Nervous Eaters - No More Idols

On the road a lot the last few weeks. Falling behind; I've got plenty of 7" to rip still, I just haven't gotten around to it.

Breaking out of the steady stream of Sub Pop that I've been on lately. The Nervous Eaters were Boston legends in the 70's and 80's, with local hits "When I Talk To Loretta" (recently covered by Neko Case) and "Just Head"

So I was pretty excited to find a cheap 7" of theirs recently. This was some early 2000's effort of theirs put out on some Spanish label (my first foray into this century!). It rocks-a-plenty, but it doesn't live up to their 70's stuff. Their early stuff was riding at the forefront of the whole punk thing, and had a wild, unpredictable energy to it. Hard to keep that going for 30 years, I suppose.

A: No More Idols
B: Today and Tomorrow
Enjoy!

Snow Bud and the Flower People- Killer Bud plus Third Shelf

Sub Pop Singles Club, August 1993

Look, if you can't figure it out from the Mad Magazine like artwork, the band name, or the album title, this is music for and by stoners.

"Killer Bud" is a long, slow jam with 60's-ish fuzzy guitar sounds, accompanied by a mellow, lazy sounding vocal track. It's everything you'd expect and oh, so much more.

"Third Shelf" is a bit more aggressive. The early 70's rock sounds are still there, but Snow Bud sings like a man who can't find his stash, and the song drifts into some crazy prog-rock thing for a moment.

A: Killer Bud
B: Third Shelf
Enjoy!

Didjits - Dear Junkie

November 1993 Sub Pop Singles Club

Straight up Chicago punk rock, noisy and fast. The B-sides are live tracks, which shows off some of their stage banter, something they had a reputation for.

By the way, I've been DJing a bit over at turntable.fm under the entirely predictable name of Daily 7 lately. I usually throw a song or two from the blog up while I'm there, so check it out if you get the chance.

A: Dear Junkie
B: Skull Baby, Fire in the Hole
Enjoy!

Big Chief - Chrome Helmet

Sub Pop Singles Club March 1990

Big Chief formed out of the ashes of the Laughing Hyenas and the Necros. Sub Pop signed them before they recorded anything based on their pedigree. This was an early venture outside of Seattle by Sub Pop. If the car reference (or the Necros reference) doesn't give it away, they're from Michigan. They cut three albums, one for SubPop before packing it in.

Both songs rock. Chrome Helmet seems a bit dated, I think it's the vocals, but it's still good.

A: Chrome Helmet
B: Blowout Kit
Enjoy!

Alice Cooper - School's Out

My other purchase last month in Columbus Ohio at Magnolia Thunderpussy.

This is a mid to late 80's re-issue of the "School's Out" single, with "I'm Eighteen" on the b-side replacing the original "Gutter Cat". I had a hard time finding a lot of information about this particular release. I figured due to the popularity of the Alice Cooper tribute 7", it seemed like a natural fit. And I might as well play School's Out before school starts up again. Both songs are classics, and rightfully so. Queue them up, crank the volume, and have a good time. 

A: School's Out
B: I'm Eighteen

Pigface - Empathy

By request again...October 1993 Sub Pop Single.

I was sort of surprised by the first track. I thought it would be some sort of face-melting industrial assault. It's a little more laid back with sitar riffs. Very interesting, and I liked it far more than I thought I would.

Steamroller is more of what I had in mind; an all-out sonic assault.

A: Empathy
B: Steamroller
Enjoy!

Severin - Beagles! Beagles!

June 1993 Sub Pop Singles Club, and by request!

I mentioned earlier that I liked the one song I had by these guys, and wished I'd found more by them. I also implied that they disappeared, and was quickly corrected by a few readers who pointed out that they had this among other things in their catalog.

Anyway, this is a great single. Very much in the DC post-hardcore vein, particularly the A-side. The B-side extends out into some very Dinosaur Jr-esque Indie-rock sounds, complete with wah pedals.

A: Waste of Time
B: Power Play
Enjoy!