I just got the Graveface charity record 7" set. Not sure when I will be getting a review of them though since they are supposed to be a christmas present. I will try to get them recorded before they are wrapped and under the tree, two months away, I know.
I also have coming a cassette, yeah, that's right, I said cassette, of Whirrs' Part Time Punks set. They put it out to get some much needed funds to fix their broke down tour van. There is a track that only appears on this tape. It is also limited to 200 copies.
I have fixed my record cleaner and will be recording the stack of records that I have been sitting on all summer. The first few from that stack will be albums from Heavenly and The Ventures.
Here we go...
This is the first compilation from Stereolab. It was
released in 1992. It was originally released by Too Pure (UK) and (believe it
or not) Slumberland Records. I was very surprised and excited to find that out.
I did not get into Stereolab until 1998 with the album Dots And Loops. Since then
I have been looking for anything and everything they have put out. I recently
found this compilation at one of my local record stores used for cheap. It is a
culmination of the groups first three releases that are very hard to find.
Those three releases are called; Super 45, Super-Electric and Stunning Debut
Album. The first two are 10” albums and the last is a 7” single. The album
takes its name from the Switched-On series of titles from the late 60s to early
70s albums that featured the Moog synthesizer as the primary instrument. The
only thing that I find distracting is that the songs are not in the order that
they were released. They have been rearranged, I am assuming, to make a more
cohesive album. It is not really that big of a deal because if I really wanted
to I could put them in what ever order I wanted to in my music database.
Since there were no actual singles released from this
compilation I will give a couple of my favorites. The first is the song called
Super Electric. This track starts off the album. The song starts with a sort of
bubbly sound and then a distorted tone joins in for a couple of seconds before
the song kicks in with a supper cool riff that loops through all of the verse
and most of the chorus. There are a few breaks to keep interest in the song.
There is something about how they play with the sounds that just barely keeps
the boredom from the songs. I think that is what I like about the group.
The next track that I really like is called Au Grand Jour.
This is not to be confused with Au Grand Jour’. They are essentially the same
song taken in different ways. I like the version with out the apostrophe
better. There is more of a rock sound on this version. It uses noisy electric
guitars and fun drums that make use of the toms.
The last track that I really like from this album is called TheLight That Will Cease To Fail. This track is a drone track, like a lot of their
music really. It is the vocals that make this song stand out, pretty female vocals.
The vocals are an instrument of their own really and help to make the songs not
so boring in most cases.
This is the second compilation of B sides and rarities from
Stereolab. It was released in 1995. This is the second in a series of three
Switched On releases from Stereolab. I still don’t have the third album yet. I
had been looking for this album for quite a while. I whish that I has gotten it
when I saw it new in the stores. I am kicking my self for not getting it when I
could. Hind sight is 20/20 right?
Since they are a series of hard to find tracks I will give
my favorites from the grouping here. The first one that I really like is called
Lo Boob Oscillator. The first half of the song uses vocals and vocal pops. It
is the pops that I really like about this song. The pops are actually done on a synthesizer. The last two minutes of the
song is just a drone that sounds really cool. I have this song in other formats
in another compilation but this is my favorite version of this song.
The second track I like is called Revox. This song comes
from a four band split 7” from Duophonic. It is another droning track from the
group based on two chords. What keeps the listener interested is still the
vocals as they go through changes over the top of the two chords. There are
lyrics to the song that add interest as well.
French Disko is another track that I really like from this
album. It originally came from a 7” also from Duophonic. This song has an
intensity that makes that song interesting. It is like there is something
important that I need to do but I am not sure what it is that needs to be done.
It is really cool and not many bands have written music that gives me that
feeling.
The last track that I really like from this compilation is
called John Cage Bubblegum. This was originally released on Slumberland Records
as a 7” single. I love that I never knew that one of my favorite groups
released material on one of my new favorite record companies. Anyway, the song
has a different feel than the other songs on this compilation. It still as the
drone sound that they are known for but this is some how different. It is
lighter or a happy blue feel in my mind. I like it a lot.
This is the first EP from Frankie Rose. It was released this
month, October 2012. It is a promotional EP pushing her last album, Interstellar.
This is the second release in support of the album. It has only been released
on CD. If you buy a copy of the album from some retailers and etailers you will
get a copy. I know that InSound is giving away copies with the album. If you
have already purchased a copy of the album and can prove it let Slumberland Records
know and they will send you a copy for three dollars shipping. You can also
download a truncated copy of the EP from your favorite MP3 store. The MP3
version does not come with the two remix tracks though. The remix tracks are
just as important as the demos though in my opinion. I got my copy in the mail earlier
this week. It is a great EP and am very happy to have gotten a copy.
It is obviously in support of the single Night Swim. This
single has lots of vibey guitar along with a clear tone guitar. The vocals are
multi tracked to give it a fuller sound. The drums are more to the front of the
song and push the song along at a quick speed. The song has a space like surf
sound that I like a lot.
There are a total of five songs on the EP, the single that I
talked about, two demo tracks and two remixes. The second track is the first of
the remixes, The Fall (Fort Romeau Remix). It has frequent drops that make the
song more interesting and the addition of a somewhat arpegiated xylophone sound
in classic house style techno. It is a fun remix that reminds me of something
that would be played at a rave during a transition between House and trance
styles.
The next track is a demo of Know Me. This version of the
song has no drums and seems to be slower because of it. It is more elegant than
the version on the album and I am very glad to have it. There are parts in this
version that I have not heard on the album version. I am not sure if that is
because they are not there or are covered up by other music but this version is
very pretty.
The fourth track is a demo of Apples For The Sun. This
version also does not have drums on it. The album version of this track was
never my favorite but this demo version brings new light to the song. It is so
interesting how removing the drums from a track can change it into something completely
different. Both of these demos were recorded on tape as you can hear the tape
hiss as the song plays. This isn’t a bad thing, it adds to the brittleness of
the song.
The last track is called Apples For The Sun (The Go! TeamRemix). It reminds me of a track from the sound track to A Series of
Unfortunate Events in the beginning. It is very nice piano work that seems to
flow through the song. It keeps with the original sound for the song but in a
new direction. This is what I love about remixes. The original vocals are not
really used in the song except for a snippet of her vocals. The vocals are basically
unintelligible in this version but still work very well.
If you have the chance to get this do so. It was put
together very well.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have released a non-album
cover single in support of their current tour over seas. It was released just
this past week, October 2012. It is a 7” release on army green vinyl through
Slumberland Records. The record also comes with a download code if you go that
way. They covered two songs from two different bands. Kip Berman, the lead
singer, said that the two songs were from bands that have heavily influenced
the group from the beginning.
The A side of the record has the song Jeremy. This is a
cover from the group Magnetic Fields. The song originates from the album The
Wayward Bus, if you are interested in hearing the original song. For me, The Pains
can do no wrong. I have never heard the original Magnetic Fields song but I
love what The Pains have done with this song. I love the vocals and the short
guitar singles that make the song what it is. For the most part you can’t understand
the lyrics but the vocal tones are what I really care about. It is a great song
with fun solos.
The B side of the record is called My Life Is Wrong. This is
a cover from the group East River Pipe. The song originally comes from the
album Shining Hours In A Can.
If you are interested you can look this one up too. I haven’t heard the
original song my self. This cover version of the song is filled with lots of
noise. It is still a good song but not one of my favorites from The Pains. I
think that the good bits are covered up by the noise that is on the track. I
can tell where the song is going by following the bass line though. From that,
it reminds me of something from the early 80s and if the original follows suit
I will probably like the original song.
That is all I have for now...
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