Tomorrow knows, it keeps up in suspense...

From 1988. Not necessarily their apex, but this still makes for an apt introduction. 

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Bazooka Joe - Two Thirds (1989, Merkin)

Bazooka Joe were a Baltimore contingent that never really tried to make a break for the mainstream, and I like to think the droney sonic aplomb they steeped these six songs in went a long way in illuminating their integrity.  More along the lines of say, Band of Susans, Mission of Burma and the Embarrassment then Husker Du, Joe' scuzzy post-punk excursions could have still found a suitable home on imprints such as SST and Homestead. K "Stork" Bauer's throbbing bass lines are especially prominent in the mix on Two Thirds, making this threesome stick out like a sore thumb for all the right reasons, yet the persistent undercurrent of Jeffrey Caplin's crackling, buzzing guitars lends Bazooka Joe an almost surreal penchant that the bulk of their contemporaries lacked.  An almost ten year's belated follow-up, Imbalance, arrived in '98.  My copy of Two Thirds is somewhat blemished due to it's former inclusion in a radio station library.

01. Basement Celebration

02. Can Opener

03. Car Acrobatic Team

04. Train Room

05. Stephen

06. (She's) Just Like May West

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Why don't we go to bed (or don't you want to sleep outside)?

Folks, you're not seeing the traditional "question mark" pic due to chronic and immensely vexing technological snafus, but fear not, your weekly link is below.  This is a good 'un from 1997.

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Reactor (1980, Official)

I've had this kicking around for the better part of 20 years and have been chronically procrastinating posting it for no particular reason.  Hopefully this will be worth the wait for some of you. Despite it's indie label pedigree Nuclear Regulatory Commission's lone LP is relatively easy to find, and can be procured for approximately a half-hour's minimum wage. Presumably based in Tennessee per the band's contact address, this coed quintet were hardly the stuff of southern fried aesthetics.  Albeit not traditional synth pop/wave the combo in question took an ample bite Devo's sardonic heft and massaged into something considerably less stiff not to mention arrestingly catchy, with Reactor's most devastating salvos being dealt right out of the gate via "Critical Mass," packing a subtle but undeniable groove, and "Inspection" which goes for the jugular with staccato vocal affectations and a tuneful template that their contemps the Cars were gradually making their calling card.  And speaking of windpipes, the male variety tend to dominate the first half, while the other side of the coin predominantly features Bobbie Bonnickson.  Reactor isn't carpet-to-carpet gold, but just about all of it is at minimum respectable, not to mention edgy and earnest.  This rip was taken from a noisy slice of vinyl, and if the master tapes somehow still exist a full-fledged remaster/reissue would be a treat.

01. Critical Mass

02. Inspecetion

03. System Failure

04. Nothing is the Same

05. White Sugar

06. Fax

07. Generator

08. Drafted

09. Z-bomb

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...and if you put it in a letter I will not take it better.

Originally a cassette-only release from 1990, reissued 30 years later, from an echo-ridden, indie guitar band that oddly enough found favor with skateboarders back in the day.  There's a bonus cut and a link to an article on the band in the download.

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Smackmelon - demo (1993)

It's been another week where I simply lost track and didn't have much prepared for you, but as for the tape depicted to the left I've been meaning to share this one anyway. Smackmelon made the Wilfully Obscure rounds about ten or so years ago via their 1992 "Space Shot" 45. Hard to believe that much time has passed, but yes, almost 35 years.  I believe those versions are from the same sessions this tape is derived from - perhaps a slightly different mix(?).  Also, the tracklist here doesn't differ very much with the trio's 1994 self-titled ep.  All that out of the way, if you're a sucker for the more downer urges of Sugar, Lotion, Overwhelming Colorfast, and for that matter even the likes of Fretblanket and the Doughboys, Smackmelon make for a pretty phenomenal find.  Their one and only full-length, 1995's Blue Hour is well worth seeking out too.

01. Space Shot

02. I'm Not Cool

03. Facelift

04. Highwire

05. Raymond

06. Question Mark

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We leave exactly as we came, all bloody crying out for pain.

From 1992. Third and final album from this UK to NYC transplant. Notably elongated song-lengths, not to mention something of an acquired taste. I also tacked on an accompanying bonus four-song ep packaged with certain copies of the CD.  

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Safe as Houses - The Moon Belongs to Rachel (1990, Mountain)

Here's another one I barely recall putting in my shopping cart, ostensibly just a few years ago.  The three-piece Safe as Houses, bearing a NJ correspondence address, are indeed fairly safe not to mention conventional pop/rockers who's trad modus operandi parallels that of Split Enz/Crowded House, and should you wish to get even a bit more arcane, the Railway Children. While there are plenty of optimistic hues to imbibe on these four grooves, the going can turn routine quickly.  I favor the title cut the most, whereas the other two unique numbers here entail brass accompaniment, never overpowering mind you, but otherwise an unnecessary embellishment.  Enjoy (or not).

01. The Moon Belongs to Rachel

02. People Like Us

03. You're Not Worth It

04. The Mute Belongs to Rachel

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