Permanent Records Fall Relaase Double Shot!!!!!!!

LP - Chicago Triangle - Emergence (White Wax, Ltd 100) - $17.99 - BUY - LISTEN

PERMANENT RECORDS 42ND RELEASE!!!!

The Chicago Triangle.  A band as mysterious and powerful as it's name.  There was rumor of an LP released in 1977.  And gossip of a packed release show in a Wicker Park Church, where over hundreds of desperate fans came to see what Chicago Triangle meant for the future of rock n roll.  Stories were passed back and forth.  Vague memories of seeing them at various now extinct west side venues, long boarded up. A supposed local television appearance.  Perhaps some radio play, but no one was sure.  Though one common thread was this: they were a band that tore up any crowd they managed to get in front of with their psychedelic / progressive Latino hard rock.

And the murmurings, if they were true, held that this group, who had honed their chops in basements and garages, was more than just an unnoticed footnote or historical oddity, that the Triangle might've been the most important undiscovered band in the Chicago's overcrowded musical history.

The band emerged from the shadows in the same year and practically at the same time all those disco records were set ablaze at Comiskey Park during a White Sox / Tigers game.  Coincidence, probably not.  Chicago Triangle were five guys proving rock n roll was still something to be aspired to.  Their self-released "Emergence" album on their own Dynamite label was their statement, their manifesto of the longevity and importance of rock n roll.  Sublime and on fire.  Sure to awaken those comatose ears of the late 70s that had supposedly seen it all.  A mix of psych tinged progressive bent Latino rock that broke all the genre rules that were slowly calcifying.  Searing fuzz guitar solos, soulful lyrics, haunting keys, phased drums, jazzy twists & turns, hard rock bravado, and whole lotta desire to be the next big thing.

But after constant gigging around the city for a couple of years and contemplating the release of a second LP, Chicago Triangle gave up.  Rock n roll was in retreat.  And everyone just moved onto the next next big thing.

Collectors pasted secrets back and forth about the LP for years. But no one knew whether it really existed or not.  A ghost record.  Even more obscure than all those Acid Archives obscurities - yet unapologetically worthy of unearthing.  If it did indeed exist?

But then a copy surfaced.  HOLY SHIT IT WAS TRUE, CHICAGO TRIANGLE DID INDEED EXIST!  One quick listen was all it took to elicit to TWO important questions:  One, why hadn't Chicago Triangle taken the city by storm?  And why hadn't anyone tracked these guys down yet?  Well a random find at the 2013 Austin(?!?) Convention and a little sleuthing later, and Permanent Records (with the help of Rob Sevier of the Numero Group) found the guys responsible for this mystical, bonehead crunchin', basement prog and asked them if they finally thought the world was ready.  And thankfully they said yes!

So without further adieu let's introduce you to the band that was and is the Chicago Triangle. The missing link in the windy city's historic and winding musical history! Take it away, Plastic Crimewave of The Secret History Of Chicago Music!

"The Chicago Triangle are one of the city's most mysterious bands- for decades their 1977 lp was just a rumor, but Permanent Records found a copy and tracked the members down for an imminent vinyl reissue. They all grew up here (drummer Roberto Aguilera Jr moved from Texas in 1963, and singer /guitarist Jose Tarr Perez Inostroza arrived Puerto Rico in '65). And they got into music young: guitarist Dave Guereca played with his drummer brother, Felix; keyboardist Marvey M Esparza started accordion lessons at age 9, and Inostroza and Aguilera joined their first bands at 12 and 13. Aguilera met Esparza around 1970 and they started a group together in '75. Esparza was already a musical mentor to his neighbor Guereca; Aguilera knew Inostroza, nicknamed "Tarr Baby." Thus the Chicago Triangle were born, and soon they were gigging at proms, in clubs, at the Hubbard Street Murals, and on WCIU TV. The Triangle dropped their self titled debut LP on their own Dynamite label in 1977, and more than 500 people came to the release show at Annunciation Church on Wabansia. The album is a curious mix of ballads and whacked-out rock 'n' roll, with phased drums, Latin percussion, soaring vocals punky fuzz guitar. In 1978 the band recorded a 2nd album in Spanish for Rey Rubio (a popular Chicago DJ), but copies of it have proved even more elusive. The Chicago Triangle soon had to compete with disco (they got a disco ball and triangular PA speakers), but as Guereca put it "Disco Won." After the band split in 1981, Guereca switched to heavy rock; he currently plays in Felix, named after his deceased brother. Esparza has stayed busy with bands and a home studio. And Aguilera has been in several groups too, including the Juju Kings. Inostroza is the only member to leave Chicago; he played in Stryker in Florida, and after a car accident in 2008 moved to Michigan where he is still making music."

Private press records truly are the final frontier in record collecting. Just when you think everything has been discovered, archived, and reissued, and there's nothing more to be unearthed a gem like this pops up in the wild and blows minds. The context surrounding the discovery of this particular record and the aftermath are particularly astounding:

"It was early afternoon on day two of the three day record show in Austin, Texas. I was scoring a lot of great Psych and Soul LPs from a guy that had come from Oklahoma. He noticed I was making a fairly large stack and asked "Do you like Progressive Rock?" I replied "Yes, I do", then he showed me a record he had stashed behind his table. That record ended up being the record you are holding now. He said "I have this record and I can't find any info about it. Are you interested in it?" I gave it a listen and instantly had to have it. I asked the price and he said "It's not for sale, I don't know what it's worth." I got a little mad that he was taunting me with a record that could not be purchased but I kept my cool and began to talk random banter about Oklahoma. After a while, he told me that someone had offered him $500 for the record the day before and he declined it. He ended up getting a lot of offers but $500 was the highest. No one knew what it was, no one had ever seen. I told him I couldn't offer much because I didn't know the value. He told me to make him an offer so I offered $150. He said no, but that he would consider $200. He said "I could be selling you a $1,000 record." I replied with "I could be buying a $10 record!" After a while of debating we settled at $175. How I got the record for that was beyond me! A fellow record collector even told me, much to his dismay that he had offered $300 for the record the day before. I began to show the record to over 25 gnarly knowledgeable collectors from around the world. They all listened to it and were blown away, nobody knew what it was. Many were calling it "the find of the whole weekend." Two reissue labels (the label owners were at the show) instantly hit me up about putting it out. I was a little hesitant about that. People were offering to buy it off of me and pay more than what I paid. I almost wanted to be a collector scum and keep the record all to myself. I ran into Lance from Permanent at the show and started talking to him about the record. He listened to it and loved it. I decided to give Lance the info he needed to sniff out the band members because he was local to both Chicago and Los Angeles. Not only that, he's a super rad dude. I decided that great music needs to be shared and heard. I hope you enjoy this record as much as we all did. It was an honor to be a part of discovering it and bringing it to your ears!" - Alex Rodriguez (The Glass House Concert Hall / Record Store)

RIYL: Acid-Archives, Private Press, Bonehead Crunchers, Psychedelic Hard Rock, Basement Prog

LP - Umberto - From the Grave - (Repress, Ltd 300) - $14.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BACK IN PRINT! LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!!!!

In 2010 Expo ’70 bass/synth player Matt Hill went solo. His debut LP under the Umberto moniker is an analog masterpiece heavily influenced by the classic film score work of Goblin. From the moment you drop the needle, you’ll be transported to Italy as an extra in a vintage horror flick directed by Dario Argento. This is some of the most authentic sounding music of the “Giallo” genre we’ve ever heard. Time has shown that many others have come to agree. "From The Grave…" was previously only available as a hyper limited edition CDr and cassette tape via Sonic Meditations. We loved it so much we pressed it to wax, then repressed it to wax, licensed it to Burka For Everybody in 2011 for a single Euro-pressing, repressed again in 2013 and are now finding ourselves repressing this out-of-print gem once again!

Reviews of Umberto “From The Grave…”:

From aQarius Records:
"Doubtless many movie (and music) buffs would agree that Italian '70s and '80s "giallo" (horror/thriller) cinema, from directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, had soundtracks usually as evocative and inspirational as any visual aspect of the films, soundtracks which often stand as effective works of art all on their own. The scores by prog band Goblin being perhaps best known, influencing such modern day bands as Zombi and Crime In Choir. Now here's another, utterly blatant and most excellent example of Italian giallo soundtrack worship by a current artist: Umberto!
Umberto has a heavily synthesized sound, keyboards buzzing and droning and squelching, crunchily distorted or eerily ethereal, sounding at once like ominous Gothic organ music and also spacey futuristic electronica. Mechanical drumming plods along, propulsive beats adding to the menacing atmosphere. There's also plenty of fat disco synth-bass, and we bet folks into Italians Do It Better 12"s, or Black Devil Disco Club, or even skweee would get a kick out of this too, not just Goblin fanatics... but yeah Goblin fanatics (and John Carpenter and Zombi fans too) REALLY ought to check this out! Very cool, very creepy, and even at times kinda catchy-groovy…"

From Dusted Magazine (Patrick O’Donnell):
"Mining the classic soundtrack work of John Carpenter and Goblin has become a small cottage industry in recent times, with Zombi in particular making a career out of this niche genre. Umberto (a.k.a. Matt Hill, sometimes of Expo 70) has provided us with the newest example with From the Grave, an LP that skirts the edge of Soundtrack for an Imaginary Giallo territory. What saves the project from paling in comparison to his influences is the way Hill skillfully merges them – his songs are generally anchored by pulsing synths, and then layered with progressive rock keyboards. Much like Zombi, this ends up being danceable music, although Umberto generally eschews the harder edge of Zombi’s work. Hill also seems to have a judicious eye for doling out cheese, never letting his music enter into the realm of irony while clearly not taking things too seriously."

From Synthtopia:
"Umberto’s From The Grave is the soundtrack to the 70′s Italian horror movie that exists only in your imagination."

From FEARnet:
"Another modern aritist whose creative heart beats somewhere around the year 1981, Umberto (a.k.a. Matt Hill, also known for his work with cosmic-rock unit Expo 70) draws inspiration just as heavily from the music of John Carpenter as from Italian horror soundtracks. Also worth noting: his debut full-length album From the Grave has the distinction of being the first album ever inspired by Juan Piquer Simon's splatter classic Pieces (or at least the first artist willing to admit it), so now you know exactly where this cat's coming from."

Permanent Records Update 9.30.14

LP - King Tuff - Black Moon Spell - Loser Edition - $17.99 - BUY - LISTEN

LOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSER!!!

King Tuff is back with a brand new fuzzed out rocker, entitled "Black Moon Spell" out via his cohorts over at Sub Pop!!!!  So break out the hallucinogenic party favors and fill yer fridge, cuz its about to get outta control!

"King Tuff’s new record is called Black Moon Spell.  It was produced and recorded by Bobby Harlow at Studio B in Los Angeles, California, in the hot winter of 2014.  No one involved was prepared to make a record, but an invisible hand pushed them to do it. Perhaps it was God or that special someone we all know and love called The Devil. God and The Devil actually have very similar interests. They both love electric guitars and they both want you to listen to Black Moon Spell and freak the fuck out. There were many strange occurrences during the recording session- Dracula landlords, flashes of mysterious light, haunted microphones, songs that mixed themselves, demonic vortexes swirling in coffee cups, etc.  Under the Black Moon Spell you may experience euphoria, demented visions, wet dreams, bouts of backwards laughter, and dazed confusion resulting in primordial dancing.  Fire played a very important role in the making of this album. King Tuff loves fire.  For some reason, no one can really explain how the Black Moon Spell came to be. It just appeared one day and demanded heavy rock music and meatball subs.  Backwards messages may be found on this record.  Los Angeles, full of its screaming coyotes and creeping helicopters, surely slathered its sexy, twisted, hairy, polluted spirit all over Black Moon Spell. The Sunset Strip shat itself when it heard all these guitar solos.  A lot of people always ask King Tuff when he’s gonna put out a new record. The answer is September 23, 2014. Can you feel the Black Moon Spell creeping up the back of yr neck yet?  King Tuff would prefer not to tell you the full story of making this record because its long and crazy and you wouldn’t believe him anyway. Also, I am King Tuff.  Magic Jake, who played bass and is beautiful like sunshine, would like to take this moment to give you a hug and invite you to a tanning party on a beach of your choice.  Old Gary, who plays drums and has the most glorious cackle, would like to take this moment to crack a cold one with you and invite you to watch the old ballgame with him.
Old Gary was out watching the old ballgame, so a wild critter named Ty Segall played drums on the song “Black Moon Spell”. Ty enjoys speaking in a goblin voice in his spare time.  Night fell on Studio B. A Tarot card leapt from the deck and said, “No human judgement is of any value here.” King Tuff agreed.
Sub Pop first discovered King Tuff curled up in his palace in Vermont. It was basically a shit hut made of moss, mud, and glimmering stones hidden near the graveyard, and it was guarded by beautiful wild bullfrogs with silver fangs and baseball bats.  Punx, Squares, Skaters, Farmers, Bartenders, Grandparents, Stoners, Carpenters, Hobos, Heshers, Babes, Babies, Plumbers, Strippers, Art Teachers, Teenagers, Townies, Moms, Dads, Truck Drivers, and Witches will all love this record. Every song on Black Moon Spell was written without giving a shining fuck about nothing.  Listen to Black Moon Spell, turn yr volume knob up to 666, put yr lover in a 69, and let yr inner grinagog rear it’s wicked, unwashed, smiling snake head.  Listen to Black Moon Spell and give yr ears what they’ve been begging for all year; a heavily weird, heavenly dark, hysterically magical Rock & Roll Sexperience.
ps. the only part of this story that isn’t true is the part about the shit hut. I actually was living at my parents house when i was discovered. Love, KT" - Sub Pop

We've been jamming solid with King Tuff's garage antics since his debut "Was Dead" dropped on the world oh so many years ago.  Then came a self-titled affair, signing to Sub Pop and cranking up his particularly catchy mix of sickly sweet fuzz garage and psychedelic power pop jacked to 11.  But oh King Tuff and crew weren't finished with our ears yet!  Thus "Black Moon Spell"!!!!   Riffs ready made to shake yer asses and stereo cabinets, lyrics just waiting to be screamed out car windows, and melodies that are gonna just flat out stick to yer ears.   So if you're ready for some fun / riotous RNR, "Black Moon Spell" IS JUST WHAT YOU NEED!  SUPER RECOMMENDED.  Just don't blame us for what happens after it hits yer turntable!

LP - Liminanas - (I've Got) Trouble In Mind - 7s And Rare Stuff 2009-2014 (Mixed Vinyl) - $11.99 - BUY - LISTEN

trouble à l'esprit!!!

Trouble In Mind is back with two hot new releases to warm you up this fall!!!!!  The first one of them is a singles and rarities comp from the one and only Liminanas, entitled aptly enough "(I've Got) Trouble In Mind - 7s And Rare Stuff 2009-2014." 

"Record flippers be damned! Trouble in Mind proudly presents the long-awaited (& often requested) compilation of The Limiñanas out-of-print singles & compilation tracks, some making their first appearance on vinyl! Every non-album track you need is here, from the OOP Hozac single, to the TiM 2011 limited tour single to their appearances on various compilations & tributes, all in one handy place.
While singles collections can sometimes be dodgy, mismatched affairs, “(I’ve Got) Trouble In Mind” flows like a proper album, & that stands as a testament to the unwavering vision of core members (and husband & wife team) Lio & Marie. The band’s fusion of traditional French “ye ye” stylings with the cigarette-smoking cool of the New York underground of the late-Sixties has dazzled listeners since it’s inception making the live unit the toast of concert stages worldwide.
Between stunning originals like the black-laced banger “I’m Dead” & the Suicide-esque organ grinder “Je m’en vais” are stunning comp tracks like the band’s cover of tunes by the Beach Boys (from a MOJO magazine covermount cd), The Troggs (“Tu es a moi” from the 2012 RSD 4-way split), Jay Reatard (”An Ugly Death” from a French tribute album) & more! In addition, we get to hear unreleased tunes like the band’s cover of the Phil Spector tune “Christmas” originally performed by Darlene Love & the smoky, instrumental “A Dead Swan”.
The vinyl is housed in a stunning gatefold jacket with artwork by renowned French illustrator Elric Dufau, is pressed on basic black vinyl & includes a download code.
RIYL: Serge Gainsbourg, Ennio Morricone, Velvet Underground, Stereolab, Jacco Gardner, Temples" - Trouble In Mind Records

Thanks Trouble In Mind, now we have a little free time since we're no longer scouring discogs and ebay for all these long OOP and hard to grip songs from our fave French garage rockers.   If you were wowed by last year's "Costa Blanca" (which you should be), you definitely should be clicking that lil shopping cart now.  But the great thing about "(I've Got) Trouble In Mind" is it's so much more: it works as an intro to the Limananas' hazy cool garage jams, a mixtape that yer friend didn't have to compile, a soundtrack to yer next black and white film or that record you can leave on yer turntable for any mood.  Versatile, mesmerizing and TOTALLY RECOMMENDED!  

LP - Estrogen Highs - Hear Me On The Number Station - $11.99 - BUY - LISTEN

trouble à l'esprit!!!

Trouble In Mind is back with two hot new releases to warm you up this fall!!!!!  This one is the fourth album from angular, minimalist rockers, Estrogen Highs, entitled "Hear Me On The Number Station" and the TiM peeps have the whole story thusly:

"It’s been a full two years since the Estrogen Highs have graced our turntables, but after a brief hiatus the boys are back & with a healthy batch of eighteen songs that comprise their fourth full-length “Hear Me On The Number Station”. The teeth-rattling scree of 2012’s “Irrelevant Future” is (mostly) dialed back to a pensive hum, without sacrificing any of the lyrical bite, and sits comfortably alongside an exploratory pop drive, embracing the dichotomy between noise & quietude with confidence & ease.
Vocalist/guitarist Stefan Christiansen’s laconic delivery is the lynchpin to many of the album’s eighteen tunes, with lyrics that sway between the abstract & the intimately specific. The New Haven, Connecticuit band has always had one foot in the musical waters of New Zealand, & the influence of their Kiwi-pop fore- fathers, but this time out the band incorporates the more avant textures of the Xpressway discography rather than Flying Nun. The delicate piano mantra “Ungrateful” & pensive guitar strummers like “Sideways Through Trees”, “Forever Designing My Stationary” & “Poverty of Human Words” are jammed next to lean punk rippers like “The Russian” & “This Harsh Country” & budget anthems “Hospital Cloud” & “For This Structure”, all of which give “Hear Me On The Number Station” the feel of an amazingly curated mixtape of unknown DIY pop.
Recorded & mixed by the band themselves in varying degrees of fidelity, “Hear Me On The Number Station” was mastered by Australian audio guru Mikey Young, comes housed in a black & white jacket & inner sleeve w/lyrics. The first edition of “Hear Me On The Number Station” is pressed on black vinyl & includes a download code.
RIYL: Wire, Parquet Courts, Tyvek, Peter Gutteridge, Xpressway Records & Television Personalities" - Trouble In Mind Records

As mentioned above the Estrogen Highs have invoked the spirit of Xpressway Records for their latest outing while infusing their own particular brand of spider-y chortle and rattle.  And be prepared for a journey, these cats have unleashed a MASSIVE album this time around.  So buckle up buckaroos and dive into all 18 tracks! of  "Hear Me On The Number Station."  New Zealand via New England tunesmiths have created powerful pop and erudite strums aplomb. And like all things Trouble In Mind this one's tremendously Recommended.

LP - Hank Wood And The Hammerheads - Stay Home - $11.99 - BUY - LISTEN

HELL YEAH Hank Wood And The Hammerheads are back with another platter of searing unhinged noise-damaged punk goodness, entitled "Stay Home"!!!!!   Dudes….we've been spinning this one nonstop and we're not the only ones.  Take it away Evan Minsker from Shake Appeal/Pitchfork -

""The best record of the year," reads the product description of Stay Home on Katorga Works. It sounds like hollow punk rock hyperbole, but damn if Hank and the Hammerheads don't make a strong case for it. This is blistering, badass punk music. And there's nuance here—frenetic percussion and sophisticated guitar work which, on "These Chains", made me think of Television and the Voidoids.  You have absolutely no excuse not to grab this and listen to it really loud all the time."

Not everyday do we hear a punk record as refreshing, angry and flat out fucking killer as this new one from Hank Wood And The Hammerheads.  If their 2012 "Go Home" lp melted yer face, just wait til the needle drops on this high speed fuck-you punk scree!!!!  "Stay Home" aims to kill you with something heavier than death, ending somewhere between 77 punk, 80s hardcore and all that feral garage punk we can't get enough of.   Seriously just trust yer ears and buy this F'ING RECORD, YOU NEED IT!!!!!!!  Cuz it's recommended duh!

LP - Null And Void - Happiness And Contempt / Montage Morte - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

VULL AND NOID!!!

We scored a batch of this wonderful album that was looooooooong overdue for the reissue treatment, but Medical Records cured that issue with this high quality repress of synth-y post punk from Null and Void.  Get the full details directly from the label:

"Medical Records presents a very special double A side reissue of Fullerton, CA band NULL AND VOID. Null And Void recorded three albums (1980’s Happiness And Contempt , 1982’s Montage Morte and a 3rd in 2012). Both of the 1980s LPs have relatively short playtimes, so we have decided to reissue both in their entirety on each side of this reissue. Hailing from a very diverse musical scene, Null And Void forged their own sound fusing elements of new wave, post-punk, cabaret and less characterized roots. Both of the LPs have gone long out of print and have become collectible with the resurgence and interest in post-punk and new wave. Different from the often colder synth and wave scene, Null And Void headed into a more punk sound with heavier overtones and quirky hooks. The opening track “All The Old Humans” displays poignant synth lines before the track takes off into a total rock anthem. “Un Sedatif Ce Soir” is a standout track on the 1st album with twists and turns chock full of smoldering synth lines, jerking rhythms, and other surprises. The 2nd album (or other “A” side if you will) “Montage Morte” displays the evolution of the band just 2 years later after the debut. A slightly different mood overall, it has a more DIY home recorded feel. The opener “Motorcycle Song” is very catchy and tends to keep the listener humming it their mind for days to come. “Japanese Forest” is a gorgeous simple number with atmospheric soundscapes coated in melancholy vocals and texture. This LP will appeal to fans of early post-punk / wave hybrids and other unclassifiable early 80s acts that defined this wonderful “scene”. Remastered by Martin Bowes at the Cage, London, UK. Contains bonus insert with multiple writings and reflections by band members, friends, and the like. Presented on high quality 180-gram blue vinyl."

We're huge Null and Void fans around here and to have both of these great records in one handy package is total bonus.  We occasionally get used copies of these in but they're few and far between and fly off the shelf immediately so to have this reissue around is awesome cuz now we play it for people who haven't had the pleasure of hearing Null and Void yet.  Super Recommended.

LP - Rudiger Lorenz - Invisible Voices - Reissue - $21.99 - BUY - LISTEN

AUDIBLE COLORS!!!

This is the first ever reissue of this 1983 electronic masterpiece brought to you by the fine folks at Anthology Recordings.  It's a hand numbered edition of 1000 in a gatefold jacket that includes a download of the entire record.  Get the backstory directly from the label:

 "When he wasn’t dispensing prescriptions in his day job as a pharmacist, the late German synth wizard RUDIGER LORENZ followed a truer passion, casting his own unique presence on the world of New Age music, and self-releasing a significant body of work on his own Syncord label. His vinyl debut, 1983’s Invisible Voices, highlights the point where Lorenz’s busy, sprawling compositions and untraditional tone banks came into their own. More restless and spirited than many of his musical colleagues, Invisible Voices presents a vision of aural wanderlust, built for the journey and one’s reflection on it afterwards." - Anthology Recordings

Holy Smokes!  This record is incredible!  We were unfamiliar with Rudiger Lorenz but when we spun Invisible Voices we were totally stunned at how amazing this album is.  We're super happy that Anthology Recordings has brought this killer record back to the masses cuz if you like minimal synth/electronic kosmische music then you NEED this record stat.  Rudiger Lorenz more than holds his own among classics like Cabaret Voltaire, Kraftwerk, and the Sky/Brain Records roster and was most certainly a total blueprint for more modern acts like Sonic Boom's Spectrum and E.A.R. projects.  Haunted circuits that harken the heavens and beyond.  He apparently put out quite a few releases through the years on his own Syncord Records imprint so here's hoping we'll be getting more reissues in the near future.  Supremely Recommended.

7in - Jimmy Smack - Death Or Glory - Reissue - $11.99 - BUY - LISTEN

JIMMY SMACK SMORN AND WE DON'T CARE!!!

Death Vault Records strikes again with this badass reissue of Jimmy Smack's debut single!  Get the whole story directly from the label:

 "We at Death Vault were pretty excited to release Jimmy Smack's “Death Rocks” 45 last year, but given the reception that received, we're even more thrilled to now reissue the debut single. Titled “Death Or Glory”, this impossibly obscure slab was originally self-released on Jimmy's own Star Theatre Productions imprint in 1982, its tiny pressing disappearing instantly and the name surviving on want lists alone. Over thirty years later, our deluxe reissue is mastered direct from the master tape and now comes in a picture sleeve with never-before-seen Ed Colver photographs. Including five tracks of grim, aggressive electro-punk, this pressing is limited to 110 on red and 220 on black vinyl. Mandatory stuff for those who know, so move fast or cry later!"

We blew through the Death Rocks reissue when we had them and holy shit is this Death Or Glory even scarier!  This is a thick slab of misanthropic synth punk nihilism.  Pure evil.  This stuff is borderline noise/power electronics territory, but has enough structure that these minimal synth invocations creep deep under yer skin.  Jimmy growls terrifingly about "Souls", "Cybernetics", "Death Is Certain", "The Scarlet Beast", and "Batty".  Five tracks of nightmare fuel right here and we couldn't be happier to share it with you.  For the truly depraved.  Definitely Recommended.

7in - The Todd - Mystifying Me b/w Be My Lover Tonight? - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BACK IN STOCK!!!

Another day, another killer slab of rare original stock rock n roll for yer listening pleasure, this time from Youngstown, Ohio's The Todd and their searing single, "Mystifying Me b/w Be My Love."  Equal parts driving garage rock and super infectious power pop, this single should've been enough to catapult these guys onto the national scene.  Maybe The Todd was just a little too ahead of its time for mid 70s eastern Ohio?  But not for us!!!  Fans of hard to find garage rock, private press RnR and midwestern power pop a la Numero's "Buttons" comp, need to get MYSTIFIED TONIGHT!  SUPER RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!

LP - X_X (X-Blank-X) - X Sticky Fingers X - Import - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BACK IN STOCK!!!

YES!!!!!!  Full Contact and Ektro's long awaited X_X rarities lp "X Sticky Fingers X" is here!!!!!   All you punk collectors and Ohio rock junkies are probably already running out the door to grab this criminally limited album, but those in need of some liner notes, read on -

 "Life's greatest pleasures are often its most fleeting. Witness, for example, the ephemeral run of X__X, a turbulent quartet that tore through Cleveland like a Dadaist cyclone for six months in 1978. Preceding his imminent relocation to NYC, burly, blond brawler John D Morton assembled the project as a tighter, more rocking successor to his storied proto-punk act, the electric eels. An early, practice-room incarnation included that group's inimitable singer, Dave E. McManus, as well as future Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film author Michael J. Weldon. Shortly thereafter, the cast of characters stabilized to encompass razor-wire guitarist Andrew Klimeyk; CLE magazine editor turned bassist Jim Ellis; and drummer Anton Fier, who went on to fame and fortune with the Feelies, the Lounge Lizards, Pere Ubu, and the Golden Palominos.
Pronounced "ex blank ex," the name also doubled as a mental exercise in which a person could insert random words or phrases between the two letters in the moniker. Hence, Morton's jab at the Rolling Stones' sagging legacy for the title of this hotly-anticipated retrospective: X Sticky Fingers X. Compiling a couple of prized singles with a feast of lo-fi but raging live and rehearsal material, the album boasts radical revisions of several eels classics alongside tunes that would appear drastically altered on a Styrenes LP and on Klimeyk's solo seven-inch. As if that weren't sufficiently tantalizing, underground-culture historian and journalist Jon Savage penned the hepcat liner notes that accompany this "really boss set" of "mean sounds aimed at making your feet move."
But forget that jive. The main lure is Morton's ridiculously potent cocktail of brute force, no-wave squall, and nihilistic art prank. Pissed-off vocals, ass-kicking riffs, a hard-charging rhythm section, and the whirr of onstage circular saws split the air. Yet somehow, tracks such as "A," "Drapery Hooks (of My Love)," and the grammar-flouting "Your Full of Shit" manage to be catchier than syphilis. Moments of genuine confusion abound, too: "Rattler" stops dead before it truly starts, and a snatch of audience vérité purports to be a cover of "I'm So Fucked Up," a "song" by one of Morton's previous "bands" Johnny & the Dicks—in this case, a purely conceptual one that never played music. (Joke's on you, pal.)
Nowadays, X__X's erstwhile leader resides in the hinterlands of New York State, a base from where he paints, sculpts, writes, draws, snaps photos, churns out giclée prints, chops wood, and occasionally travels to perform with the Dunking Swine of Chelsea, Scarcity of Tanks, and the charmingly-christened New Fag Motherfuckers. Despite these numerous pursuits, he still found time to design the package and supervise the production of this definitive anthology. And so, it is with tremendous pride that Ektro Records and I present X Sticky Fingers X in all its unruly splendor. For your pleasure. Unto eternity.
Jordan N. Mamone, New York City January 12, 2014" - Ektro/ Full Contact Records

Destructo, off-the-rails punk rock doesn't get any better than X_X!!!!   From the rare studio tracks to the absolutely bonkers live material, "X Sticky Fingers X" will permanently cement these RnR malcontents next to their more revered brethren like Electric Eels, Styrenes, Jack Ruby, Rocket From The Tombs and the Urinals.  We could rant on and on about how blown out, art bent, drunken, chaotic and IMPORTANT X_X is, but one spin is all the convincing yer gonna need.  This lp is not just necessary for rustbelt punk fans and obscurity collectors, but for anyone who loves real fucking rock n roll.  SO YEAH THIS ONE'S EPICALLY RECOMMENDED.