The twist of the knife can only bring us closer.

From 2000. I heard this band namedropped in a podcast today, and thought, "why not?"  This is the UK import version with a bonus CD of b-sides.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

Second Language - In Shadows ep (1984, Lingo)

Alas, another one I don't own a physical iteration of, and even more so I don't recall where I procured the files from (though I'm fairly confident I'm not lifting off any fellow bloggers).  Second Language were an Aussie proposition entailing a frontwoman possessing just the stripe of commanding, hypnotic timbre for the brand of icy goth rock this five-piece were determined to make their calling card.  Overall, their effect is a bit more austere and amelodic then say, Siouxsie an Co. but they can't help but veer in a similar vicinity.  In terms of overarching aesthetic and temperament the results are impeccable, even if they're hardly creating these four songs out of whole cloth.  A big round of applause to whomever went to the trouble of digitizing this.

01. In Shadows

02. On the Edge

03. Kashan

04. The Heart Becomes 

Hear

The Health & Happiness Show - demo (1992)

I've probably thumbed by numerous Health & Happiness Show albums in used CD bins over the years, nary giving them a second thought.  Then I procured this tape, probably in a lot of other demos and such ages ago, and was pleasantly surprised when I actually had the notion to play the damn thing.  H&HS were based in Hoboken, NJ, and coincidentally or not resembled a more renown combo from that neck of the woods, specifically the Feelies.  These guys gracefully stir No Depression-esque affectations, a la Uncle Tupelo, into the pot yielding wholly earnest fare like "We Are Here," which happens to pack a dynamite chorus hook.  "The Man Who Married the Moon" with it's mandolin accoutrements isn't far behind, and like the aforementioned number you almost get the impression than the author experienced some sort of spiritual awakening, albeit nothing heavy handed. Frontman James Mastro partnered with the Bongos' Richard Barone, for the one-off Nuts and Bolts LP in 1983, and has collaborated with numerous acclaimed artists since.

Three songs from this cassette made the migration to the first Health & Happiness Show LP, Tonic in 1993, with two more records to follow.

01. We Are Here

02. The Man Who Married the Moon

03. Live Your Love

04. Drunk-Eyed Waltz

Hear

I got a wine swept smile and a well-timed mile...

From 2000.  Probably the only thing I haven't already shared by this long defunct bunch. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

Blackouts - Men in Motion ep (1980, Engram)

In multiple books I've encountered about the Seattle music scene, the Blackouts are commonly bandied about as antecedents to the more successful purveyors from the Emerald City that rose to prominence in the late '80s and beyond. Problem is, if you just merely read the text without hearing the accompanying soundtrack, you'd naturally assume that the quartet in question were decked out in flannel and had a floorboard of distortion apparatus at their feet.  Trust me when I say no one would mistake the Blackouts for Mudhoney, or god forbid someone like Candlebox.  Coming from a different template altogether, this artful cabal reveled in the jittery post-punk sway of Gang of Four, L.A. contemporaries Middle Class, and to a lesser extent the more approachable persuasion of the Talking Heads.  (The) Blackouts, were in fact even more dissonant, halting and skittish than the aforementioned, and were novel enough to insert their own indigenous flair into the pastiche.  Men in Motion was the band's second record, and is phenomenal both in terms of execution and creative acumen.  Ironically, the leadoff cut "Dead Man's Curve" isn't the Jan and Dean song.  While they would stick around until the mid-80s, a full length never came to pass... 

...however a compilation of Blackouts small body of singles and eps were compiled in 2004 as History in Reverse.  Physical versions of ...Reverse appear to be completely sold out, but if anyone has a line on where I might be able to buy an original CD of it please get in touch!

01. Dead Man's Curve

02. Probabilties

03. Being Be

04. Five is 5

Hear

Delta Clutch - Shine 7" (1994, Lady, I Like)

I've owned a CD by this Mass. trio probably for a solid 60% of my life, yet the impression it left was somewhat nondescript.  The 45 I'm sharing today is another matter.  Two memorable, strummy numbers, with "Shine" bearing resemblances to certain late-80s SST signees, albeit nothing obvious.  A much more lackadaisical fIREHOSE or Angst perhaps?  Anyway, the chorus is undeniably the selling point that keeps this five-minute A-side pleasantly afloat.  The plaintive "Baby, The Rain" is a subdued, acoustic traipse, the kind of comfy, goes-down-smooth ditty that would be the perfect accompaniment for any given afternoon slouch on a hammock.

A. Shine

B. Baby, The Rain

Hear

Can I not shop around...wait a second please!

From 1997.  The second album by these Aussie wunderkinds. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

VA - Rock Turns to Stone (1988, Vild)

Here's one I've been intending to digitize for awhile.  A 36-year old compilation of Boston area bands that's both relatively consistent, and fits in within the overarching context of this site.  Side one is near-perfect, showcasing among other items an early incarnation of the Cavedogs "La La La," eventually rerecorded for their stupendous Joyrides For Shut-Ins album.  I've featured the Blackjacks Basic Blackjacks ep just earlier this year, and their contribution here, "Born Rude" coincidentally or not entails a chorus with a melody much akin to the Heartbreakers "Born to Lose."  The Titanics are another band I've long planned on featuring, but I hope the reverb-laced distortion of "High on Drugs" will tide you over in the meantime.  Screaming Broccoli are another Wilfully Obscure veteran, and "Somebody's Company" extends it's roots in the vicinity of Agent Orange with satisfying aplomb.  The little known Matweeds are straight-up power pop purveyors that I'm motivated to explore further, the Dogmastics are minor Beantown garage rock legends, and Rash of Stabbings turn in the considerably more serious, post-punk tinged "Hear My Call." 

01. The Slaves - Radio Daze

02. The Cavedogs - La La La

03. The Matweeds - Stay

04. The Titanics - High on Drugs

05. The Blackjacks - Born Rude

06. Neutral Nation - T.V. Salvation

07. Dogzilla - Lunch With Ed

08. Screaming Broccoli - Somebody's Company

09. Condo Pygmies - Take Cover

10. Rash of Stabbings - Hear My Call

11. The Dogmatics - Teenage Girls

12. Big Huge - I'm a Suck?!

Hear

Feel the world tapping on my shoulder...

Recordings from 1987-89.  The word impeccable comes to mind.  Don't pass on this!

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

Pavement - Red Asphalt (1993, Bloody Buddies)

This is essentially nothing more than a bootleg of an early-ish Pavement gig circa the spring of '92 (right around the time Slanted and Enchanted hit shelves), and a Peel Session.  Sounds like a soundboard taping, though this really doesn't entail the swanky sonic aesthetics of a 'proper' live album. You can't go wrong with a setlist like this.  Upon finding this I dove right into the unrecognized "She Believes," which actually starts off as "Greenlander," Pave's contribution to the renown Born to Choose compilation. For more fun, make sure to check out another Pavement banger I've been sharing for a good fourteen years now.    

Uptown Lounge, Minneapolis, MN 6/11/92

01. Here

02. Perfume V

03. Frontwards

04. Home

05. Conduit for Sale

06. Summer Babe

07. Texas Never Whispers

08. No Life Singed Her

09. Loretta's Scars

10. Trigger Cut

11. In the Mouth a Desert

12. Debris Slide

13. Two States

14. Zurich is Stained

15. Lions

16. Angel Carver Blues

17. From Now On

18. Greenlander/She Believes

19. Box Elder

20. So Stark

Peel Session 7/10/92

21. Circa 1762

22. Kentucky Cocktail

23. Secret Knowledge Of Backroads

24. Here

Hear

Skyscraper/Grady Sisters 7" (1995, Omnibus)

Haven't posted a split single in awhile, and this one features a band that's brand new to these pages, Skyscraper.  Ostensibly hailing from Davis, CA the coed foursome in question, whip up a fury of serrated guitars and distortion sounding some like three parts Jawbreaker and one (or two) parts Archers of Loaf, circa Icky Mettle.  Their side of this wax, "Rockgirl" is the only tune of theirs that I've been enlightened to, and though they didn't persist long enough to give us an album, a couple of other Skyscraper items are floating around, if you can locate them.  The Grady Sisters were another Cali indie-rock proposition, whose 1993 ep on Geometric Records I offered a few years ago.  The Sisters' contribution to this 45, "Meridian" loosely hovers in the vicinity of their east coast contemporaries Chisel (yep, Ted Leo & Co.). Satisfying if not particularly remarkable.  

A. Skyscraper - Rockgirl

B. Grady Sisters - Meridian

Hear

Five stripes shining in the sunlight.

From 1998.  The saucy sophomore LP from a Scottish band with a Japanese name.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

The Trend - Crash the Bash (1980-96)

It's hard to believe that original copies of a single minted by a teen punk band from Syracuse, NY circa 1980 has fetched as much as $2000.  You can credit The Trend to that unlikely feat. Presented in reverse-chronological order, Crash the Bash, features both songs from that collectible 45 ("Electric Chair" b/w "Band-Aid"), and the trio's 1982 platter Batman Live at the Budokan, alongside unreleased material and reunion songs.  That reunion unfortunately didn't entail one of the Trend's principal members, singer/guitarist J. Marc Patenaude who perished in a 1985 car crash.

Though somewhat rudimentary, not to mention highly topical, The Trend's mid-tempo forte was competent with surprisingly robust arrangements. The Dead Boys or the Saints this trio were not, but they have moments here that almost parallel the Buzzcocks circa their nascent Spiral Scratch ep, bearing some of the same sardonic heft.  Another loose comparison might be the Trends' Belgium contemporaries The Kids, but you're no doubt bound to draw parallels of your own. Love their spot-on rendering of the Mats' "Color Me Impressed," and they also delve into the Damned's Strawberries-era "Dozen Girls."

A thoughtful bio on the band can be read here, and the aforementioned Batman Live... was reissued in limited quantities on the always impressive Japanese Air Mail imprint.

01. Crash the Bash

02. Color Me Impressed

03. Isn't It Mine

04. Dozen Girls

05. Bake Bread Not War

06. Anyone But Me

07. Winneego

08. (Don't) Drink and Drive

09. Candy Striper

10. Office Friendly

11. The Butler Did It

12. Giddy Up and Go

13. Mommy is a Jilt

14. Quaranteen Teen

15. Pop Star

16. Toy Section

17. Peer Pressure

18. Zinc Tabletz

19. Don't Talk to Her

20. Electric Chair

21. Band-Aid

Hear

No one that survived this hurricane would dare deny...

From 1986.  The second album from Placentia, CA's finest. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

The Fat Lady Sings - Fear and Favour 7" (1986, Good Vibrations)

One of my more recent bargain-bin scoops.  Despite the copyright date, The Fat Lady Sings were not lumped in with the usual C86 crowd (i.e. Primal Scream, Close Lobsters, Pastels) perhaps due to their initial locale of Dublin, yet judging by these two numbers they were aesthetically playing in the same ballpark.  TFLS bore a mildly pastoral bent, say in the manner of the Weather Prophets and Housemartins, and might even tickle the same eardrums Aztec Camera made such a vivid impression with.  "Fear and Favour" was the band's first record, coming together mere months after they had formed, and has me piqued to investigate what they came up with subsequently.  

A. Fear and Favour

B. Wishing Well

Hear

Primary Colors - s/t ep (1983, Urbanoise)

In doing what little research I could on this quartet, it was unsurprisingly revealed that there were multiple bands over the years running around with the moniker Primary Colors.  This one presumably hailed from Boston, MA or nearby environs and released this single ep.  Quintessential synth-pop, but with discernable socio-political themes, mildly suggesting an emerging technocratic world.  In short, there isn't a "Just Can't Get Enough" in this comparatively pensive bouquet, and that's absolutely fine by me.  The one comparison I stumbled on that was leveled at these guys was Illustrated Man, if that means anything to you.  With the exception of the icy, quasi-Dadaistic "Original Sin," I enjoyed this one.  

01. Fact or Fiction

02. Notorious

03. Small World

04. Original Sin

05. Fiction (reprise) 

Hear

Then Jerico - Before the Future: 1984-1989 (2024, Cherry Red) - A brief review.

So, me and my extended family were late in getting MTV, and for that matter, cable TV writ large.  In fact we were a good six long years-late to be exact.  The higher-ups in my household finally relented in the summer of 1987, and between that time right up until the mid-90s I was practically glued to eMpTVy.  MTV News, including a 30-minute weekly incarnation thereof was a thing by early 1988 (if not earlier - but how would my deprived eyes have known)?  I don't remember the month, but sometime that year it was a slow news week for the channel in question, and some filler was needed to flesh out said half-hour. Am not sure if payola was still in the ether circa '88 but the endcap for this particular week was a five minute puff piece on three up-and-coming UK artists.  The lucky trifecta entaild the boy-bandish Wet Wet Wet whose album, Popped in Souled Out, wasn't going to be popping in or out of my cassette deck anytime soon.  Next up was none other than a pre-stardom Rick Astley, a young man with vocal superpowers to be certain, but it was clear that this carefully coifed and polished lad would hardly represent anything heroic to my discriminating eardrums.  

To my good fortune, the remaining contender, Then Jerico wasn't as quick to excise the last distinguishing marks of rock and roll as thoroughly as the aforementioned, and in fact impressed me enough to plunk down the better part of $10 for the stateside release of their debut, First (The Sound of Music).  Their comparative stature to Mr. Astley, and even that of flash-in-pan saps Wet³ was diminished in their native England, and held a virtually non-existent presence in North America...but I couldn't have been more delighted to have TJ all to myself.  As luck would have it, we can all partake in the privilege of indulging in Then Jerico's entire '80s output, as Cherry Red has assembled a four CD box set, Before the Future 1984-1989, encompassing the band's classic first album, it's 1989 follow-up, The Big Area, plus two entire CDs worth of surrounding singles, b-sides, remixes and even a cluster of early demos.

With sizable nods to Simple Minds, as well as lesser concessions to the likes of Duran Duran and U2 (the more preferable eras of all three I might emphasize), The Mark Shaw-fronted Then Jerico usually functioned as a five-piece and wielded a 50/50 sonic wallop of keys and guitars to match their manpower.  No, this wasn't quite new wave, rather an advanced outgrowth thereof, buttressed with a manicured fury of dense, robust arrangements, a flair for the dramatic and colored with somewhat opaque socio-political themes.  Heck, even the album title alone, First (The Sound of Music), reeked of ambition and sophistication.  A volley of singles from the effervescent album in question commenced with 1986's "Muscle Deep" (reissued as a single for a second go-around in '87) , "Let Her Fall," "The Motive," "Prairie Rose," and finally "Blessed Days," the latter for  TJ's Japanese market exclusively it appears. Sweeping, anthemic, yet wholly benevolent and above all else, melodically captivating, First... is practically a salvo of greatest hits unto itself.  Not quite on the level of say, the Joshua Tree or Songs From the Big Chair, First.. but merely a rung or two down on the same ladder, deftly avoiding any ostentatious or preachy pitfalls.  It's an unheralded classic with even it's deepest cuts, specifically "The Laughter Party" and "A Quiet Place (Apathy and Sympathy)" landing as effectively as it's more renown singles.   

The version of First... presented on Before the Future, is sensibly enough the original British iteration of the album.  When First... saw the light of day in America in 1988 several tracks were remixed, the U.S. variants thereof are included as bonuses here - and there's gobs more on top of that, with all the contemporary extras from the album occupying not one or two CDs, but would you believe three all told?  We're treated to TJ's excellent premiere independent 12" "The Big Sweep," circa 1985 and it's follow-up, "Fault." From there on ...Future leaves virtually no stone-unturned, catching every solitary non-LP b-side (including gems like "Searching" and "Electric"), remixes of the more danceable cuts, and a plethora of single edits.  It's a bit overkill, and the sequencing/intermingling a bit dodgy (occasionally separating A-sides and B-sides on different disks), but nothing egregious mind you, and this collection is very much assembled with the completist in mind.  The fourth CD here, dubbed From the Vaults, houses something I've been craving for an eternity- demos for roughly half of First... Early takes of "Let Her Fall," "The Hitcher," and "The Motive" aren't necessarily raw or rough-hewn, per se, but certainly presented in an interesting embryonic context, and worth my decades-long wait.     

Still possessing a healthy quotient of the grandiose sweep that imbued much of First..., TJ's 1989 sophomore effort, The Big Area is by significant degrees more of a commercial venture, demonstrating a tighter and more lucid approach, and notably guitar-centric. Even when the emotional pull isn't as evident as before, Mark Shaw & Co. don't yank the rug out from underneath much of anything, rather Jerico's collective stride pursues a comparatively streamlined tact.  And they were still amassing solid material in the shape of "What Does It Take," the pulsing "Helpless," and "Reeling," the latter accented with strings. Six b-sides and such are appendixed to the Big Area CD, including an unlikely reading of Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot." Considerably uncharacteristic territory for Jerico, but they manage to pull it off.

Overall, Before the Future... makes an exhaustive case for rediscovering Then Jerico's often neglected catalog, and its attendant bells and whistles (not to mention ace remastering) ushers all of the band's missing pieces into the digital era in one succinct space. It's available direct from Cherry Red, Amazon. and hopefully a brick and mortar retailer near you.

Can't rest on your laurels now, not when you've got none...

From 1977-78.  The building blocks for arguably the most important post-punk entity ever.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

FAQ - Pre-Pay (1990, Spikey Music)

Granted, I realize skate-punk isn't on everyone's musical itinerary, but I thought this would still be worth pitching to you.  FAQ's cheeky anacronym (Foolish American Quartet) belies a slightly more serious m.o. than you might wager on this Kalamazoo bunch, who largely sidestep straight-up hardcore in favor of something more tuneful.  The band's lone full-length concedes more to the likes of 7 Seconds (think Soulforce Revolution era), early Shades Apart, Porcelain Boys, and even '80s Doughboys than say, Suicidal Tendencies.  Pre-Pay, FAQ's lone full length kicks off with a trio of recommendable slammers, commencing with "Rules We Bend," exuding no shortage of posi-core affectations.  This platter isn't without some filler, and arguably would have been stronger were it whittled down to a more consistent ep, but Pre-Pay's more satisfactory moments make it worth bellying up to the cashier.  One final thought. The main riff in "My Dreams" faintly resembles that of Hüsker Dü's "Chartered Trips." Emphasis on the 'faintly' part.  Enjoy (or not).

01. Rules We Bend

02. Two Sides Blind

03. Euthanasia Wishes

04. All in One

05. Stuff

06. Silly Dreams

07. Fly

08. Aerobics in Japan

09. My Dream

Hear

You were my best friend, and I stood there and watched it еnd.

A reissue of this fringe Paisley Underground concern's 1986 LP, that also tacks on an even more effective preceding ep, and some additional swag beyond that. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

St. Johnny - High as a Kite (1993, Caroline)

I haven't talked about St. Johnny on these pages, at least not much. These Connecticut by way of NYC noiseniks were worthy of significantly greater attention, both in the blogosphere and generally speaking.  1993's High as a Kite (perhaps these lads were self-referential to their own mental state?) functioned like a bona fide debut album but it actually compiled from a trifecta of early singles and previously unreleased clatter.  And what a glorious din St. Johnny concocted, not unlike equally squalling but tuneful contemporaries Monsterland, Sometime Sweet Susan, and pretty much every other mid-90s headache wallowing in that post-You're Living All Over Me sort of hangover. They were adept enough to insert just enough poignant melody amidst feedback-addled screeds "Stupid" and "Go to Sleep" to get me stoked for their nearly as impressive 1994 premiere LP, Speed is Dreaming, coming down the pike c/o Geffen Records, of all labels.  Some comparatively sensitive, slacker-esque feels were the icing of St. J's dissonant, bittersweet cake.  Again, we should have made them a bigger priority than the vast majority of us did. 

01. Go to Sleep

02. God in My Head

03. Highway

04. Velocity

05. My Father's Father

06. Matador

07. Black

08. Stupid

09. High as a Kite

10. Ashes+Slashes

11. Unclean

Hear

I slept through the thundershowers …the day that she pulled out the flowers.

This is disk five of a six-CD discography box set and not a proper album. I shared one of this band's singles early on in the days of W/O and for whatever the reason decided to yank it.  Truth be told this band recorded several more singles, most of which I didn't get around to digitizing.  Luckily they did that for us. 23 tracks total spanning 1993-97. In addition to the aforementioned 45s it encompasses compilation appearances, the band's second demo tape and unreleased material. In the band's own words, "holy sh%t!"

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hiatus.

Taking this week off. This means no new content until next Mystery Monday.  Cheers.
 

I had a dream of the sea, but it didn't come for free.

From 1996.  "Hey, you've got your Britpop in my power pop!" "No, more like you've got your power pop in my Britpop!"  Am occasionally encountering shades of Silver Sun and '90s Redd Kross on this one, and I'm sure that more than a few of you will do a double take upon seeing the album cover.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

House of Pants - Pressed ep (1984, Amorous)

I like this one, even if it's a little non-descript, an ironic circumstance considering the era.  "Just a Movie" exudes a hyper '80s vibe without resorting to anything as cheesy as say, Oingo Boingo.  Further in, the going is more satisfactory amidst the Cars-y power-pop of "Photographs" and "He's Not There." Really no missteps to speak of on Pressed, this San Fran quartet's second and final ep.  My biggest takeaway is that House of Pants mic-fiend Jeff Saltzman has a vocal timbre striking similar to Scott Miller, but these guys had virtually nothing on Game Theory's indigenous stripe of artful indie pop.  

01. Just a Movie

02. Photographs

03. Scenes

04. He's not There

05. To You

06. Different Today

Hear