A) the Charalambides – Our Bed Is Green
This album (a double CD) definitely falls into the overly long category. The reason for that being, this is a reissue of what was originally this bands’ ’92 self-released cassette debut. Regularly cited as one of the bands responsible for the current “freak-folk” or “ new weird American” movement. More accurately (at least on this album) the Charalambides are a simplistic, atmospheric, folk pop duo. They seem more attuned to the early 90’s Lo-fi sounds of Lou Barlow’s Sebaboh/Sentridoh, the Mountain Goats, and label-mates Windy and Carl, than they are to the more deliberately psychedelic sounds of Animal Collective, Devendra Banhart, or Six Organs of Admittance. Comparisons are often drawn between their minimalist guitar drones and the abject guitar plucking of fellow Texan Jandek. A comparison which, sonically, may not be entirely off base but the stark beauty that the Charalambides attempt to cultivate play in sharp contrast to Jandek’s alienated scrawlings.
Personally, what seems interesting about the Lo-fi movement of the early 90’s was the fact that it was about completely unrestricted freedom for individual song-writers [Daniel Johnston, Simon Joyner, Lou Barlow, and the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle] to showcase their song ideas, that while not necessarily fully formed were invariably highly personal and often quite brilliant, in a untraditional non-band context. The Charalambides seem to miss the mark in that respect, as this album seems to be composed primarily of non-descript guitar noodling. It sounds like two people trying to learn their own songs in their bedroom, which, true enough, is what most of this album actually is. The main problem being that, while all of those other groups managed to write great tunes (some of which would later be fully realized, not always to great success, in a more traditional band context) that cultivated the sound of a 4-track as an esthetic all it’s own, the Charalambides sound, on this album at least, consists almost entirely of half-baked song ideas.
That is not to say that there aren’t some listenable songs (or, rather, song moments) on this sprawling collection It’s just that a listener must wade through a sea of half realized tidbits before they are able stumble upon them. In particular, the opening track, “Tea”, has a very nice, atmospheric quality that genuinely reminds one of a lazy afternoon spent sipping tea and playing guitar quietly while gazing out of the window at the outside world. The track, “Faze Her”, which falls very near to the end of the first CD, is also a very nice track that comes off as a more realized, dreamy, psyche-exploration, replete with a noisy, chaotic ending.
The entire collection could certainly have benefited from a little editing. This would be a pretty interesting single 45 minute CD, rather than a hour and a half of, what begins to seem like, senseless guitar jams. I have, honestly, had trouble making it through to the second CD. Perhaps Our Bed is Green would have come across as a more interesting phenomenon in the grunge-ridden early 90’s, when something like this would have seemed to have come from, literally, nowhere (what other Texan act of their day could even compare? Butthole Surfers? Painteens? maybe at certain moments). Maybe back then, listened to over the course of time on a crappy car stereo, it would have all made sense and, perhaps, it would have sounded glorious. But, to the jaded ears of this listener, this collection is somewhat dissatisfying, although it is certainly not awful.
I must add that the Charalambides definitely are an interesting band and their 2006 release, A Vintage Burden, is filled with lush melodies and many moments of genuine beauty that originally drew me into checking out this early collection when it came out. And, while this release may not be the strongest of it's kind, it certainly is a (somewhat) interesting product in the context of the band that they grew into being more than a decade later. Although, I will add that satisfying that kind of intellectual curiosity is certainly not reason enough to purchase this.
listen to Tea by the Charalambides on Gone Vs. Gones “Mild Anxiety” podcast
at
http://mildanxiety.podomatic.com/
B) Melvins - Mangled Demos 1983
So taken was I with the Melvins' most recent Senile Animal release that I was compelled to purchase this oddity when I saw it in a south Texas music store (?). Upon first listen I was amazed by how incredibly raw this album sounds. Any debates as to whether or not the Melvins are, or ever were, a “punk" band were instantly quelled when Mike Patton’s Ipecac label released this collection of what equates to a pre-Melvins (of sorts).
This is a harsh collection of kinetic hardcore performed by Melvins mainstay Buzz Osbourne, with a pre-Mudhoney Matt Lukin on bass and pre-Dale Crover drummer, Matt Dillard, in tow. Not quite as metalized as future early releases for C/Z or Alchemy. This material bears the marks of snotty teen punks (listen to "If You Get Bored" for an honest to goodness example of young punk kid snottiness) who clearly spent much time listening to early hardcore punk rock. If Sabbath and Black Flag’s My War were the blueprint for much of the Melvin’s late 80’s output, Damaged era Black Flag and early Bad Brains seem to have set the template for much of this material (check out the blazing 1 minute jam which simply bears the symbol of a star as a name for a prime example).
Much of this material is pretty decent, slightly less formulaic hardcore. Were it by any band other than the Melvins I would have to admit that it held no interest for me, but it is the Melvins and, as a document of what came before, this is really quite fascinating. Many songs on this collection would pop up on later releases. One song, “Set Me Straight”, would appear over a decade later on their Kurt Cobain produced major label debut, Houdini, albeit in a more slowed down, less rough hewn state. Other tunes like “Snake Appeal” would appear on their C/Z debut “10 Songs” in an even more brutally harsh, uglier incarnation. The anthemic near-stadium rocker, “Forgotten Principles” was released as a single on Tom Hazelmeyer’s (Halo of Flies) Amphetamine Reptile label in the mid-90’s.
What’s even more interesting than the early studio sessions of the album’s first half is the second half of the album were a young band is humanized in a series of recordings which include much teenage bickering and random chattering about hamburgers, beers, bong toking, vodka, puking and the kind of random bullshit that would logically consume much of the practice time of your average teenage rock n roll band growing up as alienated punks in some crap nasty rural town. Nothing can be said of an ill-spent youth here, as this band grew up to be one of the most important bands of the succeeding decade, albeit in an underground, semi-unheralded kind of way. It's genuinely nice to hear an unguarded side of a great band who normaly hold such a stoic unflinching face before their public.
listen to If You Get Bored by the Melvins on Gone Vs. Gone's "Mild Anxiety" Podcast
at
http://mildanxiety.podomatic.com/
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