Monday, March 24, 2008

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

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

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,

Sunday, March 09, 2008

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

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Days Of Future & Past....Limited Edition Siltbreeze Posters Available!




The 2008 SXSW Festival will mark the 1st participation of a Siltbreeze showcase there EVER. To commemorate this event we have run off a limited number of silkscreened posters made for posterity's sake, after all it's sure to be the concert of the century, if not next week.
The artwork comes courtesy of an unknown stoner. I found the background (pencil) drawing of the drugs/paraphernalia tucked inside a used copy of Black Sabbath's 'Sabotage' lp many yrs ago. We added the band names, time, locale & presto, instant collectors item. Posters measure apprx. 14"x16", were handscreened by Mr. John Sharkey of Clockcleaner fame & a few were hand colored by various members of Times New Viking while they took turns sitting around a table making the contents of a bottle of Old Granddad disappear. First come 1st serve, posters are 13$ ppd US, 16$ elsewhere. They will be shipped in sturdy cardboard poster tubes so no creasing.
And in addition, we asked Mr. Sharkey to run off some ltd. copies of a much sought after poster for a Siltbreeze event that went down in the summer of 1994. Folks inquire about it all the time, now's your chance to snag a copy. Measurements are the same, cost too is 13$ ppd US, 16$ elsewhere.
As a special feature we will make available BOTH copies for 25$ ppd WORLDWIDE. Additional copies are 10$ per poster ` worldwide as well. Interested parties can paypal at; sltrx@pil.net to get'em. We'll have a handful at the showcase & when they're gone, they're gone & won't be reprinted. So act now!

Seitan, Seitan, Seitan!.....XnoBbqX Announce U.S. Tour




Not since
Throbbing Gristle's 2 date tour of America in 1981 has a band made such a grandiose stab at legendary tenure than XnoBbqX's forthcoming whirlwind USA blitzkrieg. Departing from Sydney, Australia the band is blazing across the country for 7, that's right, SEVEN live performances, then it's back to the southern hemisphere, shower, shave, up bright & early for work on Monday. Their debut lp on Siltbreeze, 'Sunshine Of Your Love' (still available in ltd. quantity, pressing of 500 nearly sold out) polarized the avant-minded cognoscenti like no other release on the label since Music Of The Shadow Ring's 'Put The Music In It's Coffin'. Such was the fanatical love for/hatred of the band (most notably evident on the Terminal Boredom message board) that we had to acknowledge xNobbQX as purveyors of a new genre called, Know Wave ('I know their great & you know their not'). One dusty scribe opined 'anyone can do this' which we deciphered to mean ' I mistook my ass for my head'. XnobbqX's patented brand of radioactive molasses ooze is not easy to pigeonhole (apologies to the English press, your on your own here) but let's just say that at the height of the orgy if Harry Pussy decided to take a shit on Mouthus' chest, here's hoping any right thinking copraphagiast would waste no time sating their hunger pangs by digging into this stooly gnarltasm.
Members Nick Dan (percussion) & Matt Earle (guitar) will also surely be peddling rare wares to those in attendance, Nick being the kingpin behind the estimable Pulled Out label, Matt the mastermind behind the incredible Breakdance The Dawn imprint. Look for copies of the awesome XnoBbqx picture disk (photo above), the latest release from Pulled Out (an lp by The Spiders, a great aggressive clattering improv bunch presumably from the Sydney area), as well as a smattering of BDTD titles & the aforementioned S/Breeze lp. So without further adieu, I present to you the XNOBBQX 2008 US Tour itinerary;

News
Releases
Artists
Sounds
Videos
Events
Blog
Contact
Links
xNoBBQx US tour '08
all the way from Australia! ..giving cooking lessons at the following locations..
March 8th @ Hemlock, San Franciscow/ Curse of the Birthmark + Tomes9:30pm, $7
March 9th @ The Smell, Los Angelesw/ Gang Wizard, Goliath Bird Eater + Wildildlife9pm, $5
March 10th @ PAs Lounge, Bostonw/ Infinity Window, Human Hairs + Puritan Agenda9pm, $8
March 11th @ Big Jar Books, Philadelphiaw/ Kurt Vile 8pm, $5 donation
March 12th @ Cake Shop, New Yorkw/ Totally Dad + The Groits8pm, $6
March 13th @ Soho Lounge, Siltbreeze Showcase @ SXSW, Austinw/ Psychedelic Horseshit, Eat Skull, Naked on the Vague, Blues Control, Pink Reason, Times New Viking, Ex-Cocaine, Mike Rep8pm till late, pass needed
March 14th @ 501 Theater, Austinw/ Total Abuse, Abe Vigoda, KIT, New Bloods, Naked On The Vague, Mutating Meltdown, Finally Punk, Strange Boys, Cry Blood Apache, Death Sentence: PANDA!, Ima Gymnist6pm, $5, (Open to public/All ages)
more info at http://www.myspace.com/xnobbqx

Saturday, March 01, 2008

The Electric Rock Gathers No Moss.....Reviewable Reviews Reviewed





Just got some lp by a body(s?) called Folk Spectre whose uneven slink reminded me of a hazy night in Houston many yrs back, wrecked on darvon's & rum, tryin to remain vertical 'n left foot 1st as I slogged through the 6th ward (after attendin a Culturcide private party) back to my hotel somewhere downtown, 4th ward style. It sorta recalls the postoid Xpressway sounds of young NZ in the late 90's, you know, from whence alot of the New Weirdo's cribbed notes on how to sound improvisational. The earnest attempt to conjure up honest to goodness 60's-70's outsider aura's aint lost on me either, so let's just call this what it is; Brooklyn, 2008. As authentic & post modern as a farb at a Gettysburg reenactment. It did make me wistful for darvon, so hey, I guess that's something. How's it different from Spectre Folk? Write www.myspace.com/spectreflux for answers to this & other secrets of NY's 'music city' borough.

A split 7" from San Kazakgascar/The Master Musicians Of Hop Frog showed up from out Cali way & both seem smitten w/mid period Savage Republic though San K get the prize from best Ivory Coast tan. When Hermit The Flog ain't singin on the MMOHF track it sounds like it could be late night demo's from any've Siouxsie & The Banshees early 80's work. Guitarist E. loi has got John McGeoch's gothic twang all over him. Did someone say Razor Penguins? Quack, quack! Available via; http://www.latherrecords.com/ or http://www.urckrecords.com/

Word is this Factorymen 7" is a solo project from someone what's a member of Homostupids. That said, if you's a fan of the 2nd 7" release by that bunch-the one sided job on Richie Records-chances are your gonna enjoy a cuddle up w/this one. Fans of that Mattress debut should be charmed too, I'm sure. Frantic alien morse meltdown, both blip & blop, it makes me think 'n wish for the German Shepherds 7" on Siren that never existed. It would've been a dandy. And it is! Just now it's called Factorymen. http://www.bpdistro.com/


KDVS Recordings have another lp hot on the heels of the great 'Whose Your Favorite Sun, God?' one from last yr, this one by a duo dubbed San Francisco Watercooler. Honed by former Residual Echoes members Dave Novick & Jerry Encoe, SFWC is the dazzling result of a self imposed lockdown in Fiddletown, CA. The cannabinoid receptors are dead on, beamed into the psychedelic future of a sci-fi laden G Dead ancillary monster where Garcia still breathes lysergic air & one of those solo lp's-let's say 'Cats Under The Stars' for instance-has been regutted to sound like that ESP-Disk 'Electric Newspaper' collage anthology. Very humanoid lookin silk-screened covers to boot, surely not many made nor long for this world. Scoot off to; http://www.kdvsrecordings.org/ & secure a copy for your earthly abode.