Indie-List_V2_N28
THE INDIE LIST. Whatever the hell that means...
Princeton-Seattle-Chicago
(the junta is shrinking in a vicious power struggle)
Volume 2, Number 28
Table of contents:
The new kid speaks...
Lena's Message
Pram, Pram, Mambo Taxi(, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub)
Reviews of God and Texas/ Phleg Camp/ Archers of Loaf
Tsunami/Cub/NoFun/Unrest/Stereolab...
yo la manning
Stereolab
Hazel live, posthumous S.F. Seals single
Catherine Wheel / Is this list still alive???
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Editor's note
Howdy. For those who haven't been reading closely, our dear pal Mark
has resigned his post as editor of the Indie-List. He's still gonna be
reading and writing and serving as an executive consultant to the rest
of us, but it was time for a change, in his eyes.
The change, however, will be pretty damn small, as far as I can tell.
Except for the fact that I'm not half the computer-jock that Mark is
(therefore eliminating some of the fancier details of the list, and
preventing all future attempts at LISTSERVing this sucker), the I-L
should remain on course, a course determined by you, the readers.
Remember, it's boring to see the same names every week when there are
over 400 people on board... Anyway, I'm probably coming into this in
the same jaded state in which Mark left - this doesn't mean I'm not
interested in indie-rock, but that I'm looking around at other things
and no longer sleeping with an Ajax catalog under my pillow. :) I
probably will still write about once a week, and I always reserve the
right to drop comments in on other submissions... :)
So, the big difference I see right now is one in stability. Problems,
concerns, questions, etc. are now referred to one easy address that
you've all seen numerous times by now - <skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu>
That address will be stable for my tenure as editor (a tenure limited by
my enrollment at Princeton, which should be ending in June, whether or
not I graduate). A new, updated FAQ is in the works, with entries
related to the I-L index and the I-L-exchange, as well as updates on
your favorite Indie-List celebrities.
One quick review for the week:
Lorelei - "Asleep" 7" (Slumberland Records, P.O. Box 14371, Berkeley, CA
94701)
The first new recordings from these folks in quite a while...last we saw
them, Gina had just left the band and they contributed the stunning
"Mimesis" to the One Last Kiss compilation...in the interim, Matt and
Steve started singing, Davis got crazier, and the band veered into MBV
territory in their live sets. This record, however, reeks of Sarah
Records - not a bad thing, but not quite what I was expecting based on
the intensely cool show I saw this summer. I think I need to listen a
few more times, but for now, it's a decent single that hints at what
these folks are really capable of doing. *
And now I'd like all readers to observe a brief moment of silence for
the dearly departed of the past week, Federico Fellini and River
Phoenix.
Thank you. :)
Sean
skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
=========================================================================
From: "K. Lena Bennett" <keb@u.washington.edu>
Lena's Message
Not much to say this week. Had no money to buy new stuff. But I did get
the S.F. Seals baseball single. Just wondering: why no inner paper
sleeve? Why no outer plastic slipcover? I do care about preservation,
you know. Didn't get any new comix either. Man, I'm just boring today.
Just don't ask me to tell you about my personal life. Anyway, thanks to
the time change, I finally got enough sleep last night. Wish I could
sleep an hour late every monday morning!
P.S. I have a good free giveaway question and Kath is helping me out on
it, but you'll have to wait till next week.
Lena keb@u.washington.edu
"I was wasted in a dog and pony show
please release me from this cheap scenario
I'm a mystery even to myself
I'm a kama sutra sitting on the shelf" -- The Christmas
========================================================================
From: James Nash <CCX020@raven.coventry.ac.uk>
Pram, Pram, Mambo Taxi(, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub)
While our office is decimated with illness, I carry on with headache and
wisdom tooth-ache to bring you what you want. This damn cold has meant
missing Mambo Taxi. So here's a plug for their incredibly good new single
_Do You Always Dress Like That in Front of Other People's Boyfriends?_ on
Clawfist b/w _I Married a Serial Killer_. Only heard the A side which is
pure late '70s (Buzzcocks/Rezillos) and two- fingers-up to prudish indie
dressing-down. The video's ace too. *1/3
Pram _The Stars are so Big, the Earth is so Small... Stay as you Are_
Too Pure 26 Beg, steal, borrow or preferably BUY this album, I
cannot recommend it highly enough. The closest possible description is
recent Moonshake meets Can meets Sugarcubes meets some demented
9-year-olds let loose in a kitchen showroom. Missing is the heavier
violence of the two EPs and Pram's new drummer gives their debut LP the
rhythm absent before; oddly enough this makes the songs sound initially
more lightweight until repeated listens have them indelibly scarred on
your brain. Nursery rhyme-style lyrics delivered in an off-key (yet
in-key, real high ninths stuff) careless voice combine with repetitive
basslines, Casio VL-Tone and all sorts of jiggery pokery on God knows what
instruments and tape loops, producing one of the most chilling yet
soothing records ever made. Plus you can hum the tunes. The 16-minute epic
"In Dreams, You Too Can Fly" (with added jazz!) is worth the cover price
alone. Contender for album of the year. **
After I wrote this review, I got to see Pram for the second time and while
I wasn't 100% blown away like the first time :-) it was still magic. Also
managed to acquire a proper copy of Gash, the first EP cum mini-album (6
songs) which is only available on Vinyl (address on back of new LP or
available at their gigs). The second EP Watertoy is on Too Pure (CD only
I think) and shouldn't be too hard to find.
Picked up _Soluble Fish_ (that Chemical Imbalance doo-dah) which I can
heartily recommend to anyone after just one listen. Fly Ashtray, what a
band! Also got the Thruster single by Mint 400 which was nowhere near as
good as _Natterjack Joe_. Still having trouble finding the Karl Hendricks
Trio album - can someone kindly e-mail me the address for Fiasco? or name
other bands on th'label?
[The Dolomite LP is on Fiasco, and I've got the address in my big
indie-label-list...drop me a line for a copy... - Sean]
Thanks to you lot, I will be blowing large portions of my paycheck on
Saturday. With friends like these who needs NMEs. :+}
--James Nash <ccx020@raven.cov.ac.uk>
and a slice of cake... over there!
=========================================================================
From: GREGS@SLCW27.SLAC.Stanford.EDU
Reviews of God and Texas/ Phleg Camp/ Archers of Loaf
God and Texas -- _Criminal Element_ These guys have gotten a bit of
airplay on the college radio stations around the Stanford area for some
reason. The CD has a pretty straightforward loud and droning guitar sound
with a vocalist who sounds somewhat constipated. That's nothing new for
punk rock, however, and I still like this CD. On the downside this CD
suffers just a little from the weight of having to rely much on this
sound, eventhough the tempo does vary some, and there are a few cuts that
are rather forgettable, but on the upswing several of the songs have
rhythms that tend to grow on you. As far as their sound goes, I guess I
could best describe them as having been influenced by a little grindcore,
hardcore, and have a slight flavor of some of the less-traditional Oregon
bands that have signed to Sub Pop lately. I had been purchasing more of
the indie-gone- big-label variety stuff, and since then I've been in the
mood to experiment a little by purchasing more obscure things -- and this
satisfied me. I'll give it a 6.5/10.
Phleg Camp -- _Ya'red Fair Scratch_ Three words: the Jesus Lizard. I
don't understand -- from the loud bassline to the guitar sound to the song
structures to use of the Chicago Recording Company, Phleg Camp must have
SOME connection to the Lizard. The vocalist may not be as talented as a
David Yow, but he fills the vocal requirements well -- and when he isn't,
that's because the band is dabbling in one of their instrumental songs
which are quite good. To pass this CD off as worthless Jesus Lizard
larceny is not justice however. The music is good, the songs are new
eventhough you know the label says Cargo [which has been budding with
talent lately] and you've heard this "sound" before on Touch and Go, and
the CD is also a slight bit jazzier than Jesus Lizard -- the arrangements
tend to play around a bit without getting too self-indulgent. (However,
the 4th track on this CD DOES finish with an overly self-indulgent beat
that lasts for an entire minute -- if not for the counter on my CD player
I would swear that it was "skipping".) On the one hand I think about
dismissing this as too derivative of the Jesus Lizard sound, but on the
other hand there are a lot worse sounds to make in the music world -- and
I happen to really like this one. 7.5/10.
Archers of Loaf -- _Icky Mettle_ No more Alias compilation disk and great
7" singles to sort through -- here's something of substance from the
Archers. Like their Chapel Hill bretheren, Superchunk, the Archers live
off of the big guitar sound and common-man-but- competent vocals, but the
similarities do not go beyond the noisy, untamed sound that you might find
on some of Superchunk's early recordings. A great mix that combines and
alternates between guitar blasts, great hooks, and even a catchy pop
melody thrown in for good measure now and then, this CD offers a variety
of songs that cover a good portion of the map of indie guitar rock -- and
it does it all quite well. I have yet to see this band live, and they are
at the top of my list among the "must sees" if they ever make it out to
the left coast. One of the best releases I've heard in a while this year.
9/10.
=========================================================================
From: jarnail@sfu.ca
Tsunami/Cub/NoFun/Unrest/Stereolab...
Indie rock stars galore invaded the lower west coast of Canada this last week,
and here's a wrap up:
Oct. 21 - Tsunami/Cub - Town Pump, Vancouver, BC
There weren't a hell of alot of people at the Town Pump on this night,
considering it was a free show, but that probably had to do with the fact
there was almost zero promotion for it. Apparently it was being (wrongly)
advertised as an October 22 show, at a different location, so unless you
were at the Velocity Girl gig the previous week, where Cub's singer
mentioned the show, you'd be way out of luck.
When I arrived Cub were already on stage playing their mini local hit "Go
Fish". Their sound seemed alot more aggresive than usual tonight,
especially on their older songs, which they've reworked with a heavier
guitar sound. They sounded really garage punk-ish, which was a pleasant
suprise. Their upcoming CD/double 7", should be a damn fun romp if their
last few gigs are indicitive of their "new" sound.
This is first time I'd seen Tsunami, and according to them, it was only
their second show ever in Canada (I guess Winnipeg , of all places, had
the honour of hosting Tsunami's first Canadian gig). They mostly played
songs from their newly recorded album, and managed to throw in a couple of
numbers from "Deep End". Their set was a bit short (they said they had to
take off for the States right after the show) but their performance was
solid and they got an enthusiastic response from the small crowd. They
mentioned Kamloops was their favorite Canadian city (except they
pronounced it Kam-loops, sort of like Fruit-loops), and when someone
yelled "Nova Scotia", they impressivly responded "yeh, Nova Scotia, home
of Stompin' Tom Connors." After the show, while I was buying a tshirt from
the band, a guy with a British accent (who seemed a bit drunk) came up to
them and told them he had a friend in Manchester who could book them at
the Hacienda. I can just picture Tsunami gracing the cover of NME...
[It wouldn't be a big shocker...they've already graced the cover of
Alternative Press and the Washington Post weekend section - Sean]
October 22 - No Fun - Malcom Lowery Room
No Fun are Vancouver's more intelligent and talented version of Toronto
idiot- core phonies, the Barenaked Ladies, except they haven't kissed up
to MuchMusic and "modern rock" radio stations, so they remain basically a
west coast secret. Tonight they played a really tiny pub in Burnaby (just
next door to Vancouver), and the 20 or so people who bothered to show were
treated to a vintage No Fun show. Although they didn't play their minor
campus radio hit, "Be Like Us", they did play their clever tribute to
Surrey (a Vancouver suburb which can't seem to get no respect) plus their
special Canadian federal election inspired Kim Campbell song and a bunch
of stuff from their last album, "The Beatles of Surrey". Part-time
vocalist/ full time tamborine ace, Pico sounded especially good tonight
and really complemented David M.'s country-ish vocals. They sounded a bit
rusty (I don't think they've played in a while) but despite this, they
entertained as they always do and I'm hoping their lack of activity lately
doesn't mean they're packing it in.
October 23 - Unrest/Stereolab - Town Pump
I was lucky enough to walk by Scratch Records on the morning of this gig
and see a sign annoucing Unrest would be playing live in the record store
that afternoon. Braving the monsoon rains, I arrived at Scratch at 3pm
sharp, armed with a copy of Imperial frrr(vinyl of course), which I shyly
asked the band to sign. They played an excellent 20 minute acoustic set,
which included bare bone versions of Cath Carrol and Isabel. I couldn't
believe how great these songs sounded with just a single drum, an acousitc
guitar and mellow bass. On the way out, they handed out "Perfect Teeth"
promo posters and bright orange Unrest stickers, which ended a really
perfect afternoon (the rain even stopped for a half hour while Unrest
played).
The Town Pump show was an early one, and when I arrived most of the people
were crowded around the TV watching the baseball game. The Jays had just
popped out at the bottom of the eighth just as Stereolab came on. So,
thinking the Blue Jays were done, I turned my attention to Stereolab.
This band did not dissapoint. Even though their mix wasn't great (you
could hardly hear the vocals) their sound really came across as HUGE. One
of the better performances I've seen in the last little while.
Unrest put on a pretty fine show themselves, as they rolled through most
of the stuff on "Perfect Teeth". Unrest's set was kind of marred by
drunken frat boy "moshers"/ baseball holligans, who insisted on elbowing
or knocking over anybody they could get near. You usually only see this
kind of idiotic behaviour at shows featuring "big" bands, like Sugar or
the Pixies, but I've noticed it slowly creeping in to smaller shows too.
At the end of the show, a small scuffle started, as people got fed up with
the inebriated jerks, and it got kind of scary for a few seconds, before
the bouncers could break it up. Unrest didn't seem too pleased about
these guys either, as they repeatidly asked them to tone it down. As far
as the actual show goes, I was pleased that Unrest could reproduce their
albums so well live (their records sound very produced to me), considering
they're only a three piece.
- Jerry.
--
QUOTE
----------> J S Gill ---------> jarnail@sfu.ca <-------------->
DUMB
=========================================================================
From: Tim McGinnis <tim@vestek.com>
yo la manning
stopped by aquarious records to pick up yo la tengo/chris knox tix
and find out if barbara manning is in town. because if she is in town,
she's sure to show up w/ her famous fuzz guitar and jam* w/ ylt
on a few tunes like she did last year in sacto where ira made sure to
thank "the sf seals and the other band whose name i can't remember".
unfortunatly, my 2 sources weren't working that night. so, i had to settle
for barbara manning's 2nd baseball installment, The Baseball Trilogy.
the cover of the 7" has some nice shots of old seal stadium, joe dimag,
denny mclain, and dock ellis. it's a nice fun set - a must for completists.
hoping for a mets/seals series,
tim
* ira on jamming
we never really jam, most of the songs we play are
strictly scripted. all the solos are learned
note for note and repeated every night verbatim
as anyone who's seen any of our show could tell you.
so, that's what confused us when you said, jam.
===========================================================================
From: Kane H Tsay <purekn@uclink.berkeley.edu>
Stereolab
I saw Stereolab three times this week, and all I can say is, I want to see
them again and again! OK, here's what they use in their live set: 2
organs, 2 guitars, bass, drums, tambourine, and 2 vocalists. As far as
how the music translates live, they just really turn up the Farfisas and
cut some of the studio weirdness. They played stuff from all of their
releases, and the two times I saw them on an acutal stage (the other one
was an in-store), they played "Jenny Ondioline" in its glorious 18-minute
entirety. The main singer Laetitia is really "groovy." You gotta love the
way she "grooves" to the long instrumental parts in the songs. It was
just such a pleasure to have the lower frequencies of my hearing blown out
instead of the usual high-end blowout caused by feedbacky and shrill
guitar-type bands (riiiiing!).
I'm not a super Unrest fan, so I won't post a review here. I will say that
I bought the limited edition, tour-only Stereolab/Unrest split single, and
it's really no big deal. The Unrest "song" is some really lame
instrumental, and the 'Lab song is kinda disposable too. Plus, I was
going to buy one for a friend, but they only let me buy one. Unrest has
about 5 different T-shirt designs on sale, and they're all pretty cool,
the Stereolab shirts were kinda disappointing. I'd rather track down one
of the older "Switched On" ones.
See Ya,
Kane
=========================================================================
From: Steve Folta <folta@holonet.net>
Hazel live, posthumous S.F. Seals single
Hazel, The Pale Horse, and Don Caballero at Bottom Of The Hill, San
Francisco, 10/30/93
I only caught the end of Don Cabellero's set. They played instrumental
hard rock, and I enjoyed them despite that their music is pretty
unmelodic.
The Pale Horse were pretty good metally hard rock. They had me bangin my
head a bit at times. Hazel have gone through some changes since I last
saw them six months or so ago: Fred has grown a scraggly mustache and
goatee, Jody has grown hair, her drumming is much stronger, and the band
as a whole was tighter and more powerful. The music held my attention so
much that I rarely noticed what Fred was doing, so you know it was good.
Definitely a good show all around; it's not often around here that all
three bands at a show are good.
The S.F. Seals, Baseball Trilogy CD single (Matador Ole064-2)
I've been meaning to write a eulogy for the death of the S.F. Seals, and I
guess this is my opportunity. The Seals were San Francisco's best band
while they existed, IMHO. It pains me to think that they'll probably go
down in history as "Barbara Manning's least-recorded band", both because
it was very much a full band (not just Barbara with some backing
musicians) and because I feel certain that they were the best band she's
been in (although I never saw 28th Day live) and that they did the best
versions of her songs. "Someone Wants You Dead" and the Bats' "Smoking
Her Wings" in particular were almost always transcendent live, even on
off-nights. The band started in early 1992 and featured Barbara Manning
(guitar), Michelle Cernuto (bass, ex-Weenie Roast), Melanie Clarin (drums,
ex-half the late 80's SF bands), and Kim Osterwalder (cello,
ex-Flophouse). Later Kim Ost