Thursday, May 30, 2013
Hiatus.
For better or worse, you won't be seeing any new content until early-ish next week. I haven't decided if I'll be skipping Mystery Monday entirely, or just pushing it to another day. Until then, sit tight and plunge into the archives, the links for which (in most cases) are current.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Wolfhounds - Unseen Ripples From a Pebble (1987, Pinky)
Before I part for a trip to witness the band this entry concerns, I couldn't resist sharing the very album that endeared me to them. The Wolfhounds are a British aggregation who came of age in the C86 era, and were fittingly featured on the seminal NME issued C86 cassette compilation in 1986. Not only were they a custom fit for such jangly and bittersweet sonic environs, the Wolfhounds espoused an ethos that was utterly quintessential of that short-lived mini movement. Their premiere full length, Unseen Ripples... manages to resonate crisply and buoyantly a quarter century after the fact, striking a balance (albeit unintentionally) between what the Smiths and Mighty Lemon Drops were projecting, couched in a demonstrably more humble DIY context. IMO, the earliest Hounds records were the most appealing, and there were several singles and EPs surrounding this album. The band parted ways in 1990 after releasing their third album, Attitude, but reconvened in 2005 for a reunion concert, and again in 2012, which also saw the first new Wolfhounds record in 22 years, Cheer Up. A sizable portion of their back catalog is now available digitally on iTunes and Emusic.
I should also point out this isn't my rip of the album, so a hearty thanks to whomever went to the trouble of digitizing this.
01. Me
02. Sandy
03. Rain Stops Play
04. Goodbye Laughter
05. Lost But Happy
06. Cut the Cake
07. In Transit
08. L.A. Juice
09. Rule of Thumb
10. Deadthink
11. Public Footpath Blues
12. Handy Howard
http://netkups.com/?d=69a16bc165f4a
I should also point out this isn't my rip of the album, so a hearty thanks to whomever went to the trouble of digitizing this.
01. Me
02. Sandy
03. Rain Stops Play
04. Goodbye Laughter
05. Lost But Happy
06. Cut the Cake
07. In Transit
08. L.A. Juice
09. Rule of Thumb
10. Deadthink
11. Public Footpath Blues
12. Handy Howard
http://netkups.com/?d=69a16bc165f4a
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Idiot Savant - The Rest on Down ep (1984, Blackberry Way)
Yet another band to crawl out of the Minneapolis underground in the mid '80s, although Idiot Savant had precious little in common with the "holy trifecta." Instead, this foursome opted for occasionally quirky left-of-the-dial wave/pop type stuff (hold the keyboards, thanks). Kent Militzer peels off some jagged and sinewy guitar lines when he gets the notion to, but mouthpiece Brian Drake is the consummate and dominating personality among these six grooves. The Rest on Down was followed up by a full length, A Finger Through the Floor of Heaven a year later.
01. Down to Sleep
02. Beat the Clock
03. Throw it Away
04. Wheel of Fortune
05. The Rest on Down
06. In My House
https://www79.zippyshare.com/v/rEgVaAFF/file.html
01. Down to Sleep
02. Beat the Clock
03. Throw it Away
04. Wheel of Fortune
05. The Rest on Down
06. In My House
https://www79.zippyshare.com/v/rEgVaAFF/file.html
Monday, May 27, 2013
They say that indecision makes one weak. My indecisions suddenly been deepened.

Having difficulty accessing the file? Please try again a little later. Too many people hammering the link simultaneously is apparently giving Netkup's servers a headache. With this in mind, I'll leave this up for a few hours past the usual twenty-four, k? You're welcome to comment, just don't give away anything obvious.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Well Nigh Forgotten - Betty's Wake (1992, Moist)

I know that WNF have at least one single to their credit, alongside a compilation track or two.
01. Coattails and Crutches
02. Betty's Wake
03. Policy
04. Chicano Art
05. Favor
06. Scholar Gypsy
07. Easy Come
08. Dragon Feast
09. Taste of Asphalt
10. Anchoring
11. You're the One
12. phone call
Friday, May 24, 2013
Absolute Ceiling 7" (1987, High Wire)

A. Many Years From Now
B. Paint the House in Blood
http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/DM2ieaQ7/file.html
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Jamboree - Melt Down ep (1985, Jayrem)
01. Melt Down
02. A Familiar Quietness
03. Cold
04. Out of Season
05. Spin Me
https://www31.zippyshare.com/v/njPi8S7Q/file.html
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Infections - Sub-Rosa (1986)
01. Big Machine
02. Mind Grow (Apple Blossom Girl)
03. All Your Life
04. Reykjavik
05. Candle Against the Darkness
06. Red Sky/Blue Heart
07. Blue Serene
08. Under the Rose
https://www34.zippyshare.com/v/tQtUvtbJ/file.html
Monday, May 20, 2013
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way.

Having difficulty accessing the file? Please try again a little later. Too many people hammering the link simultaneously is apparently giving Netkup's servers a headache. With this in mind, I'll leave this up for a few hours past the usual twenty-four, k? You're welcome to comment, just don't give away anything obvious. American Mary forever.
Friday, May 17, 2013
The Love In ep (1987, Love Chain)

As for the ep itself, the Love In waste not a split second of it's roughly 21 minutes, raining down the most spellbinding harmonies you're likely to encounter this side of a Three O'Clock record. Tom Sheppard's chiming fretboard runs exude a sublime synthesis of Peter Buck and Roger McGuinn, while bassist Kurt Stake's capabilities as a frontman completely seal the deal. The arpeggio-driven "Late As Usual" functions as a startlingly jawdropping opening salvo, but other nuggets of gold, including the "Young Mr. Jones" and "Dad's So Jealous of Youth" also satisfy at an optimum level. The Love In is nearly essential as anything Ric Menck's attached his fingerprints to, and should likewise move fans of the Smithereens and Dreams So Real.
A big round of applause goes to Kurt for setting me up with everything. With any luck there will be more Love In to follow...
01. Late as Ususal
02. Young Mr. Jones
03. On the Reds
04. Freedom Now
05. Dad's So Jealous of Youth
06. Home for the Holidays
https://www68.zippyshare.com/v/pwbVAgOK/file.html
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Parrish Blue - Western Roads (1987, Jolt)
Sometimes a record appears in my collection and I simply can't recall how it arrived there or where it came from. Such was the case with Parrish Blue's Western Roads, an album that was likely obtained in a vinyl buying binge of mine, and plucked off the shelf and converted to ones and zeros for the first time this week, No joke. At any rate Parrish Blue are hardly of the esoteric sort, playing non-descriptive guitar-pop, with occasional glints of mid-80s R.E.M., albeit in a demonstrably more pedestrian context (see "Cooperstown"). Kind of a Pedaljets vibe going on too, especially on some Western's keepers like "Boomerang" and "Arm and Arm." The rest is a mixed bag, but usually tolerable. By the way, you can claim your own copy on Ebay for a mere $100. Ain't nothin' but a bargain.
01. Remember Me the Same
02. Handshake
03. Boomerang
04. Coopersville
05. I Am the Revolution
06. Western Roads
07. Arm in Arm
08. Take Me There
09. Forget the Lies
10. The Dove
https://www90.zippyshare.com/v/CEtQWUaq/file.html
01. Remember Me the Same
02. Handshake
03. Boomerang
04. Coopersville
05. I Am the Revolution
06. Western Roads
07. Arm in Arm
08. Take Me There
09. Forget the Lies
10. The Dove
https://www90.zippyshare.com/v/CEtQWUaq/file.html
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Godrays/Rodeo Boy 7" (1997, Sit-n-Spin)

Godrays
01. Kick It Around
02. The Thrifty Heart Song
Rodeo Boy
01. Another Chorus Comes
02. Vampires Suck
http://www49.zippyshare.com/v/7GEQXf6S/file.html
Sunday, May 12, 2013
What Now - Small Record With Four Songs 7" (1985, Incas)

01. Noisemaker
02. All My Life
03. The End
04. Anthem
https://www2.zippyshare.com/v/RKDSDYB5/file.html
Friday, May 10, 2013
Stürm Group - s/t (1984, Green Fuse)
01. Outdoor Cafe
02. Upon a Nerve
03. Loaded Life
04. Folding Chair
05. The Gin Palace
06. Red Balloon
07. The Lottery I Am
08. In the Shower
http://www70.zippyshare.com/v/vbAtXLxZ/file.html
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Book of Lies - Cryptic Memo ep (1983, Fever)
The opening "Book," with it's abstract spiritual connotations, doesn't make for the best intro, but the remaining three songs compensate, some of which possess a surprising measure of warmth coming from such a mangled delivery system. Bass (quite possibly of the fretless variety) is quite prevalent throughout. Those who are capable of feeding off of Cryptic Memo's crooked energy will find the mystique of this record enthralling. A Google query, believe it or not, conjured up this brief write-up in the New York Times:
On ''Cryptic Memo,'' the Chicago- based rock trio Book of Lies purveys a funk-oriented, densely mysterious and quite original sound, and answers an old question: ''Who wrote the book of love?'' These folks claim they wrote it, and that it's really a book of lies. ''Cryptic Memo'' is available in new-wave and import stores...
01. Book
02. Tree of Laughter
03. Rattlesnakes
04. & Then Some
http://www59.zippyshare.com/v/BvkyAUwe/file.html
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Re-up: The Verge - Habitual 7" ep +2 (1983)

The Verge were a phenomenal and relatively short-lived Albany, NY post-punk trio, who recorded a small body of work during their early-80s lifespan, with an even more minute segment of those recordings having been made available for public consumption. From what I've been informed by band personnel (as well as the thoughtful testimonies of some ardent Verge aficionados left in the comments portion of my original entry) the Habitual ep and a contribution to the Albany-centric, 1982 compilation record Hudson Rock, comprise the group's scarce surviving fossil record.
The Verge's regrettably limited oeuvre was nonetheless deliriously visceral, bearing flashing signposts to such period luminaries as Joy Division, Killing Joke, Mission of Burma, and even a dab of pre-ego U2. Not plagiarism so much as compulsive inspiration, The Verge's revisionism married a sweeter guitar tone to the demi-nihilistic angst of the aforementioned. One arguable exception to this winning formula is "Picturesque," whose dive-bomb salvos of serrated power chords elevates the trio's game to a doubly more fearsome level. That comp cut I mentioned, "1-2-3-4-5-6" is also situated on a different plateau, and functions much better as a one-off track than it would have served on the ep. As a bonus, I'm sharing the heretofore unreleased jewel, "Day and Age," which was furnished to me by a Verge alum himself. How's that for gratitude?
If you haven't had the opportunity to immerse yourself in these recordings before, it's never too late. As for the rest of you, please treat yourself to an upgrade. If you fancy what you hear, you'd do well to enlighten yourself by reading the copious comments section from my original write-up.
Habitual ep
1. Tradition
2. Understand
3. Picturesque
4. Hypocrisy
plus
1-2-3-4-5-6 (from Hudson Rock compilation)
Day and Age (unreleased!)https://www54.zippyshare.com/v/UnYIiUdE/file.html
Monday, May 6, 2013
Failure of all punk.

Having difficulty accessing the file? Please try again a little later. Too many people hammering the link simultaneously is apparently giving Netkup's servers a headache. With this in mind, I'll leave this up for a few hours past the usual twenty-four, k? You're welcome to comment, just don't give away anything obvious. Enjoy.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Dead Trend - False Positive (2013, Cabildo/Cut the Shit) - A brief overview.
How’s this for a statistical dichotomy. Dead Trend, a New England hardcore/punk
conglomerate originating from the Reagan era (and known for making a point of
reminding us of such) took 21 songs they had penned between 1986 and
2003 (27 years for those of you keeping track at home) into the studio
this January and committed them to tape in the span of seven hours. This quotient somehow never ceases to boggle
my mind, and had I not already given away their genre of choice, most of you
would have probably put two and two together. Oh yeah, one more part of the equation - Dead Trend squeeze said 21 tracks into False Positive's roughly 26 minutes.
While their Facebook bio posits that Midwest wrecking crews such as the Zero Boys and Necros were D/T's inspirational antecedents, I'd argue these guys had their collective gaze much more situated on the creme de la creme of the SST Records roster, particularly Black Flag and early Husker Du. Bear in mind, Dead Trend were contemporaries of that pivotal pair, and being that they had a nearly three decades-old backlog of songs to tinker with, don't be surprised to hear such themes as the Iran-Contra Scandal and the 1983 invasion of Grenada brought passionately to the fore. The often brusque and acerbic False Positive, doesn't necessarily scale the heights of say, New Day Rising and Damaged, but a similar aesthetic is nonetheless baked into Dead Trend relentlessly vigorous cake. As an additional SST Records tangent to make note of, Mike Fournier (one fourth of the D/T roster) was responsible for penning an installment of the 33⅓ paperback series, specifically the one dedicated to the Minutemen's landmark double LP Double Nickels on the Dime.
False Positive is slated for availability on Bandcamp May 7th (this Tuesday). CDs will also be a purchase option, though I need to verify if any vinyl is being printed. You can listen to a portion of the album on B/C, and I'm also making a two-song taster available below.
Bad Policy
Implications
Friday, May 3, 2013
Jawbox/Edsel split 7" (1993, DeSoto)
Was happy to oblige a request for this classic split screen of a 7" which is about to enjoy it's twentieth anniversary sometime this year (I want to say summer, but don't hold me to that). When this hit the racks in 1993 I was quite the drooling Jawbox fanboy, and I was totally lamenting the fact that the coolest band in D.C. was about to embark on a major label venture. Turns out I had little to fret over, and in fact, this wax offered a preview of their suprisingly uncompromising third album 1994's, For Your Own Special Sweetheart. By mainstream standards "Savory" was dark, tense, and at least moderately dissonant, yet it felt like a comfy pair of moccasins to my ears. Later re-recorded for Sweetheart, the variation appearing here is almost note-for-note identical, albeit a tad slower. As for the abrupt ending, I believe it's by design.
I became an instant Edsel convert upon encountering their half of the obligation, "Penaluna," which boasted a a heavily phased guitar technique, mimicking a woozy keyboard effect (or so my mind likes to think). Throw a murky sonic mystique into the mix, top with a succulent chorus hook, and you have a mighty tasty post-punk confection on your hands. I did a write-up for the Edsel album this would soon appear on, The Everlasting Belt Co., and though I had to pull the link, it has been reissued.
Jawbox - Savory
Edsel - Penaluna
https://www89.zippyshare.com/v/ohMWZolE/file.html
I became an instant Edsel convert upon encountering their half of the obligation, "Penaluna," which boasted a a heavily phased guitar technique, mimicking a woozy keyboard effect (or so my mind likes to think). Throw a murky sonic mystique into the mix, top with a succulent chorus hook, and you have a mighty tasty post-punk confection on your hands. I did a write-up for the Edsel album this would soon appear on, The Everlasting Belt Co., and though I had to pull the link, it has been reissued.
Jawbox - Savory
Edsel - Penaluna
https://www89.zippyshare.com/v/ohMWZolE/file.html
Thursday, May 2, 2013
VA - Never Mind the Jacksons, Here's the Pollocks (1985, Abstract Sounds)
Well, this Brit eight-pack is certainly more dangerous than anything the Jacksons ever brought to market (collectively and otherwise), but some of the sub-rosa participants contained within inch considerably closer to the Sex Pistols realm. Case in point would be the warbler for The Three Johns, who kicks this thing off bearing a strong resemblance to John Lydon's quivering wail, circa Second Edition. Their track is promptly followed up by the even more avant Five Go Down to the Sea, but the real keeper on side one belongs to The Word, whom meld conventional new romantic aptitude with a hint of Echo and the Bunnymen. I should also mention the Word's jangly chords anticipate the C86 indie movement that would soon be sweeping their home turf.
Overall side two wins this match, commencing with a hot Peel Session take of New Model Army's "Small Town England." The next tune, courtesy of The Gymslips was also cut for John's fabled hit parade, and is enough to renew anyone's faith in the girl-group contingent of the wave/punk arena. The Bomb Party deliver a frothy, pounding surge akin to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, albeit with more frivolous subject matter. The concluding "Violation," an offbeat spoken-word piece by Joolz, plays out like a small portion of a greater narrative, thus making for a decidedly confusing end to otherwise appealing compilation.
01. The Three Johns - Fruit Flys
02. Five Go Down to the Sea - Often
03. Hagar the Womb - Song of Deep Hate
04. The Word - Different
05. New Model Army - Small Town England (Peel Session)
06. The Gymslips - Empire Song (Peel Session)
07. The Bomb Party - Henry Was a Babysitter
08. Joolz - Violation (Peel Session)
https://www42.zippyshare.com/v/4AVdSqcf/file.html
Overall side two wins this match, commencing with a hot Peel Session take of New Model Army's "Small Town England." The next tune, courtesy of The Gymslips was also cut for John's fabled hit parade, and is enough to renew anyone's faith in the girl-group contingent of the wave/punk arena. The Bomb Party deliver a frothy, pounding surge akin to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, albeit with more frivolous subject matter. The concluding "Violation," an offbeat spoken-word piece by Joolz, plays out like a small portion of a greater narrative, thus making for a decidedly confusing end to otherwise appealing compilation.
01. The Three Johns - Fruit Flys
02. Five Go Down to the Sea - Often
03. Hagar the Womb - Song of Deep Hate
04. The Word - Different
05. New Model Army - Small Town England (Peel Session)
06. The Gymslips - Empire Song (Peel Session)
07. The Bomb Party - Henry Was a Babysitter
08. Joolz - Violation (Peel Session)
https://www42.zippyshare.com/v/4AVdSqcf/file.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)