I'll start this thing off by saying this if Touch & Go and Dischord had met halfway (where is that, eastern PA?) and fused back in the 90s, there's a pretty good shot Electric Jellyfish would have been on that label. Containing the minimalist, rhythm-section-focused viewpoint of, say, Shellac or mellow Jesus Lizard, as well as some of the spindly riffs (and also focus on the rhythm-section) and agitated shouts of various Dischord alums--they would have been the perfect signing.
"Trouble Coming Down" starts out with militant drumming and semi-loose guitar melodies. The track really gets moving once they start bashing their instruments a bit as the vocalist gives away to strong shouts full of fury and bluster, somewhere between Ian Mackaye and David Yow when he wasn't frothing at the mouth. Straight-up, no-nonsense power trio rock. No overdubs as far as I can hear. It sounds like being in the basement with the band.
While "Trouble Coming Down" is billed as the A-side, I think "Nothing" might be my preferred track. It's bass-driven, with some alternating guitar grappling and one-chord slashing. After the thumping of the first half, the second half of the track is a long come down of atmospheric guitar ruminations and the vocalist muttering "Nothing on the edge of town" over and over. Nice. The track reminds me a bit of Circus Lupus who always sounded like they were a few threads away from completely snapping. I like that in a band.
This tape is kinda cool cause these guys sound so much out of their time; if I had just bought this randomly in a record store not knowing anything about it I would have guessed this thing was like 15 years old.
Apparently the tape was recorded between dates during Electric Jellyfish's Australian tour last year and sold on their US tour this past spring but Twin Lakes alotted a limited percentage to be available post-tour. Tape can be grabbed here
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