Bleach >> I'm a shotgun when you want to be a warm sun

Bleach - "Shotgun"

(Musidisc Records, 1991)

Since a teenage user on a music rating site that I use recently made a rant against Faith No More's supposed "rap-metal" stylings, repeatedly expressed misogynist beliefs, and said that I partake in "feminist bullshit," I figured I'd post a song with a female singer rapping over a shoegaze background, if only to see if his head would explode at encountering all these things he hates rolled into one pie.  I mean, one can insult me all one wants, but when Faith No More is brought into it, a line has been crossed and things shift to a different level.  This person apparently has no idea that FNM's original lead singer was black, and hence the Rock Police would thereby have granted him leeway to do some rap-style singing.  (Chuck recently put out a solo album cheekily titled Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food.)  His favorite bands are Neutral Milk Hotel and Bright Eyes... No, really.  So one song immediately popped into my mind, since I already posted the other one ("Burn", also by Bleach).  The feral intensity of the guitars in this song will never cease to impress me.  The tremoloed guitar at the beginning adds a bit of surfy twang, but that is quickly massacred by a tsunami of drums and what I call "Godzilla roar" guitars.  I always looked at this as sort of a novelty track until about 5 years ago, when I realized how addictive and well-contructed it was.

This song apparently caused a minor stir in the U.K. indie scene when it was released as a single (on CD, 7", and 12") in 1991.  It was then wisely included on Bleach's sole album, Killing Time, in '92.  That's one of my top ten fav. LPs ever, but I'm sure I've mentioned that before.  If you don't know which version of "Shotgun" you're listening to, the single (indie) version is 3:51 long and the album (major-label) version is 3:42.  The versions sound identical, except that the album version has four drum taps at the beginning.  And on the single version, Salli ends the second stanza with "Spin me around," whereas on the album version she uses "Fucking around."
Salli's sharp-edged vocals in this song can be discussed forever, both pro and con.  Being someone who listened exclusively to rap / hip hop in that particular year (1991), I can say that she knew exactly what she was doing, and did it with zero hesitation or "Ha ha, check this out" sarcasm.  (If you want the latter, check out Sonic Youth's "Master-Dik.")  Her vocal starting at 1:55 is very badass, playing off the beat in a nimble way that noted clumsy rapper Kanye West should take notes from.  What I mean by that is that she slows down for a line, then speeds up and uses the bass drum hits to provide emphasis/punch underneath certain words near the end of phrases.  You can even hear her waiting a split second to say the second syllable of the word "homespun" right on the kick drum (bass drum).  It takes skilled breath control to be able to do this stuff; for someone who was known for her somewhat reedy / fey voice, she stepped up and really delivered the goods here.  I've spent years trying to figure out what she says at this 1:55 section; I know it contains "You do and say what you think I'm not supposed to" and "I don't say what I'm allowed to."

The single's cover art features a silver-painted foot with a blue string tied around it.  The string could either be for an i.d. tag in a morgue, or a way for a person to commit suicide by tugging on it whilst its other end is on the trigger of a gun.  Parasol Records was clearancing this 7" for 50 cents for several years, and I always swore I'd get around to ordering a bunch, but recently was miffed to discover they no longer have it.  The b-side is the extremely poppy and passionate "Bone," which should have also been released as a single.  I would recommend buying the CD or 12" version instead of the 7", since in addition to "Bone," those formats add the stunning 10-minute "First & Last."  An absolutely essential and groundbreaking EP, which I give 5 stars without any reservations.

A few days ago I discovered that Bleach made a video for "Decadence" in 1990.  This made my week.  The last third or so of the video has lots of psychedelically-tinted sea creatures:

This means that they had at least three videos, the others being the exuberant "Dipping" (1991) and the stylishly vertiginous "Surround" (1992).  Does anyone know if there was a video for "Shotgun"?  I also just found an ferociously spirited and bloodthirsty Peel session from July '91, which is neither for those who are faint of heart nor for those with flimsy computer speakers.  Fun Fact: This was the same approximate month that I bought Above The Law's Livin' Like Hustlers, an album that brilliantly combined rap with jazz & rock instrumentation.  I wouldn't even find out about Bleach until about a decade later.  Also in '91, Public Enemy and Anthrax were touring together after having done that (awful) "Bring The Noise" collabo with each other.

Here is a pic from the May 4, 1991 issue of Melody Maker, with Curve on the cover.  As far as I know, this image (photographer credit: Patrick Gilbert) has never been posted online before:

In 1993, a live version of "Shotgun" appeared on Bleach's Trip & Slide & Live promo CD EP, which I've been trying to get my hands on for years.  That EP's artwork also starred the dead silver foot, this time on a bed of red grapes.  In 2006, the song was included on an impressive and much-needed compilation called Like A Daydream: A Shoegazing Guide:

Tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 & 15 are among the best songs ever recorded, and most of the others are quite nice

It's been a record-setting week of heat across the U.S., with Denver over 100º for 5 straight days and the area near Colorado Springs ablaze.  It's said to be Colorado's worst disaster ever.  Tropical Storm Debby thankfully went to Florida instead of here last week.  No rain here for about 2 weeks now, with temps in mid to upper 90s.

Sat. 6/23: Went to two Louisiana Nursery locations in Baton Rouge, both for the first time. Was very impressed with their plants.

Wed. 6/27: Got a picturesque & hardy species of prickly pear cactus called Opuntia santa-rita at Home Depot to replace a flimsier Opuntia that I already have.

Thur. 6/28: Saw the Flaming Lips set the Guinness world record at HOB.  Grimes dropped off the bill with no notification or explanation.  She was replaced by the somewhat (intentionally or unintentionally?) hilarious MNDR, sort of a combination of Madonna, Har Mar Superstar, and Grimes.  She was decked out in slutty black and white mid-'80s Madge garb, letting her love handles jiggle provocatively, and ordered a guy and girl from the crowd to come up on stage to dance during one song.  MNDR played only about 15 minutes.  Then Wayne Coyne was paraded up Decatur Street to the front of the HOB, with local boys the Stooges Brass Band leading the way.  The Lips kicked off with their two biggest hits, "Do You Realize??" and "She Don't Use Jelly."  I was kind of jaded towards their stage prop tricks, having not seen the Lips since 1994, but I have to admit it was pretty transcendent.  I raised my can of Guinness Draught at the moment the Guinness record breakage was announced.  They played for about 70 minutes, despite averaging only 15 minutes at the previous seven stops.  Thanks for the free tix, Butch!  And thank you Ashley for making it through your terrible day (moving problems + flat tire) and coming out with us.  It was too hot and humid to walk around the Quarter, so afterwards we got some grub at Lucy's (Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar & Restaurant) afterwards, and my sister taught me what a well drink is.  I had my eyes glued to the NBA Draft.  In addition to the somewhat overrated Anthony Davis, we got human highlight reel Austin Rivers, as I'd been hoping.  I've also heard a rumor that Chris Paul wants to come back to the Hornets...

Fri. 6/29: My sister has been mad @ Grimes for canceling, so I texted her a self-deprecating Grimes tweet ("I'm not trying 2 be cute, I have a fucking speech impediment.")  Went to dad's surprise 60th birthday party at Pelican Club.  Tom, Ann, Kathleen, Shane, Ali, Roxanne, Preston, Sprague & wife, Jay & wife, and Jack & wife all came.  It was also Vanessa's bday so she was included too.  Emily cleverly wrote "You're sixty and you know it!" on dad's card, and dad actually crooned a bit of said LMFAO song.  Do not ask me how he knew about it...

Sat. 6/30: Went to Dat Dog's new location for the first time.  We had to sit outside in delightful 95º heat. I got the Guinness (beer) Dog again, but found it overbearingly greasy, so I probably would not get it again.  Got aunt Ann a little Stevia plant at Freret Street Nursery directly across the street.  We did not make it to the NOMA sculpture garden as I had hoped.  Shane ripped lots of my CDs (e.g. Ween [R.I.P.], The Church, Acetone, Gil Scott-Heron, Faith No More, Miles Davis) to his Mac on my recommendation, after quickly selecting Herbie Hancock's Headhunters on his own.  Roxanne decided that she and Shane should get a Uromastyx after she held mine and fed her by hand.  Went to get snowballs at Sal's with dad, Preston & Roxanne.  Used Sears gift card (received as collateral during garage door repair last summer) towards a little Sony HDR-CX190 Handycam, mainly to record bands in concert.  Overall, one of the most eventful & strange 48-hour spans I've had in many years.

Here is a painting I finished on Super Bowl Sunday 2012, whose silver and blue reminds me of the Shotgun cover art.  Yes, the palms are supposed to be leaning towards an implied ocean on their right, since the sand is always shifting / sinking a bit on the ocean side as compared to the dry land side.  And I guess it goes without saying that these are supposed to be coconut palms.  It's the first palm painting I've done on a circular or oval canvas (bought at Hobby Lobby, I think), and I will definitely be using them again:

That's the painting's info card; I try to remember to make one for every artwork I do, just in case I become famous in a few decades.  I posed it on the pot of my 'Blue Elf' aloe for no reason.  Some interesting tidbits are often buried in these cards, such as the fact that those are not black stripes.  The dates also remind me that that silver-coated oval canvas sat on my coffee table for almost a year while I thought about what to do with it.  Note that I only sign the backs of my paintings, never ever ever the fronts, since I grew up admiring album cover art, which essentially never have anyone's name scrawled on them.

Deciding whether I will go see a mediocre band with potential tonight called Widowspeak at Circle Bar, if only because I haven't been there in almost two years.  I don't know if they have A/C post-renovation; they never did before.  Widowspeak sound just like Mazzy Star's first two albums, down to the most minute detail, for better or for worse.  The problem is that they remind me of a more lightweight version of the band EXITMUSIC, and don't yet have Mazzy Star's knack for penning at least a couple memorable tunes per album.

5 greatest NBA Finals moments Legoized

10-year-long video game creates 'hellish nightmare' world - "He doesn't play every day but returns to what he called a 'hellish nightmare of suffering and devastation' when he has some free time.  Now in the year 3991, his world is down to three super-nations, each competing for dwindling resources, and a planet left scarred by multiple nuclear wars.  His Celts are locked in a 1,700-year war with the Vikings and the Americans.  All other nations have been destroyed or absorbed.  Because of the continual fighting, he was forced to abandon his democracy and adopt a communist state, because his Senate kept overruling him when he wanted to declare war.  Also, his cities are filled with starving people (90% of his world's population died from nuclear annihilation or famine from global warming) because, he says, he has to keep building war machines to sustain his combat efforts."

Planets with similar climates: A.C. Temple - "Chinese Burn" (1988), Lush - "Blackout" (1994), Poem Rocket - "Small White Animal" (1995), Bailter Space - "Pass It Up" (1997), Swervedriver - "Son Of Mustang Ford" (1990), Faith No More - "From Out Of Nowhere" (1989), Feverdream - "Vortex" (1995), You Am I - "Embarrassed" (1993).

Bleach >> Stupid fuck, gonna make you burn

Bleach - "Burn"

(Way Cool Records, 1991)

Well, I wasn't planning on posting any more Bleach for a while, but about an hour ago I destroyed my microwave while taking a shower, so I have the perfect excuse to post this song.  (I actually dig it so much that I considered it for the honorary first-ever post on this blog.)  Also, an RYM buddy commented that she recently discovered and liked Bleach; hopefully this song won't freak her out too much...  The smoke when I entered the kitchen was so acrid and overpowering that I could hardly talk and I developed a weird cough.  The last supper inside was Swedish meatballs, charred the color and texture of coal.  The rotating glass tray underneath had cracked into pieces and the sides have brownish orange stuff on them, vaporized food particles.  Amazingly, the digital display still worked, so way to go, Whirlpool company.  I must've pressed 22 minutes rather than 2 minutes before I traipsed off to shower.  Well, seeing as for the last 5 or 6 years I've always entered palindromic numbers when microwaving, I entered either 22:02 or 20:22 instead of 2:02.  It was down to about 5 mins. left, so it was on for 15-17 mins. straight.  So here's this intense, mind-melting song, which combines rap-style vocal phrasing (with lyrics like "You use my head to pop your trunk"), psychedelic soundscapes (made via reverb, delay, volume swells, panning, and other studio tricks), a few primal shrieks, tribal drumming, and other forms of mayhem to create something that is totally sui generis.  I don't know what got Salli so mad at the dude or dudette at whom her vitriol is directed, but I'll have what she's having.  She perfected her badass rap singing on their '91 single "Shotgun," which was re-recorded for their '92 album Killing Time.

Saw a great concert last night (Warpaint, PVT, Family Band) and actually bought both of Warpaint's CDs at the merch table, which is something I rarely do.  I met a dude who showed me his skateboard which he had gotten signed by Warpaint's bassist, Jenny Lindberg (sister of Warpaint's original drummer, actress Shannyn Sossaman) before the show.  I told him about how I had quit skating in 1988 after moving from hilly, smooth-paved Olney, MD to flat, pothole-filled New Orleans, and he told me about how skating is his life and Sonic Youth, Deftones and Tame Impala are his favorite bands.  He looked just like Dangermouse, but even skinnier.  After driving an hour and a half to see the show, he lost his iPhone at the club; we helped him look for it, but to no avail, so I hope you ended up finding it, man.  I'll stick to my little 2006 RAZR phone for this very reason.

Adding this pic on 6/3/11:

Yes, it's Disaster Girl

Planets with similar climates: Dinosaur Jr. - "Don't" (1988), Sleater-Kinney - "The Last Song" (1995), Sonic Youth - "Drunken Butterfly" (1992), Helmet - "Murder" (1990), Unwound - "Rising Blood" (1992).


Currently forced to: Use something other than a microwave in which to cook dinner; may resort to using the stovetop or even the oven.  I've told people for years that Russia has banned microwave ovens since 1976 due to radiation fears, and that microwaving destroys vitamins in foods, yet I still hypocritically use mine at least 2 or 3 times daily, so maybe this was the wake-up call I needed.  You may remember I almost posted this song a week ago after burning my finger on the oven while removing biscuits, so I should probably not be using it without supervision.

Update, Sept. 2011: Here's the photo I took of the situation:

Bleach >> Touch me and see I'm real

Bleach - "Hit On Me"
(Musidisc, 1992)

This song is an emotional rollercoaster, with singer Salli Carson pleading to someone why he should heed her advances and run off with her on a train to anywhere.  Her wordplay often has dual meanings, and in this case the "On" in the song title could be optional, since some of Bleach's other songs deal with rough courtship / bedroom activities, and the lyric "Every mile is etched on my body" could bear this out.  From a male listener's standpoint, it's hard to think of anything more enticing than the scenario she lays out in this song, and her mental instability just adds to the danger / fun aspects, because she might have a large knife or something.  (The train imagery, as well as the song itself, reminds me of Sonic Youth's "Shadow Of A Doubt," whose lyrics and video were inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's movie Strangers On A Train.)  Like the Chug song I posted recently, "Hit On Me" goes from soft to loud with frightful ease.  The soft side almost sounds like a jazz band playing in a dimly lit bar in a ghost town, and Salli sings in her "pretty" voice; the loud side is a Slayer or Helmet style onslaught, and is sung in her "angry" voice.  (It's hard to believe that it's the same person doing both voices, but it is.)  As you can imagine, there will be much more Bleach coming in this blog, though I can't post anything from their astounding (& only) album Killing Time, since it came out on a major label and recently had its life revived by being added to the iTunes store.

This is a vinyl rip I downloaded a few years ago; the sound quality is terrific despite some pops and cracks, and I doubt the dynamics of this song would be captured as well on CD format.  This song is from the Hard EP, which was released on CD and 12".  If you download the song (remember, just press the "share" button on the player), I included lots of photos from the artwork, including full lyrics, in the mp3 itself.

This band is not to be confused with the U.S. Christian pop-punk band of the same name; the U.K. Bleach came first and are one of my top 10 bands ever, whereas I've never even heard the U.S. Bleach.  (For a laugh, look at the reviews of Killing Time album on iTunes to see what confused fans of the U.S. band have to say.)

Planets with similar climates: Sonic Youth - "Shadow Of A Doubt" (1986) & "Pacific Coast Highway" (1987), Morella's Forest - "Hang Out" (1995), Band Of Susans - "Mood Swing" (1993), Lush - "Light From A Dead Star" (1994), Hüsker Dü - "Diane" (1983), Curve - "Crystal" (1993).


Currently not eating or drinking: Taster's Choice Hazelnut instant coffee.  I got this years ago and hated it, then bought some more recently to give it another chance, and now hate it even more, seeing as the taste is still similar to gasoline or mosquito spray, with an equally bad aftertaste.