Love as Laughter - "Do You Experience Alien Boredom?" 7"

Love as Laughter – “Do You Experience Alien Boredom?” 7”

K Records, 1996

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $.50

 

Sometimes I gotta be in the right mood for this stuff to work on me. I’m talking indie rock with pop tendencies pushed so far into the lo-fi sphere that it sounds like it was recorded in a Laundromat with every machine set to its spin cycle and all of the equipment intentionally pushed over onto the floor, semi-broken, put back together again and used to record music. It sounds like shit, but that’s the point, and the A-side of this Love as Laughter 7” is totally working its charms on me. This is the sort of weird thing I have come to expect from K’s International Pop Underground series, which is about as spotty of a series as you’re like to find. Some of these are godawful, some are absolute gems, and some are just plain pleasant, easy, if slightly forgettable alt-pop. Honestly, some of the stuff that is self-awarely lo-fi sounds like garbage if there isn’t a little diamond of a song buried under all of the rubble. Fortunately, both “Do You Experience Alien Boredom?” and the even dirtier sounding “Idol Worship! Idol Worship! We Offer Sleep to You!” have enough going for them at the base level that they sound just fine even though they sound like they were recorded on busted old cassette tapes found at a thrift shop.

Enjoy this little gem here in all of its glorious sloppiness. 

The Few - "Rollin' Like the Tide"

The Few – “Rollin’ Like the Tide”

K Records, 1987

Acquired: K Records Mail Order, new, 2008

Price:  ~$1

 

Featuring future members of Pounding Serfs and Gravel, The Few’s “Rollin’ Like the Tide” 7” was one of the first releases in K Records’ International Pop Underground series. The music is pretty basic throwback folk-pop with a dreamy vibe and ramshackle production, but more important was the scene the Few came out of, which unshackled indie DIY music from the punk rock overlords. That was one of the things that drew me to K Records: They were like punks who were sensitive and liked pop music. JUST LIKE ME! The Few were the first band from Anacortes, WA to record for K, kickstarting K’s long illustrious history with the San Juan Islands (which spawned the likes of Phil Elverum of the Microphones and Mount Eerie, Karl Blau, D+ (which is basically just Phil and Karl and Beat Happening guitarist Bret Lunsford), and Burl Ives. Now I’m imagining the Dub Narcotic remix the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer soundtrack oh please, can I have that?). I’ve always held a very firm jealousy towards those dudes from Anacortes. It’s the sort of idyllic place I would love to disappear to. I mean, just look!

You can check out the song in all its hazy glory here.