut used to say; 'If this was Normandy they'd be dead on the beach." I think they's looking for a label too. Hey Darla, check out www.myspace.com/thebloggers I think these guys might be that quirky indie-rock band you've been lookin for.

Two cd's come over from the U.K. by an outfit called The Sundowners & I guess they is so cheap, I mean, CONFIDENT in their banality that they didn't bother to send nothin but the disc's! No artwork, press, zilch. If I didn't know better I'd have thought it was a new one from Black Angels which just goes to show you that like herpes or anal warts, thousands of cases of shameless, affected, run-of-the mill fashion releases go undetected every year. For an example, or just a good laugh, go here; www.myspace.com/sundownersound

Fonal's got a new untitled release by Kemialliset Ystavat on the market & I gotta say, this bunch just get's better 'n better. Pipmaster Jan Anderzen says the Finnish press ain't had much nice things to say about it but perhaps that's on account that this one sounds more "mature" than some of them earlier 4-track jobbies. I dunno, to my ears they seem to be enterin a realm that recalls Ptose or early Der Plan which is a GOOD PLACE on my brain-ranch. Available on 3 formats too; http://www.fonal.com/

Also from Finland, Avarus is got a new lp in tandum w/a current US tour that's makin it's way around the eastern US. 'Rasvaaja' is more of the patented lunar surface orgasmos-core that I have come to expect from these swilling shamen of earth 'n electricity. Live set I witnessed the other night was easily one of the highlights for my year thus far. Only 300 pressed & they's got'em on hand. Or try http://www.secreteye.org/
& see all there is to know.

Easily the most fun release of 2007 has been this self titled one from the Cherry Blossoms. Financed by six seperate labels, this Nashville duo (& friends) have been the de facto house band for all the H-factors we hold dear in the summer; highballs, hijinx & horseshoes. And let's not forget hammertime. Peggy Snow might be the closest singer what I've heard in a moon as devilish in delivery as Cuervo-era Peter Stampfel & while Cherry Blossoms indeed conjur up moments of Holy Modal & Bottlecaps hoot, I prefer to kick back & think about this lp bein a sotted Grand Ole Opry broadcast from the dark side of the moon(shine). It's both 100 proof & percent in it's goodness. And if you can find me another song (& title) as great as 'Glow, Jesus, Glow' I'll buy you anything you want. On your hotdog. Go to; http://www.s-srecords.com/ or email blackvelvet79@hotmail.com to see if it's still in print.

The new 7" from Hank IV 'Dirty Poncho'/Symptomatic' get's the pulse racin like I figured it would. The a-side find'em at their most aggressive yet, spinnin a yarn about a gal (I think) I know who has a thing for the 'Susan Atkins look'. She's lucky they didn't say nothin about that moustache. Right Sanchez? Ding! The flip chews & spits out more of the proto-skiffle tar 'n tuneage these guys have been excellin at since their inception. Not many made & some copies is even on colored vinyl. http://www.plasticidolrecords.com/ & http://www.s-srecords.com/

One of my favorite 7"ers thus far has been this debut from an Oz duo what's called Naked On The Vague. Utilizing mainly rickety keys,fuzz bass & percussive splat as a backdrop-not to mention the to 'n fro vocals- Lucy Cliche & Matthew Hopkins really excell at conjurin up a Wicked Witch Of The West version of Times New Viking. Or how about an Emerald City Cabaret Voltaire? 'Do The Mussolini' indeed! They's even took marker's to sleeve for authentic DIY enhancement. This one's been gettin alot've play. Find'em at; http://www.dualplover.com/ or contact the band via; nakedonthevague@yahoo.com

While there's been lot's of synth-punk action springin up from France as of late, the herbacious aggro emitted from the split lp of Death To Pigs/Gu Guai Xing Qiu can no ways be bundled in that garni. Both've these bands hit the ground running like drunk hellions what's been drinkin from the Ouzo vats abandoned by Villa 21 & Yello Yell once the Birthday Party poofed out. Throw'em on tour w/Clockcleaner & you got yourself a gruesome threesome for the ages. This one's a grower & how!
www.myspace.com/deathtopigs & http://www.s-srecords.com/

California Lightening & Sic Alps went & vommed out a split 7" what even if it sucked would've still been housed in the best homage sleeve YET conceptualized by any flatfoots trompin through the current fauna. CL I ain't heard of but they demand yr attention w/a jackhammer assault of Fem-crusted snarl much like Queen Cobra struck with during their short reign. Sic Alps continue to impress w/their inimitable take on the intricacies on Fuzz & Flowers. The Strapping Fieldhands similarities are "just" there (to me anyways) & this time they seemed mashed up w/either Damo-era Can or a langourous, unnamed b-side from a Swell Maps ep. Not that it makes any difference, by the time I get it figured out, these'll be history. No address on this, write sicalps@gmail.com to see where you might find a copy.

Pink Reason's got a new 7" on the prowl featurin 3 solid tracks what was staples from their tour's earlier this year. If anyone is capable of evokin the spirit of Ricky Williams nowadays, Kevin Debroux get's my nod. Nice to have these on record for posterity 'n all, I would imagine http://www.s-srecords.com/
ought to have this in stock soon & Pink Reason is gearin up for some more tour dates, check out www.myspace.com/secondculture
& see where they's to be.

Speakin of Sleepers, El Jesus De Magico's 'Abracadabra' ep is as great a take on Seventh World post-snort fuckery as yr likely to have ear-a-gated into the folds of your fat any time soon. I ain't heard none of them other newbies what was also just released on Columbus Discount, but if they's all as killer as this one, then the label is rackin up a formidable tally. http://www.columbusdiscountrecords.com/

Leather Apron is neither Leather Uppers, Leather Donut or (thankfully) Digital Leather. It is however the nom de plume of the fantastic David Mitchell whose taken time to release a 10" of his unique Melancholia Psychedelus that is a most welcome bookend to his Xpressway ep from years back. Nobody makes lonesome seem as unheartbreakable as this guy. And dig the Gun Club cover he's reconstructed. Nice! http://www.longlostmusic.org/

Three 1 sided records come courtesy of Family Pet (an lp + 2 7"ers) & it's about as zonked & lo-fi improvo la spazzathon as your likely to order by mail in the here & now. Hailin from Brunswick, Maine I can easily see this duo as bein the East Coast response to The Geeks, or at least havin ate a copy of that band's 'It's Not About Notes Anymore' lp. Lot's of LOUD keys, horns & percussion & vocalist A.M. Haines sounds like he might've jumped off the boat ramp at Sawyers Point about a hundred times too many. What's not to love? http://www.foreignfrequency.com/