Daily Listen by Brian Brock

My sister is pretty happy about this band.

Emily introduced me to Sonic Youth, King Missile, Killdozer, The Skatalites, and basically everything beyond The Police and They Might Be Giants.

Because of Sonic Youth, I learned of Glenn Branca.  Because of King Missile, I learned of Kramer and Shimmy Disc Records, on which label was also Eugene Chadbourne, who I witnessed (on VHS) playing the rake and the cow skull in about 1990, much sooner than I would have otherwise.  Because of Killdozer, I knew why Nirvana sounded so awesome - Butch Vig’s production does something pretty similar on the Killdozer albums, but of course Killdozer’s songs and performances are pretty awesome too.  Because of the Skatalites, I can never be unhappy involuntarily.

Parts & Labor sounds like a frenetic collaboration between Richard Thompson and Jeff “Neutral Milk Hotel” Mangum.  They have Thompson’s British folk thing happening, and Mangum’s dedication to the outside edge of the song, all while trying to get a terrified cow out of a burning barn.  It’s good stuff.

My sister introduced me to Killdozer, They Might Be Giants, and King Missile in the late eighties and I’ve always been fascinated by them since.

Killdozer is a great counterbalance to Mozart.  They practice playfulness which is unharmful, they wed ideas to shit-faced silliness.

Butch Vig recorded some of the greatest snare sounds for this album - Lil Baby Buntin, from 2 years earlier, is even more awesome.  It’s easy to see why Nirvana chose Vig to record their music, but obviously Killdozer is a better band.