Shellac - Live In Tokyo

Label: Nux Label

Year: 1994

Recorded in 1993 (November 21st to be exact), released in Japan only, and now here. Have we posted this one before? If so, a thousand pardons. 

As you would guess, the sound quality is superb. The performance is superb. The songs are superb.

I'm not sure what else needs to be said. Enjoy your weekend.

DL

V/A - WMBR Presents: Clear The Room!

 

Label: No Life

Year: 1992

Who would have guessed the eggheads at MIT's student run radio station would have such good taste in music?

Well, turns out they do. Or did, at any rate. 

This three song 7" collects some live recordings made by the station as a fundraiser (to purchase a full-on live recording truck!), so, you can feel extra shitty about downloading it for free. JK dudes (and that one girl), this thing is decades old...that radio station has already made millions of the sales of the 2000 copies they pressed of this record...they're good. Don't sweat it.

It should be noted the house engineer on two of the tracks is Bob Weston...not bad.

The bands are:

The Jesus Lizard

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

Velocity Girl

You know all them, right?

DL

Urge Overkill - Now That's The Barclords

Label: Sub Pop

Year: 1991

A little audio sorbet from our usual fare? I don't know, maybe. I was never a big fan of urge Overkill, and this particular two song 7" (the May 1991 Sub Pop Singles Club installment) is the only representation of their output in my collection, so I'm far from an expert. But I do dig these songs, especially the B-side, "What's This Generation Coming To?". 

By all accounts the band changed with the success of their major label debut and the hit "Sister Havana", which would come out a couple years after these songs, and they maybe dicked over Touch And Go in the process. I don't know.

It's a sunny Friday afternoon where I am, so this one is doing alright by me. See if it do you.

DL

The Mercury Players - Hollywood Of Bust

Label: Bovine

Year: 1992

How's about some more Bovine Records goodness?

Good. Cause I got some.

The Mercury Players debut outing is this two song 7" of Chicago born and bred noise rock. 

It's good. Of course it's good, or I wouldn't be fucking around with you, wasting everyone's time, posting it here. You know my good reputation is paramount to this whole endeavor! You think Imma fuck around and besmirch that shit? Fuck that! I ain't besmirching shit! Not on my watch. Not today, Satan. You got another thing coming!

DL

Plainfield - One Through Eight / PCP Headquarters

Label: Bovine

Year: 1993

The long running brainchild of Smelly Mustafa, Plainfield (named after the Wisconsin hometown of John Wayne Gacy, naturally) has created in their wake a fairly substantial discography for your pleasure(?). Some of it traffics in a cow-punk kind of aesthetic, some of it is straight up punk rock, and some of it, this two song 7" in particular, utilizes a noise rock foundation to stagger and  antagonize. It has a Killdozer meets Hammerhead sensibility. As much as you can call that a sensibility. Regardless of what you call it, you will like it. I assure you.

DL

Trainer - Athletic Statics

Label: Fidel Bastro

Year: 2020

Full-on math rock propulsion from the Bitch Magnet / Bastro (hey look, there it is right in the record label's name!) school of Math Rock Propulsion, with some of the knottiness of Colossamite, some of the undulating drive of Tar, and some of the distant menace of Sicbay. Except, this record was not recorded in 1994 in some Rust Belt, Midwestern college town. This record was recorded two years ago in Germany by (presumably) German dudes, who, to my knowledge have not attended any Rust Belt, Midwestern universities in the United States (I'll double check though, for the sake of journalism). 

Everything hits like you would want. The drums boom, the bass rattles, the vocals calmly berate and then bark their disapproval, and the guitars slice through the rhythmic pulses in that tense, agitated way that you like. Or at least, the way I like. I like lots. 

I think you're going to want to give this one a few listens, it's a real contender for "The Archetype Sound Of Noise Rock circa 2020" award (very prestigious).

DL

Christ On A Crutch - Kill William Bennett!

Label: Black Label

Year: 1990

Two songs of foot-on-the-floor raging hardcore out of the Pacific Northwest that featured the bass player for Brotherhood, Nate Mendel,who would go on to play in Galleon's Lap, then Sunny Day Real Estate, and then...who can keep up? Drummer Eric Akre played with Mendel later in Galleon's Lap, as well as Treepeople, Kill Sybil, and Juno...for what it's worth.

But more importantly, Christ On A Crutch were a ripping band. So ripping in fact, that my one opportunity to see them play was at the Miracle House Of Rock in Greensboro, NC when they came through with Amenity, resulted in my good buddy being compelled to lie on his back in the middle of the pit (assumingly under the cosmic influences of ripping hardcore), which, inevitably lead to his "bikini area" being so thoroughly stomped (inadvertently, I may add) that COAC stopped the show out of respect for the carnage they had unwittingly unleashed. Took a good 10 minute breather for my friends "tenders" to regain their composure, I believe there were threats of involving paramedics, and the show commenced and a good time was had by all. Christ On A Crutch were superb (as were Amenity, by the by), and I hope you all had the chance to catch them during their brief tenure. 

Also: don't ever lie down in a moving circle pit. Highly inadvisable.

DL

Olivelawn - 4 Is Greater Than 2

Label: Nemesis

Year: 1990

I think that a couple weeks ago I posted another Olivelawn 7" and referenced that Neil Blender was in the band, but not on that recording, and that I would post a record he was on shortly. Well, being a man of my word, and assuming I actually said that, then, here we go.

Much like that other 7" from earlier, this three song affair veers pretty far north on I-5, all the way to the Puget Sound, and apparently Mudhoney's practice space. 

That's not really fair. Olivelawn are their own rocking and rolling selves, they just happen to mine some of the same proto-punk, Stooges, type of source material as Mudhoney did. It's understandable.

As promised, Neil Blender is playing bass on this one. Otis 'O' Bartolomeu(Circle One, Fluf, photographer par excellence) is on guitar, Eddie Glass (Fu Manchu, Nebula) is on drums, and Mike Olson (The Bottom Feeders) is handling vocals.

DL

Ublisch - Gimme Somethin' I Can Blow Up...

Label: Mgmt. Records
Year: 1997

File this one under: "Who?", cause unless you resided within 80 nautical miles from the center of the greater Charlotte, NC metropolitan area in the late 1990's, then you'll be excused for not knowing who, or what, this band is.
But isn't that the point of this blog thing? To take a record like this one and say, "hey man (and that one lady...holla girl!), I think this might be up your alley. You should give it a shot."?
Ublisch were from Charlotte, which never really had a "sound", like Greensboro or Chapel Hill had in the lexicon of North Carolina rock music. But, Ublisch were contemporaries of Shiny Beast, Regraped, Buzzoven, Antiseen, and Cornelius (keeping it NC on that ass), and you can see how they fit within that esteemed company. Kinda sludgy, kinda house show hardcore, and kinda noise rock. It all adds up to a good time (assuming you're into throwing M80s into Girl Scout meetings). I think you'll like it.
Also, the band includes NC mover and shaker Steve Munsell, which means something to some people, but to those people it means a good deal.

DL 

One 3 Four - 2/5

Label: Spinning Mule
Year: 1992

Dare I say, One 3 Four were the best noise rock band to ever emerge from Clemson, SC? If you disagree and have reason to argue, please submit any evidence to counter this claim. I would be legitimately interested to hear.
This specific 7" has two songs (titled "2" and "5") which were recorded with Dave Barbe in Athens, GA  along with three more songs (titled "1", "3", and "4"). The other three were supposed to come out on a companion 7", but never saw the light of day until a 1996 cd release called "Automaton Organism" (which I never heard). But these two songs will give you enough of a sense of tightly wound claustrophobia that you'll understand what that cd might have sounded like. Unless of course, you have that cd. Which, in that case, congratulations I guess.
One 3 Four should appeal to those who enjoy Squirrel Bait, Brainiac (early), Inkwell, Cows (the calmer moments), and maybe Crain, and a pinch of The VSS. It's essentially noise rock, but with the influence of the 1992 house show screamo hardcore around the edges. It's good. You'll like it.

DL