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Greetings dedicated Drastic Plastic reader. It’s been a hectic last few weeks for the
old editor-in-chief here, but I had to get this thing cranked out, so here we go. I’ll tell
ya friend, the enchanted P. O. Box has offered up some fantastic stuff of recent. As
much as I want to show and tell, I’ll be keeping my reviews briefy, as you have better
things to do this summer than read lots of “words.” Get yer sound bites! Get yer
sound bites here! (Better than yer mosquito bites, not to mention the chiggers, fleas
and no-see-ums.) It’s the 2006 summertime blues edition of Briefs…
(Please note, just like the ice cream man’s inventory, what we have here is mostly a
bunch of stuff I really enjoyed, just different flavors, dig? If you want to read
negative reviews find another e-zine--I know it will be hard, but they’re out there).
Moondog
The Viking of Sixth Avenue
Honest Jon’s Records
Born in Marysville, Kansas in 1916 Louis T. Hardin, who later called himself
Moondog, was a blinded as a teen by a dynamite cap. He moved to New York City
in the 40s where he lived and performed on the street, reinventing music on his own
terms and recording frequently. The resulting tracks are a timeless invention, as
fascinating as his back story. Moondog exemplifies primordial cool.
Blood on the Scratchplate ‘65
Motor Sounds
The greatest compilation of all time? Perhaps. And not just because Rock ‘n’ Roll
Monkey and the Robots is on it, but also because Northern Ireland based Motor
Sounds has plowed the fertile soil of this planet Earth, and found the greatest
primal rock ‘n’ roll on our fair planet. Featuring Detroit’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Monkey,
Northern Ireland’s The Motorsounds & Belfast’s Childish Thoughts, Japan’s The
Routes, plus England’s Mudlow, The Keepers & Surgens. Do yourself a favor mate,
buy this soundtrack to your summer, now. Really, go get one, then come back
here.
D’ Amato
Synesthesia
Well, the Korn inspired lyrics in D’Amato’s oh-so-freaky “Killer in Me” don’t scare me
enough not to give these nu-metal poseurs the thumbs down (or up, depending on
the venue). Good luck with the stab (pun intended) at rock stardom fellas. L’ Ame.
Rusty Springfield
Chop It Up!
Matchbox Recordings
Imagine if Mark E. Smith could really sing and he fronted the Heartbreakers (Johnny
Thunders’ not Tom Petty’s!); this is jump-up-and-down-in-your-underoos-rock ‘n’
roll from the UK! Don't believe me? Prepare to don your underoos: http://www.
myspace.com/rustyspringfield
Willowz
See In Squares (DVD)
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Wow, the Willowz kids have been busy. This is a bold effort, especially for a band
so green. Here we have twenty-six videos by twenty-six different directors. A lot of
the videos appear to have been shot quickly and on the cheap (which is okay of
course, and they tend towards the pretty interesting), and a few truly stand out
(Ace Norton and Micheal Sladek get the Oscars). Michel Gondry’s video is really an
epic short film. The guy is just brilliant and the DVD is worth picking up for his piece
alone. The Willowz amateur footage of a live performance at a California summer
camp is a real hoot too. Say what you will, The Willowz are a plucky, committed
bunch, and a project of this scope is more than most indie bands could fathom.
Mecca Normal
The Observer
Kill Rock Stars
Mecca Normal is the musical equivalent of good autobiographical comix; minimalist,
mundane, and often disturbing.
Magnet #72
New Music Sampler Volume 42
Magnet is a nifty bi-monthly slick indie rock zine, but these generically packaged
New Music Samplers are a frickin joke; labels buy their way on to these things and
95% of it is swill. Like infamous Magnet writer Andrew Earles says about the lame
bands he regularly panders, “who is this music for?!” Put out some cool bands that
actually need the exposure or chump up some licensing fees like Mojo does and
release a comp of some great obscure and/or classic music. You might be able to
go monthly if you offered that kind of value with your magazine. Damn you
MAGNET! This is basically payola and it sucks donkey dicks. I’m actually not that
upset about it, I just throw them away now, but that is pissing Al Gore off. Back to
your regularly scheduled (voluntary) sucking and licking…
SSM
Alive
Listening to SSM is as close as you can get to visiting another planet complete with
the g-force; this is some mind-bending progressive garage(!). These guys really
pull it off live too. Detroit won’t die.
Dabenport
Fall Theory
Dabenport has crafted the perfect album to listen to under a blanket of stars, it is
truly transcendent (and thankfully, they are busy at work on a new one). Get starry-
eared your own self: http://www.myspace.com/dabenport
Castles in Spain
Again
Kind of a slightly trippy, driving 80s Starship thing happening with lyrics like
“hungry…a salad will be just fine.” This might be nice for someone, somewhere.
Sons of the Golden West
Fashionably Late Records
This album is like those great film scripts you hear about that circulate around
Hollywood, everyone is touting its greatness, but the story never sees the light. I
have listened to demo versions of these beautiful, bittersweet songs for years.
Finally Sons of the Golden West are ready to share them with the world. It was
worth the wait, this is expertly executed Autumnal, reflective, and truly epic indie
rock. For fans of thoughtful, well-crafted music like Elliot Smith, Built to Spill and
Modest Mouse. Hear some: http://www.myspace.com/sonsofthegoldenwest
Lost in Tyme Issue #2 with CD
This is a notably impressive 24 track comp with some killer-diller tracks (Fuzztones,
Stems, Mainliners, Gruesomes, Frantic V and more), some unreleased; the CD
comes free with this high-quality 50-page 60s garage zine from Greece. http://www.
myspace.com/lostintymefanzine
Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Best Off
ZE Records
Phenomenal 80s reissue, actually 4 CDs in all, but this is the “best of” (get the joke,
Best Off—well it took me a second to get it). This includes the super catchy No
Wave manifesto (in spirit—as I suppose that is an oxymoron) “Torso Corso.”
Anyone into No Wave, mutant disco etc. should check this out and support this cool
French label.
The Guilty Hearts
Voodoo Rhythm
Wow, huge wall of freak-out on this one. The Guilty Hearts are an F-4 fighter
squadron of fuzz, (shag) carpet bombing the blues all over your mojo.
Electric Eel Shock
Beat Me
Gearhead Records
Electric Eel Shock lay down a stripped down 80s metal groove as a platform for
their gleefully absurd ESL lyrics. (Great to see Gearhead has still got the
production line running after all these years. You might be surprised to see what a
great website these purveyors of lo-fi have.)
Black Angels
Passover
Light in the Attic
I had to check these guys out after some respected colleagues admitted they were
addicted to it; they were right, it’s absolutely dronealcious! Don’t Passover it! Ha-
ha! Ahh man, how many more of these can I write? Elvis Costello was right.
Milky Ways
Alive
Members of the Spaceshits, Del-Gators and Sexareenos bring us a slab of loosey-
goosey, wiggily-wacked lo-fi (4-track) garage in the spirit of the Cramps and the
Gories.
Zeno Tornado & the Boney Google Brothers
Voodoo Rhythm
Finally, some damn fine Country & Western…reminded me of the legendary Slim
Cessna including stalwart musicianship and funny, passionate delivery…except with
a German accent; don’t be scared off by that though. I loved “All You Happy People
Go to Hell!”
The Konks
Bomp!
The Konks live up to their name on this slab, repeatedly clubbing you over the head
with their infectious brand of skuzzy, fuzzy, caveman “music.”
The Slow Signal Fade
Steady
In Music We Trust
Based on the generic cover art I have come to associate with clueless, artless,
major label wannabes I thought I would hate this. Turns out it is interesting stuff.
Big noisy rock in the vein of the awesome Starpimp. Reminiscent of Sinead O’
Connor and Dolores O’Ridordan at times, vocalist Marguerite’s beautiful voice cuts
through the over-the-top, effects laden guitars. What works is how raw this
recording is, it’s big and well-recorded, but it just sounds like they turned everything
up like a Steve Albini recording…wait a minute, okay they were recorded by Albini.
Wow. Okay, well that makes sense. Not sure who they made this album for, but as a
fan of 90s noise, I like it heaps. Maybe they should put the band on the cover,
they’re a pretty cute bunch. I’m sure they have a Myspace account, so if it sounds
like your thing, fade in: http://www.myspace.com/theslowsignalfade
Nomo
New Tones
Ubiquity
This Ypsilanti Afrobeat 8-piece is still blowing minds with their thick, sick jazz-funk
pastiche of groove. A simple search will find dozens of scientific dissections of the
glorious New Tones, but I’d rather just turn it up.
Kokanko Sata
Honest Jon’s Records
Nomo’s brilliance aside, if you are looking for some authentic Afropop look no
further. This is a beautiful release, not only for its resonant acoustic sound but for
what it represents. From the Honest Jon’s Records website:
Despite the inherent prejudices in African society regarding the role of women,
especially when it comes to being a musician, Kokanko Sata has become one of
the most revered new young singers working in Mali today. But her stature also
comes from her skillful performance on the kamelen n’goni, a three-stringed
hunter’s harp. Not only is this instrument notoriously difficult to play, but Sata’s skills
are even more amazing for being self-taught as no male villager would teach a
woman the hunter’s harp.
Jamaica to Toronto
Soul Funk & Reggae 1967 – 1974
Light in the Attic
Can’t get enough rock ‘n’ roll, tough guy? I confess, I can. Sometimes, in these lazy
summer days I hanker for something a little more Caribbean in flavor, or in this case
Canadian. As the collectors of this fine anthology attest, in the 60s Toronto was
only an 8 hour flight from Jamaica. The influence is heard here in this outstanding
collection of rare 45s of Caribbean influenced soul from Toronto recorded in the
60s and early 70s.
So Wrong They’re Right: An 8-Track Loop Around the U.S. (DVD)
Other Cinema
Can’t afford that summer road trip this year? Kick back as So Wrong They’re Right
takes you on a 10,000 mile journey around the USA in search of people who aren’t
merely fans of the 8-track, but who live the 8-track lifestyle. To many of the fanatics
interviewed in this documentary their commitment to a dead format transcends
retroculture, it is a political statement. A fascinating and hilarious ride.
Willy Mason
Where the Humans Eat
Astralwerks
What does it feel like to be 19 and be compared to Leonard Cohen and Jonathan
Richman? Gee I don’t know, but ask Willy Mason, he does. At times, maybe a bit too
lovely, or slick, but I enjoyed much of this. Kinda putting me to sleep right now
though. Then again it’s five in the morning, ahhh, one more drink…
--Craig Campbell
old editor-in-chief here, but I had to get this thing cranked out, so here we go. I’ll tell
ya friend, the enchanted P. O. Box has offered up some fantastic stuff of recent. As
much as I want to show and tell, I’ll be keeping my reviews briefy, as you have better
things to do this summer than read lots of “words.” Get yer sound bites! Get yer
sound bites here! (Better than yer mosquito bites, not to mention the chiggers, fleas
and no-see-ums.) It’s the 2006 summertime blues edition of Briefs…
(Please note, just like the ice cream man’s inventory, what we have here is mostly a
bunch of stuff I really enjoyed, just different flavors, dig? If you want to read
negative reviews find another e-zine--I know it will be hard, but they’re out there).
Moondog
The Viking of Sixth Avenue
Honest Jon’s Records
Born in Marysville, Kansas in 1916 Louis T. Hardin, who later called himself
Moondog, was a blinded as a teen by a dynamite cap. He moved to New York City
in the 40s where he lived and performed on the street, reinventing music on his own
terms and recording frequently. The resulting tracks are a timeless invention, as
fascinating as his back story. Moondog exemplifies primordial cool.
Blood on the Scratchplate ‘65
Motor Sounds
The greatest compilation of all time? Perhaps. And not just because Rock ‘n’ Roll
Monkey and the Robots is on it, but also because Northern Ireland based Motor
Sounds has plowed the fertile soil of this planet Earth, and found the greatest
primal rock ‘n’ roll on our fair planet. Featuring Detroit’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Monkey,
Northern Ireland’s The Motorsounds & Belfast’s Childish Thoughts, Japan’s The
Routes, plus England’s Mudlow, The Keepers & Surgens. Do yourself a favor mate,
buy this soundtrack to your summer, now. Really, go get one, then come back
here.
D’ Amato
Synesthesia
Well, the Korn inspired lyrics in D’Amato’s oh-so-freaky “Killer in Me” don’t scare me
enough not to give these nu-metal poseurs the thumbs down (or up, depending on
the venue). Good luck with the stab (pun intended) at rock stardom fellas. L’ Ame.
Rusty Springfield
Chop It Up!
Matchbox Recordings
Imagine if Mark E. Smith could really sing and he fronted the Heartbreakers (Johnny
Thunders’ not Tom Petty’s!); this is jump-up-and-down-in-your-underoos-rock ‘n’
roll from the UK! Don't believe me? Prepare to don your underoos: http://www.
myspace.com/rustyspringfield
Willowz
See In Squares (DVD)
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Wow, the Willowz kids have been busy. This is a bold effort, especially for a band
so green. Here we have twenty-six videos by twenty-six different directors. A lot of
the videos appear to have been shot quickly and on the cheap (which is okay of
course, and they tend towards the pretty interesting), and a few truly stand out
(Ace Norton and Micheal Sladek get the Oscars). Michel Gondry’s video is really an
epic short film. The guy is just brilliant and the DVD is worth picking up for his piece
alone. The Willowz amateur footage of a live performance at a California summer
camp is a real hoot too. Say what you will, The Willowz are a plucky, committed
bunch, and a project of this scope is more than most indie bands could fathom.
Mecca Normal
The Observer
Kill Rock Stars
Mecca Normal is the musical equivalent of good autobiographical comix; minimalist,
mundane, and often disturbing.
Magnet #72
New Music Sampler Volume 42
Magnet is a nifty bi-monthly slick indie rock zine, but these generically packaged
New Music Samplers are a frickin joke; labels buy their way on to these things and
95% of it is swill. Like infamous Magnet writer Andrew Earles says about the lame
bands he regularly panders, “who is this music for?!” Put out some cool bands that
actually need the exposure or chump up some licensing fees like Mojo does and
release a comp of some great obscure and/or classic music. You might be able to
go monthly if you offered that kind of value with your magazine. Damn you
MAGNET! This is basically payola and it sucks donkey dicks. I’m actually not that
upset about it, I just throw them away now, but that is pissing Al Gore off. Back to
your regularly scheduled (voluntary) sucking and licking…
SSM
Alive
Listening to SSM is as close as you can get to visiting another planet complete with
the g-force; this is some mind-bending progressive garage(!). These guys really
pull it off live too. Detroit won’t die.
Dabenport
Fall Theory
Dabenport has crafted the perfect album to listen to under a blanket of stars, it is
truly transcendent (and thankfully, they are busy at work on a new one). Get starry-
eared your own self: http://www.myspace.com/dabenport
Castles in Spain
Again
Kind of a slightly trippy, driving 80s Starship thing happening with lyrics like
“hungry…a salad will be just fine.” This might be nice for someone, somewhere.
Sons of the Golden West
Fashionably Late Records
This album is like those great film scripts you hear about that circulate around
Hollywood, everyone is touting its greatness, but the story never sees the light. I
have listened to demo versions of these beautiful, bittersweet songs for years.
Finally Sons of the Golden West are ready to share them with the world. It was
worth the wait, this is expertly executed Autumnal, reflective, and truly epic indie
rock. For fans of thoughtful, well-crafted music like Elliot Smith, Built to Spill and
Modest Mouse. Hear some: http://www.myspace.com/sonsofthegoldenwest
Lost in Tyme Issue #2 with CD
This is a notably impressive 24 track comp with some killer-diller tracks (Fuzztones,
Stems, Mainliners, Gruesomes, Frantic V and more), some unreleased; the CD
comes free with this high-quality 50-page 60s garage zine from Greece. http://www.
myspace.com/lostintymefanzine
Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Best Off
ZE Records
Phenomenal 80s reissue, actually 4 CDs in all, but this is the “best of” (get the joke,
Best Off—well it took me a second to get it). This includes the super catchy No
Wave manifesto (in spirit—as I suppose that is an oxymoron) “Torso Corso.”
Anyone into No Wave, mutant disco etc. should check this out and support this cool
French label.
The Guilty Hearts
Voodoo Rhythm
Wow, huge wall of freak-out on this one. The Guilty Hearts are an F-4 fighter
squadron of fuzz, (shag) carpet bombing the blues all over your mojo.
Electric Eel Shock
Beat Me
Gearhead Records
Electric Eel Shock lay down a stripped down 80s metal groove as a platform for
their gleefully absurd ESL lyrics. (Great to see Gearhead has still got the
production line running after all these years. You might be surprised to see what a
great website these purveyors of lo-fi have.)
Black Angels
Passover
Light in the Attic
I had to check these guys out after some respected colleagues admitted they were
addicted to it; they were right, it’s absolutely dronealcious! Don’t Passover it! Ha-
ha! Ahh man, how many more of these can I write? Elvis Costello was right.
Milky Ways
Alive
Members of the Spaceshits, Del-Gators and Sexareenos bring us a slab of loosey-
goosey, wiggily-wacked lo-fi (4-track) garage in the spirit of the Cramps and the
Gories.
Zeno Tornado & the Boney Google Brothers
Voodoo Rhythm
Finally, some damn fine Country & Western…reminded me of the legendary Slim
Cessna including stalwart musicianship and funny, passionate delivery…except with
a German accent; don’t be scared off by that though. I loved “All You Happy People
Go to Hell!”
The Konks
Bomp!
The Konks live up to their name on this slab, repeatedly clubbing you over the head
with their infectious brand of skuzzy, fuzzy, caveman “music.”
The Slow Signal Fade
Steady
In Music We Trust
Based on the generic cover art I have come to associate with clueless, artless,
major label wannabes I thought I would hate this. Turns out it is interesting stuff.
Big noisy rock in the vein of the awesome Starpimp. Reminiscent of Sinead O’
Connor and Dolores O’Ridordan at times, vocalist Marguerite’s beautiful voice cuts
through the over-the-top, effects laden guitars. What works is how raw this
recording is, it’s big and well-recorded, but it just sounds like they turned everything
up like a Steve Albini recording…wait a minute, okay they were recorded by Albini.
Wow. Okay, well that makes sense. Not sure who they made this album for, but as a
fan of 90s noise, I like it heaps. Maybe they should put the band on the cover,
they’re a pretty cute bunch. I’m sure they have a Myspace account, so if it sounds
like your thing, fade in: http://www.myspace.com/theslowsignalfade
Nomo
New Tones
Ubiquity
This Ypsilanti Afrobeat 8-piece is still blowing minds with their thick, sick jazz-funk
pastiche of groove. A simple search will find dozens of scientific dissections of the
glorious New Tones, but I’d rather just turn it up.
Kokanko Sata
Honest Jon’s Records
Nomo’s brilliance aside, if you are looking for some authentic Afropop look no
further. This is a beautiful release, not only for its resonant acoustic sound but for
what it represents. From the Honest Jon’s Records website:
Despite the inherent prejudices in African society regarding the role of women,
especially when it comes to being a musician, Kokanko Sata has become one of
the most revered new young singers working in Mali today. But her stature also
comes from her skillful performance on the kamelen n’goni, a three-stringed
hunter’s harp. Not only is this instrument notoriously difficult to play, but Sata’s skills
are even more amazing for being self-taught as no male villager would teach a
woman the hunter’s harp.
Jamaica to Toronto
Soul Funk & Reggae 1967 – 1974
Light in the Attic
Can’t get enough rock ‘n’ roll, tough guy? I confess, I can. Sometimes, in these lazy
summer days I hanker for something a little more Caribbean in flavor, or in this case
Canadian. As the collectors of this fine anthology attest, in the 60s Toronto was
only an 8 hour flight from Jamaica. The influence is heard here in this outstanding
collection of rare 45s of Caribbean influenced soul from Toronto recorded in the
60s and early 70s.
So Wrong They’re Right: An 8-Track Loop Around the U.S. (DVD)
Other Cinema
Can’t afford that summer road trip this year? Kick back as So Wrong They’re Right
takes you on a 10,000 mile journey around the USA in search of people who aren’t
merely fans of the 8-track, but who live the 8-track lifestyle. To many of the fanatics
interviewed in this documentary their commitment to a dead format transcends
retroculture, it is a political statement. A fascinating and hilarious ride.
Willy Mason
Where the Humans Eat
Astralwerks
What does it feel like to be 19 and be compared to Leonard Cohen and Jonathan
Richman? Gee I don’t know, but ask Willy Mason, he does. At times, maybe a bit too
lovely, or slick, but I enjoyed much of this. Kinda putting me to sleep right now
though. Then again it’s five in the morning, ahhh, one more drink…
--Craig Campbell
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