Vinyl is dead. Again. “Nobody is doing vinyl,” says Craig Stewart at Emperor Jones, whose partnership with Trance Syndicate ends when that local indie ceases to exist. “Nobody is buying it either.” Ain’t that the truth. No surprise, then, that Stewart says his Pip Proud/Alastair Galbraith pairing will probably be the label’s last 45. If it is, it’s a good one to go out on. According to Stewart’s bio, Proud’s an Australian outback original, whose Daniel Johnstonisms here evoke a picture of some furry little Roky Erickson-type singing into a tape recorder. “Hey Gus” is strangely touching with its childlike, “Hey Gus, is God weally made of luv,” refrain. New Zealander Galbraith adds some effective acoustic guitar on the flip, “Leave It,” making for some pretty pop. An effective teaming; both acts have full-lengths out on Emperor Jones, Proud’s One of These Days and Galbraith’s Mirrorwork. Luvly…
Austin’s mysterious 7% Solution have finally released something new, and even if it isn’t a full-length follow-up to their 2-CD starry gaze, All About Satellites and Spaceships, anything from them is welcome — even the narcoleptic “Lullaby.” The flipside, “Oh Yeah,” with a slinky syncopated build that supernovas nicely into some serious modern rock is terrific; long, simple, hypnotic, instrumental. Space Rock. Floyd on a serious power trip. Really grand…
Spoon‘s “30 Gallon Tank + 3” is not bad at all if you’re a fan of the local band’s new Elektra CD, A Series of Sneaks, which at the halfway point of 1998 is easily this year’s best local release. The nice folks at Peak-A-Boo World Industries have made commercially available what had ’til now been a promotional CD. “30 Gallon Tank” is notable because it’s the longest cut on A Series of Sneaks — four minutes — and it segues well into a cacophonous, short-circuiting supersonic dub mix of the album’s first single, “Car Radio.” Spoon does Ministry. Pretty darn cool. The flipside, “Revenge!” and “I Could Be Underground,” while not AWOL from the mothership, easily fit the overall vibe of A Series of Sneaks, and are strong B-sides by any definition. A fine EP…
Finally, there’s what may be the best single currently on the Sound Exchange wall, Dale Watson and His Lone Stars‘ galloping, twanging, bad-assing “Good Truckin’ Tonight.” Damn that Dale Watson is good. So are Ricky Davis on steel, Preston Rumbaugh on bass fiddle, and Brain Ferriby on kit. The B-Side, “Flat Tire,” isn’t quite as Johnny Cash, but it’s zippy fun nonetheless. And watch that the jukebox spine included in the packaging doesn’t fall out. It’s a collector`s item, since vinyl jukeboxes are also dead.
— Raoul Hernandez
Pip Proud/Alastair Galbraith (Trance Syndicate/Emperor Jones): PO Box 49771, Austin, Texas 78765; 7% Solution (Hidden Agenda): 905 South Lynn Street, Urbana, IL 61801; Spoon (Peak-A-Boo): PO Box 49542, Austin, Texas 78765; Dale Watson (Shamrock): PO Box 7066, Austin, TX 78713.
“7 & 7 Is” reviews all singles and 10-inch vinyl releases commercially available. Send to: “7 & 7 Is,” c/o Austin Chronicle, PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in July 31 • 1998 and July 31 • 1998 (Cover).