Monday, April 30, 2018
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Yung Wu - Shore Leave (1987, Coyote & 2018 Bar/None) - A brief review.
First and foremost, Yung Wu is/was a band, not an individual. With that sorted out, in my opinion this New Jersey five-piece may as well have dubbed themselves "That Feelies spinoff band." Not only does that denote there lineage, it invariably trails any mention of Yung Wu anywhere, be it online, The Trouser Press Record Guide, or even the occasional '80s fanzine that was thoughtful enough to offer them some press three decades back.
In a nutshell, the story goes like this. After the very belated release of the Feelies not-so-difficult sophomore LP, 1986's The Good Earth, yet another hiatus was in order. This sabbatical would entail the revival of Yung Wu, a band that had it's roots in The Trypes. Dating back to 1982, the Trypes were local indie scenesters who included a guy named Glenn Mercer in their ranks, who just happened to be the Feelies prime mover. In the ranks of this arcane indie curiosity sat Glenn on drums, a 180 from his role in the Feelies. In fact, there was a lot of musical chairs at play in the Trypes fluid ranks, but eventually, the Feelies full-time percussionist, Dave Weckerman, found himself at the head of the class, and with his acquisition of the microphone a fresh modus operandi was set into motion - and the birth of a new entity altogether, Yung Wu.
Essentially a slightly modified configuration of The Feelies, Yung Wu's lineup consisted of Weckerman on vocals, Stan Demeski filling in Dave's stead on drums, Glenn was relegated to guitars (as was Bill Million per his usual role), Brenda Sauter handled bass and John Baumgartner played keys. Intentionally or not, the Feelies settled on a highly effective formula of brisk, strummy chords, plaintive songwriting, and an indigenous angle of tension (loosely interpreted from the Velvets), all the way back to their 1980 debut, Crazy Rhythms. With YW's reshuffled lineup, largely consisting of the same members, the proceedings were logically a bit more creative, while still fitting quite solidly in the mold of their main gig. Shore Leave's opener (and title track) doesn't stray far from the Feelies ranch, at least not sonically, but Weckerman brings a welcome narrative touch to the table. "Aspiration" exudes soft, rustic overtones with glints of everyone from Chris Knox to Television, and is mightily catchy to boot. Shore Leave's master stroke arrives relatively early in the guise of "Spinning," bearing a juicy, opulent chorus hook that arguably ranks within the top-ten songs in the entire Feelies orbit, period. And if you're desperately hankering for something in the Feelies vein proper, "Modern Farmer" could sit comfortably on their first two records.
Per Weckerman's liner notes. Yung Wu weren't offered the opportunity to cut an album until 1986 or so, but even with their moderately lengthy tenure they only had eight original songs to lay down. To flesh out an entire LP, some supplemental covers were in order - and boy, did Yung Wu pick some splendidly suitable tunes. We're treated to a fairly straight but effective reading of Neil Young's "Powderfinger," and ditto for an old Stone's b-side, "Child of the Moon."
Shore Leave isn't a start-to-finish classic, but try telling that to a die-hard Feelies acolyte and see how far that gets you. It is however a cut well above most spinoff "projects," in the respect that Yung Wu treat the record in the same thoughtful, par excellence mold of Crazy Rhythms and Good Earth. Equally striking is the fact that going into Shore Leave doesn't require any level of Feelies fandom for optimal appreciation...but it doesn't hurt to have a foot in the door. Shore Leave is available physically and digitily straight from Bar/None, Amazon and iTunes, however the vinyl version was a strictly limited Record Store Day title. I understand a few copies remain through bar-none.com, but otherwise your local mom and pop may have a stray copy in stock. As a bonus, the LP version contains a bonus flexi-disc of an early Dave Weckerman single.
In a nutshell, the story goes like this. After the very belated release of the Feelies not-so-difficult sophomore LP, 1986's The Good Earth, yet another hiatus was in order. This sabbatical would entail the revival of Yung Wu, a band that had it's roots in The Trypes. Dating back to 1982, the Trypes were local indie scenesters who included a guy named Glenn Mercer in their ranks, who just happened to be the Feelies prime mover. In the ranks of this arcane indie curiosity sat Glenn on drums, a 180 from his role in the Feelies. In fact, there was a lot of musical chairs at play in the Trypes fluid ranks, but eventually, the Feelies full-time percussionist, Dave Weckerman, found himself at the head of the class, and with his acquisition of the microphone a fresh modus operandi was set into motion - and the birth of a new entity altogether, Yung Wu.
Essentially a slightly modified configuration of The Feelies, Yung Wu's lineup consisted of Weckerman on vocals, Stan Demeski filling in Dave's stead on drums, Glenn was relegated to guitars (as was Bill Million per his usual role), Brenda Sauter handled bass and John Baumgartner played keys. Intentionally or not, the Feelies settled on a highly effective formula of brisk, strummy chords, plaintive songwriting, and an indigenous angle of tension (loosely interpreted from the Velvets), all the way back to their 1980 debut, Crazy Rhythms. With YW's reshuffled lineup, largely consisting of the same members, the proceedings were logically a bit more creative, while still fitting quite solidly in the mold of their main gig. Shore Leave's opener (and title track) doesn't stray far from the Feelies ranch, at least not sonically, but Weckerman brings a welcome narrative touch to the table. "Aspiration" exudes soft, rustic overtones with glints of everyone from Chris Knox to Television, and is mightily catchy to boot. Shore Leave's master stroke arrives relatively early in the guise of "Spinning," bearing a juicy, opulent chorus hook that arguably ranks within the top-ten songs in the entire Feelies orbit, period. And if you're desperately hankering for something in the Feelies vein proper, "Modern Farmer" could sit comfortably on their first two records.
Per Weckerman's liner notes. Yung Wu weren't offered the opportunity to cut an album until 1986 or so, but even with their moderately lengthy tenure they only had eight original songs to lay down. To flesh out an entire LP, some supplemental covers were in order - and boy, did Yung Wu pick some splendidly suitable tunes. We're treated to a fairly straight but effective reading of Neil Young's "Powderfinger," and ditto for an old Stone's b-side, "Child of the Moon."
Shore Leave isn't a start-to-finish classic, but try telling that to a die-hard Feelies acolyte and see how far that gets you. It is however a cut well above most spinoff "projects," in the respect that Yung Wu treat the record in the same thoughtful, par excellence mold of Crazy Rhythms and Good Earth. Equally striking is the fact that going into Shore Leave doesn't require any level of Feelies fandom for optimal appreciation...but it doesn't hurt to have a foot in the door. Shore Leave is available physically and digitily straight from Bar/None, Amazon and iTunes, however the vinyl version was a strictly limited Record Store Day title. I understand a few copies remain through bar-none.com, but otherwise your local mom and pop may have a stray copy in stock. As a bonus, the LP version contains a bonus flexi-disc of an early Dave Weckerman single.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
V/A - Souvenirs - Little Gems of Pop (2009, Sound Asleep)
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01. Three Hour Tour - Next Time | ||||
02. Jimmy Silva - May The Second | ||||
03. The Kicksouls - I Don't Know | ||||
04. Choo Choo Train - Catch Another Breath | ||||
05. Flying Color - Through Different Eyes | ||||
06. Todd Newman & The Leatherwoods - To Win You Back | ||||
07. Chaz & The Motorbikes - Jack Hammers | ||||
08. Beatosonics - No One To Cry To | ||||
09. Manual Scan - She Sad It's Late | ||||
10. Hector - Hurts So Bad | ||||
11. The Reverbs - Picture An Eye | ||||
12. Erik Voeks - When Will It All End? | ||||
13. Action Suits - Fun Flies | ||||
14. The Decoys - Not The Tremblin' Kind | ||||
15. The Explosives - A Girl Like You | ||||
16. 64 Funnycars - AMC Pacer | ||||
17. 2 Minutes 50 - Call Me Back | ||||
18. The Wishniaks - She's The One | ||||
19. Carnival Season - Misguided Promises | ||||
20. Lions & Dogs - Be My Something | ||||
21. Pointed Sticks - All My Clocks Stopped Hear |
Thursday, April 26, 2018
The Colours - Details at Thirteen ep (1984, Orange George)
This southern Cali quartet do the jangle and strum thing with homespun aplomb and more than enough charm to get by, purloining a thing or two from REM - and they wouldn't sound entirely out of place on a bill with one of their other local contemporaries, The Three O'Clock. Other than that, I can't offer much in the way of background info on the Colours, who may have only issued this one slice of vinyl. Modest, but mightily effective stuff here. A few notches shy of a masterpiece, Details at Thirteen is at the very least well above average. Funny they went with a black and white sleeve, contrary to their moniker.
01. Faces in the Window
02. Somewhere in Between
03. untitled
04. Long Distance
05. What You Mean
06. Turn Around
Hear
01. Faces in the Window
02. Somewhere in Between
03. untitled
04. Long Distance
05. What You Mean
06. Turn Around
Hear
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Velocity Girl - early singles ep (1993, Slumberland)
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01. I Don't Care if You Go
02. Always
03. My Forgotten Favorite
04. Why Should I Be Nice to You?
05. Not At All
06. I Don't Care If You Go (acoustic)
Hear
Sunday, April 22, 2018
All the time in the world, and you never changed a thing.
Personally, I wish they had retired after this album. Instead, they sullied their good name for decades to come. This one, however, is a peach.
Hear
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Green River - 1984 Demos (2016, Jackpot)
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This LP of nine nascent recordings was essentially tracked in prep for the band's debut, Come On Down, though few songs from this session actually carried over to it. If you're familiar with that one you know it's a bit of a winded slog of a record, that hit the market before Green River truly perfected that "groove" thing. Sort of the same premise on these nine cuts, but, wherein future Mudhoney-mates Mark Arm & Steve Turner alongside a pre-Mother Love Bone/Pearl Jam Jeff Ament (no Stone Gossard yet, kids) clad bluesy metal to bratty punk bravado, a formula that would eventually yield, you guessed it, the "G" word. The building blocks lie in waiting at their feet, but weren't quite cemented on the howling "Leeech," and the mildly doomy "10,000 Things," the later being re-cut to better effect for a contribution to the Deep Six compilation in '86. At this stage in the game, Arm and friends strike me as more convincing on viciously punkier salvos "Means to An End" and "Take Me." Best of all, this compendium features an early incarnation of a tune that would be worked to utmost perfection as an early Mudhoney b-side, "Baby Help Me Forget." I won't give any more away than I have thus far. Have at it.
01. 33 Revolutions
02. Leeech
03. 10,000 Things
04. Means to an End
05. New God
06. Baby Help Me Forget
07. Take Me
08. Against the Grain
09. Tunnel of Love
Hear
Friday, April 20, 2018
It's seems a trivial pursuit now, but it's the only game in town...
I think this one will have special relevance to my Buffalo and Toronto peeps. It's not often when a band garners a stronger following in a city/country other than one they're indigenous to, but so be it the case of TO's Lowest of the Low. Circa 1991 in Buffalo, NY, the city just 50 miles south as the crow flies, there were hoards of early and enthusiastic adopters of the Low and their auspicious debut, Shakespeare My Butt. With the now-renown Ron Hawkins at the helm, spewing diatribes, anecdotes and clever truisms galore, western New Yorkers caught the Low's indelible bug from the get go, as word of mouth spread rapidly - all pre-web mind you. Pair Hawkin's timeless tact for writing with a melodic indie rock penchant and you have a formula that should have infiltrated the entire continent, but Canada and a sweet chunk of the Empire State would have to suffice.
This 2004 show technically took place in Williamsville, NY, an affluent suburb, not the city proper. It was supposed to be an outdoor gig, but the weather failed to cooperate, so it was moved to a venue that unfortunately isn't identified on the sleeve. Hawkins mistakenly refers to Williamsville as Williamsburg, stating mid-set to a packed crowd that "the entire burg must be here!" Of course, he's almost immediately corrected. Spanning two hours, the show naturally draws robustly from Shakespeare, but listeners receive nearly as much fresh tunes that would be released one month later on the Low's third and belated LP, Sordid Fiction. Despite omitting much of the best material from their sophomore record, Hallucigenia, the setlist cranks, and their performance does in kind. The band's characteristic charm is doled out for miles and miles, and multiple encores ensue. One thousand copies of the show were pressed on CD and sold through Maple Music, never to be seen again...but once in awhile you'll luck out browsing in a used bin. All of the evidence is yours for the taking below, in either MP3 of lossless FLAC.
Disk 1
01. Dogs of February
02. Just About "The Only" Blues
03. And Then the Riot
04. For the Hand of Magdelena
05. Everywhere and Nowhere
06. The Sharpest Pain
07. City Full of Cowards
08. Last Lost Generation
09. New Westminster Taxi Squad
10. Darkhorse
11. Eternal Fatalist/Letter From Bilbnoa
12. Your Birthday Party
13. Turpentine
14. Giulietta the Just
Disk 2
01. Bleed a Little While Tonight
02. The AM Taxi Ride
03. Save Me, Alice Neel!
04. Salesman, Cheats and Liars
05. The Last Recidivist
06. Winter Sleepers
07. Sincero
08. 4 O'Clock Stop
09. Small Victories
10. Concave
11. Come Pick Me Up
MP3 (320 kbps) or FLAC
This 2004 show technically took place in Williamsville, NY, an affluent suburb, not the city proper. It was supposed to be an outdoor gig, but the weather failed to cooperate, so it was moved to a venue that unfortunately isn't identified on the sleeve. Hawkins mistakenly refers to Williamsville as Williamsburg, stating mid-set to a packed crowd that "the entire burg must be here!" Of course, he's almost immediately corrected. Spanning two hours, the show naturally draws robustly from Shakespeare, but listeners receive nearly as much fresh tunes that would be released one month later on the Low's third and belated LP, Sordid Fiction. Despite omitting much of the best material from their sophomore record, Hallucigenia, the setlist cranks, and their performance does in kind. The band's characteristic charm is doled out for miles and miles, and multiple encores ensue. One thousand copies of the show were pressed on CD and sold through Maple Music, never to be seen again...but once in awhile you'll luck out browsing in a used bin. All of the evidence is yours for the taking below, in either MP3 of lossless FLAC.
Disk 1
01. Dogs of February
02. Just About "The Only" Blues
03. And Then the Riot
04. For the Hand of Magdelena
05. Everywhere and Nowhere
06. The Sharpest Pain
07. City Full of Cowards
08. Last Lost Generation
09. New Westminster Taxi Squad
10. Darkhorse
11. Eternal Fatalist/Letter From Bilbnoa
12. Your Birthday Party
13. Turpentine
14. Giulietta the Just
Disk 2
01. Bleed a Little While Tonight
02. The AM Taxi Ride
03. Save Me, Alice Neel!
04. Salesman, Cheats and Liars
05. The Last Recidivist
06. Winter Sleepers
07. Sincero
08. 4 O'Clock Stop
09. Small Victories
10. Concave
11. Come Pick Me Up
MP3 (320 kbps) or FLAC
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Rockphonics - Get the Picture? (1990, Incas)
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01. Wild Sun
02. Alright By Me
03. Turning Us Around
04. Lock and Key
05. Lost Time (remix)
06. Get the Picture
07. It's No Crime
08. Different Flavor
09. The Right Hand
10. More Than Me
Hear
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Forty. Million. Daggers.
This week it's the bonus material (and only the bonus material) from an expanded reissue of a 1992 indie classic that has earned it's 'seminal' distinction.
Hear
Diesel Park West - Shakespeare Alabama demos (1988)
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PS: I neglected to mention, this was bundled as a bonus disk with Diesel's 1998 cd, HIPReplacement.
01. Like Princes Do
02. All the Myths on Sunday
03. Bell of Hope
04. Out of Nowhere
05. The Waking Hour
06. When the Hoodoo Comes
07. Opportunity Crazy
08. Here I Stand
09. Jackie's Still Sad
10. A House Divided
11. Don't Be Scared of the Night
12. What About Us
Hear
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Beat Rodeo 7" (1983, Coyote)
I've run into Beat Rodeo's '86 LP Home in the Heart of the Beat, more times than I can possibly recall, but never felt compelled to investigate. However, when a bargain priced copy of their Coyote Records single was staring me in the face a few years ago, I couldn't pass it up, if only for sleeve...and the pedigree of the label. The band's moniker is pretty much a dead giveaway to their inevitable Americana leanings, but the bouncy a-side, "What's the Matter" bears their faint (at the very least) absorption of another Coyote staple, The Feelies. The tunes' flirtation with bluegrass arpeggios and oldies aptitude (think Buddy Holly) really drives this sucker home. The equally swift and stirring "Mimi" shoehorns in Flying Burrito Bros and Flamin' Groovies inspirations. My only complaint is that the magic doesn't exceed the two-minute mark.
A. What's the Matter
B. Mimi
Hear
A. What's the Matter
B. Mimi
Hear
Thursday, April 12, 2018
The Well Wishers - A View From Above (2018) - A brief review.
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Shelton is a stickler for the line-drive approach to performing - a defiant straight shooter armed with a cascade of fuzzy power chords and linear but earnest sentiments. It's not the most innovative formula, yet "I Like You Better" and "Never Let You Down" are pulled off with an airtight acumen a lot of his peers would be envious of, if only for the fact that he makes it look/sound So. Damn. Easy. By and large, A View... is cut from the same cloth of earlier WW records like Comes and Goes and Dreaming of the West Coast - so much so these albums sound indistinguishable. But just when you think he's content to stay on the straight and narrow, we're graced with a few tangents, the bulk of which crop up on the album's second half. The rumbling "Is it Me, Is it You" plugs into the ballsy swagger of early Cheap Trick, "Ways and Means" is a subdued slice of lilting jangle, and "New Fade Out" eschews the power pop penchant almost altogether in favor of a something distinctly more contemplative than what we're accustom to hearing from Shelton. All and all, not a bad place for WW neophytes to jump in, and there's plenty here to keep his loyal listeners piqued.
A View From Above is available as we speak via Bandcamp, Amazon and iTunes.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Blue Movie - Milking the Masters Vol. 7 (1987, Good Foot)
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01. Our Cultural Mission
02. Almost, Almost Never Works
03. Family Album
04. Amazing Disappearing Boy
05. Devil's in the Wishing Well
06. Revolution Dream
07. Tammy's on the Telephone
08. Geoffery Lyall's Unconstructed Gumby
09. Freestyle Tattoo
10. untitled
11. Window With a Bullet Hole
12. Boyfriend
13. Jerusalem
14. Dog Song
Hear
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Altered Images - The Peel Sessions 1980-81.
I suppose this one is self explanatory. I can't purport to be a longtime follower of Scotland's colorful Altered Images, as they never graced my sonar during their original inception. In fact, it wasn't until a friend encouraged me a few years ago that they were worth investigating beyond their bubbly signature piece, "Happy Birthday." Correct he was, and I really got hooked on their debut, Happy Birthday, in spite of it's ubiquitous title track. I was delighted to discover some genuinely edgy, post-punk nuggets "Beckoning Strings" and the even more serrated "Midnight," which oddly enough I found reminiscent of early U2. Those tunes and more made an appearance on a clutch of Altered Images Peel Sessions. There are three sessions total here, the first two cut around the Happy Birthday era, and the third situated during the time they were prepping material for their sophomore LP, Pinky Blue. The audio quality is indicative of a two or three generation old tape, as the Images Peel recordings never officially made their way into the marketplace. On the other hand, expanded versions of the band's three studio albums have recently been boxed up by the good people over at Cherry Red Records on convenient five inch aluminum disks, and is a recommended purchase if you find yourself enamored with any/all of these dozen tunes.
Peel Session - October 14, 1980
01. Dead Pop Stars
02. Insects
03. Beckoning Strings
04. Legionaire
Peel Session - March 10, 1981
05. A Day's Wait
06. Idols
07. Midnight
08. Jeepster
Peel Session - September 22, 1981
09. Think That it Might
10. Pinky Blue
11. Little Brown Head
12. Song Sung Blue
Hear
Peel Session - October 14, 1980
01. Dead Pop Stars
02. Insects
03. Beckoning Strings
04. Legionaire
Peel Session - March 10, 1981
05. A Day's Wait
06. Idols
07. Midnight
08. Jeepster
Peel Session - September 22, 1981
09. Think That it Might
10. Pinky Blue
11. Little Brown Head
12. Song Sung Blue
Hear
Friday, April 6, 2018
Mind's I - A House Defiled ep (1988, BBTB)
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01. Deadly Love
02. Rank & File
03. Dreams
04. A House Defiled
05. Something's Wrong
Hear
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
New Order - Western Works Studio demos, 9/7/80
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This brief collection of songs constitutes New Order's first recording session, tracked about three months after Curtis' suicide, with a lineup consisting of the surviving three quarters of Joy Division - Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris. This is New Order in their most sullen and undiluted form, at least two years before certain elements in the record industry "persuaded" them to adopt a cheerier and more commercial tenor. My two favorite N/O songs materialized from this era - "Ceremony," and "Dreams Never End," and it's a treat to hear these clangy, soon-to-be post-punk songs in their initial stages of development. "Homage" and "Are You Ready..." were never revisited again, at least not studio-wise apparently. This is quite literally mourning through music. Below are some observations from the individual who posted these on the torrent site I procured them from. And yes, this particular batch of tunes has been bootlegged profusely over the years, but the audio quality here is pretty exceptional.
In these tracks you can still hear the band's emotions in
text and music. Different band members took part on lead vocals: Peter Hook on
"dreams never end", Bernard Summer on "hommage", Steve
Morris on "ceremony" and "truth". Even Joy Division's and
New Order manager Rob Gretton took place behind the microphone and sings at the
last song of these recordings.
01 Dreams Never End (mix 1, quieter guitars)
02 Dreams Never End (mix 2, louder guitars)
03 Homage
04 Ceremony
05 Truth
06 Are You Ready Are You Ready Are You Ready For This?
MP3 or FLAC
Sunday, April 1, 2018
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