84 Nash - Band for Hire (1999, Rockathon)

Let's see, 84 Nash called Columbus, OH their stomping ground, a city not far removed from Dayton.  In addition to that, two of the groups albums were co-opted by Rockathon Records, and their often obliquely titled songs usually tapped out by the two-minute mark.  It would be a shoo-in to assume that this trio was a prodigy of none other than Robert Pollard and Co.  Guided By Voices sphere of influence is not the least bit lost on 84 Nash, but the same goes for their more distant contemporaries, Superdrag and Eric's Trip.  Band for Hire was Nash's second album, following up 1997s The King of Yeah, also a Rockathon product, and the first non-GBV title for the label at that.  A roughhewn, basement-nurtured aesthetic is baked into this scrumptious cake, and the band stuns with a gale-force surge in the shape of Hire's opening salvo "The Giggle Party." Deeper into the record "To the Equator" and "Cinnamon Block" are equally as satisfying, packing not only a similar, visceral rush, but some considerable harmonies as well.   Here's some more background details on 84 Nash, ripped straight from their Myspace page:

They are 84 Nash, from Columbus, Ohio. Kevin Elliott, Andy Hampel, and J.P. Herrmann have been together since high school in various small towns around Southwest Miami County. Unknowingly their homemade four-track cassettes developed a following in nearby Dayton, winning the ear of other Dayton bands, such as Swearing at Motorists, Brainiac, and Guided By Voices - whose leader, Robert Pollard, made 84 Nash's first proper LP; The Kings of Yeah (1997). It was the first non-GBV release on Rockathon Records. These static-rock soundings were a snapshot of things to come, full of agitated, youthful energy jumping head-first out of the gates. They were let loose upon the world of pop music. Shortly thereafter 84 Nash moved east towards university and the fertile rock landscape of Columbus. Rockathon then released the stellar second record, Band for Hire (1999), to wild acclaim - among the core fanbase of maybe 50 kids in town. However a few things were different this time out. The bursts of frenetic noise became more fully realized songs. Anthems were soon crafted by our action pop superheroes, colored in all shades of melody and sharp hooks. The rock simply rocked more, while the pop became the signature that separated 84 Nash from the rest.

01. the giggle party

02. snacks of wealth

03. i speak in falcon

04. across from actorsville

05. no more phones

06. ice breakers

07. shot bully

08. mao tse tsung

09. invisible

10. i've got 'em all

11. room of steel

12. ur stripes

13. slower version of friends

14. to the equator

15. sandful of hand

16. cinnamon block

17. they cancelled your birthday

18. demon national

http://rapidshare.com/files/425145023/84nash_bandforhire.rar

The Giant Mums - 7" ep (1992, Quixotic)

There was no dearth of noisy, indie guitar-rawk talent sprouting up throughout the '90s and New York's Giant Mums were another fine case in point.  Making their live debut at the then intact CBGB's, and having a record (this one to be exact) engineered by the renown Wharton Tiers, you'd think those two pedigrees alone would've helped cultivate a thriving fan base, but making a go of it as a rock band in the Big Apple was as daunting for the Mums as any of their peers.  The "Eyedropper" ep would be followed up by another single, and eventually a full length in 1994 (which I truly need to get my hands on).  You can read more on the Mum's discography over at the lovingly preserved Quixotic Records webpage.  Mucho vinyl static permeates the four songs I'm presenting here, and I'm afraid there's precious little I can do about it, but that hardly impedes the crackling energy exuding from the Mum's who often recall the tuneful, lo-fi sprawl of SST-era Dino Jr and some of Swervedriver's woozier ventures, like Raise.  Their Myspace bio, linked above, mentions some demo tapes that were floating around circa this record, but one has to assume they've long been missing in action.

01. Eyedropper
02. Noonday Slum
03. I Wove Myself In
04. Railroad Flat

http://rapidshare.com/files/424922485/giantmums.rar

Lifeboat - s/t ep (1985, Dolphin)

Lifeboat were a Boston based four-piece who inflected their relatively unique strain of power pop with a healthy dollop of jangly guitar leads and measured post-punk maneuvers.  They were labelmates with Tommy Keene, who released some of his early wax on the Dolphin imprint as well.  The leadoff "Bully Up" is a good example of this sonic amalgam, which is informed by Gang of Four and Mission of Burma just as much as Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello.  Moderate employment of synths lend an edgy, and sometimes chilly ambiance to Lifeboat without thrusting things into an impenetrable deep-freeze.  Good record, though it was evidently their last. 

01. Bully Up
02. Family Town
03. Queen For a Day
04. Ruling Class Kids
05. Twelve Hour Drive
06. Let's Get Excited

http://rapidshare.com/files/424505549/lifeboat.rar

Donnie Iris and the Cruisers - The High and the Mighty (1982, MCA)

Heeeeeeeeeres Donnie!  The back of the album jacket credits The High and the Mighty to Donnie and The Cruisers, which leads me to speculate if he assembled a new backing band for this record, his third in fact following up Back on Streets (1980) and King Cool (1981).  The High and the Mighty retains the power pop acumen of those first two platters, but for better or worse eschews some of the sassiness in favor of blatant arena rock aspirations.  Side one is actually quite fun, not to mention effortlessly catchy, including a spirited rendition of the Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over." Elsewhere, the title track and "You're Gonna Miss Me" are overtly bombastic, with call-out choruses and whatnot.  These particular selections, while still listenable, boast an unmistakable and increasingly thick layer of studio veneer, with pedestrian lyrical content that finds our man preaching to the nosebleeds.  Like Iris' '83 follow-up, Fortune 410, The High and the Mighty failed to make it into the digital era...until now I suppose.  Up for some live Donnie and the Cruisers?  Head over to ALOCACOC blog for your fix.

01. Tough World

02. I Wanna Tell Her

03. Glad All Over

04. Parallel Time

05. The High and the Mighty

06. This Time it Must Be Love

07. Love is Magic

08. You're Gonna Miss Me

http://rapidshare.com/files/424297532/donnieiris_high.rar

Tall Tales and True - Shiver (1989, rooArt)

This was a nice thrift store find, even though I had minimal firsthand knowledge of this Aussie trio.  The rooArt logo on the CD tray was enough of a trademark of quality for me to make the purchase.  Tall Tales & True were not exactly analogous to any of their comparatively "cutting edge" home country brethren, but instead pursued roots rock to their hearts content, at least on this tight and potent debut album.  Shiver is seeped in American Midwest aesthetics, without any heavy-handed Americana hokeyness to drag the affair down, and suggests this Sydney bunch's awareness of the Del Fuegos and perhaps even Guadalcanal Diary.  For those of you in the audience acquainted with Dreams So Real, Tales mouthpiece Matthew de la Hunty often bears a resemblance to DSR's Barry Marler, and furthermore the first half of Shiver gives that band's Gloryline album a run for it's money.

Per Ian McFarlane's indispensable Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop, TT&T released a number of eps and singles prior to this album.  If anyone has a line on these, especially their self-titled mini-album on Survival Records, I'm all ears.

01. Trust
02. Tinytown
03. The Bridge
04. Song for When I'm Gone
05. Hold On
06. Heart
07. Stranger on the Stair
08. Think of Yourself
09. Passing Out the Chains
10. April

http://rapidshare.com/files/423745350/tt_t_shiver.rar

Outskirts - Heaven's on the Move ep (1985, Glass)

The Outskirts were a Thatcher-era UK quartet who had moderate success with a 1981 single called "Blue Line," which was later faithfully adapted by Let's Active for their rather seminal Cypress album.  At the time of that single (which you can have for the taking over at Consolation Prizes blog) the Outskirts consisted of one guy and three of the fairer sex, including frontwoman Maggie Beck.  Fast forward four years to this ep and the gender quotient of the lineup was even.  The opening "Standing Together" is pristine guitar pop of the highest order, and few songs by artists past or present can exceed it.  Heaven's on the Move coasts downhill from that bristling high water mark, but it isn't so much a matter of inferior material as the Outskirts insistence of employing an often piercing brass and saxophone section, which does little to embellish an otherwise satisfactory template of guitars and drums.  I believe the Outskirts parting shot was yet another ep called Down, which featured a cover of the Standells classic "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White."  

01. Standing Together
02. No Hiding Place
03. Burning
04. Remember Me
05. What Went Wrong
06. Too Bad

http://rapidshare.com/files/423549967/outskirts.rar

Smith Westerns - s/t (2010, Fat Possum) - A brief evaluation

We're all painfully aware that "there's nothing new under the sun."  Food is a prime example of this adage, though while the list of ingredients our bodies have the opportunity to imbibe is somewhat finite, you can still have a hell of a lot of fun with a mixing bowl and a whisk. Same goes for rock and roll.  So long as the right cooks are stirring the pot, the results can be tasty, albeit not necessarily original, which leads me into introducing Chicago's Smith Westerns.  Adopting a brand of fidelity that consistently fluctuates between "lo" and "mid," this Windy City four-piece choose to pitch their tent on a bedrock of gauzy, garage punk rambunctiousness, with a sonic aptitude that's squarely in league with such contemporaries as Japandroids and Wavves.  That being established, their curriculum thankfully dates back further than the last eighteen months, with heavy doses of Bowie, Swell Maps, and T-Rex likely giving their turntable a vigorous workout. 

On their debut, the Westerns play a strikingly similar card to Portland, OR's sadly departed Exploding Hearts, a top-notch punk-pop outfit who were as unremittingly raw and distortion endowed as these newcomers.  And like the Exploding Hearts, S/W has a penchant for precious sentiments, but they buttress such lyrical concerns with the kind of sleazy swagger evidenced on "Girl in Love." Elsewhere, "We Stay Out" suffers and/or benefits from some vividly murky and warbled effects, but this crew are at their most endearing when they stick to retro-fitted power pop, filtered through a buoyant psyche prism as on "Dreams" and "Be My Girl."  Vocal "treatments" go a long way in defining their shtick as well, but I have to wonder what I'd make of the Westerns if they nixed that rather nagging facet altogether.  Smith Westerns exudes it's fair share of formative foibles, but then again it is a debut - one that hovers slightly above average.  You can be the judge by heading over to Fat Possum Records, or your digital retailer of choice, not to mention taste-testing a sample.

Singles Going Single #145 - Superchunk "Precision Auto Parts 2 & 3" + 1 (1994, Merge)

It almost went against my better judgement to share this single, not so much out of concern about getting slapped on the wrist by the RIAA (technically, the A-side is available as a hidden track on Superchunk's Incidental Music compilation), rather the surface noise on the vinyl is pretty atrocious. Heinous even.  Nonetheless, it's long out of print and the b-side ("Version 3") has yet to be documented elsewhere.  This was Merge Records 50th release, and being the round number and outright accomplishment that it was, it was only fitting to have two wonky remixes of a signature piece from the label's flagship band grace this record.  Both versions feature a portion of the song virtually untouched from the album incarnation, interspersed with markedly out-of-sync ambient treatments, for lack of a better description.  The first half of "Version 3" relies heavily on Mac's vocal track, sans the accompaniment of his bandmates, lending a lofty and surreal vibe to the remix.  Nothing terribly revelatory I suppose, but if you can cope with the excessive static and pops both remixes are if anything an interesting companion to the classic that you know and love. "Precision Auto" was and always will be a deliriously urgent and cathartic call to arms for anyone temporarily blighted with a case of justifiable road rage. 

I don't have to tell many of you that Superchunk are back in action, touring somewhat sporadically for their first album in nine years, Majesty Shredding.  As a bonus, I'm also including an MP3 of a recent interpretation of "Precision Auto"

by a group that shall remain unnamed here (and it's not Les Savy Fav)

A. Version 2

B. Version 3

http://rapidshare.com/files/423168206/schunk_precauto.rar

Bivouac - ABC ep (1992, Elemental)

Thanks go out to Duncan who sent me the files for this long forgotten ep.  So forgotten in fact that I hadn't given this British trio a second thought since their 1995 Full Size Boy album landed stateside on Geffen Records...and sadly sank without a trace.  The ABC ep was Bivouac's maiden voyage, but didn't see issue in North America until it's contents were included on the Derby & Joan mini-album released a year or so later on Engine Records.

Bivouac's crankin', guitar-rawk crunchiness nipped at the heels of a pair of notable New England acts of the era, Dinosaur Jr. and Buffalo Tom, but weren't outright derivative.  Had more ears been acquainted with them, these Derby, UK boys would have likely been bullied into the grunge ghetto by mainstream listeners, but not without a fight.  Unfortunately, Bivouac didn't receive enough visibility to enjoy the luxury of being typecast.  Recommended not only if you appreciate their aforementioned US contemporaries, but such like-minded acts from down under as Pollyanna and Screamfeeder.

01. ABC
02. Fishes
03. Stick Stuck
04. Me, Ted & Charles

http://rapidshare.com/files/422965883/bivouac.rar

The Fans - Mystery Date (198?, Stepp'n Up)

‘80s skinny-tie synth-rock from Buffalo, NY equipped with a singer (Bill Schuh) that occasionally recalls Cy Curnin of the Fixx, though The Fans don’t come close to approximating that bands often insipid cheesiness (granted, I enjoyed “Red Skies” back in the day just as much as anyone).  The Cars, and to a lesser extent the Talking Heads were more the Fans style.  Mystery Date wasn’t quite the hookfest I was hoping for, though it’s stronger moments like “Coming to an End” and “Exquisite Pain” are comparatively speaking quite grand.  Please note, this isn’t the same Fans I presented a single by a couple years ago.  Also, I am unable to find anything resembling a copyright or release date for this disk, but five bucks says this is no more recent than 1984.

01. Body Parts
02. Mind Over Matter
03. Break My Heart
04. Exquisite Pain
05. Boys and Girls
06. Coming to an End
07. Meet Clark Kent
08. Love Me Like a Stranger
09. Mystery Date
10. You Can't Bring Me Down

http://rapidshare.com/files/422796429/fans_mysterydate.rar

Carl Rusk - Blue Period (2000, Beathaven)

Originating in the mid-80s, a celebrated but little known California trio dubbed The Nashville Ramblers turned more than a few heads with their only publicly issued song, "The Trains" (though let it be known, the band never officially broke up, and have performed live as recently as last year).  That beautiful, revivalist slice of Meresybeat pop initially came out on an obscure British compilation in 1986 that just a scant few were familiar with, however it received greater availability once it resurfaced on Bomp Records 1996 The Roots of Powerpop compilation, as well as the Children of Nuggets box set courtesy of the anthologizers at Rhino Records in 2005. 

At the turn of the millennium lead Rambler Carl Rusk issued the winsome, albeit brief solo disk that I'm sharing today.  The ten songs (including a couple of minute long interludes) comprising Blue Period are as one might guess a sizeable progression from the Ramblers jangly jewel, the aforementioned "Trains," though "Grains of Sand" revists that Mersey terrain with retro-fitted inflections of steel guitar.  Elsewhere, "Raspberry Way" wafts it's way into the orbit of the Wondermints, and the stark and spare acoustic ballad "Dance With Me" haunts in much the same manner as the Posies Dear 23 and Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers' more contemplative moments.  Rusk's readings of ELO's AM radio staple "Can't Get It Out of My Head," and Nick Drake's "Fly" dovetail well with his original material.  Just wish there was more where this came from, and I'm sure you Ramblers aficionados would concur with me on that.

01. Can't Get It Out of My Head
02. Raspberry Way
03. Fly
04. Orch.
05. Grains of Sand
06. You Breathe and Dream
07. Everyone
08. Time
09. Caroline
10. Dance With Me

http://rapidshare.com/files/422411316/carlrusk.rar

Paul Collins Beat, 20/20, Sinceros & more - Live! at The Palladium, NYC 12/17/79

Okay, so I've been throwing a lot of no-names at you lately, some of which I've had mixed opinions about myself.  I figure it's high time to dip into the archives and present to you a bona fide classic.  I don't have any formal info to share regarding this concert, aside from the banter provided by the WNEW djs who hosted (and at some point broadcasted) this event featuring four red-hot up-and-comers on the CBS Records roster: The Beat, The Sinceros, 20/20, and the little spoken of Bruce Wooley & the Camera Club.  I don't believe any of these performances are presented in their entirety, save for perhaps the Sinceros, who were in the midst of a US tour, visiting from the other side of the pond.

If re-enacted by the original participants today, this gig would have been just as much of a treat as it certainly was some 30 years ago.  Needless to say this is a thoroughly astonishing lineup capturing all four combos in their prime, although in power-pop circles only 20/20 and Paul Collins & Co are the ones that are consistently revered to this day.  We're treated to the best of the best from The Beats' seminal debut album, and although 20/20's set is pared down to a mere three songs, they pick the ones that truly matter, including the genre-defining, "Yellow Pills." As some of you may know, Bruce Wooley was responsible for penning "Video Killed the Radio Star," not the Buggles, who of course had significantly better success with it.  Finally, this concert serves as solid introduction to the Sinceros, who's The Sound of Sunbathing album has been recently reissued.

There are numerous announcements here proclaiming that the 1980s were just two weeks in the offing (true that).  The crowd at the Palladium that evening could only guess what the ensuing decade had in store for them, but I'm sure this show in itself was nothing short of a revelation.  It was a concert fit for the gods...and the gods all came. 

The Beat
01. Rock n Roll Girl
02. I Don't Fit In
03. Walking Out on Love
04. Working Too Hard
05. Across the USA
06. Work-a-Day-World
07. Don't Wait Up For Me
08. Look But Don't Touch

The Sinceros
09. Something Happening Now
10. I Still Miss You
11. Wow Oh Oh
12. Count the Beating Hearts
13. Disappearing
14. Not ANother Little White Light
15. Good Luck
16. Take Me to Your Leader
17. Walls Apart

20/20
18. Yellow Pills
19. Remember the Lightning
20. Tell Me Why

Bruce Wooley & the Camera Club
21. I'm the Clown
22. You Got the Class
23. Video Killed the Radio Star
24. Clean Clean

http://rapidshare.com/files/421807834/va_powerpopspecial.rar

Twice Shy - All the Right Noises (1987, Mad Rover)

Seemingly informed by U2's The Edge (check out the spidery fretwork that infiltrates "Haven't Seen You), as well as certain residents of Athens, GA, the first half of All the Right Noises makes a decent case for recommending Twice Shy, but elsewhere things get a little passive.  Mouthpiece Dana Moran possesses a croon not unlike Cactus World News’ Eoin McEvoy, and even feigns a bit of a Brit accent while he’s at.  Some faint noir inclinations crop up here and there, but these fellows are kind enough to spare us of any gothic morass.  Noises... is recommendable, even if Twice Shy's moniker is often all too suitable.

01. All the Right Noises

02. Haven't Seen You

03. Happy Hour

04. Girl Next Door

05. Apart of Me

06. Nightmare Town

07. The Flame

08. Jealousy

09. Your Children

10. Off White

http://rapidshare.com/files/421555072/twiceshy.rar

Miles Dethmuffen - Clutter (1994, Rainbow Quartz)

Clutter is the second, and from what I can discern, final album from the Massachusetts quartet known to the world at large as Miles Dethmuffen.  I Shared their Nine-Volt Grape platter last year, which I was fairly enthused about, and though Clutter pales by comparison it's still worth a spin if such likeminded co-ed outfits as Christmas (the band) and Atlantic Records-era Eleventh Dream Day got your juke joint rockin'.  The prose is wordy, and the arrangements mightily robust, just not terribly remarkable...though they were definitely onto something with "Hope I Don't Spend All My Money on Liquor."  Here's what Trouser Press had to opine on Clutter.

The band's long-time-coming sophomore LP, Clutter, however is somewhat of a misstep. While not bad by any stretch, Clutter has a darker demeanor; the once-sprightly sound suffers from John C. Wood's monochromatic rock production. Still, the album features some of the shiniest jewels in the Dethmuffen crown: Linda's anthemic "Loveman, We Love You" and the perky-but-sad "Sleeping Bag" (both dating from '92 Kolderie sessions), as well as Ad's plaintive "Hope I Don't Spend All My Money on Liquor."

01. Nothing Weak

02. Sleeping Bag

03. Hurt On

04. Hope I Don't Spend All My Money on Liquor

05. Popdowns

06. Loveman, We Love You

07. Flat-Chested Girl

08. Mermaid Drowning on Dry Land

09. Weathervane

10. Clutter

http://rapidshare.com/files/421311999/milesdeth_clutter.rar

Singles Going Single #145 - Kodiak "Emotional Rail" 7" (1998, One Louder)

Apparently there are/were a couple of bands named Kodiak making the musical rounds, but I'm pretty confident this Kodiak is extinct.  In addition to this 1998 single, I know a self-titled album was released the same year, on the UK-based One Louder label, and I'm assuming that's the locale this quartet hailed from as well.  Splitting the difference between tense post-hardcore punk and a tuneful indie-rock, I wouldn't be shocked if Kodiak were enlightened by such across-the-pond wonders as Jawbox, and perhaps gazed due northwest to Sweden's Fireside and Norway's Beezewax.  "Emotional Rail" is the keeper, with it's two b-sides exhibiting some gnashing, hair-trigger stops and starts, with plenty of hard-boiled abrasiveness to go around.

A. Emotional Rail
B1. Little Star
B2. Burning Bridges

http://rapidshare.com/files/421085876/kodiak7.rar

Singles Going Single #144 - Space Needle "Panic Delaney" 7" (1996, Zero Hour)

This nearly fifteen-year old 45 may not be Space Needle's crowning achievement (I'd actually recommend starting with the Voyager and/or The Moray Eels Eat the Space Needle albums), but the cacophonous, sonic sprawl that is "Panic Delaney" is indicative of their noisier, 4-track inclinations.  Distorto-rawk to the hilt.  The flip, "Outta My Face" starts out with a benign acappella portion, but soon reveals itself as an unraveling, improvised ballad, that wouldn't sound out of place on a Guided By Voices outtakes record. 

Space Needle (who actually hailed from New York, not Seattle, home of the actual Space Needle tower) would be a launching pad for a couple of relatively "traditional" indie rock outfits, Reservoir and Varnaline.  For more Space Needle details that I simply don't have time to delve into, read their robust bio over on Myspace.  My Life as a Mixtape blog did a piece on this single as well, but the links are down. This rip is from my own copy.

A. Panic Delaney
B. Outta My Face

http://rapidshare.com/files/420892094/spaceneedle7.rar

Pot Valiant - Transaudio (1994, Iteration)

And to think I made multiple attempts to trade this one in a few years back.  Good thing it was rejected from all those stores, because it gave me the opportunity to revisit and appreciate it.  There hasn't been much uttered on Albany, CA's long defunct Pot Valiant if only for the fact that by the time Transaudio saw the light of day, the web had yet to fully blossom.  Replete with ringing, and dare I say even spooky guitar chords, and a whip-smart sense of dynamics, the quartet were clearly groomed on the likes of Seam and Flower (later Versus, but you already knew that).  In fact the lead off cut, "Nugget Killer" subtly recalls Flower's "Torch Song."  In a nutshell, PV deliver a superb fusion of dense, downcast post-punk with poignant melodicism.  Though I can't emphasize the pervasiveness of Seam on these guys, by the mid-album "This Heaven Has Bars," Pot Valiant noodle around with mathy textures a la Slint, which eases in nicely to the more docile second half of Transaudio.  I'm pretty certain that somewhere I've stockpiled a pair of Pot Valiant singles, which I may get to later, but in the meantime you can bone up about one of them here.  BTW, as the brief bio on their Myspace page (linked above) notes, that the group was initially called The Vagrants, and released a single on the iconic (and insolvent) Lookout Records.

01. nugget killer
02. tapir
03. oar
04. low dexterity points
05. this heaven has bars
06. sick
07. going
08. last sun
09. untutled (unfinished)

http://rapidshare.com/files/420460372/potvaliant_transaudio.rar

The Few - s/t ep (1986, Criminal)

I got suckered into this one by the simple but effective record jacket (albeit marred by the radio station call letters) - that, plus the fact that it was a mere $3 investment.  Got just about my moneys worth.  The Few, presumably based in New York as this is where the label was based and the ep recorded, were a fairly non-descript pop quartet with wave/power pop tendencies, and vocals that recall Neil Finn.  I could do without the horns (courtesy of the Urban Blight Horns) on "Where's the Fire," but "Grownup" and "Romance" have their charms.
01. Grownup
02. Romance
03. Where's the Fire
04. Mrs. Charles

http://rapidshare.com/files/420254636/thefew.rar

Various - The Iowa Compilation (1987, South East)

This unassuming compilation with exceedingly ill-advised cover art from America's heartland belies a strikingly consistent assemblage of bands the other 49 states were completely ignorant of.  Thus far, there have been previous entries for three of The Iowa Compilation's participants on this blog - Full Fathom Five, the Dangtrippers, and the Hollowmen, all of whom subscribed to roughhewn, left-of-the-dial guitar rock.  Claude Pate up the ante even more with the riff-roaring "My Turn," while the grungey and relatively renown House of Large Sizes would have made a superb fit for Sub Pop's late '80s roster, at least based on what I hear on "One and Half On a Hill."  Moveable Feast and The Shy Strangers are almost as much as the aforementioned.  This compilation and it's successor, It's Another Iowa Compilation - Uncharted Territories, were also made available on Nothin' Sez Somethin' blog, but this is from my own static and pop-ridden rip that you can download in one fell swoop.  Sorry in advance for all the pesky surface noise.

01. Drednex - Sally Anne

02. The Hollowmen - Never Ending Ceiling
03. Full Fathom Five - Why Their Faces Are So Worn
04. Dangtrippers - Sidewalking
05. Claude Pate - My Turn
06. House of Large Sizes - One and a Half on a Hill
07. Cursing Birds - Popey Sally
08. Shellgame - The Dam Has Broken
09. David Brooks - Music Boy
10. The Shy Strangers - Heat Ray
11. Moveable Feast - Teddy Through the Grass
12. The Eclectics - When I Was Young
13. Four Million - War and Peace
 
http://rapidshare.com/files/420248096/va_iowacomp.rar

Male Bonding - Ruff demos & Bratwell Sessions (2009)

A raw, riveting and raucous surprise came steam barreling full-din-ahead out of London, England this year in the form of Male Bonding, who's full-length debut, Nothing Hurts was issued on Sub Pop this past May.  Fitting squarely in the same rapid-fire, distorto-punk camp as Wavves and Japandroids, MB's inspiration delves back significantly further, specifically to Bug-era Dino Jr. and the feedback-addled sprawl of early Sonic Youth. Before I address the music that concerns this entry, here's a quick assessment of Nothing Hurts that I recently penned:

Any group that liberally picks from the low-hanging fruit of SST Records halcyon, 1980s harvest (namely Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.) is a champ in my book.  London’s distortion-prone Male Bonding hem together noisy jams with pummeling delivery, and some surprisingly thoughtful melodies.  The band doggedly subscribes to lo/mid-fi aesthetics, with echoey vocals and profoundly booming acoustics, not far removed from the their contemporaries Wavves, who are also charting an upward trajectory. Thought it offers some calmer respites amidst the clamor, Nothing Hurts is sheer noisenik manna for the ages. For you Vivian Girls fans in the audience, they contribute background vox to the album closer “Worse to Come.”

I know little of the band's discography pre-Nothing Hurts, but I did find some demos and rehearsal sessions that I assume were cut last year, if not 2008. Both feature a smattering of alternate, work-in-noisegress cuts that would be curtailed slightly for the album, and some unreleased material too. Bitrates vary, but the Bratwell Sessions sound exponentially better than the Ruff demos. Make of these what you will. 


Ruff Demos
01. Hatred
02. Pumpkin
03. Years Not Long
04. Staring at My Problems
05. Some Power Issues
06. Lick Him With Fists
07. Pirate Key
08. Fail
09. Dino
10. Paradise Vendors (rehearsal)


Bratwell Shed Sessions
01. Pumpkin
02. Years Not Long
03. One Door Closes Another Door Closes
04. T.U.F.F.
05. Full Bonding
06. Lick Him With Fists
07. Advert


Ruff Demos: http://rapidshare.com/files/419709002/malebonding_ruffdemos.rar
Bratwell Shed Sessions: http://rapidshare.com/files/419709573/malebonding_bratwellshed.rar

Pollyanna - Didn't Feel a Thing (2000, Longshot/Shock)

I believe this is the only other Pollyanna album I have yet to share, and I'm rectifying that right now.  How a band of this caliber and consistency slipped through the cracks in their homeland, let alone who never enjoyed having any of their releases see the light of day in North America is yet another unsolved mystery.  Yep, these Aussie indie kids who sport a melancholy streak on their final outing, Didn't Feel a Thing, could teach today's young crop of hopefuls a thing or two about the art of real songcraft.  There's an air of maturity, not to mention sobriety, coursing through Didn't Feel... and as such it sometimes lacks the visceral power chord wallop of previous albums like Hello Halo, but is still entirely recommendable if you liked the other Pollyanna albums I've shared, or for that matter Buffalo Tom's Red Letter Day.

01. Anchored
02. Particular People
03. Elevators
04. Particular People (reprise)
05. Beestung
06. Rebound Girl
07. Left Centered
08. Grey Street Rollercoaster
09. Fisticuffs
10. Scenester
11. Firesale

http://rapidshare.com/files/419308592/pollyanna_dfat.rar

Kilkenny Cats - Hands Down (1986, Coyote)

I must not have cared for the Kilkenny Cat's twangy performance in Athens, GA Inside/Out when I saw it on VHS nearly twenty years ago, but after long resisting the band, a reasonably priced copy of this album came into my hands.  Unlike Dreams So Real, another second-rung Athens band, who also released an album on Coyote Records in '86, the Cats didn't have the advantage of hiring Peter Buck as producer.  While some crisply ringing Rickenbacker frequently permeates Hands Down, mouthpiece Tom Check has a tendency to sing in a weak characterization of Michael Stipe, though I'm assuming it's not out of jest.  Plenty of gritty goodness abounds in the guise of "Thinking Fire," "Far Reaching Sign," and the throbbing title track, but this platter has some clunkers too (e.g. "Country Junk" more than lives up to it's title).  I suspect the Cats were still cutting their teeth on Hands Down, but according to Trouser Press they would only release another ep before disbanding.   

01. Night Fall
02. Shakin' in the '60s
03. Morning Song
04. Edith Setwell
05. Thinking Fire
06. Carousel
07. Hands Down
08. Country Junk
09. Far Reaching Sign
10. Tatterman
11. Sister Sin

http://rapidshare.com/files/419103123/kilkennycats.rar

Singles Going Single #143 - Venus Beads 7" (1990, Decoy)

By popular demand I present to you the Venus Beads debut single.  My share of their Black Aspirin and Incision disks touched off multiple requests.  I was reluctant to share it at first, as the audio quality was a bit sub-par.  It was pointed out that I may have mistaken my assumed "worn out" copy of the single for an insufficient recording job on the band's end.  Still can't say for sure, as the side with "Heartless" on it looks a bit scuffed, and there's snaps and crackle aplenty.  If I come across a superior copy I'll be happy to make an upgrade.  If you've enjoyed what I've posted by them thus far I wouldn't let that scare you off.  "Day of Nightmares" is particularly good, recalling early Mega City Four.  They don't make 'em like these anymore...

A1. Day of Nightmares
A2. Heartless

http://rapidshare.com/files/418723753/venusbeads7.rar

seade - (perf) (1996, Grass)

Now this is what I like to call head music for the rest of us.  Baltimore's seade (pronounced "shade") were yet another fantastic Grass Records signee that didn't have a prayer in gaining national prominence.  Too lengthy to be deemed an ep, but just shy of full length status, (perf) commences with "Soulful" a billowy, amped-out piece that finds the band wandering around the sonically expansive troposphere that their often grandiose contemporaries Hum and Failure were wont to inhabit.  seade soon drift back to earth and treat us to a perfect album sides worth of dense, enthralling guitar rock, reminiscent of Swerevedriver, Iowa's underappreciated Head Candy, and to a lesser degree the Doughboys cicra Crush.  Some disparate influences at play here, but trust me, it works brilliantly.  So far as I can tell the only other recorded matter that exists by this long defunct quartet is a 7" for "Kool-Aid Mustache" and some comp tracks, one which you can stream here along with (perf) itself, or you can download the album via the link conveniently provided below.  

seade frontman Jack Osiecki died of a sudden asthma attack in 2001 at the tender age of 29.   

01. Soulful
02. Watered Eyes
03. Resurrection Mary
04. Going Away Present
05. Hospital Window
06. Kool-Aid Mustache
07. Big Blues

http://rapidshare.com/files/418537582/seade_perf.rar

Singles Going Single #142 - Kid Champion 7" (1994, Mint)

Have had this one in my collection for ages, so I'm surprised I haven't posted it sooner.  Anyway, Kid Champion's three-song 7" appears to have been their only commercial release and has the distinction of being one of the earliest endeavors for Vancouver's now fairly renown Mint Records label. 

A Vancouver, co-ed four piece with a female mouthpiece, Kid Champion kept it humble and quintessentially indie, not unlike one of my other favorites from the same era, Belreve.  The downcast lead-off track "Jacklyn and Chantel" boasts a mild dream-pop inflection with sweet, chiming guitars.  "Gigil" is a busy instrumental, and the b-side "Adam's Newts" is all hazy, clangy, and gloriously oblique.  Viva '90s, mid-fidelity indie-pop!

A1. Jaclyn and Chantel
A2. Gigil
B. Adam's Newts

http://rapidshare.com/files/418169831/kidchampion.rar