Nick Brannigan is a Builder, Drummer, Comedian and concert-goer who lives in Jamaica Plain, MA.
Martin Newell- Songs for a Fallow Land. 1985 (Fixed Identity)
Originally a cassette-only release traded in the early days of DIY cassette culture, “Fallow Land” is a rumbling hiss-take of an undersold juggernaut. The lack of sparkle and studio doo-doo is a real selling point in the current audio climate, I’m told. “The kids do love dey tape noize, dough.” — Heard earlier today in line @ SUBWAY ©, so you know it’s true! Sparkle aside, these be some heavenly bedroom jams of the highest order.
Roberto Cacciapaglia- The Ann Steel Album. 1978 (Half-Machine)
Futurist pop made by a model with Italian modern composer Roberto Caccia-aww FORGET IT! Stunning bloop-pop made with precision and possibly lasers or something. Can’t get it outta my noodle!
These Trails- S/T . 1973 (Drag City)
Mooka-lakka-heekie–holy-other-worldy! Truly the most damaged and forlorn sounding psychedelic record to ever come outta Hawaii. There I’ll say it. Medieval future goth written beach side?
Bobb Trimble- The Crippled Dog Band. 1984 (YOGA Records)
Zip up yr moon boots and fill yr pockets with as many quarters as you can find, cuz it’s time to hit the arcade of the criminally underlooked! Coming from a more effervescent, speedier/ happier planet than the desperate, moaning (but don’t get me wrong-INCREDIBLE) moonscapes of “Iron Curtain Innocence” and “Harvest of Dreams”; Dunkies enthusiast, Hat enjoyer and ciggy-butt saver Bobby “blu eyes” Trimble cut these goldies in the years 1983-84 with his teenage pals “The Crippled Dog Band” – giving him the absolutely endearing and unfettered muscle he needed for his new direction into the spazzed out fuzz-scapes of suburban rock Valhalla!
Supreme Dicks- The Unexamined Life. 1993 (JAGJAGUWAR)
One to put on first at your next “bummer party”, (B sure to hand out the cyanide at the icy-ist peak of “The Arabian Song”) as it is a sure fire buzz-destroying firing squad of an early AM alienator! There are a zillion stories flying around about these W Ma zonker-puss’, but one I’m fairly certain actually happened involves a chemistry set, a live public access performance and suicide. Bottoms up to JAGJAGUWAR for putting on the they live future-specs for 5 seconds and unleashing this with the proper treatment!
Erkin Koray- Mechul. 1970-77(Sublime Frequencies)
Sublime Frequencies scratchin’ me right where I itch once again! Wall-to-wall Eastern RAVE UPS with Istambul’s most treble-y guitarist* (*possibly true) steering a wall of purple smoke right to your mind-face!
The Prefab Messiahs- Peace, Love and Alienation. 1981 (Fixed Identity)
Bobb Trimble’s buds from back when Tip O’Neil could be seen doing push-ups 24 hours a day on channel 56, a pair of tinted glasses was actually sworn in as Grafton’s alderman-at-large due to a pesky write-in goof-em-up, and DIY music was being made left and right by ambitious, bored goofballs with few frames of reference and punk-rock lighting a butt-fire unparalleled in music history. A wonderful paisley colored feather in the cap of MA DIY music’s past.
The Rob-Jo Star Band- S/T. 1975(?)
Shambling, off-the-rails 1,2 “wooly bully” fuzz made by Frenchmen with pants oh-so-clearly made of bananas. Synth bursts so loud and intrusive and English lyrics delivered with such a thick, unintelligible French accent you either will have a negatory-heart-palp/norm-douche reaction (not me), or it will fill your heart with such joy you’ll be hooking up a whole foods baguette to electrodes and praying for a lightning storm in no time (sort of me).
Nick Nicely- Elegant Daze 1979-1986 (Captured Tracks)
Ahh the English on acid. Truly gorgeous rabbit-hole psych made by the UK’s foremost fellow of lysergi-techincs. Another criminally under-heard masterpiece of twi(ztid)sted Macca-worship that got spilled on the floor and then sopped up with a biscuit made of O MY GOD!
Harald Grosskopf- Synthesist. 1980 (Rvng Intl)
Pure gamma-ray ridden robo heaven! Lost in the shuffle for years, this Moebius/Plank collaborator/brother-in-arms vehicle is better than any Kraut punishment unearthed in the last ooooooooooooooo 10 years er so. A drummer by trade, I imagine, Mr. Bignose, because the time-keeping is really jawdropping, not to mention that by minute 4 of “So Weit, So Gut”, the car I was driving literally lifted 50 feet off the ground and soared thru the Berkshires. Don’t worry, I waved to Bill Cosby.
