YES! Now-Again Records has compiled a "best of" collection of tracks from the plethora of interesting musical ("musical"?) curiosities presented in the recent "Enjoy The Experience" tome! Cop a squat and read their explanatory exposition:
"Gatefold double LP with a 20-page booklet of extensive liner notes. "Selections from the Sinecure Books publication Enjoy the Experience: psych, funk, folk, jazz, lounge, boogie and straight-up-weirdness from American private press albums. Enjoy the Experience: Homemade Records 1958-1992 is the inaugural offering from Sinecure Books. (The hardcover book version: SI 105BK) is the most comprehensive overview of the American 'private press' movement from the latter half of the 20th Century that could possibly be assembled. Now-Again Records is pleased to distribute a 2LP anthology of psych, funk, folk, jazz, lounge, disco, boogie and just-plain-weirdness culled from the the book's selections. Take note: this is not a novelty freak show. Contained in this anthology are examples of some of the most highly regarded rock, soul, jazz, funk and singer/ songwriter albums from the '60s through the early '80s. From the awkward-yet- talented to the genius-yet-bizarre, one thing unites all musicians presented here: they sincerely hoped to become stars, they committed themselves to record, and they left themselves vulnerable to an industry not understanding of nuance, not appreciative of character. While Enjoy The Experience the book details a forceful American cultural experience that stands in juxtaposition to the mainstream even as its creators attempted to infiltrate it, Enjoy the Experience the album shows the breadth of American creativity in a compelling, start-to-finish listen. Not all of it is easy to digest, but this music is essential to the 20th century American experience." Artists: Circuit Rider, Gary Wilson, Jade, Heitkotter, The Invaders, The Muzzy Band, Carol-Leigh and Hank Mindlin, Gary Schneider, Joe E., Medico Doktor Vibes, Ray Harlowe and Gyp Fox, Arcesia, Boa, Michael Farneti, 33 1/3, Silk and Silver, Russ Saul, Dennis The Fox, Bob Harrison and Vinny Roma."
We were slack-jawed at Johan Kugelberg's book "Enjoy The Experience" when it arrived on our doorstep on Record Store Day 2013 - it's exploration of outsider musicians (or "real people" records as they are referred to in the book itself) is as fascinating as it is extensive. This 2xLP cuts to the meat of the matter and compiles a "greatest hits" of the more interesting artists featured in the book. Heavies like Circuit Rider and Gary Wilson nestle in real close to odd-ballers like Silk and Silver and Dennis The Fox and paint a very vivid portrait of this all-encompassing niche genre! The tunes range from oddball whacked-out pop, to chord-defying calypso, to late-nite hotel lounge muzak, to hard funk (the break-beat plentiful "Spacing Out" by The Invaders). A thrilling, if head-scratching listen that comes unequivocally RECOMMENDED! (buy the book too!)
King Tuff Test Pressing Contest!
Anyone who buys the new King Tuff - "Was Dead" Reissue LP is automatically entered into a raffle to score a mind blowing package of goodies! The winner will receive a copy of the King Tuff test pressing which is hand numbered in an edition of 50, a King Tuff T-Shirt, a King Tuff tote bag and a King Tuff button! Good luck dudes and dudettes!!!
Burger Records reissues the 2008 LP that launched Kyle Thomas, a.k.a King Tuff into the general consciousness and lit up thousands of record players worldwide (at least, for as long as those first few editions on 'The Colonel' Records were in print) Burger commissioned 'The King' to put some thoughts onto paper about "Was Dead" - here's the skinny straight from the King's pen:
"It's always seemed as though Was Dead kinda came outta nowhere. Even for me, I don't remember writing the songs and I barely remember recording them. I do know that they came from the purest part of my heart and they were made with a mischievous little smile on my face.
I think it was 2006. I recorded mostly late at night, in a giant dirty ballroom called Vegetable Street, in my hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont. My days were filled with endless cups of Mocha Joe's coffee, black, sitting on the stoop with my friends, and spazzing out on my guitar. Looking down at the streets of Brattleboro below and out at Mount Wantastiquet and beyond. I didn't have a cell phone or a computer and the only way to find me was either to call my mom, Lil' Smashy, who was probably already too busy cooking me something really delicious, or spot me in the corner of the coffee shop spying on people and drawing them in my sketchbook. They were very chill times.
I wanted Was Dead to be a pure Vermont Rock and Roll record, fueled by extra sharp Cabot cheddar cheese and hot, grade-A fancy maple syrup poured over crisp white snow and served with a pickle and a cider donut. You sit down on the shitty concrete in the parking lot and you slurp it all up. I had already made a few King Tuff albums in the early 2000's and had laid the project to rest around 2003. But something told me to resurrect King Tuff, hence the title Was Dead.
This album changed my life in so many ways, as it slowly trickled out into the world. I never expected anyone to hear it, let alone connect with it. I never would have left Vermont, never met the boys at Burger Records or any of the other insane, beautiful, cartoonish characters that now populate my life in the best way. It’s an expression of my infinitely teenage heart and soul, and I'm really proud of it. So here it is again, thanks to Burger Records. These songs belong to the Strutters and the Stutterers, the Headbangers and the Stoop Hangers, the Ruthies and the Gold Toothies, and of course, the A-N-I-M-A-L-S... "
MAN, we jammed this one TO DEATH when it came out - SO much in fact that we thought it might've been physically glued to our turntable! "Was Dead" was like a shot in the arm to garage and pop in 2008 and we're happy to report it still sounds fresh as a newly picked daisy! The King's addictive concoction of garage-goulash is just one of those records that sounded iconic from the first spin - it's marriage of garage/glam/punk/pop/and a dash of slacker-psychedelia is a recipe still being cooked up in many a musical kitchen to this day - heck one could even point to it as "patient zero" for the Burger Records' "sound". We dug it then and are still diggin' - here's hoping "Was Dead" keeps on kickin' it long after we've shuffled off this mortal coil - RECOMMENDED!!!
The Torn Light Records has all the gnarly details behind this brain damage inducing slab of misanthropy:
"Mid tempo to sludgy noise rock from Chicago, IL. Rectal Hygienics take their time stomping through 7 tracks of nihilistic, perverse and noise ladened rock. FFO: Rusted Shut, Brainbombs, Twin Stumps and the like.
Featuring ex and current boys of Socially Retarded, Sea of Shit, Hate Basement, Machismo, Abuse Patterns, CSTVT and SHARPTOOTH.
LP comes housed in a screen printed jacket with a fold out poster/lyric sheet. 300 copies one time pressing on black vinyl." - Torn Light Records
Hell Yeah! Chicago's Rectal Hygienics unleash a platter of punishment in the vein of Twin Stumps, Rusted Shut and Brainbombs as stated above and you know we love us some attitude filled negative noise rock. Rectal Hygienics are not here to play nice, as waves of feedback and flopping guttural bass riffs and pummeling drum patterns are held at bay by a barking bile filled growl spewing all things unpleasant to say the least. Originally released as a mega-limited cassette, the RH duders have finally got this on vinyl just in time to never leave your turntable. This is sure to piss off your neighbors as it is meant to played at the highest of volumes. Viciously Recommended.
The Mono Records folks have gifted the world with a much anticipated reissue of this legendary punk album. Get the backstory directly from the label; they totally know the score:
“Before the nihilistic hardcore of Black Flag and wasteland blues of the Gun Club was the void. And from that void crept forth a schoolteacher named CHRIS DESJARDINS who in the fall of 1977 was about to simplify his name to CHRIS D. and start one of the most complicated and uncompromising bands ever to emerge from Los Angeles. He had charisma and connections and an irresistible vision, and he recruited members of X, WALL OF VOODOO, THE CONTROLLERS, THE SCREAMERS, THE FLYBOYS and THE PLUGZ—a rotating roster of future punk legends who’d split time from their own bands to become THE FLESH EATERS. By the summer of 1980, the Flesh Eaters had left scorch marks across their genre and their generation both, releasing the debut ‘Disintegration Nation’ 7”, a compilation called Tooth And Nail and a first annihilating full-length called No Questions Asked that critic Richard Meltzer called ‘goddam genius.’ In the Flesh Eaters, murder ballads and cut-up Burroughs-ian imagery and wrecked-in-the-head rock ‘n’ roll were boiled and bled into one terrifying thing by people who practically invented West Coast punk, and who at the direction of Chris D. were now inventing something else. Now Mono Records releases this deluxe LP version of No Questions Asked with complete bonus tracks including the ‘Disintegration Nation’ 7”, the three tracks from the Tooth and Nail and never-before-on-vinyl demos restored at Chris D.’s direction—all material unavailable in the U.S. since its original release, and the definitive reissue of the last great lost L.A. punk band”—Chris Zeigler"" - Mono Records
We couldn't agree more! "No Questions Asked" is 14 tracks of unrelenting punk rock fury that throttles by in 2 minute blasts of no compromise and no fucks given. Plus, check it, this reissue features 10 bonus cuts of even more raw as hell rawk and roll nuttery. This is an absolutely essential record for any fan of punk rock and snarling cutthroat r'n'r, so grab it immediately as reissue of this caliber rarely stick around long. Crank this beast to infinity!!! Righteously Recommended.
Total Punk with the help of Jeth-Row Records strikes again with another swampy dose of punk rock from Gary Wrong Group, titled "Knights Of Misery":
"For those of you not in the know GARY WRONG has been the solo outlet for WIZZARD SLEEVE, CAPTAIN BEYONCE, for the last year or so. Total Punk attempted to put out his debut single last year but all the chicken magic in the world couldn’t set this doomed project straight. Endless setbacks from the pressing plant, four broken plates, and a neverending string of lies and misrepresentations from the shady “plant broker” later we were able to salvage 148 hideous, jaggedly cut, mislabeled singles before scrapping the project. Well here are rerecorded versions of those two songs as well as four more. That’s right folks, Gary Wrong is back, and this time with a full gang of like minded miscreants. Six tracks of brooding, sinister punk created under the influence of ditch weed, on broken machines, in the late late hours of an Alabama night at an undisclosed location in the woods. A pummeling attack of pounding drums and biting guitars, covered in layers of whirling organ (provided by QUINTRON), eerie synth noises, and all accented by Mr Wrong’s menacing cackle. Think Chrome mainlining the ashes of Bobby Soxx. IT brings to mind images of swarming locust, WW II dog fights, Cthulu’s ascent from the primordial ooze, and backwoods ritual sacrifice. Out this week and TOTALLY PUNK!!!"" - Total Punk
Dirt caked post apocalyptic garage punk sorcery rising outta the ashes of Wizzard Sleeve? And with Mr. Quintron on drums / organ? Count us in!!!! More menacing that the Spits, more deranged than True Sons of Thunder and a whole lot more unhinged than Fireworks!, Gary Wong Group conjure some of the most fierce voodoo punk spells you'll get the chance to hear all year long. There is simply no match for the satanic cavestomp of "Knights Of Misery," and to top if off, the 12 inch ep ends with a Bad Times cover! Termbo, HoZac and Goner Records junkies take note, this one's close to being sold out at the source and from the band already. Evil backwoods garage punk like this won't get pressed a second time! WICKEDLY RECOMMDED. Just don't play it for the kids.
STOKEDDESCRIPT
The mighty Boards Of Canada return with their first album since 2005 and the Warp Records folks who've released it have this to say on the matter:
"The idolized and enigmatic duo is back. A series of cryptic clues dropped in various formats, from a one-off 12"" on Record Store Day, to hidden messages on YouTube, NPR Music's All Songs Considered, fan forums, and even a video premiered on Adult Swim, all led their fans on a wild chase to reveal the album details. Now that the world knows - the anticipation is at a fever pitch for one of the world's most revered and mysterious electronic acts. Musically, the album is somehow dark yet positive, with atmospheric dissonance and mind bending melodic creations."" - Warp
Boards Of Canada's mysterious electronic creations always yield unique explorations and mind bending sonics that leave the listener wanting to return as with each new listen new sounds and textures come to light. "Tomorrow's Harvest" excels at this audio trickery and just when you think you have a track pinned down it squiggles into weirder more challenging realms. "Tomorrow's Harvest" is definitely giving us a heavy throwback soundtrack vibe with grand swells and startling blasts around each turn of this thrilling LP. Certainly Recommended.
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES!!
SOLD OUT AT THE SOURCE!
SOLD OUT AT THE SOURCE!
Stellar Leeds, UK outfit, Hookworms avoid the sophomore slump with "Pearl Mystic"! Their previous longplayer on Faux Discx was (technically) a 12-inch EP, but those 4 extended tracks took up both sides of that platter and filled our eardrums with some grade-A motorik psych-rock burners! "Pearl Mystic" was released by UK label Gringo Records and doesn't stray too far from that apt description, but the quintet has found it's legs on this album - the mellower tunes swoon and swell with more finesse and the heavier parts are more interesting and densely constructed. The UK psych-explosion of the late-Eighties/early-Nineties is an obvious touchstone for these guys, with the ghosts of Spectrum, Loop and Spacemen 3 all milling around bumming smokes, but there's a palpable whiff of the new guard of psychedelic acts raising their hands here too - Cosmonauts, Wooden Shjips, Cave and even Carlton Melton too. Hookworms are definitely carving out their own niche, though - there's a real swagger to these young bucks that often times has a Rolling Stones-y vibe, riding out the groove with rollicking, soulful reverie peppered by squalling fuzz-flanged guitar and synth. We were impressed by their EP, and this album takes it to the next logical plateau - can't wait to hear more (US Tour, please?) RECOMMENDED, but act fast - this one's already sold out at the source and these will NOT stick around for long! GET IT!
Light In The Attic offer up Lee Hazlewood's debut album "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town" and they have the details here:
"Light In The Attic’s Lee Hazlewood Archive Series continues with an expanded reissue of LEE HAZLEWOOD’s debut album. Remastered from the original tapes, this is the first time Trouble Is a Lonesome Town has been available in its original mono mix since the 1960s. Presented as a CD and double LP with 15 bonus tracks and an eight page booklet, this is an essential purchase for Hazlewood fans or anyone curious about about the man before the mustache. Originally released in 1963, Trouble… finds the bohemian cowboy sketching out a vivid picture of a backwater place named Trouble, where trouble with a small ‘t’ is never far away."
All these Lee Hazlewood reissues coming through the shop are filling up our shelves and getting plenty of facetime with our collective turntables and now we get another dose of Hazlewood magic. This is where it all began, his first album, intended to be an album of songs that other more established artists could borrow from turned out to be a fine collection that sounded best when performed by Hazlewood's warm baritone. These 10 cuts of country tinged AM pop are pure Hazlewood through and through and they are just a glimpse at what was about to become one of the most legendary American songwriters of the 20th century. "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town" is an album of supreme storytelling songs about fictional drifters and down and out characters from walks brought ot life with acoustic guitars, swelling harmonica and Lee Hazlewood's unmistakable soothing baritone croon and subtle humor. Super Recommended.
EDITION OF 500
Mind!'s in house Not On Label Records with some added support from Odio Sonoro, Nooirax Producciones, The Bloody Dirty Sanchez, Subterranea , Soviet, and El Lio Es Gordo have released this spacerock epic of an album. "Stunde Null" is the debut long player from Algeciras, Spain's Mind! and what a way to get things started. "Stunde Null" is a lush slow burning cosmic collection of well crafted and supremely paced psychedelic spacerock. You'll find some hints of Hawkwind, a dash of Dead Meadow's foggy grooves, and even some Pink Floyd guitar stylings throughout. We're really digging how well the songs are paced, never rushing to get to the apex, instead building slowly with deep undulations and cosmic swells that sure-handedly unfurl into glorious lush transgressions of interstellar hypnosis and smile inducing waves of calm clear serenity. "STUNDE NULL" is nearly half instrumental but when the vocals do present themselves they find their place in the haze and totally add to the overall aesthetic this group is providing. Really great stuff gang! This LP contains a CD copy of the entire record and it comes with our highest of Recommendations!
An LP full of bangers from The OBN IIIs - recorded in a live setting when they stopped by Jersey radio station extraordinaire WFMU in 2012 to play on Evan "Funk" Davies' radio show! Released on Gereard Cosloy's 12XU label - check it (but don't wreck it):
"During the OBN III's first visit to the East Coast last June, they stopped by Evan "Funk" Davies' WFMU program to perform selections from their 2 Tic Tac Totally studio albums, as well as weigh in on some of the more important social issues of the day. After the ensuing firestorm of angry phone calls and threats from the vaunted free-form radio station's financial benefactors, we have decided to delete those portions from this commercially available LP. To this day, i feel the band were being set up by Mr. Davies, and if being The Bill Grundy Of Jersey City is the kind of thing he's comfortable with, so be it.
Still, there's some consolation in the 11 songs recorded live, and it's a fair representation why some of us (radio dj's looking to make a name for themselves aside) expect nothing short of a global takeover from this Austin quintet sometime in the very near future. We're not making very many of these and when they're gone, they're gone."
Live albums are tricky beasts - when they're great, they're GREAT - we're talkin' yer "Live At Budokan"s, yer "Live at the Harlem Square Club"s, yer "Live At The Apollo"s… but many end up falling flat. Austin TX's OBN III's have unleashed a few singles and two LPs (both on Tic Tac Totally) of high-octane, driving R'n'R akin to Sonic's Rendevous Band, The Stooges, and The Saints that capture the sweat and raw energy of shirtless rock and ROLL with gleeful aplomb. The REAL place to capture these dudes is in a live setting and THIS is what this album delivers - no edits, no overdubs, just the boys cranking it in the studio. Is it gonna be the next "Budokan"? Who knows? Time will tell - but for now, we're just gonna turn it UP and try not to overthink it! As with everything these dudes do - it's fuckin' RECOMMENDED.
ORIGINALS HAVE FETCHED OVER $330!
AMAZING and hard-rockin' private press rarity from the seventies British underground! Pinnacle released this lone record back in '74 and the OG fetches a princely sum! Luckily Sleuth Records has taken the collector's shackles off and made this one available for a fraction of the price - let's don our headcoats, grab our spy glasses and check out what Sleuth has uncovered:
"This British hard rock group recorded and self-released their debut LP in 1974, an album that remained a hot collector's item amongst British underground enthusiasts. Very much in the Thin Lizzy/Groundhogs mould, Pinnacle's extremely rare and lone release is an extremely solid and well-delivered affair which is a delight for fans of the early metal sound of Judas Priest and Deep Purple, although clearly the mighty Hawkwind is probably the band's biggest influence. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl."
Hmmm - we don't hear Thin Lizzy up in here, but there are palatable whiffs of Groundhogs and Hawkwind mucking about, with a lil' bit (juuuust a skosh) of prog-rock too. These guys are also balls-deep in the proto-metal, hard-rock rumblings of the early British underground a'la Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and early Judas Priest, but vocalist "Owen"s near-non-lexical, full-throated, operatic howl has us reaching for our Flower Travellin' Band or Blues Creation records! The guitars rip open the sky, and are backed up by some severe strafing from Organ/Moog player "Dave" who lends the band it's Hawkwind-ian elements, hot-boxing organ licks and laying down some serious analog atmospherics! A KILLER release that's only growing in awesomeness every time we're spinning it! RECOMMENDED!
Record Store Day 2013 has come and gone, but we just got in a stack of one of the most important, visceral and difficult-to-find releases reissued for this year's festivities, the essential 1986 ep "Groovy Hate Fuck" by noise punk provocateurs, Pussy Galore. No band rattled our world, changed what punk could mean and led us astray like Pussy Galore did. And "Groovy Hate Fuck" was their first 12 inch, one of the many that blew our minds, giving it a special place in our record collections. If you're not already grabbing yer wallets, read on:
"It may seem hard to believe, but the intentionally crude, gleefully offensive Groovy Hate Fuck represented something of an improvement over Pussy Galore's inconsistent debut, Feel Good About Your Body. First off, these cats (and kittens) were really just provocateurs -- or "poseurs" as the less charitable would have it -- not punks. They meant to make people mad, and they did, but there really wasn't anything particularly dangerous about their music. It was more like a conceptual art piece about teen angst. The song titles give the game away: "Teen Pussy Power," "Just Wanna Die," "Pretty Fuck Look," and more. Despite the off-putting title, "Cunt Tease" is actually the best of the bunch; Jon Spencer spews a misogynistic tirade over a lo-fi Cramps stomp while Julia Cafritz rebuffs each outburst with a simple, "F*ck You!" Both genders get to have their say. "You Look Like a Jew," meanwhile, seems designed solely to prove that there were no depths to which they wouldn't sink in order to provoke a reaction -- or it was possibly just an attempt to trump the Sex Pistols' "Belsen Was a Gas" in the tastelessness department? Then there's "Constant Pain," in which Spencer and Cafritz shout the title over and over again as Bob Bert rattles the pots and pans with abandon."
Pussy Galore was pure, noise damaged, confrontational, rock n roll chaos, combining all the best and worst parts of the Stooges, the Stones and the Cramps. No band was as totally bonkers, in yer face and supposedly as inept as they were and yet they were a band that spawned a slew of imitators, and quite a few killer spin off bands, like Royal Trux, Chrome Cranks and the Blues Explosion, just to name a few. The fucking riot of blues, garage, noise and punk that John Spencer, Neil Michael Haggerty, Bob Bert, Julia Cafritz, John Hammill, and the revolving door of other misfits created (or spewed forth) has not been equaled since. They either were the best rock band ever or the worst, but for sure one of the most infamous, lewd and drunken acts ever to disgrace a stage.
You absolutely need to have some Pussy Galore next to your turntable, and this, our friends, is the LP to start with. TOTALLY FUCKING RECOMMENDED. As with any RSD titles, this one's super limited and too unwieldy to get repressed a second time, so no sleeping.
ORIGINALS HAVE SOLD FOR OVER $900!!!
WHOAH. Our good pals at the ever-reliable Lion Productions in conjunction with Vintage Records have reissued this holy grail, hard-rockin' masterwork from New Jersey devils Sainte Anthony's Fyre! The heavy choogle is in full-effect, so lend an ear to what Lion's roarin':
"Official reissue of ultra-rare 1970 wasted underground hard rock monster! Wild, loud, raw New Jersey hard psych beast that’s been a favorite target of record collectors, dealers and swamp dwellers for the past two decades, originally released on the Zonk! label .This album is bleeding with that authentic dirty basement sound built around a solid set of catchy heavy weight tracks influenced by the holy trinity of Cream, Blue Cheer and Hendrix! The bible of underground psych rock, Acid Archives, says this about it: “This legendary private press is rated as one of the ultimate local basement hard rock blowouts by many connoisseurs. Released as early as 1970, the end result has some similarities to MC5′s hallowed Kick out the Jams, but I find this a superior and more powerful album." Popular UK magazine that’s majors in all things 60s and psychedelic, Shindig!, proclaims: “a masterpiece of zonked out, fuzz-drenched hard rock." The limited edition vinyl pressing comes with an insert with liner notes, press clippings, photos and lyrics + an 11" x 17" poster too."
Gonzo, hard-rockin' madness! We're DEFINITELY feeling this one - it's like Marty McFly time-travelled back in time and created a band that was executed per our exact taste! The "Hard Stuff", with a hint of bluesy rockin, but with a definite proto-punk attitude and swagger that elevates this above your typical Seventies hard stuff. These guys had to have had their ears on the Motor City back in the day - we're hearing the unmistakable testosterone-fueled influence of the MC5 or The Rationals, as well as the sinister oil-caked, cabaret feel of Alice Cooper too. These dudes were apparently courted by the bigs back in the day (Felix Pappalardi even offered to produce, but ultimately wanted too much moolah) and was a hair away from signing with Atlantic, but ultimately facing restrictions that would dictate their sound, decided against it, and recorded/released this one themselves. Fuck yeah! The "rough" sound of the record really is an asset to the overall feel and probably ups the aggression and sinister feel overall, with the guitars fuzzed out and pushing the red zone to the maxx, bro. If you dig Pentagram, Blue Cheer, Grand Funk, or even newer, backward-looking bands like Graveyard, Witchcraft and FUZZ, then prepare to feel the HEAT from the FYRE! Pressed up on gorgeous 180gm vinyl and packed with detailed liners/lyrics and a repro of the band's original promo poster, this is one NOT TO MISS (nice price too!). RECOMMENDED times 10,000,000,000!!!! Destined for 2013 "Reissue of the Year" status - Get this now!
Good things come to those who wait - 3 years since their great album "Terd" on Hozac, French freakazoids Subtle Turnhips are back with another hot mess of a platter entitled "Meal", this time courtesy of Pouet Schalleplatten! This time around the Turnhips have dialed back the ugly and heavy vibes that permeated "Terd" and gone for straight-up weird, rockin' with a ramshackle urgency that has Nikki Sudden written all over it! Imagine if sonic brothers in arms The Pheromoans wanted to rock a bit harder, but not too seriously. It's a gorgeous mess of Mark E. Smith meets Desperate Bicycles or Wire and we're spinning the SHIT out of it over here at PRex H.Q.! We snagged a few of these bad-boys direct from the label, but they're not likely to stick around too long, so get in the lunch-line and drop "Meal" on your tray! RECOMMENDED!
SoCal demonic psych rock destroyers, Tar Halos, just released their second album (and first on Volar Records) titled "Wine Hand," and we can't help but turn this one up way loud and rattle the shop windows. This is some spaced out dark psych rock sure to catch all of your ears, not just ours. So here with a proper introduction is Volar, who pressed this monster onto wax:
"Like the sound of Salton Sea-creatures, dried in Death Valley, TAR HALOS is an all-encompassing entity; this San Diego based psych-rock iteration of “the sound” being comprised of five desultory elements, each crudely assimilated to one another in a broodingly raw aural mix. The resultant entity lacks conventions and so exists in a constant state of irreality, their presence being compared variously to that of a pig-dog in heat or a dark stare to the back of a head. Reverb and screeching synths swell and echo, unabashed sound that seduces listeners away from their own cherished realities. Wine Hand marks the entity’s vinyl debut, its intentions still ambiguous. For fans of Psychic Ills, Moon Duo, Chrome, Spacemen 3, Throbbing Gristle, Pere Ubu, Syd Barrett and Ghost."
We won't disagree with Volar's comparisons, especially to Spacemen 3, Chrome and Psychic Ills, but woah, that doesn't give the whole picture at all. Deep in "Wine Hands" grooves, we also hear the seething unkempt psych fireballs of Monoshock, the space adventures of Hawkwind, the desert hallucinations of Destruction Unit and the off the wall experimental drones of Cave. Does that grab yer attention? It sure should, cuz even though "Wine Hand" came outta left field for us, we know we're gonna spin the shit outta this album. More noisy, evil, heavy and space rockin' than your run of the mill psych rock band these days, Tar Halos certainly get our HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION. HANDS DOWN. Don't pass up this killer new band their new LP, you'll be sorry if you do.
HAND SCREENED MISTER CITY PRESS FOLD OVER SLEEVE // TOURQUISE WAX LTD TO 300 HAND NUMBERED COPIES
There is a Chicago quartet named Toupée that has been relentlessly creeping and effervescing in and around the local DIY basement, house, and warehouse space scene since sometime circa 2011 with the silent perseverance and unrelenting strength of a legless animated corpse. Make no mistake, Toupée's "Dinner Parties" has legs, and these legs are running them up and out of the basement with a force only Ash Williams' possessed sister could have hoped for in Evil Dead.
"Dinner Parties", originally released as "Dinner Party" in primordial form on the prolific home-town cassette label Teen River, has been recaptured following the inevitable refinement culled from of an onslaught of shows and a full-on re-recording job by Bert Bunker (mastered by Cooper Crain). Immediately from the album's opener you are reeled in by the phantasmal grip of the vocals that emanate a bizarrely other-dimensionally 50's from the future Julee Cruise croon cum Twin Peaks beautifully damaged by a powerful wail found in early Honey Bane that may deconstruct into a viciously sneeringly and gutturally crusty growl with absolutely no warning at different moments throughout the record. Sonically "Dinner Parties" is wondrously quilted together stitched from the dental floss of a Mars-ian no wave, darkly under-toned Bauhaus-ian gothyness, all wound tightly together somewhere in between the legendary art-rock of "Chairs Missing" and "154" era Wire.
This long-player documents the twenty-fifth release for the also Chicago based Rotted Tooth Recordings, rooted in documenting the pinnacle of genuinely weird, creepy, and creative art punks of all flavors in Chicago and beyond; far before even those paying attention take notice. Eventually when the people of the future come back to camp and begin to wonder what the hell was really going on in the Chicago music scene circa the early 2010's, we're pretty damn sure Toupée will receive a well deserved nod. RECOMMENDED! TELL YOUR BALD (AND NOT-SO-BALD) FRIENDS ABOUT TOUPÉE!
LP - Tucker Martine - Brokenhearted Dragonflies - Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia - $19.99 - BUY
- LISTEN 
- LISTEN
SUBLIME FREQUENCIES ALERT!!!
Listen up as the Sublime Frequencies aficionados inform you of their latest:
"There is a legend in Burma stating that swarms of male dragonflies gather to join in choruses of high-pitched tones to court their mates. The ones that don't succeed in mating eventually scream so loud that their chests explode and they drop dead to the ground. These recordings are a tribute to this legend. Droning cicadas, dragonflies, and other insects display their charm as masters of the high frequency airwaves, recorded live and unprocessed by Tucker Martine in the lush settings of Laos, Thailand, and Burma. Enter the supernatural world where entomology and electronica converge in a tropical hallucination of alien sound. Anyone who has ever wondered if these strange symphonies could be recorded or preserved as precisely as they sound in the field need look no further. Martine has done it and you will be transported to the exact experience one would encounter in these mysterious lowlands. Limited edition LP pressing of the long out-of-print CD from 2004, comes with a beautiful tip-on jacket, including an insert with photos and liner notes by Hakim Bey and Alan Bishop."" - Sublime Frequencies
This record is down right startling! Pure unprocessed sounds of nature that will blow your mind and your eardrums are what will be found here. This could easily be passed off as a power electronics record, no joke, straight up earsplitting harshness that is yet further proof of what a wondrous world we live in. Humans do a fine job of making thrilling sounds but leave it to the insect kingdom to produce such trance inducing commanding sonics. Extremely Recommended!
Ah man… we've been waiting a looooonng time for this one! Get the full details concerning this amazing record, one that belongs in every collection, from the Sunbeam label folks here:
"Recorded in London in July 1969, and featuring members of Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, The Deviants, and Tyrannosaurus Rex, the legendary Think Pink is one of the hallowed relics of British underground rock. Masterminded by John ""Twink"" Alder, who fully participated in this comprehensive reissue, it is presented here with detailed background notes, eight bonus tracks and rare pictures, making it truly essential for all fans of true psychedelia. Housed in a gatefold sleeve with a full-color booklet; on 180 gram vinyl with a CD copy of the album, plus bonus tracks."
"Think Pink" features a veritable who's who of heavy hangers from the above mentioned acts combined with ex-Pretty Things/Pink Fairies duder Twink to conjure one of the most legendary acid drenched psychedelic folk rock records ever recorded. Originals regularly sell for hundreds of dollars and this hasn't been in print on vinyl in ages. Stop whatever it is you're doing and grab this 100% essential album now. This is another Permanent Records staff fave; one that gets spun almost daily if possible. Deliriously Recommended!
Swinging Mademoiselle is an apt title for this well curated disk of French ye-ye tunes. These bubbly pop hits are sure to get your toes tapping and your body shaking. It's been a while since the last installment of this series and it seems that the Sasha Monnett label has been busy spending that time crate digging for these stellar gems/jams. Here's l'information from the label:
"The world has changed a lot in the 10 years since the release of volume 2, and I can say (in all modesty) that the term Swinging Mademoiselle has basically become a genre in itself, designating the instantly recognizable sound of French pop with female vocals, recorded from 1965 to 1968.
This is the third and -- I emphasize -- the final volume, because there will not be any more. Sorry, friends, but three is enough (or four, because you can include Girls in the Garage volume 12 in this series). This time, I’ll present artists who are much more obscure than those in previous volumes. It’s a difficult task, because in today’s ultra-connected world where everything is three clicks away, nothing remains truly « obscure ». It’s a daunting task, but I’ll try anyway."
LIMITED TO 250 COPIES WORLDWIDE,
A P-REX EXCLUSIVE !!!!!!!
A P-REX EXCLUSIVE !!!!!!!
We got the chance to see South Africa's noisemakers Make-Overs twice while they were in town, once at Blackout Fest and once hosting an in-store for them at the Chicago shop, and both times they blew our minds!!! So when they set a stack of self released eps on the counter, we grabbed 'em all. Pressed up on their KRNGY imprint and sadly limited, "It's Unnatural" is a ferocious ride through the feedback punk explosions of Martinque (drums / vocals) and Andreas (guitar, vocals).
Sludgy, yet melodic, Make-Overs blown out take on underground rock n roll sounds like it sprung up one warehouse away, not from the far away wild streets of South Africa. Make-Overs strip down their trashy pummeling rock n roll making it even LOUDER and IN YER FACE than you'd expect from just a two piece. Maybe that's cuz they're done their homework, borrowing from the Touch and Go and AmRep greats as well as the garage punk classics, making "In Unnatural" a crazy trip we'll take over and over again. SUPER RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!
7in - George Brigman and Split - Blowin Smoke (Autographed Original 1977 Pressing) - $9.99 - BUY
ORIGINAL DEAD-STOCK!
Got another batch of this amazing single of original 1977 stock in! We nearly wet ourselves when the "Jungle Rot" LP got reissued earlier in 2013 so to get these 2 raw killer jams back is a mega bonus!
Killer lead guitar parts are all over the A-side of George Brigman's 1977 single Blowin' Smoke. The single was comped on the sweet Cherrystones Word comp alongside some killer psych/punk tracks by Dead Moon, Chrome, Brainbox, Deviants, and more. We (dumb us) just realized that Brigman reissued the single in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition. This edition includes the original pressing on Solid Records of the single in an all new hand-numbered sleeve (which it never had originally). The sleeve is autographed by Brigman to boot. The B-side Drifting is a decent meandering, instrumental psych jam, but Blowin' Smoke will blow your mind.
There were only 500 of these left in '07 and we couldn't imagine there'd be many more left in '09, yet lo and behold miraculously a few copies are mercifully still available in 2013, but even if there were an infinite amount of these in the world, we'd recommend picking one up.
7in - George Brigman And Split - Silent Bones - Original 1985 Pressing - $9.99 - BUY
More Brigman madness here! Both the "Jungle Rot" LP and the "Blowin' Smoke" single are essential George Brigman must owns. And now we scored yet another brain melting single from George Brigman and Split. Bona Fide Records has original 1985 stock of the esoteric "Silent Bones" EP. George Brigman and Split are supplying 5 tracks that lay out sleazy heavy blues rock that sound like Pentagram outtakes and strange instrumental jams that sound like hippied-out Chrome and Minutemen/Firehose or the early 80's SST roster. The two cuts with vocals feature Wayne Hastings glam tinged howl while all cuts are sportin' Brigman's signature guitar sorcery, locked-in rhythms and some damn fine bass noodling. If you dig the outsider jams of the Bonehead Crunchers comps, the Clone Records stuff or Michael Yonkers then you best add this to your collection as another single like this you won't hear anytime soon. Recommended.
"The greatest band that almost was finally sees the light of day! Sector Zero was a short lived Memphis super-group of Eric and Zac from Goner (and from the Oblivians and Final Solutions, respectively) plus the doomed genius of Jay Reatard - Goner's got the deets on Sector Zero:
"ZAC IVES and ERIC FRIEDL playing guitar, JAY REATARD bashing drums. Recorded by Jay at his house. No overdubs. Bass Balls pedal. "Guitar Attack" and "Hiding In My Car" representing all that's great about simple, stupid music. Veterans of SF's Budget Rock and Memphis' Gonerfest festivals, one appearance resulting with Eric being driven home by the police. Hooray!"
Musically, Sector Zero doesn't stray too far from Eric and Jay's work in Bad Times, or Jay's work in the Reatards, but injected with Ives' penchant for retro futurism a'la Wire or The Urinals. "Guitar Attack" is destined for 'Killed By Death' Vol. 145 someday - mark our words! "Hiding In My Car" is a trebl-y rager that sounds like Mudhoney when they were trying to rip off Spacemen 3 - who knows where this could have gone had Reatard lived to drum another day? Shit - be thankful we at least have this single! RECOMMENDED!
Ty Segall never seems to have a shortage of material - this time we're treated to a brand new, unreleased tune from the man himself, paired with a new song from emerging San Fran group Chad and the Meatbodies, released in Famous Class Records' LAMC series - we'll let Famous Class fill you in on what this whole deal is:
"We are launching the LAMC split 7” series in loving memory Ariel Panero, our dear friend and a partner in Famous Class.
The series gets its name from the epic Less Artists More Condos concerts that Ariel threw, showcasing amazing bands in some strange and unique venues. Ariel’s driving force was a desire to get the bands he believed in the recognition he felt they deserved. This series simply tries to honor that idea.
For each LAMC split 7” we ask one of our favorite bands to provide us with an unreleased track for the A-side. We then asked them to pick their favorite emerging artist to provide a track for the B-side. Ariel’s LAMC shows introduced New Yorkers to bands they might not have otherwise discovered – we hope that this series will do the same. We’ll also make the tracks available on the FAMOUS CLASS bandcamp page with 100% of the digital proceeds going to the Ariel Panero Memorial Fund at VH1 Save the Music."
Ty throws us a curve-ball with "Music For A Film 1", an instrumental jam that grooves high on a krautrock-y, bongo-laced groove and sounds different than anything he's done prior - a real hip, Sixties noir sounding cut. SUPER great - we almost expected to hear Damo Suzuki's lysergic wail over the top! Chad and the Meatbodies deliver "Mountain", a driving pop tune slathered in grit, with a killer sugar-coated, twin-guitar attack that's coming from somewhere between the apocalyptic scree of "Slaughterhouse" and the pop hum of Pangea's "Living Dummy". A killer split that pairs a couple of interesting West Coast musical foils. RECOMMENDED - but act fast, this one's not liable to stick around for long!
Volcom Records' latest split single features two Los Angeles bands who cut their jibs on the same diet of sludgy, grungy rock and roll - The Zig Zags and The Shrine! The Shrine kick off the A-side side with a spoken word sample, before launching into a beer-swilling brawler that had us checking the labels to see if they didn't accidentally press up a Mudhoney single instead! Whoah! The Zig Zags are on the flip and hey frickin lay out a barn-burner of a shred fest with "Runaway", that is a pill-popping rocker not unlike Motorhead! Daaaaamn - we love these guys! Great pairing and one we'll be spinning again and again! Don't sleep on this one - we ACTUALLY got some of the subscription only colored wax, which WILL NOT stick around, so ACT NOW or forever hold yer P's and Q's! Includes download too for those of you of the digital persuasion!!! - RECOMMENDED!
