Woodpecker - Bowl of Water ep (1988, Paris, New York, Milan)

Woodpecker is/was the province of one Anthony Overtoom, whose larynx amounts to a vague medley of Bob Dylan and Grant Hart, however this three-cut 12" is way more Basement Tapes than Zen Arcade.  The title cut is a driving, bass-trombone enhanced rocker (for lack of a better word) that bears no shortage of rootsy sway and character for miles.  The flip-sides "Pieces" and "O Marie" steer things in a less fevered direction, revealing the other side of Overtoom's proverbial coin.  If anyone is interested, I have a subsequent Woodpecker ep to share as well.  Thanks to Discogs for the pic, substituting for my copy's somewhat blemished visage.

A. Bowl of Water
B1. Pieces
B2. O Marie

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Woodpecker - No Factory Town ep (1989)

This is following up the first Woodpecker ep I shared a couple weeks back.  I wasn't exactly sure what to make of that first record, and even less so with this one, but I had a request for it.  Four unusual "pop" songs, often with elaborate ambitions and odd juxtapositions that incorporate bass trombone and violin.  Still think the singer sounds a bit like Grant Hart.  The closest No Factory Town comes to linear indie rock is "Twenty Five Years Old," and would have been that much more appealing without the goddamn trombone!  Thought the buoyant "Very Pretty Girl" was a cover, but for better or worse it's a 'peckers original.  Enjoy (or not)

01. No Factory Town
02. Twenty Five Years Old
03. Very Pretty Girl
04. Parade Songs

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V/A - Today Brooklyn, Tomorrow the World (198?, Brooklyn Beat)

So this one cuts both ways - half relatively serious (good) indie rock combos, with the remainder striking me as jokey/niche/novelty.  Problem is this Brooklyn scene report intermingles the whole lot of them haphazardly, when the far more logical route would have been to dedicate one album side to each contingent, as it were.  Also, it doesn't help that Today Brooklyn... fails to designate a copyright date on the sleeve or insert, though 1988 might be a good ballpark.  The band with the dippiest moniker, Squirrels From Hell, manages to wield this record's most crucial selection, "Cinderella Girl." a warm, analogue-hued slice of ragged and ringing guitar pop, with just the right measure of serrated distortion.  To my understanding there was more to come down the pike from the Squirrels, but in something of a different guise.  Medicine Sunday exhibit a similar aptitude, and would also be a shoo-in for left-of-the-dial hanger-oners like yours truly.  The Fields are strummy, goes down easy folks of some measurable distinction as well, and I introduced you to the formidable Woodpecker on these very pages about a year ago.  One thing that this comp doesn't need is an obnoxious take on "Shortnin' Bread," not to mention the bluesy piss-take Frank's Museum commence this disk with.  These transgressions aside, ...Brooklyn's more worthwhile inhabitants make this borough worth your perusal.

01. Frank's Museum - Baby's Got a Thang for Nasty Weather
02. The Original Rays - Ballad of the Green Berets
03. Squirrels From Hell - Cinderella Girl
04. Chemical Wedding - We Are Not Afraid
05. Formaldehyde Blues Train - St. Louis
06. Medicine Sunday - Conviction
07. The Fields - Beautiful
08. When People Were Shorter and Lived by the Water - Shortnin' Bread
09. Woodpecker - 25 Years
10. The Moe - Romance is Risky

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