The Wild Giraffes - Right Now (1981, Neck)

Funny how such a great record from such a crucial era can go virtually unheralded for all these years.  Even in powerpop/KBD corners Mentor, OH's Wild Giraffes have flown under the radar all this time, as has this record.  Granted, Right Now saw the light of day on the local indie imprint Neck Records (possibly the band's in-house label), but nonetheless, far scarcer records have enjoyed more visible reputations, albeit posthumously I should add.  Hovering somewhere between a more advanced Flamin' Groovies and Cheap Trick, Wild Giraffe's rootsy undercurrents rubbed elbows with faint, post-punk chord wrangling a la Roger Miller of Mission of Burma.  If the Figgs had started their career, say a decade early, they would probably have approximated a solid cross section of this album's content, which by the way hosts no less than three classic covers: "Good Times" (Easybeats), "Burning Love" (popularized by Elvis), and "Move It On Over" (Del Shannon).  isksp blog is hosting a Wild Giraffes single from 1978, "Ensemble and Majorettes," which is just as stimulating as Right Now, and worth significantly more money from what I understand.

01. Right Now
02. Good Times
03. In and Out
04. The Real Things
05. I Got You
06. Burning Love
07. I Can't Make It
08. She Do Rock
09. Weather Girl
10. I Don't Know About You
11. We'll Never Know
12. Move it on Over

https://rapidshare.com/files/3398308054/wildgiraffes_rightnow.rar

Polo - s/t ep (1986, D&C;)

Might as well get my annual token "new romantic" post out of the way for 2012.  Truth be told, I don't know the first thing about Polo (the band or the game).  I purchased this record in a bundle on Ebay sometime ago.  Really liked the sleeve, but anyway.  In case anyone is wondering what type of music I cut my teeth on back in the early '80s, this record is fairly representative.  Polo were an androgynous as all-get-out bunch of guys with hair teased to the heavens, and would've slotted in just fine with Duran, ABC, Living in a Box, and lesser knows like Tictoc.  Thoroughly competent if anything else.  Oddly enough, "We Can Work It Out" isn't the Beatles tune.  Go figure.  A fanclub address on the back sleeve indicates that they were products of Claremont, CA, or thereabouts.  Enjoy, and comment as you see fit.

01. Living in a Promised Land
02. After the Love (single mix)
03. We Can Work it Out
04. After the Love (dance mix)

https://rapidshare.com/files/3568576951/polo.rar

Cinderblock - Greatest Hits (1992, Restless)

Thought this would be an appropriate follow-up to my Lustre entry from yesterday, not that the two groups share any sort of relation, but who sonically speaking are cut from almost identical sackcloth.  There's no readily available info to be had regarding Cinderblock, a three-piece San Francisco treat whose Greatest Hits album is almost certainly titled in jest, given there doesn't appear to be any releases preceding (and in fact, following) it.  Nothing particularly fancy, in fact a bit anti-climactic as far as rugged, power-chord fortified rock goes.  Despite some spicy axe squalls from leadman Jason Apodaca, Cinderblock strike me as a wee bit sedated on the John Strohm produced Hits, leaving me to wonder what demo or rehearsal takes of the relatively stimulating "Leaves" and "Bed and Shower" would have done for this pair or ears.   The material here occasionally brings to mind the Pedaljets, albeit with more of an AOR tilt.  Furthermore, I have big reservations for the two concluding clunkers, "This is Me" and "Everything," but don't be sad, eight out of ten ain't bad.

01. Ins and Outs
02. Leaves
03. Fall Into Place
04. Never
05. Bed and Shower
06. Crush
07. Everything On You
08. Lie
09. This is Me
10. Everything

https://rapidshare.com/files/3773925549/cinderblock.rar

Singles Going Single #195 - Lustre 7" (1995, Cargo/Headhunter)

Ahh.  I love the smell of post-grunge in the morning.  "Alternative" by virtue of the Seattle tsunami of  '91, Lustre delivered hulking, Collective Soul-sized riffs, within the confines of a demonstrably more credible package, a la Sugar or Head Candy, if that means anything to you.  Lustre emerged from Chapel Hill, NC of all places, which you'd never guess in a bazillion years from any of their recorded output.  A commendable full length followed in 1996, that frankly went nowhere, but the LP track "Nice Overalls" made an appearance on the reasonably successful Empire Records soundtrack.  These guys were sticklers when it came to melody, and good on 'em for that I might add.  Assuming their album hasn't been given away elsewhere I can share it if anyone's interested.  Both of these songs aren't on it, so chomp away on this lil' stogie and enjoy. 

A. The Perfect Cigar
B. Sexy Yard Raker

https://rapidshare.com/files/3285357272/lustre7.rar

Singles Going Single #194 - Polara - Monongahela 7" (1995, Generator)

I never really paid attention to Polara during the nineties, despite working at college radio and seeing so many of their CDs in used bins (I don't mean that as a dig).  In fact, it wasn't until a couple years ago that I put two and two together when I learned that Polara head honcho Ed Ackerson had previously fronted Minneapolis's 27 Various, a combo I've featured twice on these pages in about as many years. 

I've only experienced one Polara full length in it's entirety, and that would be their self titled debut which dropped the same year that this dandy 45 did.  My impression is that Polara was a far more idiosyncratic animal than the comparatively straightforward psyche-addled guitar rock of 27 Various, and I suppose that notion would be in keeping with this single, featuring three songs with each mining it's own disparate terrain.  Maybe I should break it down track by track.  Yeah. 

A1. "Scorched Youth Policy" -  An august, two-minute burst of dream-pop, cum Wire's '80s electro fixation (heck, Ackerson recalls Colin Newman big time on this one)!  Sounds like a little phaser was tossed into the blender as well, with the overall effect being none-too-dissimilar from what overseas contemporaries Rollerskate Skinny were churning out.  Beats anything on the Polara album.

A2. "Puffy (Buzzcrusher '95)" - Strummy, acoustic, and a little navel gazey as well.  Appealing, but hardly a game changer

B. "Attrition" - A bittersweet slice of indie guitar rock that agilely splits the difference between Pavement and Teenage Fanclub, buttressed by a devastating hook. 

https://rapidshare.com/files/171328606/polara7.rar

Verichrome Tulips - Le Lac Leman (1987, Syndicate)

Translated from French, Le Lac Leman, means "Lake Leman," which is an actual lake in Switzerland.  For better or worse, that specific body of water doesn't encroach at all into the themes expressed on the Verichrome Tulips' presumably one and only album, recorded by the co-ed German quartet.  This is merely an educated guess, but their roster might have boasted British and/or American origins, given there isn't a foreign accent in sight on this wax.  A Myspace bio (linked above) mentions that the songs comprising Le Lac Leman were inspired by the sensation of "being unhappy in love."  Simon Steiner's, copious saxophone work lends an often strident and upbeat panache to the Tulips prevailing tenor that's inclined to Roxy Music, as much as say the Psychedelic Furs, the Teardrop Explodes, and occasionally The Fall.  Leman's sonic wanderlust is all over the map, not to mention a bit unruly in spots, so prepare yourself for the unexpected.  A few additional songs can be experienced on their aforementioned Myspace page. 

01. Talk to Me
02. Letter Box
03. Thinking Of You
04. Someone New
05. Special
06. Day One
07. Badcave Romance
08. Boat Goes By
09. October Frustration
10. I Follow You
11. Hampstead Sunset

https://rapidshare.com/files/3166900887/verichrometulips.rar

There is hope for the hopeless now. 2011: The year in rear view, Top 25 albums, plus: Best of the Blog mix for the year past

To anyone who espouses the notion that my musical persuasions are solely relegated to the past (specifically the '80s and '90s) you're right...and wrong.  The emphasis on Wilfully Obscure is and will likely remain retro, but I'm still enthused about new music from both emerging and classic artists.   I thought I'd run down twenty-five of my favorite releases of 2011, not only as a way to catalog them for my own remembrance (in the event senility sets in later in life) but for your amusement and recommendation as well.  2011 was not a banner year for music, but in fact slightly superior to 2010 which I conveniently summarized.  On the proverbial one-to-ten scale, there were in fact no tens, or nines, or even eight and a halves (save for maybe my top pick).  Nonetheless there was plenty to pique my interest and maintain my curiosity, thanks to a clutch of inspired newbies.  A little synopsis follows each title on my hallowed and coveted album list.  Bear firmly in mind that your results may very. 

In addition there are short lists (in no particular order) for honorable album mentions, and some of my favorite reissues of 2011.  Towards the end of this lengthy diatribe, I've also included a link where you can download a  "Best of the Blog" compilation featuring songs from twenty of my most cherished blog entries and retro discoveries for the year, including a handful of songs from albums not previously featured.  A huge thanks goes out to anyone who has contributed in any small way to Wilfully Obscure over the past year.  You have sincerely made this a more robust and substantive site.

Top 25 albums of 2011:

01. Farewell Continental – ¡Hey Hey Pioneers! (Paper and Plastick) - Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack goes the co-ed route with Kari Gray turning in the most neurotic and endearing rock album of the year.  Bravo.
02. Maritime – Human Hearts (Dangerbird)- Ex-Promise Ring frontman Davey von Bohlen follows up 2007’s Heresy and the Hotel Choir with a record that’s nearly as visceral and inspired.
03. Doleful Lions - Let's Break Bobby Beausoleil Out Of Prison! - Space age hooks paired with an often surreal indie rock stride.  Many happy returns.
04. Parachute Musical – Kill It Cut It Down - Probably my favorite singer/songwriter album of year.  Piano rock bliss.
05. Yuck – s/t (Fat Possum) - Everything you've heard about them is 200% true and then some.
06. Ringo Deathstarr – Colour Trip (Sonic Unyon)- Delirious, engulfing dream-pop revisionism that virtually none of their ‘90s forebears had the smarts to come up with on their own.
07. Tim and Jean – Like What - Passion Pit-inspired techo pop from this prodigious and infectious Australia duo.  Too bad it didn't see the light of day in North America.

08. Street Chant – Means (Arch Hill) - This sucker picks up where Dinosaur Jr.’s Bug left off, and furthermore, is indicative of the trajectory Sonic Youth should have charted in following up Goo.  Nearly as revelatory as Yuck, and that’s saying quite a bit.

09. Pocket Genius – Nordic - Wasn't expecting something this potent after a decade hiatus.  Pocket Genius bear the charismatic nonchalance and zesty reverb of The Replacements, Doughboys and Soul Asylum, in an oddly unique context.  

10. Neon Indian - Era Extraña - True blue innovators.  In the electronica venue, they are currently without peer. 

11. Saves the Day – Daybreak (Razor & Tie) - This was my most anticipated album of 2011, and even though it didn’t quite live up to my lofty expectations, Chris Conley is still the consummate melody weaver.
12. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light - A milestone for Dave Grohl and Co.  The Foo Fighters are the only arena band whose concerts I’m not embarrassed about attending. 

13. Shy Mirrors – Sailed Blanks (Big School) - The Superchunk and Weezer (blue album-era) aesthetic is alive and kicking up a storm.
14. The Strokes – Angles (RCA) - Returning a few years late, and IMO a song or two short, Justin Casablancas and Albert Hammond Jr’s inspired recent solo endeavors spilled over into their fourth platter, giving the Strokes the shot in the arm they were overdue for.
15. Under Electric Light - Waiting for the Rain to Fall - A sublime fusion of shoegazer headiness, suave keyboard-enhancements and breezy melodies. Thoroughly transporting songs.
16. Male Bonding – Endless Now (Sub Pop)- Not as wall-to-wall bonkers as they were on 2010’s static laden Endless Now, but still plenty nervy and voracious.
17. Patrick Stump - Soul Punk - Soul? A few notches shy. Punk? Not a trace. Savvy? Like you wouldn’t believe.
18. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong (Slumblerland) - The not-so-difficult second album. Irresistible.
19. Foster the People – Torches - 2011's soundtrack to summer
20. Joey Cape – Doesn’t Play Well With Others - Another devastating helping of acoustic missives from the brainchild of Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut
21. Office of Future Plans – s/t (Dischord) - Burning Airlines with a little cello thrown in? Works for me. Welcome back Jay.
22. The Drums - Portamento (French Kiss) - Doesn't match last years debut, but strives to anyway.
23. Sea Lions – Everything You Always Wanted to Know... (Slumberland) - A stirring update of classic C86-era Brit Pop with a bevy of old school hipster influences to die for.
24. Wire – Red Barked Tree (Pink Flag) - Still on the cutting edge after all these years, delivering a record that distills many of the key sonic attributes of their five-decade long run.
25. Lunch - s/t ep - fuzzy indie rock newbies drawing on a cornucopia of '90s influences.  Check out their song "Turn Around" streaming on a number of websites. 

Runners up:

Rival Schools – Pedals

Graham Repulski – Into an Animal Together

Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

Sway – This Was Tomorrow

Samiam – Trips

Stuyvesant – Fret Sounds

The Forms – Derealization ep

Sloan – The Double Cross

The Cars – Move Like This

The Active Set – 11

Real Estate – Days

Dot Dash - Spark>Flame>Embers>Ash

Janes Addiction – The Great Escape Artist

High Tension Wires – Welcome New Machine

The Feelies - Here Before

Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
Muler - Hope You Found a Home
The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave

 

Recommended reissues and compilations:

Nirvana - Nevermind super deluxe edition

Jesus and Marcy Chain - discography reissue series (Edsel) 

Bitch Magnet - three CD discography (Temporary Residence) 

Radio Dept - Passive Aggressive, Singles 2002-2010

Lagwagon - Putting Music in It's Place box set (Fat)

Ben Folds - The Best Imitation of Myself - 3 cd deluxe edition

Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass deluxe

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Tape Club (Polyvinyl)

Sebadoh - Bakesale deluxe (Sub Pop)

The Modulators - Tomorrow's Coming (Kool Kat) 

Although it's well out of my price range (and I've only heard the main album portion), it's a safe bet to say that the Beach Boys Smile Sessions box takes the cake in terms of deluxe reissues for 2011. 

Finally, here's the tracklist and link to our 2011 best of the blog mix:

01. Humidifier - Nicotine
02. Slumber - Valliat

03. Dissonant Blue - Practical Harmony

04. Beauty Constant - It's One Life (demo)
05. Beat Clinic - Brenda on the Big Bed

06. Rhythm Corps (Method) - Solidarity (1984 vers)

07. Alter Boys - Piles

08. Ups and Downs - Painted Sad

09. Pedaljets - Sensual Cardboard Event

10. Reaction Formation - Galesburg Bound

11. The Spliffs - Merry-Go-Round

12. Not Shakespeare - Turnaround

13. Blanket of Secrecy - Love Me Too

14. Five Cool What - Rescue Me

15. Brave Tears - Flippin' Through

16. Delusions of Grandeur - Carousel

17. 100 Flowers - Roof Tops

18. Naomi's Hair - Tilt-a-Whirl

19. Trusty - Bus Stop

20. I-Rails - Sticks and Stones

https://rapidshare.com/files/4106042542/VA_2011blogmix.rar

Various - 'Oly Cow! - the letter "O" folder mix

Well, it looks like you'll have to wait another day for me to get off my lazy duff and compile my best-ofs album list for 2011.  In the meantime I hope this self-curated mix will tide you over.  Adhering to the same theme as my "H" and "P" folder mixes from a few months back, this sixteen song collection of disparate artists have only one thing in common - the first letter of their respective monikers.  For almost every complete album I have by an artist on my hard drive, I store just as many random one-off songs by artists I don't have a dedicated folder to.  These random one-offs have been corralled into "letter folders" A through Z.  As was the case with the two previous entries I'm not going to publish the track list, but I will give away a few spoilers. 

Often the letter folders are heavy on cover versions, and there are no less six in this set, including okgo's live take on Elvis Costello's "Oliver's Army," an acoustic rendition of Weezer's cult classic "Across the Sea" by Ozma, and the Ohio State University Marching Band tackling "The Final Countdown."  There are Love and Beach Boys covers in there as well, but I shan't give away who does those.  You'll also find my favorite Optiganally Yours tune, a rarity from ON (Ken Andrews post-Failure project), a keeper from jangly, post-punk revivalists The Oranges Band, Sloan incognito (you guess the song!), and even a vintage 1982 interview with Ozzy Osbourne, circa the "bat" incident.  Enjoy (or not).

https://rapidshare.com/files/2907466630/va_o-mix.rar

Ruggedy Annes - Jagged Thoughts ep (1985, Tabb)

Had a very recent request for this one.  The Ruggedy Annes were a fearsome, femme four-piece from Winnipeg, Manitoba whose slash and burn punk rumblings were likely to conjure up fairly obvious comparisons to their predecessors due south, The Avengers and X.   The Annes packed an extra heavy wallop IMO, exhibiting the thrust and musculature of the Zero Boys among other American hardcore-leaning punksters.  Jagged Thoughts goes a little slack on "Dead & Gone," but the remaining five titles (including all of side one) are thoroughly bracing, packing maximum rock and roll firepower into their respective two-minute lifespans.  Fairly wordy lyrics to boot.

01. Jagged Thoughts
02. Autumn
03. G.I. Joe
04. Dead & Gone
05. Casual Design
06. Hollow Heros

https://rapidshare.com/files/361011072/ruggedyannes.rar

I-Rails - Valentino Says tape (1986)

This is the fourth and final leg in our tour of I-Rails cassette albums, with the last stop culminating with Valentino Says, which is actually their first release (ironic, but not when you consider I've been presenting them in reverse order).  I've already dedicated space to the three full lengths that followed-up Valentino Says (1987's Unfocused, '89s Nine Songs From Nowhere, and their 1990 parting shot Panharmonium).  Being that the case, if you've already absorbed Unfocused, you might recognize two songs which actually debuted in different incarnations on Valentino, specifically "There Goes Another" and "Mercury Don't Understand." 

My original expectation was that as I went backwards with the I-Rails discography, I would encounter a rawer, more savage aesthetic that the band would eventually curtail and fine tune on each subsequent release.  If anything it was the opposite way around, with Valentino striking me as the most approachable of their four mini reel-to-reels.  In fact, the bulk of this one inadvertently fortels the mid-tempo power pop tack that the Gin Blossoms would corner the market with in the early nineties.  Song for song Valentino Says cuts the mustard, but the I-Rails would tilt in a grittier direction on their next three albums (and a 1988 7") to even more satisfying effect.  Unfortunately I have no artwork to offer for this one, although from what I understand original copies did have a cassette sleeve.  The audio quality on a couple tracks is slightly dodgy, but tolerable.

For a (slightly) more thorough backgrounder on the I-Rails, point your cursor to the hyperlinks in this article. A very hearty thanks to the gentlemen who digitized these tracks and sent them in my direction!


01. Thrust
02. There Goes Another
03. Mercury Don't Understand
04. Oh God
05. The Man I Gave a Ride
06. Poets Wear Black
07. Waiting for the Sun
08. Let Me Go
09. I Thought You Were My Friend
10. Adventures in the Rain

https://rapidshare.com/files/938739076/irails_valentinosays.rar

Creeper Lagoon - live and rare, 1998 and beyond

It only took me about half a decade to get around to dedicating an entry to Creeper Lagoon, so I thought I'd make it count.  For whatever the reason, their first album, I Become Small and Go has beckoned of late, and as utterly compelling as that record is, I'm not one to turn down the invitation.  At all stages of their tenure, Creeper, or more specifically ringleader Ian Sefchick invited a certain curiosity, but none more so than their early endeavors. 

Preceded by a series of lo-fi, sub rosa cassettes bearing titles such as Shasta Complex and Slabco, 1998's I Become Small... was a quantum leap, even by the standards of a well financed ep that dropped one year prior.   Bountiful in it's unfolding textures, wherein woozy flanged guitar lines dovetailed with a bevy of surreal keyboard treatments and incidental accouterments, I Become... nonetheless hinged on Sefchick's subtle melodies and those of his co-conspirator Sharky Laguana.  Luckily, those hooks were not in short supply.  That album is the most ideal jumping off point for those who have yet to make their acquaintance with C/L, but assuming you've already taken the plunge, I submit to you a live soundboard document from the same era.  There is a twist however.  The band didn't select the set list, rather Matt Gentling from Archers of Loaf whom Creeper were opening for that October 29, 1998 evening in Boise, ID.  By and large, the choicest morsels from I Become... are nicely represented...with the exception of my favorite, "Tracy."  Some more words on that song in just a moment.

As a great Creeper fansite makes mention of in their thorough discography, the band has a number of unreleased recordings and demos, many of which were four-tracked by Sefchick.  I've been able to cobble together a dozen such tracks including compilation appearances like "Garden" from a 2002 Noise Pop commemorative disk, and "The Fountain" which originally saw the light of day on the Emusic Care for Kosovo album.  Amidst those two numbers are demos and early incarnations of "Dear Deadly" and the aforementioned pop jewel "Tracy."  More demo madness ensues, including Creeper's take on the Beatles "Because," and a somewhat unorthodox tweaking of My Bloody Valentine's "Lose My Breath."  I won't give away anything else about the remainder, but per the discography on the fansite, if anyone has any of the long lost C/L songs being hosted on the old MP3.com site please give me a shout out.

Since the band dissolution in the mid-00s, Ian Sefchick has moved onto Ghost Baby.  Captain Killjoy said that it was true...

Live, Boise, ID 10/29/98
01) Claustrophobia
02) Dreaming Again
03) Wonderful Love
04) Empty Ships
05) Drop Your Head
06) Black Hole
07) Dear Deadly
08) Instrumental Jam (?)
09) Another Day
10) Centipede Eyes
11) Keep From Moving 

rarities
Because (demo)
Centipede Eyes (demo)
Chain Smoker (orig demo)
Dear Deadly (original)
Don't Forget Me (Ghost Baby demo)
Garden
Keep From Moving (coda) + Dear Deadly (live)
Lose My Breath
The Fountain
There's a New Girl (credited to We Never Landed on the Moon)
Tracy (original)
untitled demo

Live, Boise 10/29/11: https://rapidshare.com/files/677946099/creeperlagoon_boise98.rar
rarities: https://rapidshare.com/files/1200849264/creeperlagoon_rare.rar

Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade - demos, outtakes, rehearsals (1983) & Psychepowerpopapunk live (1985)

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.  Now that I've covered all the bases, time to present you with my end of year, BFD upload, with 2011's entry coming in the form of a three disk boot of Hüsker Dü's seminal, 1984 tour-de-force, double LP, Zen Arcade....and a bootleg live CD.  Save for a couple of tribute albums, I've featured next to no Hüsker material on Wilfully Obscure, due in part to SST and WB for keeping their catalog in print, and to a handful of bloggers who've assembled b-sides compilations.  Nonetheless, I firmly believe that music fans could do no better in the '80s than this storied Minneapolis power trio, who fused riff-roaring punk with some of the finest and most innovative melodic structures ever.  I hold the opinion that Bob Mould, Grant Hart, and Greg Norton's halcyon era commenced in earnest with the release of 1983's Metal Circus ep.  Back then, as the case is still largely today, it takes a full fledged album to real reign in ears en masse.  Though Hüsker Dü's first proper studio album, Everything Falls Apart dropped in 1982, Zen Arcade was the record that jettisoned the band into the limelight, for lack of a better word. 

There is no universal agreement as to which Hüsker record is the most representative, or for that matter, timeless, but the trio's most ambitious recordings ever committed to vinyl fall squarely in the realm of this auspicious concept album.  Those "concepts," which is somewhat malleable in interpretation, involves a pained childhood, teen angst, and runaway scenarios among other related themes.  What sprang out in that angst-laden aftermath was some of Hüsker Dü's most sophisticated and cathartic song arrangements, setting up something of a template for Zen Arcade's successor albums, particularly New Day Rising, and to a lesser extent Flip Your Wig.  Many, many Hüsker classics reside among Zen's four hallowed sides: "Chartered Trips," "What's Going On," "Pink Turns to Blue," "Turn on the News," and "Something I Learned Today" to roll call a few. 

The collection of 57 tracks I'm offering today consist of alternate versions of just about every song on the album, including rough mixes, demos, and even a handful of rehearsal recordings that were recorded via an idling stylus in the studio.  You'll find several instrumental takes here too, including a vocal-less take of "Eight Miles High," a rather incendiary rendition of the Byrds classic that eventually found it's way onto a single that same year.  As for any obvious revelations, it might be wise to temper your expectations, since the variances between these versions and the finished products are slight in some cases.  One particular number that stood out for me was the fourteen minute plus "Reoccurring Dreams" which leads off disk two in expansive and howling fashion.  For a complete breakdown of which tracks are "rough mixes" vs "demos" etc, the info file found in the folder for disk one does a good job of differentiating and cataloging everything.  Special thanks to the generous and anonymous individual who arranged and digitized this collection, made available as a bit torrent last year.  I'll consider offering a flac (lossless) version of this should there be enough interest expressed.

To sweeten the holiday pot, we've also got a silver disk live bootleg, bearing the title Psychepowerpopapunk.  Eighteen cuts from a 1985 performance in Minneapolis (the actual date is not revealed in the CD booklet).  It's quite possible that the entire show is not represented here, but from what my ears are able to discern, this is a soundboard recording, which by the way features a Buddy Holly cover, "You're So Square" sung by Mr. Hart.  Track ten, listed as "Sons of Bitches" on the CD tray card is actually "Celebrated Summer."  The booklet includes an interview wih Bob, which I've scanned in for your reading leisure.  Bon appetit.

Zen Arcade sessions, Disk 1

Something I Learned Today/Broken Home, Broken Heart/Chartered Trips/Hare Krsna/Indecision Time/I’ll Never Forget You/Beyond the Threshold/The Biggest Lie/Pride/What’s Going On/Masochism World/Standing By the Sea/Somewhere/Pink Turns to Blue/Dozen Beats Eleven/Turn on the News/Newest Industry/Whatever/Eight Miles High/The Tooth Fairy and the Princess

Zen Arcade sessions, Disk 2

Reoccurring Dreams/Chartered Trips/Hare Krsna/One Step at a Time/Monday Will Never Be the Same/untitled (aka Granted)/ Never Talking to You Again/Somewhere/One Step at a Time/Punk Turns to Blue/Newest Industry/Monday Will Never Be the Same/Whatever/Something I Learned Today/Broken Home, Broken Heart/Chartered Trips/Indecision Time/I’ll Never Forget You/Beyond the Threshold/The Biggest Lie/Pride

Zen Arcade sessions, Disk 3

What’s Going On/Masochism World/Standing By the Sea/Somewhere/One Step at a Time/Pink Turns to Blue/Some Kind of Fun/Turn on the News/Newest Industry/Monday Will Never Be the Same/Whatever/Eight Miles High
Rehearsals: Whatever/Indecision Time/Somewhere/Dozen Beats Eleven

Psychepowerpopapunk (live Minneapolis 1985)

The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill/Every Everything/Makes No Sense at All/Don’t Want to Know/I Don’t Know For Sure/Terms of Psychic Warfare/Hardly Getting Over It/Sorry Somehow/You Are So Square/Celebrated Summer/Green Eyes/Divide and Conquer/All Work and No Play/Powerline/Books About UFOs/Flip Your Wig/I Apologize/If I Told You

Zen Arcade sessions, disk 1: https://rapidshare.com/files/892515140/huskerdu_zen1.rar
Zen Arcade sessions, disk 2: https://rapidshare.com/files/2245836376/huskerdu_zen2.rar
Zen Arcade sessions, disk 3: https://rapidshare.com/files/3432543632/huskerdu_zen3.rar
Psychepowerpopapunk live 1985: https://rapidshare.com/files/3057986829/huskerdu_psychepowerpopapunk.rar

Five Gears in Reverse - Merry X-mas Distant Planet tape (1997, Montesano) + new Active Set Christmas song

Two months ago I introduced you to Bellingham, WA's Five Gears in Reverse, a staggeringly talented guitar pop aggregation that neither recalled the Elvis Costello song they usurped their namesake from, or for that matter were content to imbibe the trail of crumbs laid out by their hometown's boys done good, The Posies.  In my article I mentioned that in addition to the Trailer cassette ep that I was featuring, I also had an original copy of a six-song Christmas tape that was released one year prior in 1997.  Voila.  I actually played Merry X-mas Distant Planet for the first time last week, and was pleased with what I heard for a variety of reasons: a) there were no overtly religious overtones in the lyrics, b) the songs were all original 5GR compositions, and c) the quality of said songs were worthy of sharing, even bragging about no less.

The title track serves as the opening salvo, and features a dialog concerning a parallel universe of sorts where the birthday of a Jesus-like figure (Zogen) is observed in much the same light that Christmas is celebrated on our own Terra firma.  This silly little motif doesn't carry over into any of the subsequent tracks however, and that's perfectly alright with me considering that "On Every Christmas Day" harkens back to Teenage Fanclub's Big Star homage, circa 1992.  Elsewhere, "Happy Birthday Jesus Christ" and "Underneath the Mistletoe" are squarely in league with their criminally overlooked contemporaries to the north, Zumpano.  And once again, these are original songs, unlike She and Him's insipid plundering of moldy, done-to-death carols.  Speaking of which, wtf is up with shit?  As usual, I digress...

While I'm in the holiday frame of mind, remember that review I did of the Active Set's new album 11?  Turns out they've penned a Yule-tune of their own, "Making Out (Is the Best Part of Christmas)" which is the kind of sentiment I could go for year round.  Check it out via YouTube.


01. Merry X-mas Distant Planet
02. Happy Birthday Jesus Christ
03. Underneath the Mistletoe
04. On Every Christmas Day
05. Tannenbaum and Holly Leaves
06. Silver Sheets

https://rapidshare.com/files/2300508977/fivegearsinreverse_xmas.rar

Tall Tales & True - "Hold On" 12" (1989, rooArt) & Superstition Highway ep (1990, rooArt)

Considering that one of the most ardent fans of this blog was nice enough to send me not one, not two, but FIVE Tall Tales & True 12" records for me as a Christmas gift, I probably should have shared all of them a full year after the fact, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator.  Since I'm right at the one year mark of receiving that extremely generous present, I submit to you the last two records in my series of TT&T eps. "Hold On" is a less than vigorous ballad-cum-rocker culled from this Aussie rock trio's first legit full length, Shiver.  If that song isn't particularly representative in of itself, it's two b-sides lag even further behind.  "Dark Messenger" is a stark acoustic piece with some cocktail piano arriving by songs end, and sadly, I'm unmoved.  The second b-side, "Lullaby #1" is all ivories, featuring guest vocalist Jane Bryant.  Pretty much Tall Tales & True in name only, so needless to say this maxi single is hardly the band's finest showing.

Boasting an expanded roster on the 1990 Superstition Highway ep, TT&T not only get things moving in the proper direction, adjunct guitarist SGR McComb lends a heftier tack to the Tales rootsy fervor.  The title track and "Nothing Without You" tilt loosely in the direction of some of INXS' better mid-80s ideas, minus the posturing, front-man maneuvers.  The remaining tunes aren't half bad either.  Along with Shiver (linked above) you can feast on Tall Tale's 1986 debut ep here, and two additional short form records here. 

Hold On ep

A. Hold On

B1. Dark Messenger

B2. Lullaby #1

Superstition Highway ep

01. Superstition Highway

02. 3 Tired Words

03. Blackwood

04. Nothing Without You

05. untitled

Hold On ep: https://rapidshare.com/files/211883189/tt_t_holdon.rar

Superstition Highway ep: https://rapidshare.com/files/941986131/tt_t_superstition.rar

Thumbs - s/t (1979, Ramona)

Well wouldn't you know it, just when I was expecting all things punk/power-pop from this quartet, presumably from Lawrence, KS, I actually wound up with a group subscribing more to the ethos of the Velvets and Television, albeit in a far more economic and organic fashion.  Unlike that groundbreaking pair, the Thumbs weren't particularly innovative (or as long winded), but no worse off for it, pumping out nearly a dozen unvarnished, no-frills songs informed by the relatively fresh enlightenment of the proto-punk epoch.  The man on the mic, Steve Wilson, occasionally gravitates into a Dylan-esque drawl, though not exaggerated.  There's some pretty sweet six-string and organ interplay going on here as well, furthering Thumbs inherently warm tenor.  If anyone can offer any vital stats on this crew, comment as you see fit.    

01. Sweet & Wild
02. In the Family
03. Is It Asking Too Much?
04. 4th of July
05. Still Bound to You
06. Inch or Two
07. Straight to the Heart
08. Frame of Mind
09. Moonlight
10. Rags to Rags
11. Art History

https://rapidshare.com/files/3174377777/thumbs.rar

Singles Going Single #193 - Bring Back Dad 7" (Science Project, 1994)

In doing my research on Albuquerque's assumably long put to pasture Bring Back Dad, I was reminded that I already covered them, via their contribution to a 7" covers comp called Been There, Done That, minted on the same label that released this wax.  Judging by their originals, Bring Back Dad brought the rawk big time, possessing the crooked, bludgeon-pop assault of contemps Archers of Loaf and New Sweet Breath.  Plump, hernia-inducing power chords and ear bleeding harmonies are full tilt go on "Al Capone," and are all the more ferocious on the aptly titled "Upset."  Regarding Science Project Records, the label also released a split single with Scared of Chaka and Flake Music, the latter of those two bands rechristened themselves as The Shins and enjoyed modest success shortly thereafter. 

A. Al Capone
B. Upset

https://rapidshare.com/files/2007764228/bringbackdad.rar