Feeling like Bob Newhart
Taking the subway in the rain
#############################
Indie List Digest!
November 11, 1995
Volume 4 Number 44
#############################
ADMIN: experimental searchable index of the Indie-List
Miles Dethmuffen, Papas Fritas
Cognitive Mapping comp., Joe Meek
See More Glass, Bus, TJSA, karate!, et al.
my mecca, yr mecca
ANNOUNCE: Indie-List Exchange
ANNOUNCE: Secret Show! 11/15/95 @ the Magnatroid in Chicago
ANNOUNCE: Next Festival
ANNOUNCE: Spring Benefit @ U.R.I.
Work, and then our ISP went down. Maybe Saturday is the perfect IL
day, after all!
-es
From: Mark Cornick <mark@evol.resnet.jmu.edu>
ADMIN: experimental searchable index of the Indie-List
OK, here's something useful to try out: the evol archive of Indie-List
is now indexed and searchable via the web. This is still sort of
experimental, so I'd appreciate people trying it out. It's just a
simple WAIS search, so we're not talking about highly refined results
here, but it should be adequate. (As long as you don't search on
something that appears in every issue, like "Sean Murphy" :) )Anyway,
give it a try.
http://evol.resnet.jmu.edu/indie/
Thanks
--mark
--
Mark Cornick = cornicms@jmu.edu = mark@evol.resnet.jmu.edu
http://evol.resnet.jmu.edu/~mark/ * finger for PGP pub key
<------------------------------>
From: BocAd@aol.com
Miles Dethmuffen, Papas Fritas
Here are a couple of new records that should interest intelligent
guitar pop fans of all ages everywhere.
MILES DETHMUFFEN - Miles Dethmuffen (CD) This Boston band has been
putting out fine bittersweet pop records for five years now (previous
output includes two albums, a single, and some compilation tracks) and
they're long overdue for greater recognition. Their unusually
sensitive and intelligent lyrics set them apart from others in the
genre, but they're great to listen to whether you're feeling happy or
sad. This 6-song release continues the tradition. The best among
these well-crafted tracks are "White After Labor Day," the voice
rising to reflect ever greater levels of emotion, and "Heroin Poster
Girl," which pulls off the neat trick of being both sad and catchy -
both qualities managing to involve the listener in the music in
different ways. Nice male/female vocal intertwining, too. This one
is on Summerville Records, c/o Chris Porter Productions, P.O. Box
390149, Cambridge MA 02139. You can e-mail the band at
Dethmuffen@aol.com for more info, too.
PAPAS FRITAS - Papas Fritas (CD) "Pop has freed us" is the saying of
this DIY trio. They make the kind of pop music that will infatuate
you. Many of the songs provide that little thrill that lets you know
you're hearing something special. Although their previous output has
been little more than extremely rough and sloppy home recordings,
don't be dissuaded - they've got an indie record deal now, and they've
not only improved, but have become surprisingly adept at making home
recording work for them. This has a fresh, immediate,
minimal-yet-somehow-full sound. You can tell the guitar is coming
from one little speaker, yet it's appropriate. They manage to
emphasize beats without the expected crash cymbals in "Afterall." They
raise the intensity of the chorus in "Holiday" without adding an
additional guitar track. They create a marvelous sense of harmony in
"Kids Don't Mind" without playing any chords. Clever little extras
like tambourine, piano, various bells, and lots of extra vocals slyly
collaborate to create a warm, homespun sound. The sense of intimacy
is heightened by the inviting songs that make them seem like a group
of people rather than a group of musicians. Technical proficiency is
not Papas Fritas' forte, but this drawback ceases to be a distraction
after a couple of listens as the band's other values, good songs and
clever arrangements, charm you. It's on Minty Fresh records, so
should be widely available. Cheers, everyone.
<------------------------------>
From: nicholas@merlin.nando.net
Cognitive Mapping comp., Joe Meek
The following reviews are from the Chapel Hill band Minerva Strain's
newsletter, written and submitted to you by band member Nick Lingg
(nicholas@merlin.nando.net)
Cognitive Mapping Vol. 2 (Various Artists) on Chapel Hill's Friction
Media Label: Sure, we (Minerva Strain) are on this CD, but even if we
weren't, we'd list as one of our favorite CDs of the year. It's got
dozens of songs, a lot of which are pure gems (especially Analogue,
Trailer Bride, and Protoblast). This group's first comp., a 1994
cassette, was a well done effort, but they've really got their shit
together for this second volume. It flows from song to song much like
a really good radio shift on Chapel Hill's WXYC would. There's still
a few experimental-tape-type pieces on here (Mr. Meridies and Jeff
Robins being my favorites), as on the first cassette, but they are
usually shorter and arguably more interesting. The mix of well-known
bands with lesser knowns is well done, and the side project pieces by
local rockers such as Polvo's Dave Brylawski and Malachai (Zen
Frisbee's Laird Dixon, Bicentennial Quarters' Chris Eubank, and
ex-Angel of Epistemology Sara Bell) are some of the best tracks on
here.
"It's Hard to Believe It: The Amazing World of Joe Meek" (Various
Artists) on the amazing Razor and Tie label: Joe Meek was a British
producer in the early '60s (he was actually the first independent
British producer/engineer) who experimented with recording methods
such as distortion, compression, echo, and overdubbing. This CD is
but a small sampling of the records he put out, and it lives up to the
moniker of "amazing." It kicks off with the most well known of Joe's
records, "Telstar" by The Tornados, and showcases a variety of Joe's
studio magic. Just last night I watched part one of the PBS Rock and
Roll documentary and they spent an hour on producers, mainly Phil
Spector. Joe Meek would have fit right into the program. He was
arguably as much a genius as Spector or George Martin and has had an
influence on a lot of today's artists, such as Stereolab, The Fall,
and XTC. It's worth the price of the CD just to have Telstar and the
two cuts by the Blue Men (the band used on Joe's 1960 "Stereo Fantasy"
album titled "I Hear A New World" - a concept record about other
worlds such as Saroo where the Bublight glows). I can't get this CD
out of my car stereo. Amazing!
<------------------------------>
From: silverst@ils.nwu.edu (Steve Silverstein)
See More Glass, Bus, TJSA, karate!, et al.
More reviews for this week...
See More Glass/Bus split cassette (Omnibus/P.O. Box 4522/Davis, CA
95617)-- See More Glass wins big points for the clever name here.
Kind of Shrimper-y 4-track ramblings, except (1) from Northern CA, and
(2) there's this really weird hardcore sort of influence that makes it
stand out. Makes the vocals a bit hard to listen at times but brings
it a totally different compositional side. Bus are apparently Davis,
CA's equivalent of Chapel Hill's the Raymond Brake, younger siblings
with the interlocking-2-guitar thing down quite well.
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments--Punk Rock Secret 7" (Bag of
Hammers/P.O. Box 928/Seattle, WA 98111)--Retro. Very retro. Late
'70s style. From the simple packaging to the weird cover renditions
on the B-side to the very title of the A-side song. Done well,
though.
karate!--Death Kit 7" (The Self-Starter Foundation/P.O. Box
1776/Horsham, PA 19044)--This 7" shows the side of karate! that
brings out the Codeine comparisons. Not quite that minimal, but
definitely evokes a similar moodiness. Catchier songwriting, though,
than Codeine. The A-side features the fascinating but
incomprehensible lyric "Today I'm 17 again, again" while the B-side,
"Nerve," appears in a different version on the Secret Stars cassette.
A strong debut.
B. Flower--Strings 7" (Sugarfrost/149 Wellbrow Road/Walton, Liverpool
L4 6T4/ UK)--The best pop 7" I've bought in ages. Kind of like ELO on
a low budget, maybe, only not really? B. Flower are from Japan and
sing in Japanese. They also make the most beautiful,
well-orchestrated pop songs I've heard in ages. These 2 complement
each other well and vary from simple acoustic sections to much fuller
parts. Really beautiful.
various artists--A Tribute to Prince cassette (no label easily
identified)--The concept is a bunch of Shrimper-type bands (Paste,
Bugskull, Refrigerator, etc.) doing Prince songs. An interesting
concept, but I'm not totally sold on the result. It's really fun as a
novelty for one listen, and I got to hear a lot of bands that seem
really good. But having a bunch of bands doing really sentimental
versions of Prince's really macho stylings just doesn't hold up for
me, beyond the novelty of it. I'd love to hear originals from a lot
of the bands I'd never heard before, though.
Bugskull--Phantasies and Senseitions LP/CD (RoadCone /
<roadcone@teleport.com>)--One of my favorite new albums. A really
great mix of really creative use of the 4-track with really catchy
songs. One song ("Inhuman") starts with this weird rumbling noise,
out of which a guitar and voices appear really subtly. Other parts
capture their live sound (kind of the Grifters gone AM radio) more
directly. Mixes a variety of styles really well for a great end
result.
Panel Donor--Panel Donor CD (Lotuspool/P. O. Box 442277/Lawrence, KS
66044)-- Sort of a mix between the Poster Children and Rodan? This
record is not quite as full as either of those bands because there is
only one guitarist. Panel Donor have since added a second guitar,
making the songs that much more interesting. This album does benefit
from creative and tasteful use of synths, which the band doesn't
employ live. I'd never heard of this band until I moved to the
Midwest, and was really pleasantly surprised.
Von Ryan's Express/Laurels split 7" (Over the Counter/P. O. Box
35/Providence, RI 02901)--The Von Ryan's Express song, "Knucklehead
Hunter," is an earlier and somewhat different version of a song which
would later appear on Thee Hydrogen Terrors EP. The Laurels song,
"Violence," is slow and grinding with buried vocals. Both bands have
undergone line-up and stylistic changes since this 7", though only one
has changed its name. This single does a good job of capturing how
each sounded then. The contrast in graphic design between Von Ryan's
cheap look and the Laurels' more professional style is also quite
funny.
Mr. Krummenacher's Fifth Business--The Prince of Lies 7" (Magnetic/
<magnetic@netcom.com>)--The latest release from Victor Krummenacher
(ex-Monks of Doom/Camper van Beethoven) displays his latest effort to
combine '70s prog with a more pop sensibility. This is a lot more pop
direction than the last 2 Monks albums, though the vocals are still
his distinct '70s sound. Big complaint: Not only do the 2 sides of
the single spin at different speeds, the 7" doesn't even say so
anywhere on the packaging. Arf!
That's enough for now...
-Steve
<------------------------------>
From: dann medin <DLM94001@UConnVM.UConn.Edu>
my mecca, yr mecca
hi dood. everything's final on the moving tip, & i'll be studying
abroad in london as of 7 january 1996. if you have information on
things to do, or would just like to get in touch before i came over,
please send me a note. i'm pretty clueless on where to start. shows,
shows...
7 october-capsize 7, archers of loaf, throwing muses @ lupo's in
providence: i reviewed capsize 7 in the cmj review. pretty much of
the same thing. strong energetic music performed well live that ends
up in the "ok" department. nothing special, nothing annoying. the
bassist still looks like a monkey, of which i approved. the archers
are large. there were indeed weezer shirts in the homemade d.i.y.
moshpit short of 13 years. since they only played one song off of
"vee vee" though, they weren't sure of what to do. some excellent new
toons, one of which was about a whale in alaska. rad. we left when
the muses came on.
magic hour, william hooker, band that sounds like world music-14.10 @
wesleyan university middletown: the first band was good live, they'll
be on the twisted village label & sound like they'll be playing the
knitting factory ver soon. excellent drummer. both hooker & the
magic hour were solid. two of the consistantly on-the-mark live
performing bands in the last few years. the people @ the show sucked
so much (we all look so good and act so snobby so people will think
that we're from olympia) i've blocked out other details of the show.
sorry. people that pay nearly $30,000 for an education and act like
everyone else is privileged but them are stupid.
21.10-my little sister's bat mitzvah: the djs were horrible. all the
kids threw food.
22.10-candy machine @ the red barn in northampton: another great live
band. played many new songs, which were all enjoyable & somewhat like
the ones on their most recent album. i wonder if it's just me, maybe
i totally suck & everyone else is right on, because i just realized
that i was about to criticze the majority of the audience again.
style's fun and all, it just makes me crabby when folks think that
emo-core or thriftgear are not only clothes to wear but an excuse to
sneer @ strangers or be really important and DIFFERENT. as in, LOOK @
ME, I'M NOT LIKE YOU! I'M DIFFERENT, MISERABLE, & DESPISE YOU ALL!
head like a hole, i feel yr pain. right. rant. sorry. it's
probably me. me and my big clique.
26.10-man... or astroman? middle east, boston: not a band to be
judged by their recordings. a damn good live show, complete w/tons of
TVs showing cheesy space & monster movie footage, outfits, space
banter, and a 7 foot tall bass-playing robot. a phat & all that time.
if you haven't heard, surf music about outer space. recommended live.
oops. the day before, 25.10, was jawbreaker, jawbox, and serpico @
uconn. serpico sounded like a bad karp. no, i didn't even stay long
enough to really judge fairly, as to whether or not karp is a fair
reference band. enough. jawbox, one of my long-time favorites, were
extremely disappointing. the sound was very loud, the stage moves
(some of them) seemed semi-melodramatic, and the new songs did not
interest (i liked two out of 6 or 7). we'll see what happens when the
new album comes out-they hit the studio in january. jawbreaker, whose
music i've happened to love but had recently come to be frustrated
with (an album with the vocals on "dear you" provide ample reasoning
to justify making fun of lyrics like "i love you more than i ever
loved anyone before or anyone to come" or "did not no one ever lead a
life so hard?"). surprisingly enough, they didn't even play much of
the new album. 3 songs in 45 minutes, two of which were good ones
("accident prone" & "i love you so much..."). lots and lots of
energy. all of my favorites except fr "bivouac," which was edited out
due to unforseen time constraints.
albums i have been digging: barry black ("cockroaches" is one my
favorite songs this year. mad ventures influence.), karp's "suplex"
(they've gone from screaming their lungs out about cavities to singing
together in semi-high & whiny pitches about rollerderby star bobby
fever), and the new cornershop (amazing beats, i wish that mc solaar
would pair up w/them) disc have all been great. older stuff that i've
recently acquired but enjoy much: john coltrane's "sun ship" & "inter
stellar" (both in the '65-'67 'a love supreme' period, my favorite for
'trane... beautiful melodies interspersed by unconventionally
expressive solos), max roach's "we insist! freedom now suite" (with
special guests olatunji, abbey lincoln, and coleman hawkins... an
unbelievable record), and a couple of old herbie hancocks (they're ok
but don't really compare. pre-funk stuff, one of them has grant green
on it, who was a great player in his own right. basic straight jazz).
karp, unsane, godheadsilo (sub pop?), fitz of depression, and sun ra
arkestra all this month. whee. take care, xoxo.
<------------------------------>
From: hhahn@students.wisc.edu (ILx)
ANNOUNCE: Indie-List Exchange
What is the Indie-L exchange?
-----------------------------
ILx is a mailing list, under the aegis of Indie-L but separate,
conceived as a forum to promote the exchange of indie music. This
encompasses sales and trades of indie CDs, vinyl, and cassettes. Both
'for sale' and 'wanted' posts are encouraged. Mailings go out weekly
on Sundays, contingent on the amount of traffic. Each issue will be a
list of items offered for sale or wanted along with the name and
e-mail address of the person to contact. All business should be done
privately; the sole purpose of the list to to inform you who to
contact.
How do I subscribe?
-------------------
Send a message to <hhahn@students.wisc.edu> asking to subscribe. A
note with more detailed information will be sent to you as
confirmation. Information and the current issue of the ILx can be
browsed at:
<http://apollo.ahabs.wisc.edu/individuals/students/hahn/ilx.html>
-Harry
<------------------------------>
From: teg3@midway.uchicago.edu (Ted E. Gray)
ANNOUNCE: Secret Show! 11/15/95 @ the Magnatroid in Chicago
Hi!
Just wanted to invite all the indie list subscribers to a great show
coming up that won't be announced to the general public.
My band DragKing will be playing with the Thinking Fellers Union Local
282 at the Magnatroid on Wed night the 15th. The show begins at 10PM.
If you've ever been to the Magnatroid you would know why we can't
really let to many people know about this show. The Magnatroid is a
barely legal performance space, in the former boiler room, of a loft
building in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. It's an amazing
space. Strange old ovens and industrial fixtures all around.
Massively high ceilings and a room the size of most people living
room! It should be a very intimate setting. The Magnatroid is
located at 2525 West Moffit, just south of where Milwaukee crosses
Western. It's a little hard to find. Look for the big red brick loft
building and you'll see an alley going towards the back on the right
side of the building. Go back around the back of the building and you
should find it. The door has a lot of great band posters and stickers
on it.
This show will truly be a journey into the underground.
Don't tell too many people about it cause the police might come and
we'll all get busted! It's BYOB... some sort of admission will be
charged for the Thinkin' Fellers sake.
Rock on Chicago
Rock over London!
<------------------------------>
From: daniel recht <dan_adar@mail.netvision.net.il>
ANNOUNCE: Next Festival
Next Festival
An International Music Festival - Tel-Aviv 1996
The first international music festival of Tel Aviv, Next, will be
held in March 1996 and will host a wide range of performers from
Israel and abroad. Its organizers, who include Rami Fortis, a former
member of Minimal Compact, are seeking "artists or bands from abroad
whose musical activities are relevant to the artistic concept of the
festival." Send recordings and promotional materials to
email: dan_adar@netvision.net.il
Fax: 972-3-6203543
P.O. Box 26546 Tel-Aviv 61294 ISRAEL
<------------------------------>
From: Renee Bessette <RBES3493@URIACC.URI.EDU>
ANNOUNCE: Spring Benefit @ U.R.I.
ANNOUNCEMENT: P.O.W.E.R. (People Organized for Women's Equality and
Resilience of the UNiversity of Rhode Island are planning a benefit
concert for this spring on Saturday, March 30, at the University of
Rhode Island. We are hoping to be backed by Rock for Choice, but that
is tentative. If you are in band in the Boston/Providence/NYC area
and are interested in participating, please e-mail Renee Bessette at
rbes3493@uriacc.uri.edu by November 30. Thanks and rock on!
<------------------------------------------------------------>
The Indie-List Digest is published weekly (Mondays) or more often by
the Indie-List Infotainment Junta, Unltd.
What Who Where
Editors Eric Sinclair esinclai@tezcat.com
Anne Zender azender@tezcat.c