BOB - What a Performance ep (1987, Sombrero)

In reference to the title, quite.  Perhaps choosing such a ubiquitous moniker hampered BOB's efforts to make a name for themselves (pun somewhat intended) in the fertile UK indie heyday of the late '80s.  After all, they were a band, not an individual.  Alas, BOB were a year late with What a Performance for placement on the coveted, genre-inducing C86 cassette compilation, yet they exhibited a similar fey, bouncy lilt that scenesters the Bodines and June Brides had made their calling card.  The title track and the tweaked reprise of it, "Worra Performance" is a fantastic slice of homegrown, post-Marrissey indie-pop, fleshed out with some unobtrusive horns about halfway in.  BOB hit the perfect balance wherever the needle falls here, and it's little wonder why they were so championed by John Peel. 

Incidentally their 1991 LP, Leave the Straight Life Behind has been reissued and greatly expanded.  Details here or at Amazon. 

01. What a Performance
02. Piggery
03. Deary Me
04. Memory of a Free Lunch
05. Worra Performance

Hear

Nixon's Head - Traps, Buckshot & Pelt (1987, Groove Disques)

Before doing my homework, I was prepared to reference Nixon's Head exclusively in the past tense, but not only do they have an online presence, they're still roaming the earth apparently, or at least their corner of Philadelphia.  Just when I thought that all the City of Brotherly Love had to offer was cheese steak sandwiches and the Dead Milkmen, the wise bard at the often noted Little Hits blog tipped me off to this marvelous indie rock contingent, who sadly released but a handful of records during their initial '80s lifespan, this one being the lengthiest of the bunch.  For Traps, Buckshot & Pelt, Nixon's Head were a five-piece setup, and a fairly no frills one at that.  No gaudy Reagan-era schlock here pal, just straightforward guitar rock with faint resemblances to Twin-Tone epoch Soul Asylum (albeit quieter), Mercyland and Agitpop.  "I Like You" and "She Should Know Better" get my juices flowing the most, though I'd be misleading you if I passed this disk off as being anything less than totally consistent.  This rip was taken straight from my own crackly copy, but it appears the band has made this and a previous ep available on Soundcloud.  If that weren't enough, original vinyl copies might still be obtainable from the Groove Disques store, where you can also investigate their "reunion" releases at very modest prices.

01. Four Corners
02. The Same Thing
03. I Like You
04. She Should Know Better
05. My Best Friend
06. Let it Go
07. Instant Woody

Hear

The Waking Hours 7" (1992, Brilliant)

It's singles like this that make all the dollar bin rummaging I do worth the dusty task it so often is.  Per the back sleeve, Richmond's Waking Hours bear a certain mod appearance, when in fact they inch more towards the Merseybeat side of things.  I have a name for music of this esteemed caliber - "Ricken-pop," though I don't have an iota of proof that anyone in this trio actually strapped on a Rickenbacker guitar for these two sublime performances.  If you're an aficionado of the Smithereens, Something Fierce, Grip Weeds, or even the Nashville Ramblers, this 45 is worth it's weight in jangly gold.  Check out their Myspace page for more equally divine tunes.

A. What You Don't Know
B. I'm Falling Down

Hear

the sign at the fork in the road says "straight on"...

The 1993 solo debut from a Chapel, NC luminary.  Also included are a couple of singles that were issued shortly thereafter. 

http://www45.zippyshare.com/v/4735161/file.html

A note about all Netkups hosted files.

As some of you may have noticed, all Netkup links are currently not functioning. While the Netkups website is still active, their servers are not, nor have they been for almost a week now.  I apologize for this, as I am still using them as a file hoster for some of the older entries that you've requested I revive.  I've been employing Zippyshare exclusively for more recent entries, but that's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of deep catalog I've been offering you for the past seven years. 

For you established Wilfully Obscure clientele, you might recall that in January of 2013, my file hoster of five 1/2 years, Rapidshare, abruptly kicked me and over a thousand of my files straight to the curb, without the slightest explanation.  Shortly thereafter, I migrated about 90% of those files to Netkups, but I've had some substantial difficulties with them, and am sadly in the lurch that I currently am.  I have other options, the most obvious being Zippyshare, but as is the case with all file hosting clients, files are deleted from the servers if not accessed in 30 days.  In short, moving the entire Wilfully Obscure "catalog" to any single platform would be a Sisyphean endeavor, so I'm not sure what the future holds, even if Netkups finally gets their shit together.  In a nutshell, if there's something that you want to grab that's currently unavailable, I'm taking requests (and yes, I'm still going to be plugging along with new stuff).  Cheers.

Buzzcocks - Songs in a Different Time (2001, Prism Leisure)

Nobody needs another live Buzzcocks album.  Nobody.  Happy 4th everyone.

Recorded in Paris, 1995

01. I Don't Know What to Do With My Life
02. Love You More
03. Autonomy
04. Orgasm Addict
05. Promises
06. When Love Turns Around You
07. Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
08. What Do I Get?
09. Oh Shit!
10. Fast Cars

Hear

V/A - Temple of Music - Independent Pop from Western New York (1996, Atom Smash/P22)

Before Buffalo, NY's main claim-to-lame was being the snow capital of the nation (though technically, Syracuse, three hours down the road, is actually subject to more of the white plague than the Queen City), the town in question had an even more dubious distinction - the assassination of President William McKinley at the Pan Am Exposition in 1901.  In 1988, a macabre opportunist with hip taste in music assembled a compilation LP highlighting the cream of Buffalo's up-and-coming crop, strikingly dubbed, We Killed McKinley.  Eight years on, another opportunist decided to try his/her/it's hand at providing yet another snapshot of the Erie County scene, highlighting equally worthy tuneage in the Clinton-era.  And to our good fortune they did a pretty apt job at it.  Temple of Music's CD sleeve and title is yet another dig at the 1901 tragedy, as it depicts the building where that unholy act took place (which by the way looks suspiciously like a Carnegie library, but I digress). 

The liner notes to Temple... openly attest that Buffalo failed to receive any bona fide support from "the mainstream press."  It's a scenario which played out in many mid-sized, less-than-cosmopolitan towns elsewhere in the States.  Too bad ace power-pop prodigies girlpope, Tremendo, BoBo, The Willies, and even Rochester's Koo Koo Boy didn't transcend the mainstream morass of the day.  Spawn's garagey goth, The Wrench's shredding' punk-pop, and milf's noiseome, but devastatingly melodious maelstrom are downright peerless as well, not to mention additional, well above average contributions from the likes of Stella, Java Man Ray Gun and Hula.

If you dig, physical copies of this and full lengths/ep's from the aforementioned girlpope and BoBo may still be available from P22, who by the way are responsible for some rather gnarly fonts as well.

01-BoBo - Suzie
02-Hula - Kissbox Diesel
03-The Wrench - Worry When We Get There
04-Tremendo - More Or Less
05-Durango 95 - Extraordinary Relief From Res Judicata
06-Rarely Seen Public Figures - Beautiful
07-girlpope - Song About Girls
08-The Tim - 360°
09-Spawn - Swirling Priest
10-Java Man Ray Gun - She's So Paranormal
11-The Amazing All My Children Band - Finding Out All About The Flowers
12-Dan Lewis And The Tomorrow File - Face On The Floor
13-Nimrod Wildfire Band - Happy Hunting Grounds
14-The Willies - Looks Like She's From Another World
15-The Wife Swappers - Ashtray
16-McCarthyizm - Take What You Can Get
17-Stella - Paint-Stain
18-milf - Super
19-Copper - Serial Killer
20-Koo Koo Boy - Sunday

Hear

Six billion little freckles, with freckles of their own...

When I attended the final Hey Mercedes concert at the Metro in Chicago in 2005, the opening act was celebrating their debut album release.  And here it is.  I'm also tacking on a song they recorded shortly thereafter. 

http://www22.zippyshare.com/v/25985981/file.html

A Special Pillow - A Very Special Pillow 7" (1995, Really Fast Racecar)

A little pedigree action going on here.  File under Yo La Tengo and Hypnolovewheel, cos' A Special Pillow entailed James McNew and Dan Cuddy of the aforementioned respectfully.  Cuddy is actually the mastermind here, and the only consistent participant on the trio of full lengths that followed this 45.  Just as significant are the contributions of violin shredder Katie Gentile and cellist Cindy Brolsma, who provide a poignant chamber pop element..  "Tomorrow Night" (not the Shoes classic in case you were wondering) is sheer naval-gazing bliss if there ever was such a thing.  Slow, strummy, and even a tad glummy, it's the perfect slacker lullaby for hammock season.  The flip, "Paranormal," is considerably more enthusiastic, with Gentile's chin-music savvy escalating the tune's fervor to something along the lines of Pillow's string-wielding contemps the Dambuilders. 

A. Tomorrow Night
B. Paranormal

Hear

Crocodile Shop - Lullaby (1988, Susstones)

Two months ago, I introduced many of you to Crocodile Shop's 1987 ep, Head.  With a quintessentially indie rock sound that drew from the choice stock temanating from the then contemporary Minneapolis and American Southeast, I was practically beside myself to learn that within a decades time the band was not only still active, but had adopted a thumping, industro-EDM modus operadni.  Starling as that was, Croc Shop's metamorphosis was relatively gradual, and Lullaby was a none-too-telling chapter in their transition.  With the Chameleons (UK) Dave Fielding producing, the trio cast their gaze on the chillier strains of post-punk, often threatening to breach into noir environs, resembling the likes of Wire and the Comsat Angels.  Frustratingly, Lullaby doesn't fully blossom until the latter half of side two, closing out with a trifecta of tense, yet melodically adept numbers.  All in all, more substance than schtick, and a grand finale worth hanging around for.

01. The Big Goodbye
02. Three More Times
03. But Not Now
04. Hands and Pocket
05. The Floor of the Sea
06. Own the World
07. Knocking Down the Doors
08. Corrupt Solution
09. Lies Don't Move
10. Tender
11. December Mourning

Hear

See these hands? There’s splinters in my palms...

The 1986 album from an unheralded Minneapolis combo.  Lots of ringing guitar leads on this one, not dissimilar to another troop from this era, Dreams So Real.

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/40639877/file.html

Repaired links.

Thirty links or so revived from the dead.  Some of these were requests, others were items that may have been neglected or passed over when I initially posted them.  As usual, click on the artist to refer back to the original entry, while the titles will steer you directly to the download link.

Straitjacket Fits - Down in Splendour ep 
Incomplete Monday - I Am
Billy James - Sixes and Sevens
Pavement - Black Out 7"
Dambuilders - God Dambuilders Bless America  
Mad Turks of Istanbul - Toast and Cafe Istanbul
Mood Paint (pre-Pond) - demo
Playground - singles
The Fumes - singles
Touchables - More Than a Glimpse ep
Delusions of Grandeur - Picture Perfect Martyr
Chris Sievey (Freshies) - Big Record
Stiffs, Inc. - Nix Naught Nothing
Numbers - Add Up
Hot Tip - Stop All Motion
Classic Ruins - Ruins Cafe
Ups and Downs - singles & Rash ep
Naomi's Hair - Tara
Field Trip - Beautiful
Downsiders - s/t LP & All My Friends Are Fish
Jo Broadbery and the Standouts - s/t LP & House of Love
Local Operator - singles
Green on Red - Rev. Luther ep
Popular Front - This is the Rubicon
Mod Lang - Where Your Heart ep
Those French Girls - s/t LP
3 1/2 Minutes - Peep ep and Bleed Me Dry ep

Doll Congress ep (1983, Enigma)

I went into this one with a couple of serious misconceptions.  Doll Congress' lineup contained a pre-solo/pre-fame Michael Penn, who would later rise to prominence in the late '80s with a big 'ol Top-40 hit.  He also happened to be the brother of Sean Penn.  I was under the impression that Michael fronted Doll Congress.  Not exactly.  Furthermore, an unverifiable source led me to believe that D/C were all about the power pop.  Waaaay off the mark.  The lead-off number, "Concrete and Clay" is outright owned by chanteuse Gabriele Morgan, whose ungodly high pitch is at the very least an appropriate pairing for this tropical slice of pseudo new wave.  Clearly not what I was expecting.  The two flip-sides are at least a tad more in my wheelhouse.  The comparatively rockin' "Easy to Touch" bears a bouncy, Blondie-esque panache that I don't have nearly as much of a beef with, and we finally get to hear Mike adorn the mic on "The Main,"the closest Doll Congress comes to offering conventional guitar chords.  Make what you will of this long defunct L.A. quintet.

A. Concrete and Clay
B1. Easy to Touch
B2. The Main

Hear

Rotary Ten - two tapes (1990-91)

Presumably taking their name from the R.E.M. song, it's virtually inevitable for me to draw some sort of parallel between this Cleveland area quartet and Michael Stipe's former meal-ticket.  Rotary Ten, in fact, didn't siphon as much as you might assume from said Athens, GA staple, so much as the bands whom R.E.M. informed - Miracle Legion, For Squirrels, and even more negligibly Toad the Wet Sprocket.  Submitted for your approval, two low-budget forays into the unlikely realm of organ-laced indie pop.  The proceedings on Long Walk and Coffee Songs emanate a discernible collegiate ardor, yet are uniformly approachable.  Rotate Ten wield some fairly ambitious melodies when they put their collective minds to it - "Glacier Run," "Rainfall" and "Insomnia" for starters.  Otherwise, I have precious little else to opine on here.  However, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that some of these songs are available on an R/T compilation from this period, Adopt a Highway, which is attainable via Bandcamp, alongside a collection of later material. Should you find anything stimulating on these cassettes, please consider supporting the band and send a few $$ their way!

Long Walk (1990)
01. Autumn Years
02. Save Me Mary
03. Glacier Run
04. Rainfall
05. The End of it's Over
06. Lover's Lane
07. Cowboys

Coffee Songs (1991)
01. Coffee Song
02. I Am in a Coma
03. Insomnia
04. Winona

Hear

Close the door and kick the light out...

From 1993.  Stellar indie rock from Canada, with nods to Sonic Youth and Superchunk.  Loads of sweet jangly breaks throughout.

http://www71.zippyshare.com/v/98321636/file.html

Swell Maps - rehearsals, outtakes, etc.

I didn't rip much vinyl this week, nor do I have much time on my hands today, but since I've been on a bit of a Swell Maps kick of late, I thought I'd toss this out there.  You might say this very hodge-podged, bottom-of-the-barrel scraped collection is only for the most dedicated devotees of Soundtracks, Sudden and Head.  In case you're wondering, this wasn't assembled by yours truly.  The main attraction here is arguably a highly shambolic concert tape from 1979, running a good forty minutes.  No "hits" here folks, but some of this stuff is more constructive than I might be making out.  For those of you who want to properly acquaint yourself with these seminal, post-punk noiseniks, I would recommend beginning with their two albums, A Trip to Marineville (1979) and Jane From Occupied Europe (1980). You might also be further enlightened regarding S/M by gleaning this.

01. 14th Floor
02. Forest Fire
03. Harmony In Your Bathroom (Alternate Take)
04. live in Aylesbury, Sept. 1979
05. Marineville outtakes
06. instrumentals 1
07. instrumentals2
08. instrumentals 3
09. rehearsal, July 1977

Hear

The Caroline Know 7" (1992, #1 Records)

The gentleman on the cover is flipping us da bird, and for the life of me I can't figure out why.  Maybe I shouldn't take it so personally.  My familiarity with The Caroline Know starts/ends with this particular single, though they had at least one more, and even a full length to their credit.  Jason Loenstein (yes, from Sebadoh and Folk Implosion) had some involvement with this Massachusetts indie rock proposition, but by the time the "finger" single dropped he was out of the picture.  Perhaps even more significantly singer Stephen Rand passed on in 2011.  His distinctive timbre doesn't go unnoticed, and neither does the C/K's guitar interplay, ostensibly inspired by Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500 and Luna).  Both tracks qualify as 'growers' in my book, but I'm compelled to investigate further.   

A. Krushedy Krush
B. Little Bocephus

Hear

Graphic - Baysongs (1985, Baysongs)

Another Orange County jewel.  Blurring the lines between new age and new romantic (skewing heavily to the latter), Graphic's surreal choice of sleeve art is somewhat reflective of the occasionally exotic and sublime music ensconced within Baysongs.  I'm honing in on traces of Haircut 100 and the Three O'clock, among such other plush contemporaries, but there's a freshness and sophistication to these ten cuts that thrust this Irvine, CA quartet beyond the pop stratosphere.  I might also add that tasteful flourishes of sax blend in smoothly with Baysongs breezy proceedings. Cool disk.

01. In a Different World
02. The Hour Has Come
03. The Cast
04. Medieval Daydream
05. Someday You'll Look Back
06. Jacquie
07. In Transition
08. The Baysong
09. To the Good Guys
10. The City

Hear

Make your way through a scary shimmer town…

Pure pop for not-so-now people.  From the Great White North, circa 1987.  Impeccable stuff here my friends, and one of the best M/M titles I've shared in awhile. 

http://www52.zippyshare.com/v/37925703/file.html

Imitation Life - Scoring Correctly at Home! & Ice Cubes and Sugar (1986-88, Veebltronics/Skyclad)

Was surprised to see this one wasn't archived elsewhere online (save for Discogs).  Imitation Life presumably called Los Angeles their stomping ground and had two albums to show for themselves, 1986's Ice Cubes and Sugar, and the more impressive Scoring Correctly at Home which followed two years later.  The latter of those two is sequenced first on this two-fer CD.  More pub rock than power pop, I/L also veered into punk and roots rock terrain, sounding like a crossbreed between Dramarama, and such no-nonsense traditionalists as NRBQ.  Per the sleeve notes, John Easdale and Chris Carter of  the aforementioned Dramarama actually make guest appearances here, though they aren't credited on any specific songs.  And speaking of songs, there are some pretty phenomenal ones hanging out on Scoring..., namely "Sad Man," and "(I Don't Wanna) Shake in the Shadows."  This one had been sitting on my shelf for a few years, and I could kick myself for not getting to it sooner.  Better late...enjoy.

Scoring Correctly at Home
01. Claudine
02. Make a Move
03. American Standards
04. What I Could Do
05. More Than One Clue
06. Already Spoken For
07. Sad Man
08. (Baby) I Need You
09. (I Don't Wanna) Shake in the Shadows
10. Olga (Put Down the Vodka Now)
11. It's Time to Leave
12. Try to Understand

Ice Cubes and Sugar
13. She's Just a Taker
14. Imitation Life
15. Over Here
16. When She Says Yes
17. Come On Up
18. Hey Buddy
19. I'm Really Alright Tonight
20. Breakout
21. Without a Cause
22. Merchandise Me
23. I'll Come Back For You

Hear

Learning what stars are made of.

Yes, I was into these guys for a spell.  Noise meets rock, rock meets noise.  Included is their 1993 debut album, as well as a compilation of singles and unreleased material circa 1992 that wasn't issued until 1995.

http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/60454421/file.html

V/A - Parade of Homes 7" (1994, Two Peters)

Even with the resurgence of vinyl, the compilation 7" seems to be an entirely lost art.  They were ubiquitous in the '90s, at least in the indie and punk communities.  Parade of Homes isn't my favorite example of the medium, but it's still well above average.  I can't really say that any one participant here is a "draw" or an "anchor" so to speak, but I know that the Barnabys had a decent following in their native Philly.  Their contribution (in this instance, just singer Joey Sweeney kicking it acoustic), "Tiny Ships" is of humble bedroom aesthetics.  Their Augustus Loop CD can be found used without much effort.  Side one is really where Parade... is at, boasting a pair of indie-guitar rock hopefuls that play for keeps.  Haywood's "Devon Lanes" wields the humble self-deprecating card, while Kimbashing follow that up with "Ultra-Easy," a surging melodic maelstrom that exudes a Chapel Hill sized hook.

01. Haywood - Devon Lanes
02. Kimbashing - Ultra-Easy
03. Barnabys - Tiny Ships
04. Lampshade - Madonnadope

Hear

Beatnik Cafe - Herbs & Spices tape (1991)

I would have probably cast aside this San Diego trio as just another dime-a-dozen, acousti-pop also-ran were it not for mouthpiece Steve Harris who croons uncannily like Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish.  Given that Herbs... was most likely a DIY demo tape, Beatnik Cafe didn't have anywhere near the resources their relatively renown contemporaries did.  Nonetheless, some of these rather economical songs were angling toward Bellybutton territory, particularly "Spanish Fly," which bears the same infectious lilt as "Baby's Coming Back."  Coincidence?   Compared to what I normally present on W/O, the Beatniks might ring a little too clean cut and peppy to your liking, so consider yourselves warned.

01. Beatnik Cafe (demo)
02. Spanish Fly
03. Hard to Be
04. Lyin' Here Lonely
05. You Can Call on Me
06. I Know You
07. What Would You Do
08. Father's Day

Hear

Penguin Fury - s/t (1990, Atomic)

I really question my judgement when I decide to post a record, particularly a full length, with only one genuinely stimulating song on it.  Then again, my audience might see it quite differently, so that's what prompted me to share Penguin Fury.   I know not a thing about this group, save for their lineup which is a co-ed quartet, ostensibly from the New York City area.  The "stimulating" tune in question is the album opener, "And You Will Shine," a melodious, ringing power pop zinger of the highest echelon.  Penguin Fury is markedly inconsistent thereafter.  Maybe it's just me, but at the moment I'm hardly in the mood for jubilant, trumpet-driven rave-ups like "49 Steps" and "Stagecoach to Pluto."  Conversely, a pair of thoughtful ballads, "And I Want Her" and "Quiet Falls the Rain" are too nondescript for their own good.  But enough of my babbling.  Draw your own conclusions at your leisure.

01. And You Will Shine
02. 49 Steps
03. And I Want Her
04. Breakdown
05. Do the Clam
06. Sleeping in the Sand
07. I Will Also Rise
08. Stagecoach to Pluto
09. Quiet Falls the Rain

Hear

New noise: Party Boat 7" (Jetpack) & Peg/Hand Habits split 10" (Eschatone) - A brief overview.

"

Have a couple new morsels to tell you about, the first one being a newly minted 45 from the Saratoga Springs, NY quartet, Party Boat, fronted by prime-mover Benjamin Garrett.  Best Coast may have ushered "surf-pop" into prominence again, but if you're anything like me their Spector-tinged formula has evolved into a pleasant but predictable echo.  Garrett and Co. have gracefully retooled that same sonic motif into something considerably less cloying and precious on "Little Fish" and "Don't Stress," both of which bear the subtle ironic flair of one of their more creative contemporaries, The Drums.  This wax is the first salvo in a 7" series on Jetpack Records, limited to a mere 150 copies, and not available digitally at this time (or perhaps ever).   You'd be advised to order yours via Jetpack quick, fast, in a hurry, but if you require further convincing you can stream Party Boat's 2013 Losin' Cool demo via Bandcamp.

Next up is a split 10" (how often do you see one of those these days?).  On one side we are presented with Peg, an assumed name for Avi Buffalo drummer Sheridan Riley.  Her thing is dynamics, which can commence with a delicate and hushed soliloquy, escalating to a crescendo of squalling feedback shortly thereafter (check out "Every Reason" for starters).  Riley's overarching tact resembles that of singer/songwriter Laura Veirs, albeit with stronger pop tangents, particularly on "Take Too Much," vaguely tapping into the '70s romanticism of Rumors.  The other side of the coin features two lengthy numbers from Albany, NY newcomers Hand Habits,  a four-piece commandeered by Meg Duffy, who are not only long on content but heady atmospherics to boot.  Operating in similar sonic confines as Mazzy Star and Beach House, Hand Habit's tranquil, contemplative vistas don't smother so much as caress.  Clocking in at nearly ten minutes, the second selection, "Blooms" kicks off with tranquil acoustic guitar lines that blossom into a hazy billowing comedown by songs end.  You can experience this blissed-out release for yourself on vinyl, available direct from Eschatone or via download.    Each side is treated as it's own EP, and are sold separately via, you guessed it, Bandcamp.  Go here for Peg and here for Hand Habits.