Last Two Releases For 2008 Are Here! Get'em While They's Hot!

Here we are with the last 2 releases for 2008, a self titled one from The Love Is So Fast & 'Games For Slaves', the 2nd lp by Der Teenage Panzerkorps. TLISF is comprised of members of Los Llamarada, notably Danyhell & Estrella while also being produced by Sagan Youth. Silly me, I had always assumed these tracks were pre Los Llamarada but in fact TLISF was actually a band that existed for a short period when LL broke up (pre Exploding Now). That said, it still sounds like surreal, prehensile psychedelia, the palate filled w/flourishes of nascent staccato & outer space VU fumble. Edition of 500.
Der TPK had promised/theatened their followup effort would be more in the post-punk vein & they weren't kidding. 'Games For Slaves' really is almost like a step back in time, circa '79-80. Imagine a sound forged from the sneering ore of Abwarts & smelting ennui via early Joy Division. All's I know is that if guitarist Edmund Xavier's spidery guitar runs don't ably channel a young Bernard Sumner, then your name isn't John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (that's mine name too!). Silkscreened covers this time, edition of 500.

Prices are as follows
each lp US-15$ ppd, Canada, 17$, Elsewhere, 25$

Paypal via; sltrx@pil.net

And also a BIG THANKS to everyone out there who helped make 2008 a banner year for Siltbreeze. Hope to see y'all again in '09!

'Sweat It Out' For Christmas.....Axemen's Little Stevie McCabe's Legendary Solo LP Available For Limited Time!

SORRY, SOLD OUT

In anticipation of the forthcoming Axemen series that begins next year, I was able to procure the last copies of Axeman Little Stevie McCabe's solo lp 'Sweat It Out'. Released in an edition of 300 in 1986, this DIY/Outsider masterpiece has long been under the radar, mostly due to the fact that for ages it was only available from Steve himself. Soundwise it stands head to head with standout line blurringly great one-offs such as Jowe Head's 'Pincer Movement' & Milk From Cheltenham's 'Triptych Of Poisoners'. Handscreened covers by Steve, includes original insert, I have the last 20 in existence, 1st come, 1st serve. And as an added bonus, Steve took the time to individually autograph all copies so no 2 are the same!

Babe The Blue Ox Need Not Apply.....Siltbreeze Announces Axemen Reissues For 2009!

Yep, in conjuction w/Sleek Bott Indusries, Siltbreeze is PROUD to annouce no less than 3, count'em THREE, Axemen reissues to see the light of day in 2009. First up is a previously cassette only one entitled 'Big Cheap Motel' (originally released in 1983), followed by 'Scary!' (1989) & then a full-on repro of the cult classic ''Three Virgins, Three Versions, Three Visions' (1985). These will all be limited vinyl only runs, so stay tuned & feel free to email should you have any questions. The series begins in January & will continue through the whole of next yr. And who know, maybe even beyond!

For the uninformed, the Axemen have been the practitioners of a unique brand of DIY they lovingly refer to as 'Sigh-Fi' rock for 30 yrs now. Not an easy band to pin down sonically, their catalog speaks for itself in much've the same way as those belonging to The Homosexuals or Sun City Girls. That is to say vast & beautiful. For a mindblowing glimpse into the world of Axemen (+ related friends & accomplice's) check out; http://www.theaxemen.wordpress.com/ & be prepared to have copious block's of time squandered trying to fathom the genius. Also, for those who perhaps can't wait, Axemen have a site where you can purchase high quality cdr's of previous cassette's. Go to http://www.sleekbott.com/ & there you might get a jump on the rest of your not-quite-as-desperate brothers & sisters. Yeah, 2009 is looking to be quite an exciting yr for reissues. See y'all on the flipside!

Siltbreeze Updates.....Hank IV Do East Coast Tour, Pigs To Fly! Reissues Of U.S. Girls & Factums lp's Back In Stock Too!

First I win the Paducah Rotary Club's annual Top Chef Award (again. Them crackers always love the Possum Bourguignon), then the Phils snag the World Series & now Hank IV's doin a slew of East Coast shows w/Los Llamarada. Looks like 2008 is goin out w/a bang! I got them dates posted below, but also wanted you folks to know we've got some copies of the new Hank IV LP 'Refuge In Genre' available direct. Comes w/a dropcard so's y'all can put it on yr Ipod or whatever too.

Also, the reish of U.S. Girls 'Introducting....' lp as well as Factums 'Alien Natives' is both back in stock. Lot's of folks has been askin for'em & now they's here & ready to ship. So get'em while their hot! One more time.

Prices are as follows;

US-15$ppd

Canada-17$ppd

Elsewhere-25$ppd

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Hank IV/Los Llamarada on East Coast;

Wednesday, November 12th, 8:00 PM Brooklyn, NY The Charleston with Los Llamarada, Blues Control, Black & Whites.

*Radio appearance, Tuesday, November 18th, 3:00 PM Newbridge, NJ WFMU, live in the studio for Brian Turner's Show*.

Thursday, November 13th, 8:00 PM Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's with Los Llamarada.

Friday, November 14th, 8:00 PM New York, NY Cake Shop with Los Llamarada.

Saturday, November 15th, 8:00 PM Philadelphia, PA Pi Lam House, 3904 Spruce St.,West Philly, with Los Llamarada, FNU Ronnies & Watery Love

Old Tricks For New Dogs.....Siltbreeze Antique Closeout!

While I was digging around in the basement this weekend I came across a box containing some long out of print 7" titles. That got me curious so I trawled around some more, looking to see if there was anything else I'd put in storage & had forgotten about. The answer; not really. But I did find these & they are the LAST copies I have of each respective title. Availability is limited, so if your interested, please email me 1st to see if what your after is still around. Sorry if the prices seem high, maybe you can find them cheaper on Ebay. Or maybe not.

Queen Meanie Puss-The Darkling ep (SB-15)

QMP were a female quartet hailing out of Auckland, NZ. Formerly known as Angelhead (then based in Dunedin) they released a cassette on Bruce Russell's legendary Xpressway label around 1991 or so. A move north & a name change, they released their debut 7" on Flying Nun sometime in early '92. Then it was on to Siltbreeze for the follow-up (early '93). 'The Darkling' is 5 tracks of dark, tempered, post-post punk. I guess you could say there's a Raincoats vibe going on here, but they had to go through (pre Daydream Nation) Sonic Youth to get it. Originally pressed in an edition of 800, I have 7 copies still available.

15$ ppd US
16$ ppd Canada
18$ ppd elsewhere


Mike Rep & The Quotas-Quit Talking & Start Chalking ep (SB-19)

Released sometime mid 1993, this was a revamped Quotas Rep put together, they lasted a year or so & I believe this was the only thing they ever put out. Guitarist Gilmore Tamney would later go on to form The Yips, the other two.....? 3 tracks, loud, Rep-ified crud production, mostly unavailable elsewhere ('Village Idiot' can be found on the 'Tard & Furthr'd' cd comp) & are NOT slated for the Mike Rep & The Quotas dbl lp retrospective coming out next yr. This is it. These copies are from the 1st pressing of 500, all numbered, I have 0 copies left. SOLD OUT.






Dead C- Vs. Sebadoh (SB-25)

Regardless of the title, Sebadoh is nowhere to be found of this record. Just the Dead C lads having a laugh, such jolly jokers. This is the band's Hardcore release, 8 tracks of blazing, unbridled fury by (perhaps) the last band you'd expect to belly up to the H/C bar. None of the tracks on here are available elsewhere, though there is a snippet of 'Air' which would later be fully realized on the 'Operation Of The Sonne' lp. This came out originally in 1993, edition of 1000 copies. I have 0 available. SOLD OUT.

20$ ppd US
21$ ppd Canada
23$ ppd elsewhere


Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments-Negative Guestlist ep (SB-33)

From 1994, after much cajoling, Ron House finally relented & let us put out a TJSA record. This was the bands 4th release following a split 7", a 7" & 12" for Datapanik.
'Baboon's Liver' is arguably one of the best songs ever recorded (& can be found on the Tard & Furthr'd cd compilation, http://www.siltbreeze.com/) but the other 3 songs on here rock pretty mightily as well. Originally in an edition of 1000, I have 0 available. SOLD OUT.

20$ ppd US
21$ ppd Canada
23$ ppd elsewhere


(The Music Of) The Shadow Ring-Tiny Creatures/Harlequin (SB-35)

This 7" came out in early 1995 & was the band's 3rd release though their 1st for Siltbreeze. An excellent effort from the most unique band I ever worked with. Originally released in an edition of 800, I have 0 available. SOLD OUT.

20$ ppd US
21$ ppd Canada
23$ ppd elsewhere


Un-Transmissions/Hangin Judge (SB-61)

This was Un's 2nd & final release. Ostensibly offered as a tour only 7", this was 1st made available by the band on their west coast jaunt w/Harry Pussy the summer of 1996. Stylistically the band seemed to orbit around planet Royal Trux & both the tracks sound like they could maybe be outtakes from 'Twin Infinitives'. It's also interesting listening to 'Hangin Judge' again after all these yrs & hearing the seeds of the New Weird America free-wha? orchard being sown therein. I loved these guys but never was a band more aptly named. Would you be surprised to know that member Marcia Bassett would later go on to record w/Double Leopards, Hototogisu, Zaimph & countess other agitators of musical form & function? Yep, she's famous! Originally released in an edition of 1000, I have 5 copies still available.

10$ ppd US
11$ ppd Canada
13$ ppd elsewhere


Email & Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

New 7" on Siltbreeze.....Little Claw Pony Up

Hey, whaddya know, another 7"! We're knockin these things out like Kosher corn dogs at the state fair. And we ain't got a singles club or nothin! This time it's Little Claw that's delivering the goods, two new tracks ( 'Race To The Bottom'/'Feed You') that careen off the walls of your skull like drunken Valkyries lashing through the halls of Valhalla. What would Odin think? Who cares! Our own Roland S. Woode sez;



"The evolution of Little Claw has been wondrous to behold & now their beguiling cluck has found it's way into the Siltbreeze ranks. On what is their 5th vinyl outing, the band has laid down 2 distinct tracks & they are mightly gallops of ambidextrous charge. 'Race To The Bottom' rakes across the nodules of your brain w/serrated glee while 'Feeding You' could be a cosmic transmission from futuristic denizens who have carved Terrence Mckenna' pancreas into psychedelic sweetbreads & gobbled them for lysergic sustenance. The sound is, as one of the main pie tasters from Bull Tongue recently opined, "Fucking Awesome"! Edition of 400 copies".

Prices are as follows;

US=6$

Canada=7$

Elsewhere-8$

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Look for Little Claw on tour w/Eat Skull & (on selected dates) Psychedelic Horseshit all through Sept. 08.

1st Siltbreeze 7" Since 1997.....Titmachine's 'We Build A New City/1989'

That's right, our 1st foray back into the beguiling world of 7" vinyl since Sunshine Superscum's 'Two Reactions' ep back in '97. Why, you might ask, would Siltbreeze haul off & get's itself mixed up in a format brimming w/dipshit speculators & Ebay 'day traders'? Because Titmachine are that good! Sure, it's not the 90's anymore & the small pressing is the way to go in the here & now, so that's what we've done. How many are there? Well, hopefully enough. All copies have hand done artwork on label's, some even have a ltd. ed. rubberstamp on inner sleeve. Man, I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass assembling a bunch of 7"ers was! Thankfully there's only so many.

And now without further adieu, let me hand over the embellishment to everyone's favorite hillbilly, Roland Seward Woodbe;

For the lucky few who were floored by Titmachine's debut 7" (released earlier this yr via Meeuw Muzak) come this sophomore effort, loaded for bear & released on the Siltbreeze label. Continuing their penchant for a-side covers, this time the ladies tackle Palais Schaumburg's 'Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt' (or 'We Build A New City' if you speak only in God's preferred tongue) & the results are as devastatingly great as could be imagined. Stripped of it's NDW gloss, Titmachine's reworking is more doused in raw Gueuze than refined Pilsener. In other words, them yeast's be wild y'all! The flip is an awesome (& original) little jawdropper entitled '1989' & is remarkably akin to what the Shaggs might sound like tackling the Urinals 'Ack Ack Ack'. Pressed on heliocentric black vinyl in a human(e) edition of less than one million copies, how chuffed can your summer be if you miss this chance to woggle in Titmachine's primitve, urpy grock? Don't tempt fate, buy now!

Prices are postpaid & as follows;

USA-5$

Canada-6$

Europe-7$

Elsewhere-7$

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Revenge Of The Bongoloids......Blueshift/Russian Tsarlag Split lp

I know I've done railed on about my disdain for the split release format but it ain't like anyone's payin said bane much mind. Hell, you got labels like Not Not Fun doin whole series of split 7"ers & while they's is gobbled up (by speculators 'n fans alike) it don't mean they's good. But that's just an educated guess on my part as I don't own many. I reckon you get more bang for the buck, but mine's just break down to the 'good' & 'bad' sides. So bearin that in mind, I'm payin twice as much for what I like. I enjoyed that split lp last yr from Lexie Mountain & Lichens but to be honest, I could've used 2 sides of each. So again, there's a short shrift. Mind you, this is all petty complaints & there's them of you out there thinkin ol' Roland Woodbe is just whinin for whinin's sake. Not true. I'm just callin attention to a trend what I reckon to be lame. It's not like I'm gonna cut off my nose to spite my face, after all, I still buy'em in hope's of gleanin that diamond in the rough what's likely to appear every now & again. Case in point is this split lp from 2 Providence, RI artist's, Blueshift & Russian Tsarlag entitles 'The Burrow'/'Thank You For The Plastic Surgery You've Given Me'. Since they's from Providence & both been tagged as 'weirdo's it's a safe bet to presume they's both art school attendee's, graduates or dropouts. You get a letter pressed jacket + saddle stitched 32 page booklet w/assorted visuals, then there's the green vinyl lp which beholds the aural work of each. Can't say that Blueshift's improv violin scrape & assembled threadbare gloppage did anything for me but hey, if you still wax your pole to the itinerant heaps of piffle laid out by former Chocolate Monks, current Zaimphs, erstwhile Ashtray Navigators & the like, then there's a fat chance your gonna find this incessant filibustering potentially erectile.Me? The 1st thing that crossed my mind was it seemed like a good time to clip my fingernails. So I did. Then I flipped the record.
Now Russian Tsarlag is a whole different kettle of fish. He's got a pretty good grasp on humor, darkness & applied weirdness. His sound calls to mind the halcyon days of the early 80's when there was a small (but formidable) assemblage've roustabouts what fell outside any specific pecking order, hybridizin art/avant/industro squelch through the punk filters (which got'em tagged as weird), thereby isolating themselves in a cool corner of the scene that only a few of us embraced back then. I'm thinkin (early) Culturcide, Iceplants, Tom & Marty Band (to name a few). These folks def. fucked w/the rules of what was what & while that perhaps marginalized'em to the (then) arbiters, I was drawn to their skewered genius like a bear to honey. It was stuff that embodied a certain DIY aesthetic, as well it had to since nobody else was gonna touch it. It's still hard to say exactly what that sound was since it drew from so many wells, but Tom & Marty Band's credo was "We heard Chrome & Throbbing Gristle & thought they were pop bands' so maybe that gives you some idea of what I'm gettin at. They took Dada all the way to Mama & back (if you catch my drift). Nowadays with so much what's been done ( to death in most cases) in the underground bein pleasantly suprised by somethin like Russian Tsarlag almost makes me wanna take back all the shit talkin I done about the split release format. Almost, but unlikely. I could do w/out the Beach Boys cover, but I'm not gonna split hairs on account've that. I'm glad to have found the dude & I dunno, if you like the lines blurred & the zozzle zonked, Russian Tsarlag has some tunes for you to hum. Only 300 made. Find this via; http://www.rareyouth.org/

Paisley Douche Or Cactus Juice?.....The 'Worlds Lousy With Ideas' V/A 7" Series

Compilation's can divide a room. I knows some folks who's always been about'em as they are great resources to find out about a never ending wealth of obscure talent. But said talent can sometimes go hand in hand with dreck & comps is certainly stacked on that front as well. And seein as how there's all sorts've ways to skin this cat-regional, national, genre, gender, you name it-well, having to tolerate the bad to get what's good is, as they say, an occupational hazard. I's always considered myself pro comp, though I think the past decade or so seen me back off from'em quite a bit. Alls I can recall were ones what was mostly tributes-Godz, Shaggs & the like- or label specific things of which even Siltbreeze capitalized on ( Capitalized?! Next time you want to shift the MANY boxes of Tard & Furtherd in the basement by all means, be my guest-Capt'n Siltbreeze). Or they was "free" if you bought a magazine, so then you was at the mercy of the compiler, who more times than not was fishin w/a baitless hook. Sure, plenty of KBD styled things was present but they's can hardly be described as risk takers. Whatever the case, I simply balked at the format. Could be I missed some corkers, it won't be the last time for that by a stretch. My sleepin manners is just fine, thank you very much .
Then last year Dan Dimaggio gave me this 7" of v/a's called Worlds Lousy With Ideas that come in an amazin array of sleeves. He was passin'em out after a Clockcleaner show so I figured, why not? Seemed they was from Hawaii, or maybe it was the Moon, wherever it was, there weren't no way to get in touch for more. Or that was the story Dan was stickin to. Fair enough, I had a copy & I'll be damned if it weren't a standup disc all around. The tracks from Home Blitz & Nothing People was ace & I even dug the one from the unknown band called Boys Club. And who amongst us don't love a suprise? So fastforward a few months down the calendar & I seen a couple more of these things. And man if they ain't bustin out tracks by just about everyone what's workin the circuit. For the sake've long story short, the way they's is divvied up between Punk & Experimental, this series calls to mind a forerunner in the scene, the late, lamented 'Life Is' series from the New Undergound label, way back in the early 80's. True, they was lp's & centered around the (then) greater LA scene, but indulge me here, the vibe is remarkably similiar. World's Lousy may not have ringers like Germs, Urinals or Minutemen in the lineup (yet) but to me them tracks always paled to the stuff I weren't familiar with. When I hear the contrib's by Eat Skull, Catatonic Youth, Little Claw, Lady Doctors, Wax Museums & the rest, it ain't so hard for me to recall Anti, China White, Mood Of Defiance, Zurich 1916, Civil Dismay + all's them that saddled up for NU. I guess what I'm sayin is if you's is hearin folks talk about how nowadays is not unlike the early 80's, 'World's Lousy With Ideas' is certainly a case in point. And I got nary a problem w/that. The name's have changed, the spirit however, remains intact. And ain't it all about the fun in the end? I'd say so, hell yes! You think them girls on the cover of #6 would disagree? Not likely. Life is so bitchin, why not stock up? Go to; http://www.almostreadyrecords.com/ for further info.

The Medium Was Tedium.....And More 7" Reviews

I can't rightly explain why it's taken me so long to come up w/so few reviews. Alls I can say is that I have been up against it, I tell you what. I spent this past week over to some rock critic shindig in Rochester, NY & the minute I walked into the main conference room at the Strathallan, it was clear I'd made a big mistake. There was all sorts've bleating goin on about Shitgaze, etc. At one point I had many a English person askin me if I personally knowed any of the Psychedelic Horseshit fellas & was it true they preferred an English Shower? I took that to mean no showerin at all & nodded my head yes, laughin the whole time. The things people's want to know! I watched 2 lip flappers debate on which Leslie Q lp was best, a high school class what come up from Snipesville, Georgia to read papers on their favorite Jandek record & why, slept through a symposium on early Wire vs. the current one & was generally bored to tears. I'd been asked to attend and debate which was better, Columbus bands or one from Cleveland but that was on Saturday-the final day-& I reckoned I'd be long gone by then. To tell the truth, I spent most of my time eatin from chef Ethan Drake's menu down to The Grill, the inhouse restaurant there at the Strathallan ( I particularly enjoyed the Foie burger which was seared foie gras, bacon & beef. What's not to love?). Funny thing was there weren't no bands playin, just a lot've opinionated folks soundin off on things they cared about more than they knowed. I sat through one q&a when some rotund fella from Mexico spouted off something about the hegemony of Siltbreeze. He was eatin a hotdog, mustard & relish runnin down his porcine cheeks & talkin a mile a minute. There was something he mushed about Siltbreeze being a clearing house for clowns or bitches but no one knew what the hell he was talking about. Afterwards I went over to the buffet table where he was loadin up another coney to ask him how he'd got his head so far up his ass but he seen me comin & he shot outta the room, the speed of which I ain't never seen from a man his size. Maybe he oughta give up on the rock crit game & give them Mexican Olympic trials a go. Anyways, by then I'd had enough. The whole things had just confused & saddened me. But I guess I had it comin. After all, I did agree to attend even though I knowed instinctively what would play out. Not all of it was a wash, there was plenty of well informed folks, but the ones what try & come off like they's 'keepin it real' was just half-assed pedants who seemed more ego driven than knowledgeable. Or just jealous. Either way I guess. I didn't think the Mexican fella was a total idiot. I mean, he's gotta go to sleep sometime, right?
But that was last week. Today I went & listened to these here records & a fine pile they was. Have at'em.





Florida's Dying has gone & taken a dip in the Moselle only to wash ashore w/a 7" of brimstone howl via The Feeling Of Love. One side of this is deep in the synth/dark wave scheme that's taken western Europe by a storm, I esp. love the jabberin what sounds like Chicken Little hysterically tryin to place an order for the entire henhouse minutes before the last frites stand in Metz calls it a day. The flip is two scuzzy ramblers that recall the stripped down, how-do-you-do fuzz barrage the Workdogs excelled at so many, many records ago. Stick that in the cuff of your jeans & torch it. http://www.floridasdying.com/


Listenin to the a-side've the Dead Clodette's debut 7" I was inexplicably reminded of 'Chinese Gangster' by Warm Gun. It ain't a bad thing by any means, I liked that bunch plenty & it I could put my hands on their ep I'd give it a spin & see they's anywhere in the same orbit. The flip on this one moves nicely along too, remindin me of a femme version of Tyvek. Initally I dug the bass heavy mix but upon repeated listening-mostly to try & figure out if my tone arm needed adjustin or if it was just a fucked pressing (bingo!)-the skips started to drive me crazy. And seein as how this thing cost 12$ to order direct from France, I do believe I got the shit end of the stick. They's certainly got promise, but business via French Vinyl has got to go. www.myspace.com/trashmondainrecords


Is it me or does a band called the Pizza's scream Rip Off/Goner style lo-fi garage/punk pogoholic voom? Chuck Taylor & Doc Marten is all over this one. No suprises here but I reckon that's how they want it. http://www.daggerman.com/


Long Legged Woman (I think) is somehow connected to an outfit named Butt Savage but that's a quandry for another day. On this they certainly run the gamut, the a-side entitled 'Something Is Pressing Against It From The Outside' careen's around like Eat Skull covering 'Sedan Delivery' inside a Robotussin humidor. Side B has a remarkable Xpressway like quality to it's aura. Could be outtakes for either Jefferies brother 7" or a distant demo from an early incarnation of Plagal Grind. Who knew?
www.myspace.com/longleggedwoman


It's kind've remarkable to see the sand in the face, post hardcore aggression made famous in the late 80's by way of Touch & Go or Amphetamine Reptile finally catchin on in Columbus, Oh some 20+ yrs after the fact. Sure, Monster Truck 5 were lubed for action around '88 or so but that was a quick spurt & since then......
Now in the space of 7 months there's 2 releases from the CDR folks what is primed for a blood letting & string mangling bonanza. Necropolis burst through the door 1st w/a new sneer & face full've warts & now this outfit called The Unholy Two have followed suit w/2 pus filled boil poppers. Their unhinged caterwaul calls to mind a more distempered Clockcleaner & for a moment there as the 1st track was beginnin to distort, I swear I almost heard shades of pre Shadoobie Boredoms. From a Columbus band! Hey, if they cozy up to some blue chippers maybe these guys are next in line to curate a teenage riot or at the very least, adopt some (free) kitten's. http://www.columbusdiscountrecords.com/


De Stasi is a small label outta Finlay, Oh which seems to be forgin a foundation similiar to another midwester legend, the mighty Bone Air label. Of course we all know Bone Air was only around for 4 releases but what massive releases they was! So far De Stasi has done 2 TV Ghost records & excuse me for sayin so, but their lp is one of the best things I've heard in a long time. I know I never seen fit to review it here & that's my bad, as it is a grower of Herculean proportions. As great as the 7" is, steeped in a slithery, meth flaked Crampsish brine, the lp dominates w/some unclassifiable Goth vibe, like a heavy metal Goblin on acid. Anyway, a fantastic record & one to keep an eye peeled for. Now there's 2 new dudes on the block, one from somethin called Leper Print what possesses a ton've charm & diy punk propulsion. With heart firmly implanted on sleeve this little record spurts geysers of happy, squidish ink, 2 of the tracks resemblin the late great Toxic Shock while the 'Dead Flowers' tune marches along w/the ack ack attack of The Urinals (whom I'm assumin this is in tribute to). Zola Jesus is a chanteuse from Indiana who I'm told is one of the leading architects behind some sub genre called Crimson Wave. Excuse me for tryin to wrap my brain around this, but what does that mean? The undertones is certainly ripe w/Freudian connotations, conjurin up both castration anxiety & penis envy. And I know West Lafayette is a college town (go Boilermakers!) so let's leave this one on the shelf for blabbermouths w/majors & electives to concur or refute. So.....Zola Jesus. As charmin as the tape hiss is on this lo fi gem, that voice don't lie; this gal's got some range! Like the aforementiond TV Ghost, Zola Jesus traverses across some gothic terrain, but there's also tinges of Vega/Rev action, Cab Volt twiddle & an almost ESP like understandin've Amy Camus alter ego. Whatever it is, it works. So call it Crimson Wave if you's must, just don't lame up in the process or I will PERSONALLY see to it that Zola Jesus cuts off your balls & feeds them to you for supper. The Woodbe reach can be ruthless, beware. www.myspace.com/diestasi www.myspace.com/leperprint
& www.myspace.com/zolajesus



And on the eastern seaboard, this label what's called Sacred Bones is sort've a Castor to De Stasi's Pollux ( or vice versa, I ain't tryin to play favorites) & is also burnin bright w/a roster've solitary crawlers. The one from Nice Face hustles along in warm currents that sounds like Chemicals Made From Dirt tacklin outtakes from Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy. Dead Luke's debut also soars through the darkness, carpetbombing the bogs w/sonorous voce, layers of grock & stinging guitars. Seein him live down to SXSW this yr was one of my highlights. His flare'n understanding of early 80's regional wave is pretty spot on & the label itself seems primed to showcase this sort've genre much the same way them Sub Pop cassette's (#5 & #7 was the ones I had) served as fulcrums to inform a few hundred of us as to the talents of Neo Boys, Sport Of Kings, Zyklon, Ray Milland & a few others. My trousers maybe ain't tight as they once was but that don't mean I forgot the moves. The lp's from Pink Noise & Factums is winners too. A round've beers would be the ticket were we in the same room, but as it stands, one made've applause will have to do. www.myspace.com/nicefacetheband
www.myspace.com/bornunderadick & http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/

Release #4 for 2008.....Fabulous Diamonds S/T LP

The s/t debut lp from this brilliant Melbourne duo. A fantastic mix of organ, tapes, sax & percussion peppered w/ delays, effects & harmonious chant-like vocals. Imagine a hayride w/Suicide, Young Marble Giants & Augustus Pablo, the fragrant aroma of homemade apple wine ticking your nose, the smell of burnt corn husks stinging your eyes. Wait a minute, that's not corn husks they're smoking! Anyway, you get the picture. A tremendous effort & look for Fabulous Diamonds on tour-beginning this weekend-w/Psychedelic Horseshit & Times New Viking, starting out west & ending up back east. Catch term if you can.
Lp's are 15$ ppd. U.S. 25$ ppd elsewhere. Paypal to sltrx@pil.net

Go to www.myspace.com/fabulousdiamonds for all tour info.

Bye Bye Binoculars & Macintosh, Everything Is Just Great. Or Is It?.....New Lp's!

A few releases what's come in seem to drag/wear/emblaze a lot of mid to late 90's sound trinkets & non essential bling rather prominently. I reckon from my side of the fence the 90's ain't so far away & boy was there a lot of shit to ingest! If it weren't Grunge & it's miserable minions suckin or blowin hard for the better part of the decade, the drum & bass, house + electronica schmaltz what followed was even more putrid. In light of all that one can almost forgive folks for buyin into the cottage industry what became Blew Beard Blamerica. But that old horse done been flogged to death around here. Personally I ain't one to welcome back most of the 90's, either w/reunions or influences. Not yet anyways. You might think otherwise. I've found that those what tend to be contentious about my opinions don't know much about much in the grand scheme of things so it ain't worth worryin about. Besides, my side's been around longer than there's been a fence, but that said, I'm glad it's there. Better to keep the ninnies & neophytes contained till they's wise up. What am I ramblin on about? Oh, just a little somethin called......


FREEer by an outfit called Gulls. See, on this 12" you get to see the crux of what I'm goin on about. The a-side is a luminous squall what brings to mind a backdrop've early 70's Miles Davis psychedlic fusion crossed w/the downtown, late 70's post funk pulsations found on labels like 99 or Y. It's not bad. I was never one of them what went ape shit over none of that sorta urp, but it was always 'cool' enough & I could dig it in a pinch. The flip though is where the flies start to swarm; a one man retelling of the a-side track, this time via effects, computers, drum box, it sounds like a Little Darla cocktail party, minus the tail, minus the party. I couldn't hang. Maybe your made of swishier stuff. http://www.soniclozenge.com/


My initial reaction to just lookin at this lp by Soft Location called 'Diamonds & Gems' was something akin to a dismal flashback when I 1st came into contact w/the post Krautrock/Stereolab worshippin wurst wank of Windy & Karl or Flying Saucer Attack. I was really preparin for a dreadful parcel of time to follow. But guess what.....it never come to pass. Instead what got encountered was a pleasant, just off kilter pop rumble that called to mind a similar output from the Otago Peninsula's great Jay Clarkson or some Pastels friendly racketeers who once recorded for the Bi Joopiter label. There is some twee debris that resembles (maybe) an unknown Harriet matrix taker or a forgotten gazer of shoe but what brush w/goodness don't come w/a price anymore? You don't have to be Kendra Smith to figure this one out.
Contact; michael@senselessempire.com for availability.


I'd done lost track of Dan Melchior, pretty much tossin his baby out w/the bathwater left by Billy Childish & Holly Golightly. I know, I sound like a Goddamn sour puss but jesus, how much of that Kent/Medway sound do you have to buy before it becomes an old dog? And when I ask that I mean to them's who don't sport a wallet chain, cuff their denim jeans or wear pork-pie hats at a jaunty angle. Like me. Fuck it, the answer don't matter, hey, the main thing is this Dan Melchior und das Menace lp don't seem burdened by the trappins of click uniformity. You can take a fella outta Kent, but I reckon you can't take Kent out the fella. 'Christmas For The Crows' surely exhales great plumes of hempish wry from the Hangman chillum-like a spit & polish take on that old rapscallion, Sexton Ming-but also devours w/great success lost tins've indica laced biscuits purloined from stash mongers pining for tunesmithery & pluck that harkens back Syd Barrett, Viv Stanshall or that Oliver fella. So you might say I got a bit of egg on my face in regard to ol' Dan Melchior. But that's okay, he can pelt me with'em by the dozen so long as he keeps makin records of this caliber. www.myspace.com/daggermanrecords

Someday I'll Listen To Albums Again.....The Perpetual 7" Reviews

Rosemary Krust is a duo hailin outta Baltimore that is self proclaimed Shoegazers. I guess that should come as no suprise since the whole Maryland/Greater WDC area was the breedin ground for so much of that stuff back in the 90's. But what a difference a decade can make. Rosemary Krust don't seem as precious as all them Slumberland bands what come before'em, I dunno, maybe it's the lo-fi starkness but they remind me of a marriage of DR503 Dead C & Our Bed Is Green era Charalambides. Or maybe the American equivalent to Garbage & The Flowers. I sure don't hear no MBV influence which is fine by me. Sonically introspective, slightly fuzzed + guiltlessly twee'd =A GOOD THING. Small pressing & nice handmade sleeves too. Check'em out at www.myspace.com/rosemarykrust


S-S Records continues to dominate the 7" landscape w/2 new winners, the 1st one I layed into bein the debut from XYX who is presumably buds w/Los Llamarada. You might call XYX the dancefloor version of LL. They share the same pulsing energy but while Los Llamarada dredge into darker spaces, XYX bask in the gas glow of strobbing neon. The blown out bass riffs light up this dogie w/serious post punk glare, Gang Of Four style, while the fem vocals, drum propulsion & additional electo swagger calls to mind the most salaciously charged moments of Maximum Joy, tempered w/the bloodlust abandon of El Chupacabra. They's definitely onto somethin. Lookin forward to more. www.myspace.com/xyxs
This was also my 1st exposure to Hiroshima Rocks Around, why I do not know. I seen their name around, probably via S-S postings, but I just never got the bug. My loss. These guys seem custom made for the S-S crew, revellin in a chaotic carnage that till now seemed exclusively hand zonked by Gallic outfits such as Cheveu & Crash Normal. Hard to know who did what 1st but I think it's safe to say no one's gonna blame none of it on Catherine De Medici this time. Aggressively twisted & fun for all. Now I gotta go look up their back catalog.
Both this & XYX available via http://www.s-srecords.com/


Naked On The Vague is also battin 1000% & on this 7" for Skulltones, their patented brand of Apocalyptic melancholia is runnin at a fever pitch. The A side cracks & peels behind a 'Discipline' styled drum beat while Matthew & Lucy's vocal trade off's resemble the malaise akin to once upon a time Lee & Nancy ( aka, the original Chris & Cosey) recounting a night at Spahn Ranch, where they was sick from the tofu roasted over a kerosene bonfire & exasperated by the results of a Family hootenanny. The flip finds our hero's not a little wrecked from the copious amounts of Fromme procured dirt-cheeb they'd inhaled & who knows, maybe it'd even been 'dusted' w/LOVE by Charlie himself. It's a wild world babe, that's alls I can say. http://www.skulltones.com/


I remember seein The Electric Bunnies last yr down to SXSW at some ungodly time like 11am whiles the rancid smells of stale beer & fresh vomit was goin toe to toe w/new urinal mints & bucket've Pine-sol. It was gonna be hard to keep me there w/that much sensory overload goin on. I done my best, managed to stay long enough to realize they weren't just some clueless h/c wannbe's, in fact, they seemed very much akin to the Wombats, whose live shows was always more charged then them records what was released on Voxx & Homestead. Since that morning, Electric Bunnies have released two 7"ers. The 1st one garnered much acclaim but it never crossed my path so's I don't know what I missed. This 2nd one-a 4 song ep-is sure a melange of individual humdingers. Like the Wombats, they can extoll a hazy power pop vibe, but the EB's approach seems cut from a more anglo pattern. Listenin to this a couple times it was curious to pick up scent's that-inexplicable or not-recalled the tarnished jangle of Whaam bands such as The Mixers, Laughing Apple & even Revolving Paint Dream. The one track on here, 'Super Fluorescent Hippo Flashback' is a great caterwaul that's very much now, but I think if the Cappuchino Kid were to hear it, he'd be chuffed by the moves. And maybe even pony up a round of babysham's to boot. Charmed, I'm sure.
available via http://www.floridasdying.com/ who also run an excellent mailorder service. Give'em a holler.

Sweet Rot's got another new one on the streets, this time from a trio called Blank Its. Two tracks that's pretty straight up Killed By Death punk w/treated vocals to give it, I dunno, an edge? Catchy tunes though & if your smitten by yore boys such as Plastic Idols & Deprogammer, then start collecting for the future. As for the vocal trickery & spiney tingles, FNU Ronnies eat these guys for breakfast, but it ain't a competition, merely an observation. Don't kill the pogo!
www.myspace.com/sweetrotrecords


There's lot's of student housing permeatin the cityscape've Columbus, Ohio. In most cases these abodes come w/ample porches & plenty of basement space. All's the better to croon your folk & practice your rock, usually w/nary a complaint from the neighbors. There's also troves of cheap records to dig through & seein as how thems what's wet behind the ears is willin to embrace things some of us more jaded sots would find unremarkable, it should come as no suprise that the goslings what make up RTFO Bandwagon seem to have fused the precious folk of Richard & Mimi Farina w/the precocious rock of Go Team on this 4 song ep for the Dull Knife label. Not that there's nothin wrong w/that, but from my vantage I can't tell if I smell patchouli or if someone turned on the oven but forgot to light the pilot. Guess we'll all find out soon enough. http://www.dullkniferecords.com/

EAT SKULL'S 'Sick To Death' LP Available NOW!

I know the official release date isn't until next week, but we're offering up 'early' copies of the debut lp from Eat Skull entitled 'Sick To Death'. If you weren't lucky (or astute) enough to snag their previous singles or tour cassette, not to worry, they're all available on Ebay. For lot's of money! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sorry, I was trying to suffer fools lightly. Anyway, this lp is a great window into the world of Eat Skull, a world where psychic scars offer ponderous, trebly results. Is it Punk? Mister, I'd like to know just what Punk is these days. If your Punk is all about gnarly gnar-gnar rhythm hooks, organ fills that hang in the air like clouds of acid rain & radical, pogo frenzied tuneage then YES, 'Sick To Death' is the living embodiment of Punk. Remember the end of that movie 'Don't Look Now'? The part where Donald Sutherland-who plays some weird clairvoyant architect-corners the even weirder little dwarf character who pretends to be crying but then turns around & slashes Big Don's throat? He'd channeled all that, knew it was comin, but still couldn't stop it. Like c'mon, is that fucked up or what? 'Sick To Death' conjugate's the same vibe; you've heard these song before in your dreams, you've lived this stuff-no doubt-but when you finally confront them 1st hand, you know they're here to take you out. And that's when you realize the shit got deep. Shredders on fry dude, it doesn't get more Punk than that.

Copies Of 'Sick To Death' are 15$ ppd US ONLY. Overseas is 25$ per copy & Canadian residents pay 18$. Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

PS-CD version coming soon, email http://www.midheaven.com/ for more info.

Just Who You Tryin To Fuck With This Shit?.....3 Little Guys What Stunk

More 'n more records show up all the time, what's an erstwhile philosopher to do? To them's out there that aren't afforded the luxury of promo's, or lads or ladette's without disposable cashish, all's I can say is.....been there. There's always seemed to exist some unwritten rule that if you's is the recipient of something free & you don't like it, better to ignore than to criticize. And I'd agree w/that on some level. Perhaps it's also that some scribes what pen reviews of the current underground just like everyting what comes their way or don't wanna burn bridges. But since I ain't one, I don't harbor them same feelings. Settin a bridge on fire can be highly exhilaratin & if I liked everything what waltzed down the pike I'd be an even bigger lardass than I already am. If you read this Blog w/any regularity then it's obvious I don't have no love lost on New Weird Ameriblah but I also hold equal disdain for retro punk & garage/budget rock. Bottom line; it's the obvious what sours the milk. Problem could be I'm too old for this racket; too much knowledge w/ accessible deep archives. But I doubt it. More like the old sayin what goes; "Youth is wasted on the young". Ain't it the truth?




There'a label outta Chicago what's started up called Tic Tac Totally that has inexplicably felt the need to powder the landscape w/a couple of run of the mill singles the 1st one I heard bein this by Snake Flower 2. I guess the whole Blank Dogs, solo vision thing was bound to take on it's share of imitators & here we go. It ain't terrible, in fact it's easily accessible if somewhat plodding but at no time did I feel the want to play it more'n a couple spins & can't say I sees much future in it's company. Even with global warming I doubt it'll ever rain hard enough to pine for this one again. Seemed very much a byproduct of late 90's fluff, like the Lily's or somethin along the lines've that band that had a fella what looked like one of the Banana Splits, the ones that had a hardon for Brian Jones. Maybe if I was dependent on nitrous & can've Sparks to keep it "up" this might seem glam or psychedelic, but I'm starin straight into reality & it's shootin back the finger. Later dude.


Also available from TTT is a 7" from Yokohama Hooks, a 3 song aggro sneerer that calls to mind the choppy angular post punk of Au Pairs. Can't say I was ever much taken w/Au Pairs, they always seems affected & toffee nosed while lacking the chops of contempo's like Gang Of Four, Gilrs At Our Best & so forth. The B-side cover of 'Bloodstains' is easily as embarrassin as Zonic Shockum's take on 'Bullet' yrs ago but not nearly as charmin. Pointless is the word I keep comin back to. Maybe a cover've 'It's Obvious' would've made more sense, but 'Inconvenience' is more like it.
Both records via http://www.tictactotally.com/

Lot's of pups is jacked about Fag Cop & I can just imagine the shirtless pit, 9 miles of cock locked together in a daisychain of hardcore reenactment & face pounding frenzy. Personally I never found the racket of Pussy Galore all that hardcore & when the 90's imitators rolled around, most notably Monster Truck 5 & the lesser grunge of the Pac NW it seemed more about head waggin & flannel flyin. But the youth of today will have their say & history has been reconstructed to show Fag Cop as bypassin all that glop & are the current embodiment of (sigh) The Reatards or worse,someone's idea've what somebody's brother's friend's shop teacher told them Antiseen was like in the late 90's.Me? I was never much cared for Dead Boys covers & thought the Confederacy Of Scum was some dumbass joke. The other day while I was dressin out a rabbit on the balcony I overheard a couple dirt punkers sittin down on our stoop jabberin. The one fella in ripped jeans & a flaccid mohawk was explainin "Just because you wake up with a dick in your mouth doesn't make you gay.Like dude....I didn't even like it"! His misguided "logic" makes sense though; you go Crusty! www.myspace.com/homosexualpoliceofficer

Zombies Don't Thrash.....The Charge Of The 7" Brigade

Lot's of records been flyin in & I just ain't had the time to peruse'em all. One of these days I'll try & stay at it longer than a half hour or so, but that's about alls the free time I got right now. Tryin to get myself in shape for the annual Man's Man Contest, this year it's bein held on The Moon. I'm not sure how athletic ridin in a rocketship is but then I don't claim to be a professional astronaut. I is happy to know a couple though & am indebted to them for lettin me in to check out all the NASA contraptions & float around in a gravityless room. I think I've got the whole oxygen thing worked out too but I am a little concerned about havin to go to the bathroom in my suit. Maybe I'll just stick to them protein pills I hear so much about. At any rate, none of it matters much if I don't get enough sponsors or patrons to help pay for my trip there & back.The Moon ain't Pittsburgh, if you catch my drift. It's gonna require more than a bus ticket, a sack've clean duds & a toothbrush to pull this one off. Who know's, I might just have my own donation marathon to pay for it. But until then, here's some record I heard what I thought you should know about:

Not only is Montreal got an amazin array of boucheries to boast, now there seems to be a couple bands what're tryin to raise the awareness of the city as a destination for hog wild rockers to compliment them hog filled terrines. The Nymphets is the latest to stride into my sights by way of this 7" on the Psychic Handshake label, 2 tracks of fem/male vocality & grubby instrum aggression, both tunes comin across w/budget-like VU hum. If I didn't knowed better, I'd have figured this to be one of the lost recordings for the Pre B.S. Records label. That said, fans of (early) Mummies, Fingers & Supercharger won't be dissapointed w/these guys should they cast their coin into the till. Contact; www.myspace.com/psychichandshake or http://www.thenymphets.com/ for further info


What little I've read about concernin Francis Harold & The Holograms embellishes the band as the 2nd coming of Bobby Soxx & the like (you know where I'm goin, right?) so far be it for me to opine otherwise. But I gotta say, I don't hear hear all the "obvious" selling points, could be I'm just a contentious asshole or maybe I'm just listenin better (or just in closer proximity to the New Hope & Master Tape compilations-Capt'n Siltbreeze), who knows for sure. Initially I was intrigued by their moniker, figurin Francis & Co. to be real time livin embodiment of Dry Rib, The Desperate Bikes or somethin along the lines of any tried & true Brit DIY. That's just how their name rung out to me. So when I finally spun it & none of that was apparent, I didn't sob. No sir, I was much too smitten w/their style've hob, a completely no holds barred 2008 take on rat attacks that once assaulted ears 'n minds in the early 80's. So yeah, Stickmen With Rayguns & Flipper comparisons.....that'll sell records, 'cause sayin they's more in common w/Outerwear, PPG, The Pattern or Poison Center ain't gonna raise no eyebrows. Till now. This one floored me. Talk about your Sand In The Face.....I'm hip! Word is the label ain't got none to spare, try http://www.s-srecords.com/
& cross yr fingers.


The French they are a funny race. They like to do it with their________. Drum machines? Synthesizers? Baguettes? Aperitifs? I foget how that old chestunt ends, anyway, the Brut Direct label is doing a fine service to us all by providing the most wonderous noise escargot, seemingly feeding their potent Gros Gris a diet of petit greens & toxic earth. The 2nd release, this 7" from Minitel is a plump bugger ripe w/schizophrenic angst; the a-side is clearly borne out of the avant soil once trod upon by Ilitch & DDAA while the flip sounds like the band harvested an entire field of wormwood, distilling it into a noxious absinthe of Swans like potency. The blind carnage that follows, well what did you expect, A Saucer Full Of Secrets? Brut-Direct is growin real live monsters, no two ways about it. Go to http://www.bruit-direct.org/ & see what I mean.


While's I'm on the subject of France directly & Ilitch (indirectly) I think you oughta know about this reissue of primo Gallic swoon what was spawned by Ilitch mastermind Thierry Mueller. My details on Ruth is sketchy but I think this follows the Ilitch lp 'Periodicmindtrouble' when Mueller decided to drum up a rock ensemble with Ruth bein the end result. Not sure what they was channelin (or ingestin) but this 7" is as jake've an example of proto (Hearthan) era Ubu swoggle as I've ever heard. Considerin this is culled from some 1978 recordings, could it be they was locked into a similar street wave? Hard to know, there's also some aggressive Psychedelic Warlords "thing" goin on too & Francoise Portes vocals (esp. on Mescalito) sound like they's bein blipped in from another dimension. Really, besides Pere Ubu, I can't think of anyone back then KNOWN who was minin a similar shaft in a space/industro/punk vein. This one is impressin the hell outta me. Right up there alongside Angel Face as one of the greatest "lost" French bands of all time. Nice to have it around. Again.
http://poutreapparente.free.fr/ or email; bimbo.tower@free.fr for availablity

Matt Hartman Breaks Arm! Sic Alps Tour Cancelled!

SAN FRANCISCO-Late last week, Sic Alps Matt Hartman was involved in a bicycle mishap which resulted in him sustaining a broken arm. Rumors that he was rushing to meet friend's Jack (last name unknown) & Diane (likewise) to suck on some (tofu)chili dogs behind the Tempeh-Freeze remain unsubstantiated. Hartman is a known carnivore & there is a contention that if in fact he was speeding to meet vegetarians, it was the result of him being-in the words of Hemlock Tavern booking agent, Anthony Bedard-'a good guy'.
'Matt has a lot of friends' remarked Bedard, 'it's possible some of them don't eat meat. This is San Francisco after all, you have to expect that'.
Hartman & fellow band member Mike Donovan have decided in light of this untimely accident to cancel their upcoming May tour of US. Said tour is expected to now take place in July. Stay tuned to Siltblog for further details.

Sic Alps On Tour! New CD Out Too!

Hey, just quick plug for Sic Alps & Animal Disguise to let y'all know the band is about to embark on a US TOUR in support of their new cd on the aforementioned label entitled 'A Long Way Around To A Shortcut'. This collects all the band's (now entirely out of print) output to date, barring the work on 'Pleasures & Treasurers' (of course). So if you've missed out on any're all of of it, here's your chance to catch up. It is a jewel of a release, no long way around that! For ordering info, look below. In the meantime, get on down & check'em out LIVE!

04.25.08 SF, CA {@ Hemlock Tavern w/ Crash Normal, Mayyors}

04.26.08 DAVIS, CA {@ The DAM House w/ Crash Normal, Mayyors, Vampire Hands}

04.27.08 DRIVE DAY

04.28.08 DENVER, CO {@ the Rhinoceropolis w/ Happy Jawbone Family Band }

04.29.08 DRIVE DAY

04.30.08 IOWA CITY, IA {115 N. Dodge st. w/ Wet Hair, U.S. Girls, Coyote Blood}

05.1.08 MPLS, MN {@ The Hexagon Bar}

05.2.08 CHICAGO, IL {@ Empty Bottle w/ Tyvek, Mannequin Men}

05.3.08 CHICAGO, IL {@ Hotti Biscotti w/ Jason Soliday, Mykel Boyd, Druids of Huge}

05.4.08 URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, IL {@ Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center}

05.5.08 MEMPHIS,TN {@ Odessa}

05.6.08 BIRMINGHAM, AL {@ Bottletree Cafe}

05.7.08 ATLANTA, GA {@ Drunken Unicorn}

05.8.08 KNOXVILLE, TN {@ the Pilot Light w/ Fecal Japan, Brain Lesion}

05.9.08 PHILADELPHIA, PA {w/ Psychedelic Horseshit, Blues Control}

05.10.08 NYC {EARLY SHOW!!! (doors 7pm, 2 for 1 before 8pm) @ The Cake Shop w/ Religious Knives, Mark Morgan}

05.11.08 NYC (@ Union Pool w/ Golden Errors, Fakers)

05.12.08 BOSTON, MA {@ the Abbey w/ Heathen Shame, The Reports, The Black Clouds}

05.13.08 PITTSBURGH, PA {@ Garfield Artworks w/ Harangue, Centipede E'est}

05.14.08 CLEVELAND, OH {@ Pat's in the Flats w/ Nate Scheible & Matthew Wascovich Duo, Stephe DK}

05.15.08 COLUMBUS, OH {@ Bourbon St w/ Psychedelic Horseshit, CPC Gangbangs, The Feelers}

05.16.08 DETROIT, MI {@ UFO FACTORY w/ Midlife Vacation, Gardens (EARLY SHOW 8pm to 12 ALL AGES)}

05.17.08 CHICAGO, IL {WHPK Festival @ U of Chicago w/ Talibam!, Wolfden, Animal Law, Bird Names}

05.18.08 AIMES, IA {@ the Practice Space}

05.19.08 LAWRENCE, KS {@ The Jackpot Music Hall w/ Witch and Hare}

05.21.08 DENVER,CO. {@ Rhinoceropolis w/ Foot Village}

more information here:http://www.sicalps.com/

THANKS.--ANIMAL DISGUISE

P.O. BOX 2191

DEARBORN, MI48123 USA

info@animaldisguise.comhttp://www.animaldisguise.com/

No Animals Doing People Things.....Some Lp's (& a 10" & a 7") I heard In April

I was hopin to get a longer column together this weekend fors all you Blog readers but I done went & forgot yesterday was National Record Store Day. I'd been asked by the fella's what run the Record Exchange here in town to come & guest DJ for the afternoon, the only stipulation was 'make it original'. Comin from a couple've geeks what used to be in Strapping Fieldhands I wasn't necessarily sure what that meant, but I donned my Punsutawney Phil ballcap 'n sweatshirt, went down there & played Tony McPhee records till the cows come home. Seemed to be just the ticket. Course they couldn't pay me (cheap bastards) but I did get these here records & maybe you will too;



Car Commericals seem to feed 'n feast on a particular lost part of my youth, specifically the fuzzy grey area I encountered just after hearin Jad Fair's 'Zombies Of Mora-Tau' for the 1st time. Listenin to the 'Judy's Dust' lp it's as though them zombies which seemed so menacin & filled w/ petulance didn't wander too far from home but seemingly procreated & encouraged their spawn to go forth & if not conquer, well, at least be a nuisance to the status quo. Let's face it, zombie college is expensive but then what college ain't these days? Um, so.......yeah, Car Commercials come across on this 1st lp like charmed replicants w/exact DNA to match Jad's mythical zombo's of yore. True, this generation's 'disturbance' might seem mellower, but somethin tells me if you scratch a little harder there's a hornet's nest of dread under there that'll stand your hairs on end while your runnin for the hills. So go on, dig deeper. A case've the creeps can only do you some good. Check out www.geocities.com/leafleafrecords/ or www.cenotaph.org for ordering info.



And while's I'm on the subject of myths, the ellusive Billy Bao has hit for the vinyl cycle recently w/a lp, 10" & 7" all in the space of 6 months. I'll be goddamned if he ain't somethin of a modern day Matty Bower w/all that hoopla. But it ain't just the line formin to release work what's similar, to my ears Billy Bao's soundin somethin like a latter day Skullflower. There's also a bilge like fodderstomp that bring to mind Flipper or someone of that ilk too, 'cause on the 'Fuck Separation' 10" it feels like they meatballed Ted Falconi's guitar into a jackhammer & pulverized the Xaman lp into smithereens while the 'Accumulation' 7" hoists 'Brainwash' onto a petard, detonating it into a billion sub atomic particles that seem so toxic, you'd swear the air was filled w/a sinister amphetamine powder. Guess what? It isn't. Both of these most likely available from; http://www.s-srecords.com/ or if your just lookin for the 'Accumulation' 7" try; xeroxmusik@gmail.com





I have seen some of the best minds of my generation get downright dippy when they talk about this new lp by Hospitals entitled Hairdryer Peace. That said, some of these yappers would also say 'no' to a Kobi beef burger or Porterhouse steak cause they is scared of meat while others have confided they could eat nothin but confit of duck everyday for the rest of their life. So the lines is drawn. Which side is you on? All's I know is that this here lp ain't nothin like the previous 3 outings what bore the name Hospitals. Personally I think Mr Stonehouse's time in Sic Alps (or at least what he took from the Pleasures & Treasures lp) made an outstanding impression. The punk yap that always felt so unfocused (or raucous for the sake of raucousness, aka 'break shit & be somebody') has been given the boot on Hairdryer Peace. There's a trebly high end fuzz encircling this like an anxious halo which led me to suspect that it was more a solo work than a band effort. And I was sort've right, but I was also wrong at the same time. Two of the participants said they could hear no discernable contributions on their part, even though they agreed they was on there. The final verdict was that Mr. Stonehouse made this lp a personal catharsis & while there exist's a skeletal framework of how the album started, what come out in the finish was a completely different animal. Way too many folks nowadays set out to make (what they think is) weird lp's the results of which are almost always terrible, dilletantish, ego driven affairs. Intending to use classic outsiders like 'Oar' or 'Twin Infinitives' as template's for your masterpiece in the making might seem like a good idea, but in the immortal words of Tony Baretta, 'Don't do it'. Take your 4 track down to the pawn shop, sell it & invest that money in a good lawn mower. I'm not kidding (you can thank me later). However, what if someone unintentionally fused the two works together, ventral & dorsal like, creating an awkward yet remarkably unique vertebrae of sound? You don't have to be Julian Cope (10 years from now) to know that's what's happened on Hairdryer Peace. It don't exactly sound like neither, yet I see both them apparition's drivin this buggy just as clear as day. As far as best of list's go, the year's still young but if your askin me about singular & detached, hell, the 'competiton' is but a cloud of dust in Stonehouse's rear view mirror. Give that man a beer. Or at least a hug. Reach out to http://www.hairdryerpeace.com/ & procure a copy.


'The Howling', release numero deux by Jerusalem & The Starbaskets, sees the erstwhile duo of Kim & Jeremy embarking on a journey out of the virtual port of Christchurch into a pastiche of many seas & shores, none of which seem to have either onset or offset along their coastlines. Nor do I see any nuns flying overhead though there is the occasional flutter of the sails that might betray the lonliest sailor to pine otherwise. One might conjure that somewhere in the horse latitudes between this & that 1st split lp, JAtsB misread their sextant. For some that can be fatal, but these guys came out of it okay I reckon. Sure there appears to be a Magnum force drivin the ship that I'd hoped wouldn't happen but at least it weren't no mutiny where they was turned into slavery as a White Stripes derivation. Thank heavens! Cherish the good, cherish the good. So with that sentiment in mind, if these two wanna cavort w/a collective of elephants, who am I to question? I should say I really dug the last track on side A which sounded like they splayed Tommy James & The Shondells 'Draggin The Line' & used it for catfish chum in the Big Muddy. 300 pressed, get it via www.myspace.com/jerusalemandthestarbasket

If You've Got Nothing Nice To Say, Well, What Else Is New?.....Some Readers Speaketh!

Lot's of folks been writin in complainin about the lack of post's & offerin up their 2 cents. Normally I'd take it in stride but they's got a point about the truancy of my opinionatin. So I figured I'd turn over the spotlight to some of the one's that seemed most....concerned. Nice to know I got such vociferous readership & I'll admit it's a relief that none of'em is within hatchet distance either. And I mean that literally. I'd hate to have to show'em up w/my backwoods prowess. You ain't gonna get many smartass letters wrote w/yr head chopped off is all's I got to say in my defense. But I ain't nothin if not democratic, so's I'll turn the forum-such as it is-over to the huddled masses. Read'em & weep!




Dear Siltblog-
I have been a loyal reader of your blog as well as a longtime supporter of the Siltbreeze label but sometimes I have to wonder about some of your executive decisions. No, I'm not talking about the Resineators cd (though an explanation of that WOULD be appreciative), but whose idea was it to have your blog controlled by such a narrowminded jackass as Roland Woodbe? Is he really an idiot or does he just play on for this blog? I don't mean to get personal, but I (for one) am getting tired of seeing my borough-Brooklyn- get trashed on such a continual basis. Let's not forget, the New York Times penned Philadephia as the 6th borough not so long ago. Maybe Mr. Woodbe was too busy sucking off a goat to notice that one. I think it's criminal that Siltblog has never made mention of the amazing Religious Knives who are far & away the best band in the area. But I guess rising from the ghetto of new weird america doesn't count. Too band for you guys as you are missing out on a unique assemblage of sounds that access classic NYC minimalist's (Conrad,Niblock), vintage Krautrock (Cluster, Harmonia) as well as some of the veritable keyboard driven South Island artists you all seem so giddy about (Scorched Earth Policy, Snapper). Their most recent release is even recorded in Philadelphia, at Big Jar Books. Oh, I get it, you probably don't read books. Well, this isn't a book asshole's, it is a fucking AMAZING cd & I'd bet almost anything that neither of you were in attendance because, who knows, there was probably paint drying somewhere in town that you had to inhale. Get over yourselves! Listen to Religious Knives, I think you'll like what you hear. And you'd come to the hard conclusion that not everyone in Brooklyn is clueless & full of shit. Like you!

Sephora Nash-Bensen, Brooklyn, NY (Religious Knives cd via; http://www.archivecd.com/)


Hey Woodbe-

I likeded it when that guy called you a hillbilly ratfuck. Cause u r 1 duuude. Who else would completely miss the boat on such an amazing 7" ep like the one by Mayyors that just came out? What's the matter, you didn't get one for free, you cheap toothless snakeshit! Man, I'm hear to tell your retard ass Mayyors is takin over. My boy Chris Woodhouse OWNS on this one. Forget what you don't know about Karate Party & everything else he's been involved in, this one is the massive donkey punch that kills the lights & the fun. Front-bro John Pritchard ain't no slouch either (that's your job), these 2 Sactofornicators fuckin shred it w/all sorts of effects & shit, sounds like the Pop Group & Killing Joke beating each other with lacrosse sticks inside the engine of a 747. But what the fuck do you know about partying? Tell Psychedelic Dogshit they can suk a dikkk. Sacto punx rules, Siltblog drools!
PS-thanks for the tip on Titmachine. Those girls r HOTTTT.

Conner Peterson, Kirkyville, CA (Mayyors 'Marine Dot Com' 7" via; http://www.s-srecords.com/)



Hallo-

Many welcomes from Sweden where some of us love the writings or musings for Roland Woodbe. Not so much to read about on us from Siltblog, we can hope that new 7" by Black Bug will make this okay. If you do not know, Black Bug is dangerous & dark 2 piece of Lily & Ruslav playing very LOUD guitarr, drums & synthesizers. Also singing, who can forget! Lily is most intense vocalist but is also with dark humors I think. 'I Don't Like You' is fantastic loud punker but 'You A Grave' is death dancefloor hit of 2008. For me, is darkest, funniest song from Sweden since Leather Nun's 'Slow Death'. I am not for saying anything negative about Brainbombs who are of course legends, but is hard to know now how important the 'No Rules' ep was when it was unleashed so long ago. Black Bug have same blood pouring through veins & for only 2 people, you can be amazed how menacing sound can be. Funny, is available from Italian label who only to make 250 copies. I think is criminal, so hurry to get one. Keep up best works.

Gottfried Einar, Malmoe, Sweden (available via; www.myspace.com/avantrecords)


S'up Siltbuggy-

Hey, why so lame? There for a while you were like the best thing to read on the internet but what happened, you start takin that shitgaze shit seriously? I really wanted to read what you had to say about the new Eat Skull cause I hear Siltbreeze is putting out the lp (I'm personal friends with Rob, the main punk of the band). I remember some sadassballsac writing you a letter or something about the 7" on Meds. I couldn't tell if he liked it or not, but I'll assume it was a good review. Not that it matters a fuck to me. Eat Skull are the BEST! I like Little Claw alot too, but it's like comparing weed & hash, you know? Just depends on where your head's at. Mine is way up Eat Skull's ass, especially after this great 7" ep on Skulltones you seem to know NOTHING about. Dude, you are so missing out. 'Dead Families' is only the ravest tune yet this yr & while I love the bleating organ fills that sounds like a monkey's stuck dying inside it, that bass bridge is just too cool. And who the fuck does a Psycho Sin cover in 2008? And kills it? Take a wild guess you east coast turd gobbler. If anybody could be counted on to nail a cover of the Nubs classic 'Job', Eat Skull get my vote. The last track on here is really amazing, reminded me like that tune 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' that my dad used to listen to after he fired up a bowl in our basement when I was a kid, except this version sounds like someone ripped out the dude from Procol Harum's vocal chords, dredged them in cocaine, fried them up & fed them to Rob after him & Rod had polished off a case of beers. And he would have eatin them too, cause NOBODY embodies the true PUNK spirit like Rob Enbom. Fuckin 'ay. I know that lp is going to rule, so don't fuck it up or I will hunt you down & roast your fat carcass over a spit. EAT SKULL + PDX 4EVER.

Tammi Tearduct, Portland, Or (sold out at source, try http://www.midheaven.com/)

Some Good Things In Small Packages.....7" Reviews

A fair amount of snazzy 7"ers has come waltzin up to the door here at Siltblog. One or two is care of old pals, others from newbie's. Some careers will be forged, some dreams will be shattered but ain't that a day in the life anyhow?

Little Claw done an excellent lp last yr that I'd meant to include in my year end top picks but in my haste to ge the thing up, I inadvertently skipped it. Now they done this little fella in conjunction w/some western tourin & I was lucky enough to get one after an amazin performance at some record shop last wk in Austin. The 3 tracks included herein ably summon forth the bizarre beauty & mutant psychedelic frug once exclusively patented by Christchurch & Dunedin sodbusters whose names begin & end w/both vowels & consonants. I mean really, do I have to name them for you? This thing leads off w/the scratchy creeper crawl Little Claw is known for while the additional tracks work inside a space devoid of gravity yet brimming w/neon & helium. The exhale is pure ecstasy. This bunch just keeps gettin better. Edition of 300; www.myspace.com/littleclaw

Meth Teeth was unknown to me before this 4 song ep . It's on a label called Sweet Rot that I seem to recall released a Blank Dogs 7" last yr. Like Blank Dogs, I get the impression Meth Teeth is but a solo space ranger. He's got a cool detached sound very reminiscent of a past underrated hero of mine, Mike Runnels. If you's is familiar w/Mike's small but solid body of work, Meth Teeth is gonna seem like the prodigal son home for a bbq. Cool stuff. www.myspace.com/sweetrotrecords

Besides Country Teasers, Lamps is far & away my next favorite act on In The Red. I keep hearin good things by & about them & while their 2 lp's is proof as to an unabashed raw greatness, I ain't had pleasure (yet) of the live blood letting. Like Regan said in the Exorcist, In time, in time'. So while they's still not playin out east, they done this 7" for Hook or Crook & it's as swell as a cold beer on a hot day. On one side they gouge out a cover of Drunks With Guns 'Cowboy' while on the other shatterin some original-an ode to the bass player-that sounds like a pair've Mecht Mensch forceps extractin the teeth of Leather Nun. Your pain is their gain. www.myspace.com/hookorcrook

O Voids is probably the 1st band outta Montreal I've heard this year. Their approach & sound seems pulled right outta 82-83 American post punk, not all that dissimilar to Mission Of Burma. I've no doubt there are certain masonic like devotees who believe that NO ONE could EVER deliver like MOB & that a mere comparison to Boston's most hallowed band of all time are the words of a heretic. Guilty as charged, bub. What can I say? O Voids remind me of Mission Of Burma & sometimes that's a good thing. Even on here. www.myspace.com/theovoids


1st there was Meth Teeth, now Metal Teeth? Comin from a label named after one of the greatest blasts of punk sputter ever recorded, I'd expect some serious droolage. And maybe it's happenin, just not emittin from my lips is all. Sure there's a couple tracks that hover around Planet Cramps (good!) but there's others that plunge into the hokum cesspool of Girl Trouble (____!). If I didn't know this label was from K-Zoo, I'd have sworn it was a muffin direct from the cute little bakery known as K. How about that? http://www.ufodictator.com/

I don't know about any you's, but I'm havin a hard time cottonin to a band named after a Pavement tune. But I felt the same way about that band Driver UFO from a few yrs back too. I guess I ought to be happy they ain't called Math Teeth or somethin. Box Elders is from Omaha on a new label called Grotto. I was scared they might be some mewing emo outfit like Bright Eyes but that ain't the case. They's more like a cross between The Box Tops & The Bats. So what's that make'em, the corn husker answer to Able Tasmans? I guess that'll do for now. www.myspace.com/boxelders

The one thing that's consistently great about John Laux is his bands/projects is always on the outside lookin in. Lot's of folks want to have it that way, affectin all manner of weirdness to give you the impression they's for real oddballs & whatnot. But with Mr. Laux it's just how the DNA oozes.Slicing Grandpa is incredibly prolific & I'm goin on record as sayin they's at their best w/the 7" format. At least to my ears. This latest ep entitled Methset boils down more of the leftfield fat, ala Nervous Gender, that they'd set about torchin on the 'Chaos Midnight' 10" from last yr. Sinister squalls, long howls into the night, this is the dark side of psychedelic's where God is a dog & the wretched rule earth. Outta sight! Another primo Laux dropper is an ep from Count Fistula whose assemblage of Rock-gore takes Goth out to the woodshed & pulverizes it's fanny w/some good old fashioned wah-core sort've like the late, great Cleveland band, Numbskull. It's funny, but I only knows a handful of folks that's keepin up w/John & his output. One of these days all them 7"ers is gonna be history & your gonna be a simperin sap kickin yrself you slept gettin'em way back when. Maybe someone'll take pity on ya & compile'em all on an lp. Then again, maybe not. Can you afford to take that chance? Me thinketh noteth. http://www.myspace.daisycutterrecords/
& http://www.scatologicalliberationfront.org/

If you'd have asked me yesterday if I needed to hear another cover of the Stooges 'Wanna be your dog", the NO would've resonated like one of them Alps yodeller's in the Riccola commercial. But after hearin Titmachine's version of said overdone classic, I's liked to have choked to death on my cough drop. A tremendous neanderthalic, witchy all-fem DIY sucker punch right between the eyes of any of the greatest punk primitief classics you can name, right up there w/Kleenex & Manisch Depressiv. I'd have pegged'em as Swiss too, but they's Dutch & much like their infamous elm disease, Titmaster is more than capable of complete devastation. The B-side a wondrous mess as well & I am goin to the front of the line to wait impatiently for their next amazing release. C'mon, let's have it! NOW!
http://www.meeuw.net/ & www.myspace.com/titmachine

Never A Whimper, Always A Bang.....Siltbreeze 2008 Release Schedule Begins!

The 1st two lp's for 2008 & boy do they pack a whallop! Oper'azione Nafta are a trio from Sicily who descibe 'Cavuru' as "A blowjob from Luigi Russolo". If your at all familiar w/the famed Futurist & his Art Of Noise manifesto, then you'll know there is menace attached to this bold & perverse statement. I don't know how many Sicilian bands you've ever heard, but I'd reckon Oper'azione Nafta is a 1st for me. By the sound of this dude, they's as wild 'n woolly as you'd imagine, ranging from Sun City Girls styled osmotic improv, Etron Fou Leloublan's free wheeling jazz/rock attack & Butthole Surfers druggy, electronic, brain-punk meltdown. This is their 1st release EVER, an edition of 500. Like a shot of homemade grappa strained from God's nectary pumice direct to your lips. Buon appetito! Check'em out at; www.myspace.com/operazionenafta

Lp numero dos is the vinyl issue of Naked On The Vague's outstanding 'The Blood Pressure Sessions'. Originally appearing last yr on cd format c/o the mighty Dual Plover label, this Sydney duo really excell in summoning forth the spirit of Australia's finest synth/punk throbbers of yore, such as Primitive Calculators, Scattered Order & early Severed Heads. Tempered, aggressive, hypnotic & cool, Naked On The Vague deliver the goods like just about nobody else out there. The lp also an edition of 500.
Prices are 15$ each for lp's in USA, Canada 20$ & elsewhere 25$ per lp. If you want multiple copies, please write as we can accomodate a discount. Paypal/email us at; sltrx@pil.net

And as an added bonus, Naked On The Vague are in the midst of a massive US tour, the dates are as follows. For additional info/updates, go to; www.myspace.com/nakedonthevague




NAKED ON THE VAGUE USA TOUR
SPRING 2007
05 Apr 2008, 08:00 PM
VENUE TBA
Pink Reason, Psychedelic Horseshit, Tyvek
NEW YORK, New York,
08 Apr 2008, 08:00 PM
AS220
w/ Wolf Eyes and more TBA
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island
09 Apr 2008, 08:00 PM
YOD SHOP
FLORENCE, Massachusetts
11 Apr 2008, 08:00 PM
UFO Factory w/ Tyvek, The Guinea Worms
1345 DIVISION
DETROIT, Michigan
13 Apr 2008, 8.00pm
VENUE TBA w/ Tyvek, Psychedelic Horseshit
TOLEDO, Ohio
16 Apr 2008, 08:00 PM
AV-aerie
CHICAGO, Illinois
25 Apr 2008, 08:00 PM
FUNHOUSE/ w A-Frames, Meth Teeth
SEATTLE, Washington
01 May 2008, 08:00 PM
THE TWILIGHT w/ Eat Skull and more TBA
PORTLAND, Oregon,
03 May 2008, 08:00 PM
HEMLOCK TAVERN/ w TBA
SAN FRANCISCO, California
09 May 2008, 08:00 PM
VENUE TBA
BAKERSFIELD, California
11 May 2008, 08:00 PM
FAMILY/ w TBA
LOS ANGELES, California
16 May 2008, 08:00 PM - THE SMELL/ w SWFT WNGS, MGFKRS plus more
247 South Main Street
LOS ANGELES, California
20 May 2008, 08:00 PM
DING-A-LING w/ TBA
LOS ANGELES, California,

It's Fuckin Pissin Down The Road!.....A Few Words From Findlay Doodle

We're headed out to Austin, TX soon, so's the blog will be on hiatus till I get back. Or maybe it won't. An old bud of mine from back in the salad days, Findlay Doodle, is here to keep an eye on the cats so there's a good chance he'll take some time to peck out his thoughts concernin a few new releases what's piled up over near the turntable at Siltblog HQ. Findlay's more'n qualified, hell, he goes way back. If you's ever heard that track 'Big Tits Across America' on that Sex Pistols lp, 'Some Product' he's the jokester what called KSAN to talk to Paul & Steve about Psychotic Pineapple. As far as pranks goes, it's pretty small beans, but to the bunch of us in the room at the time, brains completely scrambled on acid, it was radical comedy. The (real) funny thing was he'd come out to SF not just for the show but to distribute some copies of The Pagans 'Six & Change' 7" he'd picked up for 50 cents apiece back in Cleveland. And nobody'd take'em! Yep, Findlay Doodle knows his shit, so I'm gonna turn over the forum to him this morning & I'll see y'all in a week or so.


Thank you Senor Woodbe, you are too kinds.....two kinds of ugly that is. Ha ha! I just love teasing that hillbilly ratfuck. Hey, how about that new release on the Black Velvet Fuckere imprint by an outfit named Amolvacy? It's called Ho-Ho-Kus & features a duck from Animal Collective on drums, a goose from NNCK ditto & a female vocalist/recitist jabbering a blue streak. It's very arty stuff, sounding not unlike something one might find w/the name Dagmar Krause attached to it back in the late 70's. It is also not so dissimilar to that group Officer! who did a couple lp's in the late 80's & were also firmly entrenched in the Canterbury sound/ethos. It's been a while since I've sported a beret, but the more I listen to this, the more that accessory seems essential. Pardon me, but can you spare any Grey Poupon? (http://www.fusetronsound.com/)


I just finished listening to the Birds Of Maya 'Vol 1' lp on Holy Mountain & while I hear some disturbing moves that glide a little too close to the glacial shitbergs found in the Bay of Sub Pop, there is also plenty to yap about on the plus side. Like how the in the red, nil-production quality accentuates their brut(e) rock discharge. Fans of that 1st Highrise lp or greasy truckers along the lines of Mad River, Jesse Harper & Human Instinct will definitely blow a brain nut if they let this one herniate their noggin. These guys make Dead Meadow sound like Weezer in comparison. (http://www.midheaven.com/)


There's a few releases here from someone/thing called Bipolar Bear & while I know I'm hardly the 1st person to roll my eyes at such a geeked out name, it certainly is telling as to the overall sound of the band. Let's see, there's a 10" split (w/Pope), a split 7" (w/Watusi Zombie) & a proper 7" of them all by their lonesome. They seem to want to fuse post punk moves (angular, jagged guitar) w/the bombast of 90's math rock & as I guess they're more readily familiar w/the latter, that what comes through the most. It's not advanced math mind you, but math nonetheless & if you multiply that w/bye-bye then I'm outta here. The 2 aforementioned bands that share the splits answer the equation; punk + house party x keg - guestlist =__________________. Dude, I don't even own a pair of Van's anymore. Peace out. www.myspace.com/bipolarbear


One of the more staggeringly great reissues to get ponied up into the fray has to be Raven's 'Back To Ohio Blues' lp. I 1st came across it a decade or so ago when it was booted by Rockadelic w/one of those lame paste on covers the label seemed to thrive on. Soundwise it was what it was; no one had gone to any extra effort for the vinyl-to-vinyl transfer, though you could tell Raven was the real deal. But somebody out there in Franklin County decided it was time Raven got his due & what you have here is a legit, official reissue, hand numbered & signed by Raven himself, replete w/liners by none other than Mike Rep. Raw, psyched-out blues rock of the highest, private outsider corner of the mid 70's DIY universe, 'Back To Ohio Blues' could easily be the appropriate bookend to another awesome stoned loner from the same period, Randy Holden's 'Population II' (which was reissued not long ago with similar flourish). While it's not as out there as David Welsh's 'Blue Lightning Accent' or as clumsy as Kenneth Higney's 'Attic Demonstration', you can certainly hear why it might've fallen on the same set of deaf ears. But that's always been the beauty of a vanity press; it's not about the audience but the author. Hard to know what drove Raven-I suspect he was a Cream fan, but elements of the Elevators & Velvets show up here as well-but he was certainly in tune enough w/the times to include a rousing drum solo alongside all his tasty licks. Stacked up w/that Tommy Jay reish lp & Columbus, Ohio seems to be the archive capital of America right now. You'll get no complaints here. www.myspace.com/backtoohioblues