Cementing The Seams

Of all DeSoto's releases, this 7" and subsequent LP by Compound Red were definitely the closest to emo that the label ever got.  Compound Red are an emo/math-rock band from Milwaukee, WI, and existed in relative obscurity for nearly a decade.  Why they never achieved a higher level of notoriety (especially being from Milwaukee) I'll never know, because they were one of the most distinctive emo bands I can think of.  To quote a friend (who was talking about this band):  "There is so much good shit out there that nobody cares about".  And that's what Compound Red feels like.  It's criminal they aren't a bigger deal honestly.

Anyway, this 7" is kindof weird because both of the songs appear on "Always A Pleasure" their second and final full length released by DeSoto.  Only, when the songs made the jump, the names, lyrics and vocal themes on both tracks were changed.  It's really fascinating actually, how unique the two versions of each are, even though they have nearly identical music.

I'll probably post "Always A Pleasure" sometime soon.

For fans of: Vitreous Humor, Castor, The Promise Ring

Compound Red on Myspace

Get it.

Sorry about the brief hiatus.  I don't have an excuse, but here's a new post!

Everyone's favorite DC indie/math/art rockers made their debut with a joint release on DeSoto and Dischord.  This EP features alternate recordings of two songs ("And The Washington Monument Blinks Goodnight" and "Kiss Distinctly American") on their much-praised debut full-length "No Kill No Beep Beep" and a song ("Busy Lights, Busy Carpet") that didn't make it onto the LP, but really should have.  An extremely strong debut from one of the most hailed bands on the Dischord roster.  And thanks to an apparent excess of picture sleeves (and an interest in re-releasing their back-catalogue) Dischord recently repressed this slab of gold (on clear gold vinyl, which makes that previous statement a pun.  Get it?)

For fans of: Faraquet, Les Savy Fav, Wicked Farleys

Q And Not U on Myspace

Get it.

This release from Trusty has the honor of being part two of the (semi-retarded) DeSoto Singles Club!  Trusty is a Little Rock, Arkansas punk band that relocated to Washington D.C. in the early 90's in a sort of suspect couldn't-be-coincidental style parallel with former president Bill Clinton (this is, of course, only speculation).  Anyway, to be honest I'm not very well acquainted (shamefully) with the rest of Trusty's discography, but this 7" is a serious slab of gold.  I suppose I would say that Trusty plays (on this release anyway) a version of power punk/pop that is reminiscient of the genre in the era but not at all derivative.  Think, the poppier progeny of 7 Seconds or The Adolescents or some other excellent hardcore/edge band from that side of the country.

For Fans of:  7 Seconds, Adolescents, The Marshes, Canadian Rifle

Trusty on Myspace

Get it.

Everybody is aware of Shiner right?  I feel like I've been over it, and if I haven't I suppose they don't really need an introduction.  In my quest to track down every release on the low-profile but extremely high-quality label DeSoto Records, I came across this gem.  Now the title track Semper Fi appeared on Shiner's LP "Starless" (curiously their only full-length release NOT on DeSoto) but the version on the 7" is actually a lot better.  The b-side "Sailor's Fate" didn't make it onto the record but it should have because it's at least as good as the majority of the album (which is saying a lot).  This is midwest shoegazy math-rock at its very finest.  If you're one of those people that ignores 7"s and singles, suck it up and don't let this get by you. 

Expect to see more DeSoto singles in the near future.

For fans of:  The Life And Times, Hum, Ethel Meserve, Chavez

Shiner on Myspace

Get it.