As unseasonably warm temps (85 degrees in April, you kiddin’ me Willis?) begin to poke their head out from ’round the cold, rainy spit of late winter, we thought we’d crank up the hibachi, unearth the cooler and set about the business of bringing you some summer party jams guaranteed to keep the fun police beating down your door until they’re let in for mojitos and turkey burgers just like everyone else. Can’t you hear your über-square neighbors squawking already?
It’s been a while since we last heard from (Human Eye’s) Timmy Vulgar’s solo project, well over a year in fact, when their debut 2×7″ on Sacred Bones dropped, but they’ve roared back with not one, but two new Timmy’s Organism singles, the first of which, “I’m a Nice Guy Now” b/w “Cold Pizza” is out now on Cass Records. The A-Side finds him eschewing his duplicitous ways for the path of good ‘n’ righteous behaviour – “I used to punch old ladies in the face, now I help them across the street” – in an awesome faux-Danzig sneer over piledriving proto-punk riffing in the grand Motor City tradition (that Kid Rock shit all over). The flipside, a pseudo-ballad, is an altogether uncomfortable affair that sounds like a Christmas song gone horribly awry on psilocybin mushrooms and cheap vodka (a.k.a. rubbing alcohol). Obviously, totally and completely essential.
It’s also been a bit since we’ve heard from Cali scum-pop savant Charles Albright, and his first output since last year’s awesome I’m on Drugs 7″ is the I’m Happy, I’m a Genius EP on Permanent Records. Pushing all the right scumbaggy buttons, this 7-song EP proves that he might just be a genius after all; perfect pop construction marauded by all manner of distortion, feedback and wailing sonic fuckery. The title-track could well be a hit if you scraped all the fuzz and skree off it, the levels dipping and dropping throughout its run time. The mega-blast of “I’m Your Malfunction” is good it’ll make Dwyer put down his axe and cry in his scotch, while “Headphones” sounds like a neanderthal doing his best Roy Orbison before he hits some ungodly stomp box and sends the whole thing into a parallel vortex. When he screeches “I’mmmm allll righttttt” at the end of “Young Woman” it’s almost as if he’s trying to convince himself of that fact, rather than you. Available from the label and good stores and distros everywhere.
Finally this week we’ve got one of the new offerings from France’s The Liminanas, “Je ne suis pas tres drogue” b/w “Bercuese pour Clive” on the sleek ‘n’ chic Trouble In Mind Records. There’s something incredibly likable about this group, though, it’s a bit difficult to put your finger on exactly what it is. We just can’t get enough of the A-Side, with its suave Serge Gainsbourg undertones, talk-sing vocals, juicy organ fills and a deceptively simple yet lysergically satisfying guitar line adorned with all manner of analog blips, bloops and squiggle. Wouldn’t you know, the B-Side is just as good, as a simple, heavily-reverbed guitar line sputters along, forming a foundation for intermittent spoken word vocal interludes (a la Jane Birkin) all floating atop a barely-there cadence that, occasionally, sounds like a music box set to 45 rpm. Amazing, this isn’t as instantly satisfying as their recent HoZac single, but it’s definitely a slow-burning grower that wheedles its way into your brain and simply refuses to let go. Available direct from TiM or at your favorite local waxidermy.
That’s all the drek that’s fit to print this week, but come back around next week when we tell you why Surfer Blood sucks balls and why the impending Phil Collins solo resurgence isn’t such a bad thing after all. Until then, enjoy ($3.00 bottles of) champagne wishes and Wendy’s dollar menu dreams courtesy of The Singles Collection.
