Hello I'm a Truck (S/T 7")

Off kilter 90s Indie Rock, reminds me a lot of Archers of Loaf. Personally, I prefer side B. It's grungy, with time signature changes and enough interesting interweaving guitars to make more interesting than most rock of the era. I'm planning on playing it tomorrow on my radio show, calling all girls on KDVS!

D/L link in the comments, enjoy. The pic is from their self titled cd, not 7", FYI.

Destroy All Monsters- What Do I Get?

Destroy All Monsters started as an experimental rock band, but shifted into punk territory in the late 70s. The What Do I Get? is definitely on the punk side. You can tell they're gasping at stardom, bordering on heavy metal/power-pop territory at times, yet there is still a flavor from their earlier experimental work. I particularly like this single/ era of the band because it forces you to reevaluate genre-ificiation, to open up your mind and to simply enjoy the music. To that end, they succeed, though it is a little dated now and holds little value to those not already fans of the early punk era. So, I present this to you as mostly a time capsule and a curiosity for those who enjoy this era of rock music.

Link below, 320kb vinyl rip.

Valerie Stadler (Songs of Alienation)

In my musical travels I occasionally come across new music discoveries that are so quintessentially of my taste I am surprised; I wonder how I have never heard of this, after all of my searching? It is both beautiful to be reminded that my search will always reward me and that while I search and DJ for many reasons, at the end of the record I can still be reawakened to my passions by some new voice, new song, crawling inside my psyche. I am a very picky, and this doesn't happen often, but that makes it all the more sweet when it does. A few days ago, I was down in the basement at KDVS and noticed someone hadn't refiled a small stack of 7" in one of our listening rooms. Partly out of curiosity and partially because of my peeve of unfiled music, I picked the stack up to put it back in the stacks. On top was a hand drawn cover, very unassuming, almost amateur (not in the now cool hipster way) artwork. I noticed it was by someone called Valerie Stadler, so I figured I might as well give it a shot, as I give anything with female vocals a shot. To keep the story short, as soon as the needle hit the first groove, I knew I found another lost gem in the basement of KDVS.

I immediately searched for her on the absolutely prehistoric computer that lives in that room, the curiosity burning inside me like the worst heartburn. I wanted, nay, needed to understand who made this, her context, her time, her experience. I could tell she resided from San Fransisco from the label and the art (thanks to the triangle building for always being immediately identifiable). I was able to dig up she played at the Fillmore a few times in the early 90s, yet no info on discogs or any direct links to her music online. I'm still puzzled- how could someone be as popular in the local scene at the time to play at the Fillmore be completely forgotten?

That's what I live for though, to scour the depths of KDVS where no other DJs travel anymore, with no relationship to time, hoping to find these lost treasures. Musically, she's essentially Joni Mitchell if she was young in the midst of the modern indie/DIY movement. Her voice, passion, and energy are the same. I mean this as a compliment of the highest order, as she truly does deserve the comparison Her guitar playing and accompanying player/ backup vocalist (hardly noticeable until I saw the insert inside the sleeve) have the effect of having a real life delay and the added complexity and diversity of two guitars. The songs and lyrics are hauntingly simple (alienation is definitely the obvious but still creatively realized theme) but with an added intrigue only offered by an almost 'secret' companion.

Track one, "Nightmare 66", has the clearest Joni Mitchell influence, but personally tracks two "Evelyn's Tracks" and track four "Elations" are the strongest. Track two may be the strongest because she really lets her voice out of the cage (At times, it reminds me of Mia Zapata from the Gits) and has the most intricate/interesting guitar playing. However, "Elations" is the most haunting and the best use of the two player aesthetic.

I also do apologize for the lack of new material, this blog dies alot. I should keep on top of it more. Now that I have better access to rare stuff there will be more posts.

320kb rip from vinyl. Link in the comments. Enjoy!

Bagarre- Circus (1982) (320kb)

This record fits this blog's mission, but perhaps not its readers. By that, I mean, if you like and read this blog, you probably enjoy early 80s post punk and new wave with female vocals. However, many (at one point in time, myself) 'femme vox' fans have never heard of a genre called italo disco.  This is too bad, as it is essentially the disco version of New Wave, at least in Europe (obviously). Like in many punk and inspired genres (new wave and early electronic music) there was an explosion of female vocalists, and combined with disco's already existing propensity towards female vocals, this means that there is an entire genre of music with loads of female vocals and punk inspiration that most Americans have never heard of. That's just a shame to me, especially since i'm a fan of italo disco and female vocals (also obviously).

For the uninitiated, Italo Disco is essentially minimal electronics akin to the British and French electronic scenes of that era, but with a unique, pop bent- it's not an Italian version of American or British synth pop (electronic music rooted in rock based pop), although the two can overlap, it's disco (electronic music rooted in disco). The distinction makes sense once one emerges themself in the European electronic scenes of the early 80s. It just happen to originate in Italy, and that is a whole different story, for a whole different post. Continuing on...

Video: Bagarre- Lemonsweet (the most common song played in the clubs, back in the day, somewhat ironic as it's about a person who collapses in Studio 54 while on drugs).

That bring us to this post and how it has to do with this blog. Bagarre was an early Italo band that blends the line between New Wave, Post Punk, and Italo Disco, and it's quite fun, and held up very well (and that's saying a lot, in a period where a lot of music has not held up so well...). In fact, Twin Shadows did a cover of one of their songs on this album last year, called "changes" which you should also check out. The album is a mix of awesome guitar loops, with such trendy 80s sheen you can imagine it being played in any John Hughes film. The vocals are quite good for Italo Disco (they often couldn't speak English, so the vocals were often enjoyably horrible) however the singer is part English. This allows her to give the songs some actual lyrics rather than the standard meaningless disco lyrics of the era. It's got saxophones, drum machines, and lots of moaning. Some songs sound like electo disco jams, some sound like they belong on one of Calvin Johnson's infamous female vocal post punk cassettes. Anyways I hope you give it a try, even if you didn't understand a thing I just wrote about. A flac and a 320kb mp3 link are in the comments. Enjoy!

FYI: If you really enjoy the album, a bootleg repressing of the original vinyl can be found on discogs for pretty cheap for italo disco standards (about $20 US, plus shipping). They also put out a number of 12" singles and another album Epitaph in 1985.

Christina Carter- Obelisk 7"

I've been a fan of her work for a while, very haunting, minimalist experimental folk sort of stuff. Great listening for cold, dark fall weather. It's bleak but doesn't seem hopeless, it's beyond grasping or understanding but never strikes you as foreign- she has a wonderful way of mirroring the haunted soundscapes of nature with her work that comes off as honest, as unknown, just like nature itself. This type of music is meant to be felt not written about however, so I urge you to take a listen and then support her work by purchasing the 7"- the proceeds go to help musician Tom Carter after his illness on tour.

Released on Emerald Cocoon records, a great experimental label I suggest you check out.
Emerald Cocoon Records

Help Tom Carter

Recorded from Vinyl, Flac file approx. 20mb. Link in comments.

Blog is back from the dead! If links are dead...

Let me know and i'll re-up them. I cleaned up dead links, freshened everything up, and soon will post some new material tomorrow. Keep your eyes open!

who I'm in love with...nowadays!

*cough cough*
*is this thing on?*

I hate midtermz, but the one thing I do like about them is that they make me listen to music beyond what is required for my radio show (think the complete opposite of what I post on this blog, ;P). I study listening to music, so I make it my "sit on the bed with big80s headfonze in some stereotypical Johnhues fashun"   rock/folk recurd time. Thosewhoknowmeknow I LIKE the folkstuff4musicstudyingso I was getting coZEE with Alela Diane's album that came out right when I heard it (spoiler al3rt: she's the focuz of theenext POSTof this bLOG, she just keeps getting betterANDshe has givemne NO choice byt to speck favorbly4her). Of curseu can't curse on kDVs, slipping back into old listening habits! caused! somewhat?somehow of a music relapse into the world
of female vocalsYcute twee punsYriot grrrlY"snaps" of approval. But sometimes I miss being a somewhat normal DJ on KDVS, but let's keep Boris out of this. andout of of thebigblackcloud over theplane of nevada hey hey that wusz aninside JK!

Yikes, too much personal shit and weird thought patterns. Long story short, before I knew it, I was naked and cracked out, wandering the streets of midtown Sacramento hipsterironically with my old walkman listening to a shitty tape copy of an album that I just fell in love even though its kinda a ripoff and its actually not even new butstill reallyawesomeandit'sby Blockshot-CUUULso: Normally, I try and pick a cool female fronted hip band with a new record from the bay area for my "who i'm in love with" band. But hell, whaddya know, I've already been in love with the Sandwitches and Shannon and the Clams, the only bands that meet that criteria with new albums that I can recall in the aftermath of my postmiderm slushbrain. So now, I'll expand my horizons to Germany.

Blockshot is the moderNold soundsof your favorite Riot Girrrl headbanzssss:=sound wise, think Excuse 17, but not quite capturing the ferocity of Carrie Brownstein at her best. God, SO GOD GREATONY it's cerreal to begreat to be back in punk land, where being a music nerd is like a warm gluve. yikesosIheard their most recent album came out in 2008, but since ever since I heard the Pixies I haven't known where my mind is; I just heard it recentlyONKDVSINDAVISKALIFUNRIA

THUS IT IS WITH GREAT PRRLEASURRRE THAT I ANNOUNCE TO YOU THIS MPFREE
song: Yesterday, You Were Too Drunk, Today You're Not Drunk Enough
album: After the Beep
listen: here

//////\\\\\\\heyheyHEY I almustve forGETTEN that I alwayze put up a tracker2fer U to enjoy frUM my old "whu i be in luv widride now" so here goes herez a coolnewgarageypoppyrockabilly track from!...none other then SHANNON and her CLAMZ. perk up yr earzwith a new sneakypeekyboo ofs their NEW NEW album
sleep talk

Keep tuned for my review of Alela Diane's new album...

...this post was also randomly inspired by David D. Young's poetry. He usually publishes his work in KDViationS (here), although I AM SOSAD toANNOUNCE that I don't have as much crateACTIVITY as heduZ.

-ginger snap!
don't buy that Boris shit dudez