Synopsis #3: Waxidermatology

Below is a stack of thirty-seven songs from the incredible WAXIDERMY. I've linked directly to the files so they can be effortlessly taken, stored, possessed, & petted rather than merely sampled at the site. About half of these are amazing; the rest are merely intriguing. The first five are all very highly recommended.

ORIGINAL 37

raymond-columbus-cmon-and-swim

joe-cobb-its-LB-time

jay-walker-paper-dolls

various-god-is-for-real

spooky2-shake-that-thang

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Synopsis #2: 2-D HYPETASTIC HYPETOWN CYNOPS

Following on last month's Mutant Sounds synopsis, here's a stab at another time-sucking super-archive: Hyped To Death. H2D specializes in compiling and selling forgotten U.S. and U.K. punk, post-punk, and power-pop from the 1970s-'80s. The following is a vain attempt at a 20-track best-of variety pack. It's culled from the Teenline (U.S. power-pop, 11 tracks), Homework (U.S. DIY, 5 tracks), and Messthetics (U.K. DIY, 3 tracks) series and the Performing Ferrets (U.K. "band," 1 track) compilation.

All in all: sweltering, like the soundtrack from an unmade softcore directed by John Hughes.

CLICK: Let's Glow / Craig Bevan (MP3)

CLICK: H2D SYNOPSIS (Zip file, 20 tracks)

01. I'm A Square / Anorexia
02. Popstar / Armed Force
03. Tight Jeans / Astrobeats
04. Where Did The Girls Go / Astrosurf
05. You Were an Optimist / Band of Susans
06. Boys Town Work Song / Christmas
07. American Neutron / Citizen 23
08. Let's Glow / Craig Bevan
09. Kiss and Tell / J.D. Buhl
10. Trak (ft lyrics by William Burroughs) / Marc Thor*
11. The Rush / Performing Ferrets
12. Turn Me On / Riff Doctors
13. Break the Ice / Scruffs
14. Walking On The Roof / Sgt. Arms
15. Teen Line / Shivvers
16. Something on My Mind / Speedies
17. Let Me Take Your Foto / Speedies
18. Girl On The Bus / Thin Yoghurts
19. Americommandos / Zodio Doze
20. Giving It All To You / 20-20

*Note from H2D: "Marc Thor's second single, 'Trak,' is also from 1979. It's a typical Boston/Rat-scene gtrrock chug, but the lyrics are a fictional cigarette ad penned by none other than William Burroughs."

BUY from Hyped to Death's sto.

Synopsis #1: MONSTER MUTANT CYCLOPS SYNOPS

Mutant Sounds specializes in early- and mid-'80s obscuranti, though not exclusively. I've wasted approximately one full month (720 hours) of my life over the past year scouring its depths. The result is this synopsis, which might be thought of as The Best of Mutant Sounds Lite or Mutant Sounds Goes Pop!. It ignores the improvisational avant-noise psych-jazz side of the archive in favor of jams that manage to be simultaneously catchy and deranged.

Below is a two-part compilation of the Top 30 Songs from across all of Mutant Sounds (objectively speaking). Sub-below are links to the Top 5 Albums available for free download via Mutant Sounds (objectively speaking). The singles on the compilations are mostly gourd-whacked pop gems; the LPs tend to be far farther out, more droney. The whole caboodle includes at least three covers.

Lastly, some cringe-worthy sincerity: THESE SONGS ARE ALL RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING TRUST ME NO EXCLAMATION MARKS.


TOP 30 SONGS

CLICK: MUTANT SOUNDS CYCLOPS SYNOPS [password = pw]
 
01 / Langst Vorbei? / A5
02 / Do Zeu Twist / ADN' Ckrystall (see below)
03 / Strawberry Cheesecake / Algebra Mothers
04 / Talk Talk Video / Berlin
05 / Bone Shake Ska / C.U.B.S.
06 / A Bus for a Bus on the Bus / Cardiac Arrest
07 / Killing Time / Celibate Rifles
08 / Yes Please! / Confetti
09 / Televisöo / Corpo Diplomatico
10 / A Big Dead Man [live] / Deep Freeze Mice
11 / Shaking All Over / Drinking Electricity
12 / Move On Up / The Flying Lizards
13 / Portugal Na Cee / Grupo Novo Rock
14 / Trains vs. Planes / Human Hands

15 / She Was My Girl / Innocent Vicars
16 / Synthesizer Man / Invisible Zoo
17 / Look Again / The Last
18 / Time To Get Up / Los Microwaves
19 / Track 09 / Magma
20 / Video Lizards / Mickey Bliss
21 / A Lump In Your Throat Pt. 2 / A Mouse Orchestra
22 / Strychnine [Sonics cover] / Nazis From Mars
23 / Wine World / Pink Section
24 / Glendora / Going All The Way & The Slickee Boys
25 / The Girl with the Patent Leather Face / Soft Cell
26 / Carne del Sol / Steaming Coils
27 / Garbage / Student Nurse
28 / Janitor / Suburban Lawns
29 / Milk Rock / Takako Minekawa
30 / 01-01-212 / Vice Creems


TOP 5 ALBUMS

CLICK: Mutant Sounds TOP 5 LPs [password = pw] 

01 / Red Shark / Le Fin EP (1986, tape)
A stretched out tough-guy version of the Feelies at their most Velvety. Seven tracks, including a VU cover and a Billie Holiday cover. 650 out of 10.

02 / Null & Void / Happiness & Contempt EP (1980, vinyl)
Sleazy robots burning cigarettes into their palms, playing synths with both feet.

03 / Neue Krankenscheine / S/T EP (1983, tape)
Snappy, pocket-sized, epic-free version of Kraftwerk.

04 / Skating for Cover / Rituals EP (1983, tape)
Extended theme-song for a superhero named Melancholy Man as s/he flies with arms outstretched, fists lightly clenched, from the cityscape to the countryside during the credit sequence of the sequel.
05 / Sympathy Nervous / Apple Head LP (released 1995)
Stunning spook-synth of the m i n i m a l i s t rain from Japan. Other releases include: S/T LP (1980), Polaroid 7" (1980), OUTPUT Vol 1 7" (1981).


TOP 5 RUNNERS-UP

CLICK: Mutant Sounds NEXT 5 LPs - PART A / PART B [pw = password]

06 / Blue Orchids / A Darker Bloom (1980-92, CD comp)
Minimal post-punk dexterously fashioned for the countless young Turks who know we should like The Fall but just barely do or don't.

07 / The Fates / Furia LP (1985)Skyclad Irish pagantry in the form of an offshoot of the Mark-E-Smith-offshoot Blue Orchids (see above).

08 / Kim Jung Mi / Now LP (1973)Windy Korean folk = grgs, gorgs, gorges, gorgeos, gorgeous.

09 / ADN' Ckrystall / Jazz Mad LP (1982)
Psych-wave electronica. "WE ARE ALL MADE OF ADN' CKRYSTALL" indeed. See also: Track 02 above, the extended version of Cocaine Vitamina, and the Arabesketch single from 1985.

10 / Fiction / Overdrive LP (1980, tape)
Loose, femme-fataled NDW. Slightly better than the more polished The Last Dream of Phoebe Zeitgeist.

Thanks MutantS!