Tyvek 'Mary Ellen Claims' on X! Records

Here's another one in from X! Records, this one from waaaay back in their catalog from the guys in Tyvek, looks like X! repressed their first effort, and I'm glad to see you can still pick this up, it's a touchstone from the beginnings of this whole Useless Eaters, Cheap Time, Ty, Jay era of trashy garage-rock. The kind of thing that pays homage to the Sonics or Kinks while trading it all in for a no apologies, anti engineered sound that says, we don't want or need to clean this mess up. Take it or leave it.

So thinking back to 2006, this is exactly what I remember liking about the Tyvek tracks on the "Summer Burns" double 7" from What's Your Rupture. It's impossible to objectively take a listen to this, hindsight being what it is, but maybe it's an even more important document now at what I think was the beginning of a whole lot of this sound.

"Mary Ellen Claims" has a scratchy guitar, the treble turned all the way up, recorded with everything just peaking out. There's no depth in the drum track, just a thin smack of the snare slapping away. It's really related to that garage '50s or '60s(?) stripped down rock. A brief track, but what wouldn't be with those elements, you've got to get in there, slap the hooks together, can you hear the guitars? Great. Barely enough time to find working mics. What are you trying to undermine the whole thing? There's a great melody here, Kev sounding like an old AM radio held up to the mic, the guitars starting to feedback into themselves, the waves colliding briefly almost synth-like and fading out. This was six years ago? Totally classic touchstone, as fun and loose as the day it was recorded.

"Honda" on the B-Side, has to be one of the best Tyvek tracks, imagine their high peaking garage sound with Kev frantically asking:

Can you drive a Honda, like I can drive a honda?
Can you drive an escort? A fucking escort?
Can you drive a Geo all the way to Rio?

Totally inspired, and I hope someone who didn't know anything about these guys could hear the value in this reinvention of another splinter of post-punk.
So many questions about cars, and there's some kind of weird connection to the Sidewalk single - they really have some thoughts about modes of transportation. The big time bassline, and variety of textures on these guitars, from the shittiest, thin scrawl to a surf slight reverb. Kev is really losing his mind, the only lower end coming off that punk bass riff. This big, surf strum, and crackling vocals...it belongs in that wing of the West coast garage resurgence section, in the glass case next to "I Don't Wanna Smoke Marijuana" You should be as ashamed as I was I somehow missed picking this one up. Get over to X!! (and get that Johnny ILL Band single, I'm still playing that one).

The "For Booking" phone number on the inner label brings a tear to my eye.

Printed right onto the white paper sleeve, with that Tyvek random typewriter narrative running down the streets of this crazy cityscape.

The reverse says this was recorded in Brooklyn...and they list their myspace page! What a missed opportunity for that company, they had people using their crap product from the beginning to the bitter end. Good riddance...what a black eye to see that terrible reminder of the worst music ghetto ever.

Tyvek on Les Disques Steak Records

Tyvek has consistently been working in this dirty blown out style since I first heard their Sidewalk single on M'Ladys back in 2008 and their latest on Les Disques Steak finds the pace increasing and the vocals staying tinny and distorted, blowing out a mini megaphone, getting ever more punk... but not to them. They can't be oversimplified like that. After catching them live I saw a completely sincere bunch of guys with no pretensions, playing uncategorizable rock. I appreciated all of their work differently after that. If they like to smoke weed all day, or love their cat they certainly don't make it the focus of their music. There doesn't seem to be any preconceived construct of their sound and this single is a another solid step forward in their trash rock evolution.

'Time Change ' on the A-Side starts out with the grungiest guitar, it almost feels like the early Mayyors singles, a near metal sound, clean grungy distortion, with rapid fire vocals...what makes this different then the punk or hardcore cassettes you had to beg borrow or steal in the early '90s? Not much really...in a good way. Just like their live show, this one is a short pile up and so what?
Inter City Walks then takes their straight ahead immediate approach with Kevin and Heath dueling back and forth with ever increasingly glitchy guitars. A new development? By the final chorus it hits it's peak only to have the virtual needle skip on the last word 'om, om and abruptly end.
'Hole in my Mind' on the B-Side is still raw as the steak discs will let it and there's never any buildup, no breakdown parts, The Ramones had that same practical approach. We are here to do a job...I have to say I could do without the tedius stage banter from some bands. First of all I know it's the same thing every show, this isn't the best audience and I read that anecdote from another live review. I just want some honesty in your performance...that can be too much to ask sometimes.

The vocal and guitar start simultaneously on the first note. The 7" is also the perfect format for me for Tyvek. Everything is always about to end and you had better pack it with your best work at the time. It makes the deliberate pauses full of hum and feedback on this track feel like ages, are they really coming back in again?....or is this it? It's probably as close as you're going to get to a solo with these guys.

LDS offers a simple back and white sleeve, the disjointed text spread out, hardly resembling letters. On the reverse is typewriter text lyrics from the three tracks, cut up and arranged out of order, really a perfect representation of the band, no frills, back to basics like those xerox punk sleeves, they are purists of the form, in all possible ways. Keep it simple, get rid of the excess and create poignant bursts of rock. Tyvek is reinforcing their stance on all of these things in this latest single.

But you're going to have to look hard for this one, at Fusetron, maybe SS but maybe this kind of raw honesty maybe shouldn't be so easy to find.

Go listen to it on Bandcamp and then suck it up and trust the overseas shipping for this single on Les Disques Steak or your favorite importer.

Tyvek tour single on Disquessteak records

Heard about this on Termbo the other day, Tyvek's latest tour only single on Disquessteak records. Don't know if there's much chance of getting this direct or if you just have to get lucky and check the usual distro places....Goner, floridas dying etc.
I've been listening to the 'Summer Things' track on their myspace and I was forced to go back and listen to the Summer Burns 2x7" (what do they have against summer?) and the sidewalk single from M'lady... because I don't remember them sounding at all like this. This is way more polished overall. Now I haven't heard the original track, this is an alternate mix/take according to Disquessteak, but I'm sure it didn't go backwards in fidelity from here. Vocally it's really clear...up front...the guitars are tracked out....I'm still into it, it's not a complete departure... losing what make them interesting to begin with. They have a pretty wide range of material soundwise and they kind of developed a real freedom to explore a lot of sounds within the garage, low-fi structure. I don't think it's ever clear what to expect from Tyvek.
Is it inevitable that you go from home garage recording to something a little more structured? Was I just in love with that low-fi aesthetic? The slightly sloppy raw quality of 'Sidewalk' that's perfect...but it's more than just a cheap recording...they seem to be working across a bunch of different influences that can't just be summed up as 'garage'. 'Ability' is a trippy number with messed up guitar sounds and echo chanting vocals. Like Los Llamarada, who is at the end of the free form punk garage spectrum, Tyvek works their way back and forth, sounding entertaining and challenging at the same time.

I have to say also I appreciate what they choose as subjects to sing about...sidewalks, apparitions, air conditioners. It's not the usual macho punk complaining. Still I doubt I'll get a copy...oh well let me know if you do.

"Blessed" is not on the Siltbreeze album. Summer things comes here with a completely different version than the album, both rythm and mixing.

Just in time for their first Euro tour with Cheveu, beginning the 10th in Switzerland (check the dates at their www.myspace.com/tyvekmusic), les disques STEAK is releasing Tyvek's all new 7" "Blessed b/w Summer things". The 7" is 600 copies, all white vinyl.

available from your usual distros or directly from us.
still some copies of our first releases:

STEAK01: Bosom Divine
STEAK03: The Meatards
STEAK04: Hello Sunshine
STEAK05: AL Foul

disquessteak (at) gmail

Kevin Boyer on What's your rupture?

This was emailed by What's your rupture records a few days ago. A Tyvek solo 7" single and a new Fucked Up 12" is available for preorder, put them together, order now.
You know I just noticed this solo project by Kevin from Tyvek is from 2003? Interesting choice...I'm assuming it's very similar to the Tyvek sound, maybe an early incarnation....and it pretty much is ... vocally it's a little smoother, a little sexier...YEA! Lets say clearer. A weird accompanyment to the garage boombox recording sound.
The drum sound is perfect, that low-fi in-the-room sound is so great...the quick side tapping on the rim of the snare but the dirty solos in between the verses makes this amazing... the unbelievable overdrive from the amp, kind of dinosaur jr. crunch. Extend that on a 12 minute track and I'll buy it...oh wait that's Boris. Excellent hook bleeding through the treble heavy scratches.
An Elvis Costello demo. (?)
That guy used to kick ass, I made the mistake of DVR-ing him on Austin City Limits recently...what the fuck happened?

CityCenter says:
Kevin Boyer "Something's Gonna Come Up" Me and Kevin (now frontman for Tyvek recorded this and many other jams in my basement at Wade's house in 2002. It was a cool fun project. A few weeks ago a dude came into my store and was like "I pressed a 45 of that stuff you and Kevin recorded way back. Not sure if it'll ever come out, but I have a test pressing." I remember once in Chicago me and Grace got in a fight because she was ripping on how bad the recording was without knowing I recorded it. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW???? Just playin. I think this song still sounds rad, though, and I hope the 45 sees the light of day sometime.

I think this must be the recording he's referring to in this mix. Don't be so hard on yourself CityCenter, have you heard the rest of his recordings? It might be a choice...or you inadvertently started all of shitgaze. Nice work.
Looks like Rupture picked it up and now you can go order it:

solo recording by Kevin Boyer, singer of tyvek from around 2003.

produced by Fred Thomas with the same blown out production style of his Sat Looks Good To Me and Teach Me Tiger Ypsilanti recordings.

Cover printed to give that classic serigraph look of the potent human or funboy five

New Tyvek! Mladys.

I love that this Tyvek single reminds me of being in high school, fucking around in the garage, you don't know any better you don't care, partially driven by just wanting to get out of your town, meet new people. There's nothing better to do, and you have this idea that you don't have to be the next MTV band, your stupid town is good enough, and you are your own audience. As long as you and your friends have fun then that's just enough to get by inbetween getting drunk...except that these guys have talent.
But it's that raw sound of a tape deck microphone recording a live show...every day. Does it even matter this was committed to magnetic tape and then pressed as grooves? Obviously this is best live and begging for reinterpretation...but this single will have to do, and it's a damn good facsimilie for authenticity.
This song is actually deconstructing sidewalks....that someone is contracted to build this line in the neighborhood, the infrastructure it's kind of a futile attempt to stop decay.
I've already listened to it like 10 times.
Shit..... they are good

So far Mladys is speaking my seven inch language, I don't even mind the $10 min paypal thing...that makes sense, and I can spring for 2 singles...I'm trying to figure out what the other one should be. Bad Thoughts is pretty awesomely minimal, and all quiet basslines...tons more singles in the works too...I don't know where Mladys came from but they need a singles club like I need a giant hole in my 45's.
Ann Arbor Michigans answer to Atlanta's Rob's House.

Artist: TYVEK
Title: Sidewalk
Format: 7"
Label: MLadys
Country: USA
Price: $5.00
"Triple A-sided diamond from Detroits finest group! Like the future but better! Mladys is proud to release the latest (and our favorite so far!) Tyvek record! Holy smokes, everybody, its so radical." - MLadys

Podcast episode 23: Me and Matt listen to Mono...and talk about how great they are...we work through more amoeba acquisitions, like Errors, who are amazing. We ruin it by talking...honestly. Matt talks about his recording with Bad at Sports. We play guess that single. (It's Minor Threat), this sets us drunkenly talking about fugazi etc..for 10 minutes. Lucky you.

Sub pop singles club 3.0!

Sub pop is reopening their singles club...I don't know whether to take this as another sign of the impending 7" apocalypse or just be glad knowing the single will never die. Is it reaching it's tipping point? The Jay singles might have been the first test. I guess I'm waiting for a Kayne West 7" or Lil Wayne single....which I guess I don't have a problem with in principle? It's just that they will be everywhere, and the misguided 7"'s will ruin all of them, or just seem stupid, with assholes and their collections....oh wait, that's me.
The 7" speculation, the wild swing in resale prices.....it might be the time to get out. The impending 7" bubble could be ready to burst.
Whatever is about to happen I know I want the Tyvek and Mika Miko singles, plus there is some speculation about Jay Reatard possibly being involved. I don't know after the Matador debacle if we can handle another one....and that will really saturate the market, I don't know if we can handle it....if our wallets can handle it. Eventually I'm going to have to make a choice...and not buy some 7 inches all together. I can't imagine.
I remember a time when I would just buy whatever band I had kind of heard of at other music in their tiny 7" section. Now the 45 cup overfloweth.
I'm pretty psyched because it will remind me of the time I got the Iron & wine 7" through the old club and played it a million times and kind of couldn't believe how good it was.
I just love clubs where you can just forget about it and wait for the awesomeness to be delivered right to your door.
$75 seems like a lot but it's only $6 each and I'm sure they'll pack these up nice. I have faith. Plus you can rest assured this isn't some weird random label that could go under in 4 months completely screwing you.

....I'm still pissed about the Better Looking records club, I paid $23 for 2 7"'s and an album leaf CD I didn't ask for....bullshit.


Fact 1!
This run of The Sub Pop Singles Club will run for 1 year only, before returning to its secret island vacation spot for eternity (or until we here at Sub Pop feel masochistic enough to take on coordinating this debacle again.)

Fact 2!
This year’s Sub Pop Singles Club will include records (of the 7” variety) with music from such artists as Om, Unnatural Helpers, Tyvek, Black Mountain, Black Lips, Arthur & Yu, Mika Miko, Blues Control, Notwist, plus some stuff we’re not yet at liberty to divulge. And they won’t come out in that particular order, necessarily.

Fact 3!
We will mail you 1 record per month, every month for an entire year beginning on August 15th with a fantastic pair of songs from Om.

Fact 4!
For shipments to North America, you will pay us $75 in exchange for receiving this monthly boon from us. If you live elsewhere, in places outside of North America, we will require $90 from you.

tyvek/cheveu west coast tour split 7"

Tyvek is more low-fi garage pure rock greatness, it has the same feel as Be Kind Rewind, the way Michel Gondry uses almost nothing to create a huge effect but still so different you aren't even comparing it to the thing it might be influenced by. It's something like that.
I think if you took some babies and put them on a planet where there was no rock and gave them a guitar and drums and a bass, it would start with something like sonic youth noise, just making crazy sounds but eventually after years you would have this raw tyvek sound...it's almost inevitable, it's in the DNA of the instruments. We keep coming back to it.
I could listen to this all day. I don't even think there's a full length yet just 4 or 5 7"'s which have not gone unnoticed. Nodzzz, Tyvek, Cococoma, Times New Viking, Jay Reatard, Rob's House, Coathangers....these are the year 2000 garages. This didn't even have to try, it just leaked out into the street and pressed itself on vinyl.
Cheveu takes this sound in a more electronic, junky direction, but always pulling weird effects and things into the same garage. Maybe their dad worked on computers and Tyvek's dad had like some rusted musclecars. You work with what you have. They both did the same conceptual thing and ended up on this split west coast tour 7 inch.
I just ordered the Cheveu LP from S-S records, but now I have to go find something else to add to this split 7". Oh well. I know it's hard.
That sleeve looks great too.
Go get a taste of both.


TYVEK/CHEVEU-split 7” (S-S/SS027) $4
“Two months after Tyvek & Cheveu's fantastic West Coast tour, the "tour" 7" comes out! Right on. Ahhhh but many of you would have missed them anyway, so all you had was a wait on your hands. Right on. Tyvek is from Detroit. Like the first, with ‘Future Junk’, Tyvek continue to explore the melodic fringe of DIY, stealing bits & pieces from the classics but pulling it off...Cheveu, on the other hand, continue to spiral into new directions. On ‘El Tortuga’, it sounds like our dirty French men have been sucking on Another Man's Sac. Of course, it is a sideways suck. What else would you expect from the one band to define the cheap phrase "weird punk" better than anyone on the planet. No fancy pressing info on this: Just two good songs.
Only a few in stock, label has less than 100 left of their 1000 pressing.

On S-S records.
They also have copies of the Mayyors 7", so now you have no excuse.