Singles are the jawbones of rock & roll: Indicative of the
band, but only partially – and they make fine fossils for later discovery.
Looking most like artifacts are a couple of Inhalants 45s that could
preserve the Austin band for posterity if news of their demise is true. A
rough-hewn Unclean 7-inch, knocks out two songs in under four minutes,
bitch-slapping you good in the process. Their “Shrunken Head” from a blue-vinyl
split (w/ Stretford) on La Petit Morte is no less rude, but rather
half-assed. Carl Normal and the boys deliver a much la-la lovelier pop song,
“Digital Clock,” on the flip, which you’ll remember as the opener on their
Crossing the Line CD. Lovely pop is also what Rex Daisy deliver
on their new Ginger Records 45 “Brand New Friends” b/w “Walls Scream.” We’re
still waiting on this Minneapolis trio’s Geffen debut with this single begging
the question why? Get it out already. A pop writer from way back is
Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen who gets the treatment at the hands of S.F.’s
Steel Pole Bathtub on a red-vinyl Man’s Ruin single that romps
blissfully through “Auf Weidersehen” and “Surrender.” Good one. Another good
cover is what you can expect out of the Toadies on a Grass records split
as they staccato-gallop through David Byrne’s “Not in Love” while another
Dallas band, Slowpoke, kick out their own sturdy tune. Austin’s Oldove
Gorge can be found at Sound Exchange. – Raoul Hernandez
“7 and 7 is” reviews local and national 7″ singles. Send to:
“7 and 7 is,” The Austin Chronicle, PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in September 15 • 1995 and September 15 • 1995 (Cover).