Art for Spastics v. 111

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Download AFS v. 111 (w/in next 10 weeks)

...or stream it (by Dec. 11).

EAR & DARK // Never Cared // There´s No Such Thing as Dragons 10" // Black Light *new
JUNKPILE JIMMY // Death Total Death // Alberhill 2xLP // Cártel Ilustré *new

SLICING GRANDPA // Dirty Baby // Electric Shitstorm // Strain Theory 2003
KOUNT FISTULA // Nerd on Nerd // Fistmist // Scatalogical Liberation Front *new
KATHERINE HALL & ELIJAH FORREST // My Hands On // split cassette w/ Unmono // Deathbomb Arc Tape Club *new
TURMOILED FUNCTIONS // Mature Creature // v/a: Population Problems 7-inch // Cephia´s Treat *new
LEPRECHAUN CATERING // For Now, Opaque Means "Opaque" // Male Plumage // White Denim *new
KLONDIKE & YORK // Atone (the Beginning) // The Holy Book // Weird Forest 2002
JACKWACKER // Wickclipper // ...Things from Inside Your Body // Black Velvet Fuckere *new
WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE SON, GOD? // Tapestry Mouth // Out of Body Diva // KDVS Recordings *new

BEHALF // untitled // Black Noise & a Collaboration with Josh Hydeman cassette // Self-Released *new
DEEP JEW // Pass By/Let Me Bleed // War 7" // Troniks *new
CRACK UND ULTRA ECZEMA // Arbeit Rastafareich/Ebola Day // split 2x7" w/ AIDS Wolf, PRE, & Dmonstrations // Lovepump United *new
RADIO SHOCK // White Noise Ain´t Got No Soul // split 7" w/ Radio Shack // Roger/Breathmint/Carbon/Ignovimious/Sunship *new
YATAGARASU // Brief Lives // split CDR w/ Carpet Violence // Self-Released *new
RUTHLESS DUKES // untitled // self-titled CDR // Self-Released *new

GREY DATURAS // It Was // split cassette w/ Shearing Pinx // Isolated Now Waves *new
BRIAN MILLER vs. NICHOLAS GITOMER // Dark Monytaur // Slavelords // Deathbomb Arc *new
BIRD COSTUMES // Natural Disasters // split cassette w/ Aerosol Constellations // Isolated Now Waves/Thankless *new
ARGUMENTIX & BIRD COSTUMES // Sticks & Stones/Bored With My Body // Armageddon...Maybe Later // Below PDX *new
ARGUMENTIX & ADAM GNADE // We´re Never Gonna Die // Wilderness and the Holy Gold // Below PDX *new
KITES // Riding the Glass Geyser // v/a: Rare Youth 2xCD // Rare Youth *new
BLACK PUS // Huckdoll Finn // Black Pus 3: Metamorpus // DiareahRama *new
THE HOSPITALS // Jocks and Jazz // I've Visited the Island of Jocks and Jazz // Load 2005
SO SO MANY WHITE WHITE TIGERS // Menswear // The Greatest Hits of Acid // No Label *new
SIC ALPS // Reconnection Land // Pleasures & Treasures // Animal Disguise *new
DANAVA // Quiet Babies Astray in a Manger // self-titled // Kemado *new




We begin this week with the most fractured ramble from Ear & Dark, a band that first got my attention when Crudblog editor Scott Soriano raved about this artpunk band that sounded “like Karate Party meets The Ex,” or words to that effect. On this, their herky-jerkiest of songs, I am reminded of the band Stump if only they had hyperventilated in a rubber cement factory. Sharp angles are in attack mode throughout the other songs on this 10” even as gleeful whimsy keeps things upbeat, and thus Scott’s comparison is well warranted. This is a really outstanding discovery from Denmark, and Scott even snapped up 30 copies (of a total pressing of only 300) for his Ss Records distro. If you don’t know who Karate Party is…well, that is a story for a later blog, but if you are a fan of the A Frames family tree of bands, please just trust me when I say that Ear & Dark will delight you, and this 10” will be worth every penny to you.

I suppose I’ll be playing a cut off the new Junkpile Jimmy double album every week for the next few weeks. There are so many flavors in his music, from the bluespunk to the old-timey folk-blues, to the “Killed by Death” punk, psych, sludgy experimental, and even black metal. On paper, it seems too wide a gamut to make a cohesive sounding album, but Jimmy pulls it off incredibly well, and “Alberhill” is a masterpiece! This week’s selection sounds like 12-bar noise.

With this “Electric Shitstorm” LP, I think I’m finally all caught up on the incredible discography of Slicing Grandpa, Seattle’s supreme slingers of evil lofi dungeon drone. Now, don’t think boring ‘cos I said drone. Writhing, scrawly, and creepy, their scuzzy noise reveals a great sense of humor. Not everyone will appreciate the joke, because of course it’s very twisted and misanthropic. But if you have the heart for black comedy, and especially if you reach again and again for Shadow Ring records when you wanna let the laffs rip, then you oughta get to know Slicing Grandpa…and while you’re getting familiar, also check out Kount Fistula. The Kount includes SG members doing downcast psychedelic gothsludge. Early Swans meets Gang Wizard?!? I saw Kount Fistula at the Funhouse in Seattle on Tuesday, November 21, and they were a really fun show…not at all like 95% of equipment-swapping improv sludge bands. I think it was the unexpected goofball element they had. These were four people that didn’t look like they’d ever be friends, let alone bandmates.



Pictured above is Kate Hall, the drummer of Mika Miko and my appointed role model for any future daughter I might have. As I screw around with sticks and skins myself, Kate’s on my shortlist of drumgods that I try to emulate. She’s in a great band but maintains a singular voice, making Mika Miko’s upbeat pop perks explode into a powerful juggernaut. And she is so much fun to watch because she is having such a good time even as she’s drumming for dear life. There’s nothing subtle about her approach in Mika Miko, and that’s why I’m so amazed at the results of her collaboration with Elijah Forrest for this new Deathbomb Arc Tape Club cassette. It’s like I hear the Dead C deconstructing a sweet little indie-pop tune set as a theme, but with many variations ranging from sweet and gentle to dense, scary, and cloying, and the movements even vary from gradual phasing to quick editing. It’s very pleasurable for deep listening. I sense that she has a knack for the “free twee” thing, so I hope she continues to do more work like this.

I hope to continue with more reviews later this week…stay tuned!