The Doledrums

Alpaca Brothers - Legless EP (1986)

2009-05-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

A fine, underrated band from the peak of Flying Nun's influence, the Alpaca Brothers stirred up a nice racket on their 1986 Legless EP. The band featured Steve Courname, who went on to drum for the Verlaines, and Norma O'Malley of Look Blue Go Purple. - Ariel

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"Friends of the Enemy" Documentary

2009-05-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

This is great stuff!

Part 1:

Part 2:

State of the Blog

2009-05-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not have noticed, a number of links have mysteriously disappeared. My attempts to create an archival collection of New Zealand music were tempered in March when a representative from Mushroom Records--the label that bought Flying Nun in 1990--requested that a number of artists be removed, including:

The Clean
Stephen
David Kilgour
Martin Phillipps/The Chills
Chris Knox
Toy Love
Tall Dwarfs
JPSE
The Bats
3Ds
Goblin Mix

So, that explains that. For educational purposes, the pages will remain. I'm going to start writing about music from outside of New Zealand again--in addition to the usual, of course--but please continue to request your kiwi favorites!

- Ariel

Beat Happening - You Turn Me On (1992)

2009-05-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

It's not kiwi, but it's one of my favorites. Hearing someone slight this record recently was like hearing an attack on an old friend.

Bathed in ambient warmth, You Turn Me On is classic Beat Happening—pure, minimalist fury, driving percussion, and laconic drone—but in panoramic Technicolor. Draping their distinctly adult tales of lust, love, and rejection in the gauzy language of adolescence, the innocence of Beat Happening’s approach is belied by the bittersweet knowledge that such blissful idyll is fleeting. The childlike retreat to the comforting and the familiar is a futile pursuit, but it is often the only language that is available to us. Nakedly emotional and rooted in the present, You Turn Me On is Beat Happening’s most honest record. From the opening strains of “Tiger Trap” to the closing chimes of “Bury the Hammer,” the album is an extraordinary coda to a career of conceptual and lyrical delights. Though its predecessors’ rinky-dink, schoolyard charms were a key aspect of Beat Happening’s sound, the more polished affair of You Turn Me On does not lessen the impact of its songs but rather confirms what had always been clear: in terms of lyrical and melodic prowess, Beat Happening was a cut above the like-minded crop of awkward, cardigan-clad bands that appeared in their wake. The limitations of their sound were never reflected in the strength of their material. On You Turn Me On, the digital effects suit the songs. It is difficult to imagine the lullaby drone of “Godsend” without the sweetly lilting guitar harmonies that blend and swoon together in a transcendent evocation of idealized love. Heather represented the pulsing, human heart at the center of Beat Happening, offering a sweet contrast to Calvin’s guttural food-sex-death metaphors and B-movie diversions, and ”Godsend” is the album’s centerpiece. You Turn Me On is full of such moments, a beautiful and resigned farewell from one of the era’s greatest bands. Heather, Calvin, and Bret: thank you. - Ariel

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The Cakekitchen - Time Flowing Backwards (1991)

2009-04-11T17:08:00.001-07:00

Originally released as a four-song EP on Flying Nun in 1989, 'Time Flowing Backwards' was reissued by Homestead Records in 1991 with six additional tracks. 'Time Flowing Backwards' has a bigger, crunchier sound than its predecessor, Jefferies' 'Messages for the Cakekitchen,' though it shares that album's sense of droning urgency. Enjoy this and 'World of Sand.' - Ariel

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The Cakekitchen - World of Sand (1991)

2009-04-11T15:08:00.001-07:00

'World of Sand' succeeded 1989's 'Time Flowing Backwards' EP, which was the official debut of Graeme Jefferies' recordings under the Cakekitchen moniker. It may be argued, however, that Jefferies' Messages for the Cakekitchen, released under his own name in 1988, was the true birth of Cakekitchen. The tightly crafted tension and claustrophobic nature of 'Messages...' is less apparent but not lost entirely in 'World of Sand.' A more polished affair, it is still unmistakably Jefferies, whose rich, guttural vocals appear alternatively menacing and tender. The revolving cast of musicians that have appeared in Cakekitchen over the years includes Alastair Galbraith, represented on this album in the haunting, gentle lilt of the title track, and the Clean's Hamish Kilgour. Enjoy. - Ariel

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Marie and the Atom

2009-02-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

Spit It Out 12" EP (1983)

- Miss America
- Yellow Tulip
- Tall
- Torch
- Aria To Marie
- Swing

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Yellow Read Aloud 12" EP (1983)

- Receiving The Yellow
- Karaka Bay
- Isol
- A Town Called Women And Men
- Orange Towel Song

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Marie and the Atom

Spit It Out 12" EP & Yellow Read Aloud 12" EP

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The Dead C - Live Dead See (1988)

2009-02-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

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The Renderers - That Dog's Head in the Gutter Gives Off Vibrations (1995)

2009-01-28T09:39:00.001-08:00

This album was Brian and Mayrose Crook's second full-length release as the Renderers, appearing four years after their debut, 'Trail of Tears.' The Crooks would produce their most lasting material with the Southern-fried, psychedelic twang of the Renderers, born out of the anarchic joy of the Max Block; 'The Dog's Head in the Gutter...' is undoubtedly their masterpiece. While 1991's 'Million Lights' 7" announced Mayrose Crook as the perfect vocal counterpoint to her husband, it is with this album that she truly comes into her own as a vocalist. The slow-burn of "So Blind," coupled with the quietly defiant resignation of Mayrose's vocal, punctuated by the piercing guitar tones of Brian Crook, achieves an escalating emotional intensity that sets the tone for the remainder of the album. Positioned after the ominous, dusk-tinged "Unforgiven," the two songs exemplify the weeping humanism at the heart of the Renderer's music, bittersweet yet tinged with the allure of misanthropy. Enjoy this one. - Ariel

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Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos - A Child's Guide to...(1988)

2009-01-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Preceded by collections showcasing the live power of the Dead C and This Kind of Punishment, 'A Child's Guide to Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos' was the third assortment of material released on Bruce Russell's Xpressway imprint. A duo comprised of the Dead C's Michael Morley and Richard Ram, Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos released an EP on Flying Nun in 1986 entitled 'River Falling Love,' but the pair were independently prodigious, recording a number of self-released cassettes from 1983 to 1986. 'A Child's Guide to...' is an archival release, gathering material from these obscurities in addition to live recordings. The band pursued their various musical diversions to varied success, from the techno-pop meanderings of "Together We Sense" to the delicately beautiful "Rain," which features an ethereal vocal contribution from Denise Roughan (Look Blue Go Purple/3Ds.) Enjoy. - Ariel

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The Max Block - Self-Titled 12" EP (1986)

2008-12-28T17:30:00.001-08:00

While the Max Block released only one EP on Flying Nun in the mid-eighties, their lasting appeal is due not only to an impeccable lineage--as the link between Scorched Earth Policy and the Renderers, their legacy is assured--but in their ability to transcend this context; simply put, the sounds contained on the Max Block EP are another beast entirely from the Crooks' past and future musical entanglements. As the swirling drone of Mayrose Crook's organ propels each song to the point of collapse, she is matched by the laconic snarl of her husband; along with Rebecca Shanahan and Robbie Stowell, the two play host to a delirious carnival of psychotic merriment. Play this one alongside the Garbage and the Flowers' 7" from December 8th. - Ariel

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Balloon d'Essai - Grow Up 12" EP (1983)

2008-12-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is a request I've been sitting on for a while. Ballon d'Essai recorded two EPs for Flying Nun in the early eighties; 1981's 'This is the Level Crossing' and 1983's 'Grow Up' are not always successful in their art-damaged punk stylings, but there are enough worthwhile ideas and sheer exuberence on hand to make up for it over the course of a record. They're very of their time, for good and ill. Comics were included with each release, scanned here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy. - Ariel

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Scorched Earth Policy - Keep Away from the Wires (2000)

2008-12-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Never has a name been so apt. A cauldron of prairie fire and brimstone, the sweltering beauty of Peter Stapleton's Scorched Earth Policy lies in their ability to conjure visions of austere desolation, sun-drenched despair, and loves lost and buried with a raucous, tumbling fury not found in the subdued murmurings of the Victor Dimisich Band. While those were delivered in the hushed tones of quiet desperation, these are the tortured cries of a soul slowly succumbing to the hypnotizing lull of insanity. It is the creeping, lingering shadow of the mid-afternoon sun as it tantalizes and mocks, an intangible harbinger of the darkness to come. Rising from the ashes of Victor Dimisich, Scorched Earth Policy was active from 1982 to 1986; during that time they released two EPs on Flying Nun, 1984's 'Dust to Dust' and 1985's 'Going thru' a Hole in the Back of Your Head.' Two live cassettes followed, one a posthumous Xpressway release. 'Keep Away from the Wires,' a collection released on Stapleton's Medication label in 2000, compiles the two EPs in their entirety along with outtakes and live selections. The main separating factor between Victor Dimisich and Scorched Earth--aside from Stephen Cogle's imitable baritone--was undoubtedly the contributions of guitarist Brian Crook to the latter. A spine-tingling blend of poetic menace and bite defines Crook's playing; it is impossible to imagine either Scorched Earth Policy or the Renderers without it. Enjoy this one. - Ariel

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Victor Dimisich Band - My Name is K (1997)

2008-12-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

Few musical family trees within New Zealand music are as artistically rewarding as the Victor Dimisich Band/Scorched Earth Policy/Terminals trifecta, and that's not even mentioning the psychedelic twang of Brian Crook's Renderers. The Victor Dimisich Band was the first, releasing a single 12" EP within its lifetime. Containing the spellbinding, swirling intensity of "Native Waiter," the 1982 self-titled release remains a classic of the brooding Christchurch scene that counted the Pin Group and Bill Direen's Bilders among its legendary roster. The Victor Dimisich Band featured Stephen Cogle and Peter Stapleton in their earliest recorded partnership; the haunted baritone of the former is unmistakable, while the propulsive, thundering drums of the latter offer a perfect accompaniment to Victor Dimisich's tales of quiet, droning desperation. In 1988, Xpressway released a live Victor Dimisich cassette called 'The Mekong Delta Blues.' 'My Name is K' collects select tracks from this profoundly lo-fi document and the original EP in its entirety. I've included notes on the exact details of recording. Enjoy! - Ariel

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Graeme Jefferies - Messages for the Cakekitchen (1988)

2008-12-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

'Messages for the Cakekitchen' was the first and last Graeme Jefferies album to be released under his own name. With songs reminiscent of his work in This Kind of Punishment, 'Cakekitchen' announces itself with quiet urgency, but the facade is transparent; under the surface of its baroquely textured beauty lies a palpable menace. On those few occasions that Jefferies invites this ferocity to the forefront, the result is a cacophonous transcendence. Jefferies' baritone, subdued and emotionally evocative, propels the album forward to an unknown end; subject to the hypnotic intensity of its droning lull, the listener has no choice but to continue on. "All the Colours Run Dry," "The Cardhouse," and "Is the Timing Wrong?" are all among this listener's favorites, and I feel that this album, along with Peter's 'The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World,' evokes and equals the brothers' time spent in This Kind of Punishment; the same peculiar sense of humanistic surrealism permeates each. Don't miss this one. - Ariel

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The Garbage and the Flowers - Catnip b/w Carousel 7" (1992)

2008-12-08T11:52:00.001-08:00

I apologize for the severe lack of updates lately. To tide you over until the next post--up by the end of the week, I promise--I thought I'd offer one of my favorite New Zealand singles as a peace offering. The Garbage and the Flowers released this cacophonous gem of a 7" in 1992 on the Twisted Village imprint; the band has continued to record, and if you're enticed by the sounds here, a 1997 collection of their material entitled 'Eyes Rind as if Beggars' can be found on the Allegory of Allergies blog. Dusted aptly described the Garbage and the Flowers' sound as "raw gobbets of gray matter, filthy drone, and vintage ennui," and while I think that the band's lo-fi charms begin to wear in the long-player format, this is a near-perfect realization of harsh, dissonant beauty; Helen Johnstone's strong vocals, alternatively defiant and wearied, are the real draw here, anchoring the recordings as they threaten to spiral out of control and collapse in their frenzied rush. The propulsive, feedback-drenched "Catnip" and its counterpart, the austere, resigned "Carousel," offer a bleak vision of modern humanity that is inescapable in its hypnotizing lull. Enjoy! - Ariel

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The Complete Exploding Budgies and Goblin Mix (1985-86)

2008-11-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

Introducing the collected works of the Exploding Budgies and Goblin Mix, the most well-known of David Mitchell's (the 3D's, Plagal Grind) early projects. The two Auckland outfits released EPs on Flying Nun in the mid-eighties; these were collected on an excellent but now out-of-print 1991 archival compilation. The Budgies pre-date Goblin Mix, first appearing on the 1983 Flying Nun compilation 'The Last Rumba,' which also featured early luminaries such as the Children's Hour and the Stones. 'The Grotesque Singers' EP offers a nice bit of pleasant kiwi jangle, including the heady rush of "Kenneth Anger" and the quietly lilting"Sunflower," but I've always preferred the Goblin Mix's two releases. Their self-titled debut and 1986's 'The Birth and Death of Goblin Mix' (released as Son of Goblin Mix) are at once more assured, confident recordings and less musically restrained than the Exploding Budgies. "The Water" and "Unusual Wish" from the debut EP are vintage slices of mid-eighties Flying Nun, while the subdued melancholy of "The Winter Song" and the raucous, tumbling "Fruit of the Womb" on 'Birth and Death...' point the way towards Mitchell's work in the 3D's. You can safely file away the Budgies and Goblin Mix next to the Stones in the unfairly underrated department. - Ariel

The Exploding Budgies - The Grotesque Singers (1985)
- Thornfield
- Kenneth Anger
- Hank Marvin
- See You Around the Stones
- Sunflower

Goblin Mix - Goblin Mix (1985)
- Lament
- The Water
- Time Away
- Unusual Wish

(Son of) Goblin Mix - The Birth and Death of Goblin Mix (1986)
- Venus Fleye Trap
- The Winter Song
- The Drinking Man's Curse
- Coleridge
- Up from the Sink
- Ely's on Smack
- Fruit of the Womb

Peter Jefferies - The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1991)

2008-11-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

Peter Jefferies' debut solo outing, 'The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World,' was originally a Xpressway cassette release in 1990; the album was reissued on CD by Ajax in 1991 and fortuitously featured the classic 7" single "The Fate of the Human Carbine." That song, telling the sparse, surreal, and strangely poignant tale of its titular figure, and its B-side, the propulsive, dynamic "Catapult," are among the best work of Jefferies' career. The album employs a characteristically primitive recording aesthetic, lending such tracks as the relentlessly bleak "On an Unknown Beach" an air of austere intimacy. This is an impeccably crafted wonder of restrained beauty that is laced with a distinct sense of tension; it is an album perpetually poised before an intangible abyss. If you love This Kind of Punishment as much as I do, this is essential listening. - Ariel

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This Kind of Punishment - Live '85

2008-11-11T17:11:00.001-08:00

This final (cassette!) artifact from This Kind of Punishment comes courtesy of the Xpressway imprint; it was the legendary label's second release and showcases the sheer force of Graeme and Peter Jefferies' creation live. Some of my favorites are represented here, including "After the Fact," "The Sleepwalker," and "Two Minutes Drowning." I love this band, and you should too. Enjoy! - Ariel

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This Kind of Punishment - In the Same Room / 5 By Four (1993)

2008-11-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

As the abrasive, uncompromising chords of "Immigration Song" fade to reveal the subdued, meditative textures of "Overground in China," it becomes clear to the listener that the final release from This Kind of Punishment will be a jarring listening experience; it is an album not content to sit still. This particular release from 1993 combines 1987's 'In the Same Room' with 1985's '5 By Four' EP; the latter's rough-hewn experimentalism compliments the more fully-developed sounds of the main album while recalling the quiet harshness of This Kind of Punishment's debut. Lyrically, the album is characteristically vague and composed of fragmentary, impressionistic narratives; despite the inherent disconnect of the album's stylistic meanderings, the album ultimately assumes closure with the decidedly Nocturnal Projections-esque "Words Fail Me." Along with the aforementioned tracks, "Don't Go," "The Men By the Pool," and the unusually anthemic "Holding," are among This Kind of Punishment's finest efforts; this is an excellent album from one of New Zealand's most rightfully exalted bands, and you would be truly remiss to pass up 'In the Same Room' or 'A Beard of Bees.' - Ariel

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"Immigration Song"

This Kind of Punishment - A Beard of Bees (1984)

2008-11-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

'A Beard of Bees,' an album recorded in various bedrooms, lounges, and halls, belies its four-track origins more fully than its predecessor, the Jefferies brothers' hauntingly stark self-titled debut. Self-released in 1984 on vinyl, reissued on cassette in 1990 by the Xpressway imprint, and finally re-released on CD by the Ajax label in 1993, 'A Beard of Bees' is, in this listener's highly subjective opinion, the finest encapsulation of the quietly transcendent, somber majesty of This Kind of Punishment. A feast of minimalist instrumentation punctuated by the piercing tones of Peter Jefferies' piano, it is an album that enlarges on the artistic scope of its predecessor whilst retaining that album's contained, claustrophobic paranoia; This Kind of Punishment is the sense of desolate beauty that accompanies the passing of a storm. "Trepidation," "Turning to Stone," Chris Matthews' "The Sleepwalker," and "An Open Denial" are all pieces of an exquisitely fractured puzzle; the Jefferies brothers' existential meditations, delivered in Peter Jefferies' subdued, austere vocals, never trade pathos in for sentimentality. It is a cathartic, powerful listening experience and truly a record ahead of its time; this is Graeme and Peter Jefferies' unquestioned masterpiece. - Ariel

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This Kind of Punishment - Self-Titled (1983)

2008-10-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

This Kind of Punishment's first album opens with the spine-tingling minimalism of "After the Fact," one of my favorites from the Jefferies brothers; the instrumental build-up and cathartic release are nothing short of revelatory to these ears. That's one of the more accessible numbers from This Kind of Punishment, but the songs on their debut offer a wide range of stylistic arrays; from the desperately frantic piano on "Two Minutes Drowning" to the gentle folk harmonies of "An Axe is an Arm," every song was recorded on Chris Knox's four-track to brilliant effect. There's a sense of mystery to Graeme and Peter's work in This Kind of Punishment, and this album is no exception; a quiet unease is present throughout, unsettling and transfixing the listener in its hypnotic darkness. Look out for 'A Beard of Bees' and 'In the Same Room' soon. - Ariel

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Nocturnal Projections - Nerve Ends in Power Lines (1995)

2008-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Capturing the nascent recordings of Graeme and Peter Jefferies, 'Nerve Ends in Power Lines' collects the best of the Nocturnal Projections' recorded output; the moody, post-punk outfit was formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1983 after releasing two albums--one a cassette release limited to 100 copies--two EPs, and one single. You may remember "Walk in a Straight Line" from the Xpressway Pile=Up compilation. From aggressive, jerky rhythms to plaintive folk-inflected ballads slightly reminiscent of the Axemen's quieter moments--now that was a fun band--the Nocturnal Projections' songs offer a taste of the hypnotic darkness later perfected by the legendary This Kind of Punishment, the brothers Jefferies' next and most widely-known musical venture.

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NOTE: Following "Restoration," the final four unlisted tracks of the compilation--collected from self-released cassettes-are ordered as follows:

12.1 - The Down Song
12.2 - Alone in the Corner
12.3 - Obsessions
12.4 - Inmates in Images

If this is wrong, please let me know. Like most of the albums I feature, this is not a personal rip; I'm going by what information I can gather online, and I have made errors before. Thanks!

- Ariel

The Rip - Complete Recordings (1984-1987)

2008-10-16T15:43:00.001-07:00

The Rip was Alastair Galbraith's first band; formed along with Robbie Muir--later of the excellent Plagal Grind--and Jeff Harford of Bored Games, the trio released two EPs on Flying Nun in the mid 80s. I've collected them here for your listening convenience (and I hope enjoyment as well!) 1984's 'A Timeless Peace' and 1987's 'Stormed Port' are similar musically, showcasing Galbraith's delicate compositional gifts and songwriting ability. The Rip's recordings could be described as folk-inflected, Barrett-esque jangle-pop, featuring lovely, ethereal melodies accented by Galbraith's distinctively haunting violin. At times they are very reminiscent of the classical minimalism of the Verlaines' early singles and EPs, and that's always a good thing. Expect a veritable deluge of Xpressway-related material soon, Mr. Galbraith's work included, in addition to a thorough overview of that other very talented set of brothers, Graeme and Peter Jefferies.

Here is a very good interview with Alastair Galbraith in which he discusses the Rip, Xpressway, Plagal Grind, and much more. Enjoy!

- Ariel

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A Timeless Peace (1984)
- Holy Room
- De Reszke & Dylan
- Wow
- Up and Wow

Stormed Port (1987)
- River Chasm
- Starless Road
- Stormed Port
- Entropic Carol
- Wrecked We Hymn

Martin Phillipps - Sketch Book: Volume One (2000)

2008-10-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Now that I've posted David Kilgour's demos--a superior collection to this one, I must say--I thought it would be appropriate to share Mr. Phillipps' home recordings as well. It's interesting to compare the trajectories of their respective careers, isn't it? They're more interconnected from the start than one might think. Remember that classic organ line on the Clean's immortal "Tally Ho" single? That was supplied by none other than Martin Phillipps. Go forth and impress your friends with this very useful knowledge! Well, I would be impressed. The songs on 2000's 'Sketch Book' were committed to tape between 1988 and 1995, and they aren't bad by any means. It wouldn't be untruthful, however, to suggest that Phillipps' creative zenith was in the past at the time that much of this was recorded, and some pieces are clearly more unfinished and less successful than others. In the end, and as much as it pains me to say this, I feel that the bits n' pieces collected here would vastly benefit from the additional production they might eventually receive. A lot of production. I never thought I'd think that about any of Phillipps' work; after all, the four-track splendor of 'Kaleidoscope World' is the Chills I reach for most. A different scope seems to be envisioned here, less "Rolling Moon" than "Heavenly Pop Hit," maybe? These are virtually "sketches," however, so this is all really useless speculation.

Wondering what Mr. Phillipps has been up to lately? Listen to these radio interviews with Martin from September here and from May here. Thanks, Adam!

- Ariel

David Kilgour - First Steps & False Alarms (1995)

2008-10-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

Surely a man that needs no introduction. The subtitle of 'False Steps & False Alarms' is "the best of the worst - home demos of demos," and I assure you, it fully delivers on that promise. There are many gloriously lo-fi, embryonic gems to be found amongst the twenty assembled, and the stripped-down style of these recordings really showcases David Kilgour's songwriting gifts. Not that they were ever in question, of course. Songs such as "This Chord," "Another Echo Downer," and a stunning rough version of "Here Come the Cars" are generously shrouded in a layer of echo, an effect that further highlights the sense of otherworldliness present throughout. All in all, this is a fine collection of beautifully drowsy, relaxed, and intimate fragments, not unlike Mr. Kilgour's work in the Great Unwashed. Perfect for a lazy sunny afternoon. My wonderful sometimes co-contributor Gozz--on an extended, indefinite hiatus at the moment and very much missed--posted two of David Kilgour's solo albums back in August. You can get 'Here Come the Cars' and 'Frozen Orange' at the Doledrums here. - Ariel

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Various Artists - Xpressway Pile=Up (1990)

2008-10-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

From the initial droning hum of Plagal Grind's "Midnight Blue Vision"--a perfect song to set the tone and one of my favorite openers of its kind ever--to Shayne Carter and Peter Jefferies' delicately abrasive "Hooked, Line, and Sunken," the Xpressway Pile=Up compilation assembles an impeccable roster of New Zealand talent. For those unaware, Xpressway was a record label founded in 1985 by the Dead C's Bruce Russell. Over the course of its twenty-three releases, Xpressway reveled in the more experimental side of New Zealand music; from the sheer sonic assault of Snapper to the subtle, quiet beauty of Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos, it's all represented here, and there's not a weak track to be found amongst the seventeen assembled. Just look at that list! This is also one of the most perfectly paced compilations I've ever heard, each song seeming to lull the listener deeper into its intoxicating spell. You may not want to leave after it's over. If for nothing else, you should download this for Shayne Carter and Peter Jefferies' beautifully poignant tribute to Wayne Elsey, "Randolph's Going Home." I mean, come on. A kiwi classic if there ever was one, right? What a behemoth of a song! Oh, and a lyrics sheet for the DoubleHappy's "I Don't Want to See You Again" would be appreciated.

You need this one, trust me. - Ariel

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Chris Knox - Songs of You & Me (1995)

2008-10-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's my birthday! It's Richard Hell's birthday too, and he's released at least one great album, right? "Time" is still a fantastic song, though. This, however, is quite obviously not a Richard Hell album. I've been saving 'Songs of You & Me' for a little while, and as today is my birthday--did I mention that?--it seems as appropriate a time as any to share it with everyone. Do I really need to sell this one? You've probably skipped this bit and downloaded it already. A HUGE thank you to Gomonkeygo of The New Disease for ripping this gem and uploading it for me. Do yourself a favor and visit his various and all very wonderful blogs, including the now sadly retired but gloriously fantastic Time Is A Disease That Only Space Can Cure. I know I always end with "Enjoy!" or something equally banal, but this time, I have a very good feeling that you actually will. So...enjoy!

- Ariel

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Claymation attack!

"Half Man / Half Mole"

Jay Clarkson - Packet (1992)

2008-10-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

First, a confession: I had never heard of Jay Clarkson prior to receiving this request. After doing a bit of research, this unfamiliarity is unusual to me because--like everyone else in New Zealand music--Miss Clarkson has been involved in a very large number of projects, ranging from her work in the Playthings and the Expendables to multiple credits on Tall Dwarfs albums! This 1992 compilation features all but one of the songs on Jay Clarkson's self-titled EP from 1986, in addition to a couple tracks culled from her aforementioned bands. The songs collected on 'Packet' are uniformly strong, but the highlight is undoubtedly the haunting "The Boy With the Sad Hands," which has found its way on more than a few Flying Nun compilations in the past. Clarkson has continued to release albums, including 1999's acclaimed 'Kindle,' which will probably make an appearance on this blog at some point. So until then, help yourself to this fine collection of subtle, unassuming beauty. - Ariel

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"The Boy With the Sad Hands"

Bailter Space - Nelsh Bailter Space EP (1987)

2008-10-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Bailter Space evolved out of the legendarily abrasive Christchurch outfit the Gordons, but this debut release sees Alistair Parker and company mining far less aggressive territory. After all, this early incarnation of Bailter Space included one-half of the fabulous brothers Kilgour--Hamish Kilgour, that is--and yet another ex-Clean member in bassist Ross Humphries. This EP features the song "I'm In Love With These Times," which I can only imagine served as the inspiration for the title of the 1989 Flying Nun compilation. Strangely enough, the Bailter Space song featured on that release is "Grader Spader." Don't ask me. This is really fantastic stuff, and if you like what you hear, Feelin' Kinda Froggy has a very generous selection of Bailter Space material here. By the time Bailter Space released their first full-length, 1988's 'Tanker' (Great album! Get it at Feelin' Kinda Froggy!) Humphries had been replaced by the Gordons' bassist John Halvorsen. With the reformation of the Clean, Hamish Kilgour left Bailter Space, and who replaced him but Brent McLachlan, the Gordons' original drummer! So it's at this point that Bailter Space really becomes the Gordons 2.0 in 1990 with 'Thermos.' Nice bit of closure, yes? Enjoy! More requests are forthcoming! - Ariel

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The Terminals - Little Things (1995)

2008-09-27T16:56:00.001-07:00

Let's get to some of these requests, shall we? First up is this fantastic 1995 album from the Terminals, one of my favorite New Zealand acts; and still releasing fabulous records too! Check out 2007's 'Last Days of the Sun' if you don't believe me. Chronologically, 'Little Things' was the follow-up to 1992's 'Touch,' and both records share a kindred atmosphere: a swirling, claustrophobic maelstrom of sound led by Stephen Cogle's distinctive, warbling baritone. There's a sonic density at work in the best of the Terminals' songs; an ever-expanding wall of noise that threatens to collapse and engulf the listener in its murky cacophony. The Terminals' sound is one to get lost in, an enticing and irresistible mystery. 'Little Things' is a different beast from the 'Disconnect' EP and 'Uncoffined,' but you shouldn't let that deter you from exploring this incredible record.

Upon Last Visible Dog's request, I have removed the link to 'Little Things.' Check out their reissues of the Terminals albums and support New Zealand music! - Ariel

Touch
Last Days of the Sun
Little Things

Bird Nest Roys (1985-1987)

2008-09-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

You wanted the Bird Nest Roys? This fantastic Auckland outfit released only one LP, one EP, and one single in their brief lifespan, and I've got them all packaged up nice and tidy for your listening convenience. Or, if you so desire, you can download the 'Whack It All Down' EP and 'Jaffa Boy' 7" separately. I figured that most visitors will either have the LP already--this is a very nice 256-320kbps rip, though, if that sways you to download it again--or nothing at all; we like options here at the Doledrums. Anyway, the Roys' sound is not unlike the majority of the Flying Nun roster, and probably a lot better than many of the bands that are also cited as second-tier; a nice bit of jangly, off-kilter kiwi pop, indeed. Enjoy! - Ariel

Bird Nest Roys (1985-1987)

- Whack It All Down EP (1985)

- Jaffa Boy 7" (1986)

- Bird Nest Roys LP (1987)

Whack It All Down EP (1985)

Jaffa Boy 7"(1986)

I promise I've got everyone else's requests coming up too!

DoubleHappys - Nerves (1992)

2008-09-25T20:10:00.001-07:00

As soon as I mentioned this compilation in the Stones post, I knew that it was only a matter of time before it would make an appearance on this blog; and my weaknesses proved me correct, as usual. In case you've forgotten, the DoubleHappys arose from the ashes of my beloved Stones, and saw Wayne Elsey reuniting with former Bored Games band-mate Shayne Carter. Along with drummer John Collie--his predecessor was a despised drum machine dubbed "Herbie Fuckface"--the trio would blaze a brief but intense trail through the New Zealand music scene, bombarding audiences with their own blistering brand of trashy, snotty, and anthemically sweeping kiwi rock. The meager recorded legacy of the DoubleHappys--1984's 'Double B Side' 7" and the following year's 'Cut It Out' EP--is often overshadowed by the later achievements of Shayne Carter, but I feel that these songs offer far more than just the blueprint for the Straitjacket Fits. 'Nerves' kindly collects the entire recorded output of the DoubleHappys in addition to four live tracks that appeared on the posthumous EP "How Much Time Left, Please?" For this listener, the standout is the biting, slow-burn intensity of Wayne Elsey's "Anyone Else Would." The rest are brilliant fun as well, if only for the joy of listening to Carter and Elsey try and out-sneer each other on every track. So, do give the DoubleHappys a listen! Wayne Elsey left behind a vibrant musical legacy that was all too brief, but I hope you will enjoy these albums as much as I have. Finally, here's a very amusing but ultimately sad interview with the DoubleHappys dating shortly before Elsey's death in 1985: Hard News: One for Wayne. - Ariel

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"Needles and Plastic"

Bored Games - Who Killed Colonel Mustard 12" EP (1982)

2008-09-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

I thought that it would be nice to put this one up before the DoubleHappys compilation that I mentioned in the Stones post; I just can't help myself. Bored Games was the high school creation of Shayne Carter and Wayne Elsey, though the latter left the band to form the Stones before they recorded any material together. Interestingly, 1982's 'Who Killed Colonel Mustard' EP was very much a posthumous release, Bored Games having broken up a year prior to its recording. Luckily for us, four of the band's greatest songs were committed to musical posterity: fourteen glorious minutes of youthful, punky exuberance and raucous noisemaking from future members of the DoubleHappys, Straitjacket Fits, and the Chills. This EP features the Bored Games standard "Joe 90," a retro-trash, anthemic slice of kiwi pop heaven, but the particular thorn in my side has always been "Happy Endings," a song that is catchier than it has any right to be given its content. Just try to get that chorus out of your head. I dare you. - Ariel

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"Happy Endings"

The Stones - Complete Recordings (1982-83)

2008-09-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

You just have to love that name, don't you? Such naughty, cheeky boys. Along with the Chills, the Verlaines, and the Sneaky Feelings, the Stones first appeared on the legendary Dunedin Double EP in 1982. To the sad deprivation of music lovers the world over, they only went on to record one more EP, 1983's 'Another Disc, Another Dollar.' Like so many Flying Nun acts, the Stones have been tragically denied any kind of retrospective, so I decided to collect the songs that appeared on these two releases for your listening pleasure! While I've read that these EPs didn't do justice to the chaotic power of the Stones live, the songs they managed to record possess a brilliantly raw, primal urgency as led by the late, great Wayne Elsey. The Stones performed their own beautifully volatile mix of down n' dirty, stompin' garage and surf-rock filtered through the lens of that most unfathomably glorious of times, post-punk Dunedin. Just fantastic kiwi minimalism and ingenuity at work here, folks. And does "Down and Around" sound like the Chills' "Dan Destiny and the Silver Dawn" to anyone else? Just me? Anyway, after you hear these songs, you'll wish the Stones had left behind a long recorded legacy too; unfortunately, the magic is all too brief. After the demise of the Stones, Wayne Elsey would go on to form the excellent but similarly short-lived DoubleHappys with Shayne Carter. Seek out the 'Nerves' compilation if you haven't! DoubleHappys would eventually evolve into the Straitjacket Fits after Elsey's tragically premature death in 1985. The Stones' faultless songs, however, will always remain; enjoy! - Ariel

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I've got most of these requests coming up too! If I've forgotten anything from this list, please let me know.

The Terminals - Little Things
Bailter Space - Nelsh Bailter Space EP
Jay Clarkson - S/T EP
Fatal Jelly Space - Hole EP

Or, if there's anything else you'd like to see on this blog, do leave a comment!

Requests Time: Jean-Paul Sartre Experience - Love Songs (1988) + Able Tasmans - Store in a Cool Place (1995)

2008-09-23T03:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some requests I've been holding out due to some health problems and slight laziness.

First up the debut LP by The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience titled "Love songs" and released in 1988 featuring a minimalistic near folky sound, well definately a much less of a distortion fest than later albums . Not the best JPSE album in my opinion but a good starting point to this influential Flying nun band. - Gozz

[Link Removed]

Next up we have another album by a fine fine fine band that really doesn't need anymore of an introduction on this blog, The Able tasman's with their final album "Store in a cool place"

Store in a cool place

The Terminals - Disconnect EP (1988)

2008-09-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

I was going to post this with 'Uncoffined,' but I didn't have enough time on Thursday. So, without further delay, 1988's fantastic 'Disconnect' EP from the Terminals! As I mentioned previously, these songs are a bit more pop-oriented than those on 'Uncoffined.' Likewise, the songs on 'Uncoffined' are a bit more pop-oriented than the ones on its successor, 'Touch,' which tends to have a more experimental, abrasive bent. I suppose this progression may be partly due to the presence of ex-Clean member Russ Humphries on the first two releases; after his exit, Humphries was replaced by Renderers guitarist Brian Crook. The New Zealand music scene is just so delightfully incestuous, isn't it? Anyway, enjoy this fabulous slice of slightly off-kilter kiwi pop! - Ariel

Download

RE-UP UPDATE: On an unrelated note, I was recently informed that the Liliput/Kleenex links had been taken down by Mediafire; I re-uploaded them on Megaupload for everyone's listening pleasure. I know, I know: I love Mediafire's direct downloads as much as anyone, but I have to pay for extra bandwidth and you don't. So, please help yourself to Liliput's lovely militia-punk stylings by way of Switzerland here. We do post (and even often enjoy!) music of a non-kiwi variety, you know.

The Terminals - Uncoffined (1990)

2008-09-18T16:21:00.001-07:00

The Terminals' classic sound, perfectly captured on their 1990 debut full-length 'Uncoffined,' invokes barren, inhospitable landscapes at odds with the natural lushness of their native New Zealand. Drummer Peter Stapleton's former band, the looser, more ramshackle Scorched Earth Policy, channeled similarly claustrophobic sounds; this album's "Lolita" is actually a reworking of an early 80's Scorched Earth track. There's a certain unsettling paranoia present throughout 'Uncoffined' that lends even the lighter tracks a sense of uneasiness. That's not to say that they couldn't write a fine pop song as well, as the crisp, garage-derived jangle of "No" proves; the EP that preceded this, 'Disconnect' offers more in this vein. The two were combined on the 'Cul de Sac' release; if you ever see that one, grab it! - Ariel

Download

"Uncoffined"

Able Tasmans - Somebody Ate My Planet (1992)

2008-09-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

This one is for Tydalwave over at the Feelin' Kinda Froggy blog, one of my favorite online destinations for out-of-print treasures. It includes its share of New Zealand gems as well: the Chills, Bailter Space, Able Tasmans. Go forth and enjoy! - Ariel

On this green-friendly album, the New Zealand rock group apply their Beach Boys and Byrds-inspired adrenaline sound to the "save the planet" concept. A beautiful album of delicate and melodic folk rock, the Flying Nun group's second decade sees planetary concerns at the forefront of their glacial guitar pop and '60s-inspired sound. Able Tasmans work with the low-tech sound similar to the Bats and the Chills, and produce sublime pop results. Some of the edge is lost in an over-production that is very stylized and dating to this early-'90s work. Nonetheless, the songs seem to transcend such aesthetic trappings.

[Martin Walters, allmusic.com]

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Toy Love - Cuts

2008-09-15T01:02:00.000-07:00

Two Disc comp of everything recorded by this MUST HEAR! Extremely influential NZ band, I cannot stress enough, Truly ledgendary, Everyone has a band They wish they could travel back and Join and these Guys take the cake for me. Punk energy, oddball quirkyness and ultra melodic charm abounds. Do your ears and life a treat and prepare to fall in love with the mighty Toy love!. - Gozz

It's difficult to overstate the importance of Toy Love on the nascent New Zealand indie scene of the early 1980s, but prior to the release of the comprehensive anthology Cuts, those who weren't in Dunedin at the time during the group's under-two-years lifespan had to take it on faith; even when it was possible to find a copy of the band's sole album, a poor mix and botched mastering job that robbed it of its low end had caused the band itself to disown it. Regardless, without Toy Love, not only would there have been no Tall Dwarfs (where singer Chris Knox and guitarist Alec Bathgate next ended up) and potentially no Bats (future home of bassist Paul Kean), but it's imaginable that the impetus behind Flying Nun Records and the whole next wave of Dunedin bands, from the Clean to the Chills, would have sounded much different, had they existed at all.Disc 1 of Cuts contains the entirety of the band's released output: three singles and the aforementioned album, remastered off of a safety copy of the long-missing original tapes and completely remixed to the band's specifications. Anyone who has ever heard Toy Love before now understands what the band had been complaining about: these songs have never sounded better, with Kean's bass and Jane Walker's needly garage rock keyboards far more prominent in the mix than ever before. This gives songs like "Death Rehearsal" and the paranoid, chanted "Photographs of Naked Ladies" some much-needed heft to balance Knox's quirky, hectoring vocal style and Bathgate's trebly guitar scratch. The overall effect is very close to contemporaneous records by the Fall. Cuts' first disc also includes the band's 1979 debut single for the New Zealand office of Elektra Records, which presents the band as a more straightforward power pop outfit almost like the Kiwi answer to Shoes. The rest of the disc, recorded for the local indie Deluxe Records, proves how much better the DIY aesthetic fits this inventive, stylistically restless band. Disc two consists of 19 1979 demos, only three of which (early versions of the album's "Squeeze," "Toy Love Song" and "Frogs") ever saw release, on the groundbreaking New Zealand compilation AK79. As might be expected, this disc is far less essential: the demos for songs that made it onto the album tend to simply be shorter and less imaginatively produced, and the handful of rejects ("Unscrewed Up," "Lust," "I'm Not Bored," "1978," "15," "Wanna Die With You") didn't make it onto the album for fairly obvious reasons. Still, it's just the sort of thing one likes to see on this kind of archival release, along with the beautifully executed, info-rich 36-page booklet. Cuts is a necessary purchase not just for Tall Dwarfs fans, but for New Zealand indie archivists in general; it's the best such album since the Chills' Secret Box.

Disc 1
Disc 2

Stephen - Radar of Small Dogs (1993)

2008-09-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

"I'm a sucker for sweet little melody things. You hear them and forget about life for a few seconds" - David Kilgour

Isn't that just the most perfect encapsulation of David Kilgour's aesthetic? Introducing the long-awaited Stephen, a side-project of David's that seems to have been largely and quite unfairly forgotten by time. So forgotten, in fact, that I haven't been able to find the cover art to 'Radar of Small Dogs' anywhere! The image above is taken from 1988's 'Dumb' EP, included here along with six unreleased songs and two live recordings. All very enjoyable listening, indeed. Lovely sparkling, jangly guitars, trademark Kilgour melodies; just a gorgeous realization of classic kiwi pop minimalism. If you like this and haven't checked out David Kilgour's solo albums yet, get 'Here Come the Cars' and 'Frozen Orange' here.

- Ariel

From Flying Nun:

David Kilgour's idea of pop music was encapsulated in Dumb, the name he gave this band's 1988 Flying Nun EP. There was no self-demeaning intent; it's just that David subscribes fully to the Brian Wilson school of songwriting and believes that "dumb" is the essence of pop's appeal. It's not like Stephen were just the Ramones or anything, though. For a band that lasted just a couple of years as a haywire pop outfit on the periphery of the Dunedin scene, only making it up to Auckland in 1988 to record that QEII-funded EP, they did manage to add a little spice and a lot of spirit to the pop brew in their short time.

Stephen played a barreling kind of fast and loud pop music, noisy and rough around the edges. Their jet-propelled energy--David's songs and his big white guitar, with former Goblin Mix bassist Alf Danielson and drummer Geoff Hoani pounding out a rhythm that usually sounded like it was flailing itself right around the song--made this band a joy to behold. After Stephen Kilroy joined on second guitar, gigs in places like the tiny Empire got louder and better. The group fell apart partway through recording an album at Stephen Kilroy's Fish Street studio - David rejoining The Clean and eventually recording his solo LP, Here Come the Cars, while Alf and Stephen went on to form Chug.

The Radar of Small Dogs CD marks the reappearance of the entire Stephen Dumb EP, plus six tracks from the group's lengthy album recording sessions and a couple of live numbers recorded in Christchurch. The story is best told in the sound of the group on disc, all ringing guitars and growling bottom end, and in David Kilgour's wonderfully understated liner notes ("By now the band is generally seen as an excuse for lots of male bonding... I guess there is no direction apart from wanting to record good music and have some fun.")

[Link Removed]

Tall Dwarfs - The Short and Sick of It (1992)

2008-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

'The Short and Sick of It' combines the Tall Dwarfs' first full-length, 1985's 'That's the Short and Long of It,' and the 1986 'Throw a Sickie' EP for your listening pleasure. So, whoever requested the debut, this is your lucky day! That is, if you actually remember requesting it in the first place; it has been a few weeks. Why was it called 'That's the Short and Long of It,' you ask? Well, one side of the 12" LP featured 10 songs that played at 33rpm, and the other side featured 2 songs (one a surprisingly successful 6-minute, "Wall of Dwarfs" reworking of "Nothing's Going to Happen") that played at 45rpm. Short and long. Get it? Anyway, if you've ever heard a Tall Dwarfs release, you know what to expect. And check out Alec Bathgate's wonderful solo album, Gold Lamé, while you're here; it deserves more listeners.

[Link Removed]

On the subject of requests...

No, I haven't forgotten them; some of these albums just take a little hunting to find. I believe that as of right now, these are all pending requests. If I've forgotten anything--or if you would like to add something to the list--please let me know in the comments section.

UPDATE: We have now acquired all of the albums listed below. See, that didn't take too long. Look out for them soon!

- Ariel

Able Tasmans - Store in a Cool Place
Able Tasmans - Somebody Ate My Planet
The Bats - 4 Songs EP
Jean-Paul Sartre Experience - Love Songs
Stephen - Radar of Small Dogs

On an unrelated note, if you downloaded the Verlaines' Juvenilia from this blog, you probably noticed that the final track, "C.D. Jimmy Jazz and Me," was not the original b-side to "Death and the Maiden" but the 'Bird Dog' version. Alright, you probably didn't notice. Well, I finally found the original version, which you can download here if you feel so inclined: C.D. Jimmy Jazz and Me. I uploaded a complete copy of 'Juvenilia' as well, so I can remove that annoying disclaimer. Enjoy!

Dolly Mixture - Demonstration Tapes (1983)

2008-09-10T10:44:00.001-07:00

"Dolly Mixture was like the Shangri-La's minus the gum-cracking Queens accent. Or the Go-Go's if they had any class. Or the Raincoats without the weirdness and electric violins." - Lois Maffeo

One of the most aptly named bands ever? Alright, I've never even had Dolly Mixture candy, but I have heard Dolly Mixture the band, and these girls performed a glorious blend of infectious pop hooks, classic girl-group harmonies, and an utterly charming sense of joie de vivre; and not without their share of punky sass, either. To these ears, Dolly Mixture wrote the most catchy, concise three-minute pop songs of the punk era this side of the Undertones. 'Demonstration Tapes' collects their entire recorded output from 1979 to 1983, sans singles unfortunately, but you still get 27 songs and 73 minutes of pure pop bliss. "He's So Frisky," "How Come You're Such a Hit With the Boys, Jane?" "Side Street Walker," "Angel Treads;" I could go on, but that would cut into valuable listening time! Though remarkably influential--just listen to Talulah Gosh or the Shop Assistants, to name two--Dolly Mixture's relative lack of success is one of the cruelest jokes in music history; if you've never had the pleasure of the Dolly's company, pick this one up immediately. - Ariel

More information here.

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Mumps - Fatal Charm (1994)

2008-09-07T17:48:00.001-07:00

The Mumps are a pet favorite of mine that seem to have been unfairly swept under the carpet of pop history; this is despite their CBGB’s pedigree and two posthumous collections, mind you. ‘Fatal Charm’ was the first of these, released in 1994, and it contains their entire recorded output from the 70's. As terminally clever as it is catchy, the Mumps’ special blend of glam, bubblegum, and punk is simply a joy to listen to, and tremendous fun to boot. Early Sparks is a good reference point. Add a touch of flamboyance and a healthy dose of retro-kitsch-- before the B-52’s mined similar territory to great success--and you’ve got the Mumps, charismatically led by the dearly departed Lance Loud of “An American Family” fame. And need I mention the songwriting genius of Kristian Hoffman? The second reissue, 2005’s ‘How I Saved the World,’ adds a bonus disc of live video to the mix; if you enjoy these songs, buy it! In an alternate universe, “Crocodile Tears” and “Anyone but You” are recognized as pop classics; they already are in my world, anyway. I’ve reproduced the ‘Fatal Charm’ liner notes below; I think the final paragraph is a particularly poignant summation of the Mumps’ appeal. Enjoy! - Ariel

More information here.

Too pop for punk, too "old school" for the New Wave. Mumps were a 70's era New York rock band, out of time. Everything about us was contradictory or cockeyed in a fashion era in which motorcycle jackets, mohawk hairdos, torn clothing and lots and lots of chains were the order of the day, we were the band most often seen in jackets, dress shirts and ties. Our high vaunting musical ambitions were matched with low ranking musical expertise, we had a lead singer who could sweat better than he could stay in key, and besides the fact that three of us were gay in a hetero-heavy field which only acknowledged homosexuality as being a passing marketing ploy in David Bowie's career. The only thing shared between us all was our weird combination of superiority and insecurity.

Included on this compilation you'll hear just about everything Mumps ever recorded both our singles, a smattering of early rehearsal tapes, demos, an alternate version, and even one number "Stupid" which was recorded for a compilation record of New York bands that never got released and which now sounds, to me at least, to be among the best things we ever committed to tape.

Now from beyond the grave, Mumps are back. What's our worth in this day and age? Coming from a point in time, before MTV, that is as good as prehistoric, there is of course the archeological factor. (....Jurassic Punk?) Then there is also the timeless factor. Allowing myself only a moment on the soap box, our music spoke to the true misfit class of American teenager. Not the poetic James Dean type dream outcast, but the real, nerdy, nobody wants ‘em, Forgotten Teens. You know the type. Too square to be down with the homeboys too idiotic to be up with the intellectuals, too insecure to be the center of attention and too impatient to just sit at home and wait until they get to be 21. Mumps music, and this of course was based on the tunes and lyrics mostly of Kristian Hoffman, spoke to the disenfranchised, kids who wanted to fit in any place but fit in no place instead. These Mumps miscreants came to our shows, loved my sweating and sour notes, were bewitched by Kristian Hoffman's pouting piano presence, thought Toby Duprey was the hottest guitarist ever, Paul Rutner was the toughest drummer around and Kevin Kiely was what the Venus De Mila would have been had she been a teenaged runaway male in the 2Oth century who played bass. The record of course is, as far as I'm concerned, first of all is for the former members of Mumps, something to show for the seven years spent in hard labor on the chain gang of rock and roll. But secondly this record is for the dorky youth. For kids who are dumb, unpopular, and considering a lifetime fraught with serious adjustment problems...Mumps the word.

- Lance Loud '94

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Alec Bathgate - Gold Lamé (1996)

2008-09-05T11:58:00.001-07:00

By now I suppose I've been outed as a complete and utter kiwi-phile, so enjoy this thoroughly enjoyable and charming little record from that other member of the Tall Dwarfs. Hint: the one whose initials aren't C.K. 'Gold Lamé' is a veritable goldmine of '60s pop hooks, complete with gorgeous melodies aplenty and a joyful dose of quirkiness; all recorded in glorious Flying Nun fashion on a four-track in Bathgate's garage. If you've enjoyed--or in the unfortunate chance that you haven't, please indulge yourself--previously posted albums by the aforementioned Tall Dwarfs or Chris Knox, do pick this one up. - Ariel

It can't be easy for Alec Bathgate. As the "other" Tall Dwarf he always seems to stand in the shadows of the more extroverted Chris Knox. It would be simple enough to dismiss Bathgate as the Jim Messina to Knox's Kenny Loggins (or, more charitably Bruce Foxton to Knox's Paul Weller). And yet, those judgements wouldn't be fair. Perhaps, an XTC analogy might better do the trick in this case-if Knox is the Tall Dwarfs' Andy Partridge, the more low-key Bathgate is certainly their Colin Moulding. As the Tall Dwarfs' primary guitarist, Bathgate has always made major contributions to Tall Dwarfs lps. And that's to say nothing of his songwriting talents-"Pictures on the Floor" from Louis Likes His Daily Dip, "Mr. Brocoili" from Weeville, and 3EPS' "Bee to Honey" are but three of the many jangling gems he's brought to the table. When Knox began his solo career in 1989, the Tall Dwarfs went on the back burner for a couple years, and it wasn't until 1996 that Bathgate followed suit with a solo album of his own. Gold Lamé not-too-surprisingly sounds a lot like a Tall Dwarfs record, with shiny strummed tunes augmented with Casio keyboard, quirky looped beats, piano, xylophone, and the works. Firmly entrenched in the sounds of the '60s, Gold Lamé draws inspiration from the usual suspects-the Beach Boys, the Kinks, and, of course, the Beatles (Bathgate's George Harrison to Knox's John Lennon?? Oh forget it....)

[Michael Jourdan, allmusic.com]

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Television Personalities - Mummy Your Not Watching Me (1981)

2008-09-02T18:32:00.001-07:00

As a more inconsistent affair than its predecessor, I can't endorse this album as fully as 'And Don't the Kids Just Love It.' That's not to say that 'Mummy...' isn't recommendable, however, or that there aren't worthy songs present amidst the weaker tracks. In comparison to the largely ramshackle, barebones aesthetic of 'And Don't the Kids Just Love It,' however, I feel its neo-psychedelic textures often detract from, rather than benefit, the often great songs. This album also signals a shift in ambiance from its predecessor, towards a darker, more deranged mood, though I would be loathe to refer to 'And Don't the Kids...' as "twee," which this Allmusic.com reviewer insists on doing; while wistful at times, it was hardly free of gloominess. All in all, "If I Could Write Poetry" and "Painting By Numbers" are top-notch tracks, and if you even remotely enjoy the previous album, I don't see why you should pass this one up. - Ariel

The second full-length Television Personalities release (and the first product of Daniel Treacy's Whaam! label, later renamed Dreamworld after George Michael's manager offered them a pot of money to change the name) adds a full-time bass player to the original trio and sets the Wayback Machine ahead about 18 months from the debut's Swinging Carnaby Street sound. The darker, more psychedelic Mummy Your Not Watching Me is considerably less twee than And Don't the Kids Just Love It, covering Treacy's increasingly self-effacing lyrics in a wash of keyboards and phased guitars. There are a few songs that still show the influence of the earlier Television Personalities sound, including the wistful "Magnificent Dreams" and a remake of the single "Painting By Numbers," originally released under the name the Gifted Children, but the key track is the lengthy "David Hockney's Diaries," an acid rock drone that introduces an entirely different texture into the band's sound that Treacy would explore further on the next several albums. This is a transitional album that has tended to be shortchanged by both reviewers and fans, but there's much to recommend here.

[Stewart Mason, allmusic.com]

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Television Personalities - ...And Don't the Kids Just Love It (1980)

2008-09-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

For those few unfortunate enough to be uninitiated, here is the legendary debut full-length from the Television Personalities, Dan Treacy's inspired pastiche of 60's Carnaby Street pop sensibilities filtered through the grimy lens of post-punk Britain. Gloriously under-recorded and infused with a palpable sense of joie de vivre—but offset by moments of aching vulnerability—‘...And Don't the Kids Just Love It' is at once an expressive portrait of its time and an earnest homage to a passed age, and equally effective at both. I've always found this tension at the heart of the album—the stylistic posturing combined with an entirely modern, unselfconscious delivery—to be one of its most fascinating aspects, and listening to it the aural equivalent of peeking at someone else’s diary. This is an album chock-full of introspective pop songcraft at its finest. I don't know how many of you actually read these italicized ramblings, so in the merciful interest of those who do, let's wrap this up, shall we? The album's capper, "Look Back in Anger," is an all-time favorite of mine, and if you've managed to avoid the Television Personalities until now—and shame on you for that—do yourself a favor. Look out for this album's follow-up, 'Mummy Your Not Watching Me', to be posted soon. - Ariel

The first full album by Television Personalities, recorded after a four-year series of often brilliant D.I.Y. singles recorded under a variety of names, including the O-Level and the Teenage Filmstars, is probably the purest expression of Daniel Treacy's sweet-and-sour worldview. The songs, performed by Treacy, Ed Ball, and Mark Sheppard, predict both the C-86 aesthetic of simple songs played with a minimum of elaboration but a maximum of enthusiasm and earnestness and the later lo-fi aesthetic. The echoey, hissy production makes the songs sound as if the band were playing at the bottom of an empty swimming pool, recorded by a single microphone located two houses away, yet somehow that adds to the homemade charm of the record. Treacy's vocals are tremulous and shy, and his lyrics run from the playful "Jackanory Stories" to several rather dark songs that foreshadow the depressive cast of many of his later albums. "Diary of a Young Man," which consists of several spoken diary entries over a haunting, moody twang-guitar melody, is downright scary in its aura of helplessness and inertia. The mood is lightened a bit by some of the peppier songs, like the smashing "World of Pauline Lewis" and the "David Watts" rewrite "Geoffrey Ingram," and the re-recorded version of the earlier single "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives," complete with deliberately intrusive prerecorded bird sounds, is one of the most charming things Television Personalities ever did. This album must have sounded hopelessly amateurish and cheaply ramshackle at the time of its 1981 release, but in retrospect, it's clearly a remarkably influential album that holds up extremely well.

[Stewart Mason, allmusic.com]

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The Chills - Secret Box (2001)

2008-08-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is a big one, folks. As a preface, no, this is not a personal rip; Martin Phillipps--god bless 'im--only pressed 500 copies of this incredible, mindblowingly expansive collection. Naturally, they sold out in advance. I've only just begun to dig in, but this is essential listening for Chills fans (which of course you all are.) Tracklistings are included. Enjoy!

NOTE: For those of you who requested the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience's 'Love Songs' and the Able Tasmans' 'Store in a Cool Place,' fear not! The ever-amazing Gozz will be posting them in a timely fashion; expect both albums--and a lot of other goodies--in the coming weeks.

- Ariel

Spread out over these three discs' 83 selections are B-sides, outtakes, rarities, demos, radio sessions, tribute LP covers, a '60s-revival Coke jingle, soundtracks, and most important of all, 31 live versions of songs never released in any form. These unheard, vintage tracks span disc one and half of disc two, tripling the insight on the 1980-1987 Chills. They're loads more aggressive (aided by the sweaty club environments) than the band's supernatural early singles and EP collected by Kaleidoscope World. It all comes as a bit of a barrage, since Martin Phillipps' prolific pen was never more frenzied, spitting out one keyboard-laced, great post-punk pop track after another. His long-standing contention that the band should have released two, possible three classic LPs before 1987's "debut" Brave Words (nine lineup changes, including the death of a key early member, hurt) is finally, fully supported by this evidence. Even some of the later shimmering tracks, such as the ghostly "House With a Hundred Rooms" and onrushing "Oncoming Day," had their start in this harder, edgier epoch, as the original incarnation of the former as 1982's "After They Told Me She Was Gone" and the 1985 Bucketful of Brains flexi version of the latter exhibit. The demos and radio sessions are as much fun, while only the consummate Chills head will have all the later B-sides and compilation tracks. True, this is specifically for fans, as the merely curious are better off starting with a comprehensive best-of like 1994's Flying Nun double-CD Heavenly Pop Hits. There one encounters the more silvery-burnished, better-recorded, more stable Chills of 1987-1992. But even those who buy Secret Box will discover a greater energy than normally associated with the Chills name, who betray more of their '60s garage and psychedelia and '70s original punk roots here than at any time in the future.

[Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover]

Disc 1: Sonic Bygones
Disc 2: Salvaged Bullion
Disc 3: Singular Booty

Swell Maps (Singles Edition!) - Read About Seymour (1977) + Dresden Style (1978) + Real Shocks (1979) + Let's Build a Car (1979)

2008-08-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

These singles are all culled from the various Swell Maps outtakes/rarities/best-of collections that have been flooding your local record store of late; I decided to collect them in this fashion because there is no one collection that has all of the complete A-sides and B-sides, and additionally, there would just be way too much overlap with the main albums if I posted a complete compilation. I've endeavored to present these tracks in the order that nature intended them to be, with the exception of "Real Shocks" because I can't find its B-sides. But three out of four is not bad! I think I've bored everyone enough with my Maps devotion already, so I'll just let these songs speak for themselves. Loudly. Enjoy!

If you like what you hear, please visit Secretly Canadian and purchase their Swell Maps reissues.

- Ariel

Read About Seymour (7")

- Read About Seymour
- Ripped & Torn
- Black Velvet

Dresden Style (7")

- Dresden Style
- Ammunition Train
- Full Moon

Real Shocks (7")

- Real Shocks

Let's Build a Car (7")

- Let's Build a Car
- Big Maz in the Country
- ...Then Poland

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"Let's Build a Car"

Swell Maps - Jane from Occupied Europe (1980)

2008-08-28T17:34:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is the Swell Maps' second full-length 'Jane from Occupied Europe,' as gloriously cacophonous a record as its predecessor. While I was writing my last post, I forgot to mention just how successfully evocative the Swell Maps' album artwork was. The sounds within 'Marineville' seem to leap forth from the blazing, barely contained fury of its cover, and with 'Jane' the songs perfectly capture the sense of desolation that accompanies its art, echoing the eerie, quiet aftermath of destruction. But enough about that; to the songs! "Border Country," "Helicopter Spies," and my personal favorite "Cake Shop," would all have fit quite nicely on 'A Trip to Marineville,' sharing that album's sense of reckless, charming naivete and anarchic joy, and the freaked-out, kraut-punk bliss of "Big Maz in the Desert" and "...Vs. the Mangrove Delta Plan" is the stuff of post-punk perfection.

This record hangs together more fluidly than 'A Trip to Marineville,' and while that album's fragmented schizophrenia may be the reason why it's my favorite of the two, I cannot deny the brilliant, unified work that is 'Jane from Occupied Europe.' It is at once a coherent piece and an album on the verge of collapse as sounds drift in and out seemingly at random, creating nightmarish dreamscapes of beautifully dissonant noise. I've gone on enough; simply put, you need this album and the Swell Maps in your life. Coming up next will be most of the singles released by the Maps during their existence, including the immortal "Read About Seymour" and "Let's Build a Car."

- Ariel

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Swell Maps - A Trip to Marineville (1979)

2008-08-28T12:06:00.003-07:00

Spectacularly beautiful noise courtesy of the dearly departed Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks--not to slight the contributions of Jowe Head, Phones Sportsman, Biggles, and John 'Golden' Cockrill (as listed, honest)--'A Trip to Marineville' is the Swell Maps' first LP after a string of classic singles("Read About Seymour!") This is an album and band I wouldn't want to imagine my life without: a sheer sonic explosion of down 'n dirty experimentalism, minimalist fury, and krautrock-influenced grooves; all performed with a jaggedly raw energy and chaotic, kitchen-sink aesthetic unmatched by any band of its--or perhaps any other--time. "Vertical Slum," "Midget Submarine," and the "Full Moon in My Pocket/Blam!!/Full Moon(reprise)" suite are all bonafide classics to me; do yourself a favor and let the Swell Maps occupy a special slice of your existence if you haven't already. Their second full-length, 'Jane from Occupied Europe' is forthcoming, and I'll probably post a few essential singles too. Stay tuned. Long live the Maps! - Ariel

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"Midget Submarine"

Kendra Smith - Five Ways of Disappearing (1995)

2008-08-25T18:27:00.001-07:00

By Request:

While an inferior and far more inconsistent album than 'The Guild of Temporal Adventurers,' I'd say that Kendra Smith's first and only full-length is still worth a listen for fans of her uniquely skewed and eclectic brand of songcraft. It's a noteworthy album if only for the fact that it was Smith's final release before her self-imposed retreat from the music industry and, by and large, society as well, presumably still living without electricity in her small cabin in the woods of Northern California. - Ariel

Picking up with real studio effort (Smith co-produced with Uberman), Five Ways of Disappearing is the most ambitious and successful undertaking of Smith's career. Both a strong recapitulation and a brave relaunch, the album has it all: quiet Velvety obsessions ("Get There"), cerebral songdom ("Aurelia," "Space Unadorned"), trancey rock ("Drunken Boat"), trad folk ("Maggots"), Kurt Weill's Berlin ("Bohemian Zebulon"), folk-rock ("Valley of the Morning Sun"), new wavey bubblegum ("In Your Head") and one of the best acoustic Led Zeppelin imitations in recent memory ("Bold Marauder"). No two tracks have much in common beyond Smith's enervated singing; even when she might just be aiming to sound ordinary, the record comes off appealingly offbeat. Though some songs are amiss, precious or overly derivative, as a personal sampler, Five Ways of Disappearing is an impressive — and colorful — achievement.

[Karen Schoemer/Ira Robbins]

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Kendra Smith - The Guild of Temporal Adventurers (1992)

2008-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Kendra Smith's debut solo outing has far more in common with the subdued, meditative textures of Opal's Early Recordings than the swirling atmospherics of Happy Nightmare Baby, though shades of the latter are present in the dreamlike nature of its soundscapes and, of course, in Smith's characteristically laconic vocals. On this note, especially pertinent with Smith's use of a pump-organ as primary instrument, allusions to Nico are inevitable. Although such comparisons are not entirely unfounded--after all, her previous band the Dream Syndicate followed their Velvets-drenched muse to great success--present in Smith's recordings is a warmth and vitality that are entirely her own. The sense of otherworldliness that permeates 'The Guild of Temporal Adventurers' is a keen reminder of what was missing from the second incarnation of Opal, Mazzy Star, and what was lacking in Smith's replacement, Hope Sandoval.

- Ariel

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D.I.Y. Classics - Shoes This High + The Scrotum Poles + Beyond the Implode (Link Removed)

2008-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Shoes This High EP (1981)

- The Nose One
- A Mess
- Foot's Dream
- Not Weighting

"...killer-riffing-angry-in-your-guts-avant-garde-pin-pricking..."

These are all adjectives that Gary Steel used to describe the "punk funk" of New Zealand's Shoes This High in his liner notes for their 7" self-titled EP. It was the only recording to be released during their brief existence, but its jaggedly raw post-punk stylings combined with Brent Hayward's snarling vocals make for an exhilarating and enlightening listening experience. This is the other side of New Zealand's musical golden age; like their fellow countrymen the Gordons, Shoes This High created aggressive, angular, and classic art-punk for the ages.

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The Scrotum Poles - Revelation EP (1980)

- Why Don't You Come Out Tonight

- Night Train

- Pick the Cat's Eyes Out

- Helicopter Honeymoon

- Radio Tay

"DIY! We love the Television Personalities!"

So wrote Dundee, Scotland's finest the Scrotum Poles on the xeroxed sleeve of their 'Revelation' EP. The Poles--like the best D.I.Y. bands--combined fairly shoddy musicianship with an infectious sense of sheer enthusiasm. 'Revelation' begins with a delicious slice of melancholic post-punk in "Why Don't You Come Out Tonight," peaks with the definitive Poles standard "Pick the Cat's Eyes Out," and ends with the punky blast of "Radio Tay." But really, every song present is a D.I.Y. classic. And if you're curious, no animal was harmed in the making of this record: in the UK, "cat's eyes" are the orange reflectors embedded along highways. This, aside from the cassette-only 'Auchmithie Calling' in 1979, was unfortunately the Poles' only release. I spent a bit of time cleaning up the audio on this one the best I could--though in the best D.I.Y. fashion, clicks and crackles are still audible--so please check out the video below for a bit of a teaser and enjoy!

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Beyond the Implode - 11th Hour Breakdown EP (1980) + Last Thoughts EP (1979)

- 11th Hour Breakdown
- Look Back and Crash
- Lassitude
- Escape Through Levitation
- Midnight Adventures
- This Atmosphere

UPDATE: I received word from Beyond the Implode's Eddie Smith that we will be seeing a reissue in the very, very near future, and upon his request, the link was taken down. When the album arrives, definitely seek out a copy! I can guarantee, you won't be disappointed: Beyond the Implode is rightfully regarded as having produced some of the most passionate, human, and classic bedroom recordings that its genre has to offer. More information as it is available.

8/31/08 UPDATE: Another update courtesy of the always helpful Eddie Smith: the reissue will be a 7" EP featuring home recordings from 1979 in addition to tracks from the Last Thoughts EP; when it becomes available, you will able to purchase it via the buy-it-now option on Ebay. Stay tuned for more information.

- Ariel

The Kiwi Animal - Music Media (1984)

2008-08-21T15:24:00.001-07:00

Here's an interesting curiosity from New Zealand: The Kiwi Animal was the creation of Brent Hayward and Julie Cooper; together they released two full-length LPs in the mid-eighties, 1984's 'Music Media' and the following year's 'Mercy.' 'Music Media' is an ethereally beautiful folk affair, at once sinister and lovely, and possessing of a clear experimental bent. Hayward was previously involved in the fantastic art-punk quartet Shoes This High. Their only release, 1981's self-titled EP, will be posted sometime soon along with a few other choice D.I.Y. gems. Stay tuned!

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NOTE: I re-uploaded Human Switchboard's excellent 1981 LP Who's Landing in My Hanger? with cleaned-up audio and added a few videos just for good measure. If you haven't grabbed it yet, now's the time!

- Ariel

"Blue Morning"

Able Tasmans - A Cuppa Tea and a Lie Down (1987)

2008-08-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

By Request:
A major work from this New Zealand indie group, A Cuppa Tea and a Lie Down comes highly recommended to those in love with the sophisticated and delicate arrangements of the New Zealand rock scene's Flying Nun label sound. While some of their peers in the productive period of '80s and '90s down under produced edgy, loud guitar music inside the framework of pop, Able Tasmans temper their largely acoustic sound with keyboards and acoustic arrangements in place of corrosive guitars. The songs are built on the delicate threshold of complexity/simplicity, filled out with lush arrangements and dreamy atmospheres that call to mind Fairport Convention. A great album filled with sweet and crafty pop songs that will hold much appeal to fans of intelligent guitar pop; Yo la Tengo, Belle & Sebastian, the Bats, and Television Personalities spring to mind.

[Skip Jansen, allmusic.com]

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The Verlaines - Hallelujah All the Way Home (1985)

2008-08-19T17:53:00.001-07:00

Since I've been posting the albums that succeeded it, it seems fitting to upload this orchestral gem as well. And really, the Verlaines' entire eighties output is essential listening. This is their first full-length LP, released in 1985, and many of its songs are easily the equal of its successor's, the masterful 'Bird Dog.' The positively epic constructions of "It was Raining," "The Lady and the Lizard," and the intensity of "Lying in State" are among the best work of a band that consistently pushed the boundaries of the conventional pop song throughout their career. As an interesting aside, this album was part of a composition project that Graeme Downes submitted as he pursued his degree in music; he got an "A." - Ariel

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Enjoy the videos as well!

"Death and the Maiden"

"Doomsday"

The Verlaines - Some Disenchanted Evening (1990)

2008-08-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Though living in the shadow of its predecessor's brilliance, 'Some Disenchanted Evening' is a commendable album, continuing the string of artistic successes that began with 'Hallelujah All the Way Home' in 1985. And that's not even mentioning the band's brilliant early singles, all of which are conveniently collected on 'Juvenilia' for your listening pleasure! Less reliant on the classical orchestrations that dominated much of 'Bird Dog,' 'Some Disenchanted Evening,' tends to dwell in more conventional musical avenues than one is normally accustomed to hearing from the Verlaines. But with Graeme Downes at the helm, even the most straightforward tracks on the album take interesting and unexpected turns. Unfortunately, the album was somewhat lost in the shuffle of fantastic kiwi music that was released in 1990, appearing shortly before the Chills' 'Submarine Bells.' - Ariel

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The Verlaines - Bird Dog (1987)

2008-08-18T18:49:00.001-07:00

'Bird Dog' is undoubtedly the apex of the Verlaines' career. Far more assured than their debut full-length, 'Hallelujah All the Way Home,' 'Bird Dog' finds master craftsman Graeme Downes fully in command of these elegant and classically derived compositions. For this listener, the highlights of the album are too many to mention, though special note must be given to the pieces which bookend the album, "Makes No Difference" and "C.D. Jimmy Jazz and Me," and the heart and soul at the center of it, "Slow Sad Love Song." - Ariel

Crafty New Zealand pop group lead by song craftsman Graham Downes that leaned heavily toward Baroque classicism on this exquisite collection of tales from 1987. Their art was in the subtlety of arrangements, and the group was pivotal in defining the complex simplicity of the Flying Nun sound alongside the Clean and the Chills. The Verlaines were certainly the first of the family in the '80s to embrace truly classical modality in their delicate pop sound, and the result is Bird Dog, as a sophisticated and glorious album of Downes' distinct genius, whose only peers would be Robert Forster and Martin Phillips. Although his craft may be fastidious, the Verlaines have mastery of rendering it effortless on Bird Dog. Later their sound may have become a little more stilted, but for a group so ahead of their time, anything is forgivable, although many fans of this character and eccentricity displayed here may believe the edge was lost in the '90s when they pursued a straighter MOR sound. With Hallelujah All the Way Home and Some Disenchanted Evening on either side of this release, it is difficult to think of another group who made three albums of this quality in five years.

[Martin Walters, allmusic.com]

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Opal - Early Recordings (1989)

2008-08-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

'Early Recordings' is a collection of songs by David Roback and Kendra Smith that date from 1983-1987; they were released under both the Opal and Clay Allison band monikers. Offering a more subdued, pastoral approach than 'Happy Nightmare Baby,' the dreamlike, often wistful nature of this compilation is just another example of the incredible talents of its two principles. - Ariel

While Opal's Happy Nightmare Baby is more representative of the group's richly textured brand of neo-psychedelia, the stripped-down Early Recordings compilation is an even better example of David Roback and Kendra Smith's remarkable songcraft. Released in the wake of the group's breakup, the album collects the majority of tracks from the Fell From the Sun and Northern Line EPs, along with a handful of outtakes and unreleased cuts, all spotlighting Opal's more subdued, acoustic-folk side. Peeling away the mystical haze which enshrouded Happy Nightmare Baby, the songs are plaintive and stark, exposing the emotional complexity at the band's core — the wistful "Empty Box Blues" and the haunting "Harriet Brown," both previously unissued, are unmatched in their beauty and grace.

[Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com]

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Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)

2008-08-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Opal, originally formed under the name Clay Allison, was the creation of Rain Parade's David Roback--predating his work with Mazzy Star--and the Dream Syndicate's Kendra Smith; this is their only full-length release. Exploring the more sinister side of psychedelia, the claustrophobic eeriness of 'Happy Nightmare Baby' is broken only by Smith's transcendent vocals and mystical delivery. It's an utterly spellbinding record and one that I would unhesitatingly recommend to fans of the Paisley Underground and its associated bands.

If you like this, go to The New Disease and check out their live Opal recordings! If you're interested in the Paisley Underground, you'll also find Rain Parade, the Dream Syndicate, True West, and Green on Red there as well. Go forth and enjoy!

- Ariel

At once drowsy, psychedelic, entrancing, and possessed of a sinuous spark, Happy Nightmare Baby may have been Opal's only album but deserves more attention than merely being a blueprint for Roback's later work in Mazzy Star. For one thing, Opal was very much its own band, with Kendra Smith's particular lyrical visions of mystic power and universe-scaling dreams and nightmares its own entity. As is her singing, though she's got less of Hope Sandoval's wistful drift and more focused control — check out the brief "A Falling Star," where the comparatively stripped-down arrangement places her singing in the foreground, notably without much in the way of echo. Roback's playing certainly won't surprise anyone per se who backtracks to this group from albums like She Hangs Brightly, and the atmosphere of textured, moody power is evident right from the start with the wonderful early T. Rex tribute, "Rocket Machine." The compressed string swirl and steady stomp is pure Marc Bolan-via-Tony Visconti, though Smith avoids Bolan's style of warble for her own cool, something also quite evident on the slow-groove stomp of the great "She's a Diamond" and the concluding "Soul Giver." Meanwhile, other familiar elements Roback would later use are present aplenty — very Ray Manzarek-like organ lines on the mantra-chugs of "Magick Power" and "Siamese Trap," compressed acid rock solos and lots of reverb. The title track itself stands out a bit as being a bit more of a '60s Europop confection in a stripped-down 1968 setting — Roback's electric guitar adds some fire, but it's the slightly jazz-tinged rhythm and easy delivery from Smith that helps establish its own character. It's a release that stood out both in time and place (a 1987 release on SST Records, of all places!), but it stands up to future years and listens darn well.

[Ned Raggett, allmusic.com]

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The Embarrassment - Heyday 1979-83

2008-08-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

Manic, twitchy brilliance. Highly recommended. - Ariel

Though the band's reunion album God Help Us had happily been available on CD since release, nearly everything from its early-'80s years had long gone out of print or was hard to find, a situation the double-disc Heyday rectified in full a few years later. Right from the start Heyday shows its worth thanks to the inclusion of the quartet's wonderful, rocking debut, the "Sex Drive/Patio Set" single. "Sex Drive" itself almost comes across as a Midwest response to similarly minded landmarks of punk and post-punk like the Buzzcocks' "Orgasm Addict" and the Gun Club's "Sex Beat." The production is thin, perhaps, but the delivery is nervous, wired to the max, jerky riffs, and Giessmann's quick drumming increasing the weird paranoia even as Nichols' singing exudes amusing, boring cool. "Patio Set," meanwhile, sounds only a touch more relaxed, a weird metaphor combining love and outdoor furniture dryly delivered over the exuberant crunch. The remainder of the first disc pulls together the contents of The Embarrassment and Death Travels West albums, plus "Two Cars," which surfaced previously on the odds and ends Retrospective cassette. The second disc, meanwhile, gets stuffed full of treats from Retrospective, various compilations, and otherwise unreleased sessions, split between studio and live recordings both. The live recordings are a particular revelation, confirming what the studio work always suggested — that the four members were barnburners, ripping with precise energy through their work. Two covers pop up, both of which are pretty funny as well as rather well performed: Michael Jackson's disco hit "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and Led Zeppelin's proto-metal stomp "Immigrant Song." It's a pity the version of the Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard," originally on a Bomp! compilation, didn't make it, but that's about the only thing missing here. A complete discography, a reprinted essay from 1988 about the group, and fun liner notes from Nichols and Goffrier complete this fantastic, long-overdue compilation.

[Ned Raggett, allmusic.com]

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Great Plains - Length of Growth 1981-89

2008-08-11T03:50:00.000-07:00

Two discs of these Seminal 80's Lo-fi Jangly punky garage outfit Great plains, I've only newly discovered these guys and they're fast becoming a favourite, If you love the sounds so far on this blog but are looking for something rougher and punkier but with that perfectly dodgy but awesomely grand lo-fi sound of a band just knocking tunes out left right and center in a weed and booze infested dingy suburban garage late at night DEFFINATELY! look no further than The Great Plains! - Gozz

In case you're totally clueless, Great Plains were a 'seminal' 1980s Columbus, Ohio band led by Ron House, who was also the shirtless leader of Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, and who now leads the Ron House Band. Other former Great Plains include: Mark Wyatt (One Riot One Ranger), Matt Wyatt (Campfire Walkers), Dave Green (Screaming Urge), Don Howland (Gibson Bros, Bassholes), Mike 'Rep' Hummel (Quotas + solo artist), Paul Nini (Log, Peck of Snide, Househearts + solo artist), Bill Bruner (Dark Arts), and Jim Castoe (Men of Leisure). Great Plains releases appeared on the Homestead and Shadowline (NL) labels, and their songs have been covered live and on record by pals such as Yo La Tengo, Nothing Painted Blue, and fellow Ohioans Swearing at Motorists.

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The Tactics - Sound of Sound Volume One

2008-08-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Originating from my hometown of Canberra, Australia. Comes this fantastic outsider band. Truly one of a kind, Deffinately in their own league within Australia which left them with no place to fit in, Which in no way was a bother to the band which was exactly the way they wanted it to be. For fans of the Homosexuals and Wire and any Highly energetic frantic post punky band.

Your Comments are and will be greatly appreciated! -Gozz

Wilfully obscure, contrary and difficult to categorise, Tactics were the archetypal inner-city Sydney band of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. Originating in Canberra (hardly a hotbed of alternative music – at least not until years later, by which time they were gone), they played a deliberately perverse brand of choppy guitar music. Employing mid-tempo to fast rhythms (often syncopated - in a vaguely reggae way) with tightly-wound, ricocheting guitars strung like a tightrope to be straddled by Dave Studdert’s quavering vocals, the fact they never fitted anywhere undoubtedly suited them to a tee. Horns, organ and an array of soundscapes colour the songs while the lyrical themes (disorientation, displacement and open space) derive from Studdert’s appreciation for indigenous Australia. It sounds like what pigeon-holers would term “post punk”, even though it was going down in the middle of punk. Me, I’ll tag it “anti-rock” in that the songs aren’t classic verse-chorus-verse constructions. “The Sound of the Sound” is a double CD set, compiling the first two Tactics albums (“My Houdini” and “Glebe”) with a whopping 20 bonus cuts culled from live tapes and radio broadcasts. (The Barman, I94bar.com)

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Download Disc 2

The Verlaines - Juvenilia (1987)

2008-08-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

"Do you like Paul Verlaine?"

And now back to New Zealand for an album from one of my most treasured Flying Nun bands--and, by extension, a favorite of the entire decade--the magnificently moody Verlaines. This is a collection of their early EPs and singles, including the fabulous kiwi classics "Death and the Maiden," "Doomsday," and "Pyromaniac." Enjoy these elegant, classical, and always literate compositions courtesy of Dr. Graeme Downes, now the senior lecturer of contemporary rock music at the University of Otago in Dunedin.

- Ariel

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"Pyromaniac"

The Individuals - Fields (1982) / Aquamarine (1981)

2008-08-08T16:51:00.001-07:00

Back to the Northern Hemisphere for a bit with the Individuals, veterans of the '80s Hoboken scene which included the previously posted--and fantastic--Human Switchboard; their entire back-catalogue was recently reissued on CD, a welcome end which has bizzarely eluded some of the greater luminaries of the scene. The Feelies, I'm looking at you. Still, the Individuals' music remains as hooky and clever as ever; it's definitely worth a revist for fans of intelligent pop music. - Ariel

In the early '80s, when Hoboken, NJ, was briefly the capital of the underground rock universe, the Individuals were one of the most important bands on the scene, and while they didn't last long enough to have the same impact as such peers as the dB's, the Bongos, and the Feelies, the group's music was bracing and memorable stuff, at once a clear product of its time and place but revealing a clearly distinct approach that allowed them to stand out from the crowd. Jon Klages and Glenn Morrow's guitars careened back and forth between kinetic rhythm patterns and leads that suggested Roger McGuinn trapped within a pinball machine, while bassist Janet Wygal and drummer Doug Wygal provided a propulsive bottom end that was curiously funky but bracingly arch and intelligent. The Individuals released an album and a five-song EP during their 1979-1983 lifespan, and both appear in their entirety on this CD from Bar/None Records, along with four bonus tunes.
Released in 1981, the Aquamarine EP is clever and tuneful stuff, but it's dwarfed by 1982's Fields, the band's one and only LP, which benefits from stronger songwriting and a more sympathetic studio partner in Mitch Easter, who engineered the sessions at his Drive-In Studio in Athens, GA, not long before R.E.M. would help usurp Hoboken's cool quotient and move it down South. This disc stacks the deck a bit by leading off with Fields, leaving the second half of the disc seeming slightly pale by comparison, but even the relatively weaker material is well worth hearing, and longtime fans will be glad to know a previously unreleased dance mix of "Dancing with My Eighty Wives" makes the cut, as does both sides of the "Our World" 7" and the hidden track from Aquamarine. These 21 tracks are a reminder of an important and innovative rock scene that gave East Coast music a much-needed shot in the arm, and remains challenging, invigorating, and fun stuff more than a quarter-century on.

[Mark Deming, allmusic.com]

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The Bats - Daddy's Highway (1987)

2008-08-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

The Bats' first full album continues the early promise of their EPs and, with only the slightest deviations and changes since, established their sound for just about everything that followed. Scott and company may not be the most willfully experimental of musicians, but when they're on — more often the case than not — their lovely, melancholic songs simply hit the spot. Woodward forms the perfect singing partner for Scott, while guest violinist Alastair Galbraith brings his talent to the fore as he has for so many other New Zealand bands. "Treason" makes for a good start to the album, but the real standout on Daddy's Highway is the surging "North by North." Featuring a fantastic Galbraith violin solo, it gives the band the opportunity to show its sometime hidden strengths for more energetic, nervous material. Scott's vocal performance is one of his best, and the quick, on-edge pace seems to get even more so as the song continues. Quieter songs unsurprisingly abound as well, from the understated sweetness of "Sir Queen" to the gentle keyboard-touched "Candidate." "Tragedy" is one of the best in this vein, ending in a disturbing low drone (or at least as much of a drone as the generally quick-length songs by the Bats allow for). Though Daddy's Highway suffers a touch from the same problem that affects all Bats releases — an increasing sameness, especially towards album's end — it's still a great full album debut.

[Ned Raggett, allmusic.com]

[Link Removed]

The Mad Scene - Sealight (1995)

2008-08-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

By request, here is the Mad Scene's 'Sealight', a very dreamy affair from a host of talented musicians; fans of Hamish Kilgour/the Clean or the Go-Betweens take note. - Ariel

Recorded in New York but a pure slice of lovely New Zealand pop/rock heaven, Sealight is further proof that the Mad Scene have an ear for instantly appealing music. In comparison to, say, the equally talented but admittedly repetitive Bats, Hamish Kilgour's crew lets the variety really flow forth, especially given that everyone but drummer Bill Gerstel splits the songwriting in numerous combinations. Kilgour's light, quietly passionate voice balances against Lisa Seagul's slightly more withdrawn but not buried performances very well, and both have excellent knacks for wonderful guitar melodies and often sharp lyrical turns. Collectively, the Mad Scene create music that on the one hand is instantly identifiable indie rock and on the other finds its own particular way; it's certainly a product of New Zealand's wonderful traditions, though — sweetness mixed with a definite melancholy and slow-burn intensity.
One of Kilgour's best moments along these lines is "Gotta Get Back (To Something)," starting with a stripped-down, slightly tense arrangement that vaguely hints at Middle Eastern melodies via surf here and there, alternating with just gentler enough sections in a give and take that's subtle instead of forced and obvious. "Marching Song," a beautifully hushed number that builds to a sudden climax before sudden calming down, is another standout, John Sluggett's guest turn on piano worthy of note. Seagul's winners include "Birthday Party," a quietly majestic vision of a hesitant romance not really happening (her lead guitar here is particularly grand, swooping sadly in the background) and the slow, semi-waltz-time lope of "Hoping." On Seagul's wonderful, near-solo "Silhouette," the mix of instruments used by the band and various guests — clarinet, trumpet, Casio keyboards, and even African slit drum at one point — gives Sealight a lushness without being overbearing.

[Ned Raggett, allmusic.com]

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The Chills - Submarine Bells (1990)

2008-08-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Since people seem to be enjoying 'Brave Words', I decided to post this pop gem of an album, the last Chills' release to be featured on this blog. Everything one expects from a Chills album is here: delicately complex arrangements, Phillipps' endearingly fragile vocals, evocative lyrics; an atmospheric carnival of sounds that form the band's definitive mature statement. - Ariel

On a major label for the first time, Phillipps crafted a lovely record indeed, a mere thirty-six minutes and not a second wasted. Lead-off track and single "Heavenly Pop Hit" remains the most famous track and deservedly so — over a rapturous keyboard/rhythm combination, Phillipps sings just that, an inspiring lyric with a soaring chorus, aided by additional backing vocals from guest Donna Savage. From there it's one high point after another, never losing the sense of elegance and drive that characterizes the band's work. Phillipps' at-once strong and amiably regular-guy vocals and astonishingly intelligent but never overly obtuse lyrics are both wonders, while Andrew Todd's excellent keyboard work provides both energy and lovely shading. Add to that a fine rhythm section in bassist Justin Harwood and drummer James Stephenson, and it's no wonder this version of the Chills succeeds as it does. One fantastic example of their work together is "Singing In My Sleep," with Phillipps giving heavy tremolo treatment to his guitar as everyone else creates something that's not too far from Neu!'s motorik throb, in a gentler pop vein. More such Krautrock-inspired chug has plenty of echoes on Bells, following in the same vein as "I Love My Leather Jacket" — check out the brisk delivery on "The Oncoming Day" or the skipping intensity of "Dead Web." Otherwise, there're hints of the gentle folky/medieval touches they enjoy on "I SOAR" and "Don't Be—Memory" and more straightforward rocking out on the sharp "Familiarity Breeds Contempt," where Phillipps' New Zealand burr comes through with intensity. The title track, with serene orchestration filling out the grand arrangement, is a note-perfect way to conclude such a fantastic release.

[Ned Raggett, allmusic.com]

[Link Removed]

The Chills - Brave Words (1987)

2008-08-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

This debut full-length from the Chills was produced by Red Krayola's Mayo Thompson; if you haven't picked up his 'Corky's Debt to His Father' yet, get it here! Murkier than the songs of 'Kaleidoscope World', 'Brave Words' is more embracing of the melancholic darkness that was at the heart of much of Martin Phillipps' classic music.
- Ariel

The first proper album from the Chills, following a several-years'-long string of classic indie pop singles, is the culmination of the band's early promise. Produced by Texas art rock weirdo Mayo Thompson, the sound is thick and echoey, adding a layer of foreboding even to relatively bright tunes like the manic opener "Push" and turning songs like the brilliant "16 Heart-throbs" (a creepy, anguished memorial to Jayne Mansfield) into dark, throbbing epics. Andrew Todd's organ work is unusually prominent in the mix, overshadowing even Martin Phillipps' lead vocals on several tracks. The effect tends to treat Phillipps' voice as another instrument, which when combined with the tumbling logorrhea of his lyrics gives the sound an odd, unsettling urgency. Brave Words doesn't have the simplicity and directness of the Chills' early singles (collected on the Kaleidoscope World LP), which caused some longtime fans to dismiss the album upon its release; listened to at some remove, the merits of songs as graceful as "Night of Chill Blue" and the endearing "Look for the Good in Others and They'll See the Good in You" are obvious. Brave Words may well be the Chills' finest album.

[Stewart Mason, allmusic.com]

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Ghost Club - Suicide Train (2005)

2008-08-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

Formed during 1996, Ghost Club was originally an offshoot of the popular Flying Nun band, the 3Ds. Former 3Ds David Mitchell and Denise Roughan moved from Dunedin, New Zealand to London in 1997, & have continued making music as the Ghost Club adding Jim Abbott to the line-up.

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The Wild Poppies - Heroine (1987)

2008-08-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

A Band I know practically nothing at all about other than the fact they were from New zealand and released this Jangly little gem of an lp sometime in 1987. Sounds similar to The Bats, Clean, Verlaines, Feelies, Sneaky feelings and The Chills but with their own slightly experimental tendencies in areas, Very good stuff deffinitely worth checking out if you're a fan of those mentioned bands. - Gozz

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Great Unwashed - Collection

2008-08-05T02:11:00.000-07:00

The Complete studio recordings of post Clean band The Great unwashed. Definitely recommended for Fans of The Clean and similar Goofy, Melancholy tinged, bedroom recorded jangly goodness.

In the wake of the 1982 breakup of the legendary Clean, brothers David and Hamish Kilgour continued writing songs together; adopting the tongue-in-cheek name Great Unwashed, they released the 1983 LP Clean Out of Our Minds, a collection of primitive home recordings with a slightly experimental bent. The record was well received by steadfast Clean fans, and with bassist Peter Gutteridge in tow, the Kilgour brothers played a handful of live dates. A five-track double single subsequently appeared, and in mid-1984 the Great Unwashed swelled to a quartet with the addition of Ross Humphries; however, by the end of the year, the group disbanded.-

[Allmusic.com]

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Tall Dwarfs - Hello Cruel World (1987) + 3 EPs (1994)

2008-08-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

Pioneers of the lo-fi aesthetic and towering figures of the New Zealand pop music scene, the Tall Dwarfs were formed in 1979 by singers/songwriters Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate following the demise of their previous band, the legendary Toy Love. Recording on Knox's four-track machine, the duo debuted with the 1981 EP Three Songs, highlighted by the classic "Nothing's Going to Happen." The record was a hit, although it left many Toy Love fans baffled by the pair's new musical direction: Tall Dwarfs' releases were deliberately primitive, the D.I.Y. ethic at its purest — songs were all recorded at home (performed in bedrooms, hallways and the like) and defiantly experimental in nature, presaging the rise of what was ultimately dubbed "lo-fi" as the sound began to grow in prominence and influence over the course of the decades to follow.

[Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com]

Leaving the bulk of their catalog to the Flying Nun label, Tall Dwarfs have found another friend in the Homestead imprint for releasing this excellent collection of tracks from a handful of the group's rare EP's. The New Zealand lo-fi innovators are certainly well-represented with these 22 varied and top-notch sides from the first half of the '80s. With plenty of deft guitar, organ, and handclapping work to go around, fans new to Hello Cruel World will soon understand why it gave the Dwarfs their widest audience after being released in the late '80s.

[Stephen Cook, allmusic.com]

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The Hello Cruel World compilation is the best way to get acquainted with Tall Dwarfs, but if you want just one of their other albums, this is probably the best choice. Recorded in 1992 and 1993, it has just as much variety as any other disc (compilation or otherwise) by the group, but doesn't wear out its welcome as much over the course of the merry-go-round. Some of their most spaced-out stuff is here: the fogged-over hurdy-gurdy waltz of "Bob's Yer Uncle," the stoner psychedelia of "Two Dozen Lousy Hours" (complete with warp-simulation sound effects), the white blues satire (how long has it been since you heard one of those?) "Postmodern Deconstructivist Blues." They can't resist succumbing to numbing repetitive lo-fi fuzz riffs from time to time (as on "Self-Deluded Dreamboy (In a Mess)"), but after a dozen years it seems unreasonable to expect that they'll grow up in this regard.

[Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com]

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"The Brain That Wouldn't Die"
"All My Hollowness to You" (Live)

The Chills - Kaleidoscope World (1986)

2008-08-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Consider this album (featuring the blog's namesake!) and the Clean Anthology the beginnings of a Flying Nun primer; later this week we'll hopefully be posting some lesser-known FN for your listening pleasure. Until then, enjoy this slice of pop perfection courtesy of Martin Phillipps and whoever he decided was in his band that week. Essential listening. - Ariel

Kaleidoscope World is the Chills' essential document, although it's not an album but a collection of tracks from early- and mid-'80s EPs, singles, and compilation cuts. Perhaps that's not surprising: the Chills are more skilled at crafting interesting odds and sods than sustaining interest over the course of an album, where their somewhat monochromatic approach tends to drag things down. The influence of Syd Barrett/early Pink Floyd is stronger on these early tracks than it would be on subsequent releases, both on the easygoing sing-along numbers and the more experimental outings. The highlight (of both the album and the Chills' career) is their New Zealand hit single, the haunting "Pink Frost."

[Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com]

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"I Love My Leather Jacket"

LiLiPUT | Kleenex (Complete Recordings)

2008-07-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

With the exception of the Raincoats and the Slits, LiLiPUT was really the only other viable contender to the mantle of best all-female post-punk band; and they're Swiss! If you like either of the aforementioned groups, LiLiPUT is essential listening. - Ariel

Formed in Zurich in 1978 by guitarist Marlene Marder and bassist/vocalist Klaudia Schiff, [Liliput] began with the name Kleenex until the threat of a lawsuit by corporate giant Kimberly-Clark (who had copyrighted the name Kleenex) forced them to become Liliput in 1980. Recording for the great English indie label Rough Trade, the then-Kleenex produced jumpy, aggressive, clamorous punk-noise that featured Marder's scratchy, semi-melodic guitar and Schiff's yelping vocals. Not punk rock in the fast, loud, economical sense, Liliput were forging a different kind of punk, one that was gleefully anarchic, avant-garde, unrestrained, and suffused with a giddy, almost palpable sense of joy. Listening to this music, one gets the sense that there was a near-rapturous enjoyment that went into these recordings. Their tenure at Rough Trade was short, as was their interest in exploring career options beyond Europe.

By 1982, when they released their first LP, they seemed perfectly happy remaining in Switzerland, running the band as part of numerous other artistic projects (painting, writing, etc.) they pursued. By the end of 1983, Liliput had disbanded, and the music they had recorded quickly achieved legendary, but mostly unheard, status. As for the band, they seemed destined to be relegated to the status of feminist-inspired punk rock footnote. All of this changed in 1993, when the Swiss label Off Course released a double-disc, 46-track compilation of the entire recorded output of Kleenex/Liliput. The result was one of the great reissues of the decade. Unfortunately, it went out of print shortly after its release, but Kill Rock Stars released it again in early 2001, making it more accessible than before. The exuberance and excitement of Liliput's breathtaking music can be enjoyed once again, and a band that was almost forgotten returns with some of the most artful, contemporary, truly alternative music to be recorded under the genre identifier of punk rock. Also, fans of riot grrrl rock take note: this was a tremendously influential band. Although they eschewed extreme confrontation, there is a compelling sense of self that imbues this music and lit the way for a new generation of female musicians.

[John Dougan, allmusic.com]

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Gary Higgins - Red Hash (1973)

2008-07-30T16:24:00.001-07:00

A beautifully wrought record of sun-drenched folk musings courtesy of Gary Higgins, Red Hash was reissued in 2005 on Drag City to great acclaim. This is a "Buried Treasure" that lives up to its reputation. - Ariel

Gary Higgins' only album has much in common with many other vaguely hippie-ish singer/songwriter records from the early '70s on small or vanity labels. There's a laid-back feel that seems two or three years out of time (or behind the times), like an exhausted hangover from the wilder peaks of the psychedelic era. Relative to this collector-oriented genre, however, the record's very much above average. For one thing, the production is much better than it is for many such endeavors that suffered from limited distribution — subdued and no frills, perhaps, but clear, well recorded, and well played and sung. Too, few other records of this sort are so downright melancholy, though without succumbing to the unhinged despair that consigns many of them to an extremely limited audience. It's more like being trapped in a room where the candles are burning down to their wicks, with the knowledge that there will be no encores once the music's over. Higgins was in prison in the early '70s, and while it might be too much to project his personal circumstances onto judgment of the proceedings, it does rather sound like the musings of a gentle soul who somehow lost his way or got steered down the wrong path. There are dark insinuations of insomnia, doubt, a loss of hope, and in the last lyric of the closing "Looking for June," desperate wondering as to where he's gonna get some dope. "Down on the Farm" sounds almost like a folky Captain Beefheart with its guttural vocals and twisted blues progressions, but it's not typical of an album that usually goes for a far more placid and mainstream (though slightly bent) singer/songwriter sound.

[Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com]

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Josef K - Entomology (2006)

2008-07-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

Josef K's complete studio recordings can be had on two discs. Young and Stupid and The Only Fun in Town/Sorry for Laughing, both of which were reissued in 2002, tell the whole story, yet they were deleted by the time of Entomology's late 2006 release. The disc marks the first time anything Josef K-related has been released Stateside, and it passably packs the highlights. Half of the tracks are pulled from Sorry for Laughing (a 1980 album that initially didn't make it past the test-pressing phase) and The Only Fun in Town (a 1981 album that featured some re-recordings of Sorry for Laughing material), while the remainder wraps up all the essential sides from the band's singles, in addition to a 1981 BBC session for John Peel. If you have the 2002 LTM reissues, there's no need to obtain the disc; it would be completely redundant. If you don't have them, you'll be getting the vivid gist of a sharp and short-lived band — one that delivered brief, spastic shards of over-caffeinated post-punk with skittish vocals on the verge of spinning out of control. Along with Fire Engines, Orange Juice, Associates, Altered Images, Scars, Simple Minds, Aztec Camera, and Cocteau Twins, Josef K were standouts of an extremely vital post-punk era Scotland. This disc, along with Orange Juice's The Glasgow School and Scritti Politti's Early, is one of the essential post-punk reissues of 2005/2006.

[Andy Kellman, allmusic.com]

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Lula Côrtes e Zé Ramalho - Paêbirú (1975)

2008-07-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

Paêbirú is the Holy Grail of Brazillian psychedelia; if all you know of this incredibly rich musical landscape is Os Mutantes, pick this up immediately. - Ariel

Thanks to cult-creating stories about how nearly all original copies of this Brazilian double-album effort from 1975 were lost in a fire, Paebiru is one of those records that has to overcome a reputation — it has to actually be good because it's good, not because it's rare. The 2005 re-release on Shadoks gave a chance for that concern to be addressed, and it must be said: Paebiru really is a fantastic album. With each of its original four sides named after the legendary four elements (earth, air, fire, water), Paebiru looks to aim high and does so pretty well, but the more telling thing about the album is how well Cortes and Ramalho's work fits in the present day. Thanks to the continually reviving psych/freak/acid folk/jam scene, one could play most of this album next to the Sunburned Hand of the Man and Animal Collective discs with nobody blinking — but the key difference is probably that Cortes and Ramalho, plus their many collaborators, are really sharp musicians and arrangers. There's a talented, easy fluidity about Ramalho's singing that, if rougher, isn't far removed from classic Brazilian pop singers of his time, while the most intense moments, such as the building multi-percussive/feedback freakout of "Culto a Terra," stand up readily now as they did then. Elsewhere, the beautiful, almost serene compositions interspersed throughout ("Bailado das Muscarias," which definitely is a dance tune regardless of lack of percussion; the blending of harp, flute, sax, and more on "Omm") create something pastoral and with a romantic late-night lounge feeling. The resultant blend of approaches and the variety throughout the album become more apparent even while each song is simply captivating on its own, and when they decide to conventionally rock out on "Nas Paredes da Pedra Encantada," the result is almost Can-like.

[Ned Raggett, allmusic.com]

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Human Switchboard - Who's Landing In My Hanger? (1981)

2008-07-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Criminally underrated, bursting with energy, Human Switchboard combined art-rock edge with melodic pop music in an irresistible package; this is essential for fans of the "Hoboken Sound" of the early eighties, drawing comparisons to co-contemporaries such as The Bongos and The Feelies. Do yourself a favor. - Ariel

Most music writers seemed incapable of discussing Human Switchboard without mentioning The Velvet Underground, and there's no getting around the fact Rob Pfeifer's melodic style and clipped vocal delivery bears a certain resemblance to what Lou Reed was doing back in his formative days. But there's an emotional tension and sexual paranoia in Pfeifer's work that sets him decidedly apart from the Velvets and their many followers, and songs like "This Town" and "Refrigerator Door" speak of a grim, landlocked existence that would likely not have occurred to anyone outside of the Midwest. And while Pfeifer's jagged guitar has a certain Velvets-like quality, the homey buzz of Myrna Marcarian's Farfisa organ makes it clear there's more than a little garage in this band's formula, and there's a weary wisdom to Marcarian's occasional vocals that's human and endearing. While Human Switchboard left behind a pair of live documents, Who's Landing in My Hangar? was their only studio album, and while the Spartan, low-budget production isn't always flattering to the band's sound, the cutting emotional clarity of these songs shines through; perhaps this isn't the ideal Human Switchboard album, but it leaves no doubt that they were a great, passionate band with plenty to say, and Who's Landing in My Hangar? preserves ten of their best songs for the ages. A reissue is certainly in order.

[Mark Deming, allmusic.com]

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"Who's Landing in My Hanger?"

"I Can Walk Alone"

The United States of America - The United States of America (1968)

2008-07-26T22:48:00.001-07:00

Despite releasing only one LP, the United States of America was among the most revolutionary bands of the late '60s — grounded equally in psychedelia and the avant-garde, their music eschewed guitars in favor of strings, keyboards and haunting electronics, predating the ambient pop of the modern era by several decades. The United States of America was led by composer and keyboardist Joseph Byrd, a Kentucky native raised in Tucson, Arizona; there he appeared with a series of rock and country bands while attending high school, subsequently playing vibes in a jazz outfit as a student at the University of Arizona. Despite winning a fellowship to study music at Stanford, Byrd instead relocated to New York, intrigued by the avant-garde experiments emerging from the city's downtown music scene; there he began earning international notoriety for his own compositions, at the same time working as a conductor, arranger, associate producer and assistant to critic Virgil Thomson.

Byrd eventually returned to the west coast, accepting an assistant teaching position at UCLA and moving into a beachfront commune populated by a group of grad students, artists and Indian musicians. He soon began studying acoustics, psychology and Indian music, but quickly turned back to experimental composition, leaving the university in the summer of 1967 to write music full-time and produce "happenings." To perform his new songs — material inspired in no small part by the psychedelic sounds produced during the Summer of Love — Byrd recruited a group of UCLA students (vocalist Dorothy Moskowitz, bassist Rand Forbes, electric violinist Gordon Marron and drummer Craig Woodson) to form the United States of America; the group's lone self-titled LP, produced by David Rubinson, was recorded for CBS in 1968, its unique ambience due largely to their pioneering use of the ring modulator, a primitive synthesizer later popularized by the Krautrock sound.

[Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com]

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Greg Ashley - Medicine Fuck Dream (2003) + Painted Garden (2007)

2008-07-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Two albums of lo-fi Acidy psychy folk from (In my opinion) a master of Psych that sounds like a whole new sound. Sure there are elements of Syd, Roky and Mayo in there but nothing that comes close to straight ripping off. Some songs may seem long but they will reward with great melodic changes if you have the patience to listen. If you like your music stoned and acid fried to hell give these two releases and his other bands a deffinate whirl. Great lazy day late night music!. His albums are most deffinately still in print and can be found on Birdman records, So if you enjoy his sound as much as I do please buy his music.
Gozz.

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The Homosexuals - The Homosexuals' CD (2003)

2008-07-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is classic raw, angular D.I.Y. post-punk with a pop sensibility; a must for fans of Pere Ubu, Wire, or the Television Personalities. If you enjoy this--and why wouldn't you?--please visit Chuck Warner's fabulous Hyped to Death website and order their Homosexuals 3CD 'Astral Glamour' set. While you're there, I implore you to check out the Messthetics series; you won't regret it, but your bank account might. - Ariel

The Homosexuals were an influential British punk band formed in 1972 as Rejects by Bruno Wizard, Anton Hayman, and Jim Welton (who has also gone by the names L. Voag, Amos, and Xentos).

Their angular guitars, complex melodies, and experimental leanings distanced them somewhat from the punk rock being created by their contemporaries and has cemented their reputation as a pre-cursor to post-punk. They released very little during their lifetime, and most of what they did release was on small run vinyl on obscure record labels. The members also recorded in various combinations under several different pseudonyms. These "side projects" include Amos & Sara, George Harassment, Sara Goes Pop, and Nancy Sesay & The Melodaires. The only full length LP by the band, 1984's The Homosexual's Record was complied and released by Chris Cutler for Recommended Records, reissued remastered on CD with additional tracks in 2004 as The Homosexual's CD. Also released that year was Astral Glamour, a 3-CD set including the band's entire catalgoue, unreleased songs, and work by several of the band's pseudonymous projects.

[wikipedia.org]

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Mayo Thompson - Corky's Debt to His Father (1969)

2008-07-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

An awesomely fun and odd as hell album from this Psych hero Who's Red Krayola Still performs to this day after many different line up changes and consistently good musical changes. The Music has a folkier sound than most of the Red Krayola's stuff up till the time of this release. Packed with Off kilter lyrics and strange melodies. Mayo also played in Pere Ubu for sometime and also produced work for some bands such as The Chills.

Deffinately an album for Fans of the Red krayola and Syd Barrett.

Gozz.

"Although this, to put it mildly, is not a record for mainstream tastes, it nevertheless may be more palatable to pop ears than any of Thompson's numerous Red Krayola records. With a folkier bent than his group projects, Thompson projects himself as a lovable oddball of sorts, stringing together free-associative, non-sequitur lyrics against chord progressions and time signatures that, as is his wont, refuse to adhere to accepted norms. Much of it's rather catchy (if not hummable), though, with a whimsical sense of fun that makes it impossible to dismiss as pretentious artsiness"(Allmusic)

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