STILL SINGLE

A space for thoughts on music and culture, as written by Doug Mosurock and a select handful of individuals. This is intended as a supplement to our regular feature Still Single, published on Dusted Magazine. Updates will run here more frequently, and may feature writing on music not covered in the column. Compact discs are still not accepted for review -- we have more than enough vinyl and the occasional cassette to worry about.

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Doug Mosurock
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December 18, 2011

Lab Coast/Extra Happy Ghost – split 7” EP (Saved By Vinyl) / Lab Coast/Friendo – split 7” EP (Faux Discx)

Lab Coast either inaugurated a vast improvement or suffered a drastic drop in quality before or after they created the content for the split with Friendo, but that record cover utilizes barely-visible text and this record reviewer won’t be able to sleep tonight after recommended to the public a band that made a conscious choice to use the moniker “Lab Coast” to give the world a sonic footnote that the world needed like a bookstore needs more oral histories (the reality TV of music journalism/rock-writing) in the music section. Ok folks, if anyone needs to use the restroom, have a smoke or sneak out and create some music that fucking matters, we’ll see you back here in fifteen minutes for a discussion of the next Lab Coast release.

OK, we’re back. Wow, another band that believes “minimal synth” to be an actual point in music’s progression of the last four decades. And no, I’m not saying that minimal synth was garbage that doesn’t belong in the same sentence as the word “progression”… I’m saying that minimal synth never happened. In case Simon Reynolds’ Retromania has failed to be an important text in your life, I should say that the previous theory is one I have been espousing to four or five confidants, only to read Reynolds’ assessment with electric joy. Lab Coasts have songs in there somewhere, but you have to get past the Neon Pink plagiarism and moniker association that should be punished, harshly, by any cultural watchdog that gets to the band first. Friendo sounded different from Lab Coasts but ultimately the same when taken in the context of the ongoing detritus-deluge. Normally, I might become visibly angered at the invisible text and cover design that makes info-input impossible, but there’s nothing of importance to be processed here. (http://www.savedbyvinyl.com) (http://fauxdiscx.tumblr.com)
(Andrew Earles)

2 months ago • Notes