Lost 90's Gem -

Five Songs, 8/9/2023

Posted on August 9, 2023 | Joshua Buergel

Polvo, “The Fighting Kites”

Polvo’s final album from their first run, Shapes, had kind of a cool reception as I recall. I know personally that I felt like it was a step back from the previous couple albums. But now, a couple decades later, I find myself listening to it more than the rest of their records. So, is it just a more subtle, more challenging record that requires more maturity and sophistication to appreciate? Was I just a dumbass back then? The answer is: I am not more sophisticated and I’m still a dumbass, so I suspect it’s just novelty? Relative novelty, anyway.

Five Songs, 8/8/2023

Posted on August 8, 2023 | Joshua Buergel

Hammerhead, “Evil Twin”

Hammerhead’s initial three-album run with Amphetamine Reptile is probably my favorite on the label, and it’s the second and third albums (Into The Vortex and Duh, The Big City) that are the real prizes. The first record is good, but the latter two are two of my favorite noise rock albums by anybody ever. But it wasn’t like Into the Vortex just thundered out of the sky out of nowhere. It was heralded by the 1993 EP Evil Twin, which showed how much of a step forward Hammerhead had taken. What stands out to me is how propulsive it sounds. Hammerhead is going places, and nothing is going to stop them, and they will just run you over if you’re in the way. That sense of groove moderates the aggression into something that is compulsively listenable to me.