Crow’s Nest 47: 020523
Whatever You Do Don’t Get The Mini Spaghetti. Just Trust Me On That One.
Aloha, and welcome to issue #47 of Crow’s Nest. Here in Chicago we’ve reached the part of winter where the accumulation of salt on roadways turns much of the ground a very dry gray, a sign, like saying that 30°F temperatures aren’t too bad, that we’re deep into and hopefully approaching the end of winter. Thankfully we’re getting decent amounts of sun to help counteract this. And thank you, as always, for opening Crow’s Nest if you’re reading this.
(So apparently the ‘Subscribe now’ button in the editor is ‘Pledge your support’ in the actual email/page? I have no intention of monetizing Crow’s Nest, I do this for free as a passion project. I get it, Substack is looking to make money off paid subscriptions, and if push comes to shove I’ll migrate to a different host.)
A housekeeping note: I’m sure if you consistently read these, you know I frequently don’t listen to the latest releases in the timeliest of manners. I try to be fair and consider everything that comes onto my radar in the order I’ve received it, but that amount has sprawled since the pandemic started and I really started purchasing a lot from Bandcamp, and even moreso with going into the office a few times a week. There, I default to my Spotify playlist instead of the links on my personal laptop, which compresses my listening time on that portion of ‘primary’ listening to the point that my system has become a bit untenable. (My marijuana usage doesn’t help that either tbh.) I’ve got about a 2 month backlog on the Bandcamp links at this point, which is fine to some degree—music has no expiration date and if any of y’all complain about that you don’t tell me—but that timeliness gap has been weighing on me.
I don’t want to be discarding stuff from my attention like it’s shit past its expiration date in my fridge, but should I force myself to wait to get to releases like those from The Drin, Italia 90, Giant Swan, The Tubs, others not yet on my radar because I haven’t gotten to them yet, etc. solely out of a sense of fairness and obligation to a pile of mostly in-one-ear-and-out-the-other stuff that wound up in my inbox? Honestly, no, I don’t think so. It’s my life, my newsletter, I make the rules and I think that is an acceptable compromise to a problem largely of my own making. So, I’ve made the decision to start an improvised prioritization of first listening to the stuff I think I’m more likely to enjoy than ‘the rest’. I already do this to some degree in general and in the spreadsheet I track new and upcoming releases on—and have since I started doing that well before I considered starting Crow’s Nest—but this is a more intentional, deliberate tiering and all. We’ll see how this goes. It remains my intention to get to all of those releases—unless time or technology fail me—and that pile will continue to surprise me, I’m sure. Or maybe you’ve never even noticed this about me/Crow’s Nest and I’m just overthinking my punctuation use. Wouldn’t be the first time for that, as I remind myself frequently.
Anyway, opening blathering aside this is gonna be a bit of a shorter issue because there hasn’t been as much good stuff I’ve listened to recently that I feel is worth including. It happens, I probably wouldn’t be getting to writing an issue next weekend (GO BIRDS) and didn’t want there to be a month-long gap between issues. My cross to bear. Consider that I’m prioritizing quality over quantity with this issue; I assure you the first few inclusions are up there with my usual highlight cuts, at minimum.
Woah, woah man. I’m self aware to realize much of my favorite music is the sort of stuff that soundtracks smoke sessions on campus grounds, and this is very much one of those records, and yet there’s much more to appreciate with this even when sober. Dub reggae by default, this British band finds itself way out there in left field, sometimes channeling surf rock, new wave, post-punk, even theatrical diva-styled power ballads … pretty much any aggressive non-heavy rock style prevalent before the 1985 initial release, produced by—and this is new information to me but not at all surprising tbh—Charles Bullen of This Heat. Sonically, the sound is shockingly spartan, with heavy Weymouth-y bass guitar, loud midrange drumming and singer Joey Stack’s highs taking up most of the mix in isolated chunks, with the other instruments only intermittently registering at times. If much of music can be disappointing in its lack of inventiveness and uniqueness, this record is shocking proof of how limited and narrow a span our sonic palettes usually occupy. A retrospective compilation rolling up their sole LP, a split cassette and live cassette, if you have any interest in experimental rock, post-punk, dub reggae or lo-fi outsider production qualities, get on this one immediately.
Pilsen crew The Ineffectuals don’t score points for originality—they could get away with claiming the 303s and electro stylings here were overlooked 30 years ago upon initial release—but they remain a cut above your average set of dance floor numbers. Their sampling recalls Moin, Finn (see below), and more outré footwork moments to my ears in their eerier moments, which is nice for a dark space. Speaking of which, for those in the area, they headline the next Various Distractions outing at the Empty Bottle this Wednesday—it’s free and beers should be as low as $3 there. I’m willing to bet ‘Sybaris’ will be fun to hear live if they bust that one out.
Is this record the Italian equivalent to Norwegian black metal? Not that it sounds like anything in that genre that aside from some folksy affectations; this is closer to a Hippie Trail record out of West Germany than anything. Still, this project from a mountain village “above” Parma is a great gem from the email pile, balancing pastoral folk and New Age-y instrumentation with some post-rock stylings to help give things a somewhat more contemporary sound. Listening, I’m reminded that, as an American, I know little about contemporary Italian culture and whether this is indicative of some strong current or one outsider doing his thing in the country. Props to Alessio Ferrari for making such an underappreciated album regardless.
I’m aware I’ve skipped writing up reading I’ve enjoyed recently—kind of a quiet retirement to that—but if you didn’t see this article making the rounds last night, it’s well worth your time. A year and a half after taking control of the country, many former Taliban fighters are now Twitter-addicted wagecels stuck in email jobs for the administration, upset they can no longer hang with the boys like they did during jihad. Of course making light of this isn’t exactly the most tasteful conclusion, but it is funny to read about.
Crow’s Nest favorite Finn strikes a great balance between taking his dance music productions seriously (when the vocal sample isn’t too irreverent) and most everything else lightly. I’m not sure anyone is necessarily looking for tasteful holiday (dance) music—I usual consider that in-or-out, you either embrace it wholeheartedly or ignore it—but the quality on display is enough to merit serious consideration of this release independent of the calendar. Just imagine the psychedelic churgle of ‘Rudolph’ on a dance floor and tell me this release is only for the last 2 months of the year. (Yes, I’m aware Christmas was over a month ago and it’s now February. Yes, I only got to this last week. Yes, this is what inspired my opening semi-essay. You’re not obligated to press play.)
Mancunian label Front & Follow may have officially wound down operations but, like many a peculiarly British tradition, nevertheless persists as something New Weird British. In collaboration with Gated Canal Community they’ve put out a 3rd RENTAL YIELDS compilation—taking the name from a housing development advertised more as an attractive investment opportunity rather than, you know, homes for those who need them—with the proceeds going to a homeless support charity. Listening again as I put the finishing touches on this issue, only 2 of the 50 artists whose work makes up the 25 tracks ring a bell, and most of it is ominous drone music. Perhaps a reflection of the ominous, vampiric nature of capitalism from which the series derived its name? You decide.
Gothenburg label Höga Nord Rekords sits at the intersection of post-punk, krautrock, dub, and psych—little wonder it’s one of my favorites and makes frequent appearances in this newsletter, no?—and, if you get their Bandcamp missives, frequently circulates reminders about the back catalog whether through sales notices or compilations it assembles. It was listening through the label’s 4th 7” box set that I was reminded of and come to fully appreciate for this release from Purple Desert Rain God for the first time. I’ll add ‘instrumental’ to the 4 genres noted above as a descriptor for this.
I have to assume at this point that y’all don’t tell me about upcoming Tropical Fuck Storm releases because y’already know I learn about them almost immediately. This 36 min EP finally, finally sees the group cover lead guitarist Gareth Liddiard’s idol Jimi Hendrix with an 18-minute version of ‘1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)’. That’s the obvious highlight, with the B-side largely existing to press the Moonburn cassingle to wax.
If you haven’t seen the other recent news about the group, TFS is staying down under this year as bassist Fiona Kitschen gets treatment for Stage 3 breast cancer. Not that I ever would discourage you from sending them some scratch, but considering Liddiard talks about being broke as often as Hendrix in interviews, any financial support you can offer them would certainly be appreciated.
Here’s a quick tape of queer Polish egg punk—all overdriven rhythm box drums and messily impressionistic guitar lines. Lo-fi, ramshackle and infused with the vitality that drives many to create to begin with.
Pennsylvania, primarily Philadelphia with Pittsburgh as a strong runner-up, has definitively emerged as one of the strongest underground guitar music scenes in America by now. While much of that attention is rightfully focused on the art-rock/shoegaze side of things, there’s also room for more rhythm and groove oriented groups. Blood—how much more can a group sabotage their SEO?—fall onto the post-punk side of things with this single. At 2 minutes long it’s over too quickly; it’s taken me several times over that to write up this paragraph about their motorik chug, Devo yelps and a little Electrelane influence too. Maybe you also took longer to read this than spin it? Hopefully this is just the first offering from them on Fire Talk, and a more substantial piece of work is on its way.
Alright, that’s the issue this time. As always, if you’re reading this, thank you for doing so, I hope you found something within you enjoy. Whatever it is you’re dealing with and struggling with at this time, keep going and persist with it, you’ve got it.
Ah yes, the warmer days of a Midwest winter; where 34 feels like 70 and the line for the car wash snakes around the block.
Not for nothing, the new Tubs record is killer. Definitely worth letting that one jump the line if you haven't already. Also, thanks for getting this track by Blood on my radar. That's right up my alley!
Spring's comin'!