‘A mother was explaining on the telephone how difficult it was to understand the unreality she felt toward her young daughter. She said that even when she kissed the child goodnight, she felt she was kissing her in a dream. While she was talking, I heard a commotion in the background. Suddenly the mother shouted, ‘Be quiet, Jean!’ I pointed out that she had just experienced a very real moment of exasperation. She saw the point, and also understood when I explained that she had many such moments with her daughter but was so used to them that they hardly registered. The frightening moments of unreality blotted out the real moments. In her sensitised state, her fear of the feeling of unreality was so great that it soon replaced any peace my explanation brought. Tape recordings were essential to keep her reassured.’
– Doctor Claire Weekes, Simple Effective Treatment of Agoraphobia
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‘Hi’ ‘Hey man’ announces the bad news nowadays.
I could not find it in myself to say anything and convinced myself that this was a revolutionary act.
You witness the unreality function of your dying days lost in a wolf’s blue light not noticing that the treasured smell of second hand clothes and cheap incense no longer lingers.
Circuit boards can perhaps look like or stand in for a kind of algae or lichen. Hen of Lichen, Cock of Stone.
Once was Queen, now turned away from forest. So what are these wooden mites at?
& our friendship, & then your opinion.
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Condemned Compilations, a collection of almost-pop songs and sketched experiments by Sydney’s darling duo, Jay (of Rangoons fame) and Yuta (of Orion and Low Life infame). The affection that the two share for UK DIY is immediately apparent in the ramshackle approach and offbeat wryness of humour employed throughout.
Immediately accessible synth-pop track ‘Swimming Pool’, shouldn’t work on paper. It's playful naivety could irk, but instead somehow remains on the right side of endearment. Another highlight, ’Access Card’, offers a Jay-driven thought experiment in self-betterment over a quickened, unchanging pulse where insidious undertones loom large. Another clear standout is ‘Mysterious Flaws In The House We Built Ourselves’, the interplay between vocal melodies and the askew beat as uneven as the titular living-space. Closer, ’Crucial Haze’, is Current 93 by way of Oasis. Ordinarily anything blurring these lines would be a clear anomaly, although bookending this eclectic collection it suits.
Pop music, at its best, has always succeeded in simplistic arrangements. Punk is obviously also grounded in the democracy of what little is needed equipment and skill-wise in order to make a song that burns. Much modern music churned out (punk or otherwise) seemingly values ease of reference and with it, a smooth digestion. When bedroom-pop sensibilities have become another branded hashtag, rather than an unintended by-product of necessity, it becomes increasingly difficult to discern what is a genuine trip. What to do with all of history at your fingertips?
A good deal of the early UK DIY and Australian art-rock bands Jay & Yuta can be viewed as a modern continuum of didn’t exist past a single or handful of 7”s. They were often young, without any musical education and didn’t remain congealed together long enough to better master their instruments. But they also didn’t lose their sense of humour or immediacy and, with that, lose the magic that makes those records still spin 40 years later.
Words by By Cooper Bowman (paraphrased from Universal Solvents issue 01)
supported by 8 fans who also own “Condemned Compilations”
Low-Life have been a constant (stone in your shoe) nagging,, insistent piece of Post-Punk magic in my mix since I came across the Dogging LP years ago. This hasn’t lost any edge….. cass67
supported by 7 fans who also own “Condemned Compilations”
This record is really fucking good. I'm a big Shepard fan and frankly don't hear the V-3 influence but that is probably a good thing. To me it sounds like early Wire and early Cure are getting it on. Tim Bugbee
Layering guitars and saxes over synths and drum machines, this Oakland duo's darkwave is as melodically potent as it is texturally rich. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 1, 2024