Circle X
(Insolito) LP $21.00
Formed 1978 in New York, Louisville’s first punk rock band was born out of the ashes of No Fun and the I-Holes. Once the lineup solidified, Circle X lunged headfirst into weirder, artier territory. Unique, mysterious, and unheralded, they went to France for nine months to tour, write new material, and get noticed. An untitled four-song EP saw the light of day in 1979 -- a lurching, squalling monster identified only by a spray-painted circle with an "X" through it on the cover (the spelled-out name first appeared in '83). Tony Pinotti's vocals screech against Bruce Witsiepe and David and Rik Letendre's bass-less, barely contained distorto-blare. The hatred and rage on this thing is palpable. They arrived in New York at the tail end of No Wave, when equally ornery bands like Swans and Sonic Youth were getting revved up. Circle X are every bit as distinctive and attitudinal as Throbbing Gristle, PiL, Theoretical Girls, DNA, or Mars, yet they don't much sound like any of them. Limited to 500 copies, 180-gram vinyl, tip-on jackets, liner notes.
Three Feet Behind Glass / Instant Classic
(Insolito) LP $19.00 (Out-of-stock)
The Slugfuckers started in the late 1970s in Sydney, Australia. Terry Blake (vocals), John Laidler (guitar) and Graham Forsyth (bass) were all students or recent graduates of the Department of General Philosophy at Sydney University. Craig Wilcox (keyboard), Gordon Renouf (guitar, sax), Austin Laverty (drumkit) joined soon after. All the tracks from their two singles from 1979 are here. Bridging the nascence of punk, DIY, and industrial, The Slugfuckers shouted vocals, played almost rudimentarily, set the volume on ten and, in equal parts, enthralled, engaged and repelled with their many obligatory messy interludes. Their raw, underproduced angry attack bores right into your brain. 180g vinyl, tip-on jackets, liner notes. Edition of 500.