Chemical-X - The Complete Collection - VINYL LP

There was an immediate buzz surrounding This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic, the 2001 debut EP by Seattle indie phenomenon Minus the Bear. It wasn't the kind of viral interest that translated into a string of sold-out tour dates, but it meant that the tuned-in crowd eagerly anticipated their next move. To help stir up the excitement for their first proper full-length, the band followed up Gigantic with a promo CD featuring two tracks from their upcoming album, a short instrumental interlude, an exclusive new song, and a demo version of another album track. Packaged in a cardboard slipcase, it was the kind of cheaply manufactured promotional item that could be handed out for free at shows or thrown in as a bonus in online orders-a relic of the final years of the CD age before the advent of the iPod and mp 3. The sampler CD was christened Bands Like It When You Yell InchYAR!Inch At Them in a nod to the upcoming album Highly Refined Pirates.Opening with the driving beat, chirping guitars, and funky low-end of InchSpritz!!! Spritz!!!, Inch Bands Like It When You Yell InchYAR!Inch At Them quickly cements Minus the Bear's foundation of sophisticated revelry, a spirit further emphasized in the Highly Refined Pirates title choice. Part of the Bear's lore involves them playing their first show three days after 9/11, and just as New York City's indie rock scene took a sharp turn towards nightclub debauchery and a rejection of '90s rock's dour fatalism in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy, so did the Bear turn away from the Seattle's scene's penchant for gloom and angst towards a cerebral after-hours pop sound. The inclusion of InchWomen We Haven't Met YetInch helped elevate what could have otherwise been seen as an album deep cut into a lead track. The fact that these first two songs essentially served as preview singles over future Pirates hits like InchMonkey!!!

Chemical-X - Daze Of Hate [VINYL LP] date 07/11/2025

DJ Harrison's first full collection of tapes from 2014 - the first on RVA's Jellowstone Records via Ropeadope. Nods to his heroes abound, but the sound is distinctly Devonne Harris.