Teengenerate, “Smash Hits” (Estrus, 1995; original release 1993-5)Explosive garage=punk from Japan. Almost unique in its combination of extreme treble blare and an absolutely ass-flattening gut-level punch. At times they sound like they’re about to kick right through the song structures, but they’re still super-tight. Try A/2, A/4, A/6, especially B/1.4/11/11
Telephone, “Crache Ton Venin” (EMI France, 1979)French group that appeared at the start of the new wave playing fast, hard-edged pub-style rock and roll. This has a somewhat Blondie-like new wave sheen, but it’s still in the same gritty street-level stuff, with a distinctively Gallic nasty-romantic flourish.Try 1/ 1, 1/ 3, 2/ 311/10/16
Television, “Marquee Moon” (Elektr 1977)Debut set from o. g. CBGB’s marathon men. The more undifferentiated garage/Velvets attack revealed by live recordings is here distilled into tersely elliptical sculpted guitar argpeggios that interlock, then spiral open into skyscraping ecstasy.Try 1/ 1, 1/ 47/6/18
Temple City Kazoo Orchestra, “Some Kazoos” (Rhino, 1978).You read it right: this has four well-known tunes as played by a room full of dudes with kazoos; the resulting baleful cacophony recalls early Sonic Youth being attacked by a swarm of killer bees. Try 1/1, 2/2.11/12/12
Tender Trap, “Dansette Dansette” (Slumberland, 2012)Latest project from Heavenly/Talulah Gosh leader Amelia Fletcher is not only up there with the best of this label’s youthful explorers of the jangly/shambly noise-guitar-pop she pioneered, bu with the best of her own old stuff. If anything this is more hard-driving and punk rock than anything she’s done, but […]
The Band, “Music From Big Pink” (Capitol, 1968)Debut of the proto-roots-rock giants, definitely the rawest, weirdest record they ever made. Rhythms buckle under you like the floor of a decrepit cabin, melodies float off in the opposite direction from what you expected, guitars and organs build to a warm but funereal hum like the murmur […]
The Crumps, “Smell of Female” (Vengeance, 2001; original release 1983)Bryan Gregory having gone off to worship Lucifer and/or fail to become the next Robert Smith, this features Ivy shouldering full guitar duty, and the sound is actdually bigger/louder/ruder than before, the punk side of their garage/surf/rockabilly Frankenstein-fusion starting to dominate.Try 1/1, 2/410/2/18
The Fall, “Totale’s Turns” (Superior Viadcut, 2018; original release 1980)Early live set with one of Mr. Smith’s peak backing units. The rhythm section rattle-twitches forward in Mr.-Toad’s-Wild-Ride style over serrated, frantic-strummed guitar drones and some particularly choice Mark E ranting.Try 2/2, 2/3, 2/54/7/19
Thor’s Hammer, “If You Knew” (Ugly Pop, 2013; original recordings 1965-67)Iceland’s contribution to the international garage/mod/Merseybeat sweepstakes, this is excellent stuff, of unusual melodic complexity, outstanding precision, and superior heavy-duty rock power.Try A/2, A/3, A/4
Throbbing Gristle, “D.o.A. – Third And Final Report” (Mute, 1998; original release 1978)The title is misleading (there were two studio LPs and a spate of live shit yet to come), but in some ways TG’s definitive summing up. There’s still the gloomy, entropic hum of the early stuff and its electronic evocation of some random […]