The return to activity of Independent Project Records, founded by musician and graphic designer Bruce Licher way back in 1980, has been one of the sweeter developments on the contemporary scene, especially right now through a handful of vinyl releases that carry forward the label’s magnificent design aesthetic. As the bands are The Ophelias, Shiva Burlesque, and Scenic, the music is fully up to snuff. The Ophelias’ Bare Bodkin 2LP, mastered at 45 rpm, is out now, while Shiva Burlesque’s 2LP Mercury Blues + Skulduggery, and Scenic’s Incident at Cima (Expanded Edition) are both due November 17.
Along with running and creating Independent Project Records’ signature letterpress covers, Bruce Licher played in Savage Republic (after a tour upon reforming in 2002, he left the band), with the sleeves to their records, along with albums by Camper Van Beethoven (their debut Telephone Free Landslide Victory was released by IPR in 1985) helping to establish the look of the Independent Project Press.
The productivity of the press only flourished in the decade to follow as the design work expanded beyond the bands on the label, including Polvo’s “Celebrate the New Dark Age” 3×7-inch, Portastatic’s “Scrapbook” CD EP, Faust’s The Faust Concerts, Vol. 2 CD, Tone – The Guitar Ensemble’s Build and Sustain CDs (IPR split releases with Dischord Records), the Nels Cline Trio’s Ground 3×7-inch, Unrest’s Perfect Teeth 7-inch box set edition, and numerous releases by R.E.M. Since returning to action, IPR’s output has retained the same high quality standard, particularly in the three records under review here.
It was The Ophelias’ self-titled ’87 LP on Strange Weekend Records, with its inspired version of the traditional children’s folk tune “Mister Rabbit” a college radio hit, that helped land them a deal with Rough Trade. The signing surely raised The Ophelias’ profile at the time, but problems at the label eventually leading to bankruptcy negatively impacted the band’s longevity; as reported in David Fricke’s solid notes for Bare Bodkin, the budgets for their second LP Oriental Head (’88 ) and final set The Big O (’89) were pretty meager (the band’s Rough Trade debut was “The Night of Halloween” EP in ’87).
Remixed and remastered for Bare Bodkin’s release (the CD and digital came out last year), the songs here, which include five unreleased tracks for the faithful, are as full-bodied as any indie release of The Ophelias’ era. The style is appropriately cited as neo-psychedelia, but with post-punk undergirding and a total lack of throwback form moves. Indeed, founder Leslie Medford’s trumpet consistently assists in pushing the music into fresh territory.
Plus, the frequent nods to Shakespeare (most prominent here in the extended needle drop of actress Linda Marsh in “Nocturnal Blonde”) reinforce The Ophelias as intellectually inclined rather than just another bunch of drug hounds. The comparisons to Barrett-era Floyd are earned, but subtle, and while there are flashes of the Fillmore days, there’s also some nice Jansch-like fingerpicking in “Apron Strings,” and a worthwhile take of The Kinks’ “Wicked Annabella.” I’m also glad that “The Golden Calf Played Rock ‘n’ Roll” made the cut, as it highlights The Ophelias’ humorous side.
Featuring Jeffrey Clark and Grant-Lee Phillips (later of Grant Lee Buffalo), Shiva Burlesque released their self-titled debut in ’87 on Nate Starkman & Son with distribution by Fundamental Records (both labels had significant connections to IPR), with the latter imprint issuing the band’s follow-up Mercury Blues in ’90. Shive Burlesque flying under the radar at the time is often chalked up to their sound not aligning with prevailing u-ground/ alternative/ indie trends. This rings true, especially by the time of the second LP.
The comparisons that accompany this reissue, such as Joy Division, Love circa Forever Changes, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, and Buzzcocks (all similarities drawn by Fricke), plus John Cale, all make sense but are largely understated (“Do the Pony,” with its swipes from “Land of a Thousand Dances,” does resonate a bit like a late ’70s Cale-ish move). The name that jumps out as overt is Echo & the Bunnymen, as Shiva Burlesque’s songs and delivery flaunt a similar consistency (but with psych elements lending distinctiveness).
The Bunnymen feel reinforces a likening to post-punk as hard strummed acoustic guitars do the same for folk-rock, but the addition of cellist Greg Adamson adds dimension to songs that deserve it. And there are other points of comparison, as “Sick Friends” sounds a bit like Sonic Youth in the guitar department, though the singing is totally Anglo. And Ophelia Leslie Medford’s trumpet in “Chester the Chimp” (which rocks up a storm) and “At Last Our Flag Has Fallen” is added value. Likewise, the entirety of the demos on Skulduggery, with the out-of-nowhere neo soul of “Mink Emeralds Play” the highlight.
Scenic is the band Licher formed after Savage Republic took a long break. Non-vocal in orientation and specializing in cinematic vistas (think Morricone, but with a smart avoidance of pasta-oater twang), Scenic debuted with the 7-inch EP “The Kelso Run” in late ’93, but all three of its songs appear on Incident at Cima, a 15-track set augmented by 11 demo cuts on the bonus CD, including five where Licher plays solo.
Scenic’s atmosphere has been called desert like (only heightening the relationship to Morricone) and with specific mention of Death Valley. This connection has been intensified considerably by Stuart Swezey’s excellent documentary Desolation Center, which tells the story of a series of atypical performances organized by Swezey and mostly held in the desert roughly three hours out from Los Angeles in the early ’80s (one show was on a boat). Savage Republic played the first desert show (with the Minutemen); Scenic is prominent with four songs on Desolation Center’s soundtrack.
I don’t want to overstate the impact of the Desolation Center concept on Scenic’s sound, but it feels appropriate to say that it’s there. I’ll add that there are vibes of Sonic Youth (who played a Desolation Center show) in Licher’s guitar playing, with the likeness quite strong in “Carrying on to Cadiz” and the demo piece “Blind Fire,” the latter sounding like un unearthed Thurston Moore-Steve Shelley collab from SY’s SST period. But much of the record sounds nothing like Sonic Youth, and overall, Incident at Cima reinforces Scenic as a very strong early example of post-rock. The music has held up extremely well.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
The Ophelias, Bare Bodkin
A-
Shiva Burlesque, Mercury Blues + Skulduggery
A-
Scenic, Incident at Cima (Expanded Edition)
A
