Jack Endino produced Afghan Whigs's label debut. It wasn't a very big or successful or necessarily well-organized label, but at the time, Sub Pop was a step up from the Whigs's self-released debut. Endino, whilst producing, also played in a handful of bands throughout the late eighties, and his debut recording was on the 1986 self-released, self-titled Crypt Kicker Five (often shortened to Crypt Kicker 5 for... space reasons?)
While a lot of the music Jack Endino produced, and produced, favored hard rock and heavy metal influences, Crypt Kicker Five prefers surf rock and post-punk. The allure of the band is in the interwoven guitar and bass and in the unique keys and tunings used to build songs that can sound at times oriental or aquatic or horror punk. The lyrics are unintelligible without any liner notes (though they hardly seem necessary,) and Jaime Caffery's voice in the mix unfortunately doesn't have the force it needs to anchor the meandering compositions as Endino's drums do. The album is one of two sides and Side B shows off the band in a live context: energetic, humorous, improvisational and imperfect. Not much would be gained from the addition but for filler in a shoestring production if not for Side A which hypnotizes with its complexity and texture. In turn, Side B becomes a fascinating microhistory of a band that could have been so much more.
Here is the Crypt Kicker Five discography:
Ya Ya Love Song (1984 song on The Sound of Young Seattle compilation album)
Crypt Kicker Five
Shoot to Kill (1988 song on Secretions compilation album)
Mecca (1988 song on Bands That Will Make Money, Too compilation album)
4th Hole (1990 single)
Shoot to Kill (1993 song on A Far Cry compilation album)
4th Hole/Bedouin Stomp (2011 song on C/Z Records Unreleased Singles 1987-1993 compilation album)
"Shoot to Kill" by Crypt Kicker Five
Crypt Kicker Five by Crypt Kicker Five
Pass the Headphones!!
No comments:
Post a Comment