While a rare summertime cold took some of the swing out of our swagger, it hasn't stopped us from bringing you another round of The Singles Collection. This week's batch is something of a pot luck affair, with no real discernible through-point to be found between the three releases, just a few things we've been enjoying as of late and thought y'all would like to know about. Without further adieu, let's get on with this shindig.
We kick the door open this week with the inaugural offering from Mississippi's Flight, “Flowers” b/w “Johnny's Mixed Up” on Canada's stellar Sweet Rot Records. The A-Side finds these boys trading in a spectacularly fucked brand of syrupy narco-pop that's heavy on teeter-tottering synths and vocodored moaning — something akin to Nice Face's demented Southern cousins, all saccharine pop gooeyness buried beneath the landslide of fuzzy bombast. On the flip, “Johnny's Mixed Up” is an altogether more controlled brand of chaos, with a molten pop underbelly and an irresistible scuzz-rock riff that's good enough to make you forget Wavves' name for a minute or ten. Get on the train now before their forthcoming releases on HoZac and Kill Shaman make them rich 'n' famous. Available directly from the label and most good stores and distros.
Following that lint-coated lollipop is a completely different brand of oddness, Rodent Plague's “Blue Wave” b/w “Return to Zero” on Kill Shaman. The solo guise of A-Frames' Erin Sullivan, this offbeat slab of hard-wired gothic-americana is akin to Peter Murphy soundtracking a spaghetti western, or something equally as head-scratching. Both sides are filled with clattering, wheezing claustrophobic weirdness, the A-Side's pink flannel drum machine/keys sleepover shtick, but it's the B-Side, with its waltzing NES bleeps and blops and sashaying cadence takes the cake; it feels as though it was composed to accompany Link & the Princess' afternoon Quaalude picnic in the Koopa forest. Unflinchingly interesting and strangely irritating in equal measure. Still available from the label, but for how long is anybody's guess.
Our final curio this week come from Japanese new-wave punk combo Nanox, “Repetition” b/w “Bara-Bara” & “Touched by Your Invisible Hand” on Shit Sandwich. We're going to forget the A-Side for a moment and focus on “Bara-Bara” which, is the most perfect slice of hyper-buzzing new-wave power-pop (how's that for a string of hyphens) to come down the pike since '81, effervescent and crammed to the gills with more melodic chainsaw guitars and gooey analog bridges than the Buzzcocks. Second B-Side “Touched…” is a stuttering number that trades in bleeping dynamics, but whose mid-tempo pace is a bit of a hindrance/let down. The A-Side is gleefully anthemic, with some super-modulated guitar solos and a crunching, powerful delivery — a modern day Pezband taking a staunchly rock approach to playing power-pop. Available from the label's website and fine stores everywhere.
That's the show this time kids, but make sure to check back for more 45rpm thrills.
