Unwound -- S/D

destroy: um, the earliest singles and album never did much of anything for me. the earlier you go with the albums in general the spottier they become. oh, and breaking up a few months before i moved to olympia.

they used to be one of my favorite bands, but, unsurprisingly, i don't have much time for them lately. (my favorite bits are the most new wave/mission of burma, a sound i was sad to see them move away from for the last album.)

I feel like I only post on indie-rock threads now. And I hardly ever listen to indie-rock. Ah, but I grew up with it.

By the way, if someone could delete all traces of "Broken E Strings", I'd appreciate it, thanks.

I've discovered Unwound by listening to the track they gave to the All Tomorrow's Parties comp(the SY one), and then bought what was available around here.
It looks like in Europe you can only find Leaves... and Challenge (in a somewhat different version), together with a compilation called Further Listening. I have all three, I love all three, but can anyone explain Further Listening to me? Is this a Europe-only release? Do I need anything more from the albums represented in here? Please enlighten me.

Challenge is my favorite record by them, for the reasons Jess mentioned above.. it's a wonderfully dynamic record, and their most experimental album with an outside producer (granted, their "producer" has been none other than friend Steve Fisk for almost a decade). Surprisingly, or not, it's their least liked album by most Unwound fans. "Data" is a stormer, as it pretty much every other song on the record, even the instrumentals. It's sad because this album was released when Radiohead-fever was on a huge upswing, and Challenge had a lot to offer for that crossover punk kid/Radiohead crowd, but probably hadn't quite become that solid mass yet until 2000 hit.

I like all the albums, really, and even the early stuff (except the song off that first Kill Rock Stars comp, "My Jealousy" (?), which sounded like a band that was trying hard to sound like Nirvana but not quite getting it right.). Leaves Turn Inside You was unintentionally the best final album for them.. and I'm surprised they stuck around as long as they did, given that by all their admittance, they've felt they've been at it for so long but were too lazy or afraid to admit it to each other.

My only complaint about the band was their rather marginal hit/miss ratio for live performances, but it was worth it just to catch the great ones. I was on my personal road trip when they announced their final ever shows so I missed them, but I did get to catch their closing set at the, what seems to be final ever, Yo Yo A Go Go fest in 2001.. they all dressed up a la Partridge Family, and did a great great set. Sara even got up from her drums and let Brandt take over, and they did "Rising Blood" for part of the encore, while Sara stood up and just started smashing the cymbals, helping Brandt out. :) :)

For the record, Brandt and Justin still make music together as the Replikants, and are still best buddies, though I think all of the ex-Unwoundees have just been relaxing more, musically speaking, and just moving on with life.

A Rough Guide To Unwound is certainly in order, and I want to give it a try, but it will be painful for me to make this even a 2CD set, much less a single CD.

And I'll supersize that apology for the obvious reasons.

lolol... Ok, so here's the track list of "Further Listening":

all souls day
corpse pose
you bite my tongue
here come the dogs
envelope
rising blood
dragnalus
equally stupid
unauthorized autobiography
arboretum
valentine card
kantina
were, are and was or is
petals like bricks
murder movies
miserific condition
kid is gone
message received
swan
hating in d

(p)&(c)1999 Matador Europe

So, what can you tell me now, DB?

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000026S5K.02.LZZZZZZZ

So the question is: JP, what on THIS CD do you like? Then I can guide you to the proper albums they come from. (from what I remember, the liner notes didn't really explain the song sources very well)

(I forgot to mention that their initial eight-song 1991 demo tape has been floating around in CDRs for a while, and it, too, is a great album.. half of it has been kinda released in parts here and there.. "Stumbling Block", "Crab Nebula", and "Bionic" me thinks are the released songs.. )

The most consistent factor with Unwound records is that you usually won't like them until after the following record is released. In this case, this might explain why Leaves has such a polarized fanbase..(no follow up album! vs. new fans at the time and unusually good press for Leaves)

The first time I heard this band was in 1996 in Providence open for Fugazi or someone -- I really forget who else played -- and I bought Fake Train, New Plastic Ideas, the Future of What and Repetition at the show (and I was broke at the time). This is the roil Unwound inspires.

Can't say I know what Further Listening is.

Well, I DO like Leaves a lot, and though a bit more pondered and less kinetic than Challenge, is one of my favourite indie-rock albums.

I've listened to Further Listening just once, so I'll need a little more time to let it set in, but I pretty much liked everything I've listened to (and almost rolled laughing while listening "Hating in D", which seems mastered directly from vinyl, and it indeed looks like Bleach-era Nirvana-wannabe type punk. It's great though.)

And now "Kantina" has just started.

MAYBE!

That fits with what I remember. When I've relistened to it here in a bit, I'll confirm or deny!

i saw them for the first and only time on the leaves turn inside you tour and they were incredible, one of the top ten shows i've ever seen.

Jack?

DB! Righteous!

LIVE however, well post second album, they are very droney and laid back. But I don't think they've played out in a long time.. at least outside Oly and PDX.

The first Unwound album (s/t) is so fucking great too. There's a few dullish Cobain-ish songs on it, but

Antifreeze
Rising Blood
Kandy Korn Rituals + Against

are all awesome.

Search out the the Toulouse (sp?) live set on slsk.

actually enjoy unwound more than Fugazi and SY but maybe I'm just a weirdo.

I rarely listen to this kind of noisy 90s American indie stuff anymore - although it was a staple for me in my late teens/early 20s - so it's been enjoyable to revisit unwound today despite the reason for doing so

maybe it's the news coloring my listening but there's an emotional heft to Unwound records that I don't get from either of those bands

listening to Empire, I know Challenge for a Civilized Society was beloved by neither their fans or Rumsey himself but I like it about as much as I like most Fugazi albums. I could listen to the "Sonata for Loudspeakers" (that title, lol) coda forever.

― the quar on drugs (Simon H.), Friday, 7 August 2020 00:09 (sixteen minutes ago) link

Heh I was reminded tonight that touring the US in the mid-aughts and say this was yr fave Unwound record was fighting words, of course I had probably already pretended I didn't know the difference between the Monkees & the Beatles so people might have been ready to fight me.

it probably helps that the intervening years make it sound a lot less wEiRd

Conan Neutron, one of his Household Gods bandmates, with a lovely remembrance:

https://www.facebook.com/conanneutron/posts/10223137411888788

RIP. 'Leaves' was also my first Unwound, a glorious album that stayed w/ me and sounded differently at different points in my life, forever changing.

It’s way too reductive to cross them between SY and Fugazi. Unwound’s rhythm section—Vern and Sara—were so unique. They had this way of slowing everything down despite Justin’s swirling guitars and screamy vocals. They achieved a severe intensity without the hardcore pace of most punk bands, without the dubby angles of Fugazi and without the often sprawling abstractions of Sonic Youth. They just punched you out at their own pace.

RIP :(

Household Gods had passed me by. If only the introduction was in better circumstances.

RIP. Unwound is generally my answer to 'whats your favourite band', and Vern's style is definitely a big part of that.

I wrote this earlier tonight for FB and it is somewhat informed by this thread revive.

Unwound might not have been at the top of my band obsession list in the 90’s, but I certainly have a tribute to write to Vern Rumsey. Reading through the fantastic history books that come with Numero’s deluxe vinyl box set reissues, the story is so engrossing and captures that early 90’s West Coast pre-Nirvana moment so well that one can almost forgive the intolerably bad quality of the vinyl pressings themselves, a sad epitaph for a great band that deserved better. Fuck you, Numero, listen to your goddamn test pressings next time.

When I was floating around in my post-college years in Bloomington Indiana (1988-1990), there was a distinctive young woman with blond pigtails in the scene named Sara Lund who played drums with a noise/free jazz outfit called The Belgian Waffles. She was a teenager at the time and took over the drum role from an older peer of mine named Bob Wagner, as I recall. We went to the same house parties, restaurants, coffee shops, and shows. That scene was really tight and connected, and there’s probably two dozen people in my feed who have similar fond memories of her (or played with her).

The important thing to note here is the heavily free nature of the band she was in. One time at an earlier pre-Sara gig of theirs I remember complimenting Bob on his masterful use of implied rhythm, and Sara picked up that torch with aplomb.

Time passed, I moved out west chasing a girl, and I settled down in Eugene Oregon. One night in autumn of 1992 I was working at the bagel shop where I was making the dough prep. Someone came to the side screen door (kept open for the heat, locked for the random street crazies) and asked if I had an extension cord they could borrow.

As it turned out, it was a house show on 7th and Blair, at the single residential building across the alley from Laughing Planet to the north. Someone was having a basement gig, and the artists featured that night were A Dick Did (at that time a local band from Springfield who I think I had heard of featuring future KRS artist Kaia), Excuse 17 (Carrie Brownstein pre-SK), and Unwound. Since I had supplied the key extension cord, I was let in for free and given a beer.

Hanging out in the kitchen, I realized I knew nobody in the house. This was not unusual, as I had only been in town for 2 years and had just started to make friends and get rooms in groups houses. Then a young woman with a short shock of black spiky hair walked confidently up to me and said “ Steve Bouton!”

I stared, baffled, for a full second or two before she revealed her identity - I had missed that Sara had Olympia connections when we had been friends in Bloomington. I hadn’t heard her band yet (again, I’m pretty sure I had heard OF them at the time, but it was a long ass time ago).

The first two bands were good, but as soon as Unwound started playing in the tiny stageless basement over the ad hoc PA I noticed two things. They were very very good, and they were very very loud. I didn’t have earplugs, fuck, I was 24! I didn’t care. This show was probably one of the top 5 sources of my tinnitus, and yeah it still feels worth it. The raw fury that I witnessed is maybe my favorite basement show memory of all, and I have seen a lot of them. Basically the early singles and Fake Train tracks with Sara on drums.

Unwound frequently gets lumped in with a lot of other US 90’s indie stalwarts that they shared bills with like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Blonde Redhead, but in my mind they have always been their own sui generis thing, and I think a lot of that has to do with the alchemical combination of Justin and Vern’s proto-grunge-kid bad vibes paired with Sara’s loose omnivorous rhythms. Also the hothouse creative atmosphere of Olympia at the time, which was making national waves in indie-land and was on my radar before I had even moved to Eugene in late August 1990.

I forget if I bought any merch from them that night or what, but I definitely picked up the early singles then or soon after. I missed Fake Train (I was always broke and there were like Nurse With Wound CDs to buy and shit) but tuned in from time to time on the following records, and eventually caught them live two more times. Once in Eugene in ’98 touring the “Challenge…” LP, and once in Seattle in ’99 or 2000. It might have just been me, but it seemed like something was taking a toll on the band, whether it was drugs or depression or roadburn, I don’t know. Sara would give me merch to play on my radio show, back when that mattered. Eventually a friend gave me their OG of Fake Train that I just played tonight.

I only really started paying attention again when Numero’s botched reissues came out and I picked them up cheap and became fascinated with the liner notes. I think Sara is in Portland these days, she is very much not on social media but played with the Boredoms 77-drummer lineup among other accomplishments. Her and Vern were the living beating heart of this band, as I read on ILX today they had their own slow, pummeling style and the sheer force of those moments is still something to behold.

Vern was of course a beacon of “real punk Oly style” back then with the glorious Punk In My Vitamins zine, and writing about his early death (he’s 7 years younger than me) just makes me miss those days and realize just how fucking young we all were.

i know this is not the current topic but my vinyl sounds fine fwiw

Thanks for sharing that, sleeve. Love the part where you’re at the extension-cord thank you show and Sara recognizes you!

there's an emotional heft to Unwound records that I don't get from either of those bands

Very much so, and not just on Leaves Turn Inside You, which foregrounds their elegiac streak. I also think Sara Lund is a freer and more compelling drummer than either Steve Shelley or Brendan Canty, awesome though they may be in their own right.

xps Simon that's actually good to hear, I might re-buy the 2nd box if I can't find the 10CD set in the next year or so

I should caution that I am not an audiophile and tbh I weep for audiophiles as it seems like the most thankless form of discernment

thanks sleeve, that was great.

about to go into a weekend of listening to nothing but this band

leaves turn you inside out isn't *like* zeppelin but always tapped into the sort of grand, mysterious, cloudy vibe of PG-and-forward zep

Conan Neutron, one of Vern's Household Gods bandmates, will be hosting a two hour tribute show to him tomorrow night (5 PM Pacific, 8 PM Eastern) via http://radionope.com/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cf4VUOngVDu/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

they wouldn’t!

Jared Warren on bass it looks like, which would make sense

:O

there's an emotional heft to Unwound records that I don't get from either of those bands

Very much so, and not just on Leaves Turn Inside You, which foregrounds their elegiac streak. I also think Sara Lund is a freer and more compelling drummer than either Steve Shelley or Brendan Canty, awesome though they may be in their own right.

― pomenitul, Saturday, August 8, 2020 11:28 AM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

this 100%. Her parts were the air for the pieces to breathe.

keep Excuse Me But Pardon My French, which is also possibly secret origin of Optigan 1

Reunion dates announced, on sale Friday:

Feb 3 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
Feb 6 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
Feb 10 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
Feb 14 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Mar 7 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
Mar 10 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
Mar 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

wow

Further note from the band:

"Pre-sale tickets available tomorrow, use promo code CORPSEPOSE."

Jared confirmed as bassist, plus: "To round out the sound and take the “burden of three” away, Nocturnal Habits’ Scott Seckington was enlisted on guitar and keyboards."

on my shortlist of bands i thought would never reunite.

oh boy

very excited for this. got an ny ticket today. see ya next year

the p4k article today was a real bummer to read regarding rumsey's alcohol issues.

Last night in SF was very good, at the same time I was fighting all sorts of weird nostalgia waves (not the fault of the band, more just me in my head thinking about numerous changes and shifted contexts). It's a set of more or less two halves with a long break in the middle, not a bad approach; I have however been fighting a bout of bad sleep this week and just needed to get home and zone before they were done. Setlist from the Friday night SF show is typical enough for the tour, I gather.

already up on Dime!

Ha, but of course.

(I should fire up Dime again for things. Is there a best new torrent client for Mac these days?)

I use uTorrent these days fwiw

I like Deluge

I just grabbed Tara Jane O'Neil's support slot today, so here's both - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/flyfka60nhlsvn18n8dfi/h?dl=0&rlkey=4yfr7ijof5z1snrgtoa6eqiz6

Well damn I missed Tara Jane did the first night. Would have gone to that one if I could!

Uploading a recording of the second night also.

Sara Lund needs your help:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DAbV2hjPi-E/?igsh=MXZtejU3cnY2NG9wOQ==

aw fuck, can u post a link to the gofundme?

Yes sorry:

https://gofund.me/eb7b2815

thanks Nick

Update that the goal has been reached and exceeded, but obviously more will help!

everything in the world is awful but I saw Unwound for the first time last night and it was one of the best shows I've seen in recent memory.

Someone uploaded a recording here - https://u.pcloud.link/publink..ZoUpO705M9xulaDK8XBpWWQueTCpX

seeing them in November, can't flipping wait!

will have to wait a bit longer
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPjJVwrAIUL/

The band is diappointed to announce that we must postpone our scheduled UK/EURO tour dates. The decision hasn't come easy, and we hope to make it up to you come 2026. For now we appreciate your well wishes and respect for our privacy. Take care of yourself and each other while we're gone.