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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lowercase "Mail Order Freaks Singles Club" (Kill Rock Stars/1998)

Just recently I was having a discussion about Unwound with some folks on Facebook  and a friend wisely recommended that anyone who likes Unwound should certainly check out a band that called lowercase that touched upon some of the same things that Unwound did sonically. And considering I was going to be sharing some lowercase on this blog as I have some rare-ish singles of theirs I figured why not get rolling. So today the first single that I will be sharing from lowercase is their entry in the Mail Order Freak Singles Club series from Kill Rock Stars- a label that should need no introduction. lowercase was a two piece post punk/slo core band featuring Imaad Wasif on guitar and vocals and Brian Girgus on drums. The duo formed in Palm Desert, CA before relocating to San Francisco. Their music shifted from being dark and dirgy 'ala Unwound and bands on the Amphetamine Reptile label whom issued a single and two full lengths for the band- All Destructive Urges...Seem So Perfect and Kill the Lights. Sonically, lowercase also touched upon sounds that would generally go hand in hand with bands that are generally affiliated with "slo core" such as Seam, Codiene, Radar Bros, and early Karate. At times lowercase dipped into more "pop" realms 'ala Built to Spill and early Modest Mouse. As a rule lowercase juxtaposed loud bombastic, noise inducing romps with serene, moody head shakers. It is also rather how impressive the duo was able to create such an expansive sound with their limited palette to work from. In their short history lowercase from 1994 to 1999 were rather prolific releasing five singles, three full length albums and a handful of compilation tracks. Wasif himself has continued this tradition of being prolific as he has gone on to play in Alaska!, The New Folk Implosion, as well as pen three critically acclaimed solo albums under his own name. Additionally, he has been playing guitar live with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for several years now as well. So go ahead download some lowercase and I assure you there will be more from them in this space in the near future.


lowercase Mail Order Freaks Singles Club track listing
1. The Open Sea
2. Don't Cry No Tears


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