“You're So Cool”, Grey Factor

This way: You're So Cool

Pioneers of the Los Angeles underground electronic music scene, Grey Factor have been mythical for over 40 years. The band recorded two experimental synth/ post-punk EPs and gigged sparingly before disbanding. None of their recordings have been released in physical format until 2023, except for cassettes distributed at one of the 20-odd gigs Grey Factor played at L.A. punk venues.

 

[Spotify] You're So Cool

“Don't Let it all Pass By”, Plasticland

This way: Don't Let it all Pass By

Plasticland is an American Neo-Psychedelic and Garage rock (revival) band, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1980 with two members of Arousing Polaris, Glenn Rehse and John Frankovic.

 

Several guitarists and drummers would rotate in and out of the band over time, but Glenn Rehse and John Frankovic have remained the core of the band. Dan Mullen was the second guitarist for most of the 1980s recordings and live appearances. Brian Ritchie, later of The Violent Femmes, played guitar briefly with the band on early recordings. Multiple singles, EPs, compilation appearances, studio and live albums appeared in the 1980s and early 1990s. Several compilation CDs chronicle the band's earlier years. 

Color Appreciation (1984), their first album, was on the French Lolita label. Enigma Records in the US reissued the album in 1985, self-titling it, with track alterations and substitutions. Enigma subsidiary label Pink Dust released the next two albums, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland (1985) and Salon (1987). For Wonder Wonderful Wonderland the label wanted the band to use Paul B. Cutler, a producer and guitar player with The Dream Syndicate. German label Repulsion issued their final studio album, Dapper Snappings in 1994, though it was recorded several years earlier. Two very different live albums were also released. You Need a Fairy Godmother (1989) and Confetti (1990) were both issued by Midnight Records. The former was recorded with Plasticland backing one of their musical heroes, Twink, legendary drummer of The Pretty Things and The Pink Fairies. Confetti consists of various live performances edited together.

[Spotify] Don't Let it all Pass By

“Fly Away”, Paul B. Cutler

This way: Fly Away

Great new LP from Cutler put out last year. Paul B. Cutler is an American producer and guitarist, best known for his work with the Dream Syndicate and 45 Grave. Former Phoenix dude.

Cutler's first band, the Consumers, were the first punk rock band from Phoenix, Arizona. In 1979, he founded the punk and gothic band 45 Grave, who played off and on until 1990 and released several records. 45 Grave had formed alongside another Cutler band with almost the same lineup called Vox Pop, which released two singles.

In 1981, he played bass with the LAFMS-affiliated art group Bpeople, also producing and engineering their eponymous 1981 single, and producing and remixing their 1986 compilation album Petrified Conditions 1979-1981. In 1982, Cutler played on the Life Out on the Lawn 12" EP by Gleaming Spires; that same year, he engineered and produced the debut EP by Los Angeles-based Paisley Underground band the Dream Syndicate. Cutler became a member as lead guitarist for two Dream Syndicate albums, Out of the Grey (1986) and Ghost Stories (1988), before their 1989 demise.

[Spotify] Fly Away

“Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?”, Nova Mob

This way: Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?

Here's a great record to listen to. The Last Days of Pompeii is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Nova Mob, a band formed by former Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart. It was released on February 22, 1991 by Rough Trade. The album was remixed and reissued by Con d’Or on January 11, 2011 with bonus tracks and new album cover art. It is a concept album about rocket scientist Wernher von Braun escaping the end of World War II by time-travelling back to Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 

[Spotify] Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?

“Soundtrack”, Thin White Rope

This way: Soundtrack

Thin White Rope was an American rock band associated with the desert rock and Paisley Underground subgenres, fronted by vocalist Guy Kyser. The band released five albums. 

The band was formed in Davis, California, during a period spanning 1981 and 1982. Founding members Guy Kyser and Jozef Becker were in a band called the Les Z Boys in 1981. Becker and Kyser split off during the 1981-1982 period, and posted an ad at Skip's Music seeking a bass player and another guitarist. Roger Kunkel answered the ad, bringing in bass player Kevin Staydohar. The newly formed band played some of the same covers as the Les Z Boys, and also began to introduce original songs by Kyser. Steve Tesluk (bass) and Frank French (drums) joined the group in 1983, replacing Staydohar and Becker, both of whom left to join True West.

In 1984, a four-track recording with about 14 songs was sent to a number of labels, and an additional demo was recorded in December with Scott Miller producing. At this time, Jozef Becker rejoined the group, replacing French. Lisa Fancher of Frontier Records, who heard of Thin White Rope through a magazine review of the 14-song demo, signed the group to Frontier, and the band then recorded Exploring the Axis.

Over time, the band retained singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Kyser and guitarist Roger Kunkel, with a changing line-up of drummers and bass guitarists. Like Television, it was noted for its twin guitar attack, innovative use of feedback structures and oblique lyrics. The Rough Guide to Rock called Thin White Rope "one of the few worthwhile traditional American guitar rock bands of their era. While most of the essential groups of the time were pushing back the limits of the form, Thin White Rope had the distinction of managing to breathe new life into the genre."

[Spotify] Soundtrack

“Vertigo otherwise My Conviction”, Les Rallizes Dénudés

This way: Vertigo otherwise My Conviction

Guest contributor Eric Burton:

Takashi Mizutani created seismic sounds with just fuzz, wah-wah, tape delay, and powerful amplifiers. His guitar mastery lay in the feel, texture, and overwhelming volume, often leading to unnerving live recordings with his band Les Rallizes Dénudés, where piercing feedback was a deliberate choice. "Our band's direction was decided the instant my electric guitar fed back," he noted in a rare 1991 fax to Music Magazine. 

Mizutani's departure from this earth in 2019 was shrouded in mystery, leading even friends to believe it was intentional. However, recent interviews and liner notes reveal a deeper connection to the man behind the dark sunglasses. The OZ Tapes aim to replace inferior bootlegs, offering a renewed communion with one of rock's most fascinating and misunderstood figures. Here’s the track ‘Vertigo otherwise My Conviction’ from the aforementioned release:  

[Spotify] Vertigo otherwise My Conviction

Thanks Eric!— BdeV

“And Nothing is Forever”, The Cure

This way: And Nothing is Forever

Songs of a Lost World is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 1 November 2024 via Fiction, 113  Lost Music, Universal, Polydor, and Capitol Records. It’s the band’s first release of new material in 16 years since 2008's 4:13 Dream. All the songs on the album were composed solely by singer/guitarist Robert Smith. It is also their first studio album to feature Reeves Gabrels, having been a touring member since 2012, replacing Pearl Thompson, although previously Gabrels already featured on 1997's single "Wrong Number".  

[Spotify] And Nothing is Forever

“Stay in Your Grave”, Black Keys (feat. Alice Cooper)

This way: Stay in Your Grave

The Black Keys have teamed up with Alice Cooper for a new single, “Stay In Your Grave.”

The single is accompanied by a black and white video co-directed by Corey Bost and Ali Gomez, featuring the Ohio duo performing the song interspersed with scenes from horror films  

[Spotify] Stay in Your Grave

“Street Pulse Beat”, Special Interest — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Street Pulse Beat

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

Special Interest is a punk band from New Orleans that updates punk for the dance floor.   

Thanks Michael! 

[Spotify] Street Pulse Beat

“Bobby Bland”, Xiu Xiu — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Bobby Bland

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

A prolific and often experimental duo, Xiu Xiu is a recent discovery for me.  They released a new album titled “13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with “Bison Horn Grips” this year and I have been listening to it end to end multiple times a week.   

[Spotify] Bobby Bland