Music x 5: Art Punk

Showing posts with label Art Punk. Show all posts

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Folks On Fire - Under A Hairy Sun

Label : Self-Released

Year : 1985

Country : US

Format : LP

Goofy, artsy punk from Louisville. Not the most experimental affair, but worth it for a listen that can be compared to blog darlings Proof of Utah.

Here

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Various Artists - Tête De Bébé

Label : S-S Records - SS020

Country : US

Year : 2006

Format : LP

S-S is a fine label, with it releasing a ton of good stuff and repackaging just the same. And any-body who appreciates Monoshock is good in my book. This particular release, though, doesn't do much for me, toutefois. It's a foreign sequel to the early Ess Ess joint "Babyhead", composed mostly of synth heavy frog garage punx and occasional exp. spasms.

I've not found myself a fan of more straightforward punk musics, especially contemporary forms. I prefer a bit more of a looser structure I guess, though I can't call this uptight. Maybe my receptors are outta whack.

Here

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Shrug - Nevil Wanless E.P.

Label : Our Mam's Records - MAM 00001
Country : UK
Year : 1988
Format : LP

I was feeling a bit giddy this weekend and have been making more rips as per usual, so I figured I'd do a special edition: Harmful little Armful. It originally was gonna be a metapost with multiple rips on one post but then a lightning bolt came through the skies and ripped into my head like a thought, "Nutz to that" I say, archaically. Without any further transgression, here's the first approved vinyl rip of the special, twice in a blogtime extra-vagenza.

I was quite fortunate to find this in a Omaha record shop, though not that surprising considering it was one of my favorite stores I have had the pleasure of plunging into. Although when I bought it lacked both a sleeve for the record cover and the record proper, and the cover had an accursed price tag stuck onto its bearings (my feeble attempt of fully removing said sticker without consequence is seen clearly in the top right corner of my scan. Also note the damp 50% isopropyl alcohol stain).

Going back to the music--and really, that's why we're here--I had mentioned I was fortunate to find this, the reason being that I really like these lads' musings. I made a comparison to the incredible Tall Dwarfs of that one island nation, difference being that this clourish originates from that other island nation, the one that once owned that one island nation on some velvet morning. "Shrug", as weathermen do, is an apt name for this kinda music. Totally confounding in an enchanting sense. The organ heavy punk rhythms win me all over.

Here

Expect some more rips later on today and tomorrow, I have some free time left in my body.

Friday, January 6, 2017

The Judas Iscariot - Skeptics, Mystics and Blind Idolaters...

Label : Denied A Custom - CUSTOM #2

Country : Japan

Year : 1997

Format : 7 inch

I've kept this one hidden away from the blog for quite a while, thinking it wouldn't really fit the mold. It's a bit too hard/grindcore for my tastes, unlike their previous (and better, in my view) EP "Harrison Bergeron Bound?". Flashes of what I like from that release can be heard in the penultimate track "wheres the cheese and mission?". From the packaging and band name, this takes on a theological theme of sorts. Speaking of the packaging, it is pretty elaborate, if not varied. Letters, a little picturebook, and some catalogs in this little 7 inch EP. It even includes a little biography for the band, in Japanese:

OCR'd:

音楽、ミュージカル、オペラなどなどの宝庫で知られるニューヨーク。まんいずざばすたーどに対抗するバンドはやはり存在した...ギターレスストレートフォワードスラッシュジャズと言えば、JUDAS ISCARIOT。 15人分のギターをー人のベースプレーヤーであるJeff がまかなうバンド、 JUDAS ISCARIOT。7inch に12曲も詰め込んでしまったつわもの3人組。偶像崇拝物 (宗教・UFOなど) すべてを否定するために付けられたタイトルが, この Skeptics, Mystics and Blind Idolaters...。スローな曲に飽きさしまった、バンド編成にギターはいらないと思う人、ぜひ御ー聴を!最初から飛ばして行きます、JUDAS ISCARIOT。イエスは、。最後のユダを待っていた。ニューヨークのJUDAS ISCARIOT (ユダイスカリオテ) をよろしく。

Using machine translation, it says somethin' about New York (TJI's home state) being thee home of operas and some such stuff. It's probably not very accurate, daga. Also included in the packaging was this typed letter signed by the label honcho themself, Yoshiyuki Takahashi (no relation to the mangaka of the same name, I assume). It seems like a heartfelt response to a letter from the previous owner, but for all I know it could have been included in every mail-ordered record sent to the states.

In addition to these snippets are some other scraps of printed matter:

Perhaps the coolest thing is little novelette, rife with topographic illustration and esoteric texts:

That about does it for the packaging, for me the most interesting part of this little release. I never particularly liked straight hardcore punx or grindcore so this is a bit of a wash for me, the more artsy punky aspects of their work is found elsewhere.

Here