Tiger Trap

Tiger Trap is one of those bands that everybody seemed to like but I never really listened to all that much. Sure, I bought their records, but I never put them on. I'm not quite sure why.

When I recently put these on my turntable I was pretty happy with what I heard. I suppose I finally understand what all the fuss is about, even if it does sound a little dated.

Why is it that I picked up so many records that I never got around to listening to? If I never started this project, would I have gone my whole life without listening to them? The sad truth is that there are plenty of records in my collection that I probably would not have ever dropped a needle on, but at least that problem has been rectified, and my joy is yours as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Tiger Trap.

Tiger Trap/Bratmobile (Four Letter Words)

1. Words And Smiles






















Supercrush (K)

1. Supercrush
2. You And Me
3. Hiding




















Tiger Trap/Henry's Dress (Slumberland)

1.  Alien Space Song

Dim Stars

Here is a little nugget, a joint effort between Richard Hell, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley, and Don Fleming.

Quite the supergroup, apparently.

I tried to join the 4 parts of "You Gotta Lose" but it just wasn't happening. Oh well.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a 3x7" by Dim Stars.

Dim Stars EP (Ecstatic Peace!)

1. The Plug
2. Dim Star
3. Christian Rat Attack
4. You Gotta Lose (Part 1)
5. You Gotta Lose (Part 2)
6. You Gotta Lose (Part 3)
7. You Gotta Lose (Part 4)

R.E.M.

I know R.E.M. probably shouldn't qualify as an "also ran", but their version of this song is pretty awesome and I haven't seen this record around too much. I'm sure you don't mind. You can't really fault them for liking Mission Of Burma.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, R.E.M.

R.E.M./The Coal Porters (Bucketfull Of Brains)

1. Academy Fight Song

Bastro & Codeine

I believe this was put out to support their joint European tour that occurred some years ago. A fun little one off that I discovered at a record fair in San Francisco (I believe) some years after that, yet still some years ago. Time sure does fly when you're having fun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a somewhat collaborative single by Bastro & Codeine.

A L'ombre De Nous b/w Produkt (Glitterhouse)

1. A L'ombre De Nous
2. Produkt

Mocket

I saw Mocket for the first time at Jabberjaw, I believe in the summer of 1996. They were fantastic.

This single is pretty fun, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself listening to it.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Mocket.

Pearl Drop (Up)

1. Pearl Drop
2. Spark Plug
3. Halo

Bloodsport

This record left me in a quandry.

I listened to it the other day for the first time since I originally purchased it in Toronto about 8 or so years ago. It ruled.

I looked and saw that they also released a 12" EP. I considered waiting to post this single until I had also tracked down a copy of that, but then I decided that I've spent too much money on this blog lately so I should just cool my jets. Plus you get to listen to this awesome single now, and you can listen to the 12" whenever I discover it.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a single by Bloodsport.

On Ice b/w Agent (Quiet)

1. On Ice
2. Agent

Macha & Bedhead

This version of Believe (yes, the Cher song) is amazing. The melody is played on a telephone.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a CD by Macha & Bedhead.

Macha Loved Bedhead (Jetset)

1. You And New Plastic
2. Never Underdose
3. Hey Goodbye
4. Only The Bodies Survive
5-85. How Are Your Windows
86. Believe

Swell Maps

I've been a Swell Maps fan for some years now. They never let you down.

The first time I met Nikki Sudden he lambasted me because although I had listened to all the other records extensively, I had never actually heard Jane From Occupied Europe for some reason. Don't worry, I have changed that in the meantime.

I mentioned before that Phones B. Sportsman is my favorite punk rock name of all time. That night Nikki told me where the name came from and I promptly forgot. Fortunately for me, I recently exchanged a few emails with Mr. Sportsman himself and he told me this:

"Phones was a fave character in one of those Thunderbirds/Stingray progs, Sportsman was cos i was the only Map who was even remotely interested in sport, and i don't remember what the original B stood for, but now it is officially Bysshe (after the poet Shelley)."

Thank you sir for that!

I'm not sure why, but bits and pieces of these have appeared on various compilations but never all in one place. Now you too can listen to the original Swell Maps singles as they were intended to be heard. I'm including the single that came with A Trip To Marineville because it seems like the right thing to do (and I had to buy it separately as my copy of the LP did not include it).

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, all 5 singles by Swell Maps.

Read About Seymour (Rather/Rough Trade)

1. Read About Seymour
2. Ripped & Torn
3. Black Velvet




















Dresden Style (Rather/Rough Trade)

1. Dresden Style
2. Ammunition Train
3. Full Moon




















Loin Of The Surf (Rather/Rough Trade)

1. Loin Of The Surf
2. Doctor At Cake
3. Steven Does
4. Bronze & Baby Shoes



















Real Shocks (Rather/Rough Trade)

1. Real Shocks
2. English Verse
3. Monologues




















Let's Build A Car (Rather/Rough Trade)

1. Let's Build A Car
2. Big Maz In The Country
3. ...Then Poland

Brent's T.V.

I am a fan of all of the bands these guys have done. They had me at hello, apparently.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Brent's T.V.

Lumberjack Days (Lookout!)

1. Parisian
2. Elite Manila
3. Bright Lights
4. Everybody's Baby
5. What Do You Get
6. Train
7. Hairdoo

Plastique

This is yet another one of those records that I used to see around all the time but never bothered to pick up. I finally did and now you get to listen to it too.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a single by Plastique.

De-Real (K)

1. The K-I-L-L
2. De-Real
3. Xanax, Baby

Stacatto Reads

Probably one of the lesser listened to Gravity releases, despite featuring members of Rocket From The Crypt.

Did I see Stacatto Reads? I can't remember. If I did, it was at the Che Cafe. If not, then it wasn't.

Why did they not spell it Staccato? Were they trying to be difficult?

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Stacatto Reads.

Stacatto Reads EP (Gravity)

1. Secular
2. Stuntman
3. Dissention In The Ranks
4. Spectrum

Waxwing

The Angel Assassins played with Waxwing in Seattle on our tour of the Northwest with Fire Engine Grey. I remember that show being one of the better ones from tour.

I can't remember if Rocky gave me this tape that night or when he stayed at my house a few months later. I'm not sure it matters all that much, either.

The other side has a phone number on it that is probably defunct (or calls the Votolato family home -- I'm not really curious enough to try), but no song titles. I'm sure the songs do indeed have names, but I not owning any other Waxwing releases makes it difficult to figure them out. If you happen to know the names of these songs, please let me know so I can update the information here.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a cassette by Waxwing.

Waxwing Demo CS (Self)

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7

The Gist

Right after I moved to New York I went to see Stuart Moxham play at The Fez. Whilst standing in line, the girl behind me (whose name turned out to be Kendall Meade) struck up a conversation with me. As I had virtually no friends in the city I was more than happy to chat with her and perhaps not sit by myself for the entirety of the show.

She invited me to sit at her table with her when we got downstairs. I squeezed in next to an older looking gentlemen and introduced myself. I was slightly embarrassed when he introduced himself to me as Stuart, snd I realized that he was indeed a former member of a band that I love, Young Marble Giants. I knew I would be seeing him perform but I didn't expect to get quite so cozy with him.

His set was fantastic that night. He even gave me a very friendly wave goodbye at the end of the evening. I was pretty excited about the whole affair, to be honest.

I saw Kendall a few more times but the 7 year age gap proved insurmountable. I hear tale that she is currently doing well (I think she just released a new record under her nom de guerre, Mascott), and if you see her say hello for me!

Just so you know, I quite enjoy inviting you, the reader, to greet people on my behalf.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, The Gist.

This Is Love b/w Yanks (Rough Trade)

1. This Is Love
2. Yanks




















Love At First Sight b/w Light Aircraft (Rough Trade)

1. Love At First Sight
2. Light Aircraft




















Fool For A Valentine (Rough Trade)

1. Fool For A Valentine
2. Fool For A Version

Joan Of Arc

I was so excited when Method & Sentiment came out because I loved Cap'n Jazz. I listened to it extensively and liked how weird it sounded to me at the time.

It sounds considerably less weird to me now, but I still enjoy it. I saw them on their first tour, and several times after that. I lost interest around Live In Chicago, but those first few times I saw them they were fantastic.

In the summer of 1997 I was driving through the night from Oakland to Olympia, WA to attend Yo-Yo A Go-Go. Around sunrise we drove past Mt. Shasta and were listening to A Portable Model of..., which was a pretty awesome way to greet the day. I still remember that experience fondly.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, 2 singles by Joan Of Arc.

Method & Sentiment (Jade Tree)

1. Didactic Prom
2. Please Sleep
3. Trial At Orleans



















Busy Bus, Sunny Bus b/w Stemingway And Heinbeck (Southern)

1. Busy Bus, Sunny Bus
2. Stemingway And Heinbeck

Steve Miro

I was record shopping in Philadelphia recently when I came across this record. The clerk quizzed me as to why I was buying that particular one, and I admitted that I had never heard of it but it looked interesting. He told me that I buy records the same way he does. I responded that you can't buy every record just because it looks interesting, but you are allowed to indulge yourself sometimes.

I am glad that I did, as this record totally rules. Please feel free to enjoy it as much as I do.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a single by Steve Miro.

Up And About b/w Smiling In Reverse (Object Music)

1. Up And About
2. Smiling In Reverse

The Good Good & Querent

I had originally tried to guess which side was which on this record, and as it happens I could not have possibly guessed correctly, as both sides have both bands on them, spliced together. I was chatting with David about it and he informed me that it should correctly be attributed to both bands, so here is the entire single correctly catalogued. Please feel free to enjoy it.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a single by The Good Good & Querent.

The Good Good & Querent (Self)

1. Untitled
2. Untitled

Chris Leo

A weird one off that he put out some years ago and no one probably ever listened to. Here is your chance.

Did I mention that I once went on a date to CBGBs to see The Lapse and The Rapture? True story. Ironically, I met her roommate that night and although I don't even remember her name, I am still friends with Mr. James Hoff.

I'm not sure why he credited each song differently, but I am posting it here under his name as that seems simplest.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Chris Leo.

Insound Tour Support 7 (Insound)

1. Infinite Paths To Dumbness
2. Air Tooth
3. The Degeneration Of A Bliss
4. Kazakhstan Direct

Waifle

The other side of this split for those of you that enjoy late 90s (or early 00s) hardcore.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Waifle.

This Is A Party As Much As It Is A Funeral (Pensive/Create A Villian Of Your Own)

1. Croaker Norge

Le Tigre

I was lucky enough to be one of the last people let in to the first Le Tigre show at Dumba, what seems like many years ago. They were fantastic.

I saw them a few times after that but it never really measured up somehow. I'm not sure what was missing, but it was something.

That first show was pretty amazing, though.

My old roommate Ben used to write from Time magazine and would occasionally solicit my help on stories. One day he called me and asked if I had Sadie Benning's number so he could interview her about something or another. Never having met her before, I had to admit that I did not. I was mildly amused, however.

He was pretty excited when some years later he became the one to publicly "out" Jack and Meg White and Jack said in an interview that he wanted to dump a can of paint over Ben's head. Revenge is indeed a dish best served cold.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, a single by Le Tigre.

Hot Topic (Wiija)

1. Hot Topic
2. Hot Topic (41 Small Stars Remix)
3. Yr Critique
4. They Want Us To Make A Symphony Out Of Women Swallowing Their Own Tongues

Come On

I met one of the dudes from this band once, but I cannot for the life of me remember which one. He came into Midnight Records during my tenure there as manager and sold me some Come On CDs. I was fairly excited, if memory serves me.

He was far from the most famous person I helped at the store, however. My favorite was pulling bootleg Love CDs for Robert Plant while he was asking my advice on Kim Fowley records.

That being said, this single is pretty good.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Come On.

Don't Walk On The Kitchen Floor b/w Kitchen In The Clouds (Self)

1. Don't Walk On The Kitchen Floor
2. Kitchen In The Clouds

Notorious

This sounds a bit like an Italian version of Slaves.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Notorious.

Teatro Sexy Movie (Valium/Nausicaa)

1. Wow Che Vita!

The Blank Students

A few more jams from this excellent compilation for you.

I know little to nothing about The Blank Students, but these songs are indeed enjoyable. You probably know what to expect already.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, The Blank Students.

Earcom 1 (Fast Product)

1. Fun At The Fair
2. Background Music

Castro

I saw Castro once at Free 103. I do not recall who else performed, but I am sure there were other bands.

It was nice to see Isaac in something other than Dogg And Pony, which if you saw you don't need me to describe.

Isaac is now married to my friend Kerri Koch, and although I haven't seen either of them recently I wish them well!

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Castro.

Castro EP (Tapes)

1. Base In Me
2. Cardboard People
3. Ride The Nipple

Blue Silk Sutures

If you like Gowns as much as I do, you will probably love this record. It certainly made me happy.

I saw this record on the table when Amps For Christ last came through town but I didn't know what it was until much later, which made acquiring it more difficult. Not significantly, however.

Artwork by the lovely Tara Tavi.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Blue Silk Sutures.

Blue Silk Sutures/Silver Daggers (Kill Shaman)

1. Trust The Experts
2. Coma

The Mountain Goats

Happy election day friends! I hope all of you Americans above the age of consent performed your civic duty today! In honor of that, I prepared a very special post for you.

I have been a fan of The Mountain Goats now for many years it would seem. The first time I ever heard them was in 1995, I had just moved into the dorms and my friend Maggie played me Beautiful Rat Sunset. I'm still not quite sure what that is supposed to mean, but I was immediately hooked.

It wasn't until the summer of 1997 that I finally got to see him play, at Yo-Yo A Go-Go in Olympia. I fell asleep during Mecca Normal (it had been a long couple of days) but woke up just in time to see John Darnielle begin playing. I was pretty stoked.

I saw him again right after I moved to New York. It was pretty amazing to be in a tiny room and see The Mountain Goats followed by The Extra Glenns -- a sold out show that I was somehow able to sneak into.

My old roommate Lindsay and I went to see him play again at The Village Underground a few years later. Apparently people were getting pissed at me because I was drunk and responding to the things John was shouting at the crowd. How dare I?

You might be interested to know that it was initially "Treetop Song" that put the idea in my head to move away from California. A very powerful song indeed.

I have accumulated quite a substantial portion of The Mountain Goats discography over the years, but I thought this selection would be appropriate. I didn't feel like digitizing all the singles when they are otherwise available, perhaps someday if someone is interested in investing some money in my time I would be willing to do that. For now you can listen to two early cassettes that for some reason have never been reissued (I walked into Amoeba one day and they were just there, unbelievable as it may sound), as well as the three very much out of print Yo-Yo 12"s.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, The Mountain Goats.

The Hound Chronicles (Shrimper)

1. The Garden Song
2. Going To Wisconsin
3. Spiriting Toward Alpha
4. Alpha Negative
5. The Torch Song
6. שקט
7. The Cow Song
8. Untitled
9. Going To Chino
10. Standard Bitter Love Song #4
11. Going To Mexico
12. Lab Rat Blues
13. Going To Kansas
14. The Water Song
15. Going To Spain
16. Keep It On Your Mind






Hot Garden Stomp (Shrimper)

1. Pure Milk
2. Ice Blue
3. Water Song II
4. Sun Song
5. Going To Japan
6. Are You Cleaning Off The Stone?
7. The Hot Garden Stomp
8. Love Hymn To Aphrodite
9. Beach House
10. Hello There Howard
11. Going To Norwalk
12. Fresh Cherries In Trinidad
13. Feed This End
14. 15-1
15. Thanks For The Dress
16. Tell Me On A Sunday






New Asian Cinema (Yo-Yo)

1. Cao Dai Blowout
2. Korean Bird Paintings
3. Narakaloka
4. Golden Jackal Song
5. Treetop Song

















Isopanisad Radio Hour (Yo-Yo)

1. Abide With Me
2. Born Ready
3. Cobscook Bay
4. Dutch Orchestra Blues
5. Pseudothyrum Song
6. The Last Limit Of Bhakti
















Devil In The Shortwave (Yo-Yo)

1. Crows
2. Genesis 19:1-2
3. Yoga
4. Dirty Old Town
5. Commandante

The Anasazi

My current turntable can't decide if it wants to be automatic or not. It usually is, but recently has not been picking up at the end of records. I decided to use this to my advantage and digitize every ridiculously small (read 5" or 6") record I own, which is not many.

I did always enjoy Makara and Jenny Piccolo, so I was excited when I heard about this band. I was bummed I didn't get to see them as they didn't really play out until after I moved to New York City. I was friends with all of them, although Josh is the only one who also moved to New York so he is the only one I ever see anymore.

To the rest of you -- hello! I hope you are well!

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, The Anasazi.

This Is A Party As Much As It Is A Funeral (Pensive/Create A Villian Of Your Own)

1. The Red Mercury Legion Project

Theoretical Girls

This single is really, really good. I've been listening to it for years now and am happy to be able share it with you.

I had "U.S. Millie" on some cassette I made (I was rocking a walkman up until 2005, pretty late by most people's standards) and I used to love walking around the city listening to it. Perhaps you will enjoy it too!

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, Theoretical Girls.

U.S. Millie b/w You Got Me (Theoretical)

1. U.S. Millie
2. You Got Me

People

Here is another Kevin Shea joint, this time with Mary Halvorson. I have been known to enjoy the company of both of them, alone or together.

Mary writes the music and Kevin writes the words, which probably explains why they are so strange.

I think Kevin did another version of this with only two songs but I don't really remember and I doubt it matters too much. Here is what I have, regardless.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, People.

People EP (Self)

1. The Ending Mistake
2. The Seventh Month
3. The Man Of Men's Men