Angst – Mystery Spot [LP] (1987, SST Records)

One of SST’s best releases. 'Mystery Spot' was Angst’s third album and easily their best (although their other releases, including their 83 EP on the Happy Squid label are still pretty cool). There had been some criticism levelled at Angst’s previous efforts in that the songs sounded very much the same. This album solved that problem to a large extent.  

 

Angst were a three piece, based in San Francisco, with Michael Hursey on drums, Joseph Pope on bass/vocals and Jon. E. Risk on guitar/vocals. Side One is almost perfect with no dud tracks. "Outside My Window" introduces Pope’s wimpy but great introverted lyrics to the listener and the song comes together very well. Sort of folk/punk similar sounding to The Violent Femmes. "Back in January" has Risk out front and this one, sounds like a thrashy acoustic pounder. It moves real fast and true, a bit like Angst’s_ better stuff off their 86 album ‘Mending Wall’. "Its Mine" follows and comes together sounding real real fine, with nice harmonies raising the track to great status -it's almost like a deliberately slowed down tune that allows for countrified examination of difficult situations. The music on this album is very much stripped back and diverse.

 
"What’s the Difference" is like an eighties ode to the beatniks, about life on the road, totally slowed down into a more blues based exploration. This is a beautiful ‘ballad’, whose Kerouac observations should sound corny but don’t. A losers slant on philosophical ponderings that beg for answers to life’s tough questions. "Looking for a Reason" again lets Pope do the singing. It's a little like "Its Mine", once again getting into the philosophical side of reality about a world full of answers, but what the fuck was the question? Existential or what!!! 

Angst were punk slanted, travelling slightly similar mind territory to what The Meat Puppets / Minutemen were doing, but totally unlike them at the same time. The slow blues/country crawl "Colors" closes off side one with Risk again asking the hard ones, acknowledging depression and angst in the only way he could.

 
The albums best cut "Mind Average" kicks off Side 2 and its a slightly poppy drugged out mind warp. The best song Pope ever penned. Everything blends together beautifully. His vocals sounding smooth and easy -overtopping a relatively simple song structure with beautiful word craft. A total classic. Risks’ "One Life (Out of Nine)" again works really well, giving the album a perfect rating but then the closing 4 tracks can’t keep up the pace and sound like the band starting to tread water. Not that the songs are bad, its’ just that they don’t come up to the same standard of the great songs that preceded them. Definately one of the best albums that SST ever released and a bonafide American classic. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: SST Records – SST 111 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: US 

Released: Nov 4, 1987 

Style: Alternative Rock, Art Rock, Punk, Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Jangle Pop

 

Tracklist:

A1 Outside My Window 2:32 

A2 Back In January 2:14 

A3 It's Mine 3:03 

A4 What's The Difference? 4:13 

A5 Looking For A Reason 3:36 

A6 Colors 3:44 

B1 Mind Average 3:47 

B2 One Life (Out Of 9) 3:48 

B3 Wazee Street 2:46 

B4 I Remember 3:31 

B5 Ah, The Morning 3:53 

B6 Red Wing 2:43 

 

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