Singles Going Single #16 - Gnome - "13 Family" 7" plus Six-Hi Surprise Tower (1992)

Special bonus for this installment of Singles Going Single. I didn't think I could do justice to Gnome by merely uploading their lone 7." Gnome were a Seattle four-piece that knocked around Seattle during the early nineties. By 1991, I had familiarized my self with all the Sub Pop bands and began investigating other Sea-Tac bands and labels. One of these labels was C/Z Records, who included on their roster Coffin Break, Skin Yard, Treepeople, and Gnome.

I took a completely "sound-unheard" chance on Gnome's debut Six-Hi Surprise Tower which I believe came in 1992. If I remember correctly, the band christened the album title after an item in a dessert/confectionery mail-order catalog. I just hope it wasn't of the fruitcake variety...anyway. C/Z positioned Gnome as "bubble-grunge." While they weren't nearly as flailing or wired as Nirvana and Soundgarden, Gnome possesed a lively sense of abandon all the same, not to mention pop-savvy. I always thought they gravitated more to the power pop, end of the spectrum, and in fact Jon Auer of the Posies shared mixing duties on the album with Phil Ek. Gnome were if anything, unique. To this day I'm still trying to discern what they owe their sound to, but I think singer/guitarist Loren Evans is the biggest part of the equation. Six-Hi... is a quietly charismatic album if there ever was one, and if you're anything like me, you won't truly sense it's brilliance until long after your initial listen.

The "13 Family" single on Blossom Records predates the album, I'm estimating by a year (no copyright date provided for either this or Six-Hi). "13 Family" is a different recording than the LP version, and I can't help but wonder if early incarnations of the album's other nine cuts are languishing in a shoebox somewhere. The b-side, "Dog Energy" is exclusive to this wax.

Gnome went onto release a second album in 1993, Fiberglass, and soon after a single, Pop Cred./Punk Sens. The band later recorded an ep titled Juicy Mommy, which never saw the light of day: ( Loren, or if anyone else related to the band reads this, please get in touch! 

 

Six-Hi Surprise Tower

01. On the House

02. 13 Family

03. Up To

04. Watershed

05. Go Go Go

06. Peace

07. Roadhog

08. Freetoy

09. NoWonderChild

10. Pig Roast 

 

single

A. 13 Family

B. Dog Energy
 

Six-Hi Surprise Tower: Hear

single: Hear

Gnome - Fiberglass (1993, C/Z)

I recently had a request for this, and given the group in question I'm happy to oblige.  Of all the unsung Seattle bands that managed to protrude ever so slightly out of the Pacific Northwest spotlight in the early '90s, Gnome remain one of the nearest and dearest to my heart.  C/Z Records was their humble home for this album, and their 1992 debut Six-Hi Surprise Tower, but despite decent national distribution they were lost on the public in general.  Go figure - it's not as if there was anything else going on in Seattle to distract folks at the time.  That record was a slow grower, but over the years (and frankly decades) I came to revere the modest, roughhewn charm of Six-Hi...but Fiberglass was a quantum leap in Gnome's development, in which the quartet brought plump, Nirvana sized hooks to the table, not to mention a far bolder sonic aptitude.  In short, Fiberglass is either a colossally heavy power pop album or a wimpy stab at grunge.  The album proved to be their coda, but they capped it off with one of the most compelling songs of their brief tenure, "Hey Phoobie." Any Gnome fan worth their salt knows that mouthpiece Loren Evans possessed one of the most unique timbres in indie rock, but from what I can glean online it appears he's retired from the rock and roll rigmarole.  For shame, because Gnome were onto something special.  BTW, Loren cut his teeth in another little known Seattle outfit called The Treeclimbers, whose music (well, a couple songs anyway) can be heard here.

01. Pictures
02. F
03. Superstar
04. Seed Pod
05. Crush
06. Popcorn
07. Premium Blend
08. DDA
09. Scoot
10. Hey Phoobie

Hear

Sister Psychic - Catch and Release (1996, Y)

Had a request for this.  I listened to Sister Psychic's first album, Fuel, on occasion when it came out.  That was around 1991-92, but for the most part, they fell off my radar after that.  SP were a Seattle fuzz pop trio, who weren't terribly concerned with grunge (yet they definitely employed some crunchy riffs now and again).  Not unlike Gnome, but I thought Gnome had better material.  Speaking of which, Y Records was an obscuro Seattle imprint, that I think was actually supposed to release a Gnome CD out, but anyway.  Enjoy (or not).

01. Garden
02. Bob
03. Hollywood
04. AFL
05. Dream Heard
06. Make Me Nervous
07. If I Were God
08. Japan
09. My Decision
10. Groove
11. Draw With Erasers
12. Space Boy

Hear

V/A - 4 on the Floor 7" ep (1993, C/Z)

I remember being utterly stoked when this dropped in '93.  After all, it contained no less than three bands I had a huge vested interested in, and one (Dirt Fishermen) who I would learn to appreciate a little later.  Unfortunately for the Treepeople, they were hobbling around on their last leg by this time 4 on the Floor came around, with the recent departure of Doug Martsch who was already full steam ahead with Built to Spill.  That being said, "Boiled Bird," isn't far off the mark from the material on the band's then most recent LP, Just Kidding.  Another big draw was Seattle's distorto-pop virtuosos Gnome.  Their "Crush" held me over 'til their second album Fiberglass dropped later in the year.  And the shiniest jewel in this four-gem crown is none other than Alcohol Funnycar, who contribute an exclusive, riff-happy nugget of gold, "Push," a track that found it's way onto many a mix tape I churned out back in the day.  Like the Treepeople, the Dirt Fishermen had roots in Boise, ID, but were culling fish from completely different waters.  If you like their selection here, check out their Vena Cava full length from 1993.

01. Treepeople - Boiled Bird
02. Dirt Fishermen - Soy Cheese
03. Gnome - Crush
04. Alcohol Funnycar - Push

Hear

VA - Zoo & a Movie compilation 7" (2012) - A brief overview.

Even with the rampant resurgence of vinyl, one particular species I never expected to see again was the compilation 7."  They were around in plentiful supply back in the '80s and even more so in the Clinton-era, with scores of them packed like sardines into indie record store bins, and clogging up ad space in the pages of Maximum Rock n' Roll.  This particular comp (evidently without an actual title) came out in late 2012 on the upstart Zoo & a Movie label, and being it's the only various artists 45 that I know of to date in this decade (heck, maybe even the last one too), it's something of an outlier.  As for the artists and tracks comprising it, this record strikes me as a bit random, albeit loosely stitched together with a concomitant lo-fi thread.  Bit of a regional bent here as well with the participants hailing from San Fran, Charleston, SC, and Louisville.

Gnome Wrecker/Dwarf Corpse (guess they couldn't settle on either monikers) commence "Still Asleep" with a spicy guitar lead before settling into something a bit more demure, complimenting their hushed vocal fixation.  Frisco's co-ed Lucky Eyes, the only entity to appear twice on this record, are by default the most consistent contributors, with fervent power-chord rave-ups, and an overarching panache that vaguely resembles latter-era X.  The Party Girls' "If 6 Was 6" tinkers with a dissonant minor-chord lick that stays lovingly etched in your noggin' for at least an hour or town after encountering it.  The Mack (featuring Louisville's John and Jeff Shelton) take us on a lovelorn acoustic jaunt, sporting what sounds to be an upright bass.  Saving the best for (almost) last Lawn Yachts (aka Douglas Robertson) dish out a scalding slice of feedbacky noise-pop, "Field of Poppies." that would do the likes of early Sebadoh more than proud.  Hope there's more were this came from.

The record in question is available directly from Zoo & a Movie. 

The Deflowers - demo (1991)

Of all the unturned stones occupying Seattle's '90s landscape, The Deflowers deserved a kinder fate.  The riff-happy punk-pop that spilled over Niagara-style on their 1994 album Shiny New Pony was their finest achievement, and even though the follow-up, Fin paled a bit, I relished every morsel I could unearth of The Deflowers oeuvre.  I was psyched to find this early demo cassette while browsing Ebay last year, featuring four songs that I don't believe migrated to any subsequent Deflowers release.  A little more Crazy Rhythms than say, Flip Your Wig, the hook-ridden building blocks were gradually being locked into place for greater things to come.  You can download Shiny New Pony via the link above, as well as this excellent 45.  Lead flower Chris Martin presently fronts Kinski, and the drummer appearing on this tape, Michael Mallette Malony later went onto Gnome, another Seattle outfit that sparked just as much appeal and curiosity, to me anyway.

01. New Day Tonight
02. Ten Days
03. Apple
04. Just Chords

Hear

Three highly stimulating vinyl EPs digitized anew: Tree Climbers, Spiderbaby & Honour Society.

Welcome to night three.  Now, after this trifecta of short form 12"s (EPs, duh) you might be asking yourself, is this really the best he could come up with this year? Well...yes, the best I had time to listen to anyway.  Every year I must come into possession of 20-30 eps from the 1980s that never made into the digital era, and believe it or not I may not get a chance to listen to all of them in depth - or even until a subsequent year.  In short, here's what rattled my bones in 2019.

Now this one I was real eager to pick up.  You might say Seattle's Tree Climbers (spelled as one word on the cover, but as two on the spine and just about everywhere online) were a pre-supergroup of sorts, featuring no less than three members that would go onto more prominent roles.  Foremost among them, bassist Jonathan Poneman who would in a few years become co-founder/owner of Sub Pop Records with Bruce Pavitt.  Guitarist Gary Thorstensen became a member of Tad, playing on all of that hallowed trio's Sub Pop releases (God's Balls, 8-Way Santa, etc) and even a bit beyond.  Loren Evans was front Climber, and in the early '90s went onto lead another obscuro Seattle fave of mine, Gnome, albeit his vocals sounded completely different there than what you're about to hear on this record.  At any rate, the word "grunge" was nowhere near the Tree Climbers vernacular, who instead sported a clean, alt-rock aplomb that didn't really steer towards any particularly describable angle, merely they had a batch of excellent songs.  "Second and Counting" and the sax driven "Chills" had very faint latter-era Roxy Music tendencies, but in reality the Climbers were more muscular than that.  Track two, the driving "On Location" is the one you're most apt to get stuck in your noggin.  The band's roster numbered five members, yet only three are depicted on the sleeve.  Hmmm.  Just wish there was more where this 1985 ep came from.  You can read a little bit more about these guys here.

01. Second and Counting
02. On Location
03. Greener Pastures
04. Chills (aka Longing)

MP3  or  FLAC

Regrettably I don't have very many pertinent details regarding Spiderbaby.  I first made my acquaintance with this L.A. combo via Flipside's The Big One compilation, but they largely fell off my radar until I found this disc from 1988. The two bookends here, "When I" and "About Her" exemplify everything I love about melodic, indie guitar rock, only these co-ed kids managed to shoehorn a little piano in there as well.  "Pilsner Song," as you might surmise is a lager anthem of sorts, with a suitably catchy blue-collar chorus.  The only other tune I have yet to mention, "Twisted," sort of has it's own vibe.  Spiderbaby also laid claim to a 1992 album that I do believe I need to get my mitts on.

01. When I
02. Pilsner Song
03. Twisted
04. About Her

MP3  or  FLAC

Honour Society, as it turns out, aren't as much of a cold case by virtue of the band maintaining a Soundcloud page with an ample amount of content.  I swiped this bio blurb from their page, because I really couldn't put it any more succinctly myself.

Honour Society lived from 1984 to 1990. The brain child of Dean Wilson, Honour Society played and recorded around the Philadelphia area while hailing from Wilmington DE. Dean continues to play and record. The latest incarnation can be heard as 'Illyah Kuryahkin' with several releases through Arena Rock Records. 

Not unlike the Tree Climbers (profiled above) Honour Society mingled nicely with what was happening on left-of-the-dial outlets circa this record's '88 release.  I can't get enough of Dean Wilson's clangy, ringing guitars which really fused "Ambition" and "Faith" into primo, collegiate rock pearls that deserved a much more renown fate.  What We Like isn't wall-to-wall excellence but there are enough moments that come close.  The last track is an untitled/unlisted six minute acoustic demo.  Besides a flexi disc, this was their only commercial release.  Per the bio above, check out Dean's follow-up stint, Illyah Kuryahkin if you enjoy what you hear.

01. Ambition
02. Walk Alone
03. Mediums
04. What We Like
05. Faith
06. untitled

MP3  or  FLAC