The Queers, "Too Many Twinkies"
Eh. Next!
Guzzard, "Deaf Ears, Gamma Rays"
As the world moved on from Amphetamine Reptile once Helmet was no longer there, the later bands never got much attention even from the alternative press. But there were some real gems from the mid-90's releases, with the third Guzzard record (The Alienation Index Survey) being one of my favorites. They started as a pretty straightforward punk band, but evolved over the course of their three albums to something more interesting. Maybe they just refined their songwriting, but this thing totally slams and is one of my favorite releases from the back half of AmRep's fertile period.
Datach'i, "Free In A Box"
I was talking to my youngest the other day about how to find music, as she's been kind of exploring music on her own some. For her, that's mostly through Spotify. She can wander through artists, genres, recommendations and always have something new to try out. (She listens to the same eight songs over and over.) I was telling her that back when I was really exploring music, I would find stuff in lots of places. Personal recommendations, of course, but there was plenty of poking around record stores, listening to opening acts, hearing people on radio, and then of course reading about bands on mailing lists, newsgroups, and magazines. The whole idea was totally foreign to her, and she just flat-out seemed baffled.
At any rate, this record is one of those that I read about in some magazine, and then had a hell of a time finding. I used to keep a list of records I was looking for in my wallet, and eventually moved it onto a Palm V, and this is one of those albums that just sat there forever. I would pull the list out when I hit a record store in some new city, and cycle through the same records I'd been looking for forever. And those moments when something finally came off the list? Delicious.
Was it worth it? Well...the hunt is often its own reward. It's perfectly fine, but it didn't become a favorite. Still, I definitely enjoyed hunting it down.
De La Soul feat. David Byrne, "Snoopies"
Yes, that David Byrne.
Melkbelly, "Middle Of"
Noise rock weirdos out of Chicago, Melkbelly sounds a little like Lightning Bolt at times, but the vocals kind of differentiate them. Because they're not being yelled by someone with a microphone jammed in their mouth. Anyway, both Melkbelly records are pretty fun.