Variant Cause - s/t (1987, K.D.T.)

But it sounded so damn good in the record store.  That's what I said after I took it home and gave it a second rotation, anyway.  Regardless of how inviting the music, I'm sure a good 95% of you would have rejected this record outright, based on the gratuitous album jacket alone that represents everything that was egregious about '80s fashion. Neither by their sound or appearance, few would ever guess this coed crew hailed from Seattle.  Here's a quick and convenient backgrounder from Variant Cause's bio on Discogs.

The Pacific Northwest rock scene of the 1980s was a hotbed of creativity, with a multitude of bands developing uncommon sounds in relative geographic isolation. Variant Cause was one of those bands. Jan and Mark had been in Spokane's punk/wave group Sweet Madness, before re-forming as Next Exit and moving to Seattle in 1982. They changed their name to Variant Cause in 1985 and performed live and recorded till 1991. They are still gigging 24/7 on YouTube.

And with all the aforementioned details in mind, VC were first and foremost composed of stunningly adept musicians, but their disposition as a band was equally confusing. Shades of goth, funk, snyth pop, and a little kitchen sink experimentalism were all fair game in coloring their oft unpredictable canvas.  While there are few individual tunes I'm over the moon for here, I at the very least appreciate components or portions of wherever the needle drops on Variant Cause, even if it's merely a saucy guitar solo. Jan Greger assumes about 85% of the vocal duties, and I swear when I previewed this at Sonic Boom in Toronto it was a guy on the mic. Despite busy and robustly textured arrangements, it's way to challenging to stereotype Variant Cause.  A few bits, say "Kamikaze Cabaret" arouse trace elements of X and early Jane's Addiction.  And with titles like "Lankin' Leaning Colleen" you can rest assured this five (or possibly six) piece weren't likely to keep a straight face for long.  One tune vaguely out of character (even for them) would be the hopped-up rockabilly sensibilities of the concluding "I Faced the Insomnia Squad."  Make of this record what you will, and feel free to investigate a couple volumes of their work on Amazon. 

01. I Live By the Freeway
02. Lankin' Leaning Colleen
03. Exotic Locale
04. Out on the Streets For Love Again
05. Kamikaze Cabaret
06. Ain't Got None of Nothing No More
07. You Put Me in the Hospital Again
08. Here Comes the Glamour
09. Over-stimulation
10. I Faced the Insomnia Squad

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