Bleak Bliss: August 2018

va - Soldering the Fuckin' Solitude Monitor

Four-band compilation 7" with noise by Remora, Ashtray Navigations, Coits and Ghostdad. Released by the mighty Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers label.

va - Soldering the Fuckin' Solitude Monitor

The Rubber-O-Cement Speculum Fight - Medusan Magnetic Tape Hair-Head Autocorrelation

... and then you get Grux alongside Damion Romero's Speculum Fight!

It has a completely different feel to all of the others and it's delightful. Your day just got better already!

Double 3" CDr set released on P-Tapes in 2005.

Medusan Magnetic Tape Hair-Head Autocorrelation

Rubber O Cement / Truck Van Rental - Heated Expression Of The Crawlycule

Truck Van Rental is apparently Marc Van Elburg (or Jack-Jack en de Wandelende Feedback if you prefer). He and Grux clearly share a love of natty headgear and warped reality. Whilst the world blinks with indifference, this is the kind of lovely that floats all of my boats.

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects in 2006.

Heated Expression Of The Crawlycule

Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson & Tender Morsels & Rubber O Cement - Melancholy Petri-Muse, Si-Si-Si

"A little visit from Sigtryggur from his home in Spain added to a lager experimental moment between the stateside pseudo-science happening in the bay area. We came up with one bizarre experiment after another trying to build an international petri dish companion for us. Steady failures built up our depression into a mighty swirl of dire vices culminating in a few wounds and and an upsetting string of question marks after one very confusing evening. The journal we worked on for each experiment (some in Sigtryggur's native spainish scribbling) left us with a heartening task of translating this to an audio medium. Unnamed members of our ensemble were too inebriated to allow a perfect/steady record of the archiving in the studio, so this cd represents what we were able to assemble from the ruin. Half of the audio experimental archive has been destroyed from the original cassette medium, other parts were too nonsensical or embarrassing to pass onto the toughest listener. Honing this down to a 61 (plus) minute release took a lot out of us. Our construct is here, your living hell begins when you hit play..." Also includes the seven minute video file for added infernal immersion.

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects during the past.

Melancholy Petri-Muse, Si-Si-Si

Rubber O Cement and James Twig Harper - Shameful, Effectual, Masterbattalion!

This time me and Discogs agree. Who cares? No one! Crack on. Crack up!

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects in 2002.

Shameful, Effectual, Masterbattalion!

Jams "Twig" Haerper // Rubber O Cement - Houri Petri-Paws In Jointure Of Incus Jaws

More cerebral dislocation, this time accompanied by James Twig Harper (of Nautical Almanac etc).

I increasingly view Discogs as indicative rather than authoritative. It says that this release has 34 tracks, both mine and Mrs Inside's have 28. Feel free to correct us ... but, otherwise: here you go!

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects in 2007.

Houri Petri-Paws In Jointure Of Incus Jaws

Rubber O Cement - High Speed Electronic Cardboard

Being only familiar with regular cardboard I was initially confused. Then I realised that Rubber Bat Causes Quadriplegian Fears In Liquid Oxygen Minds and then it all made sense.

A CD on ToYo Records from 2002.

High Speed Electronic Cardboard

Rubber O Cement - Osmolytes

Let's face it, we're all overdue for Intradialytic Dobutamine Grub Therapy.

Another Brutal Sound Effects CDr that I can't put a date on.

Osmolytes

Crawl Unit & Willem de Ridder - Voice & Sound

Exactly what the title says it is: postal collaboration featuring voice by Willem De Ridder and sounds by Joe Colley/Crawl Unit. Released as a 7" by Colley's Povertech label in 1995.

Crawl Unit & Willem de Ridder - Voice & Sound

Rubber O Cement - Kaiser Langerhan's Hysterical Cytosine!!

You'll have already figured out that the titles are pseudo-scientific words delivered as cut-up signifiers. I have no idea what they mean. I'm sure that Grux does, but that's a mind I would only enter as long as there was a guaranteed escape route. Anyway ... more gloriously warped electronic noise delivered here for you delectation!

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects in 2006.

Kaiser Langerhan's Hysterical Cytosine!!

Das Synthetische Mischgewebe - Drum

Typically remarkable audio by the underrated Guido Hubner, aka Das Synthetische Mischgewebe, using acoustic drums as sound source. Released as a 7" single by Joe "Crawl Unit" Colley's Povertech label in 1998.

Das Synthetische Mischgewebe - Drum

Rubber O Cement - Thylakoid Hubcaps N' Chloroblast!!

It's that man Grux again! Synth-driven (?) noise and a whole heap of wtf ... just as we like it!

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects at some point in the past.

Thylakoid Hubcaps N' Chloroblast!!

Archipelago Brewing Co. with Four Goddamn Girl Drummers - Criswell

And this is all she wrote ... as far as I'm aware, there were no other Archipelago releases which is a crying shame.

7" released on Brandan's own Nuf Sed in 1991.

Criswell

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 5

Last entry in the "Untitled Single Piece" series, released as a 7" by 90% Wasser in 2002.

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 5

Archipelago Brewing Co. with Four Goddamn Girl Drummers - Drill Ye Tarriers Drill

This is kind of back to front but it really helps. This combines two separate releases. The first 10 tracks does what it says on the tin. The second 10 is the "Open Your Foot" tape released on Nuf Sed Fiery Chariot in 1987. Presumably it's added as a bonus or for pre-death posterity. It doesn't have the girl drummers (but does have Jay Paget of Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 which is a bonus in any right thinking world).

Anyway, down to business. It would appear that the head honcho of Archipelago Brewing Company is Brandan Kearney aka Jigsaw Puzzle Head and a fine upstanding member of Caroliner! The GDDs are Carrie Garrison, Janna Luther, Jessica Luther and Kris Schell. Now I love it when they give the drummer some so four makes me smile a lot.

So where to begin? Well, "Drill" is wonderful. Yeah, I know ... I say things are great all of the time but why would I post things that are bang average or just popular? It sounds like it's core is in the New Zealand underground and made by devotees of English post punk who added the rhythm, chaos and inflection of The Fall then viewed the results through the kaleidoscope of UT, Live Skull and Bongwater. Then it opens the door to your foot.

CD released on Brinkman Records in 1989.

Drill Ye Tarriers Drill

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 4

More audible record player detritus becomes part of this single's icy grey hum. Released by Povertech in 1996. Note: we won't post "Untitled Single Piece 3" because it's available as a download right here.

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 4

Bean Church - The Night Of A Thousand R's

Pre-Caroliner outfit attributed to Gregg Turkington and Grux (although Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls is on vocals on TaxiBus). There's undoubtedly other people involved but "all performances contained herein were performed by paid musicians and actors and all contents are purely fictional. Boz Scaggs is probably not gay." and the start of the special thanks begins with "special thanks to: Kenny Rogers (for the scratch paper)" so fuck knows! It starts with a cover of Black Flag's "Rise Above" which is literally the opposite of the intentions of the original: fuck it, there's no point, just give up, it's all pretty futile, move on. Hopefully, you will find this entertaining and irritating ... you won't leave with no opinion, that's for sure!

C60 released on Breakfast Without Meat and Gravyhills in 1987.

The Night Of A Thousand R's

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 2

Hollowed-out metallic thrum by Francisco Lopez, released by Klanggalerie in 2000 in edition of 100 copies.

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 2

Faxed Head - Uncomfortable But Free

Ostensibly, this was the first full-length release. It's a compilation of the singles they released between 1992 and 1994 with a couple of bonuses thrown in for good measure. This smells of Grux's sticky fingers but where he applied them is somebody else's guess! Wired. Weird. Wonderful.

CD released on Amarillo Records in 1995.

... we like cake ...

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 1

My intuition tells me that Francisco Lopez' music probably isn't well suited to a 7" record. His pieces are typically rather long, bracketed with silence on either side, and made up of extremely subtle extremes of tone and volume that are best reproduced by CD or digital file so that the medium doesn't interfere. Lopez must have thought of that as well, and wrote a sequence of five short "Untitled Single Piece" works, four of which were released on 7" vinyl records. Naturally, pops and surface noise are audible, but they sound like they belong amid these two sides of low throb. Released by Drone Records in 1996.

Francisco Lopez - Untitled Single Piece 1

Faxed Head - Exhumed At Birth

The same collection of Heads complete with faux-Nordic nomenclature ... fun fun fun ...

CD released on Amarillo Records in 1997.

Exhumed At Birth

Eliane Radigue - ℥ = a = b = a + b

One of the crowning releases of Joe Colley's Povertech label, a 2000 reissue of brilliant minimalist Eliane Radigue's 2x7" from 1969, originally self-published in a tiny edition of just 250 copies and then rereleased by Povertech in a slightly more available run of 400 copies. Currently long out of print.

(Incidentally, my husband peered over my shoulder as I typed this and asked "Honey, why are you writing about kebabs?")

Eliane Radigue - ℥ = a = b = a + b

Gelsomina & Nkondi - Sunsetboulevard

A classic through-the-post international noise collaboration, released in 2006 as a CDR on Nkondi's Dollfullofrivets label. I have no idea why he doesn't put spaces in between words. Maybehiskeyboardisbroken.

Gelsomina & Nkondi - Sunsetboulevard

Spider Compass Good Crime Band - Organ Winding Sheet Music

More category defeating genius / lunacy ...

CDr released on Pecan Crazy Records in 2004.

Organ Winding Sheet Music

Spider Compass Good Crime Band - Vultures Serenade With Human Organs

Well, obviously they do. Demented synth electronics with a bit of stolen sound (they're the bits that are in tune btw) from that man Grux.

CDr released on Brutal Sound Effects in 2005.

Vultures Serenade With Human Organs

Faxed Head - Chiropractic

Fifth Head (aka James Goode who was also in The Double U), Jigsaw Puzzle Head (aka Brandan Kearney of Caroliner, Archipelago Brewing Company and World Of Pooh etc), LaBrea Tar Pits Head (aka Phil Franklin Of Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Franklin's Mint and Secret Chiefs 3 etc), McPatrick Head (aka Gregg Turkington) and Neck Head (aka Trey Spruance).

And, now imagine if Slipknot styled out their masks with crap they had just found and Ministry took hallucinogens instead of their usual cup of tea and the fucking lot of them had a sense of humour (or at least irony). Then throw in Michael Gerald's Killdozer vocals. Yep, it's nonsense. But great nonsense. Just wish I'd have got to see them live.

CD released on Web Of Mimicry in 2001.

Chiropractic

Commode Minstrels In Bullface - Fantastic Picnic

The main Bullface Carolner vibe was created by Grux, Chris Cooper and Jess Goddard but I reckon it's early enough to include Trey Spruance (of Faxed Head, Mr Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3 and Asva). Who knows? I don't.

LP released on Insignificant in 1996.

Fantastic Picnic

Evil Moisture / Commode Minstrels In Bullface - Tribute To Hershell Gordon Lewis

Andy Bolus's excellent Evil Moisture backed by Grux et al's what the fuck is going on Bullface.

7" released on Birdman Records in 2001 with each one packaged inside an edition of the Hellraiser comic.

Tribute To Hershell Gordon Lewis

Caroliner Rainbow Open Wound Chorale - Rise Of The Common Woodpile

So on their mirrored old website, this is described as an LP but has the cover of the CD complete with the "packaged in manilla envelope with graphics and paint added". I have a theory that the copyright dates noted on the site are the real dates of the originals and then history kind of warped (because I'm not sure they thought this was gonna last long) and what you get on discogs on the earlier releases are the reissue dates. I'll never be able to prove it and to be honest there's probably only me that cares.

Anyway, the twelfth and final track on the vinyl (Victory Arm Fence) ends with a locked groove. On here, "Victory" is split into three tracks before the locked groove kicks in for another four tracks (sounds shit but it's quite hypnotic). When you lay out the titles of the six "bonus" tracks it reads: "Hey, The Twelve Songs Are Spread Over 18 Tracks Without Much Consideration For Archiving As Mp3's".

Thank heaven for the lunatics, am I right?

Rise Of The Common Woodpile

Finally ... the Caroliner vaults are empty apart from these live recordings.

As always ... if you are sitting on anything else, please share!

Live at Alvin's, Detroit, MI, 1991.08.11

Live at Loft Party at 190 Capp Street, San Francisco, CA, 1993.07.17

Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, 10.29.93

Live in San Francisco, CA, 2002.08.06

Live at Les Voutes, Paris, March 13th, 2005

Live at Wooden Octopus Skull Festival, 2005.09.10

Live at Max’s Vet Center Eugene OR 6.3.08

Live at The 5lowershop, San Francisco 14. December (? year)

Caroliner Rainbow Open Wound Chorale - Rise Of The Common Woodpile

Caroliner's 3rd full album, generally considered to be their best by people who have never listened to music before. Relatively well-recorded (!) alien bluegrass country noise stomp by the band that claims that all of their "music" is channeled from the mind of a bull who lived in 1800s America. Go ahead and read that sentence again if you think it'll help. I'll assume that their sophomore record on San Francisco's legendary punk/hardcore label Subterranean failed to make anyone rich or famous, because this one was self-released by the band again. Can't fault Subterranean, though. Who in their right mind would invest hard-earned dollars in nonsense as wildly unacceptable as this? Only the band, who obviously don't have one right mind among any of their dayglo-enrobed ranks, would think that releasing this album on both LP and CD is a good idea. Thank heaven for the lunatics, am I right?

Caroliner Rainbow Open Wound Chorale ‎– Rise Of The Common Woodpile

Caroliner Rainbow Susans And Bruisins - The Cooking Stove Beast

And this contains "Ann Terry's Fearful House Problem" (and I don't recognise the track from anywhere else) so I'm assuming it was a digital reissue to correct the omission. It's not the reissue listed on discogs.

The Cooking Stove Beast

Caroliner Rainbow Susans And Bruisins - The Cooking Stove Beast

On the lyric sheets that came with the album, there were lyrics for "Ann Terry's Fearful House Problem" but it didn't appear ... ?

LP apparently released on Nuf Sed in 1992.

The Cooking Stove Beast

Caroliner Rainbow Stewed Angel Skins - I'm Armed With Quarts Of Blood

Sure you are. In any case, I'm not going to tell you that you aren't.

Caroliner's second LP, this time released by adventurous SF punk label Subterranean (who also foisted such singular ugliness as Flipper, Factrix and Z'ev upon an indifferent world). If you like the Residents, Butthole Surfers, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and Appalachian "American Primitive" bluegrass holler, none of that will make it any more likely that you'll derive anything resembling pleasure from this. The record begins with some locked grooves, none of which are transcribed here. Life is tough. Surface noise, channel drop-outs and vinyl pops were left in, though, because this is broken music recorded onto used tissue paper and pressed with no regard for (or expectation of) anyone ever listening to it. Pretend that it's intentional. For all I know, it is. Only the singing bull knows for sure.

Caroliner Rainbow Stewed Angel Skins ‎– I'm Armed With Quarts Of Blood

Caroliner Rainbow Fingers Of The Underground And Their Breakable Bones - The Sabre Waving Saracen Wall

I think that this is the CDr version. However, having spent several weeks in the Carolinerverse, I'm not sure whether I'm capable of rational thought anymore. This comes with four extra untitled tracks that I don't recognise from anywhere else. The final 13 minute track (? session) is utterly utterly mental. "No shit", I hear you sigh. Amidst the bongo fury, mouth trumpet (aka fart noises), screaming, vocals that make Gibby sound like a finely tuned and classically trained singer and guitars that make the early Pussy Galore sound like the Rolling Stones ... it also rocks the fuck out ... in a way that only the Rainbow can!

The Sabre Waving Saracen Wall

Caroliner Rainbow Fingers Of The Underground And Their Breakable Bones - The Sabre Waving Saracen Wall

Complete with locked groove at the end of Side B ... LP released on Nuf Sed in 1992.

The Sabre Waving Saracen Wall

Caroliner Rainbow Hernia Milk Queen - Rear End Hernia Puppet Show

Caroliner (the band name changes on each record to something beginning "Caroliner Rainbow..." and then appends non-sequiturs) has historically revolved around a San Francisco trash collector called Grux and a rotating cast of dayglo enablers that has included Gregg Turkington (aka Neil Hamburger), Dame Darcy, members of Deerhoof, Loachfillet, Fat Worm of Error, World of Pooh, Faxed Head, Rubber-o-Cement, and who knows who or what else. This is their debut LP, released in 1985. It infamously came in a used pizza box stuffed with photocopied art and actual garbage. No two copies were alike and no other band is like Caroliner.

A note about the sound quality: there isn't any. This music was recorded poorly, pressed cheaply, and ripped as well as one could hope for under the circumstances. Accept the no-fi nastiness as an inseparable quality of the gestalt. If you think this sounds like trash (and it does), know that a later Caroliner album ("Rings on the Awkward Shadow") was supposedly first recorded onto wax cylinder and then pressed to bargain-quality vinyl, and that album sounds markedly worse.

Caroliner Rainbow Hernia Milk Queen ‎– Rear End Hernia Puppet Show

Caroliner Rainbow Wire Thin Sheep Legs Baking Exhibit - Strike Them Hard, Drag Them To Church

The best Caroliner title? To be honest by now, you're either into it or not.

LP released on Nuf Sed in 1992.

Strike Them Hard Drag Them To Church

Caroliner Rainbow Grace Blocks Used In The Placement Of The Personality - Rings On The Awkward Shadow Sides 3 & 4

I bought this years ago ... at least 12 years ago but it might have been a lot longer than that. There is no information on the sleeve and the disc is blank. There are seven tracks and it doesn't match anything much from the vinyl in terms of track times. It's not sides three and four. Feel free to speculate, I've spent so much time in the Carolinerverse that I've booked myself into rehab.

CDr released on Dolor Del Estamago ... no idea when.

Rings On The Awkward Shadow Sides 3 & 4

Caroliner Rainbow Grace Blocks Used In The Placement Of The Personality - Rings On The Awkward Shadow

In the world of Caroliner vinyl everybody seems to guess where the splits happen. I don't believe Discogs much anymore ... on there, the title track is 6:36 ... mine rocks up at 13 minutes even if the last 30 seconds are a locked groove (and it's the final track so where did everything else go?). I'm too far into the Grux-hole to care much.

Double LP released on BullsHit apparently in 1994.

Rings On The Awkward Shadow

Caroliner Rainbow Scrambled Egg Taken For A Wife - Banknotes, Dreams & Signatures

This really is a wild ride. Awe inspiringly fucked up genius!

LP jointly released on Nuf Sed ‎and BullsHit in 1994.

Banknotes, Dreams & Signatures

Caroliner Rainbow Customary Relaxation Of The Shale - Sell Heal Holler

Impossibly brilliant and totally cracked and warped.

LP released on BullsHit in 1995.

Sell Heal Holler

Caroliner Singing Bull Of The 1800's Memorial Band - Our American Heritage, Volume One

"This LP also is an exception. Focusing like a target at an inch away we put together our best live music pieces which include between them small compositions and ideas that are to be music on LPs in the following years of Caroliner's existance." The rear of the sleeve also says "copyright and publishing 1983" ... ahh, the obfuscating world of Caroliner!

There is nothing to indicate the label so let's say it's a self-released LP from 1996.

Our American Heritage

Caroliner - Toodoos

The source vinyl isn't the cleanest and even with a healthy dose of click removal it still crackles. Better than nothing I say ... but if you can contribute a cleaner rip, feel free!

LP released on BullsHit in 1999.

Toodoos

Caroliner Rainbow Brain Tool Imbued With Rust And Mold - Wine Can't Do It, Wife Won't Do!

I posted this in 2011 and here it is again. I really can't tell you why it took me another seven years to get around to posting more Caroliner.

Double LP released on BullsHit ‎in 2003.

Wine Can't Do It

Planet TR - Let the Cosmos Ring

Enough with the heavy darkness already! Planet TR is actually The Tower Recordings, who adopted this pseudonym for one album only. Sprawling, semi-improvised drone folk jams featuring some players who would become more well-known in later years: Samara Lubelski, Matt Valentine, Tim Barnes, PG Six and Helen Rush. Released as a CD by Spirit of Orr in 1997.

Planet TR - Let the Cosmos Ring

Caroliner Rainbow Tongue On The Fingermill Of The Paste Demon / Eeyore Ass Guzzler - Split

I missed this when I was posting the sevens and twelves ... how remiss of me! If Eeyore Ass Guzzler isn't Caroliner I'll guzzle my ass ... or something more appetising just in case.

7" released on Eerie Materials in 1994.

Paste Demon / Ass Guzzler

Hermann Kopp - Nekronology

Probably the music Hermann Kopp is best known for, this 2004 CD collects tracks from his soundtracks for revolting splatter-gore movies Nekromantik, Necromantik 2, and Der Todesking, all directed by Jorg Buttgereit.

Hermann Kopp - Nekronology

Caroliner - An 1800s Affectuant In An Instrumental Revue

18 untitled tracks that just about match the timings that you will see on Discogs ... but the running order is different. Multiple releases on shuffle? For a band as wantonly capricious as Caroliner, nothing at all surprises me anymore.

CDr released on BullsHit in 2003

An 1800s Affectuant In An Instrumental Revue

Hermann Kopp - Mondo Carnale (Best of 1981-1989)

One of three reissues of Hermann Kopp's 80s material released by Vinyl on Demand, Mondo Carnale collects some songs from "Pop" and others from tapes and early LPs.

Hermann Kopp - Mondo Carnale (Best of 1981-1989)

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