Crocodiles on Hell Yes! Records

Crocodiles - Neon Jesus (7" on Hell Yes!)

God Damn you Hell Yes!
It's bad enough you only use 1 side of a seven inch! I could go on about how it literally takes nothing for the pressing plant to throw a metal master on the other side and press some grooves into that vinyl! Then you ask me to covert dollars to euros and pay for overseas shipping...oh but you say I don't have to get these singles, no one is twisting my arm. Actually yes you are, no one forced you to press Gary War, The Fresh and Onlys or the Crocodiles! That's definitely your fault.

The only things I've randomly caught from the Crocodiles have been on that Art Fag 4 way or the DiTG 3 way, so I could use a proper EP or at least double sided release from these guys....ok I'll leave it alone...it's hard to get over. That doesn't mean I don't have the Gary War one already...I just think, 'Oh there could have been another song there.' I bet Gary wrote more songs, I bet Gary would be happy to lend another one to hell yes.

Oh well, the Crocodiles at times sound like Jesus and Mary Chain, really cheap thin beats, tons of reverb, the sort of massive over the top poseur vocals, they're really overdoing it on tracks like 'Neon Jesus', I think this is some kind of a put on side project..sometimes I'm in on the joke, and I can see the black and white grainy video with sunglasses and leather jackets in the desert, sometimes I wonder if they know it's 2010. 'Refuse Angels' from the DiTG single was out of place, they feel like an indie movie band based from the early 90's. Of course I'm into the myspace track, 'I wanna Kill' with it's weirdo phasered guitar, the vocals seem more melodic and not so spoken word affected tough guy...the jury's still out on these guys for me, it might be too poppy at times but they keep popping up in good company and I'll give them a chance.

After all that I'm still saying get it from Hell Yes...and did I mention there's a Fresh and Only's one sided in the store too? Of course there is. You wouldn't want the post office to just lose one single would you?

Repress of their 1st 7" that came out in 2008 on Zoo Music in only 500 copies.
300 on green wax, white silkscreened cover on thick paper in a resealable polypropylene bag.
Chuck Rowell's face on the cover.

Did I mention how much I hate those resealable bags? Like I have time to be pulling things stuck apart and ripping the side out, I just want to play a record. I'm ADD enough as it is to be getting this glue crap stuck to the sleeve under it, Die resealable bags...I hate you!
I'm all worked up.

CROCODILES / GRAFFITI ISLAND / DUM DUM GIRLS / PENS split on Art Fag Records

This is one hell of a split, I'm surprised is still available. I first heard Pens from Mark's show out of Vancouver, PopDrones, I highly recommend his podcast, especially the 2 best of '09 shows, they are killer. I think he even played this single, which I saw I made a note about but never posted...just checked and ordered a copy from Midheaven:

CROCODILES / GRAFFITI ISLAND / DUM DUM GIRLS / PENS - Four Way Split - Art Fag - AF 005 - 7" - $ 7.00

***A four-way split 7-inch from these up-and-coming young faves. You get CROCODILES' "Hollow Hollow Eyes," GRAFFITI ISLAND's "Moon Tan," DUM DUM GIRLS' "Brite Futures," and PENS' "The Weekend Starts Here."

A 4-way split is guaranteed to have at least one band you're interested in, between the 4 of these guys their fans should have picked up every one. The Crocodiles, for instance have sold out on every other single...this is the last one left!
The Dum Dum Girls sound is that crazy Crystal Stilts echo chamber overload, with sort of Zola Jesus vocals...I mean that's a supergroup combo sound right there. The Hozac single, and captured tracks released are excellent. I love those girls, I hope to see them in NY at some point, I missed them too much.... That's right, they are coming to Mercury Lounge at the end of Feb.
Been hearing tons about the Crocodiles. They were on that 3 way split with blessure grave, the Down in the ground one, have to go back and pay attention...see that's what these spits are all about. They made enough year end lists to get my attention, didn't realize they were on Fat Possum, they seem to be going in all kinds of directions lately. I have to say I kind of trust this, if they are willing to release Wavves and Townes Van Zandt on the same imprint...well, I'll go along for that ride.
Graffiti Island, another band I've been coming across but haven't given them a proper listen. They have 4 import singles that I can't bring myself to pay shipping for, so this is the next best. I keep wondering if I saw them at Monster Island...or I'm confusing them with Christmas Island. Wow, a lot of choices there.
Last up is Pens, like I said I owe Mark, I can't get enough of these guys...and their from the UK? What!? Way to go... but of course it's too bad they won't be touring here anytime soon. Their full length is that perfect mix of tune, no-fi, punk, melody and 80 track livingroom jams. Like the Yips, who I romanticise, but just were the punk duo no fidelity ideal. Pens are just great, this is the track I'm getting this for. The rest honestly is just a bonus.

I don't think any of thee tracks show up anywhere else, I didn't look too extensively, but they should be exclusive to this...right? Wait, the Pens myspace calls the track I thought was called 'High in the Cinema', 'The weekend starts here'? Oh crap. Well that's a great song. One of their best. Why don't I ever check that before I paypal? I don't have any answers. I order first and ask questions later.

Get it from Midheaven, I think I said this before but I'll be damned if I can't find the Art Fag site, or blog...just the myspace, it keeps jumping to some bullshit ad's search pages....what the hell?! I want to order your records!

Cold Cave / Crocodiles / Blessure Grave on Down in the Ground Records + podcast EP 35

So let's see here, brand new label, tri-split from Down in the ground records, and a podcast with a brand new label Stumparumper records with it's founder Pat.

First the single:
The crocodiles are like some no wave nightmare... a lot of really nice sounding messed up feedback... Hell, I can like anyone that uses feedback like this...lots of distorted yelling, mechanical drums. It's pretty catchy sounding, like later JAMC. God, I reference them a lot, but really it's that kind of mondo post punk fuzz sound. I guess I didn't get much further than them....so that's my reference...or like a Place to bury strangers/cramps. Better? No.

Cold cave is working with clean mechanics...it's really kind of dancy, they could make a killing crossing over into some euro-disco scene...or like Daft Punk...take themselves seriously for a minute. The track 'Sex Ads' sounds like the drum pad from a cheap keyboard was run through a couple distortion pedals and then a first....a casio SK1 human voice sound is used for the first and last time successfully by an artist. I'd recognize that sound anywhere. He's really deliberate in the sounds...it's all compressed, the distortion is clipped...it's not left to chance. 'Always someone' on the other hand is working with the glitch in an epic way...there's thousands of sounds here on this digital shitgaze track. Disintegrating, swirling around in this haze of malfunction. The only other single I've seen on Hospital productions is long gone, this is about the only thing at the moment, other than a 12" on fusetron.

It really reminds me of seeing this band in high school at this local college. It was a dark basement, and this guy had a backing drum machine/synth track on a walkman. He was all gothed out singing in the middle of this room of 5 people. At the time I just wanted a huge show, tons of equipment, lights...what the fuck was this? I bought a tape...I think it was called 'the Love of Death' or something ridiculously pretentious. Sometimes I would play it when I was waiting tables at Dojo's. I have to find it and put it on vinyl. Maybe the label I start would be one of those labels of just weirdo found music.

Last but not least is Blessure Grave....it sounds like there's real drums and guitar doing the same things stylistically as the above bands....this would be one hell of a lineup. Why does this sound optomistic to me? It's very Joy Division, the vocal effects are great. It's really true to that dark sound, lots of tom beats, that chorus guitar.
On 'Steps' they actually use an acoustic and get even darker, with this pulsating darkwave synth sound...it's done in a kind of low-fi way that doesn't push it into ridiculous territory. it's hard to explain exactly how these bands are getting away with this. I'm sure you could play something from the late nineties that would sound nearly like this, but might be too ernest, to aware. This is done in homage, still sincere, but pushing the electronics and throwing in a few lessons learned from contemporary projects, but then throwing it away. Who knows how these guys will do...there's a mystery around it on this level that I love.

They are playing all over LA in Jan, if you are on the west coast, make sure you catch these guys... most of the dates are with the crocodiles actually.

Just found out about this, but there can't be many copies left...get it from down in the ground for $7.

Let me know if anyone gets a test pressing...


THIS IS A PREORDER! VINYL SHOULD SHIP BEFORE JANUARY 20TH.
One track from each band. San Diego's Crocodiles (ex-members of bands you liked/hated) give us something special from the past and the future simultaneously, whatever that means. Listen and it'll make sense.
Philly's Cold Cave lives up to their name. You will be left uncomfortable and aware of everything around you.
Blessure Grave combines 80's goth, neo-folk and post punk into something all it's own. Artwork by Mark McCoy of WOUND fame. Limited to 540 copies: 40 hand-numbered test pressings w/ alternate covers, 100 solid white and 400 solid black. All orders of 2 or more will receive one white copy and the rest black.

3 random orders will receive a test pressing along with their normal copy as a way of saying thanks and hello.

For the podcast this week I talked with Pat from Stumparumper records who is starting what must be the most limited edition run of singles I know about. He's pressing some of his projects in editions of 20 with peter king....that's podcast episode 35. I think it's the perfect example of the future of vinyl...small batches of you and your friends music. It's not hard...Pat's doing it. There's no reason you shouldn't either.

Or me for that matter.