Donnie Iris - Fortune 410 (1983, MCA)

As much of an appreciate ion I have for Donnie Iris today, I think I'd doubly enjoy his music had I not discovered it two decades after the fact. Nevertheless, I'm still pretty enamoured with his first couple of solo LPs, Back on the Streets and King of Cool, both brimming with fevered energy and the whip-smart acumen of such singer/songwriter forebearers as Todd Rundgren. For his fourth album, Fortune 410, (never issued on CD to my knowledge) Donnie takes far greater advantage of synthesizers and programed accoutrement's than ever before - hardly a surprise for it's era. Right down to the sleeve art, this is an album decidedly tailored for the digital age - fun, savvy, even a bit robotic, but for all it's innovative modernity, Fortune's glossier chimerical inclinations make for a less organic listening experience, and worst of all, hardly furthered the man's visibility. Nevertheless, this is still worth a spin if Donnie Iris is in general your thing, of if you merely want to indulge in a healthy dose of gratuitous '8os synth rock.

01. Human Evolution
02. Stage Door Johnny
03. Cry If You Want To
04. Tell Me What You Want
05. I Belong
06. She's So European
07. I'm a User
08. Never Did I
09. Somebody
10. Do You Compute?

http://rapidshare.com/files/257667525/donnieiris_fortune410.rar

Hollins Ferry - s/t (1977, Port City)

I certainly wish I could say I own this record, however I once again face the options of not sharing this at all, or going with a virtual facsimile I was able to procure by the grace of file sharing platform Soulseek. I learned of Hollins Ferry a few years ago, upon doing a random power-pop search on Ebay. Amidst all the Yellow Pills comps and Matthew Sweet disks, I stumbled upon a listing for this ostensibly ultra-rare LP from Baltimore's Hollins Ferry, yet another in a long line of Wilfully Obscure entries where I have minimal background details to allow me to expound at greater length. As was the case with all the crucial proto-power pop bands of the '70s, this trio were clearly groomed on the Beatles, particularly Paul McCartney's contributions. Furthermore, Hollins Ferry wear a myriad of period influences on their collective sleeve, including Emitt Rhodes, Badfinger, and somewhat less pronounced, Pilot, CSNY, and Big Star circa Radio City. I've decided not to be a spoiler, and will instead let you play "spot the influence" on a song-by-song basis at your leisure, but there are several highlights lurking in the grooves here including "Surprise," '"Too Bad About Sorrows," and the sublime opener "Take My Love." Though not a through-and-through goldmine, this album is special enough to warrant a reissue (not to mention an "Extremely, Highly Recommended" touting from Not Lame Records' Bruce Brodeen). Maybe someday.

An insightful review of the record can be read here, while guitarist Rob Fahey has his own site, but divulges virtually no details on Hollins Ferry, save for a pic of the record sleeve. Fahey found greater success in the eighties with his subsequent band, The Ravyns (featured on the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack), and continues to perform solo on a fairly copious basis.

01. Take My Love

02. Downtime Menagerie

03. Sparkles

04. Lonely CIty

05. Suprise

06. Love From Above

07. Too Bad About Sorrows

08. Morning Breezes

09. Turn Your Back

10. Patent Leather Lady

11. The Journey

12. Love You Forever

http://rapidshare.com/files/257388113/hollinsferry.rar

New Flamingos - In the Pink ep (1983)

The New Flamingos were a Seattle power pop quartet who’s discography, to my knowledge, began and ended with this 1983 ep. Fronted by brothers Jim and David Keller, The Flamingos sported an everyman flair, doling out mid-paced, slightly wave-eqsue rock a la groups like The A’s, an fellow Seattle denizens The Heats. “I’m Not Crying” is my song of choice here, while “Bo Diddley Didn’t Know” oozes with the rootsy vibe that it’s title implies.

Scroll towards the bottom of this page to partake in a non-ep New Flamingos track, “I’m the One.” Jim’s current project is The Fentons.

01. U.S. Dolls

02. I'm Not Crying

03. Bo Diddley Didn't Know

04. Moment of Glory

http://rapidshare.com/files/256671785/newflamingos.rar

Candy Machine - s/t (1993, Skene)

Not only am I fulfilling a request here, I'm also providing you good people with a fitting after-dinner mint to my recent Jawbox odds and sods post. Candy Machine weren't from D.C. (Baltimore actually), but they did have close ties to Dischord and DeSoto Records (the latter label released their third and final album, Tune International). Early on, Candy Machine developed a very indigenous, and frankly "art-damaged" strain of post-punk rock, with their calling card being frontman Peter Quinn, or more specifically his ranty, spoken vox, which were no doubt off-putting to those with a more melodically inclined palette. This is their debut, but they really outdid themselves on their next and most widely-circulated album, A Modest Proposal. A Myspace fanpage (linked above) offers this tidy backgrounder:

In 1990, while ad agencies and record companies in NY and LA were busy scrambling to produce a marketable identity for the youth culture Derrick Buisch (bass), Joseph Heeg(drums), and Peter Quinn(vox) were holed up in the Hat Factory warehouses in Baltimore. Having just lost Jamie Panzer to Austin, Tx, the three decided to hide out from the gluttony of Miller Lite guitarists in order to begin. It wasn't until Daniel Papkin was introduced to the band that The Candy Machine came into full fruition. After 2 self released tapes, DeSoto records put out the Candy Machine cardboard 7" that would get The Candy Machine out into the light of the rest of the country. In 1992, Skene records, through the mastermind connection of Damon Locks (Trenchmouth) released 25, the bands first full length CD. Soon later (Heeg moves to Germany, and Buisch moves to Minneapolis) co-conspirators Lyle Kissack and Forrest French join the band on drums and bass. After the 7" release "Love of Politics, Politics of Love" (SKENE) and a handful of tours, the band and Forrest French parts ways in 1993 making way for Panzer to move back from Austin to re-join the band on bass. This new Machine would soon record and release A Modest Proposal (SKENE) which would soon after be aptly described as "a blueprint for chaos" and thus reflect how the band was stranded in an ice storm in the flooded WGNS studios. Reaching underground notoriety, the reinvented Candy Machine, after touring the US and Canada, decides to leave Skene records to look for a more conducive vehicle for their next release. In 1997, the Candy Machine find themselves back at the eastern seaboard with long awaited Dischord/DeSoto release Tune International maintaining the group aesthetic vision while reinventing themselves again, beyond classification. They continued their saga of a never ending line-up changes with the recruitment of bassist Nat Rabb and keyboardist Chuck Scott before calling it quits the following year.

01. The Merchant's Square

02. Macrobat

03. A Better Low

04. The Coupling

05. Two Figures

06. The Constant

07. Theme For a Murder

08. Dolphins

09. Louisiana

10. The Colorization of Friction's Head

11. Shining

12. untitled

http://rapidshare.com/files/256296134/candymachine.rar

Sugarplastic - demo tape (199?)

Almost since Wilfully Obscure's inception, I've gone on and on about one of the finest band's to ever grace the City of Angels, that band being the curiously monikered, slyly XTC-flavored Sugarplastic. With five albums, a 7" box set (Ottawa Bonesaw) and a handful of singles under their collective belt, I thought I had made my Sugarplastic collection complete years ago. Turns out there was a missing piece of the puzzle I had yet to procure. A Sugarplastic "demo tape" made it's way onto Ebay a few weeks ago, and within a few days of making it's way onto my radar the item had been seized by yours truly.

As I may have mentioned in one of previous Sugarplastic posts, the band's first release was in fact the Ottawa Bonesaw box set on Pronto Records. Turns out this was their first official release. The tape in question, coming unadorned with recording details of any sort, includes three songs that would make it onto Bonesaw, the same versions in fact (I'm about 95% sure on this). The real find here is an early version of "The Way This Is," later retooled for their smash-hit Geffen release, Bang, The Earth is Round. The "tape" is a TDK Professional Master Series Sound Master tape, so we're talking some pretty high-falutin' "let's impress the living daylights out of a few potential LA indie clubs that might book us a show or two" stuff going on here. And the rest is history. Maybe I'll get around to sharing the complete Ottawa Bonesaw box one of these days. For now, n-joy.

01. Ottawa Bonesaw

02. The Way This Is

03. Brownly Corderoid

04. Debussy and Me

http://rapidshare.com/files/255916924/splastic_demo.rar

The Spectres (featuring Glen Matlock) - two singles (1980, Demon/Direct Hit)

Earlier this year, some of you may recall my share of the Rich Kids Burning Sounds CD of demos and outtakes. Rich Kids of course were a British post-punk quartet who’s lineup featuring Midge Ure (pre-Ultravox) and Glen Matlock (former Sex Pistol) seemed to be more heralded than the music contained on their lone LP, Ghosts of Princes in Towers. Turns out when I was doing some fact checking on the Rich Kids, it came to my attention there was yet another outfit from a similar period that Matlock was not only involved with, but apparently fronted as well – The Spectres. Background info on them isn’t terribly robust (with the exception of this highly informative essay), but the vitals are that Matlock, along with four other blokes, including Budgie (of Siouxsie fame), Steve New (a holdover from Rich Kids) and Danny Kustow of the Tom Robinson band, met up in 1979, and recorded all of two singles. Originally billed as The Jimmy Norton Explosion, the soon to be re-christened Spectres also recorded a Peel session and opened for the Ramones in London in 1980. Potential contracts with Arista and Geffen never materialized, as well as the prospect of hiring David Bowie as producer. Ultimately, their pair of 45s were released on indies, Demon and Direct Hit Records, however The Spectres did garner publishing through Warner Brothers.

The best of their scant, four-song oeuvre, in my opinion is the a-side to their debut wax, “Stories,” which features politely whirring keyboards and perky trumpets that go a long way in defining this sprite keeper. Their second offering the “Strange Effect” single on Direct Hit wasn’t quite as striking, but for a moment or two, Matlock’s pipes suspiciously resemble Stiv Bators on said song. Very interesting.

Demon Records 7"

01. Stories

02. Things

Direct Hit Records 7"

03. The Strange Effect

04. Getting Away With Murder

http://rapidshare.com/files/255559450/spectres.rar

Jawbox - Another Scrapbook of Even More Fatal Accidents (1989-1996)

While they never quite put the post-hardcore punk movement on the map during their run in the '90s, Jawbox were certainly one of the best purveyors of the genre, and perhaps the best in their hometown of D.C. Over the course of four thoroughly recommendable albums: Grippe (1991), Novelty (1992), For Your Own Special Sweetheart (1994), and Jawbox (1996) and a spate of singles and compilation appearances, Jawbox fused together a dissonant, amped-out guitar sprawl with a kinetic rhythm section, fronted by powerful leadman Jay Robbins. Getting their start on the interminable Dischord Records, the band made a surprising jump to a major in 1993, Atlantic, and recorded their two best albums for them despite not having much to show for themselves (or the label) thereafter. The quartet folded in 1997 without much fanfare. This of course is the short story, but for those who've been acquainted with their music, it speaks for itself much better than any blurb can.

In 1998, Jawbox released a CD of rarities, b-sides, and live material, My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents. It left a few things out however, including an eight-song demo recorded in 1989 that kicks off this fan-curated sequel. The demo features a pair of songs, "Beneath the Wheel" and "Motherlode," that were never rerecorded for any future release. Another Scrapbook... also contains six live selection from their Your Choice Live series split CD with Leatherface, tracks from Atlantic Records promo disks, and Dischord singles. This collection may not be a representative primer for new Jawbox listeners, but it does an excellent job of culling together all that was left on the cutting room floor, and functions as a logical companion to the official My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents disk, that I believe is still available through the band's in-house DeSoto label.

01. Tools and Chrome

02. Bullet Park

03. Beneath the Wheel

04. Footbinder

05. Consolation Prize

06. Paint Out the Light

07. Motherlode

08. Something Must Break (Joy Division cover)

09. Iodine (demo)

10. Lil' Shaver

11. 68

12. Chump II

13. Thin White Line (Avengers cover)

14. Falk

15. Jackpot Plus

16. Motorist

17. Absenter

18. Chinese Fork Tie

19. Tools and Chrome (cello version, not performed by Jawbox)

20. FF=66

21. Green Glass

22. Tongues

23. Chinese Fork Tie

24. Chicago Piano

25. Motorist

1-8 from 1989 demo

9 & 13. from Atlantic Records promo-only releases

10 & 11. b-sides to "Savory" cd single

12. from Jabberjaw: Good to the Last Drop compilation

14. from Simple Machines singles club 7"

15 & 16. Dischord Records 7"

17 & 18. DeSoto Records 7"

19. from Jawbox on Cello: a Benefit for Cal Robbins by Gordon Withers

20-25. from Your Choice Live split CD w/ Leatherface

http://rapidshare.com/files/255166125/jawbox_anotherscrapbook.rar

Chune - Burnt (1993, Headhunter/Cargo)

By today's standards (or more accurately, stereotypes) San Diego's long defunct Chune would be regarded as something of a proto-emo relic. True, this quartet did bear the wrought hallmarks of such bygone Caulfield Records bands as Boys Life, but in addition, Chune exuded a math-y finesse, buttressed with dense, broadsiding dynamics that put them squarely in league with Drive Like Jehu and Spavid, the latter of whom I've previously dedicated a post to. Lengthy is a word that's duly apropos for most of the selections on Burnt, but the band falls shy of any ponderous ennui. Chune would deliver an even more convincing follow-up in three-years time, Big Hat, No Cattle, which can be obtained at this fine location.

01. Clauos
02. Mei Brown
03. Turd
04. Johnny Bravo meets the Phantom of the Park
05. C-Lord
06. Pasta Fagioli
07. Magnus

http://rapidshare.com/files/254788127/chune_burnt.rar

Bum - I Am Superwoman (1994, Munster) & Make It or Break It (1995, Imposible)

Ok, thought I’d follow up my Bum singles post with a couple of hard to find and way out of print albums. If you read my previous screed, I championed Bum’s debut long-player Wanna Smash Sensation in a big way. Well, here are the two albums that followed in Wanna Smash's sadly ignored wake. I Am Superwoman, released by Munster Records in 1994, essentially charts Bum’s fairly smooth transition from hook-savvy pop-punks to something a little more garagey. “I Wanna Be,” an impressive single side, is redone here, as well as “Bent on Being Bent,” originally on Wanna Smash, but appearing here minus the trumpets and car horns. Most of Superwoman’s knockout punches occur on the first side. The album actually made it to CD, but this rip was taken from a sparkling clean vinyl copy, the more available of the two formats from what I recall.

By the time they got around to Make It or Break It, Bum were a far different sounding animal. An eight-song mini-album (vinyl-only from what I can tell), Make It... is a grower, with perhaps only the lead-off track, “O Cookie” resembling those early singles I so revere. A prime example of Bum’s renovated modus operandi is “The Right On Girl,” a throwback to early ‘60s jukebox ballads. As for the “garage” quotient, that’s best evidenced by Make It’s four covers, including a run through the Flamin’ Groovies “Headin’ For the Texas Border,” and “Savage,” originally penned by the decidedly more obscure Fun Things, a late ‘70s Aussie combo that you can investigate by clicking the hyper-link.

I Am Superwoman
01. Your Name Was Next to Mine
02. I Wanna Be
03. Weekend
04. Bent on Being Bent
05. 1983
06. Got Yourself Together
07. Don’t Come Close to Me
08. Raped and Freezing
09. Oh No
10. My Pal

Make It or Break It
01. O Cookie
02. Really Outta Time
03. Savage
04. Vitamin V
05. Disaster Movies
06. Kill
07. The Right On Girl
08. Headin’ for the Texas Border

I Am Superwoman: http://rapidshare.com/files/254416284/bum_superwoman.rar

Make It or Break It: http://rapidshare.com/files/254418941/bum_makeit.rar

The Church - random rarities

Looks like I may be offline for a couple of days, so to tide you over 'til the weekend, I present to you a self-curated compilation of rare b-sides and the like from one of the greatest Rickenbacker-wielding conglomerations of all time - The Church. Sure, they've had the Aussie tag pinned to them since day one, but these they're all scattered around different parts of the globe. If you're a fan, you know their collective locales are irrelevant. And how about maintaining their core, original lineup of Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, and Marty Wilson-Piper for the better part of their three-decade existence?

I've resisted the temptation from dedicating posts to The Church in the past for the simple fact that, thankfully, they've done such a damn good job of keeping their back catalog in print. Not an easy feat for a band with just shy of 20 albums to their credit! Here are a few that got away, so to speak including a crucial early b-side, "Busdriver" the band was (supposedly) too embarrassed to include on any of their recent reissues, as well as "Wardance," an outtake from the Gold Afternoon Fix demo sessions. Lots more b-side gold to indulge in here. Source info for each track is below. Enjoy.

01. She Never Said (vinyl-only single vers)
02. Busdriver (b-side of Unguarded Moment)
03. When You Were Mine (vinyl single edit)
04. Tantalized (single edit)
05. Unsubstantiated (from Tequila Sunrise sndtrk)
06. Roomful of Diamonds (Radiators cover)
07. Nightmare (b-side of Ripple)
08. Fog (b-side of Ripple)
09. White Star Line (b-side NSEW)
10. Gypsy Stomp (b-side NSEW)
11. Anyway (b-side of Louisiana)
12. Lizard (b-side of Louisiana)
13. Warm Oily Voices (outtake)

14. Wardance (Gold Afternoon Fix demo)

http://rapidshare.com/files/253127021/church_rarities.rar

Porcelain Boys - 20th Century Masters: The Singles Collection (1988-90)

Ok, here's the second (and perhaps final) post regarding the second best power-trio to emanate from the North Star State (that's Minnesota for those not in know, like me two minutes ago before I looked up the state's nickname on Google). The dozen 7" and comp tracks assembled here predate the Porcelain Boys official debut album, Away Awhile, which I featured last week. The 'Boys gnarly take on the whole "popcore" thing, as it turned out, proved to be just as gratifying and substantive as the smartest work of their influential antecedents, The Descendants and Doughboys. That's especially true in regards to their five-cut, debut 7 ep, If You Were Real, that kicks this whole shebang off. I'd argue that this, along with what I've heard of their Fetish for Female cassette release, was the best of what their initial lineup of Erik Kaiser, Tom Spence, and Scott Cook had to share with the world at large. Truly endearing, hook-savvy, romantically-frustrated punk-pop at it's finest "Bedtime" not only made it to my turntable, cd-recorder, and MP3 player, but would you believe my answering machine for a period there when I was in college during the '90s! "Fortune Favors the Bold" was inspired by thw cult-classic comic book series, Flaming Carrot.

If You Were Real was followed up by their second single, and last completely unto themselves, "Relive" b/w "Squeaky Clean," two comparatively mid-tempo stunners that continued the Porcelain Boys stringent quality-control. "Brain Train" was featured on a THD-Records compilation 7," the same label that issued both of their singles. As I mentioned in my last P/B post, the trio made their way onto the radar of hundreds, if not thousands of ears who caught wind of the swift, deftly crafted "Sidetrack" which appeared on the Lookout Records 1992 Can of Pork compilation. Unfortuntaely, I think this incarnation of the band had dissolved at this point. I'm closing things out with a trio of tracks culled from the It Came From the Cold tape compilation, which from my guess dates back before any of these releases (maybe 1988 or even earlier - don't own an original myself). It contains an early version of "Week to Week," later recut for Fetish for Female. By the way, if someone can fix me up with an original copy of Fetish, I'll be forever in your debt.

01. If You Were Real

02. Bedtime

03. Someday

04. Problem #1

05. Fortune Favors the Bold

06. Relive

07. Squeaky Clean

08. Brain Train

09. Sidetrack

10. A For Effort

11. Turn It Around

12. Week to Week

1-5 from If You Were Real 7" ep (1989, THD Records)

6 & 7 from "Relive" 7" (1990, THD)

8. from THD 7" compilation

9. from Can of Pork compilation (1992, Lookout!)

10-12 from It Came From the Cold comp tape (198?, Chef Music)

http://rapidshare.com/files/252813801/pboys_singles.rar

Candy - Whatever Happened to Demos? (1986-87) + live Houston 11/19/85

For you Candy enthusiasts out there, this post should be a real treat. The uninitiated would be well advised to give their lone album, Whatever Happened to Fun a listen here, as it will put these demos and 1985 live performance into sharper perspective. Candy were a mid-80s L.A. quartet who had a penchant for some of the catchiest power pop being made during their era, but were seemingly marketed by their label, Polygram, as part and partial of their city’s fabled glam scene. Despite being armed to the teeth with commercial potential (perhaps a little too commercial for some of you), the quartet was sadly never a high priority for Polygram. Their lyrical themes predominantly spoke of romantic, boy/girl reveries that had to compete with the all too dysfunctional realities of day-to-day city life. The title track to their album would become a cult fave in the years to follow (it was included on Rhino Records 1997 Poptopia compilation), but moreover, Candy served as the launching pad for singer Kyle Vincent’s solo career, as well as Gilby Clarke, who would go onto far bigger things as rhythm guitarist for Guns ‘N Roses.

The two sets of demos included here were recorded post-WHTF, assumedly as bait for a new record deal after the group parted with Polygram. Not too long after their major label fiasco, Kyle Vincent cut four new Candy songs (included here) but shortly thereafter, left the lineup. At this point, Gilby stepped in as mouthpiece, and the band recorded another set of demos (also included here) under this new incarnation. 2003 saw the release of Teenage Neon Jungle, a collection of unreleased songs, live tracks, as well as early demos for WHTF, however it did not touch on anything from the short-lived, Gilby Clarke-helmed era. BTW, both their debut album (which apparently never made it into the digital age), and Teenage Neon Jungle, are unspeakably scarce these days, fetching good money on Ebay. To sweeten the pot, I’m also tacking on a soundboard recording of a 1985 gig in Dallas, TX, where Candy performs eight originals, as well as rendering of Reginald Kenneth Dwight’s “Crocodile Rock."

1986 Demos with Kyle Vincent (original lineup)
01. Number One
02. The Girl I Love
03. Matinee
04. Champagne (end fades out)

1987 demos with Gilby Clarke on vocals
5. Sound Of A Broken Heart
6. Dance America
7. M.O.N.E.Y.
8. Everyday Is Saturday Night
9. Johnny Was An Angel
10. Change The World
11. Goodbye Goodtimes
12. My Favorite Star

Liberty Hall Houston, TX 11/19/85
01. Weekend Boy
02. Kids In The City
03. Turn It Up Loud
04. Electric Nights
05. American Kix
06. The First Time
07. The Last Radio Show
08. Crocodile Rock
09. Whatever Happened To Fun

1986/87 demos: http://rapidshare.com/files/251912325/candy_demos.rar
Live in Houston 11/19/85: http://rapidshare.com/files/251916387/candy_live85.rar

Major problems - everyone please read this, and reply if you can help!

Ok, maybe not major problems, but yesterday I upgraded to the latest version of MS Internet Explorer (v. 8) and upon doing so, I am not able to cut and paste any text into the text field, whether it be from another website or a Word doc. In fact, the "paste" function is completely greyed out. A few individuals, myself included, have posted to Blogspot's help forum (would copy and paste the URL, but per above, not an option at the moment). This is apparently a user-wide issue, but Blogspot has yet to formally acknowledge it as such. The few replies to my post and others, is to circumvent IE 8 entirely and use Firefox, which really isn't a solution, so much as a work-around. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot. I started writing my text in the "compose" section as normal, but as soon as I hit "publish post," I was greated with a slew of HTML errors, even though I didn't use any HTML tags. So...I deleted the whole thing, typed in a three-word sentence, without bold-facing, italicizing, etc, and was again greated with a huge HTML error when I attempted to publish.

Next, I uninstalled IE 8 altogether, reinstalled version IE 7, and was unable to open a browser window (actually, it flashed up for a nano-second, before disappearing). Never experienced anything this frustrating or confounding on Blogspot before. I use the cut/paste feature for copying URLs, which can often be lengthy, not to mention some occasional text from relevant websites. If anyone can help, please do so, but DO NOT merely suggest that I go with Firefox instead. For the time being, it's not an option for me. Also, is it possible to email a Blogspot administrator? No sign of an address on their site. There has to be some way to fix this on their end

Thanks!!

Wash - 1991 demo

Don't know a god-darned think about this rather unidentifiable, but wonderfully scrappy dream-pop outfit. I found Wash's eight-cut demo on my peer-to-peer platform of choice, Soulseek, just a few weeks ago, and although I tend not to post artists sans any background info, I'm making an exception here. Since I'm not detecting any British accents, genuine or faux, my best guesstimate is that they're Yankees. My radar is honing in on vaguely atonal female vox, an inviting air of melancholia, and an overall sonic aptitude that suggests the initial batches of Ride and Lush eps were of great significance to this mystery band. Definitely a lil' wet behind the ears, but after all this is a demo, not to mention fledgling terrain for the genre as a whole. Quite frankly, Wash are pretty good. They're pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. If anyone can fill me in on any of Wash's vital stats, don't be a stranger.

01. Spread (Yourself)
02. Orangeboat
03. Greenhouse
04. Fractal
05. Chlorine
06. Palid Virtue
07. Pool
08. Drivel

http://rapidshare.com/files/251636088/wash_91demo.rar

Bleach - Fast & Hard eps (1993, Musidisc)

Of all the Brit dream-pop bands that failed to miss the mark, Bleach were perhaps my favorite. Way back in 2007 when I started this thing, I shared their first two eps, Snag and Eclipse eps, now I'm sharing their final two eps. Sandwiched in between all these short form releases was a flooring full length, Killing Time, that stood head and shoulders with anything by their cornucopia of contemporaries (i.e. Lush, Chapterhouse, etc). It was so impressive, Bleach would've had a nearly impossible task of outshining it, but while there wasn't a proper LP to succeed Killing Time, these two eps are the closest we have to such a proposition.

By the time they got around to Fast and Hard, Bleach shorn the better part of their gauzy layers of tremolo and distortion. This was a trend that caught on with a lot of shoegazer acts, and not necessarily for the best. Bleach's cornerstone, that being the ranty sung/spoken vocals of Salli Carson, remained firmly intact, but as the quartet eschewed much of the amped-out headiness that made their previous records so viscerally great, there was a little something lost in the translation. Nevertheless, even with their usual roaring backdrop sonically manicured, another key holdover here is tension - something Carson revels in to highly persuasive effect. For further observations on these disks you can bone up on Fast here and Hard here. Shoegazeralive2 blog has a whole mess of Bleach CDs that are yours for the taking.

Fast
01. Teenage Monk

02. Hate Song

03. Cosy

04. If We Are Dead

05. Action Time

06. Relax (FGTH cover)

Hard

01. Fuse

02. Can

03. Dead Eyes

04. Hit on Me

05. Baby Toes

06. Fragment

Fast: http://rapidshare.com/files/251294867/bleach_fast.rar

Hard: http://rapidshare.com/files/251296369/bleach_hard.rar

Ear Candy - Self Defence ep (1987, Imnop)

More Canadian "wave" for you. This is an aesthetically related followup of sorts to my recent Those French Girls post. Straight outta suburban Toronto, Ear Candy weren't the most innovative bunch, but this ep does yield "Part of Me," on par with, or even surpassing anything by the likes of OMD, When in Rome, and Hipsway (anyone remember them)? Four spit-shined, but inevitably catchy cuts to be experienced here, sure to usher you back to a more coveted place in time. The Google gods were not kind to me on Ear Candy (even New Romantic Rules missed the boat on this one). Self Defence may have very well been released on a homegrown label. Enjoy (or not).

01. Part of Me
02. The Hunter
03. Diamond Eyes
04. After the Rain

http://rapidshare.com/files/250878078/earcandy.rar

Splitting the Difference # 22 - Mars Acclerator/The Adding Machine - Semaphore Loveletter (199?, First Alert Doppler)

Way, way back someone requested music from Mars Accelerator. At long last, here it is - at least the best I could do for now. Just discovered Mars are apparently still in business, even offering a "download of the month" of some sort on their site. Really enjoyed their first cut here, "Bubbles, Lurching," which smacks of crooked popsters The Sugarplastic, throwing a co-ed twee vibe in the mix for good measure. Am pretty sure I heard a Mars Accelerator CD several years ago but don't recall them sounding a damn thing like this. According to their Myspace hovel, Mars Accelerator call Seattle home.

Call it an uncanny coincidence (or in fact, just call it a day), but The Adding Machine also seem to be grazing from the same pasture that The Sugarplastic happen to occupy. Not a slavish imitation mind you, the Machine are wont to peel off a none-too-dissimilar volley of relentlessly ringing chords and quirky prose. If I recall, I have an Adding Machine tucked away somewhere that I think I ought to listen to judging from the satisfactory results here. No apparent web presence for these folks, but it looks like they may have an album that came out in 2000.

Mars Accelerator
01. Bubbles, Lurching
02. Yes, Slimy

The Adding Machine
01. Missiles
02. Baby's Own Colour Annual 1976

http://rapidshare.com/files/250498744/addingaccelerator.rar

Porcelain Boys - Away Awhile... (1997, PopKid) & Jettison - Search for the Gun Girl (1999, PopKid)

This is the first module in a mini-series regarding Minnesota's long-departed Porcelain Boys, who I first spoke of in last week's post of their split single with Marble. Though there are several recordings that predate these albums, I thought I'd start here and work my way backwards, if only to save the best for last.

The Delwood, MN trio known as the Porcelain Boys released two demo tapes and two singles in their first incarnation, which from my estimation spanned the mid-80s to about 1990 or '91. Many of their non-local fans became acquainted with them via their cut "Sidetrack" appearing on the Lookout Records compilation, Can of Pork. In fact, everyone I know that has an awareness of that comp were instantly converted as Porcelain Boys fans. The lineup for these early releases was: Erik Kaiser (lead vocals, percussion), Tom Spence (guitar) and Scott Cook (bass). Yes, the P/B's possessed a singing drummer in their lineup, just like Genesis and Husker Du.

The band reconvened around 1995/96, first issuing the aforementioned split 7" with Marble, and shortly thereafter there bona-fide debut full length, the aptly named Away Awhile... It featured among it's twelve selections, mostly new material, along with overhauls of "back catalog" songs like "If You Were Real," "Bedtime," and "Squeaky Clean." For Away Awhile, the roster was overhauled too , with Erik remaining as the mouthpiece but switching from drum to guitar duties, and new drummer Jason Knudson in tow. All three contribute vocals here. The retooled tracks that were initially the product of the first P/B lineup, sound slightly blunted here, but are a wholly natural progression given such a lengthy hiatus. In short, the band wasn't exactly striving for any punk-points at this point, focusing more on harmonies and the like. Not bad at all for a first album.

Jettison were essentially Porcelain Boys Mach 3, retaining Erik and Scott, with yet another new guy manning the drum kit, Nick Larsen. It's no surprise that Search For the Gun Girl is a logical extension of Away Awhile, bejeweled with a hook-savy acumen and Erik's burgeoning singer/songwriting leanings. So far as I know, this was the last word from Jettison. Scott Cook's must current project, The Giant Slide.

Away Awhile...

01. If You Were Real
02. Five Feet From My Door
03. Icewarm
04. Donuts
05. Puffed
06. Hey Melissa
07. Bedtime
08. Green Skies
09. Broke
10. Sidetrack
11. Squeaky Clean

12. …Away Awhile

Search For the Gun Girl

01. Arrive Alive
02. Good
03. Znuthin’
04. My Machine
05. Can’t Get Anymore
06. Fiona
07. In My Head
08. Until We’re Done
09. Take It
10. Jen’s Song
11. Last

Away Awhile: http://rapidshare.com/files/250141821/pboys_awayawhile.rar

Search for the Gun Girl: http://rapidshare.com/files/250150683/jettison_gungirl.rar

Bum - 20th Century Masters: The Singles Collection (1991-2000)

Over the course of three decades or so, the “pop-punk” label has become maligned, overused, and is even something of a pejorative these days – yet when applied to bands that fall into that realm the tag is entirely fitting, even if the music resultant from those bands is less than satisfactory. Victoria, B.C., Canada's Bum weren't merely satisfactory, they were phenomenal. During the early Nineties, this fab-foursome spewed forth a geyser of pummeling power chords tethered to some of the most devastating hooks ever devised by a conglomerate of their ilk.

Though they didn’t resemble, or even attempt to mimic Green Day, The Buzzcocks or the Descendants, Bum’s music was equally as substantive as any of the aforementioned. You read that right, Bum were on par with the Buzzcocks. I'm presenting you dear reader with a compendium of most of the groups early singles. This post in is technically a followup to a split 7" with The Smugglers I shared a few weeks ago. Truth be told, the centerpiece for any Bum collection should be their debut LP, Wanna Smash Sensation, easily the most convincing of their three albums, which even contains alternate versions of a couple songs from this self-curated singles collection.

These Canucks had a special place in their collective heart, or more literally. on their b-sides for covers. Some really ace ones to, including hyper-kinetic renditions of The Faces “Pool Hall Richard,” The Misfit’s “Bullet ,” and The Dead Boys oft overlooked “I Won’t Back Down.” As far as Bum's original creations go, you won't do better than instantly gratifying moments like "You're Disciple" and "Mrs. Rock and Roll." Can't believe all of this boss tuneage fell on deaf ears. Dig in and look for more Bum in the not-to-distant-future on these pages.

01. Debbiespeak

02. Bullet

03. Your Disciple

04. Weekend

05. Where in the World

06. The Last Castrato

07. O.K. Wine

08. I Wanna Be

09. At the Well

10. Pool Hall Richard

11. Mrs. Rock and Roll

12. Won't Look Back

13. Feel Like a Lot of People

14. Don't Ever Be Sorry

15. Pingu - Sugar Sandwich

1 & 2 from Debbiespeak 7" (1991, Lance Rock)

3 & 4 from The Bum Go Crazy 7" (1992, Au Go Go)

5-8 from Blobs Vol. 3 7" (1992, Way Out)

9 & 10 from At the Well 7" (1992, Lucky)

11 & 12 from Mrs. Rock and Roll 7" (1993, One Louder)

13-15 from split 7" w/Pingu (2000, Magic Teeth)

http://rapidshare.com/files/249429350/bum_singles.rar

Anastasia Screamed - 7" (1987) & Electric Liz ep (1988)

When I posted Anastasia's Screamed's Laughing Down the Limehouse CD a couple weeks ago, someone mentioned how much they loved an A/S tune called "What Kind of Truth Is This?" I have an equal admiration for the song as well. It initially appeared on their debut single, and later as a b-side to the "Samantha Black" 12" single. I have both, so after determining the 7" version was a lot less crackly than the 12," I opted to go with the single for this upload. Per my previous ruminations on Anastasia Screamed:

Mouthpiece/focal point Chick Graning possess the same worn-in, raspy timbre Peter Searcy of Squirrel Bait became legendary for. Though his guttural croon is nearly impossible to forget, Graning's cohorts are a much looser, ramshackle bunch, flailing about like so many flannel-flyers from points due Northwest...Glorious feedback squalls, not to mention extra enthusiastic percussion, put them right up there with Dino Jr at times.

Quit simply, "What Kind of Truth Is This?" is an out-and-out killer. Glorious melodic indie-punk, coming off as a second cousin of sorts to the Replacements "Bastards of Young," and every iota as vital I might add. Unfortunately, the mellower flipside, "Gravity" brandishes it's fair share of surface noise. I'm also including here A/S's Electric Liz ep, a record I don't own a physical copy of, but found a great rip of on Soulseek awhile back. It features five utterly cathartic cuts, terrifically conveyed by Graning's anguished, golden throat. This guy's got more emo in his pinky than the entire Fueled By Ramen roster combined.

7"

A. What Kind of Truth Is This?

B. Gravity

Electric Liz ep

01. Sun Celebration

02. Now

03. I Am (A Horse You Are)

04. Augusra Furnace

05. Da

7": http://rapidshare.com/files/249092474/anastasia7.rar

Electric Liz: http://rapidshare.com/files/249094904/anastasia_electricliz.rar

The Red House - There is a Window (1987, Random)

Though there's nil online documentation regarding There is a Window, ostensibly the debut album by New Jersey's Red House, there is some info regarding frontman Bruce Tunkel, who would later go it alone. This undeniably earnest quartet played relatively linear, mainstream-ish modern rock, with their most blatant trait being Tunkel's vigorous set of lungs. Some catchy jangle-ness crops up here and there, but if Red House tilted to any of their contemporaries, Green on Red is the one that springs to mind. "Farmlife," employing a backdrop of built-in static and pedal steel guitar, is a jarring venture into dustbowl-era country/folk, while the remainder of Window plays it straight down the middle, most successfully on "Killer Under Sky," "Through the Rails" and "This Nightmare." There was apparently a self-titled sequel to this album, issued in 1990.

01. Rain
02. Killer Under Sky
03. Breakaway
04. Isolation
05. Chances
06. The State I’m In
07. Through the Rails
08. Take Me Away
09. Farmlife
10. This Nightmare
11. Pray
12. Burn
13. Blind
14. Rooftop (Sheds the Rain)
15. No Ya Shouldn't
16. Say Goodbye

http://rapidshare.com/files/249057358/redhouse_window.rar

Pluto - Shake Hands With the Future (1998, Virgin Canada)

Hard to believe this album is eleven years old. There have been many a band to swipe their moniker from that of the ninth rock from the sun, but this Vancouver quartet will be the only Pluto that ever matters to me. When they kicked things off with a handful of singles and a debut album, Cool Way to Feel, for Mint Records back in the mid '90s, the group wavered between Weezer-esque rock and all out pop-punk (gee, never encountered that mixture before). Their second LP, Pluto, was the only one to land Stateside, and as incessantly catchy and incredibly convincing as it was, it stiffed quite royally on my side of the border. Two years later, they delivered their third and final opus, Shake Hands With the Future, a slightly more mature undertaking, which found them easing up a tad on the relentless three-chord melees, and even offering some well-placed flourishes of Moog snyth ("Zig Zaggin" being the most gratifyng example). I'm pretty confident you'll enjoy this folks. I believe the self-titled album is floating around on another blog, and I know for a fact that you can imbibe, at will, the aforementioned debut, Cool Way to Feel on Oh Canadarm! blog. You'll find plenty more biographical info there as well. Maybe I'll get some Pluto singles up sometime...

01. Unsatisfied
02. Zig Zaggin
03. The Goodbye Girl
04. Out of My System
05. The Balls
06. Still in School
07. Plastic Surgery
08. Another Look in the Mirror
09. Dislocated Girl
10. Sweet Sound
11. Desperate Lovers
12. Playing Nurse

http://rapidshare.com/files/247928351/pluto_shakehands.rar

Splitting the Difference # 21 - Porcelain Boys/Marble - The Tsetsee Split (Pop Kid, 1996)

For all this time I've neglected doing a post for one of my small-of-fame favorites, Delwood, Minnesota's should've been much bigger Porcelain Boys. I will dedicate a more exhaustive post(s) to them in the coming weeks, but their split single with Marble isn't a bad introduction. Releasing but two singles and a few comp tracks in 1990 (or thereabouts), The Porcelain Boys made instant fans out of just about anyone that had the good fortune of encountering their meager, but promising body of work. Think the Descendants by way of a more conventional power-pop band. Shortly after those singles were issued, the Boys split, but reformed in the mid-90s, with a revamped lineup, and delivered their first bona fide album, the aptly titled Away Awhile (as was the case with the single, a product of Pop Kids Records). The two numbers that adorn their side of this single were recorded during the Away Awhile era, and are pretty representative of the succulent punk-pop they excelled so well at .

Don't have much info on Marble (kind of a challenge to Google), but am pretty sure they hailed from Minnesota as well from what little I'm able to glean from the inner sleeve. Pretty standard, user-friendly popcore with a definite indie bent. They go to the trouble of covering Lindsey Buckingham's classic "Holiday Road," which of course, was most notably put to good use in National Lampoon's European Vacation.

Porcelain Boys
01. Melted Shelter
02. Sick Fifteen

Marble
01. Price
02. Holiday Road

http://rapidshare.com/files/247559680/pb_marble.rar

Those French Girls - s/t (1982, Safari/Attic)

Time now for Wilfully Obscure's token "new romantic" entry for the year. Last April, the Canadian snyth-pop combo Tictoc was the lucky contestant, and wouldn't you know it, Those French Girls also hailed from north of the border, Stirling, Ontario from my understanding. The band's self titled album was released by way of Attic Records, the same label that meddled with a couple other bands featured on these pages, namely the Numbers and Johnny and the G-Rays, but back to the subject at hand.

TFG seemed to emanate from The Vapors/early-Ultravox wing of the new wave clique, but don't quite wield the same charisma. They don't particularly overdo anything here, nor do they dress the part judging from the cover pic, but boy, the feigned Brit accents are about as heavy-handed as they come. An even mix of keyboard and traditional instruments here, with "Corridor" being the album's most stimulating moment. TFG also appeared on a compilation tape with a couple non-LP cuts that you can check out here.

01. Sorry Sorry

02. Diving Board

03. 0-0-0-0-0

04. Punching Windows

05. Close Up

06. Mosquito Bites

07. Corridor

08. Influence

09. Regular Sex

10. Rust

11. Love at First Sight

http://rapidshare.com/files/247190545/thosefrenchgirls.rar

milf - feasting on fried afterthoughts: part four: everybody should stop doing everything (2001, Dizzy - recorded 1992-93)

Supposedly limited to a mere 50 copies (mine labeled # 16), everybody should stop doing everything, is sort of the holy grail for milf fans, not necessarily because of it's scarcity, rather that it handily collects the strongest of the trio's plethora of demos with reasonably good fidelity on get this, a CD. Although I've already uploaded about half of the tracks here in my previous milf postings, they were extracted from cassettes. Listenable as the quality may have been, this CD is a significant sonic improvement. Housing early versions of crucial, later-to-be album tracks like "Me," "Angst and Daisies," and the flabbergastingly genius "Model T," as well as the two tracks from their split with Tugboat Annie, amongst some entirely unreleased material, this is the one to grab if you're pondering where to start. BTW, Please read my previous milf posts for more info on their recordings, and links to a couple of insightful articles on the band. This is the fourth and final installment of my milf afterthoughts series. Does anyone need me to upload their two albums, ha ha bus! and antidope?

01. sell out
02. super
03. no name
04. face
05. one man
06. bad idea
07. model t
08. ceases to beav
09. me
10. angst & daisies
11. in the behind
12. punch
13. primate me
14. and there’s me
15. scrambled tv
16. certain people shouldn’t lie
17. headspin
18. hair bitch

http://rapidshare.com/files/246839207/milf_everybody.rar