Tuesday, June 29, 2010

AFS v. 273 ~ The Thicker Riffer Upper


This week in AFS...

* That Big Black Cloud vinyl is almost officially out!
* I'll pitch a tent if I hafta for Eddy Current Suppression Ring!
* A new release on AmRep?!?!
* Bad Sports currently on the West Coast!

Download this program within two months at this link...
CLICK HERE for 192kbps rate.
or
CLICK HERE for 320kbps rate.
or
, if you have a slower/20th century connection
STREAM IT HERE by next Monday night!

(Email me with any downloading problem questions...)

EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING | Burn | Rush To Relax | Goner 2010
EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING | Through the Trees | Wet Cement 7" | Mexican Summer 2010
LAMPS | Salvation Road [The Kinks] | The Role of the Dogcatcher... 7" | Fan Death 2010
LONELY MOANS | Rockinerd | Rockinerd 7" | Amphetamine Reptile 1988
BIG BLACK CLOUD | Allergic to Love | Dark Age | Stank House *new
STEEL POLE BATH TUB | What I Need | Unlistenable | Permanent *new
STEEL POLE BATH TUB | Re-Juvenated
WHITE DRUGS | Surrounded by Studs | Harlem | Kunstwaffe 2007
WHITE DRUGS | Black Wizard Gloaming | Gold Magic | Kunstwaffe/Amphetamine Reptile *forthcoming
WHITE DRUGS | Gold Power
CROWN ROAST | Grubworm | A Nose Has Many Jobs | Unclean 1994
HAMMERHEAD | Mr. Bizmuth/Duh, the Big City | Duh, the Big City | Amphetamine Reptile 1996
PYGMY SHREWS | Please Brain Drugs | The Egyptian | Wantage USA 2009
DRUNKDRIVER | The Accident | self-titled | WTD *new
IRON LUNG | Cancer | Sexless//No Sex | Prank 2008
CORRUPTED | Hombre o Rata | v/a: Uña de Gato, Cuerno de Vaca | Tee Pee 1996
SOCIETY OF FRIENDS | Rock City Rejects [The Chumps] | Growing Up Moving Away | 625 1999
THE NEW FLESH | title unknown | split LP w/ MLU | Cephia's Treat/Human Conduct/et al. *new
NÜ SENSAE | Burn Zero | TV. Death and the Devil | Nominal *new
SHEARING PINX | Violence | split 7" w/ Twin Crystals | Reluctant *new
N.213 | Bed of Nails | v/a: Blood Klub 2 7" | Isolated Now Waves *new
THE EX + TOM CORA | Oh Puckerlips Now | And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders | Fistpuppet 1993
STRETCHHEADS | Trippy Deadzone | Pish in Your Sleazebag | Blast First 1991
CAPT. BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND | Ashtray Heart | Doc at the Radar Station | Virgin 1980
RADIOPUHELIMET | Jäämeri | Jäämeri | Spirit 1992
S.P.U.D. | Jesus Extreme | Sour | Flying Nun 1990
SILVERFISH | One Silver Dollar | Cockeye | Touch & Go 1989
NIGHTBLOOMS | Starcatcher | self-titled | Seed 1993
WET ILLUSTRATED | Flying | Born Stoked | Corvette City *new
THE DEFEKTORS | Kick First One | The Bottom of the City | Nominal *new
SEX CHURCH | Ghost | 6 Songs 12" EP | Convulsive *new
STRANGE ATTRACTOR | Push Party | split 10" w/ Red Mass | P. Trash *new
EAT SKULL | An Isolated Guy | Crawl for Freedom CS | Palto Flats *new
FAMINES | Got Lies If You Want Them | Syllables 7" | Mammoth Cave *new
BAD SPORTS | Why Say Don't | self-titled | Douche Master 2009
BAD SPORTS | Should've Known

I'll be leading a big Sacto/Davis caravan out to the third of three San Francisco Bay Area shows for Eddy Current Suppression Ring when the rulin'est Aussie rockers hold court with Thee Oh Sees, Fresh & Onlys, Sic Alps, and Ty Segall at the Serra Bowl in Daly City. I figure on a quadruple-capacity crowd showing up for this, so I won't take any chances. Who else wants to pitch a tent? And if you see me in the front during ECSR, gimme a little room 'cos I'm not gonna be able to control myself. I'm geeked for this like a kid on xmas eve.

Fellow readers, listeners, and KDViateS....Have I built up enough anticipation for the new debut LP--Dark Ages--from Portland's Big Black Cloud? If you've been following the last couple months of AFS, you should have heard a few sneak peaks plus their live-at-KDVS session and songs from their 7" EPs. This fantastic LP will soon be out in an edition of 500, sleeved in beautifully hand-screened red, yellow, and silver covers. They had copies during their recent long-weekend trip to Northern California, and you can hear another hit of bombastic futurepunk from the grooves of my own copy. Can you hardly wait to get yours? Don't worry....I'll keep watching for public availability. Keep checking back!

Another exciting new musical discovery--White Drugs from Denton, Texas--finally found me about three years late, but just in time to pre-order their 2nd album, cooperatively released by their own Kunstwaffe label and...whoa!...AmRep?!?! Okay...hold your horses. Don't read this as a license to submit your band's demo to Tom Hazelmeyer. He is still officially retired from the label business. But when he first heard White Drugs' debut album--Harlem--in 2007, he effusively sang its praises on the AmRep message board, and now he's endorsed the next record (due July 20 and pre-orderable now HERE) by putting the AmRep logo and an AmRep matrix code on it. It looks like a genuine AmRep article....and more importantly, it sounds like one, too! It's supremely pummeling, pugnacious, and creative with its twin-guitar attack and nifty rhthmic divergences, but it's mostly linear and plenty punk, and so many of the riffs and songs invite repeat listens, so I don't imagine I'll forget it anytime soon. It certainly sounds like I cracked open a mid-90s time capsule of a coulda/woulda/shoulda-been-classic unreleased record by a worthy contemporary of Hammerhead. But bands like this were all too rare then, as now, so this sounds plenty fresh. This thing is limited to 350, so don't let the word of mouth grow too long before you cop your own copy!

Another Denton band is on the move on the West Coast this week. Don't miss the Bad Sports, people!

Tue, Jun 29 in Fullerton, CA
@ The Continental w/ Pterodacdudes, Stranger Danger

Wed, Jun 30 in Long Beach
@ Que Sera

Thu, Jul 1 in Santa Cruz
@ ???

Fri, Jul 2 in Oakland
@ Harmchurch
w/ Shannon & The Clams, Uzi Rash, G. Green, and Mike Hunchback

Sat, Jul 3 in San Francisco
@ Pissed Off Pete's

Sun, Jul 4 in Sacramento
@ The Hub w/ Gay Beast and Pistol Pete

Mon, Jul 5 in Portland, OR
@ Slabtown

Tue, Jul 6 in Seattle, WA
@ Funhouse...Death by Steamship

Wed, Jul 7 in Provo, UT
@ The Compound

Thu, Jul 8 in Colorado Springs, CO
@ Rubbish Gallery w/ Dirty Dives

Fri, Jul 9 in Lawrence, KS
@ Replay Lounge

Sat, Jul 10 in Oklahoma City or Noman
@ ???

Tue, Jul 13 in Denton, TX
@ Rubber Gloves

Finally.....Here's fun blast from the past and the AmRep family tree...



Tuesday, June 22, 2010

AFS v. 272 ~ Pistol Pete FTW


This week in AFS...

* Live in-studio session by Pistol Pete
* Tonspur für pornografie von Scorpion Violente
* Wet Illustrated have kept it posi from the womb!
* The cavalcade of retrospectives and reissues continues

Download this program within two months at this link...
CLICK HERE for 192kbps rate.
or
CLICK HERE for 320kbps rate.
or
, if you have a slower/20th century connection
STREAM IT HERE by next Monday night!

(Email me with any downloading problem questions...)

SHEARING PINX | Savage Tongue | Void White | Isolated Now Waves *new
NÜ SENSAE | Disappearing Act | TV. Death and the Devil | Nominal *new
WHITE COP | Pure Shit Stoked on Downers | mp3 *new
NORMALS | Puzzle & Candle | Ana | MCR-Japan *new
PRADADA | Lay Down Your Heads | Phantasy Visions CDR | Hobo Cult *new
NATIVE CATS | Be Your Healer | Always On | Ride the Snake *new
SCORPION VIOLENTE | Mi Pute Mi Soumise | self-titled 12" EP | Bruit Direct Disques *new
~~~~~~~~~LIVE IN STUDIO A~~~~~~~~~~
PISTOL PETE | Celebration
PISTOL PETE | Marz Barz
PISTOL PETE | Bunk Weed
PISTOL PETE | Jump Around
PISTOL PETE | Summertime
PISTOL PETE | Zone Out
PISTOL PETE | Beats Come Out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ROCK BOYCOTT & THE YELLOW STEED | Rock Out | v/a: A Range of Greatdividing | Unwucht *new
THE FUCKIN' FLYIN' A-HEADS | Watching TV | Swiss Cheese Back 7" | Otaro *new (orig 1980)
MIKE REP & THE QUOTAS | Rocket to Nowhere | Stupor Hiatus 2xLP | Siltbreeze *new (orig 1975)
MIKE REP & THE QUOTAS | Fade Away [Lester Bangs] (orig 1991)
JIM SHEPARD | untitled | V-3 Next Album | no label *new (orig 199?)
SEX CHURCH | Old Enough | 6 Songs 12" EP | Convulsive *new
NERVE CITY | Sleepwalker | Sleepwalker 12" EP | Sacred Bones *new
UZI RASH | Ancient, Aged | Fuck the Pope Lite CDR | The Church & the Commune *new
OZZIE | Beach Girls | The Parabolic Rock: 1975-1982 2xLP | SS Records *new (orig 1981)
WET ILLUSTRATED | Born Stoked | Born Stoked 7" | Corvette City *new
USELESS EATERS | Sucked In | Sucked In 7" | Goner *new
THE GO-NUTS | Transfusion [Nervous Norvus] | Go Nuts With... 7" | Estrus 1995
FUNGI GIRLS | Turquoise Hotel | Turquoise Hotel 7" | HoZac *new
SHANNON & THE CLAMS | Blood | Hunk Hunt 7" | Weird Hug 2009
LEMON DOTS | Surprise Surprise | Girl in Motion 7" | Labor of Love *new
HOME BLITZ | Murder In My Heart | Perpetual Night 7" | Almost Ready *new

HTML links, pics, etc. coming soon (when I get home tonight)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

AFS v. 271 ~ I Rock While You're Sleeping


This week in AFS...

* Get ready for Big Black Cloud's return to California!
* More "rawk" than I've ever asked you to handle!
* Scuzzed-out psych-punk profusion!

Download this program within two months at this link...
CLICK HERE for 192kbps rate.
or
CLICK HERE for 320kbps rate.
or
, if you have a slower/20th century connection
Streaming link N/A for this show...sorry!

(Email me with any downloading problem questions...)

ALPACA BROTHERS | Wilderness | Legless 12" EP | Flying Nun 1986
THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLE | Make You Understand | Make You Understand 7" | HoZac *new
RED MASS | Stains | split 10" w/ Strange Attractor | P. Trash *new
ANTISEEN | Today Your Love [Ramones]/Storm Troopers | Eat More Possum | TPOS *new
ANAL BABES | 24 | Cocaine Swastika 10" | Incognito 1998
BIG BLACK CLOUD | Blackout/Huff Party | live on KDVS, 04/07/2010
ART LESSING | Damage | Hook Echo CDR | Electric Eggplant 2006
SAMUEL LOCKE WARD + DARREN BROWN | Freeze | From the Privilege of the Grave | Grotto *new
ZIG ZAGS | Human Mind | demo CDR | no label *new
TONSTARTSSBANDHT | Electric Dragon Sword | Midnite Cobras 7" | Psychic Handshake *new
GRAND TRINE | Catatonic State | Sunglasses 12" EP | Divorce *new
CENTIPEDE EEST | Bill Daniel's Terrible Rodeo | Resonator | New Ruins *new
ALPACA BROTHERS | Zithers | Legless 12" EP
WALKINGSEEDS | Blathering Out | Skullfuck | Probe Plus 1987
SYNTHETIC SOX | Investigating Tornadoes | v/a: Shadow Mouth Compilaton One | Shadow Mouth 1987
THE WHINES | Love Revisited | Hell to Play | Meds *new
PETER LAUGHNER | Baby's on Fire [Eno] | Take the Guitar Player for a Ride | Tim/Kerr 1993 (orig 1974)
MOUNT CARMEL | I Work While You're Sleeping | self-titled | Siltbreeze *new
JIMI HENDRIX | My Best Friend | My Best Friend | Astan 1979 (orig 1967)
OZZ II | Electric Gliding Nails Movements (excerpt) | The Assassin | Zebra 1984
NITZINGER | Live Better Electrically | Live Better Electrically | 20th Century Fox 1976
MONTROSE | Rock the Nation | self-titled | Warner Brothers 1973
HIGH SPEED & THE AFFLICTED MAN | Get Stoned Ezy | Get Stoned Ezy | Toilet Rock 1998 (orig 1982)
PUFFY AREOLAS | Puking in Piss | In the Army 1981 | Siltbreeze *new
NO DOCTORS | Campaign Special | Hunting Season | Cock of the Rock 2004
NISHINIHON | Ah Dinnae Wan Tae Do Owt, ba Ah Still Wan Money | self-titled | Static Caravan/Resonant 2002

Big Black Cloud mini-California-tour...

Thursday, June 17th @ the Stud in San Francisco
399 9th and Harrison
w/ Schlitz Claiborne
and High Castle
5 bucks

Friday, June 18th @ Sugar Mountain in Oakland
2515 San Pablo
w/ Uzi Rash
Reis
and Winter Ox

Saturday, June 19 @ The Hub in Sacramento
1819 23rd Street
w/ Art Lessing & Flower Vato Quartet
and Produce Produce

Big Black Cloud (formerly Here Comes a Big Black Cloud) are one of the tiptop utmost very best live bands I've seen in the last year. The reason you haven't seen 'em is 'cos last time they came through the area, I could not get them a proper venue show, so they wound up playing on the radio for a studio audience of five or six people. They played their guts out and slayed us, and next to Ratas del Vaticano, they were the best band Live in Studio A on Art for Spastics ever! They are quite easily relatable to Sacramento/Davis folks for how much they remind you of two of our favorite bands of yester-decades......like the Yahmos but maybe sorta grizzled, or the Pope Smashers but with more Rowland Howard than Sonic Youth in the guitar. Emotional and drastic without getting cheesy about it, they're a really convincing slumtrip through mania and anxiety, but also succeed in maintaining some sense of humor and fun. The drummer is just non-stop. You will dance, headbang, fistpump, yell, shout, rage, holler, and all that 'cos these guys will bring it, and you will be won over. You should know that the Yahmos and Pope Smashers were my absolute favorite live bands in Sacramento some 15 years ago, and they became my benchmarks for what constitutes awesome in live musical performance, and they still remain that to this very day. Therefore, I do not throw this comparison around lightly.
http://www.monkeyfucklove.org/
http://www.myspace.com/herecomesabigblackcloud
http://artforspastics.blogspot.com/2010/04/afs-v-263-cloud-hangs-over-me.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHvTBzpWOPQ

Monday, June 07, 2010

AFS v. 270 ~ Sensual Nachtmusik


This week in AFS...

* a whole grippa new minimal wave records from Enfant Terrible
& Kernkrach!
* preview of wild weekend a'la KDVS Presents @ The Hub on Fri/Sat
w/ Eat Skull and Wounded Lion!
* no perkier 90s power-popper than Radio Shanghai's "Pointless, M
Pointless"!
* introducing the newest branch of the A Frames/Intelligence
family tree, the Zig Zags!

Download this program within two months at this link...
CLICK HERE for 192kbps rate.
or
CLICK HERE for 320kbps rate.
or
, if you have a slower/20th century connection
STREAM IT HERE by next Monday night!

(Email me with any downloading problem questions...)

CONTROLLED COLLAPSE | Liquid Plastic | v/a: Schadstoffklasse Grau | Hertzschrittmacher *new
RASPUTEEN | Minimal Scheissegal | Minimal Scheissegal 7" | Hertzschrittmacher *new
ILEGALNE EMOCIJE | Zanapadnazapad | Sans Folie 7" | Hertzschrittmacher *new
NACHT ANALYSE | Glucklich | Magnetbandaufnahmen 7" | Hertzschrittmacher *new
BRAN | Le Zoo | Fuscum Subnigrum 7" | Enfant Terrible *new
DISTEL | Regn | Mrok 7" | Enfant Terrible *new
MONSTER APPARAT | Rymdmotstand | Monster Dajm 7" | Hertzschrittmacher *new
DAS M | Neonlicht | Ist Das Wirklich Notig? 10" | Hertzschrittmacher *new
SECOND PLANET | Alles Was Ist | Never Never Land 7" | Hertzschrittmacher *new
BLACK FEELINGS | Magic Feeling | split 7" w/ Grand Trine | Blue Skies Turn Black *new
BUK BUK BIGUPS | Endless Itch | self-titled 12" EP | Weird Forest 2010
CHEVEU | Sensual Drug Abuse (Introduction to) | v/a: Flottante Tension d' Eclipse | SDZ *new
BOSOM DIVINE | Hangover | self-titled | Les Disques Steak *new
CRAPPY DRACULA | Hospital Waste Management (Facility Party Tonight) | Almost | Activities/EEEFIN' 2009
CRAPPY DRACULA | Art Explained
ZIG ZAGS | I Want My Own Planet [Flaming Lips] | demo CDR | no label *new
FEY GODS | Bury Me Standing | Untied 7" | HoZac *new
MAD VIRGINS | I Am a Computer | I Am a Computer 7" | Romantik 1978
WOUNDED LION | Silver People | self-titled | In The Red *new
SIMPLE CIRCUIT | Teenage Ghost | Teenage Ghost 7" | Feeble Wiener *new
TINY KNIVES | Nothing Was Built to Last | split 7" w/ Here Comes a Big Black Cloud | Stank House *new
DMV | A1 | self-titled 7" | Stank House *new
KILL THE HIPPIES | We Are the Cancer | Erectospective | Rock 'n' Roll Purgatory 2005 (orig 1993)
KILL THE HIPPIES | Empty Vessel
THE FONDLED | Daddy's a Whore | split 7" w/ Tito O' Tito Band | Toast 1995
DEAD WIFE | D.W.S.Y.H.F./Txt Me | D.W.S.Y.H.F. 7" | Psychic Handshake *new
WOVEN BONES | Couldn't Help But Stare | In and Out and Back Again | HoZac *new
CHIN CHIN | Never Surrender | Sound of the Westway | Mississippi/Slumberland *new (orig 1985)
CHIN CHIN | Even If It's a Lie
THE WILLARD | Stinky Vice | v/a: The Punx CS | JICC 1985
RADIO SHANGHAI | Pointless Pointless | Pointless 7" | Answer 1997
SANDIEST | At the End | Fair Judgment 7" | Sick 2000
LEGENDARY WINGS | E=MC Who Cares? | Questions 7" | Tic Tac Totally *new
RED MASS | The Truth About Baby Jane | To All The Good People 7" | Dusty Medical *new
EAT SKULL | Survivable Spaces | '07 Tour Tape CS | Palto Flats 2007


KDVS Presents...
a killer weekend of shows
@ The Hub
1819 23rd Street
Sacramento, CA 95816

Friday, June 11
EAT SKULL (Portland to Cali!/Siltbreeze)
+ PISTOL PETE, WORLD-LOSERS, & SACTO GIRLS!

Satuday, June 12
WOUNDED LION (L.A./In the Red/SS)
+ TOUCH ME NOTS & BUK BUK BIG UPS BAND

Each show is all ages and $5
8:30 door times
9:00 showtimes

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

AFS v. 269 ~ Deathwish VI


This week in AFS...

* Get ready for Slicing Grandpa to eviscerate California!
* The finest drops of much maligned Wire side-projects
* Refocusing the rekindled interest in Kevin Dunn

Download this program within two months at this link...
CLICK HERE for 192kbps rate.
or
CLICK HERE for 320kbps rate.
or
, if you have a slower/20th century connection
STREAM IT HERE by next Monday night!

(Email me with any downloading problem questions...)

HYGIENE | Town Centre | Town Centre E.P. 7" | Static Shock *new
REAL NUMBERS | Na Na Ooh | self-titled 12" | Three Dimensional *new
HAPPY BIRTHDAY | Zit | self-titled | Sub Pop *new
MATT K SHRUGG | Freak Out | Gone Ashtray | Tic Tac Totally *new
VAMPIRE COWS | The Old Endicott Building | v/a: Artifacts vol. 1 | Artifacts *new (orig 1975)
CABALLO TRIPODE | Masterman | Horror Vacui | Tic Tac Totally *new
DAVILA 666 | Dos o Tres | 12" EP | Rob's House *new
THE WIGGINS | Walk | Walk b/w Sick 7" | Needless *new
THE DROUGHTS | Floating in the Lake | Stopping a New Start Again CS | no label *new
RODNEY MAYNARD & THE HUNDRED DOLLAR BAND | Sittin' On A Stool | v/a: Artifacts Vol. 1 (orig 1975)
RON HOUSE | Statues Lose | Blind Boy in the Backseat | Columbus Discount *new (orig 1986)
NUDGE SQUIDFISH | Wonder Where You Been | Twenty Thousand Leagues Under Nashville | Columbus Discount 2010 (orig 1985)
THE GREEN KNIGHT | Tolerance | Half Pipe CS | Pollen Season *new
PAUL CARY | On the Rise | Ghost of a Man | Stank House *new
TUSK LORD | Mars Compound | Meeting Blood Sentinels 7" | Dear Skull *new
JERUSALEM & THE STARBASKETS | Room 8 | Room 8 7" | De Stijl *new
THE FANS | Deathwish | True 7" | no label 1980
EFFI BRIEST | Nights | Rhizomes | Sacred Bones *new
THIS MORTAL COIL | Not Me [Wire] | It'll End in Tears | 4AD 1984
COLIN NEWMAN | Fish Three | Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish | 4AD 1981
GRAVE BABIES | Gouge Your Eyes Out | Gouge Your Eyes Out 7" | Skrot Up *new
SLICING GRANDPA | Clown Hand | Chaos Midnight 10" | Strain Theory/Scatalogical Liberation Front 2007
SLICING GRANDPA | Half Man Half Sandwich
WIR | A Bargain at 3 and 20 Yeah! | The First Letter | Mute/Elektra 1991
HE SAID | Kidnap Yourself | Hail | Mute 1986
NO UFO'S | Cajmere Dreams | Soft Coast CS | Nice Up *new
NO UFO'S | Archer Heights
SHIT & SHINE | Bass Puppy | Bass Puppy 12" EP | Badmaster/Suicide Tax *new
BILLY BAO | The One That Brings Death | Urban Disease | Pan *new
MAMA BURIES | untitled | Alive @ The Lab | no label *live @ Noise Pancakes, SF 05/21/2010

Slicing Grandpa are one of the most fascinating bands of the last two decades. They've made dozens of records, tapes, and CD releases, mostly in ridiculously limited quantities. To see them live is like a baptism in filth and misery, yet it's also a psychedelic experience swirling together punk, doom, and goth drenched in scuzz, yet totally memorable for the way that many of their songs pulse with a brainworm Flipper-esque riff. They are the parent trunk of one of my utmost favorite family trees of bands including Kount Fistula, Tractor Sex Fatality, Arachnid Arcade, Thee Wickermen, Plain, and many more. Jon Laux is such an under-rated outsider music folk hero. I hope several listeners/readers in Northern California will bear witness this weekend...

Thursday, June 3 in Oakland
@ Stork Club

Friday, June 4 in Sacramento
@ The Hub
KDVS presents w/ Butcher Cover & Outer Zoning Committee

Saturday, June 5 in San Francisco
@ Bleak Haus



Kevin Dunn was a big mover/shaker in the late 70s/early 80s new wave scene on Atlanta, GA--he's credited as a producer on "Rock Lobster" by The B-52's--and recently, he's been seen playing in-store performances to promote a retrospective album release called No Great Lost Song, 1979-85. Among the records released under his own name, this is surely his best known...



....but please check out "Deathwish", a B-side on perhaps the most obscure release by his band The Fans. I don't think that power-pop has ever sounded so eerie, chilling, and anxiety-ridden. I believe it's the pinnacle of Mr. Dunn's creation, but alas, it is not on the tracklist of the retrospective.

Wire's first three albums are rightfully considered the stuff of legend, of course. It's almost unfair to compare their albums following their mid-80s reunion to those three, but surely those four 80s albums were successively more dreadful. By the time drummer Robert Gotobed allowed himself to be completely replaced by a machine--the remaining three members dropped the silent "e" in "Wire" to mark this--it seemed that everyone had given up on them. So, Wir's 1991 album, The First Letter, caught everyone snoozing. But I believe that The First Letter is nearly as good an album as any Wire mk III-era stuff (i.e., Read & Burn, Send, etc.)...maybe even better, actually! It was way better than IBTABA and Manscape....not that that's saying much. Those albums are completely unredeemable. The weirdest songs on The First Letter are pretty cool, I think. Have a listen this week to "A Bargain at 3 and 20 Yeah!"...maybe I'll get to "It Continues" some other time. Please don't mistake me taking this stance publicly as an attempt to be a self-conscious tryhard contrarian or non-conformity conformist. I know you may think I like everything because I'm not prone to talking shit on things I don't like. There is plenty I don't like. And fully half of The First Letter is not in that category.