Trucker Tits on Zoo and a Movie Records

I love the ambition of a conceptual seven inch like this one from Zoo and a Movie Records. The planning that goes into six different bands tracks with an illustrated short story is beyond the usual xerox sleeve of a couple of songs recorded in an afternoon. The number of people involved, all coming together with this trucker with tits is a feat itself. Coming up with that concept was another one entirely.

A-Side's "Devils and Dark Things" from Band of Carnies is a somber narrative track you just walked in on. A stool at the end of the black stage is lit by a single light with multiple male vocals barely sung over a slow style acoustic singing about 'red eyes in the dark' a real eerie number that belongs on a swamp porch the quivering echo of guitars building to a wailing shriek from miles away. That kind of haunted country sound that fits the story completely. I'll the city with all it's obvious problems than the creepy rednecks in the woods trailers any day. This track is the pleasant side of the situation from the story as ominous as it is. They're already taking this whole thing incredibly seriously and the tracks are working as further backstories and context for the tale of TT. Next up the "Story of trucker Tits" from Eyeball is a great waltz country track from a live room, just a mic on the chair in the center of this performance. Reverse sounding electric laid over the top of this far off in the background, giving the folk sound that homemade indie sound. Great lyrics for this ridiculous subject actually making him into a sympathetic almost real character. A tortured tale of caution and of conquering gender bias. Seriously. The last track is from husband and wife duo Lucky Eyes which is producer Paul and Amber Oldham. A minimal track, "Moan" of static smeared drum machine and muted single note guitar the both of their voices creating the depth of the melody. Single strums of chords pierce the silence occasionally and the two of them are standing close to the mic in a dark room eyes closed, baffling around them getting every sharp breath in contrast to that lack of instrumentation, a really beautiful track that so far seems out of place in this Deliverance nightmare.
the B-Side opens on "Evil Me" from The Rat Bastards a spooky alt-country track with creaky metallic electric guitars and deceptively sweet harmonies chanted about realizing how the narrator is completely evil in that story song way with a 'la la la' chorus. No big deal, no doctors can really help, the evil is running through my veins la la la. Not even the pause for morning and a subtle strum is going to change anything. Sick. "Black Mountain Man" from The Windago gets more appropriately darker, belching grey chords ringing out in sustained quakes, overdriving the frequencies captured by the mic, blowing out over the peak of this. Layered vocals over a folk acoustic and a dreaded electric groaning away under this gravelly layer of voices. Apocalyptic. King Kong finished the single with "Trucker Tits" using an old casio, glitchy ancient break beats and effects, the vocals monotone and panned across channels they basically sum up the entire short story in about a minute and a half including a chorus of Trucker Tits that would make Owen Ashworth blush.
Pretty weird collection of bands, genres and story actually. Could only happen on a seven inch.

No idea where to get this, the facebook page for the label and the site itself have been deleted. A lot like Trucker Tits himself, disappeared without a trace.

Zoo & A Movie super 6 way split!

Jeff Shelton from The Party Girls and The Mack sent me a single that both of his projects were a part of recently from Zoo and a Movie records. I first came across The Party Girls on a split series from Louisville is for Lovers Records and their track here includes another one of their technically precise numbers as well as introducing a ton of new acts you weren't even expecting.

A-Side's Gnome Wrecker/Dwarf Corpse does "Still Asleep" which is for me completely in that Eric's Trip style of restrained indie, the hushed layered vocals - booming clean drums picking up every nunce of the hit down to every accidental rim shot and clicky hit. The booming center kick shot fills up the rest of the spaces, it's all perfectly recorded, the dynamic of a high hat fill the simple no effects electric and the vocal here which is listed as Christine Murakami. This is leaning towards all of that mathhouse, the hits have even been separated across the channels, tom over there. Catching only pieces of this buried lyric like Rex where it becoes that much more important and mysterious. Or it's even like Dump, the quiet intensity of big guitars that fade away. I love this gigantic drum sound and simple repetitive melody that's all about the details.

Lucky Eyes are up with "Dummy Check" and Paul and Amber Oldham sharing vocals. It's a gritty, slightly western track with that back and forth vocal with such great style. Amber's a little more snarly than Paul who's singing in a low register baritone. The four chords toiling in a blue collar Replacements way. I always liked the word dummy, it's a better insult than anything...if you say it as sarcastic as possible. And how many great duo tracks are there? Loose and Velvets sounding in its casual sound, without the sweat, falling in line together.

The Party Girls "If 6 was 6" is the family affair of John and Jeff Bailey on bass and guitar respectively working this loose but technically complex piece with a lot of serious guitar... from windmill riffage to somber complex instrumentation. It's sort of surf even in the Jacuzzi Boys style of calling it like you see it, the mood and feel of that imperfection is the important thing. Not that there's any mistakes, but it's set up to be delivered all at once in a laid back set like this. A fantastic selection of bands, so far all working in a pretty straight forward very americana, hard edge sound, layered with fringe elements.

B-Side's The Gallery Singers open with "Night Prowler" which starts with some band howling and acoustic country guitar with a "Hoo ...Ha!" track, recorded hissy filled samples where a verse should be. This strange sense of timing is clear at parts. The back and forth of low fidelity and sparse guitar, voices chanting in like savages. A strange rain dance against the field recordings of cars going by.

The Mack does "Vision of Love" next which is John and Jeff from The Party Girls, sounding like Sonny and the Sunsets, man that guy can write a really contemporary, narrative/folk song. These guys have a raw rehearsal quality to this, but the core of a great Van Zandt track is here. They benefit from this loose arena and encourage things to open up, and that's why the best tracks end up like this. Crazy warbly room sound reverb flutter...tambourine and muffled warm electric. To get an intimate sound like this with their big noises is inspiring. This could never end up being played to more than 50 people.
Lawn Yachts do "Field of Poppies" with a direct line-in guitar, like a Shrimper comp from 20 years ago. Huge distortion, close mic vocals and feedback guitar washes in with big muff layers in massive crunch. Super 4 track recorded with those sounds that weren't created toegther in the same space.
Lucky Eyes finish the single with "Surprise" penned by A. Oldham, their straight up electric country sound is back. Honest with loose rock from the late '70s, just honorable composition and delivery. Listed as a demo it comes off as anything but...Amber and Paul layered over each other again in a great way, perfect dynamic in their duo sound, thanks to the years of sharing a last name. Art by kyle field.
Like the epic plains... something for everyone.

Massive list of info right there on the cover, no need for an insert, this is the list of players, dont get it wrong.

Translucent green vinyl with a yellow center label like the sundowners singles...on Zoo & A Movie Records.