Friday, January 11, 2008  1:55 pm 

pschcomania in the red

Started this post about the great In The Red Records, got lost in the middle somewhere, as you do, and ended up stuck on old favs Lost Sounds - but first off more from masters of unreality Human Eye on Disordered Records.

Human Eye - Rare Little Creature

Is there something already eerily familiar about Rare Little Creature ? And not just if you have listened to early Misfits or Chrome.

Human Eye takes you on a rusty Harley through the post apocalyptic drooling zombie filled world, searching for his still alive lost love - just how we like a good ballad. The vocals sound so from the crypt he may have succumb to the radiation himself, a tragic tale of an undead troubadour if we ever did hear one.

We already love Human Eye for their first devastating self-titled offering on In The Red Records, and this 7″ on Disordered Records brings out a sleaze equal to crooning Iggy at the psychotic drug endued pace of the Gaye Bykers on Acid. (btw when is the grebbo revival - we got the bright colours from new rave, bring on the heavy grunge!)

Quite how Human Eye’s love will react when she finds he boyfriends’ back and he looks like the Ghost Rider is another instalment. If Helios Creed wasn’t so dammed alive he’d thrash in his grave.

And now for once we are not going overhype a band, Lost Sounds have many many faults. In spite and probably because of this, once they get into your blood, you love them. As fast as an atom in a 2 mile particle accelerator, we take you on a rapid journey through some of those faults.

No 1. Memphis is Dead.

Memphis is Dead slays you, erm, dead with it’s lack of 1 2 3 4, straight into the scremo beginning for pretty much every track – a tactic we now love bands like The Blood Brothers for. Like everything Reatard you cannot help the feeling of pop fan with attitude. When they scream together Alicja and Jay strike a rock and roll chord of The Runaways and Deadboys, with Alicja naturally as Stiv, we don’t habitually hear on synth-punk.

Lost Sounds - Disease

Disease sounds like it was written in less time than it takes to play the song. Despite the Lost Sounds desire to pack everything up into >3 mins, and frequent over energetic race to the end of every song, Disease relatively takes its time and leaves some virtual space in the noise. I’ve no idea if this is closer to Black Flag or early Motley Crue in naivety of rock n’ roll before breaking into a more cabaret rock of pre-Moroder Sparks. Undeveloped, no-wave and instant as fuck it left me wanting more and thinking who the fuck r these guys? R they even old enough to be out past 6pm? and most importantly when the fuck are they playing in my town?

No.2 Black Wave

I waited. It would be nice to say by the second album the Lost Sounds had developed or learned to play, but that would also really fuck over half the appeal! Don’t worry. They had. But only a bit.

Lost Sounds - I See Everything

I See Everything feels dark, like the bad trip tale. It’s got a punishing conviction and only the naive keyboard playing around. Alicja’s third eye is obviously giving her problems. Jay almost understatedly tells us about everything he has lost. It kind of scares me to think what happened to the band since Memphis is Dead to come up with this, kids don’t form a band – it don’t sound like fun anymore. Never mind if Memphis is Dead, that’s like a testament of fuck u – down with the old guard, this is the new shit but Black Wave – that’s just a Wave of, well, black.

No.3 Rat’s Brains and Microchips

Coming to terms with the dark side and emerging out the other side gives people some kinda soul us middle class no problems kids are missing out on. We don’t advocate having your heart broken, dreams crushed, taking drugs, becoming homeless and getting some issues before you form a band – oh fuck it – we do.

Lost Sounds - Frozen in Time

Back into their old crush of The Screamers, but this is the new wave land of Howard Devoto with Magazine and an almost premature attempt at adult songwriting, which you’d think would kill just about everything you originally loved about Lost Sounds. Pretending to be Devo can be fun too. Incredibly Frozen In Time approaches subtly, musical substance and a scary section straight out of 80s horror movies before turning into what sounds like hardcore rave keyboards to a badly missed chance for an ending. It’s still Lost Sounds throughout.

No. 4 I stopped listening. I’m a bad fan.

No one likes this shit in the UK, but thats no real excuse.

This is a very much incomplete picture of a band. They are gone now, and that’s it.

I never went to see them. I probably would have bee disappointed. For a time they were special to me so I thought I’d share it with you.

Now I’m older and wiser more cynical I see faults and huge imperfections all over Lost Sounds which I was oblivious to at the time. I know the music they borrowed from, and hear bands do it better different. I don’t listen to them much anymore. Some of me remembers still, I hear them in bands of now, but no one knows what I’m talking about.

I’ll count this as an exorcism if that’s ok with you guys ?

Let us never talk of it again.

Isn’t it funny how you love things, and then you don’t? Which is probably the worst link in the world but a good excuse for an mp3 about things being In and out of grace? Like sub-pop. Wtf happened to them? i mean CSS???

I don’t think that’s what Mudhoney really meant, but people don’t play this anymore so, least we forget, here is a nod – out. It’s the weekend; we all know what you want to do. Should write more because this is such a great seminal track, but feel I just ranted so just for once - let the music do the talking.

Mudhoney - In n out of grace

Meanwhile we got am email from Matador saying they had signed some hot new artist.

Have a great weekend everyone - go see your fav band now before they split up on you, or take a break like Deerhunter (ba**ards!) - ah well, looking fwd to Atlas Sounds album.

labels >> Jay Reatard, human eye, in the red, lost sounds, mudhoney, synth punk, xxjfg