The 49 Americans - E Pluribus Unum (1980)

  

Today we have a wonderful little LP courtesy of the prolific David Toop along with, presumably, 48 others bright individuals. Coy, catchy pop with a marked intellectual slant. Think amateurism meets academia; progressive twee if you will. The first half of the album is composed of a dozen lovely vignettes while the latter half is, well, a pop-opera about a dragon terrorizing some faraway kingdom. If that doesn't convince you to give this album a shot nothing will.

We should be more ideal ideally
Oh yes we should of course should
We should be ideal ideally
So we wouldn't have to pretend

The Past Seven Days - Raindance / So Many Others... (1981)

Classic classic 4AD stuff. Groovy, dark, mellow(dramatic), all the hallmarks of a great 4AD single. I wish I could tell you more about this band but there's just about no info about them on the internet. The only other songs they've ever recorded were on a cassette compilation titled A Bucket of Sleet, which, unfortunately, is also nowhere to be found online.

I drink my poison this time
No explosion this time
And it slows you down
And it slows you down

Social Climbers - Social Climbers (1981)

Got a non sequitur from New York's No Wave scene for you guys today. The more ardent followers of this blog might recognize this band's song "Hello Texas" as being featured on the first volume of Homework. Really bizarre and tangential lyrics and singing with some thick synths and other fun instruments that come together to form a formless meandering mess of an album. I of course mean that in a good way, out of the mess comes this impressionistic variegated psuedo-drone a-la A.R. Kane or The Fall. Very unique and overlooked album from the scene.

Back to when I was a teenager
Lusting for life I'd see you in those magazine

Your scrawny body laid out on some cheesy rug
In some slimy studio in Midtown Manhattan

S.M. Nurse - S/T (1986)

S.M. Nurse are a band defined by their marginality. Crafting tunes that are simultaneously dense and dancey, these Dutch composites combine the hilarity of sampling professionals Negativland with the sound of a typical European minimal wave banger. It’s their marginality though- not belonging to any one genre, inhabiting the fringes and testing the limits of many different DIY and punky sounds which merits their listenability. By 1983 when the content of this cassette was performed, one might have thought that the functionality and allure of synth pop/minimal wave had fully run its course. Namely, that the highest highs had been reached, often in the form of singles by Euro weirdos who put out one mercurial release only to disband. But one only need to listen to lead singer Annekke Stempher’s repetitive, cocky, and digital (evoking Laurie Anderson’s definition- on again, off again) vocals, Jos Jak’s grainy, strung out, and paranoidally funky guitar tone, and Menko Konigs’ interlocked electronics to feel the bliss of their sound. The sampling is impeccable, not just telling sonic narratives, but providing lyrical narratives as well, done no better on the song “That’s The Body”, where a voice asks over and over “Did anyone touch you here, or here? Or here? Or here? Or here?” while Stempher and Jok lay down a dissonant funk.

Dare to die

Dare to die

Oh dare to die with me tonight!

Ludus - The Visit (1980)

As promised, here is the original version of "The Visit" by Ludus.

When I can see through you what can I see
Can I see me? Does my objectivity
Allow me access to your points of view
Can you see what I see in you?

Ludus - The Visit / The Seduction (2002)

 
Now here is a very interesting release. The Visit / The Seduction, which, as intuition might lead one to believe, is a compilation of two Ludus release from 1980 and 1981 named (you guessed it) "The Visit" and "The Seduction" respectively. As intuition probably wouldn't lead you to believe, this compilation also contains the singles "Mother's Hour" and "Anatomy Is Not Destiny". Now what actually makes it interesting is how splendid and bizarre this album is. Think post-punk from moon men. Think mercurial ballads and syncopated symphonies. Think Essential Logic but with even more talented individuals operating the instruments performing much more complex compositions. Fast, angular and disjointed guitar, phenomenally tight drumming, bass lines from Eden, and a singer who defies categorization, everything you could really ask for.

There's one last thing of note about this album that I found out only recently. I was lucky enough to come upon an original copy of "The Visit" EP and made a shocking discovery: it's not the same as the CD I'm sharing with you folks today. Entirely different takes of the same songs (albeit more or less in the same style). The oddest part about this is the fact that the CD booklet makes no mention of this discrepancy. I'm not sure if this holds true for "The Seduction" or the singles but it's an anomalous tidbit nonetheless. To my knowledge the EP isn't available online, so, as a special treat for you guys, I'll be uploading a rip of my copy of "The Visit" as soon as I find this god damned AC cable.

Want to break your little piggy
Steal your pennies make you cry

Various Artists - Corrupt Postman (1988)

 
Never before or since has twee amateur hour (and a half) been so brilliant. Here we have a criminally obscure compilation on a criminally obscure label of some criminally obscure musicians and the Field Mice. Charming, coy, catchy, congruous, cathartic, clarion, cataclysmic, and much more, I would strongly advise against passing this gem up.

It's clearly blurred

The Verlaines - Bird Dog (1987)

It figures that I would lose internet access for several months shortly after deciding to revive this blog. I'll get around to reupping all the links that are down, this might take a while as I'd imagine there are quite a few.
Today we have some lovely jangle pop from Dunedin courtesy of the Verlaines. Not really sure what they put in the water in Dunedin but it seems to really give one an ear for melody. Very catchy passionate stuff, one of the real shiners from the scene if you ask me.

And you'll wipe it good
And you'll wipe it clean
And say I'll see you in the death machine tomorrow
Unless somebody's god intervenes

Rare Snail Habitat of Ichetucknee demo (199?)

(no art, unsurprisingly)

Late 90s emo from Gainesville, FL (hence the name taken from the Ichetucknee river/state park).

Intensity controlled in such a way that the shifts from manic chugs to cathartic, beautifully melodic multi-guitar arpeggios are seamless; a mundane intensity pervading an entire culture, realized only by those wild enough to record it.

This has been a favorite for years. I get a kick out of this quote from drummer Dan Haddock: "this was the coolest band i've ever been in but i quit to concentrate more on my drug habit."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IU9Vt8z2ys

synthesize my life
(it's not so simple)

Catherine Ribeiro + 2Bis - Catherine Ribeiro + 2Bis (1969)

Some far-out folk from our friends in France. This wonderful record offers us all of the bouncing, breathing, arrangements we've all come to expect from 60's psych folk coupled with one of the more powerful and enthralling vocalists I can name. With such emphatic and passionate performance this is a hard album to pass up, highly recommended.

I don't speak French

Breathless - Three Times and Waving (1987)

 
In honor of finding this album at a record store the other day I figured I ought to share it with you guys. Hailing from London, Breathless are very reminiscent of 4AD's very own dream pop titan Cocteau Twins, with a few noticeable twists. Some may also recognize another connection this band has with 4AD, namely the fact that their lead singer has himself also appeared on a few Mortal Coil tracks. Comparisons aside, the album itself is very ethereal, lush, and, despite that dreamyness, very uptempo for the most part. Their almost shoegazey guitarwork crafts dark soundscapes, pushed ever forward by pounding, energetic drumming. Great listen for fans of dream pop.

There isn't a stone you've left unturned

LIL peep SamplER

ALRIGHT
WE IN THENEW YEAR
2016 +1
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS
TWEENY SEVENTHEENTH
7

aight
that out of the way
there are TWO
count em 2
songs i seem to have overlooked from last year
MEDIA BUZZ MEDIA BUZZMEDIA BUZZ
yeah well i saw him FIRST ok
it might not have been on his own tracks
but these emo/rawker samppling
hiphop tracks
they evoke something
something that WILL be abused in future sooner ooner timez
s

first track of worth
of novelty
of feeling
of ihuasdhfi

LIL FUCKIN PEEP FEATURE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeQ3pvJu9bE

nothin to say about this track other than if you feeling bad grab a bottle of that bubbly pop pop opopopopopopopopopop and think about that girl you wish you could but you cant so haha then mineral sample


OTHER TRACK OF LIL PEEOP NOTABLE ARTIST 2016 COMEUP
FEATURE
FEATURE
FEATURE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORMsP9hEjwU

THIS TRACK GIVE ME A NIRVANA INUTERO LIVE MTW UNPLUGGED SORTA VIBE

HIT ME UP IF YOU AGREE

THIS IS HONESTLY THE FUTURE OF WHITE PERSON MUSIC

DOO COOPERATE

G - signing out

A Witness - I Am John's Pancreas (1986)

A Witness appear to be the sour apple in the bunch of artists from NME's famous C86. Though their song on the compilation was only about two and a half minutes one realizes right away that they stick out like a sore thumb next to the mostly p(r)eppy, jangly bands placed alongside them. A Witness instead go for more darker, confrontational tunes. It's kinda hard to affix a genre to them, which of course is a good thing. Their jagged, disjointed guitars riffs over metallic drum machines and a repetitive, chunky bass come together in a sort of chaos-pop harmony, all of this of course complemented by a surprisingly great vocal performance from one very cynical Englishman. Great listen for anyone wishing for something a bit more dissonant from the 80's indie scene in Britain.

It's not dark enough, it's not large enough
It's not dark enough, it's not large enough

KILL ME CIRCA NOW

BEST TRACKS OF 201^^^^^^

Tracks to be remembered after the twenty-6 t33n
starting from the bottom,
although some rock music was "good"
I'm just not so certain N.E. more

starting from the boottoom,

5. Young Thug - Harambe
I might be biased, but when ol' thugger keeps dishing out mixtapes i still give a shit.
name an artist rn who actually has defined what the hip-hop sounds like in the 2016
in the 201-
yeah exactly?
oh you thought Yeezy? haha yes proper argument
but,,
did you know his influential material came out in the 00s? (fuck an co and arcade fire funeral)
FUCK
ok no this track has several rumbles, a warble, a DElooge of pangs and wangs that cling
to your grey (gray) mahtahr.
that first croak in the first verse
that semblance of Louis Armstrong on the latter verse
he is him--- he is purely him---- Louis rolling in his grave rn but tbh he'd prob be slapping this maybe lmao idk about that old coot let be bump TUGGA

Brain cAndy
Leave it out your front door for the fucking children
E F F O R T L E S S (F U C K)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjN5-f2MNWM


4. Denzel Curry - This Life
You know what it's like to have "sides"?
ye
same...
bump this to a brew or two or three or...
fuck a 9 to five

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvraeP29XNA


3. Kodie Shane - Sad ft. Lil Yachty
At first it harmless, then it noddin, then it infectious
this is the experience i had wit this track
guys she goes in, she might have it as a pop-hop hooker (hook as in the hook of a song not as in the trade of sexual activity for m0oney) get your mind out of the gutter
BUT her flow is solid, it does to doo, it dooes the does.
Lil boat aka THE Lil Yachty has probably the funniest handle b4 a verse ive ever heard
he was shoved into the studio he forgot his bars and he just (almost like big sean but actually enjoyable) utteres """"""lilboat""""""
the auto-tunes ensues
he croon
i loom.,.,,.
but here is the real q here:
Have You Ever Been Sad?

Give Up@!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIDU7V3osQ

2. Kanye West - Ultralight Beam
I don't want to be a Yeezy (Yeezy!) fanboy
i don't want to be at all at all a stan of yeeeezy
but this guy just keeps half-assedly predicting the fashionable of the slightly old...
it is comforting
it is melodic
it is overarching, it is z e i t g e i s t, it is a step above when you stuck below
we on a .... this is aaa.... this is everythuuuiiiiiinnngggg
this damn delusional FU UCK cares but how can you even know?
was it produktion majick? was it luck? is it music theory?
also he fucking made me want to listen to a chance the rapper verse (maybe best yeezy feature thus far) like holy shit this guy (yeezy) fucking made the biggest troll album YEEZUS but like i even like that now wtf
this man keeps going "hey you don't like this hahah now you do!1!!!!" like fuck maybe it just me but this is.,,.,,,.,.
ALSO : 2016 PRESIDENTAL AMERICKCKCKAN INAUG
KANYE STEPS ON STAGE
WHITE LIGHTS HIT HIS FACE
YELLOW HAIR GLOWS
"THIS IS AN ULTRALIGHT BEAM"
organs go...
Trump steps up
"THIS IS AN ULTRALIGHT MEME"

R.I.P. is fucking piss fabricated reality,,, ...
enter: MEME reality: listen... doo yoo heer iit?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkBKJMTCHGk

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1. babyfather - Meditation ft. Arca
Where are you getting your pay? Are you really going to keep doing that? Are you really going to move on and do THAT? And That? and that... and that... and that.. (baby screams) and that... and that.. and that... and thot and aht antha th the dollar bill crumblin can i get some ( baby screams) leave me ALONE STOP THE (SIRENS WAIL) LEAVE ME do you DOllar bills dollar BIlls (I want to live mey livef (mumbling utterences butterences in the sky) we have 20 mans 20 stans 20 cans butts shit stains of a reality i want to sleep without night-scmares" get these fwhitelirngs out my my (stutter lisp) ho0me (baby noises) *arca sexualizes in the distance* pour some liquor oun my H E A D.
EZ
EZ
E-Z
E-Z

This makes me ____ to be...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaIUaShRX1g

in conclusion: give up!

Yo - Good Tidings (1984)

Was stuck in soulseek purgatory for a while trying to find this album, but here it is, power pop trio Yo's debut album. Good Tiding often seems to find itself overlooked in favor of it's more ambitious younger brother, Charm World. In spite of this album's relative lack of recognition, it's still just about as strong as Charm World. Yo make every second of this very short 20 minute album count with some great jangle punk tracks like Black Forest and Knives (which is also featured on Homework). Definitely worth a listen if you've enjoyed Charm World, or even if you've never heard it, just download it.

Walk into the Black Forest
Not really seeing anything
Walking into the Black Forest
Land of the unknown
Land of tomorrow