100 Flowers - 21st Guessing (1989, DTK)

It would probably be smart to eliminate any confusion by mentioning up front that this is not the same 100 Flowers that were the spinoff of minimalist, L.A. punks The Urinals who recorded for Happy Squid Records.   Heck, that explanation took quicker than I anticipated, but as usual, I digress.  No, these 100 Flowers blossomed in Canada, possibly from Nova Scotia, yet they utterly ooze the aura of Midwest American indie combos like The Libertines, The Embarrassment, The Service, and by default, I guess it would be apt to point a finger at the Replacements too (though frontman Stephen Moore doesn't have a thing on Westerberg in the vocals department).  21st Guessing's most impressive moments, including "Roof tops" and "Pam" make a solid case for 100 Flowers being a lost artifact from the American heartland circa the late '80s, but this five-piece hailed from environs north, difficult as that may be to believe upon listening. 

There's little to nothing web-wise to unearth on this intriguing bouquet, but videos for "Pam" and "Haunted" are available on YouTube.  Since I have been unable to obtain an affordable vinyl copy of 21st Guessing, this rip was taken straight from an original cassette.  BTW, can anybody confirm if this came out on CD?  If anyone in/associated with the Flowers sees this, feel free to drop a line. 

01. Coming Up for Air
02. Pam
03. He and She
04. Nothing is Hard
05. Roof tops
06. The Best Status Symbol
07. Haunted
08. 21st Guessing
09. Darkness
10. The Naught
11. We're Waiting

Hear

Sprinkler - "Marble" 7" (1992, Tim Kerr) & "Peerless" 7" (1993, Sub Pop)

Of all the '90s Portland, OR bands that never quite "made it" - Heatmiser, Pond, Hazel, Skiploader, and Crackerbash, I always thought the case of Sprinkler was the most unfortunate.  Not because anyone in the group died tragically or anything, rather when I consider that overlooked vanguard, Sprinkler had the leanest discography to show for it, and even sadder, the most potential.  Fans of this Oregonian quartet are immensely hard to come by.  In fact, in almost twenty years of admiration of Sprinkler I have yet to meet anyone with an affinity, or for that matter just plain familiarization with their name and/or music.   In addition to these singles, they cut a phenomenal album for Sub Pop Records in 1992, More Boy, Less Friend.  What that record lacked in terms of a desperately needed lyric sheet, it made up for in pummeling riffs, brooding melancholia, and songs to die for.  Accept no imitations.  As for the singles presented here, "Marble" b/w a pre-More Boy incarnation of "Landlord" saw the light of day on Tim Kerr Records, shortly before the album.  Love the swooping guitar line running through "Landlord," and "Marble" is even more melodic and vital.  Before splitting up, they cut one last record for Sub Pop, tracks three and four listed below.  That 45 was also available as a European import with two extra tracks though I have yet to come across a copy.  If you like what you're about to hear, More Boy, Less Friend is still relatively findable, digitally and otherwise.

Post-Sprinkler, singer Chris Slusarenko went on to front the similarly unheard of but satisfying Svelt.  More recently, Chris has dabbled in music journalism, and has been a longtime collaborator with Robert Pollard, involved in such post-GBV projects as Boston Spaceships and the Takeovers. 

01. Marble

02. Landlord

03. Peerless

04. Kent

1 & 2 from Tim Kerr 7"

3 & 4 from Sub Pop 7"

 

Hear

Breaking Circus - The Ice Machine (1986) & Smokers' Paradise ep (1987) + bonus 7" in FLAC

Last week I was inspired by the request of another blogger to rip Breaking Circus' 1985 ep The Very Long Fuse to the lossless FLAC format as opposed to my usual MP3s.  Today I present submit to you the remainder of the B/C oeuvre, starting with their only bona fide full length, The Ice Machine, a Homestead Records product dating back a quarter century ago.  Pound for pound, I regard The Very Long Fuse as their strongest record, but Ice Machine comes in at a very, very close second, featuring some of their most pummeling selections, namely "Took a Hammering" and "Swept Blood," both of which are profoundly induced with a solid dose of Big Black.  Something tells me that Steve Björklund and Co. had a few collective go arounds with Atomizer before tracking this baby. 

The Circus' third and final 12" Smokers' Paradise trails it's two predecessors by a good distance, but is markedly more diverse, with prominent keyboard presence on the title cut, and pop flirtations elsewhere.  I have to concede that "Eat Lead" and "Emperor Calvin" are as hard boiled as anything in their catalog.

 

I'm a bit confused regarding Breaking Circus' final salvo, a 1989 45 which is essentially a Björklund solo venture featuring electro-pop renderings of Naked Raygun's "Home of the Brave," and a UK Subs song, "Warhead" on the b-side.  My confusion lies in the fact that supposedly it came bundled with a fanzine with no picture sleeve, but my copy has an accompanying sleeve, a bright yellow one at that (depicted below).  Was my version only available separately from the zine?  No bigee.  I got mine, and that's what counts.  Anyway, enjoy the "hammer" records in glorious, FLAC-o-phonic sound.'

The Ice Machine

01. Song of the South

02. Ancient Axes

03. Daylight

04. Caskets & Clocks

05. Deadly China Doll

06. Laid so Low

07. Took a Hammering

08. Walter

09. Swept Blood

10. Where

11. Gun Shy

12. Evil Last Night

Smokers' Paradise ep

01. Smokers Paradise

02. Three Cool Cats

03. ShockHammer Thirteen

04. Emperor Calvin

05. Medicine Lake

06. Eat Lead

1989 7"

A. Home of the Brave

B. Warhead

The Ice Machine - Hear

Smokers' Paradise ep & 7" - Hear

The Active Set - 11 (2011, Chisel Pixel) - A brief overview

Right out of 11's starting gate, "Let the Games Begin" exudes the type of warm syncopation and dexterous, instrumental reciprocity that goes a long way in defining the overarching tenor of The Active Set's seemingly auspicious debut album.  Oh yeah, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that these gentlemen know a thing or two about fusing such agile playing with rock solid hooks, the kind that yield a startling, visceral response as evidenced on "Gas Wars" and "Famous for Dying." From a purely musical standpoint, the Active Set originate from the same savvy terrain as Brendan Benson, Rogue Wave, and to a lesser extent Phantom Planet and Creeper Lagoon.  Putting aside their plush, arpeggio-happy arrangements for a moment, what helps usher them into a field of their own is frontman/songsmith Matthew Stolarz, a budding popmeister whose wry takes on romance, sex, ambition, and even the open road are relatable, if not amusing.  In fact, I have to wonder how Stolarz would employ the Occupy Movement as songwriting fodder, but I digress. "Counting Out Your Life" and "Best Summer Ever" are as lyrically considered as they are sonically intoxicating, and so goes much of the remainder of the album, enabling it to stimulate as consistently as it does.  Not exactly one louder, 11 is still pretty golden, but don't be surprised if the Active Set surpass it in years to come.  Buy 11 in it's entirety here.

Singles Going Single #192 - The Marnies 7" (1989)

Australia's Marnies didn't leave much of a discography, or moreover a footprint.  That's a shame, because back in the late '80s, while most of their home-country contemporaries had one foot in the garage, this quartet were taking cues from one of Oz's grandest anomalies of the era, The Church.  "Electric Wires" bristles with robust reverb, clangy fretwork, and a driving hook, wasting not one of it's precious 150 seconds.  Platinum grade indie pop if there ever was such a thing.  The flip, "Watch the Clock" features a different vocalist, slotting well within the ballad realm.  No info on the group is to be had save for the record label itself, listing the Marnies roster, recording details, and a North Fitzroy correspondence address.  The lineup includes Patrick McArdle on guitar and vocals, Terrance Vella also on guitar, Anthony Camm singing and plucking the fat strings, and Damien Tesoriero gently applying repeated blows to the percussion.  Should any of you care to unravel this mysterious outfit, comment as you see fit.

A. Electric Wires
B. Watch the Clock

Hear

Attachments - s/t ep (1983, Art & Economix)

Is it just me or does the jacket of this disk conjure up a pack of cigarettes?  Just checking.  Attachments were a female fronted six-piece from Seattle, whose seductive, new-wavey exploits often packed an unabashed dance floor-savvy punch.   A through-and-through product of their era, there isn't an abundant amount of innovation afoot in these grooves, though I should note that Sally Schlosstein's pipes crack some ungodly high registers on "Why Don't You Come Back & See Me."  Make of Attachments what you will.

01. Why Don't You Come Back & See Me
02. All I Need From You
03. Red Lines
04. Had to Bridge a Gap

Hear

Billy James - Sixes and Sevens (1988, Twilight)

Billy James was no solo act, rather a co-ed four piece from Athens, GA.  Produced by REM's Mike Mills, Sixes and Sevens is a jangly affair, delving the listener into a myriad of tempos and moods, with fervent harmonies running throughout.  The breezy lilt of "Withering" and "Stormy Weather" bring to mind the warm, but immensely robust guitar pop of an unrelated group that would arise in the '90s, called The Rooks that I would heartily suggest if you Sixes to your liking.  There's not much info to be unearthed on Billy James, so don't be a stranger if you have any pertinent details to share.

01. Blind
02. Dead Mans Hand
03. Cold and Crazy
04. See Thru Shades
05. Withering
06. Circular Motion
07. Honeymoon
08. Stormy Weather

Hear

Breaking Circus - The Very Long Fuse + 1 (1985, Homestead) in FLAC!

The cry went out roughly a week ago when one of our fellow music bloggers requested some difficult-ish to locate vinyl from a handful of Midwest-corridor, indie castaways from the '80s, one of whom was none other than Breaking Circus.  I've long owned copies of their catalog: The Very Long Fuse, Smokers' Paradise, and their only legitimate full length, The Ice Machine, but other net scribes had pretty much beaten me to the punch in making these available.  Going back to that request I initially mentioned, it was brought to my attention that heretofore Breaking Circus had only been accorded the MP3 treatment, and given that their records never saw the light of day on CD (and are likely to stay that way) someone with relatively clean vinyl copies might be compelled to provide the world at large with lossless (aka: FLAC) versions of said back catalog.  I'm happy to announce that I'm here to fill that void, starting with their 1985 debut, The Very Long Fuse.

For a band who never made it into the digital era, Breaking Circus' vital stats have been crunched on several websites and blogs.  The short story is that ex-hardcore guy Steve Björklund, formally of Strike Under and the even lesser noted Terminal Beach, branched out into the post-punk arena with the Circus, garnering a modicum of notoriety before the curtain closed in the late 1980s.  Taking root in Chicago, before eventually transplanting to Minneapolis, Breaking Circus indigenous forte combined Björklund's deadpan vox with offbeat topical material, and driving, metronome-perfect delivery (due in no small part to a trusty drum machine).  Their could've/should've been "signature" song was a no brainer - "Driving the Dynamite Truck," but it doesn't materialize on any of their proper albums, rather a 1986 compilation that is going to remain unnamed, at least on these pages.  So marvelous is that song, I'm including it as a bonus here, and although Björklund doesn't sing so much as talk, "...Dynamite Truck" features a deliriously drony yet melodic guitar lead that is likely to make a lifelong impact, if you're as lucky as me that is.  Remember, this rip is in FLAC, so the files sizes are about three/four times the size of the 256 kbps MP3s I normally share, but they should work with most audio playback applications.  More Breaking Circus to follow... 

01. Precision
02. (Knife in the) Marathon
03. Lady in the Lake
04. Soul of Japan
05. The Imperial Clawmaster's Theme
06. Monsters Sanctuary
07. Christian Soldiers
08. Morning
plus: Driving the Dynamite Truck

Hear

The Remedy Session - s/t (2002, Redemption)

I thought I'd use the review I did for Big Takeover magazine (I wanna say in 2002/03) as my write up for Remedy Session's lone album.  For some reason I seem to sound much more eloquent back then than I possibly could today if I were to start from scratch.  This co-ed Florida trio has been defunct for several years.  Too bad, because evidenced by these ten songs they had talent to burn.  Was looking forward to seeing them in Buffalo around the time of this disk's release but the gig was canceled.  More text can be read in a lengthy feature article archived at the Broward/Palm Beach New Times website.  On to the review:

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to dismiss Ft. Lauderdale’s Remedy Session as the logical offspring of the ever-expanding crop of current emo/pop-punk aggregations, some of whom have already graduated to household-name status.  It’s also pretty much indisputable that the Session haven’t been immune to the cross-pollination of these two genres, particularly acts like Hey Mercedes, Anniversary, and the now defunct Jejune.  In fact this trio can also claim male and female vocalists suspiciously similar to the Anniversary’s set-up. So what makes The Remedy Session just as effective if not more so?  Chalk this up to a subtly cerebral bent with a keen awareness of post-hardcore originators like Jawbox and Friction.  A-plus harmonies, and a roiling mid-tempo thrust splendidly propel cuts like “The Final Failure” and “All Circuits Down“ to a higher plateau than the more pedantic output of their contemporaries.  Simply put, The Remedy Session stand out.

01. The Final Failure
02. April 25th
03. Rescue
04. Starting Over
05. Shotgun
06. Recovery
07. All Circuits Down
08. Instrument
09. Seven Year Divide
10. Over-rated

Hear

Pivot - Oscillator 7" ep (1993, Eating Blur)

I picked this bad boy up during my Maximum Rock n Roll days circa the mid-90s.  I have no significant background info to offer on Pivot, other than the correspondence address on the inner sleeve which points to Vacaville, CA, a town in between San Francisco and Sacramento.  Post-hardcore punk was their speciality, the stripe that hadn't intermingled with emo, at least not on these four tracks.  Some faint socio/political themes crop up intermittently, but truthfully, you won't feel a thing.  The commencing "Drain" churns out a sturdy, Helmet-like grind.  Gots to love those taught, lockstep riffs.  Pivoting to side two (sorry, couldn't resist), the Oscillator ep hits a more tuneful, not to mention speedier stride on "Pawn to Shell" and "She."  Enjoy (or not).

01. Drain
02. 60 Clicks
03. Pawn to Shell
04. She

Hear

Various - Vehicle 7" (1995, Shute)

Given my affinity for half of the bands occupying this wax (Edsel and Trusty) it's a wonder I didn't share this comp ep ages ago, which features four not-so-prominent D.C. area indie hopefuls.  Whoever at Shute Records sequenced this record had the right idea, pairing the more abrasive Holy Rollers and Corm on one side, and the aforementioned much more palatable duo on the other.   I never had much of an inclination to the Rollers and that goes double for their contribution, "Sunshine" a botched grunge experiment so to speak.  Corm are pretty unremarkable as well - think Unwound by way of some of the lower rung AmRep acts of the period.  I've had no shortage of praise to heap on Edsel over the years, and "Suits Me Fine" is cause for even more - a hazy, tremolo-kissed pop nugget that bears all the idiosyncratic trademarks, evidenced on their Everlasting Belt Co. album from two years prior.  Trusty close things out with one of their finest moments.  "Bus Stop" isn't the Hollies song of the same name, rather a deftly crafted punk-pop composition of their own creation, bearing a sly juxtaposition or two.  Listening back to my rip of side two, I'm hearing some excessive vinyl noise that I might be able to correct should I ever get the motivation to re-digitize Vehicle at some point. 

01. Holy Rollers - Sunshine
02. Corm - Seven Days
03. Edsel - Suits Me Fine
04. Trusty - Bus Stop

Hear

Defenestration ep (1984, Slow Iguana)

It was almost two years ago that I did an entry on Defenestration's proper full length, Dali Does Windows, so I suppose it's about time that I dedicate some space to their self-titled ep, which preceded Dali by a good three years.  Even if the group's prime mover Tyson Meade didn't go onto to greater success with his subsequent outfit, the Chainsaw Kittens, it would still be worth the namecheck, as his singular vocal pastiche goes much further in defining Defenestration's overall shtick than his backing mates do.  While still plenty left of center, the band hadn't quite achieved the heftier velocity that would inform the proceedings of Dali Does Windows, and furthermore the Kittens, but they were getting there.  "Lovers Grow in the Park" and "Feminism on Television" exude some really sweet jangly moments, and in spite of the violent sleeve art, it's strangely comforting to know that Meade is a pop-smith at heart.  A much more thorough, song by song dissertation of the record can be absorbed here. 

01. Cut Your Soul in Half
02. Nothing Lasts
03. Feminism on Television
04. Slaughterville
05. Lovers Grow in the Park
06. Heart-throb
07. Happy Cadillacs

Hear

Shy Mirrors - Sailed Blanks (2011, Big School) - a brief overview

Though I've never broached the topic of them on these pages, Champaign, IL's Wolfie were a perennial favorite of mine circa the late '90s.  Frontman Joel Ziemba and co-vocalist/keyboard pumper Amanda Lyons comprised the nuclei of that quartet, but it was guitarist Mike Downey that provided the "crunch" needed to offset the group's twee overtones, heavy handed as they sometimes were.  Mike departed in 2000 with Wolfie folding not long after that, leaving him to pursue his predominantly solo endeavor, The National Splits.  Shy Mirrors is his latest, and IMO greatest post-Wolfie pursuit. 

Furthermore, Sailed Blanks is perhaps the finest LP of 2011's late-breaking releases.  That being said, it's an album that won't present itself as a sonic revelation to anyone that was weened on Superchunk's No Pocky for Kitty and On the Mouth, but for listeners possessing an appreciation of that indie-punk caliber will nonetheless relish the unremitting, power chord maelstrom of uber medodic stunners like "Face Paint" and "Lake Placid Flyer."  Things get even fiercer on "I'm Not Around" which recalls the barreling firepower brought on by the likes of the Marked Men and Exploding Hearts.  In general, Sailed Blanks suggests what Weezer would have emerged with on the Blue Album had Rivers & Co. been given the option to commit it to four-track.  I'd be remiss if I failed to note that that a fresh-outta-the garage, lo-fi aesthetic dominates the eleven songs housed within, lending a whole lot of charm to this affair as well.  Two minute songs, a total blast, and an out-an-out winner.  Now that you're ready to lay down some coin, you can do so either through Big School Records for the gnarly transparent vinyl edition, or digitally at Bandcamp. 

Brilliant Orange - Happy Man ep (1985, Zulu)

Recently had a request for Brilliant Orange which I'm more than happy to fulfill.   The work of a Vancouverite quartet, the Happy Man ep appears to be the group's one and only vinyl missive, supposedly issued a scant four months following their 1985 gestation.  While not terribly distinguishable from the myriad of hard-strummed, indie guitar conglomerations of their era, a bevy of astute pop chops no doubt behooved Brilliant Orange.  The concluding "Shotguns, Cacti and Vengeance," a sharp, cowpunk send-up, caught me slightly off guard.  The video for the title song can be viewed below following the tracklist.

01. Happy Man
02. I'll Walk Away
03. Secure
04. Shotguns, Cacti and Vengeance

Hear

Clay Idols - Falling Down Backwards (1990, Genius)

This artifact isn't exactly in keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving...but what are you gonna do about it?   From the looks of their Myspace page, the Clay Idols called Los Angeles home, and at one time featured future Bad Religion drummer Bobby Schayer in their lineup.  In fact, Bobby's brother Steven fronted the Idols, yet they couldn't be further removed from that aforementioned hardcore juggernaut.  Nope, this quartet's flavor of choice was acoustic-laden alterna-pop, all contemplative and such.  Falling Down Backwards exudes a certain weariness hinting that the band were wont to pluck a page or two from Bob Mould's Workbook, without resorting to anything totally derivative. Coincidentally, Steven Schayer's timbre bears a strong resemblance to Lotion's Tony Zajkowski, but only would someone with a lot of time to listen to obscure indie rock would draw that parallel.  Falling... was available on CD, but this rip was taken from wax.

01. This House's River
02. Flower Thief
03. Bells Are Ringing
04. It Can Only Get Colder
05. Speechless
06. Another Bad Day
07. Straight Line to a Clear Head
08. Best Part of Bad Weather
09. Fortune In a Wishing Well
10. Freedom Bridge
11. outro

Hear

The Sugarplastic - Primitive Plastic: Demos and B-sides (2001, Air Mail)

At first blush, my deduction of Sugarplastic's wide-scale release, 1996's Bang, The Earth is Round, was that a trio of prodigiously smart Los Angeles wunderkinds were operating on the same bandwidth as XTC, albeit with more fey and esoteric inflections.  In fact, I thought it was a bit absurd that a major label (Geffen) would wrap one of their tentacles around a project so devoid of typical, mainstream pop-star trappings.  After becoming acquainted with the rest of the 'Plastics catalog, especially their debut Radio Jejune, I realized there was much more than abject Andy Partridge/Colin Moulding-homage afoot.  Boasting their own eccentric songwriting duo of Ben Eshbach and Kiara Geller, Sugarplastic's indigenous sense of whimsy encompassed more than
off-kilter pop tunes, but also wry allegorical themes, and sonically speaking, infectiously jagged rhythms. 

The Japanese-only Primitive Plastic: Demos and B-sides is precisely what it's title purports it to be, with Eshbach imparting in the album's liner notes, "We were just kids, here are some of our baby pictures."  Four of the fifteen selections technically saw the light of day prior to Primitive Plastic's release, albeit in exceedingly limited quantities in some instances.  Case in point would be "Superball," which was derived from a DIY single limited to a scant 200 copies.  There's also "Dover," culled from a the Ottawa Bonesaw 7" box set, "All Way Down" from the Closet Pop Freak compilation, and the ever so quintessential "Liar Over Winchester," originally featured on a Minty Fresh Records 45.  As for the demos quotient, most of the selections are keepers, including "Euripides the Jaguar," which is noted as the very first song the Sugarplastic took to task upon gracing a recording studio.  At the time of this release it was said that the band had over fifty unreleased tracks under their belt, but whether we'll ever have the chance to indulge in them is anyone's guess.  A very thorough discography can be referenced here.

01. Liar Over Winchester
02. Dover
03. All Way Down
04. Ode to Home
05. Set Me Up Eleven
06. Pineapple Lilly
07. Abigail
08. Superball
09. Stephanie
10. Marsha
11. Euripides the Jaguar
12. Wundergeisel
13. untitled demo
14. Where Have You Been?
15. Mumbletypeg

Now on Bandcamp

Rain Parade - 6/28/86, Vic Theater, Chicago, IL

Why a random Rain Parade live set from 1986?  Why not?  It's only been three and a half  years since I last dedicated an entry to L.A.'s unwitting princes of the Paisley Strip.  This is an audience tape of a Chicago stop when Rain Parade were touring behind their Crashing Dream album.  According to the brief notes that accompanied this recording, Plasticland were the openers.  Fitting.  Also fitting is the fact that the set is heavily derived from said Crashing Dream, which as fate would have turned out to be the quartet's studio finale.  Their first and far more lauded LP, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip isn't particularly represented at this gig, however 80% of the 1984 Explosions in the Glass Palace ep is.  The encore features two covers, Cream's classic rock standard "White Room," and the far less common "Cheap Wine" originally done by Green On Red."  Track 12 "Only Business" is omitted due to a recording/digital transfer mishap of some sort, and the beginning of "Home" is cut off, most likely due to a cassette flip by the taper.  If it's more (and better intact) live Rain Parade you're hankering for, Big Plans for Everybody blog has got you covered.

01 No Easy Way Down
02 This Can't Be Today
03 Don't Feel Bad
04 Prisoners
05 Shoot Down The Railroad Man
06 Blue
07 Depending On You
08 Gone West
09 Remember
10 You Are My Friend
11 Home
13 White Room
14 Cheap Wine

Hear

Singles Going Single #191 - Swizzle 7" (199?, Cassiel)

Got some more mystery indie rock goodness to share with you.  Purchased this single many, many moons ago, and upon bringing it home discovered that it was sans an inner sleeve, and for that matter an insert with any useful information regarding the record in question.  I'm afraid all I have to go by is a Cambridge, MA address on the rear of the sleeve - not even the year of release on the physical record labels or nuthin.'  Highly inconvenient on my end of the stick, because with such a ubiquitous moniker as Swizzle, a search engine query yields zilch in terms of pertinent details.  That means we're left with *gulp* just the music itself.  Luckily Swizzle's fuzzy strain of left-of-the-dial guitar pop is of sizable, not to mention winsome merit.  Side A delivers a pair of buoyant, rhythmically conscious jewels, doled out with seemingly effortless agility.  The lone B-side composition, "Tricycle" is considerably more subdued and pensive, before peaking to a dissonant crescendo roughly half-way in.  I'm not going to draw any comparisons here.  For a change, I think I'll leave that up to you.

A1. Bliss
A2. Who's That Lady
B. Tricycle

Hear

Bad Thing - Candy From a Stranger ep (1989, Fuel/Big Money)

With all due respect to Minneapolis' grand '80s trifecta (Husker Du, The Replacements, and Soul Asylum) there were more than a few Twin Cities denizens that looked beyond their fabled backyard for inspiration.  Described in a 1990 band bio as "fast urban electric loudness," Bad Thing's distillation of lead foot rawk 'n roll steered more in the direction of Drivin' 'n Cryin,' Snatches of Pink, and judging from Candy From a Stranger's pounding, leadoff salvo, "Scarlet Red," the Georgia Satellites as well.  No frills, no laptops...not a bad thing at all.  The band is also survived by a 1990 7" which you can read quite a bit about here. 

01. Scarlet Red
02. More Than This
03. Western Sky
04. Long White Cadillac

Hear

The Welcome Mat - Gram (1993, Festival)

An Australian indie rock act worth their collective weight in gold who opened shop in 1990, and I just found caught wind of them...last week?  Then again, I live in North America, so maybe I shouldn't be too hard on myself.  Somewhere in blogtopia I heard "All or Nothing (More)" and was flabbergasted with The Welcome Mat's ability to fuse the melodic prowess of Geffen-era Teenage Fanclub and Posies with the frenetic axe squalls of Dinosaur Jr.  Talk about a corker.  Per Ian McFarlane's Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop:

Sydney band The Welcome Mat started out as a chirpy, jangly guitar outfit before heading in a tougher, though still melodic and harmony-laced power pop direction...

I hear more of the latter on Gram, their debut album which was preceded by a number of singles/eps, but I gather this was still something of a transitional record for the quartet.   I use the comparison almost to the point of abuse on here, but I'm honing in a lot of parallels to some of the Doughboys later platters, specifically their Crush album, which I believe was also a '93 release.  Certain planets must have been in alignment that year, but I digress.  You can peruse The Welcome Mats full discography on this graying fanpage.  BTW, WM co-founder Wayne Connolly went on to form the equally gratifying Knievel.

01. Flying End
02. Everyone's Gone
03. Hell Hoping
04. Arrive in Time
05. Play Me
06. Leap of Faith
07. All or Nothing
08. Deathbag
09. People Changing
10. Gram
11. Junkmail
12. Blew

Hear

Oversoul Seven - Fool Revelation mLP (1987, Edge)

This is a follow-up to my share of Oversoul Seven's self-titled long player which I posted all the way back in January.  Since Fool Revelation preceded that album by about a year, I had anticipated it would possess a rawer, unbridled ethos, but I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part.  Turns out that Fool Revelation isn't so much of an engrossing revelation after all, but it does find the young Vancouver trio churning out clean, competent guitar pop, just not as roughhewn or DIY as it's oblique jacket art might suggest.  If there was anything on here that approached the brash musculature I was anticipating, the punchy "Over Mountain" was pretty much what the doctor ordered.  See my write-up for the second record (linked above), and for that matter the comments section.  One of our readers mentioned that Revelation was funded by Oversoul Seven's winnings in a band competition.  True story. 

01. Beginning
02. Shoulders
03. Over Mountain
04. Saint Lee Lights
05. Roses
06. All the Say
07. Somebody Said
08. Catfight at Crepuscle

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Gift of Tongues - s/t tape (1990)

Cyberspace hasn't been kind to this ostensibly long defunct combo from Omaha, NE, but for a no-name find, Gift of Tongues are so to speak...a gift.  The introductory "Playin' With Matches" cops a few random tricks from Nine Inch Nails bag 'o treats, which are soon intertwined into Gift's minimalist post-punk web.  I should emphasize that the lite industrial traces infiltrating this cassette never dominate, instead serving as ancillary ambiance.  The throbbing bump 'n grind of "Let Me Take Your Picture" is tantamount to early-INXS cum Big Black, but oddly enough, it's an equation that adds up by song's end.   "I Was Blind" benefits from disarmingly sweet, minor-chord clangyness, bearing a compelling sonic motif that points to early New Order.  A solid dose of gritty fidelity ups the charm factor exponentially I might add.  I do however take massive exception with the concluding “Bones,” a  slinky, creepy slow-jam that kills a valuable five minutes.  Even though the proceedings don't end with a bang, don't be sad, three out of four ain't bad.   If anyone can shed a little more light on Gift of Tongues comment to your heart's content. 

01. Playin' With Matches
02. Let Me Take Your Picture
03. I Was Blind
04. Bones

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Spatula - Even the Thorny Acacia (1994, Jesus Christ)

Spatula rarely receive a mention when folks recount the burgeoning '90s heyday of the band's legendary locale of choice, Chapel Hill, NC.  Not least of which I'm sure was due to limited distribution of their debut, Even the Thorny Acacia, and three more platters that followed later in the decade, all doomed to a similar fate.  Nor could Spatula boast the moderately pop-friendly persuasion of figureheads Superchunk and Archers of Loaf.   Were you to stack up Chuck Johnson & Co. with any of their hometown brethren the closest approximation you could come up with is Polvo, most evidently on Acacia's string-mangling "Yoohoo." Truthfully, I don't have a solid handle on the bulk of the Spatula oeuvre, but as of 1994, they (merely a duo on this record, I might add) were cautiously gravitating to post-rock environs, melding dissonance with mathy considerations, tracing a wildly uneven line between Seam, Slint, and a myriad of period artists in between.  The sharpest hook, or perhaps more appropriately, 'thorn' amidst the dynamic clamor of Acacia, is "Thinking Like a Statue," which might pass for a thoughtful Pavement outtake, circa '94.

As of this writing, Chuck is touring the eastern seaboard in support of his recent solo endeavor, A Struggle Not a Thought.   You can delve into a 2010 interview with the man over at Pitchfork.  As for Spatula proper, two subsequent albums, Despina By Land and Under the Veil of Health are available from Squealer Music.

01. Minute Hand
02. Yoohoo
03. Jules and the Termites
04. Salus
05. Kuskus
06. True-life
07. untitled
08. Laughing Like a Statue
09. Confessional Tutor
10. Even the Thorny Acacia
11. Pachinko
12. Algae

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The Psychedelic Furs - Interchords interview LP (1981)

Here's one that's pretty self explanatory (for a change).  This promotional interview record was issued in conjunction with the Furs 1981 Talk Talk Talk album, arguably their creative apex (or damn close to it anyway).  The conversation is conducted with frontman of frontmen Richard Butler, and the saxophone wielding Duncan Kilburn.  The interrogation is regrettably standard fare as far as topical matter is concerned, but hearing someone pick at Richard's brain is a rare treat nonetheless.  This is my first Psychedelic Furs related entry.  I have a few live shows from the Talk era and beyond, but the band has kept a pretty tight lid on studio demos and such, which is what would intrigue me most.  As for this particular record, is there any music intermingled with the interview?  I dunno.  Can't never tell.  On second thought, maybe you can by investigating below.

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Psi Com - Gila Monster Jamboree, CA 1-5-85

I had a request for some live Psi Com material recently, and this is one of two shows by the pre-Janes Addiction Perry Farrell lead group that I have to offer.  This particular concert (which you can read more about here) took place at a venue situated in the Mojave Desert, which also featured Redd Kross and Sonic Youth among others.  That huge, expanse of virtually barren terrain is a fitting setting for Psi-Com's penchant for billowy, atmospheric post-punk, sonically limitless in scope it would seem.  Perry's warble/yodel stylings are a bit heavy-handed at times, but he at least got it out of his system before Jane's.  Psi Com got tagged as "goth" at the time, and you might understand why after you treat your ears to these seven long-winded cuts.

01. Them
02. Cat
03. unknown
04. Silhoutte
05. 14th Floor
06. Psi Com Theme
07. Karuna

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