AGENT ORANGE Virtually Indestructible 1996

Discogs

Artist Biography by John Bush

Punk to the core, yet with audible influences from early heavy metal and surf rock, Agent Orange formed in Fullerton, California at the end of the '70s, with vocalist/guitarist Mike Palm, bassist James Levesque, and drummer Scott Miller. The first Agent Orange record, released in 1981 on Posh Boy Records in the midst of Southern California's already hectic hardcore community, cemented their reputation as one of the best skate-punk bands around the area. Two EPs during the next few years were all the band released until 1986's This Is the Voice, for Restless/Enigma. A much less energetic LP with brighter melodies and an emphasis on vocal audibility, it was also Agent Orange's last for quite awhile, except for a 1990 live record. The group was resurrected later in the decade, touring the world and recording the 1996 LP Virtually Indestructible. In 2000 Cleopatra released Greatest and Latest, a collection of songs from Agent Orange's catalog re-recorded by the band with three new songs, which was later reissued in 2004 on the Anarchy Music label under the title Blood Stained Hitz. In between these two identical issues, Restless released a two-disc best-of titled Sonic Snake Session, which chronicled many of the group's defining moments in one set. 

Tracklist

1	This Is All I Need	3:48
2	Make Up Your Mind And Do What You Want To Do	4:00
3	The Electric Storm	3:43
4	Wouldn't Last A Day	3:29
5	Let It Burn	4:01
6	Broken Dreams	3:24
7	Unsafe At Any Speed	4:52
8	So Close And Yet So Far	4:32
9	The Truth Should Never Be Concealed	3:01
10	You Belong To Me	3:39
11	Just Can't Seem To Get Enough	3:13
12	Tiki Ti (Instrumental)	4:03
13	Reoccurring Nightmare (Experimental)	4:06

POND The Practice Of Joy Before Death 1995

Discogs

Tracklist

1	Sideroad	3:42
2	Mubby's Theme	3:30
3	Union	3:53
4	Magnifier	3:51
5	Patience	1:50
6	Ol' Bluehair	2:12
7	Sundial	4:20
8	Glass Sparkles In Their Hair	3:00
9	Van	2:58
10	Happy Cow Farm Family	5:15
11	Carpenter Ant	2:43
12	Artificial Turf	3:30
13	Rock Collection	9:44
14	Gagged & Bound	2:44

SLOAN Between The Bridges 1999

by request

 

Discogs

Tracklist  

1	The N.S.	4:37
2	So Beyond Me	2:54
3	Don't You Believe A Word	3:15
4	Friendship	3:22
5	Sensory Deprivation	6:21
6	All By Ourselves	3:54
7	A Long Time Coming	4:34
8	Waiting For Slow Songs	3:15
9	Losing California	2:57
10	The Marquee And The Moon	3:09
11	Take Good Care Of The Poor Boy	3:16
12	Delivering Maybes	4:23

GETAWAY CRUISER Getaway Cruiser 1998

by request

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Arising from the ashes of the Ann Arbor grunge outfit whirlingRoad, Getaway Cruiser, in a way, illustrates the evolution of alternative rock. Brothers Chris and Drew Peters were always fascinated by music; by the time they attended the University of Michigan in the early '90s, they had decided to become part of the industry. The Peters established themselves as record reviewers at The Michigan Review, the University's conservative publication, and began working on their band, whirlingRoad. From the outset, they decided to have control over their recordings, founding an independent label called Skillet Records with the assistance of Ted Nugent's manager Doug Banker, and skillfully promoting the label by pasting stickers of their logo all over campus. whirlingRoad gigged whenever they could, playing frat parties and, eventually, the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor's main club.

When whirlingRoad released their first full-length album in early 1995, guitar-heavy alt-rock ruled the radio, but hip listeners knew that indie rock was backing away from the recycled '70s metal that ruled post-grunge. whirlingRoad's debut was straight-up post-grunge, and while it received some attention in southeast Michigan, it didn't earn a big following. The Peters brothers, along with bassist Mark Dundon, recognized that the times were changing and decided to disband whirlingRoad and form Getaway Cruiser. Drawing heavily from dream pop like the Cranes and new electro-pop like Curve and Garbage, as well as Detroit's healthy space rock scene, Chris and Drew began making experimental tapes with drum machines, synths, and distorted guitars. Enlisting U of M student Dina Harrison as a vocalist and Dan Carroll as a live drummer, Getaway Cruiser's lineup gelled in spring 1996, and the band signed with the same management that helped propel fellow Michigan rockers the Verve Pipe to Top Ten status. Getaway Cruiser's debut album, Phones Calling, was released on Skillet Records in January of 1997, featuring tracks produced by such space rock icons as Mercury Rev bassist Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Luna) and former Ultra Vivid Scene leader Kurt Ralske. The following month they released the Instrumentals EP, which was designed to showcase their experimental side. By the summer of 1997, the band and management had all worked their connections to secure a contract with Sony's alternative subsidiary 550 Music. Hiring the Butcher Brothers, the production team behind Cypress Hill and Urge Overkill, Getaway Cruiser recorded their debut album in the fall of 1997. The Butchers helped secure cameos from Kool Keith and Pras of the Fugees for the album, thus securing Getaway Cruiser's transformation from grunge rockers to electronica-savvy, hip-hop-ready, post-Beck eclectics. Getaway Cruiser began supporting their eponymous debut with a string of local Michigan gigs in the spring, laying the groundwork for the June 2, 1998 release of the album. 

Tracklist 

1	I'm Fine (I Find)	3:31
2	Not Yet Gone	3:10
3	Strung Over, Hung Out	4:21
4	Come To Stay	2:54
5	Something About You	4:12
6	No More Blue	3:37
7	Let's Get Down	3:53
8	Wasting Away	4:40
9	Bad Time	4:47
10	Growing Out	4:14
11	Birthday	4:35
12	Out Of Control	3:35

HOOTON 3 CAR Cramp Like A Fox 1996

by request

 

punk rock!

 

Discogs

Tracklist

1	Hallways
2	Lucky Day
3	Slug
4	Swimfeeder
5	Things
6	Disclaimer
7	Skua
8	Prozac
9	Box
10	Cage
11	Drone
12	Komodo Dragon (King Of Lizards)
13	Three Steps Back

RUBY Salt Peter 1995

by request

 

Discogs 

 

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Ruby was the alias of singer Lesley Rankine, previously the frontwoman of Scottish noise-provocateurs Silverfish. After leaving the group in the wake of their 1993 LP Fuckin' Drivin' or What, Rankine relocated from London to Seattle to collaborate with producer Mark Walk, with whom she'd previously worked on material for the industrial collective Pigface. Dubbing the project Ruby -- a name shared by both of their maternal grandmothers -- Rankine and Walk created a sonic backdrop closer to electronica than the abrasive rock of the singer's past work, with the acclaimed LP Salt Peter appearing in 1995. The remix EP Stroking the Full Length followed a year later. Rankine returned to the outskirts of Scotland to make her follow up record, released in 2001. The album, Short Staffed At the Gene Pool saw Ruby on a new English label, Wichita Recordings and on Thirsty Ear in the US. The song "Grace" was mixed by several abstract producers including Warp Records artist Mira Calix. Later in 2001, Altered & Proud gathered more remixes from luminaries such as Max Tundra, Kid 606, Console and Dot Allison.  

Tracklist

1	Flippin' Tha Bird	4:09
2	Salt Water Fish	3:29
3	Heidi	4:04
4	Tiny Meat	4:04
5	Paraffin	3:36
6	Hoops	3:50
7	Pine	4:08
8	Swallow Baby	5:32
9	The Whole Is Equal To The Sum Of Its Parts	4:07
10	Bud	4:19
11	Carondelet	7:06

THE MONARCHS Et Vincere Et Mori 1995

by request

 

garage rock

 

Discogs 

 

 

 Tracklist 

 

A1	Et Vincere Et Mori
A2	Go Now
A3	Sarah's Prison Song
A4	Dead Boyfriend
A5	Hot Rods From Hell
A6	Heads Off
A7	Satellite
A8	Lipstick On Your Collar
B1	Rancho Diablo
B2	Kill That Guy
B3	Three Strikes Song
B4	Six-Shooter
B5	Everything You Need
B6	Tapeworm Of Love
B7	Pedal Pusher
B8	Girl Crazy On Mars
B9	Bah Bah Black Sheep

ALANA DAVIS Blame It On Me 1997

by request

Discogs

Artist Biography by Craig Harris

The daughter of jazz vocalist Ann Marie Schofield and jazz pianist Walter Davis, Jr., Alana Davis made her own reputation as a singer and songwriter whose style bridges folk, rock, jazz, and R&B. Born and raised in New York's Greenwich Village, Davis learned to play the guitar as a youngster. Music remained an avocation, however, until her late teens. Although she began writing songs at the age of 18, Davis didn't turn to music as a career until briefly attending Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York. Leaving school to devote her full attention to music, she recorded a demo tape of her original tunes and was signed by Elektra. They released her debut album, Blame It on Me, in late 1997. It reached number 157 on the Billboard 200, and her first single, a cover of Ani DiFranco's "32 Flavors," became a Top 40 single in early 1998. The single's success also led to an invitation to participate in the Lilith Fair. Davis and Elektra disagreed, however, about the direction of her career. While the label hoped for a straightforward R&B sound, Davis was more interested in fusing her rich mix of influences. Her 2001 sophomore effort, Fortune Cookies, was powerful and original; it also went unpromoted and drove a wedge between her and the label. Striking out on her own, she formed the Tigress Records imprint to release her third album, 2005's critically acclaimed Surrender Dorothy. Though she continued to perform live, not much was heard from Davis in industry circles until she revealed in early 2018 that she had another album ready. Saying that her career had played out backwards -- "I got my first deal…and then I paid my dues" -- she previewed her fourth album at a concert in New Orleans that March. Cleopatra released the sparer Love Again in May of 2018. 

 Tracklist 

1	32 Flavors	3:45
2	Murder	5:00
3	Love & Pride	5:34
4	Turtle	5:19
5	One Day	6:01
6	Crazy	5:04
7	Weight Of The World	6:07
8	Lullaby	5:25
9	Free	4:48
10	Round & Around	5:09
11	Rest Of Yesterday	5:42
12	Blame It On Me	5:11

ROSA MOTA Drag For A Drag 1993

by request

 

Discogs

Tracklist

1	Baby Flower	5:10
2	Are We Having Fun Yet?	2:44
3	Cold	4:58
4	Untitled	1:08
5	Riverblind	4:20
6	Fucked	5:41
7	Roma	6:00