Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun

Kyuss – Blues for the Red Sun

Dali, 1992

Acquired: Half Price Books, Used, 2013

Price: $2

Somewhere in 2012-2013 I became fascinated with metal. It didn’t last, and barely any of it stuck outside of Liturgy, Mastodon, and Kyuss. I never was a stoner, but I find stoner rock and stoner metal deeply satisfying. Blues for the Red Sun just hit the spot on this lazy day off. The wife and child are off attending to a bridal shower and I’m home alone cleaning up the little loft-area of my in-laws’ house that I have marked as my territory while we are here. The chugging riffs are of the Black Sabbath variety that speak to my soul, and while the music is a little too attached to vintage heavy metal and the shadow of Metallica, there are some really nice psychedelic touches and doomy riffs that really make this something new and something a little off-center. It’s impossible to listen to this without the context of guitarist Josh Homme’s and bassist Nick Oliveri’s later band Queens of the Stone Age. That is also inherently chained to this mythical notion of desert metal. Of dudes loading up on drugs, driving out to the desert, hooking up a generator and offering up tasty riffs to the various cacti and fauna for nothing. Blues for the Red Sun is a bit amateurish (Jeff Garcia’s vocals are abrasive in that cheesy hard rock style that basically IS the 1990s), but there are moments of greatness in the jamming. I hate jamming, but somehow in the context of stoner rock it strikes a nerve. I can groove out a little. Turn my brain off a bit and just live in the dude world for a minute.

"Green Machine"

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – More Noise & Other Disturbances

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – More Noise & Other Disturbances

TAANG! Records, 1992

Acquired: Half Price Books, Used, 2003

Price: $4

Man, it was a good day for finding records I forgot I bought in high school in my parents’ basement! First the Residents, and now this! I didn’t start seriously collecting records until my second year of college, but in high school I would frequent the Half Price Books in Olathe on a weekly basis hunting for punk rock records (that’s where I got my copy of Black Flag’s Loose Nut). I didn’t even like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and I was out of my ska-punk days, but I bought this one anyway because I thought the band’s second album might have more of a punk slant. It doesn’t, but it’s quite a bit more raw than their 1997 monster break-out Let’s Face It. What came first, the ska revival or the swing revival? Or did they happen simultaneously? It feels like those two genres were feeding one another. Both have a fun, throwback vibe and are straight-up good time music. Let’s Face It was ubiquitous. You’ll find CD copies of it in clearance sections and cut-out bins across this great land, and it’s hard to remember there was a brief moment in our history where this is what the people wanted. It was a brief moment, but it came right at the time where I was discovering music on my own and I very much-loved “The Impression That I Get” (still do, it’s a great, catchy as hell song). I was 12, and I gotta think the nascent punk rock elements in the band at that time helped shepard me down that path. The first concert I ever attended was a ska-punk show at El Torreon in KC, right around the time I bought this record. I learned to skank, and had a generally magnificent time even though I went on my own. So maybe that’s why I have a soft spot for ska-punk. Even though it didn’t get under my skin like pop-punk and hardcore, it lent a hand.

I should probably write something about the actual album opposed to the feelings it brings up. More Noise & Other Disturbances is a whole hell of a lot more unpolished than their mainstream fare and a whole hell of a lot more rockin. It’s really, really fun and was recorded in an era before horn sections in rock bands became a running joke.

"Where'd You Go"

B-Side Worship: Jawbreaker - "Kiss the Bottle"

Jawbreaker – “Kiss the Bottle”

1992

It’s hard to tell if there is a more beloved Jawbreaker track than “Kiss the Bottle.” Sure, “Boxcar” is about as well known as “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “Jinx Removing” is as seminal as it gets when it comes to mixtape staples, but holy Christ this song cuts right through you. Blake Schwarzenbach’s vocals sound like a metal spoon caught in a dishwasher (with good reason, too, as it was the last song Jawbreaker recorded before his throat surgery) and that translates to the most perfectly weathered voice needed to sing a song about goddamn regret. It’s an ugly song about drunks with relationship issues. The chugging guitars sounds like it’s coming in and out of consciousness, and though the song was recorded between Bivouac and 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, it wouldn’t really belong on either of those records. It is, however, the finest song Schwarzenbach had written up to that point and full of the emotional intensity that would make 24 Hour Revenge Therapy and Dear You so easy for heartbroken 18 year olds to fawn over. So many of my AIM away messages were Jawbreaker quotes from that era, and Schwarzenbach’s songwriting was deeply influential to me in a number of ways. When I started writing songs, I tried to match that raw emotional honesty (not that I was really any good at it). I started gravitating towards music with that realness. It’s a reason why I totally shut down when I hear vapid lyrics. It’s all I can focus on. I know pop music is supposed to be fun and vapid and the lyrics aren’t supposed to matter but thanks to Jawbreaker, it’s something I find incredibly important.

Pissed - Pissed EP

Pissed – Pissed EP

Profane Existence, 1992

Acquired: Half Price Books, Used, 2012

Price: $.75

In the Hold Steady’s “Stevie Nix,” Craig Finn sings “When we hit the Twin Cities/ I didn’t know that much about it/ I knew Mary Tyler Moore/ And I knew Profane Existence.” I had to look it up to find out Profane Existence is a Minneapolis based anarcho-punk collective founded in 1989 and, apparently, still kicking. This seven-inch from Pissed was the collective/label’s 9^th release, and it’s more on the sludgy metal spectrum than I would have suspected. It’s still got some rollick to it, but the vocals always feel like they’re two second away from delivering a guttural groan. Kudos to the punks for getting organized enough to run a record label! More impressive still that Profane Existence has released over a hundred 7-inch records, albums, and CDs. Despite only containing four songs, there’s a pretty substantial booklet of liner notes, etc included with this seven-inch. Most of it is classic over-explaining (which I am a fan of). I.e. “‘Purge’ seems to be about personal anguish of the stagnant life we are meant to lead as human beings in 1992 ‘civilization.’ It is the human spirit crying out of the rejection… The desire to destroy what destroys you,” “‘Uprising” is revolt. It is turning political ideas into action. It is physical action we put into effect with the courage and confidence we’ve instilled in ourselves through mutual support of others. It is marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, flaming torch in hand, onwards to freedom. When the world is turned upside down and tyranny is stomped out forever, then maybe the sun will rise in the western sky…” etc. It’s all positive ideals with good intentions, but overblown bordering on parody. Still, it’s the thought that counts.

Purge from Pissed on Myspace.

Sunrise in the Western Sky from Pissed on Myspace.

Nothing Painted Blue - "Swivelchair" 7"

Nothing Painted Blue – “Swivelchair” 7”

Kokopop, 1992

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $.50

I became a fan of Nothing Painted Blue through frontman Franklin Bruno’s involvement with The Mountain Goats (and the Goats’ live cover of NPB’s “Houseguest”). It got weird when I found out a few of their records (including the ones I owned) were produced by my Western Civ II instructor. It was one of those spooky coincidences. So now every time I put on my Nothing Painted Blue records, I just think of how I was a fucking godawful terrible student in that Western Civ class. It was a bad time. I kept sneaking out of class for long stretches of time to have lunch with my ex-girlfriend in the basement of Wescoe Hall. It’s not like I was a freshman, either. I was a junior and I should have known better. But alas, trying to win back your ex-girlfriend is more important than Friedrich Nietzsche. To the course’s credit, I did end up writing a very stimulating paper on Freud’s searing critique on organized religion The Future of an Illusion and Chris Dick and I used to have long conversations about Rousseau’s “Man in the State of Nature” at the bar. So the class wasn’t totally lost on me.

Nothing Painted Blue’s wry college rock isn’t particularly special (that said, it’s pretty fucking great), but it is particularly enjoyable. The hooks are great, the songs are fun and clever, and when it comes to 1990s alt-rock this stuff is at worst listenable and at best earth shatteringly great. Nothing Painted Blue are in the top percentile of these alt/college rock groups because of their sense of play and a strange charm that comes through in the chorus of “Blooming, Buzzing” via Bruno’s everyman drawl morphing into a sweet little hook. That everyman mentality is what makes this kind of music such a joy. These were just dudes in their 20s, hanging out, throwing together some jams, putting out a 7”, and playing shows. With the best bands, there’s never the pretension of trying to be successful. They’re striving to make good music with what they have, and there is something very pure and very beautiful in that.

"Swivelchair" - Days after writing this entry, this song was lodged in my head to the point where I was quietly singing the line "I wanna sit in your office/ I wanna play with your office supplies" under my breath like a psychopath.

The Moon Seven Times - "My Medicine" 7"

The Moon Seven Times – “My Medicine” 7”

Parasol, 1992

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008

Price: $.25

Whilst combing the erstwhile Alt-Rock 7” section of the Love Garden Shotgun Room, one of the record labels that immediately sent a record to my keeper pile was Parasol. Parasol covered all angles of the indie-pop spectrum and released records by bands that were great but never quite made it as big as they should have (Wolfie, Strawberry Story, The Like Young) in addition to releasing a hundred plus records from random bands no one has ever heard of. Which is great, because they’re often the sort of bands who contributed one magnificent track to the world and then faded into oblivion. Champaign, Illinois’ The Moon Seven Times weren’t necessarily one of those bands, but the three dream pop tracks on this 7” are more than serviceable.  Lynn Canfield’s vocals lend an unfortunate 90s-ness to the whole affair, but just a little bit. All is forgiven, though, since overall these three tracks are quite pleasant. The whole “ethereal dream pop” angle tends to produce a lot of boring music and requires a bit more effort than your average alt-rock since if the songwriting isn’t up to snuff or the music isn’t ornately beautiful enough you run the risk of putting the audience to sleep (which was mostly rectified by bands amping up the reverb and distortion and calling it shoegaze). That said, the Moon Seven Times are snoozy, but have just enough gumption to keep me from falling out of my chair.

"My Medicine"

Mecca Normal - "From the Surface" 7"

Mecca Normal – “From the Surface” 7”

Dionysus, 1992

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2009

Price: $1

 

Despite the group’s sprawling discography and affiliation with my beloved K Records, this is the first time I’ve ever listened to Mecca Normal. For some reason I was expecting grungy dude rock a la early 90s Washington, but Mecca Normal operate more in the realm of Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill with some big time Riot Grrl tendencies. Which is awesome. Both “From the Surface” and b-side “Upside Down Flame” are brief, lo-fi tunes featuring only guitar and vocals. Fortunately, there is a nice contrast between the grungy and distorted A-side and the gentler b-side (though the chorus of “Upside Down Flame” turns the song into a snarl). The sparse tracks have a lot in common with Beat Happening, which makes sense as the 7” was co-recorded by Calvin Johnson.

"From the Surface"
 
From the Surface from Mecca Normal on Myspace.

"Upside Down Flame"

Upside Down Flames from Mecca Normal on Myspace.

The Mad Scene - Falling Over, Spilling Over EP

The Mad Scene – Falling Over, Spilling Over EP

Homestead, 1992

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $1

 

Odds are, if a band’s album’s cover art looks like it might be associated with Flying Nun Records, the band is probably affiliated with Flying Nun Records. Not only did the Mad Scene release their debut album A Trip Through Monsterland on Flying Nun, but founding member Hamish Kilgour is the same Hamish Kilgour from the Clean, which excites me to no end. I don’t know what it is about this album’s crude pastel image of a table spilling over a bunch of shit, but there’s something about the alluring amateurishness that matches the bands you typically found on Flying Nun. People who weren’t career musicians who made some of the most blissful alt-pop you’ve ever heard. I was just talking about Flying Nun with Jenny yesterday, as she just fell in love with Lorde and of course I had to get on my “You know what else is from New Zealand and paved the way for all kiwi pop?” soapbox which she has probably tuned out a hundred times. Oh, to live in New Zealand in the early 90s. Beautiful scenery, excellent weather, and a government that funds the countries arts and music scene.

Despite the New Zealand roots, the Mad Scene was based in NYC. In addition to Flying Nun, the band was signed by a veritable who’s who of fantastic indie rock labels throughout their career (Homestead, Merge, Siltbreeze). While the sparse, post-punk forward title track is a bit sloggish, the two tracks on this 7”s double A side are as joyful and pleasant as the album’s cerulean vinyl. The guitars on “People to Talk to” chime and jangle in that way that only guitars from Oceania seem to chime and jangle. There’s a post-punk backbone to that track, but the delicious sunny riff shines over everything. Vocal duties on the more indie-pop driven “Paper Plane” are handled by Kilgour’s foil Lisa Siegel, who delivers the vocals in way not dissimilar to Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley (who, by the by, has been part of the band’s revolving door lineup throughout the years). Wonderful stuff. Now excuse me while I try to track down their full-lengths.

Here's "Choose" from their Merge-released sophomore LP Sealight.

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Lois - "Press Play and Record" 7"

Lois – “Press Play and Record” 7”

K Records, 1992

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2009

Price: $.50

 

While Lois has never been my favorite of the 1990s indie pop lady singers, the tracks on this 7” so perfectly capture the gauzey look of the early 90s that they come across as rather charming. The music is incredibly ramshackle, populating the same streams that fed grunge as well as the sweet and cuddly incarnation of punk rock that was twee. This is her first release, so it's a little rough, but again, you can't kill the DIY charm of the early 90s. The spare, acoustic b-side “Long Time Gone” works better with Lois Maffeo’s voice than the jangly pop of the a-side (and the majority of Lois’s discography). It strips away any hint of sweetness and doesn’t feel strained, and while I don’t love the song, I much prefer it to the rather forgettable nature of her usual output.

"Press Play and Record"


"Long Time Gone"

Ford - "Vicodin"/"Primary Flirtation" 7"

Ford – “Vicodin”/ “Primary Filtration” 7”

Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1992

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2009

Price: $1

 

I bought this because there was something in the notes on the back of the sleeve that said, “This is for Ian!” And I was like “IT WAS MEANT TO BE!” So I took it home, put it on top of my 7”s at the bottom of my then record shelf and went out to dinner with Jenny. When I came back, Panda had devoured half the sleeve. He had never done anything like that before and hasn’t touched my records since, so I can only assume it was a combination of him knowing that I thought this record was in some way special and revenge for us going out and leaving him alone. He’s older now, and much wiser (or just chews on the Kong and four chewed-up tennis balls that litter our apartment and doesn’t have time to bother with destroying the things I love). The wax escaped relatively unscathed. There’s a little tooth mark right at the beginning but the tracks play through fine. Which is great! Because I’ve been writing-up a string of all-girl punk bands recently and Ford fit right in! Ford sound very much their era—1992—with a dusting of grunge and a Breeders badge on denim jacket. I loved playing stuff like this on Alternative Flashback because one of my favorite aspects of the early-mid 90s post-grunge boom was the sheer number of alternative rock bands that came out of the woodwork to have record deals handed to them. Though SFTRI was an indie, there were so many bands signed to majors who made an album and were promptly dropped as grunge withered. The bands that stuck around seemed to be the bands that could churn out a radio single (Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls, Everclear, and any number of Dishwallas*). At our old house in Lawrence, there was a chart written on a wall in sharpie in the basement for the band Stick (nee Kill Whitey). It chronicled every show they played and the last entry was SIGNED TO ARISTA RECORDS! It struck me that the post-grunge buy-up of little bands was so vast I was living in a place that once housed one of these bands (and, according to our landlord, the pet pig of one of the band members' girlfriends, which was often leashed to the clothesline in the backyard). The saddest thing is that there was so much great music that just vanished into the ether. While these bands weren’t making stuff that was commercially viable, a lot of them were making really good alt-rock. So much of my 7-inch collection is comprised of bands that reside in this mid-90s alt-rock ghetto. I’m listening to this Ford 7” and thinking that I’m probably the only person on the planet listening to these songs right now, and probably the only person on the planet that has listened to these songs in the last month. I feel like staring down into the abyss and saying “Hey! This record is really good! I know you all probably have lives and jobs and kids and stuff at this point but I’m listening to this record you made in 1992 and this is really good!” There was a photo of the band on the back cover that is lost forever and I know that was the selling point. These girls looked so COOL. That effortless cool that indie bands have a hard time finding because they want too much glory. There’s a certain cool that came with “We just have a band because it’s fun.”

Note: I found the back cover on Discogs! The picture of the girls is just as cool as I remember and the note was “thanks ian.” I remember thinking “how did they know I was gonna buy this 7”?

*It is not my intention to shittalk those bands who were fortunate enough to avoid the major label axe that beheaded so many little bands in the early 90s. I went to karaoke a few months ago and spent an hour deciding on whether or not to sing those four songs linked above. No joke. That stuff is basically the sound of my childhood and I have a deep affection for that glossy "alternative" rock)

Fifth Column - "Donna"/ "All Women Are Bitches" 7"

Fifth Column – “Donna”/ “All Women Are Bitches” 7”

K Records, 1992

Acquired: K Records Mail Order, New, 2008

Price: ~$1

 

The all-girl indie-pop movement from 1990s Canada is one of my favorite things ever. Cub, Maow, Fifth Column, they know how to write some catchy fucking songs in ways that American groups can’t even handle. “Donna” is a straight-up little rough-edged indie pop gem and “All Women Are Bitches” is a gritty track that sounds like the Breeders on steroids. Funny how a band can lure you in with a charming DIY pop song and then try to bite your face off. Effectively, Fifth Column use “All Women Are Bitches” to attack the patriarchy with wit, which is really the most effective way to attack the patriarchy. It’s playful and sneering at the same time. This is some legit, OG Riot Grrrl business right here and another reason to be thankful that our neighbors to the North continually shower us with jams.

"Donna"


"All Women Are Bitches"