WAVVES
- WAVVVES / Fat Possum Records
'How Are You' is the pinnacle of this wonderful
and windswept-surf-inspired musical moment
of beauty. John Lennon has been resurrected
from the bowels of the earth, given a guitar
and, in true surrealist style, let loose on
an unwary public. I honestly cannot recall
being so over-awed by a record in my life.
40 odd minutes of pure self-satisfaction -
from the listener's point of view. It's yer
basics - guitar(s), bass and drum - and wonderfully
constructed these tunes are.
To name drop - we have a more coherent mellower
sound akin to the rants of druggie mass debate:
Royal Trux and the guitar distortion, albeit
on a simpler less harsh scale of: The Hospitals....
The Grifters seem to be hidden amongst the
collage of scores crafted herein. The psychedelic
experimentation of The Beatles is herein gifted
to you.
Do I have to infuse you with a detailed discourse
of each track? They're so picture perfect
that I would do this LP (and the band) an
injustice if I was to even attempt to convey
how insolent the music sounds (a worthy insolence).
I'm in love with this music. They wont be
able to top this. Their next l.p. will have
to be more chaotic. Please dont get any mellower
and try to compose simpering voidish ditties...
'To The Dregs', 'Sun Open My Eyes' (fucking
gorgeous intro) are more tuneful well-springs
of Hospitals insurrection. 'Beach Demon' wants
me to play it again...and again...
How odd that I love music so much and yet
I am struck dumb with the manners of a retard
when it comes to attempting to discourse upon
how vital and life affirming it can be. If
I could marry a piece of vinyl this would
have to be it.
10/10
p.s. songs to get engaged to....
A CLASSIC ALBUM RECONSIDERATION:
PHILIP
GLASS / MISHIMA / 1995
(NONESUCH)
Ok.. so this is neo-classical... that makes,
along with the Goldie review (and his composition
for neophytes), a total of two classically
minded pieces regarding this so unrelenting
of musical genres.
The film is odd, the music equally insistant
that it be in keeping with the set design
of the film - a film about the queer fascist
Mishima... and his desire to gain as much
attention for himself as he could via self-slaughter/the
commiting of Hari-Kari (traditional Japanese
rite of saving face by extreme measure).
I once saw the film on the BBC (introduced
as it was by arch-reactionary and
left-wing critique) Alex Cox. This work was
exhumed due to Glass' oeuvre being denigrated
to the commodity wasteland of advertisement
exhibitionism. I think a piece from this work
is being used, as I write, to advertise some
such object or other, some ill required gadget
for the busy citizen of today - not owning
a television, I wouldn't know which piece
of music or which consumer durable the music
was being used to help advertise.
We had classsical compositions raise the status
of dog food. We now have a scintillating score
utilised for some such thing as whatever it
is they're selling. The beauty of this is
that I do not know what the advertising agencies
are trying to foist on the unwary public -
so it is the music that gets my full attention
not as an addendum to some paltry,simpering,
vapid nancy boy void and sterile mercantile
farce.
It's minimal... but not too stark... upbeat
but not kitsch... engaging with the cinematic
sequences it overlays without detracting from
the visual narrative. I'm referring to
the music accompanying the film r.e. Mishima
- not as a musical advertisement hoarding.
I assume that all this is recorded via that
horrid asemblage - the synthesizier? I assume
that all the instrumentation was sampled into
some clever state-of-the-art
digital receiver and from there a quite stunning
and maginificent score was written?
A beautifully composed piece. I am throwing
my vast collection of assumptions to the
four corners by stating that I think it is
the 'November 25: The Last Day' which is
belittled by a televisual advertisement slot
on our early evening t.v. screens? My advice:purchase
the music, fuck the commodity....
What can I add? The use or organ, chimes,
the obligatory stringed instruments via
the old synth is a pretty oustanding achievement.
The Kronos Quartet have recorded Glass' music
played by yer actual fookin' chamber
ensemble. But, beleive it or not, and this
is another arch-reactionary speaking - it
does sound, somehow, more tender and fragile
when you realise that these classical
pieces were recorded from, for want of a better
word, a digital source.
The pieces which stand out...? The irony being
'November 25...' is a favourite of
mine, as is 'Kyoko's House'. It all works
together and sortta makes you feel a tad sorry
for the old stutterer and limp wrist who fell
from grace whilst trying to raise a bit of
Nip pride after the death of the Japanese
folk-soul (post-Hiroshima, Nagasaki). The
stultifying irony of all this - disregarding
my hatred of all things computer generated
-
is that this music, in some sense hailing
a dead soldier who tried to stem the tide
of Western materialism (ok; we can't blame
the yanks for everything), is now being
utilised to promote western values in all
their unwholesome commdoified glory. I'm just
glad I've seen the film and not the ad.
How Dadaist is all this? 10/10.
FUCKED
UP - COUPLE TRACKS:Singles 2002-2009 (Matador)
Having heard The Ex and their rendition of
anti-Franco Spanish ditties, I thought: this
is going to be just as twee. It's nice to
be proven wrong, now and again.And how glad
I am to be proven wrong, now and again. Testa
- you bastardo! The only relatively decent
offering you have sent me and it is via the
ether of the www. What a fucker!
This is a pleasing addition to one's record
collection. Where can I purchase this, Mr
Record Merchant?
It has - no doubt someone has pointed this
out – an early Amphetamine Reptile sounding
guitar thrashing riff to it all. There are
some discernable tunes beneath the distorted
gash that is guitar, drum and bass design.
The sentiments are worthy of belting out more
than a couple of tracks of this pile driving
meritorious amalgamation of reverb and bawling
spite and venom. I'm all for anti-fascist
spite and venom...
It's just gone Xmas Day... We're coming up
to the New year - this is the music to herald
in a new millennium, never mind a paltry decade.
This is certainly a grower. Pity ye didnt
release this April 1st - a day with a multitude
of connotations. Go read yer history books
people.
“Triumph Of Life” has a guitar
riff similar to The Dickies' “You're
So Hideous.” But that's only as it should
be – the said band being my favourite
conceptual baggage of the last 30 or so years
(their first two LP's that is.) Do these guys
tour? If not, why not?
I cannot add anything on the side of the
intellectual actualities of their musical
output and how they approach the writing of
a tune. It works for me... And as musical
listening is a selfish pursuit, that's all
that fucking matters... to me.
Actually... as I become more accustomed to
this... It does have a Hey Colossus ring to
it. In which case, after being severely brainwashed
with their spume of wisdom for a number of
years now, you just know it aint gonna get
a bad review.
There are no tracks which stand out - save
the first track - as that had an anti-Franco/fascist
intro (the only vaguely coherent piece of
verbal discourse on the LP) - and the guy
there sounded like some down to earth bloke
from the black country i.e. weird hicksville
area in that little old trailer trash park
they call the U.K.
I cannot say any more. This is a band worthy
of discussion, worthy of listening to... Yeah,
yeah... you know. Even I am liable to my own
schmaltz...
N.B. This is for Peter - 10/10.
The
Little Death (Gowanus Sound Initiative)
Is this some Lee Hazelwood kinda thang?
I certainly won’t be dedicating this
to Peter - though this may be his cup of tea.
It reminds me of the 1930's flapper influenced
piece of vinyl featuring the bass player from
the Jesus Lizard: Prohibition... No doubt
my memory will serve me ill.... And probably
bears no resemblance to that piece of musical
history I am referring to. Anyhow; it's ok...
But remember folks I'm still on some rock
high from that bowel shifting ensemble: Fucked
Up... so I'm quite a tolerating soul just
now. Bette Midler with a cool bent dedicated
to the rock chic...? You decide.
Anyone who tells me to raise my hands in the
hope I am gonna enjoy this that little bit
more is sadly mistaken...I'd be the soul who
placed his hands in his pockets whilst those
fascist dogs tried to get the lads to hail
a cab for Hitler.
2/10 - due to the fact that the female singer
may be attractive.
5
SONGS FORGOTTEN… - Slushy Guts (AKA
Chaos Vs Cosmos) Self Released/2009
Well, I aint gonna go into some deep and meaningful
or convoluted review of a one-man band dedicated
to the furtherance of musical artistry via payment
in pizza…
When I put this on to the hi-fi… I thought
I heard some garbled Paul McCartney excursion
into avant-garde artistry… Paul McCartney?
Yes, that’s what I thought I heard…
okay, perhaps not then.
For an LP recorded on a mere tape recorder,
this is worthy listening. As I say, no convoluted
histrionics.
It does sound, as I listen to this, as though
Steven’s mother was doing the hovering
in the background.
But I digress…
But all in all (there aren’t any really
amazing compositions)… that said 1)
This is a brave statement of intent. 2) Evidence
of self-belief (always a plus in my book)
3) It’s a two-fingered attack upon the
stuffed shirts of record buying commodity
culture.
I can hear Spaceman 3 here – the band
must certainly be an influence… Then
again… I always think any band, south
of the Watford Gap, must be influenced by
Blur.
“So, you’re gonna come and play
up here, in the North?” “I only
seem to be paid in pizza” Or so a tedious
conversation legendarily went… But such
are the spurious notions of the old music hack.
I’m giving this 10/10.
Low-fi excellence: This guy obviously has something
to impart. I haven’t heard anything worthy
of the old CD player (from a DIY perspective)
for a long time. Rancid Hell Spawn were the
last home-recorded band I got to grips with
(and we all know how crazy Charlie was). Steven,
you’re not insane but I think a duet with
Daniel Johnston is in the offing. BUY OR DIE!!!!!!!!!!
MIDAIRCON - VIA Twinshed Recordings/2009
A Swedish band? All very ephemeral, all very
quirky electronica… All very electronica.
All very nice. Nice. That’s about it.
Nice. Worthy of my record collection but not
a review. It’s not Pop!
3/10 (due to the fact that this collection
of Swedish women are attractive and I’m
sexist).
PHIL
NIBLOCK - Touch Strings VIA Touch Records/2009.
Ambient, cool… Incidentally; I didn’t
go to see the so-called kings of guitar use
and abuse: Sunn. Well; they’re shit. I
thought this may be some for m of guitar reverb/noise
conglomeration. How wrong I was. This isn’t
a bad thing. I mean, Skullflower did it all
far better. This movement – Stosspeng
actually began quite well. Or so I thought.
It didn’t even get off the ground. A stranded
composition. I aint got time for ambient meditation.
2/10.
Norscq
- Gelatinosa Substancia - VIA Staubgold Records/2009.
The French underground never sounded so…
French. The Canadians and the… err….
French would like this… And, err, maybe
Tom Waits.
5/10.
DUBSTAR
ALLSTARS Vol.7 - VIA Tempa Records
Ok, I thought I was gonna hear sommat worthwhile.
Well… I can’t be right all the
time. Ever, as the case may be. Are there
any dance combos who produce some decent hard
beat rhythms? If so, I wan t to hear from
you. Kindest regards, He who sleeps…
3/10.
EMPIREEMPIRE
- What It Takes To Move Forward VIA Cyls Records/2009.
Twee pop? Naw… Apart from the lisp of
the lead singer this is ok… Tolerable
in a: I’m sat in library and have nothing
else to listen to. I though jangly, spangly
guitars had been down away with? This is all
so very tiresome. What about some fucking decent
music to make me sit up and take notice?
5/10. (cos you’re a bunch of Michigan
transvestites).
WISDOM
IN CHAINS - Everything You Know VIA IScream
Records
Vacant and vapid. The old hardcore scene has
lost some of its vigour… This is no exception.
I aint full of the Xmas cheer, that’s
for sure. I know I’m repressed, suppressed…
fiscally deprived etc… I was listening
to Minor Threat the other day. Then I listened
to some pre-Rollins Black Flag. Actually; I’m
guilty according to this LP. Of what? Of listening
to vapid shite like this. You’re sending
me bland and vacuous music to review on purpose,
are you not? 6/10.
PUBLIC
RADIO - Sweet Child VIA Deep Elm Records
More like Pubic Radio for those of you who couldn’t
care less anymore. I couldn’t care less
anymore… These college Americans, with
smug self-satisfied glee and a degree to match….I
can’t even say a drink of beer would make
this any the better… Bollox. 1/10.
I think they Might Be Giants have progressed
on to harder edged material.
TRACK
A TIGER - I Felt A Bullet Hit My Heart VIA
Deep Elm Records
I’m tracking two… Tigers that is…
Beats listening to this fodder… For fuck’s
sake... give me something to do. This is vile
pap. Your reveries are wasted on me.
1/10.
JUNIUS
- The Martyrdom Of A Catastrophist VIA SHEATH
RECORDS.
Well, this is a nice concept – that the
universe is subject to change and flux. These
beards wished to express this notion via the
medium of music. Pity the fucking ideas for
expressing a decent rock tune haven’t
progressed. From out a whorehouse in Texas..
eh?.. o.. errr… warehouse come these riffing
sounds.
4/10.
WWW.I’M SURE AMERICANS ARE NICE.COM
CORY
CHISEL - DEATH WON’T SEND A LETTER /
VIA BLACK SEAL RECORDS.
I DIDN'T KNOW DEATH WAS SO IGNORANT.
Those terrible conglomorations that are a
collaboration of those famous bands' session
musicians BEWARE! Well, this aint too bad,
I suppose... Then again, I am a terrible judge
of character. I am flawed... A gospel orientated
Eric Clapton sounding Mr Corey Chisel tentatively
ships and chisles his way through a vast array
of drivel. Belting out the song (seemingly
as harsh as he seems to be able to get): 'Born
Again' seems to be the first and only time
he actually cares what he's singing about.
Not wishing to be born again, nor wishing
to delve into that freakish world of the religious
composition ( I had enough trouble getting
my head around the nymphs and sheperds aspect
of Handel) I can't quite understand what all
the fuss is about... I mean, its Chisel's
fuss..but why waste his time (and mine) with
this? There are other equally pressing matters
to be dealt with - I'm sure God has enough
supporters. It's not overly produced - this
gives the disc its listenability. There's
room for cerebral manouevre here. I can actually
make out the mellow aura of Turin Brakes here.
A light, refreshing number called "Calm
Down' - a Sunday summer's day out in the yard,
cleaning the VW - whilst the missus (wife)
has a strop (deals with a bad mood) caused
by you or the kids... ????????????????? These
songs aren't doing anything for me or my need
to be challenged. Maybe engaged would be a
better word for it.
The musical intros to each song are quite
strong... but then they are spoilt by the
man proceeding to harp on about this or that...
An l.p. collection of intros - now that might
be interesting.
2/10... P.S. This is an collection of songs
for those of you trying to bridge the gap
between pure pop and classic rock ballads.
Sadly, I'm hoping that bridge will be smashed
in some artistic pique.
RAIN
MACHINE - RAIN MACHINE / VIA ANTI RECORDS
What have we here? Some crazy guy Kyp Mahone
(like the name) experimenting with his voice
and the velocity of sound? I sit all supposed
to resemble some Asian mystic trippy compositional
outing? If it's experimental then they've
spent too long trying to create a perfect
setting for recording their weird musings.
Yeah, ok... Tom Waites may be pretty inspirational
and he, himself, pretty much inspired by the
weird traveling throng of American cruddy
culture... But do we need another Waites.
Not that Waites should be worried about some
songster doing a tired, old hat impression
of him. Yet agian... It all falls on deaf
ears... Like I have said in previous reviews...
They have better jobs than I so what the fuck
do I know? There's nothing worthy of my time
upon this.... O yeah, the Anti label.. Waites'
'Orphans...' was recorded for that company.
Which one of you is the bastard... which fuck
wit the...
1/10.
BEATEN
AWAKE - THUNDER$TROKE / VIA FAT POSSUM RECORDS.
Fuck! I'll write something extraordinary
when I hear sommat extraordinary. The guitar
licks are quite complimentary with some disparate
voice wailing out there in the wilderness...Wherever
that voice is I don't know. You sure these
guys aren't looking for another vocalist.
They don't seem to gel. Nice, pleasantly agreeable
keyboards... My listening skills are also
pre-determined and pre-packaged... I think
I must be pre-programmed as to what I can
and cannot enjoy.
2/10
SELF EVIDENT - ENDINGS / VIA DPG RECORDS.
What the fuck is Math rock anyway? C'mon,
Sutcliffe, there must be something you like?
Ok; I submit to this barrage of aural intimidation.
A decent support act these guys would make
- for Albini starred action me thinks. Why
don't I just read the blurbs that accompany
these records? It'd save me offending folk...
Then again, if I offend thee you must be pretty
thin skinned. I can here Codeine on this..
and Bitch Magnet... These guys are pretty
tightly knit.... a well oiled drum, bass and
guitar combo. Nothing offensive save their
inoffensiveness. These blokes are gonna have
to tour extensively if they wanna earn their
daily bread. Wich, I think is what they should
do.Life's not all about saving up for your
next tattoo, y'know.
3/10
THE FAMILY CURSE - 'WHITE MEDICINE
The way you packed these records, Mr Magoo,
suggests you knew I'd be exhausted by the sheer
weight of boredom that the previous acts induced....?????????
This is shit hot stuff! It's Tit Wrench having
infernal dealings with the bastard off-spring
of Lydia Lunch.... Dear Megan; you sound mighty
pissed off.... Listen to it as though you care...
I do... I do care I care passionately about
music. But I'm hearing passionless depths of
mediocrity in an otherwise sane world...This
trio, who so remind me of Drain, are the best
of the collection of discs I've been sent for
perusal. Don't now inform me that they are a
bunch of fucking hospital discharges who play
music as some therapeutic arty discourse into
the explicit meaning of what it is to be likened
to a fish? Not too experimental as to be tedious
but quirky enough to make love to - not the
disc.. I mean.. shit you now what I mean...
Distorted vocal = Kool. Overly produced industrial
back beat = not so Kool. There's a violin inserted
upon track 3. Now I', all for these expressions
of volkish soul... And I like what I'm hearing.
Only I wish they'd dispense with the crappy
beat. On your next whirl around the promo belt
of record distributors... dear Sir, please send
me some explicit dedications of love via that
manic wind I know as cough...
10/10. No shit.
P.S. I am essentially neutral. All the tracks
on this disc are pretty well worth the hassle
of hearing. I mean, your average housemate is
gonna whinge at such ballache sounds. I fit
doesn't capture you first time time round then
it aint worth Jack-Shit. Apart from indulging
with a fucked up impression of Shakira (track
4), this l.p. is worthy of your time and mine.
It's worthy of some radio airtime, at least.
Godflesh, though? Nay, son, what y' sayin'?
ENJOY!
STATIONARY
ODYSSEY - SONS OF BOY / VIA JOYFUL NOISE RECORDINGS.
Classical stance with regards to musical
composition. At least we are safe in the knowledge
that Brett hasn't got Aids. Still; you'll
get no massaged egos here. The only person
who will be proud is your mum. 1/10.
N.B. Interspersed with all this pap comes
the odd nugget of contrived beauty - e.g.
The Family Curse. Don't forget kids, they're
worthy of that hard earned pocket money. I'm
sure Beth from Portishead fame wanted to sound
like this... And now another little gem....
BOLTH
- IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR CLASS WAR
/ VIA USELESS WORLD RECORDS
"I HAVE NOT COME TO FULFILL BUT TO ABOLISH...."
Musical diversity? Kitchen utensils without
instruction booklets? What exactly is the
message? What do you get if you cross existentialism
with immaturity? You get this.....The Bad
Brains, perhaps, being their greatest influence...
what doth the men from Bolth want to impart
to our ears? Ah ahahah... J.S Barks...Good
vocalist... A good name. No fucking nonsense
with these guys. Straight into the song. Wham
bam etc.. Job's a gud un (well done, sir).
I only wish Fearless Iranians From Hell could
have sounded like this. They needed that touch
of decibel decadence. And this show them how
it should have been done. I aint here to promote
the works of Jah or the implicit rights of
man.. You who care about your liberty.. that's
your job...You got a mouth so use it. Speak!
Yeah; the usual hard core riffs, the usual
peppered political missives. The usual rants.
We've all been there,seen it, done it, ate
the t-shirt, pissed on the graves.... But
some of us still enjoy this stuff - as opposed
to the stultifying grace of the previous mulch.
You want highbrow - then go listen to Mozart.
This record is to piss off those of you who
have friends.. Those same friends who worry
about your musical dalliances becoming satanic
obsessions... I hope this record pisses them
off. Well, I like musical spasticity. "Why
dont he act mature...?" "Maybe he
dont wanna act mature." Is this the Jewish
version Of Fearless Iranians.... Or perhaps
the Fearless Iranians were some Jewish joke?
Who knows? Who cares? Great stuff. Kick out
the jams, Kick out Green Day for a day or
two. Listen to some Doom Heresy Black Flag
Electro Hippies those crusty turds Sore Throat.
Savour the illusion of your liberty.
Fuck it! Another 10/10.
A Q&A WITH THE LAD BEHIND RIOT SEASON
RECORDS
by
Jonathan Peter Sutcliffe
I enquired of the Riot Season label if it
would be feasible for me to, perhaps, review
the whole alternative music ethos/scene. This
would be a pretty mighty undertaking so I
have whittled it all down to a few hastily
contrived questions and a review of the most
fine and handsome Shit And Shine release,
‘Cherry,’ released by Riot Season.
“Well, I’m not too good at that
sort of thing…” was the initial
response to my tedious and truncated efforts
at gaining some semblance of an insight into
the workings of the post-punk music industry.
Suffice to say, Andy - the lad at Riot Season
Records - read through my mind-numbing questions
and replied.
We must also waylay the assumption that any
old grebo attitude will do when it comes to
engaging with the so-called heavy metal/death
metal/avant-garde rock music scene that still,
thankfully, resides menacingly upon the soft
underbelly that is the corporate rock industry.
AC/DC – What a crock of shite! Second
rate Antipodean light entertainers with a
penchant for colonial nostalgia.
Deep Purple – Lank longhairs with a
modicum of musical wisdown who we wish had
also been confined to the above-mentioned
colonies for suchtedious schoolboy music licks
as they have seen fit to inflict upon a most
ennui-laden music purchasing public.
It’s amazing that I actually managed
to wing an interview, don’t you think?
But I digress…
This scene is steeped in pretentious garbled
rhetoric. It’s time to lift the veil
and peer beneath…
The Scene: A dimly lit Mac suite in the heart
of the Northwest. A tired old music wank hack
decides to interview some black country music
mogul with terrible taste in Scottish borderland
compositions. This is the result:
Q: WHY FOUND THE LABEL? WHAT DOES
YET ANOTHER (SO-CALLED) ALTERNATIVE MUSIC
LABEL HAVE TO OFFER THE MUSIC LOVING JOE PUBLIC?
Well, I was co-running a label called staticresonance
(AMT, Circle, Nishinihon, Brain Donor) with
a few friends and another label called Resonant
with a friend (more post-rock and a bit of
floaty electronica) but I wanted an outlet
to put out stuff those other friends didn't
share my love of. Through Static Resonance
I got to know Acid Mothers Temple well and
become their UK tour booker. Somehow me and
Makoto ended up talking about his previous
band Mainliner, and their classic debut album
'Mellow Out'. That CD was deleted and had
been going for big bucks on eBay and I suggested
we reissue it, and that’s what happened
and Riot Season as a label was born to issue
that. And it was a huge privilege to be able
to release one of my favourite albums of that
genre. With no little help from Mason Jones,
who ran the label Charnel that originally
issued it. Top bloke!
I'm not sure RS offers anything specific
that anyone else doesn't. I'm not bothered
about things like that, I just want to put
out music I like and hopefully find a few
souls that share the same view. There is no
grand plan, and there will never be. I'm happy
bumbling along doing what I want to do
Q: IS THIS IS A ONE MAN CONCERN OR
DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF HELPFUL SOULS AIDING
YOU IN THIS, IT SEEMS TO ME, QUITE INTERESTING
VENTURE?
It’s very much a one man affair - which
explains why I'm so slow at getting anything
done. I've also co-run labels before and eventually
you hit a brick wall as we all have individual
tastes. Doing this alone means I only have
to argue/convince myself. As for being 'interesting',
I can assure you 95% of the time it’s
as dull as it gets. There's nothing interesting
dealing with the daily crap that comes with
running a label. The endless chasing of folks
that owe you money or that are supposed to
be delivering something that never arrives
etc etc. It does have its good bits too of
course otherwise we'd never do it. So I'll
stop moaning.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE RELEASES
- AND WHY?
All of em. Its hard to pick a favourite from
them as they all mean so much to me in varying
ways. Mainliner was an honour to release,
and I am quite proud of the fact I did the
first Shit And Shine record. I remember getting
the cdr demos of it from Craig, it was that
weird and off the wall I couldn't help but
love it. Stumbling across something like that
makes it all worthwhile to me. Even if no
one else feels the same HAHA. but then I could
ramble on about everything given the chance.
Q: HAVE YOU RELEASED PRODUCTS YOU
HAVE CRINGED ABOUT BUT FELT IT HAD TO BE RELEASED
AS YOU KNEW IT WAS A MONEY SPINNER?
I wish, give me a guaranteed money spinner
and I'll jump on it! Always looking for the
corporate buy out too ... offers greatly appreciated!
Q: WHICH RELEASE HAS MADE YOU THE
MOST PROUD AND WHY?
See previous answer above.
Q: WHO WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO HAVE
DISCOVERED?
The kings of Midlands rock Black Sabbath,of
course. In recent times SUNN 0))) for the
sales alone HAHA.
Q: YOUR OWN FAVOURITE BAND IS...?.
WE HAVE TO DISREGARD AC/DC TO THE HELL HOLE
THAT IS BAD ROCK MUSIC.
Sorry, it’s AC/DC, first, second, third
and always. They're the band that ignited
my love of music full stop. From the age of
8 right up until now. They're with me for
the long ride. To claim it was anyone else
would be heresy and bullshit.
Q: HOW DO YOU SEE RIOT SEASON RECORDS
IN FIVE YEARS?
As things stand, the answer would probably
be 'dead'. Its a time and space consuming
'hobby' really, sooner or later I'll have
to find a better way to bring in some money.
The ongoing drop in sales for everyone is
a killer too. I could moan about illegal downloads
killing labels off (and they are a killer)
but I've done it myself. So it'd be a bit
rich coming from me. But when you're working
at this scale - those few extra sales can
make all the difference. Breaking even is
getting harder to achieve on some releases
now, never mind making a little bit of profit.
But I would love to think I could carry on
somehow - we'll have to wait and see. I'm
definitely getting back into doing more vinyl
over CD releases though. Things have to change
with the current climate and as a vinyl lover
myself, I've been neglecting it too long.
Q: ANY IDEAS R.E. HOW MUSIC SHOWS
(OF AN ALTERNATIVE BENT) SHOULD BE PRESENTED?
ARE THERE ANY NICHES FOR SUCH (SEEMINGLY)
HARMFUL MATTER?
Not really. I used to put on gigs a lot in
Birmingham (ranging from Electric Wizard,
Boris, Acid Mothers Temple right through to
some avant hip hop stuff from labels like
Anticon to my heroes Fugazi). I think the
only thing you need for a great gig is a great
band, a decent room and a soundman without
cloth ears. I'm getting back into it soon
with a friend (Kerrie). We're going to try
and get something going in our home city of
Wolverhampton under the banner Jesus Juice,
the name was her decision not mine!. Actually
the other thing you really need is a crowd
of course - without them it’s pretty
pointless of course!
Q: YOUR DESERT ISLAND DISC SELECTION
- PLUS YOUR FAVOURITE READ. I WILL ALSO ALLOW
YOU YOUR FAVOURITE MUSIC T-SHIRT.
Desert Island Disc : haven't got a clue mate,
the only one I know I'd definitely take is
AC/DC 'Powerage' because it’s my all
time favourite record and a daily listen in
the 'office'. Then I'd have to narrow down
a list of hundreds for the others. I'd take
a Ramones album too, maybe It's Alive.
Book: I'm not a great reader of books to be
honest, I never seem to have the time to sit
down with a good one these days. If I do its
usually a biography of someone or other, at
the moment I've started a Neil Young one called
'Shakey' which I'll probably never finish.
Fave t-shirt: Again, hard pressed to think
of one. I just tend to grab one from the drawer
and that’s it. I have an old faded one
on right now that just reads KOTJ-MF which
I'm quite partial too. It’s an MC5 one
if you hadn't guessed by the letters (Kick
Out The Jams - Mother Fucker). But I rarely
get attached to tees. I did in my teens, but
that was a long time ago.
MANY THANKS TO THE BROTHA FROM ANOTHA
MUTHA AT RIOT SEASON FOR HIS MOST INVALUABLE
TIME. CHECK OUT RIOT SEASON ON THE WWW (riotseason.com).
THE GUY HAS MADE THE EFFORT TO ADD TO THE
COMPLEX MUSICAL DIVERSITY OF THIS PALTRY PLANET,
PERHAPS WE SHOULD ACTUALLY MAKE AN EFFORT
TO SAMPLE HIS WARES?
SHIT
AND SHINE – Cherry (Riot Season
Records)
GETS 10/10 BEFORE WE EVEN START.
There’s only one decent track on the
damn CD – but that’s by the by.
It is worth the entrance fee alone. I have
dismissed the puerile and lazy compositions
which litter the CD for the Butthole Surfers-inspired
nonsense that they, undoubtedly, are. If they’d
stick to fucked up drumming and distorted
amalgamations of sound, I’m sure they
and the guy at Riot Season would be on to
a winner.
“The Rabbit Song” is just pure
fucked up disco funk. A trudging bassline
accompanied with the ballache drumming of
the Shite And Shine crew. The axeman cometh
with drones of funkdom.
This repetitive stew of musical diatribe
enhances my usual catatonic state of grace.
The early recordings of those shysters, does
it offend you, yeah? Probably wishing they’d
thought of this musical set-up themselves.
It’s disco for the DIY generation. It
shits on the pylons of power. I await the
good folk at the only musical TV show with
a modicum of musical nounce, ‘Transmission,’
to feature these guys on the billing –
enabling them to perform their epic notions
of musical sanity, in this, otherwise, crazy
musical world. Forget the pretentious compositions
that litter the musical highway – ‘Supper’s
Ready’ and ‘Yo Do Right’
by art school shenaniganists Genesis and Can,
respectively. S&S take all that monotonous
bollox and digest its monotonous corpse –
rendering all that went before futile.
I have promoted this offering until I am blue
in the face – just for the sheer love
of it. The said composition ‘The Rabbit
Song’ is a given for any summer evening,
out in the backyard with a BBQ burning (veggie,
of course.)
My love of this musical nonsense is a direct
response to the turgid and glittering musical
interludes we are forcefed, day and night,
over the monotonous and world weary radio
airwaves.
Don’t forget that suck fold who’d
slag off such compositions as these would
be the type who fork out expletive amounts
of their hard-earned cash for such dirgeful,
inconsequential nonsense as, say, Joy Division
(pre-suicide). This band, also, had a massive
obsession with the disco beats of the day.
I can’t envisage S&S committing
hari-kari for a larger share of the music
buying public’s cash, but one never
knows… The music world is a strange
and morbid place… perhaps exploding
drummers (Ala’ Spinal Tap) would suffice
to sate a novelty enchanted public?
The most beauteous thing I have ever had
the fortune to listen to/watch is also included
in this CD/DVD pack. A cacophonous party of
rhythmic beats entrancing the E-laden assemblage
of punters who dated to be that ever-so-different
and packed in to see the wondrous barrage
that was WOOD ON PIG-SKIN.
A hypnotic trance state is not my cup of tea.
But this is a worthy piece of musical history…
Anyhow, the catatonic state is broken with
the weird and wonderful keyboard assault of
distortion and feedback that attacks the very
fibre of our being… PLAY LOUD OR DIE!
This is a reworking of the rhythm section
of the song “Something She Said”
by the Buttholes, isn’t it?
All good clean fun, one would surmise.. and
one would be correct in thinking so…
My housemates wouldn’t agree. “It’s
just noise!” they shout, as they slam
yet another door. A decent noise, all the
same., And worthy of any record collection
to dampen the spirits of the most ardent Shakira
and Spears fan.
I don’t wanna listen to those weirds
no more, I wanna listen to thee.
10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHIT AND SHINE DO THEIR AESTHETICALLY
PLEASING THANG. ALL ENQUIRIES TO BE MADE VIA
WWW.RIOTSEASON.COM.
