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THE NAUGHTY 90'S - from the alterno-boom of ca. '91 up 'til just about now...
Don't you just hate all those retro-fixated freaks always stating that the music made 10, 20 or 30 years ago was the best that mankind could ever conjure up, and everything has gone downhill since? You know the type. Half of you probably recognize yourselves - it's a fuckin' plague of the mind, it is. You have NOT heard it all before! However, things are getting older faster and faster these days (just wait for that "retro-grunge" wave to pop up in a few years and you'll see what I mean...)
There are loads of holes in this dept. as you may discover. Pinpointing "extra-special" music demands a certain retrospective view - to put the sound of a band/artist in it's historical, (sub)cultural context. This omniscience is what makes old music so exciting. It's harder to describe the charm of a newborn sound, not because of the lack of reference points, they are often to be found in the past, but because you lack the knowledge of the nature, direction and history of the band and its music. This ignorance is what makes new music so exciting.
Mega-labels of the 1990's
(RED text means !)
The pride of Finland and flagship of everything (well, alot) musically cool from this magic country. Few places in the world seem to have come up with as many fucked up, zany bands like Finland. Original and warped seem to litterary be the norm there, as opposed to brit-pop-wanna-be & fake-alterno-cred-"rawk" shite in Sweden and most other countries. Here are some of their most essential bands: (all bands from Finland xpt if noticed)
LIIMANARINA
EXTREMELY lo-fi, extremely PUNK ROCK! Chaotic, noisy, probably recorded live on a one-track, cheap taperecorder, but haters of avant-noise (like myself) shoul NOT stop reading coz this
From the warped but politically aware minds of the Godly KINGDOM SCUM, with HQ's in both Sweden and the USA.
V/A
- Angels of Life in a Psychic Wasteland CD 98
- Delete the Elite CD 94
My fave Eerie comp I think. 21 songs of "Punk Rap", here meaning anything from typical rap-alterno-metal a la CLAWFINGER, GERONIMO to the experimental fun of EN HALVKOKT I FOLIE and KINGDOM SCUM. Inbetween you'll find my favourites SQUINT = brilliant, highly original crossover rap w/ lotsa noises & breaks! and other coolities like 48 KHz = FAINT NO MORE-goes-rapXover song, very electric - very good. CHUMBAWAMBA does a remake of one of their songs from the brilliant "anarchy" CD together w/ CREDIT TO THE NATION
As always KINGDOM SCUM present some of their best songs ever on the comps. "bullets for cobain" has got some brilliant, mean lyrix about the antichrist of grunch and the bloody awsome "I'll show a goddamn positive attitude" is one of the most insane KS rap songs I've heard, with almost twice as many freaky beats and zany soundbites as usual.
DESCOJON URBANO from Puerto Rico does a great track that could be the missing link between rap and goth (!)
- Eerie Bazaar CD 95
- Free Mumia LP 9?
KINGDOM SCUM
- at least 4 early cassettes
- you can't stop a good idiot 8" flexi 92
- golden asshole legacy LP/CD 93 (in coop w/ Staalplaat)
- punk LP 94
- god eat god CD 95 (in coop w/ Staalplaat)
- to cause a fracas split-12" 95(?) w/ ENE (JAP)
- (galaxy of frustration split-7" 96 w/ SURFERS OF ROMANTICA) on the japaneses ZK records
- (contaminating the thinking supply CD 97) on Turn of the Century records
- recycle your environment Cassette 98, ltd edition of 25 copies wrapped in a used diaper (!)
+ exclusive trax on all Eeriecompilations and some other...
(is that all, Troy, or are U holding out on me?)
Surely one of the Big Ones when it comes to discoveries of the last couple of years. I picked up the "Punk" album in a trusty 2nd hand vinyl waterhole and it was love at first listen. It's crude, it's wild, it's political without pointing fingers... It's everything punk once threatened to be and more.
EEYORE...
FRIENDLY
URGA (SWE)
A label that crossed my path when I was out surfing one day, 1-2 years ago. I was looking for info on UZ JSME DOMA, and it turned out
UK Pronk - the scene that never was
Once upon a time in London there was a fanzine called ORGAN. Organ was the coolest music mag in history and one of the "largest" (in terms of sales and influence) UK zines ever, until the zine-tentacle of the Organ collective imploded and they chose to concentrate on their label ORG records instead. During their 10+ years/50+ issues they promoted thousands of new and original, cre8ive bands from the UK and the world. They almost never wrote about stuff they didn't like (apart from more than a few healthy punches at tbe brit-pop treck), so just about every featured band was cool in one way or another AND they hyped the mighty CARDIACS in EVERY SINGLE ISSUE! Cool, huh!?=-D!! In this way they created something of a forum for (among MANY other things) original, often bendy & quirky pop/rock/punk bands. These bands were soon referred to as "Pronk", as in prog punk - not by the bands themselves ofcourse, but by the Organgsters, thereby creating not a scene but the impression of one, which when it comes to causing interrest is just as effective. These bands were/are truly The Underest Ground. If you should ever find some, grab anything by anyone of them. Some time early in the next millennia when good has conquered evil and justice has forever been done, the 1st ZUNO MEN EP will be worth millions.
PRESS STOP! ...or something. I just got a newsletter from ORG records and it seems Organ Fanzine lives again. Hurray! They've got tons of new releases - Hardcore seem to be their new kink. Hell, they've released the new CARDIACS single as well as THE SEA NYMPHS, so what are you waiting for? Go directly to their homepage and make some new friends!
BUNTY CHUNKS
- demo 93
- "muck for skin heads" 7" EP 94 (Noiseburger)
- "brain" MCD 96 (Noiseburger)
This was one of the 1st bands I discovered through Organ fanzine and I still consider them to be one of my most extraordinary, underground musical findings ever. Their originality sometimes outshines the mighty CARDIACS! in the sense that the influences of the latter can sometimes be traced. I have yet to this day not heard one band even slightly similar in style to BUNTY CHUNKS. The best referencial descriptions I've come up with so far would be either "a grunged up 'Desperate Straights'-era SLAPP HAPPY" or "LUDUS meets ", both which means very little to very few people. Well, they're REALLY really bendy and have all these riffs and timechanges and UNIQUE song structures but it in a SOFT way. I've NEVER heard anything so intricate yet so FLUENT. Yes, it's truly a band that inspires capitals. Unfortunately they are no more, but some members have started a new band which is said to be very original as well. I'll try and keep you updated.
GAG
PRONK!! GAG zizzle, frizzle, twist, quirk and thrash about without remorse. Early CARDIACS are/were probably a big influence.
KENNY PROCESS TEAM
MAP
PINHEAD NATION
THE SHRUBBIES
SLEEPY PEOPLE
ZUNO MEN
Bands, bands, bands!
With the "aternative" rock boom appearing shortly after the breakthrough of NIRVANA, loads of bands of all sorts (mostly guitar based post-punk),
In the 90's, there's 2 bands in particular that have reached the broad masses and a small commercial success despite their original antics: PRIMUS and MR BUNGLE.
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CREEDLE (USA)
DAISY CHAINSAW (UK)
DYMAXION (USA)
HEAVY VEGETABLE (USA)
ITCH (CAN)
MIRANDA SEX GARDEN (UK)
MR BUNGLE (USA)
NAKED CITY (USA/JAP etc)
NASA DUDE (DEN)
PRIMUS (USA)
PSYCHOPLASMA (FIN)
SQUONK OPERA (USA)
UZ JSME DOMA (CZE)
CARDIACS (UK)
- "day is gone" M-CD 91 (The Alphabet Business Concern)
- "heaven born and ever bright" CD 91 (The Alphabet Business Concern/Rough Trade)
- "sing to god" 2CD 95 (The Alphabet Business Concern)
- "manhoo" CDS 95 (The Alphabet Business Concern)
- "odd even" CDS 96 (The Alphabet Business Concern)
...AND THEY NEVER STOPPED! They just kept going and going! and that's what so unique about this band. They discovered a new musical concept, they fell in love with it and they neither run it into the ground by not developing, or gave in to commercial interest and copped out. They clinged to the belif that making music is a sacred thing that under no circumstances can be desecrated by forces outside the creative process, going on within or between the members of the group. Thousands of bands would agree - very few bands can say they have stayed true to that ideal through the years and only one band that I know of have done so for over 20 years, constantly changeing and finding new ways to musical perfection. CARDIACS may not have made millions on their music, but they have all the reasons in the world to be proud of their life's work and have rightfully earned the respect of thousands of fans.
Japan - land of a thousand secrets
This part of DAA is so far not more than a cry for help. I know there's a shitload and a half of beautifully fucked up bands from this country, but so far I've only managed to lay my hands on a miniscule of them. Mayday! Mayday! DaN calling Nippon!
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