The Coneheads : L​.​P​.​1. aka "14 Year Old High School PC​-​Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $​$​$ from Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L​.​P​”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a band who I learned about after they’d been plugged by Brian Turner and Henry Rollins on their respective radio shows.  The Indiana based youths who make up The Coneheads left a huge impression with a wild cover of Nirvana (‘In Bloom’ I think… taken from a test promo) and then ‘Alien & Warm’ from this, their debut LP.  

‘L​.​P​.​1. aka "14 Year Old High School PC​-​Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $​$​$ from Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L​.​P​”’ (Erste Theke Tontraeger) came out in February and an initial run of 500 copies has since sold out.  The record compiles recordings initially available on small runs of tapes released over the last year or so. I couldn’t believe it, the last year or so, on first listen they sounded like they’d fit right in the late 70’s to early 80’s weirdo musical underworld.  Although watching some youtube footage of live shows I’m pretty sure they weren’t even born in the 80’s.

Performing under a name associated with a film about people who have misshapen skulls, it’s safe to say they don’t take themselves too seriously.  It’s really bold, covering songs that people will most likely not want to hear; Nirvana, Talking Heads – how many ‘Psycho Killer’ covers are out there now exactly?!  But like the Nirvana cover they just totally transform it, the way the singer addresses “run-away” in the chorus just slays me, is it supposed to?  It at least sounds like they’re having fun.  That’s the refreshing thing about this album; there’s nothing out of bounds to chew up and spit out, taking on those iconic songs and dismantling the myth or reverence around them is brilliant.

The low fidelity recording style The Coneheads used certainly suits the cassette format, no fads here, it just makes sense for what the band are about. The LP is a strong compilation of what they’ve done so far which retains their DIY approach.   When I say low fidelity/DIY , I don’t mean they’ve just covered everything in fuzz and delay, the sound is actually pretty clean - each element comes through distinctly, you can just feel from the recordings it was made with whatever means they had … someone’s bedroom…. garage…. basement. It’s the skew whiffed vocals and hyper pace they play at that really grabs one at first.  The melody heavy bass creeps in and it’s clear this is tying everything down.  Frazzled and choppy guitars play alongside palpitating beats and then, there’s the totally demented vocals.  ‘1982’ is another stand out track.  It is 40 seconds long.  ‘Waste of Space’ is pretty fantastic too with its spooked versus monotone vocal delivery and jittery/convulsive synths.

Oof, just love this record.  ‘L​.​P​.​1. aka "14 Year Old High School PC​-​Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $​$​$ from Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L​.​P”’ is far and away one of the best albums to let loose from the last few months.  Has anyone ever wondered what it would sound like if The Urinals played Devo songs on a rollercoaster?  No, actually, to be honest, me neither BUT The Coneheads prove that it sounds pretty friggin’ great!

Check it all out right HERE

 

Ausmuteants / Housewives Split 7"

Out this week is this split 7” by Ausmuteants and Housewives for Total Punk.  Both bands wrote a song then sent each other chords and lyrics for the partnering group to cover with no information on how the track is composed, so Side-A will be the original version Ausmuteants and Housewives wrote and Side-B will be their interpretation of the other’s song – clear as mud?  ‘I Wanna Sedate You’ and ‘Brown Out’ are the two original songs, interchanged and re-arranged by the Australian outfits.  Ausmuteants scored ‘I Wanna Sedate You’, a deranged strain of punk rock joy which is just as considered as it is totally rampant.  The Housewives’ contribution ‘Brown Out’ is a shrieking, sludgy force of chugging guitars veering on and off course commanded by forthright beats and a gulping bass.  The thing both bands have in common (apart from the same chords and lyrics of course) is a sense of complete disorder in well-formed and thought out songs.  And if you want to know what the covers of ‘I Wanna Sedate You’ and ‘Brown Out’ sound like, well you’ll have to get copy and find out!  

Ausmuteants will be playing here in London as part of their European tour at The Shacklewell Arms on Wednesday 10^th June, get tickets HERE

Easter & The Totems : The Sum Is Greater Than Its Parts (Reissue)

Living in South East London I’m suprised I’ve not come across this band yet.  Sometimes things really are right under your nose and you don’t even see them.   Doing some background reading Easter & the Totems really seem to have been a cornerstone of underground music south of the river.  The group knocked out their first raw demos in 1981 called ‘Queen Menace Shock Six’.  Their self-styled ‘agit-pop’ was a search for balance between amphetamine driven rhythms, battering punk and melodic arrangements whilst experimenting with tapes and effects.  Album ‘Hip Replacement’ debuted this wrong-footed rock vision, made in 7 days when the band was still in their teens.  All in all Easter & the Totem would go on to release 3 albums and 3 singles in the 12 years they were active - all self-financed with no management, a hard grafting DIY effort.  The line-up fluctuated a little with Mike Barry Guitar/Vocals, Steve Mountain Drums/Vocals being core members, and John Diver, Time Stocker, Dave Pearton, Chris Richardson, Kevin Tweedy, Richard Morris, Neil Braddock all working in the band at different stages.

Rooted in a frustration with UK’s political situation in the early 1980’s, specifically holding an anti-Thatcher stance, Easter & the Totem drew from and gave a voice to the downtrodden working/lower classes of the time.   Coming from those backgrounds themselves and not really identifying with music around them either, Easter & the Totems had more than one reason to feel alienated.  Perhaps this spurred on their need to play in a band, and to make connections with likeminded people in the area.  Typically performing in Woolwich, Penge, Herne Hill, Catford and Crystal Palace they established a group of artists who would be known as Bromley Musicians Collective/South East London Musicians Collective.  They go on to organize gigs for each other and release records with a focus on giving support to victims of social injustices they identified around them.

Easter & The Totem recorded some tracks in Bromley Studios with Nigel Laybourne that had been going down well during these gigs.  ‘Distant Generations’ and ‘Acid Reign’ (both direct political songs about Thatcher) from this session would feature on ‘The Sum Is Great Than Its Parts’, originally released in November 1986.  This was a collection of material documenting their work to date released on Ideological Sounds (Barry’s label).  Its first pressing came in 500 copies featuring long time designer Bill Webb for album artwork, in 1997 Pinnacle reissued a further 500.  

So here we are with SS Record’s 2015 version of the album.  SS have actually had this up their sleeve since the early 90s after finding the album in the back room of a record store, having worn out their copy and worked for many years to get permission, SS got the go-ahead to give ‘Sum Is Greater Than It’s Parts’ a full reissue treatment.  ‘Acid Reign’ is a finely-spun pop number featuring sugary synths, wild rhythms and crispy guitar accompanied by melody driven vocals.  ‘Distant Generations’ is a florid post punk charge playing happy and sad off each other, in a way that might remind one of The Smiths.  ‘We Fade’ has a curious Death Rock feel to it, there’s something definitely darker and more dejected, just in how the scaling  guitars, numbed vocals and agitated synths carry through the track.

With the recent re-election of the Tories it’s an interesting time for this album to re-appear.  Easter & the Totem were true to their South East London roots never venturing far from home turf, getting stuck into supporting local communities and art projects. And I hope they would be happy to know people have picked up this mantle today, I can’t finish this post without highlighting a few collectives, labels and shops in the area worthy of your support:

DIY SPACE FOR LONDON
STATIC SHOCK RECORDS 
BOOK AND RECORD BAR
WOOLF
FRAU

And as for Easter & the Totems I’ll leave the summary to Mike Barry, “There was Mike Barry (age 18), Ian Self (age 18), and a Drum Machine. In those days, all you needed was a couple of long coats, a mutual love of the Fall and Joy Division, a pile of existential books, Kafka, Camus, Dostoyevsky, etc and some lager. They took their name from a Jackson Pollock painting. It was Summer of 1981 and the band was as rough as a bears arse.”  

SAUNA YOUTH : Distractions

Sauna Youth have always been a great band.  Exerting pulse racing punk rock in every bar, basement and house party in and outside of London.  Sauna Youth’s insatiable energy for playing shows has only served to refine their sound, and once it took shape there were no limits to where their songs could go as this new album attests.  When it comes to DIY in this city Sauna Youth have been a pivotal fixture in the scene for some years now, recording and releasing their own material up until debut ‘Dreamlands’ (Faux Discs/Gringo, 2012).   ‘Distractions’ (Upset The Rhythm) is the follow up to that album and it’s not just a follow up, it’s a game changer.  In approaching things from a new angle Sauna Youth’s song-writing has been elevated by experimenting with composing the album together in one room.   If it sounds different that’s because this is their first time in a recording studio, utilising Homerton’s Sound Savers with Mark Jasper documenting the 3 days Sauna Youth spent there in July 2014.  Desire, repetition and distractions are central to Sauna Youth’s impetus on this new record.  No polite po-going happening here, these tracks fully spin out of control with a beer can or two flying over-head.  Once “Transmitters” sinks its teeth in ‘Distractions’ doesn’t let go for 14 songs incorporating spoken word, experimental noise and undeniable punk joy.  Jen Calleja and Richard Phoenix’s vocals bring a brilliant androgyny to record - especially on ‘Monotony’.  Lindsay Corstorphine’s crunchy blown out guitar and Christopher Murphy’s rubbery bass come in from all directions with thrilling melodies channelling all kinds of rock greatness… and those beats!  Richard's immense rhythms are the backbone to it all along side Jen's howling sampler work.   They haven't ended there either, Sauna Youth re-arranged themselves as Monotony in a new project - where they switch instruments and song-writing duties which you can listen to here.    It's a voracious momentum that Sauna Youth has which sets them apart and shows how they keep going from strength to strength.  Sauna Youth have never stopped writing incredible songs, they’ve never stopped playing incredible shows, They've never stopped supporting London’s local music scene – I hope Sauna Youth never stop.

You can pre-order the album here

NOTS : We Are Nots

Memphis four-piece NOTS started releasing material in 2013 and follow two singles with their first full length recently on Goner.  ‘We Are Nots’ is forged from a penchant for wild synth punk polished over the course of touring.  The album packs the same punch as the singles whilst tightening the bolts with sharper production so every element comes to the fore with unflinching clarity.  NOTS sound strong and feverish with ferocious drive made up by Natalie Hoffman’s errant guitar, Alexandra Eastburn’s forthright synth waves, prowling bass lines from Madison Farmer and the dogged rhythms of Charlotte Watson.  The eleven frantic songs clock in at around 25 minutes opening with ‘Insect Eyes’, a demented cyber stomper setting the pace for the record.  ‘Reactor’ leaps out with its stormy approach and a chorus that high-jacks your brain, just try and stop spinning it in your head!  ‘Black Mold’ plays out unshakeable vocals, chugging guitars, melody heavy bass and siren synths making it another track stuck on repeat for me.   With tour dates approaching with Parquet Courts it feels like NOTS are already gathering momentum for whatever 2015 has to throw at them.   ‘We Are Nots’ is a radical force to be reckoned with making this a great album to lose your mind to.

More NOTS  HERE