This 1986 album should have made these four gentlemen millionaires. It didn't. And neither did their next album, or the one after that...Sunday, November 22, 2015
Welcome to fray and feast.
This 1986 album should have made these four gentlemen millionaires. It didn't. And neither did their next album, or the one after that...Saturday, November 21, 2015
Swervedriver - KCRW Brave New World session, 2/23/93
01. intro
02. Last Train to Satansville
03. talk
04. For Seeking Heat
05. talk
06. Sandblasted
07. Duress
08. talk
09. Kill the Superheroes
10. outro
MP3 or FLAC
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Retriever - Greatest Moments of Doubt (1998, Anisette)
Upon doing a web query on this bygone southern California outfit, I discovered that a music blog had presented a previous Retriever record - mine! Given that I've showcased some 1000+ music titles on these humble pages, I suppose I'm entitled to forget one or two I've shared along the way. At any rate, here's another eight-songer courtesy of the same folks, whom I unfortunately have few details to enlighten you about. Recorded over the span of three years, 1995-97, Greatest Moments of Doubt tenders some patently indie-centric fare in the manner of early Lilys and the Raymond Brake, even managing to shoehorn some tweaked Polvo-y guitar bends into "Evil K" and "Collapsing." In fact, this is practically like finding some long-lost Slumberland Records product tucked away in the storeroom at Mod Lang in Berkeley. "From Pixels to Providence" shifts gears into Elliott Smith turf, and "Never Comeback," exudes the type of downer, lo-fi tact that only the Clinton-era could muster.
01. Zenith
02. Evil K
03. Rollercoaster
04. From Pixels to Providence
05. Collapsing
06. Never Comeback
07. 10,000 Predictions
08. East Coast Knacks
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Arcwelder - 20th Century Masters: The Singles Collection (1992-95)
Truth be told, there are a few Arcwelder morsels that never made it into the digital age, starting with a 1992 single, featuring two less-than-obvious choices for covers, The Beatles and Prince. To this day, I'm still debating which fares better. The boys delivered yet another 7" slab in '92, featuring the rumbling, yet tunefully assaulting A-side "Raleigh" plucked straight from their Pull long-player. It was backed with two exclusive goodies, including "Walls" which careens and juxtaposes between chilly verses and a killer chorus hook. Arcwelder's last official 45, offering "Captain Allen" from the then forthcoming Entropy album, also brandished a cover of the Volcano Suns signature tune, "White Elephant" for it's b-side. A straightforward but gratifying spin on that classic post-punk nugget I might add. Finally, I'm capping off this lil' collection with the band's contribution to a 1998 Chunklet fanzine CD compilation. How does a rendition of The Move's lighthearted "Cherry Blossom Clinic" grab you? BTW, a fourth Arcwelder single exists of "Favor" and "Plastic," both of which also appeared on the band's out-of-print second album, Jacket Made in Canada, which you can check out in full alongside their debut This, right here.PS: Arcwelder released a 1988 single when they were originally going under the guise of Tiltawhirl. Sadly, I'm not in possession of this record.
01. I Am the Walrus02. Sign o' the Times
03. Raleigh
04. Walls
05. Rosa
06. Captain Allen
07. White Elephant
08. Cherry Blossom Clinic
1 & 2 - covers 7" (1992, Big Money Inc)
3-5 - Raleigh 7" (T&G)
6 & 7 - Captain Allen 7" (T&G)
8 - The Money Shot! compilation (Chunklet magazine)
MP3 or FLAC
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
The Now - Here Come the Now (1977-79 + 2002, Wizzard in Vinyl)
Upon absorbing their brief catalog, I've come to the conclusion that the Now were something of a one-beer-short-of-a-six-pack proposition. The small volume of tuneage they flung at their termite ridden wall of choice didn't always adhere to the surface. Commencing with their 1977 single, "Development Corporations" it was clear these boys were angling in the direction of (very) early Mekons and Wire. The song in question, as well as the loosely existential bent of it's flipside "Why?" made for vaguely interesting societal screeds, but fell short of anything approaching classic status. Per the liner notes, the band concurs.
Another single, "Into the '80s" came down the pike shortly thereafter, and was an improvement, as were five more cuts tracked in 1979 that really found the Now congealing in all pertinent aspects. Still, you'd be hard pressed to discern any pop tunes from their slim volume of work. By 1979 the quartet was splitsville.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Renewed interest in the band yielded not only reissues of their two singles, but a reunion which entailed dusting off old 1977-era notebooks containing lyrics to songs that had yet to be committed to tape. A quarter century later in 2002 The Now brought said text roaring to life - a half dozen songs worth to be exact, fulfilling that nascent potential of yore with salvos like "You Student" and "Here it Comes Now" that positively crank. A splendid way to cap this reissue off to be sure. Here Comes the Now was available on CD from the Japanese Wizzard in Vinyl imprint, and an even more limited vinyl incarnation was issued in a dosage of 500 copies.
01. Development Corporations
02. Why?
03. Development Corporations
04. Into the '80s
05. 9 O'clock
06. Into the '80s
07. 9 O'Clock
08. Don't You Believe Me
09. Seven Days Ago
10. So Simple Then
11. QQ/52
12. Room at the Top
13. You Student
14. Here it Comes Now
15. Labour Party
16. Third World War
17. Office Workers
18. The Invaders
1 & 2 - first single (1977)
3-5 recording session
6 & 7 - second single (1979)
8-12 - 1979 recording session
13-18 - 2002 reunion recordings
Hear
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
The Earthmen - Flyby ep (1993, Summershine)
For those of us in the States, anyone's knowledge of Melbourne Australia's Earthmen probably began and ended with their first LP, 1993's Teen Sensations. Signed to Seed Records (a boutique division of Atlantic Records masquerading as an indie) in the western hemisphere, and the much hipper Summershine down under, the Earthmen doled out gnarly, feedback-addled guitar hysterics on this ep's title-track, that would do J Mascis proud. The decidedly strummier "Too Far Down" is mellower fare for sure, but this quartet dip back into their bag of dizzying distortion tactics on the closing "Stacey's Cupboard," which in case you were wondering also made it onto a single. I was never what you would call a fanboy of these chaps, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of their records when I got the notion to pull them out. You can school yourself further on the Earthmen from the links offered above as well as a more exhaustive bio here.01. Flyby
02. Too Far Down
03. Roll
04. Stacey's Cupboard
Hear
Sunday, November 8, 2015
The Four Color Manual - Guardian for a Year (1998, Sudden Shame)
Presumably from the environs of the New England area (based on the Vermont locale of Sudden Shame Records), Four Color Manual's mildy dissonant and dynamic aptitude would probably be deemed as emo by today's standards, but their overarching shtick was through-and-through indie rock. Much like an onion, this trio was a layered proposition, revealing a noisome cross section depicting the likes of Unwound, the Promise Ring and Seam. Glints of melody eke out of slight cracks ensconced between the rough-hewn slices of "Chambers," "She Fought the Devil," not to mention others. Guardian of the Year sounds unmistakably like a debut, but FCP's latent potential wasn't realized on subsequent records, because evidently there weren't any.01. Margin of Error
02. Chambers
03. I Not Consent
04. For Montreal
05. Scrape
06. A Study in Josh
07. Reason to Roast
08. Slipped Knot
09. Holding on to Sound
10. She Fought the Devil
11. New Make Over
Hear
Thursday, November 5, 2015
The Swizzlesticks - s/t (2002, Defacto)
01. She Says No to Everthing
02. Fall Again
03. Tremblin' Hands
04. Hang Around
05. Dani Stole My Girlfriend
06. Cupid Missed His Mark
07. Make Me
08. Used to be a Man
09. Late Night Movie
10. Down
11. I Just Wanna Know You
12. Say You Love Me Too
Hear
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
V/A - Aqua Bear Legion Vol. 5 (2015, Aqua Bear Legion) - A brief overview.
If you've ever desired a birds-eye microcosm, or for that matter a handy summation of the goings-on within the still-fertile Ohio indie rock circuit, the folks at Aqua Bear Legion have made it all to easy for you - over the course of a beautiful, double gatefold album no less, for their fifth installment in the various artists series of the same name. Yes, it's everybody's favorite swing state - the one that's "HI" in the middle and round at both ends, home to such stalwarts as Guided By Voices, the New Bomb Turks...and Nine Inch Nails. You'll find nothing that sounds like the latter of those here mind you. In fact, ABL 5.0 kicks things off with a jangly bang from Joseph Airport, loosely in the mold of the aforementioned GBV before they lost their coveted charm. One of only two participants here I've dedicated Wilfully Obscure text prior to today is Connections, whose "Everybody's High" is exclusive to this
wax, and is almost as much fun as the proceedings on their Private Airplane and Body Language platters. Their Pollard/Sprout fixation appears to be waning I might add, or perhaps this is just a quick respite. Elsewhere Herzog soak up seBADoh's classic aplomb like they were a damn dry sponge, WV White keep the guitarsy slacker momentum going, the D-Rays serve up a surfy surprise and The Guitars split the diff between Brit Invasion acumen and power pop prowess. And we haven't even gotten to disk two yet (but we're fixin' to right now).Sunday, November 1, 2015
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Winter Hours - Chicago, Cabaret Metro, 10/18/89 (R.I.P. Michael Carlucci)
This Thursday I learned the sad news that Winter Hours guitarist/leading light Michael Carlucci passed away suddenly from a heart attack. I've featured music from the Hours on W/O, and quite coincidentally I corresponded with Michael earlier in the year for the first time. He expressed his appreciation for keeping the name of his former band alive, and also informed me that plans were in the works for a 2016 reissue of some of Winter Hours earlier records.While I didn't foster a frequent or deep rapport with him personally, the music was a different story. The New Jersey five piece he performed in were consistently vaunted by critics, who often emphasized the Americana inflections that by and large became their calling card. True, but there were some diffuse post-punk elements peppered in as well, particularly on their first two EPs and the debut 1986 full length Leaving Time, all surfacing on Link Records. To get a better handle on what they offered sonically, think a less knotty Dream Syndicate, or the Rain Parade had they curtailed their psych urges a notch. These college radio staples were followed by their second album, Winter Hours, arriving via Chrysalis in '89. Although they hadn't sold their soul upon moving to the big leagues, the record could have made greater commercial inroads had Chrysalis not been so intent on promoting hair metal hacks instead, but I digress
I'm presenting a pristine radio broadcast of a 1989 Winter Hours concert in Chicago, in which the band was touring in support of their then-new album, mentioned above. Bristling with warm frenetic energy the Hours delivered an inspired performance that evening heightening the effectiveness of an already potent body of work. As you might guess, there's a focus on material from Winter Hours, but they're eager to delve into their back catalog, pulling out among other pearls, "Hyacinth Girl," the band's jangly signature piece that shall echo from the broadcast towers of left-of-the-dial outlets for decades to come. I would hope anyway. Take your pick of MP3 of lossless FLAC below, and feel free to check out a set of demos from the immediate precursor band to Winter Hours, Ward 8 here.
01. Longest Century
02. One Small Achievement
03. Smoke Rings
04. Tried So Hard
05. Hyacinth Girl
06. Roadside Flowers
07. The Confessional
08. At a Turtle's Pace
09. Bus Stop
10. Broken Little Man
11. Rise
12. Stay With Me
13. Just Like Love
14. If I Could Make You Hear Me
15. Sweet Virginia
16. Island of Jewels
17. Soul Kitchen
MP3 or FLAC
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Junk Monkeys - Firehouse (1987, Happy Face)
01. Lost My Faith
02. Anywhere With You
03. Whaddaya Know
04. Lookin for Fun
05. Fever Riot
06. Round and Round
07. Front Row Park
08. Tying Up Daytimes
09. Everything Remains the Same
Hear
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Poncho - s/t ep (2015) - A brief overview.
Holy smokes. We don't see many bands coming out of the Hawaiian woodwork, but this combo barrels out of the Aloha State like a damn steamroller. In all senses of the expression, Honolulu's Poncho are your proverbial hot mess to be reckoned with, wielding a gloriously tuneful din that outdoes the likes of buzzkids Vietcong handily. Indeed, theirs is a dichotomous amalgam of strenuous vocals (approaching a bona fide scream) with melodic, distorto-punk guitar lines roaring about like Metal Circus-era Huskers, and Bitch Magnet to boot. "Green Apple," and "A Third Past Four" are my preferred examples of Poncho's manicured noise that has equal footing in the post-punk and emo realms. Such sweaty. sinewy passion, tempered with a healthy dose of sheer nonchalance is a seemingly incomprehensible proposition to wrap one's mind around, but these blokes have actually done gone pulled it off, and I couldn't be more charmed with the results. Hear Poncho for yourself over at Bandcamp (available at a price of your choosing) and it would seem you can find a hard copy here.Sunday, October 25, 2015
October's at the storm door coloring the lawn...
Saturday, October 24, 2015
The Church - Slaving Plantinum to Gold... The Gold Afternoon Fix demos
I was considering saving this for one of my world famous Chanukah features, but since these were at one point in wide circulation online, I assume this is a old news to many of you. In a nutshell, The Church have long been a top tier favorite of mine, with 1990s Gold Afternoon Fix easily earning a spot in my hypothetical list of their five best albums. It's almost by sheer coincidence that Steve Kilbey and Co, tracked working versions of GAF to begin with, as typically they were never accustom to doing so on prior albums. Blame it on the behest of their label at the time, Arista, for insisting they submit demos before executing the finished product.
Given their most recent LP at the time, the international breakthrough Starfish, went platinum in the United States alone, the suits wanted to be assured their new "cash cow" wasn't about to gum up the works.Ultimately, Gold Afternoon Fix was green-lighted by the label, and though it failed to produce a hit as universal as "Under the Milky Way," the band's vision for the record wasn't clouded by frowning executives. I gauge this by virtue of these demos generally bearing the same arrangements and sonic inflections as the album versions (albeit a trifle rough around the edges, naturally). Per this well-maintained Church fan page, the first eleven cuts eventually found a home on the GAF, with seven more winding up as B-sides (later consolidated on the import-only A Quick Smoke at Spots). The final selection, "Wardance" is exclusive to these recordings. No mondo revelations here, rather Slaving Platinum... is a treat designed with the dedicated acolyte in mind. As mentioned above these tracks were made available on a Church website in the early '00s and were resident there for a good ten years before apparently being removed. The relatively low bitrate is not my doing. Hope you enjoy nonetheless.
01. Pharoah
02. Metropolis
03. City
04. Monday Morning
05. Russian Autumn Heart
06. Essence
07. You're Still Beautiful
08. Disappointment
09. Laughing
10. Fading Away
11. Grind
12. Forgotten Reign
13. The Hunter
14. Much Too Much
15. Desert
16. Take it Back
17. Dream
18. The Feast
19. Wardance
Hear
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Vigil - s/t (1987)
01. Until the Season
02. White Magic Spell
03. I am Waiting
04. Gargoyles
05. I Love You Equinox
06. Whistle in the Yard
07. The Celiba Sea
08. The Garden
09. Born Again
10. The Benefit of the Doubt
Hear
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Answers gone till I don't know when.
I really don't have much of a spiel to relate on how I became a Johnny-come-lately fan of the Red Rockers. Saw the video for "China" on 120 Minutes or late nite MTV. Loved the song, bought a cassette of Good As Gold, and eventually picked up the Good As Gold/Schizophrenic Circus twofer CD when it was reissued in the '90s. And while I haven't had much to share by them heretofore, I've namechecked ze Rocquers of Rouge at least a dozen times when making band comparisons and such over the last eight years.The band's segue from the pronounced punk ethos of their debut single (and subsequent 1981 LP Condition Red) to the cleaner and not so meaner new-wave inflections of the aforementioned Gold, must have been a bit startling to RR's early minions. I'm sure there must have been a few faint cries of "sellout," but they were likely drowned out by "China's" keen, melodic prowess and poetic moxie. A phenomenal song in all respects, and the contents of the promo 12" for it are presented below. You get the straight version, a cliched dance remix, and a non LP cut, an interesting reworking of the Temptations "Ball of Confusion," which features uncredited female backing vocals.
A. China
B1. China (dance mix)
B2. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)
Hear
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Blake Babies - Vintage live show available, and brief reissue news.
The WERS performance may or may not be available indefinitely so don't sleep. BTW, they're suggesting a donation of $6, but ultimately it's at your discretion. Check out a recent post I did on the recently reconvened Juliana Hatfield Three here.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Gigolo Aunts - Learn to Play Guitar (1997, Wicked Disc)
If you're jonesing for a vintage Aunts fix, exit here for their 1988 debut, Everybody Happy.
01. Kinda Girl
02. Wishing You the Worst
03. Sway
04. Sloe
05. Rocking Chair
06. The Sun Will Rise Again
Hear
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Then Jerico "Let Her Fall" 7" (1987)
So I've had these guys on the brain since name-checking them a couple nites ago. I gave you the lowdown on Then Jerico in my entry for their enrapturing debut, First (The Sound of Music) eons ago. Hailing from London, TJ were not of indie stock to say the least, signing to a major not long after their formation in the mid-80s. Even if their ambitions weren't as epic as say, U2, they were still batting in the same ballpark, with rousing fireballs like "Let Her Fall," arguably bordering on the anthemic. This is the same version that appears on the album, backed with a non-LP number, "Searching," which oddly enough manages to incorporate a few verses from Grandmaster Flash's "The Message."A. Let Her Fall
B. Searching
Hear
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Epic Rumors - The Feral Child (1989, Bok Du)
Three years on, ER got around to making a full length, specifically the one I have in store for you today. In the interim, this quartet curbed their enthusiasm a pinch, thankfully retaining much of their initial melodic punch, conveyed best on "The Procession," "At the Edge of Heaven" and "Only Love." Closing things out with a lofty instrumental doesn't work to their advantage however. If you're anything like me, you might detect more than a few opaquely veiled themes lending themselves to moral allegory here, albeit nothing alienating. RIYL past W/O entries entailing the Rhythm Corps, Then Jerico, and The Love In.
PS: I've got a YouTube clip for you of a reunited Epic Rumors covering SVT's power pop classic "Heart of Stone."
01. Knee Jerk Reaction
02. My Eyes (say so much)
03. The Procession
04. Are We Winning
05. At the Edge of Heaven
06. Miracle
07. The Puppets Dream
08. Phoenix
09. Only Love
10. Masquerade
11. The Feral Child
Hear












