Lovvers - laughing man / search for gold

Lovvers - Laughing Man / Search For Gold (Jonson Family Records) 7"

I first investigated these guys becuase someone compared them to unwound, the greatest rock band of all time...so I had to check it out. I hear elements here, not of the conceptual, instrumental final equation math rock of 'Leaves turn', but the sloppy raw, kind of solo punk, that isn't out there involved in a scene, like Fake Train or even earlier live or bootleg stuff. Lone wolf punk.... historically influenced but a part of nothing going on I can point a finger to.

That's what this is, you can put it in that section in the record store, but it's not typical, which can be a bad thing, swinging too far in either direction. You can love it or hate it based on one song, or a part...and I hated unwound when I first heard The Future of What... but they're taking chances with the sound, that could end up who knows where.... and putting out a lot of 7"'s doing it.

It's on Jonson family records.


From Norman records:
Why have I never heard a Lovvers record before until now? Brian put 'Laughing Man' on the deck and I almost shit myself. A slab of prime Butthole Surfers inspired primal gutter rock that twats you in the head like a juggernaut. It begins with a slow intro and then the drums kick in and a disorientating filthy riff does the business.The vocal has a kind of snarl that recalls old Boner records band Steel Pole Bathtub and the whole thing sounds like it's falling apart. Then suddenly the track finds its feet and then its a good old fashioned kick ass rock out. Flipside 'Search For Gold' is a faster monster that'll get you shaking your nut about like a spider monkey on amphetamines. The production is raw and it has a Dead Kennedy's kinda thing happening. 7" only on Jonson Family Records. x Ant


Today is podcast day and here is the 3rd Episode featuring the Declining Winter, Cococoma, and Dog Day. (12:14)

Pissed jeans -Don't need smoke...7" on subpop

Don't Need Smoke to Make Myself Disappear / Love Clown

Punk seemed at some point to have taken over the seven inch format...it went from purely a single 2 song single to a mini EP/album. This is a world I have just barely scratched the surface. I know the major players, and I went thru a Dead Kennedy's, Fugazi, Bad Brains etc phase.
I think there is a huge history of revolution with the 7" being this cheap distribution object to get the music out at shows, through the mail, it's weirdly kept records alive for a new audience...in punk, reggae, rock and roll in general. The punk side seems to be going strong with the number of new bands 7"'s and collectors of punk message boards I come across.

Anyway... Pissed Jeans is in this long tradition of punk rock and this guys voice reminds me of Rollins in that kind of tough guy yelling. I have the full length and need to spend more time with it, but this is raw, stripped down playing in a shitty bowling alley or your friends backyard.

This is still available on subpop. They have consistently managed to keep releasing relevant, interesting music. Someone is making all the right choices there. It really runs the spectrum, they seem to have the financial means to promote all their stuff and still have the street cred. Plus they were pretty much my entry point for 7"'s in general. I probably have more subpop singles than from any other label...and it's all quality in one way or another.

Pissed Jeans are a rock and roll combo from Allentown, PA and this single is their first release on Sub Pop. They’ve previously released a full-length called Shallow and a 7” single (“Throbbing Organ” b/w “Night Minutes”), both on Parts Unknown Records. Because we have yet to read a better description (or come up with one ourselves…) of their music than the one provided by their singer Matt in an interview on blastitude.com, the following: “The idea was to start a different kinda punk band focused on dead ended carnal cravings, sexual depression…that sort of thing. Mainly we just wanted to bludgeon the listener with dull, monotonous droning rock music that just sucks the energy out of you, the musical equivalent to watching a toilet flush.” We at Sub Pop Records could not possibly be more excited to release a full-length of this dull, monotonous droning rock music later this year. So, that’s what we’re going to do.

Disordered Records Interview

I came across Disordered records a while back looking for an Intelligence 7", and Rocco, from disordered emailed me back a few distro places to try in the US. They happened to be sold out, but months later our paths crossed again after I got into Digital Leather and saw Disordered had just released the 'Closed my eyes'7". Being based in Italy, I never really tried to order direct, I figured I would just have to track them down through the usual domestic places.
Well I must have been added to the Disordered mailing list after those exchanges, and thanks to g-chat we started randomly talking one day and I had to ask about his new label, I loved where every single was going, it was shaping up to be the greatest start to documenting a particular sound, a new dischord or rough trade or siltbreeze.
I know sometimes I might come off a little too strong in my insane love for 7"'s so I try to tone it down a bit when talking to people at the labels, but Rocco is more excited about 7"'s than possibly even me. I may have started a blog...but Rocco started Disorder, purely to curate a vision for this new sound, and in the format that made the most sense, that historically has been the medium for the new sound, it's cheap, but more formidable than a burned CD, and 7"'s continue to be relevant in the music landscape.

But then as soon as it started, it was over, I read a message on the myspace page about the label being finished. I had to ask Rocco about his experience as an up and coming European label, and what the future holds for Disorder.

In the short history of Disordered records your releases seem really focused on synth punk, lots of mutated electronics, distorted vocals, high energy. What is for you personally about this sound?

Well, I started listening to punk music about 8 years ago and I got a kind of "evolution"into my musical taste. At the beginning I listened to oi! and punk 77 because I searched into this the energy you are talking about. Then I started to see this music in a different way, so I deleted the "social meaning" that media use to put next to the punk and I saw them in a continous research of a new approach to play music and to interpretate the sound, usually keeping on its basis the r'n'r...and this how i actually see the punk..a kind of exploration of new sound that is based on aproximation and in energy,without any care about playing an instrument in a good way. I started buying a lot of LP's and 7"s about several indie labels like 'In the red records', 'Crypt' , Goner ,'S-S', and many many more. I just feel very lucky to listen to this music so I wanted to give my little contribution with a label that looked forward about the punk sound..and my personal thought was that in the 1977 synth punk bands as Units, Screamers, Nervous Gender, The Normal had that approach about punk music that I explained, so for me it was obvious starting from their sound to continue the search of a "new sound" that they found in 1977 with their music. One step beyond with every issue.

How has your experience been working with these bands? Did you approach it as a fan of this scene first or do you know them or were in contact with them in some other way?

I was just a fan of the bands I put out...I started this experience as a passion and I try to maintain a low profile because I didn't care about notoriety or business. I see culture (music,cinema,painting,etc) as a way of elevating the human being (as Schopenauer says), so money does not figure into this vision. Intelligence was the 1st band that accepted. I started co-releasing this issue with a friend of mine, the boss of Lo-Fi records at the beginning of 2007 and I countinued for 1 year until now from January 2007 - February 2008. A french dude called Mikael did the artwork and cover sleeves of the records on my label.

Did Disordered go beyond releasing records? Did you organize shows, etc?

Yes. I booked a spare of gigs into my town as feelers/clorox girls and I was into the organization (with Chiara, a florence girl and Massimino, a guy from naples of the 1st european tour of Digital Leather that was in October 2007. I had the luck to see Human Eye and Digital Leather playing the same night in madrid! Amazing show.

What's your experience with the music scene in Italy when it comes to synth-punk?

Well,about synth-punk, personally I don't know any synth punk band of italy.. but I saw recently a gig of a band of Turin called Movie Star Junkies that played an amazing show. I guess they are the best live Italian band. About their studio recordings, they are too much blues for my musical taste, but they are however great to play blues punk genre. There is also another band that never played live yet, but I like a lot their 7"s. They are called His Electro Blue Voice and they play an original post punk with the drummer's label 'Avant!' records,and we are co-releasing the Black Bug 7".

All your releases are in the 7" format. Was there something special about the seven inch in particular?

I just like 7" format. According to me is the best format for punk music. Moreover there are few good LPs into punk history.

Did you have plans for anything other than seven inches, were longer format releases a possibility in the future?

I guess no more. I think I already touched the top with the records I put out, so actually I don't see any other interesting band around the world.

What pressing plant did you use? How was your experience with them?

I used a pressing plant from Milan, but the upcoming release will be pressed in Verona. I hope they will work well as Milan dudes did!

Do you have any advice for anyone about pressing seven inches?

Hmmmmm. The only thing that I learned thanx to Scott Soriano (S-S Records boss,Sacto label) is that if you are going to put out a 45 rpm, each side must be no more than 4:30/5 minutes in order to have a good sound! About the 33 rpm, the right size would be of 6 minutes. (I did this mistake with human eye 7" because I didn't want to put as the b-side an instrumental song!)

I hope you have plans to continue the label, what's the future hold for disordered records?

This label has started as a projection of my mind, as a personal vision of music, and every issue should represent what was my vision of punk in the period it has been put out. I feel very proud that Scott Ryser, the Units singer, loves my label because I consider him a genius for his contribution to the world music through synth punk.
It's a shame that the media has stopped with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and Ramones because they have to retreive about 30 years of punk music. in 1977 the "No Future" slogan had a meaning but in the following years it evolved since nowdays and it will also in the future. It was born from nothing and it can transform in everything as a kind of energy.

Disordered will evolve in something else. It can be a short movie, a book or everything my mind wants. Surely it will be no more a music label. At least actually I think so. But I am pretty sure it won't.

Moreover i'd like to say that I am not a vinyl collector...i just have about 20 lps and 20 7"'s that are the result of several years of researching music that allowed me to build new thoughts and new scenes into my mind in order to find a dynamic equilibrium and new large horizons about vision of life...the chance of touching the endless through the ears.

---------- Rocco, Disordered records 2007 - 2008 ------------

Thanks Rocco, it's been really inspiring to talk to someone halfway around the world who is thinking about the same stuff musically and doing something about it, I hope a couple people follow your example and start a few labels of their own, I know I am going to.

Be sure to check out these distro places for Disordered records releases, they will be legendary.

USA

PUKENVOMIT

FLORIDA'S DYING

CONTAMINATED

BISTRO DISTRO

GONER

EUROPE

ITALY: HATE

GERMANY:GREENHELL,PTRASH,INCOGNITO

UK:HO DISTRO

FRANCE:YAKISAKANA

SWEDEN:KENROCK

Digital leather on florida's dying

I came across this label, Floridas dying, which actually is based in Florida and they have a million seven inches I have to research from some of the usual suspects, but I did stumble across this digital leather single.
I noticed disordered (from yesterday) put out one of his singles as well, but I think it's out of print.
I've been following this guy who's in my digital apocalypse future. What is it about this sound that I like so much? It's dark, anti-human, low-fi electronics, but still quick enough to get into. I don't think it's something I enjoy in the traditional sense, I'm more interested in this foreign world full of drunk robots and lasers.
Not that Shawn Foree isn't putting together great epic pop amidst the carnage, like 'My baby's dead' is huge, complete with dying guitar solos and planetarium soundtrack synths...it's the music that would be playing in some bmx movie in the early 90's.
I think it's a more successful version of what the Liars were trying to do with their latest self titles album, it's what I was hoping it would be...their demented interpretation of traditional structure etc...they went too literal. He's pushing this sound to it's meltdown. It's like a coherent Ariel pink.
There's all the mysterious sound you could hope for, but more than anything it has a sense of humor, thanks to a close up picture of some guys balls jammed into spandex shorts on the cover of his LP and lyrics and instrument choices. That LP has been repressed on trash colored vinyl for 10 bucks.
'I am a hologram', is great, he repeats this phrase over and over it trails out to silence and then this huge wave of static works it's way back into a chorus and the yelling is more frantic.
Go get this full length and the 7" on floridas dying.


DIGITAL LEATHER- Closed My Eyes 7"

(Disordered) $8.00
4 songs limited to 250 copies.

Disordered records - The end?

Just saw this today. I've been kind of putting Rocco's emails from Disordered records in a folder and waiting to check them like a jackass. I finally got around to them this morning and it turns out he's taking final orders for his last 2 7"'s.
There's also kind of a farewell blog post on the Disordered records myspace. Damn he was putting together really cool synth-punk stuff, a lot of 7"'s some full length stuff. I wonder what happened... future seven inches were cancelled...no one is making any money off seven inches except the people putting all this hard work on ebay and not giving a shit about the music.
Fuck.

So coincidentally enough Rocco IM'd me sometime yesterday and we briefly talked about NY, and how he's finishing university in Italy and was thinking of moving so the label needed to come to an end. Expect an interview in the near future...but in the meantime contact Rocco to get in on these last 2 7", which sound amazing, check out the label myspace, it's a great collection of punk bands playing electronics...that's what the future/present sounds like to me. Either your playing a suitcase full of effects and twisting sound into some kind of nightmare/dance party, or you are bashing them into submission in the tradition of punk. I like them both.

From Rocco:

so next releases should be in print this month and they will be the last ones.

they are:

BLACK BUG 7"(i don't like you/you a grave) 200 copies coreleased with AVANT! Records,the label run by HIS ELECTRO BLUE VOICE drummer.

DESTRUCTION UNIT 7"(250 copies),the band run by ryan wong of reatards,wongs,tokyo electron etc. with the help of Shawn Foree,leader of DIGITAL LEATHER.

and maybe a lathe 7" of 30 copies by TWIN CRYSTALS if the stuff is ready in these days.

thanx to all the bands i worked with:

INTELLIGENCE

DAN MELCHIOR

DIGITAL LEATHER

HUMAN EYE

all these people are great persons,thank you so much for having let me put some release of yours on vinyl.

and to all the distros and people that i meet in this wonderful experience.i grow up trought this label and i always thought that it should be a kind of proiection of my mind..of my musical tastes..it represents a kind of way of my musical knowledge.

and thanx to you that supported my label and bought my records..or that just listened to them on a shitty ipod!

peace

Rocco