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Start Date: June 11, 2013
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rare debut album original released 1995 on amputated songs, this is a later 1999 arena rock recordings pressing  comes with insert, looks like never played allover mint-

‎– Vainly Clutching At Phantom Limbs Label: ‎– AR-013 Format: , LP, Reissue
Land: Veröffentlicht: Genre: Stil: , Trackliste A1 Pioneer Mansion
A2 Temporary Arm
A3 All Your Experiments
A4 Finally Free
A5 Drug Store
A6 Loverboy's Demise
B1 Slither Hither
B2 Circular Malevolence
B3 When The Serpents Approach
B4 Surgery
B5 Vainly Clutching At Phantom Limbs
B6 Arachnid Dungeon Attack
Mitwirkende Cello – (tracks: 1) Drums – (tracks: 2) Guitar – (tracks: 1) Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Drums, Organ, Flute – Vocals – (tracks: 10) Anmerkungen Recorded in 1994 in Athens, GA. Originally self-released (1995) and then released by Drug Racer (1996). Inscribed on inside of Side One "I miss you so much flesh arm oh god!"


The Athens, GA-based emerged as part of the second wave of bands linked to the Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, a coterie of likeminded lo-fi indie groups -- including , , and -- who shared musicians, ideas, and sensibilities. Formed by singers/multi-instrumentalists and , debuted in 1995 with the self-released , followed a year later by the EP, which heralded the additions of bassist and drummer . The excellent appeared in late 1997, and two years later the group returned with ; also in the spring of 1999, a series of with yielded the tour-exclusive EP . followed a year later. In 2002, the group released the conceptual record (which saw the amicable departure of bassist ) and , a collection of covers ranging from to . Two years later, the group returned with , a decidedly more straightforward offering that included new members (formerly of ) and (formerly of ). After switching to Rykodisc, issued their eighth album, , in 2006. followed two years later. In 2010, returned with a self-titled studio effort dedicated to the band's longtime collaborator , who had passed away in 2009.


The underlying ethic behind the lo-fi revolution started in the late '80s by such seminal subterranean bands as , , and later, , is that crudely economical, more analog-based techniques of recording lay the music bare, creating a pure experience for the ear as sound was meant to be heard, and forcing the artist to rely more on his or her creativity, rather than gloss or a "fix it in the mix" sensibility. This is the badge and battle cry of those who feel that glossy, radio-ready production only serves to tame the feral spirit and soul of the music, and when it works (as is shown by many other members of the Elephant 6 collective) it can produce a captivatingly personal album experience for the listener like no other, but when it goes awry, without the gossamer sheen of that same polish to smooth the sting of rockier terrains, that same listener can be in for one hopelessly excruciating ride. 's 1995 debut, , roughly falls somewhere in between these two destinations. On one hand, has a definite melodic talent that gives most of the material here an inherent listenability despite its slovenly intent, and regardless of the reigning juvenile weirdness of the lyrics, several of the better songs manage to make lasting first impressions ("Finally Free," "Circular Malevolence," and the title track being the best of these). Furthermore, there is strange, experimental affection surrounding the songs that borders on the mystically surreal, and if nothing else, is intriguing enough in itself to make the album worthwhile; this is especially true on later versions of the disc that include the five songs consisting of the group's Winterhawk EP. The problem here is that the songs are so poorly recorded (even more so than most lo-fi projects), they aren't really done any justice by an approach of such defiant trashiness, and 's songwriting talents only serve to make the frequent obstructions of sonic disarray and derangement that much more frustrating. One has to wonder what could do with the production genius of someone like (from the better-known Elephant 6 band, ) behind them. Fortunately, all this slapdash procedure is easily excusable when one takes into consideration the fact that this is merely the debut release of a band who would go on to see their vision bear much greater fruition with their next album, , so in the end, while everything here does sound like a really cheap home recording, it paints a very interesting early portrait.