Peaking Lights, a married musical duo in Spring Green California, bang out hissing, druggy, haze drenched, tapes that pull you into static laced labyrinths of sound. Fuzzy to the MAX. Well guess what? They cleaned up their sound and dropped a serious holy-shit-this-is-turning-my-mind-into-golden-goo of an album called 936. This record is steeped in late night voodoo disco dub magik of the highest caliber. Listen to the samples, drool staring at the floor for a bit, and then order this record PRONTO! Supplies are god damn limited son!
In a conversation I had once with Jim Jarmusch, he asked me if I was into the "late 70's Cleveland punk scene". I said yes, and we immediately started to nerd out about the music. He told me how he had interviewed a lot of the groups, about the original 7in records he had, and asked what the Pirate's Cove in Cleveland was like nowadays. It's funny how music creates a sense of time and place for people.
Growing up in Stow, Ohio, I've been unintentionally exposed in one way or another to this music of a bygone area; a kind of Rock 'n' Roll music of the strangest breed. Influenced by the weirdo humor and creativity of cult TV icon Ghoulardi, and the minimal guitar work of The Velvet Underground, there's no real name for it - but the music from this time has it's own unique sound, a North East Ohio sound.
I remember seeing episodes of The Drew Carey Show with specific reference to a particular NE Ohio band, which my parents had to explain to me. My mother used to get her printing work from the guitarist of the Bizarros. Every time the intro of The Rugrats would come on, I was reminded of who wrote the music. And when I went to college, a teacher of mine did a little documentary for PBS on the sound of Akron. This music is carved into the deep recesses of my brain and it makes me so proud to say I'm from Ohio. So here's a sample of some awesome alternative music from 1970's North East Ohio.
GRANICUS, a band from 1973 Cleveland....singing about getting out of Cleveland. This may be the beginning of the NE Ohio sound. It's hard rock but... whats going on here? The middle breakdown of the song turns into this goofy talk/sing thing in weird cartoon like inflections. "Someday I'd like to take you downtown Cleveland,down/down/down/downtown/ down to the Cuyahoga River/where we can wait for it to catch on fire/Where we can roast our wee-wee's/ and have ourselves a little picnic." This of course mocking Mr. Robert Plant in all his majestic Led Zeppelin glory. Pretty fun if you ask me. Too bad they never got to leave Cleveland...
Of course we all know DEVO. They are permanently ingrained into the pop culture zeitgeist thanks to their quirky song and video "Whip it," and uhh...funny power dome hats? My Aunt went to the second Devo show ever at Kent State, and said it was the worst thing she's ever seen. Well at that time they were making fart noises on synths over primitive rock 'n' roll, so that's understandable. But what if you're into synth fart noises? Then you're in heaven.
Here's an great early demo song and a video somebody did with their cat...
ELECTRIC EELS, Cleveland's best kept secret. A band with a reputation for playing lawn mowers on stage, guy-on-guy makeout sessions to freak out working-class Midwesterners, and Nazi memorabilia shock tactics (before Johnny Thunders, Sid Vicious and Siouxsie Sioux mind you). This was art terrorism at its most extreme in the the 1970's. I never really understood how protopunk of say The Stooges or The Velvet Underground became what is now known as punk until I listened to this band. I mean, shit, "Agitated" was from 1975 and he's sneering like Johnny Rotten. This band deserves way more attention and should be credited as the first punk band.
This is a contender for my all time favorite song EVER.
PETER LAUGHNER was a very important musician and music critic for NE Ohio. Laughner had his paws in Rocket from the Tombs and Pere Ubu. He has a record of rare recordings from the 70's that was released in the early 90's called Take the Guitar Player for a Ride. Within is some fantastic Lou Reed influenced folk rock with fractured psych influences. Would have been interesting to see where he could have went next. He died of acute pancreatitis in 1977.
Laughner's own "Heroin."
ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS, notable for splitting into two great bands: Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys. With contributions from the late great Peter Laughner, this proto-punk band from Cleveland was more ferocious than either the bands it split into. With a raw, aggressive and dirty experimental blues sound, its a shame they never properly recorded an album in their heyday. But perhaps these damaged recordings are better than anything they could have created in a studio?
PERE UBU took the more avant garde parts of Rocket from the Tombs and expanded upon them to make music which they dub, "Avant Garage". Taking cues from Krautrock (particularly CAN), they released "Tokyo/Heart of Darkness" in 1975 and then "Final Solution/Cloud 149" in 1976. Out of their entire career I feel these two songs are their best.
After leaving Rocket from the Tombs, Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz scooped up Stiv Bators and called themselves Frankenstein, then renamed themselves THE DEAD BOYS. They reworked a song previously done in Rocket from the Tombs and the rest, as they say, is history...
THE MIRRORS were heavily influenced by The Velvet Underground, thanks to the Velvets trogging through Cleveland on numerous tours. But The Mirrors put their own quirky (almost goofy) spin on the Velvet's proto-punk 3 chord musings. The reissued compilation album Something That Would Never Do is always on the wall at Academy Records in Brooklyn with the sign: "Of course we always stock a copy of our favorite record ever". I like those sentiments verily.
When The Mirrors dissolved they became the POLI STYRENE JESS BAND. Here's a rare 7in they put out in 1975.
It's weird to for me to hear THE BIZARROS and try to dissociate the guitarist from the image I have of him in a suit, working for a printing company. I grew up going with my mom to business meetings with him in the summer, and she would mention The Bizarros in the car after the meeting. I always wondered what they sounded like until I got my first listen while I was in college. This is some great Velvets influenced hard rock from 1976 Akron, Ohio.
RUBBER CITY REBELS reworked a Fleetwood Mac song into an aggressive proto-punk burner. They formed in 1976 and had a split in '78 that spawned The Hammer Damage Band. I saw them play the last show at the Lime Spider in Akron before I left for NYC.
THE HUMAN SWITCHBOARD was a band from Cleveland that recorded this interesting e.p. in 1977. I don't know much about them but they definitely had that NE Ohio sound.
CHI-PIG had to really grow on me to fully appreciate them. They are almost too goofy. But when you're feeling really weird, this song, off the notorious Stiff Records Presents Akron album, hits the spot. They recently put out an album of unreleased songs from 1979 called Miami that has some great Devo-ish tunes.
THE CRAMPS were not from Ohio - or were they? Surprise! Lux Interior spent the better part of his youth in my hometown of Stow, Ohio. He met Poison Ivy in Sacramento, California in 1972, moved back to Ohio (this time to Akron in 1973) then moved to New York City in 1975. I would definitely say whatever funky stink was in the air of 1970's NE Ohio shaped the sound and ideals of The Cramps. Goulardi must have had a profound effect on a young Erick Purkhiser.
70's NE Ohio man, everyone wanted to get outa there. Some did, most didn't. But their music went farther than some of them ever did professionally.
I just put out an e.p. called Transmigration for my music project Ashes in the Sun on Bandcamp. If you have been following my blog, you know all my influences and hopefully you'll enjoy! Check it out!
So there was this band and they made insanely catchy synth music. They had two amazing albums made of pure pop bliss. I'd go so far as to say these guys were The Beatles of synth rock. That fucking good. Unfortunately they were WAY ahead of their time and sadly overlooked. But now my brothers and sisters the Internet has brought a shining ray of light upon their fantastic output. Breath deep friends. This is the New Musik you were looking for. This first song is one of my all time favorite songs ever. Seriously. I get chills listening to it. When that big bold synth comes crashing in, I'm flying away in the most happiest of spaceships to an even happier place. The film is over. The credits roll. Euphoria.
In trying to find some more minimal synth albums, this guys fucking single pops up all over the place. Its interesting for 1975 I guess. More of a historical artifact than something i'd listen to. The lyrics are supposedly( I don't understand French) extremely sexist. So there's that. Enjoy!
I know I posted this song before, but HOLY SHIT THERE'S AN AWESOME LIVE PERFORMANCE! Friends, this is why the internet exists. I can't handle how amazing this is. Where the fuck is she now? Why hasn't this been re-released? The world may never know...
With more distortion drenched wah wah guitar fury than your little turd of a brain can handle comes Timmy's Organism straight out of Detroit, Michigan. How have I never heard of this Timmy guy before? Immediately after hearing this album I went out bought all this guys output I could find which includes Human Eye and Clone Defects. Both bands equally impressive in their own right do not hold a candle to anything on Rise of the Green Gorilla!
The opening song "Ugly Dream" has drums like plastic oil barrels that just fucking pummel you into submission, while searing hot guitar flames shoot off into the stratosphere only to pull you back down and drag your filthy face into the mud and grime of an abandoned Detroit factory floor. Timmy's voice bellows as if he's rallying a call for all burnouts, freaks, and mutants to assemble against some other worldly danger. The laughing at the end of this song only solidifies in my mind that this man is possessed by the power of rock n roll in its most pure form and we are only here to bear witness to its awesome endowment.
There are tracks on this album that come so far outa left field I'm just floored and jealous that I didn't come up with it first. Take "Oafeus Gods" for instance. What the hell is holding this song together? It sounds like a rusted old machine with nuts and bolts flying off , the gears are grinding, and yet its still trucking, with Timmy singing like he's the most carefree guy in world. I am completely enamoured and entranced by it.
Then comes "Building the Friend-ship" and you fucking GET this band. An instrumental to the likes of Eno's "Golden Hours" (which isn't instrumental) having stinky monkey sex with with the early Chrome output. Its haunting, weird and when that guitar part comes in, stunning. Like aliens trying to replicate what music is supposed to sound like and failing, but in an oh-so-good way.
"Give it to me Baby" is punk infused garage rock spewing neon green keyboard bile all over your orifices. " Impregnate the Martian Queen" is a jaunting little diddy with garage rock vocal musings over decaying synthesizers and broken guitar equipment. "Move to the Sun Wave" is retard E.T. cowboy crooning at its fucked up finest. And sheesh, we have finally reached the summit of "Silver Mountain" a meditative spoken word mood piece, complete with synth farts and squiggles to make for freaky time. The closer "The Traveler" is a harrowing walk through somber and gentle guitar lines that leave you in another state of mind entirely different from the beginning of the record but still fits in the same universe as the record was made in. Get that?
They say that music releases dopamine in the brain, even releases it when you just think about a particular piece of music. Dopamine must be spilling out my eyeballs by the time I'm done listening to this record. Truly a magnificent release. Go. Go now and get this. Make an alter around your turntable, transform into a mutant ape creature, start a fire in the middle of your room, and bask in the glory that is Timmy's Organism Rise of the Green Gorilla. I'd also advise you to soak up whatever green slime is pouring out of this guys plastic cerebellum in the future, in fact get a bucket and save some for me.
I just sent my friend Rixa from Germany (aka Germland where the Germs live) a gigantic list of music that I've been looking for on the vinyls. The list has some Krautrock rarities like A.R. & Machines "Echo" (jesus christ this is hard to get) and Walter Wegmuller - "Tarot" (With original Tarot cards, its worth more than your first born baby) but the majority is made up of NDW artists.
Neue Deutsche Welle is the German New Wave that took place between 1978-1984. True to form there was an underground NDW and a mainstream NDW movement. Both shared success in the German music market. However, I will primarily focus on the underground NDW artists.
If punk rock was a reaction to over bloated prog rock and disco, than NDW was a reaction to Krautrock and Berlin school electronics. I guess NDW bands reactionary idea was to take music further, and freakier in a shorter amount of time. The movement indeed took the technical electronic achievements of say Kraftwerk and put them through the punk filter. The music reminds me of taking CAN's "Vitamin C" and fucking with it by adding distorted guitars, weird synth plunks and farts until something musically retarded, yet deliciously inventive comes out of the mix. Also a lot of industrial strength La Dusseldorf and the spazztronics of Faust flung into the pot.
What makes these artists different from say the U.K. or U.S. New Wave movements is the sheer amount of studio fuckery and willingness to with go normal music conventions to make something that is truly OUT THERE. I can't stress that enough. You will either absolutely love it or HATE IT. This is not Goth, not Post-punk, and definitely notSynth Pop. NDW is its own island in the music universe.
Lets not forget these Germans youths were ANGRY even when they were dancing! Yet for however many crazy sound effects, angry shouts and lo-fi it got, what was consistent was rhythm, rhythm, rhythm! The drums be smacking yo! Its like handicapped funk music made by irritated, unibrowed German youths (watch the videos).
I just danced around my living room in front of my girlfriend like a crazy loon listening to these jams. She's all like, what the fuck is this shit and I just kept dancing. She didn't mind cause I don't dance outside of the confines of our apartment because i'm a gay mans dream (inside joke that shouldn't be on this blog). Enjoy the music.
I think this live video shows off NDW at its best. hahaha
Ultravox, Foxx's first band is cool, especially Systems of Romance, but Metamatic is where its at son. Bleak and creepy synths over tortured wimpish British man cries, with excellent bass lines and danceable drum beats make for what I consider a lost classic album. Here's two early music videos off the album.
Blizzard pt. 2 on its way. Gary Numan on the turntable... Is it just me or are his late 70's/early 80's live shows absolutely fascinating? The lighting and stages mixed with the heavy synth sound create this incredibly oppressive and powerful mood. Like Orwells 1984, right around the corner, was indeed about to fulfill some terrible prophecy.
Your gonna be jelous of your eyes for seeing this first.
Friends if you were to buy me or make me those spinning pink glowing pyramids and give them to me as a house warming gift... I wouldn't say no!
Just hearing the audio I couldn't tell if this was an old band or a new one. So many bands these days try hard as hell to sound like some weirdo band from the late 70's early 80's. But hey, I'm not complaining.
Just got Dark Sea Dreams self titled album off of itunes thanks to my previous internship's lovely 50 dollar gift certificate. My first music purchase of 2011 and its wowing me pretty good. Doom metal guys that worship My Bloody Valentine? Yes please! Pretty epic stuff here that leaves all the metal pretensions at the door (and hey some of the MBV ones too). Damn, I may even double dip and get the vinyl release and you should too you cheap bastard.
One day... ONE DAY I will make an Italian rock guide called SpaghettiRock sampler to rival all Julian Copes samplers. Until then here is the ultra mysterious and ultra cool Sensation's Fix. Any one else think the singer sounds a little like Guy Picciotto from Fugazi?
At one point Moebius and Jodorowsky were gonna blow all our damn minds and make The Incal (which is coming out in hardcover form thanks to Humanoids) into a feature length animated movie. Holy shit right? Well they lost funding and never completed it. Boo to that brotha'! What remains are some segments that were used to garner interest and funds into the project. Hot damn I wish this had been made!
Hayao Miyazaki did make a Nausicaä under Moebius's influence so I guess that kinda counts as an animated Moebius film. And you've seen Moebius's influence in everything from Alien to Tron to Little Nemo in Slumberland. Don't forget the Fifth Element... shhh. But, wow, this animated version of The Incal would have been such a fun trip. If you want to learn more about Mr. Giraud I suggest you follow. This guy has been finding everything Moebius related and throwing it up on his tumbler and I couldn't be happier. Indulge.
Really digging this collection lately. A treasure trove of all things Manuel Gottsching. From minimal electronics to hour long Ash Ra Temple Jams and everything in between.
San Fran is having a little music scene going on. These bands seemed to be garage rock informed but with a thick layer of reverb smeared everywhere. Here are some of the highlights. Is it gonna get a buzz worthy name?
Richard Pinhas's (of Heldon fame) experimental French rock band Schizo. They released this 7'ncher and dats it! Sounds like a weirder, funkier, Hawkwind. Supa cool!
Purling Hiss, a Philly psych band, is the side project of Michael Polizze of Birds of Maya and will melt your face off while its doing your woman, man. With two albums under his belt, Purling Hiss is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands and feels like a middle finger to the "beats and keyboards" indie world that seems to never want to be anything but of the moment. Purling Hiss's debut album bashes your ear holes with enough crunchy, searing, hot metal, guitar jams that they may just melt off in the ensuing chaos. With songs like "Almost Washed My Hair" your speakers bleed! Its the sonic equivalent of a nasty scrape on your knee when you wreck your bike and your mom makes you take a bath. That shit STINGS. Do you get out of the tub? No! You endure it you sadomasochistic fuck! With so much white hot guitar soloing all over this album, its as if Iggy Pop said to James Williamson during the recording of the Raw Power album " Keep playing that same riff till your fingers fall off, you monkey" and than yelped through delays like a horny mutant. This is raw, dirty, grimy, with a thick layer of sleaze and man do I love it. Their second album, "Public Service Announcement" is just as good and seems slightly informed by fellow Phillybilly Kurt Vile. Things have been tuned down a bit but still remain vibrant and energetic but now Mr. Polizze has discovered melody. Oh how sweet it is! "Run from the City" is classic rock recorded through broken speakers à la Ariel Pink. In fact the whole album has an Ariel Pink feel to it due to the lofi nature of the recording. The endless phased guitars on"Porch Dude/Slight Return" make for pleasant headphone tripping and " Don't Even Try it" sounds like warbled AM radio pop bliss. "Malice in Wonderland" is Les Rallizes Denudes on downers. Dirgy, phased, distorted guitars to the max, this beast takes you to the 7th layer of hell and leaves you there. The closer " 1976" is an awesome keyboard wasteland with distant drums and a pulsating bassline. Sounds like Radio 4 off of Pil's Metal Box , recorded on a warped cassette tape. With these two brilliant and diverse records Purling Hiss is setting itself up to be quite a contender in the limp indie rock world. This music has balls and will show them to you.
Yeah, yeah. I just saw this on Pitchfork. Whatever. But man, Screaming Females, what an awesome find you are! Instantly stuck in my head. Kinda like late 80's early 90's indie rock that hasn't shaken off its post punk roots. Love that bass line digging into the back of my skull, the searing guitar line and the Siouxsie like vocals. Check out this release!
Add BLANCHE BLANCHE BLANCHE to bands I''ll be following. This video freaks me out with its fuzzy floating heads against the black void of a broken T.V. trying desperately to get the proper channel out of its long broken rabbit ear antennas. Dig that weirdo, synth, lofi, sound! Reminds me a bit of CCCandy with female vocals. They're releasing a 7'ncher, so ya'll better get that shit before its gone!
Crunchy Ash Ra Temple jams? YES PLEASE! Do your self a fucking favor and pick up Moon Unit's two AMAZING albums: New Sky Dragon and the new one Hell Horse and Heady Stratus. They will blow you away with their Krautrock infused noise jams that fly off into the deepest parts of the universe. Lose yourself in yourself to blissed out guitar noise, drool inducing keyboard drones and deliciously frantic drumming. I've got these two babies on vinyl and i'm loving every minute of them!
So I'm working CMJ this year at Cake Shop for only one reason: to film R. Cole Furlow'sDead Gaze. I feel in love with this project after he dropped the tape End Of Days, Why Not You? a little while back. I cant get enough of this weirdo, synthy, alien, middle American, Neofolk, music. The opener "Back and Forth" reminds me of early Flaming Lips recorded on a VHS tape in your basement. Chugging with simple distortion drenched chords and layered with hazy vocals. A party anthem for the burnt out if you will. "Your Ozzie Face" could only have been recorded in between coasts. Chugging acoustic guitars, a buzzing synth, and floating keys make for a tragic, sad,detached feeling but surprisingly a snug little layer of warmth. Like looking back at your high school years later. The instrumental "Song for RS" with its ethereal synths casts images of longing ghosts wondering in barren corn fields seeking each other but fading upon touch. "Honesty" is down right haunting. I love the lyric and how Furlow whines out "You don't know what its like to be honest now". Like a midwest skater kid crying at the end of a bong wishing his girlfriend would come back. Sounds silly but surprisingly heartfelt and emotional. I think Furlow's music has a little similarity with Neon Indian and Kurt Vile but has carved out a little place for himself to stand apart and have his own sound. I can't wait to see how all this music is brought together live!
This mini album came out last year and I could shoot my self for not picking up the LP (Its since become a rarity). I have been utterly fascinated by the music. It's like Broadcast went back in time and started working for the BBC Radiophonic workshop with Daphne Oram at the controls. A truly wondrous and remarkable little record that makes for a perfect autumns day.
