*THE LOONS - DEMO
CASSETTE
If I tell you that
The Loons are Mike Stax's new band, and if you know that he's the editor
of excellent (mostly) 60's music fanzine Ugly Things, as well as that he
played in The Tell-Tale Hearts and The Hoods, how long it'll take you to
realise what sort of stuff we are dealing here with? Half a second?
Can't say his previous bands
could be found in my collection (in fact, I only have a couple of tracks
on tape), which unables me to compare The Loons to them. For the rest of
todays 60's influenced bands, or at least for the most of them, I could
only say to try much harder, for they're not even half way to where The
Loons are. On this 7 track tape they came up with some raging 60's punk
("Paradise", "Knock Knock"), a couple of brilliant ballads and with lots
of r'n'b for export. The difference between The Loons and the rest of current
60's bands is that Mike Stax and crew know how to write and play decent
songs, instead of just copying some old classics. Along with The Puritans
this is probably the only band that sounds truly 60's and that's thanks
to the production (whoever did it) and also due to the fact that the instrumentalists
in the band are capable of using their tools the way it should be used.
The drumming and bass playing are great, but I find guitar playing extraordinary.
The guy is a Master! I've never heard someone moving from 60's punk to
psychedelia to r'n'b so smoothly, but still so exciting all the time. They
should have a 7" out soon on Corduroy Records, but it is the crime against
humanity not to put all of these 7 songs on a vinyl. Anyone out there willing
to save the world should contact the band at the address bellow. (Mike
Stax, 3707 Fifth Avenue #145, San Diego, CA 92103, USA)
*NERVOUS CHRISTIANS -
"REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD" CD
Oh, joy! I found this one
in a bunch of mail that awaited me upon our return to Perth after a successful
tour of Melbourne and Sydney. Again I haven't heard for a band before and
again it turned out they're great. Don't like their name, but I dig the
cover, part of which was used as a front cover for some Van Halen LP. Nervous
Christians have been around for nearly 7 years and after several 7"s, compilation
tracks and European full-length album, this is their first USA LP (available
on vinyl as well, I believe). From the opening scream: "I Couldn't Help
I Was Bit By a Zombie" ("Night of The Living Dead" - nothing to do with
the Misfits' song) to the ending tones of "Davis Lake" Nervous Christians
are taking you for very fast, not for the squeamish-in-heart, ride without
seat belts. Every time I listen to this CD it feels like my first Hully
Gully ride - I shit my pants, but can't resist the urge to go back and
do it over and over again. Them being from Portland, Oregon, I can't ignore
slight similarities to Detonators and Poison Idea (when they were punk,
not metal), though, most of all, the early Splatterheads come to mind.
They are bit faster than I could handle at a couple of songs, which smells
a bit like hard core, but if the records like this one were released in
the early 80s hard core wouldn't be such a bad thing at all. Production
is spot on, as well as playing, with so many irresistible details, such
as "watch out, here we go" drumming in the opening track and creepy lead
guitar break in "Davis Lake". "Hey Lady" is a nice homage to "Ain't Nothing
To Do", another proof their hearts are in the right place. So, you better
buy this one soon (US$ 8 in the U.S., overseas write first), 'cause I don't
want to wait another 6-7 years for its follower to come out. (National
Dust, PO Box 2454, Portland, Oregon 97208, USA)
*PIGFACE - "FEELS LIKE
HEAVEN...SOUNDS LIKE SHIT" CD
If I wanted to slag this
one off in just one sentence I guess I could've just gone something like:
"It really lives to the second part of its title!"
Got this CD in a package
from Touch & Go (it appears they're distributors) and smelled the trouble
immediately after reading the song list (ie. "this and that" mix). This
is a compilation of some dance-techno-industrial-disco-call-it-whatever-you-like
bands and I believe the main guy behind this project is Martin Atkins (is
he a Pigface?), since he's been presented with 5 songs here. Well, I could
go on for hours here trying to give this CD fair and objective review,
but I won't. In the last 20 something years I've been listening to all
sorts of crap, but never anything like this, mainly due to my strong opposition
of using modern technology in music this way (as opposed to using it in
noise). Call me the narrow-minded bastard, but I just can't like this CD
and at the same time praise Dead Moon, Hellacopters and Powder Monkeys.
Still, there's a track by Psychic TV on it that I could or could not dig,
but I'll always respect Mr Genesis P. Oridge. If anything, he wrote the
liner notes for one of the best real alternative albums ever - "Thirst"
by Clock Dva. (Invisible)
*KEVIN GAGNÉ AND
THE NEANDERTHALS - "THE ORGASM IS THE APOGEE OF OUR LIVES' EXISTENCE" CD
Nope, I'm not kidding. No
matter how funny it may sound to you, band of this name and CD of this
title really exists. If you don't believe it just send US$ 13.50 outside
USA or US$ 10 in the USA and it'll soon jump into your mailbox. The guy
named Kevin Gagné is the brain behind this project. The Neanderthals
(although The Geeks suits them better) are his brother and a friend he
borrowed from a band called Blue Law. Basically, The Neanderthals are a
back-up band for Kevin's poetry reading. In the letter he sent accompanying
this CD he stated: "I spent almost all of 1995, all my life savings and
strained my marriage to bring this creature to life." Well, Kevin, as The
Jerky Boys said: "You better take care of your marriage." All kidding aside,
it must be said here that poetry and me parted a long time ago. The only
thing I could still swallow is some children's poetry. What makes this
disk different from your typical poetry reading is the way it has been
read, which clearly shows that Mr Gagné listened to "Trout Mask
Replica" one too many times, and it is a OK with me. The Neanderthals aren't
The Magic Band, and their musicianship is slightly limited, but it seems
that they used their ability to handle a few instruments to the maximum.
In a way, they saved this album of becoming just plain monotonous. The
thing I'm not through with is this - is Kevin's poetry meant to be serious
(in that case it's silly pretentious crap) or just a pisstake, which I
would fell more comfortable with. This isn't a boring CD, but rather the
one that I can't listen to very "of-ten". There are several nice "songs"
that I quite enjoy, such as "Jesus Ain't Older Than The Pyramids", "Tropic
of Capricorn", "Deaths' Shroud" and "Innocence Junky/The Hooker Parts 1,
2, &3" and plenty of moments when I pissed myself laughing. Didn't
somebody say laughing is the best cure? (Slave Records, PO Box 16046, Greenville,
S.C. 29606, USA)
*V/A - "RUNT OF THE LITTER"
CD
It's always good to see
people you respect being so persistent in reaching their goals (unlike
me). In Uzurlikzurli #1 I said Fan Attic may become a cool label and before
you could say 'Otorhinolaryngology' Ron Lacer has put this CD out. This
is the compilation of 27 punk and related bands from Boston (hey, where
are the Cheater Slicks?!?!) and it's US$ 10 ppd in the U.S., and, I guess,
around US$ 12 for overseas orders. If you add $1 you'll get a nice booklet
with lyrics, photos, info, etc. I think second press of this one is out
by now and expect some more Fan Attic releases soon. Back to the CD - as
with any other compilation, especially with this many bands, not all of
the stuff is of top quality. There are a few bands that are too hard core
for me, but it's just a small minority compared to all the good bands presented
here with one song each. "The Ride" by Bleed is how Helmet would sound
if they were punk; Binge and The Modifiers continue to impress me; The
Nines with they garagey "Think of Tomorrow" are definitely the best on
this CD; Bratface, Sons of John Glenn and Johnny Bravo are among ones that
I'd like to see on the future Fan Attic releases. From 77 style punk (and
"Runt of The Litter" has more great bands of this kind than your average
mall CD store), through garage punk, to the hard core, this album is a
brilliant testimony of the current punk scene in Boston. I've never been
there, but I'm sure this would work better than any tourist guide. Also
worth mentioning is that this is the first product that has Uzurlikzurli
on its thanks list (misspelled, tough). (Fan Attic Records, PO Box 391494,
Cambridge, MA 02139-0015, USA)
*BRAINIAC - "INTERNATIONALE"
CD EP
It seems that nothing good
can come from Dayton, Ohio these days. First the Dayton Peace Agreement,
now these guys. I knew I wouldn't like 'em after seeing their photo on
the sleeve, but I expected some Flaming Lips kinda crap. Brainiac are uninspired
and plain boring experimental noise pop, which is something I wouldn't
touch even with the live wire. It's a shame to see my old buddy Kim Deal
producing this bad stuff, but... The things went downhill for her ever
since she met me. And I don't feel sorry at all. (Touch & Go)
*DIRTY THREE - "DIRTY
THREE" CD
It shocked me when I saw
that once small, independent label, as Touch & Go used to be, now manufacture
strictly "For promotional use only" stuff. Instead of "normal" CD pack
this one (and another couple of CDs) doesn't have a proper cover, but transparent
case with a badly written press release underneath, track listing and a
small picture of a cover on the back of it. They're probably afraid this
may be re-sold or something.
First time I've heard for
Dirty Three when Tex Perkins said to us something like: "Check 'em out
if you can." Since then I kept reading/hearing about them, but this is
my first serious encounter with the brilliance of their music. I was reluctant
to hear Dirty 3 'cause in the last few months they were pets of the sleaziest
press in USA, U.K. and Australia, but when this disk arrived I decided
I might as well give 'em a go, and what a mighty go that was indeed!
Dirty 3 are not r'n'r band.
If there's a band that is hardest to categorise it's them. It's not a world
music, although at the moments I can hear some Middle-Eastern influences
of, let's say, Eric Random and the Balamites. Strangely enough, "Odd Couple"
sounds like a French chansone - just add the vocals of Edith Piaf or Charles
Aznavour and you'll get there. Also, it sounds sometimes as a perfect soundtrack
for Lee Van Cliff's movies. Perhaps The Velvet Underground comes to mind,
not because of similarity in music, but because as The Velvets, Dirty 3
are able to slip from magic mellowness into more magical cacophony and
back, without sounding awkward at that. In their case it seems as a perfectly
logical progress in their songs. Two of them, drummer Jim White and guitarist
Mick Turner (Mick Sick), were both in an excellent Melbourne band Venom
P. Stinger, whose "Walking About" 7" is one of the best records ever
released by an Australian band. These two bands don't have much in common,
though. Probably the only similarity between Dirty 3 and Venom P. Stinger
is that they are/were both undisciplined and unpredictable, which is a
feeling that persists all the time and every time while listening to their
releases. I've heard recently that the members of Dirty 3 aren't getting
along well with each other. At least they communicate perfectly through
their playing.
P.S. There's a small town
in Serbia called Guca. I've never been there, but in August each year a
big festival of Serbian brass-bands (some of which are highly regarded
by the world music lovers) takes place for 3 days and 3 nights. Tens of
thousands of people gather every year at that place to eat drink and listen
to "the noise and rage that lift us high above the loneliness and being,
to the sweet oblivion". I played this CD once while stoned and somewhere
during "The Last Night" I swear I felt like I was in Guca. And, by the
way, Dirty 3 have the new album out. (Touch & Go)
*THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
- "PEEL SLOWLY AND SEE" 5 CD BOX SET
Don't expect me to write
an in-depth review of this box set. I, as well as anybody else, could do
it, but due to the fear of failure you won't read anything like that here.
All of you potential reviewers of this thing out there: don't kid yourself,
there's no one up to such a task in the world (the only person who could
do it has been dead for many years now). I'll just give you a few reasons
why you should consider buying "Peel Slowly and See", and that's in case
you already haven't bought it.
As you know, there are five
CDs in this box set, all of them run for 70 plus minutes. The first one
is packed with early rehearsal tapes of the acoustic takes of some songs
from the first LP (with very different arrangements) and a couple that
have never been heard before on official releases. Other four CDs contain
VU's first 4 albums and bunch of bonus tracks. Some of the bonuses have
been already released, but many of them have seen the light of day for
the first time here. In all, there are 25 never before released songs on
these 5 CDs. If you happen to love VU on vinyl, don't worry. It's amazing
how good they sound on these digital pieces of plastic. I wouldn't believe
myself, but it took initial few seconds into first album and I was hooked.
First two albums are probably the best two albums ever released, but I
have to admit that 3rd(self titled one) and "Loaded" are masterpieces as
well. Tame a bit compared to earlier stuff, but still great, although "Loaded"
outtakes are maybe even better than the LP itself. You also get an 84 page
book with nicely written history of the band (not many new facts for a
die hard fan as myself) and usual stuff. Package is very nice, with peelable
banana, just like in the good old times. The only letdowns are inclusions
of a lot of already released bonus tracks and absence of "Never Get Emotionally
Involved With Man, Woman, Beast or Child", "I'm So Fucked Up" and the rest
of obscure shit. But don't get put away by that. For around $90 it is a
must in any serious record collection.
And this is the only review
in this issue of the thing I paid for. (Polydor)
*GG ALLIN AND THE TEXAS
NAZIS - "PUBLIC ANIMAL NO. 1" 7" BOOTLEG
If there's one field in
which Perth isn't out of step with the world then it is GG Allin's following.
It seems that there's even GG cover band around here. After reading a couple
of issues of Cigarette Burns fanzine I wasn't surprised to hear that Michael,
the editor of that publication, had put out a 7" bootleg of GG Allin. Welcome
to a diehard fandome! It's not such a bad idea - maybe I should put out
a bootleg of Powder Monkeys.
I'm not sure if these 6
songs have already been released, but this is Mr Defecation himself with
The Texas Nazis doing the live versions of the songs from his early/mid
period. There's been only a couple of moments after his brilliant debut
album when GG's songs rubbed me, and the songs on this EP are OK, but not
really of my choice. Still, they are way better than his later "Fuck Your
Mother and Be Your Own Brother" stuff. The sound quality is better than
expected, although still very rough. It's on clear, square shaped vinyl
and in ultra limited edition of 47 copies. They're pretty much all gone,
but try getting it at: Michael Herceg, 49 Somers St, Belmont WA 6104, Australia.
My copy goes for a minimum bid of $200. (Diarrhoea Records)
*SIXTIES SCENE # 28
This is, I guess, still
the latest issue, although they may have pumped out a few more in the meantime.
P. J. Proby's story continues (good to see he's back on track), an excellent
article on how to make a light polarizer, nice pics of some wrestlers (esp.
The Mighty Midgets), a tour diary, reviews, and stuff. I wish I could have
all the issues of this fanzine. (PO Box 1160, Richmond North, Vic. 3121,
Australia)
*CUL DE SAC - "CHINA GATE"
CD
I was destined to love Cul
de Sac. If the things went just slightly out of their way I would have
probably never heard of this band, but something beyond human comprehension,
perhaps something from the Twilight Zone, made a move and matched me with
Cul de Sac for life.
I first came across Cul
de Sac by reading the review of their debut "ECIM" in some fanzine, whose
name escapes me at the moment. The review itself didn't hit me as hard
as the actual name of the band and the title of the album. Why? Cul de
Sac was some jazzy band in Croatia, and "Ecim" sounds like an old Yugoslavian
name, although some people claim it's "Mice" spelled backwards. What do
they know anyway?
Of course I realised Cul
de Sac is an American band, but more important is that all the reviews
of "Ecim" praised that album to the stars. I wanted to hear that band,
but the time wasn't right yet, as you'll see.
The next time I was browsing
through Forced Exposure mail order list and saw Cul de Sac name again,
but what hit me hard then was the title of their single - "Sakhalin". As
a kid, I often used to visit the birthplace of my mother - the village
of Bobovište. Driving a tractor, drinking the warmed-up home made brandy
at the age of 7, swimming in the one of the dirtiest rivers I've ever seen
and realising that one of my uncles has a glass-eye are just some of the
memories. But probably the most memorable one was a story of Sakhalin,
the one-armed man who lived on the outskirts of the village in a truly
spooky house. Of course, now I realise it was just a tale about a Bogey
Man and Sakhalin was just a poor bloke who lost his arm in an accident,
but I was shit scared while passing his house back then. In the recorded
conversation that goes after "Sakhalin" on the CD, a band member (Glenn
Jones, I guess) explains that Sakhalin is some island between Russia and
Japan, but he can not fool me. I know what, or to be precise, who Sakhalin
was. And he knows, I'm sure.
Even the "Sakhalin" case
wasn't enough to turn me to Cul de Sac. Rather, it was that great interview
with Mr Jones in Year Zero fanzine. In fact, one sentence had a punch-in-the-face
effect on me: "But watching Jon walloping the hell out of his kit on 'The
Colomber', one of our most powerful new songs, is scary!", and that's when
it became clear to me that this is some serious business we're dealing
with here, and that I can't escape Cul de Sac, no matter how hard I try.
"The Colomber" is probably
the best short story, by definitely the best writer of short stories -
Dino Buzzati. After reading it for the first time some 8 years ago, the
beautiful simplicity of it penetrated with the speed of light straight
between my eyes. Since then I've been trying to get hold of some other
books by Dino Buzzati, but the possibility of finding any in Australia
is equivalent to finding a good person among the Australian Liberals.
That's why the mentioning
of "The Colomber" in Cul de Sac interview meant a lot - I realised there
was another person on the planet who's into Buzzati. So, I didn't waste
my time and I dropped a line to Glenn Jones asking him about the origins
of the title of that song and if that had anything to do with the story.
He didn't just confirm that, but also send some material on Buzzati and
the next thing I knew was that I must have their records.
"I Don't Want To Go To Bed"
CD was the only available thing at the moment and I sure loved it, but
the fact it was cheaply recorded live during the rehearsals made me suspect
that there must be the other, proper studio side of Cul de Sac, something
where the songs like "Doldrums" and "This Is The Metal That Do Not Burn"
could reach their full power.
Soon after I received a
package from Glenn Jones with a couple of short stories collections by
Buzzati and "China Gate" CD, the latest effort by Cul de Sac. It has been
recorded better than "I Don't...", but still far from high tech state of
the art recording. I like the lo-finess that some records have, but bands
like these are better off with good studio - I just want to hear every
note and every sound of Cul de Sac, and in that field "China Gate" gives
me 100% satisfaction. I mean, this is not some slick sounding album, for
which tens of thousands of dollars and many months were spent in making.
Or to put it this way: it is not "Good Vibration", but it is "Talk Talk".
Same as with the Music Machine, Cul de Sac are using studio technology
to the maximum in pursuit of capturing their sound without ruining it in
the process. For only 50 hours of recording, it can't sound overproduced
anyway. It only says that their budget wasn't big at all, but obviously
they are the musicians capable of recording a masterpiece on a shoe-string
budget.
Title track is the only
non-instrumental song on the whole CD, and judging by the credits, it is
a cover. Don't expect me to tell you whose original it is, 'cause I don't
know. Great harmonies (all four of them are singing) and beautiful lyrics
are an excellent introduction to what comes after.
Aforementioned "Sakhalin"
starts with a brilliant guitar work, which is soon after joined by equally
good performance by the rest of the bend. Robin Amos strikes with his synthesiser
in the middle of the song for a while, until Glenn Jones takes it over
again on guitar, and later both of them, along with the rest of the band,
lead the song to its end, where, as I earlier said, they give a story of
"Sakhalin".
"Nepenthe" is the saddest
song on album. I don't know what went through their mind, but the sadness
is what I feel every time I listen to this one. It doesn't put me down
nor it depresses me, but makes me sink deeper into my chair, crank up the
stereo and just vegetate. Fortunately, near its end the song takes slightly
off its way and awakes me. Everything finishes with great drum solo and
makes room for probably their most commercial sounding (if such attribute
could be used with Cul de Sac's music) song "Doldrums". Its guitar lines
have been planted in my head since I first heard the longer version on
"I Don't Want..." CD. I couldn't stop humming that tune for days and then
something unbelievable (for Perth) happened - first we were in this record
store in the city browsing around, when some of the employees decided to
play "Doldrums". Then, just a few days later, I turned to the local radio
station while driving and guess which was the first song to came up - "Doldrums"
again! I bet if Cul de Sac ever become popular this song would be the prime
target for a techno (orbital, ambient, whatever) cover version. I can already
picture it: guitar riff at the beginning and then that typical techno beat
on drum machine joins and ruins everything, same as they did to "Misourlu".
The version on "China Gate" is not as long as the one on "I Don't...",
but it is more dynamic. This is where it's easy to compare the drumming
styles of their new drummer Jon Proudman and the old one, Chris Guttmacher.
I liked Chris's style, but Jon fits better. He goes with the flow very
smoothly here and there, but also dictates the tempo where necessary and
is perfect in bringing the song to an end.
The bass player Chris Fujiwara
starts the trilogy "James Coburn"/"Virgin Among The Cannibals"/"...His
Teeth Got Lost In The Mattress..." with his finger picking (as far as I
could tell the difference) style. It's interesting how guitar is obviously
the most dominant instrument in Cul de Sac. I'm not saying it's the most
important, but all the songs are based on the guitar tune more or less.
Still, bass may be slightly in the background of a guitar, but it gives
the spine to the most of the songs. More of that when I come to "The Colomber".
"James Coburn" slips from
its mellow moody style into some wild guitar noise of "Virgin Among Cannibals"
that goes for about one minute, when the rest of the band joins for another
minute of sheer hectic instrumental madness, and that's when Cul de Sac
show their unexpected side with "...His Teeth Got Lost In The Mattress...",
which is the total opposite of "Virgin..." - it's quite melodic, floating,
and if "Nepenthe" was the saddest song on album, this one is the happiest.
"Hemispheric Events Command"
is another gem on the CD, and in the second half it sounds more as an "I
Don't..." outtake, and the same could be said for "The Fourth Eye", the
longest song on "China Gate", which changes its pace as it goes along.
11 minutes and 33 seconds and not boring for one moment.
I don't know if I would
like "The Colomber" the same if I didn't read the great story of the same
title, but this is the best song on the album, and most powerful one, for
sure. This is where Cul de Sac sound perfectly compact as a band - guitar
gives the principal melody to the song, synthesiser pops in at the perfectly
right places and gives the magic dynamics to the song. Drumming is amazing,
but way down in the mix, and as I said, this is where Chris Fujiwara shines
with his bass playing. Every time I listen to this song I've been taken
away by its tune, but then, out of nowhere, the bass lines are coming and
trashing their ways head on through the wall of sounds. It would be great
if I was a very fast reader, so that I could go through all 5 ½
pages of "The Colomber" while at the same time listening to this
song. Maybe I could do it. Maybe I could give it a go, but I'm afraid of
the effects of orgasmic proportions it could have on me. If "Doldrums"
is suitable for techno cover, then "The Colomber" is perfect for a ripping
surf rendition. If I ever had a band I'd dare to do it. Maybe I should
play it in my cab, but I'm afraid it's perfect soundtrack for pedal to
the metal. The customers wouldn't like it either. Maybe I should play the
whole album to the annoying customers.
"China Gate (Reprise)" and
"Utopia Pkwy." are the perfect choice for closing the album, especially
the latter, which starts as a mellow surfy tune (similar to the one you
can hear in that Uncle Tobys TV commercial with that Aussie swimmer), but
ends in an exploding finale of instrumental intercourse.
I already said that "Time
Wounds All Heels" by Powder Monkeys is the best album of this issue, but
that was said before I heard this one. Besides, comparing Cul de Sac and
Powder Monkeys is like mixing apples and oranges. Both records are great
and highly recommended. And Robin Amos, Chris Fujiwara, Glenn Jones, Jon
Proudman and Predrag Delibasich (all coached by Dino Buzzati) are the only
five people who could challenge the Dream Team.
"The Colomber is a huge
fish, frightening to behold and extremely rare. Depending on the sea, and
the people who live by its shores, the fish is also called the Kolombrey,
Kahloubrha, Kalonga, Kalu-balu, Chalung-gra. Naturalists strangely ignore
it. Some even maintain that it does not exist."
(Flying Nun Records.
Cul De Sac, Glenn Jones, 74 Field St, Cambridge MA, 02138, USA)
*PUNKTUR #3
Don't know how many of our
readers could read Slovenian, but I can understand some 70% easily. This
issue is chockablock of interviews (Zoinks!, Fifteen, Porota, Running Party),
columns, tour diaries, reviews, letters, scene reports, and even a two
pages article on living in Perth, written by some genius, no doubt. I've
tried to pursue Luka to do his fanzine in English, because I believe that
way he could reach much wider audience, which is not always a good thing,
but it is, in the case of this fanzine. Especially since Punktur has been
improving with every issue. The guy just can write, even when it comes
to pop punk (I have the feeling that's his fave style of music), so I'd
like to see more of his stuff in English, apart from an odd scene report
that he's been writing every now and then for some American fanzine. Drop
him a line and tell him to get off his lazy bum. (Luka Štravs, Lubejeva
1, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)
*OBLIVIANS - "POPULAR
FAVORITES" CD
*COUNTRY TEASERS - "SATAN
IS REAL AGAIN or FEELING GOOD ABOUT BAD THOUGHTS" CD
Crypt Records is one of
the few labels out there that very rarely comes up with a dull release.
Apart from Jon Spencer B. E. and Gaunt I can't recall any band on Crypt
that I didn't like. The rumours are that The Warrens' label has been shaken
up by departures of New Bomb Turks and JSBE, but the time for cleaning
up the rubbish would've come sooner or later anyway. Hopefully, it'll make
more room for bands like the Oblivians and Country Teasers.
It's good to see that the
Oblivians (or "Oblivions", as 99% of the reviewers call them) didn't use
another sleazy girl pic on the cover, as it seems to be the case with all
of their SFTRI release. I'm not a puritan of any sort, but that garagey
cliche of using the pictures of naked babes, cars, devils and shit is very
tiring and onerous. So, on the cover of "Popular Favorites" we see a bunch
of Krauts (Hey, I could recognise those moustaches from miles) at the,
I assume, Black Sabbath show - they couldn't come up with anything funnier
than that, but you won't know until you see it for yourself.
While listening the opening
song "Christina" it becomes clear that this is probably the most accessible
(audio wise) Oblivians' release, and I don't have a problem with that at
all. "Christina" is the most rockin' number on the album, and with "Strong
Come On", "Bad Man" and "Guitar Shop Asshole" probably the biggest hit.
No wonder Crypt is trying to claim "Popular Favorites" the biggest thing
since sliced bread - it is an excellent album worth every word of praise.
The only thing I can't understand is why they made one of the guitars sound
as the bass in a couple of songs. The concept of two guitars and no bass
in a band is great, but only when guitars are played as guitars.
Country Teasers' latest
album "Satan is Real Again" is a pleasant surprise. It isn't your typical
Crypt release. And not only that - it's not typical at all to hear a band
sounding like the Early The Fall playing country. Not to mention that Joy
Division riff they used in "Thank You God For Making Me an Angel", let
alone sci-fi instrumental "Little Black Clouds". Very, very unique
and unexpected. It would be great if they could appear in "Hamish Macbeth"
or if they contributed to the soundtrack of "Trainspotting" instead of
that pile of mainstream shit.
I have a problem with some
of their lyrics, but there's that line: "We are the kings of comedy and
everybody else is a Jew" in which I believe, as well as in the entire song
"Lies". "It Is My Duty" is a song of epic proportions, as is the whole
album. Dig the "Sheep Washing" too.
There are no particular
reasons why I review these two albums at once, except that they're both
new Crypt releases. I can't decide which one is better, but let's say Country
Teasers are one of the nicest surprises recently. (Crypt Records: Europe-PO
Box 304292-20325, Hamburg, Germany; USA-1409 W Magnolia, Burbank, CA 91506,
USA)
*NEW WET KOJAK - "NEW
WET KOJAK" CD
New Wet Kojak are a couple
of guys from Girls Against Boys (whose "Venus Luxury No. 1 Baby" CD didn't
do much for me), accompanied by some people who were in Dischord bands
(never cared for that label) and others. Because of that my expectations
were too low, but I recognised the greatness of this album immediately.
I love their blend of early Tuxedomoon, "Thirst" era Clock Dva, European
alternative and DC sound, even though I doubt anyone else would hear those
influences in New Wet Kojak. "You Got Some Dog" is to this album what "Blue
Tones" was to "Thirst". I'd survive without "Your Tongue (remix)" (too
dancey for me) and "Tito, Tito" (hate everything that brings back bad memories),
but the rest of the record is exceptionally good. Haven't seen any feedback
on N.W.K. in the fanzines yet, which is a shame, 'cause this is one of
the best bands on Touch & Go at the moment. Hopefully, this won't be
just an offshoot of a side project for this crew, but it's possible, since
GvsB are on major label now. Perfect music for scabby days or porno movies'
soundtrack - depends if you pay attention to the lyrics or consider the
vocals as just another instrument. (Touch & Go)
*Me. 109's - Demo Cassette,
late '95
Dear Dave,
Thanks a lot for a tape
with your band's new recordings. As I said, I'd like to have good British
pop punk over American one any time of the day. I'm happy to see that Me.
109's aren't sleazy Green Day clones, as everyone seems to be these days,
and that you have a real street feel in your music. If this was a vinyl
EP "My Summer's Ended" would be A1 track. Speaking of which, it's about
time for you guys to put the record out - EP, LP, whatever! I believe you
have much potential to release a long player and people will dig
it for sure. I hope you're still around, considering that I last heard
from you several months ago. Anyway, gotta go now, all the best and write
whenever. Cheers! Predrag (Dave Morris, 756 St Johns Rd, Clacton-On-Sea,
Essex, CO16 8BN, England)
*THE POWDER MONKEYS -
15/12/95 SWANBOURNE HOTEL, 16/12/95 PLANET NIGHTCLUB, PERTH (both shows
with Cosmic Psychos)
Even though we listened
"Smashed On a Knee" and the rest of our Powder Monkeys (PM) collection
whole day long, we played the tape again while driving to the show. I could
feel (and I'm sure the same goes for Jasmina and Kelvin) the adrenalin
rush and great nervousness that I felt in some very precious moments in
my life.
"The Powder Monkeys are
in town!"
"Fuck! Unbelievable!"
So, after some 20 minutes
of driving we arrived at the Swanbourne Hotel, met Tim Hemensley, had a
chit-chat with him and were disappointed to realise that PM are playing
first tonight, before a crappy local band (and once I thought they were
OK) The Externals. I mean, the band came from Melbourne, for God's sake,
and they should be the first on the bill. The promoters in Perth can be
really fucked-up sometimes.
PM opened their set with
"Lucille" (yep, that "Lucille") and continued with a few of the songs from
their new LP. That was when it became clear that this was going to be one
of those gigs. The turning point from very good to excellent took place
during and after their cover of some Dead Moon song ("Getting Higher"?),
'cause that's when I've been trying not to jump around in frenzy, especially
when they played some of my favourites, such as: "Persecution Blues", "Supernova
That Never Quits", "Yin Yang", "Atomic Resolution", but since I came to
watch and listen, I had to limit myself to foot tapping. It's really hard
to describe the overwhelming feeling of happiness of seeing such a good
band live. I can't remember seeing a band turning on the audience as they
progressed playing live during very short gig (around 30 minutes only)
as PM did that night - from only 4 of us at the beginning of the show,
to around 50 people cheering after each song as the gig went.
This concert made me realise
that PM don't need another guitarist and harmonica player. The three of
them is just the right formula for such a wild and intense punkish r'n'r
that they play. Tim Hemensley was sweating his heart out on stage, John
Nollan virtually didn't stop playing his guitar for a second during the
set (I guess that's why he never sings back-up vocals) and Timmy Jack was
kicking the shit out of his drums all the time. It's good to see the band
give all they can live and the only regret is that I didn't bring my mini
tape recorder or video camera for this occasion.
The show on the following
night was pretty much the same, except the slight change in the set - they
dropped a couple of songs and added "Straight Until Morning" and a cover
of "Cock In My Pocket". Tim had some problems with his bass and we were
pltion" to Jasmina and me. Thanks, Tim.
As far as the Cosmic Psychos
shows are concerned, they were great as usual, except the first one was
way too short. But, honestly, after PM show everything sounds kinda weak,
even Cosmic Psychos.
We spent a few hours talking
to Tim and John about everything and anything, from Tim's early involvement
into punk rock, to the sheer brilliance of (for the two of us and to the
vast majority of Australians) unseen masterpiece called "Pure Shit". Will
somebody bring them to Perth again, please?
*POWDER MONKEYS - "TIME
WOUNDS ALL HEELS" CD
I've been delaying writing
the review of this CD for a while, because I wanted to save it for a day
when I'll have a bit of time to listen to it as carefully as I can, since
this album is THE record of this issue and as such deserves maximum attention.
Not that I won't give my best in reviewing the other stuff, but I would
just like to get the attention of all the people out there that might be
the potential buyers of this CD.
'Till the day I've heard
this one for the first time I would claim that "Bot The Album" by Splatterheads
is the best Australian album ever. It is dull to consider just one record
to be the best one, especially if it's by an Aussie band, because this
country spewed heaps of good bands and even more great records. Still,
it seems that somehow "Bot..." entered my life at the particular moment
and I immediately fell in love with that record. So, when someone said
that "Time Wounds All Heels" will be the best Aussie LP since "(I'm) Stranded"
I was doubtful. It also offended me, because that person didn't mention
"Bot...". But, I'll be back to the comparisons between "Bot..." and "Time..."
a bit later.
The strangest thing that
I noticed in nearly every review of PM's first album "Smashed On a Knee"
is complaints about its production. It appeared that all such reviews were
written by the people from the eastern states, ie. the guys who had a chance
to see PM live and compare it to their studio sound. I didn't have a clue
what they were talking about 'cause I totally dug that album, but after
PM played here in December last year I realised what those reviewers meant.
"Smashed On a Knee" isn't a bad album at all, but after seeing PM live
it became obvious that their debut didn't present them in the full strength.
Fortunately, they succeeded
in capturing their live sound on the new album, probably because it was
mostly recorded live in studio, and they should stick to that in the future
as well. If there is a record that presents the formula for high energy
r'n'r in the 90's then this is the one. Hey, many bands have tried it,
some more, some less successfully, but PM gave 100% on "Time Wounds...".
This is the first record I've heard since "Bot The Album" that doesn't
have even one half-dull song, and I've been trying to find one ever since
I got this CD, but it's impossible. At first I kind of didn't like "Ten
Minds", which was written and sung by the drummer, Timmy Jack Ray, mostly
because he sounds a bit like that fuckwit from Tumbleweed, but I got used
to that after a while and hopefully the band will keep putting out his
songs on their future releases.
The similarity with "Bot..."
is in the fact that both records are packed with bunch of excellent songs,
but what makes these two albums different is that "Bot..." is very hit
single oriented (I mean, in a better world every song off "Bot..." would've
been a potential hit), while the songs on "Time..." have the same strength,
but, except for a couple, none of them could've been issued as a single,
which doesn't bother me, of course.
The high energy level is
rising from the first song "In The Doldrums" and it fills up my lounge
room. Somewhere around the 7th song - "Supernova That Never Quits" (definitely
the best song PM ever came up with) everything is set to explode, which
happens, fortunately. The following 3 songs are serving the purpose of
calming down, and if "Time..." was a gig "Supernova" would be the last
song in the regular set, while "Ten Minds", "Gotta Push The World Away"
and "2,000 Sins" would be an encore. Same as when PM played "Cock In My
Pocket" after an apocalyptic (ie. I wouldn't mind if the world ended at
that moment) version of "Atomic Resolution". So, these 3 last songs are
helping me to land safely and to bring this review slowly to an end.
The fate of nearly all good
Australian bands is not to last very long. I don't what the case will be
with PM (and they don't know, either), but I guess the more records they
sell - the bigger chances they'll stick around longer. In the case you
didn't understand my point here, it is: purchase this CD right away and
help PM not to become another legendary Aussie band recognised only long
after their demise. (Dog Meat)
*BIG DAY OUT - PERTH OVAL
4/2/96
For overseas readers: BDO
is annual festival of "alternative" music that's been happening for the
last few years throughout Australia and New Zealand. When we've heard that
Radio Birdman will reunite especially for this year's BDO we knew we mustn't
miss that. As usual, the money was the problem and I nearly gave up, when
I was informed that friendly people at Altered States will give us a couple
of tickets (of course, they recognised the strength of Uzurlikzurli).
We made a mistake and arrived
at around 11 AM - too early, but we wanted to see the Tearjerks (James
Baker's latest band). And they were good kind of country rock, similar
to early Fetchin' Bones crossed with Blood On The Saddle. The only problem
is the big stage, and timeslot in the middle of a sun didn't make me very
happy, so we decided to retreat and check some of their pub gigs.
Jesus Lizard were better
than expected. I used to like 'em some years ago, but I also loved Whitesnake.
However, they were great live, as everyone who saw them before said, but
I still wouldn't buy their records. Did I say that Scratch Acid were much
better?
It was over 35 degrees,
the sun was frying our necks, we ran out of the fresh water and desperately
needed the shower, all of which set up the perfect mood for seeing the
Dirty Three. They came up on stage and provided us with the appropriate
soundtrack for the state we were in. "Just imagine you're in the desert",
said Warren Ellis, but we didn't have to - we were in a bloody desert!
See the review of their debut album for my opinion on their music. Here
I'll just mention a few interesting things that happened during their show:
Warren broke a heel on his shoe, which resulted in him playing on stage
in socks. Everything would've been cool if his socks didn't have a few
holes, so that his toes were coming out of it (so-called "potatoes"). There
were a bunch of jerks (Perry Farrel and co.) backstage during D3 gig and
for the last song in the set, "Dirty Equations", D3 were joined by Mike
Watt on bass (he came to play with the awful Porno For Pyros). I've never
been a fan of Minutemen, let alone fIREHOSE or Mike's solo work, but seeing
him on stage with D3 (and with his moustaches he looked as if he had just
got off the tractor) was something I'll always remember.
There's been a lot of things
said about Nick Cave in the mainstream press. I could only state here that
he's probably the only artist who has changed his style drastically from
his earliest days up until now and still managed not to suck. He had some
dull moments here and there. Tonight something was wrong. They kept trying
but couldn't make it. Still, I believe it was better to see a bad Nick
Cave and The Bad Seeds performance than a Rancid show.
We had about an hour 'till
Radio Birdman gig and we used that time to have a rest and a cigarette.
Since I've heard about Radio Birdman playing BDO this year I tried not
to think about it too much and not to expect anything - I didn't want any
knock backs. But, half an hour before they were scheduled to be on stage
I started getting nervous. Will they play this and that song? Will they
sound a bit rougher than on their records? How will the audience react?
These and another thousands of thoughts were running fast through my head.
We went to the stage No.3 (one of the smallest stages) and seen that there's
been a few hundred of people waiting to see the Aussie legends. But, some
guy came up on stage and announced that RB would be 30 minutes late 'cause
they were waiting for Porno For Pyros to finish on the main stage. They
probably expected that all the PFP fans will then come to see RB, but they
all went to see The Prodigy instead. And, no, we all weren't in the mood
to wait another half an hour. We have been waiting for 20 years, but not
for another 30 minutes just because of the PFP and their fuckin' fans!
So, we started yelling in unison: "BIRDMAN!" clap-clap-clap "BIRDMAN!"
clap-clap-clap, etc., and after a while they got on the stage. 'Till that
moment I still wasn't sure that I would see 'em. I thought something bad
would happen and they wouldn't play, or something. I mean, if somebody
told me before I came to Australia that I will see RB, I would say: "Yeah,
in my dreams." And this gig, their first (and last?) ever in Perth, was
just like a dream. Just like a best dream ever.
They started with "Smith
& Wesson Blues" and after just a couple of chords I knew would be an
excellent gig. Their set was composed as "best of" kinda thing (although
they didn't play "Do The Pop") and it went something like this: "Smith
& Wesson Blues", "Burn My Eye", then the awesome "What Gives" and "Anglo
Girl Desire", "Man With Golden Helmet", "Hanging On", "I-94", "455 sd"
which turned into "Descent Into The Maelstrom" where I had my first spiritual
orgasm, that was followed by many of the same during "TV Eye", "Aloha Steve
& Danno" and "New Race". They were all great on stage - Chris and Deniz
had their guitar interplays (the only complaint goes to the sound man who
put Chris's guitar on the left and Deniz's guitar on the right channel),
apparently the drummer was put on diet and exercises by Deniz Tek and the
result was obviously good. Rob Younger was slightly balder, but who cares
- ha was as good as ever. We were joined by James Baker during the gig,
who happened to have a couple of beers (a couple?!?!) before the show with
Chris Masuak, and he was about as happy as we were seeing Birdman live
that we shook hands quite a few times during their performance.
So, ladies and gentlemen,
I don't know about you, but for me Radio Birdman were like the pioneers
of punk rock, at least in Australia. I'm really sorry for all the overseas
fans who didn't have a chance to see 'em (although I've heard that two
Frenchmen came from their home country to Australia just to see RB) and
don't know if they'll reunite again for another tour or record, but believe
me, I don't know how many gigs have you seen in your life and what they
meant to you - for me, this show by Radio Birdman was the best thing ever
and these wet spots on paper are my tears of joy that I always spill when
remembering that show.
The rumours are that the
next BDO headliners will be The Stooges, and if they can top Radio Birdman
I'll seriously think about going religious.
P.S. It seems that The Stooges
reunion won't happen, but Radio Birdman are definitely coming for a couple
of shows early next year!!!
*THE HELLACOPTERS - "1995"
7"; "NOW!" 7"; "SUPERSHITTY TO THE MAX" CD
By now you probably
realised that I love this band and with this review I'd just like to confirm
it. Their "Now!" 7" still haven't reach my shores, but the advance tape
will do the job. The Hellacopters are one of the rare punk rock bands that
shows its influences without just copying them. They sound like all the
great loud bands from the late 60's till today, from Blue Cheer, The Stooges
and MC 5, to Powder Monkeys, via NY Dolls, Dictators, Misfits, Lazy Cowgirls,
Cosmic Psychos, New Bomb Turks and Humpers. Every single Hellacopters song
(and I've heard around 20 of 'em) is short, sharp, loud and hard punk anthem,
"Born Broke" being the anthem of us all. Guitars, guitars, and some more
guitars make them one of my current faves and it'll stay that way for many
years to come. They aren't even afraid to use some cool piano here and
there. Their covers of "Bullet", "All American Man" are very close to originals,
but no one expected "techno Manchester 96 mix" anyway. If I had to pick
just one song as the best one it would be "Freespeedin'", but the rest
is just as good. Bands like this beats someone's theory that "there's no
mystery at all in today's rock'n'roll", hopefully The Hellacopters will
become the part of your world soon, especially since Rage started playing
the video for "(Gotta Get Some Action) Now!" in the last few editions.
I didn't dig the cover sleeve for "1995" 7" ( a bit too cliche for me),
but the graphics for their debut CD are marvellous. If you buy it on vinyl
you'll get "It's Too Late" as a bonus track, but the CD version has a hidden
live from the audience version of "Tilt City" along with several minutes
of riots recorded at some of their shows. Crank it loud and hail Satan
boys and girls, and prey for Hellacopters to hit Australia soon. (Find
the address elsewhere in this issue)
LATE ARRIVALS!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following stuff found
its way to my mailbox after the deadline, so I didn't have as much time
for it as for the rest of the matter reviewed here. If I had a few more
weeks to write these reviews they could be slightly different, but the
essence would still be the same, ha.
*THE ROBOTS - "GO GO GO"
7"
*KIDS ARE SICK - "BACKSTABBERS
RIDE FOR FREE" 7"
These are the first releases
on Nicke Hellacopters' Psychout label since their own excellent "Killing
Allan" 7" and it's good to see they're pushing some more of the Swedish
bands. Although this is not some groundbreaking stuff, both records are
highly recommended, even more if you are the one who believes that r'n'r
is American thing only. The Robots (at moments) remind me on Lazy Cowgirls
and Grey Spikes (it's a bummer they broke up), while Kids Are Sick sound
like more hardrockin' version of The Hellacopters, but not as good. It
seems that Sweden is now what Australia was in mid 80's and after hearing
these bands I could only say: "I wanna go over there right now!" (Psychout-see
Hellacopters)
*V/A - "PICK & MIX"
2XCD
The idea of record labels
putting sampler albums at a bargain price is more than fine with me. Every
time I go to the local bakery shop ("Baker's Delight" - they're so good
they deserve a free ad) I like to try those free samples of all sorts of
different kinds of bread and choose which one to buy. CD samplers aren't
free (unless you're doing a fanzine and a record label happens to like
it), but they are extremely cheap and could give you an idea of the label's
profile. This is the third compilation of Delerium Records bands and this
time it's a double CD which goes for £7 world post paid (that's AUS$
14). I don't know what you consider cheap, but $14 for more than 140 minutes
of high quality stuff is cheap for me. Delerium Records have been around
for a few years now and they are dedicated to releasing the stuff of contemporary
psychedelic bands. They are also distributing loads of other labels' releases
and their mail-order catalogue is jam-packed with exciting titles. I can
see that it sounds as they paid me to write this review, so I better get
down to the business - these two CDs have been titled "Pick" and "Mix"
- "Pick" is more based on orthodox psychedelia, whether it's a band inspired
by the early Pink Floyd, "Pebbles Vol. 3", Henry Cow, Faust, or related
bands. Of 13 groups and as many songs on this disk only 2 or 3 didn't pass
my quality assurance test, but for the rest of them (esp. Moom, The Aardvarks,
Mandragora, Nova Express and The Steppes) I only wish I had more of their
records in my collection.
I was surprised that "Mix"
in the title of a second CD is referred to slightly dancey psychedelic
music. Perhaps it should be called "rhythm psychedelia", but don't knock
it down before you hear it. It took me more to get into it, mostly due
to my stubborn attitude towards any music that has anything to do with
rhythm and dance, but recently I realised the importance of the dance and
expressing yourself through your body (it may sound pathetic to you, but
I'm not kidding - of course I wouldn't choose your average style of dance,
but I would go for male striptease kind and I'm really good at it!). I
was slightly disappointed with Porcupine Tree track (one of 3 track recorded
exclusively for this double CD), probably because I expected more from
this much hyped band. However, Psychomusak, Zuvuya (hey, there was a Perth
band of the same name), The Incredible Expanding Mindfuck and other ensembles
are doing it for me. Now, will somebody give me a slap in the face for
not hearing for this label until a year ago? (See the ad for their U.K.
address, but for Australian and New Zealand readers please try: Cranium
Mail-order, Box 10309, Te Rapa, Hamilton, New Zealand; richard@cranium.co.nz)
*THE TEARJERKS - LIVE
+ DEMO
It took us more than 6 months
to finally check this band again, this time in a pub (front room of Grosvenor
Hotel - a good place to see live bands while in town). First of all, it
was great to catch up with a truly legendary James Baker again, and listen
to his stories of seeing Ramones, Dictators, Pere Ubu, Heartbreakers and
other essential bands in USA and UK clubs around 76/77. I could listen
to the guy 24 hours a day easily. He also just got into gardening business,
so if your garden needs attention don't hesitate to ask me for his phone
number.
One evening after I finished
my taxi driving shift we went to see The Tearjerks in the aforementioned
pub where they held a residency in August this year - they played every
Sunday from 6 to 9 PM for free. We armed ourselves with beer, vodka and
Champion Ruby and totally enjoyed their country rock as much as they enjoyed
performing it. With heaps of original songs and some covers (their version
of "Not Fade Away" was ten times better than The Rolling Stones' one the
last time they were in town) they are one of the rare Perth bands whose
gigs I'd like to attend on more regular basis. James Baker plays in his
distinctive style even with this sort of bands, The bassist and guitarist
are also in Detroit rock band Motorspirit, which gets a bit obvious, especially
when guitar goes into that territory now and then. The lead singer is also
a songwriter and she's bloody good at both. I guess this is a kind of band
that Toody Cole would like to sing in. Unfortunately, they recorded four
songs only for a demo tape and hopefully some label will pick 'em up soon.
The Tearjerks could easily fit in Corduroy or Tombstone Records scheme
of things. I really loved their last of 4 or 5 gigs that they played, and
could only regret I didn't see all of them. With free entry, cheap beer,
cool atmosphere and, most of all, very good band playing live I can't think
of a better way to spend Sunday evening. But, with only 30 or so people
around I may only ask: " Where were you?"
*I LOVE RICH - "HOT, WET
DRIPPIN' WITH SWEAT" + another tape
The drummer with familiar
name and another melodic punk rock band. Sometimes I wonder how many of
them have been around and why only a few could come up with a decent material.
"Hot, Wet..." is 1994 release and is boring to death. The other tape is
a brand new material and of better quality, although the vocals are still
monotonous. Who knows, maybe one day... A friend asked me to review these
tapes. Some friends I have.
*THE PLACID AUTUMN - "A
CIRROUS SKY" CD
The cover sleeve suggested
anything from death metal to goth. Even worse, in this case it's Ride meets
Girl Vs Boys kinda band. Add some samples and loops and you're close. And
while they're definitely better and much more interesting than all those
dull English groups "A Cirrous Sky" is the CD that I will never play after
this review is done. What made you think I would love this crap anyway?
(Love Noise)
*THE DICTATORS - "I AM
RIGHT b/w LOYOLA" 7"
I don't even think about
explaining here who The Dictators are and why "Go Girl Crazy" is such a
great album. Then, I haven't heard any of their post-debut releases, but
I can see that they've been still playing around in the last several years.
I received this 7" yesterday and, in less than 24 hours (8 hours of sleep
included), played it at least 20 times, which says enough. "I Am Right"
is faster and louder than anything on "Go Girl Crazy", but this is 1996
and this is exactly how The Dictators should sound today. In other words,
"I Am Right" is their logical progression and me like it very much. It
sounds as an outtake from Nervous Christians' album, but you haven't heard
it anyway. Handsome Dick Manitoba's voice is still massive and drummer
Frank Funaro (the only non-original member) is right up there with the
rest of the crew. Of course, there are a lot of guitars on both songs.
"Loyola" is sung by Adny Shernoff and is more in a vein of "Go..." songs
- sweet & sleazy, just as we all like it. With European tour up their
sleeves, The Dictators seem to finally be ready to conquer this miserable
planet and hopefully this time nothing'll be in their way. I am ready to
be a slave - how about you? (Norton Records, PO Box 646, Cooper Station,
NY, NY 10003, USA - write for a huge catalogue, probably the best one I've
seen lately!)
*V/A - "YODELING SUCKS"
tape; "PEPE NERO #3"; "AGARCHY! #1", "V.I.T.R.I.O.L. #101" and "SCIROCORE
#7" fanzines
"This tape protest against
stupid commercial peasant music and primitiv drunks who are listening this
shit!" Hey, what's wrong with some yodeling and polka here and there?!?!
Only joking. Scirocore is Slovenian label dedicated to, I believe, releasing
some ultra hard, grind, crust, noise, or however you wanna call it these
days core. With all the respect, although I don't have any respect at all,
I just can't stand that sort of music. There are 3 bands on this tape -
Cyber Babys, Hiatus and Agathocles (the only one I heard of). I can't figure
out if they're good at it, or just plain shit, but if you're into it just
order this thing and find out for yourself. I'd rather play my Štirje Kovaci
7" again.
Rudy, the boss hoss of Scirocore
and huge fan of aviation and pornography, also distributes some other goodies,
like "Pepe Nero", which is a OK comic fanzine, but this issue didn't do
me as much good as I thought it would. "Agarchy!" and "V.I.T.R.I.O.L."
are my cup of coffee, mostly because paying too much attention for "Yodeling
Sucks" types of bands. There's also a lot of anti-capitalism, anti-McDonalds,
anti-religion, anti-this, anti-that sort of things, which are perfectly
fine with me, but why don't they try to write it a bit more interestingly
than just to keep on flogging the same old horse? However, there are a
few things that caught my attention, one, in a very negative way, being
C.U.M. interview, which is one of the sickest, dumbest, and most awful
fucking thing I have ever read. It's a greatest shame that this Tomoaki
guy's parents weren't killed in Hiroshima bombing. Some of the writings
and interviews are in English, in the case you wonder. I really haven't
had a time to go through the whole Scirocore #7, but you need to know it's
written in English and it contains: Marcel Ruijters, Mary Fleener(!!!),
Agathocles, Doom, Meat Shits, Psycho, and a bunch of other bands I couldn't
care less. Most of the interviews are pretty straight forward and very
sick at the moments (no wonder, the editor is one of the sickest guys I
have ever got in touch with - along with Chris Stigliano, of course).(Rudi
Baloh, Bršljanova 1, 1330 Kocevje, Slovenia)
*"STRIPBURGER # 4-5 and
#6" comics
Some 10+ years ago the comics
were part of my world as much as the music, if not even more. When I think
about it more I just can't figure out how had I lost my interest in them
so suddenly when I came to Australia, but it could have something to do
with a lack of good comics available here, at least comparing to the amount
of those available in Europe. Not to mention quite high prices - paying
$20 for a couple of episodes of "Torpedo 1936", while one could buy nearly
all of them in one book for a quarter of that price back home, isn't the
best deal. Besides, where's "Corto Maltese" anyway? Did I have to find
out from some overseas publication that Maestro Hugo Pratt died last year?
"Stripburger" is an international
comics-magazine published in Slovenia. As far as I understand they were
given some grant by the government to do the thing, but since of a few
months ago the government decided to pull the deal off. All the comics
are published in the languages of its authors, so you have 'em in English,
Serbian, Slovenian, Croatian, etc. Mary Fleener is my current fave (I also
found some of her works in "Girlie Mag"), I wish I found about her earlier,
but I'm thoroughly impressed by some of ex and current Yugoslavian authors
(if you follow Fantagraphics Books you might find the name Aleksandar Zograf
sounding familiar). Fortunately for you, I understand that there's a special
issue of Stripburger with compiled work of some Yugoslavian authors, all
translated in English. That's a good place to start, if you want to catch
up with the art of comics. (Strip Core, Forum, Kersnikova 4, 61000 Ljubljana,
Slovenia)
*"ARTEFACT #1" magazine
Artefact is the magazine
for fine, applied and alternative arts, as it says on its cover. The issue
that I have is #1, but so far they published five of them. The latest one
sounds the most interesting, with an article on "Ring-Ring" festival (Tom
Cora, Chris Cutler, Tickmayer, etc.). Debut issue is a bit clumsy, as is
the case with the majority of the first issues, except for Uzurlikzurli.
Mind you, this is the bilingual (and multilingual now and then) magazine,
so if you can't read Serbian there's no need to worry - you can still read
English, I hope. All in all, #1 is at the moments too "arty" for me, but
it is very interesting, to say the least. Excellent short stories, an essay
and diary by mail-artist (I still can't figure it out what is it exactly),
worn out articles on Tarrantino and grunge (sigh!), theatre, philosophy,
Crass, lots of photographs, art works, and so forth. A big thumb up from
me. The same guys are working on a book about punk in Serbia - hopefully
they'll be smart again and publish it in English as well. I'm sure it would
all read much better than this thing in Uzurlikzurli. (Dedalus Publishing,
Narodnih Heroja 10, 11070 Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia)
*ALAN DAVEY - "CAPTURED
ROTATION CD
The title sounds something
like "The Vanity of Emptiness"(another in-joke for you). Here's what Richard
from Cranium Music said: "Alan is the bass-player with Hawkwind and this
is his first solo release. Alan has been a member of Hawkwind since 1984,
his first appearance with the band being at the 1984 Stonehenge Festival.
He plays a "Rickenbacker" bass guitar - hence the "chunky" sound." Will
you believe it that I haven't heard the Hawkwind yet? So, I can't compare
this album to any of the thousands of releases they have, but I guess it's
in the same vein. Davey played all the instruments on this one, with the
occasional guest vocalist here and there. The cover and the lyrics are
typical (not necessarily bad) for this sorta music, which is trippy psychedelic
space rock. It sounded a bit too pedestrian for me after a couple of spins,
but I must admit I love it very much, and that's not all - it gets better
with every listening. Hopefully, distribution deal with Cranium Music in
New Zealand will help this album to reach to its audience. That's the least
thing it deserves. (The Emergency Broadcast System; distributed by Cranium
Music - see the address elsewhere)
Originally published in Uzurlikzurli #2, December ‘96