Six billion little freckles, with freckles of their own...

When I attended the final Hey Mercedes concert at the Metro in Chicago in 2005, the opening act was celebrating their debut album release.  And here it is.  I'm also tacking on a song they recorded shortly thereafter. 

http://www22.zippyshare.com/v/25985981/file.html

A Special Pillow - A Very Special Pillow 7" (1995, Really Fast Racecar)

A little pedigree action going on here.  File under Yo La Tengo and Hypnolovewheel, cos' A Special Pillow entailed James McNew and Dan Cuddy of the aforementioned respectfully.  Cuddy is actually the mastermind here, and the only consistent participant on the trio of full lengths that followed this 45.  Just as significant are the contributions of violin shredder Katie Gentile and cellist Cindy Brolsma, who provide a poignant chamber pop element..  "Tomorrow Night" (not the Shoes classic in case you were wondering) is sheer naval-gazing bliss if there ever was such a thing.  Slow, strummy, and even a tad glummy, it's the perfect slacker lullaby for hammock season.  The flip, "Paranormal," is considerably more enthusiastic, with Gentile's chin-music savvy escalating the tune's fervor to something along the lines of Pillow's string-wielding contemps the Dambuilders. 

A. Tomorrow Night
B. Paranormal

Hear

Crocodile Shop - Lullaby (1988, Susstones)

Two months ago, I introduced many of you to Crocodile Shop's 1987 ep, Head.  With a quintessentially indie rock sound that drew from the choice stock temanating from the then contemporary Minneapolis and American Southeast, I was practically beside myself to learn that within a decades time the band was not only still active, but had adopted a thumping, industro-EDM modus operadni.  Starling as that was, Croc Shop's metamorphosis was relatively gradual, and Lullaby was a none-too-telling chapter in their transition.  With the Chameleons (UK) Dave Fielding producing, the trio cast their gaze on the chillier strains of post-punk, often threatening to breach into noir environs, resembling the likes of Wire and the Comsat Angels.  Frustratingly, Lullaby doesn't fully blossom until the latter half of side two, closing out with a trifecta of tense, yet melodically adept numbers.  All in all, more substance than schtick, and a grand finale worth hanging around for.

01. The Big Goodbye
02. Three More Times
03. But Not Now
04. Hands and Pocket
05. The Floor of the Sea
06. Own the World
07. Knocking Down the Doors
08. Corrupt Solution
09. Lies Don't Move
10. Tender
11. December Mourning

Hear

See these hands? There’s splinters in my palms...

The 1986 album from an unheralded Minneapolis combo.  Lots of ringing guitar leads on this one, not dissimilar to another troop from this era, Dreams So Real.

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/40639877/file.html

Repaired links.

Thirty links or so revived from the dead.  Some of these were requests, others were items that may have been neglected or passed over when I initially posted them.  As usual, click on the artist to refer back to the original entry, while the titles will steer you directly to the download link.

Straitjacket Fits - Down in Splendour ep 
Incomplete Monday - I Am
Billy James - Sixes and Sevens
Pavement - Black Out 7"
Dambuilders - God Dambuilders Bless America  
Mad Turks of Istanbul - Toast and Cafe Istanbul
Mood Paint (pre-Pond) - demo
Playground - singles
The Fumes - singles
Touchables - More Than a Glimpse ep
Delusions of Grandeur - Picture Perfect Martyr
Chris Sievey (Freshies) - Big Record
Stiffs, Inc. - Nix Naught Nothing
Numbers - Add Up
Hot Tip - Stop All Motion
Classic Ruins - Ruins Cafe
Ups and Downs - singles & Rash ep
Naomi's Hair - Tara
Field Trip - Beautiful
Downsiders - s/t LP & All My Friends Are Fish
Jo Broadbery and the Standouts - s/t LP & House of Love
Local Operator - singles
Green on Red - Rev. Luther ep
Popular Front - This is the Rubicon
Mod Lang - Where Your Heart ep
Those French Girls - s/t LP
3 1/2 Minutes - Peep ep and Bleed Me Dry ep

Doll Congress ep (1983, Enigma)

I went into this one with a couple of serious misconceptions.  Doll Congress' lineup contained a pre-solo/pre-fame Michael Penn, who would later rise to prominence in the late '80s with a big 'ol Top-40 hit.  He also happened to be the brother of Sean Penn.  I was under the impression that Michael fronted Doll Congress.  Not exactly.  Furthermore, an unverifiable source led me to believe that D/C were all about the power pop.  Waaaay off the mark.  The lead-off number, "Concrete and Clay" is outright owned by chanteuse Gabriele Morgan, whose ungodly high pitch is at the very least an appropriate pairing for this tropical slice of pseudo new wave.  Clearly not what I was expecting.  The two flip-sides are at least a tad more in my wheelhouse.  The comparatively rockin' "Easy to Touch" bears a bouncy, Blondie-esque panache that I don't have nearly as much of a beef with, and we finally get to hear Mike adorn the mic on "The Main,"the closest Doll Congress comes to offering conventional guitar chords.  Make what you will of this long defunct L.A. quintet.

A. Concrete and Clay
B1. Easy to Touch
B2. The Main

Hear

Rotary Ten - two tapes (1990-91)

Presumably taking their name from the R.E.M. song, it's virtually inevitable for me to draw some sort of parallel between this Cleveland area quartet and Michael Stipe's former meal-ticket.  Rotary Ten, in fact, didn't siphon as much as you might assume from said Athens, GA staple, so much as the bands whom R.E.M. informed - Miracle Legion, For Squirrels, and even more negligibly Toad the Wet Sprocket.  Submitted for your approval, two low-budget forays into the unlikely realm of organ-laced indie pop.  The proceedings on Long Walk and Coffee Songs emanate a discernible collegiate ardor, yet are uniformly approachable.  Rotate Ten wield some fairly ambitious melodies when they put their collective minds to it - "Glacier Run," "Rainfall" and "Insomnia" for starters.  Otherwise, I have precious little else to opine on here.  However, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that some of these songs are available on an R/T compilation from this period, Adopt a Highway, which is attainable via Bandcamp, alongside a collection of later material. Should you find anything stimulating on these cassettes, please consider supporting the band and send a few $$ their way!

Long Walk (1990)
01. Autumn Years
02. Save Me Mary
03. Glacier Run
04. Rainfall
05. The End of it's Over
06. Lover's Lane
07. Cowboys

Coffee Songs (1991)
01. Coffee Song
02. I Am in a Coma
03. Insomnia
04. Winona

Hear

Close the door and kick the light out...

From 1993.  Stellar indie rock from Canada, with nods to Sonic Youth and Superchunk.  Loads of sweet jangly breaks throughout.

http://www71.zippyshare.com/v/98321636/file.html

Swell Maps - rehearsals, outtakes, etc.

I didn't rip much vinyl this week, nor do I have much time on my hands today, but since I've been on a bit of a Swell Maps kick of late, I thought I'd toss this out there.  You might say this very hodge-podged, bottom-of-the-barrel scraped collection is only for the most dedicated devotees of Soundtracks, Sudden and Head.  In case you're wondering, this wasn't assembled by yours truly.  The main attraction here is arguably a highly shambolic concert tape from 1979, running a good forty minutes.  No "hits" here folks, but some of this stuff is more constructive than I might be making out.  For those of you who want to properly acquaint yourself with these seminal, post-punk noiseniks, I would recommend beginning with their two albums, A Trip to Marineville (1979) and Jane From Occupied Europe (1980). You might also be further enlightened regarding S/M by gleaning this.

01. 14th Floor
02. Forest Fire
03. Harmony In Your Bathroom (Alternate Take)
04. live in Aylesbury, Sept. 1979
05. Marineville outtakes
06. instrumentals 1
07. instrumentals2
08. instrumentals 3
09. rehearsal, July 1977

Hear

The Caroline Know 7" (1992, #1 Records)

The gentleman on the cover is flipping us da bird, and for the life of me I can't figure out why.  Maybe I shouldn't take it so personally.  My familiarity with The Caroline Know starts/ends with this particular single, though they had at least one more, and even a full length to their credit.  Jason Loenstein (yes, from Sebadoh and Folk Implosion) had some involvement with this Massachusetts indie rock proposition, but by the time the "finger" single dropped he was out of the picture.  Perhaps even more significantly singer Stephen Rand passed on in 2011.  His distinctive timbre doesn't go unnoticed, and neither does the C/K's guitar interplay, ostensibly inspired by Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500 and Luna).  Both tracks qualify as 'growers' in my book, but I'm compelled to investigate further.   

A. Krushedy Krush
B. Little Bocephus

Hear

Graphic - Baysongs (1985, Baysongs)

Another Orange County jewel.  Blurring the lines between new age and new romantic (skewing heavily to the latter), Graphic's surreal choice of sleeve art is somewhat reflective of the occasionally exotic and sublime music ensconced within Baysongs.  I'm honing in on traces of Haircut 100 and the Three O'clock, among such other plush contemporaries, but there's a freshness and sophistication to these ten cuts that thrust this Irvine, CA quartet beyond the pop stratosphere.  I might also add that tasteful flourishes of sax blend in smoothly with Baysongs breezy proceedings. Cool disk.

01. In a Different World
02. The Hour Has Come
03. The Cast
04. Medieval Daydream
05. Someday You'll Look Back
06. Jacquie
07. In Transition
08. The Baysong
09. To the Good Guys
10. The City

Hear

Make your way through a scary shimmer town…

Pure pop for not-so-now people.  From the Great White North, circa 1987.  Impeccable stuff here my friends, and one of the best M/M titles I've shared in awhile. 

http://www52.zippyshare.com/v/37925703/file.html

Imitation Life - Scoring Correctly at Home! & Ice Cubes and Sugar (1986-88, Veebltronics/Skyclad)

Was surprised to see this one wasn't archived elsewhere online (save for Discogs).  Imitation Life presumably called Los Angeles their stomping ground and had two albums to show for themselves, 1986's Ice Cubes and Sugar, and the more impressive Scoring Correctly at Home which followed two years later.  The latter of those two is sequenced first on this two-fer CD.  More pub rock than power pop, I/L also veered into punk and roots rock terrain, sounding like a crossbreed between Dramarama, and such no-nonsense traditionalists as NRBQ.  Per the sleeve notes, John Easdale and Chris Carter of  the aforementioned Dramarama actually make guest appearances here, though they aren't credited on any specific songs.  And speaking of songs, there are some pretty phenomenal ones hanging out on Scoring..., namely "Sad Man," and "(I Don't Wanna) Shake in the Shadows."  This one had been sitting on my shelf for a few years, and I could kick myself for not getting to it sooner.  Better late...enjoy.

Scoring Correctly at Home
01. Claudine
02. Make a Move
03. American Standards
04. What I Could Do
05. More Than One Clue
06. Already Spoken For
07. Sad Man
08. (Baby) I Need You
09. (I Don't Wanna) Shake in the Shadows
10. Olga (Put Down the Vodka Now)
11. It's Time to Leave
12. Try to Understand

Ice Cubes and Sugar
13. She's Just a Taker
14. Imitation Life
15. Over Here
16. When She Says Yes
17. Come On Up
18. Hey Buddy
19. I'm Really Alright Tonight
20. Breakout
21. Without a Cause
22. Merchandise Me
23. I'll Come Back For You

Hear

Learning what stars are made of.

Yes, I was into these guys for a spell.  Noise meets rock, rock meets noise.  Included is their 1993 debut album, as well as a compilation of singles and unreleased material circa 1992 that wasn't issued until 1995.

http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/60454421/file.html

V/A - Parade of Homes 7" (1994, Two Peters)

Even with the resurgence of vinyl, the compilation 7" seems to be an entirely lost art.  They were ubiquitous in the '90s, at least in the indie and punk communities.  Parade of Homes isn't my favorite example of the medium, but it's still well above average.  I can't really say that any one participant here is a "draw" or an "anchor" so to speak, but I know that the Barnabys had a decent following in their native Philly.  Their contribution (in this instance, just singer Joey Sweeney kicking it acoustic), "Tiny Ships" is of humble bedroom aesthetics.  Their Augustus Loop CD can be found used without much effort.  Side one is really where Parade... is at, boasting a pair of indie-guitar rock hopefuls that play for keeps.  Haywood's "Devon Lanes" wields the humble self-deprecating card, while Kimbashing follow that up with "Ultra-Easy," a surging melodic maelstrom that exudes a Chapel Hill sized hook.

01. Haywood - Devon Lanes
02. Kimbashing - Ultra-Easy
03. Barnabys - Tiny Ships
04. Lampshade - Madonnadope

Hear

Beatnik Cafe - Herbs & Spices tape (1991)

I would have probably cast aside this San Diego trio as just another dime-a-dozen, acousti-pop also-ran were it not for mouthpiece Steve Harris who croons uncannily like Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish.  Given that Herbs... was most likely a DIY demo tape, Beatnik Cafe didn't have anywhere near the resources their relatively renown contemporaries did.  Nonetheless, some of these rather economical songs were angling toward Bellybutton territory, particularly "Spanish Fly," which bears the same infectious lilt as "Baby's Coming Back."  Coincidence?   Compared to what I normally present on W/O, the Beatniks might ring a little too clean cut and peppy to your liking, so consider yourselves warned.

01. Beatnik Cafe (demo)
02. Spanish Fly
03. Hard to Be
04. Lyin' Here Lonely
05. You Can Call on Me
06. I Know You
07. What Would You Do
08. Father's Day

Hear

Penguin Fury - s/t (1990, Atomic)

I really question my judgement when I decide to post a record, particularly a full length, with only one genuinely stimulating song on it.  Then again, my audience might see it quite differently, so that's what prompted me to share Penguin Fury.   I know not a thing about this group, save for their lineup which is a co-ed quartet, ostensibly from the New York City area.  The "stimulating" tune in question is the album opener, "And You Will Shine," a melodious, ringing power pop zinger of the highest echelon.  Penguin Fury is markedly inconsistent thereafter.  Maybe it's just me, but at the moment I'm hardly in the mood for jubilant, trumpet-driven rave-ups like "49 Steps" and "Stagecoach to Pluto."  Conversely, a pair of thoughtful ballads, "And I Want Her" and "Quiet Falls the Rain" are too nondescript for their own good.  But enough of my babbling.  Draw your own conclusions at your leisure.

01. And You Will Shine
02. 49 Steps
03. And I Want Her
04. Breakdown
05. Do the Clam
06. Sleeping in the Sand
07. I Will Also Rise
08. Stagecoach to Pluto
09. Quiet Falls the Rain

Hear

New noise: Party Boat 7" (Jetpack) & Peg/Hand Habits split 10" (Eschatone) - A brief overview.

"

Have a couple new morsels to tell you about, the first one being a newly minted 45 from the Saratoga Springs, NY quartet, Party Boat, fronted by prime-mover Benjamin Garrett.  Best Coast may have ushered "surf-pop" into prominence again, but if you're anything like me their Spector-tinged formula has evolved into a pleasant but predictable echo.  Garrett and Co. have gracefully retooled that same sonic motif into something considerably less cloying and precious on "Little Fish" and "Don't Stress," both of which bear the subtle ironic flair of one of their more creative contemporaries, The Drums.  This wax is the first salvo in a 7" series on Jetpack Records, limited to a mere 150 copies, and not available digitally at this time (or perhaps ever).   You'd be advised to order yours via Jetpack quick, fast, in a hurry, but if you require further convincing you can stream Party Boat's 2013 Losin' Cool demo via Bandcamp.

Next up is a split 10" (how often do you see one of those these days?).  On one side we are presented with Peg, an assumed name for Avi Buffalo drummer Sheridan Riley.  Her thing is dynamics, which can commence with a delicate and hushed soliloquy, escalating to a crescendo of squalling feedback shortly thereafter (check out "Every Reason" for starters).  Riley's overarching tact resembles that of singer/songwriter Laura Veirs, albeit with stronger pop tangents, particularly on "Take Too Much," vaguely tapping into the '70s romanticism of Rumors.  The other side of the coin features two lengthy numbers from Albany, NY newcomers Hand Habits,  a four-piece commandeered by Meg Duffy, who are not only long on content but heady atmospherics to boot.  Operating in similar sonic confines as Mazzy Star and Beach House, Hand Habit's tranquil, contemplative vistas don't smother so much as caress.  Clocking in at nearly ten minutes, the second selection, "Blooms" kicks off with tranquil acoustic guitar lines that blossom into a hazy billowing comedown by songs end.  You can experience this blissed-out release for yourself on vinyl, available direct from Eschatone or via download.    Each side is treated as it's own EP, and are sold separately via, you guessed it, Bandcamp.  Go here for Peg and here for Hand Habits.

It scares the health out of me...

From 1987.  In rapt anticipation of the greatly expanded C86 compilation that's coming out in June. 

http://www73.zippyshare.com/v/25411502/file.html

Royal Court of China - Off the Beat'n Path ep (1986, Desperation)

The name Royal Court of China might ring a bell for you fanciers of late '80s hard rock, albeit far from household moniker status.  They made minor ripples with two albums for A&M, but before those came this ep, seeped in no small shortage of Americana tendencies.  In fact, the commencing "The Lottery" possesses a pronounced spaghetti western tact, that's hard to discern whether it's contrived or genuine.  "Take Me Down" follows suit, but by the time ...Beat'n Path's high water mark, "Forget Me Nots" kicks in on side two, RCoC ditch the hick factor almost entirely and settle on something vaguely on the same wavelength as Green On Red.  A Yardbirds rendition closes this affair out.  There are few if any revelations here, but I thought this might be of interest to some of you.  Enjoy (or not).

01. The Lottery
02. Take Me Down
03. I'm Not at Home
04. Forget Me Nots
05. Television Gone
06. Off the Beat'n Path
07. Heart Full of Soul

Hear

Songs For Snakes - Year of the Snake (2014) - A brief overview.

It's that time of year folks.  Warped Tour season is upon us.  I make mention of this, because during the mid-90s inception of said marauding punk carnival, Songs for Snakes would have fit in like a glove amidst the likes of Samiam, fluf, Descendents, etc.  But in case you haven't been paying attention, for the last decade or so Vans' "punk rock summer camp" has evolved into a predictable haven for the screamo and rap/rock hybrid contingents with little regard to the staying power of it's participants.  Once again I digress...

To cut to the chase, most punk-pop aggregations with any integrity left aren't being courted by major labels, nor are they left a trail of crumbs the festival circuit.  Suit yourself, Vans Inc., because here comes album number two from the achingly rugged and melody-ridden Songs for Snakes, a Bay Area trio who wowed me with their 2012 platter, Charcoal Heather.  Still picking up where influential antecedents Jawbreaker, Sugar/Husker Du, and even Mission of Burma left off, the SFS formula hasn't been modified to any great extent on Year of the Snake, though the acoustic strains leading into "I Felt 13" make for a brief respite from the album's overarching, power-chord adherence.  With riveting tuneage like "A Wave That Wants To Be a Sea" and "Painted Lawns" on full-surge display, I'll gladly take the Snakes 'holding pattern,' innovation be damned!  See what I mean by checking things out on their Bandcamp page, where you can buy/stream Year of the Snake digitally, or better yet purchase on gnarly, splatter colored vinyl.  

Brainiac 5 - When Silence Was Sound 1977-80 (2014, Reckless) - A brief overview.

Given the uber-arcane nature of some of the vintage goodies I make available here, it's heartening to learn that every so often one of them gets a bonafide reissue.  Looking back at my hasty 2012 entry for Brainiac 5's lone LP, the posthumous World Inside, it's become apparent that I oversimplified what the Cornwall, UK troupe was all about.  Luckily, the Brainiac's newly minted anthology, When Silence Was Sound, has enlightened me further and should do likewise for you.  The band's late '70s lifespan in itself might suggest quite a bit, but it would take a lot more than your proverbial 140 characters to describe their essence...but I'll try.   Brainiac 5 conveyed a casual mash-up of proto and post-punk, rarely hitting the famous three-chord sweet spot that slotted in between those two realms.  More inspired than incendiary, the quartet might be one of the only bands of their era that weren't deliberately trying to sound like a product of it.  Their brief discography hinted at the likes of the Velvets, Cleveland punk, Tom Verlaine and Nuggets, coupled with a low-to-mid fi sonic penchant, tinting just about everything in sight with a grainy mystique. 

When Silence Was Sound reprises all of World Inside's ten selections, though some appear in slightly altered versions.  An additional seven songs are added, culled from singles, demos, and even a 1980 concert which would prove to be their last.  Intentional or not, the Brainiacs were surprisingly long on diversity.  The few articles I've read on them emphasize their psych proclivities, but aside from the slow-burning fuse that is "Endless River," and the Barrett-esque "Woman Inside" their modus operandi was more contemporary.  In fact, "I Tried" was as forward thinking as anything their colleagues were brewing up.  "Time" embraces a contemplative and practically ethereal finesse, the yin to the yang of the boisterous rocker "Addicted," which plays out like Swindle -era Pistols.  "Waiting for the Woman" kicks up a Pere Ubu-like racket, while the lengthy and loopy "Feel" vaguely foreshadows what fellow Brits the Monochrome Set would have in mind shortly after Brainiac 5 hung up their collective hat.  In a nutshell, When Silence is a disparate but delightful patchwork.

As luck would have it the band reunited in 2012-13 for some reunion shows, and were even buoyed enough to commit some unrecorded material to tape for a new 10" ep (in extremely limited quantities I might add).  Colin Hill lays out the entire Brainiac 5 saga in Silence's detailed liner notes, up to and including the reunion.  Hard copy CDs can be obtained through Amazon. and you can stream it on Bandcamp,

By will alone we set our minds in motion.

From 2003.  Last week, this band performed this very album in it's entirety...only out of order and acoustic...but not entirely.  Anyway, you can check out the original version here.

http://www65.zippyshare.com/v/530660/file.html

Convictions "Last Appeal #7" (1984, Third Rail)

I won't be telling you much about the Convictions, a quintet ostensibly from San Francisco, as there isn't a shred of relevant info to be had online.  Instead, I'd be better off speaking to their songs, especially the A-side of this wax, "Last Appeal #7," a rugged pop-rocker with socially conscious sentiments that doesn't get too heavy handed.  Pretty solid hook here, and by and large, the Convictions might have been a good fit for their now defunct hometown label 415 Records.  The flip "Why Won't You?" mines a demonstrably more rootsy vein, laden with patent bar-rock vibes.  From my end there's no telling if this was the band's only vinyl offering.

A. Last Appeal #7
B. Why Won't You?

Hear

The Flies - Alternatoid (1995, Too Many)

I've been on something of a punk rock tear this week, and I thought this would be an apropos follow-up to the Tantrum comp I unfurled the other night.  Not to be confused with the completely unrelated 1980's Flies, whose Homestead Records album was posted a few years back, these Flies took to orbit in the mid-90s in the vicinity of Spokane, WA.  With a score of dizzying, two minutes salvos, the Flies speedster thrust bore an unmistakable resemblance to contemporaries Scared of Chaka.  And as with the case of SoC, the Flies seemed to be taking a page from the Dickies as Alternatoid conveys a pronounced sardonic bent, albeit this trio isn't nearly as melodic.  Still pretty intoxicating nonetheless. 

01. Midnight Soldier
02. Paingiver
03. House Fire
04. Austrian
05. Dum Dum Fever
06. Pine River Park
07. Challenger
08. Queen's Parade
09. Apartment 302
10. Pussy
11. Tramps
12. Baby Jane
13. Green Flares
14. Sweet as Candy
15. He's Alive
16. Das Burns
17. Teabag
18. Let's Kill Kenneth
19. Hammer Throw
20. Mimi

Hear