Anything On Your Mind?
We’ve arrived now in 1988, which is the year I entered high school. In the district I went to, high school was 10th grade through 12th grade, even though the 10th graders were still “sophomores”. And then the junior high I went to was 7th through 9th grade, with the 9th graders still being “freshmen” despite being on top of the heap for the school. I don’t have a lot of big memories from this year or anything. I have sort of vague impressions of various classes, I think this was the year that I had a science teacher who had been hit by lightning three different times, I think I made Thai food for a class project once. I got detention a few times for being a fuckup in classes, which seemed like A Big Deal at the time until I sort of realized that being in trouble was a fake idea. Little vignettes, basically.
Musically, this is also kind of my own pre-history. I did go back and pick up plenty of records from this year later on, so there are albums to write about below, but I wasn’t really seeking out a lot of things for myself at the time. As a result, from the chart, I’ve got eight of those records in the collection, although I could have sworn I had that Slayer album.
What Are You Listening To From 1988, Josh?
A sampling of albums that I’m playing still from 1988.
Long Live The Kane, Big Daddy Kane
1988 was of course part of hip-hop’s breakout into the mainstream. Lots of classics of the old school came out that year, with none greater than Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. I wouldn’t encounter that record until 1990, so I can’t front like I was on the cutting edge or anything. Once I found it, I wore out a tape of it.After discovering that record, I tried to educate myself about some other classics. Kane’s debut, a hip-hop purist’s dream, definitely counts. It’s breaks and hard rhymes and that’s it. It’s not a perfect record, but it is absolutely loaded, and it still hits hard. Long live the Kane indeed.
Front By Front, Front 242
Among the industrial dance acts that I listened to in high school, it’s probably Front 242 that has aged the best. (They would prefer it if I called this “electronic body music”, but I’m not going to do that, I already feel goofy enough.) It is still ridiculous, of course, inasmuch as it’s sweaty Belgians hollering over cheesy synths, which cannot help but be silly. The self-importance endemic to this whole scene is unavoidable. But once you accept what you’re in for, this stuff still retains the charm that I saw in it in the first place, and it’s a good hang. Give it a whirl, climb back into the 80s again. It’s close whether I like this album or 1991’s Tyranny >For You< better, but this year is less stacked (in my collection), so here we go.
For Ladies Only, Killdozer
Plodding noise rock band Killdozer is an acquired taste, to be sure. They constantly are riding the line where you can’t tell if they’re being serious or ironic, and that frisson adds a fun layer to most of their stuff. This, their covers record, doesn’t break that pattern. It’s hard to tell which of these songs they selected because they had genuine affection for them and which they picked because they thought it would be funny to bark their way through them. Michael Gerald’s croak doesn’t really have the range for any of these songs, but he doesn’t let that stop him from going for it. This is just a funny record, and then as you listen to it enough, these versions will slowly creep into your brain. Their “Take The Money And Run” is now my default version.
Let’s Talk New Releases
Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!
I’m going to do some new releases today because most of the 1988 records in my collection are pretty famous.
Return to Castle Death, Zorn
Everybody is writing about this record, and that’s because it absolutely rips. Metal-inflected hardcore played fast and mean. It’s more EP length than LP, but whatever, that just means you can play it twice.
Action Claw vs. Gorilla Grip, The Articles
OK, look, this isn’t a new record. Not even remotely. It was recorded in 2001, but with the dual blows of the commercial crash of ska alongside the folding of Moon Ska, it never came out. It finally released in 2021, and when I wrote up their first record, I discovered that this had come out. So it’s new to me! Anyway, it’s a totally worthy follow-up to their first record, a jazz record with ska styling here and there.
When Does This Place Become Our Scene, Hammok
This is the second record from post-hardcore band Hammok, from Oslo, and it’s an excellent follow-up to a record that I liked a lot. I’m basically in the tank for well-done post-hardcore, so I’m not sure how much I’m really judging this record. But it’s just a fun thing to listen to, the songs are huge, and I can nod along to it. Sometimes, that’s all I need.
Five Random Songs
Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.
“Bullet Proof Cupid”, Girls Against Boys
What is everybody required to mention when talking about Girls Against Boys? That’s right: two basses. Two basses? In this economy?
“Somethin”, The Pharcyde
The popular narrative around the Pharcyde is that their 1992 debut is a stone-cold classic, 1995’s Labcabincalifornia is a flawed but great record, and Fat Lip’s subsequent departure doomed the band. But there were two more records in the band, 2000’s Plain Rap and 2004’s Humboldt Beginnings. Slim Kid Tre left after Plain Rap and so the last record really was just a shadow of the band. But I’ll defend this record as being better than its reputation and worth a spin. Yes, Fat Lip’s departure does hurt things, but the remaining guys turn in credible performances and the whole thing hangs together pretty well. If you like Labcabincalifornia you should definitely try this.
“Disintegrate”, Gimic
Fuck yeah, Gimic! This record is definitely going to be on my year-end list.
“White Tooth Man”, Iron & Wine
This is the album when Sam Beam moved past the “guy with a guitar” paradigm and I think it’s one of his stronger records, even if I do also like the previous records.
“Schlangenmaul”, Nimbifer
Listen to that guitar tone, man. I want to run that up a flagpole so I can salute it. I’m not one of those trve kvlt dorks who thinks it’s only black metal if it sounds like it was recorded on a wax cylinder or whatever, but I do think that the genre often benefits from some rawness.
(NB: this song starts at 9:59 in the linked video.)
Josh, What Are You Doing Here?
I’m just writing about music. A structure like this blog helps me get my thoughts out, and it’s a way for me to explore my own music collection through various lenses. My sincere hope is that some folks out there find some new music they love. That’s all I’m up to. Sincere thanks to everybody who sends me feedback, with news that they’ve found a new favorite especially fun for me. There’s no monetization, no metrics, no ads, no promos, no nothing. Just some static web pages, some links, and my scribbling. If you want to support it, just shoot me a note! Thanks for reading.
Some Better Places To Learn About Music
Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records, See/Saw, Starkweather, Treble Magazine, The Quietus, Stereogum.