Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #54 (2/7/10)

Born Under the Sun of Death “Apparitions (excerpt)” Born Under the Sun of Death [Debacle 2009] (CD-r)

Schperrung “Rite VI” Haxan [Oldturtles Tapes 2009] (CS)

Mood Organ “Untitled” Visiting a Burning Museum [Debacle 2009] (CD-r)

Banana Head “You’re Mine” In the Tubs [Goaty Tapes 2009] (CS)

Pimmon “Dream the Xerox Dream” Steered in Smash Ascent [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Pimlo “Youth and Youngness” Pray For Whoever Did This [Durable Stimuli 2009] (CD-r)

Excavacations “Untitled” Excavacations [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Waterside Gala “Guest of Honor” Composure & Recreation [Roll Over Rover 2009] (CS)

U.S. Girls “O What a Night/I Can Hear Music” Kankakee Memories [Cherry Burger 2008] (7”)

Physical Demon “Pulse Maggot” Pulse Maggot [Atonal Microshores 2009] (CD-r)

Kid Wizard “She Lay Silent, in a Field, in a Dream” To the Stars by Hard Ways [Hidden Fortress Tapes 2009] (CS)

Night of Pleasure “Your Back Pages” Night of Pleasure [Faulkner Tapes forthcoming] (CS)

Snowstorm “Side B” Snowstorm [Breathmint 2009] (CS)

Child Pornography “Untitled” Split with Silver Daggers [JK Tapes 2007] (CS)

Ophibre “Conspicuous” Music For Casio Keyboard + Heavy Objects [Mang Disc 2009] (CD-r)

Offensive Orange “Side A” Brown Future [Bum Tapes 2007] (CS)

Tuluum Shimmering “Side A” Flowers of the Honey Tree [House of Sun 2009] (CS)

Wasteland Jazz Unit “Box Breaker (excerpt)” Split with (d)(b)(h) [Baked Tapes 2010] (CS)

mp3: Part 1 Part 2

Rib Cages - Will Beg 4 Money [No Label]

Rib Cages is a Portland-based duo-now-trio that was brought to my attention via my buddy Jeremy. And dammit, if this tape ain't some great scuzz I don't know what is.
This tape, how I understand it, is the debut recording of the new trio format and includes songs from their 7inch as well as new ones. I haven't heard the 7inch so I can't say if a bassist improves their sound or not but this tape sounds pret-tay good. Oh yeah, I should note the guitarist plays a 12-string. And his name is Nation.
Rib Cages kick things off with one of their best jams "In Wilderness." After a lumbering, borderline classic rock (not really) intro they whip out the breakneck riffage. The saturated tape recording gives each track a thunderous rumble with the guitar piercing through. "Lock Horns" is a bruised and blistered mangling of 50s/60s bluesy rock 'n roll spit out urgently in about 80 seconds, yet it still finds plenty of time for a nice guitar lead. "Blame It On" channels its fierceness into an odd, elliptical structure sustaining tension throughout the song. The recording quality is even more bombed out on "Ain't a Woman Alive" furiously slurring the relentless garage blues anthem. "Right On or Wrong" really lays into a single chord, occasionally breaking it up with a descending progression building to an almost Berry-ish solo. "Broken Finger" might be the best of the bunch though. It definitely echoes "In Wilderness" but it's a sharper, tighter version. It's got a killer riff that's way more catchy than it should be and the band never really rests on their laurels. They're always throwing some kink into the arrangement which should make it difficult for the song to get stuck in your head, but somehow it does anyway. Real easily. "Iowa Jones" (ha!) closes the tape in under a minute, huffing and puffing the whole way. All in all, it's a great set of scum rock from a band you're sure to hear more about. Let's give them a warm welcome.
I think this tape can be gotten at shows, and maybe through the band's myspace, if there are still copies.

Mood Organ - Visiting a Burning Museum [Debacle]/Physical Demon - Pulse Maggot [Atonal Microshores]

These are a pair of local CD-rs I've had in the to-do pile for way too long.
Debacle continues to do it's Seattle-only thing which is great cause they dig up artists that I know nothing about. I haven't even seen the Mood Organ name around town (or the internet more accurately) so maybe he doesn't play live much. Or maybe I'm totally out of the loop which is very possible. Anyhow, Visiting a Burning Museum, despite its name, is a relaxing disc. It's not lush or new age or any of that; it's just mellow. The first track maneuvers gentle keyboard pulses into a very singular atmosphere. The piece hovers in near-stasis for half its length so when a few more notes appear making up a slowly forming melody it's a startling and dramatic occurrence. From there the piece, again gently, slides back into a similar but slightly ruptured stasis. The second piece immediately feels warmer due to the static-y field recording suspended ghost-like in the background. There's a looped keyboard melody and another tone that be either a counter melody or a stretched recording of a siren peeking out from the background. Around 3:30 any roughness slips away revealing smooth, gleaming drones. It's definitely a high point of the record because the tones are so simply and eloquently aligned with one another. There's a chilly, consonant beauty to the composition, but still with a lingering touch of tension disrupting the euphoric experience. Track no. 3 changes things up considerably, bringing in a pair of warbling acoustic guitars with a light hum of white noise. At 12 minutes its a bit drawn out for its own good though that isn't to say the piece is without compelling moments. The four minute closer kicks off with chimes and thick waves of static (literally coming from field recordings of waves breaking) before introducing a delicate and beautiful piano figure. What's interesting is the piece throws minimalism to wayside but stays completely faithful to the tone of the album. It manages to be the record's expressive climax and mournful coda at the same. That the heavy static shroud isn't dropped until the final 15 seconds or so, making the impact that clarity brings much more profound. It's really a lovely piece.
Physical Demon deals in less placid textures. This album occupies a strange space because they aren't exactly noise or drone but they carry that vibe into a weird electronic concoction. Pulse Maggot is the perfect name for this record cause it's jittery and heavily rhythmic but at the same time it constantly gnaws away at itself. Basically whats going on in the title track, as far as I can tell, is there are a number of synths in flux, slowly fluttering up or down, one or two drum machines or samplers pumping out sharp arrhythmic webs and a fuzzy bass undertow creeping sinisterly in the shadows. The second half of the jam shifts into a head nodding, downtempo beat thing with a bunch of synths suspended mid-melody. One of the strengths of the piece is that Physical Demon really have things under control. There's a looseness to the sounds but the trio is very measured and particular where they place them. I don't know if this is improvised or not, because it sounds like it but it's hard to believe that it is. The second half of the half hour long record is jokingly titled "Mulse Paggot" and its got a meaner spirit. Burbling synths are undermined by deep, unsettling groans of noise. Around 4 minutes in Physical Demon kicks up the tempo and things get dangerously close to a full-on groove while the second half of the track glides on steady synths and distorted pulsations. Physical Demon is definitely doing their own thing with this release which is admirable and worth looking into if you haven't heard them.
Both CD-rs look nice in their own way. Pulse Maggot has a well-done spray & stencil job while the Mood Organ disc looks refreshing professional for a small-press release. Debacle is definitely at the top of its visual game right now. Both discs are in print and available.

Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #53 (1/31/10)

Super Minerals “Purple Gravity Spindles” Psyched Punched [DNT 2009] (2xCS)

German Shepherd “Returned Effects” Traveling [Imperfect Music/Sunrise Acoustics 2009] (CD-r)

The Widow Babies “Brillo Pad’s Theme” Jet Packs [olFactory 2009] (LP one-sided)

Arbitron “No Time” New Arbitron Jeremy [No Label 2008] (CD-r)

Horror Magnet “XIII” XIII:XIII [Root Don Lonie For Cash 2004] (CD-r)

Armas Huutamo “Side B” Aurinko on Kaunis Asia [Lal Lal Lal, 2006] (7”)

The Spread Eagles “I Wanna Be My Man” Don’t Be a Drag [9-11 is a Joke 2009] (7”)

NASA “Untitled” High Cube [Baked Tapes 2010] (CS)

Gay Beast “SM Head, LG Torso, Crushing Grip/Whitewash” Gay Beast [Gilgongo 2009] (7”)

Driphouse “Romanti” Romanti Gains [Baked Tapes 2010] (CS)

Zebu! “Crawling Through the Ropes” Bag of Sand [Feeding Tube 2008] (LP)

Rib Cages “Broken Finger” Will Beg 4 Money [No Label 2010] (CS)

Dreamcatcher “A Team Come True” Split with Birds of Delay [Not Not Fun 2007] (7”)

The Goslings “Croatan” Grandeur of Hair [aRCHIVE 2006] (CD)

No Sound “GayKK” Split with Nals Goring [Feeding Tube 2009] (LP)

Big French “Using the House” Toyota [OSR Tapes 2010] (CS)

Dave Smolen "Hot Flannel Injection" Flannel Injection [Malleable 2009] (CD-r)

Ducktails “Gem Pt. 1 & 2” Untitled [Breaking World 2008] (7”)

Cave Bears “Untitled (excerpt)” Jazz Hands [Serf Released 2009] (CS)

Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #52 (1/24/2010)

Due to some equipment issues this show ended being cut short by a half hour or so. Lame... but huge thanks goes out to my lovely girlfriend who brought in my external hard drive so I could play rips of most of stuff I was intending a play. There wouldn't have been a show without her so give her a hand. Anyway... mp3s are posted now, enjoy.

Patriotic Window Klings “Piebald” Patriotic Window Klings [Abandon Ship 2009] (CD-r)

Stone Baby “Side A” Vir Heroicus Subliminus [Tape Drift 2008] (CS)

Kwan Jai & Kwan Jit Sriprajan “E-Saew Tam Punha Huajai” Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular Vol. 2 [Sublime Frequencies 2009] (CD)

Hairmaiden of the Totem Robe “Untitled” Fallen Totem [Housecraft 2008] (3” CD-r)\

Tuluum Shimmering “Side B” Flowers of the Honey Tree [House of Sun 2009] (CS)

Scraps “Apollo” Scraps [GGNZLA 2009] (CD-r)

Astral Social Club “King Speed Slush” Split with Wounded Knee [Sick Head Tapes 2009] (CS)

Banana Head “Phone Call” In the Tubs [Goaty Tapes 2009] (CS)

Vanessa Rossetto “Her Clothes and Ornaments” Whoreson in the Wilderness [Music Appreciation 2009] (CD-r)

Charlatan “Titans” Equinox [House of Sun 2009] (CS)

God Willing “Untitled” Lebanese Vacation [Excite Bike Tapes 2009] (CS)

The Uzi Rash Group “The Feast” Erotic Terror Beats the Drums of the Republic [Jerkwave Tapes 2009] (CS)

The Old Rig “Untitled” Space Crawl [Tape Drift 2009] (CD-r)

Hong Chulki “Amplified WC (excerpt)” Amplified WC [Ghost & Son 2010] (3” CD-r)

mp3: Part 1 Part 2

Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #51 (1/17/10)

Antique Brothers & the Family Band “Shasui Denpo” Digger Gold [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Sparkling Wide Pressure “Bob Moves” Bob Moves/Linda Speaks [Existential Cloth 2009] (CS)

Pigeon Religion “Huge Bummer” Dead Boss [Gilgongo 2009] (7”)

Mister Fuckhead and Company “Live at Empty Bottle August 03, 2008” Mister Fuckhead and Company [No Label 2009] (CS)

Cat Killer “Samba” Downtown [Speed Tapes 2009] (CS)

Oneohtrix Point Never “Plastic Season” Hollyr [Sound Holes 2008] (CS)

Nals Goring “Watership Down vs. the Robber Baron” Split with No Sound [Feeding Tube 2009] (LP)

Sissy Spacek “Fortune” Fortune [Gilgongo 2009] (7”)

Gang Wizard “Bad Teacher” God-Time-Man Universal Continuum Calibration Disc [olFactory/Lost Treasures of the Underworld/Green Tape/Tanzprocesz 2008] (LP)

James Fella “5-14-09” Split with Timeload Fowl [Gilgongo 2009] (LP)

Tim Blood and the Blood Album “Puke” W/ Blood and Squalor [CTRL Force 2009] (mp3)

Emuul “Crow Takes Flight” Omicida Della Regina/Songs for a Solo Piano [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Dull Knife “Northern Vortex” Hands of Conjuration [No Label 2010] (CD-r)

IB M Theft Adle “One Eye, Which Eye” Intendo Innuendo w/ an Inuit In It [Mangdisc 2009] (CD-r)

mp3: Part 1 Part 2

Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #50 (1/10/10)

Sharks with Wings “The Flash in the Pan” Technicolor Hell [Malleable/Badmaster 2007] (CD-r)

Pine Smoke Lodge “The Clearing” Haligdaeg [Stunned 2009] (CD-r)

Street Gnar “Road Song (Heads Up)” Lion’s Head [Speed Tapes 2009] (CS)

Afterlife “Waking Absence” Split with Ossining [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Rambutan “Empty Sleep” Direct Shadows [KimberlyDawn 2009] (3" CD-r)

Horse Boys “Untitled” Horse Boys [OSR Tapes is a Dreamboat 2009] (CS)

Aghori “Cult of the New Sun Moon” Forced Fate [Existential Cloth 2009] (CS)

Explorers “We Thrive Off the Encantic Dance of Orbs” Bermuda Telepaths [Not Not Fun 2009] (LP)

Extra Sexes “Horn Rimmed Mind” Gash Bulb [Skrot Up 2009] (CS)

Patriotic Window Klings “Endless Smoke” Guitargument [Speed Tapes 2009] (CS)

A.M. Shiner “The Red Kush (excerpt)” Split with M. Geddes Gengras [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Crash Normal “Bikinies Invaiders” Finger Shower [Rijapov 2009] (10”)

Pulga “Return to the Forest of Shoes” Pulga Loves You [Fire Museum 2007] (CD)

Timeload Fowl “Collaboration with James Fella” Split with James Fella [Gilgongo 2009] (LP)

Big French “Down to the River” Toyota [OSR Tapes 2010] (CS)

Gay Beast “Multi-Purpose Anti-Form” Gay Beast [Gilgongo 2009] (7”)

Du Hexen Hase “Concert for the People of Eugene Pt. 1” Du Hexen Hase [Debacle 2009] (CD-r)

mp3: Part 1 Part 2

Kommissar Hjuler/Mama Baer – Amerikanische Poesie und Alkoholismus [Feeding Tube]/Zebu! – Bag of Sand [Feeding Tube]

Easthampton, MA’s Feeding Tube Records is home to some of the weirdest sounds in the world and even more impressive/nuts is that FT puts out just about every release on thick vinyl in pro-printed jackets. If that isn't dedication... Case in point, I got two LPs here, one is a split by Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer and the other is Bag of Sand by West Mass band Zebu! so named because it’s a reissue of a CD-r originally packaged in a bag of sand.
This Hjuler/Baer record was first described to me as “really heady euro art shit (with the emphasis on shit.)” And, really, that’s pretty spot on. When I first opened it up I was greeted with a frightening, pixilated image of a man and woman who I assume are Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer. Then, turning the record over there’s a graphic painting of a hermaphrodite orgy. Yet, what is actually on the record is even weirder.
Kommissar Hjuler’s side “ONCE AGAIN concrete poetry (or was it the song?)” comes with a description that reads “a collage of US-american sound poetry, collected by Jean-Francois Bory, presented by Kommissar Hjuler und Frau.” Beginning with “Once again! Concrete poetry,” which quickly becomes a familiar refrain, Hjuler I assume introduces the piece as a collection of interesting developments in concrete poetry which spans the world. I don’t know anything about concrete poetry so I’m not really sure if these are samples or Hjuler's und Frau's own readings of various pieces of poetry. I’m leaning toward the latter though there may be samples in there as well. Hjuler growls through a distorted microphone which feeds back often and static always seems to be present though not always noticeable. The rapid repetition of “und schnitz(?)” around halfway through gives the piece an unusual but welcome rhythmic push. This thing is really just nuts and all over the place. I'm not sure how to describe what's going on other than to say that. When Hjuler starts reciting the English alphabet I’m not really sure what’s going on, not that I had any idea before. Is that part of a poem he’s reading or is he just practicing his English? When he’s speaking about the clumping animal and the agency of the typewriter, what the fuck is he talking about? I feel my questions are doomed to go unanswered. The track has a very stark, claustrophobic nature and, to be honest, it's a little scary. This Kommissar dude seems like someone which, if I saw him, might cause me to cross the street. Frau seems nice though. Near the end of the side they seem to get more agitated with more distorted growls and feedback whiting out the words they’re saying. Although, Hjuler reads surprisingly lucidly that “the text that is read is never the same for anyone” which catches me off guard as it makes total sense; it’s one last gasp of coherence before the all-consuming, distorto-clusterfuck that the side culminates in. Maybe I don’t need to say this but, what the fuck?
Mama Baer’s contribution is like a side of nursery rhymes by comparison. Her work is still pretty damn weird though. The description that comes along with this is “contains a lot of field recordings and Mama Baer’s voice/treatment.” Baer’s recorder also makes itself a mainstay. The first track “Alcoholisme – brut Part 1” is a much appreciated respite from the firebreathing of Hjuler’s side. There’s a bunch of spliced samples of European films or television shows nestled among a slowly looping percussion hit and wandering recorder. It’s strangely soothing for most of its duration. Baer’s voice pops up near the end of the track, after a brief bit where her voice is cut up, she sings in English though I can’t figure out what she’s singing about. The percussion loop picks up a little but the track abruptly drops off. The second part of “Alcoholisme – brut” features all of the elements of the first part plus a few more. This track is much more filled out with multiple layers of recorder, bits and pieces of electronic squelch along with samples and voice. At one point she duets with what sounds a manipulation of a recording of her voice. A cut-up, distorted recorder accompanies the duet though its volume fluctuates unexpectedly. Electronics and what sounds like someone scribbling very quickly with a marker or pencil appear for a while. Eventually there’s a strange but cool part where Baer constructs a melody out of various recordings of her singing “anymore.” It took me a little while to figure out what she was up to there but it’s quite cool once I figured out what she was doing. Anyway, that “anymore” bit gets all whipped up until disappears. The piece goes out on frantic manipulated samples and calming, echoing recorder and percussion loop. It’s definitely a strange side but much easier to get a handle on than side A.
I’d never heard Zebu! before which I’m kinda surprised by. Judging from this record they’re a pretty killer band. There isn’t any personnel info on the jacket but based on an accompanying drawing, it looks like there are two people in the band, someone on drums and someone on guitar, and there’s occasional vocals and electronics and whatnot as well. The record kicks off with “Jackets Don’t Mean a Thang” and auto-panned Velcro-squelch guitar/electronics. There’s a long build up before the crunchy drums enter. There’s a bit of free rock vibe for awhile before the band falls into blurry, fuzzy drones ultimately crawling out with a weirdly bluesy guitar solo and following freak out. A melody that the guitarist had been jamming on since the beginning becomes clear and it’s actually a rather pretty one when played with lucidity. The track almost ends up a punk song with fast drumming and vocals but the feedback is so out of control I’d be a stretch to call it that. “Thights” is a short simple song which begins with an a capella intro. “Rover the Radio, Over” is one of the LP's stand outs. Beginning with a weirdly afro-Caribbean vibe, or at least as afro-Caribbean has a two man free rock band can sound. The track is wrapped tightly in a blanket of static but the thunderous drumming and strange groovy melodies still come through loud and clear. Zebu! keeps things energetic and dynamic through it’s duration making for a pretty galvanizing jam. “Wow Oh Oh” is only around 40 seconds long and it’s basically a smattering of ideas that would all be great songs if developed. That track shifts suddenly into “Don’t Burn the House Down” a lovely piano and accordion duet which is quite shocking given how feedback-riddled this record is. Closing the side, “Pete Shakes the Floors” never totally lets loose, instead moving back and forth between tense passages of feedback and pounding drums though there’s a brief, riotous ending.
“Olleh Olleh” is basically an intro of one of Zebu!’s recordings played backwards ("Hello Hello" get it?) “Crawling through the Ropes” is another stand out jam. It sounds slightly cleaner so you can really witness the dexterity of the two performers. One of its strengths is the track always has a groove even during the noisy whirlwind freakout section. Near the end the drummer just goes off, giving shape to the bludgeoning noise. The rest of the side’s tracks clock in at 3 minutes or less, the first of which is “Back Tooth Heavy Numb” which is mostly guitar drones. “Enter” brings in a drum machine and keyboard providing another unexpected track. It’s mainly a duet between guitar and organ but there’s a continuous slot-machine keyboard loop in the background as well. “My Girls a Thug” is basically an intro to “My Head Feels like it has Ten Pounds of Sand in it.” “Head” is a loose rock jam, not particularly structured but, despite tempo changes, sticks to a 4/4 and chords thing. “Eat Banana:Lay the Drums & Wave at Thy Guitar” is actually introduced as “Peel Your Banana and Play Drums” so I’m not sure which is correct but it doesn’t really matter. The track marks the first real step towards song-like territory. It’s got some lyrics and a central guitar line supported by the drums. After the lethargic first half, the track opens up into a fuzzy free-guitar rave-up. “Bloody Lips” makes the full transformation in its minute-long duration. It’s a straight up punk jam and a good one that doesn’t betray Zebu!’s abnormalities. Anyone into crazy ass free rock or the more adventurous scuzzy basement punk spheres should do themselves a favor and check these guys out.
The Kommissar Hjuler/Mama Baer LP is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and is limited to 500 copies. The Zebu! LP is still available but only limited to 100. It also comes with a CD-r of the music and a hilarious insert.

Little Claw - Human Taste [Ecstatic Peace!]/Scraps – Scraps [GGNZLA]

Got a pair of local bands here... well, 1/4 of Little Claw is based in Seattle so I’m claiming them.
Human Taste, released on T-Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! label, is quite possibly the best thing he’s ever put out. This is one hell of a record. Starting off with rapid acoustic guitar and shakers, the title track gallops along with heavily tremolo’d slide guitar and is reprised as the album's finale. Coming next is “Frankie” which is the best Little Claw song in history I'm pretty sure. I’ve played it countless times since getting this CD. It’s incredibly simple but unmistakably powerful. It’s mostly just two chords and 4/4 drumming with one slide guitar going haywire throughout. Despite how catchy it is, the jam is teeming with bad vibes and the refrain “There’s no way out” suits the fatalistic mood perfectly. Though, I personally have no problem with there being no way out. It’s not often a midtempo rock song feel so relentless. An amazing piece of work for sure. Smartly, Little Claw follows up that high point with another. “Frozen in the Future” makes use of a squirming violin and choppy guitar strums before busting wide open at the one minute mark. There’s a killer buzzsaw baritone guitar line that kicks in at the chorus that, along with the dual percussionists, really gives the track its groove. The song is wonderfully dynamic, navigating through various cacophonies only to ultimately emerge with the brilliant, hooky chorus. Next, the agitated, distorted vocals of “Modern Vampire” belie the jaunty rhythm section eventually leading to a gnarly, fuzzed out dual-guitar solo. The frosty “Lay to Waste” changes things up with a minimal drumbeat, two note guitar line and distant vocals. Kelvin Pittman shows up with a bit of mellow sax accompaniment at the end too. “Colors You Drown,” another great song, brings the energy back up with one of the more singular, straight up rock arrangements of the record. The track is all forward motion, clawing its way to the chorus each time. Another stand-out, “Slow Sticky Tornado,” is pretty fucking epic. It rolls to a start unassumingly with shakers and guitar laying the groundwork for the sonic anxiety to come. Dan Rizer plays tapes, Guild copicat and Roland chorus echo in the track which goes a long way to thicken up the sound, making the arrangement and Kilynn’s vocals seem even stormier. Those six and a half a minutes are followed by the two minute curiosity “Summerphile” which has some kind of keyboard loop, various spliced bits of feedback, grinding violin, a lurching percussion loop and Kilynn’s vocals holding it all together. It’s a strange, dreamy detour. “Breathing Tape,” at over 9 minutes, is probably even more epic that “Tornado.” It’s a lot more groovy, more of a jam than the determined ferocity of "Tornado." It sounds like everyone’s having a good time and Rizer and Pittman are back with their noisemakers too. The piece is built on a repeated low-end guitar lick and rattling percussion providing a perfect platform for everyone else to freak out. CD only track “Golden Boy” is another 9 minute song but it’s much more easygoing. It’s mostly acoustic guitar and vocals with guest organ by Matt Smith which fills out the track with glistening tones. Additional electric guitar and a bit of percussion crop up in the second half of the track to take it home. “Human Taste (Below the Tide)” closes out the record with another version of the title track. The first version had a vaguely rootsy vibe but this version is all rock ‘n roll. Everything sounds nice and crunchy as any good rock song should with some crisp snare drum action too.
If you haven’t heard this, definitely do so. It’s a great record, one of my favorites from last year (whoa, feels weird to say that…)
The Scraps CD-r is the first release from Seattle band Scraps (not to be confused with Seattle’s (ridiculous) Scraps Dog Bakery.) Opener “A Salty Sea” features a bass undertow befitting its name and a bombastic chorus with male and female voices doubling each other as is Scraps’ custom. “Shepherd to Sleep” is another great track which is basically a pop song at heart but Scraps stretches and contorts it into something a little darker with an unexpected structure. “Cuckoo Clock” moves along, halfway between a lope and a saunter, with some great lead guitarwork. Ultimately what emerges is an awesome swollen, seasick chorus. Rubbing away all the darker aspects of the previous tracks, “Mountain Problems” materializes as a pure pop gem and one of my most played songs from the last few months. It’s a breakout song for the organ which gets pushed right up front with the guitar, delivering the song’s incredibly catchy, swooning melody. There’s a phenomenal breakdown in the middle of the song which builds tension that totally pays off, making the final chorus seem even more astonishing than when you heard it before. It’s an impeccably conceived and executed pop song. After an almost lullaby-like intro, “Sofi” takes on a bit darker, denser vibe that ultimately leads to another great melody. The closer “Apollo” is another favorite of mine. It’s probably the most driving song on the record and it features another gorgeous organ melody. There are some rad surf rock chord progressions evoking Trompe le Monde a bit which is something I love to hear. There’s a really weird rhythmic bit in the middle that sounds like a steel drum buried under a hundred tons of reverb. Not sure what it is but it’s awesome. The song has lots of twists and turns and even when it revisits something from earlier in the track it’s always in a new way. The ability to construct rock songs in intricate and unpredictable ways is definitely one of the band’s most notable strengths. They also know how to write a charming melody.
Human Taste is available from Ecstatic Peace! on CD and the LP is on Not Not Fun. The Scraps CD-r is limited to 200 and is available from GGNZLA records (pronounced “gorgonzola”) and comes with cool blue whale screenprinted cover with a second design of a koala, owl and about a hundred other critters screenprinted in glow in the dark ink.

Bird Names - Recession Vacation [Really Coastal]

Recession Vacation is Chicago's self-described "young adult contemporary" ensemble Bird Names' second cassette on Really Coastal this year. Returning with 9 more songs of their brand of borderline twee pop concocted from a bevy of instruments, this cassette seems a little more homemade and smeary.
"The Squeeze" kicks things off with a shambling mini-orchestra of keyboard melodies, strummed acoustic guitar, jaunty drums, slide whistles, idiophones, and fuzzy guitar leads. The piece shifts from part to part with abandon always returning to the central catchy melody, starting the album off on a strong foot. "Hauntings like Harpoons" uses a programmed drumbeat, a couple of opposed keyboard melodies and a couple more layers of guitar, slide and other, on top of that. The band manages to keep the melodic heart of the song in focus the whole time despite the loosey-goosiness of the arrangement. The arrangement of "Another Faceless Puller of the Pharaoh's Great Stones" is a little more restrained. Beginning rather skeletal at the beginning of each verse and gradually expanding into a melodious cacophony with cymbal clangs and all. "Crumbling Hand" is the last song of the side and the dude singing sounds just like Calvin Johnson. Musically it's not too Beat Happening though. The song is anchored with a nice slide guitar lick and rambles along with a twitchy energy.
The title track opens the B-side with a Vince Guaraldi/It's Christmastime Charlie Brown vibe. A jaunty acoustic guitar and piano duet for a little while before a cooing choir of voices join in. There's a glockenspiel solo later which is followed by a great warbly bridge/restating of the initial melody. The instrumental "Key West" is the shortest song here at about a minute and a half. It's got a keyboard set on the bossanova drumbeat and invests itself fully into mircrowaved "Latin" grooves. Bird Names' previous Really Coastal tape closed with a fantastic song that towered above the rest called "Taxicabs and Bicycles" so I was hoping there might be another song like that on this tape. There is (yes!) and it even tops "Taxicabs." "If I Had a Carriage" is probably the most straightforward Bird Names song I've heard. It's two minutes of unadulterated pop goodness, addicting as it should be. The song's central refrain, which begins with "If I had a carriage..." is the star of the show here with just voices, handclaps and an acoustic guitar, and Bird Names wisely don't diverge from it too often. There's not much to say about it other than it's just a wonderful pop song. The next track "On With the Show" sounds like an old NES Mario game; an instrumental comprised of a ratatat-ing drum machine and a bunch of bouncing keyboards. Finale, "Where Sheep Graze" gets freaky. Starting with an acoustic guitar arpeggio that could have maybe been from some epic folk-metal album, then shifting to some refrain sung by creepy forest creatures. The track changes up plenty of times from there developing into a rather nice song with various bits of slide guitarwork, agitated keyboards and a trumpet. A grandiose ending for a sweet little tape.
The blue pro-dubbed tape is still available from Really Coastal and comes with a hilarious cover as you can see.

Gay Beast - Gay Beast [Gilgongo]/Pigeon Religion - Dead Boss [Gilgongo]/Sissy Spacek - Fortune [Gilgongo]

Gilgongo records down in Tempe, AZ has been doing some good work this year including this trio of 7inches and a James Fella/Timeload Fowl LP I'll get to at another time.
I pull out Gay Beast's LP Disrobics on a regular basis and now hearing this 7inch as well, I'm convinced they are one of the best fucking rock bands on the planet right now. The king of the show is the first side "Multi-Purpose Anti-Form" which I played probably a good 30 times in the first two days I got it. GB start out with a rather mellow intro before jumping into the verse. The song is actually a bit slower than Gay Beast usually moves but it's certainly not devoid of energy. "Multi-Purpose Anti-Form," however, is also Gay Beast's most melodically rich work to date. An endlessly spinnable jam where each element feels so fucking right. Each instrument, the fuzzed out vocals, everything is dynamic and perfectly placed. And goddamn, this song is so well crafted. It moves in stages with each moving seamlessly into the next, and what is most effective is that each successive stage outdoes the previous one. There's this tremendous tension that builds as the song just keeps getting better. Seriously invigorating, one of the best songs I've heard this year. When are these guys gonna get another LP out already? I'm dyin' here!
The B-side features two tracks the first of which is a short instrumental titled "Pressing Hard." It's got all their signature, off-kilter rhythmic prowess but it feels a bit underdeveloped like it's a warm up rather than a full-fledged song. The last track is an expanded, re-recorded mash-up of Dymaxion/The Need covers, "SM Head, LG Torso, Crushing Grip/Whitewash" which was also on their Navy Quilted Pier 3". The first half is angular and scrappy which sets up the second half perfectly. When they hit the "Whitewash" bit the track gets real great real quick, rolling along on a fantastic walking guitar line and ending on a strangely contorted bridge. A cool jam sure to make its songwriters proud.
My band was actually asked to play show with Pigeon Religion when they hit Seattle last summer but I was out of town which was a bummer. Anyhow, that's a long winded way of saying I've been looking forward to hearing them. "Dead Boss" begins like a soccer hooligan chant. The chorus of voices is joined pretty quickly by guitar and drums turning the pseudo-soccer anthem into a punk anthem. The actual singer is shouting his lungs out but can't make himself heard over the flurry of voices. It's an admirable effort though. "Henderson" is even better. There's an accompanying text insert about being a bum in Henderson, Nevada but I can't quite tell if it's actually the lyrics being sung. The song is only a couple minutes but it's a got great strung out, post-Jesus Lizard vibe. No wonder they got a record on Parts Unknown as well. Side B's sole track "Huge Bummer" is probably my favorite of the bunch. It reminds me of some of Pixies' (my fav band FYI) rawer, more seething selections. It's a pretty simple arrangement, a catchy bass line and dual guitars feeding back rather than just mirroring the bass line while the singer dude is agitated about "relying on someone else" or something until the piece splinters to a shambling close.
I reviewed Snow storm's debut full-length a while back, 12 songs crammed onto a 45rpm 7inch and I thought I'd seen it all. That is until Sissy Spacek put out this 7inch which ups the ante to 26 songs at 45rpm. Though calling each a track a "song" is a questionable proposition, the band seems to even think so too as they give each side it's own umbrella name. In their defense they do name every single track as well and when I saw them play a year or two ago Pete Swanson assured me each blast of noise I heard was a different song. But that's enough of my meaningless ruminations, I'll try to get one or two meaningful ones in here instead. This Spacek line up finds John Wiese joining up with Corydon Ronnau on vocals and Charlie Mumma on drums. The first side, "Fortune" sets the tone of the record. Breakneck, machine gun drumming, and a blur of processed guitar(?) noise and wild-eyed vocals. It brings me back to those early Black Dice records which I dig a lot, occupying the exact midpoint between hardcore and free noise. The songs are maybe 9 seconds long and I do find myself wishing they were a bit longer. But the sensation of accelerating and stopping, accelerating and stopping each time a song finishes and a new one begins is intentional I'm assuming. Sissy Spacek is trying to give me whiplash just by listening to their record! Spacek's frenzied sound isn't just the product of speed either; I accidentally played it the first time at 33rpm and it's just as savage and violent slowed down 12rpms. The second side "The Eyes of Men" is pretty similar to the first. It is interesting how all the songs fit into the larger dynamic framework of a side. The songs are often arranged in a way that creates what seems like a natural pause in the overall "song." Definitely a strange record and definitely a Sissy Spacek record. They do their thing like no one else I know of.
All records are still in print and each has it's own aesthetically pleasing packaging. I especially like the 4 color screen printed sleeve of the Gay Beast single.

Streetworker - Streetworker [Wheaton]

Streetworker is the musical moniker of Kevin Salyers from Wheaton Records. He's a modest fellow it seems. How modest? This tape which is a pretty great 20 minute chunk of drone is limited to a scant 11 copies! Chances are you probably won't get your hands on one but it's in print as I write this and maybe getting this review up will inspire a repress of, I don't know, more than 11 copies.
Side A consists of a single track, "20091014." The piece has a hard-to-place vibe somewhere between glistening and airy and cybernetic. There's a shimmering crackle at the center that sounds like something out of The Matrix or any number of sci-fi movies. More subtle layers of sound surround and snake through that crackling until it exits completely leaving the ghost of the piece that had been following all along. It's not a particularly active piece but a nice one to drift off to. And it doesn't go too far down the "ambient/ethereal" path which is a bit refreshing.
I really like the second side which was recorded a couple years earlier. "20071014" has a much smokier, more maximal feel where even though it's a very loud piece there is so silence to be found. A ton of layers mingle creating a thick fog, but all the sounds are so distant it's difficult to decipher what I'm actually hearing. After a minute or two a simple gliding melody pops up which is augmented by what sounds to me like samples of a cheering crowd in a stadium. The track all of a sudden gets agitated with various pulsing drones and a dark undertow attempting suck everything down with it into its static grave. It plays like the soundtrack to a collapsing black hole, if it were possible for sound to exist anywhere near a collapsing black hole. The piece ends with an eerie calm and soft crackling hiss. Well played, sir.
Definitely a strong tape for any drone-minded individual and I'm curious to see what else Streetworker has up his sleeve. Just next time make it more than 11 copies, okay? Luckily, there appear to be some still available. It's nice looking as well, a fully clear tape in a light pink j-card with another transparent j-card overtop.

Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #49 (12/13/09)

Celer “Part 3 Tended Pouring (excerpt)” Close Proximity and the Unhindered Care-All [Sentient Recognition Archive 2009] (CD)

Tim Blood and the Blood Album “Work” W/ Blood and Squalor [CTRL Force 2009] (mp3)

M. Geddes Gengras “The Blue Push (excerpt)” Split with A.M. Shiner [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Ossining “Untitled 3” Split with Afterlife [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Hunted Creatures “Himalaya of Skull” Split with Ophibre [Oph Sound 2009] (CS)

Albero Rovesciato “Untitled” Ancient Shining Drums of the Covered City [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Fag Cop “Gimme Fag Agenda” Whispers from the Pantheon [No Label 2009] (CS)

Orphan Fairytale “Bubble Memory” Ladybird Labyrinth [Ultra Eczema 2009] (LP)

Handglops “The Last Party” Ronk Ng Rool [Gulcher 2009] (CD)

Grasshopper “The Langoliers” Wretched Blood Wraith [Obsolete Units 2009] (CS)

Teenage Panzerkorps “Corpse on an Empty Stage” Teenage Panzerkorps [Captured Tracks 2009] (7”)

Historians “Bomba” Proof [Stunned 2009] (CD-r)

Sean McCann “Sunk Eyes” Phylum Sigh [DNT/Roll Over Rover 2009] (CS/CD)

Little Claw “Frozen in the Future” Human Taste [Ecstatic Peace! 2009] (CD)

Horse Boys “What is Always Angry Like” Horse Boys [OSR Tapes 2009] (CS)

Tusk Lord “Museum Fly” Summer 2009 [Dynamo! 2009] (CS)

Dylan Nyoukis “I'll give you a translation world in which you're a rotting corpse of a run-over dog in some ditch” Split with Nackt Insecten [Sick Head Tapes 2009] (CS)

Silver Bullets “Monday Morning in Ragusa” Free Radical [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Steve Gunn “Untitled” End of the City [Abaddon/Abandon Ship/DNT 2009] (LP)

The Widow Babies “Moon Milk” Jet Packs [olFactory 2009] (LP one-sided)

Dragging an Ox through Water “Houses and Homonculi” The Tropics of Phenomenon [Freedom to Spend 2009] (CD)

Black Joker “Watch Out! Part 2 (excerpt)” Watch Out! [Pacific City 2009] (CD-r)

mp3: Part 1 Part 2

Grasshopper/Twisty Cat - Split [Abandon Ship]/Cough Cool - Digestible Doom [Abandon Ship]

Sorry for the long absence, school and work are finally not kicking my ass quite so hard.
I got a couple standout tapes from Abandon Ship's awesome recent batch.
Back in October I called Grasshopper, the processed trumpet duo of Jesse DeRosa and Josh Millrod, my new favorite band and whether intentionally or not they've been defending that title with a fury. Their half hour side is split into three pieces. The first, titled "Smokey Nights, Melting Flesh," surprisingly begins with a trumpet that actually sounds like a trumpet. After its brief semi-mournful introduction, the buzzing synthetic groundwork is laid. The piece builds unassumingly, bringing back the initial trumpet melody, filter squelch and oddly organ-like tones. The jam builds to a staggering, hypnotic and forceful crescendo. Brilliant piece. "When Hell Overfills, The Dead Will Walk the Earth" follows it up admirably with what I'm pretty sure is just an organ. Though these guys mold their trumpets into all sort of sounds so I wouldn't be too surprised if there's no organ around. The piece wastes no time getting right into the thick of it. Glistening, towering walls of drones surround you at every turn like the most overwhelming labyrinth you've ever been lost in. At a certain point the vibe changes up with pulsing loops and jets of swampy electronic muck. The track ends up being a cacophonous, seasick rager with an effective melodic undercurrent adding a little bit of Heaven in there with all the hellishness. "Once I Die, Put Two Coins on My Eyes" was recorded live last January on WNYU radio, which reminds me come play on my radio show guys! Please? Anyway, this one plays a little more mellow and minimal at first with layers of filtered trumpet weaving in and out. Slowly more and more layers enter as the piece teeters back and forth between calm and tense territories. It has a great vibe of a beautifully composed piece of music decaying right before your ears. There are flickers of sweet sounding melodies amidst crumbling electronics. A short but great piece. By the way, it says on the j-card "Grasshopper exclusively uses Bach mouthpieces" they've gotta be the only band putting out tapes with a sponsorship.
Fellow New York duo, bass clarinet and baritone sax, Twisty Cat take the B-side. Not to be outdone, they contribute the best stuff I've yet to hear from them. "Sedenion" showcases Twisty Cat's less drone-y/more melodic side. There's great interplay between the instruments and a bit of an eerie, tragic feel. The clarinet wanders and improvises on a great melodic phrase while the sax responds with a deep, counter-melodic undertow. "XGDFXy" features Greg Fox (Teeth Mountain) on drums and the track itself has a very unexpected sound. The trio goes math rock for a bit, with a continuous, complex arpeggio and jazzy drumming before the drums drop out for a breakdown of sustained reeds. The drums return, and the song shifts to the first section but the group builds it to a climax. Definitely an odd track but quite cool. The side's finale is "Guns in Grilling" which is another left turn. The track sounds like the duo playing melodies and then running everything though a UFO sound effects pedal. Tractor beams, warbly landing noises, they're all here but the piece definitely doesn't feel kitschy. Just strangely off-balance and unnerving. The pre-existing weirdness is topped off of with a march in unison between the two instruments. Eventually the duo lock into a real nice melodic bit that gently soars to the track's close. Twisty Cat serve up a varied platter for their side but it's all satisfying stuff.
Cough Cool is the home-made pop project of some weirdo out in Pennsylvania self-described as a "stoned Bruce Springsteen" though I'm not sure how accurate that is. After the bouncing laser synths of opener "Spaczed" the tape kicks into song mode with "Recycle/Earth." Built upon a minimal arrangement of stuttering bass synth groove and windy white noise, the song doesn't even need the astro-apocalyptic imagery ("Moving closer to a black hole/The Earth will be recycled") to exude the bad vibes. "Spit Up Blood" is still heavy on the bass fuzz but has more of a loping 90s rock flame burning within. Everything is fuzzed out making the lyrics totally indecipherable. "Giveth" kicks up the tempo a couple notches, delivering a noisy minute long punk track even without drums. The brief guitar solo at the end can barely be heard over the gain saturation of everything else in the mix. "The Real Germany" is one of the stronger tracks and the first ballad. The arrangement is basic but not as skeletal as the previous tracks. There's rhythm guitar, lead guitar, mellow drums and vocals all taking part in a simple, sleepy pop song. What's not to love? Good jam definitely. Flip the tape over and you get another standout "Sinking Soul." Rolling on a clanging drumbeat and distorted bass. it evokes a number of awesome basement bands over the decades. No real chorus or anything just the same sloshed chord progression over and over. "Four Letters" is another ballad with acoustic guitar and weird high-pitched almost alien-like vocals. "I Don't Want to Die" returns to "Sinking Soul" territory but with a more buoyant, upbeat outlook on life. Though considering the lyrics "Mommy, I'm trying" I could be reading that wrong. The fittingly titled conclusion "Leaving" shifts gears into straight noise territory mainly a persistent sine signal.
The Grasshopper/Twisty Cat tape is still available and definitely recommended (it's released on bright yellow cassettes too!) while the Cough Cool tape is sold out at source but I'm sure there's still copies around a few distros.

Auxiliary Out Radio Programme #48 (12/6/09)

Talbot Tagora “The Weather Man” Abstract Distractions [olFactory 2009] (10”)

Forest Dweller “Mountain Religion” Demo [Dynamo! 2009] (CS)

Eureka “Cherry Kush” Big Breath [Stunned 2009] (CD-r)

Matrix Metals “Flamingo Breeze” Flamingo Breeze [Not Not Fun 2009] (CS)

Ultra Bonbon “Restoration” Paradise Vol. 1 [Bonbon Bruises 2009] (CS)

Mama Baer “Alcoholisme – brut Pt. 2 (excerpt)” Amerikanische Poesie und Alkoholismus [Feeding Tube 2009] (LP)

Tonstartssbandht “Black Country” An When [Dœs Are 2009] (CD-r)

Spreaders “Never Seen Jaws Too” The Friends [No Label 2009] (CS)

Chefkirk & Ironing “Notorious” Notorious [Hymns 2009] (CD-r)

Zebu! “Bloody Lips” Bag of Sand [Feeding Tube 2008] (LP)

Arklight “Hunt Me Everyday” Shards and Ashes [Little Fury Things 2009] (CD-r)

Human Adult Band “Oh God, Oh Sh*t” La-Dee-Frickin-Da [Abandon Ship 2009] (CS)

Excavacations “Untitled” Excavacations [Stunned 2009] (CS)

Jamison Williams “Side B” Onassis Project [Closet Sorcery 2009] (CS)

Hair Friend "Live In-studio Performance"

Ugly Husbands “Starved by Ulysses” The Faith of the Family [Roll Over Rover 2009] (CS)

Wounded Knee “Lucier Rising (excerpt)” Split with Astral Social Club [Sick Head Tapes 2009] (CS)

Bhob Rainey “Ain't it Grand” Split with Angst Hase Pfeffer Nase [Sedimental 2009] (7”)

mp3: Part 1 Part 2