Noise for Zeros

Breathe The Thing Out 7″
Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1992

Slug was a band that was always pushing the envelope, and therefore was always a couple steps ahead of a huge fanbase. They did manage to get some critical acclaim and a string of records released over their 6-year existence, but those releases, populating used record store bins nationwide, seem to be the only trace remaining of one of the more interesting noise rock groups of the last decade. And to categorize them as noise rock isn’t entirely accurate, since their core sound mutated in so many different directions, so much so that their later records contained long stretches of soothing dub, eerie scratchy tape loops and other sonic experiments far removed from the typical noise rock arsenal. Part of their novelty was the use of 2 bass guitars and loads of unconventional (read: experiemental) instrumentation, including tape loops and multiple drummers. All these elements cook up a sonic stew that sounds something like Crash Worship crashing an Unsane show, or more accurately, like a brutal extension of an earlier forward-thinking L.A. troupe, Savage Republic. One of my favorite Slug releases is this 3-song 45, which captures their early straightforward rock sound, with a loud, dense stomper “Breathe The Thing Out” and the rumbling krautrock trance of “Go Tell” and “Break Neck”.

DOWNLOAD:

Slug – “Breathe The Thing Out”
Slug – “Go Tell”
Slug – “Break Neck”

Nuts & Balls 10″
Mind of a Child Records, 1994

While you’ll find no shortage of bands doing collegiate, guitar-driven pop punk, only the smallest of a percentage are truly worth your time. It’s difficult to identify and quantify what makes some so much better than others. All use the same tools and conventions, but for whatever reason, some simply don’t make an impression while others can’t be heard enough. This Chicago-by-way-of-Bowling Green, OH group is one of those rare bands that got it right as evidenced by this stellar 10″ from Ohio’s tiny Mind of A Child label. Their loosely sketched, midwestern kegger approach to crafting catchy garage pop sounds something like Archers of Loaf doing a set of cover songs pulled from Crypt Records’ Back from the Grave compilations, captured in the grooves of the Meat Puppets’ early records. They’ve been compared to Hüsker Dü as well, and that fits too, if you can imagine the Hüskers flying some fIREHOSE flannel in a basement show in some midwestern college town student ghetto. They followed this release with an album on Mind of A Child in 1996 and their sophomore album on Colorado’s Owned and Operated label in 1999. Also included with this post is another hard to find track: their side of a split 7″ with Chicago’s Vambo Marble Eye from 1994 on the Off White record label. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD:

New Rob Robbies – Nuts & Balls 10″ (30mb zip)
New Rob Robbies – “Pig Day” from split 7″ with Vambo Marble Eye

Murder Inc. LP
Invisible, 1992

Whenever the need to hear Killing Joke‘s first four albums strikes — and it strikes me often — I find myself digging up this self-titled 1992 album by Murder Inc. to extend the jams. It delivers heaps of the swirling, beat-heavy apocalyptic vibe that Killing Joke made famous. Murder Inc. is able to do this since it’s pretty much Killing Joke with a different singer, Chris Connolly, a ’90s industrial darling who put out a number of solo records and appeared on a shit-ton of records for bands like Pigface, Revolting Cocks, Ministry and others. While not as essential as the early KJ discs, it is interesting to hear the core KJ sound augmented with cool, slightly less melodramatic vocals. In fact, despite what some say, this record is probably more melodic than the majority of of Killing Joke’s output, adding a musicality to the vocals which were typically shouted, oppressive anthems. Compare “Mania” and “Gambit” to the more KJ-sounding track “Red Black” and you’ll see what I mean. You can find CD versions of this fine record (if you can stand the goofy cover art) fairly easily, since it was re-issued on the Futurist label in 1993 with a different track order and an additional song.

DOWNLOAD:

Murder Inc. – “Last of the Urgents”
Murder Inc. – “Red Black”
Murder Inc. – “Mania”
Murder Inc. – “Gambit“