INDIE-LIST #5 "No lackeys to the corporate ogre allowed." Moderated by Mark Cornick and Joshua Houk. Mailed worldwide weekly. Fshee! ------------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address, write: cc647@cleveland.freenet.edu To make a submission to the next digest, write: houk@athena.cs.uga.edu Please place "INDIE:" in the subject line of your mail. And now here it comes... ------------------------------------------------------------------ FROM MARK: I'm real poor and haven't bought anything new this week. :( Anyway, though, I'll babble a bit about my band's first gig, at WXJM's birthday party last Friday. The Ice Cream Socialists (formerly called Head Cleaner) blistered through a 45-minute set of half originals (including the infamous "Lite Ketchup") and half covers (of Fugazi, L7, Beat Happening and the Primitives) that went over really well with the medium sized crowd (much moshing, girls screaming at the top of their lungs, etc.) We didn't suck as hard as we thought we would; in fact, we did pretty well (except that Jinhee's vocal amp blew out and you couldn't hear half her vocals. :( But hey, this girl I've got my eye on complimented me on the show--she was really impressed :) :) :) And to top off the night, I was talking to this guy about My Bloody Valentine and he offered me a CD single of "You Made Me Realize"!!! Zow! Hashbrowns at Waffle House at 3.30 AM brought the fantastic evening to a close. (Waffle House, for those outside the Southeast, is a 24-hr breakfast place, much like Denny's or IHOP. According to the menu, they lead the world market in service of coffee, "Scattered & Smothered" hashbrowns, and waffles, and the Georgia market in T-Bone steaks. :) By the way, here's something I've figured out lately: If you've been in a mersh American record store lately, you've probably noticed that a lot of longboxed CDs have red and yellow diamond-shaped stickers on them. Well, the crack Indie-List investigative journalism team have broken the code... The little red and yellow stickers mean that [drum roll] the CD inside is shrinkwrapped. Thus, retailers can throw away the longboxes and still have a shrinkwrapped disc to sell. Da-dum. Damn, and I thought it was some MTV plot to destroy indie-music. :) Thanks to Tom Cochrane (not Mr. "Life Is A Highway" but an unrelated friend and record-retail co-worker of mine) for the info. If you subscribe to GRUNGE-L or read alt.music.alternative, you've no doubt seen Josh's posts about the Debbie Gibson--pardon, Deborah Gibson--mailing list, "Between The Lines." Josh is to be applauded for his perseverance in this matter. The crack Indie-List investigative journalism team will continue to seek out these tough stories--it's our duty as cynics of the net.world. Next: "Babble", the Cure mailing list. :) One day after we proposed the "Bureau Chief Program", we have our first six bureaus open! In case you missed it, we're looking for people in big, musically active areas to write semi-regular columns for the list. In return, you become part of the staff, which means that a) you get to see the list before everyone else (a major perk in itself), b) your name appears in the masthead (at the end of the mailing), and c) you earn the eternal love and respect of Josh and myself (well, hopefully; no promises. :) If this appeals to you, write Mark for more info! As reported, I'm going to Sonic Youth's show on Sunday in Richmond. Look for a tall, slightly goofy-looking guy in a black and white Dr. Seuss hat wearing a "Hi, I'm Mark" button. :) ------------------------------------------------------------------ FROM JOSHUA: Okay - it's about time I contributed something... so here goes: Beat Happening - 'You Turn Me On' (K/Sub Pop) Immediately fell in love with this one. Yeah - Bret, Heather, and Calvin are kinda accessible this time out, but the songwriting on this lil beauty is incredible! There's some more garagey-pop tunes here (with due credit going to Steve Fisk's production), but you also get a good dose of mellow-ish pretty stuff. Yes, the "Evil Calvin" does make an appearance... :). Necessary. Heavenly - 'Le Jardin De Heavenly' (Sarah/K) Sean Murphy reviews this later on, and much better than I could (my writing's sub-par today for some reason...yuck). Just let me add that 1) it's available domestically now, and 2) I agree 100% with him! Completely lovable pop that'll make you want to go out give give everyone great big hugs...! (hey - my muse is coming back!) Jesus Lizard - 'Liar' (Touch And Go) Yeah - this 'un packs a whallop. Will do fine til' the Laughing Hyaenas EP comes out :) ! Their best since 'Head' - a bit more tight and bass-heavy, which suits me finer and finer. Minus side: they're starting to sound a bit too much like Rapeman. Zines: ------ FOUR LETTER WORDS #2 w/ Allen Clapp/Bridge flexi 7" ($2, but be nice and add a buck or two for postage, to 17 Heritage Ct., Belmont, CA 94002 USA) Nice 7" size 28 pg zine that's kinda brief on content, but what's there is ultra cool... Stuff on Summershine, Wimp Factor 14, Engine No. 9, Mousefolk, Bridge, the McTells, and the Dambuilders. Also a buncha zine reviews of stuff I've never heard of, but wish I did. Also - a groovy guide to putting out budget pop rekkids - and the first such article I've seen not to recommend sending stuff to K Mastering in Cali (their view: why bother? It's budget pop!). Cool layout. Most importantly - comes with a one-sided flexi with the excellent Allen Clapp and the really good Japanese indie-popsters Bridge. My head is swimmin' folks. (Pen pals, too!) MOTORBOOTY #6 ($3 to Motorbooty World-wide Communications, PO Box 7944, Ann Arbor MI 48107) Great issue!! Two prima donnas here: "The Motorbooty Generation" - a scary overview of us grungy folks out there, and a nice-sized article on the wonderful Firesign Theatre, the best comedy group bar none (just to let you know - Negativland when they started were compared oft-times to Firesign!). Comix (all cool!) by Terry LaBan, Mary Fleener, the Pizz, and Lloyd Dangle. A Miles Davis transitory fusion period recap and the hilarious "Meet Camile Paglia" make this a must have. Also there's a Blowfly article that I found pretty enlightening - amazing considering I think he's a dork. Tis' all for now... ------------------------------------------------------------------ In this issue, our power pop thread continues, plus info from Sean Murphy on Heavenly, the Lilys, etc., miscellany from our Chicago bureau, the Afghan Whigs live in Edinburgh, and an announcement of the new Fall mailing list. (Eat y'self fitter!) So here we go: ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Joshua John Buergel <jbbb+@andrew.cmu.edu> First, as the first message in the latest indie list indicates, not everybody likes Pegboy (matter o' fact, alot of people seem to think that they are boring and derivative). I like 'em, and I know Bill Peregoy does (he recommended them to me), but you may want a listen to them first. Ditto for Flop. Bill Peregoy seemed not to like them, I love them, and I know there are people in both camps. I still think that it is wonderful catchy poppish stuff, but your mileage may vary. Try to catch a listen to both of them before you buy. I've heard some bad things about Green Day, and I've heard some really good things. Since I'm always ready to take a gamble, I'll give them a try. Is there anybody out there who can review the latest album? Hmmm...I've herad of Samiam before, but have never actually heard any of their stuff. I might have to investigate. I've heard Shudder To Think before, and although it was a bit on the sparse side, I did enjoy it. Their newest LP is quite good, although anybody who is bothered by the 'emo-core' sound should avoid it, because Shudder To Think tends to sound very much like the emo-core bands (i.e. almost anything on Dischord). Aren't there two D.I.s? The D.I. I have heard is an album entitled "What Good Is Grief To A God", I think (it was my friend's). Pretty decent stuff for the most part, although the lyrics aren't too varied (he reminded me of nothing so much as Circus Lupus' vocalist), and the guitar work wasn't terribly varied either. Nevertheless, it was a pretty good listen. Can anyone say for certain if there are indeed two D.I.s? Good. I've wanted to get a listen to [411] for a while, and I now have an excuse. Thanks. I'm going record shopping tomorrow, so reviews will likely follow this message. Oh, and Interscope grabs another band. What is up with these guys? Geez. [Interscope have signed Cop Shoot Cop, too. Sigh. - Mark] ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Joshua John Buergel <jbbb+@andrew.cmu.edu> Some reviews of things I picked up today: Surgery, Nationwide (Amphetamine Reptile ARR 89201) I love the "Little Debbie" single, so I decided to pick this up, since I also enjoyed their Peel Sessions tracks, and the track on the Ugly American Overkill sampler is pretty cool too. So far, so good. However, this album just didn't do much for me. There isn't anything in particular wrong with it; but there isn't anything really great about it either. Just basic guitar wrock with nothing in particular to distinguish it. I'd pass on this one and wait for a new album (does anybody know when Surgery is supposed to have a new album?). 411, _This Isn't Me_ (Workshed Records/Cargo WSR 007) Cool stuff. These guys play power pop ala ALL, Big Drill Car, etc., and play it well. The guitar work is nice and varied (which is often my complaint with many power pop bands), and the lyrics are actually somewhat meaningful. In addition, the vocals are delivered pretty forcefully. If you like the whole power pop thing, check these guys out. Green Day, Kerplunk! (Lookout Records #46) Okay, I'll admit it, this record really sits right with me. I'd seen alot of things on these guys recently, some good and some bad. But it intrigued me enough to buy the album. I'll say that these guys also have the same punk pop deal going, but they do it with a good sense of humor, and it is executed well. Just 16 entertaining songs that goes down well. Again, check it out if you like good melodic punk, although these guys don't hit quite as hard as some of the other bands out there. Negativland, _The Letter U and the Numeral 2_ (Seeland 008) This is a magazine and CD combo that describes the entire sordid U2 affair in lurid detail. It includes faxes, letters, press releases, articles, legal documents and an interview of the Edge by Mark Hosler and Don Joyce of Negativland. It makes a great read and is a must have for any N'land fan (not to mention the fact that it is supporting N'land). The CD that comes with it is outtakes from their radio show, and like all of their radio show material, is pretty spotty. It is mostly Crosley Bendrix's take on the copyright laws. The package is worth it for the magazine. Support Negativland in their time of need. This is a limited edition of 4000, so buy it soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Sean Keric Murphy <skmurphy@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> There will be no misunderstandings this time. This is intended for the indie list. Please treat it as such (edit my misspellings if you have to...). [Joshua notes: Sean has the esteemed honor of being the first indie-list member to have his post rejected. Sean sent in a review of the Heavenly/Lois Maffeo show in NY, which was - by his account - a very, very fine thing. The article was very good, and in my best judgement, I decided that it was too good for the indie-list, and kept it all to myself... Okay - maybe not. Truth is, I accidentally deleted his letter before I realized it was intended for the i-list. Mucho apologies to everyone, 'cause it was a very good review. Damn.] Some record reviews, live show reviews, and other stuff from the cultural pit of Princeton, NJ... Le Jardin de Heavenly -- Heavenly (Sarah LP) This record rules, although it can never match up to the phenomenal live show they put on at Maxwell's on 9/19. 8 songs, with beautiful harmonies, catchy choruses, neat hooks, and as if you needed anymore, a guest appearance by Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening. I paid $12 for the import vinyl, and was not really disappointed at all. If you can wait for the domestic release on K, there will be two extra songs from a Sarah 7" that came out last year. But I couldn't wait, and I'm not the typical "church of Sarah" indie kid (at least not yet...:) This band is wonderful, cute, fun, everything. Hell, at their show, I only knew two songs in advance (their K single) and I still loved the whole thing. Dave and Alex from Small Factory made a guest appearance to sing Calvin's parts in "C Is The Heavenly Option" (unfortunately, the fucker who books Maxwell's wouldn't let S.F. open because the lineup of Heavenly, Lois Maffeo, and SF would have been too "twee" :( ) and I actually like the live version better, even though Calvin rocks. If you can get the import stuff easily and love this band, go ahead and do it. It's worth it (and I hate buying pricey imports). In The Presence Of Nothing - Lilys (Slumberland LP/CD) MBV plus a little Spacemen 3 plus MBV plus more MBV...it's great. I'm not the hugest MBV fan, but as my pal Jon explains it, "Stuff like the Lilys and the Swirlies are for those of us who don't like MBV." It's got some really pretty songs (...Black Orchids, Claire Hates Me) and a bunch of good ones. Basically a great LP all around, another step in the Slumberland world domination plan. On the CD, they include "Threw A Day" from the 7", but they do it at track 9 and omit the name, leaving "Claire Hates Me" as track 10, the final cut on the CD. Ignore the technical fuckup - this record rocks, it's like the perfect music for a cloudy Saturday afternoon when the snow begins to fall real softly, sticking to all the tree branches and all. There's limited edition vinyl (but supposedly, it's mastered pretty badly) and widely available CD produced by spinART, a label from Lancaster, PA (the same folks who put out the fine CD compilation, "One Last Kiss"). One note: Laura Superchunk and Laura Bricks are two totally different people. Bricks was Mac, Andrew (now in Tsunami!), Josh, and Laura Cantrell, while Chunk is now Mac, Jim, Jon, and Laura Ballance. A minor note, but an important one to me (Girl With The Carrot Skin was the first indie 7" I ever bought, and it's one of my all-time favorites - I wish so much that I had seen Bricks live...). If anyone is gonna be in the Princeton area around November 19th, we (my friend Matthew and I) are putting on a show with Tsunami and Spent (new band from the former lead singer of Our American Cousins) and maybe this new band from Princeton opening (the band doesn't really exist yet, but I'm doing my best to find a drummer :) ). For more info, e-mail me. It should be fun, and by then the new Tsunami LP should be out. BTW, this LP will rule tremendously. And for you noise-freaks out there, this strange LP just appeared at our station about a week ago. The band is called Shopwell, and the LP is called "Peanuts". It's self-released, and the band is now defunct. Super NYC house/techno dude Moby is involved, but this isn't techno. This resides firmly in the universe of Jandek, Dead C, and Vocokesh, a fun place to hang out. There are no real songs, as each side is just a continuously shifting wall of noise. It's so great, I can't even begin to describe it. If anyone wants more info, drop me a line and I'll try to find out more. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Liz Clayton, Chicago BC <lclayton@uhuru.uchicago.edu> First I'll start off with a plug for something that I benefit from not one whit, but you might give a dog's leg's shake about it so I'll mention it thusly: I mail out a weekly showslist for the Chicago area, which you can get by requesting it from me at lclayton@uhuru.uchicago.edu. No funny header requirements or nothing, I'm a person, not a mail reading script. The list is updated every Thursday (maybe Friday if I'm busy), and is pretty comprehensive. Order yours today!... Saw Sonic Youth at the Riv Monday night, and I'm still whipped from the show. Only stuff not on Dirty that they played was "Kool Thing", "Silver Rocket", "Teenage Riot", and a very screwed-up lyricswise (as in Lee forgot most of them) version of "Genetic" (a terrific song off the "100%" EP that I like better than most everything off the new album itself). I skipped Royal Trux, because I never understood them, and never really cared to. Their product seemed to be selling pretty well, though. SY played a good set, have fun at the Indie-List Event on Sunday, guys, I'll be there in spirit.. If you don't yet own the Scrawl "Misery"/"Just Plain Bad" SOL 7", change your ways. I know, it's hardly "new", but it's been in my head all day, and you owe it to yourself to cause the same in your head. Favorite jams of late, recent and otherwise: The Wedding Present, "Loveslave" The Jean Paul Sartre Experience, anything Severin, _Acid to Ashes, Rust to Dust_ the Kicking Giant song on the _International Pop Underground_ CD Soft Boys, _Underwater Moonlight_ Ryko reissue Chris Knox, _Seizure_ LP Versus, "Astronaut"/"Insomnia" 7" The Jesus Lizard, _Liar_ Eugenius, _Oomalama_ Seeya next week, kids. Zoom. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Lindsay Watt (lindsay@maths.ed.ac.uk) October 3rd, Edinburgh Venue. I'm not particularly familiar with the work of the Afghan Whigs, but I thought I'd go see them anyway, what with them being on Sub Pop and all that. I had a bit of extra cash to spend anyway, after forgetting to buy a ticket for the Sugar gig the next day. Damn!! Support was from Boyfriend, a local band, apparently made up of members of Teenage Fanclub's roadcrew. They were utter rubbish. I wasn't that excited about the Whigs either. They played alright I guess, I just found the music a bit passionless. They seemed to be putting a reasonable amount of effort into the show, but a lot of the songs ended up sounding pretty much the same, chugging along aimlessly for a while before stepping up a few gears and thrashing around. That said, however, they did have some fine songs, and at times sounded like a particularly active Dinosaur Jr. I think I might have enjoyed them on a good day. Lindsay. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Milquetoast <chris@wg.estec.esa.nl> A mailing list dedicated to The Fall is now available. To subscribe send email to fall-request@wg.estec.esa.nl Regards, Chris ------------------------------------------------------------------ The information that used to appear here is now in a separate FAQ file. This file will be mailed monthly. Should you want one at any time, just mail Mark at cc647@cleveland.freenet.edu for a copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------ THE FABULOUS INDIE-LIST STAFF MODERATORS Mark Cornick, stu_m1cornic@vax1.acs.jmu.edu (Harrisonburg, VA) Joshua Houk, houk@athena.cs.uga.edu (Athens, GA) BUREAU CHIEFS (this area under construction) Liz Clayton, lclayton@uhuru.uchicago.edu (Chicago, IL) Richard Kasperowski, richk@icad.COM (Boston, MA) Keren Kurti, kk2i+@andrew.cmu.edu (Pittsburgh, PA) Brian May, Brian.May@mel.dit.csiro.au (Melbourne, AUS) Kimmo Saaskilahti, trkisa@uta.fi (Tampere, FINLAND) Marc Wandschneider, storm@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (Montreal, PQ) Thiggedy-thiggedy-thiggedy-that's all folks. Mark & Josh Well she's dumb and you're dumb and...I'm dumb. - My New Boyfriend (also to appear on the Grenadine LP) [thanks to Sean Murphy for the quote]