VA - "You've Got Your Orders" Vol I and Vol. II
(Chrome Peeler Records, CPR-1, CPR-2, 2004, 2005)
VA - "You've Got Your Orders" Vol I and Vol. II
(Chrome Peeler Records, CPR-1, CPR-2, 2004, 2005)
From Aural Innovations #33 (March 2006)
Again, I'm a little late, but what do ya expect? I wait to find stuff in the bargain bins. And, upon some Internet research, I recognize that only 1000 each were pressed. But what the hell, I'd already scribbled this out. Anyway, Jason Ziemniak had the means to request many of his favorite musicians to record tunes based on his own song titles, and the results are a fascinating mix of indie, psych, crusty 'core, acoustic ballads, avant-noise and metal moments. Neil Fallon turns in classic ditty "Instant Winner", a catchy kinda sad jaded soul song, rhyming "Yoko Ono" and "Kimono" to devastating effect. (I did read about a lot of these musicians' group origins, but not always thoroughly detailed here). Erik Larson (Alabama Thunderpussy) cranks out a solid thrashy neo-metalcore "Smile for the Soul-Stealing Camera" (orders being more descriptive here). Bluebird's "Late Night Moon" is a nice spacey ambient mood-piece with keys, shakers and intermittent bells. Harry Seitz performs cool licks on the great lo-fi bluesy stomper, "Sign Language Tourettes". Ah, Twink! I assume this to be that pretty fairy pink thing brit psych-punk legend, but this is a pretty corny kiddy-techno that's expendable. Weasel Walter's "Shaking Hands and Kissing Babies Covered in Bacteria" blesses us with offensive lyrics and Naked City-ish song-collage. Bliss Blood's "Vaudeville Distorted" is an interesting surreal watery lady-vocal bit. Hella's in the house with hyper-hardcore carnivalesque prog what?-rock, "Dance of the Drunken Siberian". Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and Thalia Ferriera (?) contribute the fantastic "Like a Ghost on Fire", the live-sounding mix of guitar-scapes, glitchy electro-fx, lovelorn lyrics and innocent angel vox of Thalia are devastating. IDX1274 closes Vol. I with "Tickle Party #2", wacky sped-up looped horror-vox (think "Bike" maybe) and assaultive tronics.
Vol II: Vaz brings "Burn Down Baltimore", tight neo-hardcore black/death kinda riffing, but with drunken vocals. Brett Rosenberg (my sur-namesakes) makes "Retire to Stud", an angry vengeful heartbreak blues in a cool airy reverbed guitar/vocal tunnel. Phil Puleo's "Albino Rainbow" starts out in creepy gloom, death drums and a raspy fife, before morphing into pretty melody. Immortal Lee County Killers join Rebeccah Boynton for the excellent duet "Dropping Motherfuckers Like A-Bombs", a sad, disturbed boy-girl lament, great voices. Eddie Angels's "Space Monkey Vertigo" is grungy sleazy dancey celebratory rock'n'roll with a great breathy funk-vocal. Stephen Brodsky constructs a light lovely air out of lilting guitar and distant-vocal in "The Voice Electric". Brant Bjork does a super-groovy big-fro '70s-style dark-streets funk-bass jive-vocal with "Cop Mustache". Who's next? Simeon the Silver Apple, of course! "Empire of Ashes" is a stark electronic instro-piece of rhythmic tribal drum and a rising waving of thick keyboard. John Easdale's "Listening to a Cassette Tape of the End of the World" is a sad bittersweet apocalyptic ballad with a strained desperate vocal. Amps for Christ interpret "Molotov Cocktail Hour" as a warped menacing electronics/samples avant freak-out, thick rhythm and tinny fx. R. Hoak provides "Song for the Upcoming Mushroom Cloud", sinister lo-fi experimental hardcore/blues-noise, whispered vox. Finally, Nikki Sudden closes the collection with "Isle of Wight Blues", a nice folk-strummer and Dylan-esque vocal.
For more information you can visit the Chrome Peeler Records web site at: http://www.chromepeeler.com.
Reviewed by Chuck Rosenberg