Singles Going Single #31 - Christmas (the band) 7" (1984, Iridescence)

Yes, Virginia, there really was a band called Christmas, and they were damn good. A co-ed trio from Cambridge, MA, Christmas' quirky but compelling post-punk/indie-pop, assumedly made minor ripples left of the dial, but little elsewhere. According to a highly informative band bio found here, this was their debut release, featuring the Mission of Burma-inflected "Wilhelm Reich." It would later be followed by their first album, In Excelsior Day-Glo in '86. Christmas signed to IRS Records for their next album, the often wondrously melodic Ultraprophets of Thee Psykick Revolution, which saw the light of day in 1989 to little fanfare. A third album, Vortex was posthumously issued in '93 on Matador Records. Perhaps Christmas' true claim to fame was that it served as a launching pad for an eventual reformation as wry, cocktail revivalists Combustible Edison in the early 90s. I apologize in advance for the vinyl noise.

A. The Invisible Girl
B. Wilhelm Reich

Hear

Dragnet - Life in General (1988, Whittier)

Yet another bargain bin find that panned out nicely. I have precious little info to disclose about this Minneapolis punk-savvy, power trio, but even the briefest listen to Life in General will yield that Dragnet were undeniably a product of their era, and more tellingly, location. You could say some of their Mpls contemporaries rubbed off on them just slightly (ha ha). The proceedings here lean a bit pedestrian at times, but Dragnet's revved-up fervor, as well as a deliberate-or-not penchant for keeping all of the dozen songs here under the three minute mark, compensates more than satisfactorily.

01. Recycled Day
02. Five Days
03. Love is Green
04. So Sincere
05. Situation Nowhere
06. The Race is On Today
07. Did You Compromise
08. Falling Down
09. Just Disappear
10. Life in General
11. Radio Won't Play
12. Did I Say

Hear

Singles Going Single #s 29 & 30 - Solomon Grundy (1991, New Alliance) & Dr. Janet (1990, Ringers Lactate)

The Screaming Trees will always be defined not only by Mark Lanegan's husky bellow, but it's colossal backbone, namely brothers Gary Lee Conner and Van Conner, rounding things out on guitar and bass respectively. Circa the Trees Uncle Anesthesia album in 1990, the Conners produced two worthy spin off outfits.

Van Conners's baby was dubbed Solomon Grundy, ostensibly named after the brute force villain in the Legion of Doom, but I won't go into that any further. Van's axe-squalling, pysch-freakouts that colored many a Screaming Trees tune were also adorned on Grundy's one and only album, unofficially known as Stone Soup and Other Stories. More hard rock than grunge, the band surged forth with sturdy, mid-tempo finesse, but as a whole, far from a classic. Alongside Stone Soup, Solomon Grundy also released a companion single, both releases coming courtesy of the SST Records offshoot label, New Alliance. Their lone single featured a rather faithful rendition of Rush's signature hit, "Spirit of Radio," and the non-lp, "I'm Not the Freak." Although a Rush cover seemed ironic at best, at the time anyway, it's arguably more entertaining then Van Conner's original compositions. In fact, if you listen closely as the song trails off, they segue into Rush's "Limelight." Neat. Really neat actually.

Both Van and Gary Lee Conner are of considerable...well...girth. Despite this fact, their vocals are surprisingly fey held up against Lanegan's golden throat. Gary Lee's day in the sun came in the form of The Purple Outside, who like Grundy also recorded one album (Mystery Lane) that happened to bear the New Alliance imprint. However, this intrepid crusader had another trick up his flanneled sleeve. Enter the 1990 one-off, un-super-group Dr. Janet. Spearheaded by Gary Lee, the group was further bolstered with axe/bass slinger Matt Sweeney of the then active Skunk (who you really should check out), and in years to come, Chavez and Zwan. Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan also straps on a bass, while drummer Lyle R. Hysen, formerly of Das Damen fleshes out the ranks. For better or worse, Dr. Janet's "Ten Years Gone" ain't the Zeppelin tune, but "Starry Eyes" is The Records power-pop classic for the ages. A good time was had by all - at least I hope so.

Solomon Grundy

A. Spirit of Radio

B. I'm Not the Freak

 

Dr. Janet

A. Ten Years Gone

B. Starry Eyes

 

Solomon Grundy: Hear

Dr. Janet: Hear

Luxurious Bags - Frayed Knots (1995)

With the rapid dissolution of independent (and even some chain) record stores, not only are discophiles like yours truly left with fewer places to buy tangible recordings, we're also left with fewer places to be exposed to music. Case in point is the Luxurious Bag's excellent mini-album, Frayed Knots. This band would have remained unbeknownst to me, at least indefinitely, had I not heard this cd played in-store at Reckless Records in Chicago a few years ago. Something tells me this experience wouldn't be duplicated at say, FYE or a big box retailer. In-store play sells records - always has, always will...that is until there's no more stores...

Before approaching Frayed Knots, it would be to your benefit to be acclimated with Polvo. While the Luxurious Bags don't share any affiliation with the Chapel Hill quartet, they take more than a couple pages from Polvo's chord-mangling indie-rawk days of yore, particularly their earlier releases like 1993's gloriously dissonant, Todays Active Lifestyles. The Bags slide the lo-fi quotient up a few notches, while carrying a tune at the same time. Furthermore, the songwriting occasionally strikes an emphatic tenor here, a move that's an anathema to most noiseniks.

The Luxurious Bags earlier recordings, collected on Quarantine Heaven were a largely in one ear, out the other proposition, leaving Frayed Knots as the band's most essential offering.
 

01. All the Time in the World

02. Movie Mind

03. Woolite

04. Lost Wallet

05. 12 Miles Back

06. This Won't Help a Bit

07. Eyes Tell Me, Hands Tell Me

Hear

Singles Going Single #28 - The Fans 7" (1979, Albion)

I'm still trying to make sense of this one. I was such a sucker for the eye catching sleeve, I paid $8 for it on that basis alone. The Fans were from Atlanta, GA, and were considered one of the first, if not the first new wave band from The Peach State. Utterly feigned British accents gave many the impression they were from the UK, and the fact that this wax was minted on a Brit label only added to the "myth." Signposts here point squarely to Pink Flag/Chairs Missing-era Wire. "Cars and Explosions" wields a sly melody that sneaks in and out, buttressed with strong dynamics. On the flip, "Dangerous Goodbyes," The Fans offer a comparatively linear and sustained attack, albeit less memorable than the A-side.

You can read an alternate write-up on The Fans here (just scroll down a ways).
 

A. Cars and Explosions

B. Dangerous Goodbyes
 

Hear

Ken Stringfellow - SXSW 2004, Austin, TX

This cd-r of Ken Stringfellow's performance at SXSW in March of 2004, was given away for free with pre-orders of his third solo effort, Soft Commands. No room for Posies (or Saltine) material here folks, but Ken's solo work succeeds just as well by it's own merits. The emphasis here is on Soft Commands selections, as well as choice cuts from his preceding solo record, the even more stimulating Touched. Just Ken, a guitar, and a modest audience. No venue info provided. An impeccable soundboard recording, with entertaining inter-song chatter. No venue info provided. Ripped @ sparkling 256 kbps. Enjoy. 

01. introduction

02. Death of a City

03. Cyclone Graves

04. chatter

05. Known Diamond

06. chatter - switching to guitar

07. chatter - music theory

08. Any Love

09. chatter - tuning, back catalog intro

10. The Lover's Hymn

11. chatter

12. Here's to the Future

 

Hear

Sour Landslide - They Promised Us Jobs (1997)

Toronto's Sour Landslide were one of many bands I discovered on a barn-burning, mid-90s compilation of Canadian bands called Popcan, perhaps a subject of investigation for a later post, but as always, I digress.

The two boy, one girl trio swiped their moniker from an REM lyric (in "Moral Kiosk" from Murmur to be exact). While their debut, Friends of Dracula utterly failed to do Sour Landslide justice, they made amends with the exponentially more satisfying They Promised Us Jobs in 1997. Akin to Shoes (the band) on a serious Nirvana kick, SL had their hooks and hearts in all the right places. Vince Nicholson's buzzing guitar salvos and melodic paeans to post-academic life, not to mention an array of romantic conundrums, dovetailed seamlessly with Landslide's crack rhythm section, occupied by bassist Vern Nicholson and skins-woman, Dee Gorvath. "Guns of Navarone," "Pop Knows a Weasel," and the more subdued "Hired Goons" are just three of fourteen exemplary selections, comprising a rather inconspicuous power-pop stunner that isn't likely to gain any further recognition - outside of Wilfully Obscure of course.
 

01. Human Rain Delay

02. Houdini

03. Star Search

04. Don't Call Me Stupid

05. Ghost Story

06. You Killed My Son

07. Guns of Navarone

08. Fuckin' Freak

09. Pop Knows a Weasel

10. Congratulations

11. Get To Know Me

12. Lenny

13. Hired Goons

14. Hero vs. Heroine
 

Hear

Smudge - Tea, Toast & Turmoil (1993) & Hot Smoke & Sassafras ep (1994)

Never heard of Smudge? Chances are, if you're a Lemonheads fan, you have likely heard Tom Morgan's (Smudge frontman) songs, including "It's A Shame About Ray," and "The Outdoor Type." In fact, co-songwriting credits between Tom and Evan can be found all over Come On and Feel the Lemonheads. Defunct (with the exception of a few recent one-off gigs), co-ed power-trio Smudge hailed from points south, Sydney, Australia to be exact. Evan Dando has returned the favor by penning songs for Morgan, as well as a tribute song to Smudge drummer Alision Galloway, in the form of "Alison's Starting to Happen" from It's a Shame About Ray.

Smudge existed for the better part of the '90s, but only their first two albums saw any distribution in North America. Morgan and Co. had a penchant for up-tempo, riff-happy power pop with an emphasis on conciseness and the kind of hooks to give a right nut for. 1993's Tea, Toast & Turmoil was their debut album, rife with bitchin' two-minute ear confections, adorned with clever wordplay. In a perfect world, "Spoilt Brat," and "Don't Want to Be Grant McLennan" should have been universal classics that usurped the hollow dreck churned out by such embarrassing contemporaries as Hootie and Collective Soul.

The Hot Smoke and Sassafras ep came a year later, delivering more brisk, tongue-in-cheek tunes. Manilow, their second proper album broke Smudge to a larger audience in Oz, but did little to make waves Stateside. The two disks this post concerns are out of print, but Manilow was reissued as a splendid, two-disk deluxe edition, on Half a Cow Records.

"Somewhere between the Lemonheads and Husker Du, she keeps on getting on top of the sink but she can't get on top of you." from "Alison" 

 

Tea, Toast & Turmoil

01. Superhero

02. Missing You

03. Spolit Brat

04. Straight Face Down

05. Outside

06. Make All Our Dreams Come True

07. Pulp

08. plug It Up

09. Divan

10. Alison

11. Don't Want To Be Grant Mclennan

12. Stranglehold

13. Dabble

14. Leroy de Foix

15. Tea Toast & Turmoil

16. Foccacia

17. Steak & Chips

18. Babaganouj

Hot Smoke & Sassafras ep

01. The Wrong Pony

02. I Am Not the Cosmos

03. Coal Srge

04. My Bright Idea

05. It's Over

06. Tenderfoot

07. Guess I'm a Goner

08. All the Money in the World Can't Buy You A Near Death Experience 

 

These are now available on iTunes and Amazon.

Singles Going Single #27 - The Affected 7" (1991, Rubber)

There's not a whole lot of info floating around in cyberspace on this long gone Aussie trio. I discovered The Affected by virtue of their debut (and perhaps only) album, the ingeniously titled A Fate Worse Than a Fate Worse Than Death, in 1994. Brandishing a searing, indie-punk panache with a faint but bratty No Depression-inflected sneer tacked on for good measure, The Affected were about as genuine and earnest as they came, especially by today's standards. Much rawer than their comparatively refined album, this 45's gloriously powerful thirteen minutes finds the Affected on a blistering tear, on par with some of the choicest, American indie rock, circa 1986. And that's a damn good thing.

01. Livin' a Lie
02. What
03. Cutdown
04. Feelin Alright

Hear

Chapterhouse - Pearls and Treasures (1990-91)

For any of you familiar with Chapterhouse, I need not go into how immensely superb they were, if only for one mind blowing album, 1991's Whirlpool. For everyone else, you can safely be forgiven, as it probably isn't your fault that you haven't been acquainted with them, thanks to the press and indie radio stations that were too busy drooling on themselves over much more anointed dream-pop titans of the era, My Bloody Valentine and Lush. Though this Reading, England quartet were of first class caliber, they were forever treated as second-string newbies, and never enjoyed the limelight. As far as early '90s shoegazer rock goes, there were many outstanding bands, but I have yet to find one that was as ethereal, transporting, and utterly engulfing as Chapterhouse.

Though they blew it on their 1993 followup, the dance heavy, Blood Music, and split shortly after, Whirlpool is crucial listening. You can obtain the 2006 reissue of it here. To the converted, Pearls and Treasures is a collection of radio session tracks and live cuts from two different concerts, that makes a fine companion to the band's halcyon era album. I know, like you really need three different versions of "Something More" on one disk. Chapterhouse weren't terribly prolific, so take what you can get and enjoy.

Mark Goodier session

01. Breather

Peel Session 10/7/90

02. Falling Down

03. Something More

04. Inside of Me

London, Marquee 9/3/91

05. Breather

06. Something More

07. Treasure

08. Then We'll Rise

09. Pearl

10. Autosleeper

Paris, La Locomotive 4/13/91

11. In My Arms

12. Something More

13. Come Heaven

14. Feel the Same

15. Pearl

16. Autosleeper

17. Falling Down

18. Rain

 

Hear

Tictoc - Where the Picnic Was (1983)

Alright, I might as well fulfill my "new romantic" quota for 2008 and get it out of the way. Seriously, this one really is an obscurity. My information on this assumedly Canadian band is merely limited to the LP jacket. No insert with any pertinent band info provided, and not a speck of cereal to be excavated online. Nada. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Bupkis. What I can tell you is that Tictoc's album, Where the Picnic Was, saw the light of day in 1983 on the Canadian indie label Dallcorte Records. You should also be informed that the quartet appears in a very distant shot on the back of the sleeve, and furthermore appear to be of Hispanic descent, but that's purely a guess on my part. Heck, I can't even give you the proper names of this quartet. Since this was purchased secondhand, something tells me there was a long misplaced lyric/stat sheet that went with this record.

Signposts lean heavily to Duran Duran here, sans the arena-rock appeal and ego. Where the Picnic Was is actually a quality synth-pop record, that for better or worse, is highly derivative of it's era. There's really nothing here that echos as timeless as say, "Love Plus One," or "Space Age Love Song," (by Haircut 100 and A Flock of Seagulls respectively, for all you youngsters), but nevertheless, Tictoc's familiar strain of new wave was fun, Anglo, and otherwise totally in vogue despite the fact that they ostensibly failed to make any inroads in Canada, or anywhere for that matter. Extra crackly vinyl this time around. Sorry folks.
 

01. Twenty Questions

02. Cry on Cue

03. Critical Path

04. Anything Everything

05. Open for Suggestions

06. In My Room

07. Halo

08. Crown of Snakes

09. V.F.W. 
 

Hear

Singles Going Single #26 - Painted Willie 7" (1984, Spinhead)

In reference to the title of this single's lead-off cut, Painted Willie were a ragged army indeed, and the band's ramshackle debut 7" is a stumbling-block-to-stepping-stone chestnut for the ages. Released on what would appear to be a tiny, local imprint, Spinhead Records, this record would lead to greater things, more specifically being ushered under the wing of the burgeoning SST Records for a number of LPs during the Reagan era. Painted Willie's quasi-minimalist post-punk, was unabashedly nascent and shambolic at the time of this release, but endearing in it's own rite. The curiously esoteric subject matter disclosed in "Ragged Army" exemplifies this aesthetic the best, while it's flipside, "Kill It," packs a serious, metallic bite, that's the yin to "Army's" playful yang. Two of the three songs here also appear in the "jukebox" portion of their Myspace page, but these particular rips were extracted directly from my own copy of the single, tattered sleeve and all. Enjoy (or not).

A1. Ragged Army
A2. Paper Tiger
B. Kill It

Hear

Singles Going Single #25 - Drive "tribute" 7'' (1992, First Strike)

For Descendants fans, the sleeve of Drive's "tribute" single depicted directly to your left is a surefire giveaway, with it's parody of the 'dents iconic I Don't Want to Grow Up LP. The other side of the sleeve is a less effective stab at Raymond Pettibone equally iconic art for their take on The Minutemen's classic, "This Ain't No Picnic" Drive were a rather arcane British pop-punk band, existing in the late-'80s/mid-'90s. Often lumped into the same neighborhood as Mega City Four, Hooton 3 Car, and the previously discussed 3 1/2 Minutes, notoriety eluded them, even in their native Liverpool. Their recordings were conglomerated on Boss Tunage's relatively recent Discography 1988-93 CD, which you can check out here.

A. My World
B. This Ain't No Picnic

Hear

Pollyanna - Hello Halo (1997)

It's hard to believe that Pollyanna's entire back catalog is languishing hopelessly out of print, even in their native Australia, where they were one of the predominant indie success stories of the '90s. It's even harder to be a Pollyanna fan Stateside, let alone Down Under. Once I discovered Pollyanna's third-times-the-charm stunner, Hello Halo in an 88 cent CD bin (thank you Sounds, in NYC), by hook or by crook I managed to obtain their entire discography over the course of four or five slightly arduous years. Amongst their five albums and twice as many eps, I still haven't found anything that equals the passion and melodic prowess of this disk.

Pollyanna's twenty-something angst struck more bittersweet and joyous chords in yours truly with this one album than most bands are capable of when their entire repertoire is considered. Were Hello Halo to have a 2008 copyright date, certain circles would brand this as "emo," given it's often melancholy tendencies. Indeed, this record is emotive, but in the most uncontrived way possible. To describe this album's most affecting offerings like "Cinnamon Lip," "Hilltop Green," and "Effervescence" with such mundane but tempting tags as "distorto-power pop," or "the ambivalent man's indie rock," would be a grave disservice - and yet that's the best I can come up with. Call it what you will, but Pollyanna's Hello Halo  is in a veritable class of it's own. 

 

01. Peachy Keen

02. Frosted Over

03. Hilltop Green

04. Cooling Your Heels

05. Effervescence

06. A Beginner's Guide to Under Achievement

07. Brittle Than Broken

08. Butterman

09. Forgetting How to Feel

10. Cinnamon Lip

11. Pulling Teeth

12. Velocette

13. Rat in the Ranks

14. Tank

 

Hear

The Individuals - Fields LP (1982, Plexus)

While I'm not terribly big on these guys (and girl), I had a request a long time ago for Hoboken, NJ's Individuals, so what the hell. Fields was produced by Gene Holder of dB's fame, and furthermore, Mitch Easter is credited for "engineering and good ideas." Hmmm. The Individuals definitely had the early '80s college rock thing going, with a touch of the "new south" vibe tossed in for good measure, not to mention a razor-sharp awareness of rhythm. With that, I'd say that Fields would make a great appetizer for a Talking Heads binge. You can also download the Individual's Aquamarine ep right here.

01. My Three Sons (Revolve Around the Earth)
02. Can't Get Started
03. Hooks & Ladders
04. Monkey
05. Dancing With My Eighty Wives
06. Walk By Your House
07. Leap of Faith
08. White
09. Johnny's in the Mines
10. Thinking Aloud
11. Swimming in the Streets

Update: Fields, along with the aforementioned Aquamarine ep have been reissued on CD through Bar None, and as you might imagine, is also available from iTunes and Amazon downloads.

The Cavedogs - Fall Back In It (2001)

Boston's Cavedogs were should-have-been luminaries that deserved their place among the likes of The Replacements and Posies. Their story is an utterly familiar one - nationally distributed records, videos, "buzz," but ultimately, it just wasn't to be, not universally at any rate. Armed with acumen, wit, and some of the best damn songs the indie contingent of the "power pop" genre ever had to offer, the Cavedogs were more advanced than many bands their senior. As always, the proof is in the pudding, and their two crucial albums, Joyrides For Shut-Ins (1990) and Soul Martini (1992), either of which were high caliber enough for inclusion on the recent and often ludicrous Shake Some Action top-200 album list, can be found in gently used condition from the usual suspects, Half and Amazon, or in a bargain CD bin near you.
If you're new to the Cavedogs, it would be good to have an appreciation of those albums before delving into Fall Back In It, a compendium of unreleased rarities, demos and live cuts, wrapped up in the guise of a faux radio program, rife with goofy and animated dialogues. In fact, the band sums it up a lot better than I can:

This is a collection of demos and previously unreleased songs by the Cavedogs, along with pieces of their radio show, "The Cavedogs Funtime Hour." Each title corresponds to it's equivalent digital start ID number, resulting in 20 little dioramas, each more compelling and/or stupid than it's predecessor.

The Fall Back In It CD was available from the band's now defunct website as a mailorder only proposition a few years ago, and was unadorned with any artwork to speak of. An essential listen for established Cavedogs aficionados! To read up on the Cavedogs here are a few links:

http://powerpopulist.blogspot.com/2006/11/cavedogs.html - a nice primer with a handful of choice MP3s

http://www.desertisle.com/cavedogs/homepage.shtml - aka Tayter Country, an extremely thorough fansite with lots of info and tons of live MP3s of questionable quality.

Here's the tracklisting:

01-intro~better than that
02-midnight hour (live)
03-bed of nails (acoustic)
04-turn it off (live)
05-folderol (original demo)
06-country song #1 (live)
07-bury the beat
08-on for the ride (acoustic)
09-strapped on mendelssohn
10-christmas song (orig vers)
11-i hate you (live)
12-as you were ~goodswift ad
13-mike the tiger
14-typical witty banter
15-country song #2 (live)
16-clownland
17-hangman's pop
18-pais de la potato (live)
19-la la la (orig vers)
20-outro

Update: Fall Back In It is now available on Bandcamp for SUPER cheap!  Please go there are patronize these fine folks!

Singles Going Single #24 - Menthol "USA Capable" 7" (1995, Capitol)

Urbana, IL's Menthol started out life as the otherwise non-descript and less than impressive, Mother, before changing their name and going for the gusto on a marvelous, self-titled album for Capitol Records in '95. "USA Capable," kicked that album off in style, in all it's assaulting and visceral glory. Prodigious in the classic rock sense, but none too impervious to the "alternative" dogma sweeping the nation, Menthol brought to mind Soul Asylum to this set of ears, although I believe that to be coincidence more than intention. Their album was one of the more unaffected major label offerings of the decade, and despite their off-kilter inclinations and frank songwriting, Menthol's conveyance of their tunes was nothing short of eminently powerful.

An anomaly to say the least, the album stiffed, and dedicated listeners were forced to wait some seven years for the tongue-in-cheek, digitally-glazed followup, Danger: Rock Science on Hidden Agenda Records. The b-side, "Crystal Keg People" is exclusive to this single. For further convincing, you check out some Menthol rarities here.

 

A. USA Capable

B. Crystal Keg People

 

Hear

Singles Going Single #23 - Fuzzy "Flashlight" 7" (1994, Seed)

Fuzzy's finest moment came on this genius single, a gleefully exuberant slice of power-chord pop that brandishes more hooks in three-and-a-half minutes than should be ordained by law. Seriously. This Beantown co-ed quartet were one of many '90s major label casualties, signed to "boutique" indie labels, (in their case, the Atlantic Records marketed Seed Records) that really didn't garner the national exposure their intended "best of both worlds" strategy was mapped out to. The Velocity-Girl-esque "Flashlight" was the first, and only single for Fuzzy's '94 self-titled album, their most satisfying if I may say so. Their like minded 1996 followup on Seed, Electric Juices, failed to put them over the top either, and they were presumably dropped, after eking out one last hurrah in the form of the independently released Hurray For Everything in 1999.

This here single offers a couple of non-lp numbers on the flipside, including the appropriately dubbed "Country Song," which sports a decidedly 'Americana' bent. As always, enjoy (or not).
 

A. Flashlight

B1. Thurber

B2. Country Song
 

Hear

Smashing Orange - The Glass Bead Game (1992)

When their debut album was released in 1992, Delaware's Smashing Orange had the misfortune of contending with a slightly more popular Smashing band making waves at the same time, who's moniker also coincidentally referenced an orange fruit. At any rate, The Glass Bead Game is an excellent album of domesticated shoegazer rock, just as engaging as anything by contemporaries The Swirlies and Drop Nineteens. Whipping up a dense, mini-maelstrom, Smashing Orange's tuneful noise had an almost hypnotic effect on those that subscribed, however their booming, echoey mineshaft approach was potentially alienating to more sensitive ears. "Wired," and "All Girls Are Mine," embellished with Rob Montejo's androgynous vocals, are sonically grandiose, and it's shame that little more came on the heels of this album.

A year later the quartet inked a deal with MCA a year later, resulting in 1994's No Return in the End, an unrecomendable generic alt-rock album that exhibited no antecedents of Orange’s impressive previous efforts. Sure enough, it tanked. Smashing Orange also put out two eps, preceding Glass Bead Game, that were reissued a few years ago on the posthumous 1991 album on Elephant Stone Records.

 

01. Remember Kendra

02. Wired

03. Flower Kisses

04. All Girls Are Mine

05. Something Comes Down

06. Indians Say

07. Look Behind You

08. How Did You Feel

09. Highway

10. Below and Beyond
 

Hear

Singles Going Single #22 Fitz of Depression "The Awakening" 7" (1991, Meat)

Blood-boilingly intense punks, The Fitz of Depression came courtesy of the early-90s Olympia, WA breeding ground. Although they received some local notoriety at the time, including an honorable mention from Kurt Cobain, the band disappeared from everyone's collective radar by the middle of the decade, and haven't been heard since. The Awakening showcases the Fitz at their rip-roaring best, blasting through three songs in nearly as many minutes, a la Motorhead cum Zeke. A couple of albums on K Records followed this single, but they failed to capture the breakneck vigor and urgency that the Fitz so effectively displayed here. Bitchin'.

A. The Awakening
B1. Waiting For Your Move
B2. I'm a Poser

Hear

The Shakers - Desired Effect (1987)

This gem of an album could have easily slipped by if it wasn't for the good people at Hyped to Death. Were I not fortunate enough to obtain a copy of their Teenline Vol. 3 compilation, of lost and under appreciated American indie bands from the '70s-80s, Nashville's Shakers would be entirely unknown to me and furthermore, you. Coming across as if it were a classic Don Dixon or Mitch Easter production, Desired Effect impresses with a wellspring of persistently jangly guitar chords, a la Dreams So Real and The Plimsouls. By no means start-to-finish par excellence, (not to mention leaning a bit AOR at times), this albums exemplary "Turn You Down," "Change My Mind," and the well-chosen Teenline comp selection, "All Tied Up," are good as gold. Desired Effect comes courtesy of the presumably short-lived Hit-A-Note label, whom have released other records that may or may not appear on this site.

01. A Stranger's Eyes

02. Throw Away

03. I'll Turn You Down

04. Change My Mind

05. I Love You, Love

06. The Need For Love

07. Remember

08. Last Call

09. Tryin' To Be Near You

10. All Tied Up

Hear

Mission of Burma - Electro-acoustic sessions (1980)

To coincide with the reissue of Mission of Burma's exemplary back catalog today, I thought I'd upload a collection of demos dubbed the "Electro-Acoustic Sessions," taking it's namesake from the studio they were recorded at in 1980, which you can read in greater detail about here. Some of these tracks have appeared on the Taang! Records MOB outtakes collections, Peking Spring and Forget, which I believe are still in print, and just as crucial as the band's Signals, Calls and Marches ep and Vs. LP. On this 17-song collection you will hear scalding hot early versions of numerous MOB classics-to-be, including "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate," "...Revolver," "Academy Fight Song." The sound is a bit hissy, as it was obviously converted from a cassette. "Track 2" is glaringly omitted from the lineup, but considering this was procured from a file-sharing application, I have yet to find the song (whatever it may be) from another user. Enjoy (or not).

01 - Peking Spring
03 - OK No Way
04 - That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate
05 - Secrets
06 - Red
07 - Progress
08 - Max Ernst
09 - Academy Fight Song
10 - Nu Disco
11 - Forget
12 - This Is Not a Photograph
13 - That's When I Reach For My Revolver
14 - Execution
15 - Eyes of Men
16 - Fun World
17 - Head Over Head
18 - Einstein's Day

Hear

Singles Going Single #21 - Catherine 7" (1991, Limited Potential)

Talk about precocious. According to the back cover of this single, Billy Corgan is given a co-production credit, in 1991, the same year Smashing Pumpkins released their debut LP, Gish! Billy may have moved up through the ranks at a breakneck pace, but Chicago's Catherine could barely garner a following outside the Windy City. Featured here are two longish nuggets of swirling noise pop, not unlike fellow Illinoisans, Hum down the road in Champaign. Catherine would go onto record an ep and two full lengths, including the very Pumpkin-esque Sorry! in '94. I don't hasten to mention that drummer Kerry Brown was in fact married to Darcy of the Pumpkins. Keep on the lookout for Catherine's Sleepy ep to appear on these pages in the relatively near-future. As the band's motto goes, "better living through noise!"

A. Sparkle

B. Charmed (for Taylor)

Hear

Singles Going Single #20 - The Wondermints 7" (1993, Pop Psycle)

While I ca't give you a firsthand account, I can tell you that Los Angeles had a thriving, renaissance of an indie/power pop scene in the mid to late '90s. Some of the crème de la crème included The Andersons, Cockeyed Ghost, Sugarplastic, Baby Lemonade, and the slightly conspicuous Negro Problem, but if I were to boil it down to one band that was representative of that era, The Wondermints would probably be my band of choice. Pristine and polished as they were, the 'mints had an incredible sense of integrity and quality control. Their debut single on what would appear to be their own label, Pop Psycle, is the best of both whirls, as one might say. The a-side, "Proto-Pretty" was timeless enough to even be enshrined on a Rhino Records power pop anthology. It's flip-side, "Silly Place" is just as golden, as was their self-titled album that followed this single. That album is out of print but relatively easy to hunt down. In short, whether you're an established fan, or if you're here for your first spin, you're in for a major treat.

A. Proto-Pretty
B. Silly Place

Hear

Singles Going Single #19 - AV EP 7'' (pre-Pointed Sticks) (1978, Quintessence)

Vancouver, BC's AV were of particular significance aside from their music. Number one, they were...well #1, literally. AV's 7" "EP" was the first release for Vancouver's Quintessence indie record label. Secondly, guitarist Bill Napier-Hemy would later go on to form the much higher profile Pointed Sticks, which you can check out on this previous Wilfully Obscure posting. Fronted by Tim Ray, AV's post-punk rock was not terribly Earth shattering, or for that matter, influential, but they were a mildly interesting footnote, not to mention springboard for Vancouver's fledgling indie scene in the late '70s.

01. Dying in Brooklyn
02. Cliche
03. Little Old Man
04. All Same

Hear