ESG - A South Bronx Tale (2000)

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With their limited resources, the Scroggins sisters put the boogie down in the Boogie Down Bronx. Major kudos to Universal Sound for compiling ESG's best works for A South Bronx Story, a crucial document of sparse, old school funk. Until 2000, the group's scant material had been nearly impossible to find. The most legendary inclusion is the Martin Hannett-produced 7" EP that was originally released on Factory (later released as a 12" in the U.S. by 99 with live tracks backing it). This release featured their trademark "Moody," which ended up being listed as a Top 50 classic by nearly all of New York's dance clubs …
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Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Extra Width (1993)

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Extra Width is a crankin' piece of bluesoid ranting, with Jon Spencer working up one hysterical performance after another. "Afro" sounds like an old Curtis Mayfield track. Similarly, "Soul Letter" is a hefty chunk of riff-muck, as is the noisy bliss of "Soul Typecast." The playing is energetic and unhinged, and Spencer drives the engine with his whoopin' and hollerin'. Plenty of noticeably '70s production techniques add to the atmosphere, contributing significantly to what may be Spencer's best record …
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Liars - Drum's Not Dead (2006)

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Continuing to explore the noise rock/prog rock fusion they pioneered with They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, Liars return with another concept album, Drum's Not Dead. The idea behind this album is even more abstract than They Were Wrong's conflation of witch trials and pagan rituals: Drum's Not Dead revolves around the yin-yang relationship of two forces in the creative process, personified as Mt. Heart Attack (who represents stress and self-doubt) and Drum (the embodiment of creative energy and productivity). While this is an intriguing concept, unfortunately the actual music doesn't always live up to it. Drum's Not Dead borrows pages from the urban-pagan, atmospherically noisy playbooks of both Black Dice and Animal Collective, although the album isn't as evocative as the former band's work nor as cuddly-weird as the latter's …
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Electric Eels - Beast 999 Presents the Electric Eels in Their Organic Majesty's Request (1998)

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The Beast 999 Presents the Electric Eels in Their Organic Majesty's Request collects both released and unreleased material from Cleveland pre-punkers the Electric Eels. This cult band whose declared fans include Thurston Moore and Jon Spencer only released a handful of singles during their short existence (1972-1974). Therefore, this CD is the first comprehensive set documenting the band. Sound quality goes from average to poor, but it often fits the Electric Eels' garage rock energy. Nonsense lyrics, crude punk revolt, and avant-gardist tendencies (singer Dave McManus' clarinet playing, some syncopated beats, an inclination to noise and free improvisation) point as much toward the Sex Pistols as early Pere Ubu, Sonic Youth, and the Scissor Girls …
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