The Mummies - Food, Sickles, And Girls b/w One By One

Some butthole of a friend keeps taunting me with footage of his recent attendance of a Mummies show. "Oh, look," he seems to be saying. "I am a man of independent means, able to travel long distances in my early 40s to see one of our favorite bands."

Oh, how I loathe him. The lucky fucker.

Happy Halloween from Lord Ape Mummy, direct from the tower block in the PNW. Love y'all.

Discogs

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various artists - CMJ Presents Certain Damage! - Volume 30

When i think of CMJ, the College Music Journal, I think of going to the cool bookstore as a teenager, copping "New Music Monthly", and learning about what the kids a few years older than me were into. I didn't know about publicists or the politics of major labels or the world of college rock; I just knew I was getting drawn into something that didn't play on the radio in southwestern Virginia. It wasn't covered in "Rolling Stone" or "Spin", aside from the occasional 50-word review. And when it did show up on MTV, it was in the "120 Minutes" ghetto, banished to late, late night.

Not that I got cable that far out in the boondocks.

"Certain Damage!" was the precursor to the NMM samplers that I'd swipe out of Borders. I've turned up a few of these recently, all dating from the days before Lollapalooza. Volume 30 here has the last great Replacements song, a Redd Kross cut, the Jane's Addiction song you'd actually hear on the radio in the daytime. There's also a Hank Rollins side project, an appearance by both Fred Firth and Henry Kaiser on the same track, and the first house track I remember hearing (Soho, "Hippychick").

This was what the College Music Journal thought was worth hearing, the month of my 13th birthday.

Discogs

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various artists - Dali: The Endless Enigma

I had an "uncle", the husband of my mom's best friend, who was a literal rocket scientist. Today, he'd almost certainly be noted as on the spectrum, but in my childhood, he was called, at best, eccentric; at worst, a goddamn weirdo. But he was always kind to me, letting me dub tapes from his CaseLogic whenever he and his family would come to visit. It's how I got my first listen to a lot of the posthumous Reprise Hendrix recordings, a ton of the Rolling Stones' ABKCO tapes, and even Tangerine Dream.

I was out over the weekend, ostensibly on a trip to pick up a late lunch for Mrs. Mummy & I, but I figured I'd hit a couple of shops I hadn't visited since last year, and saw the spine of this peeking up from amidst the dross. "Dali: The Endless Enigma"? It's the sort of title that grabs my attention, regardless of the content.

I saw names like Robert Rich and Klaus Schultz on the front cover, ringing an image of Dali's "Atmospheric Skull Sodomizing a Grand Piano", and it was a done deal. The pathway to late 80s ambient and new age is paved with film scores and Krautrock. It's how I ended up spending $3 on this, 10 tracks of abstraction inspired by the titles of the surrealist's paintings.

Discogs

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Rain - La Vache Qui Rit + demo

When sadness comes, you can watch videos of dogs being obnoxious on YouTube, or you can listen to tight jams. Whatever floats your boat. I guess since you're here that you don't want to see a French bulldog sneak french fries off its owner's plate.

Rain was a short-lived DC band of the Revolution Summer vintage whose recorded output consisted of a 1990 12" on Guy Picciotto's impeccably curated Peterbilt Records and an appearance on 1989's "State Of The Union" comp on Dischord. The lineup is a Murderer's Row of DCHC/post-hardcore luminaries: Scott McCloud (Soulside, Girls Vs. Boys), Eli Janney (Girls Vs. Boys), Bert Queiroz (Double-O, Youth Brigade, Manifesto), and Jon Kirschten (The ChrisBald 96). And you get exactly what you'd expect: that heady mix of emotive hardcore that stood apart from much of the East Coast's dominant trend of youth crew and crossover from the same era.

Now, typically, I wouldn't share a record that you can readily acquire via an inexpensive Bandcamp download (which you should totally do). But I thought it'd be good to contextualize the real gold, which is a 4-song demo dating from 1986 of Rain, featuring a track ("In Rain") that didn't make it onto the EP. I think I might have gotten this from Stormy over at Blogged & Quartered before his hosting service went tits up; I do know I've had it for a long time.

Anyway, I figured it was a good time to share this one, it being that time of year, and all.

Thank you. I'll be here all week. Try the vegan pot roast; it's better than it sounds.

Discogs / Bandcamp

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Alan Vega - Deuce Avenue

It's possible that it took me a long time to explore Alan Vega because this was my first exposure to him.

"Deuce Avenue" is a weird record, a melange of slithering Suicide-style synths, Vega's free-form scatting, crooning, and beatboxing, and drumming and programming by his wife Liz Lamere. Shit, there's definitely time where Vega's channeling the Bomb Squad's beats. He hadn't made a full-length since "Just A Million Dreams" in 1985, a much more accessible record by any measure. This one came out on the French label Musidisc, his home for this and his following three LPs.

Infinite Zero would reissue it in 1995 to what I have to guess was an indifferent scene, alongside Vega's next record, 1991s "Power On To Zero Hour". I was non-plussed at the time; I'd been given an Infinite Zero sampler with "Jab Gee" and "Bad Scene" on it, and, BOY HOWDY, I almost always skipped over those tracks. I just didn't get it. Now, I can listen to this, and I can draw parallels to the Providence noise scene on the early aughts, to the J.G. Thirwell catalog, to all the iconoclastic shit that finds its way onto my iPhone. It clicks with me now in a way that just couldn't happen 26 years ago.

Fun fact: the Infinite Zero reissue wraps up with the only complete version of "Wacko Warrior" by Vega, previously only available in a truncated form on a 7" that came with Sniffin' Rock #12. So completists...have at it.

Discogs

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various artists - Pump Up The Volume (Complete Soundtrack & Score)

I'll own up, on this Day of our Lord, Saturday, January 16, 2021, that I wanted to grow up to be Hard Harry.

What right minded pre-teen/post-adolescent wouldn't be drawn to Christian Slater in the 1990 cult film "Pump Up The Volume"? By day, a meek, withdrawn student; by night, a foul-mouthed, truth slinging, chronically masturbating pirate radio DJ. AND he ends up getting with Samantha Mathis. Hey, when you're 14 and you've switched schools three times in as many years, there's not much about Mark Hunter's life that you can't relate to. All that pent up frustration and hormonal imbalance gets filtered into music fandom and diving into Beat poetry and maybe, just maybe, you'll meet a girl who doesn't find you repellent and will drive around town listening to They Might Be Giants and the Clash and actually be into it.

But I digress.

I haven't the faintest remembrance where I initially downloaded this version, but I've owned, in some form, the official soundtrack to "Pump Up The Volume" since I saw it on VHS sometime in early 1991. I definitely remember it being part of the first purchase I made at Record & Tape Traders in Roanoke, along with a Pink Floyd CD and Soundgarden's "Ultramega OK". I was always bummed that there was no Leonard Cohen on that tape. Nor were the Beastie Boys or Descendents present, or that "Hi, dad, I'm in jail" jam. What the shit, MCA Records? BUT it was my first exposure to the Pixies (via a superior version of "Wave of Mutilation"), Henry Rollins, Bad Brains, and the MC5 (a still fun cover of "Kick Out The Jams"). I even got to sneak some Dr. Dre beats into the house; the likes of NWA wasn't exactly allowed at home at that point.

I found this expanded version, which has never been officially released, on the internet sometime around 2009. As I stated above, I can't recall the website I initially downloaded it from, but [sgm] did their own writeup a few years back. So I'm in fine company, I suppose. This includes every song that appeared in the film and on the soundtrack, as well as the entirety of Cliff Martinez's excellent score, which never got a release of its own. This, along with his score to "Sex, Lies, And Videotape", are an amazing first and second recordings for the former Weirdo/Dickie turned film composer.

It's worth downloading because you get "Everybody Knows", "Love Comes In Spurts", and "The Scenario" all in one place. Respect to Kathy Nelson, who served as music supervisor here, and whose credits include "Repo Man", "Pulp Fiction", "Grosse Point Blank", and approximately 200 more movies whose soundtracks you bought at the mall in the 90s and 00s.

Click here to download.

Reason To Believe ‎– When Reason Sleeps Demons Dance

I shared the Reason To Believe EP, "The Next Door", last month, so I figured it'd make sense to follow that up with their only LP. "When Reason Sleeps Demons Dance" featured an all-new rhythm section joining vocalist Jon Bunch and guitarist Chris Evenson. It's a bit more melodic than the EP, a bit more hardcore than the Sense Field demo that'd come out almost simultaneously with this release on Nemesis.

I have no first hand experience with how this was received; I was all of 12 when it came out: at least two years away from having any sense of what DIY was, or knowing even who the Sex Pistols were. I can only imagine, based on the timing of this release with the Sense Field demo, was that it was a classic tale of a break-up just as the record's ready. Which shouldn't take away from the fact that it's quite good.

Discogs

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Gang Of Four - The Peel Sessions (Album)

The O.G. lineup of Gang Of Four (King/Gill/Allen/Burnham) made four years of perfect post-punk from 1978-1981. That's not to downplay the "Songs Of The Free"/"Hard" catalog backend featuring Sara Lee or Jon Astrop on bass, but, let's face it, I'm not whipping out that live 12" of "Is It Love" any time soon. Give me "To Hell With Poverty!" or "Armalite Rifles" or "At Home He's A Tourist" and watch me dance. I'll take the agitprop any day.

I actually turned up a copy of "The Peel Sessions" long before I ever got any of G4's studio recordings, and the rawness of these three sessions probably colored my opinion of the group moreso than most other fans. The lack of overdubs or effects really puts me in the room in a way that their studio cuts, love them as I do, just can't. It's immediate, pulsing, sexy. I tip the cap to ol' Hank Rollins for ensuring their two Warner Bros. records got a comprehensive reissue via Infinite Zero around the time I finished high school, but this was my introduction. And it was fucking good.

I'd love to hear why this, amongst many other Peel Sessions records that found their way to the States via D.E.I., hasn't been reissued in 30 years. I know there's still an appetite for hearing these recordings, and it seems like a shame that someone hasn't stepped up to make sure there's ready access to them.

Discogs

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Neanderthal - West Coast Power Violence

I never cease to be amazed how eight songs can be such a complete body of work.

Neanderthal was a short-lived hardcore band from Southern California, a side project featuring Matt from Infest and Eric from Man is the Bastard. Joe from Infest shows up on vocals for a couple of songs. They released a 7" on Slap A Ham, did a split with Rorschach on Vermiform, and appeared on the first "Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh!" comp. Their pedigree is impeccable, their output limited, their legacy...brilliant.

I got this in 2017 from Blogged and Quartered, a long-time inspiration for this blog, and a source for all the obscure hardcore that had its day five years before I was on the scene. I don't know if this is a straight rip from the Deep Six/Draw Blank 12", or if it's something Stormy compiled and remastered, but I've listened to it like I might not ever hear again. And that cover is a perfect visual for what you're going to hear.

Were they the first power violence band? Hell, I don't even know if they ever played out live. What I do know is that they were brutal, obscure, short, and to the point. It still makes everyone else look like suckers.

If you're stoked on this, it's worth tracking down a copy of the Exit Unit 7" from the same year. It's Matt and Joe, along with Bob from Low Threat Profile/Lack of Interest on drums. It comes from the same place, as one would probably expect.

Play loud. Smash everything.

Discogs

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Viva Knieval - self-titled aka Boy Poison

I suppose we can always use a Kathleen Hanna rarity. Viva Knieval was her second band, after Amy Carter, and before Bikini Kill. Among her bandmates was Louise "Zeb" Olsen, who played in Go Team with Tobi Vail and Billy Karren, and self-released this under the Ultrasound Records. This has more in common musically with L7 and Babes in Toyland than you might expect, considering the band's home base and membership. Fun fact: Tim Mac of Halo of Flies recorded this four-song slab. 1,000 on black, 1,000 on red, gang. And that is the most amazing part to me: that a relatively unknown band would press 2,000 7"s.

Discogs

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Ennio Morricone - The Legendary Italian Westerns (The Film Composers Series, Volume II)

Photo of Ennio Morricone with Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza by Roberto Masotti

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

There are giants that we share the earth with, and, until Monday, Ennio Morricone was among them. There are far better eulogies that can be written about him than I ever will be able to jot down. So I'll talk about buying this CD.

After John Williams, Morricone was the first film composer I could recognize by ear. I latched onto his score of "The Untouchables", and as I kept watching movies in the early 90s, like "Hamlet" and "Bugsy" and "The Mission", I kept noticing that the same Italian guy with the name I didn't know how to pronounce kept making music that moved me. Somewhere along the way, I learned he had made the music for The Man With No Name Trilogy, and got really hooked on this piece with whistling (it was "Theme from 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly'"). I started working at this Borders-style bookstore in the music department, and this bad boy was showing its cover from the end of the soundtrack section. I used my employee discount to get 50% off $12.99 (plus tax). I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed initially that none of "l buono, il brutto, il cattivo" appeared on this disc. But I got over my disappointment fairly quickly.

Even 30 years after its release, this is a pretty good survey of Morricone's spaghetti western scores from 1963 to 1968. The opener, "A Gringo Like Me" from 1963's "Duello nel Texas", has this earworm quality to it that, within three listens, will have you singing along with Peter Tevis. There are fair enough chunks of both "Per un pugno di dollari" and "Per qualche dollaro in più" to convince you to drop some bread on vintage Italian copies on vinyl. But the pieces I keep coming back to are his four cues from "C'era una volta il West", released in the States in 1969 as "Once Upon a Time in the West". To me, a track like "L'Uomo Dell'Armonica" is just a memorable as "L'Estasi Dell'Oro".

I could rattle off how many records the man sold, or how many scores he composed, and how many times he got robbed of a Grammy. That's part of the legend, but irrelevant to the story I'll tell. As a teenager whose exposure to modern composition only came from film scores, Ennio Morricone helped open my ears up, and widen my eyes to a wider world than punk and thrash records. His nickname was "Maestro" for good reason; he taught me to listen in a different way. Is there any greater praise?

Discogs

Click here to download.

Leatherface - Fill Your Boots

I'd love to know why the site traffic jumped from my normal gang of 20 punk rock zombies a day to over 150 folks just today. A lot of kids seem to be watching the Ben Kingsley as Ian MacKaye video I posted back in September. That's kinda cool. I'd just like to know where the hell these people magically came from. As one of my favorite writers once noted, "Comments are the lifeblood of any author, good or bad." So, let me hear from you, interwebs, if you like what you see. Or if you feel I'm only contributing to the further downfall of the music industry with my efforts herein. Either way, a roll call is in order...comment below. It's like a Xmas gift you don't have to pay for!

Speaking of Christmas presents: a co-worker of mine, who knows how into HC I am, dropped my Xmas present on me a little early today.
I haven't read a lot of it, but it's by far the best representation, book-wise, or early American hardcore out there. Get it for the old scenester kid working in the cubicle next to you, or ask Santy Claus to bring you one.

I'm sure it has something to do with its in- and out-of-print status since being release nearly 20 years ago, but people just don't seem to as hip to Fill Your Boots as I think they should be. It's never received a legit American release (unlike BYO's releases of Cherry Knowle and The Last), although it looks to be available via Amazon.uk for the bargain (?) price of 8.79 (that's pounds, sucka). It also sounds a lot more like the Leatherface I fell in love with on Mush. Finally, I totally love the sincere covers of "In The Ghetto" and "Candle In The Wind". I mean, who today would try to pull this off without their tongues firmly tucked into their cheeks?

See you Saturday for more punk rock sounds.










Leatherface - Fill Your Boots
(click record cover for DL)

RIYL: gargling with whisky, Sunderland, karaoke bars