The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 25

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

The Byrds - Fifth Dimension LP $3. 

This is a great record. I'm partial to Sweetheart of the Rodeo, but of the truly "Byrdsy" Byrds records, Fifth Dimension towers above the rest. It's got their most iconic song, if not their most famous, (psychedelic monolith "Eight Miles High") and plenty of other good tunes. Before I grabbed this, I already knew some of these songs from the Greatest Hits LP we've had around the house for years, and they're wonderful, but "What's Happening?!?!" knocked me out the first time I played this record. I'm writing about this LP just so I can write about this song. It sounds likes 80s/90s indie rock was birthed a couple decades prior. To me, anyway. Melodic, catchy but reluctantly so. Total slacker vibe. There's not even a verse-chorus structure, or really any structure. It's just a melodic refrain taking turns with dueling guitar leads with some unobtrusive but infectious ticka-tacka drumming. Total bubblegum for the underground rock crowd in my book. David Crosby serves as the regular Byrds whipping boy (and rightly so!) but I have to give credit where it's due. "What's Happening?!?!" is a solo Crosby writing credit, and it's one of the best, most forward thinking Byrd tunes in their canon. Cheers Davey boy, thanks for your contributions.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 24

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Randy Newman - Good Old Boys LP $3. 

Oh man, what a record. Not the first Newman record I dug, but the first where I totally "got" him. Growing up I just knew him as the Toy Story guy. Catchy songs, but seemed totally MOR and milquetoast. But every once in a while I would read a comment about his vicious wit or brazen satire, and I'd always think "Huh? The Pixar house composer?" Well, that vicious wit and brazen satire? It shows up in spades on Good Old Boys, a concept record written from the viewpoint of a racist Southerner. Newman takes no prisoners and everyone is a target. The album's most (in)famous and catchiest tune "Rednecks" skewers both the ignorance of the South and the hypocrisy of the North, all while loading up the infectious chorus with racial epithets. Don't play that one around the kids. And, of course, because this is Randy Newman, the composition and arrangement are top drawer. One listen to melancholy anthem "Louisiana, 1927" and the album's beauty is readily apparent. Or the chilling, queasy chorus of "Kingfish", presaging Tom Waits's own brand of oft-kilter, macabre melodicism. One review I read spoke about how the contemporary reception of Good Old Boys criticized him for being too callous and disparaging of his subjects, while if this record had been released today Newman would have been cancelled immediately for not repudiating his subjects harshly enough. As far as I'm concerned, that means Newman threaded the needle perfectly. It takes a special work of art to cause multi-generational discomfort. I became massively obsessed with Good Old Boys for several weeks and there's no doubt I will be again some day. Randy has made a lot of fantastic records but this is the best.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 23

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Hagerty-Toth Band - Qalgebra LP $3. 

So glad I took a whiff on this one. I lift my voice in praise to the record gods. This sounds exactly like a record Neil Hagerty and Wooden Wand would make, without being a retread. At least in my imagination, don't know Wand stuff too closely and, while I know the Trux discography pretty thoroughly, I'm patchy on solo Neil/Hex stuff. I guess, when it comes down to it, I don't really know what I'm talking about. Except for when it comes to Qalgebra. Because I know this record is a true pleasure. Tightly coiled pop-tinged runarounds (check out the smashing opener "Spindizzy"), slide guitar wandering out in the wilderness, goofy spoken word repartee, breezy wah-wah grooves, wildman collage jammin'. It was that first item in the list that really bowled me over. These songs have legit hooks, pulled off with nonchalant aplomb. Qalgebra is about as good as weirdo-pop gets (and we all know that's really goddamn good). Totally oddball, energetic and super listenable. A steal!

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 22

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Peter Gabriel - So CD $0. 

This is my dad's domain but I figured "fuck it, it's free". My most vivid memory of Peter Gabriel is him looking like a buffoon in a 90s SNL performance, trying (and failing) to synchronize pathetically simple choreography with his 40-something bandmates. Yet, some people talk about him like he's "an artist" so, for zero dollars, the edification was worth the price. Pete sings like Sting so that sucks, but I found a lot to enjoy otherwise on So. Both Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson pop up on the record, which shouldn't have surprised me given his appearances on their records, and while Pete ≠ Kate nor Laurie, it does say something that he asked them to be on his record. He's not the visionary that Bush or Anderson are, but he uses the Fairlight a bunch and comes up with plenty of interesting textures. He can also write a hook ("Big Time" and "Sledgehammer" are dumb fun for the whole family), even if he doesn't know when to edit. (The verses of "In Your Eyes", great. The chorus of "In Your Eyes", barf.) So was his big hit record, and it works very well as an 80s hit record; now, for the first time, I'm interested in exploring what Gabriel did before achieving hitmaker status.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 21

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Joni Mitchell - Hissing of Summer Lawns LP $3. 

One of my great accomplishments of the past several years is finally "getting" Joni. I now understand that Court and Spark is a work of towering genius. Joni at the peak of her powers as far as I can tell. But Hissing of Summer Lawns just may be the second highest summit she scaled. Overall, I like this one more than Ladies of the Canyon (even though it's a sick record), Blue or For the Roses. The focus isn't razor sharp as on Court (though I suppose the inclusion of the funky clavfest "Raised on Robbery" and concluding with a goof off rendition of "Twisted" suggests that Joni wasn't too enamored with focus), but Hissing Lawns carves new, exploratory chutes for her songwriting. Some songs sound like direct continuations of Court and Spark (the lovely lilt of "Edith and the Kingpin" or the sophisticated slink of the title track) and they rule, but just check out "The Jungle Line", the first commercial release to employ sampling. And, yeah, that's Joni jamming on a Moog (and on an ARP elsewhere on the record). Can't imagine anyone was expecting that when she was widdling away on her dulcimer. The songs are there as usual but Joni gets more impressionistic as well, both in her arrangements (the silvery glow of "The Boho Dance", the vocal/synth duet "Shadows and Light"), and in her interludes ("Shades of Scarlett Conquering" and the outstanding "Harry's House/Centerpiece", one of the album's masterpieces). Cinematic (before that adjective became a cliché) and luxuriously self-assured that it's making all the right moves (it is), this is a great fucking record.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 20

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

The Beach Boys - Holland LP $3. 

Holland, the last great Beach Boys LP as far as I can tell, is not one to miss. First, let's get the bad out of the way. Blondie Chaplin sings two songs which aren't that good, they sound like The Beach Boys chasing the contemporary early 70s sound, and the one thing The Beach Boys did just about better than any mainstream act was never chase trends. Now that I've slung my arrows, I can state in good conscience that the rest of the record is stellar. "Steamboat" is such a cool, narcotic trudge Total poptone trail blazer. The three-song "California Saga" is a classic Beach Boys concept triptych. And, goddamn, "The Trader" belongs in the pantheon of the very best Beach Boys songs. Think of your favorite Beach Boys song right now, there's an 85% chance "The Trader" is better than it. The second movement is perfection. The pinnacle of Carl's contributions. Go Carl!

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 19

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie CD $1.50. 

Just a drop dead beauty of a record through and through. Always wrote these guys off because of the dumb name and they weren't punk enough when I checked them out as a teen. My write off became regret in 2023. One more data point that a rock band with a violin player is the sound of the angels. CVB manages a magic trick few bands pull off which is synthesizing a grab bag of genres (reggae, klezmer, whathaveyou) into a coherent whole rather than attention-seeking pastiche. Even the instrumental tracks, that usually bloated albums and bored listeners in this era, are sweet. Truly dripping with classics but "When I Win the Lottery" is best, hope I can karaoke it one day.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 18

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Tim Hardin - Tim Hardin 1 LP $3. 

Sneakily one of my most listened to the records of the year. Have played it regularly since getting it. Interesting blend of folk, blues and soul. Gentle enough to drop the needle immediately upon waking. "Reason to Believe" is an all-timer. Supposedly, the string arrangements were added without Hardin's knowledge which lead him to break down into tears. I feel bad for Timmy, things seem tough enough based on all the sad-eyed songs littering the record, but I actually love the strings and vibraphone and all the stuff artist-hating producers dubbed onto records in the 60s. Also the record, runs through 12 songs in 27 minutes. Peak album efficiency, anywhere except the hardcore arena, in which case it would be four times too long.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 17

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

The Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons LP $4. 

Hot take alert: I've always thought the Stones were a legendary singles band with zero classic albums (feel the same about Depeche Mode.) I, however, stand corrected with Between the Buttons. This is a killer record. Filled to the brim with great tunes and relentlessly eclectic too. Jagger's questionable and generally lame lyrics aside, "Yesterday's Papers" drives hard on a rollicking harpsichord(!) lick. Earworm fist pumpers like "Connection", "My Obsession" and "Let's Spend the Night Together". Ornate ballads like "Ruby Tuesday" and "She Smiled Sweetly" (well familiar to any Royal Tenenbaums fan). A sticky as bubblegum, organ bopper "Complicated". Then, of course, "Cool, Calm & Collected" sounds like it was recorded in a saloon across the street from an ashram. "Who's Been Sleeping Here" nods toward to their rustic blues future but it's better than a lot of the stuff they made when they got deep in it. I've already mentioned 2/3rds of the track list, so I'll wrap it up, but I could go on. The Stones really brought it in all ways on this one. I am very happy to be proven wrong. "Connection!"

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 16

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

John Phillips - John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.) LP $4. 

The one Mama/Papa that couldn't "sing" but got to be in the band for one small reason: he wrote the songs. As you might expect, Phillips's self-titled debut (subtitled John, the Wolf King of L.A. on the LP label but not on the spine) is original tunes from top to bottom, and he gets to sing them. I quite like his voice, it's wispy (and slightly lispy) without being weightless, with an endearing softness that keeps you coming back. Opener "April Anne" is now one of my all time favorite songs. The opening pedal steel lick... what a way to fuckin' kick off a record. The lyrics, on the page, are just kinda late 60s horseshit, but when listened to, they are pure poetry. Every syllable perfectly chosen for its silvery sound, rather than literal meaning. I got addicted pretty quickly and I'm showing no signs of stopping. There were several unorthodox decisions made on the record that you have to learn to love. Some easier (the bum note in the opening guitar figure of "Topanga Canyon"), some harder (Louis Armstrong-style scatting on the otherwise stunning "Down the Beach"? You're out of your mind, Johnboy!). The peculiarities are part of the ramshackle fun though, with songs this strong and vibes this warm and inviting even the wrong moves feel right in time. One of my favorite discoveries of the year.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 15

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

The Moberlys - The Moberlys LP $5. 

I first heard Seattle's The Moberlys when I was 12. My dad had given me a 2xCD compilation of forty years of Northwest Rock Music for my birthday and "Sexteen" made the cut sandwiched between "Potential Suicide" by Wipers (classic) and "Night Shift" by fellow Seattle power pop outfit The Heats. Despite this early introduction, The Moberlys mostly just existed on the periphery for me, though I did encounter some of the songs on their eponymous 1979 debut along the way. (I swear I've heard "Papa Loves Mama" in a TV commercial or something but couldn't dig up any of evidence of this.) The Moberlys were one of those stories where the band had split before the record even came out. There's even a note "The Moberlys were together from May 1978 to September 1979" on the back jacket, something I don't recall seeing on any debut record. Jim Basnight, the songwriter/bandleader, would continue to make music and reform The Moberlys at various points. Musically, The Moberlys is some sort of connective tissue between the first Modern Lovers record and the first Weezer record. Lackadaisical, tongue-in-cheek slacker-punk attitude abounds, but there is a true bond to pop music of the early 60s. Some songs come across like direct homages to this style ("Give Me Peace" and "Papa Loves Mama") but the band is its best when it melds the retro-stylings with the contemporary crunch and jangle of the late 70s ("Last Night" and "Live in the Sun"). For fans of the gentler end of the late 70s punk continuum.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 14

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul LP $3. 

The iconic and ridiculously christened Hot Buttered Soul is a record I've read about for so long but never actually listened to. When a beat-to-hell copy showed up in the bargain bin at my local shop I knew it was time to change that. The hype is real. It indeed kicks ass. Orchestral psych-soul epics. The source of countless hip hop samples (including on a couple of MF Doom tracks) and the forefather of trip hop (heavy Portishead fumes on "Walk on By"). Towers over the other Isaac Hayes records I have, his debut, which is fine but not too exciting (even Ike thinks so), and the Shaft 2xLP which actually is cool just not as cool as Hot Buttered Soul. I've heard Black Moses is similarly riveting so that's my next Hayes target.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 13

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Black Sites - Prototype EP 12" $3. 

I compare my relationship to techno to my relationship with peaches. I enjoy both but don't have an appetite to constantly consume either. If I have one great peach from a farmers market that will probably satiate me until next year. Kinda the same with techno and this year's farmers market peach was this 12" by Black Sites which I bought knowing nothing about other it was on the PAN label (home to great avant-garde releases from Eli Keszler, John Wiese & Evan Parker, Ben Vida etc.). I pretty much buy a PAN record any time I come across one and they rarely disappoint. I'm too ignorant to know if this is "avant-garde techno" or "regular techno" nowadays but it bangs hard. I lean a little toward the former because there is some interesting stuff with combative time signatures and some noisy timbres, but maybe all techno does that now?

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 12

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Wendy Carlos - Switched-On Bach LP $1.50. 

Ongoing debate: Is Switched-On Bach a radical groundbreaking achievement or did it preemptively narrow and limit the scope and definition of what a synthesizer should do, before the world at large even knew what a synthesizer was? I tended to lean toward the latter viewpoint before picking up a copy of the record. Now, I feel like I've been overthinking things a bit. Is Bach's music traditional? Yes. Is Bach's music "Western"? Yes. Does Bach's music kick ass? Yes! And Carlos's arrangements and performances were indeed radical. There's a valid argument to using new technology to create "new" styles of music never heard before but there's an equally valid approach to take something so familiar as to be boring and to transform it into something novel and electrifying (har, har). I mean, reanimating J.S. Bach's ghost with farting sawtooths is pretty anti-establishment. Especially in 1968.

Crumbelievably, Switched-On Bach is somehow not on youtube, so hit your local bargain bin. You may enjoy songs from the other records I wrote about here:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 11

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies LP $5. 

Muswell Hillbillies (a pun on their home borough of Muswell Hill in North London) is The Kinks' Sweetheart of the Rodeo in a way. Just as The Byrds went 'n rode the Learjet all the way to Nashville to change up their sound, The Davies boys venture down a new aesthetic boulevard by channeling various strains of old timey Americana roots music to animate their English social class portraiture. I particularly like when they dip into a little Louisiana jazz, such as on "Alcohol". Coming after Lola closed out the classic 60s Kinks period with an exclamation point, Muswell Hillbillies is an overlooked record (at least I don't hear anyone talk about it) but a worthwhile one.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 10

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Duran Duran - Rio LP $4. 

Not sure what exactly prompted me to buy this, other than wanting to support my local record store by cleaning out its bargain bin. I never particularly liked the singles (well "Save a Prayer" is fun and has one of the dumbest/funniest music videos of all time) but I grabbed it anyway. After many listens, I'm still not a great fan of Le Bon's vocal style (which I now realize is what has kept me at arm's length) but it's a actually cool record otherwise, brimming with energy and great synth sounds. Plus, the finale "The Chauffeur" is legit and totally worth the price of admission. Like a John Foxx track snuck onto a hit commercial pop record.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 9

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Emmylou Harris - Luxury Liner LP $5. 

A nice collection of songs from Emmylou here. You have a pair of tunes penned by close collaborator Gram Parsons (the title track and the elegiac "She", arguably his best composition) as well as Susanna Clark, plus selections from classic old timers A.P. Carter and the Louvin Brothers, and even a rousing honky tonk version of Chuck Berry's "(You Never Can Tell) C'est la Vie". The centerpiece is Townes Van Zandt's immortal "Poncho & Lefty", as it's spelled on the jacket, which had been languishing in obscurity for years until Harris introduced it to a wider audience. Harris does justice to both the song's melancholic and mythical natures. The song has gone on to be a country standard (having Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard turn it into a smash hit single will do that) but if I'm not hearing Townes sing it, I hope I'm hearing Emmylou sing it.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 8

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Lewis Furey - Lewis Furey LP $4 CAD. 

This marked my first proper introduction to the work of violinist, pianist and Leonard Cohen collaborator, Lewis Furey. I'd loved his playing on Cohen's best album New Skin for the Old Ceremony (an all timer if there ever was one) but had not realized he had a solo career until I came across this record, his eponymous 1975 debut. From the jump, the art pop tango of, ahem, "Hustler's Tango" signals that you are heading down the path of a very peculiar album. Theatrical in all the best ways, Furey's limited vocal range and sardonic delivery forms the center to a strange set of ever shifting spokes that cycle around him on any given track. At times you might hear a little Cohen influence in there, but this is a really singular work. Furey seems to synthesize a galaxy of styles: Kurt Weill, Marc Bolan, James Taylor, Lou Reed, ornate chamber pop, cabaret jazz, dissonant avant-garde composition and more. The arrangements are reconfigured from song to song, just as likely to feature trombone as marimba as castanets as banjo. It is an inspiring album to say the least. Furey's influence can be felt in the music of fellow Canadian Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) who unleashed their own singular brand of idiosyncratic neo-classical art-pop for 21st century listeners.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 7

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Neil Young - Harvest Moon CD $0.50. 

Neil has been a very slow grower throughout my life but progress was made in 2023, thanks in part to the acquisition of Harvest Moon, my first taste of the 90s Neil albums. Not a perfect record by any means, there's a dumb song about a dog for instance, but it's solid throughout and features some pinnacles of my NY experience thus far like "Dreamin' Man" and especially the wistful "One of These Days" which played constantly on my brain radio for two weeks straight during the summer.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 6

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

The Byrds - (Untitled) 2xLP $2. 

The Byrds' only "double album" (and only untitled album, through a hilarious misunderstanding with Columbia) is not a true double album. The two records are split between live recordings and studio recordings. The first LP is solid (opener "Lover of the Bayou" is a highlight) with rocked up renditions of famous Byrds tunes. I was hyped to check out the sidelong version of "Eight Miles High" which I'd imagined as a proto-Spacemen 3 psych-feedback-implosion but it's more of a middle-of-the-road 60s rock freakout, in my book. The second LP is where my real listening occurs as it's the studio LP they affixed the live record to. It's a really strong album, not as many peaks as some other Byrds albums but consistent throughout while maintaining their trademark eclecticism. Whether the Velvets-lite vibe of extended closer "Well Come Back Home", the lonesome, Sweetheart of the Rodeo-esque ballad "Yesterday's Train", the pure glee of the Leadbelly cover "Take a Whiff of Me", or the album's best remembered song, country rock supernova "Chestnut Mare" (so stupid! so catchy!), there's good reason to add (Untitled) to every Byrds home library.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 5

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Flatliner - Black Medicine 12" $3. 

I wrote about many Holodeck releases back in the day, pretty strong quality across the board. The Troller LP is great. The BOAN record is still one of my favs from the 2010s. And, of course, the label is most notable for being Survive's initial springboard, pre-Stranger Things. So when a Holodeck release popped up in my local bargain bin, it was a no-brainer buy. Don't know any of the details on this Flatliner duo (thankfully, they do list all the equipment they used so we know this is legit. Did you build that MFOS Modular yourselves?) but I don't need to in order to enjoy this 45rpm 12". Firmly situated in the instrumental, this-could-definitely-be-a-synth-score-for-a-movie-I've-never-heard-of genre and quite a strong example at that. Lead off track, "Blasted Highway" is the most exemplary (wait, is "Blasted Highway" a movie I've never heard of?). Very on brand for Holodeck. Another satisfied customer.

A playlist of tunes from each of the records I wrote about, I'll add a new song each day:

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 4

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Judy Collins - Wildflowers LP $2. 

There are few artists more "bargain binny" than Judy Collins. Go to any bargain bin anywhere, there will be at least one Judy Collins LP taking up residence. I guarantee it. I had ignored her records for years because I forgot the cardinal rule of record buying: price ≠ quality. I finally took a chance on Wildflowers at my local shop because it had a Leonard Cohen song that he'd never recorded (along with a couple other Lenny cuts). Turns out Wildflowers is chock full of cool stuff, obviously the version of Joni's "Both Sides Now" is legendary (so legendary that I had totally forgotten about it!) but Judy's own "Albatross" is a brilliant piece of pre-Kate Bush baroque pop. Two dollars very well spent.

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 3

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine CD $2. 

Growing up, I'd always written off NIN as 90s mall-goth bullshit but I keep hearing year after year that they're amazing. Well, general population of people who say things about music on the internet and on podcasts, you've won. I finally gave Pretty Hate Machine an earnest listen after acquiring this CD and I dig it. I was surprised at how catchy this is, basically a meaner, hard edged Depeche Mode. Not fully committing to an NIN journey yet (I don't know how many more albums of Trent's lyrics I can handle) but this is a cool record, and one of the most successful independent releases of all time which I hadn't realized. 

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 2

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

Donovan - Fairy-Tale LP $2. 

I'm a big fan of Don's psychedelic pop sorcery (Wear Your Love Like Heaven was a majestic bargain bin discovery some years ago) but I had never bothered to dip into his preceding folkie, "I am English Dylan" phase. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that era is also damn good, based on this record anyway. Don's rendition/arrangement of the traditional "Candy Man" fuckin' slays! Literally one of the best songs I heard in 2023.

The 25 Bargain Buys of Xmas: Day 1

Much of my calendar year, every year, is spent sifting through record store bargain bins, estate sales, etc. and digging into the acquisitions. I win some and lose some, but I never write about it on AuxOut even though it accounts for a huge portion of my listening and discovery. In honor of the season of presents, I am celebrating some of the gifts bestowed upon me by the record gods during 2023.

 

Alice Cooper - Love it to Death LP $3. 

I probably first learned about Alice Cooper from watching Wayne's World as a little kid (wonderful performance by the way, I learned so much about Milwaukee). I didn't realize for a long time that Alice Cooper was a person but also a band, a band that Alice Cooper was in and then left. (My head is still spinning.) And, also, that not all of their songs are about Frankenstein, though Love it to Death does have "The Ballad of Dwight Frye" which is pretty fuckin' close. This is one of the earlier records by Alice Cooper (the band) after they'd blown town. The sandy Southwest was just not ready for these boys from Phoenix. Thankfully, Detroit welcomed them with open arms. The Coops definitely contracted some blood diseases from the Stooges and MC5 via bar brawls or blood oaths which mutated with their uncontrollable power pop urges. You could build a car listening to nothing but "Caught in a Dream".

ROCKTOBER 2023

Parker Allen - Melon Kolly/Parker’s First Song Diary [Ever/Never] 

I was quite excited when this cassette arrived in the mail earlier in the year, as a fan of Donna (formerly Parker) Allen’s work in Texas outfit Chronophage. As already evidenced in Chronophage’s frenetic post-whatever out-pop, Allen is quite the songwriter so a “song diary” intrigued to no end. The cassette shell calls this tape “aesthetic exercises” and that’s a shameless misnomer of modesty if there ever was one. These songs may be relatively simple home recordings but they are fully formed and undeniably beautiful, and could never be mistaken for mere exercises. I am an absolute sucker for top-notch songwriting in a home-recorded environment so I could write many, many words about this but I must stay disciplined. “We Could” recalls the Tascam intimations of Creeper Lagoon before they started making proper studio albums (think “Tonight was Fun”) and that hits me right in the lo-fi pleasure zone. Cyclical acoustic guitar and rhythmic wheeze in the background, total perfection. Allen exhibits both a strong grasp of melody and how to deliver it via oblique methods. Melon Kolly could be quickly summed up as “confessional folk music” except that Allen’s doesn’t sound like anyone else’s. Songs like “Mother” and “Afterbirth” are sweet and soothing yet keep listeners on their toes. “Imps” almost harkens back to 80s synth pop symphonies despite its modest and largely acoustic arrangement, it doesn’t take much to envision it as a killer tune by Simple Minds, Tears for Fears or Depeche Mode. The ratio of vocal tracks and instrumentals is about 50/50, and the instrumental pieces are some of the best the cassette has to offer, particularly the opening fingerpicked arpeggios of “Ankh” which seamlessly draw you into Allen’s world. The instrumentals often highlight a particular instrument (whistling on “Red”, melodica on “Rosemary Many Voices” and the gorgeous “An Award”) and many sit in a minor key but the jaunty “Sunday Painters” (perhaps a tribute to the Aussie band?) is much more wistful—porch music for a sunny afternoon. I hope this is the First Song Diary of many more from Allen. It’s much more ambitious than its humble demeanor would lead you to believe. 

Eyes and Flys - Swirl Maps [no label] 

Eyes and Flys, lead by Pat Shanahan and a shifting group of collaborators, have been regularly self-releasing 7” singles for the past several years, usually selling them at the prices of a 1997 mailorder catalog (this LP is only ten bucks on their bandcamp). In that time Shanahan has relocated from the frigid temps of Buffalo to the sunny climes of Long Beach. All that solar power has generated the first Eyes and Flys full-length LP, the ten-song Swirl Maps. The record exhibits a mixture of the various Eyes and Flys modes, whether it be classic knockabout music (opening thumper “Dogs on the Beach” and album highlights “Return to the Earth” and “Empty Safe”) or when they downshift into a mellower gear. Though when Eyes and Flys mellow, they rarely soften as heard on “Records and Books”, “St Roch”, or “Close Your Eyes” which flirts with straight noise. Shanahan’s perma-sneer tends to be the central throughline in Eyes and Flys’ music, but it does take a break on the goth-y ballad “Take The Keys” and the fuzzed up, free floating instrumental “Termino”. The eponymous “Eyes and Flys” from the band’s first 7” is revisited here in a faster, amped-up version. It's one of E+F’s catchiest tunes, a raucous four-chord stomper, now finely tuned for instant party. A welcome return even if it takes everything I have to restrain myself from putting a boot through my TV and chucking a lamp out my living room window. Most interestingly, “Cactus Flowers” nudges Eyes and Flys into an almost Royal Trux-y direction, revamping various 70s guitar moves into its punk architecture, perhaps gesturing to a future cock rock teardown/reconfigure on record #2. I’m down. Oh, I almost forgot, there is some fierce tambourine playing on this record! 

James Fella & Gabriella Isaac - Performances [Gilgongo] 

I was a fan of James Fella’s and Gabriella Isaac’s previous LP CCTK Music (which you can read more about HERE) and I’m a fan of this here follow up Performances as well. The first track is another performance of the piece “CCTK Music” where Fella and Isaac mix and manipulate six stereo reference lacquers running into a 12-channel mixer summed to a final stereo output (a handy visual diagram is included). Just as on the preceding LP, the duo wages war with noise, sculpting lacerating feedback and industrial-sized low frequency churn. For all those, like me, who enjoy having their inner ear scraped. In addition to this new performance, Isaac and Fella each contribute a solo performance—unrelated to "CCTK Music" as far as I can tell. Issac’s comes first and it’s comparatively minimal, if no less aggressive. Between the sharp digital pings, groaning bodies under the topsoil, and sheer sonic terror Isaac unleashes when she takes the gloves off (keep your hand near the volume knob if you wish to survive) this track takes the top of my head clean off. Expertly composed/improvised, the track makes for beloved discomfort, particularly near the end where quick blasts of static fracture and multiply in eternal irresolution. Bravo! Fella, alternately, contributes a tape machine-based piece, where the audible mechanical functions of tape machines become the primary tissue of the composition. Fragments of audio playback weasel their way in. Sometimes you catch the echo of a guitar, or a piano, or a voice, or a TV set. They are just fleeting glimpses while you spiral into hypnosis. Noises start to come faster, the relaxation becomes unsettling, uncertainty sets in, “did I already hear that sound before?” A sustained tone grows from somewhere amid the skittering static, getting stronger, and that’s the creepiest thing on the pallet. It’s a terrifying, grinding come down from Side A. What a ride. Given not only the overall quality, but the variety at play here, Performances actually surpasses its predecessor. And the cover is none more yellow, you can’t not love that. 

Post Moves & The Sound Memory Ensemble - Recall the Dream Breath [Moone/Lobby Art Editions] 

A new artist to me, Post Moves combines two of my many interests, basketball and pedal steel. (If you’re not already fascinated by pedal steel, get with it.) Post Moves is the nom de plume of Sam Wenc, here credited in conjunction with The Sound Memory Ensemble to highlight contributions from Kyle Field (Little Wings) and John Dieterich (Deerhoof), as well as Wenc’s work on many instruments beyond pedal steel (such as percussion and bowed strings). The first half of the record consists of “composed” pieces and then segues into pieces that were improvised (or developed during recording), though the record moves along far more seamlessly than that sounds. The first (“composed”) side consists of opener “Grief Fields” and “Lorraine’s” and it’s quite beautiful, taken in its entirety. There is a gently undulating quality as instrumentation is gradually added after the initial pedal steel rumination, then peeled back again and so forth. To my ears, inspiration is clearly drawn from early Godspeed You! Black Emperor (there’s even a spoken word piece via Field that materializes from the ether) but Post Moves is clearly mapping its own territory with the lovely textures of the rustic arrangements and a free flowing lonesome desert spirit (despite this being recorded in the Northeast!). Where GY!BE was a paranoid heart attack at the time, Recall the Dream Breath is comparatively soothing, wryly languorous and contented. Although it is one of the “improvised” pieces, I must say “The Ladder’s Shadow” is the most evocative and gloriously accomplished piece on the album, including its sinister conclusion. Appearing smack dab in the middle of the record, it easily represents its peak. Chock full of atmosphere but not dull or formless in the least, Recall the Dream Breath is a wonderfully conceived and orchestrated record for many occasions. 

Strapping Fieldhands - Lyve: In Concerte [Ever/Never] 

Whether it’s “Philly’s Finest” or “The best post-skiffle group on the planet”, Strapping Fieldhands, one of the most exemplary musical outfits generated by 90s America, are known by many names. They were once viewed in the loose group of “lo-fi” bands from the early 90s alongside Pavement, Grifters and Guided By Voices (they’re even thanked on Bee Thousand) but they never got as much shine as they should have compared to their peers, at least in my view. It's absolutely incredible that the band is still going after 30+ years and we should all rejoice at our good fortune. Surprisingly, the Hands have never been bestowed the “live album” honor they’ve so richly deserved, until now that is—thanks to our guardian angels at Ever/Never. The recordings comprising the LP are from 1993-96, recorded by legends in their own right, Mike Rep and Tommy Jay (R.I.P.). So many classic cuts appear here (“He’s Right!” “Arrogant Flower” and on and on) with the majority of the setlist drawn from their first LP Discus and their essential 10” In The Pineys. With those being my two personal favorite Fieldhands releases, it will come as no surprise that I’m as happy and pleased as clam punch while listening to Lyve: In Concerte. (It should be noted that some songs appear with alternate titles, “Kiwis Go Home” is billed here as “I’m Going”, for example.) Double pleasure for me because a couple of songs that only appeared on compilations I don’t own appear here (“Just Too Much” from the Pimps Toe Accelerator comp and “Ollie’s Interfader” from Carry On Ooij (A Brinkman Waaghals Compilation)). 

Picking out highlights here is a bit of a silly exercise because they’re all hits. I will say that the rollicking “He’s Right!” is perhaps my favorite Fieldhands tune and the version captured here does not disappoint with the band sounding surprisingly tight with livewire energy. Nevertheless, the Fieldhands' finest moment on Lyve may just be their epic rendition of “Lonnie Donegan’s Mum’s Tea Chest” which gets me hootin’ and hollerin’ every time. I’m also delighted that a version of “Future Pastoral” made it onto the record (tagged as “I Don’t Know Why”) replete with sick accordion accompaniment.  

Oftentimes, live albums prove to be a for-fans-only proposition. Lyve: In Concerte, however, also serves as a great introduction to the band. It may lack some of the softer, more intricate moments present on their albums but fully captures the spirit of the band plowing through a collection of classic tunes. Recommended for longtime fans, new fans, and fans-yet-to-be. All hail the Hands! 

Gene Tripp - The Ghost of Gene Tripp [Moone/SickSickSick] 

On the heels of Caleb Dailey’s LP from last year, Moone Records, alongside fellow desert explorers SickSickSick, are back with another cosmic country platter. The Ghost of Gene Tripp is an altogether different beast, however. Whereas Dailey sounded drowsily in love with life, Tripp (alter ego of Jay Hufman) reeks of forlorn menace. In fact, this 12” boldly begins with several minutes of blistering static and bowed drones, part way between the bucolic feedback of Flying Saucer Attack and spicier firestarters like Hototogisu. My favorite moment of the record comes right in between the first two tracks. The aforementioned voiceless firestorm suddenly yields to Tripp’s booming baritone as “Trains” springs to life. Lonesome ambling set against downed power lines smoldering ten yards yonder. It is a splendidly jarring juncture as Gene’s ghost cracks open, leaking out a sticky black goo of rippling guitar and spooked out strings, while feedback yelps in the distance, intent on survival. The combo of those two tracks is a real barnburner and quite possibly my favorite 10 minute stretch of 2023 sounds. The high point may come early but Tripp doesn’t rest on his laurels. “Give Up” and “Go Home” hew closer to Gene’s presumed upbringing as a country & western balladeer without betraying the wilting atmosphere of danger. “Blurry Clouds” marks the most harmonious point of the record as voice and guitar picking slip into the warm arms of a string machine, a brief respite from the corrosive hiss. Recommended listening while underground (basement, subterranean cavern, whathaveyou), with all light sources extinguished. 

Witness K - Witness K [Ever/Never] 

Two of the most common origins for fantastic listening experiences are Ever/Never records and Australia. The two parties’ handshake agreement has most recently given the U.S. shores such wonders as Spiritual Mafia and Cured Pink. While Witness K shares personnel overlap with Cured Pink, they’re certainly no copy. Cured Pink operated very much in the vein of a 21st century This Heat, while Witness K—though carrying over the rhythmic underpinnings and subtle paranoia of that sound—forges a pathway through both the home-fi avant-garde (The Shadow Ring and its offspring) and the well-funded avant-garde (20th century Minimalism). (Check out that ascending/descending flute line on “Reasonable Minds May Differ”. Choice.) All that said, the group’s eponymous debut LP is surprisingly inviting. Whether spun upon waking, before bed or at high noon, it pleasantly worms its way into any space, at any time. The album’s lethargic insistence assures that it never overwhelms nor does it bore. It's a warm tub to soak in for as long as you like, free from the derivative “ambient” horseshit we’re subjected to on a daily basis. There’s not a perfect RIYL analog to select for Witness K, which is the absolute most a listener can ask for, but the closest I can muster is Movietone. Not the same sonically, but clearly a spiritual resemblance to my ears. If you’re listening to Movietone, you should be listening to Witness K. If you’re listening to Witness K, you should be listening to Movietone. If you’re not listening to either, get outta my house. A killer LP well worth your time. 

Xerex - Xerex Meets Dracula [No Part of It] 

Screaming Lord Sutch, Xerex is not but that doesn’t mean you can’t soundtrack your next Halloween party with Xerex Meets Dracula. It wouldn’t be one of those “fun” Halloween parties, more of the haunted variety. Manipulated samples of church bells, droning pipe organ and filtered synth churn litter the brooding proceedings. Meditative but certainly not soothing. Oh yeah, I’m burying the lead here. Xerex, according to the back cover, is a conspicuously “anonymous” duo of German brothers named Karl and Jan, a pair of conjoined twins who happen to have been grown in a petri dish as elderly mathematicians in 1972. Do with this “information” what you will! This CD is an expanded reissue of a hyper limited LP because the kids were clamoring for more.

Spring 2023

Lula Asplund - Unravels by a Thread [Drongo Tapes] 

Seattle’s Drongo Tapes keeps busy busy busy and the label’s first cassette by Lula Asplund, Unravels by a Thread is a head turner. Opening track, “Static Overlay”, sounds a bit like that first Elklink album if Elklink was something that people might actually want to listen to (not a diss, I LOVE Elklink). Then comes the bait and switch, “Static Overlay” is odd but approachable but “Just as Flowers Open” and “Ongoingness” give you a good smack in the face, each in different ways. Reminds me a bit of my beloved Caldera Lakes with the harshness toned down. I love it. A human voice mediated/obliterated/resurrected by technological clutter. Asplund is a new artist to me and I’m excited to hear which dark alleyways she slithers down next. I like the cut of your jib, Lula! 

Eyes and Flys - I Don't Care Where You've Been, I'm Just Glad That You're Home [no label] 

It’s been too long since I last checked in on Buffalo’s favorite sons, Eyes and Flys. Putting out DIY self-released 7” singles like Y2K never happen’d, the Eye Flying machines have amassed a clutch of great singles in a few short years. This one has an unwieldy title on the A-side “I Don’t Care Where You’ve Been, I’m Just Glad That You’re Home” and it’s one of my favorites so far. A hairy, midtempo pop number, fully-stocked with shakers, an earworm guitar hook and a glockenspiel buried even deeper than Pat Shanahan’s vocals. The scuzz is true to form, with songwriter Shanahan putting a sterling indie-car pop engine in the body of an old stained couch. Lyrics are on the sad side as Eyes and Flys’ are wont to be, plumbing the depths of seasonal depression but buoying them to tarnished twinkle. “Buffalo” continues along the same trajectory, with the tempo kicked up a notch, delving into the eternal equation of aging bringing along proportional regret. It’s a tough pill everyone has to swallow but the la-la-las and sing-along refrain of “I hope they never find me” makes the bummer go down a touch easier. I believe this is the first E+F dispatch to be recorded in LA and the liner notes’ command/taunt of “Move to California you dumb shit” feels like a personal attack on me specifically, as a recent ex-Angeleno. When you read a scathing pan of an Eyes and Flys record in the next issue of AuxOut (coming in 2026, setbacks notwithstanding, mark your calendars!), you will know why! 

Seth Kasselman - Analogous Fools [UR Sounds] 

The Big Kass is back! Well, as of last year when I got this tape. Seth Kasselman surely has something new and gorgeous brewing as I write this. I did this whole song and dance the previous year, I love Warm Climate (Kasselman’s brilliant now deceased avant-glam project) but Kasselman has leaned much harder into that avant- tag with his recordings under his own name. Like 2021’s UV Catamaran, Analogous Fools drums up a synthetic soundworld. It’s your choice whether to dip a toe or take a cannonball off the high dive. Fools, however, is the more accessible entry point. Kasselman considers it a song cycle. Though no one will mistake this for Schubert, the Schu certainly fits on tracks like “I Don’t Know What to Think of the Moon” which is chock full of melodies, as glitchy and fractured as they may be. Kasselman’s signature clarinet pokes through at times but synthesizer is the dominant sound force here. “Slow Pretender” and “Breaking In Time” are slow movers incorporating both IDM and abstract drones while something like “Say It Like Elevator Lungs” recalls some tasty Prefuse 73 odds and ends. “One Way In, One Way Out”, on the other hand, is less visibly structured with a stronger presence of processed acoustic instruments, a real adventure that covers a surprising amount of ground in only 3 minutes. In a similar vein, “Moon (Reprise)” delivers a heavier dose of clarinet, and I always welcome a bit of electro jazz smash ‘n grab. My personal preference leans towards UV Catamaran’s at-times frightening, submersible soundworld but, with Analogous Fools, Kasselman continues to show he’s capable of nailing any musical avenue he travels down. 

Kilynn Lunsford - Custodians of Human Succession [Ever/Never] 

Kilynn Lunsford is a vet when it comes to making great records, whether with Little Claw or Taiwanese Housing Project she has always delivered. Custodians of Human Succession, her first solo LP, is no different. Scratch that. It actually is very different, but it’s just as good. She’s managed to make a record that’s fun and replayable, yet bizarre and elusive. After many listens my grasp hasn’t become any firmer. Custodians’s secrets will remain just that. 

With an initial punk-electronique framework harkening back to the likes of DAF and Suicide, Lunsford incorporates tons of influences here but without really sounding like any of them. Several strains of hip hop DNA, from boom bap to Timbaland to Boy in da Corner, are woven in here next to echoes of sonic-provocateurs like Halo of Kitten and Inflatable Boy Clams. The unnerving “Tammy and Her Friends” nods to the very early days of Industrial, before it had a name. On “Three Babies Make Ten” particularly, and throughout the album, Lunsford employs an odd and indolent drawl, made that much odder by editing, filtering and reversing Lunsford’s voice at different points. She’s not quite singing, not quite speaking, not quite rapping. Her voice exists on the outskirts of everything. 

With a few shades of PJ in ass-kicking mode, “Vessel Creep” is the only track that nods directly to her rock outfits Little Claw and THP, while Lunsford mostly ingratiates herself among 00s electro-mutants like Adult. and Mu on tracks like “No Disabuse”, “North Sea Shrimps” and “Sewerland” which would become an instant electro-smash if it ever found its way into a movie or TV show. “Where the Moon Waits” approximates the “Heard it Through the Grapevine” bassline and garnishes with heaps of pillowy synthesizer. It’s Custodians's prettiest track certainly, particularly when a chorus of angels appears and starts purring “Pissing blood in the skies above”. The only band in recent memory that comes anywhere near Lunsford’s orbit is the similarly unique Angels in America (particularly on “Freshest Taste”) but Lunsford has made something that’s nearly RIYL-proof. 

Produced in collaboration with Donald Bruno, the sound of Custodians of Human Succession is incredibly important here. For a record where nearly all sounds, Lunsford’s voice aside, are synthetically-birthed, Custodians sounds spacious rather than suspended in a vacuum. It doesn’t try to pulverize with its bass throbs either, which has gotten to a point of being perfunctory. It sounds modern and timeless, a record that could have appeared in the late 1960s, or in the 2060s, and blown some minds at either point. But we’re fortunate to have it today. Harnessing the considered production with her taste for catchy beats and idiosyncratic phrases, Lunsford has fashioned a new kind of discomfort-pop; it doesn’t feel quite right but it definitely sounds good. 

Mushfoot - Time Before Land [Moone] 

Terrible band name, but I hate all band names since 2011 (I should slap that slogan on some t-shirts and re-brand AuxOut as a corny merch site). Based on the cover, they’re a gaggle of goofballs and you gotta be a goof to name your band “Mushfoot”, amiright? I’m all over “My Shrinking Heart”, a twisted, lobotomized graduate of The Magnetic Fields School of Songwriting and Industry. Totally great. Time Before Land keeps things relatively varied with the 70s Euro-cinema folk stylings of the title track, foggy synth-pop on “Lonely Time” and the loping pleasure-stomp of “Nobody Can Show You”. Not the terrible “New Grass” music one would expect from a band called Mushfoot. You tricked me. 

Richard Papiercuts - Reunion [Ever/Never] 

Since his first solo venture, A Sudden Shift, Richard Papiercuts has been gradually refining his approach with each successive release. A Sudden Shift’s eclecticism, namely its occasional Beefheartian wildness, stripped down Tears for Fears cover and Scott Walker-fronting-classic-rock-band experiments, has long been left in the rearview, with his subsequent LP “IF” and 12” Twisting the Night beginning to zero in on Bowie as Richie’s patron saint of choice (80s Bowie, in particular). Papiercuts latest full length, Reunion, doubles down on Let’s Dance and, in the process, becomes his best and most consistent record to date and I say that as a fan of all his records.

Comprised of just six full-bodied tunes, simply put, there’s no filler here. Rich gets his eyeliner out for the moody kickoff “Judgment”. Bits of Echo & the Bunnymen, early U2 and The Chameleons all find their way in but all that dark stuff is cut by the chattering tambourine in the chorus. A swirling cauldron of chorus pedal bravado, chiming piano and strangled sax skronk. A top Papier cut, as far as I’m concerned. The sentiment continues with the insistent violin stabs of the gothy chamber ballad “Anita Sing”. It’s not all trenchcoats and pale complexions though. Enterprising hip hop producers ought to take note, “Reunion” and “After Hours” are ripe for your scavenging. “Reunion” with its thumping bass pulse and ascending synth brass line conjures images of a young Papiercuts working his hips to “Like an Eagle” down at the local disco and it’s not the only time he gets funky on the record (note: slow jam closer “Night Beats Night”). “After Hours” is another highlight driven by a single-note piano line and groovy bass and guitar interplay, it amounts to the single catchiest anthem Richard has put forth yet. If you’ve got all the past Papiercuts records, Reunion is a perfect ending (for now) and, if you don’t, I can’t think of a better starting point. 

Rider/Horse - Select Trials [Ever/Never]

Rider/Horse - Feed ‘Em Salt [Ever/Never] 

So is the northeastern noise rock duo, Rider/Horse, ultra productive or am I just a lazy piece of shit given that they finished and released another LP (Feed ‘Em Salt) before I finished writing my fucking review of their last LP (Select Trials)? On second thought, don’t answer that. Select Trials, the debut LP from duo Rider/Horse (unspecified which is Rider and which is Horse), first leapt from my speakers a year a half ago and it was and is a racket to be reckoned with. Also, to my surprise the first song is actually about horses. I know Skin Graft Records is still chugging along (and I confess I haven’t kept up with them) but Select Trials sounds like what I imagine a 2020s Skin Graft record should sound like. All the usual buzzwords: angular, serrating, corrosive. Catchy tunes bundled up in a steel wool coat. 

“Tremolo Harm” is the hit thanks to a needling earworm guitar melody that will be playing on listeners’ brain radios for years to come. “Code Clicker” is filled with epic “fuck yeah” energy and I can’t get enough. Who wants to play some FUCKING SPORTS with me!!? The bass riff on “Today’s Gains” is positively nauseating and I love it. The dour “Chime Inn” wouldn’t be out of place emanating from the John Sharkey III axis (later Clockcleaner, PRF, etc.) and the band even shares Sharkey’s Depeche Mode fetish on “Theme” (from Feed ‘Em Salt). The rhythms here are off the charts. Never boring but, importantly, never too busy. Sometimes the drums sound like drums, sometimes they sound electronic and sometimes they sound altogether programmed and manipulated. Maybe a mix of all three? None of the above? Reminds me a bit of how Cabaret Voltaire approached rhythm (minus the acid house fixation) particularly on a track like “Prawn Ranch”. 

Feed ‘Em Salt’s opening salvo “Florida Gasoline” is as appropriate as they come. Grinding, seasick bass melody. Vertigo-stricken pedal steel by Zoots Houston. Relentless musical machinery. “Rotting Profits” feels about as uplifting and life-affirming as Rider/Horse is gonna get. The addicting, adrenaline-inducing bass line and syncopated drum pattern would be a bonafide dancefloor filler in the hands of any other band but the duo stays true to its ethos to keep tension high and grind you til you fracture. No release and no relief, says Rider/Horse. “Great Innings” and “Pretend You’re the Worker” hit the grooves similarly hard. “Worker” in particular unveils a more dynamic attack than the first LP. Reminds me a bit of La Grande Triple Alliance in late 00s France, mainly The Dreams and related bands (Heimat, The Anals). Fierce rhythms (here what sounds like a vigorous hand drum loop) dominate the noise addled frenzy. 

Initially, I took a bit more of a shine to Select Trials, but after time I’ve been converted to Feed ‘Em Salt. The raspy chirp is left behind. Jagged guitar, sneering voice and treble frequencies in general are deemphasized but the duo has refined and honed their sound, placing the supercharged rhythm section even more front and center. I shifted from thinking of it as neo-Skin Graft noise rock to a highly fucked up dance record. Rather than piercing you with skin deep harpoons and tugging you along as Select Trials does, Feed ‘Em Salt gracefully and methodically punches you in the gut until you submit. I tap out. 

Sir Tad - Sir Tad Goes Deeper & Deeper [Purple Akronym] 

Sir Tad - You’re Home [Tynan Tapes] 

I’m such an O.G. that I was listening to Sir Tad pre-knighthood, back when he was known simply as Tad from the neighborhood. He dropped one perfect dub-pop cassingle and vanished without a trace. Well, Tad has returned home a little older, a little bit wiser, and practically royalty. Contrary to its name, the 15 minute Sir Tad Goes Deeper & Deeper is comparatively slight to You’re Home. “Deeper & Deeper” (and its guided meditation sequel “Deeper & Deeper Pt. 2”) features quacking synth sounds reminiscent of Pino Donaggio’s soundtracking of Girl’s P.E. class in Carrie but most of the tape finds its muse in a thrift store keyboard. “Great Generic Park”, for instance, consists of nothing but battery-powered organ bleats and a delay pedal. You’re Home expands considerably in terms of pallet and scope.

You’re Home finds Sir Tad rifling through decades of family memories such as old answering machine messages about taking care of neighbors’ cats. The echoing wheeze of a chord organ and a shuffling rhythm welcome you like a warm blanket on the opening title track. There’s a tinge of sadness to the winsome vibes of You’re Home, though, as the album is dedicated to the memory of Max Krakoff, the brother of Tynan Krakoff a.k.a. Sir Tad, and Max is featured as a child on “Break a Leg”, providing his own rendition of the Kit-Kat jingle among other charming moments. Old keyboards and tape players are certainly at the center here, but occasionally augmented by the majestic zing of autoharp (such as on “Bird of Paradise”). While Sir Tad takes a few detours like the frenetic “Slitherin’ Slop”, You’re Home is a web of kind reminiscences, some seem personal, others less so. But all moments captured anywhere were personal to someone, at some time. And that’s the effect of listening to You’re Home. The personal is still personal, even if it’s not personal to you or me, and Krakoff invites us to experience his personal. It doesn’t get better than the lilting “Bloom like a Highway”, where Krakoff builds up reedy melodica and stumbling keyboards around a processed recording of someone giving driving directions. Despite being offered directions, I don’t know where I’m going when I’m listening, but I enjoy the moment while I’m in it. Maybe, as Sir Tad suggests, I’m home. 

Valley of Weights - Valley of Weights [Skell/Sool] 

Weight is right. The debut from Valley of Weights is a hefty honker of a 2xLP. Sharing members with the likes of Vatican Commandos, Burnt Hills and Sky Furrows (who dropped what is still quite likely the best LP of 2020) I was keenly interested. The reason for the double platters is the uncanny Valley serve up a selection of whacked out yet still tight rockers on the first record while the limbs get loose on record two with improvised wig outs. I’m partial to the first LP (“You always were a rocker” a noise scene luminary once complimented/condemned me) but there’s something for everyone on the menu here. 

Valley of Weights take it back to the days of Simply Saucer, not that anyone living in the days of Simply Saucer knew they were living in the days of Simply Saucer, nestling in that narrow zone between oddball and classical rock & roll. These northeasters like to strut (“Turn Out the Light”, “Wartime Draughtsman”, “Passes”) and they even dabble in mellow grooves (“One That Can See”) and outright burning down the discotheque on “A Tension Span”. Thumping bass line, staccato street fight between the guitars, a singer who sounds like he’s locked in a closet. It’s got everything you need to set the dancefloor on fire. My favorite line (the quotidian genius of “take a digital photo and bring it to the interview”) pops up on “Turn Out the Light” amid the kraut-guitar swirl. The influence of one of AuxOut’s pet bands, Slovenly, pops up on a couple tracks, unsurprisingly making them favorites. “Seven Figures” has a bit of that curious SST seasoning. Weirdo jazz talk rock pushed along by a busy, burbling bassline with a pleasant dusting of cosmic synth chime. Valley of Weights might be at their best on the urgent “The Great Simulator”. The insistent, crunchy guitar riff earns MVP honors. 

The second LP is the designated “freak out” LP but it’s really more of a jammer. “Ennio was Right About Hawkwind” is not so much about blasting off into the kosmische Rhineland, but kicking into some sturdy grooves and proggy pulses. A bit like when Television would flirt with a disco beat. On the flip, “Roentgen Elevation Man” is some kind of post-rock blues amalgam. And there you have it, one LP for the right brainers and one for the left brainers. Kinda like when Donovan put the psychedelia on one record and the folk tunes on the other, pick your pleasure and everyone goes home happy. 

BONUS CONTENT!!!! 

Way back when, over a year ago, I grabbed some records from the Courtesy Desk distro and I was so hyped about the contents of my package I started writing some reviews intending to slap on “bonus content!!!!” for the next AuxOut post, and well here they are… unfashionably late, as always.

Chronophage - Th’ Pig Kiss’d Album [Cleta Patra] 

Took a chance on this one because I seemed to remember hearing good things about Chronophage’s first record and Cleta Patra is a label run by Candice Metrailer from Mystic Inane and I’m pretty much in the bag when I see she’s involved in something. Damn glad I did because Th’ Pig Kiss’d Album is great! [Upon hearing Th’ Pig Kiss’d Album, I backtracked and sought out their first album (also on Cleta Patra) and can confirm it, too, is excellent.] I’m not quite sure how to classify Chronophage. Guitar/bass/drums/synthesizer. Multiple singers. Certainly in the punk sphere but not in any ordinary way. I feel like everything I’ve read about Chronophage mentions SST, and I agree! Chronophage sounds like a band that would have been on SST back in the day. They would have been one of the oddball bands that never got famous like the famous bands but were actually better than the famous bands. So many good cuts here but none better than the Richard Hell-esque punk-eloquence of home run closer “Name Story” which I couldn’t get out of my head if I wanted to (and I don’t want to!). 

The Shifters - Open Vault [Adagio830/Insolito] 

How many contemporary bands are there that I would shell out for a Germany-only 2xLP of iPhone-recorded demos using a children’s Spongebob drum kit? Just one. And that band is Australia's The Shifters. Serious consideration must be given to The Shifters’ self-titled debut being the best rock record of the past ten years and, well, Open Vault isn’t that good. But it’s still pretty damn good. There are a fuck ton of songs and, in all honesty, I haven’t completely digested it all, yet I look at that as a good thing. I have my whole life to fall madly, deeply in love with Open Vault, and I surely will, Antipode addict that I am. A few highlights are remnants from an abandoned album (Pyramid Scheme) “Right Stuff” and “Removal Business” which is solid Shifters gold, shuffling piano ballad “Crossroads at Vybor”, great shambling home demos like “Shifting”, “Medieval Kicks” and “Faux American History 101” (perhaps a spiritual successor to Tommy Jay’s “I was There”...) and a rollicking live recording of “Out on a Walk”. Bonzer mate. 

Star Party - Meadow Flower [Feel It] 

Having heard “Push You Aside” one place or another, I was super hyped to grab the vinyl debut of Seattle’s Star Party, Meadow Flower, via the reliable Feel It label. You could tell immediately by the fuzz-drenched sugar rush that Star Party are fans of Scotland’s 53rd and 3rd label (Shop Assistants, The Vaselines, The Pastels) and probably Black Tambourine as well. As far as I’m concerned that is an underused well to draw inspiration from. Modern bands take note. Star Party seems to have intimate knowledge of what they do best given that they made music videos for each of the three songs that tower above of the rest: “Push You Aside”, “Shot Down” and “You and Me”. Even though the remaining five songs are solid, a part of me can’t help wishing Star Party stayed in the tradition of 53rd and 3rd’s classic, all-killer-no-filler, eternally replayable 3-song 12”s (Shop Assistants’ Safety Net, Vaselines’ Son of a Gun) because these three songs are that good. 

The Stick Figures - Archeology [Floating Mill] 

I don't know who this Floating Mill proprietor is but he/she/they are heaven-sent. The Stick Figures were a band from Tampa, FL in the late 70s who only released one 7” EP that you’ve probably never heard of. (It fetches triple figure prices from those in the know.) Archeology, as you might assume, collects this EP and unearths unreleased songs recorded in 1980 and it is as goddamn essential as they come. I was gobsmacked the first time I heard “September”. All this time, The Stick Figures from Tampa were the inventors of indie rock and I had no idea. Everything about that song is absolutely perfect. Rachel Maready Evergreen’s lovely vocals, the infectious melody, and the band’s refusal to commit to the pop genius bit by throwing in wild guitar feedback, inexpertly played xylophone and crispy recording fidelity. It is truly a revelation. But that’s not the only thing The Stick Figures do (well). "N-Light" proves that mutant disco was happening in Tampa and not just NYC. Of course, The Stick Figures were actually more adventurous than their No Wave brethren given that they were able to seamlessly graft on pop rock choruses and melodic violin parts to the frenetic grooves. Similarly, "Crayola Bowling" is able to marry psychedelic jangling 60s melodies with the punk-funk that came into vogue in the early 80s (they're doing this pre-80s, mind you) fueled by synthesizers and an extended organ freak out. As far as the unreleased stuff goes, there isn't a drop off in quality. Tracks like "Green", "Language" and "Energy" sit quite nicely next to the tracks from the original 7". "Mr. Simon" is one minute of pure sugary noise. If "Yesterday" had actually been released at the time, it could have absolutely been a hit. Funky, rolling bassline, earworm guitar lick, snarky female vocals, perfect recipe. Could say the same about the new wavey power pop of "Make a Fire". The dirge-y "Everplayed" presages great bands like Run On that didn't get going until the 90s. Not a single dud in the bunch. There's so much more I could say. The most essential archival release I've come across in a long time. Fun liners including contemporary reviews too. I love this band. Seek it out!