S L E E P D E A T H

 

A stunning journey through thought and sound, S L E E P D E A T H created something truly special with 2013's Reality. Sounds found and manipulated, ancient synths resurrected. Emotions manifested as sound. It would be a disservice to describe Reality as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, though it would be easy to do (and perhaps that film should exist). These sounds deserve to be experienced solitarily, in the world that they have constructed. This release will consume a solid hour, and if you're listening properly then you will be enriched by that hour even though you will never get it back. It won't be time lost, but it will be time spent. And enrichment takes time. It's worth it. 

REALITY

SADO-BABIES

 

Pretty sure the first song isn't even SADO-BABIES, and the three songs listed on the cover don't appear to indicate the tape's contents. There are eight songs here, and five of them appear twice. My goal has always been to present the sounds as presented, not as intended, so here is a collection of growling dupa-dupa that may or may not be the product of some miscreants from Boyle Heights called SADO-BABIES. Hopefully someone drops a comment here, because this shit is actual lo-fi fire and I would like to hear more. 

THE BROOD SESSIONS

THE TOURETTES

 

Hot in the heels of RAOOUL came THE TOURETTES featuring a post-LUMPS Jannelle Blarg on vocals. You open a demo with "A Fifth Of Whisky, And The World Is My Bitch" and you know folks are going to pay attention - attention that will be rewarded with nine bursts of snarky don't give a fuck marble mouthed East Bay punk. It's hard to not mention the recording - guitar is muddy as fuck and Janelle's voice is a shrieking trainwreck while the bass casually carries wildly infectious melodies and the drums are tight, crisp and forceful even when (especially when) they swing. It doesn't seem like it all fits together until "Hooked On Phonics" kicks off and...yeah, I'm hooked. I'm not going to read into the fact that "Hidden Keys To Loving Relationships" cuts off after ten seconds when the first side abruptly ends, but I'm about to revisit the single on Lookout! that never grabbed me. Didn't even know this existed until I was digging through some of Pat's stuff a while back, and I'm pretty sure these sounds will make it onto a future Copy Wright volume. 

THE TOURETTES DEVOUR RENO

PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA

 

This shit is really important to a lot of people. This shit changed people's lives. Paramahansa Yogananda was a crucial figure in the early wave of Indian spiritualists bringing thoughts and ideas to the United States in the first half of the last century - maybe this shit can help the next generation not be dumb asses. 

CHANTS AND PRAYERS

DER YAHZENBURG

 

I'm not sure what dimension DER YAHZENBURG come from (came from), but it's rare to step into a cacophony that sounds this honest. Four obscene inept bursts of adolescent energy that are going to make you want to pull out an OLD SKULL record just to remind yourself of what is real and what you're imagining. There's an invalid MySpace link on the back of the tape - I admit I was a little disappointed to find a Bandcamp and answer some of my questions - though I suggest you listen first and research second (if you research at all). It'll be over in less than three minutes, you'll have time to think about it later. Call me if you need to talk. 

DER YAHZENBURG

BAD COYOTES

 

If there were ever an under appreciated Bay Area party punk band, is fukkn BAD COYOTES. Maximum energy '77 punk rock 'n roll with a serious Blood Guts & Pussy-era DWARVES vibe is exactly what you need when you're two beer past caring and looking to get into some trouble. And BAD COYOTES are three beers ahead of you. You're gonna cringe occasionally and you'll question a few of your life choices, but once you're in? You're in. 

WE GOT OUR REASONS

SHIZOPHASIA

 

It's not often that a band sees, reaches for and achieves a vision with this much success. It's as if the entire trajectory of SCHIZOPHASIA was laid out by and for them before they played a fucking note and it shows, especially when you look back at their body of work. Ferocious noise punk injected with and interjected by noise and electronics, sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. The releases can be challenging (part of the appeal of course), but you always feel like everything you're experiencing is a part of someone else's plan whether it was a part of your plan or not. And a decade after the release of 3000, I have to say that feeling tracks. 

3000