The Cramps 'File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981'

Recently I've thoroughly been enjoying this compilation of The Cramps from Munster Records. Culling singles spanning three years of The Cramps material, I mean, what can be said that hasn't already about this band? You know they're awesome, and if you're just tuning in, why not start here?! There's a CD version and 7" Box Set edition; the nice thing about the CD is no flipping over between songs, nice thing about the 7"s is some songs are being released for the first time in this format. Featuring; 'Human Fly', 'Goo Goo Muck' and personal favourite 'Domino', this collection of New York Punk's finest gets heads spinning, pulses racing and asses shaking; proof that although Lux is no longer with us - he will forever keep it creepy.

Sacred Music Indeed.

Royal Headache: Interview!

Royal Headache have new material in the works and an upcoming tour of Europe later in the year to follow up their universally loved debut in 2011, I caught up with Guitarist Law to find out a bit more about them...

Law! Thanks for chatting to GG! It’s quite a grey dreary day here in the UK – what’s it like in Australia right now?

It's currently summer but here in Sydney the weather has been really wet and mild with some rare moments of sun. Kind of feels like we've been cheated of a Summer.

You’re planning to tour Europe later in the year do you know the EU at all? Anywhere you’re particularly looking forward to visiting?

I once went over as a teenager with my parents just after I left high school and Shortty (our drummer) toured there about 6-7 years ago with his old band Headless Horsemen but the other two guys have yet experience the EU. We have a friend and our record label in France so we're looking forward to hanging out with those guys. Really unsure what to expect- just looking forward to hitting the road and seeing what comes.

Do you enjoy being on the road? Any particularly memorable moments from previous tours?

I personally love being on the road and traveling - it really is one of the best things about being in a band. We had some really memorable experiences in the USA last year. The one that comes to mind the most is the Baltimore party we had during the day with all the locals on the street- we bought 50 crabs and whole bunch of 40oz malt liquors and spent the afternoon sitting on a porch mingling with all the locals and then a game of street football broke out with all the local kids. Definitely the highlight of the tour.

‘Royal Headache’ made it on many end of year lists for 2011, did you expect it to receive such a positive response?

The amount of positive things said about the LP was fairly overwhelming. There was a moment when the LP looked like it could of been stalled for another 4-5 months so personally I was just glad that LP was released and done with.

Who took the photograph on the cover of the album it's a great sleeve!

Our friend Steve Patrick from Useless Children took it before one of our Camp A Low Hum sets. He actually took that photo on an iphone!

What are some of your favourite record covers?

Personally I like a lot of the record covers from 90's emo/hardcore bands like Indian Summer, Evergreen, Saetia etc.

What do you want to achieve playing music in Royal Headache?

To really just enjoy it as much as possible and to not take it too seriously.

When did you have that 'I can do that' moment and start playing music?

My brother always wanted to learn guitar so I just tagged along with him - we started our first band when were 14/15 - ever since then I've always played music - haha that's fairly boring.

What can you tell us about any new material on the way and when we can get a hold of it?!

We're just in the process writing our 2nd LP. We're almost there. Hopefully it'll be released by the end of this year.

I can pick out a love for Power Pop in Royal Headache’s stuff, what else do you turn to for ideas when writing songs? Feel free to mention anything, doesn’t have to pertain to bands….

At the moment there's lots of influences going through our music but honestly at this stage we're much more relaxed on how we write- just let happen naturally and not worry too much on sounding like something.

I read that you hadn’t done a lot of recording before ‘Royal Headache’ was made, what did you take away from the recording process for this album? Is there anything you’d do differently for new material?

You could probably write a book on the whole process of how long it took us to record the LP. It was honestly a nightmare. We really do need to talk about it the next time we decide to lay tracks down as there's no way I'm going through that process again.

Do you prefer playing or recording?

Playing live is honestly such an addictive feeling. Nothing really compares to it.

It’s a little while back now but, I’d love to know how gonerfest was, I’ve never been!

It was basically 3 days and 3 nights of constant drinking, bands and southern fried food. You NEED to go.

What’s the most memorable show you’ve ever attended?

Seeing the Stockholm Syndrome as a 16 year old was fairly life changing. King Khan and The Shrines was maybe the most exciting show I've ever seen.

Can you tell us a little bit about ‘Psychotic Episode’ it’s PERMANENTLY stuck in my head (meant in the best possible way)!

You'd have to ask Shogun this one!

What records do you have playing at home at the moment?

Lots of Oddisee and DTMD.

Any other projects you guys have going on at the moment we can keep an eye out for?

A fair few bands that we're involved with - Camperdown and Out, Bed Wettin Bad Boys, The Sweats and N-Police.

"I'm full of dust and guitars" - Syd Barrett, if you were sliced in half what would be inside?

guts and black stuff.

Royal Headache Facebook RIP Society

European tour info from Booking Agent Kiss N Run

Swell Maps 'A Trip to Marineville' & 'Jane Occupied Europe' Reissues

The brothers known as Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks had been playing music together in their hometown of Solihull, Birmingham for several years before Jowe Head and Richard Earl joined the fold in 1976. That was on the cusp of the punk and d.i.y. explosion that radically changed the British music scene, and Swell Maps took full form; they released two albums, a handful of singles and then called it quits by the mid-'80s. Like so many other great bands of the era, Swell Maps went largely unnoticed outside of their own little scene, but their music has had a long-lasting impact on the shape of the underground; although the group's debut 7" "Read About Seymour" (released on their own imprint, Rather Records) got them signed to Rough Trade, it seems only in hindsight that Swell Maps' pivotal role in the birth of post-punk has been recognized. An amalgam of labels over the years have endeavored to keep the band's two studio albums, A Trip to Marineville and Jane from Occupied Europe, in circulation, and Secretly Canadian has now issued these top-quality vinyl versions to go along with their CD releases from a few years back.

Following a second single, 1979's A Trip to Marineville was made shortly after a live session for John Peel, recorded at WMRS Studios along with new band members David Barrington and John Cockrill. This album debuted Swell Maps' own take on T. Rex-inspired rock crossed with punk and touched by Krautrock's experimentalism, creating something ballistic and innovative. "Do you believe in art?" Nikki Sudden asks atonally in opener "H.S. Art" apace with clattering rhythms, crunchy guitars and ramshackle piano -- this track puts the 'raw' in 'raucous.' My personal highlight, however, is "Spitfire Parade," which delivers a heady rush from feverish guitars and pummeling rhythms anchored by a low rubbery bass, pushing to the edge before plaintively imploding. Breaking away from the archetypal guitar, drums and bass arrangement, toy saxophones, xylophones and harmonicas are incorporated into the album, and A Trip to Marineville certainly marked a shift in underground music. A no-brainer for anyone with a soft-spot for post-punk, this reissue features the original track listing along with a bonus 7" of "Loin of the Surf" that came with the original LP release.

Released a year later, Jane from Occupied Europe was the ambitious second and final album for Swell Maps. Krautrock acts as a connecting thread between both records, but Jane separates itself by delving into noisier industrial sounds. This is best shown on "Big Maz in the Desert," a warped instrumental number with crooked guitars, curious scratching and cawing effects alongside forthright drumming cemented at the core. And sure enough, this album has rockier moments too; "Border Country" and "The Helicopter Spies" feature familiar strident guitars, unmannered vocals and rattled rhythms. Jane from Occupied Europe shows a band not satisfied with just creating a new sound but testing the limits of it, so it's easy to understand why Sonic Youth, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. have all sung Swell Maps praises.

It has been more than two decades since these albums have been available in vinyl format, but with the LPs finally back on the shelves and featuring original artwork, track listings and bonus material, you won't find a better time to pick up this pair of absolutely essential records than right now.
(written for edited by Other Music)



Copies available:
US Other Music
UK Norman Records

King Tuff 'Wild Desire'

King Tuff joins bands like Nobunny, White Woods and Wax Idols for Suicide Squeeze's upcoming single series. An interview reveals new material is recorded for an album following up debut 'Was Dead'(2008) and I for one can't wait to see what Kyle Thomas has been cooking up. To tie us over new track 'Wild Desire' has been made available to hear now before it's April release date, and you just can't ask for anything more from a pop song, when something makes you f-e-e-l-s-o-g-o-o-d there's no need to question it.

For more information on Suicide Squeeze's single series click here

The Rebel/Year of Birds 'Pre-Pub/Blocker For Coinslot EP'

Ack! Ack! Ack! Records is a new label based in Middlesborough UK offering up a 12" adding to their growing roster and it's a doozy. Teaming up on this 12" is The Rebel and Year of Birds who flirt with electronics, kraut, lo-fi and punk in experimental home-recordings.

ASide 'Pre-Pub' from The Rebel features five songs about eating, fucking and death played out mainly with synthesizers, guitars and drums. Opener 'Pubgrub' sets the tone with angular-cyber-pop allowing Ben Wallers and Sophie Politowicz to robotize the world around them. Digitizing commonplace subjects explored with a sense of black humour sums up a little bit of what I take away from The Rebel's work. Shown further on 'It's a 10'; "I'll fuck anything that isn't nailed down", sings Wallers alongside minimal beats and dissonant melody. Another highlight on this side is 'Hard Times of Old England' that has the spirit of one of those football sing-a-long anthems, seeing The Rebel doing what they do best, morphing everyday life into bursts of off kilter electronic rock told from a tragicomic perspective.

Flipping over are Year of Birds a band grounded in Middlesborough featuring; Paul Coates, guitar, Michael Gillham, drums, Oli Heffernan, guitar & vocals and Danielle Velterelle, bass. Together the four piece deliver ramshackle garage punk in the Black Time and The Intelligence vein. Eleven short, gritty and dense sounding numbers flesh out this side of the record. 'Jabs At The Brow' kicks things off with urgent guitars, pummeling rhythms and unmannered vocals, qualities that are consistent throughout and become even more frenzied - like on head-spinning track 'To The Left'. If I didn't know any better I would say this band were from the states, so I was more than excited to find out they're on home turf. From what I can tell these guys have only been around for a year with a handful of releases to date NOT including an album yet, for me, one to watch...

Great, great piece from both bands and stellar way to kick off a label - erm, more please!

Year of Birds Bandcamp
Ack! Ack! Ack! Records Facebook Bandcamp

RIP Brendon Annesley

Rest in Peace to the man behind Negative Guestlist, an inspirational writer and musician. Thoughts go out to his loved ones.

Wonderful article remembering him here another here

Tronics 'Shark Fucks/Time Off'

What’s Your Rupture? kick off their 2012 roster in fine style by reissuing a slice of UK/DIY history, Tronics 45 'Shark Fucks/Time Off' released with original art-work; any friend of a blood splattered head is a friend of mine.

Zarjaz (a nickname based on a futuristic comic book ‘2000 AD’) began playing music in his early teens on the fringes of West London. Touted as the “essence of Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Melody Maker, Zarjaz otherwise received little to no promotion, he had only played a handful of shows with a modest out put of records before facing scenes of teen hysteria. Too much attention from over zealous fans, and not enough from the music industry turned Zarjaz into a recluse. These days Zarjaz remains an elusive character partially due to ongoing mental health issues, yet curiously continues to retain success whilst virtually being an anonymous artist in the UK.

At 16 Zarjaz recorded Tronic’s first single ‘Suzy b/w Favourite Girls’ produced by John Edwards linked to The Who producer Shil Talmy. What’s pivotal about this release was support from Rough Trade’s Geoff Travis who encouraged and partly funded the pressing. This first single would become, arguably, a pre-cursor for English Post Punk and Indie music.

Hot off the heels of this single came a cassette that would change the game for independent music. In 1980 self released cassette 'The Tronics', described by NME as the original “Indie Album”, became the first independent record to be distributed internationally. A trend was born that saw countless artists follow suit; home recording, self-releasing, taking things into their own hands. If any further testimony is needed as to how crucial this tape was, look around today, cassettes are experiencing resurgence for these very reasons.

BSide ‘Time Off’ is taken from this very cassette, an attention flipping number switching from sultry to skittish whilst provocative in equal measure. The first half of the song features a flirtatious spoken word piece, interjected by acerbic pop-inspired post punk allowing Zarjaz to yelp his words across. “Why don’t we take the day off?” he asks in a playful yet toneless manner alongside a saccharine guitar, keys and saxophone.

ASide ‘Shark Fucks’, originally released through Alien Records, is a song quintessentially quotidian and British as you’ll ever hear. Taken from album ‘What’s the Hubbub Bub’ where Zarjaz experimented recording live in the kitchen of his Earls Court flat. His trash-poetry is delivered catatonically with repetitive guitars built on a base of minimal tapping rhythms. Tronics output isn't one to be aligned or compared with bands that came before rather, Tronics are referenced as an influence by bands who came after.

I’m looking at you messthetics-heads, LoFi-fiends, post-punk-people-oids, if you’re looking for a copy of this single that isn’t scratched the search is over! If Tronics are just coming on to your radar, What’s Your Rupture? has made it super easy (and infinitely cheaper than coughing up for the original pressing) to pick up a seminal piece of UK Underground music.



Find copies at What's Your Rupture? and Other Music