Anybody who's anybody knows mp3s are just bad style. It's convenient to stream music on the internet, but where's that beautiful intersection between art and commerce that is rock'n'roll? It's in the physical product, baby. Something that ain't too expensive but doesn't come for free. Something I can hold on to. Cassettes are on the rise in the underground, but what about everyone's favorite classic format? It's compact, concise, and large enough to provide ample space for cover art. In this edition of Make Total Destroy, we're just feeling nosy. MTD asks DC music-makers: What's your favorite 7 inch record? As always, please write Make Total Destroy.
[Ed's Note: This is Pt.3 of a three part series. Go here for Pt.1 and Pt. 2]
Laurie Spector of Foul Swoops and Chain & The Gang:
PJ Harvey & Nick Cave – Henry Lee (Mute)
“Honestly, I'm not really a 7″ person. I much prefer albums. BUT there is one that means a lot to me, and it's the 7” single of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey's only recorded collaboration: Henry Lee. The song appeared on the Bad Seeds' Murder Ballads, which was the first of Bad Seeds' albums I'd ever heard. It's the album that got me into them, and Henry Lee was also the first time I had ever seen, or heard, of PJ Harvey. Nick Cave and PJ Harvey are each one of my absolute favorite musicians in the world… and the idea that at one point in time they crossed paths to create something together, something I find quite beautiful and haunting, continues to enthrall me.”
Greg Svitil of Silo Halo:
Jakuta and Carl – Mistakes Were Made (Little Joe Peep)
“Even if it's been more than a year since the most recent Jakuta and Carl show (that I'm aware of), Jakuta and Carl still feels like a stalwart presence in the DC area. It's been nearly a decade since Jakuta (human) and Carl (machine) played an early show at a transition-phase Velvet Lounge with the Fake Accents, the top-tier mid-00's faith restorers who had a future member of the Cheniers / Yeah Gates Records (which is of course home to the mighty Foul Swoops and America Hearts). It wasn't long after this that Jakuta and Carl's first 7″ EP, Mistakes Were Made (or How I Broke My Heart), saw the light of day via Jakuta's Little Joe Peep Records and Promotions. The record comes in a foldover plastic sleeve sealed with a glittery red heart sticker. Since the 7″ is about breaking one's heart, I am guessing that he wants for us to tear the sticker when we open the sleeve. The front cover is an extreme close-up of a stockpile of cheap heart candies, the ones with text that says things like 'Got Cha' (two words) and 'Kiss Me.' There's a no-longer-functioning web address listed twice (once in italics) on the cover. (Fortunately there is a fully operational site here.)”
Raina Sauvage of Coup Sauvage & The Snips:
Wham! – Careless Whisper (Epic)
“Who doesn't love a good heartbreak song!? Also, I've traveled to quite a few foreign countries and no matter what, if “Careless Whisper” is played, I can guarantee 90 percent of the people within ear shot are singing their hearts out to it. This reinforces the notion that music is the international language. Anything that facilitates togetherness allowing us to forget our differences, if only for 4 minutes and 55 seconds, is a winner in my book.”
Maegan Sauvage of Coup Sauvage & The Snips:
Pepe Bradock – Burning (KIF)
“As a DJ, I'm more into 12″s.”
Maegan Sauvage of Coup Sauvage & The Snips:
Peter Heller – Big Love (Essential Recordings)
“As a DJ I prefer 12″s – “Big Love” by Pete Heller. I “don't get” people who say they “don't get” house music. It's disco+hip hop+soul+jazz… I mean, you're basically saying you don't like music! This is a classic track that totally defines what house is about. Deep, uplifting, and perfect for the dance floor.”
Kevin Erickson of All Ages Movement Project and Swim Two Birds studio:
Ninja High School – “By Purpose Not By Plan” B/W “It's Alright To Fight“ (Tomlab)
“As you'd expect my answer to this question changes a lot but this record exemplifies what I like about the format.”
Ben of Give:
No Justice – Still Fighting EP (Underestimated)
Katie Alice Greer of Priests, Girlstabs, and Chain & The Gang:
Teenbeat 100 (Teenbeat) and Minutemen – Paranoid Time (SST)
“Jeez, how do I explain this? Both these records feature extremely short songs (the Teenbeat record is a compilation of ten Teenbeat artists each doing a brand new song in a minute or less. Featured is an acapella love song by DC legend Butch Willis). I love short music. The Minutemen release has the best album art, best title, and the line 'I try to work I keep thinking about world war three,' which sums up a lot of things when you really think about it.”
Alex Minoff (solo), formerly of Golden, and Extra Golden:
Television Personalities – Favourite Films
“When I bought this single in September 1992 at the Oberlin Co-op in NE Ohio, I had only heard of Television Personalities. I used to sit around with Ian Eagleson and laugh at the musical and lyrical simplicity of these songs. “Favourite Films” was our favorite. I didn't know who Tom Courtenay and Rita Tushingham were at the time, but the happiness they brought Dan Treacy paralleled my own imaginary celluloid universe, run by Bibi Andersson and Jacques Tati. Oh, and it's catchy!”
James Haitchwai (solo) and of Surgery Dot Com:
“Ozzy” B/W “Expert Herder”
“Lemuria rips my heart right out of my chest, takes a big bite out of it, and leaves me wanting more. Their music is a unique balance of understated simplicity laced with nuances that creep up on you and throw you off guard, and this record is a particularly poignant example. I love the contrast between Alex Kerns and Sheena Ozzella's lyrical styles; pure, unadorned emotion that cuts to the bone versus shady metaphors with a dark, dark streak running through them. It kicks my ass every time.”
