|
_| | THE INDIE-LIST DIGEST #20 |
| (ULTRA-FABULOUS TWENTIETH ISSUE! ZOW!) |
| | Presented by Mark Cornick, Liz Clayton, Joshua Houk and Sean Murphy. |
_| _| Mailed weekly from Indie-List world headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. |
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CORRECTION: In last week's digest, the email address of Scott Evans (of MAKE IT
STOP) was printed incorrectly due to slackness on the editor's part. Scott's
address is <thrash@virginia.edu>. Newsweek regrets the error. -- marky mark
___________________________________________________________________________|
NOTE: At the request of one of our readers, we have decided to start printing
addresses of record labels with reviews, when available. Please include label
addresses in future reviews, if you have them. Thank you! -- mark trail
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From: Marky Mark Trail <mcornick@delphi.com>
Well peeps, this is the twentieth issue of Indie-List. Hooray! From humble yet
hip proportions we have grown to a smashingly successful international
phenomenon. (Or something like that.) Thanks are in order to the people who've
helped get us here: Joshua H, Liz, Sean, Joshua B, K Lena, Chris Doomgirl,
Lindsay, Matthew, and all our hundreds of subscribers!
We have a giveaway in celebration of our nearly-half-year together. A copy of
the cool new CD by Halifax, Nova Scotia's SLOAN has been donated to Indie-List.
We will give it away to the first person to correctly answer the following
question and send it to Mark. (Disclosure: the Sloan CD is on DGC, which is not
an indie label... but hey, DGC is one of the more hip major labels, IMO. Flames
may be directed to /dev/null. :) Indie-List staff members and other insiders are
not eligible (i.e., anyone who gets Stuff.)
THE QUESTION: The original name of Mark's band was: a) Pontius Pilate Light, b)
The Gerard Cosloy Experience, c) Head Cleaner, d) bobc. (Hint: Read digest #1,
using Gopher or FTP if you don't still have it.)
As I write this (Friday) there's three inches of snow on the ground here in
Virginia (much to the envy of Josh, no doubt.) On my way home yesterday I
spotted a poster: "Too big to announce until now! GEORGE CLINTON AND THE P-FUNK
ALL STARS, Saturday, February 27, TRAX, Charlottesville." Ya there, Eric?
That done, I got all sorts of musical material to talk about here so (as them
Estrus boys would say) let's get on with it jerky!
BUTTERGLOVE, "The Lunchbox Drama" (Shakedown, PO Box 387, Kingston-upon-Thames,
Surrey KT1 2YH, UK): More stuff from those fine folks at the HONOR ROLE
Appreciation Society (Merge Records is thanked; go figure...) This post-Role
outfit featured guitarist Pen Rollings before he moved on to BREADWINNER.
Chaotic dischord-datchord stuff with a touch of that Breadwinner technique.
Numbered edition of "not many about" so get yours quick. Recommended for fans of
any of the above named bands. *1/2
DAMBUILDERS, "Candyguts" (SpinArt, Box 1798, NY NY 10156-1798): Bostonian guitar
rock with a little violin here and there. A logical progression from the "Smell"
7", and pretty damn poppy too. SpinArt is shaping up as one of the east coast's
top indie-pop labels, IMO, and this 7" certainly adds to that reputation. Clear
vinyl too. **
EGGS, "Government Administrator" (Hemiola, 35 Barnbrough St, Burley, Leeds LS4
2QY, UK): As promised on yer VOMIT LAUNCH "secret CD art" (although the title
has changed slightly) here's yet another new Eggs 7". Eggs seem to be dabbling a
lot lately, trying new & different styles, and this one's no exception. The
A-side kinda reminded me of Arlo Guthrie (!) with its semi-spoken vocals ("OK
Rob, play guitar now brother!") The B-side "Sugar Babe" is slightly more typical
Eggs jangle with an ersatz bossa nova feel (dance instructions included.) One of
the better 7"s in the current mini-flood of Eggs material. May be hard to find
but do so! **1/2
FIRST 5 THRU, "Summation" (Catheter/Assembly, Box 4785, Richmond VA 23220):
Slow-burn hardcore stuff, not unlike NATION OF ULYSSES with a so-so Rollins
impersonator on vocals. Typical angry HC lyrics. Unfortunately, the vocals kinda
blew this for me, but give it a shot anyway. *
GROOVE, "By The Road" (Old Glory, 5 White Oak Dr, Colts Neck NJ 07722): Very
good stuff from this Richmond 5-piece, in the SUPERCHUNK vein but heavily
tempered with a HC sensibility a la DRIVE LIKE JEHU. A quality EP from start to
finish; get this (and their 7" on Sunspot) and wear it out. **1/2 (Note: the
logo of Old Glory Records is an Iraqi flag; ha ha ha.)
MONSTERLAND, "Peanut Butter Karma" (SpinArt): The A-side of this 7" was named
Single Of The Week by NME, but what do they know? Well, they were on the mark
this time. Power-trio sound on both of these songs (the B-side is different from
the import 7"), very well constructed pop songs, it's all here, and it all
works. Who are these SpinArt guys anyway? **
VARIOUS, _Pop Licks_ (SpinArt): An ambitious set of six 7"s, all on color vinyl,
complete with various bits of paper and plastic and a cereal-style box to keep
it all in (some assembly required.) Liz reviewed this a few weeks back and I
agree with most of her review. It's a little uneven, but that's to be expected
of a project this size. I liked POOLE, THROW THAT BEAT IN THE GARBAGECAN and
SUDDENLY TAMMY a lot; TRAMPOLINE, VERONICA LAKE and SWIRL were merely OK. But
this is worth it just for the fun packaging. It's only part of your complete
breakfast, but it should be a fairly big part. **
ROPERS live @ UVa Sigma Nu (2/20): If I were a UVa student, I'd probably rush
Sigma Nu just for the bands that play there. Also on this bill were JARL (who I
arrived late for) and LORELEI (who I skipped cause I was sick.) Ropers are a DC
quartet who shoegaze with the best of 'em. And yes, they share members with the
rest of the DC bands, but I can't remember who. Anyway, this reminded me of some
of RIDE's early work, or maybe the PALE SAINTS, I dunno. There's nothing
particularly distinctive about them, but they do what they do well. They have a
7" on Slumberland which I haven't heard. Enjoyable. *. UNFORTUNATELY, due to
the actions of some hick Charlottesvillian who weaselled his way into a frat
party (not this one) and raped somebody, UVa is cracking down on security so I
may not be able to get into future shows here. That kinda sucks.
STEREOLAB, "John Cage Bubblegum" (Slumberland, Box 14731, Berkeley CA 94701):
Yet another fine 45 from this band, even if it sounds pretty much like
everything else they've done (especially "Super-Electric"). The B-side is slow,
pretty and in French. Same Stereolab artwork. Good stuff. **
THWACK! #2 zine (1640 W. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23220): Quality laser-printed
8-1/2x11 zine, 20 pp. Interviews with Clutch, Shudder to Think, and Five-Eight.
Many show reviews and a few record/zine reviews too. Somewhat HC bent. I didn't
much like their habit of setting the photo captions in 48pt type, but this is a
small complaint; overall this is a damn good job. No price on the cover, but I
paid $1.50. Free sticker too. *1/2
TREE FORT ANGST, "Buzzing With Beauty And Wonder" (Velodrome, PO Box 34291,
Washington, DC 20043): Expertly naive stripey-shirt pop from this suburban
Maryland band as heard on _One Last Kiss_. Kinda sounds like if TOO MUCH JOY
learned to play and stopped joking around so much. Play this at your prom! *
ULTRA CINDYS, "Whirlwind" (Praha, Box 3383, Norfolk VA 23514): OK Manchester-
ish pop from this Tidewater band, but unfortunately the recording is just plain
horrid. No highs here whatsoever (in the recording, that is.) If this was
recorded better I'd give it *, but as is it only rates **. Maybe next time,
guys.
UPTOWN BONES, "Naked" (Compulsiv, Box 15188, Philadelphia PA 19130): Really
sounds like if PAVEMENT went heavy metal. Not bad, considering the nightmare
that last sentence probably evoked. Power chords left and right, with good
vocals over. Take a listen. *
ZONIC SHOCKUM, "Testosterone" (Compulsiv): Femme-fronted garage rock sound with
samples & tape loops to liven up the party. Overall effect is something like a 7
YEAR BITCH/NEGATIVLAND jam session. One of the more unique-sounding singles I've
come across recently. Green vinyl. **
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From: matrobb@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Matthew Robb)
Submissions this week:
TSUNAMI/CHIA PET/SUGARSHOCK Maxwell's, 2/20/93
Contrary to popular belief, Sean (and I) do not live at Maxwell's. This was the
first time either of us had been since the Stereolab show in October, according
to Mike Applestein of Writer's block fame, and he keeps track of these things.
Anyway, Chia Pet is Sassy mag. folks, with ed-in-chief Christina Kelly on vox
and tv show Jane Pratt on violin. Crows reaction seemes pretty favorable; I
though they were mediocre at best. They could play, no doubt, but Kelly's vox
were horrible, and the lyrics were lukewarm at best ("Pete was from Yale/he had
an english accent/not real/Blide date/don't pick up the phone/pretend you're not
home" - this song replete with a deep purple riff). Like I said, the crowd
seemed freindly, but I didn't like them.
Sugarshock/shack/sugar jesus/whatever. I missed 'em. Whoops.
Tsunami put on a really nice set, I thought. Ms. Toomey was a bit flu ridden
and missed a few of her high notes, but over all the set was quite solid (even
though the band didn't think so). Golddigger, Load hog, 460, and one of my
faves from the first 7" (world tour) were all played, along with a new song and
a couple others I've heard but don't know the names of. Pretty short set, but
people were into it - easily the most crowded Tsunami show I've seen (al tho'
this may have been from the Sassy crowd).
On the indie gossip front, Kristin said the trip to england went very well, and
that the "diner" 7" had even been played on BBC1, in the day, several times -
the first time this had happened to a Southern Studios record, which has also
put on BABES IN TOYLAND, FUGAZI and some other great stuff in the UK. Shows to
watch for: if you're lookin' to see BETTIE SERVEERT, they're a-comin. In DC with
TSUNAMI and SUPERCHUNK on Mar 18 (yeah Sean and Mark?) and in New York on the
20th.
It's snowing for the 3rd weekend in a row . . . .
Matthew Robb
matrobb@phoenix.princeton.edu
the only thing in my head right now is that beautiful sax solo on the PURPLE
IVY SHADOWS single . . .
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From: Joshua Buergel <jbbb+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Well, I think it's about time I got off my sorry ass and reviewed something.
It's been ages since I've written a review for the Indie list. Sorry. I'll
blame it on sunspots or something. Anyway, I've bought alot of stuff in the
past couple of months, but I can't remember most of what it was. I do, however,
have the following to review:
SUPERCHUNK, _On The Mouth_ (Matador Ole 49)
The 'Chunk is back with a new full lengther (oddly enough, the song "On The
Mouth" which was a b-side to "Mower" fails to make an appearance). I can't say
that Superchunk is doing anything different on this release, because they
aren't. Just those same old anthemic guitar pop songs. And that's the way I
like 'em. This one didn't grab me as hard as _No Pocky for Kitty_ did, but it's
still a fine example of the form. As a side note, I'd like to point out that
Superchunk is not the reigning champ of this stuff anymore. I'd have to say the
title belongs the the FASTBACKS nowadays. But that doesn't detract from this
record. A fine effort. *1/2
SEBADOH, _Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock_ (Sub Pop 176)
It's bands like Sebadoh and THINKING FELLERS UNION LOCAL 282 who are going to
grab the entire indie scene, shake it around a bit, bop it on the head, and then
make something completely new out of it. Although not as all over the map as
TFUL282, Sebadoh still run the gamut from wonderful quiet stuff ("Brand New
Love", one of my favorite all-time songs) to sheer guitar noise 'n' distorted
vocals ("Cry Sis"), often in the same song ("Mean Distance"). It's hard to
describe the style of this, because they don't stay in one style. Wonderful.
Especially since I only payed $9 new for it (on CD). **
TAR and JAWBOX, "Static" b/w "Static" (Touch & Go and Dischord)
This is a split 7" with both bands covering the other band's song called
"Static". Both are actually quite faithful to the original. Kind of a gimmic,
but it's fun to have. These two bands are going on tour together, a show I
would not want to miss (but Tar already came to Pittsburgh sans Jawbox...see
below).
GRIFTERS, _So Happy Together_ (Sonic Noise Son002)
This is lo-fi stuff with some pop sensibilities...Pavement comparisons, anyone?
All that aside, this is a decent listen. Not spectacular, but there are some
songs on here you can tap your foot to, and there are some pretty cool noisy
bits as well. Nothing earthshaking, though. I bought this because I played
"Corolla Hoist" off of their newest 7" while I was trying to take an air test
(so I can be a DJ...but the test was an absolute mess) and I loved it. I don't
have this single, but it smokes. *1/2 for the album, ** for the single.
HIGHBACK CHAIRS, _Of Two Minds_ (Dischord 56)
Can I ask a question? Why does it seem like most people don't like these guys?
I mean, yeah, it's kind of wimpy (okay, really wimpy), but it is still pretty
well done guitar pop. There is some really hummable stuff on here. Once again,
it's not ground breaking or anything, but I don't see how people could really
dislike it. *
JAWBOX, Novelty (Dischord)
I wish I knew what I did with this. I stuck it somewhere, and now it's
disappeared. Anyway, before I lost it, this was great DC style punk. A fuller
sound than, say, FUGAZI, with some really great tunes played quite well. My
only wish was that they had pushed the vocals a bit higher in the mix. Oh well.
It is releases like this that are helping restore my faith in Dischord (they've
released a fair amount of stuff I don't care for). **
EINSTUERZENDE NEUBAUTEN, _Tabula Rasa_ and Interim (Mute)
The wait is over! New EN material that...falls on its face. I was crushed.
First things first. The packaging is really nice, with booklets glued into a
digipak, complete with lyrics (and translations), as well as cool photos (this
goes for both the album and the single). I guess I'll start with the single,
Interim.
Interim starts out with "Rausch / Die Interimsliebenden" which has a heckuva
promising beginning with a cool cut-up tape segment. This turns out to be the
"Rausch" segment of our show. "Die Interimsliebenden" sound like EN stole all
of Nine Inch Nails' synthesizers and used them. Not that it's bad, but it does
sound like something from _Pretty Hate Machine_ with German vocals. It's not a
bad tune, but I don't listen to EN for tunes, dammit. "12305(te) Nacht" is an
okay song, with some kinda cool noises. It would have fit on _Haus Der Luege_
or some of the quieter bits of _Five on the Open Ended Richter Scale_.
"Salamandrina" sort of bores me. It's got lots of sort of chant type things,
but they're sung, sort of. Anyway, not a great song. "Die Interimsliebenden
(radio edit)" is just a sliced up version, with the most interesting bit taken
out ("Rausch"). Sigh. Not a bad single, but it doesn't sound like EN. And it
probably wasn't worth $9 (especially since I got Novelty and _Smash Your
Head..._ the same day for the same price).
I bought _Tabula Rasa_ with some trepidation, figuring it would probably let me
down big time. And, frankly, it did. Track one is "Die blahblahblah" again.
"Zebulon" is a boring little piece that I don't have much to say about. EN does
elevator music. "Blume", however, isn't like "Zebulon" in that the latter piece
can at least be ignored. "Blume" is actively obnoxious. Sample lyrics (done in
a sort of 'little girl' voice with a pretty thick german accent):
"For you I am a chrysantemum / Supernova, urgent star / For you I'll be a
dandelion / a thousand flowerettes in the sky / Or just a dro pin the ocean / If
you know my name / don't speak it out / it holds a power - as before"
Bleh. Buy the CD so you can program around this song. "12305(te) Nacht" is the
same as from the single. "Sie" and "Wuste" didn't make much of an impression on
me. Not bad, but not great. The only thing saving this album is "Headcleaner",
which is a 15 minute track that actually evokes images of old EN, in that it is
decently noisy. However, I think even this track is too little, too late.
**1/2 for Interim, ** for _Tabula Rasa_. I think I'll go listen to _Halber
Mensch_.
Live Review: TAR w/ DON CABALLERO, HURL and DONORA @ the Wherret Room, Carnegie
Mellon, Pittsburgh
This was the lineup for this year's Winterblast (an annual concert usually
sponsored by our college station, although this year it wasn't), and boy, was I
fired up for it. I'd already missed Tar three times, and I wasn't going to miss
them again. Plus, local heroes Don Caballero were playing. Not bad for $5.
Donora (formerly T4 from Penn State) opened up, and were okay. They were
decently heavy, athough their stage presence was kind of obnoxious and the songs
were all pretty samey. Not bad, but not good either.
Hurl played next and impressed the socks off of me. They played a set of seven
or eight real orgasmic soft-to-loud songs in the Slint vein, and played them
very well. I spent most of their set just kind of going "cool". They've got a
three song 7" out that I bought but haven't had a chance to listen to yet, and
they should have a new EP coming out sometime soon.
Don Caballero was next, and cranked out a great set of their bludgeoning,
powerful, rockin' instrumental stuff. They ruled, as usual. One of the
guitarists played so hard that there was blood all of his pickups by the end of
the set. These guys are monsters. They've got two 7"s out, and they say that
they're going to try to record more soon.
Finally, Tar came up and started the set with an instrumental I hadn't heard.
The first thing I noticed was the sound, which was wonderful. Every bit as good
as on their recorded output (actually, it sounded better than Roundhouse or
Handsome does). The had the fortune of having the best sound I've ever heard
from a life band. They played only four or so songs off of Jackson, a couple
off of Roundhouse (if memory doesn't fail), and a bunch of new songs which I
presume are from Clincher, the new EP due on Touch & Go on March 9. The new
songs sounded great, they sounded great, and they played great. They could have
had the vocals a bit louder, but who cares. Go see them, especially with
Jawbox. John Mohr, the singer/guitarist (I corralled him after the show to
congradulate him and to find out what the heck the back of his shirt said) said
that they've got a bunch of new material, and should put out a full LP in the
fall as well as the EP. **1/2 for this lineup. Best show I've seen in a
looong time.
I went to the record store yesterday, and to my surprise AmRep had three new
singles out: Vertigo's "Driver #43", a reissue of Helmet's "Born Annoying" and
a three song Janitor Joe single (which included two tracks from the album, so I
held off on it). The Vertigo and Helmet ones weren't due until March
5...imagine, a record coming out early! Anyway, I'm one happy camper:
Vertigo, "Driver #43" (Amphetamine Reptile Records ARR 38/246)
This has two new songs, "Driver #43" and "Sit Down and Shut Up", and the CD
includes the entirety of the "Rub" single ("Rub", "Murder By Guitar", "Snakes"
and "Smoked"), so if you buy the CD, you've got yourself a six song EP. As
anyone who reads the grunge list is probably already aware, I thought Vertigo's
Ventriloquist was probably the second best album of last year, and possibly
the best, so I was anxiously waiting for this sucker. "Driver #43" is a
straight out rocker, sort of different for Vertigo, but still great. "Sit Down
and Shut Up" is vintage Vertigo, with the interesting drum beat, the guitar wail
and the odd vocals. I love it. The "Rub" single is all pretty good psychedelic
Vertigo...which of course means it is wonderful. I can't wait for a new album
from these guys, but this should tide me over. ** (but I'm a sucker for this
stuff). In the "Why The Heck?" Dept.: Why is AmRep including photos of bands
in recent releases (like this and Hammerhead's album)? I know the bands look
like losers, but I don't have to see them to know that.
Helmet, "Born Annoying" (Amphetamine Reptile AmRep 016)
Does anybody understand AmRep's numbering system? Anyway, this is a reissue of
Helmet's deubt 7" ("Born Annoying" b/w "Rumble"), and I'm really happy since
"Born Annoying" is one of my favorite Helmet songs. Not only that, but the CD
tacks on "Shirley MacLaine", a previously unreleased song from the same demo
tape as the other two songs, and "Taken" which was released on the Ugly American
Overkill tour EP (and was recorded during the Strap It On sessions). Yeehaw.
What can I say? It rocks. This is essential for any Helmet fans. So it's a bit
low-fi? So what. "Born Annoying" is their best song ever. Now I just need to
run a copy of the "In The Meantime" 7" to the ground (anyone have one they want
to sell) and I'll have all of Helmet's stuff. **1/2. AmRep has made me a
happy person.
Phew. I feel better for having gotten all these reviews out.
Joshua Buergel - allroy@cmu.edu - jbbb@andrew.cmu.edu
"Anybody who thinks we overstepped the playground perimeter of lyrical
decency (or that the public has any right to demand 'social
responsibility' from a goddamn punk rock band) is a pure natural dolt,
and should step forward and put his tongue up my ass." - Steve Albini
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From: stuart@apollo.hp.com
I'd like some information on a band called WHITE ANIMALS. (They may be quite
well-known to some of the folks who frequent the "indie" list, but I'm not all
that familiar with the band, so someone may be able to enlighten me.) I know
they've been around for some time. I met them when they were scuffling on the
road about....oh hell, it must've been at least eight to nine years ago, maybe
even ten....when they played a barely attended gig on a dismal Sunday night at
a little club called Jack's on Mass. Ave. in mid-Cambridge (Boston), which has
long since been torched. Anyway, they were very good, and I wanted to let them
know that they were on to a good thing and to offer some encouragement, despite
the poor turnout that night. I was most impressed by their wealth of great
original songs, very catchy guitar-oriented pop, well sung by a young little guy
on bass. Their main problem, I felt, was their lead guitarist, who seemed stuck
in a sort of dated Guitar Hero fixation. (Interestingly, the other guys in the
band appeared to agree with my assessment, which suggested some certain
internal tension that I steered clear of.) The band hailed from Georgia, but
they were quick to point out that they were in no way associated with the
Athens scene. (They had some heavy gripes about Michael Stipe, which sounded a
little too sour grapes to me.) I believe their home turf was Marietta. In any
case, I wished them well and have spent the past several years looking for any
indications that they might be getting some needed and warranted attention. But
there has been very little of that. I know that they eventually hooked with a
small label out of Nashville (they might've moved there too), and I've more
recently found a couple of their albums in cheezy budget dept. store bins (on
$1.99 cassettes) on the Dread-Beat label (....or is it Dread-Beet?).
Unfortunately these cassettes are of the ultra-budget variety, meaning that
they have virtually no liner notes. But the music is superb, especially a live
one (no idea when or where it was recorded).
So....if anyone has any information about White Animals, if they even still
exist, and especially if anyone can provide a discography, I'd be most grateful.
Many thanks. And I strongly recommend them to everyone, if you can find any of
their releases. A good band with good songs, well played (even if the lead
guitarist is too flashy for his own good), and well worth checking out.
-stuart@apollo.hp.com
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From: Sean <skmurphy@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Well, for the big 20th issue, I can't say much other than that I'm glad to be a
part of it. So, here's a rundown of the recent arrival pile in my room...
Pitchblende - Weed Slam EP (Jade Tree)
A fine second 7" from these DC natives, with the best song sounding a good bit
like Slint (a cross between Carol and Good Morning Captain). Nothing as
satisfying as Lacquer Box, but my memories of seeing them live last summer get
tied up in hearing the song (Box) now...damn, see them if they come to your
town. * (yup, I'll take a stab at rating things for a little while...)
[ BTW, there is a debut Pitchblende album due any day now on Fistpuppet/Cargo. -
Mark ]
Hula Hoop - Motorkerekpar EP (Automatic)
A fine little band from Louisville, KY with no obvious ties to the Squirrel Bait
family. Cool stuff, more pop than you're used to from Derby-land. I want to
hear more from these people. * 1/2
[ no ties to Squirrel Bait... hmm, imagine that, kinda like a DC band that
doesn't have Archie Moore as an alumnus :) - Mark ]
New Order - Everything's Gone Green and Temptation 7"s (Factory)
$4 apiece for some of the good stuff - admit it, New Order is very responsible
for indie-pop as we know it today (at least the Slumberland school - "Maybe It's
Better" -is- Ceremony, and Mark E. probably owns the back catalog for Factory in
its entirety...) No rating necessary.
Mission Of Burma - The Horrible Truth About Burma (Ace Of Hearts)
One of the few live records I can whole-heartedly endorse. Some killer covers
(Ubu, Stooges), an amazing version of Peking Spring, all recorded over the 5
year lifespan of one of Boston's most important bands of all time. **
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (Creation)
I finally got around to getting this one - finally found it sorta cheap (nine
bucks for import vinyl) and I've heard too much about the lp to ignore this one.
No rating yet - I haven't listened yet...
George Carlin - Occupation Foole (Little David)
When was the last time you got to buy a record for research purposes? This album
contains the infamous "Filthy Words" sketch which helped the FCC to define
indecency and obscenity for quite a while (yes, the album is cited in the
Supreme Court rulings which currently govern this stuff). Recorded in 1973,
still real damn funny.
Savage Republic - Live Trek 1985-86 (Nate Starkman/Independent Project)
Amazing but virtually unheard band from LA from the early to mid 80s featuring
Bruce Licher (who now runs Independent Project Records) on guitar. Tribal rock
with middle eastern influences, recorded in front of small audiences, very good.
* 1/2
Creedence Clearwater Revival - (eponymous) (Fantasy)
Yeah, CCR. This is the first LP, and I bought it 'cause it has a great cover of
"I Put A Spell On You". There are other good songs here too besides the
obvious, overplayed to death, Suzy Q. * (for sentimental reasons)
Philip Glass - Glassworks (CBS)
Not "indie", but decidedly not mersh, either. Glass is best known for the
soundtracks to Koyanisqaatsi and Powaqaatsi, two avant-garde movies made up of
images of modern life flowing. It's avant minimalism (a totally different
creature from Beat Happening/Young Marble Giants minimalism), very repetitive,
very soothing (or annoying, depending on your mood and the groove he hits). *
various - Beat All The Tambourines (Beat All The Tambourines)
I bought this on a whim, cause the title was cool and it was only $2. It turns
out to be a really great German comp of 7 indie-pop style bands which I've never
heard of (then again, I don't know much about German music...). Neat stuff,
simple and interesting. Highly recommended. **
Television Personalities - Closer To God (Seed/Fire)
Seed is domestically releasing this Brit release. 19 songs, 79:09 of music.
Fun, interesting pop stuff from Dan Treacy and Jowe Head and co. That quote that
Mark had in his .sig file for a while (about Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream)
comes from one of my favorites on this CD which is also released as a double LP.
It might take a little while to get used to Dan's style, but once you do, you
won't be able to get enough. Check out the latest issue of Chemical Imbalance
for another great TVP song - "Girl On A Motorcycle". **
[ Is that STILL the latest issue of See-Eye? When's McGonigal gonna get off his
ass... that issue is at least a year old... has he caught Cosloyitis? :) -
Mark ]
Happy 20th issue. Let's keep this thing going - don't be afraid to contribute!
Sean - the currently not-so-grumpy archivist and NJ chief.
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From: dayt@ucs.orst.edu (Ranger Bob)
Howdy,
Since this is my first post to the list, I'll take this opportunity to
introduce myself. Umm, my name is Travis and I'm the newly self-appointed bureau
person of Corvallis,Or. I'm a grad student in nuclear chemistry with a love for
music. Anyway, I just wanted to plug the local scenesters and band. Corvallis,
if you didn't already know , is home to Oregon State University and the Beavers.
It is a fairly conservative quiet town with a burgeoning "underground" scene in
its craw.
My friend/inspiration Bert Schoenfeld runs one of the two local record labels
Tiger Epoxy Records. Tiger Epoxy has three releases by local bands and a fourth
on the way.
Arcweld-"Trunkload of Satanized Luggage/Homeboy's Crack"
Bert plays gtr and does vox for Arcweld- which can be described as a primitive
basement-4 track version of Big Black. Noisy gtr, cool bass lines, snappy drums
and seamy lyrics. Arcweld are my local faves just cuz I like cool noisy yet
toe-tappable music.
Miscreants- "Klark/Food/Fix" 7"
Three instantly likable tunes from the local kings of garage-surf rock. Double
gtr action (rhythm and lead) which has fueled many a local gathering. Fred, the
singer sings of the abuse of fast food workers and the pains of needing a fix in
a bad way. Frenzied and likable garage music.
Lupo- "Wrecking Ball EP" 7"
Lupo are straight ahead classic punk, no fancy stuff. Just the facts as
represented by gtr,bass, drums trio. Ajax records described them as " a way
rough train ride by early Dwarves & Circus Lupus." The lyrics are a real hoot
especially the song about slow drivers--instant classic.
forthcoming release by Experiment in Terror "Lullaby EP" 7"
Bert himself described this as 50% gtr/bass noise and 50% electronic noise
caused by the twiddling of multiple knobs. Nerdy good. Bert plays gtr (no vox
this time-instrumental) and I believe local jazz noise pioneer Dave Trenkel of
Das Neonderthrall does the electronics and bass.
All of the above 7inchers are available from Tiger Epoxy for 3 bux postage paid.
Bert would appreciate the help.
Tiger Epoxy Records, PO Box 2207, Corvallis, Or. 97339
The other local label is Gettin' Grumpy Records who have two releases:
"The Seventh Sign of Stress" 10"compilation (comes with comic book and great
creative packaging)
The student run radio station has one of the greatest jazz programs I have ever
heard as they don't have to run any commercials or answer to higher authorities.
Well the jazz noise climate of KBVR has kind of givn rise to this compilation.
Two songs from Arcweld(more hifi than their 7" but still good chopbustin
fingerlickin noise. A few selections from Shovedevil- essential noise bursts
orgasms. Imagin violin screech through guitar fx plus electronic fun. Your
Flesh#26 describes them as "frantic unmusics and subdued violin scratchings
(that) make for a truly swell (and swollen) sound. The aforementioned Das
Neonderthrall are also on this disc and here's what YourFlesh has to say:
"Das Neonderthrall (are) walking the line between agressive rock and fucked
noise that seems ready to implode but never gets around to it." If you like
Naked City/Zorn/Pigpen stylings you'll thank me for this.
Sleep Capsule "Birdthirst" +2 7"
Sleep Capsule are a three piece noise junket from Seattle. Here's what Ajax#16
has to say about them: "Lumbering, subsonic dissonance that recalls Sonic Y on
the A side, Mudhoney/Seaweed (and in a goodway on "Envisionist," and geez,
anyone from Helios Creed to Repulse Kava to the Buttholes in the record- closing
"2nd Mouth."
I got my Grumpy product at the local record store (6 bux for the 10" and 3 for
the 7") but you can get yours (check on prices-first) through Gettin' Grumpy
Records, 36600 Rockhill Dr., Lebanon, OR 97355
Thanks for putting up with me and my mammoth post. I'm going to see Sonic Youth
on the 7th of March and perhaps a review will come later. Dead Moon are playing
in April blah blah blah.
travis d. day (dayt@ucs.orst.edu)
___________________________________________________________________________|
EDITOR: Mark Cornick <mcornick@delphi.com> Charlottesville, VA
SUBMISSIONS: Joshua Houk <houk@athena.cs.uga.edu> Athens, GA
MAILINGS: Liz Clayton <lclayton@uhuru.uchicago.edu> Chicago, IL
ARCHIVIST: Sean Murphy <skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu> Princeton, NJ