Just Can't Keep My Filthy Hands Of Your Piece Of Mind - Bob's Guide To Noise Rock
 

so this is basically a combination of band/album review.....out of my collection i have picked 109 bands to review.....to make it fair i've decided to only review one album per band.....and not necessarily my favorite album but rather the one i feel should be heard (ie Jesus Lizards "Shot" is my favorite.....but "Liar" is essential)....

basically i'll write a short but sweet bio of the band (or in some cases what i can find about them) and then do a personal review of my album of choice.....i'll spend at least one day concentrating on the album before i review it....just to keep it fresh in my drug ruined mind :)

the bands i will cover in this thread (in alphabetical order)

Action Swingers
Areola 51
Battle Of Mice
Big 'n
Big Black
Bodychoke
Boss Hog
The Brain Saw
Bush Pig
The Butthole Surfers
Cake Like
Calvin Krime
Carusella
Celan
The Cherubs
The Chinese Stars
Chokebore
The Chrome Cranks
Clockcleaner
Cool Devices
Cop $hoot Cop
Cosmic Psychos
The Cows
Crunt
The Cutthroats 9
DeadClownPile
Distorted Pony
Divorce
Drive Like Jehu
Drunkdriver
Drunks With Guns
Ed Hall
Enemymine
feedtime
Fetish 69
Flipper
Flour
Fuckemos
Gay Witch Abortion
Giddy Motors
The God Bullies
Godheadsilo
Goes Cube
Guzzard
Halo Of Flies
Hammerhead
Helios Creed
The Heroine Sheiks
The Honeymoon Killers
Janitor Joe
The Jesus Lizard
JJ Paradise Players Club
Julie Christmas
Karp
Keelhaul
Killdozer
Kilslug
King Roast Snake
Kittens
Lollipop
Love 666
Lowercase
Lubricated Goat
Made Out Of Babies
Magik Markers
The Means
Melt Banana
Melvins
Mudhoney
Nirvana
P
The Pain Teens
Pigment Vehicle
Pissed Jeans
Plows
Pulled Apart By Horses
Pussy Galore
Qui
Rapeman
Rough Rope
Ruins
Scarling.
The Scientists
Scratch Acid
Season To Risk
Shellac
Shorty
Slughog
Spite
Steel Pole Bath Tub
Surgery
Tad
Tar
Teenage Larvae
They Never Sleep
Thrall
Tinsel Teeth
Today Is The Day
Tumor Circus
U-Men
US Maple
Unsane
Vaz
Vertigo
White Drugs
Whores.
Wiseblood
Zeni Geva
400 Blows

i'll start up soon :)

Looking forward to it man! :)

This is going to be awesome. Bring it on!

well alright!

i'm starting off my journal with Cop $hoot Cop's perfect album......Consumer Revolt....i think i'll do my review either later tonight or sometime tomorrow

for myself i'm going to bold (in the first post) the band i'm about to review.....and bold/underline when i've made the post.....and at the end of the review i'll let ya all know whats to come

i'll do my best to add youtube videos.....but some of these are a bit hard to find.....at that any of these albums are up for your listening pleasure should you want....just pm me

more to come very soon :)

thanks for the support....

The amount of bands in that list that I fucking LOVE... You have my attention Bob.

it begins....


cop shoot cop formed in 1987 in New York City...originally a trio consisting of Tod A (Bass, vocals), David Ouimet (keyboards,sampler) and Phil Puleo (percussion).....Jack natz later joined as another Bass player and Ouimet was replaced with Jim Coleman on samplers....and Steve McMillen was added for their final release (Release) as their only guitar player

cop $hoot cop released four proper albums, six Eps, and four singles in their 9 year career....all of their albums are very much worth looking into....and honestly were extremely hard to find....until the internet came....still these album are highly collectable and very much out of print....their first single "Piece man" came splattered with real pigs blood!

there seems to be some question about the origin of their name....as to whether it has to do with cops killing each other....or (and what i prefer) the complete redundant behavior of a junkie....cop(drugs) shoot(drugs) cop(drugs).....

i would be willing its a little from a and b....but from what i can tell no one from the band has ever really stated exactly what their name is all about :)

for all but one album (their last) they did not have guitar....but rather a high end and a low end bass....actually the album i'm going to review....their debut full length Consumer Revolt is said to be the only rock album in the history of music to consist of two bass players, two samplers, and one percussionist (i saw that because he mainly banged on found objects)....i can honestly saw that only this band could pull that off this good....and although i do very much enjoy their last album....it really is nothing compared to the others and is more like a typical 90s alt rock band with witty lyrics....and lyrics is something that really stands out with this band....dark humor, sarcasm and the typical NYC attitude.....Tod A is an amazing writer....which in my opinion he carried over to his next band Firewater


first and foremost out all the albums i plan on reviewing in this thread....this album is the closest to an "industrial" sound...probably due to the insane drumming (often on what sounds like sheet metal and or shopping carts) and the extensive use of samplers.....still this is noise rock at its best....

right from the get go you can tell that this album is unique.....the bass playing is unlike anything i've ever heard and the drumming is ordered and chaotic at the same time and Tod's feverish vocal ramblings are just perfect....by the time She's Like A Shoot (a wonderful love song comparing a woman to heroin) starts you realize that you've been transferred into the filthy streets of NYC and are now experiencing all those things mommy and daddy tried to shelter you from....its the next track that does it for me.....Waiting For The Punchline is a perfect example of falling into a misanthropic madness.....both lyrically and musically.....seriously by the end of the song....and the amazingly great lyric "when insomnia is just another word for to much on the mind"....tension could be cut with a knife


next is the equally disturbing all sample song Disconnected 666....which is in all honestly the first Cop Shoot Cop song i had ever heard....having seen it on a 19 generation vhs copy of Richard Kern's short films....the short film is amazing


and straight into the pounding, angry Smash Retro....a wonderful song about letting the past just die (specifically the hippie movement)....next up is the Burn Your Bridges....which once again takes you down a loathing trip into despair......seriously great example of the amazing drumming....and you can see influence from other bands that were around at the time specifically Foetus and maybe a bit of Swans.....Consume is another interesting all sample "message".....Fire in The Hole sounds as much like Neubauten at their craziest as it does a thundering noise rock song....the percussion is just amazing on this track....and really helps along the disgusted lyrics...then comes my favorite track on this album....and probably my favorite Cop Shoot Cop song....and the title of this thread....Pity The Bastard.....just pounding like a hammer to your head....and almost psychotic horror moments.....this is a prime example of just what this band is capable of.....the jarring bass mixed with intense nonsensical percussion....and Tod's insane man ramblings....almost as if he were a crazed schizophrenic yelling back at the voices....just superb
and straight into Down Come The Mickey....which is in all honesty the track that closed this album for me as being the "essential" cop shoot cop album.....Hurt Me Baby is simply their take on the Culture Club hit....and System Test sounds more like a broken industrial machine that has gone mad and has been unleashed on the city.....the albunms ends with the surprisingly groovy Eggs For Rib....an almost fun song and truly fitting end to such a despondent album

hope you check this one out....there really is nothing that sounds like this album

A great album, and sweet write up man. I still don't know whether I prefer this over Ask Questions Later, but it doesn't matter, they're two of the best slabs of noise rock out there.

its funny man...i was hell bent on review Consumer Revolt....and after two days of listening to it....i decided that maybe Ask Questions Later is the better album....then after listening to that i started to write that one.....then in the middle of my write up yesterday i deleted my post and went back to Consumer Revolt.....mainly for how unique it is....i mean really all four albums by cop shoot cop are great

thanks for the compliment sir :)

it was my plan to ruin your life :)



so this is one of the "newer" bands on my list....not a whole lot of info (just the basics)

the basics

Divorce are four dorks from Glasgow, Scotland....their names are Vickie McDonald, VSO, Jennie Fulk and Andy Brown.....they've been together since 2008....

the end

what Lydia Lunch said about them....

"DIVORCE...HA!

Fantastic blast of no wave thrash bashing
like ungodly offspring sprung from Cuntzilla's incubator
a bloody smear of nasty mutation
oozing a sickly runoff of infectious virulence

naughty little bastards...."

they have release on Ep, a split with the band Comanechi, a split with the band Ultimate Thrush, and a handful of singles.....i think most of this is available on their bandcamp page.....so if you love this as much as i do....google them and give them a couple of pounds for their great music


four songs and clocking in at just under 18 minutes....this is the shit!!!!!.....each song just compliments the next and this turns out to be the best 18 minutes of your life....crushing and well orchestrated

the opening track Early Christianity opens with revolving drums, then fast but loud bass....the blasts of jarring guitar quickly blending into a visceral chaotic mess....then the vocals start....."We've got lepers and thieves, We've got thieves and whores, Unconditional love of early Christianity"....man can this chick scream....it makes me wonder if after a live set she can even talk.....seriously this one of my absolute favorite female vocals....just amazing
then straight in the slower yet thunderous Pipe Down....nicely structured with just bass and drums....till the chorus which just explodes all over you....from that point the song just builds and builds till its very abrupt end....next is my favorite track on the album Juice Of Youth (which ironically is the only song i could not find on youtube!)...it starts of fairly conventional....nice bass and high hat drumming.....then the vocals (oh the sweet vocals) "Children stay in line....." after that it becomes just a wonderful mess....a real delight....damn i love this song....it seriously is all over the place....the final track Scissor Fight....starts of very conventional (for noise rock) straight of the text book written by the likes of Flipper, clockcleaner, jesus lizard and pissed jeans.....noisy and bombastic......the song continues with grinding faster section to gut wrenching feedback and slow parts....a wonderful ending that in my opinion just comes way to soon :(


to end this post....here is Glasgow's (fab four) playing a free show under a bridge.....these guys are on the top of my need to see live list.....so if by chance any member of this band comes across this review....a)my name is Bob....i live in Reno, NV USA....where it is still legal to drive with a rifle and shot gun in your car as long as you only use it to kill animals....and you guys are one of my favorite bands that i've found in the past couple of years b) at least try and make it to San Francisco....i'm am positive you'll be welcomed with open arms c) i'm coming to the UK in about a year and a half....so please don't break up and continue to tour the islands :)

end transmission.

God damn. Well I'm sold!

i know right?

the only bad thing about them is that they don't play my backyard on a nightly basis....and they really need to release a full length :)

Any chance of a link on that one?

Aha, Divorce, hell fucking yes.

had to take a little break.....but more to come very soon.....thanks for the support guys....i really appreciate it :)

gonna start the new year off right with

GOD BULLIES
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qJCSBsm9UZ...0d0ff0521d.jpg

out of all the bands i'm reviewing in this thread.....this is by far one of my all time favorites

God Bullies hailed from the creepy town of Kalamazoo, Michigan (which coincidentally also houses the states largest mental health hospital)....forming sometime around 1986 the band consisted of Mike Corso (bass), Mike Hard (vocals), Adam Berg (drums), David Livingstone (guitar)....

its really hard to put a finger on their sound....although they are a large part of the AmRep family all stars....they were never as "hard edged" as many of those bands during those wonderful years.....no.....God Bullies added an almost surf rock fun to their music.....that is if you went surfing with Satan in great white infested waters.....and seemed to insist in recording in a white noise surrounded almost lo fi way......i've read interviews with Livingstone where he regaurds those old recordings as "Shitty."....personally i feel this adds to the charm of this band.....basically the rhythm section is pretty average if not maybe even a little sub par and possibly at times "slow"......Livingstone's guitar work is fucking amazing and seriously is taken from every era of rock known to man added with distortion and simple out of tune noise.....and then there is the front man....Mike Hard.....Mike is the perfect mixture of crazy eyed serial killer, sarcastic librarian, evangelistic satanist, and sheltered creepy mammas boy.....he really comes out live

God Bullies mainly released albums of Amphetamine Reptile with a few super groovy singles released on both Mans Ruin and Sympathy For The Record Industry....with their final album being released by fanboy Jello Biafra's (this right here should tell you something about this band :) ) label Alternative Tentacle's in 1994....they disbanded shorty after and seemed to basically all get day jobs.....Mike Hard really is a Librarian!....Mike later formed what will be three more reviews in this thread.....Thrall, Brainsaw and last but in no way least...\They Never Sleep (the later with Livingstone and berg from the original line up of God Bullies)

i just want to say it was very hard for me to choose what the "ideal" God Bullies album would be......i suggest listening to all of them :).....so one that i felt...."perhaps i'd better start at the beginning"



released on AmRep in 1989 this was their first recording

opening perfectly with "Act Of Desire"....a whirlwind of guitar noise, groovy bass lines and satanic beats.....mixed in with some rather interesting samples of Jim Jones and Art Linkletter as well as others....about half way Mike starts repeating "Acts of Desire" over and over as the song just gets more and more chaotic....and straight in to "Creepy People" which is a perfect showcase of late 80s early 90s noise rock....its loud, repetitive, somewhat bass heavy and a bit scary....but right there in the middle of the song is an almost arena rock scratchy guitar solo....the idea of the perfect corporate executive up in his smug office looking down in fear of the "creepy people" below him laughing at him as he cowers in fear in the corner....then straight into one of my favorite tracks by this great band "Oh Shit".....i can't count how many times this ended up on some mix tape i made for a girl i was infatuated with!.....most the time with good results....but sometimes with the exact opposite.....this is where you can really hear some of that great groovy 60s surf rock influence......and the "chorus" is just hilarious.....

"Fear and Pain" is a fine example of God Bullies general sound.....starting with the sample "Welcome to Interworld Airlines' Flight F-I-N-A-L: non-stop supersonic service to the New Jerusalem"....and just smashing you in your undeserving face with a chaotic slap of noise that just goes on and on with Mikes desperate moans and screams....its slow and scary and sounds just as the tile might suggest....this is the type of song that may invoke a talk if your parents happen to walk in on you listening to it

"What Reason" always creates an image of Adolph Hitler and John Wayne line dancing in hell at some sock hop.....just a great bass line along with bursts of heavy distorted but well planned out guitar....and as always Mike's insanity in his vocal delivery.....next up "The Godfather Moves to Arkansas Pt 1"...is a simple sample of honestly i have no idea but it fits....its short and to the point and involves no music at all....and then into "Follow The Leader" just again showing what damn near perfect album this is.....just rock n roll at its absolute best....simple and revolving making your head feel heavy....and again Mikes sarcastic and judgmental lyrics "oh my children my little sheep lets go to heaven in a tangled heap"....yummy......then back into a slower and by far more scary track.....much like Fear and Pain....this is a return to constant noise with a few rock elements....."Sex Power Money"....putting vocals second to the frightening driving music setting up perfect for the more rock driven "Red Blood".....another often used mix tape contribution from my youth :)....a perfect blend of traditional rock intermixed with heavy noisy distortion....and Mike's ramblings about how cold you will be soon.....and my favorite "i think i just cut myself right here on my hand.....WIPE IT OFF!!!!".....short and to the point

and into my favorite track on this album "All I Want Is My Mamma"....this is a perfect example of Hard's consistent exploration of taboo human nature....something that is all over not only God Bullies discography but everything he has touched.....it lyrically follows a losers attempt at sex and love....starting with mommy, then sister, and finally daughter....its gritty disgusting and absolutely real....a perfect exploration of the progression of sexual deviance coupled with a scratchy soundtrack.....last track is "What Are You Looking For".....ending the entire album as it has been....a nice blend of introspective and somewhat misanthropic lyrics mixed with super groovy yet very much badly recorded (with charm) rock music and scratchy somewhat frightening guitar creepiness....and ending with a sample about this all being a "dog show"....the tile for their next album :)

Bob, get back in here. These God Bullies tracks kick ass, even if I didn't comment on them the first time I listened, and I want more goo noise damnit.

ok :)


Cosmic Psychos are a noisy punk rock band from Melbourne Australia.....these boys seem to have been around since the dawn of time (1982 :) )....and have been credited as the fathers of grunge....basically being noted as major inspiration from all the major players of that so called genre including Kurt Cobain, Buzz Osbourne, Donita Sparks, and Eddie Vedder.....i have to say that personally out of all of those i REALLY see the influence of these guys in the music of L7 overall....


my basic review of these guys is loud, drunk distorted bass lines mixed with insane wah effects on guitar.....i have to say that these guys are more of a strait forward rock and more influence of the wonderful sounds to come but i still love this shit and it deserves you fucking attention!

their first official release was in 1985 and they've released at least 13 albums and a bunch of EPs on several different labels including the infamous Sub Pop and the glorious Amphetamine Reptile labels.....reading about them now i guess they actually started a genre called Yob Rock which celebrates the Australian males way of life....seriously if any Aussies here read this i would love an explanation of this! :)

as far as i can tell this means lots of drinking, dead roos, more drinking, s+m relations, another beer, shooting at the neighbor animals, a drink, and the occasional mental break down due to drinking....some boning and a beer before bed.....and lets not forget about the rabbits!

for whatever reason this band never really got the world wide acclaim i feel they deserve....i mean its great fuzzed out rock with clever and often funny lyrics....maybe a bit crass but fuck CeLoo Green made himself famous by writing a song called Fuck You....i don't know maybe the world market hears this stuff and realizes that Australians should be feared and respect....personally i think they sound like a fucking blast!....for my review i'm going with their amazing and practically perfect 6th release from 1995 Self Totalled


as i said this is pretty straight forward rock with great lyrics....so in all honesty its kind of hard to review it....at least in they way i have been....not a bad song on here i suggest listening to the couple of tracks i could dig up on youtube, running to the store and picking up a case of your favorite brew, drink them all while playing this entire album very loud over and over again, and then punching holes in neighbors walls while they cower in the corner calling the cops on their cell phones!

alright!

opening track is called Bullet which as far as i can tell is basically about getting drunk and killing some chic...."talk about bullets baby i go three, thats two for you and thats one for me!"...this is a great opening track and will basically set up the entire fell of the next hazy 35 minutes of you life
the next track Shot The Cat is a hilarious little track about getting sick of the neighbors cat pissing all over your stuff...esp the damn beer fridge....and even includes some pretty awesome guitar effects made to sound like a dying cat!....then we go straight into what could easily be many of our theme songs!.....The Man Who Drank To Much
"another round and i'm on the ground, i raise my glass and i'm on my ass!" like i said fucking perfect.....Bad Day is yet another song i think everybody could easily relate to....Mondays = bad day and in this he describes all the stupid shit that could make you day horrible....with a great chorus "Days like this i wanna run away!".....Thank Your Mother For The Rabbits is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album....man i would to see this song live....the bass is perfect for this type of music....great drunk dance music
"feeling tired and i've been thinkin'....i should have killed you....got my gun and now i'm drinkin'"....look these lyrics ain't poetry but dam are they genius!....into the song Neighbors as i said just continues with the same great bass heavy rock and drunken misanthropic lyrics "don't think the neighbors like me, why the hell don't they come down and fight me"...i would say since i keep reading online that this is considered punk rock....which the elements are there for sure......much like they are in any Motorhead song....anyways i would say that Psycho Sheila is the best example of this very well done and could easily be good for some great circle pit fun.....the next track Whip Me is damn near a polar opposite.....slow bass heavy....honestly reminds me more of Lubricated goat than Cosmic Psychos but still a great song about some of that great hard lovin!....and as always another beer!!!!!....this also spawned one of a couple videos released on the AmRep series "Dope Guns and Fucking Up Your Video Deck"....the vid pretty tame but could possibly insult someone who is very uptight....so maybe wait till your home for this one :)
almost home is one of my favorite tracks to listen to while out driving.....great fast paced great lyrics about well driving way to much....dead roos on the side of the road.....and of course drinking (which i do not do :) )....live the lyrics "i ran out of smiles, just to many miles, but i'm almost home so get ready to bone!" as you can see it is also almost under a minute shorter than any other track on the album....this leads us to the final track on the album Come On a honestly perfect ending to this album.....drunk and mad Come on Come on Come on Come on CUNT yeah

enjoy this band they deserve it

Consumer Revolt is a revelation. My favorite find in months.

Thanks, keep it up!

Yaay Psychos. Spent many nights watching these guys in dingy Melbourne pub venues.

These two tracks make up the A side of their debut EP.






If you want more Melbourne punk info check out this site: Melbourne Punk Directory

Good stuff. Hadn't heard of them 'til now. Look forward to the rest of your list :).

Bob, this journal isn't going write itself. http://www.talkrational.org/images/smilies/colbert.gif

Get it together, Bob.

"phone is ringin'...oh my god!"

part of my new years resolution is to finish this....so starting on or around the first :)

thanks guys for the nudge

....five months later....





The Means were a band that formed in 2001 in the city of Columbus Ohio....started by local hero and legend Brad Swiniarski formal;y of the band Bob City....he joined with other sloppy noise master Jason Fredrick of Spiveys finishing up the line up with Emily & Dave Allen formally of Bloody Matt Dillons....in two short years the band recorded three albums (Vil/Viol, Community Horse, and The Divine Right of The Means) tweaking and bettering their abrasive sound with each release

their name fits the music perfectly....its raw and mean....i first found out about them in 2002 while living in Baltimore....i remember coming back to Reno for a visit and going out with my friends Sean and Paul....i told them "you guys love Nirvana right?....this is what they wished they were!" by the end of the second track Paul looked at me and said "this is what Nirvana's older brother would sound like while they were playing Nazi interrogation"....a perfect description Paul :)
my album review is for their first album Vil/Viol....its much more aggressive and sloppier than their other two releases....and has definite moments of coked out experimentation

i don't think i could say it any better than this....this review is gonna be a little hard for me to express whats going since i cannot find anything but two songs from their second album on youtube....i did find a stream of the album which i'll post at the end but if you dig this i highly suggest sending me a pm and i'll send you a link to the full album....if you like short loud aggressive no holds bar rock n roll this album should be played loud and daily! :)

the opening track Heart starts with a simple distorted base line then jumps straight into assault....this is probably the only track (save the last one) that Jason seems to hold a little back on the vocals.....this is a great opener with just a small taste of what is to come

Primitive is where you see why they are called Means....straight into it....guteral music mixed with mean and straight forward lyrics....this is more than likely the best track on the album and has my favorite description of a woman ever
"she has my eyeballs as ear rings
she has my teeth as a necklace
she wore my guts for garters
thats all she wore
covered in me from head to floor"

What Went Wrong is probably the closest this band comes to punk rock....fast and Jason screams so intensely you can't understand a damn thing he says

the albums love ballad Charlize Theron sounds like its be performed by a group of murderous stalkers

"i think i know just what you need" says the sample that starts Rob Wheeler which then goes straight into a cacophony of bliss and slowly morphs into an almost bluesy middle and the back and straight for the jugular

starting to notice that most of these songs start with a short bass lead in....as is the case with Record Holders in the Blood Purge...i can't really describe this one....its fast loud and fucking awesome

here we go....a little guitar intro...I'm On is a little less screamy and a lot more structured....very blues and maybe Cramps influenced....still noisy as hell and with clever lyrics

Consider yourself a Hero...slow and brooding....lyrically intense and going in blast to the face from a shot gun but ending slowly and with a sense of despondency

R. Loxley is probably my favorite track on the album....just everything that is great about this band....when i said earlier about "coked out experimentation" it's all right here....the song itself is really only about 1 minute long then they go into a strange musical experiment

(t.p.) Massacre is more of the same just great fury filled noisy garage rock....with a little bit of fuzzy organs

All They Hide is the surprise on the album it's not anything like the rest of the album...actually its almost the polar opposite...slow and almost a real ballad with insightful lyrics....actually i feel it's a great closer for the album

you can listen and apparently download it here....although it is missing the final track for some reason.....again if you want the entire album just let me know and i'll send it to you

Free Music Archive: Means - Vil/Viol

i can honestly say that Unsane is by far my favorite band on my seemingly endless list.....there is something incredibly urgent about the music and Chris Spencers "vocals" remind me of those beautiful scenes in Taxi Driver where Travis is just driving around getting sicker and sicker of the filth that surrounds him...in other words Unsane is the soundtrack for the man that has been pushed to far

Unsane formed in 1988 when guitar/lead vocalist Chris Spencer, bassist Pete Shore, and drummer Charlie Ondras got together and formed the band Lawn Chair Blisters....quickly they changed the name to Unsnae (the name for the American release of Dario Argento's classic Tenebrae)....they quickly rose in the ranks of some of new York City's finest including CopShootCop, Pussy Galore and Feotus

right from the start Unsane was creating a unique mixture of post hardcore, sludgy metal and blistering intense noise rock....which many feel paved the way for more bands than i can count too.....in the early days Unsane's music was a mixture of loud bass heavy poundings intermixed with uncontrollable spastic noise rock and topped with Spencer's desperate vocal delivery....in 1991 they released their first album on Matador records aptly titled "Unsane"....one look at the cover and you knew exactly what you were in for

this was the beginning of what in my opinion would be some of the greatest album covers in music history....while touring the US in 1992 Charlie Ondras died from an unfortunate heroin overdose and was quickly replaced by ex Swans drummer Vincent Signorell.....the band toured relentlessly and Matador release a compilation of their early singles and comp released entitled Singles 89-92....

Unsane also found themselves in the studio recording the sophomore album Total Destruction....which was released on Matador/Atlantic in 1994...the cover of which shows the front of a car that has been covered in blood....Matador also released a Peel Sessions album....Unsane recorded their first video for the single Body Bomb....which depicted a young man slowly losing it and ultimately (and somewhat eerily) walking into the world trade centers with a bomb strapped to him and ending in a large explosion....needless to say even at that time the video got very little airplay on Mtv.....1994 also saw the departure of Pete Shore for apparently unknown reasons and the arrival of Dave Curran and what would become the definitive line up....that same year Atlantic decided to drop Unsane from the roster.....but Unsane quickly found the loving arms of Amphetamine Reptile records and that same year the ever loving ears of yours truly

in 1995 Unsane released what in my opinion is their most important album....Scattered Smothered & Covered (the name of which comes from an egg dish served at a chain of white trash restaurants in the US called The Waffle House).....on this album Unsane created what would become "their" sound....slightly more structured but even more intense.....this album also spawned the closest thing too a hit for the band with the opening track "Scrape"...mainly due to some airplay on Mtv of the video....the video simply shows skateboard crashes intermixed with live footage of the band and was voted by Mtv to be in the top ten funniest videos of all time

in 1997 they released a live album called AmRep Christmas: Live at The Turf Club, St. Paul MN....if you are ever in Minneapolis i highly suggest checking out the Turf Club....its a great venue and very friendly to all that isd noise rock....and they have an amazing jukebox :)....i mainly mention this album to give an example of just how much influence this band has on my life....the opening track to the album is "Sick"....it stars with then usual live album...talking audience and guitar tuning....then you hear a blood curdling scream and Dave laughing and saying "well alright!"....i find that to be one of the funniest things i've ever heard and still to this day exclaim "well alright!" daily....nobody ever understands the reference :)

in 1998 Unsane released my personal favorite album Occupational Hazard on Relapse....this was also the first of many times i got to see them play live....while touring the album in Europe....Chris walked outside of a club in Austria....somebody said "Hey" and he answered with "what?" and was then answered with a bat to the face....he was beaten by four men literally within inches of his life.....from what i understand they never caught the attackers but felt it was likely a group of Austrian Nationalist who assumed Chris was a member of the army and stationed at a near by base....he spent months recovering in the hospital which basically put Unsane on hiatus

during the hiatus Vinny opened a tattoo shop in the New York area, Dave form a band called JJ Players Club and Chris formed a band called The Cutthroats 9

in 2003 the band reformed and released a greatest hits comp called Lambhouse named for the butcher shop that Chris buys the blood from for the album covers....they also extensively toured

on this tour i was living in Minneapolis and went to see them when they came to town at the Triple Rock Social Club....the audience literally consisted on me, AmRep owner Tom Hazelmyer, two women and two other (very drunk guys)....6 people total in an otherwise empty club....Unsane fucking killed it that night....by far the best show i have ever been too....i also got to hang out with and drink the night away with one of my all time favorite bands....and i can honestly say that all three are some of the nicest most approachable people i've ever met....had a great night talking about horror films and music

in 2005 Unsane released their 5th studio album and final release for Relapse called Blood Run....which is nothing less than a perfect continuation of the bands damn near perfect discography....in 2007 Unsane released Visqueen on Mike Patton's Ipecac label and last year they released their 87th studio album on the infamous Alternative Tentacle label entitled Wreck.....for a bunch of old guys who play some of the most intense and aggressive music out there....this album is amazing

although Unsane have not broken up....all three are concentrating on other projects Vinny formed a band called A Storm of Light with Josh Graham of Neurosis, Dave formed a band called Pigs and Chris is apparently recording the second Celan album with members of Einsturzende Neubauten and Oxbow


it was very difficult for me to decided which album i would want to review as their most important album.....it was really a toss up between Scattered and Occupational Hazard....and in all honesty it came down to two songs that made me decided that their definitive album is in face Scattered Smothered and Covered



"WELL ALRIIIGHT!!!"

the opening track to this album is ironicly like getting hit in the face with a bat....Scrape is mean....heavy as an elephant and takes no prisoners....this is also the beginning of what i think could be called the Unsane formula.....i also think that this song has one of the best examples of Chris's desperate scream....at about 2:40

then a somewhat out of place bluesy harmonica....and then the pounding of your life....Alleged....is by far one of my favorite songs by Unsane....the slow building intro....and into the pounding bass and drums...mixed with the scratchy disconnected guitar....and the lyrics are simple and yet filled with a true intelligence that people who live in major cities know "my block! can you guess my race?!"....i don't think i've made a mix tape that has not included this song :)

Blame Me continues the album momentum with great guitar licks and again just an amazing dynamic between Dave and Vinny

Out is is a fine example of what Unsane is...thunderous with noisy blues inspired scratchy guitar....and Chris's trademark "man pushed to the edge" screaming....i just don't see how him screaming "i've been waiting so long....for things to calm down" could not strike a chord with you...

Can't See is probably the closest Unsane comes to upbeat on the album...mainly due to the fact that is has a fairly fast beat....i also think this track is an excellent example of Vinny's drumming and how well it fits with the band as a whole

enter deal breaker one....Get Off My Back....this is why i love this band....the only lyrics are the title but the music is sooooo intense and just perfectly expresses the feeling of the weight of everything pounding you into submission.....seriously i think this is one the best songs they have ever written.....every time i have seen them play...they play this song and each time it just gets longer and more intense....if i ever lose my shit and go to a parade with a loaded rifle....this song will be playing in a continuous loop right up to the last shot into my temple

straight into Blew...where Chris seems to replace his normal desperate scream with an angry growl.....i love the guitar in this song

next up is Empty Cartridge...which i would say is a fan favorite....great bass intro

then we switch things up a bit....as Dave takes over vocals on No Loss...the drumming in the beginning fantastic....i also think that this is another great example of just how well Chris plays the guitar....probably because he isn't using all of his energy on the vocals....seriously look at any picture of him live...

Test My Faith returns with Chris on vocals and back to the typical pummeling that Unsane delivers

then into Ruin which is about as close to "punk" that Unsane gets on this album....upbeat and almost fun music...practically danceable

and into deal breaker two....Swim...this is just a fine example of everything great about Unsane...it's slow and ominous with great breakdowns throughout the entire song....and the desperation of hearing someone scream "Breathe!".....it is a perfect end to a damn near perfect album


thanks for reading :)

Ever come across the Primitive Calculators? They were a late 70s-80s Melbourne band. Not sure where they'd fit in the noise spectrum but I guess they're somewhere in there.

Was blasting Consumer Revolt in the car this morning to combat some frustration. Really is a great album.

Any pre-cursors, side-projects or off-shoots I should know about as far as Cop Shoot Cop?

Tod formed this band after CSC


This really is the final CSC album, too bad Tod wasn't around


Synth/Noise guy left after Consumer Revolt and formed this band, oddly sounding like a mixture of CSC and the not yet established Firewater.


Bassist Jack Natz played with this band here after CSC though they'd been around before that.


CSC percussionist played in Swans for a minute, this too

Awesome! Thanks mondo.

Apparently Tod Ashley was involved in Lubricated Goat's 1994 album Forces You Don't Understand some 15 years before Natz joined them.

He also played on Melbourne band Foetus's album Gash.

I'm just here to point out that Foetus is a one-man project by a guy (yes, an Australian) living in England. Carry on.

Thought I'd check out the list in OP and just give them a listen by way of finding some new noise. Randomly starting towards the bottom with Whores. and their album Gold. Must say I wish they had more albums. Great stuff.