the singles 1992-1997
[2003, no sides]

music writing lesson #213: talking about a band by comparing them to (two or five) other bands is fucking unacceptable. especially when you completely miss the boat on all counts. so cut that shit out. here's something that i've seen written about trumans water, "they have combined avant-garde influences from music such as sun city girls, captain beefheart, and free jazz with a sonic youth/boredoms-esque indie/punk/noise rock sensibility". ugh. that makes me want to punch a fucking baby. if i'd read that before listening to them, i would've cursed their mothers and sworn them off. here's all you really need to know: in their heyday, these guys were on the forefront of arty math-rock. they came from the same scene (and time frame) that spawned other innovators such as drive like jehu and (the criminally under-appreciated) creedle. the fact that they could all co-exist in san diego while completely maintaining their own sound and merits is remarkable to me, though they would eventually relocate to portland, oregon in 1994. somehow, in the fervent days of my math-rock obsession, this group alluded me. it's a damn shame, because i'd take this over slint any fucking day. math-rock, by and large, tended to go only go a few ways, either a bit on the emo-ey side (see slint, june of 44, etc.), or went into more aggressive territory (colossamite, dazzling killmen), or managed a combination of both (a minor forest), but trumans water eschewed all of that and instead opted for an abstruseness which made them stand out; i have no clue what any of their songs are about. the fact that they could they throw down just as hard as the noisiest of their peers further helped their cause.

the band was founded in 1991, by brothers kirk and kevin branstetter (eventually recruiting vocalist/guitarist glen calloway (who remained with the band until 1994, when he formed soul-junk, before rejoining them in 1998)). over the length of their career (which i believe is still ongoing, despite a lull since 2008 or so) they've released over a dozen full length albums (while exhausting a few drummers along the way: ely moyal, andres malinao, kevin cascell and john schier (who's still in the band, along with bassist mike coumatos)).

i feel that this singles compilation is a good introduction to the band, especially since it's presented in the (ideal) chronological order, so you can witness how the band progressed in those six years and see which sound appeals to you... there was a good deal of change to this band, not drastic, but they would come to nurture some influences while shifting away from others. for me, 1992-1994 holds their best work, and while that doesn't seem like very long, they managed to churn out eight albums in that time frame, as well as a handful of singles and eps.

to carry on with that train of thought, the first half of singles is fantastic. following the experimental 25 second opener aploitix (a spare, menacing guitar riff, looped and shortened) we're thrust into the uptempo rocker mind yer altar... well, that lasts for about a minute and half, and then things drop way down as they bob along to a memorable guitar melody. the lyrics are mumbled down at the bottom of the mix, with a few noisy shifts here and there, before dropping back into place. after the last outburst the song breaks down, exiting on muted feedback wails set against a solitary riff. sad sailor story keeps it on the slow side, again featuring memorable guitar chords; a great melody that will just drop off, as will everything else, before picking back up. eventually the song will change dynamics, yet again, in time to allow for a spoken word passage, and then they'll pick up where they left off... then, back to slow. this song is definitely trumans water at their mathiest. it's all start/stop and tempo change to glorious effect. after, maybe the third spoken word segment, the band will kick it into another, higher gear with fast-paced riffing punctuated by manic solos and pronounced riffs in tune with the pounding drums. this song must've been a bitch to learn, but well worth it.

sad sailor story and the track which follows it, the six and a half minute long habits are spirits, are what really makes this whole thing even worth it. that's not to take anything away from the rest of the disc's offerings, but, rather, it's a testament to how incredible these songs are. the fact that they're back to back is wonderful (they appear on two separate 7"'s). tempo change will once again rule the day, as they start out on the slow, semi-unnerving side, which they'll really play into with the song's amazing chorus. here, the guitars won't race, but take on a fantastic shrill tone that compliments the haunting gang sung vocals to absolute perfection. what makes it all so good is that the vocals don't match up, the tones are slightly different, one singer will elongate while the other is more concise; just the sound of it, my god. i mentioned before how i have no clue what anyone's ever singing about, still true here... which sucks because i can't help but want to sing along. while a lack of clarity might hurt others, the vocals just work as another musical instrument, so no complaints whatsoever from me. a brief bass interlude will come to lead the group into a faster paced segment, while losing none of the tension, then they'll revert back to original form, and come all the way back again. the vocals on the chorus which follows that will grow and grow in its desperation until finally reaching an apex of conjoined lucidity as the song ends. silver tongue speaks will initially retain that tension, but loses it (in a good way) by way of the bouncy guitar melody during the chorus.
after the moodiness (and length) of the prior songs, it's great to have hey fish come along. they establish a quick pace from the onset and proceed to ride its two minutes for all they're worth. the vocals and riff change during the chorus are great. empty queen ii is wonderful on two levels. first off, it's a rad fucking song, secondly, it comes on the heels of two of the compilation's stranger experimental works (which i'll get into later) so, in the flow of things, it works beautifully. while the music is good on its own, it's definitely made better once those soaring vocals come through on the chorus. after a bit of an absence on the dynamic-centric math-rock front, it makes a triumphant return on this track. the most unique thing about this song is that the choruses are really the verses, as they open up the song (and repeat several times later on), and then, where there should be normal choruses, it's just extended instrumental workouts with a bit of vocals. i guess, that could be considered a chorus. hmm. whatever it is, it's an effective approach.

the songs on the sympathy for the record industry released skyjacker 7" (tracks 14-16, out of 24) are, in essence, the final hurrah for the collection as it begins to fade out on a wave of mostly instrumental and less memorable offerings that veer away from the first word in the phrase controlled chaos. at least we get skyjacker and floorjacker though! skyjacker is pure manic energy with another memorable vocal turn (complete with lots of yelping), while floorjacker eases back, just a bit, and features a nice dual sung/shouted chorus, which i think i actually know the words to. i don't want to spoil it for you (or i don't want to be wrong, either way, you're on your own).

there's quite a few experimental and instrumental numbers that pepper the compilation, the most normal of which being x-ray eyes or, which is a nice little slowed down groove that loses some of its cohesion as it plays out. another movement is a stab at free jazz rock (or whatever), and it's, pretty much what it sounds like, loose guitar fuckery, a steady drumbeat and saxophone warbles, along with what sounds like vocal samples. finest donut theme song has a bit more success with the art jazz angle, relying solely on distorted saxophone squeaks and drones. mr. e is, coincidentally, a bit of a mystery; very sparse, repetitive see-sawing guitar riffs and then distorted vocals, then crazy yelping speaking-in-tongues vocals which take us away from the guitar and into a brief piano interlude, and then it's onward into the kind shrieking which black eyes made a brief career out of. t (which is on my copy, though i don't see it popping up on any tracklists anywhere) follows that with more weird vocals that sound like they came from someone who swallowed the microphone. that will soon calm down and it turns into a slow guitar and saxophone experiment... actually, it's not too bad. new kind of radio is another oddity, it's more formed than the rest of the non-songs, a cool upbeat jam with a (strangely) 60's surf guitar tone, even though it's far too loose and never stumbles upon a clear melody. it's fleshed out with members of the band just shouting random things, though the word radio does seem to be a theme. do the spazz is another nod to the 60's and their insistence that people do a particular dance, here they just want you to spazz out. mostly instrumental outside of the shouting, but nothing too indelible.

singles 1992-1997 is definitely top-heavy. the best songs are all in the first fifteen, which, again, is more about a stylistic shift than anything else, and the experimental tracks serve as little more than curiosity pieces that at least show that the band wasn't above fucking with expectations, and that's commendable. really though, the handful of standout tracks on the compilation are strong enough to shoulder the rest.

download

diy video for aroma of gina arnold, from their 1993 album spasm smash xxxoxox ox and ass