Here is a pretty unique private press record from Hialeah, Florida of all places (although the band seem to have come from Hollywood, just a bit further up the coast). At first sight I thought this would be a souvenir from a Medieval themed diner or lounge (a la Orlando’s Medieval Times) but I’m glad […]
With song titles like “Deathwagon” and “Monkey Swarm,” frankly I expected more. Keeper sleeve though. Monkey Swarm.
Kebab existed within a weird junction between Europe’s waning post-punk explosion and the new wave of electronic synthesia. With a vocal sound obviously close to The Slits, the Belgian quartet remain more youthful, subtle, and haematic, fusing drum-machine maximalia with actue guitar riffery to create their strange sinusoidal centre. Remarkably, they listed Crass as a […]
I really like this single and a lot of the usual punk discography type sites don’t speak too highly of it. In the Henry Weld discography of Texas punk, the reviewers wrote a sort of one thumb up one thumb down: “Mystery record, quite good.[DR]” Another source says “mediocre would be the kindest description”. No […]
While I have no idea WHAT a Spray Pal is supposed to be, thanks to the liner notes on this single we at least know WHO they are (or were, as it were). Kristin Gushurst on keyboards and Susanne Lewis on guitar & vocals were Spray Pals, and this single hailed from Denver, Colorado circa […]
Waxidermy likes to rock, there’s no denying it. Aerosmith, AC/DC, maybe even a little Queen – it’s still Rock ‘N’ Roll to them! So let’s keep on rockin’ in the US of A! From the Frisco Bay to Nags Head, VA, all the way down to Lake Charles, LA with David Crawford & Phase II!! […]
Sole release from this L.A.-based band circa 1977. I’m guessing UCLA students from the contact address on the back cover, and sounding a bit like a crunchier Devo, without the synths. Not quite punk rock, though I first remember seeing the sleeve pictured in a 1978 L.A. Times article about local punk singles. Doctors Wives […]
Oddball post-punk release by this three piece band outta Hoboken N.J. circa ’81. Guitar, bass, Korg drum machine, Farfisa organ with some weird vocals over the top: check soundclips of the tracks “Chicken 80” & “Chris & Debbie”. Was released on lp and in a triple 45 format. “Chicken 80” [audio:social_climbers1.mp3] “Chris & Debbie” [audio:social_climbers2.mp3]
Probably the most unique and unassuming record I purchased at the 2008 WFMU record fair. Housed in a plain sleeve with a screen printed bird and real feathers waxed-on to the cover, Carole Caroompas’ only record from 1981 is a sure winner for fans of minimal pop. Carole is/was an established L.A. visual artist who […]
I refused to believe it was true until Chandra sent me a copy of the master tapes. An unreleased Chandra EP? This time with full teenage backing band and production from Steve Alexander and Eugenie Diserio of The Dance? After Chandra released her Transportation EP she formed a band consisting of herself (who at that time […]
Full length LP recorded live at the Reverb Room by New Zealand’s premier punk/oi band of the day (1982). One of the few local punk bands of the time to do a full length, they also have a 12″ EP called “Oi Oi Oi” that features three tracks from the LP. No Tag – Wink […]
Here’s an entertaining LP from Pinhead, a Burlington VT group fronted by local cartoonist/author/eccentric Dug Nap. Pinhead’s style is a mix of new wave, ska, and punk influenced pop with sarcastic and fun lyrics that make for an interesting listen. This was a hit locally when it first came out and from what I’ve heard […]
This is a Boston area rock/punk 45 done by the man behind the “Original Black Sheep”, Bili Sparrow. Sparrow has done rock 45s, rap 45s, funk….soul…..everything. The self proclaimed “Jimi Hendrix of Boston”, was also interview on my radio show. Clip: Physical Love Affair.mp3
Balls out female synth-punk shredder. Nothing is heald back. Screaming sexy vocals and sexualised lyrics with outer space theatrics all packaged in an overbearing synth dancefloor smasher. GAEA, where are you? Please get in touch with me. Released in 1981 on Lizard Records (private). One of the most interesting records I now own. I have […]
I believe blame should always be heaped upon the parents. I have 2 sons at ages 7 and 11, both precociously adolescent and surly though not yet teenage. Every time I try and sell my boys the notion that I am workin’ ant-like hard for them, amassing a dynamite wax inheritance (yesterday’s case in point: […]
This was given to me in a blind trade and quickly became my favorite of the batch sent. Incredibly fun and beautiful, Mechanical Servants bring a refreshing simplicity to the post-punk/new-wave genre. Consisting simply of two females, Pamela Kifer (lead vocalist) and Victoria Harper, a guitar, a bass, a synthesizer and a typerwriter. The songwriting […]
The Slits’ brief catalog is full of oddities bookmarked by two full-length LPs, their acknowledged dub/punk classic Cut and the misunderstood and very underrated Return of the Giant Slits. (If you have not yet done so, get these albums now.) This 1981 7″ came packaged with the (Europe only?) Return LP, and it’s a perverse […]
Finally got a copy of The Dance’s debut EP on GoGo record, 1980. Musically the EP is very much an early 80s post-punk/no-wave record leaning towards disco. The shining song on the EP is definitely the funky Do Dada. The title song, Dance For Your Dinner, sounds to me like some sort of proto-underground-rap with […]
Oh how I yearn for a DJ night open minded enough to allow me to play this “out”. The sticker on the shrinkwrap declaring “Punk Funk Rap” sounds like a musical miscarriage of Ozzfest side-stage proportions, but upon dropping the needle on side 1 it becomes rapidly clear the actual musical content of the record […]
***NOTE: The Chandra EP has been reissued on my new Cantor Records imprint. It is vinyl and digital ONLY and can be purchased through Other Music or my web-site (www.cantorrecords.com). The package includes 4 unreleased tracks recorded with the Chandra Dimension as well as a 32-page booklet! *** I have to thank Waxidermy for this […]
1983 solo outing from Charles Bullen, the former guitar player of the always-relevant experimental rock outfit This Heat on his own private Tone of Life imprint, of which this is the sole release. Like other British post-punk contemporaries (Slits, Pop Group, et. all) Bullen immerses himself deep in zoned dub territory on much of this […]
Duel male/female vocal and synth attack backed by some angular drumwork with the seed of Kraftwerk sewn so deep that it barely even manifests itself. Released in San Francisco circa 1980, this album is a much rawer and down to earth precursor to often painfully overproduced and empty genre of “synth-rock” that would dominate in […]
Part of the often overlooked (and borderline oxymoronical) “second wave” of the New York No-Wave scene (which birthed bands like Sonic Youth and Swans), Monfungo certainly fits in line with many of the pioneers of the movement, though a little more polished (comparatively) with more attention given to song structure. Skronky, danceable, and full of […]
This is a 1978 Canadian punk compilation recorded live over two days at the famous Toronto venue The Horseshoe. I don’t know too much about the history of the Horshoe, I was there once last year, but clips from the bands talking seem to indicate that it was going to be closed down and that […]
Owing to the response from my review of The Dance’s second album, Soul Force, I thought I’d post up their first album In Lust. This album is much more disco than Soul Force, however it still contains the approach to song-writing that made Soul Force so great. While Euginie sounds just as sexy, it is […]