Say, that's a swell map! Anarchic and juvenile in the best sense of the words, this stew of garage noise plays like an instruction manual for barely competent musicians with big record collections. It's all over the map stylistically, beginning somewhere in classic UK punk territory before launching off into psychedelia, retrograde surf rock, drone, motorik kraut, and a lot of kitchen-sink clatter that lends the whole an ambience unlike almost anything in recorded music. These guys will try anything once (and sometimes two or three times, which in a few cases renders the record a little trying, unless you're truly committed), and their knack for the deranged arrangement is a veritable textbook for the indie rockers who followed. Making a virtue of amateurism, they'll put a wailing voice where you'd expect the guitar feedback or synthesizer on the krautpunk "Full Moon in My Pocket," while on "Gunboats," they ratchet up the tension simply by throwing shit around the studio. Other highlights include the opening manifesto of "H.S. Art," the catchy "Harmony in Your Bathroom" (which sounds like Nirvana a decade before Nirvana), and the amazing centerpiece, "Midget Submarines," which is a lock groove lullaby of post-punk fury framed by ambient piano/more shit flying around the studio. The bonus 7" now available as bonus cuts on the CD reissue features the awesome surfpunk raga "Loin of the Surf" and "Doctor at Cake," which sounds like a high-school talent show take on Live-Evil era Miles Davis. Everyone who hears this unhinged record might find themselves wanting to make a record of their own. Begin by throwing shit around the house. Try a little basket weaving for good measure. –Will
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