M O S E S (Moses) - Leave Leave Leave. 2016 Crosstown (EP). From the 25 cent haul at Independent (Nov). This Moses (stylized different as noted) is a UK band who are tagged with the unflattering "indie" genre. But I wouldn't characterize it as such. I'm picking up an odd combination of post punk, neo psych, and even prog. The latter shows up in the unexpected breaks. And there's some definite psychy guitar. The vocalist very much accentuates his English-ness. The "Yuuu Kyyy" (UK) type pronunciation. I quite liked this, though don't see myself going back to it. Wouldn't mind hearing their full length from 2020, entitled Almost Everything is Bullshit. They got that right.
Nirvana - Bleach. 1992 Sub Pop (MC). Thrift shop find (Aug). Bleach is the famed Nirvana's debut album (1989). An album that mostly flew by without notice upon release. Any original pressings, no matter the media format, are worth serious money because of the lack of supply, which were all gobbled up once Nevermind became the "it album". But even these analog (not digital) reissues go for good coin. Given all the information I've shared with you over the years, it should come as no surprise that I would have had no use for grunge in the late 80s and early 90s. By this point in my life, I was buying strictly hardcore prog albums, or the occasional tech thrash effort. And not much else, though I had just started down a Dead Can Dance path and their ilk. For as long as a rebellious youth exists, as well as rock critics, there will always be a movement to get "back to the basics". For your garden variety male punk, sophisticated music is not what they are seeking. They are looking for a way to express rage, through fashion, words, and music. So while the metal world had clearly gone leaps and bounds from their original premise, grunge offered a chance to get back in the garage, go to clubs, get wasted on cheap beer and drugs, and just create mayhem in general. Since the movement's roots were in Seattle, untucked flannel shirts and wool head coverings became the uniform, and the genre took off for a few years, defining its era. By this time I was already in the workforce, doing the Corporate America thing, while having an obsessive music hobby on the side. "My generation" had already passed as it were. Had grunge come along in the late 70s, I could see myself enjoying it as an early teen. Especially at first. And that gets us to Bleach. It has a great raw sound (according to the original liner notes, on a budget of $600), and the album kicks butt from beginning to end. It's pretty generic, especially for 1989, but again we're talking a new audience looking for a new anger outlet. Bands like Metallica were on the Grammy's by then. "Dude, like total sell-out, ya know?". And, in retrospect, Nirvana's sound isn't new at all. And I don't even mean from a metal perspective, but more from the underground of the early 80s. On labels like Ralph and SST, you would hear similar type sounds. But Nirvana caught lightning in a bottle. Not here though, but the next album. Glad I heard Bleach, definitely a good album, but it wasn't made for me.
*Jane's Addiction - Ritual de Lo Habitual. 1990 Warner Bros. (MC). With the above (Aug). In addition to grunge, you also had funk metal and alternative rock bands running around in the late 80s and early 90s releasing interesting music, though whatever little I would hear (usually via MTV) wasn't enough to encourage me to pursue. See Nirvana above for where my head was at back then. And that would include Jane's Addiction. I didn't recognize any of the songs based on the titles, but yes I do now recall 'Been Caught Stealing'. In hearing this album for the first time, coming in completely objective without bias, all I can say is this is one strange work. One can see why Jane's Addiction were a cult band from the beginning. They mix all the styles above and then some. Side 1 is 20 minutes long and features five songs with more upbeat music, and one can hear bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers or Faith No More in these grooves. Side 2 has only four songs - going 30 minutes! Already a major disparity, and certainly Jane's Addiction is pushing the envelope in multiple ways. I'm not quite sure where I stand on all of this yet, but Ritual de Lo Habitual is way too interesting to let go.
Gagakirise and EYE - The Flash / Robobird2. 2015 Thrill Jockey. This was inexplicably in the 10 cent bin at Independent (Jul). At that price, I'd buy anything like this. It's complete with the full picture cover and postcard. I think they mismarked it. In any case, this is somewhat typical Japanese noise rock. Not really my thing of course, but not terrible either. Average for the style I'd submit.
* - Keeping for the collection
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