Siltblog

Tres Hombres.....Check'em Out!

2009-07-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hardy-har, them folks up to De Stijl likes keepin it interestin. They's is distributin a 7" by a car full've clowns what's eager to pass themselves off as a misbegotten Fuck Off band called Kandalini Nivag Retsevi. Even went & copied the front've the 'Weird Noise' ep as a cover. It ain't all that bad've a reenactment neither. I mean, the fidelity on them Fuck Off (& related) tapes was pure crud, as is this, so if you's was to pitch it to me as '012 chewing through the Gong songbook' I'd be humored enough to work the count. As far as counterfeits go, this 3 dollar bill has some grit. And guess what? Only 200 pressed ( wow, what a suprise!-Capt'n Siltbreeze). Speculators go to; http://www.destijlrecs.com/ for more info.

There seems to be a new school've tadpoles out there what's readily searchin for & drinkin from the bilge pump've feedtime nowadays. But how many of'em can say they's cottoned to an lp by a band called 3 Toed Sloth? Relegated to history's dustbin as a 'feedtime offshoot' in actuality the only thing them bands shared was drummer Tom. Ok, the Sloth invoked a similar lapsarian rumba, but they's also sputtered along on an open plain what's only other antipodean inhabitants was maybe the Gordons. Existing for a minute in the early 90's, the band sallied on long enough to release one lp before makin themselves scarce. But like the bard said, 'you can't keep a good man down'. The fella what cracked the whip back then was one Andrew Robinson & not only is he armed w/a small load 've recently exhumed 3TS lp's, there's also a new imprint (called Great Dividing) & a couple've 7"ers for the hawkin as well.
The 1st what I heard was via an outfilt called Exiles From Clowntown ( what'd you call me?-Capt'n Siltbreeze) & on one side they's graze in a pasture what's diabolic root has discordantly spread 'n become more the norm than the exception in corners've the current Oz fauna, right down to the rhetorical poetics. And the Exilers chew it like champs. The flip is one of them instumentals that thrive in the post, post VU sub-tropics of the southern hemisphere. It's strumble could best be articulated as traipsin over a 'bridge to nowhere', one where everybody from the Clean, X, Bilders, Eddy Current to Exiles From Clowntown have & continue to cross with remarkable elan.
I'm takin a wild guess that arob is a Exiler & hell, for all I knows he may even be (or have been) a Mu Meson. I mean really, 5 years to complete a track? Anyways, it's finally seein the light've day on this split 7" & as such is now a collab w/another mysterious lunk what goes by soottyb. Entitled 'They Sent Me Into Space Today' them two exude some sci-fi percussive/synth bork that blot's yr ears like an extraterrestrial beam from a Jupiter moon. The other track is solo arob w/guitar + a field recording of Cicadas. I have found it to be a most befitting soundtrack for our evening ritual've muddling lime & mint in preparation for the pre prandial round've Mojito's. 'Nothin like a swarm of pestulance to herald in the evening cocktail hour' sez me. Indubitable at either 45 or 33 rpms too. Glug, glug, I'll drink to that! Not many of these was made, go to http://www.greatdividing.com/ for purchase & don't be afraid to pester Andrew about them 3 Toed Sloth lp's neither. It's worth your peep.

This Little Piggy Went To Market. This Little Piggy Stayed Home.....A Couple've New Ones!

2009-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

There's some've us what's been waitin eons for the Brits to get a leg up in the whatsis of current underground shenanigans. Shimmy Rivers And And Canal looked promisin but never followed through, them Pheromoans got the moxie & I'd bet they's just 7 (or 12) inches away from deliverin a satisfyin platter of pasty spew. Then outta nowhere comes a bunch what's called Please (not to be confused w/the polite, lisping boys've pop-psych legend) whose wriggle on this self released 10" is both rancid & snotty w/invasive thrusts that nose around yr business like some've the better Ron Johnson bands of yore (I'm thinkin the Shrubs or A Witness). Them bands (along w/the Membranes, Sperm Wails, Kilgore Trout, etc) created alot've distemper on Ol Blighty's shores in the late 80's & in fact they may be the last pertinent generation to make such a claim. I knows it don't sound as hot as callin'em the next Danny & The Dressmakers but likes I always say; what the hell do you know? Line up your go-carts here; http://www.ouse.org.uk/ or; mkasparis@yahoo.com

Excuse me for sayin so, but when I first got a gander've the goobs what make up Dead At 24 I thought I was lookin at a Speaking Canaries tribute band! And seein as how they's both (at one time) Pittsburgh related, it didn't seem like a stretch. But nerd glasses 'n pencil necks aside, that's where them comparisons end. Dead At 24 wears a rustbelt heart proudly on their collective sleeve; the name is a reference to Pete Laughner & his age of death + much've the musical vibe herein is pumped w/a pulsing heart of darkness. Lot's of the lyrics sort've remind me of one've the Klimek's too, I just ain't figured out which. From what I can glean (accordin to the 8 page booklet enclosed), this 'Blast Off Motherfucker!' lp was originally a cassette released in '96. I would've reckoned sooner as such a big gob've the b-side sounds painstakingly cut & pasted off've Dead C's DR 503 lp. But hey, even then there weren't a whole lot've Dead C worship, so I ain't gonna ride'em too hard for it. At least they wasn't sittin around aping Spacemen 3 (ding!). My fave track on here is 'Breakin My Heart Again' where's they crackle like a Culturcide bonfire surroundin a Christchurch garage what's been transported to the Flats've of Cleveland. The rest.....let me say that for the most part I'm charmed by their nascent hubris & determination. Plus I think it's great someone gave the green-light to this as a worthy vinyl artifact ( much like that Lames one sided deal released last decade) even if it's 10+ yrs after the fact. I'm guessin their Theiner connection's was slim at best, but hey, PGH is only big enough for one dweeb at a time to parade around in a Ramleh t-shirt, so whatya gonna do? 300 pressed, check; http://www.ridethesnakerecords.com/

If Nestor's Carbuncles Could Talk.....The Induced Musical Spasticity of BUMFS LP Boxset

2009-06-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

With the notable exception of 2 entries penned by tea-steepers, I have seen nary a smidgeon've ink spilt on behalf of this outstanding tub've left field hash slung by a here-to-for unknown assortment've egg pounders what called themselves the Butte County Free Music Society. But I ain't surprised by the crickets. After all, what widdle bwoggers out there in internetland today would have a 1st hand inkling as to Bananafish Magazine, which in true Bizarro World style is the reverse genesis for it's existence? And even if they had clue, the dissemination is fairly dense. The participants in this art/noise/theater/kitchen sink production is about as tight lipped 'n secretive as a posse've Masons bidding in a goat auction. But I's always liked a challenge (as well as knowin my ass from elbow) which is why I suspect I was eventually ushered into the B-Fish fold by a certain I. Vern Beezer for the last few issues've that illustrious magazine's run. But it weren't like I got the secret handshake or keys to the temple. No, all's I got was piles of shitty cd's & cdr's to rail about! But it was invigorating nonetheless. Pffft, will you look at me? In full digression, my apologies to you all. Why don't we get off here & see how many ways we can skin this cat.......
Let's take a trip to Chico, Ca.Home to a state university, I'd wager it's undoubtedly the core reason this group've fiddlestickers was able ferret each other's out; they was there to be learned.If you's go to your olde tyme record collection it ain't likely you'd pull out much vinyl from Chico in this era (circa 83-84). Obviously there was plenty goin on, but unlike their erstwhile sympatico's to the south (LAFMS), this group seen fit to keep their hijinx on the down-low. Sure, Babs Manning would get the 28th Day goin, but outside've that, what'm I missin? I did spent a bit've time there around that period (as a laborer in orchards & whatnot) & I can tell you that it was mostly a town filled w/cowboy types, stoners, frat dorks & simliar dunderheads. So it's nice to know that buried within the confines of the ubiqitous pecan & fruit tree groves was a small but thrivin bastion of lasciviously insatiable insanity what seems a cross've (free deformed) Harrad Experiment meets (Cali version) Yoknapatawpha County.I remember an ad once what read 'LAFs do occur at laf-ms', so I imagine a fair amount've the same kind've pone bein baked here; BUFs buf-msing (say whaaaaaaat?-Capt'n S/Breeze) for the sake've snoots & snorts. And sure enough it's all splayed out here for them ears've yrs to have a gander, 4 lp's, a cd + a mess've full color inserts (poster too!) what to assemble the pieces & participants. To me it's a testament to the beauty of margins & more so, the marginality of the avant garde, underground or whatever you wanna label it. I don't think the BUMFS thought it out like the LAFMS, or rather, weren't as whole hog artistically driven for posterity. I ain't criticizin, hell, no one gave much of a shit about LA Free Music releases in the mid 80's so it ain't like BUMFS was gonna use that business acumen as a template for spreadin their withering infestation. For yrs this was all documented & passed around on cassettes, maybe a dozen or so people worldwide havin any knowledge or interest in it's contents. Which makes sense, given the time frame. I mean, it's pretty of-the-moment, sometimes it works & sometimes it.....works harder.Personally, I wish I knowed more about Hypnagogic Jerk. Them two toxic hummingbirds could sputter 'n pollinate the stamen's of my brainfield all day long! And that's just a tip of this collection. There's lot's on here to decipher & I think that whoever decided put up the coin to see it compiled & released was doin the Lord's work. I suppose if I had to make a comparison to something on the LAFMS discography-to keep the pikers happy & maybe even move a unit of this're two-I'd have to say it saddles right up there w/the Lightbulb Emergency 2xcassette sampler what come out towards the end've that collective's imprint. Them two tapes was my only companions for 3 cross country trips back in the day & I wouldn't have had it any other way. Left a lot've casualties in it's wake too. I expect the same from this box've records & cd as I prepare for a river ride which is to commence on Thursday. My rock barge (named the USS Miss Monroe) is all loaded up & what's waitin for me at a private dock I has in Martins Ferry, Oh. If any of you's live on the banks from there on down to New Orleans & by chance hear a weird or befuddlin storm comin outta the night, well.....that'd just be the likes of Bren't Lewiis, Walking Jock, Conduits & an a cadre've others croonin off my hi-fi, tryin to charm you into the muddy arms of the undertow. And don't worry about leavin behind no dryin off towel. There'll be no comin outta the water this time.
The Induced Musical Spasticity of BUMFS......25 years of the dip that keeps on dipping, finally & forever. Distro on this dude is scant, try; weirdo@weirdorecords.com or phreexch@comcast.net

Because I Could Not Stop For Death, He Kindly Stopped For Me.....Reviews X 5!

2009-06-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

The latest outfit to pony up & stir-fry outta the lo-fi wok is from Davis, Ca & calls themselves Green Green. Predictably there's nothing remarkable about it, unless you's think RTFO Bandwagon deserve a Northern California Appreciation Chapter. If that's the case, do you's also think that your parents was two dogs who fucked each other in the ass & a puppy popped out? Well....do you? Comes w/a little band pin I'll never sport, but ain't lost. Yet.
300 of these, collectors go to; www.myspace.com/ggreenz

Around 10 yrs ago or so, the whole New Weird America was in full throttle, perhaps the last generation of mongrels to possess an inkling of 1st degree knowledge of punk, improv & prog before they's was all ground up together in the grinder. Interestingly, it was said dunces what spun the crank, thereby creatin a bleak musical smorgasbord of amateurism in the form of little cdr patties as well as elaborately constructed cassettes molds & other vacuous whatnot. But enough of that diatribe, my point is how's now there's some've them Kabobs what's reinvented themselves from the New Weird to somethin more akin to the Old Weird, thereby makin'em New Old Weird American Americans. D. Charles Speer & The Helix is part've of this sect, if not it's leading voice what w/a couple lp's & now this 7" under their collective belts. And as such, they warmly embrace the music/stylings of the original denizens 'n patrons w/rich & harmonious flair. On this little fella Mr. Speer & Co. unwind w/some rural rock ala post Band frolic that on one side ('In Madagascar') tugs on the beard've Levon Helm & on the flip ('Bar-Abbas Blues') pats the fanny've Robbie Robertson. I used to have a shirt what said, 'Big Pink Was Not A Myth' & here you's got more proof for the pudding. Purchase this at; http://www.fusetronsound.com/

Dan Melchior has been much in demand this yr & like any solid mercenary, he delivers w/force & thunder. Without a doubt one of my favorite tracks've to date is his (apropos) menacing ode 'Post Office Line', haha, just the organ refain itself has enough lethal rounds in it to take out an entire station. This latest offering via Dull Knife is no slouch neither, 'Terrible Shame' bein absorbed in similiarly resigned, post psychedelic/hangover clarity as any've the outstanding tracks what can be found on the last V-3/Jim Shepard releases (atwixt 'Pimping In The 90's & 'Motorcycle Movie'). 'Ghost Of A Flea, Pt. 2' doesn't knock on the door so much as kicks it down & while it might jog my memory as a modern day companion to Flipper's 'Old Lady' dirge, unlike Shatter & co.-who liked to bully from a safe distance-Dan make it abundantly clear he's in the house to rob the men & fuck the women. Or is it the other way around? Either way I'm given the guy a wide berth! Another one what's 300, find out more from; http://www.dullkniferecords.com/

Mr Pumice is a fella what's something of a pleasant enigma. By that I mean in the post X/pressway, post Gate breeding kennels've New Zealand noise rock pups, Mr. P seems to be the only one what's no longer exclusively bein weened on the lathe cut teets of the perpetually nursing Geraldine bitch. He's actually gettin pressed up on regular vinyl! How many to date I cannot say, but this new split w/Grouper has just arrived & his entry ('Twin Neck Double Kick Bum Chin') is classic; a detached sci fi sea shanty, enveloped in fog, rockin against the winter waves & peppered by a sharp,salty, sea air. What was once South Island vices is now become North Island habits, but Pumice is by no means a counterfeit of those what was brewin up afore, ney, his grok is more a distended homogenization of all what's been chuffy & left of the dial from the Andband down & counting. Grouper also deliver w/a haunting number lost in the mist. Stunningly elegiac, it's hard to know if she's waving or drowning.If I's ever get to hear them Mary Briefcase records I only hope they deliver a fraction of the same beauty. http://www.softabuse.com/

Bill Orcutt might be the closest thing we's got to a underground rock version of Tommy Pynchon. Ain't no one's seen him in an age, a statistic (or whatever) he likes just fine. And of course there's the stories; how he moved to the Ukraine & started a school what teaches bears to play hockey. Or the one about him livin in the Congo & bein an arms dealer. And I don't mean weapons neither, I mean real life arms! Who'd buy such a thing? I reckon there's nothin wrong w/keepin your audience mystified, no matter how bizarre or gruesome the conjurin. And every now & again he takes time off doin Lord knows what to release a record, the task of findin a copy bein no small feat neither. The one what come around for a minute a few yrs back was as ambiguous as his day to day & while I found it confoundingly charmin then, I can't claim that it has left much of an imprint now. But I doubt I'll be sayin that about this new one what's called 'High Waisted/Big Ass Nails'. You might think upon 1st listen that Bill's slingin w/one of them dagger's he wielded so perilously in Harry Pussy, but stick your neck out a little further & you'sll realize he's forged a whole new scimitar which has done cut off your head. At that moment of impact them ears'll ring w/a hum've cacaphonous fuzz, then a mass've guitar rush w/the gust've Antennae Jimmy Semens + fury've of Saharan string mangler Doueh will flood over your nimble brain. And suddenly, almost as abruptly as it began, it is over. Except now friend..... you will eat no more hotdogs. The chopping block only has room for 100, line up here; http://www.fusetronsound.com/ & http://www.mimaroglumusicsales.com/

That's Life? How The Hell Should I Know Baby!.....At Long Last, New Reviews!

2009-06-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while & let me tell you's, I can't recall a time when the old maxim, 'better late than never' EVER had a more literal (& profound) resonance. See, I done went & got burnt out on all this underground rock nonsense. It all's got to soundin more or less the same. I wish I could say for the good, but to be honest, it was more for the worst. Writin (or criticizin) on a blog weren't gonna change anything, but that's hardly a news flash. I reckon I just figured my time & efforts would be better served doin another kind've work. An old Saigon buddy of mine, a Swiss fella by the name of Aldo Gygax told me about some opportunities w/him up to Chomolungma (or Mount Everest as it's known to westerners) & if that ain't gettin away from it all, I don't know what is! So off I went. Aldo got me set up in Jiri (my sincere thanks to my host's there, Dawa & Chopel) & once I got to the hang of things, I made the trek over to Lukla to begin my apprenticeship. Once that was learnt I was assigned to South Base Camp, ostensibly to work w/the Sherpa's settin to fixed ropes & whatnot for climbers to begin their ascent's to destiny. But I reckon Aldo had other ideas for me. Next thing I knowed, I was put in change of makeshift 'Tea House' & cookin food for the various trekkers what was passin through. It weren't what I was expectin (or hoped for), but you either learn how to hit the curveball or you go down swingin. And no one love's a curveball more than ol' Roland Woodbe. The Gygax plan was "Grande western gastro grub far east of the Pecos', an idea which made no sense given our scenario. But Aldo had went & done a thesis on James Cloyd Bowman after 'Nam so he was all the time goin on about Pecos Bill & Slue-Foot Sue, so it was thematic if nothing else (what's up w/the Swiss & old west folklore?). I figured it was also a by-product of his "crops"-this food servin bein a "front" if you will- what he growed in Katmandu, but that weren't a topic we's talked about, if you catch my drift. Whatever the basis, it turned out to be a most lucrative proposition. You ask anyone what's ate at the Lasso Lounge (nothin more than some canvas, wood & tin but it's design woulda given Frank Gehry a boner) up the Southeast Ridge just this side've the Western Cwm & I bet you's they's will talk a blue streak about the Bronco burgers (ground yak meat) seared in gee (not to mention the Tornader Tots, Tibetan tubers bein about the best on this planet!). I had this one Sherpa guy by the name of Katu what was just about the fastest line cook I's ever seen. He really did get the hang of things pdq. The bread up there ain't much to speak of (it's fried rather than baked), so we didn't have a sandwich as you'd get 'round these parts. But you put a fried egg on one of them dudes & you could just about write yourself a ticket to anywhere in this universe! Talk about a hit, hell, them French & Japanese (especially) would be mountaineers just about shit themselves when they got a taste of what we's turned out. Not that I was countin, but I reckon the Lasso was probably most liable for more climbers comin up, piggin out, then gettin off than any from frostbite or lack of oxygen. Shit, I'd like to think we was savin lives in a few instances! You should see some of these goobs what think's they's is gonna be the next Edmund Hillary. I've seen more qualified lookin pindicks on the Epic Theatre Blog. All's I can say about it is this; if a burger & fries (at 17,000+ ft) is enough to entice a peckerwood outta climin the world's highest mountain (this is w/the 25K done spent on a permit too), well.....can I cook or can I cook?
But that life got tiresome, so dull in fact that when I got a cdr from Mr. Siltbreeze w/tracks've some of the new stuff that had been floodin in for my perusal, it got my radar piqued. I'd seen my share of frozen toes & blackened noses.And the level of entitlement these hikers permeate, even the most wizened servers & bartenders would howl w/derision (sauce on the side is the least of it up there, pal). I said goodbye to my staff (I esp. miss Mida, what a pistol she was!), hiked back down to Lukla for the rest of my belongings & began my epic journey back to the Fishtown of Philadelphia. And here I am, behind this keyboard one more time. It's funny what you miss, especially what don't come to the forefront of your mind. And I don't mean that new Psychedelic Horseshit 12"either, though it is sweet. I just ate me a pint of fresh picked strawberries & all the overpriced/hyped Mexican Summer records out there COMBINED couldn't compare to something as simple & delicious. What with this music & food comparison's, I think I'm finally startin to acclimate myself back into the tenure of Siltblog. Am I stoked? Probably not as much as you are Hoss, but then I'd be lyin if I said I don't appreciate bein appreciated. So w/that in mind, let's see if I can sniff some truffles outta this mess.

I did enjoy the Mantles debut 7" ep what was released a yr or so back, a demure yet solid grower spiked w/pop-psych moves that seemed germinated as much from early Chills as it did Kendra era Dream Syndicate. This new one on the Mt. St. Mtn. label keeps that notion locked 'n loaded, however on these 2 fantastic cuts there's a breezy 'n original confidence that is undeniable, which is to say these guys (& gal) are as much a contemporary distillation of the sassiest moments found on the Velvet's 3rd lp as them aformentioned influences was in their nascent endeavors. At the risk of soundin maudlin, there ain't many little records comin out these days I care to give more than a cursory listen to, but this one I keep playin over & over. To my ears it's about as close to perfect as you can get. 300 was pressed, check it out via mtstmtn@hotmail.com & dig the band at www.myspace.com/mantles

Another burst of 45 rpm brilliance is this mindblowgly great 1 sided gem (via Columbus Discout Records) from the lost archives of Jim Shepard entitled 'The Voices Of Men'. With assistance from Roxanne Newman & Nudge Squidfish I'm thinkin this might've been a V-3 outtake cut around the same time as them tracks on the 'Earth Muffin' ep. It's got Jim's tenorous gallows wit 'n lyrics splached onto some highly diggable Eno-esque musical twitter, imagine a pre-apocalyptic interpretation of 'The Third Wheel' & just in case you ain't sold, there's some Rev. Jim Jones heralding tacked onto the end for further dark,comic effect. Jeez....I tell ya, there ain't a day goes by I don't miss that fucker. But I ain't gonna eulogize, hat's off to the CDR crew for findin this beaut & pressin it up. What's more, it's free. Shepard would've loved that! (NOTE-This record is no longer available).

Matt Korvette ain't afraid to chort about his enthusiasm for the contempo dark/cold/goth/techno aktion what's ragin across Europe. In fact, he's put his money where his mouth is & released 'Right Thant', a willfully under-the-radar 7" of electro/industrial-ized wave that would seem to be an estimable calling card into the plethora of club thumping genre benders.And as the groups therein seem fueled by limited edition releases (& 7"ers in particular) then Herr Korvette's entry fit's like 3 shots've Jager into a highly combustible shaker've German Leg Spreader. For some reason I feel encouraged to mention Haus Arafna & their doppeganger November Novelet, but then I'm liable to get light-headed alot sooner now than in the day's of yore. Maybe yr pipe is filled w/stronger smoke. I was told this was ONLY available for the asking (ie, no distro), so if curious, you could do worse than chime up here; whitedenim@gmail.com

Comin outta nowhere is this shimmering nova of blissful folk-psych from the leading voice of the Newe Detroite (?), Aran Ruth. I gotta admit, she cut me off at the knees, what I know about her (& this Newe scene) wouldn't fill the paper on a hit've blotter, but wow, I sure am willing to change all that right here 'n now! Ruth ably summons a voice & ethereal aura not unlike Linda Perhacs & while it may not play as vocally zonked as the tastier cuts on 'Parallelograms', the 3 tracks on this 7" ep are still pretty tranfixing stuff. Even a tune as seemingly 'straight up' as 'Cast Your Ship Upon Rain' is so coddlingly lysergic it feels like 4am no matter what time've day it's played. And the flip delivers the goods as well, this time dressed in wisps, hums & echoes of practically kosmische design. Comes in a lovingly handmade jacket, penned w/all the baffling geometric artful whatsis once attributed to the El Saturn style. What a treat. Try www.myspace.com/aranruthsmusicpage for more info.

Someone told me I'd like this Pheromoans record on account of how much they's resembled The Fall. Seein as how this person was someone what knowed me, I assumed they meant that once great band durin their formative yrs on Step Forward. But whatever, I don't hear it, nor did it strike me that these guys shared anything w/The Fall outside of a shambling nature. The one track, 'The Man Who Wolf Whistled' has a kind've NWRA drum patter but I couldn't follow the gist of the muttered narration-which resembled a halfhearted Shadow Ring at best-so I zoned out & dreamt instead of cold kidney pie & warm imperial ale. The flipside started out nicely, 'Revamper' bein a splendid discharge of DIY gurp ala Different I's, you know, goin nowhere fast & lovin every step. 'Penis Envy 96' breaks off from there but only runs headlong into a thicket of Country Teasers like bramble. I dunno, can't says it's neither to condemn nor condone. They's certainly got the right foundation to be a contender & Matt Z from Tyvek says they's a good band live. And who am I to argue w/the inventor of Ass Rocks? Stateside find this at; http://www.s-srecords.com/ & for further info; www.myspace.com/pheromoans

Tyvek VIVA Radio Interview! Live in Phila, 5/30/09, But Where?

2009-05-23T12:07:00.001-07:00

Viva Radio's Ted Shumaker has graciously sent over an interview he did recently w/Tyvek's Kevin Boyer & Matt Z. Running just baout 12 minutes, Ted get's the fella's to open up about what makes the band tick, the idea behind the cover art &...........listen for yourself;

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/691452310/a0aa6dd1ea0264c1fd688aeb70b5c004

The band is scheduled to play Phila next Saturday, May 30th, but I keep getting info on conflicting venue's. Originally booked at some place called PIFA (whatever the fuck that is), reliable sources now claim it's been moved to PiLam (3914 Spruce St.), though their Myspace makes no mention; www.myspace.com/thepilam
So who knows? Once it's sorted out, I'll post again. In the meantime, enjoy the VIVA interview.

Fuck National Record Store Day & All It's Friends.....New Tyvek & Eat Skull LP's Finally Available!

2009-05-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

After much delay, the lp's for Tyvek & Eat Skull's 'Wild & Inside' are now available, priced as follows;

15$ ppd US
20$ ppd Canada
25$ ppd Elsewhere

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Next up; Blues Control-'Local Flavor' lp/cd, ready sometime early summer.

Eat Skull's 'Wild & Inside' + New Tyvek s/t cd's Part Of Blowout Sale! Buy Now!

2009-04-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

I know I know, your all waiting for the vinyl. Hopefully both will be here soon, but in the meantime I have some copies of each of these on cd I'm willing to sell on the cheap. Like 10$ each here in USA (13$ elsewhere). These are stock copies, no hole punch, no cut corner promo crap, the real retail deal, sealed & everything. I have about 20 of each, 1st come, 1st serve. Interested parties can paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Destination-ROCK! Siltbreeze At SXSW 2009. And We Have Posters! Get'em Now!

2009-03-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Siltbreeze is hosting a 2nd Annual SXSW Showcase at SoHo Lounge, 217 East 6th St., Thurs. 3/19. Festivities kick off around 8:00 pm, running order is as follows;

8pm-Ratas Del Vaticano
8:45-Eat Skull
9:30-Hank IV
10:15-Psychedelic Horseshit
11:00 Naked On The Vague
11:45-U.S. Girls
12:30-Los Llamarada
1:15-FNU Ronnies

And to commemorate the event, we've printed up a limited edition poster, edition of 35, silkscreened in the American colors of red, white & blue & printed by local artist Mark Price (http://www.markpriceisafactory.com/) & measure 18"x24". Paper is a nice heavy grade w/a thick ink coating. These are really sweet & easy on the eyes. Prices are as follows;

US-12$ppd$
Canada-14$ppd
Elsewhere-20$ppd

These will be mailed in appropriate poster cylinders & in US, we'll send delivery confirmation. Trying to make the price as cheap as possible, passing the saving's along to you, the fans. So order now, surely not to be along for long. Hope to see some of you there & if not, maybe next year.

Axemen's 'Big Cheap Motel' LP Ready For Order!

2009-02-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

So the 1st of the Axemen reissue lp series is now available. 'Big Cheap Motel' was originally released as a cassette in 1983 & documents the band's assault on a free concert sponsored by the Big M milk congolmerate. On here one finds the Axemen to be the living embodiment of early 'don't man hate, man educate' Riot Grrrl doctrine, caterwauling a set of on-the-spot original protests (+ a Rolling Stones cover) aimed at local city council & Big M's salacious advertising that falls somewhere between ATV's 'What You See Is What You Are' & Half Japanese live in DuPont Circle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTuA_FGKzWk). Would Alan Alda approve? Hard to say, but hopefully it's a formidable enough aural action to keep Germaine Greer's piehole shut. It's no Crass, but then, what is?
This lp is an edition of 700. All copies include an insert & most come w/stickers suitable for bodily application. Step right up & order.

15$ ppd US
17$ ppd Canada
25$ ppd elsewhere

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Not Exactly A Singles Club, Then Again.....Beyond The Implode's 'This Atmosphere' 7"ep Now Available!

2009-02-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Incredulous as it may seem, Siltbreeze is proud to announce the release of a super limited 7" ep from the legendary Beyond The Implode; 4 tracks recorded (at home) by the band in 1979. Tracks 1 & 3 ('This Atmosphere' & 'Steel Car') were originally issued on the band's 1979 debut ep 'Last Thoughts' while tracks 2 & 4 ('Disperse The Clouds' + 'Mid Ad Version') have remained unheard & unreleased lo these many years. Astute fans will no doubt hear 'Mid Ad Version' & perhaps "see" it as an alternate take on 'Midnight Adventures' (found on Last Thoughts) & if so, count yourselves among the lucky ones. This project was sanctioned by BTI head honcho Eddie Smith who also provided the master tape & as such making this 100% legit, i.e., NOT A BOOTLEG. Released in a one time edition of 300 copies, this ep is solely available from this site; no distro's, mail-order or blackmail. Not yet anyway. Once it's gone, it's gone. Prices are as follows;

USA-11$ ppd
Canada-12$ ppd
Europe-13$ ppd
Elsewhere-14$ ppd

There is no limit to the number you can order, but there is no discount either. This is it. Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Look Hard, This Might Hurt....Catching Up With The Awesome Vistas Label

2009-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

No doubt some of you's out there is familiar w/Chris Johanson the artist. From what I was told by a man wearing a beret & sipping pernod, he comes for the disembodied school of Raymond Pettibon. Sorry Shirley, I've had to work most of my life, so excuse me if I weren't there the day they passed out snuff & showed you how to prance around w/a stick up your ass. All's I know from what I've seen of his work it there ain't no Gumby's or Manson's & that's fine by me. Then there's the Chris Johanson what's the mastermind behind perhaps the single most exciting vanity label goin (sorry Corwood), Awesome Vistas, whose 1st release was Sic Alps 'Description Of The Harbor' 12" (the artwork c/o Mr. J himself). Since then a spate of new one's has hit the street, all in small editions, each lovingly assembled. The jackets are silkscreened by different artist's or band members, the paper stock bein a heavy gauge what's near cardboard that's perfect for the sometimes elaborate screens what is laid down. To date I think there's seven releases & it's anyone's guess if more's to come. As it states on one of the inserts, "there is no way to contact Awesome Vistas". You might say they's along the lines of them Morant Tapes series of 10" lathe cuts from a couple yrs back except this is high grade 12" vinyl dudes. I ain't had a problem w/none of'em, actually I've enjoyed them all & considerin what a mixed bag they was, that's sayin somethin. But seein as how I've only been back to North America & home but a week now, I need to get my sleep patterns up to EST. So I've asked a couple Irish buddies of mine, Gerald Fitzpatrick & Patrick Fitzgerald to guest "curate" this column. Personally, I think the point/counterpoint buddy thing is insipid & lazy, so if this at anytime starts to read like the C&D column outta Arthur, you'll know where this idea come from. There ain't no reason for these 2 to be pseudonymous though. If you gotta problem with what they think, just stop on by to get your ass whupped, that's fine.

Enablers-The Achievement (1 sided lp, AV-01)

GF; (shaking a Belfast Bomber) Whatya know about Enablers?

PF; (lighting a cigarette & bats out the match) Well, they say me grandmother was responsible for me uncle Brian bein a nasty cur & me grandfather's hopeless alcoholism.

GF; (agitated) Not them ya twit, the band!

PF; (gently pouring a can of Guinness into a pint glass) ah, this record we're a hearin now. I like the voice, it's quite Welsh soundin (laughs).

GF; Ya, it's some voice, a fella by the name'a Peter Simonelli.

PF; Right, one'a them.

GF; (curious) One'a who?

PF; An I'tal.

GF; (rolling his eyes), Jesusmaryandjoseph, what's his heritage got to do w/all the tea in China?

PF; Dunno, just sayin's all.

GF; Well, it's a story put to music. Very San Francisco, ya can almost smell the Mission.

PF; (squinting, confused) Smell the missus?

GF; (yelling) THE MISSION! You know, the Mission district. The music takes me there too, very Toiling Midgets in a way.

PF; (pouring a Jameson) Ya, I hear it, very Saccharine Trust as well.

GF; (himself pouring a Jameson) Your right! Good on ya (they clink glasses in a toast).

PF: (browsing the insert) There's a paragraph here where he's on about a tranny goin mental. Do ya recall the time we was lost in San Fran & ended up in the poofter bar?

GF; (exhaling a cigarette) I do.

PF; And the poor bugger who was buyin ya drinks & asked to give ya a blowjob? And ya dropped him with a punch?

GF; (inhales the cigarette again, looks away & exhales); Ya, twas a tough call. No way for him to know I didn't need the work!

(GF & PF crack up)

http://www.myspace.com/enablers

Linda Hagood-Pink Love Red Love (Av-06)

PF; (snorting a line of cocaine off this lp jacket, then picking it up for closer inspection) Christ, this is a cover, innit?

GF; (head titled back & holding his nose) Ya, it's quite good. I thought ya said you know this woman, didn't ya say twas a bartender?

PF; (confused) Fucked her?

GF; (squinting at PF) What?

PF; Aye?

GF; (voice rising, eyes darting) The singer, here the artist in question, Linda Hagood! You'd drink at her bar, yes?

PF; (swirling an iced glass of Bailey's) Ya, indeed, the Confederate bartender. Lovely girl. Didn't know she made music.

GF; (smoking a cigarette, looking at insert, sweating) Ya, she pretty much does it all on this one.It's quite good, funny as well, reminds me a bit of something you might get from Yoshimi. "Trippy" ya might say.

PF; (teasingly) Ah so......

GF; (staring directly at PF) I suppose now you speak Japanese do ya?

PF; (gesturing w/left hand) Vely rittle (laughs)

GF; (laughing) That's ridiculous. You reckon we could say this was a psychedelic record?

PF; (exhaling cigarette) I do.

GF; (teasingly) But you also think that mushroom's on a cut of beefsteak is psychedelic as well, ya?

PF; (tilts head forward, blows smoke directly into face of GF) I think your mother thinks so, that's what I think.

GF; (incensed, stands up) My MOTHER? Let me tell ya somethin about my mother (charges PF, fistfight ensues).

http://www.myspace.com/lindahagood

Dragging An Ox Through Water-The Tropics Of Phenomenon (Av-07)

GF; (uncorking a magnum of malt duck) Aye, this isn't bad, a one man affair is it?

PF; (holding plastic champagne flute, looking at insert) I thought ya meant the bubbly (laughs). I reckon it is, hard to read this blasted fine print. Ya, here it says 'all instruments, etc, by Brian'.

GF; (pours & fills 2 flutes, they clink glasses) I'd say he owe's a bit to Mayo Thompson's 'Cory's Debt To His Father' lp.

PF; (lights cigarette, downs malt duck, pours a Jameson) Your onto something, I do declare. Sounds like he's a bit of an experimenter.

GF; (downs the cold duck) What, you reckon he's poof?

PF; (knocks back the whiskey) Proof? What proof?

GF; (smoking cigarette) I said HE"S POOF.

PF; (squints) Where's your proof?

GF (visibly frustrated) Christ, that's what ya said! Now I'm confused.

PF; Is that right? Last time I checked ya was Gerald Fitzpatrick. Confused is no name for an Irishman. Folks'll take ya for poof.

http://www.myspace.com/dragginganox

Thee Oh Sees-Peanut Butter Oven ep (AV-04)

PF; (mixing a gin & tonic sans ice) Aye, what's this your playin? Sounds freaky.

GF; (snorting a small pile of cocaine off the back of his fist) Umm, ah, Thee Oh Sees. Ya, it's quite good. It's a band w/this legendary SF bloke, John Dwyer.

PF; (takes a long pull on his drink followed by his cigarette, exhales) Right, Coachwhips fella. This is quite spastic, brilliant rhythm section, infectious to say the least.

GF; (pogoing in front of turntable, boths hands out & batting like flippers) Ya, they're hard not to like. And this Dwyer chap is daft, his mind seems to race constantly. And this guitar on 'Quadrospazzled', aye, it's like a cross between Ward Dotson & Karl Precoda. A long way from Pink & Brown. Ya remember Pink & Brown?

PF; (drains cocktail, pours Jameson, lights cigarette, bats out match) Pink & Brown? (squints) Your knickers ya mean?

GF (remains dancing, breathing heavily, head shoots sharply around to left, stares at PF, confused) Whot in the bloody hell are ya on about?

PF; (teasingly) Them knickers of yours. (exhales smoke) by the time your finished w/that spastic dancin they're to be pink & brown! (convulses in laughter)

GF (stops dancing, walks over to bar & picks up empty gin bottle. sneaks up behind PF who is still in laughing uncontrollably & whacks his in the head, knocking him to the ground) Is that right? Ya know I've a spastic colon & I asked ya to keep it to yerself, aye?

PF; (groggily) Aye, ya did. Pass us a fag, ya?

GF; (hands him a cigarette) Here ya'are. A whiskey then?

PF; (smiles) Ya, could do.

GF; (pours 2 whiskeys, they toast); To a fine record.

PF; Aye, a fine record indeed.

http://www.myspace.com/ohsees

Jackie-O Motherfucker-The Cryin' Sea (AV-03)

*Note; At this point both men are barely coherent. Faced w/imminent blackout, the lads resort to the last move left in their arsenal; quote verbatim from the pages of Finnegan's Wake.

GF; A spathe of calyptrous glume involucrumines the perinanthean Amenta.

PF; fungoalgaceous muscafilicial graminopalmular plan-teon; of increasing, livivorous, feelful thinkamalinks

GF; luxuriotia— ting everywhencewithersoever among skullhullows and charnel

PF; cysts of a weedwastewoldwevild when Ralph the Retriever ranges to jawrode his knuts knuckles and her theas thighs.

GF; one-gugulp down of the nauseous forere brarkfarsts oboboomaround and you’re as paint and spickspan as a rainbow

PF; wreathe the bowl to rid the bowel; no runcure, no rank heat, sir; amess in amullium; chlorid cup.

http://www.myspace.com/jonf

Hey thanks fellas! That was, uh, somethin.........

Awesome Vistas is distributed by Revolver USA, contact dave@midheaven.com

to find out all about'em. PLEASE-the Sic Alps & Thee Oh Sees is now OOP, so no need to bug him where they's concerned.

Many Has Called, Three Is Chosen.....Some More New Reviews

2009-01-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

The record's what's piled up here durin my absence, well, it's akin to one of them Matthew Brady photographs of the Union dead at Antietam Bridge. Like cordwood, so I'm tryin to hype (or huff) as fast as possible.

I like the alliteration of Heathern Haints even if I ain't gotta clue to what it means. Could be someone's name, you know, like Pink Floyd. But let's fry that fish another day. These guys is one of the new breed of 3rd eye guru's basking in the lysergic eddy's of Shoegaze but w/a pretty neat comprehension of early Rain Parade (think an extrapolation of that debut 7" on Llama), the psychic channeling of Spacemen 3 + hints of cognizant appreciation for the Cogle/Stapleton Christchurch shimmer. All them elevators stop at the thirteenth floor, a matter of fact not lost on the 4 track's that comprise this 12". Comes in a silkscreened double sided chipboard sleeve too. Goin up?
www.myspace.com/heathernhaints

A Homosexual is a Homosexual is Bruno Wizard. So sez I. And if any y'all have been apprehensive as to the worth of this seemingly outta nowhere 'Love Guns?' 10"re-emergence, I'm tellin you's to save that cuticle skin from chewin another day. If I'd had my druthers I would've figured this to be solo, like the Sir Alick & The Phraser 7", but once I shook the package, out jumbled an insert statin the opposite. Could be I'm biased, but I don't reckon Bruno's missed a beat. Peeps might pweep that the production ain't as crisp as yore, but I lost my taste for micro-brew salon talk some time ago, thank you very much. Unlike, say, Pere Ubu, whose post Rough Trade career has never cottoned to me, the "new" Homosexuals can drop near perfect baby's like this till there ain't no lavender left to spare. Second edition of 300 available now, but for how long? http://www.seriousbusinessrecords.com/

The X! label has steadily built a solid discography documentin the contempo Detroit scene & anyone worth their salt will tell you concentratin on one city for yr output is (usually) a fool's errand. But that buck stop's here. What's there, somethin like, 14 releases out? And not a runt in the litter? Hell, at that rate X! is headin towards the legendary status of US labels such as Dangerhouse or VVV for keepin it real w/the hometown feel. Naturally, some's outta print, but what's soon to come is this monster lp comp entitled 'Shiftless Decay' what's a stoned bone of Motorcity meltdown. And yeah, there's an early trio demo of Tyvek rippin up 'Flashing Lights', the post Chrome demolition of Human Eye + Little Claw dishin out another take on 'Feeding You Your New Head' (w/Kilynn showin up both Niagara & Rockee from Flirt in the process). Fillin out the rest of this stunner is Tentacle Lizardo (a personal fave), Frustrations, Terrible Twos, Heros & Villains, Johnny III Band, Mahonies, THTX & Odd Clouds (whose brand of LAFMS blorp is always spot on). For whatever reason, Hero's & Villains & Johnny III really made me wanna dig out some Cincecyde & that Brain Police 7". Say what you will about the excellent 'Detroit On A Platter' v/a from back in the day, 'Shiftless Decay' is gonna be THE one for the droolers from here on out. Chalk up another winner for the best label in the city that's more fun to visit than to live in. http://www.x-recs.com/

After What You've Just Said, I Don't Know What You Mean.....The Return Of A Man Called Roland Woodbe

2009-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hardy-har, I bet you's all thought I was gone for good. Truth be told, I weren't so sure myself if I'd be gracin the pages of blogland ever again neither. Right when I thought my service to God & Country had all but been depleted, that's when I got the call for some PSYOPS bullshit that proved to damn near be my physical undoin. What started out like routine debriefing's of some agitated CIA "muleskinners" down to Ecuador ended up gettin me ass deep in subterfuge & some ancient conspiracy threads what had my head spinnin & landed me in a jail cell for near 3 months time ( nabbed w/a sizeable portion of cocaine, planted of course). Ecuador has some harsh laws when it comes to this monkey powder but I came to learn that my incarceration was nothing more than a setup. A ruse if you will. Once inside I was to make nice to some folks that supposedly had heavy connections. So it was a case of the hunted becomin the hunter. And if I had time (& the proper clearance) I could tell you some stories what involve Nazi pastissier's, pearl divin off the coast of Venezuela, a secret Kennedy rum plantation, the self propelled human cannon, white rails inhaled off the hot latin ass of an (allegedly) ex Noboa mistress + nuclear secrets lyin at the bottom of the lost island of Elugelab. But them's for another day. Right now I'm more anxious than a 'lude queen on prom night to hump a few of these here records what's overflowin at casa Woodbe. Sorry to all you's out there what might've been lookin for a best of 08 from me. I just don't got the love this time round. Instead I'm gonna focus on some stellar releases what come out but seemed ignored, or stymied the dimmer rock-writer bulbs, doe-eyed in the kilowatt's. I'd say it's great to be back but I don't wanna presume any cognitive deficits just yet, if you know what I mean.

A couple've guppies I know seem perplexed by my pro stance on this Crazy Dreams Band lp what's on Holy Mountain. What's up their collective ass is that alls I do is bitch & complain about all the New Weird half-assed shit & hereI am now championing some of it's major domo's. If you say so. But are they? And am I? It is true, the affectation's, constant name-dropping & shameless bill-hogging (not to mention miles of just terrible releases) laid down in the annals of the day-to-day history of this aforementioned genre are deplorable. But it was a lost time for some, lot's of the underground rock had shifted into formlessness & the "improviser"/noise "artist" was top dog. My accusers has even taken to callin me a hypocrite as I work for Siltbreeze, sayin the label was responsible for the glut of crap spewed out en masse on account of introducin the world to Charalambides, Tower Recordings & UN. All's I can to that is blamin us for somethin like, say, Sunburned or Vetiver, is like blamin Nietzsche for Hitler. Go ahead, get riled up! I'm just makin a point. Now w/this Crazy Dreams Band, I'm told they's full of NWA high security types but I don't care. They manage to keep things percolatin w/enough genuine osmosis that I'm just about this far ( it's close, why, there's hardly any gap at all!-Capt'n Siltbreeze) from buyin completely into their neo-psychedelic glublub. The real highlight is Lexie Mountain. Beardo's & Arthur devotees might see this performance & gloat about the 2nd coming of Pomerance, but last I checked, this weren't a comedy record (ding!). I reckon she conjures up all sorta diva's, from Sumac to Joplin to Linda Sharrock & it's cool to see her takin a crack at the rock format. Actually the vocalist she most reminds me of on here is Ricky Williams & if this lp is the second comin of anything it might as well be 'Sea Of Unrest'. And a track like "Seperate Ways" is filled w/enough blind faith, it's enough to charm me outta my shirt'n flaunt the ol' chestnut's (hairs'n all) alfresco for.....as long as it takes. So be afraid, be very afraid. This fucker can be bought direct too, go to http://www.holymountain.com/
for the fix.

Another record what's along the same lines is this little fella by Terminal Wasteband, a two song 7" for the estimable Black Velvet Fuckere label. Last I heard from these gouchos they was lightin up the sonic skies w/a brand of fuzz they called 'Barn Rock'. But a move northwest & so many Trappist ales later, maybe it's safe to say the barn has given way to a shed. But density is relative & on here the trio don't lunge into the whoosh of Hawkwind & Mountain as before, yet they ain't missed a beat neither. These tracks seem more set the controls for the heart of the rural-delica sun, following the not so easily understood maps of neo-cartographers such as Thinking Fellers & Strapping Fieldhands. The moral of this offering might be 'revenge is dish best served cold' & if you miss Blackjack mailorder as much as I do, they you know what I mean. Distro on this dude seems scant, try www.myspace.com/theterminalwasteband

When I opened the package for Boron And The Grebes 'Your're A Horrible Person' 7" ep, Mr. Boron felt compelled to include a note so'd I knew what a grebe is. Mr Boron, PLEASE! This is Roland Woodbe your speakin to. I have done ate more grebe's than you'll ever know. My mother used to make a version of the Turducken w/ grebe, possum & chipmunk. Um-um, that was some good eatin! Mr. Boron went on to explain he made this record to attract bandmates & I wish him the best've luck. It's a very decidedy lo-fi affair & kinda reminds me of a cross between Amor Fati & Slicing Grandpa. Maybe you don't "need" it or maybe you do. Surely ain't many of'em made, go to elementalboron@yahoo.com & see what's what.

The 7" debut of the (new) Cro Magnon seems to have put the pout in the lip of grumpier gus' out there. And to that end I will say I could be confounded why anyone other than the band themselves would see the point of gettin this thing on vinyl but perhaps that's the rub; it all comes back to one's taste's. I'm bettin that if you played these tracks back to back w/the ones by old Cromagnon there's be as many what says it all sucks as would stand & applaud. 20 yrs ago when Happy Flowers (& later) Lisa Suckdog unleashed their feral frenzy they was lauded as 'genius'. Could be as they was self released & came outta nowhere, we was all so taken by the outrageousness, it was easier to fawn that to fart. But they was in on the joke or rather, drew a line to see who'd stick around & see how it played out. And maybe the same could be said about the new Cro Magnon's. As for Bruit Direct buyin a cat in a bag by puttin this out, I don't think so. What's a good horror movie w/o some screamin girls? Bruit Direct is now 3 releases into a narrative of rich, post-sanity, aural grindhouse zonk, now w/2 shrilling, barely legal heroines
to advance the hysterical depravity. No one's askin you to kiss'em, but don't turn your back on'em neither, okay? http://www.bruit-direct.org/

I know this Pop Horror 7" has been out for an age, but I's just now gettin to it. Kinda suprised that my Anglo obsessed buds weren't more smitten with this. It's got a great lost in time chug (a little bass heavy on the 1st track maybe), plus a cool contempo DIY skip in it's step that reminds me of Dry Rib & Desperate Bicycles. The 2008 answer to Hand Grenades (honkin bass & all)? I wouldn't say no! www.myspace.com/iwannabearichbitch

Last Two Releases For 2008 Are Here! Get'em While They's Hot!

2008-12-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here we are with the last 2 releases for 2008, a self titled one from The Love Is So Fast & 'Games For Slaves', the 2nd lp by Der Teenage Panzerkorps. TLISF is comprised of members of Los Llamarada, notably Danyhell & Estrella while also being produced by Sagan Youth. Silly me, I had always assumed these tracks were pre Los Llamarada but in fact TLISF was actually a band that existed for a short period when LL broke up (pre Exploding Now). That said, it still sounds like surreal, prehensile psychedelia, the palate filled w/flourishes of nascent staccato & outer space VU fumble. Edition of 500.
Der TPK had promised/theatened their followup effort would be more in the post-punk vein & they weren't kidding. 'Games For Slaves' really is almost like a step back in time, circa '79-80. Imagine a sound forged from the sneering ore of Abwarts & smelting ennui via early Joy Division. All's I know is that if guitarist Edmund Xavier's spidery guitar runs don't ably channel a young Bernard Sumner, then your name isn't John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (that's mine name too!). Silkscreened covers this time, edition of 500.

Prices are as follows
each lp US-15$ ppd, Canada, 17$, Elsewhere, 25$

Paypal via; sltrx@pil.net

And also a BIG THANKS to everyone out there who helped make 2008 a banner year for Siltbreeze. Hope to see y'all again in '09!

'Sweat It Out' For Christmas.....Axemen's Little Stevie McCabe's Legendary Solo LP Available For Limited Time!

2008-12-08T10:11:00.001-08:00

SORRY, SOLD OUT

In anticipation of the forthcoming Axemen series that begins next year, I was able to procure the last copies of Axeman Little Stevie McCabe's solo lp 'Sweat It Out'. Released in an edition of 300 in 1986, this DIY/Outsider masterpiece has long been under the radar, mostly due to the fact that for ages it was only available from Steve himself. Soundwise it stands head to head with standout line blurringly great one-offs such as Jowe Head's 'Pincer Movement' & Milk From Cheltenham's 'Triptych Of Poisoners'. Handscreened covers by Steve, includes original insert, I have the last 20 in existence, 1st come, 1st serve. And as an added bonus, Steve took the time to individually autograph all copies so no 2 are the same!

Babe The Blue Ox Need Not Apply.....Siltbreeze Announces Axemen Reissues For 2009!

2008-11-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

Yep, in conjuction w/Sleek Bott Indusries, Siltbreeze is PROUD to annouce no less than 3, count'em THREE, Axemen reissues to see the light of day in 2009. First up is a previously cassette only one entitled 'Big Cheap Motel' (originally released in 1983), followed by 'Scary!' (1989) & then a full-on repro of the cult classic ''Three Virgins, Three Versions, Three Visions' (1985). These will all be limited vinyl only runs, so stay tuned & feel free to email should you have any questions. The series begins in January & will continue through the whole of next yr. And who know, maybe even beyond!

For the uninformed, the Axemen have been the practitioners of a unique brand of DIY they lovingly refer to as 'Sigh-Fi' rock for 30 yrs now. Not an easy band to pin down sonically, their catalog speaks for itself in much've the same way as those belonging to The Homosexuals or Sun City Girls. That is to say vast & beautiful. For a mindblowing glimpse into the world of Axemen (+ related friends & accomplice's) check out; http://www.theaxemen.wordpress.com/ & be prepared to have copious block's of time squandered trying to fathom the genius. Also, for those who perhaps can't wait, Axemen have a site where you can purchase high quality cdr's of previous cassette's. Go to http://www.sleekbott.com/ & there you might get a jump on the rest of your not-quite-as-desperate brothers & sisters. Yeah, 2009 is looking to be quite an exciting yr for reissues. See y'all on the flipside!

Siltbreeze Updates.....Hank IV Do East Coast Tour, Pigs To Fly! Reissues Of U.S. Girls & Factums lp's Back In Stock Too!

2008-11-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

First I win the Paducah Rotary Club's annual Top Chef Award (again. Them crackers always love the Possum Bourguignon), then the Phils snag the World Series & now Hank IV's doin a slew of East Coast shows w/Los Llamarada. Looks like 2008 is goin out w/a bang! I got them dates posted below, but also wanted you folks to know we've got some copies of the new Hank IV LP 'Refuge In Genre' available direct. Comes w/a dropcard so's y'all can put it on yr Ipod or whatever too.

Also, the reish of U.S. Girls 'Introducting....' lp as well as Factums 'Alien Natives' is both back in stock. Lot's of folks has been askin for'em & now they's here & ready to ship. So get'em while their hot! One more time.

Prices are as follows;

US-15$ppd

Canada-17$ppd

Elsewhere-25$ppd

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Hank IV/Los Llamarada on East Coast;

Wednesday, November 12th, 8:00 PM Brooklyn, NY The Charleston with Los Llamarada, Blues Control, Black & Whites.

*Radio appearance, Tuesday, November 18th, 3:00 PM Newbridge, NJ WFMU, live in the studio for Brian Turner's Show*.

Thursday, November 13th, 8:00 PM Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's with Los Llamarada.

Friday, November 14th, 8:00 PM New York, NY Cake Shop with Los Llamarada.

Saturday, November 15th, 8:00 PM Philadelphia, PA Pi Lam House, 3904 Spruce St.,West Philly, with Los Llamarada, FNU Ronnies & Watery Love

Old Tricks For New Dogs.....Siltbreeze Antique Closeout!

2008-09-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

While I was digging around in the basement this weekend I came across a box containing some long out of print 7" titles. That got me curious so I trawled around some more, looking to see if there was anything else I'd put in storage & had forgotten about. The answer; not really. But I did find these & they are the LAST copies I have of each respective title. Availability is limited, so if your interested, please email me 1st to see if what your after is still around. Sorry if the prices seem high, maybe you can find them cheaper on Ebay. Or maybe not.

Queen Meanie Puss-The Darkling ep (SB-15)

QMP were a female quartet hailing out of Auckland, NZ. Formerly known as Angelhead (then based in Dunedin) they released a cassette on Bruce Russell's legendary Xpressway label around 1991 or so. A move north & a name change, they released their debut 7" on Flying Nun sometime in early '92. Then it was on to Siltbreeze for the follow-up (early '93). 'The Darkling' is 5 tracks of dark, tempered, post-post punk. I guess you could say there's a Raincoats vibe going on here, but they had to go through (pre Daydream Nation) Sonic Youth to get it. Originally pressed in an edition of 800, I have 7 copies still available.

15$ ppd US
16$ ppd Canada
18$ ppd elsewhere

Mike Rep & The Quotas-Quit Talking & Start Chalking ep (SB-19)

Released sometime mid 1993, this was a revamped Quotas Rep put together, they lasted a year or so & I believe this was the only thing they ever put out. Guitarist Gilmore Tamney would later go on to form The Yips, the other two.....? 3 tracks, loud, Rep-ified crud production, mostly unavailable elsewhere ('Village Idiot' can be found on the 'Tard & Furthr'd' cd comp) & are NOT slated for the Mike Rep & The Quotas dbl lp retrospective coming out next yr. This is it. These copies are from the 1st pressing of 500, all numbered, I have 0 copies left. SOLD OUT.

Dead C- Vs. Sebadoh (SB-25)

Regardless of the title, Sebadoh is nowhere to be found of this record. Just the Dead C lads having a laugh, such jolly jokers. This is the band's Hardcore release, 8 tracks of blazing, unbridled fury by (perhaps) the last band you'd expect to belly up to the H/C bar. None of the tracks on here are available elsewhere, though there is a snippet of 'Air' which would later be fully realized on the 'Operation Of The Sonne' lp. This came out originally in 1993, edition of 1000 copies. I have 0 available. SOLD OUT.

20$ ppd US
21$ ppd Canada
23$ ppd elsewhere

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments-Negative Guestlist ep (SB-33)

From 1994, after much cajoling, Ron House finally relented & let us put out a TJSA record. This was the bands 4th release following a split 7", a 7" & 12" for Datapanik.
'Baboon's Liver' is arguably one of the best songs ever recorded (& can be found on the Tard & Furthr'd cd compilation, http://www.siltbreeze.com/) but the other 3 songs on here rock pretty mightily as well. Originally in an edition of 1000, I have 0 available. SOLD OUT.

20$ ppd US
21$ ppd Canada
23$ ppd elsewhere

(The Music Of) The Shadow Ring-Tiny Creatures/Harlequin (SB-35)

This 7" came out in early 1995 & was the band's 3rd release though their 1st for Siltbreeze. An excellent effort from the most unique band I ever worked with. Originally released in an edition of 800, I have 0 available. SOLD OUT.

20$ ppd US
21$ ppd Canada
23$ ppd elsewhere

Un-Transmissions/Hangin Judge (SB-61)

This was Un's 2nd & final release. Ostensibly offered as a tour only 7", this was 1st made available by the band on their west coast jaunt w/Harry Pussy the summer of 1996. Stylistically the band seemed to orbit around planet Royal Trux & both the tracks sound like they could maybe be outtakes from 'Twin Infinitives'. It's also interesting listening to 'Hangin Judge' again after all these yrs & hearing the seeds of the New Weird America free-wha? orchard being sown therein. I loved these guys but never was a band more aptly named. Would you be surprised to know that member Marcia Bassett would later go on to record w/Double Leopards, Hototogisu, Zaimph & countess other agitators of musical form & function? Yep, she's famous! Originally released in an edition of 1000, I have 5 copies still available.

10$ ppd US
11$ ppd Canada
13$ ppd elsewhere

Email & Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

New 7" on Siltbreeze.....Little Claw Pony Up

2008-09-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hey, whaddya know, another 7"! We're knockin these things out like Kosher corn dogs at the state fair. And we ain't got a singles club or nothin! This time it's Little Claw that's delivering the goods, two new tracks ( 'Race To The Bottom'/'Feed You') that careen off the walls of your skull like drunken Valkyries lashing through the halls of Valhalla. What would Odin think? Who cares! Our own Roland S. Woode sez;

"The evolution of Little Claw has been wondrous to behold & now their beguiling cluck has found it's way into the Siltbreeze ranks. On what is their 5th vinyl outing, the band has laid down 2 distinct tracks & they are mightly gallops of ambidextrous charge. 'Race To The Bottom' rakes across the nodules of your brain w/serrated glee while 'Feeding You' could be a cosmic transmission from futuristic denizens who have carved Terrence Mckenna' pancreas into psychedelic sweetbreads & gobbled them for lysergic sustenance. The sound is, as one of the main pie tasters from Bull Tongue recently opined, "Fucking Awesome"! Edition of 400 copies".

Prices are as follows;

US=6$

Canada=7$

Elsewhere-8$

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Look for Little Claw on tour w/Eat Skull & (on selected dates) Psychedelic Horseshit all through Sept. 08.

1st Siltbreeze 7" Since 1997.....Titmachine's 'We Build A New City/1989'

2008-08-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

That's right, our 1st foray back into the beguiling world of 7" vinyl since Sunshine Superscum's 'Two Reactions' ep back in '97. Why, you might ask, would Siltbreeze haul off & get's itself mixed up in a format brimming w/dipshit speculators & Ebay 'day traders'? Because Titmachine are that good! Sure, it's not the 90's anymore & the small pressing is the way to go in the here & now, so that's what we've done. How many are there? Well, hopefully enough. All copies have hand done artwork on label's, some even have a ltd. ed. rubberstamp on inner sleeve. Man, I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass assembling a bunch of 7"ers was! Thankfully there's only so many.

And now without further adieu, let me hand over the embellishment to everyone's favorite hillbilly, Roland Seward Woodbe;

For the lucky few who were floored by Titmachine's debut 7" (released earlier this yr via Meeuw Muzak) come this sophomore effort, loaded for bear & released on the Siltbreeze label. Continuing their penchant for a-side covers, this time the ladies tackle Palais Schaumburg's 'Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt' (or 'We Build A New City' if you speak only in God's preferred tongue) & the results are as devastatingly great as could be imagined. Stripped of it's NDW gloss, Titmachine's reworking is more doused in raw Gueuze than refined Pilsener. In other words, them yeast's be wild y'all! The flip is an awesome (& original) little jawdropper entitled '1989' & is remarkably akin to what the Shaggs might sound like tackling the Urinals 'Ack Ack Ack'. Pressed on heliocentric black vinyl in a human(e) edition of less than one million copies, how chuffed can your summer be if you miss this chance to woggle in Titmachine's primitve, urpy grock? Don't tempt fate, buy now!

Prices are postpaid & as follows;

USA-5$

Canada-6$

Europe-7$

Elsewhere-7$

Paypal to; sltrx@pil.net

Revenge Of The Bongoloids......Blueshift/Russian Tsarlag Split lp

2008-08-03T08:08:00.001-07:00

I know I've done railed on about my disdain for the split release format but it ain't like anyone's payin said bane much mind. Hell, you got labels like Not Not Fun doin whole series of split 7"ers & while they's is gobbled up (by speculators 'n fans alike) it don't mean they's good. But that's just an educated guess on my part as I don't own many. I reckon you get more bang for the buck, but mine's just break down to the 'good' & 'bad' sides. So bearin that in mind, I'm payin twice as much for what I like. I enjoyed that split lp last yr from Lexie Mountain & Lichens but to be honest, I could've used 2 sides of each. So again, there's a short shrift. Mind you, this is all petty complaints & there's them of you out there thinkin ol' Roland Woodbe is just whinin for whinin's sake. Not true. I'm just callin attention to a trend what I reckon to be lame. It's not like I'm gonna cut off my nose to spite my face, after all, I still buy'em in hope's of gleanin that diamond in the rough what's likely to appear every now & again. Case in point is this split lp from 2 Providence, RI artist's, Blueshift & Russian Tsarlag entitles 'The Burrow'/'Thank You For The Plastic Surgery You've Given Me'. Since they's from Providence & both been tagged as 'weirdo's it's a safe bet to presume they's both art school attendee's, graduates or dropouts. You get a letter pressed jacket + saddle stitched 32 page booklet w/assorted visuals, then there's the green vinyl lp which beholds the aural work of each. Can't say that Blueshift's improv violin scrape & assembled threadbare gloppage did anything for me but hey, if you still wax your pole to the itinerant heaps of piffle laid out by former Chocolate Monks, current Zaimphs, erstwhile Ashtray Navigators & the like, then there's a fat chance your gonna find this incessant filibustering potentially erectile.Me? The 1st thing that crossed my mind was it seemed like a good time to clip my fingernails. So I did. Then I flipped the record.
Now Russian Tsarlag is a whole different kettle of fish. He's got a pretty good grasp on humor, darkness & applied weirdness. His sound calls to mind the halcyon days of the early 80's when there was a small (but formidable) assemblage've roustabouts what fell outside any specific pecking order, hybridizin art/avant/industro squelch through the punk filters (which got'em tagged as weird), thereby isolating themselves in a cool corner of the scene that only a few of us embraced back then. I'm thinkin (early) Culturcide, Iceplants, Tom & Marty Band (to name a few). These folks def. fucked w/the rules of what was what & while that perhaps marginalized'em to the (then) arbiters, I was drawn to their skewered genius like a bear to honey. It was stuff that embodied a certain DIY aesthetic, as well it had to since nobody else was gonna touch it. It's still hard to say exactly what that sound was since it drew from so many wells, but Tom & Marty Band's credo was "We heard Chrome & Throbbing Gristle & thought they were pop bands' so maybe that gives you some idea of what I'm gettin at. They took Dada all the way to Mama & back (if you catch my drift). Nowadays with so much what's been done ( to death in most cases) in the underground bein pleasantly suprised by somethin like Russian Tsarlag almost makes me wanna take back all the shit talkin I done about the split release format. Almost, but unlikely. I could do w/out the Beach Boys cover, but I'm not gonna split hairs on account've that. I'm glad to have found the dude & I dunno, if you like the lines blurred & the zozzle zonked, Russian Tsarlag has some tunes for you to hum. Only 300 made. Find this via; http://www.rareyouth.org/

Paisley Douche Or Cactus Juice?.....The 'Worlds Lousy With Ideas' V/A 7" Series

2008-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Compilation's can divide a room. I knows some folks who's always been about'em as they are great resources to find out about a never ending wealth of obscure talent. But said talent can sometimes go hand in hand with dreck & comps is certainly stacked on that front as well. And seein as how there's all sorts've ways to skin this cat-regional, national, genre, gender, you name it-well, having to tolerate the bad to get what's good is, as they say, an occupational hazard. I's always considered myself pro comp, though I think the past decade or so seen me back off from'em quite a bit. Alls I can recall were ones what was mostly tributes-Godz, Shaggs & the like- or label specific things of which even Siltbreeze capitalized on ( Capitalized?! Next time you want to shift the MANY boxes of Tard & Furtherd in the basement by all means, be my guest-Capt'n Siltbreeze). Or they was "free" if you bought a magazine, so then you was at the mercy of the compiler, who more times than not was fishin w/a baitless hook. Sure, plenty of KBD styled things was present but they's can hardly be described as risk takers. Whatever the case, I simply balked at the format. Could be I missed some corkers, it won't be the last time for that by a stretch. My sleepin manners is just fine, thank you very much .
Then last year Dan Dimaggio gave me this 7" of v/a's called Worlds Lousy With Ideas that come in an amazin array of sleeves. He was passin'em out after a Clockcleaner show so I figured, why not? Seemed they was from Hawaii, or maybe it was the Moon, wherever it was, there weren't no way to get in touch for more. Or that was the story Dan was stickin to. Fair enough, I had a copy & I'll be damned if it weren't a standup disc all around. The tracks from Home Blitz & Nothing People was ace & I even dug the one from the unknown band called Boys Club. And who amongst us don't love a suprise? So fastforward a few months down the calendar & I seen a couple more of these things. And man if they ain't bustin out tracks by just about everyone what's workin the circuit. For the sake've long story short, the way they's is divvied up between Punk & Experimental, this series calls to mind a forerunner in the scene, the late, lamented 'Life Is' series from the New Undergound label, way back in the early 80's. True, they was lp's & centered around the (then) greater LA scene, but indulge me here, the vibe is remarkably similiar. World's Lousy may not have ringers like Germs, Urinals or Minutemen in the lineup (yet) but to me them tracks always paled to the stuff I weren't familiar with. When I hear the contrib's by Eat Skull, Catatonic Youth, Little Claw, Lady Doctors, Wax Museums & the rest, it ain't so hard for me to recall Anti, China White, Mood Of Defiance, Zurich 1916, Civil Dismay + all's them that saddled up for NU. I guess what I'm sayin is if you's is hearin folks talk about how nowadays is not unlike the early 80's, 'World's Lousy With Ideas' is certainly a case in point. And I got nary a problem w/that. The name's have changed, the spirit however, remains intact. And ain't it all about the fun in the end? I'd say so, hell yes! You think them girls on the cover of #6 would disagree? Not likely. Life is so bitchin, why not stock up? Go to; http://www.almostreadyrecords.com/ for further info.

The Medium Was Tedium.....And More 7" Reviews

2008-07-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

I can't rightly explain why it's taken me so long to come up w/so few reviews. Alls I can say is that I have been up against it, I tell you what. I spent this past week over to some rock critic shindig in Rochester, NY & the minute I walked into the main conference room at the Strathallan, it was clear I'd made a big mistake. There was all sorts've bleating goin on about Shitgaze, etc. At one point I had many a English person askin me if I personally knowed any of the Psychedelic Horseshit fellas & was it true they preferred an English Shower? I took that to mean no showerin at all & nodded my head yes, laughin the whole time. The things people's want to know! I watched 2 lip flappers debate on which Leslie Q lp was best, a high school class what come up from Snipesville, Georgia to read papers on their favorite Jandek record & why, slept through a symposium on early Wire vs. the current one & was generally bored to tears. I'd been asked to attend and debate which was better, Columbus bands or one from Cleveland but that was on Saturday-the final day-& I reckoned I'd be long gone by then. To tell the truth, I spent most of my time eatin from chef Ethan Drake's menu down to The Grill, the inhouse restaurant there at the Strathallan ( I particularly enjoyed the Foie burger which was seared foie gras, bacon & beef. What's not to love?). Funny thing was there weren't no bands playin, just a lot've opinionated folks soundin off on things they cared about more than they knowed. I sat through one q&a when some rotund fella from Mexico spouted off something about the hegemony of Siltbreeze. He was eatin a hotdog, mustard & relish runnin down his porcine cheeks & talkin a mile a minute. There was something he mushed about Siltbreeze being a clearing house for clowns or bitches but no one knew what the hell he was talking about. Afterwards I went over to the buffet table where he was loadin up another coney to ask him how he'd got his head so far up his ass but he seen me comin & he shot outta the room, the speed of which I ain't never seen from a man his size. Maybe he oughta give up on the rock crit game & give them Mexican Olympic trials a go. Anyways, by then I'd had enough. The whole things had just confused & saddened me. But I guess I had it comin. After all, I did agree to attend even though I knowed instinctively what would play out. Not all of it was a wash, there was plenty of well informed folks, but the ones what try & come off like they's 'keepin it real' was just half-assed pedants who seemed more ego driven than knowledgeable. Or just jealous. Either way I guess. I didn't think the Mexican fella was a total idiot. I mean, he's gotta go to sleep sometime, right?
But that was last week. Today I went & listened to these here records & a fine pile they was. Have at'em.

Florida's Dying has gone & taken a dip in the Moselle only to wash ashore w/a 7" of brimstone howl via The Feeling Of Love. One side of this is deep in the synth/dark wave scheme that's taken western Europe by a storm, I esp. love the jabberin what sounds like Chicken Little hysterically tryin to place an order for the entire henhouse minutes before the last frites stand in Metz calls it a day. The flip is two scuzzy ramblers that recall the stripped down, how-do-you-do fuzz barrage the Workdogs excelled at so many, many records ago. Stick that in the cuff of your jeans & torch it. http://www.floridasdying.com/

Listenin to the a-side've the Dead Clodette's debut 7" I was inexplicably reminded of 'Chinese Gangster' by Warm Gun. It ain't a bad thing by any means, I liked that bunch plenty & it I could put my hands on their ep I'd give it a spin & see they's anywhere in the same orbit. The flip on this one moves nicely along too, remindin me of a femme version of Tyvek. Initally I dug the bass heavy mix but upon repeated listening-mostly to try & figure out if my tone arm needed adjustin or if it was just a fucked pressing (bingo!)-the skips started to drive me crazy. And seein as how this thing cost 12$ to order direct from France, I do believe I got the shit end of the stick. They's certainly got promise, but business via French Vinyl has got to go. www.myspace.com/trashmondainrecords

Is it me or does a band called the Pizza's scream Rip Off/Goner style lo-fi garage/punk pogoholic voom? Chuck Taylor & Doc Marten is all over this one. No suprises here but I reckon that's how they want it. http://www.daggerman.com/

Long Legged Woman (I think) is somehow connected to an outfit named Butt Savage but that's a quandry for another day. On this they certainly run the gamut, the a-side entitled 'Something Is Pressing Against It From The Outside' careen's around like Eat Skull covering 'Sedan Delivery' inside a Robotussin humidor. Side B has a remarkable Xpressway like quality to it's aura. Could be outtakes for either Jefferies brother 7" or a distant demo from an early incarnation of Plagal Grind. Who knew?
www.myspace.com/longleggedwoman

It's kind've remarkable to see the sand in the face, post hardcore aggression made famous in the late 80's by way of Touch & Go or Amphetamine Reptile finally catchin on in Columbus, Oh some 20+ yrs after the fact. Sure, Monster Truck 5 were lubed for action around '88 or so but that was a quick spurt & since then......
Now in the space of 7 months there's 2 releases from the CDR folks what is primed for a blood letting & string mangling bonanza. Necropolis burst through the door 1st w/a new sneer & face full've warts & now this outfit called The Unholy Two have followed suit w/2 pus filled boil poppers. Their unhinged caterwaul calls to mind a more distempered Clockcleaner & for a moment there as the 1st track was beginnin to distort, I swear I almost heard shades of pre Shadoobie Boredoms. From a Columbus band! Hey, if they cozy up to some blue chippers maybe these guys are next in line to curate a teenage riot or at the very least, adopt some (free) kitten's. http://www.columbusdiscountrecords.com/

De Stasi is a small label outta Finlay, Oh which seems to be forgin a foundation similiar to another midwester legend, the mighty Bone Air label. Of course we all know Bone Air was only around for 4 releases but what massive releases they was! So far De Stasi has done 2 TV Ghost records & excuse me for sayin so, but their lp is one of the best things I've heard in a long time. I know I never seen fit to review it here & that's my bad, as it is a grower of Herculean proportions. As great as the 7" is, steeped in a slithery, meth flaked Crampsish brine, the lp dominates w/some unclassifiable Goth vibe, like a heavy metal Goblin on acid. Anyway, a fantastic record & one to keep an eye peeled for. Now there's 2 new dudes on the block, one from somethin called Leper Print what possesses a ton've charm & diy punk propulsion. With heart firmly implanted on sleeve this little record spurts geysers of happy, squidish ink, 2 of the tracks resemblin the late great Toxic Shock while the 'Dead Flowers' tune marches along w/the ack ack attack of The Urinals (whom I'm assumin this is in tribute to). Zola Jesus is a chanteuse from Indiana who I'm told is one of the leading architects behind some sub genre called Crimson Wave. Excuse me for tryin to wrap my brain around this, but what does that mean? The undertones is certainly ripe w/Freudian connotations, conjurin up both castration anxiety & penis envy. And I know West Lafayette is a college town (go Boilermakers!) so let's leave this one on the shelf for blabbermouths w/majors & electives to concur or refute. So.....Zola Jesus. As charmin as the tape hiss is on this lo fi gem, that voice don't lie; this gal's got some range! Like the aforementiond TV Ghost, Zola Jesus traverses across some gothic terrain, but there's also tinges of Vega/Rev action, Cab Volt twiddle & an almost ESP like understandin've Amy Camus alter ego. Whatever it is, it works. So call it Crimson Wave if you's must, just don't lame up in the process or I will PERSONALLY see to it that Zola Jesus cuts off your balls & feeds them to you for supper. The Woodbe reach can be ruthless, beware. www.myspace.com/diestasi www.myspace.com/leperprint
& www.myspace.com/zolajesus

And on the eastern seaboard, this label what's called Sacred Bones is sort've a Castor to De Stasi's Pollux ( or vice versa, I ain't tryin to play favorites) & is also burnin bright w/a roster've solitary crawlers. The one from Nice Face hustles along in warm currents that sounds like Chemicals Made From Dirt tacklin outtakes from Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy. Dead Luke's debut also soars through the darkness, carpetbombing the bogs w/sonorous voce, layers of grock & stinging guitars. Seein him live down to SXSW this yr was one of my highlights. His flare'n understanding of early 80's regional wave is pretty spot on & the label itself seems primed to showcase this sort've genre much the same way them Sub Pop cassette's (#5 & #7 was the ones I had) served as fulcrums to inform a few hundred of us as to the talents of Neo Boys, Sport Of Kings, Zyklon, Ray Milland & a few others. My trousers maybe ain't tight as they once was but that don't mean I forgot the moves. The lp's from Pink Noise & Factums is winners too. A round've beers would be the ticket were we in the same room, but as it stands, one made've applause will have to do. www.myspace.com/nicefacetheband
www.myspace.com/bornunderadick & http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/

Release #4 for 2008.....Fabulous Diamonds S/T LP

2008-06-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

The s/t debut lp from this brilliant Melbourne duo. A fantastic mix of organ, tapes, sax & percussion peppered w/ delays, effects & harmonious chant-like vocals. Imagine a hayride w/Suicide, Young Marble Giants & Augustus Pablo, the fragrant aroma of homemade apple wine ticking your nose, the smell of burnt corn husks stinging your eyes. Wait a minute, that's not corn husks they're smoking! Anyway, you get the picture. A tremendous effort & look for Fabulous Diamonds on tour-beginning this weekend-w/Psychedelic Horseshit & Times New Viking, starting out west & ending up back east. Catch term if you can.
Lp's are 15$ ppd. U.S. 25$ ppd elsewhere. Paypal to sltrx@pil.net

Go to www.myspace.com/fabulousdiamonds for all tour info.