C30? What?

oh, you young 'uns...that's cassette talk.
As part of an internet based swap, I'm making a mix tape for a complete stranger. Now, I don't know who they are, or what they like, so I'll just be sending them what ever I feel like throwing in the mix. I'll post the track list here when it's done.
But anyway, thinking about tapes, and rummaging through my boxes of old tapes, led me to think about Bow Wow Wow.
They're not cool, but then they never really were. And I don't think they ever really produced anything that captured what they were capable of. But regardless, they did some great stuff. Like this:

It's hard to convery just how strange this sounded at the time, and maybe it's that quality that's helped it last so long. I always wanted the Spanish single version, "C30, C60, C90 Anda!", for some reason, but had to settle for the cassette. Obviously.

Get Gone

Recently I was sent a parcel of CDs (and tshirts, and stickers) by the good people at Goner Records, in Memphis TN. There was a stack of great stuff in there, but here’s a note about a few I want to mention in particular.


CoCoComa are a three piece out of Chicago, playing frantic 2 and half minute garage songs mostly about girlfriends- well, relationships, at least. It’s sharp and sweet and hugely entertaining. Two of my faves, "Too Tired" & "Read My Mind" are up on their myspace for your perusal.


Digital Leather, aka Shawn Foree, is essentially a one man studio based act, who’s bolstered by a band when he plays live, as he does on the second half of this disc. Songs like “Simulator” & “Styrofoam” evoke the best of 80s synth pop, but with a much harder stranger edge. Just what “She Had A Cameltoe” evokes is a bit harder to explain, but here’s a shot of the single cover art:

And finally there’s “Make It Stop!”, a 24 track collection by mushmouthed raconteur and Memphis legend Ross Johnson.

He has a bit of a past- some of this was recorded as long ago as 1979, when he was part of Alex Chilton's band during the recording of "Like Flies On Sherbet". The tunes vary from sloppy rockabilly to lazy funk, but it’s the lyrics that are the killer here- check out “Goin’ To The Get High Shack” and “Signify”. Some of the funniest and truest things I’ve heard in a while.

And while we’re on the subject of great new CDs...

Get out.

The Sand Pebbles launch their new album "Ceduna" on at the NSC on Saturday. They went to the beach last summer and made a concept album inspired in part by an old travel diary- wait, wait, come back. It’s really nowhere as pretentious or silly as that makes it sound. Its much better indeed. So let’s re-phrase that- as the Drones did with ‘Gala Mill’, the Sand Pebbles went to a place and took some inspiration from it, which they have channeled into their new album. But there’s no over-arching narrative or theme beyond that, though- as they say in the liner notes, they got high, and they wrote these songs. All of which are well worth your eartime.
The launch features well-chosen supports from Ross McLennan (whose recent Mistletone LP, “Sympathy For The New World” is also truly excellent) and Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts. All for $10.00

Also on Saturday- UV Race kick off the first week of their month-long Saturday afternoon residency in the Tote front bar. That’s free, from around 4.00pm. They don't have a CD out, but this is what their "Lego Man" single looks like:



From the youngest to the oldest- across town the legendary X are playing at the Espy with a few friends: