Houses, Bedsits, and Squats

Scritti Politti “Is and Ought the Western World” – Like a lot of post-punk songs from the late 70s, this sounds almost as though it was recorded in black and white. That sound most certainly suited early Scritti Politti, who were like the musical equivalent of homemade photocopied manifestos dropped along the street. It’s a far cry from where the band would end up, though – only a few years later, they would become a slick, highly produced soul-pop group, with only Green Gartside’s distinctive voice and grad school lyrical obsessions carrying over between the different incarnations. Though much of their 80s material is very worthwhile and interesting, the production style is very dated and has not aged nearly as well as the earlier work, which could easily pass for contemporary arty indie rock. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Moolah “The Hard Hit” – I spent part of my weekend talking to a heavily medicated kid who can’t look anyone in the eye. (He just stares glassy-eyed off over your shoulder.) I’m alone in this house and it’s grey and wet outside. My mind is surprisingly clear. I slept in today, which is pretty rare for me. Under the circumstances, this song feels just about right. Drone, drone, menace, menace. They did this kind of thing so much better in the 70s, didn’t they? It seems so much less selfconcious than say, Mogwai or Godspeed You Black Emperor. Or God help us all, The Album Leaf. This was recorded in New York sometime around 1974. Whatever keyboard they are using on that one main drone, I love it. (Good luck trying to find an official copy of this one.)