Then the Other

 Yeah, continuing.

 

Fontana (2003)

The follow up by the National Splits.

More of the same and more.

First One

 Yeah, continuing from where we left off

It's the National Splits.

The National Splits (2002)

So this is the first of the umpteen bands in this orbit that I heard.
They have a lovely little tune on the "Crayola Catastrophy" 7" compilation on Kitteridge that I posted a while back.

A bit more guitar oriented than Mathlete. Still the lo-fi indiepop you know and love. Still running all the vocals through some kind of effect for virtually every song.
It's still difficult for me to grasp that this is over twenty years old now.

Welcome to the underground at the turn of the 21st Century.

This One Goes Deep

 But you're going to have to do the grunt work yourself.

I'm going to pour myself a drink.

Telstar Parthenon (2000)

So yeah, Mathlete.

It's a lo-fi project spearheaded by Mike Downey who had previously been in Wolfie along with the couple who would go on to make records as the Like Young until their divorce and who also had recorded under the moniker Busytoby whose two singles I've previously posted.

Mathlete then turned into the National Splits. (which may or may not follow up this post. I don't know yet.) and the rest is all ashes.

Mike Downey maintains an Audio Graveyard on Bandcamp for all his projects. Go and literally pay some respects.

I Don't Know What to Do With Splits Pt 3.

More Splits

This is a pair of Flexis.

Adjust sonic expectations accordingly.

Choo Choo Train/ Eye Pilgrims (1989)




Choo Choo Train. Ric Menck & Paul Chastain pre-Velvet Crush.


Eye Pilgrims were from Hartlepool, UK and only existed on various compilations which is a bit of shame. I like their contribution here.

Spinning Jennys/the Fat Tulips (1990)


I have no idea where precisely Spinning Jennys were from. (I went with Bristol since that's where the label that put out their sole single was based.) It's unfortunate because their song here is fucking great. A masterwork of the genre. Kudos to them.

The Fat Tulips hailed from Peterborough. They put out a bunch of seven inches but only managed a singular full length in their career. Several of those releases were on Sunday Records. You know what you're getting into with that.

That said. Probably not my favorite song of theirs that I've heard so far.

Play the other one.

Two Unrelated Things

Doing up some Lps so I have time to kill while they record.

Here's a quickie.

I Want the Blood of a Civil Servant (1986)

The Monkey Run hail from the Rochdale area of the riot torn streets of Manchester and that's about all there is to say. They featured Morrissey on the cover of their second single as one of what was intended to be a series of "Manchester Greats", unfortunately they didn't get further than that.

Perhaps if they had started with Mark E Smith...

Car Crash (1994)

Milo were from Champaign, IL.
This was their first release of two on the Bus Stop Label.

Shut Up.

Ok.

Love's Going Out of Fashion (1986)

Biff Bang Pow.

Combo Audio (1982)

Combo Audio.

Back to Business..

You won't have noticed, but I haven't typed out a post in a long while now.
It's also ten months ago.

So there is that.

 1987 - the Big Maybe

One of the nice things for you is that following a nearly a month of Peter Jefferies this and Peter Jefferies that I'm switching gears with a whole new batch of shit that I've been obsessing over.

I've got boatloads of new stuff I want to post. I think I'll start with this.

I've been a fan of Velvet Crush since the first time I heard the "One Thing Two Believe" single on Bus Stop. I played "In the Presence of Greatness" over and over. I sought out other records on the label which introduced me to the Elephant 6 Recording co and those bands and all sorts of stuff that defined my musical life in the 90's.

The main dudes in Velvet Crush, Rick Menck & Paul Chastain have been collaborators for eons and through multiple projects. All of which I quite enjoy.

Here is an early one with Nick Rudd who had been in a band called Weird Summer.

I also discovered another previously unreleased song on Youtube called "A Lesson Learned"

1987 - This Perfect Day

That same year, Mr. Menck put out the first record as the Choo Choo Train without Mr. Chastain, who would join on subsequent releases.

This wonderful fucking pop record was also inexplicably left off of the alleged "Complete Recordings" (as well as a song that appeared on a UK flexi) I guess, the makers of that now rare and expensive compact disc have a very different concept of what constitutes "complete"

Doesn't matter. I have it. You can listen to it. All is good.

Anyway, if you scroll back to August one of the other Choo Choo Train records is there.

You need some more pop in your diet.

(Meanwhile, I still need to find a copy of the Drats! "Fashion Con" double 7" in my bid to secure a complete discography. Life is always a series of challenges....)

Lo-fi-fo fum

It's hard to come up with words to describe music while listening to other music.
I'm not so good at that kind of multitasking shit.

It gets even harder when you have to get up every five or so minutes to flip over the single that you're digitizing on the other laptop and you're listening to the record and typing.

As young Sarah Lynn was wont to say:

That's too much, man!

Me, My Drums and You (1998)


According to something else I read, Busytoby is an side band featuring members of Champaign, IL's own Wolfie which may or may not make it more enticing a listen to some.

 I'm not swung either way. I listen to this entirely on its own merits.

Lo-fi recording, cheap keyboards and strummy guitars on Parasol Records.

I'm in.

The Unlonely Songwriter (1999)


The other one on 100 Guitar Mania Records has a cover of Donovan's "The Sun is a Very Magic Fellow" on the b-side.

All in.

They had me at a Donovan cover.

Another Day Another Waste of Time

There seem to be a few folks who have discovered my uneven and splotchy little plot of earth on the internet and occasionally pluck from it some of the fruits of my labors. In the end it seems mostly like a bit of a waste of time, but I do it anyways. Just because.

I dunno. Maybe it's just good to keep my typing skills in good working order.

 

Baby Opaque (1984)

Baby Opaque were from Charlottesville,Virginia. There's some stuff to found on the web for interested parties. Or you can just listen to it yourself and come to your own conclusions. I quite like this. It's a bit messed up in all the right ways that make me happy. I'm hungry right now too. I may have a Poptart. Strawberry. Mmm. Strawberry...

the Outnumbered (1983)

The Outnumbered were from Champaign, Illinois & released this 45 and three lps between 1983 & 1987. But what they're mostly known for, if they're known for anything, is that they were the first band for Pansy Division front man Jon Ginoli. This band is a jangly pop affair which is decent enough, with some high school notebook level lyrics. Unfortunately from my perspective, Ginoli's vocals aren't quite up to the task of jangly pop and I can't help but think of a far too earnest Dead Milkmen without the sense of humor. But you know, that's just like my opinion, man.