This split 7” features
indie rock forefathers Sonic Youth and apprentices Erase Errata. The bands come
together to declare their mutual admiration for the queen of indie street cred,
Mariah Carey. Check out the artwork. And the poster inside is downright
terrifying. These kind of crazy shenanigans should be no surprise to longtime
Sonic Youth fans who’ve endured the Youngsters tribute to similar space waster,
Madonna via their Ciccone Youth album. Numerous references to pop trash from
Karen Carpenter to Britney Spears have found their way into Sonic Youth lyrics
over the years. The song presented is called “Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle
Handcream.” Kim sings the song and it’s kind of a cross between “Bull in the
Heather“ and “Orange Rolls, Angel Spit.” “Maybe you need an emo boy,” Kim
sings. Laden with references to Mariah’s profound personal, yet all too public
problems, it’s a solid tune that is worth the price of the record. I’m not sure
if it was recorded at the same time as the Murray Street album, but it probably
would have sounded out of place on that album. So bravo to the 7“ vinyl
format. It’s so much cooler than the cassingle. Erase Errata pays reverence to
Mariah’s cinematic disaster “Glitter” with a song of the same name. They rip
through the tune in about two minutes which is probably the amount of time I
could actually spend watching that movie. A cool track which will force me to
catch up with their other releases. (Dave Ignizio)
This Moment in Black
History hereafter referred to as TMIBH are heavy as hell. Heavy in a Jesus
Lizard, Hot Snakes kinda way, not a plodding dumb rock thing. This e.p. brings
you the raw kinetic rock sound of one of Cleveland’s best new bands. TMIBH
feature members of the Bassholes, Neon King Kong and Chargers. This is their
first release on Cleveland’s Exit Stencil Recordings. The six tracks were
recorded live and sound absolutely unhinged. This is the kind of music that
generally doesn’t go over too well in this town (I.e. not metal,) but there is
simply no way to ignore a band this good. So buy the disc and check ‘em out
live and hopefully TMIBH won’t leave this rusted out ghost town for greener
pastures. (Dave Ignizio)
This is pretty basic but
fun eighties style punk rock with early Social D being an obvious influence.
Nothing deep, just songs about what these guys know like “At the Practice
Space”, “Get Drunk”, and “We’re the Uppertanks”, none of which should need much
explanation. The music is fast and aggressive with shouted vocals and
occasional melodic guitar parts. The production isn’t bad for a demo, but the
mix should have been tweaked a bit. I’m all for having the vocals up front, but
they’re so loud on here they nearly drown out the instruments. Originality is
not this band’s strong suit, but if you’re tired of phony pretty boy punk bands
you might want to check this out. The band was selling this six song demo at
one of their gigs recently for a measly 3 bucks. (Bob Ignizio)
Despite my temptation to
write this band off solely on the fact that they use the British spelling of
“neu” and “favourite,” I was actually won over by X27. They claim the Midwest
as their home, but the attitude is all New York. Carmen X provides a sultry
growl that recalls Kim Gordon at her raunchiest. Songs like “Fast Getaway,”
“Anal Box,” and “Ride Me” drive the point home with a hammer. But the lyrics
are really just extraneous anyway. The music clangs and sizzles as guitars
become power tools and the percussion benefits from the occasional use of sheet
metal. Rikkeh X’s vocals take on an affected Brittish punk accent (perhaps he
chose the album title) which is ok, but X27 sound best when exploring their
feminine side. (Dave Ignizio)
This split 7” features
indie rock forefathers Sonic Youth and apprentices Erase Errata. The bands come
together to declare their mutual admiration for the queen of indie street cred,
Mariah Carey. Check out the artwork. And the poster inside is downright
terrifying. These kind of crazy shenanigans should be no surprise to longtime
Sonic Youth fans who’ve endured the Youngsters tribute to similar space waster,
Madonna via their Ciccone Youth album. Numerous references to pop trash from
Karen Carpenter to Britney Spears have found their way into Sonic Youth lyrics
over the years. The song presented is called “Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle
Handcream.” Kim sings the song and it’s kind of a cross between “Bull in the
Heather“ and “Orange Rolls, Angel Spit.” “Maybe you need an emo boy,” Kim
sings. Laden with references to Mariah’s profound personal, yet all too public
problems, it’s a solid tune that is worth the price of the record. I’m not sure
if it was recorded at the same time as the Murray Street album, but it probably
would have sounded out of place on that album. So bravo to the 7“ vinyl
format. It’s so much cooler than the cassingle. Erase Errata pays reverence to
Mariah’s cinematic disaster “Glitter” with a song of the same name. They rip
through the tune in about two minutes which is probably the amount of time I
could actually spend watching that movie. A cool track which will force me to
catch up with their other releases. (Dave Ignizio)
This Moment in Black
History hereafter referred to as TMIBH are heavy as hell. Heavy in a Jesus
Lizard, Hot Snakes kinda way, not a plodding dumb rock thing. This e.p. brings
you the raw kinetic rock sound of one of Cleveland’s best new bands. TMIBH
feature members of the Bassholes, Neon King Kong and Chargers. This is their
first release on Cleveland’s Exit Stencil Recordings. The six tracks were
recorded live and sound absolutely unhinged. This is the kind of music that
generally doesn’t go over too well in this town (I.e. not metal,) but there is
simply no way to ignore a band this good. So buy the disc and check ‘em out
live and hopefully TMIBH won’t leave this rusted out ghost town for greener
pastures. (Dave Ignizio)
This is pretty basic but
fun eighties style punk rock with early Social D being an obvious influence.
Nothing deep, just songs about what these guys know like “At the Practice
Space”, “Get Drunk”, and “We’re the Uppertanks”, none of which should need much
explanation. The music is fast and aggressive with shouted vocals and
occasional melodic guitar parts. The production isn’t bad for a demo, but the
mix should have been tweaked a bit. I’m all for having the vocals up front, but
they’re so loud on here they nearly drown out the instruments. Originality is
not this band’s strong suit, but if you’re tired of phony pretty boy punk bands
you might want to check this out. The band was selling this six song demo at
one of their gigs recently for a measly 3 bucks. (Bob Ignizio)
Despite my temptation to
write this band off solely on the fact that they use the British spelling of
“neu” and “favourite,” I was actually won over by X27. They claim the Midwest
as their home, but the attitude is all New York. Carmen X provides a sultry
growl that recalls Kim Gordon at her raunchiest. Songs like “Fast Getaway,”
“Anal Box,” and “Ride Me” drive the point home with a hammer. But the lyrics
are really just extraneous anyway. The music clangs and sizzles as guitars
become power tools and the percussion benefits from the occasional use of sheet
metal. Rikkeh X’s vocals take on an affected Brittish punk accent (perhaps he
chose the album title) which is ok, but X27 sound best when exploring their
feminine side. (Dave Ignizio) 