SEATTLE : "dBSeattle" : rock n0ize hardcore punk metal garage mix CD

I recently received, as a gift, an 80-minute-or-so homemade Providence, RI noise comp CD-R from a friend, consisting of acts such as Lightning Bolt, Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores, Vincebus Eruptum, Mindflayer, USAISAMONSTER, Kites, Pleasure Horse, and many more artists. I wanted to reciprocate by giving her a similar comp of bands from Seattle. The thing is: whatever comprises of the "noise" scene here in Seattle has a very different context from the "noise" scene in Providence. So, instead, I decided to put together a "noisy rock" compilation of Seattle bands that, in my humble opinion, have not gotten their just desserts. So, while I won't claim any of the following Seattle bands to be "noise bands", I can easily argue that noise is one major factor that makes these bands all the more enjoyable.

Normally, I'd feel too self-conscious to "tell all you d00dz about this Rrradikull mix of rawk shit I made, OMG!". but I've been waiting for a long while to praise all the bands below. And now, this gives me a chance to sit down and try and write something somewhat in-depth about each of them all in one fell swoop. I'm also providing, for a limited time, links to select mp3s off the compilation. I'd do one song per band if I had the disk space to host, but I unfortunately don't. Anyway, without further ado:

"dBSeattle"

1.Teen Cthulhu "Cousteau"
2.Teen Cthulhu "Southenders"
3.Teen Cthulhu "Curse Of The Poison Rat Clan"
4.Iron Lung "Cocentric Circulator"
5.Iron Lung "Brain Scan"
6.Cold Sweat "Dead End Decision"
7.Cold Sweat "Breaking You"
8.Cold Sweat "Cross In A Bottle"
9.Swarming Hordes "(1)"
10.Swarming Hordes "(5)"
11.Bloodhag "Arthur C. Clarke"
12.Bloodhag "Kurt Vonnegut"
13.Bloodhag "Neal Stephenson"
14.Bloodhag "Octavia Butler"
15.Akimbo "Paul Reubens Theatre"
16.Akimbo "Sense Of Smell"
17.Akimbo "Golem"
18.Akimbo "Cavernous Black Eyes"
19.The Whip "Freelance Liaison"
20.The Whip "Sheep & Goat Judgement"
21.Climax Golden Twins "Choked Up"
22.Climax Golden Twins "Theme From Climax Golden Twins"
23.Climax Golden Twins "Telephone Call From The 70s"
24.Popular Shapes "Everyone Hawaiian"
25.Popular Shapes "Symmetrical Girl"
26.Popular Shapes "Refrigerators Too Large"
27.The Intelligence "I Am That Grey"
28.The Intelligence "Cold Calling"
29.The Intelligence "Virgos"
30.Ursula & The Androids "Babies"
31.Jackie Hell & The Control Tops "Tonight I Kill"
32.Ursula & The Androids "Foxy Roxy"
33.Jackie Hell & The Control Tops "Expensive"
34.The Cripples "Split Apart"
35.The Cripples "Contraception"
36.The Cripples "Crip Theme"
37.The Spits "Shitty World"
38.The Spits "Tease Baby"
39.The Spits "Greyhound Bound"

(Had I been allowed more than 80 minutes, I also would have included Kinski, Sun City Girl, The A-Frames, and Mars Accelerator.)

Teen Cthulhu:
Having been around for close to five years, four-piece Teen Cthulhu had been a hardcore/punk/metal live favorite for far too few people in the Seattle area and the west coast. They had released two albums (the latter, Ride The Blade, of which has some rather disturbing, gory album art. If you're sensitive to gore, I don't recommend looking at this album, nor their official site, but if you must, here it is but DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU) and a series of split releases with various other bands. At the beginning, they sounded like a raw hardcore band that dreamed of becoming the ultimate Halloween/horror inspired thrash/death metal band. By the very end, they had pretty much realised their dreams and became that band, even if they didn't quite know it, or play the role, so to speak. Rumor has it they even got airplay from John Peel! I included some of their early tracks on the mix because, then, the rawness rendered much of their earlier tracks as almost discernable and therefore gave the misconception that they were trying to be a noise rock band, for better or worse -- that, and the tracks are more fun and appropriate for the goal of the mix CD. (I'm not sure where the first one came from, but the second two are, I believe, from the split 7" with Iron Lung.) Later, their material was better recorded and sounded, well, more "real" as far as that horror metal band dream goes -- and as a result, the music sounds slightly less fun. Their live shows never failed to amaze though, as far as showing off how tight and how energetic they were. They broke up only last fall -- in a headlining show that was, despite the band's modesty and completely lack of taking themselves seriously, the ultimate culmination of their talents and presence -- not to mention an encore where every kid in the audience got on stage along with the band to do a fist-raising joint-karaoke to a late 80s R&B pop hit -- ranking as one of the most surreal break-up moments I've ever witnessed. Had they decided to stick around, and Lloyd Kaufman was still fueling his Troma empire with more horror releases, Kaufman would have hired the band in an instant. I'm not exactly sure why the band broke up, but I understand it was for amicable reasons. Last, but not least, I don't think anyone can argue that not only was their band name completely appropriate but certainly ranks as one of the best rock band names ever. (Included above is a link to "Southenders", which is worth it for the opening sample alone.)

(Personal note: Seeing them play their last ever show was very therapeutic for me in a way, as it was their web-site and album cover that served as one of many triggers for my major panic attack when I was commuting to work by car around a year ago. Let's just say I've had a life long sensitivity to any visual content that's excessively gory and real. Also, a tragedy, alluded to below, also coincided and contributed to that panic attack. I've still yet to relearn how to drive without panicking. Anyway, seeing Teen Cthulhu for who they were and that, in the end, it was all fantasy, was a very important cornerstone in reducing my panic attacks, as it turns out.)

Iron Lung:
Iron Lung are a two-piece power grind band originally from Reno, NV. They had been living in Oakland, CA recently, and only moved up to Seattle at the beginning of this year.. so their inclusion on this mix CD is cheating, admittedly. But I'll happily take the opportunity to claim them in this city's name given what I've heard from them, on record and live. They are jaw-dropping. While they sound rather raw and sparse, which is not easy to escape as a two piece, they dispell the energy of a band more than twice their size. One guitarist & sampler/screamer vs. one drummer/screamer. Not unlike other bands, these guys have a certain theme for songs involving complex bio-medical terms. Expect to hear more from this band in the near future. The two tracks are from the split 7" with Teen Cthulhu mentioned above. (Link for "Cocentric Circulator" is included above)

Cold Sweat:
While technically being a straight edge band, due to frontman/singer Sean's vocals, Cold Sweat thankfully defy every musical stereotype associated with straight edge anything. They're a compelling speed/thrash punk rock band -- Black Flag on 78, if you will. They have one full length record out called Severed Ties which is short and bittersweet. To further confuse straight-edgers, they've been known to do a fantastic cover of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" live, and put an unlisted long psychedelia-fused Sabbath-esque rock jam at the end of their record. Cold Sweat are the newest band represented here, and hopefully, they will become more prolific in the near future. Deep Fry Bonanza provided a well written review of their record here (Link to "Dead End Decision", from Severed Ties, is included above.)

Swarming Hordes:
Simply put, these guys are the modest winners of all that is technical riff-heavy instrumental math-metal. They do it very fast, very succinctly, and without any irony. They are two guitars and a drummer. My only complaint is that they've released far too little (and the one CD-Ep they've released doesn't sound loud enough), they aren't worshipped by everybody already, and they don't play live often enough. (They actually play live quite often in town, but "enough" for me would be every other day). What sets Swarming Hordes apart from other tech-math metal folks is that they don't stress volume as much as other bands. The drummer seems to have more of an intense surf-rock background in his style rather than anything else metal related, which are the subtle keys to this band's uniqueness. That doesn't mean you don't need earplugs when you see them live. It just means that you're likely to hear them very clearly, even in the worst acoustics. They are quite democratic in their presence, with no single member showboating over the others. And while I'm warmed myself to the Fucking Champs and all that is Tim Green recorded, it's quite difficult to listen to the Fucking Champs and not feel bored after a while, especially after giving a Swarming Hordes release a whirl. (I originally was going to begin this review with "THIS BAND REGISTERS A 9.0 ON THE RIFF-TER SCALE!" I'm really glad I left it as a footnote instead. or maybe I.. shouldn't have... ah, fugget it) (Link to track 1 on their CD EP included above.)

Bloodhag:
It's a rite of passage to see a Bloodhag live show when you live in Seattle. The songs themselves may not make their modus operandi completely obvious from the get-go, given that their goal is delivered through a straight forward well-executed assault of cookie-monster vocal-style death metal, but Bloodhag's mission is to increase literacy through their music. Expect to be given pop quizzes and given lectures on the sci-fi/fantasy authors they name their songs after during a typical live show. Also be prepared to get hit on the noggin with a copy or two of such books. (My very first Bloodhag show got me H.G. Well's The Time Machine and a slight bump on my forehead for a day or so.) Part of the reason they choose sci-fi/fantasy authors is to show where these kids' favorite metal bands possibly seek their lyrical inspiration and imagery. Why metal bands? Because Bloodhag love metal. And they look books. Don't even think of being a Bloodhag groupie unless your wear heavy specs, by the way. (Here's a decent review/interview of them here. www.bloodhag.com used to exist, but no longer it seems)

Akimbo:
If any band in this mix CD lineup is set for a possible breakout, it's Akimbo. They are Jon on bass/screaming, Burke on guitar (who also used to be the drummer of Cold Sweat, but quit to concentrate on Akimbo, so now Cold Sweat has Iron Lung's drummer as their new drummer now.), and Nat (a former Tight Bro From Way Back When) on drums. They play live in town almost every other day, and have been doing so for the past four to five years, at least. They started out sounding more chaotic and hardcore, and have now taken the best of those early elements and added a lot of Sabbath to it. Their first album, Harshing Your Mellow, wasn't anything that far removed from, say, an early Blood Brothers release, although Akimbo lacked the stylish manic choreography of the double frontmen of the Brothers, for better or worse, since every Akimbo member is equipped with an instrument. But Harshing Your Mellow was a great debut for a three piece band to show how much they could do as a three piece. Their recent followup Elephantine sounds like a band that finally feels content in capturing their live sound on record, accurately -- and it doubles up on the efforts of their first record, as far as energy and song maturity. There are far more breaks into slow grinding heavy riffage than before, there's a little more experimentation, and the songs are longer than before. Also, the song titles seem more peculiarly inspired by fantasy/D&D... no more song titles like "Fuck Everett, Fuck Tacoma" or "When I am King I Will Spit on the Corpse of Ray Manzarek". Now we get "Golem", "Vassal Of The Phallus Crown", and "Bitten From The Thigh Of Zeus". In any case, Akimbo are a very hard working band that will hopefully get their just deserves in the very near future. A link to "Cavernous Black Eyes" from Elephantine is provided above -- a decent interview with the band can be found here via Thrasher.

The Whip:
It was a dream come true for anyone who was a fan of KARP, the legendary and comical metal-loving three piece from Olympia, WA, who were highly active throughout the 90s. They featured Jared Warren on bass/vocals, Chris Smith on guitar/vocals, and Scotty Jernigan on drums. Even though the band embraced metal in serious and non-serious ways, they were more unique than most gave them credit for. They obviously were inspired by the Melvins, but added enough catchiness and momentum to the din of the fuzzed out bass, guitars, double-kick drums, and ghoulish howls to produce something they could have called their own. They broke up late in the 90s, and both Jared and Scotty would move to Seattle in the year 2000. In the meantime, Jared would become frontman for an AC/DC / MC5 style rock revival band called The Tight Bros From Way Back When. Scotty was also briefly involved in a band called the Cobra Jets. After a long enough hiatus to give Jared and Scotty some time to grow apart, and also following the demise of the Tight Bros, both decided to make music together again. It was no surprise that the results of their new material sounded very much like their old band, KARP, and they never admitted any ambitions to change that. The key difference was that they enlisted their pal, Joe Preston (Thrones/former Melvin), as guitarist. Given Joe's experimentation with guitar sounds and volume, it was exactly what a KARP fan wished for, and more. Joe's alien feedback sounds only made The Whip's initial live shows and compositions that much more exciting and promising than KARP. They (I believe) recorded an album, and were about to embark on their first national tour as The Whip in the summer of 2003. Very sadly, tragedy struck at the worst time, just before the start of the tour. Scotty and friends were involved in a boating accident near the University District of Seattle, and Scotty passed away, much to the shock of everyone. The news of his death swept all across people involved in the rock scene in Seattle, mainly the venues, and throughout circles in the country. Scotty was a bartender at the Re-Bar -- then, one of the most frequented clubs in Seattle. He was a familiar face to anybody to went out to either catch The Whip or catch any show at the popular Re-Bar. What will happen with the recorded yet unreleased Whip material is unclear, and would seemingly be up to Jared. (I haven't seen him around town since Scotty's death, and wouldn't dare ask that anyway.) At the very least, The Whip had released one testament to their power, and that is the "Freelance Liaison/Sheep & Goat Judgement" 7" on Missoula, Montana label Wantage.. both songs of which are included on the mix CD and were recorded at ex-Unwound frontman Justin Trosper's studio down in the Olympia area. This link contains information on how you can, hopefully, still help contribute to the Scotty Jernigan Memorial Fund.)

Climax Golden Twins:
Both Robert Millis and Jeffrey Taylor have been confusing their fans since they began in 1994. And still do a very good job of it, though they do a better job of confusing those who are not familiar with their oeuvre, when they happen to open for another, sometimes more well-known, band. There is no such thing as a small subset of Climax Golden Twins songs that will help sum them up. Don't even go there. Want a creepy movie soundtrack? Want moody subtle "song oriented" "rock" music? This is the band and the place. Just investigate and be rewarded. With the help of Sun City Girls conspirator and recorder Scott Colburn and a variety of friends, they released their "rock album", the red polka dot self-titled album three years ago, and hence the three tracks used on this mix are from that record (since this is a heavy rock mix cd and all.) If there's anything these songs can be remotely compared to, it's the classic era of the Butthole Surfers. But even these three relatively loud song selections are rather subdued compared to the more comical "retardation rock" shows the Climax Golden Twins performed throughout the year of 2001. The last of those shows culminated in a hilarious, entertaining sendup opening for Mudhoney on September 7th. Mark Arm did a cameo as "the beat poet". So why do I remember the date? This would coincidentally be the very last rock show I would attend before 9/11. Again, all three tracks are from the red polka dot "rock" album on their label Fire Breathing Turtle -- the Twins have a great site, including samples of Victriola pie, at www.climaxgoldentwins.com -- also Jeffrey co-owns and runs Seattle's music-from-the-back-alley-to-the-fourth-dimension record store, Wall Of Sound -- not to be confused with the English dance record label -- and one such page on the store is here.

Popular Shapes:
This band doesn't make sense. The song lyrics, the song titles, the cover art.... they sure make nonsense seem fun though. Imagine Nation Of Ulysses, with the lead singer's vocal chords altered to a more limited timbre, and trapped in a cell with nothing but a playing station with only three records to inspire them further: Swell Maps' A Trip To Marineville, XTC's White Music, and Bill Nelson's Red Noise's Sound On Sound. More quirk for your buck, and at a breakneck speed. There's nothing I want more than to see this band play live. DEFROST DEFROST! The three tracks are from their fine debut full-length Bikini Style

The Intelligence:
Lars, the drummer of the A-Frames, has been his own band frontman for as long as the A-Frames as existed, if not longer. His band was once called the Unnatural Helpers, and possibly other names. Lars settled on The Intelligence three years ago. Still after that, The Intelligence consisted of Lars on guitar and vocals, and whichever two friends he could muster to practice for a little bit for a live show. The three-piece lineup has solidified two years ago, and just recently, the live version of the Intelligence is now a relatively monstrous five-piece borrowing members from the aforementioned Popular Shapes. (The studio lineup at any given time is anyone's guess, outside Lars.) Musically, The Intelligence has always sounded inspired by The Fall, Wire, and/or Gravedigger V, and seem to enjoy the garagey aesthetic of their recordings.. otherwise, they are rather difficult to describe. As for their studio releases, they've done a great split single with the Popular Shapes, and released an album called Boredom and Terror which ranges from more swinging rock songs to more meandering odes to nihilism and apathy, much like the album title suggests. "I Am That Grey" and "Cold Calling" are from the split 7" with Popular Shapes. A link to "Cold Calling" is provided above. Also included in the mix is "Virgos" from the album Boredom And Terror.

Ursula & The Androids / Jackie Hell & The Control Tops:
Jackie Hell and Ursula Android have been very important staples and catalysts in the Seattle punk/hardcore scene. They did it in the form of a Thursday night event called "Pho Bang!", where one or more punk bands were chosen as the headlining musical act(s) in an otherwise decadent display of drag queen skit comedy and trannie dance routines to such kiddie fare as Khia's "My Neck, My Back" or Lil' Kim's "How Many Licks". The last venue that hosted this was the Re-Bar (where Scotty Jernigan used to bartend, as mentioned above.) The Stranger wrote a really good bio on them here. Here are pics of Jackie and Ursula in full clothing at the 2002 Capitol Block Party. Anyway, many a "Pho Bang!" wouldn't have been complete without performances by both Jackie Hell & The Control Tops and Ursula & The Androids... which are the same band, except the two switch off as frontma.. ur, frontperson, and the band has to change costumes. Ursula & The Androids is a straight send-up of Screamers/Pussy Galore worship, often with screwed up funny lyrics. (A link is provided to "Babies" above. Listen and decide for yourself.) Jackie Hell & The Control Tops stray more into John Waters territory, musically and lyrically speaking. Divine would be proud. As for why "Pho Bang!" no longer exists, I wish I knew! I'm guessing Jackie & Ursula got burned out. They still host shows around town, and sometimes play out in their own bands on the west coast. They recently played with the Coachwhips in San Francisco earlier this year.

The Cripples:
The most fun and unique live band in Seattle today -- easily. The Cripples have actually been around for eight years, but only started releasing songs on singles and compilations just around four years ago, and they finally released their first full-length called Dirty Head two years. Aside from the Screamers inspiration, the band combine their two synthtar/bass/drums arsenal into a noisy hook machine. Sometimes they are ultra catchy anthems such as "Contraception", "Down Again", "The Itch", and "Lamé". Other times, they create a joyous garage rock/synthtar ruckus, like on "Simple And Plain" and "Crip Theme". Their live shows are great if anything to see the reaction of either synthtarist Ross (who is also the synthtarist in The Androids and the Control Tops mentioned above.. under the name "Ross Sewage") or synthtarist/guitarist Greg when their noise weapon at the time starts to malfunction. Then expect some moodiness combined with either of them going for broke, hitting every one of their pedals, and creating what can only be described as an early video game soundtrack that exploded. Cover medleys including Salt N' Pepa's "Push It", Rapeman's "Superpussy", and Pussy Galore's "Kill Yourself" are not uncommon. "Split Apart" is from an Extravertigo records 7" comp, and "Contraception" and "Crip Theme" are from their debut album Dirty Head. The Cripples now have their own website, www.thecripples.com, which is growing. For better live pics from an old Fallout Records performance, click here.

The Spits:
The Spits provide the dessert for this mix. A fuzzed out combo inspired the Ramones and Devo, the Spits have been a live favorite in town for many years. Costume changes are common. Most recently, on their homecoming show touring with Rocket From The Crypt, they had their merch guy play drums for a nearly nude long haired fellow who strutted around on stage with more attitude than Nugent playing a Tyco toy synth guitar. The hair whips were well rehearsed. Occasionally, the lead Tyco man would start chanting "TYCO-THERAPY! TYCO-THERAPY! TYCO-THERAPY!", do another hair whip, then raise his fist. What all this has anything to do with the Spits is beyond me. But much fun in the name of sabotage has been the Spits' game in town for as long as they've been around. Also, their songs are extremely catchy and well worth checking out. "Shitty World", mp3 link provided above, and "Tease Baby" are from the "19 Million A.C." 7". "Greyhound Bound" is culled from their latest album release in 2003.