Small Factory - "The Last Time That We Talked" 7"

Small Factory – “The Last Time That We Talked” 7”

Vernon Yard, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $1

“The Last Time That We Talked” is one of my favorite alt-rock tracks from the mid-90s. It’s absolutely perfect. Alex Kemp delivers the bitter college rock dude tirade while Phoebe Summersquash sweetens the affair with backing vocals that accent and harmonies on the chorus that absolutely make the song. In my head, this is what I think is cool: Three people from Rhode Island playing for no glory, and nobody but themselves. It’s a crying shame that their tiny output remains locked away in obscurity, because their discography is so very, very good. The b-side “Movies” turns up the band’s sensitive side and serves as excellent contrast to the rolling pure pop bliss of the a-side. Though Alex Kemp and Phoebe Summersquash continued on via their band the Godrays, neither seems to have any musical output after 1997, which is unbearably sad considering how great these songs are.

Small Factory - "Lose Your Way" 7"

Small Factory – “Lose Your Way” 7”

Slumberland/Bijoopiter, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $1

I feel like I can’t go 20 posts without talking about Small Factory. They were a small band from the smallest state and somehow they always seem to be popping up. Something about their tunes really hits me where it counts. They’re pure indie pop, but not cloyingly twee. They’re a little lo-fi with a firm grasp on mid-90s jangle pop, but these tracks sound timeless. Both “Lose Your Way” and b-side “Scared of Love” are instant winners. I was just slagging Slumberland the other day, but this is the stuff I was talking about when I was talking about Slumberland’s mid-90s heyday where their track record was unblemished. Neither of these songs found their way onto Small Factory’s second and final (and fantastic) LP For If You Cannot Fly, which makes this 7” a tiny miracle. 

Scared of Love from Small Factory on Myspace.

B-Side Worship: Superchunk - "Home at Dawn"

Superchunk – “Home at Dawn”
Snap! Crackle! Punk!, 1994

Superchunk have a lot of fucking fantastic fist-pumping anthems. They’re the flagship jams that people think of when they think of Superchunk. “Slack Motherfucker.” “Precision Auto.” “Hyper Enough.” “Detroit Has a Skyline.” These are all songs that are very near and dear to me, but my favorite Superchunk song is one of their least fist-pumpy songs, “Home at Dawn.” It’s special for a few reasons, a big one being I’d never heard it until I randomly found it on vinyl at Love Garden, took it home, threw it on the turntable, and proceeded to listen to it twenty times. I couldn’t get enough. I still can’t get enough. It’s one of those songs I’ll listen to on repeat. The way that guitar line reels with the character in the story Mac is telling us. The embarrassment of walking home after spending most of the night with someone. Probably hungover. Definitely hungover. It’s so beautifully realized, it puts you right there. On that sidewalk, stumbling over the bricks as the sun starts to creep over the horizon. No traffic on a usually busy street. Everything simultaneously new and ending, locked in a loop. I’ve already covered this song on this blog already, but I love it so much I’m covering it again.

Purple Ivy Shadows - Circle Psychic Baby EP

Purple Ivy Shadows – Circle Psychic Baby EP

Spin Art, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2007

Price: $.25

Dream pop gets its name because it’s dreamy. Shimmering, sparkling, low energy but brimming with beauty. Purple Ivy Shadows make music that sounds like it’s coming from an actual dream. It has dreamy elements, but the hypnotic A-side “Psychic, Baby” sounds like something out of a weird dream. Not necessarily pretty, and actually maybe a little unsettling. It’s a strange track, especially in comparison to the B-side “Circleye” which has the shimmery, dreamy dream pop/shoegaze quality I was talking about with a little jangly guitar thrown in to date it somewhere circa 1993. 1994? Yep, 1994. That said, the songs on this 7” are quite lovely. The Providence, RI group released five albums between 1997 and 2002, which is impressive. The most fascinating aspect of this 7” for me is that it was engineered by Dave Auchenbach who eerily has produced/engineered a bunch of the 7”s in my collection (see also: Honeybunch “Count Your Blessings,” Small Factory (with whom he played guitar), the first Kind of Like Spitting record, the second Versus record). Ok, not that many, but enough to where I recognize his name and can give a silent nod of respect to his page on Discogs.

"Feeble" (from the band's 1997 album No Less the Trees Than the Stars)

Potholder - "Unsure" 7"

Potholder – “Unsure” 7”

Pop Bus Records, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2007

Price: $.25

“1992? 1993? Somewhere in the early 90s, for sure.” That was the first thought I had when I heard the noisy guitar squall and the thumping bass of “Unsure.” 1994 was the correct answer. I was close, but three years in the early 90s might as well have been an eternity because the grunge ship had mostly sailed by this point leaving hundreds upon hundreds of newfound alt-rock bands in its wake. Potholder plays a crunchy brand of noise rock with a bit of a grunge hangover. Naturally, like many of these seven-inch records I scooped up years ago, there is very little information about Potholder on the internet (and, also naturally, tough shit finding a song to share). Today everything is preserved, and I think I love these 90s alt-rock sevens so much because I know I am the only person on the planet listening to this record at this very moment (and maybe the only person who has listened to this record in years, who knows). It’s not like I’m fetishizing the obscure, it’s more like breathing life into this thing that’s been dormant for a decade and getting a vivid image of this time period through the music.

Behold, the only information I could find about Potholder on the Internet.

Modesty Blaise - "Christina Terrace" 7"

Modesty Blaise – “Christina Terrace” 7”

Spirit of ’86, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008

Price: $.25

 

“Christina Terrace” is a strange sort of track. Despite being produced by a British band at the height of the Britpop explosion, Modesty Blaise sound more like a band from Flying Nun Records in the 80s. There are some wonky synths, some lighthearted ooh-la-la-la backing vocals that feel like they were tacked on with actual thumbtacks, and some guitar solos that sound like they were recorded off of an answering machine. It’s a wonderful little track that sounds like it could completely dissolve any second. B-side “Nothing Sacred” slows things down to a crawl but retains the backing vocals and simple guitar solos and actually provides a nice contrast. “The Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Band in the World” is a hilarious send-up to rock and roll majesty that sounds like a Kinks track and boasts such witty one-liners as “I saw them in town/so they can’t be that great” and “When will you learn/ You’ve gotta dress in black/ You’ve gotta play your guitar when it’s behind your back.”

"Christina Terrace" 

The Mary Janes - "Telescope" 7"

The Mary Janes – “Telescope” 7”

Delmore, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008

Price: ~$.25

 

Not judging albums or books by their covers is a ridiculous notion. I know it serves a greater metaphor/life lesson, but on a surface level interpretation of that notion it’s totally acceptable to judge albums by their covers. Or at least glean what the random 7” you’re holding in your hand might sound like. When I bought something like 80 45s for a quarter a piece, it was easy to snag a few that looked like something I might enjoy. For instance, the Mary Janes with their black-and-white cover featuring a little girl sitting in a big open field. Factoring in the name of the band and the line-up (two people: Janas Hoyt on songs and music, Kathy Kolata on acoustic and electric violas) I was able to deduce that yes, this might be interesting. And wouldn’t you know it! This duo from Indianapolis are a terrific little indie-pop group! Their songs are of the quiet variety (more Sarah Records in tone but more offbeat in their delivery a la K Records) thanks to acoustic guitars backing up the lovely violas. B-side “Baby Honey” has an alt-country tinge (the viola sounds more like a fiddle) and overall both songs are unassuming gems that have effectively been lost to the world.

I wish I had a USB turntable, because it's sad for these lovely gems to go unshared, but they can be listened to via Spotify or what have you.

Kittywinder - "Wishing Well" 7"

Kittywinder – “Wishing Well”

Zero Hour, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $.50

 

There is a time and a place for (mostly) all-girl indie pop, and that time is right now and that place is in my ears. I would have also accepted “All the goddamn time” for the first part of that answer. Kittywinder have the sweet melodies of Tiger Trap but they’ve got a hefty dose of Sleater-Kinney’s snarl to temper the cuteness factor. “Wishing Well” is a pretty damn good, by the books mid 90s riot grrrl pop track, but it’s the b-side “Narrow Canal” that makes me really love this 7”. “Narrow Canal” has spoken verses that, a chatty punk chorus and a whole lot of sexual innuendos involving a big boat and a narrow canal and whether said boat can fit in said narrow canal. It’s funny and bratty, with its tongue digging into the side of its cheek. I like that they could have put another catchy track on the b-side but went full weirdness instead (in my head, I keep saying “‘Narrow Canal’ is like ‘Liar’ by Rollins Band for feminists”). According to Allmusic, the group hailed from New Hampshire and were initially named Motorpussy, which is TOTALLY fitting. Sadly, the group fell victim to the post-grunge fallout and disbanded shortly after the collapse of their label Zero Hour. But not before releasing a full length, 1996’s Livres des Monstres, which I do declare I’d like to hear. This 7” comes on beautiful translucent vinyl which is very aesthetically pleasing.

Check out the obscenely 90s video for "Wishing Well" right here. (The video is the last of four incredibly 90s post-grunge (is 1994 post-grunge or is it still technically grunge? Though I was alive during that time period, I was too busy listening to Oldies 95 and being 9 years old) videos and there's something about these poor quality/quick cuts/bands doing goofy stuff videos that makes me nostalgic for a time when music videos had character, goddamnit!)

Kicking Giant - "She's Real" 7"

Kicking Giant – “She’s Real” 7”

K Records, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008

Price: $.25

 

This is an awesome little grungy indie pop 7” from the halcyon days of K Recs. This Olympia, WA duo totally kill it on the lead track, “She’s Real,” with a blend of jangly guitars and no-budget Phil Spector girl group sound (the track fades out with a refrain of the words “be my baby” and features prominently features that track’s famous drum beat. It’s pretty, though. With a great little hook that cuts through the absolute amateurness of the track (which is also, coincidentally, one of Kicking Giant’s greatest strengths and ultimately the whole point of twee, punk, and any genre worth a damn: That pretty much any goddamn person on the planet is capable of writing a catchy little three minute song). “Funny Face” is another nice slice of melancholic pop and the second b-side “Dubious” is a surprisingly upbeat slice of garagey indie pop with crunchy, poorly tuned guitars, clumsy drums, a sweet little hook and charm to spare.

Hot Toasters - "Fish and Doctor" 7"

Hot Toasters – “Fish and Doctor” 7”

Drag City, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, 2008

Price: $.25

Hot Toasters hail from Japan and they are very clearly insane. In the best way. Japan is a strange and fascinating place. How would you feel if your country lived in isolation from the rest of the world up until 200 some odd years ago? You would probably be weird too. Over the years, I have had Japanese music and culture ruined for me by some really insufferable Japanophiles and I have only recently opened up my borders for things Japanese (i.e. Sushi, Haruki Murakami, anime, Japanese Baseball (which is fascinating and way more grueling than the American Pastime by the way)). I’ve always loved the great Japanese filmmakers, but that was always the exception (and Guitar Wolf, but Guitar Wolf sort of transcend national heritage). Still, my intake of Japanese music is very very limited. The “Fish and Doctor” 7” was Hot Toasters’ sole release, and it’s really a crying shame that they didn’t do more because this 7” is drop dead awesome. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a band navigate multiple genres within the same song with such ease. “Fish and Doctor” mostly plays like a jaunty, almost folksy pop song that devolves into guttural, sludgy metal halfway through before returning to the sweet, jet setting pop and then blending the two together in a really fun way by the end. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s great music. “YUKIWATARI” has a bit of a ska flavor to it provided by trumpet/saxophone/accordion, and while it’s more straightforward than “Fish and Doctor,” with more lighthearted pop verses and punky choruses until the whole fucking thing melts down at the end in a wash of guitars, bass and skronky saxophones and horse-like screams. Awesome. The other b-side, “Milk,” rolls out the metal chops once more and once more blends them with the various elements that comprise the 7”s other tracks. There’s a weird sax solo in the directly after a minute of pummeling metal chords before the song morphs into a big, catchy indie rock song. It’s unselfconscious genre bending, which is really the only kind of genre bending I can appreciate, and after listening to this 7” a few times I’m legitimately sad that this is all the Hot Toasters I’m ever gonna get.

"Yukiwatari"

Honeybunch - "Count Your Blessings" 7"

Honeybunch – “Count Your Blessings” 7”

K Records, 1994

Acquired: K Record Mail Order, New, 2009
Price: $3

 

“Count Your Blessings” was one of my favorite songs from my indie rock era. I played it consistently on my radio show—“Pop Rocks”—and though the song isn’t as flashy as other pop hits, it has tremendous replay value. Lots of little subtleties worm their way into your brain. They’re not afraid to break out sweet guitar solos here and there, which puts them on the Teenage Fanclub side of the pop spectrum. The back cover notes that Dave Auchenbach recorded the songs. Why does that name sound so familiar? I thought to myself. That’s right! Dave Auchenbach was in Small Factory, who I have been thinking about a lot lately via recent write-ups of Small Factory offshoot the Godrays (which notably did not feature Auchenbach, presumably because he wanted to record other bands from his native Rhode Island and establish a classic “Rhode Island Sound”). Alas, I’m a sucker for members of bands I like working with other bands I like. 

I gave up on trying to find a way to upload and share "Count Your Blessings" so here's another one of their excellent singles, "Mine Your Own Business." Both tracks can be found on their terrific career retrospective Time Trials via Summershine. Honeybunch are one of those great little forgotten indie pop/twee bands from the 90s who never really got their due despite crafting subdued songs that could hang with the best of Sarah Records.


And while we're at it, I might as well add on "Hey Blue Sky." Because it's wonderful.

Game for Vultures - "Goin' My Way" 7"

Game for Vultures – “Goin’ My Way” 7”

Estrus, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008

Price: $.25

 

This single was originally released in 1990 but for some reason reissued in 1994. You can definitely taste the 80s in the guitar work. They definitely don’t sound dirty enough. There’s a little 80s wanker metal dust on them, just slightly, which basically serves to date this thing as pre/proto-grunge. There’s some Mudhoney grease smeared on these songs, which makes sense given the band’s proximity to the Grunge Mecca, but there could definitely be more grease. It all sounds too clean. Like you can tell they’re trying to make it sound really good. It’s funny that trying to sound really good is a flaw. Like “Oh, you labored over this in the studio? Yeah, you should have just recorded into a shitty four-track, it would have sounded way better.” The drum sound is bothersome, too. It almost sounds synthesized at times, especially on the instrumental “Surfin’ Bellingham Bay.” The is the only thing Game for Vultures released and front man John Mortensen went on to play with the Mono Men who played the same game of trying to resurrect the Sonics from the ashes but stuck around a lot longer. Lamestain has a whole little history of Jeff Mortensen’s wheelings and dealings in the Seattle music scene and while Game for Vultures’ music leaves something to be desired, it is a fun little artifact from a halcyon early days of American indie music.