In Praise Of: Alvarius B - Blood Operatives Of The Barium Sunset LP aka Sun City Girls 2005 thread

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Oh, man. This is sounding like the record of the year for me. Just out on Abduction, I got my copy yesterday. Eyvind Kang is all OVER the record, it sounds very different from the two previous AB solo records.

In a related note, I recently got a dodgy looking new live Sun City Girls album that is extracts from their 2004 Montreal shows. Anybody know about that? It's nice, but Alvarius B is, like, frying my mind right now.

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 01:47 (twenty years ago)

I should add that "sounds different" means:

albums 1 and 2 sound like they were recorded in a room with one mic.

this album has multitrack stuff and perceptibly better recording.

And that second release (the S/T double LP) destroys everything! Where is the LOVE?

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 01:57 (twenty years ago)

Doooood, SCG were on NPR's The World yesterday! no joke. I can't tell you how fuckin beautiful it was to hear "Space Prophet Dogon" blaring out of the little clock radio in my bedroom that i keep tuned to NPR. Nice interview clips from Alan and Rick:

http://www.theworld.org/globalhits/2005/10/17.shtml

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 01:59 (twenty years ago)

I had that damn Montreal Pop thing in my FE order basket and it disappeared before I could check out! Motherfuck!

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 02:00 (twenty years ago)

that was probably the one I got ;) email me for more details - both nights of the Montreal shows were torrented and I have them. I haven't had a chance to compare sound quality yet.

Thanks for the interview tip!

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 02:06 (twenty years ago)

Ooh, that NPR thing is great! I love their use of an early SCG cover of "Love Train" for the "early" background music!

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 02:28 (twenty years ago)

dude stormy you never did send me that scg chicago bootleg.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 03:08 (twenty years ago)

if i didn't know better, that NPR story would make me think they were probably the worst band ever.

― Charles Fort (Grodd), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 06:22 (twenty years ago)

anyone heard the Alvarius B/Dylan Nyoukis collab-o on Catsup Plate? my copy is in the mail. nice sleeve, by the look of it...

― MESTEMA (davidcorp), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 07:49 (twenty years ago)

All I gots is the s/t dbl record. Haven't heard the Nyoukis/Bishop hippy conglomerate. Sleeve, could you describe the new one a bit more?

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 08:15 (twenty years ago)

The Catsup Plate disc is more Nyoukis than Bishop, but (and I feel pretty bad about myself saying this) it is probably worth the price of admission for the packaging alone (I'm surprised it's still available). The New Alvarius B is truly amazing, bearing reapeated listening like nothing else before with moments that are achingly beautiful (especailly the second side). Anyone heard this mysterious Sea Donkeys LP that sold out before it was hardly available? Abduction has the Montreal boot and the newly released Uncle Jim LP available now.

I'm still finding it hard to comprehend the spectacle that was the SCG in Glasgow at the weekend. After waiting 12 years or something it was almost too much for me to take in. They worked a lot of stuff into the set (Alan didn't even have a bass the whole time), from some Cloaven Theater (including 'Gurnham' from Jack's Creek - the shrinking ooze, man!) to crazy golf though to a trance-inducing 'Venerable Song' to loads of other stuff I'm finding it hard to remember. Fuck, it was on so many levels the greatest thing I've ever seen in my whole life. I was ranting and philosophising afterwards like I'd been on acid. It was just something else completely, operating at a totally different level from anything else I can think of. I love those guys!

― myopic_void (myopic_void), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

I love "Gurnam".

Regards the record, here are some more impressions for y'all:

Tracklist:

A: Evil Next To Blue
Mr. 786
Slim 293
The Demon 360
Dracula Frizzi (from the Andy Warhol "Dracula" movie)

B: Dirty Angels (Ennio Morricone)
Ballad Of Colonel Fawcett
Sometimes Like A Man
Missy Undertaker
The Feel
Shenandoah (trad.)

THe three covers are total genius, "Shenandoah" features some kind of raspy broken music box drone and distorted vocals, the Dracula song is a vocal showcase, and the Morricone is just great. Some guy named Tim Young guests as 2nd guitar on 3 songs, a Mr. Andrew McGinnis plays drums/persussion on two tracks, Richard Bishop plays guitar on one, and Eyvind Kang plays viola, bass, AND drums on three tracks.

The originals are a lot like songs from the double with better production. Just fantastic.

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

I may be able to acquire the 2 montreal shows in full. News soon.

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

Gutted I couldn't get up to Instal. Delayed on getting a flight until it was too late. So bummed!

How was Hijokaidan, Birchville Cat Motel, etc???

― MESTEMA (davidcorp), Thursday, 20 October 2005 14:54 (twenty years ago)

Everything was great, really - sorry you couldn't make it. I was literally only interested in seeing SCG, but ended up really getting into the whole event. I even enjoyed Jandek (really reminded me of Beefheart)! Black Boned Angel was a joy, totally great doomnoisesludge, but with some real human warmth there too. Birchville was different from what I expected, but so great for basing the large part of his set around a loop from the middle 8 of "Number of the Beast". Hijokaidan - totally extreme, felt like I was watching some private, covert ritual that just shouldn't be allowed. I kinda wish we'd stayed for the Sunday - actually I just wish they'd repeat the whole thing again. SCG are still intending to visit the UK again nest year, potentially even in the Spring, from what they told me. Richard Bishop is definitely one of the nicest people I have ever met.

― myopic_void (myopic_void), Thursday, 20 October 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

Douglas Wolk writes about the Sea Donkeys record at his Lacunae blog....

http://www.lacunae.com

― sleeve (sleeve), Friday, 21 October 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Cool. I got it in the mail this morning. I will no doubt report back later.

― myopic_void (myopic_void), Friday, 21 October 2005 14:35 (twenty years ago)

I have a great board recording from Emo's Austin 11/12/04 (which has the amazing "Six Kids of Mine" on it), if anyone wants to trade for the montreal thing shoot me an email offlist.

― Brian Turner (btwfmu), Saturday, 22 October 2005 02:51 (twenty years ago)

I can now report that the Montreal album, to me, doesn't sound quite as good as the original recording that was torrented. And, of course, it isn't the whole show (missing "Passenger People", a long and very funny rap about JFA, and maybe another couple tracks, don't know). But it's an excellent non-bootleg sounding recording, still.

Tracklist:
A
21st Century International
Six Kids Of Mine
Man Destroys The Things He Loves Pt. I
Aristocrats Of Impertinance
Man Destroys... Pt. II
Abydos
B
Natural High
My Painted Tomb/Caravan
Cafe Batik
Without Compare

Upon a bit of reflection (I just got up) the tracklist, although incomplete, is excellently chosen and shows many of their varied approaches. As far as I can tell the songs are still in the same order they were played.

I'd be happy to do a few B&P's or trades (say, 5), the Montreal shows take up 3 CDs total.

― sleeve (sleeve), Saturday, 22 October 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

sleeve asked: I recently got a dodgy looking new live Sun City Girls album that is extracts from their 2004 Montreal shows. Anybody know about that?

The SCG are selling it on their site, here:
http://www.suncitygirls.com/catalog/product/88/

They say: A box of these showed up on our doorstep with a cryptic note saying "THANKS! Here's a fair percentage of the pressing...hope you don't mind us doing this"

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Saturday, 22 October 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

six years pass...

just got the CD issue of this album, out next Tuesday officially. sleeve otm, this is blowing my mind many times over. never heard it til now.....

― difficult to adjust to ilxor being a low frequency poster (ilxor), Saturday, 22 October 2011 23:17 (fourteen years ago)

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