Guided By Voices: Selections from Singles and EPs, 1993-95

This is a re-post of blog entry from August of last year. I've never done a re-post before but it seems to be pertinent time to update this one for a couple of reasons:

1. The "classic" GBV lineup which this post covers is reuniting for Matador 21 this weekend in Las Vegas with more dates to come.

2. The fine folks at Decrepit Tapes just put together their own playlist of recordings from GBV's 1992-96 lineup. While theirs is a more extensive overview (covering a slightly larger timeframe and albums while this is strictly non-LP), I thought this would make a nice companion piece, despite an overlap of a few songs.

3. Most importantly, the original divShare playlist has crapped out for whatever reason, rendering most of the songs unplayable. I've re-uploaded to fix this.

Enjoy!

As I was putting together my little demi-best of Matador list below, a couple of Guided By Voices 7" releases just missed the cut. During their "lo-fi era," GBV released a steady stream of 7 inches between albums, often containing something like 6 or 7 songs.

One could make the argument that these releases prepped the underground community for the breakthrough of Bee Thousand in a way their prior albums didn't. Guided By Voices may seem like fairly typical indie fare by today's standards but then their sloppy and extremely lo-fi prog-pop was fairly challenging. Indie/punk types may abhor the slick and professional, but GBV seemed to be openly mocking the concept of quality control. New listeners who didn't have the patience or intrepidity to sit through the uneven Vampire on Titus could surely endure a quick spin of a 7" EP and hear the handful of brilliant songs each invariably contained.

These smaller samples were much more digestible examples of the GBV aesthetic: rough fidelity, nonsensical lyrics, brevity, insanely catchy melodies. Of course, there was also the band's, shall we say, idiosyncratic method of choosing songs for release. Wheat and chaff were mixing freely. However, further listens might reveal that Guided By Voices' "throwaway" tunes weren't just filler, but rewarding in their own right. The band may have seemed impenetrable initially, but Pollard and his cohorts' twisted logic soon became readily apparent.

There has yet to be a thorough compilation of all of GBV's 7" material despite that a) they're a band inclined to clear vaults and compile collections and b) those records contained some of their signature songs. The latter assertion is somewhat indisputable as "Shocker In Gloomtown" from the Grand Hour EP and the superior 7" version of "Game of Pricks" are both included on the band's best of collection, Human Amusements at Hourly Rates.

The 15 songs below have been cherry-picked from various GBV 7"s from 1993 to 1995. That Robert Pollard is prolific is no secret but consider this: any artist releasing a batch of songs this strong over a two to three year span would be justly praised as a remarkable talent. Pollard did it while releasing three equally potent full lengths.

This Moment in Slack History: The Stiffs

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.


The Stiffs "Destroy All Art" and Chelsea"
As Sonic Youth told us, 1991 was the year punk broke. This is about half true. 1991 was more accurately the year that punk derived bands began making their presence known in the mainstream, chiefly in the form of the success of the first Lollapalooza tour and the ascent of Nirvana and the grunge movement. It wasn't until 1994 that full-fledged punk revival outfits like Green Day, Rancid and the Offspring started popping up on the charts and in heavy rotation on MTV. While those groups and their slicked up radio ready sound moved units, the best of the punk revival was occurring in the underground. Bands like Gaunt, the Rip Offs and New Bombs Turks all released fantastic 1990s punk albums. The blog Static Party, which chronicles 90s punk 45s, even goes as far as calling this period punk third "golden era." As one who was raised on this stuff, I can't disagree.

One of the best bands out of this mini-movement were the Stiffs a.k.a. the Stiffs Inc. The New York band released a pair of 7 inches on tiny indie labels before signing with ill-fated American Records subsidiary Onion for their debut album, Nix Nought Nothing. Like every other release on Onion, it sank like stone. The band released a second album a couple of years later and called it quits soon after. However, the Stiffs' influence in mass culture has become fairly substantial. Their striking "Victorian punk" look was shamelessly appropriated by popular mall punk goofballs My Chemical Romance.

The songs below are from the band's self-released debut 45. "Chelsea" was rerecorded for the debut full-length but this the superior version. Said album is available from Amazon for a penny if you're interested in hearing more. Frankly, it's a bargain at twice that price.


Download The Stiffs "Destroy All Art" and Chelsea"

This Moment in Slack History: A Bullet For Fidel

A Bullet for Fidel "A Bullet for Fidel"
A Bullet for Fidel was the nom-de-rock of Brian DiPlacido. DiPlacido cut his teeth in punk bands in his youth before strapping on a acoustic guitar and adopting a simple, reflective style. Superficially, he had a lot in common with any number of lo-fi acoustic strummers of the 90s (think Sentridoh) but in practice his songs had much more traditionalist bent. Prisonshake guitarist/Scat Records honcho Robert Griffin was a fan and Scat released several A Bullet For Fidel records, including this eponymous track from their debut 7 inch. If you like what you hear, this record and all the A Bullet For Fidel releases are available for sale from Scat for very reasonable prices. If you're the impatient sort, you can stream DiPlacido's only album, the quite excellent Cold Before Morning, over at Last.fm.


Download A Bullet For Fidel "A Bullet For Fidel"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

I started doing this regular feature a while ago thought I haven't posted any song from old sevens inches in over two months. The reason? (Besides laziness, of course.) Well, it was my original intention to chronicle lost tracks especially if they had never been on CD. However, in this information age things done seem to get lost anymore. You want examples?

Huggy Bear's Long Distance Lovers EP is available along with every other Huggy Bear 7 inch here.





Belreve's "The Sky Is Falling" is available for free download from Slumberland, who are also selling a CD compiling all the band's releases.




Pufftube's awesome, awesome, awesome version of "Boys of Summer" is available on their what I thought would be unlikely to exist myspace page.




Greenhorn's "Through the Thick of It" was included on Mike Lupica's terrific Anti-Static Podcast, which has a similar concept to what I'd hoped to do but is much better executed. (April 9th, 2008 edition, in case you wondering.)


All were 7 inches I had pulled from my collection with intention of posting them. I suppose I needn't had bothered. I did manage to find the below ditty, which legitimately seems to be unavailable elsewhere. (Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.)

The Ampersands "Postcards"
I can't even find too much info on this band other than that they were a four-piece from Australia. This single was one of two they released, both on Harriet Records, a label that is very well regarded among the twee set. From this example, it's easy to hear why: a near perfect two minutes of fey, kissyface pop.


Download The Ampersands "Postcards"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.


DiskothiQ "Massapoeg"
DiskothiQ was the band led by Peter Hughes, sometime bassist for Nothing Painted Blue and current member of the Mountain Goats. All three bands were heavily associated with the Shrimper Records scene of the mid 90s. (Check out the Abridged Perversion comp for a good sampling of the label's product.) Shrimper began by releasing extremely lo-fi cassettes but eventually branched out to vinyl, putting on this 7" in 1994. Packaging innovation!: a 3/4 sleeve with sand glued into a pattern on the back. Perfect for fucking up your other records. DiskothiQ made a few full lengths before disbanding in 2000, most noteworthy being their Football Albums: two discs, one for the NFC and one for the AFC, and a song for every team. No kidding. These and their other full lengths (including an unreleased album) are available as FREE mp3s from the band's website if you want to give them a listen. "Massapoeg" is not on there, however, and for my money it's the highlight of their career.


Download DiskothiQ "Massapoeg"

Note: If you enjoy this little feature I infrequently do on 90s indie 7 inches, I highly recommend you check out Mike Lupica's Anti Static Podcast for WFMU which is back in action after a hiatus of a few months and, frankly, a lot better than my nonsense.

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.


Space Dust "Cool Car"

Since we're already on the subject of brilliant music from New Zealand from yesterday's post, I thought I'd share with you this whirling dervish of psychedelia from Space Dust. I'm hard pressed to find concrete info on the band. I believe this 1994 7 inch (limited to 500 copies on the 18 Wheeler label) was their debut. It seems as though they released 3 full lengths and shared some members with another New Zealand outfit named Brother Love which was also the stage name of guitarist Martin Henderson. If anyone has any further info, don't hesitate to share it. No matter what their history, this slice of Kraut-rock informed dream pop (or it is dream pop informed Kraut-rock?) has long been a favorite in my household. And now hopefully in yours as well.


Download Space Dust "Cool Car"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



King Loser "Stairway to Heaven"

Most 90s band name ever? That's debatable but it takes some chutzpah to call a song "Stairway to Heaven." If only King Loser had succeeded in freeing us from the tyranny of the song we've heard ad nauseam for the past 40 or so years. Twas not to be. Auckland, New Zealand's King Loser released a pair of albums and a handful of singles from 1993 through 1997. This song is taken from their 1994 debut for the illustrious Flying Nun label and is probably their finest moment. It seems the band reunited for a one-off show earlier this year and even has a myspace page attesting to this.

Play or Download King Loser "Stairway to Heaven"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



Odes "Honey Gets Hard"

In between playing bass for NYC uber-hipster outfit Love Child and founding gURL.com, Rebecca Odes had herself a little solo project which released this single and an 8-song mini-LP, both on Merge, in the mid-90s. The A-side of this 7 inch, "Meltaway" is a nice little slice of dream pop but the B-side is the real winner. It's pretty sexy and suggestive for a song about frigidity. And take a look at that back cover.


Hubba hubba.

I don't know know what Odes is up to musically nowdays but it seems as though since leaving gURL.com, she's gotten married, started a family and written a few books. If you want to remember how she was back then, this 7 inch is still available from Merge for three and a half bucks.

Play or Download Odes "Honey Gets Hard"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here. And if you like what you're hearing please check out Mike Lupica's Anti Static podcast, which has a similar concept but much better execution. You can check it out here or subscribe to it via iTunes.



The Grifters "I'm Drunk"

I had previously posted a Grifters song a while back. Since no one has headed my call to put out a proper compilation of all their marvelous 7 inch releases, I'm just going to have to post another one. "I'm Drunk" comes from their split single with Guided by Voices on The Now Sound label. The 4 GBV tracks are nothing spectacular but the lone Grifters cut on the flip is awesome, approximating something like Can covering Johnny Thunders covering "Steppin' Stone."

Play or Download The Grifters "I'm Drunk"

Update: Apparently someone has beat me to the punch on posting this. The You Shall Know Our Discography blog. You can find the contents of the entire 7 inch including the GBV cuts here. I stand corrected on saying the Guided By Voices cuts are nothing special. Three are Pollard throwaways but "Uncle Dave" sounds like prime lo-fi GBV to my ears. Thanks for posting this YSKOD so I don't have to. Check the rest of their blog for lots more 90s indie obscurities.

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here. And if you like what you're hearing please check out Mike Lupica's Anti Static podcast, which has a similar concept but much better execution. You can check it out here or subscribe to it via iTunes.



Fuck "Like You"
With a band name like Fuck, you probably don't expect acoustic guitars, do you? Despite their provocative name, Fuck were not especially abrasive though their records could be rather schizophrenic, rarely adhering to the same style for more than one song. Commercial or even remotely populist considerations were evidently very low on the list of priorities. I've always sort of considered Fuck something of a gentler cousin to Bay Area contemporaries Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. "Like You" is from their 2nd(?) 7", release of their own Rhesus label. Clear vinyl with "sleeves" made up of pages cut out what seems to be children's books. Thus, each copy was unique. This sleeve pictured above is from my copy. I think Gravity Records did something similar using fashion magazines with a Mohinder 7". It's a bit of a contrast from these days where everyone is literally sharing the same MP3 file. Ah, nostalgia. Anyway, Fuck is apparently still an active outfit with a new LP in the can. You can check out their official website here if you'd like.

Play or Download Fuck "Like You"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



The McTells "Alice"
Back when I posted that Bartlebees single I stated my general distaste for twee pop. Yet here I am posting another twee pop single. Maybe I do actually like twee pop.

Like the Bartlbees, the McTells were apparently pretty prolific though this is the only piece of their vinyl I own. And it's a neat little thing: two songs on side A and totally blank on side B. Why? I don't know but as I see the sticker on this for was only $2.49 American I think it was an effort by the Four Letter Words label to keep prices down. I would assume that getting a 45 pressed on only one side is cheaper than both. But enough about the medium, let's get to the music. It reminds me of the Undertones. Nothing wrong with that.


Play or Download The McTells "Alice"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



Envelope "Trophy" and "Try Again"
Envelope was fronted by Matador Records co-president Gerard Cosloy. The band put out 4 7 inches (the fourth and final was a double so I guess it's 5 if you want to get technical) none of which were actually released by Matador though I suppose the band may have wanted to keep a relatively low profile. I actually got to see Envelope perform in 94 or so opening for Cobra Verde and Strapping Fieldhands at Sideshow's by the Seashore in Coney Island. Terrific venue. Anyone know if it's there anymore? In any case, it's definitely a point of interest to hear one of the most influential figures in independent music for the past 3 decades front his own band. (His stint as a GG Allin sideman didn't really count.) Cosloy is still making music with the Air Traffic Controllers and when not running his multi-media empire is writing a sports blog with the most extensive Lastings Milledge coverage on the web.

These two songs are both from Envelope's 3rd 45. Both are seethingly bitter break up songs. If neither rival "Soul and Fire" or "Couldn't You Wait?" as the definitive indie rock heartache song they're at least in the same league. Enjoy!

Play or Download Envelope "Trophy"

Play or Download Envelope "Try Again"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.





The Kent 3 "In the Tunnel" and "Smokin' Fuse"
In his book "The New Bill James Historial Baseball Abstract" statistician and father of sabermetrics Bill James ranks Darrell Evans as the 10th greatest third baseman of all time (ahead of perennial all stars and more recognizable names like Pie Traynor and Ron Cey) and calls him the most underrated player in the history of the sport. How, you ask? James makes the case that Evans is underrated because a) he played in the shadow of Mike Schmidt (according to James, the greatest 3B who ever lived) who came into the National League around the same time, b) he never played in a major sports media center like New York, LA or Boston and c) sportswriters tend to overvalue batting average and runs batted in when judging a player and Evans was prolific at neither, batting .248 lifetime and driving in 100 runs only once in his 20 year career (though he is 77th on the all time RBI list, ahead of guys like Duke Snider and Steve Garvey). However, James points out that Evans walked a lot (5 seasons at 100 or more bases-on-balls and over 1600 for his career) and hit for power (414 career dingers, an average of about 22 per full season) which was good enough to yield him a career OPS of nearly .800, which is pretty impressive. Plus, Evans was a superior defender at his position and baseball's standard statistics for measuring defense are (as we all know) largely useless thus this part of his game also often overlooked.

So was Darrell Evans a great player? There's certainly a strong case for him being a very good player, superior to many of his contemporaries but somehow overlooked. I'd like to postulate that the Kent 3 were the Darrell Evans of of 90s rock. Like Evans, the band was overshadowed though not by a single, worthier band but by the literal dozens of other band in the Pacific Northwest mining similar sonic territory at the time. And like Evans, the Kent 3 didn't have the media hyping them up either. Most of their releases were on micro labels like Super Electro (which was run by Steve Turner of Mudhoney) or Bag of Hammers (probably the premier indie garage label of the 90s but nowhere near the budget or distribution of a Sub Pop or Epitaph). And like sports writers, the rock press has certain aspects of the game they value over others. You average rock scribe tends value things like "innovation" and "relevance" (and if we're being honest, "popularity") so they can appear to be down with the zeitgeist of the times. The Kent 3 played garage punk, a genre much less fashionable 15 years ago than it is now and the critics couldn't have cared less.

It's a shame because the Kent 3 made some pretty awesome records. While you could easily slide them into the garage punk genre, the Kent 3 were no revivalists or genre fetishists but rather played with their own voice which just happened to be young, loud, snotty and easily categorized. Their songs twisted and turned with jagged edges more reminiscent of Wire than the Chesterfield Kings and were tightly constructed featuring memorable hooks usually courtesy of guitarist Viv Halogen's surf-meets-spaghetti-western leads. After recording a fine debut (Screaming Youth Fantastic) with Mark E Smith-ish vocalist Mike Pitts, Halogen stepped to the front to handle vocals and the group subsequently released 3 more excellent albums (1998's Peasant Musik is especially potent) all of which are probably in the discount "this has been sitting in our racks for 6 years so we're going to do all but give it away" bin of your local record shop. The group has a myspace page (featuring zero songs!) and are apparently still some kind of active outfit.

These two cuts are from some of the Kent 3's earliest releases. "In the Tunnel" is from their first 7" on the (band's?) Generic Records label and "Smokin' Fuse" their 3rd 7", the Coin of the Realm EP on Empty Records, both from 1993. Their 2nd 7", the Chromies EP, is probably their best but it's included in its entirety on Screaming Youth Fantastic and should thus be relatively easy to find once these two nibbles make you hungry for an entire meal. Track this stuff down folks. It's probably available for even less than this would run you...



Yeesh. I guess James forgot to mention that unattractive ball players are underrated too.

Play or Download The Kent 3 "In the Tunnel"

Play or Download The Kent 3 "Smokin' Fuse"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



Helium "Hole in the Ground"
You all probably know Helium. At least everyone I knew back in 96 or so did. Mary Timony's post-Autoclave project put out 2 full lengths and a handful of EPs on Matador in the mid 90s. "Hole in the Ground" is from their second 7" released on the quite excellent Pop Narcotic label in 1993 just prior to the band being snatched up by the multi-conglomerate. In all seriousness, it was probably this single that convinced Matador to sign them and it's easy to hear why. It remains one of my favorite songs from the band and it's sadly out of print and unavailable anywhere else. (Though I believe the B Side, "Lucy," is on the "rarities" disc of What's Up, Matador? compilation/label sampler.) Give it a listen and dig that female empowerment, sister.

Play or Download Helium "Hole in the Ground"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

For those of you who lived through the 90s you may remember that it was a remarkable time for music. If you think that's hyperbole or nostalgia I will remind you that 90s were a time when someone like Lou Barlow could have a side project that was little more than a tribute to the Sliver Apples score a top 40 hit. The 90s were also the last time when the market for 7 inch records was viable and healthy and 1000s of bands took advantage releasing 45s on their own imprint or (if they were lucky) getting an indie label to press it up and distribute it for them. It was the perfect way to introduce a band to the listener: 2 or 3 of the band's best blasts in a small, attractive and affordable package. The bubble burst on this market around the same time that the mainstream alt rock boom went bust and the insidious beasts known as post-grunge (in the mainstream) and emo (in the underground) rose to prominence. Bands are still releasing 7 inches today but in lesser numbers. Why waste the money on making a material item that you then have to go through the process of getting into hands of the public when you can just throw a couple of MP3s on your website (or myspace page) and potentially have the entire world able to hear your work? It's certainly more convenient and economically sound. I won't say which approach I consider better but speaking as someone who is a collector by nature I do miss the ability to possess an actual object as a memento. But that's neither here nor there.

Unfortunately, this era has yet to be documented in any kind of meaningful way. (Hell, I'm still waiting for Rhino to release their inevitable alt rock hits of the 90s compilations.) Certainly, a few labels and artists have released retrospectives of their own 7 inch releases but there's been nothing in the way of a "Pebbles" or "Killed by Death" style collection for 90s indie 45s. So being the semi-ambitious fellow that I am, I took it upon myself to right this wrong. But being the somewhat lazy fellow that I am, I decided, much like the hypothetical band I described above, that pressing up and distributing records would be too much of an undertaking and that converting 7 inches to MP3s and posting them seemed like the more practical thing to do. (Not to mention having to track down all the bands and pay them. I could release a comp as a bootleg and bypass this step but I'm the above board, straight and narrow type.)

Thus, this feature will be something of a piecemeal compilation. I'll provide you with the track and a little background info and you can go ahead and assemble you own comp if you'd like once there are enough cuts posted to fill a CD. Or you can just take it as it comes. That's really up to you. What's up to me is providing you with quality. Though not the kind of quality that one would file under "sound." This was the lo-fi era after all. So all that surface noise you hear from the vinyl to MP3 is there for ambience. Ambience or the fact that I can't figure out how to make them sound any better.

(Note: If any of the artists responsible for these songs object to them being freely available please get in touch and I will delete them without hesitation. I'm not here to tell you that you should be giving your music away though you should consider that maybe demand for those 50 copies left in your mom's basement will suddenly and sharply increase. Another note: The claim that no one else is documenting this era is not entirely true as the good folks at Static Party have been posting cuts from 90s 45s for some time. However, their focus is entirely on the garage punk genre and while some overlap is possible and even likely this feature should be a bit broader in scope. But do go and pay them a visit, will you?)



The Bartlebees "Winter in the City"
Let's hear it for German twee pop!! Twee is not usually my cup of tea (too much sugar!) but the Bartlebees pull if off better than most. Or maybe it's just more appealing to me to hear cutesy lyrics sung in broken English through thick German accents than the seemingly ubiquitous infantile vocal stylings of most indie pop. In any case, this Munich trio was quite prolific in the 90s releasing several LPs and 45s mostly on their own Little Teddy label. Most of these were only sporadically available in the US though the fine New Jersey-based label 18 Wheeler released a CD (From Path of Pain to Jewels of Glory) combining the band's first two full-lengths along with some fairly hilarious liner notes. "Winter in the City" is from a 45 featuring some lovely glued on artwork that came out on the Tout Le Monde label in 1997 or so. It's one of my favorite cuts from the Bartlebees though I have to admit I have little to no clue what they're going on about. Something about a "human blankie" and the Shroud of Turin. Um, yeah. Also be sure to check the band's ace cover of punk troubadour Patrik Fitzgerald's "Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart" available on their myspace page.

Play or Download The Bartlebees "Winter in the City"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



The Grifters "Queen of the Table Waters"
Okay, so maybe the first two cuts in this series were a bit disappointing as it turns both tracks were albumized and not 7 inch only. This one though is a killer and I'm nearly positive it's unavailable anywhere else. The Grifters are a strong contender for most underrated band of the 90s. (That title actually probably belong to the Kent 3 but that's another post.) I've always sort of considered them lo-fi's Rolling Stones to Guided By Voices' Beatles. (Apparently, All Music Guide feels the same way.) They never achieved the following the GBV did despite putting out some fine records, both as full-lengths (I'm particularly fond of 1994's Crappin' You Negative) and as slew of singles. In fact, no band in the 90s with the possible exception of GBV had more great material left off their albums, released only on 7 inches. Both bands are long overdue for definitive retrospectives of this material and hopefully some label with more money than sense will correct this. In any case, this one is one of the Grifters' best. I believe this was their inaugural release for big time indie Sub Pop and it was a fantastic introduction to the world at large. However, the public (by which I mean CMJ types) was nonplussed by the band's obvious greatness and after two very good full lengths for Sub Pop were met with indifference the Grifters called it a day. This was shame but now you can listen to this track and once the inevitable lo-fi revival begins you can pretend you were hip to these guys back in the day.

Oh, and there will surely be more Grifters songs from other 7 inches posted here in future. That is, unless, some label manages to put together a Grifters comp in the meantime. Come on, labels. Relieve me of this responsibility.

Play or Download The Grifters "Queen of the Table Waters"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

"This Moment in Slack History" collects songs from 90s indie 7 inches. For further explanation, please see my original post here.



Zipgun "I Can't Wait"
Zipgun were one of many garage punk (but not grunge) bands from Seattle in the mid 90s. When I hear this track I can't help but feel it's almost the audio equivalent of Peter Bagge's Hate comics. It just embodies that mid-twenties lost in the sauce feeling. Plus, it sounds like I'd imagine the band managed by Hate's hero Buddy Bradley, Leonard and the Love Gods, would sound. (Incidentally, I've been giving some serious thought to expanding wikipedia's entry on Hate but that might set me down a path from which I may never return. Any thoughts?) Noteworthy for being an early release on the Thrill Jockey label. Yes, this was the sort of thing they put out before they got Tortoised.

Play or Download Zipgun "I Can't Wait"

This Moment in Slack History: Morsels from the Last Great Era of the 7 Inch Record

For those of you who lived through the 90s you may remember that it was a remarkable time for music. If you think that's hyperbole or nostalgia I will remind you that 90s were a time when someone like Lou Barlow could have a side project that was little more than a tribute to the Sliver Apples score a top 40 hit. The 90s were also the last time when the market for 7 inch records was viable and healthy and 1000s of bands took advantage releasing 45s on their own imprint or (if they were lucky) getting an indie label to press it up and distribute it for them. It was the perfect way to introduce a band to the listener: 2 or 3 of the band's best blasts in a small, attractive and affordable package. The bubble burst on this market around the same time that the mainstream alt rock boom went bust and the insidious beasts known as post-grunge (in the mainstream) and emo (in the underground) rose to prominence. Bands are still releasing 7 inches today but in lesser numbers. Why waste the money on making a material item that you then have to go through the process of getting into hands of the public when you can just throw a couple of MP3s on your website (or myspace page) and potentially have the entire world able to hear your work? It's certainly more convenient and economically sound. I won't say which approach I consider better but speaking as someone who is a collector by nature I do miss the ability to possess an actual object as a memento. But that's neither here nor there.

Unfortunately, this era has yet to be documented in any kind of meaningful way. (Hell, I'm still waiting for Rhino to release their inevitable alt rock hits of the 90s compilations.) Certainly, a few labels and artists have released retrospectives of their own 7 inch releases but there's been nothing in the way of a "Pebbles" or "Killed by Death" style collection for 90s indie 45s. So being the semi-ambitious fellow that I am, I took it upon myself to right this wrong. But being the somewhat lazy fellow that I am, I decided, much like the hypothetical band I described above, that pressing up and distributing records would be too much of an undertaking and that converting 7 inches to MP3s and posting them seemed like the more practical thing to do. (Not to mention having to track down all the bands and pay them. I could release a comp as a bootleg and bypass this step but I'm the above board, straight and narrow type.)

Thus, this feature will be something of a piecemeal compilation. I'll provide you with the track and a little background info and you can go ahead and assemble you own comp if you'd like once there are enough cuts posted to fill a CD. Or you can just take it as it comes. That's really up to you. What's up to me is providing you with quality. Though not the kind of quality that one would file under "sound." This was the lo-fi era after all. So all that surface noise you hear from the vinyl to MP3 is there for ambience. Ambience or the fact that I can't figure out how to make them sound any better.

(Note: If any of the artists responsible for these songs object to them being freely available please get in touch and I will delete them without hesitation. I'm not here to tell you that you should be giving your music away though you should consider that maybe demand for those 50 copies left in your mom's basement will suddenly and sharply increase. Another note: The claim that no one else is documenting this era is not entirely true as the good folks at Static Party have been posting cuts from 90s 45s for some time. However, their focus is entirely on the garage punk genre and while some overlap is possible and even likely this feature should be a bit broader in scope. But do go and pay them a visit, will you?)



Sammy "Babe Come Down"
It's fitting that the first installment of "This Moment in Slack History" would start with a very slack track indeed. When I picked up this 45 from Sammy (released on Steve Shelly's Smells Like Records label) I would've sworn that it was Pavement working under a pseudonym. Just listen to it and tell me it's not a perfect slice of "Slanted and Enchanted" era Malkmus and co at their lackadaisical apex. But no, Sammy was indeed their own entity and even put out an album on DGC in 96 or so. They get a big fat zero for originality but one has to admire the craftsmanship of their sonic forgery. They put so much care into imitating the singular sloppiness of the originators that you may have to conclude that they expended more effort into sounding like Pavement than Pavement did themselves. Yes, it's borderline embarrassing but for the couple of minutes this track is playing you probably won't care.

Play or Download Sammy "Babe Come Down"