CAPTAIN SPEKY

You don't deserve this entire album unless you buy it, which is why I want it to sell and why I'm giving you my virtual 7" version in the meantime. This mess is irresistable, and the now-insiders will beam feet-to-sky when I now-reveal that Captain Speky was the project to immediately follow Wilmington, N.C.'s Cornelius, and trekked on in precisely the same manner before evolving to Zuexeus a short time later.

Captain Speky is Cornelius in space, essentially (before I continue, note that this is not the Japanese Cornelius, so scram if that's who you seek). This time, leftover riffs from the erstwhile Cornelius trio, along with blinking new ideas, scrambled and reassembled under guitarist/singer Chris Murray's total governance--that meant drums, bass, guitars, vocals, production and anything else creative control entailed (save for a few tracks engineered by Seth Moody at Baby Ace Studios).

What happened was one of the most distinct albums I own (which is actually a discography, but the flow is perfect). The songwriting is thoroughly consistent, catchy, rumbling, warp-driven and motion smeared. The intro track, which I've included as the intro track to this week's download, is one of my favorite jams Murray has written to date (note that the later-to-come Zuexeus had a holy shitload of shimmery rock songs as well).

I so completely encourage you to buy the entire album, which is still for-cheap at Assorted Porkchops. If I've asked anything of you, support that label. Captain Speky's discog is a fantastic starting place. Heck, it packs 20 songs.

There are explosions in space!

TITLE: (songs from) Vs.
LABEL: Assorted Porkchops
YEAR: 1997
TRACKS:
We'll Leave The Light On For You, Valiant Thor / This Song Is... / Pollyanna

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THREE STUDIES FOR A CRUCIFIXION / HARRIET THE SPY

If you can handle the production values here, you can drive the Grave Digger without a helmet, no sweat. Particularly on the Three Studies' side, which Jamie Stillman captured with his wreckless, whumpy, Impact-O-Phonic-like 4-track tape. The sound is as close as we'll ever get to a lumpy monster falling down the stairs, in a good way.

The Three Studies' songs are...good. Chaotic for sure. Any melody is well hidden, and the listener gets clawed to shreds finding it.

Harriet the Spy's side is, as any fan would expect, a tornado of Stillman-sounding levels, playful guitars, wild, Clikatat-style drumming and shrilly singing about self-important scenesters and their haircuts.

"This Music Festival Sucks" is one of my favorite HTS tunes, stabbing to death the attention-hungry show promoter who desperately wants your "respect."

TITLE: Three Studies For A Crucifixion / Harriet The Spy (split)
LABEL: Donut Friends
YEAR: 1996
TRACKS:
TSFAC - No Refund Policy / TSFAC - Operation: Dandelion / TSFAC- Certificate of Marathoid Behavior / HTS- This Music Festival Sucks / HTS - Bucky Beaver

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THREE PENNY OPERA

They had one drum beat for the most part, and while they were no where near as good as their forebearers, Shotmaker, I grew to love this 7" for each count.

You know, it's actually the "Blitzkrieg Bop" drumbeat--a way of describing it I've never thought of until just now--that sets everything in place. It's bouncy, dark and solid. The guitars are grumbly and skill-less, and--jesus, was Three Penny Opera the incidental Ramones of the '90s house show circuit? Really, I've never had such a thought until right now, and I'd initially set out to write this a completely different way. But gee, I, I--what a connection! It's nearly accurate!

Before I get too silly with all this, here's Mario Mesquita Borges' write-up on TPO for Allmusic, which failed to mention the members' Shotmaker ties:

Canadian hardcore rockers Three Penny Opera assembled in the spring of 1997 in Ottawa under the initiative of brothers Adam (guitar, vocals) and drummer Hayden Menzies. Following the addition of Shawn Stapleton, Brian Martin (bass), and Matt Deline (vocals), the group started playing their first live shows, eventually enjoying an always exciting reaction from their audiences. In 1999, after the release of a four-song record, the band issued their first self-titled album, Three Penny Opera, through the Troubleman record label.

TITLE: 2GTEG25H2g4503344
LABEL: Spectra Sonic Sound
YEAR: 1997
TRACKS:
Kids New Gang / 1000 Miles / Seperate Directions / Observation

Here's all the music discussed in this post.