STRANGE NOTES, 1/16/2004…..This marks the debut of a new “feature” on Agony Shorthand, the “3 dot” style of journalism so thoroughly discredited by modern times and modern writing styles. I’m happy to bring it back in 2004 for a collection of random music-related thoughts so unimportant and ill-considered that they don’t merit inclusion as posts unto themselves. So here goes!.....Now that I’ve heard some outasite bleats from modern hardcore-bizarro band HENRY FIAT’S OPEN SORE, I can’t help but compare their brand of 40-second mayhem to 1988-89 DWARVES. Don’t know what it’s like live, but if it’s half as crazed as the tracks I’ve heard, we may each need to bear witness. We might have a new punk rock titan in the house…."KING TUBBY ON THE MIX, VOLUME 2” is an out of print LP/CD collection of fantastic dubs & murky original 1970s roots reggae from The Morwells, Junior Byles and others. Not an essential one to track down, but a good one for old school dub completists….Latest FM KNIVES 45 “Keith Levine / Valentine” shows these youngsters to be a one-trick pony: crank up the guitars, add a sing-songy, effeminate high-inflection chorus and watch the audience stream for the exits. I know I hit the snooze button hard….I procured a copy of the off-the-charts rare 1980 all-female UK obscurity LP by the ANDROIDS OF MU, which I took the time to track down via various illicit channels thanks to the recommendation of Shorthand reader RW. Not only was it the first LP from legendary UK micro-indie Fuck Off Records, but even a search of the UK-80s-girl-band-mad web only turns up people looking for copies of “Blood Robots”, in addition to the odd factoid or two…..it’s OK, maybe a hair above the SLITS in terms of quality, and similar in form in terms of Jamaican influences, spiced up with some synthesizer tomfoolery…it might be a grower, but not just yet….I went back to listen to that “post-punk” stuff we were all bantering about last week, and I have to say that “Panik” by METAL URBAIN is straight-up, wild-eyed razorwire genius, one of the loudest and angriest synth-punk killers you’ll hear anywhere, and easily their best track….That’s it for now, keep your feet on the ground etc.!!!

posted by Jay H. at 1:29 PM