An incestuous affair even for K Records, Chain and the Gang boast an indie all-star lineup with members of Old Time Relijun, Desolation Wilderness, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Finally Punk, the Curious Mystery, Hornet Leg, the Vibrarians, and K-Records' head honcho himself, Calvin Johnson. In all, 14 people back Nation of Ulysses/Make-Up vocalist Ian Svenonius, who effortlessly and haphazardly drizzles his words over the lo-fi collective's minimal slop. With an elitist hipster charisma, Svenonius sounds like a cross between Alan Vega and Jim Carroll (in other words, a curt but affable loud-spoken New Yorker type) as he lectures in loose rhymes over simple song structures. Guitar, drums, fuzz bass, organ, some sax, and percussion (including claps) push the girl group sha na nas and railroad work songs on Down with Liberty...Up with Chains! into art punk territory, that, in typical K fashion, was recorded in an always raw, basement recording style. A few songs miss the mark and sound like unrehearsed jams, but at the album's middle, things get soaring and peak with the highlights "What Is a Dollar?," "Interview with the Chain Gang," and Deathbed Confession" -- three thoughtful songs that poke jabs at "a society rotten with fascists," as Svenonius might say, while staying true to their lax, clownish roots.
Chain and the Gang - Down with Liberty... Up with Chains! (2009)
Jandek - Skirting The Edge (2009)
The latest full-length studio album from Corwood, "Skirting the Edge", can be seen to be one of the artist's darkest moments to date. This all acoustic album has four tracks and is an unrelenting and often-times bleak collection that seems to reflect on love, life, death, ill-health and material possessions.
This album is an excellent addition to the catalogue of releases from Corwood, and is one of the label's most challenging in terms of its themes. Those with a particular interest in the acoustic material Corwood has released in the past will relish this album, and the record comes highly recommended, alongside the other recent all-acoustic album, "Myth of Blue Icicles".
Nudge Squidfish - Marriage Vows 7" (1982)
A frequent and long time collaborator with Mike "Rep" Hummel & Tommy Jay. This single is just as weird (if not weirder) than the stuff those two produce. You might remember Nudge's awesome track "Jess" that appeared on the recently released Harrisburg Players compilation. Add this to your ever growing collection of music coming from Rep & His Gang.
Vertical Slit - Twisted Steel and the Tits of Angels (1996)
A compilation of select tracks from out of print singles and cassettes from Jim Shepard's first band. Probably not the best place to start (his solo albums or V-3 stuff would be better) but if you are fixin' to hear more from this lo-fi legend this should satisfy your appetite. You can hear bits of MC5er Fred "Sonic" Smith, Sonny Sharrock and Can's Michael Karoli in Shepard's alternately piercing and massaging use of feedback, while his lyrics coat everything in sight with overlapping bile and black humor.
13th Floor Elevators - Sign of The 3-Eyed Men 10-CD Box Set (2009)
Paul Drummond’s love affair with the 13th Floor Elevators continues to be a uniquely fruitful one. First, after years of painstaking research and sourcing interviews with the surviving members of the Elevators and their entourage, came Eye Mind, his hugely detailed biography of this most amazing yet strangely jinxed of bands from the genre-defining first wave of US psych.
Later, having been given unprecedented access to the International Artists masters, Drummond subsequently found himself trusted with the task of assembling what, from day one, was always intended to be the ultimate Elevators box set. With all tracks remastered and remixed by the band’s original engineer and producer Walt Andrus, the 10 CDs that make up Sign Of The 3 Eyed Men include both the original mono and alternative stereo mixes of the Elevators’ two most celebrated albums, Psychedelic Sounds and Easter Everywhere, plus a remastered version of their swansong Bull Of The Woods. Additionally, the box set also includes the first official release of Headstone: The Contact Sessions. Recorded hot on the heels of the Elevators’ legendary debut single, You’re Gonna Miss Me, in February 1966, Headstone was originally slated to be their debut album, predating Psychedelic Sounds by six months. Also seeing the light of day for the first time is a reconstruction of the “lost” third album, A Love That’s Sound (aka Beauty & The Beast). Needless to say, each of these titles come with an impressive array of outtakes, 45 versions, unreleased acetates, backing tracks, alternate mixes and demo and rehearsal recordings.
Completing the 10-CD set are three previously unreleased live collections, Live! In Texas, which features radio broadcasts, TV appearances and audience recordings from Austin, Dallas and Houston in 1966, Live! In California, Avalon Ballroom (from November 1966) and 13th Floor Elevators Live: Death In Texas, which includes the infamous 1967 Houston Music Theatre show and the 1973 reunion in Austin.
Despite their legendary status as trailblazers and the world’s first truly psychedelic band, the Elevators’ career has, until now, been defined by missed opportunities, record company ineptitude, Roky Erickson’s catastrophic mental breakdown and Stacey Sutherland’s desperate attempts to overcome his personal demons. The arrival of this eagerly-awaited box set finally the record straight on the Elevators’ legacy, sanctioned as it is by the surviving members of the band, with its title coming from the Elevators’ selfappointed mystic and electric jug-playing visionary Tommy Hall.
By way of visual accompaniment the set also includes a 72-page book illustrated with vintage concert posters and previously unpublished photos, plus a specially-produced selection of reproduction memorabilia. Thanks to its scope, Sign Of The 3 Eyed Men is the long-dreamed-of trip to the promised land for Elevators fans everywhere. With its release limited to 3,000 numbered copies worldwide and only available from www.internationalartistsrecords.com the message is clear: get your skates on or risk missing out on something very special!
Real Estate - Fake Blues 7" (2009)
With the current lo-fi scene getting more and more cluttered with bands who seem to channel their efforts into trying to sound like they don't give a shit its refreshing to hear a band like Real Estate come through. With their shimming surf guitars and reverb drenched production it's hard not to fire off all of the usual adjectives associated with clean summery pop music. There is definitely an overwhelmingly relaxed vibe to this music and it's not unlike some of the best stuff that the band Fuck made for Matador in the mid-to-late 90's. Highly reccomended stuff and I look forward to hearing the full length that is supposed to drop later this year.
The Ronettes - The Best of The Ronettes (1992)
For a couple of years, the Ronettes made music that was as moving and unforgettable as any made during the rock era. Their voices merged sensuality, longing, anguish, and sentimentality, with Ronnie Spector's angelic leads framed by Phil Spector's sweeping production, and the lyrics of Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Spector, and others. While such songs as "Walking in the Rain," "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You," and "(The Best Part of) Breaking Up" may seem hopelessly naive and possibly sexist in today's cynical world, they're still classic love poems. Ronnie Spector's voice retains its allure and appeal, and the 18 tracks on this CD will never become dated.
The Sonics - Boom (1966)
The Sonics' second album is every bit as explosive and influential as their debut outing, loaded with gritty Northwest rock & roll. Sandwiched in between the abrasive classics of "Cinderella" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (with the Wailers on backing vocals), the funk sass of "The Hustler" and "Shot Down," the demonic "He's Waitin'," and the sledgehammer, inside-out version of "Louie, Louie" (only three chords to play and they don't even play 'em) are the band's straight-ahead takes on old R&B chestnuts like "Skinny Minnie," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Don't You Just Know It," "Since I Fell for You," "Hitch Hike," and a nice barn-burning version of "Jenny Jenny." Where the Wailers cut down the trees and paved the highway, the Sonics were the first group from their neck of the woods to take that music somewhere wilder than their original inspirations. The second chapter of Northwest rock & roll after you absorb the Wailers' Golden Crest sides.
Sebadoh - Smash Your Head On The Punk Rock (1992)
Sebadoh made its Sub Pop debut with Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock, which collects the highlights of the import compilations Rockin' the Forest and Sebadoh vs. Helmet. Lou Barlow's contributions are the gems here, especially the transcendent "Brand New Love," which first appeared in acoustic form on Weed Forestin' (and was later punked up by Superchunk); almost as good are "Vampire" and "Good Things," while an apt and poignant cover of David Crosby's "Everybody's Been Burned" underscores the emotional frailty which binds all of Barlow's work.