SPEED THE PLOUGH Mason's Box 1993

by request

 

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Speed the Plough's origins date back to 1982, when the Hoboken, New Jersey-based group was known as the Trypes. Originally comprising keyboardist John Baumgartner, singer/woodwind player Toni Paruta, bassist Brenda Sauter, percussionist Stanley Demeski, and guitarist Marc Francia, the lineup soon expanded to include guitarists Bill Million and Glenn Mercer, both on hiatus from the in-limbo Feelies. After releasing a 1984 EP of introspective, rustic pop titled The Explorers Hold, Million and Mercer reactivated the Feelies, taking Sauter and Demeski with them; renaming themselves Speed the Plough, the remaining Trypes added guitarist Frank O' Toole, bassist Pete Pedulla and drummer Jim DeRogatis, with chief songwriter Baumgartner sharing vocal chores with Paruta on the band's self-titled debut LP, produced by Million and released on Coyote in 1989. With Pedulla and DeRogatis exiting the roster soon after, Sauter and Demeski returned to the fold to record 1991's Wonder Wheel; Speed the Plough's lineup continued to evolve and rotate on subsequent efforts as well, among them 1993's Mason's Box and 1995's Marina.

 

STILLSUIT At the Speed of Light 1997

by request

For fans of the Don Fury (producer) sound and the bands Shift, Quicksand, Burn, Die 116 and Mind Over Matter. 
 

Discogs 

Tracklist

1		Just A Glimpse	2:01
2		Another Bad Movie	3:42
3		Bicycle For Two	2:25
4		Injection	3:51
5		Rush Hour	2:39
6		Will To Die	3:42
7		Tibu	0:55
8		And The Winner Is	2:27
9		At The Speed Of Light	2:06
10		Creepy	3:22
11		My Good Friend	2:15
12		Ring And Run	3:16
13		Stress	1:22
14		Business As Usual	3:24

GODHEADSILO Skyward in Triumph 1996

Artist Biography by John Bush

Encompassing avant-garde, punk, and metal, Godheadsilo only rarely work within standard song structures, preferring instead lengthy sonic workouts; in addition, the band gets its indie-grind noise from only two instruments. Bassist Mike and drummer Dan released The Scientific Supercake L.P. in 1994. Moving to the Sub Pop label in 1996, the duo issued Skyward in Triumph; Share the Fantasy followed in 1998.

THE RENTALS Seven More Minutes 1999

by request

Discogs

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

The Rentals were the new wave-influenced project of singer/songwriter Matt Sharp, former bassist for power pop favorites Weezer. Born in Arlington, VA, on September 22, 1969, Sharp co-founded Weezer in 1992, and in the months to follow, the band emerged as one of the most popular up-and-coming acts on the Los Angeles club scene; their self-titled debut LP appeared on Geffen two years later, becoming a major hit thanks their smash single and video "Buddy Holly." During the spring of 1994, Sharp mounted the first Rentals studio session. Assembling a roster including Weezer drummer Pat Wilson, that dog. violinist Petra Haden, vocalist/keyboardist Cherielynn Westrich, and guitarist Rod Cervera, subsequent dates yielded the group's 1995 debut, Return of the Rentals, which notched a hit with the infectious "Friends of P." Sharp returned to Weezer to record the band's acclaimed 1996 follow-up, Pinkerton, but announced his exit from the lineup in February 1998; the second Rentals album, Seven More Minutes, followed a year later. After a six-year hiatus, Sharp brought back The Rentals in 2005. After touring with Ozma in the summer of 2006, Sharp's group released the EP The Last Little Life in 2007. In December of the same year, The Rentals announced that they would begin recording a new album in 2008. The resulting Songs About Time, a 2009 multimedia project consisting of photographs, short films, and three mini-albums, was made available in a limited-edition deluxe box set in 2010. In April of 2011, the band released Present Resilience: A Benefit Album For the Japanese Relief. 

Tracklist  

1	Getting By	2:51
2	Hello, Hello	4:17
3	She Says It's Alright	3:59
4	The Cruise	4:03
5	Barcelona	4:04
6	Say Goodbye Forever	3:55
7	Overlee	5:06
8	Big Daddy C.	3:18
9	Keep Sleeping	3:40
10	The Man With Two Brains	4:39
11	Must Be Wrong	4:30
12	Insomnia	1:54
13	It's Alright (Reprise)	1:13
14	My Head Is In The Sun	4:37
15	Jumping Around	5:36

STARS KILL ROCK Various Artists 1993

by request

Discogs

 

A1	Tiger Trap –	Supreme Nothing	2:17
A2	godheadSilo –	Nutritious Treat	2:27
A3	Frumpies –	Fuck Kitty	2:14
A4	Jack Acid (2) –	Cheap Tragedies	2:55
A5	Tribe 8 –	Speed Fortress	3:58
A6	Versus –	Another Face	3:32
A7	Slant 6 –	Nights X 9	1:37
A8	Karp –	Gauze	5:25
B1	Mary Lou Lord –	Camden Town Rain	3:19
B2	Huggy Bear (3) –	Carnt Kiss	1:55
B3	Calamity Jane –	Come On	3:12
B4	Heroin (3) –	Hasbeen	2:23
B5	Adickdid –	Hair	3:16
B6	Getaway Car –	Sony Radio	2:48
B7	Bumblescrump –	Whiteout	0:50
B8	Cheesecake –	Mother's Little Helper	2:40
B9	Pansy Division –	Bunnies	2:01
B10	Nikki McClure –	Omnivore	1:18

808 STATE ex:el 1991

by request

 

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

A pioneer of the acid house sound, 808 State formed in Manchester, England in 1988 when Martin Price, the owner of the city's legendary record store Eastern Bloc and the founder of the independent label Creed, first joined forces with local musician and producer Graham Massey. After teaming with collaborator Gerald Simpson, 808 State recorded its debut EP Newbuild in 1988, and also began remixing tracks for groups like the Inspiral Carpets. After Simpson exited to form his solo project A Guy Called Gerald, Price and Massey enlisted DJs Andrew Barker and Darren Partington (known together as the Spinmasters) for the recording of 1989's Quadrastate EP, which earned the group a huge club hit with the track "Pacific." After signing with ZTT, they released the album 808:90, which was embraced by the burgeoning rave culture. 808 State's next single, "The Only Rhyme That Bites," recorded with hip-hopper MC Tunes, marked a dramatic shift into hardcore rap, but was another huge hit. A series of diverse singles followed, culminating in the 1991 album Ex: El, which featured guest vocals from New Order's Bernard Sumner and Bjork; the same year, 808 State also wrote, produced and performed the music for the MC Tunes LP The North at Its Heights. In 1992, Price left to work as a solo producer, later forming his own label, Sun Text. The remaining trio continued on in 1993 with Gorgeous, and handled remix work for the likes of David Bowie, Soundgarden, and Bomb the Bass before returning with the experimental Don Solaris in 1996. The 808:88-98 compilation followed two years later. 

 

 

CHEER ACCIDENT Sever Roots Tree Dies 1988

by request

 

Artist Biography by Stephen Howell

While still in high school, pianist Thymme Jones was browsing the racks at a Hallmark greeting card store when he noticed a category of greeting cards labeled "CHEER-ACCIDENT." Since then, six lineups have passed through Jones' band Cheer-Accident, and it has endured the loss of one of its members. The group, which plays pop songs with off-kilter chord progressions, has released numerous albums and a handful of singles for labels such as Complacency, Pravda, Skin Graft, and, in 2009, Cuneiform.
 

 

FIRESIDE Sweatbead EP 1997

thanks to Jenz

Discogs

Fireside Biography by Zac Johnson

Swedish punk band Fireside formed in the early '90s and, in some ways, personified the bleak landscapes of their homeland. Pelle Gunnerfeldt (a former pro-skateboarder changed full-time guitarist), Kristofer Astrom (guitar and vocals), Per Nordmark (drums), and Frans Johansson (bass) helped to influence a generation of Swedish hardcore bands like Refused, International Noise, Conspiracy, and Cobalt. The band's association with Crank! Records began in 1997 when their track "Headacher" was used as the opening song on their Don't Forget to Breathe compilation, and the label picked them up as soon as their contract with American expired. 

 

Tracklist

1. Sweatbead
2. Big Blue Elephant
3. Street Love
4. A Week At The Most

THE 6THS Wasps' Nests 1995

 

Discogs

 

Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger

The 6ths are a side project of the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, who produced and wrote all of the material on 1995's Wasps' Nest, as well as playing much of the music. He only sang one of the tracks, however, giving all of the remaining lead vocal slots to alternative rock faves like Barbara Manning, Dean Wareham (Luna), Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), Chris Knox, Lou Barlow, Robert Scott (the Bats), Chris Knox, and Mary Timony (Helium). Brighter and poppier than his contemporaneous efforts with Magnetic Fields, it demonstrated (intentionally or inadvertently) that his principal talents are as a producer and composer, rather than a performer. Hot on the heels of the well-received Magnetic Fields project 69 Love Songs, Merritt released his second 6ths album, Hyacinths and Thistles, with vocal help from Marc Almond, Bob Mould, Gary Numan, and Sarah Cracknell, among others. 

 

 

Tracklist

  1. San Diego Zoo
  2. Aging Spinsters
  3. All Dressed Up In Dreams
  4. Falling Out of Love (With You)
  5. Winter In July
  6. Pillow Fight
  7. Dream Hat
  8. Movies In My Head
  9. In The City In The Rain
10. Looking For Love (In The Hall Of Mirrors)
11. Heaven In A Black Leather Jacket
12. Here In My Heart
13. Puerto Rico Way
14. You Can't Break A Broken Heart
15. When I'm Out of Town

BRANDTSON Letterbox 1997

Discogs

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Cleveland emo quartet Brandtson was originally comprised of singer/guitarist Myk Porter, guitarist Matt Traxler, bassist John Sayre, and singer/drummer Jared Jolley. After appearing on Steadfast Records' Radiowaves and Gibberish various-artists compilation in 1997, the group signed with Deep Elm, contributing to the label samplers Records for the Working Class and A Million Miles Away: Emo Diaries, Vol. 2 before closing out 1998 with their debut full-length, Letterbox. The second Brandtson LP, Fallen Star Collection, followed in 1999 and the band's pop-tinged indie rock continued with Trying to Figure Each Other Out, released a year later. The EP Death and Taxes was issued in January 2002, before the aggressive full-length Dial in Sounds appeared that summer, offering more harmonies and stronger melodies than previous efforts. A split with Camber and Seven Storey Mountain was also released in 2002.

With their Deep Elm contract up, Brandtson signed with The Militia Group in 2004. Teaming up with producer Ed Rose for the fourth time, their label debut, Send Us a Signal, offered even more of the band's trademark melodic power pop and rock. Sayre decided to part ways with the group in July 2005, and he was soon replaced on bass by another Clevelander, Adam Boose, who had been fronting the local synth rock band Furnace St. Starting work on album number five after their first lineup change in almost a decade, Brandtson looked to reinvigorate their sound, approaching the writing process from a different angle and embracing Boose's background in electronic music. The resulting experimental and dance-ready Hello, Control appeared next in May 2006. 

 

Tracklist

1		January	4:15
2		Blindspot	4:26
3		Days End	6:42
4		Strand	4:17
5		Still Life	6:12
6		Nineveh	5:46
7		Words For You	4:21
8		Cloudless	2:56
9		Round 13	3:57
10.1		Glutton For Tragedy	6:49
10.2		Untitled	3:40

THE STINKY PUFFS A Little Tiny Smelly Bit of 1995

by request

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Stephen Cramer

The Stinkypuffs formed in the early '90s, when Simon Fair Timony, then-stepson of Half Japanese frontman Jad Fair, formed the band with some of alternative rock's most creative talents. The band's name pointed toward adolescent Timony's playful creativity, as did his lyrics and outlandish vocal style. The first incarnation of the band included his mother, Sheenah Fair, on drums, Jad Fair on effects, and Gumball's Don Fleming and Lee Ranaldo's son, Cody Linn Ranaldo, on guitars. 1995 saw the release of A Little Tiny Smelly Bit of...the Stinky Puffs on Elemental Records. The album included guest appearances by members of Sleepyhead and Timony's personal response to Kurt Cobain's suicide on the heartfelt "I'll Love You Anyway." The disc also includes four live tracks from 1994's YoYo a Go Go festival. As the Super Stinky Puffs Band, Timony performed the band's songs with Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on guitar and Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl on bass and drums. The disc showcased Timony's childish excitement for alternative music's early resistance for manufactured and processed songs. Immediately, The Stinkypuffs were praised for their no-nonsense enthusiasm. The songs were childish for the simple fact that they were penned by 11-year-old Timony. The Songs and Advice for Kids Who Have Been Left Behind EP was released in 1996, again on Elemental. The seven-song disc featured a more fleshed-out sound, as well as a stripped-down, lo-fi version of Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver." With Sheenah Fair and Cody Linn Ranaldo back on drums and guitar, Timony added Jeffrey Rotter on guitar and Eric Eble on bass. The disc turned out to be the band's swan song, ending the band's lively and short-lived reign as rock's most charismatic prepubescent performers.

 

Tracklist 1. Buddies Aren't Butts 2. Menendez Killed Their Parents 3. I'll Love You Anyway 4. I Am Gross/No You're Not 5. Pizza Break 6. Buddies Aren't Butts 7. Menendez Killed Their Parents 8. I'll Love You Anyway 9. I Am Gross/No You're Not

THE BARTLEBEES Urban Folk Legends 1997

by request

 

 

	Hollywood Holiday	2:06
	Comin' Out, Stayin' In	2:32
	Nightlife Diplomacy	2:48
	She Loves Monsters	3:22
	Never Found A Woman Worth To Die For	4:45
	And Then Suddenly	3:05
	Deceitful You	1:39
	What You See	1:55
	Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart	2:45
	Nobody's Lonesome For Me	3:44

 

Artist Biography by Erik Hage

Taking a page from the Television Personalities, the German lo-fi trio Bartlebees began plying its trade of ragged, sweet indie pop in the early '90s. Nevertheless, despite the undeniable influence of the Television Personalities (in fact, TP's Dan Treacy plays organ on the first Bartlebees album), the German outfit has none of the lyrical aspirations of its predecessors, trading in cultural commentary and sharp anguish for bittersweet romantic platitudes. 1995's From Paths of Pain to Jewels of Glory was the group's first U.S. release, consisting of 26 tracks that combined the Bartlebees' first two German albums and some bonus cuts.