wounded lion on ss records

This is how it goes most mornings with these bands.... you start poking around their myspace and some of their links...their blog....then 5 labels later you've purchased 4 or 5 singles and there goes another week's lunch money. You swear this time you're going to have to have peanut butter and jelly to make up for it.

Of course I should have looked at this single earlier coming from SS...but they need to slow down or something. It's just getting really hard to keep up with them, it feels like every other week, I'm trying to put together an order.
Give other labels a chance once in a while.

Wounded Lion is the kind of band it takes less than one minute to like. No screaming synth or layers of indiscernible hiss here. Not even terribly recorded in any way...wounded lion is playing that...well....let's say produced garage rock. Lyrically they rule...right away this line from the first track on the myspace it's perfect:

some people are friendly
because they're crazy

There's nothing not to like, it's masterfully executed...like the Unicorns, they have a sense of humor, but are doing everything they can to be serious. There's a washboard on the track for god sakes. But it's nothing you'd find on a farm. It's heavy, grinding distortion...the crafted melody is so familiar, it's not shit gaze, just sincere. I'm so looking forward to this single. When they are more obscure I'm right there with them...minotaurs, and firing arrows into rabbits.
Where I lose them is when they start to go a little off the deep end with songs like 'Degobah System':

if you're going to the
degobah system
get ready for some wild shit
people with
asses for faces

It's funny as shit, yes. I keep listening to it, and it hasn't gotten old yet. It's just hard to take them seriously....I like Star Wars as much as the next guy, but it's an easy target. I guess it never gets old and that's forgivable?
But then there's a Muppet Babies song? They do it pretty sincere, but just barely. I mean...guys... stay away from the kitch shit, you have awesome songs, great songwriting, but the Muppet Babies thing almost completely killed it for me.
Maybe the fact you can pull this off makes it that much more special? I'm torn....It's hard to let myself like it, I really can't help it....I want to hear it again. Especially on vinyl.
It's like they are trying to sabotage themselves in a strange overused/outdated pop reference way....very interesting....

the muppet babies are poisonous
the poison is strongest when they're babies
I should know

Shit, that's also sheer balls of genius, I can't believe I keep playing this over and over.

You know what...just go look at this video for pony people it's pretty amazing. They can put the lyric and rock together in such a perfect, oddball way...when it isn't about something borderline Tenacious D. (ok, it never goes that far....Wounded Lion is interesting musically always)

7" still available from SS, for the insanely reasonable price of $4. It will make you purchase some other things as well.....like hank IV, Los llamarada...hell...there goes the rent, (I mean I have to have electricity or this is all pointless).

WOUNDED LION - CAROL CLOUD 7" (S-S)
Los Angeles gets a bad rap. Through our TV sets, we know it as a city of shallow glitter, brutal cops, and urban unrest…and, sure, there is that, but there are also lots of everyday folks, living unpretentious everyday lives. We also forget that Los Angeles has had a very healthy underground music scene, as it does today. Take the everyday folks and drop them into an underground scene and you get something like Wounded Lion, a great no-frills pop band who sounds fresh, even when they remind one of classic American power pop of the 70s. Inspired by The Amps, The Cramps, The Clean, and The Vaselines (as well as Credence Clearwater Revival and Kleenex), Wounded Lion can regularly be scene in LA haunts such as Mr T’s Bowl, The Smell, The Scene, and Spaceland. And now you get to hear them here, on their recording debut. The songs “Carol Cloud” and “Pony People” are two great poppers, hum-inducing, toe-tapping tunes which will wiggle their way into your brain and have you singing their choruses while at the grocery store or waiting in line at the DMV. This is perfect pop for the dying days of summer and the start of a new school year. Wounded Lion! "This thing is the best single of the year by far," says WFMU's Brian Turner. 600 pressed.

Hank IV dirty ponch on plastic idol records

I lucked out and bought this single from Hank at the Los Llamarada show at the Charleston...not realizing it's sold out at the source from Plastic Idol...I'm just sad I missed them play before Los Llamarada.
Apparently this girl pictured on the sleeve is the one in the song 'wearing a dirty poncho'. That's not exactly what I pictured her to look like at all. The song is kind of driving guitar-centric heavily chorused jams. There's a lot of people singing along, extra layers of tracks yelling 'Dirty Poncho!'. It's kind of garage, scummy rock and roll. You can hear the smoke and cheap beer cans. They play real trashy bars and fall over drunk before they go on.
Jesus, where do I come up with this stuff? It's catchy guitar rock, but not super fancy, like you couldn't get a beer with these friends of friends.
The picture above however is like some model who posed with her bottle of heroin and cigarettes. After hearing the song I picture someone more like this:


They have a nice set available on WFMU I've been listening to this afternoon.

HANK IV-Dirty Poncho 7” (Plastic Idol) $5.50 First time in stock? New Siltbreeze album out soon. “"Dirty Poncho" b/w "Symptomatic" is the first 7-inch single from San Francisco, California's HANK IV (members of ICKY BOYFRIENDS, LEATHER UPPERS, RESINEATORS, etc.). The title track is destined to be a classic Hank IV tune; a gripping narrative and locomotive-like pace hypnotizes you, and then a catchier-than-the-clap chorus knocks you on your ass. Brilliant! "Symptomatic" is a toe-tapper that boasts wicked dueling guitars and awesome lyrics. Pressed in an edition of 500 copies; 400 on black vinyl and 100 hand-numbered copies on opaque yellow vinyl with goldenrod dust cover and resealable sleeve (sold at record release show only).”

Is it on SS records? I don't think so, but the full length is.

Vampire Blues/ I Hear The Vibrations, by Wooden Shjips (7" on Sick Thirst)

Here's a 7" I'll probably never see...although ss is supposed to be getting a very limited number of these in, maybe I'll see it quick enough.... get on their mailing list if you're interested.
Vampire Blues is a Neil Young cover? That's worth the price of admission and probably the low pressing number. This is a tour single sold at shows...so again good on you if you end up with one.
The thing I've been into most about the shjips is when that guitar starts screaming in the middle of the track, just blown out, uncontrollable. When it goes into experimental territory...when it kind of turens it's accessibility on it's head a little. It takes it's time going anywhere and then there's that ultra echo vocals with sustain that never ends, just all the good things about psyche...like the Crystal Stilts latest full length I've been listening to a tons...it takes the best things about early JAMC and just plays it. There's no trying to go comercial period or producing the sound. Like the shjips, they love what they love and are reproducing it.
I get that maybe they are treading where a bunch of period bands alreayd went,but it's anew take on the era, filtered through today...or just with an unabashed appreciation and taking it to it's extreme.
I don't know too much about that era and some of the greats these guys are probably influenced by, I'm too obsessed with now, so this will do nicely.
It will hyptnotize me to sleep at times though...

It's available overseas at Norman recs who says:

Hey we got some copies of the Wooden Shjips ltd edition tour 7" 'Vampire Blues/ I Hear The Vibrations'. You may recall how quickly we sold out of their previous tour split with The Heads so you best be getting yer skates on. 'Vampire Blues' is a cover of a Neil Young tune from his 1974 'On The Beach' album. I have to confess to never having heard the original but their version is a real grower. The guitar is suitably fuzzy, the percussion fairly simple and the overall atmosphere a druggy, lazy, stoned haze. A good old fashioned blues rock and roll tune with lovely warm analogue sound. The flipside 'I Hear The Vibrations' has a brilliant repetitive bassline that's really prominent in the mix while layers of psychedelic guitar swirl around. This has their authentic 70's sound but thankfully manages to avoid becoming too proggy and adopting some of the more embarrassing cliche's associated with 70's rock. Again I love the overall sound here presumably all played and recorded with old kit. Upon second spin I can declare I thoroughly approve.

Los Llamarada on Avant! records

I thought I'd skip ahead a few reviews in the stack next to the record player and jump right to Los Llamaradas in hopes of catching them tonight at the Charleston....my neighborhood 'friends basement' venue.

Avant! was kind enough to contact me and airmail a copy from Italy...this single all started with Rocco from Disordered and I have to give Avant credit for picking up the torch on this one and finally releasing this gem.

Los Llamaradas roughly translates to 'Sudden flare up'...but I swear I saw this word printed on a deli awning the other day riding around and thought, 'Hey maybe that band is some product inside?', but no...now I'm more confused than ever.
The A side 'Against the day', starts rock/post punk enough but then a harmonica is piercing through the ultra low fidelity of the entire track, that's a new one. Mexico's own Times New Viking?(....are they the new standard to be judged against for this shitgaze sound?)
Whereas TNV are almost upbeat....matt & kim, this is dark, lots of yelling...and now I think the harmonica sound turned into a synth on the B-Side?
'The Last time' (B-1) is a slower number with what has to be a melodica warbling over distorted vocals and slow beat. I honestly am not sure at times if this is entirely in English or it's just in universally no-fi, I don't even care...you can appreciate the raw primitive rock. I just love the sound quality of this....it's a recording that you're just glad they made at all....no gimmicks. The B side is a little softer, but it's pure loudness that digital can't capture...that's funny that the cheapest cassette can have a wider overmodulated range than any digital recording... it just complately clips it off.

This could be an example of the globalization...or lets say global music movement with this kind of sound. Stripped down.... recorded practically on the most inexpensive rig, the drums have that flat shallow sound with no room size captured at all. Could there be a future with enough cast off instruments and amps that bands could spring up all over the globe and just press record? I could be listening to Tyvek or NoDozzz, any number of bands from all over the US right now, but instead this band from Mexico come to me via an Italian label. There's thousands of miles in these grooves....the masters crossed oceans to get here. Columbus (The explorer or OH? whoa) of shit gaze.

It's still available from the source, Avant!.
From LL's myspace: (I love this description 'the sensation of being adrift', like one of those sense deprivation chambers)

Just received our new 7", released by Avant! Records (Italy). Three songs recorded live and straight to a radio / tape recorder, amps over couches; the same living room where we recorded most of The Exploding Now. A certain apocalyptic air had returned to our city. I think those were the closing times of some era. Flooded streets, increased police presence (except when they are actually needed, of course), and a crowd of dead bodies would soon reveal the face of the city. Newspapers kept a body count and discounted it when the numbers became both dull and embarrasing.

Estrella brought her melodica and played it near the tape recorder in selected moments, and sang one of her confusion rock songs. Juan played guitars that sounded both old and new. Daniel walked and runned in the same place. Then we went out for more beers. The recordings had a feeling of something found, not made. I trying to reach some point both below the ceiling and outside of it. In those days I liked to walk along a recently built fake river right in the middle of the downtown area, one of the distractions built by the local government; a suitable monument to itself. A friend was afraid of stepping into it. I had visited it during its construction, it looked like an excavated civilisation, or a sudden burial of our own. A sensation of being adrift.

We selected those songs and other tape recordings for a CD-R, The Olympic Scheme / The Next Life Stroll. Then Rocco from Disordered Records asked us for some tracks. His label later stopped its activities so we continued with Andrea from His Electro Blue Voice. The cover was designed / drawn by Herla. And now it's out, and Scott Soriano will also distribute it (http://www.s-srecords.com/) , and we will have it for sale during our East Coast shows, as well as our new S-S Records LP (Take The Sky, our first 4 track recordings), which should be out very soon, along with a new pressing of The Exploding Now (2007). November will probably see the release of some recordings by Estrella and Daniel's former side project, The Love Is So Fast (a five song vinyl on Siltbreeze records). And we've been recording new stuff and checking old tapes, so in 2009 we'll release something from the archives....

2 full lengths also just became available on S-S distro...
Look for a review of tonight's show later this week...

Dead Luke on Sacred Bones

Side A: Jumping Jack Flash Drive
Side B: Not Tonight

This is part two in the Dead Luke series on Sacred Bones (both parts still available directly)and I was lucky enough to preorder the box set of both which I have waiting for a night when I can take them in. The packaging on that thing is amazing, it has this metallic tape covered cover and all kinds of stuff inside..both 7"'s are in hand stamped paper sleeves...it's so homemade and one of a kind. I was alerted to this by SevenTenTwelve who first got me to take a listen to his myspace, where neither of these songs are available.
Dead Luke is in the Blank Dogs school but this maybe even takes no-fi and dark melting synth to an entirely different and more obscure place. It's like he's constantly fighting to be heard in this electronic void of metronome beats. The vocals at times can be so mutilated it's only creating more unrest and confusion. Truly dark....and there's nothing like it...one song could be future-psyche...the next Joy Division played through a distortion pedal and a bass amp.

It's also available from S-S records who has this to say:
Dead Luke - Record Two 7" (Sacred Bones) $5
Dead Luke's second single steps off into minimal synth of an Agent Side Grinder variety. The instrumentation is synth, rhythm machine, and slight percussion, as well a vocals. Good stuff.

Dan Melchior

I've just barely broken the surface of this Dan Melchior's prolific career...lots and lots of albums, and it sounds like from a brief sampling of myspace that it's also bridging a lot of different sounds...more recently on the low-fi homerecorded front. Lots of others will be able to sum up his career better, siltblog, terminal boredom, ZGun. I'm not going to shed any light here, it's just one of those nice surprises when you think you've explored something to some kind of conclusion to find another branch on the outsiderish rock tree....
He's like a bluesy TV Ghost or Blank Dogs...that original sounding weird. I loved the 'No horizon No prescription' track...it has that late night muddy beat, tortured guitar lowly bounced track underwater feel, but with all the experience to back it up. A decidedly English Ariel Pink.

I'm the last one to this party, and it's worth checking out for yourself. The latest incarnation is Dan Melchior and Das Menace currently based in NC.

Get it from Mr. Mechior himself or...
SS records:
Dan Melchior - She's So Blank 7" (Almost Ready) $5
Ahhhh you know you are hooked so why should I even try to push this on you? S-S's favorite Welshman ever. That's right: You can have your Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas, shove your Manics and Tom Jones. John Cale? Okay, you got me there. Second favorite Welshman ever. But second is better than most. Buy this.

XYX - ss records + Episode 20

Microvibraciones is on this single and their myspace. This laughing at the end of the track is truly frightening, I don't know what kinds of knob twisting is going on. It sounds like the recorded song track was mixed after the fact, the whole thing is warbling, slowing down.
It's got insane energy and succeeds completely in capturing the intensity that I have to hope the live show is even coming close to. The recording is really a feat in itself after hearing recorded stuff that doesn't come close to the punch of a live performance. They're working with the same set of instruments as Ima fucking gymnast: drums, bass and vocals, but the genius is captured here. It's coming from the synth punk place of SIDS or definitely the Liars and with all the heart and piercing intense vocals.
The track is epic and so worth committing to vinyl.
Anel and her problem the B side (?) is pummeling at just around a minute and then devolves into more vocal twistings...this is a must.
It's another puzzling equation, what are these guys listening to? Where did this come from? It's exciting to be so fucking dumbfounded.

Get it from SS records:
XYX - Sistema de Terminacion Sexual 7" (S-S) $4 Stumbling on Los Llamarada was great (as well as pure luck) and led me scouring the web for other bands from Monterrey…and there were more, good ones too, but nothing that really knocked me out. Then a few months ago, Mou from XYX emails me and says, "We are friends with Llamarada and in some other bands that play with them. This is something we do that you might like. Please check it out." And me being a nice guy took a trip to XYX's myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/xyxs). I listened and liked. Liked a lot. A whole lot. I asked for more songs and said, Let's do a record. "When?" Now! ….and here it is! Four great songs with overblown bass and drums and really cool fucked vocals. XYX has a looping sound that reminds me a bit of Hubble Bubble, but in a post punk context. The songs (even when they are longish) are compact, but still full. XYX is a great band and this is a very cool record.

Podcast Episode 20: Special Sonic Youth edition! We play some old sonic youth, a peel session blank label 7" from 88, we talk about art school fostering bands in general, and the history of SY....

zola jesus - Poor Sons EP

Zola Jesus is minimal, and not afraid of the distortion or delay. The track 'Poor Sons' is an acoustic piano loop under these quiet female vocals...I keep putting it on to hear them...it really keeps it grounded, far away from unlistenable experimentation, which can be written off pretty quickly, unless it's uber-compelling, like in this case vocally. There's a haunting track of really high warbly vocals way off in the distance adding to this....not exactly depressing....but more forebidding...like a real haunted house....not exactly Diamanda Galas, there's a lot more melody and songwriting here....but maybe at times I can hear it....it might be more mood though.

'Dog' is another track on the release from Die Stasi and after watching their youtube videos it looks like Zola is led by the keyboard/vocalist, who has this great melodic voice, and isn't afraid to fuck it up for excellent tones that bleed into the distorted synth and clip into no-fi. The best kind of home recordings, where you are left wondering what influenced this half synth-soul industrial goodness.
Another track I'm into on their myspace 'Odessa' is classic Suicide, that fast heartbeat electronic high hat rhythm with repetitive drowned keyboard and beyond distorted vocals.

Where did this come from and where is it going?

From SS records

Found on Volcanic Tongue...here's their review:

Amazing 7" from this solo femme from Madison, Wisconsin who cuts eerie keyboard driven hymnals with spooked, F/X damaged vocals in a way that seems to channel the ghosts of Suicide, Diamanda Galas, Meredith Monk and Kate Bush. The sound is extremely fuggy, just dripping with psychedelic atmosphere and the haunting vocal melodies skirt classic post-Velvets song-forms and ecstatic throat reveries like nothing else. Highly recommended and one to watch for sure.

$6 Paypal to diestasi AT gmail.com (email for availability first)

Unholy Two from Columbus Discount records

What the fuck is in the water in Columbus Ohio? They now have a huge number, relatively, of bands consistently putting out the most insane music. I have to think again that all these bands are playing together, all part of each others bands or the audiences in Columbus are just way ahead of the rest of the curve and can't get enough of this.
Unholy Two is on the very edge of completely experimental and still having some kind of structure to hang this grating hiss onto. I couldn't tell the difference between their live tracks and the 'studio' material....nice.
Kutter is pure amazing noise, just get close to the amps and beat them to death with feedback, it's raw, pounding distortion notes in between piercing screeches of noise, starting out at that punishing slow tempo of beating and then slowly turning into a Ministry live garage demo, breakneck ....with lyrics even.
This whole thing is kind of like taking that 90's industrial thing and running it through shitty effects or record it with a CB radio, it's brutal to your ears and this might even kind of cross into some sort of shitgaze metal area, so if weirdo noise is your thing and you want to see what the fringes of the Columbus noise scene are doing.....here's your chance.

Unholy Two – s/t 7" (Columbus Discount) $5 A fantastic record of sci fi punk rock sandpaper your eyes damage and the best debut 7" from a Midwestern band since last years TV Ghost seven. Given Columbus Discount's string of stellar records, it shouldn't be a surprise that this one is a winner.

From Columbus Discount.

Or from s-s records

hiroshima rocks around - Matter of Fact

There seems to be a pretty amazing Italian underground punk influenced nofi noise scene currently, or probably I'm just getting on board with it. Rocco from disordered records (RIP) made this stuff a way of life with his short lived label, and Avant! records I hope is just getting started with their Blck Bug release.
Here's another offering of extreme noise from the boot. My favorite track from Hiroshima rocks around's myspace has to be DER KENARO, there's a really amazing guitar distortion that starts out as just noise in the background...all feedback and then winds forward and turns into the chorus...this is coming at punk from a new angle, informed by whatever explosion of punk is happening in Italy.
From S-S records.

"More proof that Italy is getting to be a hot spot form rock y roll moderne. These two HRA songs will remind you a bit of Cheveu, maybe some Crash Normal, perhaps some Another Mans Sac. I dunno. You can figure out the comparisons. I do think you will dig this one."-Scott Soriano (S-S). Edition of 600 copies.

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.

Nothing people - In the city

It sounds like Nothing People are coming from a historic rock and roll garage aesthetic. I'm hearing a little psyche and old old Jesus and Mary Chain, without the insane cavernous reverb. It sounds like people always mention sci-fi when talking about them, but I'm missing that. If sci-fi has to do with talky reverb vocals and 50's hot rod surf guitar, then Ok I agree.
I really liked this track 'Should've known' on their myspace. They have this great really dirty loud guitar which at first sounded like Neil Young on the Dead Man soundtrack which was just him in a room with this amazing distorted slow torturous guitar sound. But it goes from that into a single note layered, like something almost shellac-ish, and breaks the silence to ROCK.

This one is a really successful combination of the source material updated with their own sound.
Sometimes they sound a little like a 70's soundtrack for a bad biker movie, all echo vocals and tube amps. I could see them playing with wooden shjips, they are related. There's also a kind of slowed down surf rock sound here as well, like Deadbolt they have similar sinister echo vocals.
Like the Cramps...or Richard Hell and the Voidoids, something like that.

You can order directly from them on their myspace blog. They have a 2 song 7 ", and a comp 7" with home blitz and some others....

Nothing People – In the City 7" (S-S) $4
Did you like the Nothing People's debut 7"? Well, this one is even better. Here the pre-punk, psych-punk, glam, & new wave influences collide like atoms in a god damn atom smasher and man is this a great record. The original – In the City – is one smooth sci fi punk rock groover which sounds like it could have been done in 1976 or yesterday. The flip is an excellent cover of a 70's glam gem, done with enough Nothing Peopleism that you won't think about the original.
On clear vinyl.