This light-purple 7-inch fell into my lap by dint of a radio station at WSU (KWSU, which sucked compared to Our Station, KZUU, but somehow had great records) that was giving away all its vinyl.
I was not one of the first people to get there, and thus missed out on the Beatles ’n’ Stones
Smegma - "Boils and Carbuncles" 7-inch
records, but I DID get in on some Choice underground, indie/DIY/out-sound stuff that, in many cases, I wouldn’t be able to purchase unless I had a tonna cash, if that.
Smegma‘s “Boils & Carbuncles” 7″ is everything I would have expected from the outfit and more, circa 1991. I wouldn’t have guessed, but apparently ’91 was a crazy year for some people, especially those playing in freak-core, commune-style collectives in Portland.
At least that’s how I envision it, Smegma’s leader decked out in a funny art-hat and barking out orders in German while whipping naked people playing clarinets, cornets, cymbals, cans and anything else that starts with a “c.” An odd orchestra, to be sure, but an entertaining one to imagine …
Reality is probably a lot more tame, but that’s why they make the records, to bend that shit-eater we call Reality with a little surreality. The Surreal Life notwithstanding, music like this, with all its orchestral swells, detours and pop-fizz splashes, stays vital forever, its eccentricity likely to reemerge generation after generation to give the kids a good kick in the coin purse.
B-sider “Found & Lost,” for example, could easily, easily have come out just this week and been met with multiple plaudits from the Sun City Girls set. You could put this next to anything cranked out in the last year by No-Neck Blues Band/Nnck, Nurse With Wound‘s Stephen Stapleton, Current 93‘s David Tibet, Avarus, Cerberus Shoal, Kalikak Family or Wooden Wand.
Shitballs, you could even remix this into a hit if you had nuts the size of garbage bags filled with leaves and a keen eye for catchy hooks.
The point is, Smegma is a name that resonates deeply within the experimental music community for a reason. “Boils & Carbuncles”/”Found & Lost” (I prefer the latter if pressed), with their samples/scratching, space-y monologues, art-damaged (literally) instruments, concise delivery and intriguing overall fusion represent the brand well, their chanting never crossing over into redundancy, their creative brainchildren never suffering from neglect.
It’s going to take a lot more steadfast Gumshoe-ing, but I’m determined to plumb the bitter depths of my collection to unearth more stuff like this darling Smegma 7″. Offhand I can tell you I’ll be spinnin’-'n’-sittin’ on a Pansy Division, Rodan and Burial 7″ within the next week, so keep yr eyes GLUED.
