And Then There Were Nine.....2 New Releases On Siltbreeze!

The LAST 2 releases in the Siltbreeze 2007 Bonanza are now available. 9 titles in one year....who'd have thunk? Psychedelic Horseshit's debut long player 'Magic Flowers Droned' is lp/cd format, though we have ONLY LP's in stock. Alasehir's 'The Philosophy Of Living Fire' is LP ONLY. We only have a limited number of each title available for mailorder, so order soon or ye shall miss the boat. Prices are 15$ppd in US, 25$ elsewhere. Webpages have been set up for each respective band, so if you wanna have a gander at the gabble, you'll find'em in the Siltbreeze directory (under Catalog); http://www.siltbreeze.com/

Wholesale orders (+ those interested in the Pyschedelic Horseshit CD) go to http://www.midheaven.com/ for further info.

SIC ALPS LIVE! TONIGHT! BIG JAR BOOKS! MIKEY WILD TOO!

While there's little doubt that the smart set will be in blissful attendance at the Unitarian chapel as Yo La Tengo run through an acoustic evening of Mills Brothers covers, the rest of you should come down to Big Jar Books & check out the ONLY PHILADELPHIA APPEARANCE by Sic Alps (& Mikey Wild). Hailing from San Francisco this eclectic duo have 4 stunning releases in the bins, the latest being a 12" ep entitled 'Description Of The Harbor' that is indeed a cover of a Strapping Fieldhands number (off 'The Caul'). Effortlessly combining the ethereal pop glamness of T Rex, the frantic, fuzzy mayhem of Swell Maps & the higher-key psychedelia of Tarkus, Sic Alps are here to put YOUR money where THEIR mouth is. We're not talking Little Tommy Tucker by any stretch & hopefully by the time they get started, we'll have had our supper. But I digress. Hands down, ALL the Sic Alps record's have been great & at a gig I saw them do this past summer in Oakland, Ca (opening for Times New Viking & Little Claw), they blew me away. The only way you could possibly be letdown is if you don't attend. So attend.
Opening the festivities will be our own Mikey Wild, making a RARE, off-South-Street appearance. Once referred to (by none other than Ian Dury) as 'A vegetable in Mother Nature's garden', tonight Mikey will be performing 20 minute's of unspecified originality. When I tell you that Mikey Wild will spare NO expense in providing you with unparalleled entertainment, I couldn't be any more serious if I were your Mom.
Show starts sometime after 8pm. Beer is gratis, a donation is MANDATORY.

SIC ALPS/MIKEY WILD

BIG JAR BOOKS 55 North 2nd Street (between Arch & Market street's). For further info; call 215 574 1650

Also, check out http://www.sicalps.com/ for additional tour into, merchandise & mp3's

Music For Pressure.....Breakdance The Dawn & The Advancement Of (The New) Australian DIY Crudophonics

None of us 'round here expect EVERY reader out there to cotton to all the releases what comes out on the label. It's nice when you's do but it ain't expected. Course it is curious when folks we know don't dig it, but there's no accounting for intellect or lack thereof. Our erstwhile buddy 'Moose' likes to think of himself as a tough nut, a real wheat from the chafe sorta guy w/a dead-on bullshit detector. What's the line about 'buyin you for what your really worth & sellin you for what you think your worth'? There's a little bit've that goin on where Moose is concerned. We's had him over to the house just a few nights back to watch the Indians clinch against the Yankees. It's a friendly rivalry between the 2 of us; I was rootin for Cleveland & he was for the Yanks. I got to teasin him about bein a front runner (cause he is), but he couldn't be bothered for a retort on account of the fact he had his head buried in a bucket've fried chicken I'd put out for us all to share. He must've consumed a dozen pieces of yardbird by himself. And this was after eatin an entire platter of deviled eggs, all on his own! We's got nary a one. He was swillin down the suds, gobblin away, alls the time screamin at the tv when somethin didn't go the Yankees way. "YOU SUCK" he'd spit ever so often, projectin blasts of saliva, bit's of chicken skin & Lord knows what other bacteria into the air & across the screen. He'd spilled beer all over himself at one point, on account that he had to get up & run over to the tv & shoot A-Rod the bird. Once the game was over (Indians won) I figured we could settle down to some record playin but he was too cantankerous to have any fun. He was wearin this shirt what read 'Number 1 Bad Ass' that had me in stitches, so while he was sittin there sulkin (he don't even like really baseball neither) I had to give him some good natured shit. 'What the fuck do you know?" he roared, "you guys put out that XNo bBqX lp, man what a pile of SHIT. Dude, ANYBODY can play like them. What do you think people aren't fuckin payin attention? C'mon! Hey, I dig primitive music as much as the next arbiter, but that was just garbage. You wanna hear a good record? Play that new 12" by Fucked Up. They got it goin on. I'm outta here". He wiped his face w/his shirt & off he went. Sorry Moose! What can you do? You either "get it" or you don't. I remember goin to this Joseph Beuys exhibit once. Just in front of me was this windbag who throughout the entire collection would audibly scoff "my KID could paint better than this"! I dunno, I think it's funny. I ain't gonna take time to sit here & defend Xno Bbqx (or Joseph Beuys). Hell, we's used to hearin such complaints. Dead C, Shadow Ring, Harry Pussy.....there's was as many a peep what cried about how "bad" they was what dug it & hunkered in. And now them bands is all canonized & copied. And as the copyist's have proven, anybody CAN'T do it & there is way too many examples of that to checklist here. Most of'em Moose probably likes. But I can tell you this; anybody's got an open invitation to try. Ain't that what the whole DIY aesthetic is all about? I think it was Mark Perry what wrote a manifesto of sorts in Sniffin Glue what outlined the basics/primitives of how one goes about formin a band. Sure, lot's has changed since 1976 or whenever, but that sentiment espoused back then ain't waivered a bit. One faction/outfit/collective what got it straight off was the Street Level bunch. Under said umbrella, label's like Fuck Off, Weird Noise, Organized Chaos (to name a few) functioned as arteries for bands such as Danny & The Dressmakers, 012, Bimbo Lunchbox & Androids Of Mu, which is only 4 out've (maybe) 4 dozen. Lot's of what they did come out on cassette or small run 7"ers & if you ain't never seen most of'em, well, there weren't many done & it was a long time ago. But in the last few yrs there's been a huge collectors groundswell for all that's obscure & DIY from them times & especially releases on these labels. The money some of these things change hands for is obscene but I guess if you got it, flaunt it. For those what's curious (& rich) enough to gain entry, this is an endlessly fascinatin world of sub-underground U.K. DIY splatter. As the last bastion of the 1% these bands/artists was true purist's to the cause & weren't about to be stopped by such boring rules as knowin chords, time changes, hooks or any of that. It was/is bashin away for the sake of makin a racket for personal enjoyment & for a few likeminded campadres in on the fun & action. It is a shame they ain't better represented nowadays & a boxset or series of re-releases wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. But until then, right under our very noses a similiar current scene has been takin place on a label down to Australia so here's your chance to get in on the ground floor. Breakdance The Dawn is a cassette/cdr label run by Matt Earle (of XNo BbQX 'notoriety') & has been unknowingly howlin a 21st century atavistic response to the Fuck Off call of yore. Originatin in 2004, the label's raison d'etre has been to release music 'that no one else would' (hey Matt, I hear ya!-Capt'n Siltbreeze) mostly on recycled tapes. But it seems that Matt & Co. have finally hauled in their huge cache of Toohey's empties & recieved a hefty deposit for the trouble as the label is primarily cdr nowadays. And man am I a fan! Like the entrants of the various Street Level mafia, I suspect there's lot's of folks what wear many hats in different bands/projects the label has to offer. Unlike a lot of the DIY labels operatin down to Oz (a shoutout to the great works available on Spanish Magic, Trapdoor Tapes & Inverted Crux), BDTD's headwater has a 'punk' 'rock' undertow, even if it is paleolithic. And that's what's so Goddamn great about it. You listen to The Minerals, Mosweintraub Band, Your Intestines or X Wave & you can hear the channelin(albiet unintentionally) of the Sell Outs, Wilful Damage, (the aforementioned) Danny & The Dressmakers + the rest of the lot. Of course, there's always a fly in the ointment & here's it's Arse Lunch that are the contrarians. On their 'Complete' 2xcdr opus, the gurglin, textured concret they course out sounds so bewitchingly contemporaneous yet classically avant, it's hard to know if it took 6 (dog) years or 6 (human) hours to conjure together. Call them the Colin Potter's of the bunch. In the immortal words of Thomas DeQuincey; "it's all good".
To date there's 52 titles what's been released. In fact, XNobbqX's 'Sunshine For Your Love' found it's origin here. Some might be out of print, but who knows, you talk sweet enough, Matt might make an exception. If you'd rather go the comp route & get a sprinklin of what there is to offer, Therhizomelabel has a BDTD cdr sampler available as well. It includes entries from all the bands done named as well as a few others what I'll leave as a suprise. And since we's on the subject, for all of you's what wrote & asked about that Son Of The Seventh Sister 3xlp lathe cut what got a mention in the Pulled Out post, it's now available on cd (via the Heard Worse folks). Breakdancin The Dawn is a label by the people, for the people & that includes ANYBODY curious enough to heed the call. True, it ain't the 2nd comin of X-Claim! & for that, we (w/the possible exception of Moose) can all be very thankful. So if your Chinese Junk is tootled up & ready to sail, head it south makin stops at; www.myspace.com/breakdancethedawn (for some advance tuneage), www.halftheory.com/bdtd (to order BDTD releases), therhizomelabel@hotmail.com (to inquire about the BDTD comp) & www.myspace.com/heardworserecords (for the SSS cd + other interesting noise assortments)

Xanadu To Kubla Kahn; Are You Receiving?.....New Reviews!

I don't think I can no longer keep makin excuses why this column ain't more frequent, suffice to say that anybody readin the thing for a while knows I got many pokers in the fire. Actually had to use one the other day too. This box of "silk" I'd been expectin from Thailand had gone missin (via UPS) & nobody seemed to know or care as to it's whereabouts. The driver on my route's a jolly ol' thing, a portly blonde woman who I'd say is mid 30's easy. Doesn't give a SHIT neither. She'd leave stuff out on the step, make up signatures for things what ain't been delivered, all the time crowin about how she's Union & let's just see someone try & fire her. Most times I could give a pig's dick about her cavalier behavior, but I needed this "silk" to "weave" into "scarves" to drum up some walkin around money. Ms. UPS though, she couldn't be bothered. When I asked if she could trace it, she put on airs & talked to me like I was a retard. So I figured I'd fix her wagon, but good. I ordered me some shoes off Zappos & the next day when she came to deliver'em, MG grabbed her from behind the door, threw her left arm up the middle of her back & forced walked her down the basement where I had brandin iron heatin up in my impromptu 'fireplace".We got her trussed up & truth be told, I think she was actually gettin a little freaked. I seen a stain form around the crotch of them brown shorts. She started to cry & ask for her mommy & then she seen me comin w/that red-hot rod (which was almost white by this point) & let out one helluva scream! Good thing it was midday or else she've woke up the whole neighborhood. She got to squirmin & sweatin as I moved the brand closer to her porcine skin. Just before impact I popped the question about my box, she gave it up w/o a peep of sass. MG dug it out, brought it back, then we put it on the "sewing machine" to make sure it weren't short on the "measurement". Once we was square, I let her loose, showed her my custom made Beretta pistol (w/built in silencer) & whispered "have a nice day" in her right ear as I led her out to the truck. Couple days later we had a new driver. His name's Donny & you couldn't ask for a more hospitable fella. I asked him how he come by this route & he laughed. Said the previous driver had come in & told some crazy story about bein tortured, a box of pure opium & how she was almost branded then shot. She'd pissed herself, was shakin & babblin out of control. Said they thought she was havin a nervous breakdown, so's they went & had her sent to some rehab facility. Straightjacket, Thorazine, the whole bit! By the time he got to the end we was both laughin hysterically. We agreed all women is nuts & that drivin a brown stepvan dressed in a matchin short-set deliverin boxes all over creation was a man's job anyways. He's got a good attitude too, that Donny. Don't ask no questions, does his job & moves on. When I ask him how it's goin he always smiles & says "just another day in paradise, Mr. Woodbe". If there's a moral to be found in this story, I reckon it's don't kid a kidder. Jokes kill. Don't believe me, talk to General Santa Anna. If he hadn't been so "funny" down there to the Alamo, we wouldn't have no California now for Arnold Swarztnegger to be Governor of. Put that in your pipe & smoke it, you damn history know-it-alls.
But enough of my lecturin, how 'bout some record writin?



By now I'm sure every Psych-Pup down to the runtiest runt has had a chance to overindulge their appetite for bliss by suckin on one (or all) of the 5 milkly teats that is the new Wooden Shjips release on Holy Mountain. One by one everything they's done up to it was better than the last, so that this s/t full length blooms
like a desert oasis of mescaline cacti comes as a suprise to who? They also seem to tap everyone from Echo & The Bunnymen to Les Rallizes Denudes in the psychedelic mist & even the most wizened prospector can be made to feel like they's experiencin a mental shakedown at the hands of Lelan Rogers. Or at the very least, catchin a contact buzz off the vile, vile grass once huffed by Red Krayola. No, that this WS lp is a solid hardly comes as a suprise. If your lookin to get shook up, go get this new one on Holy Mountain by a Jap trio called Ainotamenishis. From Gunjogacrayon up to.....still.......the Japanese have had the most incredible knack for twistin 'n fusin punk, post & psychedelic rock into scrambled, almost sci-fi platters of apocalyptic euphoria. This one from Ainotamenishis (pronounced; Ainotamenishis) is but another frenzied, Toho-like monstrocity here to lay waste & wreak havoc on the sonic landscape. The name of some previous jabberers & pummelers of the cause have been bandied about elsewhere, but for me I was sold the second the needle locked into the 1st track ('Theme') & then preceeded to dust my nodes like Red Transistor's 'Not Bite' played (LOUDLY) at 16rpm. And it just gets better the more you burrow in. I guess this was previously available as a cdr from the band (in a miniscule edition), so referrin to this as one of the top reissues of the year might be splittin hairs, it wouldn't be hyperbole or an exaggeration. Just amazin. And to think I'd thought the curtain had been drawn a few yrs back in the land of the rising sun. But I was sufferin from a case of 'Premature Vagueness' & Ainotamenishis rightfully called me on it. Released in a one time viny-only run of 500, this one'll definitely be in my top whatever come end've 2007, find out more from http://www.holymountain.com/ & http://www.midheaven.com/


When I opened the box for this 'Side Three Of The Moon' lp by an outfit called The Company I immediately got to thinkin it was probably some posthumous Derek Bailey recordings or somethin to that ilk. But then I got to spinnin it & readin the insert so (of course) I come to find out it's the mercurial goodness of none other than Ben Wallers & someone called Amir Shoat. Naturally it's got plenty of Rebel-styled lascivious wit 'n wisdom in place as well as tipped to the top w/playful synth/key snakery bustin out all over. There's also a perfect lost-in-time quality workin here, like if PIL's 'Fodderstomp' had been remade into a Crawling Chaos lp. Or, you could say this might also function as audio for a porn-vid of Bo Derek gettin a good hard shaggin from Beetle Bailey across the back of a naugahide couch after each of them have ingested a noseful of an unspecified Chinese aphrodisiacal powder then yodelin like insatiable Teletubbies. But Derek Bailey it most certainly AIN'T! Soothe your curious mind via; difficultlifeinmentaljailrecords@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/difficultlifeinmentaljailrecords


'Lonesome Drifter' might be the 4th release from Mammal but it's my 1st encounter & in a way, I'm glad it's here where's we made our aquaintance. Listenin to a previous release just the other night I was reminded of how hard it was to jumpstart that ol' lawn mower I had down to Paducah, not to mention conjurin up memories of how much I hate mowin to begin with. I mean, it could just as well have been anything outta the Ann Arbor/East Lansing axis. And anything's just another word for nothin left to do. So the 'brooding, psychedelic, loner blues', the 'new chapter in the story of Mammal' (alls his words) I found excitin. Here's a guy what want's to step it up, let the grimness "blossom" if you will. Not that Mammal won't harsh your mellow, no worries there. Recorded over a 6 month span of total isolation, Lonesome Drifter is simultaneously a soundtrack & requiem to the miasmic, industrial dischord of Detroit. The gloom this exudes is palapable. The compositions, langourous & epic. If Tyvek imbues a bizarro Keats-like lyricism in their harangue of the city's never ending blight, then Mammal is (ditto) Coleridge & 'Lonesome Drifer' his 'Christabel'. If your riflin through them cargo short looks for Cliff Notes, how about this; on the surface there's a heaviness that thuds Om-like (minus the "stoner metaphysic's") on here; both bands know how to grind bones, but in the end it comes down to desert vs. desert. Om seem complacent in their environment, Mammal on the other hand, would like to get-the-fuck OUT of his. But again, this is a requiem & a most compelling one at that. Truely GREAT double lp's are few & far between & from an all-hope-is-lost perspective, I'd say 'Lonesome Drifter' is right up there w/'This Skin Is Rust' by Twenty-Six what come out 10 (or so) yrs ago (on Bobby J.) & still hold's up to this day. True, the melancholia on this is way more scorched, but there's that...tranquility... in the way Mammal prophecises 'the end'. The more I think about it, think about when "it" comes, ain't that's what we's all want, in the end? I don't know where he's goin after this, but Mammal done blasted a grand slam on 'Lonesome Drifer' so if this IS it, he's goin out on top. Check out the show by goin to; www.animaldisguise.com/mammal


A couple little fella's what's got it goin on come my way recently too. Los Llamarada's follow up to their delectable debut lp (The Exploding Now') is a solid 2 banger out now on the S-S label. The a-side ('The Very Next Moment') is a fried chizzler that conjures up every Punk deviant from the Germs to Brainbombs while the flip is a cover of the Brenda Lee classic 'I'm Sorry' & in their futurisic attempt to convey a somnombulistic redo, they have effectively butchered it into the summer-bummer, goodbye hit for the twilight's last gleamin of 2007. Get it from; http://www.s-srecords.com/
Another label what keeps deliverin the goods is HoZac. One what I got is from an outfit called White Savage & their 7" of punk hysteria is indeed estimable. They open w/an original called 'Destroy Your Style' that ably recalls the tribal chaos of early Virgin Prunes while the closer is a cover of Teenage Jesus & The Jerks ('Orphans') that they chew off at the knees like a rabid cat blottered on scratch acid. These Hozac releases ain't in print for no more than a minute, so zoom over to www.myspace.com/horizontalaction
& see's if you's got a chance.

Gimme Dem Ol' Time Releases......Siltbreeze 2007 Fall Lineup, Part 1

Two new releases out on Siltbreeze, both are VINYL ONLY in edition's of 500, each cover handscreened by Mr. John Sharkey (of Clockcleaner fame). Factums are a Seattle (& Chicago) trio who blat out an awesome junkoid rumble akin to early Punk/Noise purveyors ala Cabaret Voltaire, Residents & Chrome. They claim to have ties to A-Frames & The Intelligence but we signed'em anyway. Ding! XNo BbqX is the gnarly moniker for a duo of Aussie thud-humpers whose sheer crudeness is a MUST HEAR for those who want to listen. Imagine Harry Pussy & Mouthus taking turns fellating Xenakis. That's a lotta protein folks, Vegan or otherwise.

Postpaid prices as follows;

15$ per lp-USA

18$ per lp-Canada

25$ per lp-Elsewhere

If you want multiple copies, contact us 1st. Paypal & email to; sltrx@pil.net

Distributors stores go to http://www.midheaven.com/ for more info

The Power Of 3. Or 4.....New Lp's from Nisennenmondai, Lichens/Lexie Mountain & Circle Of Ouroborus

I wasn't so sure I'd be comin back to this Blog. No foolin, that trip up to Camp Century 'bout did me in. I know's what you's all thinkin; ol' Woodbe went & overdid it, life of the party 'n all that. Nope. Besides, they's now banned alchohol on ALL the premises. I was dry, D-R-Y. No, that ain't the case at all. You know that old joke that ends, "rectum? damn near killed'em!"? Well, that's sort've what I went through. I ate so goddamn much Spam that my colon got impacked & my rectum-literally!-damn near killed me. It's my own fault & I knowed it, but this Basque fella they got cookin there now-Chef Cenasio or somethin-man.....he was doin it up! There was Spam terrine's, gratins, loafs, dips, empanada's, fritters...you name it, that funny talkin little guy could prepare it. He would sorta laugh to himself, shake his head & whip up these amazin eats. All's any of it ever seemed to be was potted meat, processed cheese & onions, but he'd change the spices & herbs-as well as the presentation-so's it seemed like it was somethin new every meal. Then one day he says to me (loudly I might add) "Senor Woodbe, why is the Spam? Everything-Spam, Spam, Spam. I am go crazy! At least w/Baccala it come from the real fish. American diet.....is an irony, yes"? He had a point. Plus, since I'd been away from this kind've eatin for so long I guess I was more susceptible to gastronomic malfunctions. Then the one day come where I was sitting there gourgin myself on a plate of a baked Frito & Spam-cheese "pie" & suddenly I felt these cramps & it seemed like I was gonna implode. I got the sweats real bad too, finally someone realized I wasn't clowin around & got me into the infirmary for a checkup. The doctor asked me when was the last time I'd passed a stool. I shot back 'I must've passed a whole mess of'em on the way in here doc!' but ain't no one laughed. Truth be told, it had a been a few days. Actually, I'd yet to snap one off the entire time I'd been there. I hadn't thought nothin of it but now I knowed it was serious. I started to think about that urban myth of John Wayne havin 40 lbs of feces impacted in his colon when he died & that got me worryin something fierce! But I'm sure you can find them gory details somewhere's on line. At any rate I had to ge the fuck outta Camp Century & into this holistic facility. Let me tell you's all this....if I never see another raw carrot as long as I live I'll die a happy man.Same goes for an enema bag or a set of rubber gloves. And you know what you can do w/that ginger/beet juice too. Once my new diet was in place I got to feelin rode hard & put up wet. I got so's I couldn't even blink my eyes without it resultin in a squirt. Ugly ain't the word for it! Bottom line is this.....I'm back in action, 20 lbs lighter & 100% better. I learned some very valuable lessons on my colonic odyssey but they will all come to naught next time I'm standin in line at Pat's waitin on a steak. For the record; I's likes mine w/whiz, roasted hots & onions. And despite how's that might sound, I ain't never met a better plumber. But enough talk about my asshole. Let's get on to some records, what'ya say?



Nisennenmondai is a female trio from Tokyo that I'd never heard of till this dbl lp come callin. Basically what's workin here is the label, Heartworm Press, went & compiled 2 of the band's previously released cdr's (from 2002 & 2003 respectively) into a spiffy gatefold vinyl package & it's a dinger for sure. If you's anything like me, the mention of an all girl Japanese trio conjures up vesions of Shonen Knife or maybe Aunt Sally & I ain't about to harangue either of them, but the novelty & cutesy-pieness of both of them goes a long way in the book. So long in fact that I don't-currently-miss hearin either of 'em. Nisennenmondai however is about as far away from pop-punk as you could imagine. Instead these women burrow across the landscape like a tornado of Rec Rec/R.I.O. sturm (I'm hearin Unrest or The Work indirectly) & Majora-era Sun City Girls improv drang (I'm thinkin 'Dawn Of The Devi' specifically). Of course, some of the song titles-named after presumably favorite bands-probably give us a clearer insight as to where Nisennenmondai is really comin from but whatever...it still works. A very heavy hitter that I'm glad to know is back in rotation, even if I never knew it was before. Dig? Go to; http://www.theheartworm.com/ or http://www.nisennenmondai.com/ for more info.


I'll admit, the split release has always carried a baneful stigma to my mind & I'm goin all the way back to the Fanatics/Nervous Tension 7". I don't know exactly what it is I don't cotton to, maybe it's the shade-tree aesthetic, like each band is too lazy to pony up a proper full tank've snark, but whatever it is I'm surely in the minority. Nowadays there's miles of'em & while most don't get past the intial listen (in my compound), there's always that one what floors you like a ton've bricks. I was prepared to dig Rob Lichens side on this thing released by the Hoss label, cause, you know, the guy's a talent & so far everything of his I've heard to date has come up aces. His track, entitled 'Restoration Of Temperment', is a plateful of lovely scutter that sounds like a Nova 'Billy lost in that mirrored room on the cover of Fripp/Eno's 'No Pussyfooting'. The minutes fly by only to burst into spires of light & radiating hearts palpitate cool, Saxon(ish) blood that coarses evenly through the veins of the composition from beginning to end. Young Werther ain't got nothin on this guy! But the blindside on this record came from the reverse, by someone called Lexie Mountain. I suspect she's done been tenured at the Academy of Snooze Weird America but that doesn't mean she can't bring home the bacon. On this sidelong track ( 'If You So Choose', recorded live) she done slaughtered the whole hog! If I didn't know it was a real who-dey in action I'd have swore it was Helen Suckpuppy, all growed up, having a Diamanda breakdown during a recitation of the Karen Ann Quinlan Diaries. Taste the sweet nectar of another gin & tonic, hear the slurred, rambunctious verbage of a quaalude kickin in on top. The question that never get's answered is this; what was playin before the blackout? Sabbath or Zep? See, that's why split lp's suck. But hey, this Lexie Mountain....she's onto somethin. In the parlance of Phyllis Stein-Novak, I give her 3 tips of the toque. Check this out here; http://www.hossrecords.com/


Some Black Metal I've come to find ain't so black. Or even Metal. Not least by my ear. Case in point is this lp from a sparse (maybe even solo venture) Finnish outfit what's known as Circle Of Ouroborus. On this 'Shores' lp CoO eshew anything I would hold up as 'authentic' Black Metal. They bring the gloom alright, but the vibe is way more post punk w/a very lo-fi production level (that I dug) & the laconic nature of the vocals combined w/the smash-mouth, no frills, straight ahead instrumentation (especially durin the cover of Joy Division's 'She's Lost Control') is enought to make both Metal dudes & Goth creeps bawl w/confusion. If anything I'd call it Outsider Metal but I'm just a contentious bastard so there. Sue me. Here's hopin it will one day reach the pantheon of greatness of it's supposed genre in the same way as Kenneth Higney's 'Attic Demonstration' & David Welch's 'Blue Lightening Accent' have to theirs. It's a keeper.Try http://www.northernskyproductions.net/
to see about availability

Wee Wee Manure, How Do You Douche?.....More Reviews!

Bonjour! We's just got back from a week long trip to Marseilles over in France where I participated in (& won) a mussel eatin competition what's paid the rent & then some. I ate'em w/just about everything you can imagine; white wine, butter, parsley & bacon, vinegar, remulouade, mustard, aioli.....you name it, it went down my gullet. And the weather....you couldn't have asked for nicer, about all's we did was sit by the sea, eat, laugh & drink wine. I could get used to that life. I had a good time on them nude beaches though I didn't dare...you know what.There was lot's of eye candy to oogle, at least for me. MG didn't fare so well. Most of the fella's goin al fresco the day we was there was older & desperate. I didn't pay'em no mind, my eyes was trained on more voluptuous anatomy. At the end of our jaunt MG said she'd just about rather blow Janet Reno than fuck any of them old frogs we'd seen cruisin through the sand. Where does she come up w/this stuff? There was a trip to sample some local cheese, a stop to a foie gras farm-which was so good I could eat it 365 days a year-all in all a fantastic time. And every bit of it financed by me eatin more mussels than anyone in France. Do we live the life or what? But now here I am, back on the dreary ol' East Coast & w/a ton of shit what's waitin on a yay or gay. Never a dull moment, that much is for sure. Here we go;

Television Ghost (or TV Ghost) sent over what they call an 'anti record' that's basically a #rd run of a one-sided test pressing that blend's the primitive energy of the Cramps doin 'Rocket In My Pocket' (think the Hot Club '77 lp version) in the middle of (another) Three Mile Island meltdown. That the track is called 'Atomic Rain' just makes the icin on the cake that much sweeter. A proper 7" on the De Grasi label is either out or imminent. Great stuff, check'em out at; www.myspace.com/televisionghost

2 cd's from the Australian label Spanish Magic have been pullin their fair share of time on the player recently. One's a solo outing entitled 'Lid Domestic Dome Bin' from Naked On The Vague's Matthew Hopkins (here known as Bad Tables) that see's our hero way outside the box, eerily & ably bussing large amounts've murk & urp, not to mention wadin through large vats of oozin rot that's enough to make NOTV sound almost like a Pop band by comparison. The enclosed listenin instruction alone are enough to make you never cook at home again, but rather order a LARGE Chinese pizza for delivery........ not to eat but dissect. Like the sign reads, 'repeat until dead'. I hear ya.
I believe Castings is the label's main brain & on their 'Punk Rock Is Bunk Squawk' it's easy to see why. I don't hear the Wolf Eyes racket that was insinuated to me, it's more like vintage Boy Dirt Car when they decide to role up their sleeves. But then it dips ably into a MEV-like sound pool & there's even harmonic 'n ambient interludes that practically beg for a refill of red in the goat skin. With all the great post, post, post S.P.K. electronic char comin outta the land down under lately, my only wish is that Neil Hill was still alive (& knighted) to bask in the harsh, noisy warmth that he helped to forge. Go to http://www.spanishmagic.org/ for more info.

And while we're (sorta) surfin the Aussie wave's, a fella in Oakland by the name've George Chen knows something about bein one up in the game. Besides the fact he was the 1st person in the bay area to have that Tyvek dbl, he's also responsible for a series of cd's called Zum Audio that now has a 2nd volume. I ain't never heard the 1st one, but you know, I get the idea. Some swat, some bunt, but they's all score. Lot's of familiar movers (John Wiese, Can't, Yellow Swans) & shakers (Silver Daggers, Deerhoof, Axolotl) + them's what not household names. Yet. My fave track is from the Oz rep, Lakes ( Sean Bailey of Paeces), whose cover of the Art Bears 'Song Of Investment Capital' sounds like a Ted Milton croon while racin downhill on a pogo stick. He herks 'n jerks but delivers the goods, all still in solid form. No mess! It's available from; http://www.zumonline.com/

Lakes is in the middle of a US tour as this goes online & if you've seen him, you already know about this new cdr that's bein peddled entitled 'Magic Food'. If not, stay tuned. Either way, your in for a treat. There's great percussive clatter, ecclesisastical organ wheeze, mysterious gnaws & gnarls, basically Lakes speaks in many different tongues-which rhymes w/Youngs-but the haunting cover of the late Gareth Williams 'Generous Moon' (from his rare cassette-only deal released back in '85) ALONE is easily worth the price of admission. If he ain't stoppin through your burg, try invertedcrux@hotmail.com & see what's what.

For those of you what missed the Home Blitz 7"ers 1st time around, not to fret. They's now been digitized via the Gulcher label. Not only do you's get them singles cuts, but also ones from the 'Friends & Family' cassette as well as tunes from the forthcomin lp that's right around the corner. More info at; http://www.gulcher.gemm.com/
or try homeblitz@gmail.com

And speakin of Home Blitz, they's also 1/3rd of this 7" comp called 'The World's Lousy With Ideas (vol 1)' that's lookin to be a contempo Mell Square or somethin. 1 track each from HB, Nothing People & some band called Boys Club whose number 'Gotta Get Right' is sure to be a lost classic within a few years. Supposedly released on a label outta Hawaii, there's no info anywhere's I can see. Email Home Blitz at the above account to see if they's still around. Def. worth the effort.

Slicin Grandpa ponied up w/their newest release, a split 7" between them & Sparkle Girl. Readers of this Blog knows that Slicin Grandpa can do no wrong, so let's focus for a moment on Sparkle Girl's admission. Hmmmm.......I'd say they sound very much like the grizzly mayhem spawned from that rotator blade off that helicopter just moments before/after it loped off Vic Morrow's head while makin that Twilight Zone movie. SG aren't quite so dramatic, eschewin decapitation for a good old fashioned aural vivisection & since it's unlikely they's ever gonna be invited to play halftime at the Super Bowl, the NFL's none the wiser to their gutteral hijinx. Released on the Soccer Mom Ebonics label in a #rd ed. of 500, available at; www.myspace.com/sparklegirlpresents or email SG at; elmn8tr@hotmail.com


A Vancouver label called Sweet Rot's got a couple of 7"ers out there as well. One's a 3 bagger from the seemingly prolific Blank Dogs & not only has he bullseyed the I Braineater style of loner, punk/effects rip, he's now got a matchin city address to boot. Catholic Boys rock it w/a decidedly Dangerhouse approach, the results of which should make every Jay Reatard fan squeal w/fright. Or delight. I guess it depends on how your cuttin up the eightball. Find these at; http://www.s-srecords.com/


As you may've gleaned from the article in the debut edition of Z-Gun magazine (out now!), San Francisco was one of the main cities to bypass the Punk-to-Hardcore formula w/a dazzling array of diverse.......well, Artpunk. If you ain't seen said article in question, well, get a copy! It cuts a broad swath but you will learn somethin, that's for sure. And we all know how Flipper broke the mold by seemin to inexplicably fuse Punk/Art/Industrial into an uncatagorizable & feral racket that is still singular to this day. For what any of us knowed, no one ever gave'em a run for their money. But little by little, it seems Church Police may've been the 'Funhouse' to Flipper's 'Raw Power' when it came to dolin out the plodding, downer-core sludge. Anyone who ever talked to that voice on the other end of the phone at Subterranean/Thermidor way back when & asked about Church Police was told 'tape's exist' & they was 'somewhere' but that's as far as it ever got. If you wrote to the address listed for'em on the MRR 'Not So Quiet' comp, them letters came back stamped 'RTS' & unopened. Then a few yrs back Stomach Ache released some stuff on a 7" from an unknown source & now this ep on Skulltones is out & it's pretty great for backin up everything I just pontificated about. Maybe it's me, but I think these guys was darker than Flipper. Could be cause I don't think they gave a shit-let's face it, 1 track on a H/C comp released 25 yrs ago ain't really the work of careerists-but could be cause I just ain't heard enough of their catalog to be sick of it yet. Church Police bring on the bum-out like Flipper only WISHED they could. When it comes to ruinin the vibe & drainin the fun, these guy's do it w/the elan of early Kilslug & any band that had Bobby Soxx as a member. Not sure how Skulltones got the call to do this, but here's hopin they's up to doin more. http://www.skulltones.com/
Order Z-Gun from; http://www.s-srecords.com/



A release I've been meanin to go on about but somethin always seems to stand in it's way is this lp on Siwa by the Broom Dusters. It's called 'Sound From The Bottom Of The Tokyo Underground' & it pretty much blows out ANYTHING you'd care to mention from the land of the rising sun that's been recorded & released over the past 15 or so yrs. And that goes for all output from Haino, including Fushitsusha. Led by Masami Kawaguchi, this also shatters the glass jaw of them other bands w/his membership, notably Miminokoto & LSD March. Forget about it! This has some of the jagged monster prowess found on that Kousokuya 'Live At Minor' cd slathered w/radioactive blues-infernal fuzz of Liquorball's 'Live In Hitler's Bunker' lp. And the singin belies that maniacal sense of glee that only the Japanese can seem to channel & enunciate. Done in an edition of 315 & housed in the spectacular silkscreen jackets that only Siwa can deliver. Check this out at; http://www.siwarecords.com/


Whew! And that ain't all of it neither. There's plenty more to go on about but I am plumb worn out. Could be the music, might be the jetlag but whatever it is, I'm done for the time bein. And I ain't gonna be around next week neither. Gotta get back to Camp Century for a reunion party. That's sure to be a humdinger. Seems all summer I've been eatin fresh vegetables, poultry, fish & game, it'll be a shock to the system spendin a week up there w/nothin but potted meats & canned goods. But I guess that's why God invented Gin. Be nice to see some old faces too. Anyways, I'll smell ya later!

B'low It's Me.....Todd Blowbox & The New Records From Meds

Last post I mentioned this guy I know, Todd Blowbox, who fancies himself a fortune teller or mystic or some hogwash. Well, you can add THIEF to his list of accomplishments too! That's right, while he was stayin here he up & stole a couple new records what I had slated for review on account of the 'weird vibes' they was emittin off to him. The guy is a fuckin dingaling. Actually he's a friend of MG's, they worked together at some co-op & all's we knowed him by for a long time was Todd. But then we went bowlin w/him out to his old neighborhood in Upper Darby & all the bowlers was yellin at him 'IT'S TODD BLOWBOX'! & makin faces at him or laughin. It got Todd so upset we had to leave right before the 10th frame w/me bowlin a perfect game! Furious ain't the word for how I was feelin as he broke down & told his story as we rode the El back into town. I guess when he was a kid the older boys had this box they made w/holes cut out in it, they'd hijack Todd, put him in the box & make him.....hey, if you know the joke about the lumberjack & the barrel, it's along those lines.It was kind've disturbin to tell you the truth. His real name is Todd Brady but somehow that horrible nickname stuck (something about keepin it as a 'punk name' for a band he was in back in the 80's. I was tryin not to pay too much attention). He's a unique lookin fella too; real tall (I'd say about 6'5") & reed thin, he's got this one tooth that sorta stick out the right side of his mouth & he looks like a cross between John Waters & Dagwood Bumstead. He's a presence, that's for sure. Now all this time since I never called him Todd Blowbox to his face, but would use it as a clarifier if need be. You know, if someone said 'Todd who'? & it was him, I'd say 'Todd Blowbox'. Then they be like 'oh yeah, that guy'. But at some point not long ago he went through some transformation & got all metaphysical, was goin on about crystals & runes, tea leaves.....it was weird. So one day he says, 'R-Be, it's okay. I've accepted that I will forever be Todd Blowbox. It is my lot in life. Call it karma if you like, but it no longer bothers me. And I'm sorry about your perfect game that time. But you'll do it again. I saw it in the future". So cut to this past week; he shows up, needs a place to crash for a while, then up & leaves because he's not 'feelin the love' & on top of that, takes 2 records because of their 'projected aura'. Fuck him, I can't get a handle on it, but whatever, here's the note he left in lieu of a review. Thankfully we had a spare copy of the Eat Skull 7" stashed away or we could've kissed any photo reprint goodbye. Todd Blowbox.....he's gonna wish he was back in that thing if I ever see him again:


R-Be & Miriam-

Sorry to do this, but I have been battling the intensity of your space since I 1st arrived. There is a lot of hostile energy in that house, not the least of which was eminating from your cats. The one called Bormann actually took a shit in my toiletry bag. That sort of did it for me. I thought I might be able to ward off whatever bad mojo by playing one of your records, something that seemed positive. I had chosed the Sun Supreme lp without really checking out the artwork first. I thought it would be warm & positive. As it started to amble to life, I studied the cover design-which was incredibly transfixing-then the reverse, which sent shivvers up & down my spine. That room......it's very much a resemblance of that perverted box I was forced to sit in and...perform! And those initials.......the names were all coming back, I could almost smell the stench of their rotten Irish crotches; SS=Seamus Sweeney, LT or Liam Teagan, CG aka Craig Grogan, RT-Rory Wynn, AB is Austin Brody & worst of all, the one we called simply-ENNIS. He was evil personified. He put me in the box every day, sometimes more than once. My mouth was sore more than a few times from working overtime on ENNIS. My mother would beat me at home because I wouldn't eat dinner. How could I? My stomach was full! I couldn't concentrate on the music, it was making me lightheaded & faint. I swore I was hearing something akin to the Yanomamos ep or that Square 9 'Tsunami' lp but I just couldn't focus. The walls were closing in! So I've had to take this lp for further investigation. I also saw this 7" by a band called Eat Skull that was on the same label which I think is called Meds. I assure you, there are meds in MY future & by the sound of things on this ep, Eat Skull have ingested their share of meds as well. I can see what you mean by a Hole Class/'Tally Ho' filter, but really this is so depraved, it reminds me more of some sick fucking orgy between Ex Blank Ex & Chronic Sick. I mean I know it's Pop that's just sped up & buried to the max, but listen to 'Things I Did When I Dyed My Hair'& tell me you don't hear 'Your Full Of Shit' or 'Dress Code'. Your full of shit then! And that name.....I hope you have your lights on. Just thinking about it scares the holy f'n gosh gee willickers out of moi! You know what a band like Eat Skull is capable of? Girl Fights. Go ahead, laugh, but it's true. This kind of music just makes girls want to start sucker punching each other & I know you think it's funny, but when that happens, it's about the sorriest shit you could ever want to see. Eat Skull. Girls fights. Same difference, trust me.
The bottom line is thus; I wish I could say I borrowed these records but I didn't. That doesn't mean I stole them, just that your not getting them back. They are too weird & demented. Things are happening on both of them that is beyond either of your comprehesion level's. R-Be, I know you think your above such reproach but you are not. With those records in your collection you were in both mortal & spiritual danger. You might say they are too good to be allowed to be owned.There is only one thing to do with records like these & it's bury them.Bury them deep & very far away. Like in a desert. Or an old well. Perhaps burn them 1st. My crystal ball says that if music like this isn't located & contained soon, society as it is currently known is doomed. And that means no bowling, so you can kiss that 300 goodbye! I must find the maniac behind the Meds label & neutralize him/her immediately. It's the least I can do considering what I've heard. You can thank me later.

Here's hoping I'm not to late,

Todd 'Blowbox' Brady

(check out Eat Skull at; www.myspace.com/eatskull & purchase Meds releases directly from the source at; http://www.exiledrecords.com/ or via http://www.forcedexposure.com/ & http://www.fusetronsound.com/)

Whip It Good.....New Releases from Mattress & Tyvek

It sure has been the year for fish-eyed, tweaked-out 7"er's hasn't it? By the pound too it seems like, giant nets full've noise & pop mackerels, hoisted on board to be picked over or thrown back. And sure enough there's always the one's what get tucked away in the hold to keep for yourself. From my recent trowelings this new ep from Mattress would fit that bill to a T. It's also the debut release on the Malt Duck label, captained by none other than Fuzzbox Flynn over to KDVS so I needn't have worried that I was gonna get hornswoggled by some precosity or affectation (hello Olympia!). In fact, I was so tickled by the aural results I made a malt duck sangria in order to further imbibe in the swagger of this Mattress fella. I've heard some genteel peepin about his similarities to Alan Vega & Suicide but I don't think the paleo dark/space vibe (what resonates from Suicide to my node) is all that prominent. I mean, it's there-if you want it to be-but scratch your ears a little faster & hear trickles 'n blurts what's remininscent of Minimal Man, Pyrolator & (early) Quintron. It a man & his machines, primed & pulsating, up against it w/not a worry in the world. It's not naivete folks, it's bravado & personally.....I like his odds. Order here; http://www.maltduckrecords.com/

Also, another entry what's sure to breeze into a top whatever at years end is this long awaited double 7"er from Tyvek c/o the What's Your Rupture? label. For a couple've yrs now WYR? have been perfecting a standard of excellence what's bein carried over from trademark Anglo labels such as Whaam!, Creation or 53rd & 3rd, releasin handmade & stamped vinyl from the likes of The Long Blondes, Comet Gain, Cause Co-Motion & Love Is All. So just when I think I got'em sussed they up & deliver this 4 sider from perhaps one of the tippest of the toppest bands workin the circuit in the here & now. Cherry picked off the 'Fast Metabolism' cdr-which I have played near to death-Tyvek effortlessly connect w/a 1-2 combination that seems fueled by equal parts Fast-era Mekons & Scars as well as Happy Squid's own Urinals & 100 Flowers. Nobody jolts back the juice with quite the same gusto as these guys & I for one could stand an LP's worth of tuneage from Los Tyvek's asap.Check'em out at; www.myspace.com/tyvekmusic & order the dbl 7" from http://www.midheaven.com/
also, check out the WYR page; http://www.whatsyourrupture.com/

I got lot's more what to gab about but your gonna have to give me a day to sort'em all out. Just when I thought I was done w/company & ol' Bull headed off to parts unknown, who comes along but Todd Blowbox, here in town to attend a convention for fortunetellers & the like. He's got some fancy name now, calls himself The Amazin Somethinorother, but he'll always be Todd Blowbox to me. It takes all kind's that much is for sure. Maybe I'll get him to break out the crystal ball for a few reviews. Until then, keep'em comin!

The Past Sure Is Tense.....Getting To The Bottom of the 'Thai Record' LP

Like I said, me & Turley...we likes to have a good time. And since we ain't seen one another in a lifetime, the other night we got deep into it. Around 3am I pulled out this record what we used to listen to when we was over in the shit that has been-unbelievably-repressed. No shit, I seen the cover at a shop & knowed I'd seen it before. The clerk told me some story about it bein a cd once put out by a Swedish prankster & some story about how there's theories about it being either the Sun City Girls or No Neck Blues Band. I don't know fuck about any of that claptrap, all I know is that I'd seen that cover & it was very familiar. It was 12$ so fuck it, I bought one. Took it home & forgot about it. Then the other night I remembered it & put it on & it was like a flashback to tunnels of Cu Chi. It gave us the fuckin chills! We then decided to call some old friends & confirm that it was the same record 'cause I thought we was buggin out. The one fella who'd first turned us onto the record we couldn't find, but we managed to locate our old comrade Delray & leave a message on his voice mail. As you'll see below in his email, he was able to roger the album & confirm w/a photo. The eyes don't lie. Take that Siamese Temple Ball!



Yo, Woody Woodbe & Bull Turley! What are you 2 old motherfuckers doin callin me at 4 o'clock in the fuckin mornin askin me about some damn record from back in the day? Ain't you got no sense? Shit! Man, of course I remember that motherfuckin album. I used to call it 'The Cobra' cause it was so beautiful & mesmerizing but once we got to smokin that mountain shit that music would strike you dead. What was them mountain people's called I forget (the Montagnards-RW) but whatever it was, the stuff they growed was unbelievable. It was like that medical shit you can get nowadays, man, blow your fuckin mind. But yeah, that record was Teddy Sinninger's jam. That was some tracks he laid down w/some Army Ranger bro's of his from New Jersey & they had it pressed somewhere, Taiwan or some shit, I can't exactly remember. I do remember when Teddy got'em back & he took a stack over to the PX & told everybody it some sorta Cong rock band. And all them artillery motherfucks thought it was some VC shit! And he sold'em all! That motherfucker was crazy! Shit I still got a picture w/him holdin a copy, dig it, there's Woody, Turley, me & Teddy with his record (see above). Motherfucker took that thing everywhere. I don't know how they did it but they made that music sound GOOD! What was that shit you was talkin Woody? Something about a Sun City Girl or a No Necked Blue Man? I don't know what you 2 assholes is snortin but that shit ain't my bag. I still gots the copy he gave me somewhere but I ain't played that thing in years. My son-the one that got the gay & moved out to Olympia, Wa-said somebody had made a cd out of it. And now your sayin it's a record again? Is this some kind of a motherfuckin joke? Did that honky-ass Teddy Sinninger tell you to call me & with this bullshit? Motherfuckers.....you ever come down here to Atlanta & I will PERSONALLY cut off both your all's dicks & feed'em to one of Michael Vicks dogs. But seriously, it would be good if you crazy bastards come this way. I still get into some herbable shit & I like my Mexican beers. Fuck Budweiser. And Michelob too. Get on down here! And don't call me no more w/your silly-ass shit. Peace to you both. Out.
Delray King

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

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

No Doctors-T-Bone Pts 1& 2

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



Little Claw/Michael Yonkers-split 7"

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

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


The Amoeba Men-Enter!

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


Tyvek/Cheveu Split 7"


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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Knows Nose.....Graham Lambkin's 'Salmon Run' CD

Even before I'd laid eye or ear on this new solo release of Graham Lambkin's I'd done heard all sort've tales surroundin it's existence. My moles deep inside the Hobbit Hole of Underground Intelligence informed me this cd was initially commissioned by agents Tweedles Dum & Dee from a certain Canuck label but then rejected as not fitting in w/said curator's aesthetic. (Long silence. Narrator: 'at this moment Mr. Woodbe has been overcome by great gales of laughter. Coughing & sputtering, it seems he cannot catch his breath & his head has begun to turn a deep shade of red. Hold on, it's blazing into a brilliant orange.....now a piercing white light, and....My God, it's full of stars!'). Whew! Lord have mercy...... pardon the interruption, I'll try & bear this knowledge in mind next time I come across one of their releases STARRING Dylan Nyoukis or..... (Narrator; 'careful Mr. Woodbe, easy does it')......Richard Youngs!! ( Narrator; the torrents of you-know-what are beyond restraint at this time. Woodbe is coughing up all forms of drool, bile, bits of lung, it's horrendous! But for all his histrionic grandstanding I'll have to admit-he does has a point).
WOW....okay, so's next I'm told that this was to be a concept album about Bigfoot what got scrapped. I gotta hand it to Graham here; of all the barleywines out there, that one might be the most recognized but it sure ain't the best. On the other hand, basin an entire cd around the delights of Old Knucklehead would probably give most simps the wrong idea. And besides; they wouldn't know the difference.
I suspect the REAL problem most plebs have w/'Salmon Run' is that it ain't the Shadow Ring no more. Or even remotely similar. What's that old sayin 'don't let your alligator mouth write a check your hummingbird ass can't cash'? Somethin like that. That's sort've what's goin on here; the guy is "commissioned' to do an lp's worth of work but what them commissoners didn't say (yet merely presumed) was they expected something along the lines of-who knows?-'City Lights' or 'Lindus'. Or any of them in between. So from that pov it's easy to see how one (or two) would be disappointed w/what was delivered. Some's out there just want to hold on too long to the baby pictures is all. It's just speculation on my part but don't bet me I'm wrong. Unless you got a thing for losin. Believe me, I deal w/dingbats like this more than you could ever know. But enough of that, hey Mr Narrator, let's row this boat ashore, whatya say? Toot, toot!
To my ears, Salmon Run might be the greatest self-released cd of committed excellence I've seen & heard so far this year. Translation; the guy threw caution to the wind & SPENT MONEY on the thing. It's not some shitty burn in a miniscule edition wrapped in leaves or sandwiched between pieces of particle board held together w/rubberbands. Even a goddamned idiot can open it & play the thing w/o the whole package falling apart or risk of some type've infection. Musically it start's out opaque enough but it wasn't long till I was groovin on the narrative atmosphere & felt like I'd been transported to Hades, witnessed the death of Krautrock only to have it transformed into the nascent blurt of late 70's German experimentalism ala the sounds once found on Dom or Selektion cassettes. The influence of friends & peers such as Scott Foust & Jason Lescalleet is evident too & on the whole 'Salmon Run' is brimming w/a positive & slightly dadaesque ambience that most snifflers in the blubbering "avant noise" cdr scene are just incapable of comprehending. Kudo's to Graham Lambkin for stickin to his guns & seein this thing through the way HE wanted it done. Obviously it ain't for everyone which suits me fine. If your looking for an 'organic brain tangle'' here, you've come to the wrong place. Not that it ain't ponderous, but you won't need no Persian throw-rug to sit on & figure it out. Deer Not On The Sofa you say? Dude, you don't have to tell me twice. I can dig it! For those what's curious write; hawkmoths@yahoo.com

The Return Of The Return Of A Man Called Horse, Or.....Roland Woodbe's Back!

I ain't had much time to keep up on the Siltblog folks, sorry 'bout that. I got the bright idea to attend the Man's Man's Man's Ultimate Surf Classic up to Saglek Bay in Labrador. Talk about cold water! And inhospitable people's & weather.....I do believe I'd concur w/JJ Audubon & say it is about the dreariest place on earth. Local's thought us crazy (we were!) & it weren't long before the whole shithouse went up in chunks. The waves was massive though, but the water so frigid you had to don these special wet suits (w/flipper feet) which made ridin the board near impossible. The event was sponsored but some ultra hush-hush faction of the Canadian Club distillery (or C.C. as they call it up there) so that weren't makin the event any less rowdy. All's there was to eat was smoked cod cakes & some kind've seaweed salad what was doused w/C.C. & vinegar. Whew, it was a chore to get down. It weren't but about 8 surfers into the thing when this local entrant, a Jonah somethingorother (an Inuit fella) got ate & swallowed by some kind've whale. It was a sight to behold! First he was up on his board & as the water began to swell, this massive body came flyin up almost vertical-like & underwater they went! Then a few seconds later up shot part've the board & his feet, like three little party favors. The surf classic was immediately called to an end. Eventually the Mounties come & we's all gave statements & once I said my piece I hightailed outta there to see the U-Boat station (Weather Station Kurt) up to Cape Chidley. It might've been a hoot but the rain & wind was so strong it made the experience a damn nuisance (someone had wrote above a swastika emblem 'Kilroy was here'. I thought that was funny). Later when I was fixin to chopper out've Cartwright I got invited by some Metis fella (I'll call him 'Joe') to a party at a lodge. Everyone was giddy & the C.C. was flowin like water. I should've sensed somethin was afoot. Next thing I knowed, turns out to be some fertility ceremony & I was the one what had to do the fertilitatin! I'd been keepin it to a dull roar but once I figured out the ruse I tried,as delicately as I could,to show myself out. Next thing I knowed I was jumped by a mess've Indians & as I was bein dragged (kickin & screamin mind you) to my...partner....this old tribal woman hauled off & clocked me up the side of my head w/a 3' scrimshaw phallus & opened me up like a watermelon! Next thing I knowed I was laid up in a hospital in Gouldsboro, Maine. The Canadian Club people'd been keepin a watchful eye on me. Once all the commotion happened they raided the place which sent all the participants scatterin. They got me outta Labrador & back here to Gouldsboro where I've been stitched up & am recievin some very fine R&R. I ain't got but a lick've hair & the swellin is so big I look like the kid Rocky in that movie 'Mask'. The pontiff of Siltbreeze went & mailed me up a mess've releases what's been waitin to be blogged & now that I can sit up w/o vomitin, I figure it's time to have a go at the keyboard. I can't but hardly think straight as it is, so this column is just a update sort've thing to let you know what's out there. Once I get my sea legs back, the spleen won't be long to follow. Here goes;


The fella over to Holy Mountain told me about this lp by Chrissy Zebby Tembo, callin it Zambian Psych & he wasn't lyin. Under the name Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family (though it's supposedly a solo deal) this album 'My Ancestors' originally come out in the early 70's & looks like it'd be somethin akin to Fela Kuti or Dub action but it's more like Sonny Sharrock's lost lp for PSF. It's a stone cold killer. Get it via; http://www.bompstore.com/

And speakin of Holy Mountain, a STACK of cd's has come out on that imprint, includin another keeper from Blues Control & a corker from White Lichens. Earth to Robert Lowe, earth to Robert Lowe; Terry Riley called. He says 'you win' & can he please have a hanky? The tear water is stingin his eyes. Go to; http://www.holymountain.com/ order from; http://www.midheaven.com/

Blues Control & Heavy Winged have a split 7" on the Not Not Fun label. Part of the Bored Fortress series, check'em out at; http://www.notnotfun.com/ & see what's ado about athis

Also on the 7" front, there's a new one from Blank Dogs (hot the heels of his 12"), released on the Hozac label. 3 tracks of muzzy mayhem, maybe it's my close proximity to Canada, but this time he out he reminds me of The Braineaters. Go figure. Edition of 400, try; www.myspace.com/horizontalaction

A cd by the Brainbombs has stormed into town, pillaging & plundering all in it's path. This is a volume collecting a slew of 7"er's what's been out've circulation for a while. Is that Freddie Wadling's head I see on a pike? Makes sense to me. Stateside at; http://www.s-srecords.com/ or try www.myspace.com/pollymaggoorecords if your in Europe.

2 new cd's also via the Soft Abuse label, the gurgling electro avant-ruralism of OV entitled 'Noctilacent Valleys' & one from Pumice ('Pebbles') that sounds like our hero has eaten the bread of Gate & drank from the cup of Alastair Galbraith. Sometimes he even breaks out like he stole Bruce Russell's Fire Engines records! The new sheriff of Xpressway County don't shoot no blanks. Great stuff. http://www.softabuse.com/

And the DIY stone just keeps on rollin down there at Hyped2death. The latest Messthetics (#103) is out & is as astounding as I've come to expect. This time it's the Midlands what get's Chuck's expert attention. I can't pick favorite's, they's all good! But it was nice to finally hear (& see) the 1st Digital Dinosaurs 7". If anything, this one's loaded with more obscurities (to me anyways) than past volumes.Excellent as always;
http://www.hyped2death.com/

And lastly, the new LP from Ex-Cocaine 'Esta Guerra' (pictured) is available on Siltbreeze. You can buy it direct here, 15$ ppd US, 25$ elsewhere. Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net or go to http://www.midheaven.com/ where it is also in house. Edition of 500.