Lo-fi or no-fi recs?

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I like the fuzzy recording quality that a lot of Beat Happening albums and pre-We Shall All Be Healed Mountain Goats albums have. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some other lo- or no-fi bands, especially if the lyrics are good.

― WillSommer, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

Is there such a thing as "no-fi?"

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

Try Eric's Trip and the Microphones.

― Jena (JenaP), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

Parker and Lily - particularly lo-fi, new one is very good, maybe an acquired taste.
Wolf Parade - you should be able to find their 2 eps on slsk or similar. one for the future, maybe.

but i would second the Microphones above these. do Neutral Milk Hotel count? if NMH count, then him/them before all else.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

"No-fi" was probably a term some writer coined when they came across a tape that they thought made Sentridoh sound like Bacharach. Oh, writers. It was also the name of a CA record store, I think - maybe a label, too?

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:21 (twenty years ago)

some Velvet Underground and Fall lps

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:43 (twenty years ago)

adventures in stereo, self-titled blue album (as opposed to self-titled yellow album, which isn't as good).

guided by voices (duh!), everything from vampire on titus through under the bushes under the stars, but nothing from before and nothing after.

sebadoh, anything pre-bakesale, which basically means anything with the word "weed" somewhere in the title, i think.

harry smith's anthology of american folk music.

lots and lots of stuff recorded in the 1920s and '30s.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

Is there such a thing as "no-fi?"

We aren't allowed to make John Cage jokes anymore

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

I really like what little I've heard of Ariel Pink.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

cLOUDDEAD are a variation on a theme.

― coffee_cake, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

Bathory!

― moley (moley), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

I really like the 3 CDs I've heard of Ariel Pink.

― sleep (sleep), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

(The Doldrums, House Arrest, Worn Copy)

Also, GBV seconded (duh!)

― sleep (sleep), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

Palace - Days in the Wake & There Is No-One What Will Take Care Of You

― earlnash, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

It was also the name of a CA record store, I think - maybe a label, too?

Are you thinking of "No Life"?

Smog albums from 1990-1993 were lo-fi affairs.

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:32 (twenty years ago)

Thanks, Vic - that is what I was thinking about.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

It was also the name of a CA record store, I think - maybe a label, too?

-- David R. (quoteidio...), March 1st, 2005 11:21 AM. (popshots75`)

"No-Fi" was also Mike McGonigal's zine/label post-Chemical Imbalance and pre-Yeti.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

Jandek

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

Neutral Milk Hotel--On Avery Island
Grifters--Crappin' You Negative
Royal Trux--Twin Infinitives
Apples in Stereo--Science Faire
The Gris Gris
Guided by Voices--Alien Lanes

― dusting clean, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:57 (twenty years ago)

john davis "leave home"

also, a good chunk of shrimper's releases were pretty no-/lo-fi.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

ariel pink would be a good contemporary no-/lo-fi artist.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

Tape Mountain has some great stuff.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, all Grifters pre-SubPop. Search out the Queen of the Table Waters 7".

― BlastsOfStatic (BlastsofStatic), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

the daddy of them all: the clean

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

The Go! Team

― darin (darin), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

Thanks for recommendations, everyone. As for no-fi being a nonexistent genre: beats me. I'm just a kid who argues about John Vanderslice vs. John Darnielle (Darnielle any day).
As for Neutral Milk Hotel, it's my favorite out of Elephant 6. The Go! Team's cool, too, although I'm not as crazy about it as Pitchfork is

― WillSommer, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

The Thermals would also qualify, if wasn't for the good lyric requirement.

― darin (darin), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

The Tower Recordings--Folk Scene

― Cyrano, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 02:14 (twenty years ago)

The Dead C.

― Ian John50n (orion), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 02:16 (twenty years ago)

adventures in stereo, self-titled blue album (as opposed to self-titled yellow album, which isn't as good).
I can't let that pass...the yellow album is much better. Because.

Ok, because it's quirkier and sloppier which somehow adds a rickety charm to the whole endeavor (see the vast drop off in AIS quality as their recordings got tighter over the years), and besides it's apparently (maybe) reflecting the intentions of Simon Dine, who subsequent history has proven to be the more talented member of the group.

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 02:21 (twenty years ago)

Sorry to be a piracy hooligan, but are these pretty well-available on Soulseek? I put them all in my wishlist, and no hits have come up yet.

― WillSommer, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 02:51 (twenty years ago)

Pre-Red Apple Falls, pre-parentheses Smog. Some Alice Donut. Early Cat Power.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 03:11 (twenty years ago)

Badly Drawn Boy's EP1 and EP2 and both pretty damn lo-fi. And they KICK FUCKING ASS!!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 03:17 (twenty years ago)

Westing-era Pavement should do you nicely. See also Black Lips, Teengenerate, the Mummies

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 03:23 (twenty years ago)

And Billy Childish

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 03:24 (twenty years ago)

Uh, though on second thought if you want stuff that's Mountain Goatsy or Beat Happeningy, those may all be too rocking/loud. Still I'd check out the Pavement at least.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 03:33 (twenty years ago)

the yellow album is much better ... because it's quirkier and sloppier which somehow adds a rickety charm to the whole endeavor (see the vast drop off in AIS quality as their recordings got tighter over the years), and besides it's apparently (maybe) reflecting the intentions of Simon Dine, who subsequent history has proven to be the more talented member of the group.

but the blue album has "runaway," AIS' true masterpiece. and "underground sound." and "there was a time." and blah and blah and blah. it's the album where they totally nail the '60s girl-group thing in their warped/distorted/homemade way. and i was under the impression that both the yellow and blue albums were true dine/beattie collaborations, but i could be wrong about that. am i?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 04:39 (twenty years ago)

i made a tiny mistake above in recommending gbv from vampire on titus to under the bushes only. actually you should go back one album before vampire and seek out the awesome propeller, the first album where they figured out their sound.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 04:41 (twenty years ago)

i was under the impression that both the yellow and blue albums were true dine/beattie collaborations, but i could be wrong about that. am i?
I've mostly forgotten the details, but the yellow album was released by Dine on Underground Sounds, against the wishes of Beattie and co., and at one point there was a webpage that explained it all. I think it's more a case of different views of how the band should sound. Or maybe he was just trying to cash in. Probably doesn't matter at this point, but I do like it better.

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 05:32 (twenty years ago)

i haven't heard the album, but the blue album is a bit better than the first noonday underground album, which is in turn way way better than everything else AiS have done.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 05:33 (twenty years ago)

i haven't heard the *yellow* album

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 05:33 (twenty years ago)

i knew that dine released the yellow album against beattie's wishes, and i'm pretty sure that beattie released the blue album against dine's wishes. but i *think* they collaborated in one way or another on both. i agree it probably doesn't matter at this point, though it might've made a good underground reality show back in its day.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 05:47 (twenty years ago)

Olivia Tremor Control - Dusk at Cubist Castle
= one of my favorite things ever.

Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island
seconded. I like it more than In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, but that's also good.

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 18:07 (twenty years ago)

no mention of chris knox, alec bathgate or (together) the tall dwarfs yet? everything pre about 1997 is excellent, from then on its spotty and not really lo-fi as such, but still good

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

"Fidelity to what?"

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 19:51 (twenty years ago)

the capstan shafts - guy from vermont playing really fuzzy, very lo-fi (but also quite good) rock. CD-R on Asaurus. A bunch of self-released CD-R eps too.

― daveheaton, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

The Gris Gris

Yes, I support this!

CocoRosie, too!

― Nic de Teardrop (Nicholas), Thursday, 3 March 2005 01:40 (twenty years ago)

The Black Lips aren't really 'lo-fi' in the sense of the other suggestions mentioned here. If you're looking for a sound similar to them, though, go with the kings: Guitar Wolf.

Also, since somebody mentioned The Microphones, I'll add Mt. Eerie to the list.

Wolf Parade seconded.

― cdwill, Thursday, 3 March 2005 02:42 (twenty years ago)

I'm loving the Gris Gris, and American Anthology of Folk Music is halfway through its massive download. Guitar Wolf, too. Does anyone know where I can find some albums or EPs off Shrimper? I can't find a Shrimper website, and my Wishlist for "shrimper" just keeps turning about "The Ballad of the Highway Shrimper"

― WillSommer, Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:10 (twenty years ago)

ryan had a Tower Recordings related tape label called Neg Fi..Diaper Fetish comps are the best of th lot

― dan bunnybrain (dan bunnybrain), Sunday, 6 March 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

agree w/ GBV but also Bob Pollard's "Not in my Airforce," "Waved Out," and "Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department." As for other Pollard solo stuff, fuck "Kid Marine" and "Choreographed Man of War." Also "Fiction Man" is pretty good.

― Colin O, Sunday, 6 March 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)

Does that really qualify as Lo-Fi? Don't think so. Then again it's a long time since I listened to those records. I quite liked Smog's Tired Tape Machine.

― nathalie barefoot in the head (stevie nixed), Sunday, 6 March 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

'germicide'

― dave q (listerine), Monday, 7 March 2005 02:57 (twenty years ago)

SWELL MAPS

― dd, Monday, 7 March 2005 03:22 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

Was just listening to the Rolling Stones doing I Can't Be Satisfied, and it reminded me how much I liked Doo Rag's version of it. I know they weren't the best band in the world or anything, but I really liked that album that came in that cardboard box, and which had a great version of John Henry on it. Ah, here we go - Chunked and Muddled

Which is all a thinly veiled plea - does anyone have a copy of Chunked and Muddled that they would be willing to HERK HERM? I'm not sure where else I'd ask to be honest.

― GamalielRatsey, Sunday, 1 February 2009 15:00 (sixteen years ago)

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