Some great 45s by Slovenly, Nervous Gender, Little Green Cars, Black Box Recorder, Pansy Division and The Dead Science
So I have been rather fanatic lately at searching for and buying records. I am trying to rebuild my record collection that I sold off in a fit of depression and despair after losing a job, a house, and a lot of self-respect. Selling the vinyl seemed a good idea at the time, but I miss them and am really just beginning to replace them. I sold off CDs too, but I don't miss them really - too small and rather interchangeable from one another. Vinyl is much more individualistic and therefore more satisfying to collect. Do I need to say that digital is like having a collection of air in standard mason jars?
Today's scores: Slovenly - "Plug", Nervous Gender - "Gestalt", Gargoyles - "Michigan", Black Box Recorder - "The Art Of Driving", The Dead Science - "The Tomlab Alphabet Singles Series V", Little Green Cars - "The John Wayne" and Pansy Division - "Valentine's Day"
First up is Slovenly with "Plug" from 1986. Slovenly was an instant love for me. It's hard to fully explain, but there is something in their sound that reaches inside and compels me. They have a raw, unpolished surface belying the intelligent lyrics and sophisticated rhythms. "Plug" was not on any of their albums, so I had never heard it before today when it arrived in the mail. "TFIF" and "Now" are the b-sides, but to me all three songs were fabulous examples of why I love this band. In a genre now called post-punk I believe they were perfection.
Next up is Nervous Gender with "Gestalt" from 2011. Synth-punk, Industrial, or whatever you want to call them they were/are a unique listening experience. To have been around more or less since 1978, they produced very few recordings. This was a limited pressing of 1000.
Gargoyles' "Michigan" wasn't exactly a target purchase. I was researching the band Glorious Din and what happened to their members. Doug Heeschen played guitar for them and went on to be in several other bands including this one. It isn't amazing punk, but it is good. I really like the cover version of "Children of the Revolution" on side two.
"The Art of Driving" by Black Box Recorder is next. A limited and numbered release, unique for it's dual speed setting. Side A "The Art of Driving" is the single and plays at 45rpm. Side B is a special remix by The Cholcolate Layers of the song "The Facts of Life" that plays at 33rpm and is 6:27 long which is rather impressive for a single.
I was sure about "The Tomlab Alphabet Singles Series V" by The Dead Science but I love the band which unfortunately is no longer a band. "Make Mine Marvel (Remix)" and "White Mane" are both limited to this release series and there were only 500 made. I will have to see what else was released in this series eventually.
I didn't really need Little Green Cars "The John Wayne" as I had bought the digital single when it was released, but I always liked the cover and it was inexpensive. Surprisingly, this purchase came with a cd single as well which included a radio edit I did not have - so that was nice.
Pansy Division "Valentine's Day" on red vinyl! It doesn't get much better than this. An interesting note I found while looking into this recording is that "Pretty Boy (What's Your Name)" was written by Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode and Erasure fame.
I don't always pay a lot of attention to 45s but I found a vender on discogs that had a great selection and were reasonably priced. Love Garden Sounds is a record store in Lawrence, KS which I visited a couple of years ago when there for a Morrissey concert in support of his album "World Peace Is None Of Your Business". It is the same weekend I happened upon Little Green Cars for the first time performing in nearby Kansas City the evening before Morrissey's show in Lawrence. It was a great music filled weekend and I had fond memories of the town. Love Garden Sounds was a large part of how we spent our day, digging through their amazing selections. I was actually looking a good price on Low's "Ones & Sixes" Loser Edition - mint - and they had it so I decided to look through at everything else they had listed. I found many great things at terrific prices, which you will read about later, like Zola Jesus " Taiga", Villagers "Darling Arithmetic" and Xiu Xiu "Fabulous Muscles". They shipped quickly and packed everything safely. Check them out on facebook too.
Next up is Nervous Gender with "Gestalt" from 2011. Synth-punk, Industrial, or whatever you want to call them they were/are a unique listening experience. To have been around more or less since 1978, they produced very few recordings. This was a limited pressing of 1000.
Gargoyles' "Michigan" wasn't exactly a target purchase. I was researching the band Glorious Din and what happened to their members. Doug Heeschen played guitar for them and went on to be in several other bands including this one. It isn't amazing punk, but it is good. I really like the cover version of "Children of the Revolution" on side two."The Art of Driving" by Black Box Recorder is next. A limited and numbered release, unique for it's dual speed setting. Side A "The Art of Driving" is the single and plays at 45rpm. Side B is a special remix by The Cholcolate Layers of the song "The Facts of Life" that plays at 33rpm and is 6:27 long which is rather impressive for a single.
Pansy Division "Valentine's Day" on red vinyl! It doesn't get much better than this. An interesting note I found while looking into this recording is that "Pretty Boy (What's Your Name)" was written by Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode and Erasure fame.
I don't always pay a lot of attention to 45s but I found a vender on discogs that had a great selection and were reasonably priced. Love Garden Sounds is a record store in Lawrence, KS which I visited a couple of years ago when there for a Morrissey concert in support of his album "World Peace Is None Of Your Business". It is the same weekend I happened upon Little Green Cars for the first time performing in nearby Kansas City the evening before Morrissey's show in Lawrence. It was a great music filled weekend and I had fond memories of the town. Love Garden Sounds was a large part of how we spent our day, digging through their amazing selections. I was actually looking a good price on Low's "Ones & Sixes" Loser Edition - mint - and they had it so I decided to look through at everything else they had listed. I found many great things at terrific prices, which you will read about later, like Zola Jesus " Taiga", Villagers "Darling Arithmetic" and Xiu Xiu "Fabulous Muscles". They shipped quickly and packed everything safely. Check them out on facebook too.
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