Gary Panter - Pray For Smurph

Label : Overheat Records - OVE-0102

Year : 1983 (RE 2008)

Country : Japan

Format : CD

Here's something I didn't know existed 'til a few months ago. The CD issue of this, that is. I had once heard an old vinyl rip of this album, weirdowave avant-country by the comic artist Panter. An apocryphal Ralph Records curiosity if you will.

Now a local comic book store came upon a batch of these, cutting the price down by magnitudes going by Discogs. It was really serendipitous, I opened a social media app one night (turning morning) and came upon it and gave it an order. The rest is history. 

Now given that this is by an artist of Panter's cache you would expect to find some sweet prints in the booklet. If you have been paying attention to the scans, you would know yourself to be correct. It also came with this sick flag, which I have hanging proudly in my closet at the minute.

This is a definitive "zolo" release, although I see that more as a pure aesthetic than an actual musical genre. If you haven't heard it before and my aforementioned description of the music doesn't register, think of it like the music he designed covers for in the past: Snakefinger, Residents (and Renaldo/the Loaf), Oingo Boingo, the good doctor Eugene Chadbourne, etc.... The herk and the jerk of a twang in a mode of new wave.

Don't be afraid to click the CD!

Failing Lights - True Form

Here

Sejayno / Maths Balance Volumes - Split

Label : 8mm Records - 8mm 031

Country : Italy

Year : 2008

Format : C44

This one's a bit odd, I feel like I got a bootleg of a bootleg. There is some sort of incongruence between my copy and everywhere else I've looked on the web, biggest glare being the difference in cover and tracklisting. Most places I see it's usually just the bird without a listing under it. Also, I can't find any place that links the "Blade Runner" track title to this release or to anything by Sejayno for that matter. Strange.

Speaking of Sejayno, whose name I always mess up for whatever reason, I have another release of theirs that I might post if I feel... Inclined to do so. You might also be familiar with MBV, but I don't have anything else by them. Though I did have Loveless a long while ago, pretty good album you might have heard of it.

Both groups do a noisy take on freefolk from what I see, Blastitude fodder from what I hear. Another Pierre ambiguity is the track order itself, my tape topside is dominated by Seyjano and the flipside likewise sublimated by Math Balances Volume, which contradicts what the "official" websites say... Odd.

Here

tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - Mechanically Repetitive / ReRecorded Records Record

Label : Dear Skull Records - DS 101

Year : 2008

Country : US

Format : LP

tENT is back at it with the sonic equivalent of 'pataphysics known as "Usic". This complex and abrasive form of sound art utilizes objects, found sound, collages, voice(s) and sneezes. This record covers a swath of years in the dude's career, including a remix of sorts of the Usic - √-1 = A Plethora Of No Longer Neglected Audio/Conceptual Obstacle Courses record (or "obstacle course", as he describes the process) I posted all those days and minutes and hours back.

The concept here is less grandiose, so to speak. Though, this piece of plastic is still an art object. The first side is relatively normal (physically, at least), but the B-side is something else entirely. It appears to have been cut twice, once in the center hole and another time in the slightly off-center so described in the giant booklet which accompanied this thing. I don't have a backup turntable with a needle in its possession and I'd rather not test this on my main unit as I would like to ride that horse 'til it fails. I'll record the second side and post some scans when I come to that burning bridge.

Here (Side 1)

As compensation for only posting one side, here are some other tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE releases for your listening (?) pleasure (??)

hERE

hErE