Nice Strong Arm – Cloud Machine E.P. [12''] (1989, Homestead Records)

Originally from the Austin scene that spawned such kindred spirits as the Butthole Surfers and Scratch Acid, this NYC trio crafts a so(m)ber mixture of Brit gloom (Joy Division, Bauhaus) and New York guitar screech (Sonic Youth, Swans). While its work has been spotty, Nice Strong Arm has never been less than intriguing. 

 

'Cloud Machine' pairs two new studio tracks (including a bright, metallic funk instrumental called “Cop Show”) with two songs cut live at CBGB. The title track is absolutely jaw-dropping, echoing Sonic Youth's 'Sister' / 'Daydream Nation'-era deathmatch of pop against noize. The pulverisingly genius riff is straight out of air guitar heaven, like what would happen if J Mascis kidnapped Eddie Van Halen's soul and sold it for ransom to Dick Dale. The strangely beautiful chorus ("There is a cloud machine hanging over our heads") is delivered so magically, so perfectly, that you will never want to forget it or comprehend it. These guys probably listened to a lot of Hüsker Dü, at least that's what is in the melody department. Back to the guitar part: it's like a 3-D mashup of Jimi Hendrix's in "Spanish Castle Magic" with Bailter Space's in "Now I Will Live" and Swervedriver's in "Blowin' Cool," and it comes dangerously close to tearing apart the galaxy's space-time continuum, so it's probably best to close your door before listening. At first it almost sounds like improvised jazz noodling, but it comes together in your head as a serpentine riff the more you listen to it, and it acts as a magic carpet underneath the vocals, the two carrying each other forward with effortless propulsive force. And the drums are recorded in gorgeous surround sound, pulsating laterally with great depth. The song is just a tour de force in all ways, and you can tell the band knew it and wanted to spend a lot of time recording it just right, contrary to the quickie-is-cool attitude of most noise rockers. 

"Cop Show" is an instrumental surf-thrash scorcher that probably made Steve Vai cry into his Count Chocula. The two live tracks sound astonishingly similar to NSA's labelmates Live Skull and early Swans, but with an even darker undertow, plus legitimately singable choruses.

This EP should be hunted down by fans of stuff like Poem Rocket, Bailter Space, Band Of Susans, Unwound, and of course Sonic Youth. To call it mere "noise rock" is selling it short, but this is far more jagged than "noise pop," so one can't call it that. Tommy Victor of Prong was the engineer on the two live tracks. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Homestead Records – HMS147-1 

Format: Vinyl, EP, 12", 45 RPM 

Country: US 

Released: 1989 

Style: Alternative Rock, Post Rock, Indie Rock, Noise Rock

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Cloud Machine 

A2 Cop Show 

B1 Faucet Head 

B2 Life Of The Party 

 

Notes: 

Side A recorded and Mixed in May 1989 at Baby Monster Studios, NYC. 

Side B recorded live May 13, 1989 at CBGB, NYC. 

 

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Haunted House – Up In Flames [CD] (1999, Erstwhile Records)

Haunted House is Loren Mazzacane Connors (guitar), Andrew Burnes (guitar), Suzanne Langille (vocals), and Neel Murgai (percussion). Although two of the three tracks on 'Up in Flames' have been penned by Langille (the other is a version of Lonnie Johnson's "Blue Ghost Blues"), this band mostly bears the mark of indie rock guitar legend Loren Mazzacane Connors. Up to 11 minutes into the first track, the album is solo Connors. But at that point, the other instruments join in for a build-up that reaches its climax when Langille's fragile vocals come in over 14 minutes into the song. The slow, simple, and hazy guitar style of Loren Mazzacane Connors and the crescendo-climax-release structure takes 'Up in Flames' into Godspeed You Black Emperor! territory. The second piece suffers from bad sound quality (awful background noise) and the listener can hear people talking throughout (these are live recordings). "Blue Ghost Blues" offers a change of pace as both guitarists let loose in this one, playing noisy blues solos. The piece rocks a lot toward the end, a welcomed change that doesn't affect the stylistic cohesion of the album. Sound problems set aside, 'Up in Flames' is a nice record of ethereal rock music in the vein of Godspeed You Black Emperor! and The Boxhead Ensemble. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

  

 

Label: Erstwhile Records ‎– erstwhile 002 

Format: CD, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1999 

Style: Post Rock, Avantgarde, Experimental, Free Improvisation, Avant-Folk

 

Tracklist:

1 Been So Long 23:02 

2 Only When You Sleep 10:27 

3 Blue Ghost Blues 23:09 

 

Notes:

Track 1 recorded at The Cooler in NYC on February 22, 1999. 

Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at The Cooler in NYC on May 8, 1999. 

 

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The Terminals ‎– Cul-De-Sac [CD] (1992, Flying Nun, Festival)

The Terminals are an alternative rock band from New Zealand. They released material on the Xpressway and Flying Nun labels. The band was formed in 1988, with several members veterans of other bands. Vocalist Stephen Cogle and drummer Peter Stapleton had both been members of The Victor Dimisich Band in the early 1980s, Stapleton also playing with The Pin Group and Scorched Earth Policy. Guitarist Ross Humphries was an ex-member of The Pin Group, and Mick Elborado played bass and keyboards with Scorched Earth Policy. Signing to Flying Nun, the band's debut release was the 'Disconnect' EP in 1988. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Label: Flying Nun Records ‎– FNCD239, Festival Records ‎– D30835 

Format: CD, Compilation 

Country: New Zealand 

Released: 1992 

Genre: Rock, Blues 

Style: Garage Rock, Post Rock 

Tracklist:

Uncoffined 

1 No 1:56 

2 Love, Hate, Revenge 2:33 

3 Uncoffined 3:54 

4 Before It Rains 2:17 

5 Cockroaches 2:39 

6 All Their Lies 4:28 

7 Frozen Car 3:38 

8 Gasoline 2:10 

9 Hungary Joe 2:35 

10 Castaway 3:42 

11 Mothlight 3:04 

12 Lolita 2:12 

Disconnect 

13 Batwing 2:32 

14 Blistering Heart 2:01 

15 Juju Eyes 2:56 

16 Turning Every Word Around 3:20 

17 Edie 4:03 

18 Terminals 3:21 

19 Cul-De-Sac 3:05 

Credits:

Bass – Susan Heney 

Drums – Peter Stapleton 

Guitar, Vocals – Ross Humphries 

Organ, Vocals – Mick Elborado 

Percussion – Donna Lawson 

Remix – Hamish Kilgour (tracks: 13 to 19) 

Vocals – Mary Heney, Maryrose Wilkinson 

Vocals, Guitar – Stephen Cogle 

Notes:

'Disconnect' recorded at Audio Access, Christchurch, N.Z. in 1987 

'Uncoffined' recorded at Writhe Studios, Wellington, N.Z. in 1988 

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A.C. Temple ‎– Blowtorch [CD] (Blast First, Furthur, 1990)

Formed in Sheffield in 1985, A.C. Temple were a powerful UK counterpart to the abrasive experimental guitar bands coming out of the USA around the same time. Early vocalist Dave Giles soon took a back seat to Jane Bromley but remained a co-lyricist to the band throughout their career. However, it was the classic line-up of Bromley, Noel Kilbride, Neil Woodward, Andy Hartley and Jayne Waterfall who recorded their seminal 'Blowtorch' LP and a session for John Peel on Radio 1 in 1987. Critics made favourable comparisons to Sonic Youth and Big Black (Kilbride, in fact, had acted as Big Black's driver for their final UK tour and is one of the named recipient's on Shellac's 'Futurist' LP) but the swirling intertwined guitars and extreme down-tuned bass, combined with Bromley's sonorous vocals and Waterfall's thunderous drumming, were distinctively theirs. [SOURCE: DISCOGS] 

Label: Blast First ‎– FU6 CD, Furthur ‎– FU6 CD 

Format: CD, Album 

Country: UK 

Released: 01 Jan 1990 

Genre: Rock 

Style: Alternative Rock, Post Rock, Experimental 

Tracklist:

Blowtorch 

1 Mincemeat 4:02 

2 Yield 3:32 

3 I Dream Of Fraud 4:43 

4 American 4:27 

5 Weekend 6:46 

6 Sheikh 3:31 

7 Chinese Burn 4:02 

8 Shimmer Queen 5:36 

9 Hank 4:44 

10 Armache 1:57 

Songs Of Praise 

11 Ulterior 3:58 

12 Make Mine Music 4:01 

13 A Motel In Kansas 4:56 

14 Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun 6:56 

15 All Hail Discordia 4:01 

16 90 Seconds 1:24 

17 Slide Mantra 3:28 

Notes:

Includes 'Songs Of Praise' 6-Track Mini Album. 

'Blowtorch': 

Recorded at FON, Sheffield, January 1988. 

Mixed at Blackwing, London March & April 1988. 

All tracks ©My Ears! My Ears! 1988 

'Songs Of Praise': 

Recorded at FON, Sheffield, December 1986. 

Sampling on 'Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun' taken from "Cure Self-Consciousness And Blushing" 

Other Versions:
'Blowtorch.' ‎(LP) - Furthur FU6LP - UK 1988 
'Blowtorch' ‎(Cass) - Blast First, Furthur FU6 C - UK 1990 
'Blowtorch' ‎(LP, Album) - Torso TORSO 33074 - Netherlands 1988 

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