MAMMOTH CAVE RIP?!!!

Hi everyone, thanks for coming.

I only knew Mammoth Cave through Paul Lawton of The Ketamines. Ever since I've been online Paul has been thinking and writing about music at 7,10,12 or Weird Canada. I have to be honest I didn't even know he was from Canada or I probably would have liked him even sooner.

It wasn't long before he launched Mammoth Cave as a way to document overlooked local bands that indirectly became the great "Bloodstains across..." series. That's the story of countless important record labels that aren't about pushing units. I personally can't thank them enough for introducing me to the Famines. Mammoth Cave kept it as pure as that which is probably why we're now looking back on one of the greats. I want to believe that if you care about what you're putting out in the world like this you will find an audience to support you and that the boring business side will figure itself out. They did for 7 years and 44 releases. I guess things can't go on forever and there must be a point when that thing you loved starts to become that financial drag or just a pain in the ass.

At the risk of sounding too serious I guess what I'm saying is that you really can't take anything for granted. It's a sad day. Mammoth Cave, you will be missed. You are still an inspiration to go big, to press as many records as you think you possibly can - and to hell with the consequences.

You may leave your condolences on their facebook page.

After a solid run, we are shutting down Mammoth Cave Recording Co. All of our records are teeply discounted except for BA Johnston's records ("Shit Sucks" isn't even out yet!). Everything must go, and we are gonna be shutting the site down shortly. It's been fun. This is hard.

Many reasons for pulling the plug. We are bankrupt - financially and spiritually. We had some highlights, and are proud of the Canadian music we've been a part of sharing, but the well is dry.

We screwed up a lot. We lost a lot of money. We made a mill All in the misguided attempt to find something that worked. To get people as excited about the amazing Canadian bands that were more or less being undocumented.

But the world of creating and selling physical music artifacts was just getting harder every year. So the truth is that we tried, but we cannot stand in the face of the massive cultural shifts taking place that are completely out of our control.

The reality of being a truly independent Canadian label in 2015:

1) Pressing records: records take 120% longer to press than when we started. The "vinyl comeback" and "record store day" disproportionately favour Beatles reissues. SAMO Media were a life saver for us (if you are pressing records in Canada, it's SAMO or nothing), but vinyl production industry can be almost impossible for labels of our size.

2) Weak dollar: the weak Canadian dollar adds even more strain we have to import our records into Canada, and it costs Mammoth Cave 26% more to press a run of records due to the exchange rate, and we were already selling records at close to cost due to extra importing and shipping fees.

3) Canada Post: It now costs more to ship a record than it does to buy a record. And since we started charging the actual amount to ship an LP, we saw customers flat rejecting the REAL price. Postage rates gone up 44% in Canada since 2010. Also, Canada Post fails to deliver records sometimes, so we get to send things twice for twice the cost, but that's a whole other mess.

4) Music consumption patterns have changed: Since we started, music fans went from "collecting" to "downloading" to "streaming." We are a record company, not a digital music servicing company. We love records, we don't love playlists. And the nonsense about the "return of vinyl" has come at the cost of the people who have been keeping it alive all these years.

5) Granting: This whole letter could (and maybe should?) be about the uncompetitive nature of the Canadian music industry. The impenetrability of the Canadian grant system that should be primed to help Canadian music is in fact inhibiting competition. When some labels that sell just as many records as we do are able to subsidize all the issues above with millions of dollars in grant money, something is not right.

The result of this?
We are not alone. Many labels our size are barely holding on. We heard more than once already "we looked to Mammoth Cave as the label doing it right." We weren't.

This email may be preaching to the choir, but take chances on bands not delivered to you via mainstream channels. We had enough support to keep us going for 7 years and 44 releases, but ultimately it is completely unsustainable.

Lots of thanks for the love and support over the last 7 years, especially Arif Ansari, Jeff King and Tony Zucco. We couldn't have done this without true music fans like Dave Shiroky, Jordyn Marcellus and Chris Zuk whose constant enthusiasm kept us alive from day one. Thanks to all the bands who took this trip to the bottom with us. All the people we would love to single out and can't, don't think you were not appreciated. We could not have made this mess alone.

If you are still waiting for an order, it is coming. We won't disappear with your money. We will make everything that is wrong, right in the way that we always have.

In the meantime, fill the holes in your Mammoth Cave collection, and celebrate the amazing music we've been apart of over the years.

Lots of love,
Paul + Evan

The Gooeys on Mammoth Cave Records

Leave it to Mammoth Cave Records to constantly remind me of my own shortcomings when it comes to pressing vinyl over at S & P. Paul was telling me of the 'mammoth' amounts of money he's been putting into pressing this extensive catalog of records and how it's finally just barely starting to support itself. A couple sales of back catalog recordings can pave the way for a new release, and that's a dream scenario. Basically realizing, like those virginia slims, I've got a long way to go baby.
So here's a five piece from Canada going for a super damaged kind of bubblegum garage pop. On "Scary Black Cherry Nap" the jangly distorted guitars bounce along to this pumped up super high tone organ, up in the super squealy registers, those stabs at this carnival better be perfectly placed and so far Shauna hasn't drawn blood, she just dances around this peppy melody like second nature. Craig on guitar and vocals is teetering between this blown out distortion and underwater phaser on the chorus. A real demented nightmare ride that goes for whiplash, fast and slow, fast and slow. Like Wounded Lion with a Cramps surf tiki vibe, especially on "Suspicious Hunch Amongst the Bloody Mary for Lunch Bunch" and this time the organ dives low into beefy riffs, with a scuzzier guitar, all played with a manic energy, getting these four tracks together at 45. This has that sinister B-movie danger sound, no matter how much they keep trying to steer this into pop, I know they're up to no good. Singing back and forth with himself, a perfect schizophrenic split. Jamming the two halves of these melodies together at all costs.
B-Side's "Lay Down and Die" lets the smooth guitar riff warm up next to a funky bassline, but that organ is again the star of these kooky tracks, it's a children's gameshow run amok sound, all spazz and Craig is howling somewhere behind this bouncy rock trying to find a foothold. The echo is liberally applied to his half singing delivery, while the guitar rhythm and the demented organ stay in this CR-A-ZY SYNC.
"I Don't Know Why" slows things up in a heavy tom fill explosion and more restrained organ melody, but Chris is back banished to the back of the room, while on chorus Shauna takes her keys to an almost cute in an english twee way, making room for the guitar to take stabbing duty. Bizarre and utterly unique, I can't even at this point figure out what kind of garage they're playing in. You'd imagine it was half a joke if they didn't deliver this so convincingly.

On black vinyl with download card and wacky inserts from Mammoth Cave Records.

Sharp Ends + Krang - 2 new singles from The Mammoth Cave Recording Co.

2 new singles today from the Mammoth Cave Recording Co, both of which I'm told are in short supply so this is your final Friday warning! If you like what you hear, head over to the Mammoth Store and pick these up.

First up is Krang and this Sabbath meets Wooden Shjips description is perfect..I would even throw a little Dead Meadow in there for the crushing low end coming out of my speakers right now.
"Speed of Tent" on the A-Side kicks off with overblown drums and a rumbling bassline. Super heavy slow warbly vocals and low end riffage complete this heavy heavy psyche metal. It's great they really captured the hugeness of this sound, you might as well have just walked into that dark, smoke filled room you could hear from the street. I hope these guys have some earplugs or those gun range headsets, or they'll have a Mission of Burma situation on their hands if they don't already.
Then on the B-Side, they start out with a muddy acoustic and tambourine, far off ghostly howls accompany a heavy delay vocal, but never fear the wall is coming...you can hear the storm clouds forming and they hold off for just long enough to keep that tension rising. When it breaks, the solid melody they've been steadily burning gets one plateau higher and they wah-wah through epic solos. I can't get enough of this completely live, bleeding into each other sound.

This one is over here.

We think that this is the best 7" we've released so far. Two heavy-psych brain-warpers, think Wooden Shjips if all they ever listened to was Black Sabbath and smoked way more dank. Krang embody the pure spectacle of their psychedelic stoner-rock - crushing rhythms, screaming guitar solos and a dude blaring away on a clarinet making the most ungodly sounds. They destroy. You've been warned.

Next up is the Sharp Ends, and this single is actually a reissue of a self released 7inch they put out in 2009 that just 100 people had the luck of picking up...well not anymore! This 4 song EP is back out having been unearthed in the lower reaches of the Cave, and it's another great production, getting that live room sound just right, sound waves reverberating around, for that unhinged garage psyche feel, keeping their dark character and what I'm sure is exactly what you'd get on stage.
The A-Side's title track, "Broadview Pressure Test" is made up of a massive rhythm section, huge room sound drums and the low end bass and gritty guitar. The vocals are captured just above this wall, with just the right amount of distortion that comes from yelling your face off. They keep this quieter dark section playing off the all out chorus...damn, like Warsaw...there's that raw rock feel that's focused on a driving melody.
"Panic Button" quickly establishes a rising scale riff, and the vocals here just barely layered with echo, this guy is great, here it comes off as that nervous blown out post punk Bauhaus. A great burst of
"Vacant City" goes south with a little bluesy bent, definitely getting garage, with just an overwhelming amount of low end driving this train.
"Can't Say No", these recordings are dense, still frantic and dark, but energetic..and it's a great combination. Instead of brooding on this style, they sound like they're exorcising it.

Get this one here.

Reissue of Sharp Ends self-released 4-song 7" EP that came out in an edition of 100 and sold out in 24 hours back in December 2009, and in my humble opinion, the best Sharp Ends best songs from when they were fresh and hungry. Deadly serious here, we've been itching to reissue this since it was released.

7Inches - Singles awards of 2010 extravaganza - PT 1

Worst B-Side remix 2010.

This one pretty much kicked this whole list off the beginning of last year sometime.
Remixes have always pissed me off, especially when they waste the B-Side of a 7 inch, they are predictable and always boring, and nothing made less sense for a remix then the stripped down messy garage of the Coathangers. A real bummer of a single from Suicide Squeeze.


This one I knew early would make the list too....from the Mammoth Cave Recording Co.
Winner of best insert 2010 is from their Bloodstains across Alberta single. At the same time hilarious and personal, it tied the whole Alberta theme together explaining the references and the ache's and pains of recording all these maniacs...hands down wins the best Canadian single category as well..nice work, there's something for everyone on this diverse 10 way split, that reminds me, this one won for most tracks on a single as well. That's three gold singles coming your way...a new record.


Winner of best xmas themed single is the angelicly vocaled, Shannon and the Clams on 1,2,3,4 Go. They aren't ruining Christmas at all....You know, I haven't actually heard this, but I'm into the couple of singles they've put out so far, capturing that garage nostalgia, wrapping it in pop punk and giving it to you in new ways...and Shannons voice is ridiculous. This better have been under the tree or Santa hates you.
I honestly think I haven't ordered this yet is because they tell you how many copies are left....so I keep putting it off.

Jack White won in two categories this year:

Most expensive single.... by a longshot was this Dead Weather test pressing that went for $3200 from a live show at the 3rd man store...photo booth pics, handpainted sleeve, signed by all members. This is all Jack White, creating an entire blackmarket for records, controvertially putting 3rd man stuff directly on ebay and all with a not great band...impressive.

He also winds hands down the coveted 7inch prize for format innovation, with the Triple Decker Record®, and the hair record:

Finally for PT1.....Best single not actually reviewed on 7Inches:
Home Blitz - 'Perpetual Night'.
Any label want to step up and give this guy another single? I tracked down the full length, and he just gets better and better. The Northeast answer to Seth's Useless Eaters. Fucking great raw garage no-fi whatever....none of those labels matter, it's great, frantic, the 4-track's on fire songs...this B-Side Searchers cover 'Murder in my Heart' is game changing. The art doesn't need to shock you because the music on that single is better than anything all year.

More tomorrow from snowed in 7Inches.

That's the best xmas gift of all.

Bloodstains Across Alberta on Mammoth Cave Records

Saved the best for last in Mammoth Caves massive singles onslaught. This one is by far their most ambitious with 10 tracks from various Canadian artists loosely based on their home province and compiled this massive EP.

The A-Side tracks even have the Myelin Sheaths, "Chinook Party", the most shocking part is that I just found out these guys are from Canada? Weren't they on Hozac? They bring the layered distortion, and a fist pumping chorus.
The Tension Slips, "Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump", is sort of a cheer, like "S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y night", sort of that same bubblegum punk anthem, and I thought for a second they might be talking about a night in Buffalo, NY, where you could easily get your head smashed in if you were jumped, which is also very common in Buffalo. But then I remember Alberta is waaayy over there by Montana, so there must be some other equally awesome city or bar they are referring to.
The Moby Dicks even weigh in with a muddier than usual effort, "Frostbite". The levels are punished, and they stop halfway through...probably too drunk. They aren't really talking about anywhere in particular, more like everywhere in all of Canada, I imagine. When the snow finally comes around, it's there to stay. I hate upstate.

Some of the B-Siders, like The Famines: P.L.C.A, are always riding those input lines right over the red. They blast one out here almost creating a solid wave of sound, they can create maximum noise somewhere in Lightning Bolt dB range.
Fist City sounds like Fuck Montreal, (which I'm sure they appreciate on many levels), tons of raw, sloppy, energy with windows of perfect punk melody, they don't try to protect. It's not something precious. They find a crystal vase in the trash, and they smash it against the wall for the fuck of it.
The Radians have a huge vocal delay and masses of effects maxed out pushing it into punk psyche. "You know... You know, you got it".
Outdoor Miners, "Colly Shaw", have a post punk intelligencia lean, working through ultra long delayed vocals, coming off somewhere between Husker Du's gutsy chords and The Errors alchemy.

I don't have to know what chinook's are or that Death/Methbridge is about Lethbridge, Mammoth Cave has put together a great compilation with a shitload of scuzzy garage talent that happens to be from Alberta. Like other contemporary local scene capturing labels, Fort Lowell or Harding Street Assembly Lab they're providing access to an entire part of the world I know I would have only accidentally come across and never made the connection. That's the best kind of seven inch label, that doesn't just release the music by great artists but collaborates with them, bringing new music that really wouldn't have otherwise existed into the rest of the world. This is a perfect single...it doesn't happen everyday.

Hopefully there are some of these left since we're way late to the party, eh?. Hoser! Drink beer and piss on a fire. What the hell was the McKenzie Brothers movie about anyway?

The liner notes are insanely enlightening...I have to go listen to this thing again now.

Mammoth Cave Records.

MCR 010 – Bloodstains Across Alberta 7”
Featuring: Topless Mongos, Myelin Sheaths, Tension Slips, The Moby Dicks, Grown-Ups, Famines, Fist City, Radians, The Throwaways, Outdoor Miners

We asked 10 of our favourite Alberta bands to write a 1 minute song loosely about their home province and two months later we got this. I daresay it came out way better than we anticipated. Seriously, this record rules pretty hard, with every band turning in short blasts of amazing. In fact, even though we made this single for the Wyrd Alberta Travelling Festival, we have plans to do a BC edition (w/ Indian Wars, Dead Ghosts, Student Teacher, B-Lines… lots more) and then maybe more after that.

1st pressing 300 Black (Only 83 left after Wyrd Alberta travelling Fest).

The Famines on Mammoth Cave

This came in the stack of new singles from Paul at the Mammoth Cave, who is busily documenting a pretty amazing sounding scene from up North, including their latest single form The Famines.

I love this black and white aesthetic Mammoth Cave has going on these and this newspaper looking cover is great. It's actually an article from George Orwell about politics and the English language, mostly railing against the decline of grammar and how basically if you can't even use standard rules to communicate then basically whatever you're talking about starts out at a disadvantage...I think? it was pretty long, and printed really tiny after having been xeroxed so, I was filling in the dots.

The Famines, like any two piece, start out with very little to work with to make an impression of even a melody. But these self imposed restrictions often create rules to constantly fight against. Out of necessity they're making a hell of a noise, in 'Syllable' the guitar rhythm and drums are completely divorced from each other, then the vocal delivery is off on it's own clock...how Garrett is managing to keep these two separate melodies going is really his own, it isn't easy to follow.

The impressive thing about any massively blown out sound like this is the seemingly infinite amount of expression in recording imperfectly. Does is sound like Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Tyvek? In ways, but not really at the same time. Is it all overdriven in the red with a steady layer of fuzz coating the whole thing? Well.....yea.
I think what probably is offending everyone when the term 'lo-fi' is even mentioned is that it applies to such a wide reaching diverse cross section of bands...does it need to be broken down further into subcategories? That seems to always be the solution. The point is that doesn't describe what's happening musically...you might as well tell me about the microphones and drum kit...all of that can be useful, but it's a tiny part of the picture...how the fuck does it come together? What are they getting at?
'Got Lies', the B-Side is not blues so much as maybe it's rooted in the Kinks, that once removed reinterpreted sound. I'm tempted to think this of this one as a sort of punk velvet underground. It's got those droning chords, especially in the second refrain, it's almost a bowed sitar sound? But maybe that comes from again connecting those dots between peaks of sound waves. Sounds have a weird way of changing at these volumes. This track is insanely complex while still being a straight up catchy melodic song. The transition between a sort of punk rockabilly down to the acapella vocals and tom solo involves numerous free form steps that can only be played by a tight two piece like this.
That moment when it's just Garrett alone singing for a minute with the hum of an amp in the background is just one of those great moments they, (and I) appreciate for just a second. they have that restraint to work at melody and structure this way. It's surprising and stays grounded in previous eras sounds but turning into something else.
It's the reason for a B-Side on a single, they get outside the box for a second.
I like the idea that they are recording so loud because of the quiet moments like that. So when it picks up again of course it's peaking and blown out, it's doing it's job of being that foil to the quiet dark verse. It's all delivered with just the right amount of echo that bounces off itself so you can only vaguely infer there's some kind of fucked up situation with a girl going on.

Get it from Mammoth Cave, the Famines sound bad ass based on the other stuff on their website, these sound like a departure from some of the tracks I heard, but I can see why you'd put this on a sweet, sweet seven inch.
And god damn it if they don't include a download card....I guess I'm going to have to look into doing that for my single, because it's freaking convenient...christ, more technology B.S. to possibly go wrong.

Radians on Mammoth Cave Records

The Mammoth Cave has been steadily pumping out the talent on single after single from up north recently...north and very far west.
Paul, who I think is a part of this project, as he is most everything on Mammoth Cave in addition to starting up the label also writes for Weird Canada. I've been reading Paul's stuff since the 7,10,12 days and he's got damn good taste in all kinds of stuff I agree and disagree with, so I was excited to hear he was actually putting some of those concepts into practice, but I didn't realize it was with so many different projects. And this isn't even the half of them....no wonder I haven't been able to get him on the phone for an interview...
Paul is as always playing bass on this single, and their myspace page is down or nonexistent as well as any other info about this Radians incarnation.

The A-Side 'Iran' ...why do I keep thinking of that flock of seagulls song...The minute I look at that title I'm singing that song, and the worst part is, it has nothing to do with that part of the world....but neither does their song either...I think it's about running. Can't say I wasn't a little disappointed. I want someone to tackle that shit in an intelligent way, there is a way to combine politics and music. Maybe it shouldn't be, but that doesn't mean we have to stop trying. Oh but these guys are from Canada...well fuck, no wonder, they didn't start any of this mess to begin with....my apologies.
'Bad People', the B track is the strongest one for me, super Isaac Brock sounding vocals which I don't have a problem with. It's about time in fact someone took that sound back since it's been practically been completely ruined after the fact. This one starts off as the obligatory slow breakdown B-Side and then floors it into the layered thin vocals sitting right on top of the whole mix. There's a pretty slick guitar solo that breaks up the freight train, and the whole package is well taken care of separated sounds for such a bouncy pit of riffs.

First 7" in a series of 5 planned limited singles with artwork by Seattle's C.M. Ruiz, Radians features members of Myelin Sheaths (HoZac/Bachelor) and Fist City (LP on Deadbeat soon). Weird Canada calls it 'granular, anthemic pop' which is probably pretty much exactly what this single sounds like. Take a chance.
1st (and only) pressing of 200 Black (Only 95 left after Wyrd Alberta Travelling Fest)

One and only pressing of 200!!??? I don't know if I really deserved it, but thanks guys. Put an order together from Mammoth Cave already.


-P.S.-
I really missed the lyrics on this one...The Radians just freaking let everyone know myspace is dead!
In the vocals on the track and their deleted myspace page - go check these guys out instead at Muxtape. Then they even go on lyrically to get crazy political and go after the evil Americans. What am I deaf???

Myspace is dead (one lyric in Iran - "you are just a Myspace loser") but radians.muxtape.com

Also - Iran is totally political, the refrain "you're wrong you're wrong you're wrong" is directed at Glenn Beck of all ppl, and the whole song is about the increasingly illiterate American (ha!) populace whose politics are skin deep, ruled by fear and consumption.

You want Hussein hiding? / we got Hussein hanging!

The Ostrich - Mt Fuji in Red on Mammoth Cave

How is it such a tiny world? I barely start looking into this last one, The Ostrich from Mammoth Cave and it's Chris from the Sharp Ends. Turns out he and the drummer, Mike went from Ostrich to the Sharp Ends.
This sleeve is classic punk, printed + cut out at home. It's a war photograph. I think Pearl Harbor...a bunch of ships from the air circling around on the back. It's massive destruction, a turning point in civilization...world war...so I was guessing this might be a tad bit heavier than the Sharp Ends direction...not really, there's a pretty clear line from this to the sharp ends.
So what's the difference? Well, The O is cleaner sounding, not the sort of direct blues garage direction let's say, more sinister then party garage. It's definitely dark vocally, the instrumentation maybe puts this into slightly laid back psyche/rock at times, thanks to the organ but it's more frontman heavy with Chris' delivery here, it's a little funhouse clown menacing this time. Kind of tough and a touch goth and mixed way out front.

Mt Fuji in Red has this great opening percussion part and the chorus is harmonic feedback alternating with chords...it's a great sound. If anything this sounds a little too together, something about the mix puts everything on the same level. This one ends with lots of spooky screaming theremin, and it's going rockabilly here for some reason. Leave it to the Cramps to have completely co-opted that 'instrument'.
The B-Side track 'Rabies' steps things up a bit, and it gets pretty raw....this is a precursor to the Ends definitely. It shows how much the way it's recorded is effecting the sound...this could be on a Sharp Ends single, if it had more life and texture to the recording...the performance is there.

Dig it from the Cave that is Mammoth:

After the demise of The Ostrich, enigmatic front-man Chris Zaijko and drummer Mike Bressanutti went on to form Sharp Ends to great success (selling out their debut show at Broken City in Calgary with people eager to find out if Sharp Ends could live up to The Ostrich's legacy). Needless to say, the rest is history.

We were lucky enough to find two boxes of Mt. Fuji in Red (the 2nd 7", and my favourite of the two - "Rabies" alone is worth the price of admission!), and have about 30 left, so act quickly.

Bash Brothers - 5 song EP on Vinyl Guru Records

Bash, or Bash Brothers is two friends Lindsay Coulton and Kristjanne Vosper. Like the truly solo 4-track bedroom project, I have a special place on my 7" shelves for duos. Is there something magic about two people having to work a little bit harder than a 3 piece to make some serious noise? Is it the intimacy of the rehearsals, performances, traveling on the road that make it less work in some ways, that makes it more willing to take chances or indulge weirdo tracks? It's a special rock and roll situation...The White Stripes, Handsome Furs, The Yips, Ween, the list goes on and on. Before I read the liner notes it wasn't even an issue...it's not something that's obvious on the single. Pounding overdriven drums, a little too loud, just the way I like 'em, fuzz pedal bass, or a crazy destroyed amp, punch in the vocals after a couple of takes, and you have a 5 song 7" EP like this.

Kristjanne has that destroyed raspy vocal like Jemina Pearl, or the Coathangers style scream/yelling, which is impossible to have playing without noticing the insane choice of lyrics like:
'I had a party hat on when I came out of my mom!'
'My aunt gave me lots of soap now I smell me wherever I go!'
At first I have to admit, it was a little direct, maybe the lyrics too obvious...I don't need completely obscure poetry or something, but then this could get old quick, but the last track 'Rat Jacket' has completely won me over, 'Rat Jacket! You don't know what's right or wrong!' and by the end they crack themselves up and have to stop playing in the middle of the track. It's not tongue in cheek party music, it's punk, but they aren't going to stab you either. Classic first band, nothing to do, fuck off wanker punk that isn't taking things too seriously.
Then on 'Modern Day Robinhood', it gets all Sleater Kinney, another completely ridiculous premise, but the harmony they pull is great. As soon as I stopped taking them so seriously it was a million times better, that's my cynical fault. It's sounding more and more like a Ween side project, with really authentic garage Yips sound.

But then maybe it was this profile from the stay at home blog on these two that really drove it home, they're having a good time and it's obvious. I get can get behind people who are in it for the sheer fun of playing and pressing a single. I bet they've never even been to SXSW.

Did I mention it's a hand numbered, white vinyl, big hole 45? I think it was pressed by Vinyl Record Guru, which is not a label, but an actual pressing plant?
It's available in the K Recs shop....or maybe contact them directly on their myspace? Mammoth Cave forwarded this along, so they may carry copies as well. That's the best I can do.
Pathetic.

Sharp Ends on Mammoth Cave Recording Co.

In the same batch of releases from Mammoth Cave was this Sharp Ends (why do I keep thinking of split endz....jesus) single. The sleeve reminded me of a teepee release a while back...black and white line drawing of something tribal, but then it's a head eating another head. Get that tattoo around your bicep jerk-off!
Then I'd respect you.
Crack Trap the first track on the A-Side...A tom-centric beat and bassline supports this Fugazi sounding plucked harmonic melody with dark deep vocals that's taking me back to listening to Peter Murphy on cassette, but PM never rocked like this. There's no pretentiousness cutting you up. It's dense intelligent post punk, there's no repetition, the vocals found their place back in the mix, but somehow has a dialogue with itself, back and forth, layered and then single line. Damn it's really bringing back Fugazi like crazy, the more I hear this, the chorus call and response, the energy...and I mean that in the way that there isn't a specific sound Fugazi ever really had, you could just hear the distinction between them and everyone else...in the details.

'Loaded Hearts' on the B-Side is more frantic, I'm even recalling the Replacements here, it's brief, full of more power-ish chords, a little more raw. Rocking with the layered vocals just out of reach and attempting to get the party started this time instead of encourage the dread so much. Just completely solid, they've got something. Mammoth Cave dug out a pretty amazing gem. I'm looking for the Hozac single now as well, I get the feeling every single thing is going to be just as interesting.

A: Crack Trap
B: Loaded Hearts

Fresh off their debut on Chicago's Hozac Records, Sharp Ends deliver their 2nd of three 7"s coming out in Fall 2009 (with each single decreasing in availability). For this single, Sharp Ends combine their post-punk/early Joy Division vibe with decidedly more of a pop sensibility, even displaying elements of power-pop on the b-side, Loaded Hearts. The killer here is the a-side Crack Trap, which has one of the catchiest guitar hooks we've heard in some time. Essential.

The Moby Dicks on Mammoth Cave Recording Co.

Paul from 7,10,12 has diverted his energies as of late from his great blog into The Mammoth Cave recording Co. and playing bass for The Moby Dicks who have this single on MC. Paul was kind enough to send all of the Cave's releases so far which I'll be highlighting this week and hopefully getting him on the phone to talk about his label and the Dicks.

This sleeve has been sitting on top of my speaker for about a week and it makes me hungry, or want to puke every time, what can I say it depends. Right now, I'm hungry, but when I think about spelling Moby Dicks in condiments, it get me...I think I hate mustard, that yellow shit kind. I'm about to turn into 7inchslam for a minute as I get into Poutine. I once saw Anthony Bourdain go to Montreal in an episode of No Reservations and have Poutine...it was a god damn revelation. It has to be the most amazing, laziest perfect group of food aside from nachos. It's the kind of thing that came from some genius who said, I like these things: french fries, meats, mash potatoes, gravy, but put cheese on top, not just any cheese but cheese curd. I don't know exactly why that's so awesome but it is. There's one place on 2nd Ave near 7th street that actually has Poutine, I'm sure it's a sad pathetic version of the stuff served at the Red Dog Diner in Lethbridge, Alberta, but it's as close as I'm going to get in NYC. Apparently they have cheap hot dogs and now have been immortalized by the Dicks on the A-Side 1st track of this single. In classic pop punk Ramones fashion they pound out, harmonize, and state the obvious:
The Red Dog Diner has cheap hot dogs / and the place is run by frogs
The chorus rules this one, there's drunks trying to start a fight...if I ever find myself near Alberta I'm making a special visit. This is fist pumping with a punchy bassline. The vocals are layered and really, I know more bands then the Ramones, but this is just such a direct reference for me. The melody... the slightly layered 50's greaser vocals.
The next track ' Fuck off baby' sounds like it's the 2nd part of 'Ballad...' there;'s no break on the vinyl, and again, the lyrics aren't some obscure personal hidden project, he just wants to be clear:
'Why don't you fuck off baby / get lost'
The drums are flat and distorted, like a piece of sheet metal and there's a weird bass synth sound shooting in giving it all that ominous feel. This time it's serious. The fun loving, hard drinking band is gone, they are pissed. Makes sense.
The B-Side rounds it out with 'Mike Molloy' a more howling blues rock track where he's asking 'does she love me?' to Mike? It's probably one of those drunken nights where Mike was sitting at the bar and you're a mess, and it's because of a woman of course.
Finally there's a cover(?) of Hubble Bubble's Pogo Pogo. Don't know the original, but I love that they changed it up a bit to be about a lake monster called Ogo Pogo. It's classic fucking around with friends, these friends just happen to be able to actually play their instruments.
It's got the sloppy fun of Personal and the Pizza's and the blues rock scuzz of the Oblivians, get this one from the Mammoth Cave Recording Co.:

A1: Ballad of The Red Dog
A2: Fuck Off Baby
B1: Mike Molloy
B2: Ogo Pogo (Hubble Bubble Cover... kind of)

Comes with Download Code
Myspace

The Moby Dicks are a three piece (bass/guitar and two super shitty tom drums duct taped together) featuring two current members of Myelin Sheaths (HoZac single coming soon!) and two past members of Endangered Ape (RIP).

I wont hesitate to say that this 7" has it all - songs about a rad French-Canadian Hot Dog joint in the heart of the Canadian Bible-Belt ("Ballad of the Red Dog"), girls ("Fuck Off Baby" and "Mike Molloy" - a song named after the proprietor of the local record shoppe, but actually about girls) and a mythical Lake Monster ("Ogo Pogo", which is actually a cover of Hubble Bubble's "Pogo Pogo" with the words changed around). Fans of Nobunny, Hunx, Personal and the Pizzas will love this.