TURNBUL A.C.

Another classic from the Chumpire stable. Turnbul A.C.'s sound was fast, noisy and on a budget--a little more straightforward than the likes of OX or Ding on that tip (who came later, anyway), but heck: good stuff.

Seems like any time I post a release from Chumpire's catalog, a fine reader--if not label/zine owner Greg, himself--has plenty of info to contribute. Anyone have anything on Turnbul A.C.?

This six-songer was taped in 1992. You'll enjoy.

As usual, there's a zip file at the bottom of this post containing all the music discussed.

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GROWING UP SKIPPER

This 1992 7" represents all the recorded output of NY's Growing Up Skipper. Good-timin' pop punk with spirit and great melodic sense. I play this one around the house frequently. Lately, anyway.

From their Wikipedia entry:

The band's lineup consisted of Kate Kindlin, guitar and vocals, Jane Guskin, bass and vocals, and Laura Cromwell, drums. The name comes from a weird attempt by Mattel, (makers of Barbie) to appeal to a new generation of girls being raised by feminist parents - Skipper was Barbie's kid sister, and she grew taller and grew breasts when you twisted her arm.

GUS's songs were angry, optimistic, and celebratory of their heroines, whether that meant lauding a best friend having a baby or paying homage to fictional detective V.I. Warshawski. They delved into the very real experiences of young women fighting to control their lives and defied stereotypes with lyrics that resonated because they were sung in the first person: about working in a peep show, about an unwanted pregnancy, about a friend ostracized by her schoolmates for being gay.

Soon after their only single was released, Growing Up Skipper broke up. The same passions and intensity that fueled their music ultimately tore them apart. They each went on to pursue their individual visions, continuing to trailblaze a path for DIY female musicians in their own separate ways.

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ONE HUNDRED WORDS FOR SNOW

I was a fan right off the bat. I remember getting a 24 Hour Revenge Therapy vibe off this 1996 s/t 7" when first I picked it up, and a decade later I can say not much has happened to change that review. The rhythms are a little sweatier, but all in all, that husky three-piece sound and personal-but-ballsy quality is well prepped for the Jawbreaker prone.

Wait, wait, I just thought of something better: They're a Jawbreaker version of Giant's Chair. Yeah, way more accurate.

Aaron from Evergreen was in this band.

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Here's a zip of all three 7"s, and while I'm at it, I've got a question: Are my rips too bass-y? I'm working with a new equalizer. Just looking for some feedback.

A good while back, I received a request from a guy named Joshua. Joshua has been exceptionally patient waiting for my slow ass to digitize the Roman Invastion Suite 7" and the Goodbye, Blue Monday 7" he sought. So here you go, man. I finally did it.

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GOODBYE, BLUE MONDAY

I included one of their songs in my 'Bombastic Indie Swirl' mix from a bit ago, and people seemed to dig it the most, so now I give you their full 7" from, gosh, when was it, 1995?

Goodbye, Blue Monday--not to be confused with SEVERAL toilet-worthy bands of the same name--was a mid-'90s Pennsylvania group that overlapped membership with Frail through member Mike Parsell, who may or may not have also played in Mandela Strikeforce. Not sure if it's the same Mike. Anybody? You know anything about this, Joshua?

I must've been 16 when I picked up this 7", and damn did it stick with me. I, most regrettably, went through a period about five years ago where I was dead set on making some cash off my record collection. The fortunes to be made from eBay sales were just too tempting, and I even put up a flier advertising the sale for any locals who wanted to thumb through my stock. I wanted to make money. And I did. For a bit. But I started kicking myself over some of the records sold; ones I was sure I'd never see again, and--well, point is, I had a few offers on this Goodbye, Blue Monday 7" and I turned every one of 'em down. This one wasn't for sale. Still isn't. It's just that good.

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ROMAN INVASION SUITE

Hadn't listened to this one in eons, but I loved it when it came out. It was 1997 and all the zines'n'distros were chanting this group's name. Roman Invasion Suite were of the Kalamazoo, MI scene, contemporaries of Broken Hearts Are Blue and the next step in sound following the breakups of bands like Ordination of Aaron, Vine, etc. The stuff was very downbeat and somber but intense nonetheless, and--well, you probably know what I'm talking about if you're at all versed on the Michigan scene from the mid-'90s. This 7" is pretty darn good for that sort of thing.

Here's a zip of both 7"s.

Sorry I took so long, dude.

TINSEL

To disagree with Allmusic writer Nitsuh Abebe, this one is the finer Tinsel moment--not the moderately great (but still great) Quit While You're Ahead, which nabbed the AMG check mark and 4/5 stars. I mean, how's Finding the Perfect Gift only gonna get two stars? How? Why? It's a great album! Better than the other one! I think so, anyway.

Tinsel were more Chapel Hillians of the seldom comparable early-to-mid '90s fold, and--alright, this is really bugging me now--you know why Finding the Perfect Gift is the better record? Because it's a way more complete experience. Quit While You're Ahead demos the catchy songwriting chops that this kind of band is dug for, but Finding is the album that grows as it's played. Each song is better than the previous, with the first song starting out fine enough. By the end, you're thinking 'wow, these guys can write some songs--took some guts to save the best stuff for the end!" You're exactly right.

Oh yeah, and they're of the wonderful Jesus Christ Records stable.

Here's a zip!

TITLE: Finding the Perfect Gift
LABEL: Jesus Christ
YEAR: 1994
TRACKS:
Ed's Second Recital
Rock Mafia
Mossy Rock
Finding the Perfect Gift
Aldrich Ames
Bumdrop
Pelican Bay
Spoiler
Cocktail
Target
Americana
Dickweed
Cute

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So, things've been busy lately, hence the week-long gap in posts. But, look, I swear I'm still dedicated and on the ball, so like I've done before, here's more bang.

BABOON

Funny story. This Denton, TX band was on an episode of TV's Walker: Texas Ranger, and somebody ask ol' Chuck what he thought of the band's music. He said, "It's terrible, but I guess you gotta have that kind of music, too."

I hate hate hate Chuck Norris jokes, but that's reality and that is funny. It's different.

If you ask me, they were great. Baboon released The Numb EP in the golden year of 1996 to, one would assume, the kind of people who dig/dug Seaweed, Superchunk, Hardvark, Alice Donut and, if I may, even the Jehu types. There's maybe some RFTC in there, too. I dunno.

My favorite moment? Check out how "Parade Ground Explosion" shifts moods out of nowhere in the middle of the song. It's great.

Here's a zip.

TITLE: The Numb EP
LABEL: Grass
YEAR: 1996
TRACKS:
Numb
I'm OK If You're OK
Give Me Something Real
Parade Ground Explosion
Master Salavatoris
Why'd You Say Die

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There will be more to come soon, including some reposts some of you have been asking about.

Oh yeah, and Amanda from Timmy got up with me about the post I did on her band. Very cool. Turns out they didn't tour with Assfactor 4. "We did stay on half the band's couch and waterbed," she said " on our strange tour which actually the band started on (literally, we taught Matt's [drums] friend the songs and went and played in Maryland and North Carolina."

SPATULA

Someone also mentioned Spatula in the comments section of my post on the Raymond Brake, and since I fluffed up a post on Dis- for that reason, I figured I'd do something for this band too (that was awkwardly worded, sorry). It had been a while since I'd last listened to Spatula, so thinkin' got to me and I pulled Medium Planers and Matchers back out for a sesh. It's a somber release (from a somber band), but moody and spooky and good for a night at the house by oneself.

Spatula was a band of mid-'90s-era Chapel Hillians going by the names Chuck Johnson, Matt Gocke and Chris Eubank. Since I can't take credit for much factual info beyond there (other than their place in the Jesus Christ Records roster, whose logo is a true stamp of goodness), here's Allmusic's thingy on the album featured here:

Medium Planers and Matchers is probably the first truly stunning release from Spatula -- 1994's Even the Thorny Acacia was a better-than-good rock album that showed a great deal of potential, but it's the songs on Medium Planers and Matchers that seem to complete the sound with which the band began. Its compositions are sparkling rock pieces that lie somewhere between collegiate indie-rock, shoegazing, and the beginnings of post-rock -- the band underpins its three-piece setup with cello and a few other adornments (occasionally reaching the epic instrumental feel of a project like Scenic), and Chuck Johnson's understated vocals weave through all of the dynamic textures the band manages to create. While this sound isn't as polished (nor as removed from indie-rock standards) as it is on 1997's Despina by Land, there's very little difference in the overall effect.

For the takers, here's a zip of the album. And yeah, this is a probably the most mellow of UBF posts so far, which won't be a habit. No offense to the mellow-kind, but I like keeping it upbeat. The next post will be such. Credit Spatula for making the cut!

TITLE: Medium Planers and Matchers
LABEL: Jesus Christ
YEAR: 1995
TRACKS:
Zero Trail
Service Entrance Fiasco
Adhesive Sky
Hardwick Range
The Profundity Requital
Dover Downs
Pari Passu
Coupon Waxer
Defenestration
Resolute