Dump "Women in Rock" CD (Shrimper/1999)

Wow it has been so long since I made a post which means that I went more than half a year without a computer. Kind of crazy but good I suppose. I have a new lap top and that means I will back at with more postings here This is My Life and You Can Have It, sharing my record collection with all that care to listen. Years later and this music still means so much to me. In fact possibly even more so than ever.

The music of James McNew's bedroom project Dump has been very important to me on so many levels for so many years. While his work with Yo La Tengo has been something I have enjoyed a great deal I would say his forays into home recorded bedroom pop have been far more influential to me on a personal level. For years Dump has been releasing albums, cassettes and singles the capture McNew unearthing such personal and catchy bedroom pop that at times tinkers with more dronier and ambient elements. Women in Rock is a 5 song cdep that was released on the legendary Shrimper and was the follow up release to Dump's wonderful album, A Plea For Tenderness. McNew's ability to start off an album with a super droney tune that sounds like an airplane engine like  "Horrible"and then blast into a gentle pop number like "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat" is something that I admire a great deal. I wish more artists would take such chances. I feel extremely fortunate that twice in the span of six months this year I got see Dump live and I hope I get the opportunity to do so again.

Dump Women in Rock track listing
1. Horrible
2. The Words Get Stuck in My Throat
3. Lucy Grealy
4. Loved
5 A Plea For Dump

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Tsunami/Velocity Girl "split" 7 inch (Sub Pop/1992)

In anticipation of the Chickfactor Anniversary Festival featuring Black Tambourine, The Softies, Small Factory, Versus,  Lois, The Aisler's Set, The Lillys, Lorelei, and many others I am going to be posting a few of those bands and their various offshoots in the coming months. Some I have already shared, specifically a few Pam Berry projects already. As a side note I will be attending the April 10th show so if any readers will be attending let's meet up and chat indie rock and such!

In addition to featuring members of bands taking part in the Chickfactor Festival they also represent pretty much the lone 90s indie rock bands that I wish would get back together as everyone else already has gotten on my wishlist which consists of Further, The Summer Hits, Tiger Trap, June of 44, Kicking Giant and probably at the top would have to be Velocity Girl. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see some Tsunami but Velocity Girl has been a band that has always been one of my faves! Both Archie Moore and Brian Nelson were in Black Tambourine and after that band broke up they formed Velocity Girl a band who balanced noisy guitars, melody as well as harmony so well. Their songs were super catchy, and always had really strong guitar work. And while their later stuff became much more polished, removing the noise in my opinion they were still a great band. Most fans pan their later work but I have to say their second full length Simpatico! is the album I probably listen to the most which is a straight up pop album. The song captured on the this split with the wonderful Tsunami is a song called "Warm/Crawl" which is most definitely a shoegaze/indie pop hybrid with its sprawling noisy guitars.

This single was a part of the Sub Pop singles club which was limited to "only" 4,000 copies. And to think that back then that was considered super limited. And my copy as you can see is on pink which back in the 90s give me some serious record collector assholic bragging rights. Sub Pop totally hit a nerve with the Singles Club and while other labels over the years have tried to replicate it but as far as I am concerned no one has come close.

Velocity Girl/Tsunami "split" tracklisting
1. Tsunami "Left Behind"
2. Velocity Girl "Warm/Crawl"

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Moon Socket "It's the End of the Trip" 7 inch (Little Mafia Records/1997)

During their tenure as a band Eric's Trip was quite the prolific band and the same could be said about all of their off shoot side projects at the time and since. In the mid to late 90s under the name Moon Socket, Guitartist/bassist Chris Thompson served up super lo fi, sappy bedroom pop that for the most part sounded like the acoustic tracks found on Eric's Trip releases-go figure! Much like Eric's Trip, the Moon Socket project in the early go around released several cassettes, singles and compilation appearances. From what I can gather the Moon Socket cassettes are even harder to come by than the Eric's Trip tapes, which is a shame but fortunately a lot of those songs have found home elsewhere including the 7 inch which I am sharing with you today. According to the sleeve of It's the End of The Trip, the first four songs are from a cassette from 1992. Something that one certainly be of interest to Eric's Trip fans in general is that a few of the Chris Thompson songs in the Eric's Trip catalog first appeared as Moon Socket songs or even appeared after the fact at times. That list of songs include: "Alone and Annoyed",  "Now A Friend", "Always There", and "Feeling Around". It's the End of the Trip and the full length album Take the Mountain  (also released in 1997) were the last releases from Moon Socket. Thompson now has a new band called Memories Attack. So if you are a fan of lo fi acoustic stuff, Eric's Trip and early Sebadoh/Sentridoh then I think you'll love Moon Socket. And if anyone is interested this is a record that I DO currently carry in my distro.

Moon Socket It's the End of The Trip track listing
1. I Want Now
2. Stupid Shyness
3. Hard Feelings
4. Swing
5. Brand New Friend
6. Clowds

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Tiger Trap "Supercrush" 7 inch (K Records/1993)

Seriously is there someone out there who is a fan of indie pop that not only hasn't heard of Tiger Trap? If you haven't for whatever reason all you need to know is that regardless of their short tenure is that next to the Beat Happening, Tiger Trap is the most influential American indie pop band. More or less they took inspiration from C-86 stuff like The Shop Assistants and set the blueprint for American indie pop. And for better or for worse bands in the genre haven't deviated from that blue print at all. Considering Tiger Trap was a perfect indie pop band I'd say that sits just fine with me. In addition to having an acclaimed solo career under her own name, Rose Melberg who was the main song writer in Tiger Trap went on to be in Go Sailor, The Softies, Gaze, and most recently Brave Irene. So if you aren't familiar with Tiger Trap go out NOW (yes now, like right now) and get their self titled album on K Records in addition to downloading this single which features two songs from the album and one song not on the album. Seriously what are you waiting for?

Tiger Trap Supercrush 7 inch track listing
1. Supercrush
2. You and Me
3. Hiding

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v/a "Los Angeles vs Bristol" 7 inch (Wurlitzer Jukebox/1995)

Ever since I shared the Amp Beyond 7 inch I have been on a real big Flying Saucer Attack and everything related kick. So with that being said it is a good time to share this rare 7 inch compilation that I mentioned in that aforementioned post which pits two bands from Los Angeles on one side while on the flip side two bands from Bristol. Scene battles- I love it! On the Los Angeles side we are given two tracks fuzzy, sugar psych noise pop from Dear and then The Summer Hits. I tried to find information of Dear but unfortunately I could not. I wish I could find out more as their track is really pleasant. Loopy and psychedelic in a Mystic Chords of Memory sort of way. If anyone has any info please feel free to share. The Summer Hits close out their side with the song "Maximum Bum Ride" which is included later on the Beaches & Canyons retrospective cd. For those not aware The Summer Hits is a band that existed in the mid 90s with Darren Rademaker and Josh Schwartz both of whom were members of the indie rock band Further. Honestly, in completing my Summer Hits vinyl collection is what led this record to being in my possession.

On the Bristol side things get a bit more space-ier and into the Flying Saucer Attack-esque side of things with tracks from Amp (who if you haven't done so already scroll down a few posts to find their Beyond 7 inch) and Third Eye Foundation.  Both bands had a creative alliance with Flying Saucer Attack (and at times collaborative) and offer up instrumental, drone/shoegaze pieces. Both tunes are really soothing but at the same time remarkably expansive given the minimalist approach to songwriting.

This is a 7 inch that rarely if ever turns up in the wild so go ahead and download these tracks!

v/a Los Angeles vs Bristol track listing
1. The Summer Hits "Maximum Bum Ride"
2. Dear "Camion Francais"
3. Third Eye Foundation "Sleeping"
4. Amp "Scarborough Fair"

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Bingo Trappers "Sierra Nevada" 12 inch (Shrimper/Sing Eunuchs!/1997)

Truthfully, Bingo Trappers are a band who I wasn't aware of in the 90s and I have say I am glad. I only say that because I think the young punk that I was would've thought that it sounded too much like my parents' music or not "indie" enough. Or whatever lame ass excuse a young version of me would've conjured up to not recognize such great songs. Yes, Bingo Trappers definitely bare a resemblance to the music of my parents' generation like Bob Dylan, The Flying Burrito Bros, Graham Parsons and perhaps even the third Velvet Underground album.  Then all of that is channeled through the lo fi 4 track thing where the songs have this very distinct, haunting sound. With Waldemar Noe and Wim Elzinga at the helm the Amsterdam  based Bingo Trappers came into the whole home taping scene back in 1995 with their More Soul cassette on Shrimper. Since then the Bingo Trappers have quietly remained active with releasing cassettes, cds, cd-rs, vinyl and making several compilation appearances. Supposedly, they have a new album dropping sometime in 2012 and that is just great news indeed. Sierra Nevada is probably the band's most well known album so that is a huge reason why I have shared in this space. Anyone with an ear for great music will recognize that all of the Bingo Trappers albums are excellent but I feel Sierra Nevada is the best jumping on point. Sierra Nevada is still available through Midheaven, who handles mail order for Shrimper but as far as finding their other releases in the wild can certainly be a challenge. Via the band's website they just recently re-issued More Soul with bonus tracks. I Hear Strange Music has worked tirelessly to piece together the band's discography so I recommend using this resource in obtaining more info about the band's releases. I should also mention that Sierra Nevada features a cover of The Mountain Goats' "Pure Intentions".

Bingo Trappers Sierra Nevada track listing
1.King In Exile
2. Premium Daylight
3. Pure Intentions
4. Deerhunter
5. Bastardizin' The Poet
6. Joseph
7. Let's Hit the Road Again
8. Michael George
9. Sparky
10. Specific
11. Slice of Time
12. Walkin' Through the Clouds
13. Old House
14. Dream House

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Emily's Sassy Lime "Summer Vacation EP" 7 inch (Christmas Records

This is a record that I have been wanting to share for sometime now for sometime for several reasons, primarily because of the little talk I have seen of Emily's Sassy Lime on the internet I generally only ever see their Kill Rock Stars material being discussed or shared. And I guess building on the post the other day I made about Villa Villakula and the riot grrrl movement I felt it was an appropriate time as ever to share Emily's Sassy Lime "Summer Vacation EP". Emily's Sassy Lime were an all Asian female riot grrrl band who were formed in 1993 by Wendy and Amy Yao and Emily Ryan. They hailed from Southern California who according to legend formed after sneaking out of their respective homes to see a Bikini Kill/Bratmobile show. And in my opinion they were another one of those riot grrrl bands that never got the same level of hype, exposure or what have you that bands like Bikini Kill or Bratmobile received. And maybe because perhaps their lyrics weren't as abrasive, I don't know, but regardless it was a shame because Emily's Sassy Lime were a really fun and awesome band. I am going to repeat that word FUN, as it seems to get lost at times in music.


Summer Vacation EP is a quick reminder in pure, simple fun as Emily's Sassy Lime certainly take the Do It Yourself aesthetic and absolutely run with it. As far as I am concerned Summer Vacation EP captures the whole fun, unlearned musical playfulness, sincerity and exuberance of the whole lo fi, DIY spirit better than any other record from that era. The six song is a wonderful hodge podge, patch work collage of lo fi pop gems that captures every moment of a group of friends having fun. One of my favorite moments on Summer Vacation EP is during the first chorus it is sung with a noticeable laughter and how perfect is it that was kept.

After the Summer Vacation EP they released their first full length Right is Here which was also released on Christmas Records. All but one track from Summer Vacation EP was included on Right is Here . "Teenage Superstar" was renamed "Teenage Heart Attack" while "Killer Pie Super Spy" was reworked and re-recorded as "Viscosity Breakdown" which is followed by a lengthy series of field recordings and noise. In 1996 they released their second full length effort Desperate, Scared But Social on Kill Rock Stars who also released their final effort, Dippity Do Nut 7 inch in 1996 before disbanding all together in 1997.

Emily's Sassy Lime Summer Vacation EP track listing
1. Pineapple Boys Need Not Apply
2. Low Rider
3. Killer Pie Super Spy
4. Teenage Superstar
5. Cola Boy
6. Soda Jerk

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Hayden "Mild and Hazy" 7 inch (Hardwood Records/1995)

Tonight's post comes from a fine song writer from the Great White North, Mr. Paul Hayden Desser who is better known simply as Hayden. I first came to know Hayden's music as I am sure most Americans my age did, when the Canadian music video channel Much Music first became available on our family cable box and I saw the awesome, slightly awkward video for his song "Bad As They Seem". In hindsight the video definitely did a good job in selling folk music to the grunge generation, it was a loner anthem of sorts sans distortion. Parts of the video were almost eerily reminiscent of Sonic Youth's "Dirty Boots" video in particular with the whole bit with him and the cute girl in the Smoother shirt. At the show in Hayden's room there is a raucous, flannel clad crowd stage (bed?) diving while he thrashed about on a electric guitar which is a interesting backdrop for a serene, harmonica break.

 But all of that is beside the point as "Bad As They Seem" is a great song with a great video and because of that song I special ordered the cassette version of his debut on Sonic Unyon, Everything I Long For. And since then I have followed his career and as a songwriter, Hayden truly does get better with age. Early on music writers always attached the Neil Young influence to him which quite honestly really didn't become apparent to me until his 2001 album Skyscraper National Park and then even more so on his subsequent albums. The debut and the follow up The Closer I Get, are really great albums but always struck me more as Pixies gone folk more than Neil Young. Anyhow...

The single that I am sharing here today was released right around the time that Everything I Long For came out. In fact kicking off Mild and Hazy is the second song from the album "In September", which is more of a loud, distorted folk rock song.  The songs capture the kind of bedroom folk kind of sound that Hayden had going with his first album. It should be noted that Mild and Hazy includes a cover of The Pixies classic "Gouge Away".

Hayden Mild and Hazy 7 inch track listing
1. In September
2. Mild
3. Gouge Away
4. Hazy

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Franklin Bruno "The Irony Engine" 7 inch (Walt Records/1993)

Today's post  is going to be a quickie as I am short on time at the moment but anyhow here is another offering from the wonderful Franklin Bruno. I previously shared one of his singles, A Sand Dollar Relief Map and this single The Irony Engine is just as good if not better. It is hard to decide because quite simply Franklin Bruno does not write bad songs. Seriously. The melodies get stuck in your cranium and the lyrics are intelligent without coming off as pretentious. Like I said in my previous post if you like stuff like The Mountain Goats, in particular post All Hail West Texas then you will love Franklin Bruno. The Irony Engine is four tracks of fantastic lo fi bedroom pop and once the first track "Milk Crate" kicks in you will know that to be fact for yourself as well.

I should also mention that Franklin Bruno has a new band called The Human Hearts who will be releasing a 7 inch soon on Fayettenam Records and you can stream it here.

Franklin Bruno The Irony Engine track listing
1. Milk Crate
2. Sleeping Through the Jane Pratt Show
3. Medium of Exchange
4. Fond Icicle

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Ruby Falls "The Spirit is Willing" 7 inch (Villa Villakula/1994)

The first post of 2012...don't worry I will try to upload the vast majority of the stuff I want to share before the world ends.  And this record is a rarity of sorts that I am thrilled to share with everyone. If I ever even met another person who was a fan of this band Ruby Falls I think I'd fall over from a heart attack. And that is a shame. Not me having a heart attack mind you (though I suppose that isn't all that good) but that a band this superb going so unheralded   even in the indie-est of indie circles that I know. Ruby Falls were an all female band (for the majority of their tenure) and musically they remind of a cross between The Crownhate Ruin, Kerosene 454 and Rodan. Pretty heavy, discordant post punk/post hardcore type of stuff. The juxtaposition of driving, raging fits of distortion against more melancholic, introspective passages of melody and harmony is chilling at times. And with one quick turn the angelic voices are yelling with vigor. There is a balance of within Ruby Falls songs that border on chaos at times but a truly beautiful chaos. I think I first was exposed to Ruby Falls with their two wonderful compilation appearances on the two comps that ruled my teenage years; Half Cocked and Why Do You Think They Call It Pop. At some point a picked up this 7 inch which was the inaugural release on the Villa Villakula record label, which was to me a great label that was self described as "an all girl record label".

Even though I am a white heterosexual male, I can honestly say the Riot Grrrl movement had a very profound effect on me. To me it really set the bar as far as having a message in one's music. It was so far removed from the cliche anthems and political stances most punk bands. But unfortunately like everything in this world things get pigeonholed. Don't get me wrong I truly love Bikini Kill, Sleater Kinney (whom Villa Villakula released early recordings of) and Bratmobile but most people in music assume that Riot Grrrl began and ended there sonically and aesthetically. What I am getting at is that in the 90s there were plenty of women doing lots of great things in independent music whether or not it is considered part of Riot Grrrl that is up for debate. And without a doubt Villa Villakula deserves a lot of credit for the label they ran and the truly wonderful releases they put out in their time. I have the vast majority of the label's discography and it is all varied musically and lyrically but it is all fantastic music made by women. For a nice history on Villa Villakula I recommend that you set the next destination in your browser here.

With all of that being said check out Ruby Falls. If you look you can find their releases and when you do it is usually on the cheap side. The Spirit is Willing pops up time to time on Ebay and I do believe that Silver Girl Records still has copies of the Hysteria 7 inch available. I should also mention that Ruby Falls' bassist Cynthia Nelson was also in Retsin with Tara Jane O'Neill from Rodan and The Sonora Pine.

Ruby Falls The Spirit Is Willing track listing
1. The Spirit is Willing
2. Dusty

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