Indie-List_V2_N35
Coming to you live, and rough, and direct,
this is one off the Criminal Minded LP...
The Indie List Digest
Volume 2, Number 35
December 3, 1993
(damn, it's already December!)
In this friendly issue...
Message from yo, la Moderator
DQE/Seersucker/Erectus Monotone
AK79 review
adam west/velocity girl at 9:30, dc...11/29/93
SLAY TRACKS
akfds;jlk
I-L article: YoLa in DC and NYC
insane thoughts
CUB
East River Pipe and Various other record reviews
the childrens TV world of rock!
Skinned Teen, and some Pansy Division gossip
Rock Against Sexism's Last Bash (Cambridge, MA)
self-promotion and then some
**********
But first...
This issue has inadvertently become the super-Unrest issue of the
Indie-List. Don't ask me why, but almost every article mentions
Arlington, VA's favorite major-label trio...totally bizarre and
definitely unplanned.
For the record: I LOVE UNREST. Fuck you all. :)
I went record shopping yesterday for the first time in about a month...
it was a richly rewarding experience for my ears (if not for my
wallet...). Highlights:
Shudder To Think / Unrest : Catch Of The Day 7" (Union Hall Records,
P.O. Box 26269, Wilmington, DE 19899)
A re-issue of this rare split single (the original copy I saw at Pier
Platters about 8 weeks ago was at least $15, but it did have the fishing
net...). Haven't listened yet, but I'm guessing that the Unrest tune is
a KKB-era out-take (much like the "Sammy Supreme My Man" 7") and the
Shudder song won't be quite so artsy-weird as the most recent stuff. A
provisional * 3/4 on reputation alone. :)
The Blue Orchids : A View From The City CD (Playtime Records, 27 Church
St. Manchester, UK M4 1QA)
May the deity/ies of your choice bless the cut-out CD bins. This was $4
and I'd been looking for it for quite a while. I'm not really qualified
to say much about this right now (as I went straight from record store
to computer cluster - no listening time) except that this was Martin
Bramah's band that he started after leaving The Fall, and I love the
song "Bad Education" as covered by NYC noise-folks Timber. Other people
have recommended this to me in the past (Andrew Beaujon for one, and
Douglas Wolk for another), and I'm glad I've tracked it down.
The Raincoats : The Raincoats. (Rough Trade UK)
YIPPIE! It's the first fucking Raincoats LP, the one that Kurt Cobain
spazzed about in the liners to Incesticide, along with a couple bonus
tracks tacked on (notably, "In Love" from an early 7" and the "Wanna Buy
A Bridge" comp). For someone with my early-80s fetish, this is one of
the ultimate holiday gifts ever. And DGC is supposed to be releasing
"Odyshape", the second LP, this winter... For the uninitiated, the
Raincoats were one of the early Rough Trade bands, and they sound like a
really tripped out Young Marble Giants - same sparseness, same style of
off-key female vocals, but much, much weirder. The screechy violin of
"In Love" will blow your mind. ** based on "In Love" alone...and it's
available on vinyl or CD (no bonus tracks on CD so save the extra 5
dollars in the US).
Teenbeat 50 (TeenBeat/Matador)
Damn, Gerard finally pulled his head out of his ass hole. TeenBeat 50
is out, and apparently "Fuck Pussy Galore" is soon to follow... These
two records are a major part of the reason I bitch about Matador so
often...these records were supposed to come out back in 1990, winter '91
at the latest, so we're looking at a 3 year delay. THANKS, GERARD. :P
If this had come out in 1990/1, it would have been an incredibly cool
slice of indie-rock of the "now and near future" - Velocity Girl, Eggs,
Superconductor, Sexual Milkshake, Jonny Cohen, Autoclave, Vomit Launch,
Circus Lupus, and more. Now, it's a nice slice of the recent past -
seven of the original 14 bands have broken up. The CD has a bonus
section of tunes from TeenBeat cassettes - Clarence (the Mark-and-Phil
side project), Jungle George and the Plague, the Krokodiloes circa 1958
(when Mark's dad was at Harvard) - and other oddities, like "Helter
Skillet" (Calvin Johnson and Kathleen Hanna). Oh well, I'll still find
reasons to bitch at Gerard (sell-out) and his lame-ass lackey Johan "I
have the coolest collection of singles" Kugelberg (the man responsible
for the "Killed By Death" compilation LPs...). TeenBeat 50 has earned a
high place in my heart after just one listen... ** 1/4
I also scored another Petula Clark LP, and a copy of fIREHOSE's "Ragin'
Full On", and a CD of two Feedtime LPs for $2 each... I guess you could
say it was a good day. :)
Sean
skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
**********
From: "K. Lena Bennett" <keb@u.washington.edu>
Message from yo, la Moderator
Re the subject of "kids" running the list: I'll have it be known that I
haven't been a college student for nigh on seven years now.... I haven't
cracked the "30" barrier quite yet, but I do feel it creeping up on me
from time to time....
Well, we had a lot of lurkers submit this time, so I guess my prodding
has done some good.
By the way, for those who are going to accuse me of ragging on Unrest too
much in my parenthetical comments this issue, remind yourself that I may
be only joking.....
Lena keb@u.washington.edu
"Hey! That's the guy from Nirvana," she said curtly....
[Hey! I already warned you! NO MORE TOM SWIFTIES! This isn't fucking
"Boys Life" magazine! :) - Sean]
**********
From: Joshua Lee Houk <houk@mind.ORG>
DQE/Seersucker/Erectus Monotone
Well, Atlanta's seen the eclipse of it's two brightest stars (wait a
minute - do stars get eclipsed? Oh, to hell with the analogy... and don't
correct my grammar either!). DQE, the unique duo of Grace Braun and Chris
Verene, is now dead in the water. Yes, it was a nice spilt. These two
(and the people who've helped over the years) made the South not suck
quite as much - from their loud, noisy, kinda incompetent shows at the
Destroy All Music fests of seven or so years back to their barnstorming
free-for-alls of the past year. Now, they're only a memory - but one that
you can relive via their still pretty recent Feel Good All Over release
_but me, I fell down_ and their cassette Rehabilly. Grace is now going
full out with her fiancee with their project Red Cloud, who have quite a
few shows lined up in Dec., including an opening spot for Jad Fair 'rond
the middle of the month in Atlanta.
Seersucker fizzled, probably due to their terminal case of
revolving-bassist syndrome. No word on new projects (gee, sounds so
clinical, but I digress...), 'cept that Chris Lopez is looking for people
to play with.
And, a review!
ERECTUS MONOTONE - Close Up (Merge) Their second mini-LP, and this shows a
nice progression from their Rave ep from last year. A little bit more lax
and loungy, but also a bit more heady and likable. I did like 'em harsh,
but they still have a nail on the smooth, disjointed schtick they do so
well. Pop with jagged edges, and enough to give you a few
self-satisfactory smiles during your stay. (*1/2).
Personal news (like you really care): I now have access to a cd player!
This means I can buy all the Dead C re-issues I want! Hahahaha... And,
no, I won't complain about my love life, thankyouverymuch, though if you
wanna know..............
Anyhow - off for now...
Joshua Houk
post-modern post-moderator
houk@mind.org (isn't that a killer email address? hee)
--
mind.org 404/659-5720 Public Access Usenet in Atlanta
**********
From: Ralph Brandi <ralph@mtunp.att.com>
AK79 review
In the interests of increasing indie internationalization....
AK79, Flying Nun FNCD 279/Propellor REV 503, 1979/1993
The long-awaited re-release of the fabled AK79 compilation of early NZ
punk bands is out, and rates about 17 stars on the 5 star scale. (More
star inflation.)
A lot of non-kiwis don't know it, but there was a lot of music in New
Zealand before Flying Nun came on the scene. There were even a few
independent labels before FN. One of those labels, Ripper Records, in
1979 talked six bands into giving them 2 songs each, to be released in a
tiny pressing as AK79. The album sold out quickly, and has not been
available since (false rumors of a Flying Nun reissue on vinyl in the mid-
to late-80s notwithstanding).
Flying Nun and the resurrected Propellor Records have finally reissued the
record, with the addition of 13 other tracks, either extra tracks from
bands included on the original AK79, or tracks from bands who weren't
included on the original because they had other records out.
New Zealand music was probably more influenced by the original roar of
punk rawk muzik than that of any country other than England, and this
album provides ample evidence of the results. There's plenty of thrash,
from bands like Proud Scum and Suburban Reptiles, back-to-basics from
Terrorways, power pop from Swingers.
Fans of Flying Nun will probably be most interested in rare tracks from
Toy Love, probably the most influential band in late-70s NZ, and ancestor
of Tall Dwarfs (Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate) and The Bats (Paul Kean).
In addition to the two songs they contributed to the original AK79 is an
absolutely incredible version of "Frogs" that I believe was only ever
released on an early compilation on Bomp Records in the US. I've never
heard Knox sounding quite so evil. A revelation, one that would make the
album a must even without the other bands included.
The original album and the extra tracks fit together damned near
seamlessly, and I would be hard pressed to pick out a duff track on the
CD. The album contains extensive liner notes and lots of pictures. A few
of the extra tracks also appear on the *Bigger Than Both of Us* 2CD
compilation, but most of them are only available on singles and
way-out-of-print compilation albums from the early 80s.
Essential to anyone with an interest in the music of New Zealand and how
it got the way it is today. AK79 provides an ideal soundtrack to the
sections of the history *Stranded in Paradise* dealing with the first
explosions of punk in NZ, and even without that book at your side provides
a valued peek into a scene without which New Zealand would still mean
sheep to most non-kiwis on this list. Buy or Die.
Flying Nun, P.O. Box 677, Auckland, NZ
phone +64 9 3774-607 fax +64 9 366-0422
**********
From: solomon falls on his face in love with me
<STU_KEFITZGE@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU>
adam west/velocity girl at 9:30, dc...11/29/93
well, i thought it was going to be just another cool vg show where the
crowd is hyped and the opening band is appealing...could i have been more
wrong?? adam west, the openers, are THE example of recycled rock. the
band members all wore suits and ties like some random ska band while the
lead singer looked like jim morrison meets alice in chains. the music was
pretty cool....good bassist and the drummer was a big cutey....he giggled
through the whole show. but the singer guy has got to go...he really
thought he was jim morrison...every song was one that you could have sworn
you'd heard before!! their set ended and the customary videos began
running on the monitors..."look! the new unrest video" and then we began
to discuss bridget and the time unrest performed at jmu. boy, they
sucked..."and they seemed so unhappy to be there." unrest bashing had
begun.
velocity girl took the stage. i was excited... i think i was the
only one. sarah came to the mic and said "we're velocity girl and i'm
bridget....sarah from unrest is in the crowd tonight." i turned...oh look
who was behind me!!! bridget!! i turned away and giggled endlessly.
vg did a strange set last night. it was all new stuff except for
three songs :audrey's eyes, crazy town, and what you say (an old one
available on a simple machines comp from '91--good song!!). as usual,
they were very energetic..the new stuff doesn't seem to have that
intoxicating vocal strength however. the most disappointing part was the
crowd...they were completely disinterested, so when the set ended (and we
could see that the encore songs were already planned on the setlist),
nobody cheered, so vg left and never came back!! very peculiar for a vg
show, i know. the guys came out after 10 minutes and everyone had pretty
much left already....what a disappointment...oh well, so much for that!
maybe better luck next time.....
watch out for bridget...she's a tricky one,
daedalia :)
**********
From: PATRICK PADUA <PADUA@MAIL.LOC.GOV>
SLAY TRACKS
"Pseudo Indie Label" (no address, unfortunately, but it's UK) has just
released a great (and great-sounding) Pavement live boot. This includes
the same Brixton academy set that a certain gracious lister recently
offered up, but while the tape that has been circulating is an alright
audience tape, for CD release "PIL" has procured a crystal-clear FM
broadcast tape. Even at $20 buxx for vinyl (CD is a better deal at $25
with 6 bonus tracks), it's well worth it; it's a great performance, with
versions of "Summer babe" and "Frontwards" that top the studio versions :
just a -little- looser, enough to passionizeate and right on the edge of
losing control completely but instead of flailing in chaos they heroically
teeter on the edge thereof and all that faux critic stuff etc.
The vinyl has the one Brixton set and "Greenlander", which is credited to
some zine flexi but is identical to the version on BORN TO CHOOSE. The CD
bonus tracks are from another UK show, recorded a bit muddy but still fine
by boot standards. Dunno who's distributing it, but I got my copy at Vinyl
Ink.
And lemme pitch in my pence with the minority who think that the No
Alternative cut -is- a tribute to REM. Pavement doesn't ever strike me as
-ironic-, just oblique, and it sounds to me like an oblique honor to
popsters whose melodies Pavement have occasionally aspired to ("Here",
"Trigger cut", whatever). It also BOOTS MINE ARSE, and I don't normally
speak in such tone - seriously, that comp is worth it just for the
Pavement track - unless it ends up on the new LP whever that happens...
Pat
**********
From: Steven Silverstein <cs141091@cs.brown.edu>
akfds;jlk
Two shows to mumble about at the moment:
Yo La Tengo/Lorelei at 9:30 Club, DC, 11/25/93.
Lorelei were on first. They were quite tight and played well.
The train sounds between songs were annoying though, and the set got a bit
redundant, with less of the noisy parts that make them sort of unique. Yo
La played quite a solid show finishing their tour. They played for a long
time with tons of songs in the encores, finishing with a more rock
"Speeding Motorcycle" than on Fakebook with Fred, their producer, on
guitar. More obscure covers from Kinks ("Better Things"?), Antietam, and
some song John Doe wrote for some other band. More song oriented with
less noise freakouts than their Providence set. Real good. About my only
complaint was Georgia's voice, which was a bit weary from the constant
touring from the last 2 months or so, though still very pretty.
Shudder to Think cancelled for Black Cat in DC again on the 26th. Oh, Yo
La was the 24th too.
Halo Bit/Flying Nuns/Haystack Calhoun at Last Call Saloon, Providence,
11/28/93. Haystack Calhoun are a new local band that aren't bad but are
rather dull. Don't rush to see them if they come to your town, but they
probably won't. Boston's Flying Nuns were on next. A bit redundant and
unoriginal, but very good at what they do and solid and worth seeing.
Good, unamazing. Finally Halo Bit. I still don't know quite what to make
of them. The constant instrument switching, often using dual bassists,
blah blah blah. Maybe they should all switch back to bass, which I think
is the natural instrument for all of them. Probably not though. It's
nifty and I'm glad to have caught them. Quite a mumbled review (for a
change). Sorry.
Other stuff. Little. I like the new Kudgel 7" quite a bit, if I hadn't
mentioned that. The best part is the writing on the inside groove. One
side reads "CHIMP ROCK IS DEAD", while the other reads "LONG LIVE LARD
ROCK". Mine, no. 81/1000, came on gray marble vinyl. Don't know how many
others do. Not much small factory gossip (first time in awhile for any
from me though). Dave's "new" guitar is really an old Italian J&G he got
for like $100, and it goes out of tune a lot. He's busy recording Kam
Lung (Dave Derby from Dambuilders' sideproject), Honeybunch, Purple Ivy
Shadows, and a bunch of other people I'm forgetting, and needs a break
from touring after 80+ live shows this year.
The spinART/Sony deal predates my mentioning it, and in fact isn't as
simple as a direct purchase. It doesn't affect all of the bands on the
label, and kind of resembles the Atlantic/Matador deal but doesn't really.
Since I'd mentioned it awhile back, I figured I'd make some effort to
clarify what I'd gotten wrong, or really correct it, since the whole
arrangement is unclear and I don't know (or care) all that much.
Finally, if you're hoping to catch Velvet Crush before they're huge
big-label stars, they're playing a fairly secret show up here (Providence)
this weekend E-mail me for more info.
-Steve
**********
From: "Harris, Terry J." <HARRISTJ@f1groups.fsd.jhuapl.edu>
I-L article: YoLa in DC and NYC
Yo La Tengo/Lorelei at 9:30 Club and Yo La Tengo/Scrawl/Timber/Peter
Stampfel at CBGBs
(Having lurked for a while, and with the ever-so-gentle encouragement by
the management in the last several indie-list issues, I think I'm ready.
Here goes my first review (travelogue?) for mass consumption)
A Yo La Tengo Thanksgiving spectacular, it was -- shows at DC's 9:30 Club
the Wednesday before and at NYC's CBGBs the Friday after. Except for the
incident with the Delaware State Patrol and a particularly obnoxious gas
station attendant on the NJ Turnpike, the road trip was most excellent.
First though, I suppose it would be only fair to say that I've been a Yo
La Tengo fan for a long time, and that opinionwise, methinks their last
two albums are flawless (and Fakebook is nearly so). It would also be fair
for me to admit to being a longtime Scrawl fan too. So, when the gushing
begins in the next paragraph, you can discount it as much as you'd like.
At the 9:30, Lorelei opened. I don't really know anything about them, so I
won't be able to give you their mailing address or discography or zodiac
charts. However, they are to Unrest what say, generic shoegazers are to My
Bloody Valentine. They had a not-very-nifty slide show thing for visual
relief and a tape of train noises for audio relief for those between-song
lulls. (Yep, lots of train noises, there were.)Overall, mostly because I
like Unrest-y stuff, not bad, but nowhere near great.
However, Yo La Tengo's DC set was near perfect. Mostly from the new album
and May I Sing With Me, the mood went from trance-inducing organ-drone
soft Georgia-singing stuff to the full-feedback Ira-flailing stuff, with
other levels in between.
Ira apologized for their (not noticeable) bad mood because their van had
been towed by DC's finest. For the DC crowd (as precise as memory allows)
Says Ira: "Now I know how Ian MacKaye feels"
Says an incredulous Georgia: "Oh really?!"
Says Ira: "Yeah, I bet he gets his van towed a lot"
Non-album cool stuff included a Tara Key song, and two encores featuring a
Kinks song and a John Doe song (Dedicated to their Thanksgiving Day drive
home to New York, "Let's get through New York" (or something like that)
was the shouted chorus. Editors, moderators, fact-checkers and lyrics
nerds, please insert exact title here.) The finale put their new album's
co-producer Fred on guitar for a loud, fun version of "Speeding
Motorcycle." Drove to NYC immediately after, and was crossing the
Susquehanna before the excitement wore off.
I don't visit NYC often. Hardly ever, actually. Had a most fabulous time.
Spent lotsa money. Saw a parade. And after years of Clubbing, it was my
first trip to CBGB, and hey, what's with all those tables?
Peter Stampfel (who contributed backing thingies for YLT's Fakebook, I
believe) opened with a decidedly unrehearsed and kinda silly acoustic set
that was quite charming nonetheless. Timber, about which I know next to
nothing, played a jazz-ish set that sounded nicely polished, but was
lacking in song quality -- after stylish noodling and jamming, songs ended
abruptly, kinda like the band wasn't quite finished writing them or that
they were at rehearsal and playing only parts of them. I dunno, merely
opinions, of course.
Scrawl was, as usual, most excellent. They played mostly newer stuff (from
the just out Velvet Hammer album, I hadn't heard it before the show -- I
play it lots now.) To their own surprise, they were cajoled into playing a
verse or two of "Rocky Top" as part of an encore. Didn't play "Charles"
despite the not-quite-obnoxious insistence of the shaved-head guy beside
me.
Yo La Tengo's set was (again) somewhat beyond sublime -- I ranged from
simple and quiet head-swaying to full-force feedback hair flopping.
Although totally rearanged, the song selection was similar to DC's show --
mostly the best of the Painful and May I Sing With Me records. Live, I
thought the Painful songs (as they did in DC) had more of a bite than the
recorded versions, and I liked it that way. (opinions again)
Cool non-album stuff: The all-new encore included a song dedicated to
CBGBs anniversary that Ira said that Alex Chilton covered many years ago
live on the CBGB stage. Although I've accepted Alex Chilton as my personal
savior, I didn't recognize the song -- sounded Iggy Pop-ish. (Please
embarass me with e-mail if somebody knows what that song was.) Then YLT
were joined by Tara Key who played guitar on a version of Jackson Brown's
(!!) "Somebody's Babe" (or whatever its called.) Tara's guitar strap
wasn't behaving, so she played sitting on the stage behind the organ.
Caught a cab. (YLT also played Saturday night at CBGB, but I went record
shopping instead.) Returned to Charm City Sunday.
terry_harris@jhuapl.edu
**********
From: Glenn Susser <glenns@panix.com>
insane thoughts
Will the moderator please invoke rule 14568.6c, ya know the one that
states NO MORE TALK OF TSUNAMI OR UNREST for the rest of the decade??
[Well, I can't invoke any arbitrary rules or I'll get accused of being a
fascist or something, but I can at least nod my head in sympathy.... -
Lena]
[THERE WILL BE NO SUCH RULE. HA. - Sean :) ]
My thanks to Liz, who has gotten me in hot water by learnin' me my new
word for the week, fucktard (and so vividly defined by Sean.) My boss, not
bein' a rock and roll kind of guy, wasn't overly amused by the bathroom
grafitti -- "Philippe, LE FUCKTARD, ate here."
[Wait a minute, I'm pretty damn sure that "fucktard" is one of my
swear-words from traumatic summer camp days in New Hampshire...I could
tell the whole story, but it isn't that interesting... - Sean]
How 'bout a top 10 list for tshirts? How 'bout a thsirt list, just like
the for sale indie list? (actually, i'm just curious what size y'all
wear.)
glenn, away for the 1990s
**********
From: Hortense Powdermaker <BHD2@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA>
CUB
Here's an article on a Canadian band that everyone should know about:
Cub/LP/ Betti-Cola
One of Canada's best kept secrets is a band out of Vancouver named
Cub. They are Lisa on bass and vocals, Robyn on guitar, and Valerie and
Neko who take turns drumming for the trios debut album, Betti- Cola, on
Mint Records. Cub originally released their first single called "Pep" in
October of 1992, and since then have released one more 7" entitles " Hot
Dog Day" (one that has recieved considerable air play on Canada's radio
stations, including the one I volunteer for here at McGill, CKUT) that
came out May of 1993, all on Mint. A few weeks ago Cub released their
first Lp, Betti-Cola, with neato-licious Josie and the Pussycats theme
art, and cool tour pictures and descriptions inside. The Cd includes the
first two 7" eps plus fifteen brand new songs (some of which were produced
by a very talented Pat Maley at the world famous-indie-pop YoYo studios in
Olympia. Some of the other tracks were recorded here in Montreal at Noizi
Studios by Adam Sloan (of Sloan) and Cub themselves. This album is really
fun to listen to, it combines the cute pop of a Blast Off Country Style
asthetic with more complicated and harmonized Lois-like vocals and guitar
styles. Some times I even hear a little Heavenly influence creep in, but
overall Cub are very original in their songwriting. The address for Mint
Records if anyone is interested is:699-810 W. Broadway, Vancouver, British
Columbia, V52 4C9. Meanwhile I'll leave you with this quote from the end
of their second seven inch:" And if your ears are soar, And you can't take
more, Just around the corner, and it's the sound, of cuddle- core!"
Jonah
Bhd2@musicb.mcgill.ca
**********
From: Joy Fisher <71511.16@CompuServe.COM>
East River Pipe and Various other record reviews
Hi Kids
I'm back again with some super ghoul record reviews.
East River Pipe "Goodbye California" 10"Ep (Sarah records, of course)
This has to be record of the year! This man is incredible. F.M.
Corndog is able to use his past suffering and create the most beautiful
music. He's able to use the best Sarah riffs created to bring about an
absolutely flawless 10". East River Pipe will and has kind of already
become the next big Sarah band.
Various Artists "Girls in the Garage" (Romulan records)
I guess this is sort of a review of the 6 pieces of vinyl (maybe
there's more but this was all I can find) which are devoted to '60s girls
bands. On these 6 or more comps., one can find mostly pop and surf-guitar
style music. But it's not crap like you think it would be. It's great
stuff. Some of it would even make most Estrus band's jealous. If you like
'50s and '60s music, then you'll probably looooove these comps.
Nelories "banana" 7" and B-Flower "stay still" 7" (Sugarfrost records)
I lumped these two together because they're both from the
incredible English based label that puts out Japanese pop groups (mostly).
They put out a fab. comp. entitled Birth of the True which is super
recommended for Sarah/K pop nuts. The Nelories and B-Flower were both on
it. The Nelories, to start, are so rad. They're basically like Shonen
Knife with an accordion. They're just so bright, happy and cheery!
B-Flower is a little more subdued but equally as good. This 7" is
just beautiful music that would make Sarah jealous that they didn't put
out this single!!!
Lync "Two Feet in Front" 7" (K records - International Pop Undergound
series)
These young punkers have arrived! And they're here to stay. This
being their third outing in 7" land. It has to be their best 7" yet. This
time they're more driving with their music and as usual just as hooky as
ever. But they can still scream. Any fans of J-Church, Jawbreaker, or
maybe even Seaweed would really love this 7".
Jale "Emma" 7" (Derivative records) & "Steppin' Out" 7" (Genius records)
Jale are another band to watch. Ever since the Never Mind the ....
double 7", these girls have caught my eye. The derivative single is
blazing hot. Side A "Emma" is a nifty poppin' rock'n'rolla song with
distorted vocals. And the B-side "Brother" is a drifty beautiful song
that makes me want to squeal out loud and trash all of my Tsunami records.
The genius single is pretty good but not as obviously good as the
derivative single. This 7" shows off Jale's more poppy side like "Brother"
but not as good.
But Jale are young and we all have yet to see what develops from
this young band. I guess Sub Pop has signed these girls. So look for
future recordings!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, that's about all for me this time around. Quick "gossip" I
heard today: TIGER TRAP BROKE UP. At least that's what I heard so don't
totally hold me to it or anything. (That's why they call it gossip 'cause
if it were the truth then it would be the truth!)
Too bad I didn't get to write more. There's so many great records
that are out now. I know somebody is going to be raving over the new
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 EP in this issue or next.
bye bye
amalea joy fisher
NEW MUSIC NOW NEW BANDS NOW
**********
From: stuart <johnson@mail.ph.ed.ac.uk>
the childrens TV world of rock!
Hey! I won a competition. Thanks for my prize Kathleen, I like it lots.
Now I'm feeling guilty 'cause it must be absolutley months since I last
posted and I've no excuse. Well, I have been busy putting together a 'zine
recently (-muppet voice- is finally finished, I'll maybe post a proper
plug later, but just mail me personally for details about it).
HEAVENLY and LOIS played Carlton Studios sometime ago, both sounded good,
but it was a biting cold night, a deserted club with too much smoke(why,
oh why!) and zero heating. We froze. Heavenly played wearing coats and
scarves and gloves, and I'm sure Ms Lois shivered the whole way through
her set. An overfriendly bouncer actually took the liberty off pointing
out where we could leave our coats! ROYAL TRUX played the smaller and
warmer Edinburgh Venue. I got there just as they came on, missing the
local support JAPS EYE, unfortunately you couldn't miss their vocal
supporters who drunkly cheered and leered after the female singer the
whole way through. Royal Trux played pretty cool despite. It took a while
for me to get into it, sleazy seventies bar-room blues isn't usual
listening afterall. But they were very good. The singer, in the child
cartoon descriptions of rock, definitely comes out with Dougal of the
Magic Roundabout. A mass of blonde hair hanging down over her face, no
eyes, just chain smoking lips, talking nothing but anonymous sex. No
encore. The drunken scottish contingent hissed and booed and shouted for
bloody Japs Eye, but the guitarist was already unplugged and with his
guitar case open before the last chord had died. And you couldn't blame
them
There's aload of recent releases I'd like to buy, but just don't have the
cash, same old cry of poverty. So I'll review my prize, and the most
recent Trumans Water that I've not seen mentioned here yet (or has
everyone tired of'em already?):
[Well, some of us just never liked TW in the first place... - Sean,
speaking on behalf of at least one former moderator and himself...]
SENTRIDOH -most of the worst, some of the best of sentridoh-
Tape SHR\#36. (SHRIMPER. PO Box 1837, Upland, Ca 91785.)
16 Lou Barlow songs compiled in Sept '92 and put out on the tape
based label Shrimper. This is mainly just Lou and guitar, but with some
simple percussion and other home cooked effects thrown in at times; lo-fi
recordings straight from the living room. Some songs appear simplistic
obvious pieces of song writing, sometimes on the american cultural state,
mainly on love and relationships. Uncomplicated short poetry that comes
across fresh and honest like they were just passing thoughts scrawled down
in the moment, and the hissy 4-track home recording does nothing but add
to them. Even the cover of Bryan Adams' -Run to you- comes out sounding
plain wonderful, there's an almost desperate edge to the song here. Clean
and studio produced they'd come up sounding Simon and Garfunkel, just
another male american voice with a guitar. Like this the're personal, and
I like them lots. [The cover of Sonic Youth's "Mary Christ" had me
laughing out loud on the bus - Lena]
TRUMANS WATER -10xMy Age-
This mini-LP just fills the space from -Spasm Smash ..- till there
next full length -God Spied The Punchline-. You know the good ones, they
come in with a warning click-click of a drum stick. Empty Queen II rocks
off headless and mad, the whole song delivered in a screaming tormented
chorus of voices, lots of ups and downs in near-to-collapsing tempo, and a
full blown scream-a-longa hookline that comes close to anthemic. Enflamed
and Paid Squat are good too. Last song Action Sound Deadman again rocks
the whole way and ends ringing with noises like some valve tuned radio set
picking up the clangers (hey! definitely Trumans Water in my Childrens TV
world of rock). Second Bass Drum however is nothing more than a muffled
discussion over a drum playing experiment, and Parabolic is
inconsequential mumblings. But, lo-fi fillers maybe, they do slow the pace
from the frenetic and give the great tracks some space to gulp in breath.
Thanks,
stuart.
| - m u p p e t v o i c e - ' z i n e
| - for details of the current issue, mail <johnson@mail.ph.ed.ac.uk>
**********
From: Laurence Roberts RD <lroberts@bellahs.com>
Skinned Teen, and some Pansy Division gossip
For those of you into the British branch of Riot Grrrl stuff -- the Huggy
Bear axis, basically, there's a few recent singles to watch out for.
Skinned Teen is described as 15-year-old friends of Huggy Bear. The single
is called "Karate Hairdresser". Supposedly there's only 500 copies
(collector skum alert). The sleeve appears to be handmade, made of
cardboard, with red tape on the sides and paper glued on the front. The
label is "Soul Static Sound." This is labeled as the first release, but
actually, the Huggy Nation cassette from early 1993 also had the Soul
Static Sound logo on it. The vocals are of the "jump-rope" variety.
There's some songs that have minimal guitar, and others that have recorder
and violin. Skinned Teen also have a song on a four-band single
compilation on Wiiija that also includes Linus. (And if you haven't
gotten Linus' single with the song "Jack T. Chick" on it yet, you should.)
There's another single on Soul Static Sound, which is rather cryptically
labeled, but sounds like it's a Chris Huggy Bear project in a rather
Nation of Ulysses vein. It's packaged similarly to the Skinned Teen
single, but the color scheme is green. So far, I've only seen these
records at Amoeba and Mod Lang in Berkeley.
Pansy Division will be doing a song for an upcoming Nancy Sinatra
compilation, with Calvin Johnson doing the Lee Hazelwood vocal part to
Jon's Nancy. Pansy Division will also be covering the Beat Happening song
"Cry for a Shadow" for an upcoming recording.
Larry-bob
lroberts@bellahs.com
**********
From: pmn@MIT.EDU
Rock Against Sexism's Last Bash (Cambridge, MA)
For those of you in the Cambridge, Ma area...
After 12 years of music and mayhem, Rock Against Sexism is going out not
with whimper, but with a bash! Over the years we've put on shows with
everyone from Mission of Burma to Mecca Normal, held jam sessions for
women who never played instruments before, did radio shows and direct
action type stuff. We're not a censorship organization but have sought to
provide alternatives to the moldy mainstream. Come celebrate our
retirement with loud music and raw readings by:
Bulkhead
ShivaSpeedway
Quiver
Candy Perez
Lisa King
Tess DeCosta
Friday, December 3 9PM
Middle East (Upstairs)
$6
Rock Against Sexism is 12, you be 19+
PS: We have a bunch of left over 'zines packed with interviews and
articles about Fugazi, The Mekons, Vivians, Mecca Normal, indie reviews,
zines, sex, subversion and other fun stuff. We're just looking for the
cost of postage for these, so $3 will probably get you three different
issues. Email me (pmn@mit.edu) for more info. pam n.
**********
From: burck@nyplgate.nypl.org
self-promotion and then some
I'd'just like to say that Animal Review #4 is now available and includes,
among its many splendid items, drawings of bees by Dame Darcy. Anyway,
Douglas Wolk likes it (I hope he doesn't mind me using him in such a
shameless fashion). $2 from 81 Grand St., #4, Jersey City, NJ 07302
[Lena likes Dame Darcy. So does Josh.]
I'd also like to urge people to post items about music that falls within
the extremely broad category of "indie" but isn't necessarily part of the
7" loving indie-pop/rock scene [so would I - Lena] (which is not to say I
wouldn't love reading another 75 reviews of Unrest/Stereolab [I sure
wouldn't! - Lena]). For example, a german label has reissued the catalog
of ESP-Disk, the extremely important 60's avant garde jazz label. Much of
the music included is probably of interest to a lot of the people who read
this list. I just got a copy of Albert Ayler's Spiritual Unity and gee
it's swell. Skronking free sax playing that would appeal to anybody
interested in dissonant music ranging from the Boredoms to God is my
Co-Pilot (albeit without vocals). I'm sure there are plenty of people
lurking on the list who don't post, but know about all kinds of nifty
stuff. I'm also sure there are people who post regularly who omit cool
stuff out of habit. I just would like to see the content of the li