Seven Inches of Sausage: July 1997

No Knife
“Jackboots” / “Communist China”
Time Bomb Recordings 

Phew, I love opening up a group of reviews with something that actually sounds good. I remember this groups’ first record, Drunk on the Moon. It sounded a little less mature than either of these two songs. “Jackboots” is the single here: high energy, good delivery, piecemeal. “Communist China” is the better song. It shows maturity, it’s got some technical integrity and it sounds kinda interesting. Check these guys out at the Warped Tour if you go, or went, or whatever. Buy the record for a good time. 

Damien Jurado
“Vary”
Tooth and Nail Records 

Remember the first time you heard Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. when the world looked like a fresh-faced child with boundless musical horizons.You could listen to Daniel Johnston and Black Flag and not feel like a hypocrite. Everybody was in a band. I like this record for that feel. Its downside is that it sounds much like everybody’s band. It did good, almost really good, but it’s copping a feel off of somebody else’s thing. Try this on if you want to see what kind of music is hard to find in the land of Zion, but overabundant in every other capital city in the nation. 

the interpreters
“in remembrance of that fine evening”
Volcano Recordings 

Two ho-humming songs. Nothing spectacular here, but nothing that marks the end of civilization either. All these beats are starting to sound the same to me. It’s got a groove to it, but I can’t help but wonder if this was made at some hip Japanese karaoke bar. Soulless vinyl begone. 

Shoutbus
The Goons
The Boils
“obedience is your obligation”
Torque Records 

Shoutbus sounds like some very old school Punk shit. Throw a little G.B.H. in with some S.O.A., mix it up in a healthy punch of satire and here’s it’s bastard child. The record reminds me a little of old Hardcore shows I went to at the Safari Club and 9:30 club in D.C. ‘Course back then, I would have seen Judge or the Cro-Mags. But shit, every crew must have its own sound. I think the guy at my 7-11 would like all three of these records. Yeah, that guy with the Cro-Mag name tag. Hey Buddy! We know you don’t like the smashy pumpky’s, but up my smokes and my Big Gulp and let me get the fuck out of there. 

The Goons sound like D.K. without the integrity to pull it off. The Boils got some catchy fucking bass lines along with a bad sense of timing. God bless the boys for trying though. Indie labels lived off this kind of stuff for years. Hey, hello, it’s all retro now, my friends, no matter what you think. Agnostic did it years ago and they did it better. If you’re into fast loud quick songs this is the trio of records for you. Every once in a while a band like this will come along and address something that needs to be heard. This might do it for you. 

Less Than Jake
“Muppet Covers”
Discount split with J Church
Liquid Meat Records 

Less Than Jake is not one of my favorite bands. So this was not an anticipated listen. But it was funny and well put together with four songs in all on the record. My favorite being the song for “Movin’ Right Along.” Now I don’t know if as the name implies these are really covers of Muppet songs, ‘cause the Muppets scared me (Miss Piggy; blood-thirsty transvestite who’s in love with a little green man). But not bad overall. I like it more than what I normally get. 

Discount, surprise. Not bad for a group I know nothing about. I only have one bad thing to say about this record. Ladies, if you are going to record your voice on record don’t let that stoned, drunk, balding piece of shit producer make your voice sound like everybody else’s. I would rank this in with some band you saw play at this killer party where you always had something good to talk about and the drinks never ran out. 

J Church is a great band. I think they are the epitome of what a good time should sound like. What does a good time sound like? Well, get hopped up on crystal meth and after about fifteen hours strip down to nothing and take a long shower. Just before you’re totally down, get in bed with clean sheets and doze off. That’s a good time and that’s what a J Church song sounds like when they’re hot. But this time they are not. 

Traitors
Johanns Face Records 

I love music from Chicago. The city, not the band. I don’t know if these guys are really from there but I don’t care. This is the only record out of everything I reviewed that I was singing along to before the damn record had played even once. Four guys playing aggressive music well. It’s even got a cool swing to it. If you don’t like this you’re a goth or a hippie, either way an idiot. Street music, yipee! 

A Tribe Called Quest
“Check the Rhime” / “Award Tour”
Jive Records 

I like Tribe. But this record is only really geared for DJs or Tribe fanatics. The instrumental is good on “Check the Rhime” which I think is the better song. However, “Award Tour” has the best music groove. Check this out if you’re into the whole De La Soul / Digable Planets vibe. 

Peace, MF’s —Sausage King

Read more from the SLUG archives:
Buck-O-Nine
Brad

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