The Dead C. - Runway

The Dead C.'s very early album "Runway" features the band at their most blown-out, blurry, and anti-musical. Recorded from 1987 to 1989 and released as a cassette on Michael Morley's Precious Metal imprint, none of "Runway" has since been reissued in any form, probably for good reason. This is as raw and feral as the band ever sounded. Of particular note is the nihilistic gray mud that gets the whole party started. This noise hardly resembles the cathartic rush of what was happening in Japan at the same time. Sonic Youth may have been an influence and reference point for these kiwis, but The Dead C. took the fidelity down several pegs, removed most of the "rock" (not counting bits of a skipping Slayer CD, a few bars of "Pictures of Matchstick Men", and other baffling red herrings), added heaps of grimy sadness, and smeared the remainder in layers of overdriven yuck. There happen to be some actual songs in here, or nearly so.... fans will recognize a catatonic run through the classic "Scarey Nest" (later polished up, relatively speaking, for the Eusa Kills LP) that sounds as if it was recorded directly onto pure opium instead of magnetic tape. Later on, some distracted strums nod toward song-ish forms, but they're not putting a lot of effort into it. There's even (gasp!) a drum machine on a few tracks. Those looking for the pre-history of a band that changed music in New Zealand forever and had a lasting impact on out-rock/noise around the world will find lots of oil here in which to deep-fry what's left of their brains.

The Dead C. - Runway