Melbourne's mighty Cuntz return to the fold with another scumfuck masterpiece "Solid Mates" out again on the ever reliable Homeless Records. We'll let the Homeless Records peeps fill you in on the detail behind this one:
"Second album of 2013 for Melbourne’s CUNTZ. With Alex Macfarlane (Boomgates, Constant Mongrel) behind the desk yet again and both camps benefitting from being a year older, CUNTZ have produced another thug punk classic in ‘Solid Mates’. The debut ‘Aloha’, polarised critics mainly due to the band’s chosen moniker, and those that didn’t get the sardonic humour present missed out on fully enjoying Aloha, although one commenter nailed it when stating “…the informed listener can choose to either get it or be put off by the irreverence. Cuntz are dedicated to the hoon, and dedicated to supporting each other in their own respective hoons, and they don’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks about that.”
And so, with ‘Solid Mates’ tucked securely into their pants, CUNTZ are about to embark on their most ambitious project yet with the band undertaking a US tour, commencing September ‘13 and includes an appearance at Gonerfest 10 in Memphis, alongside the Cosmic Psychos, Mudhoney, Wreckless Eric, Quintron and Guitar Wolf. Tour includes shows on the East and West Coast of America. You’ve been warned."
Just in time for their 2013 US invasion the Cuntz let loose a canon blast of menace and attitude with their second full length "Solid Mates". We are all waiting with bated breath for the opportunity to catch these dudes live cuz we know it's gonna be absolutely punishing!!! By now you all know we are bonafide freaks about the all amazing music coming outta Australia, we mean we liked the Cuntz first LP so much that we repressed it as a domestic release just to get it into as many more hands as possible. And this surly platter of knuckle draggers is further proof to the scuzztastic power of Aussie swamp punk. Solid Mates indeed. Beyond Recommended.
LIMITED AUSTRALIAN REPRESS OF 400 COPIES w/ DOWNLOAD CODE
When Homeless first released "Aloha" it immediately sold out and received very limited distribution stateside. Our ears thought it was too fucking good to not help spread these solid mates across the states. We offered the first domestic pressing of this Australian noise punk brilliance as a Record Store Day 2013 exclusive, and it too sold-out at breakneck speed. Homeless has once again brought Cuntz's "Aloha" back to life, just in time for their fall 2013 US Tour and the release of their follow-up LP "Solid Mates". Here’s a couple of "Aloha"s many glowing reviews:
"I'll say it for the hundredth time: these new Australian bands just continue to kick asses and take names. 'Aloha' kicks off 2013 with a massive headache, coming off like Flipper and Venom P. Stinger in a head-on collision. Pick up the pieces and glue them back together haphazardly and you get this. "Homeless" is not a dedication to their label, but about the actual homeless. And eating ice cream. They are truly delving into the seedy side here. Songs about meth, bums, alcholism, gambling and other filthy vices. I was sure this band were a bunch of grizzled veterans, but from what I've gleaned they're a bunch of young up-n-cummers, a new wave of Aussie muckers rolling about in the dirt. Thank god for them. There are plenty of throbbing basslines here, a rhythmm machine that operates at two speeds: steamroller and tank. The vox are a treat, as the fella sounds like a nutter, spitting out his tales from the wrong side of the tracks like a forceful drunk conversationalist - staring direct in your eyes and talking AT you, not to you, and certainly not allowing you to get any words in edgewise. They're not just head-down pummelers though, these guys have some finesse, some clever post-punky tricks, a devious Fall-like twist of the shiv here and there. "Lost" slips in an electrified keyboard bleat while this guy puts a new twist on the David Yow lyrical approach. This melts into "Meth", which pastes together a sticky synth-line and pointy guitar. Really seasick in a way that truly does recall Flipper. "Hip Hop" comes up with another incredible synth sound (or is that a fucking guitar?!) that I believe they stole from a Tubeway Army record and repurpose here for ultimate rhythmic hypnosis while this guy mumbles his lines like he has dementia. "Punt" is ground-in-the-dirt pound with a touching AC/DC tribute. As I've said already, the singer does a good thing by using Yow's stylish cadence/ramble for his delivery but not adopting the actual singing voice (if that makes any sense). At this point in the record you'll feel as if you need a punch in the face, and "Hoonin'" delivers it. "Mum" is a monolith that sounds like heavy mining equipment operating in a massive cavern a few leagues under sea level, very dangerously close to the earth's crust. They end the record on a pleasant note, which I'll leave you to discover on your own. Just a massive, massive record, and one of a very few (if any at all) that are deserving of the Venom P. Stinger namedrop." - Rich K, Terminal Boredom
"In 2012, Australia continues it's recent (the past 6-7 years anyway, beginning with the rise of Eddy Current Suppression Ring) trend of producing quality output and this album certainly doesn't let the standard slip! Cuntz are four young Melbourne misfits playing a brand of sludge-y noise rock, whilst maintaining a clear punk ethos and "fuck you" attitude. A friend of mine recently described Cuntz as "evil". I hear Flipper-esque barbs in the lead singer Ben Mackie's delivery, whilst the sounds remind me of '80s Melbourne noise miscreants Venom P. Stinger. These young guys that make up Cuntz were not even born when these two bands were (originally) around. Topping it off, and my personal favourite distinguishing feature is the understated guitar shards behind it all, never over-bearing, but traces of the The Birthday Party abound. There's also some synth parts played on a few tracks, which only adds to the feelings of a down-trodden existence...the subject matter of Aloha seems to focus firmly on the seedier aspects of society and life in general? ...No doubt, once the second LP is released and comparisons to Total Control are made, folk will be scrambling to find a copy of this debut...I imagine those will be long gone..." - user: snapstruly / rate your music
RECOMMENDED. Duh.
So the Lumerians have docked their spacecraft on planet Partisan Records, who've transmitted Lumerians' latest communiqué from the deepest reaches of the cosmos. Suit up spacerockonaut and lend an ear as the Partisan Records folks let loose the news:
"Between the vast expanses and disparate extremes of space lies “The High Frontier:” a term coined by Gerard K O’Neil in his illustrated 1976 book depicting human colonization of space. In their new thusly titled LP, Lumerians send terrified primates into space in search of wonders both marvelous and harrowing. In a starship powered by gamma-ray-mutated rock, beer-goggled cartographers chart the absurd scales of outer space from subatomic to trans-galactic and the unfathomable void of inner space unbound by physical laws. Inward perception, both fluid and delicate, births, destroys, multiplies and collides temporal realities. Hacking through gnarled carnivorous plants with pyrokinetic machetes, Lumerians thrust forward with Krautrock inspired exploration, Afrobeat’s ritualistic rhythms, post-punk guitar noise and cracked-glacé synth lines culled from perverse 1970’s sci-fi soundtracks. As a followup to 2011’s “Transmalinnia,” “The High Frontier” sets scope outward, points blind-folded at a star map and sets off full blast without making course corrections."
We here at Permanent Records are always beyond thrilled to crack open a box and pull out a new Lumerians record and "The High Frontier" is yet another brilliant installment in this wonderful group's ongoing existence. All their trademark sonics are on full display while they continue to stretch out and let the tracks grow organically. Undulating bass grooves, skittering drum work, blissed out guitars, moaning synthesizers and a muted vocal croon make up the 6 tracks showcased here. We've been fans since way back, hell we even released their "Transmissions From The Telos Vol. IV" LP in 2012, we adored their self titled LP, drooled over "Transmilinnia" LP and lost our collective shit to the "Horizon Structures" EP so grab this album of awesomeness pronto cuz it's sure to make some year end lists. Ludicrously Recommended.
INCLUDES 4D GLASSES VISIT URL FOUND ON GLASSES FOR OPTIMAL MIND BENDING VIEWING
It's a freaking Lumerians bonanza round here as of late it would seem… we had their ultra experimental Sanity Muffin released "The Weaning And The Dreaming" tape last week that found the group travelling through all forms of dark matter and messing with tonal directions and audio trickery. But now they have returned to the honorable Knitting Factory Records that unveiled their dynamo debut LP "Transmilinnia". Now following their far-out psychedelic space trip "Transmissions From The Telos Vol. IV" release on Permanent they've brought one helluva deeper space-a-rific EP. The Knitting Factory Records peeps have the itinerary for this sonic jaunt here:
"The new EP by Lumerians, Horizon Structures is now available! This is not your typical record. This is an experience.
From sub-orbit the horizon curves; what was future becomes past and then back again. Four structures take form, indicating the shape of things to come, somehow familiar.
Lumerians Horizon Structures EP leads off side A with The Bloom – a long-fused charge of anti-apocalypse rock. Change is not the end. Life persists. The world is not ending, but YOU are. The notion of apocalypse places undue significance to the brief tenure of Homo sapiens. Wintersong affirms preparedness is acceptance of the inevitable.
Side B closes with two heavily synth layered dance numbers. Tawazula and Laser Barn, dances of creation and destruction in that order and out of order.
Included with the record are Lumerians 4D portal viewing glasses with instructions for watching the music video for The Bloom – shot in Chroma Depth High Definition. Viewing may cause 4DHD (4th Dimensional Hyperspatial Disorder)."
Holy hell, they've done it again… these astro dopers have gone and morphed their sound yet again. One thing can be said about this group is they keep you on your toes that's for sure. This all-too-short EP teaser finds Lumerians offering up 4 cuts of blissed out solarflare space rock that is mind bogglingly original in its execution. We find the welcomed return of vocals on this release added to the bass line driven motorik galaxy explorers, fleshed out with ectoplasmic synth blasts and kaleidoscopic psychedelia coursing through this fine little platter of fractal rock. Like flying blind through an asteroid belt, Horizon Structures zigs and zags with frenzied circuit bent ecstacy and a head bopping bounce. Accompaning this EP is a set of "4D Glasses For Access To Transdimensional Viewing Portal…" If that doesn't hint at the sounds contained within then we don't what does. It's nice to get these 4 cuts of time travelling drug tones and awesome to find Lumerians composing HARD HITTING DRIVING ROCK BASED SONGS that are catchy yet still flirting with all sorts of experimentation. This EP is pretty good marriage of "Transmissions From The Telos Vol. IV" that we released and the aforementioned "Transmilinnia" album while still reaching for the stars and wigging out to further realms. Transdimensionally Recommended.
7in - Todd Tamanend Clark aka The Stars - Flame Over Africa b/w 2000 Light Years From Home - Original Dead Stock - $9.99 - BUY
- LISTEN 
- LISTEN Pennsylvaina outsider psych-prog purveyor Todd Tamanend Clark set out to make the weirdest music he could make in the 70's and 80's. Well we scored some original dead stock copies of his early singles and in anticipation of the official reissue of his mind blowing 1977 released "New Gods: Aardvark Through Zymurgy" album out very soon on Burka For Everybody we are thrilled to present you with these singles to get but a glimpse into the inner workings of the creative forces on display. We'll let Todd Tamanend Clark himself let you all in on what's happening here:
"Released as THE STARS. Original/unplayed copies of this 1975 7". "..(Flame Over Africa is an) atypical composition inspired by a Salvadore Dali painting entitled "Impressions Of Africa which was seen while visiting a museum in Cleveland. (2000 Light Years From Home is a) spooky slowed down industrial remake."
On "Flame Over Africa" b/w "2000 Light Years From Home" one hears Todd Tamanend Clark doling out Julian Cope approved psych weirdness with mecurial keys, tribal rhythms, effects laden guitars and TTC's morose croon and a Stones cover that's been deconstructed and reassembled as a theremin drenched homage to pure spirit of psychedelia! Grab a nugget of psychedelic history that is sure twist some minds at your next happening! OG copies on Death Guard Records! Recommended.
7in - Todd Tamanend Clark aka Todd Clark Group - Flame Over Philadelphia b/w Oceans Of She - Original Dead Stock - $4.99 - BUY - LISTEN
- LISTEN Pennsylvaina outsider psych-prog purveyor Todd Tamanend Clark set out to make the weirdest music he could make in the 70's and 80's. Well we scored some original dead stock copies of his early singles and in anticipation of the official reissue of his mind blowing 1977 released "New Gods: Aardvark Through Zymurgy" album out very soon on Burka For Everybody we are thrilled to present you with these singles to get but a glimpse into the inner workings of the creative forces on display. We'll let Todd Tamanend Clark himself let you all in on what's happening here:
"Released as TODD CLARK GROUP. Original copies of this 1985 7", his third, on Clarks still active label dedicated to "Native American electronic music." "..(Flame Over Philadelphia is) my second most popular song. It was written as a protest against the government of Philadelphias fire bombing of the MOVE commune. It is dedicated to freedom of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. ..and many people have told me (Ocean Of She) is their favorite song out of all my works."
Flash forward ten years from 75's "Flame Over Africa" b/w "2000 Light Years From Home" and you'll find something akin to Jonathon Richman's Hippy Johnny fronting the Residents or a more hash fueled Devo on TTC's "Flame Over Philadelphia" b/w "Oceans Of She" single. With squealing guitars leading the group and Todd Tamanend Clark's laid back assertions this Primal Pulse Records single gives you two 80's chunks of outsider wonder. Mystically Recommended.
The fine folks at Bedroom Suck Records adds another amazing title to its stunning catalog with "Worlds Floating By" by Brisbane act Primitive Motion and it's a doozy. Get the full story directly from the label:
"Primitive Motion is the lovely finger-paint scrawl of Brisbane residents Leighton Craig and Sandra Selig. Together they conjure repetitive waves of dream/float pop using an array of cheap keyboards and machine-made beats woven with echo-drenched vocals, brass, wind instruments and off-kilter drumming. The music of Primitive Motion is suspended in time at the blissful confluence of kosmiche Kraut rock and post-punk DIY. Reset your clocks to Primitive Motion.
After releasing a string of 7″s, cassettes and cdr-s on US label Soft Abuse, Australian cassette imprint A Guide to Saints, and Craig’s own Kindling label; Worlds Floating By is PM’s first long player."
Bedroom Suck Records has been filling up our shelves with amazing releases by acts like Bitch Prefect, Blank Realm, Kitchen's Floor, Boomgates, Per Purpose and Slug Guts to name but a few. And you best make some room for yet another amazing Bedroom Suck release cuz this new Primitive Motion lp is downright breathtaking. Playing out like some sun drenched mixture of Peaking Lights, Beach House, Joy Division and New Order, Primitive Motion unleash one of most aptly titled albums we've heard in quite awhile. "Worlds Floating By" is a spot on description of what one will find in these blissed out grooves. Modern day kosmicshe that is both sparse and immediate while the tracks also being complete universes unto themselves giving the attentive listener many layers to explore a narcotic hypnotic beauty. As perfect a soundtrack for a sunny cool breeze as it is the blackest of midnights. It is also stupefyingly Recommended.
More pop-majesty from - yes - AUSTRALIA. Geez what's HAPPENING over there? SO MUCH great stuff coming out these days and you can go ahead and add School Of Radiant Living to that list. Featuring UV Race sax-player Georgia on guitar and released by the band themselves on their own Radiant Records - here's the in-depth scoop from Aussie blog 'Mess and Noise':
"They may have hippie ideals, but Melbourne’s The School of Radiant Living are not your average jam band. The School or Radiant Living are unashamedly hippie, but in a good way. Their music is influenced as much by road trips and rivers as it is by records and rock’n’roll – their MySpace page even has a video of real life polar bears hugging real life huskies. But talking to Amy, Harriet and Georgia (the trio are supplemented by newish drummer Simon) it's hard not to get caught up in their infectious and positive approach towards life and music. The band take their name from a movement active in New Zealand from the 1930s until the 1980s that taught a holistic philosophy of physical, psychological and spiritual health. “They were really into salads,” says Amy, who along with Harriet hails from NZ. True to their roots, the band play a stripped back indie folk that takes its cues from early Flying Nun, as well as British folk, shamanism and jam bands. Or in their own words “mysticalgaragefolkgrunge”.
“It's not that we are trying to be some kind of nostalgia band. We are not trying to be like the Strokes and evoke something of a different time. We don't want to be a throwback band,” Amy says. “It's like people nowadays are really into thinking more progressively but none of us want to be like our parents and be like hippies, I think people [today] have more cynicism. Not to sound negative but it’s just that people aren't so naive. That's kind of how we approach music. We are the kind of people that still recycle but then we'd punch some dude who hit his girlfriend. We are realistic idealists,” she laughs.
They are also a little punky, albeit in a desert boots over Vans kind of way; the kind of band that goes for a drive up Victoria’s Mount Buffalo during the height of bush fire season just for a spot of skinny dipping. “Some dude on a mountain bike got a bit of a surprise,” jokes Amy.
Forming from the ashes of Sleepless Nights (Harriet and Amy's bass and guitar combo), the band recently scored a Saturday afternoon residency at Melbourne’s Birmingham Hotel, where they’ve attracted the likes of The Twerps, Woollen Kits and Sydney’s Bed Wettin' Bad Boys as supports.
“Originally it was going to be at the Tote and we were totally chuffed when [former booker] Amanda [Palmer] asked us to do it,” says Georgia. “But when we heard the Tote was closing we jumped straight on the phone to Indra [Adams] at the Birmy and told him we had to have it there. Especially considering the awesome lineups we arranged.
“People have just been real cool to us,” she continues. “We have been getting mad positive responses from people. It's been real radiant vibes.”
And it’s with those some “radiant vibes” that the trio settled on their new drummer Simon, a sometime member of Woollen Kits. Harriet admits that his place of residence – in the outer Melbourne suburb of Ringwood – was another selling point. “We went to his house in Ringwood. He's an outsider in the same way that we are as we are from New Zealand and Wangaratta [in regional Victoria].” Things don't look like slowing down for the foursome. A recording with Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s Mikey Young is on the cards, and there are also plans to release a tape on Idiotic Records, a new vanity label run by the UV Race, Georgia’s “other” band. There is even some interest from overseas. “Some dude in Portland, Oregon, emailed us about putting out a release; a Melbourne tape with us, The Twerps, Dick Diver and Woollen Kits. Doing a tape with all those bands really rocks my boat. Or is that floats my boat?” Georgia laughs. “It's great,” adds Amy, “because all the bands sound a little bit like New Zealand bands too. It seems Melbourne is no different to other places around the world that seem to be having a Flying Nun revival.” Bizarrely, just as we are talking about Flying Nun, a Clean song starts playing on the cafe stereo system. Just another one of those Radiant Living moments."
If you dig the new crop of Australian pop coming from the likes of Bedroom Suck/RIP Society like Woollen Kits, Bitch Prefect, Twerps, Martyr Privates and Unity Floors then prepare your wallet to purchase this album right here! These gals (& guy) bash out some spindly and jangly pop that owes some serious debts to the New Zealand-school (read: Flying Nun) of pop perfection (no surprise as two members hail from the Kiwi continent originally)! The guitars jangle and the vocals harmonize (somewhat) discordantly (in a good way) but there's a cool melancholy vibe permeating most of these tunes that really makes 'em stick out of the pack. For those keeping score: Aussie is still Boss-y! Killer rec that comes RECOMMENDED, duhr! GET IT!
We grabbed a stack of the Melvins devastating live set at Third Man Records; get the full story directly from Third Man:
"Recorded Direct-To-Acetate by the double-drummer quartet on May 30th, 2013 in our Blue Room, this show shook pictures off the walls of Third Man headquarters and had the crowd begging for two things: a pair of earplugs, and for the night to never end. Buy it and spin at maximum volume to experience for yourself..."
Unhinged double drummer lunacy from the legendary Melvins is what one will find on "Live At Third Man Records" as well as another fine addition to any Melvins vinyl collection. Act fast hombres! Recommended.
South Florida garage poppers Jacuzzi Boys are back with their third studio album, this time self titled and out on Hardly Art!!!! Get ready to get hooked!!!!
"The year, 2007. The Boys, Jacuzzi. Hatched inside a vulture's nest, Jacuzzi Boys emerged from deep within the Florida wilds, three radioactive chicks cawing for their piece of electric rock pie.
With No Seasons (Florida's Dying) they freaked their way through the swamps, a psycho stomp of a record, all hallucinations and hand claps. Glazin' (Hardly Art) found a more polished sound. They installed AC units inside their mobile homes, found a way to turn neon into ice cubes. Now, with their third full-length, the self-titled Jacuzzi Boys, they're going grand, building limestone monuments to those that boogied before them, while writing hypnotic ear worms by the light of a cigarette. Gone is the swamp-thing snarl. In it's place, the indestructible cool of the casino slot-jockey with nothing to lose.
Recorded at Key Club Recording Co. in Benton Harbor, Michigan—same as 2011's Glazin'—the new record takes full advantage of expert engineers Bill Skibbe and Jessica Ruffins' sonic sandlot, with Kramer in charge of mastering. The end result? A smashing set of tunes as dazzling as a sparkler.
It's like that movie you once saw. The one with the boy and the girl and the plastic lounger on the beach. "Be My Prism" was the invitation. "Black Gloves" and "Double Vision" the promise. "Dust" was the rising tide. "Rubble," the dirty uncle. "Hotline" was the lightning storm, and "Ultraglide" was the ending, the part where he drove her home with the windows down. You remember you liked it. It stayed with you while you swam alone in your pool that night."
Sometime's when a band "matures" or "grows up" their sound suffers, but that is far from the case on the Jacuzzi Boys' jangly power popped s/t third lp. Taking their time, working closely with actual producers (eschewing lo-fi recording) and honing their hooks into nothing short of purely addicting songs makes "Jacuzzi Boys" their best, most earworming effort yet. The new album not only captures the energy of their live shows, but leaves you humming along to songs like "Double Vision" and "Guillotine" long after the album is finished. Jacuzzi Boys' third album firmly cements their place next to current garage rock go-to bands like Ty Segall, Cheap Time and the Fresh and Onlys and a place we know they've always belonged. SUPER RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!
OH snap! Numero Group's Unwound reissue series blasts off with its first installment. We'll step aside and let the deep diggers over at Numero Group fill you in on all the details on this one:
"Kid Is Gone is the unquiet portrait of primal Unwound. Before 1993's Fake Train ripped through, they'd been Giant Henry, Supertanker, and Cygnus X-1, short-lived black holes gathering dark material into something built to explode. From Justin Trosper, Vern Rumsey, and Brandt Sandeno's first restive years, "Crab Nebula" might've best prepared the indie-sphere for what Unwound became, had Sandeno's split not stalled their planned debut. Part 1 in Numero's 4-part reissue project, Kid Is Gone documents signal chaos in Olympia's fertile scene before Unwound's turbulent noise hit stride, in unrevealed period photos, 34 tracks, and three LPs--cassette-only demos, early 7"s, a KAOS radio broadcast, material tracked live in a local basement, and all of what became 1994's Unwound, on which the band's prehistory plays out in a feral maelstrom of screaming, distortion, feedback, and abrasive promise."
The one and only Unwound are one of thee pre-eminent acts of the 90's and their feedback filled early outings are the things of legend. This slick looking triple LP box set is chock fulla angst, anger and aggression that would germinate into what later became one of the greatest if not underated acts of the Pacific Northwest's underground bands ever! We are practically pissing ourselves with pleasure with the knowledge that Numero Group is in the works to reissue all of this amazing group's albums in the near future. Grab this beast and get in on the ground floor to hear a monster in the making! Supremely Recommended.
Vancouver's drug loving, feedback punks, Weed, are dropping their hazy, mutant pop debut lp, "Deserve" via Couple Skate Records. So grab yer paraphernalia and let's get the party started!!!!
“Feedback fundamentalists; scuzz pop aesthetes; “new age rock band” WEED have arrived with their debut LP, Deserve. Emerging from the most far out/blissed out enclave of Western Canada (Vancouver, B.C.) and its enduringly fertile DIY scene (which has, over the past decade, spawned too many great bands/artists to list here), Weed have been a favorite of ours for quite sometime. Led by guitarist/singer/visual artist WILL ANDERSON and his buddies KEVIN DOHERTY, HUGO NORIEGA and BOBBY SIADAT, Weed have been burning minds of all shapes with their brand of sludged out West Coast youth music since their inception. Having been around for the entirety of this decade, Weed have dropped a couple of now-legendary 7” EPs (With Drug / Eighty, and Gun Control, both released on their very own Cruising USA imprint) and have embarked on four (!!) North American tours. Recorded and engineered with Seattle wiz DYLAN WALL, the nine tracks that comprise Deserve display the band at the peak of their powers—their most melancholy and melodic; blissed but shredded; tuned but atonal. This is liminal rock music for liminal times, gang, and we are honored to be a part of this journey.”
Weed's new album is the perfect mix of grudge soaked, shoegazed rock n roll and noisy chainsaw punk anthems, without careening too far in either direction. Plenty of love for Dinosaur Jr, The Wipers, Mission Of Burma, early Flaming Lips and MBV shines through on "Deserve" and that puts them squarely at the top of our short list of new favorite scuzz pop bands (next to Terry Malts, Heavy Times, Plateaus and Eat Skull). Maybe you forgot how awesome it was when indie bands just played loud, noisy rock n roll and didn't give a shit if anyone would even put their album in some over hyped stupid year end list, well that's just the kind of refreshing, blown out, unpretentious rock n roll Weed delivers on their first lp. So yeah, this one's HIGHLY, and in this case we mean it, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!
A truly INCREDIBLE and amazing album created by amateur musician Bill Holt in the early seventies! It's a killer tale (which we'll get to), but let's let reissue label Out-Sider Records fill you in on the pertinent details:
"This unique album by Bill Holt, first released in 1974, sounded way ahead of its time and became an international cult classic in the following decades. A perfect example of what it was called “Head Music” at the time, Dreamies consists of two large suits full of Lennon-esque vocals, sound collages, early electronics and proto-sampling. The perfect marriage between psychedelia, pop and experimental sounds. Remastered sound, original artwork, repro of the rare original insert. Dreamies is ranked #37 on MOJO magazine's 2005 list of the "Top 50 Most Out-There Albums of All Time" (a list that includes The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, and Miles Davis)."
THIS record is pretty dang freaky! In the early seventies, Bill Holt was working in a straight-laced, 9-5 job with his head buried in sales figures and receipts while the world around him got farther and father out. One day, just as he was about to get a major promotion, he up and quit his office grind and decided to make music! Not only did he do that, he made one of THE weirdest and best psychedelic records of all time, and also becoming one of the first people to "sample" other records (there are not only audio from speeches and TV, but also snippets from Beatles recordings as well!) The album is divided into two sidelong pieces called "Program Ten" and "Program Eleven" respectively, both sides are EPIC journeys through psych-pop, experimental compositions, tape collage, and strange, abstract moog odysseys! (Side two gets especially dark and claustrophobic, sounding like Throbbing Gristle or the weirder Matmos recordings) It's a really interesting story (read this IN-DEPTH interview with Bill Holt here: http://www.swanfungus.com/2010/10/interview-bill-holt-dreamies.html) and grab this album RIGHT AWAY... fully remastered and sounding very excellent. If you're a fan of the true musical envelope-pushers of the Sixties/Seventies, or just like gettin' freaky-deaky to some crazy sounds "Dreamies" has someting for everyone! RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED! RECOMMENDED!
The ever-reliable folks at Guerssen Records have garnered a terrific reputation for reissuing unheard and UNDERheard recordings from underdog bands across the world and here we have another GEM of a record rescued from obscurity - McKay's "A New Light Shines"... Good gawd, Guerssen's got game - read on:
"Ray “McKay” Pierle started recording his own songs in 1974 and in 1977 he released his first album, “Into You”, which is one of the finest West Coast / rural-rock private pressing ever. “A New Light Shines” collects previously unreleased tracks recorded at home between 1974 and 1979. The overall sound here is more psychedelic, raw and loose than what you can hear on his other albums, “Into You” and “Take Two” but you can expect the same kind of laid-back sound, top-level songwriting, Neil Young-esque vocals and outlaw guitars. An exciting find for any lover of West Coast / Psychedelia / Rural-Rock / Obscure US private press sounds! Master tape sound, liner notes and insert with lyrics."
This is a surprisingly cohesive record for being what is essentially a collection of "odds and sods" - McKay's proper LPs are all private press masterworks of heady, rural-folk that dip their toes SLIGHTLY into psychedelia. "A New Light Shines" kicks out the jamz with 'Blue Mountain', a lysergic odyssey thru guitar-oriented West Coast psych (think Jefferson Airplane/CSNY meets Beatles/Blue Cheer). The rest of the collection sweats along thru the same territory - some more straight-laced than others ("This Is A Love Song" is pretty dang STRANGE) but as we said before, it all flows together pretty nicely - kudos to Ray "McKay" Pierle and Guerssen for choosing their cuts wisely and sequencing this one like a dream! This one is pressed up on heavy vinyl (180gm?) and features remastered audio plus liner notes and a lyric sheet! We're diggin the crap outta this one - RECOMMENDED!!!!
Edition of 100 - Import - Hand Numbered Edition of 100
Available Exclusively In North America At Permanent Records!
FUTURE MBRS OF SLUG GUTS AND PER PURPOSE!
Available Exclusively In North America At Permanent Records!
FUTURE MBRS OF SLUG GUTS AND PER PURPOSE!
Our buds at Lost Race Records that brought us that killer Cobwebbs LP and Nite Fields single back 2012 have returned to the fold with this vinyl issuing of Loomer's "Ceiling". We'll let the label fill you in on the backstory:
"Here’s a 12" by cult Brisbane band Loomer, who are set to release their debut LP ‘Ceiling’ on vinyl due May 30th. Originally released on limited edition CD in 2010 and with members going on to join other seminal Australian underground bands including Slug Guts, Lakes and Per Purpose, this Brisbane band went on to influence many of Brisbane’s current crop of noise, rock, psych, etc. bands with their shoegaze x punk hybrid."
This mega limited album is 8 tracks of noisey shoegaze awesomeness. Floaty female vocals blend in and out of the glorious din of distorted guitars, throbbing bass lines and hard hitting drums. Loomer is also never afraid to just let the feedback scream! With hints of Bardo Pond, MBV and Sonic Youth, Loomer has created a walloping album of hypnotic jams that are as noise-laden as they are soothing and comforting, no easy feat, with a distinctly down under slant to the sounds. As stated above some of these folks went on to be in such other stellar Aussie acts like Slug Guts, Lakes and Per Purpose and one can hear hints of all these bands in Loomer's sonic assault for sure. Permanent Records is proud to be the sole distributor for all of North America for this fine album. It is hand numbered and limited to 100 copies so act fast and snatch this one up now. Super Recommended.
YEEESSS!!! The Obscure Oxide label has gone and reissued this legendary album of punk blues. Take a quick look see at the thrilling story below and grab this sucker like yesterday cuz its not gonna leave your turntable for a spell:
"Released in 1975 by Baltimore teenager George Brigman, "Jungle Rot" was a self-produced slab of molten fuzz that had no chance of gaining an audience before the punk revolution. Conceived as a tribute to British psych-blues band the Groundhogs and their leader Tony McPhee, the album takes that bands' acid-fried boogie and warps it with primitive recoding techniques and the fevered isolation in which Brigman worked. The title track alone with its fuzz-damaged guitar pan and punishing four-on-the-floor rhythms is worth the price of admission, yet the rest of the album delivers equally inspired wallops of technical brilliance and blown-out acid shred. Predictably, the few hundred copies of the album that Brigman pressed quickly fell through the cracks and were promptly forgotten—until a music collector found a copy at a flea market in Maryland and started making noise about it. Reissued on disc for the first time in 2005, this is not only a lost classic, it’s one of the loudest, rawest, and most uncompromisingly great albums of the 70′s. Brigman might have been a self-confessed Groundhogs fan, but this buzz saw concerto sounds like it was created by Iggy Pop’s more demented younger brother. Sparkling new vinyl version from the original tapes, mastered by John Golden; the sound quality exceeds the original (poorly mastered and pressed) release in every way. Comes with a color insert, and exact copies of labels and cover art. Hear Brigman sing—with an ear-to-ear sneer from beneath an avalanche of distortion—"Remember what your father said / When the weather’s hot / Talking about all the young girls / Beware the jungle rot”, and you'll wonder why Jungle Rot hasn't been shouted from the roof tops in every Blue Cheer, Groundhogs and Stooges-loving ghetto the last three decades.
"The music is as advertised: gutbucket 1975 energy crisis blues, awash in FX and teenage hormones... (Brigman's) punk/blues approach also prefigured the White Stripes to whose fans Jungle Rot will appear to in particular.. it deep-mine(s) a moment that, because it has not yet been referenced to death, remains startling and vital." —Jon Savage, Mojo Magazine
"George Brigman has been popular for decades among underground music fans. he has an amazing voice full of snarl and venom, and uses layers of murky fuzz and phasing in the background. Jungle Rot is an original work that contains elements of psych, hardrock, and 1970's proto-punk, and it has garnered fans in all three fields. The lyrics hit the same renegade vibe as the music." —Patrick Lundborg, Acid Archives" - Obscure Oxide
We've long hailed "Microminiature Love" by Michael Yonkers as one of Permanent's all time faves and if you dig that one then this will be right up your alley. Fans of the Bonehead Crunchers comps take note as well, George Brigman's unsung outsider masterpiece is one for the ages. Gobs and gobs of fuzzed out distorto blues that just bleed with honesty and hard earned authenticity is what Brigman is bringing and his blistering psychedelic punk is as pure as it gets. You can hear the long hair and feel the dirt under the fingernails as blazing guitar clatter spikes your eardrum like a prison shank hell bent on revenge and escape. If you dig blown out bizarro gutter jams with layer upon layer of fuzz and a frenzied voice baring his soul then cop this Baltimore born rip-roaring classic now. Absolutely Essential and Supremely Recommended.
What can we possibly add that hasn't already been written? Millions of words has been spilled about this record, and rightfully so. It's as if the Beatles came from Memphis and knocked over Elvis' crown. The songs are great and the sound is fantastic. For 1971, it's astonishingly modern - spacious and tight at the same time - and the playing and singing are terrific. It's not only one of the best American records of its time, it's one of the best records of any time, from anywhere. It's amazing to think that it sold only a couple thousand copies upon it's release, yet has grown to become one the all-time touchstones of rock and popular music. No home should be without it.
R.I.P. Alex Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010). Big Star’s second classic album, from 1974, influenced generations of rock bands to come after them and is now recognized as one of the most important releases in the power pop genre. It includes the “hits” “September Gurls”, “Back of a Car”, and “Mod Lang”. Absolutely classic. A must own.
We love us some Big Star 'round the shop - we play the living hell out of both "#1 Record" & "Radio City"! Both are perfect pop records in our humble opinions, and "3rd" (or 'Sister Lovers' as it's also known) needs to nestle right up against BOTH of those, as it's just as good! The hirsute music aficionados at 4 Men With Beards have brought this one back into print again & we couldn't be happier - read on:
"Also known as Sister Lovers, BIG STAR's legendary third album has been released and re-released countless times around the world with different track listings, different mixes, and different cover art. Now for the first time since it's debut release in 1978 is a re-release of the vinyl LP with the original cover art, including the inner sleeve with the complete detailed liner notes and the original mixes and track listing. The master tape coming directly from Ardent Studios provides the highest sound quality of this vinyl classic—available as it was first released for the first time in 28 years. 180-gram audiophile vinyl."
This proves that - even while unraveling - Alex Chilton & Big Star (really just Jody Stephens, producer Jim Dickinson & a bevy of Memphis studio jobbers at that point, as founding members Andy Hummel & Chris Bell had already departed) could still wrangle out a suite of odd, perfect pop tunes! Recorded in 1974, this is the first signal of the twisted & frayed musical path Chilton was to take for the next decade or so (undeniably hitting it's whacked-out apex with his solo album "Like Flies On Sherbert") could be the reason why it lay unreleased until the PVC label finally pressed it up in 1978. It's easy for us to listen to this album 40 years on & think - MAN what were these record label guys thinking? This album is PERFECT! But if you think about it in the context of pop records released in 1974/75 this record sounds like a mental breakdown! Brutal & achingly confessional tunes like "Holocaust" & "Big Black Car" sit shoulder to shoulder with pop gems like "Jesus Christ", "Stroke It Noel" & "Thank You Friends" - it's a whirlwind of a ride, but luckily the tunes sound pretty sweet! Remastered from the OG tapes & pressed up onto 180gm wax, this one is a must own! Do you own it yet? Why not? RECOMMENDED!!!
Believe it or not, this punk classic was produced by Joan Jett. Darby Crash was the deep-bluesman of punk rock singers. Or something like that. This record is SO recommended. Here's a more in depth review from allmusic.com:
"A blast of self-lacerating L.A. punk in its original glory, (GI) is simply classic; a commanding, rampaging sneer at everyone and everything infused with a particular, disturbed vision. Said vision belongs to Darby Crash, whose proclivities for charismatic manipulation were already well established before he fully spelled them out in lyrics like "Lexicon Devil," here featuring in a re-recording, and "Richie Dagger's Crime." His David Bowie worship was also paramount -- "Land of Treason," "Communist Eyes," and "Strange Notes" are just three numbers featuring his transformation of the apocalyptic aesthetics of albums like Diamond Dogs and Station to Station toward more brutal ends. Practically speaking, his snarling star quality comes through more than his words, but it's more than enough on that front. Pat Smear has an equal claim to being the album's star, though, and for good reason -- not only did he co-write everything, his clipped, catchy monster riffing was as pure punk in the late-'70s sense as anything, wasting no time on anything extraneous. Lorna Doom and Don Bolles keep up the side as a kickass rhythm section, Bolles in particular making a good mark in the first of his many drumming stints over the moons. Joan Jett's production got knocked at the time for perceived thinness, but she and engineer Pat Burnette actually did a great job at recording the band with crisp, strong results. The notorious closing number, "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)," makes for a nicely balanced contrast to the 42-second opener, "What We Do Is Secret." While the latter song is pure hyperspeed, Crash sounding like he's about to run out of breath on the shout-along chorus, "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)," recorded at a club gig, shows how the Germs could (quite intentionally) tick off an audience via long, meandering numbers if they so chose."
