Estrus was/is an amazing label from Bellingham Washington. They are most famous for high octane punk and garage rock. Founder Dave Crider's Monomen pretty much set the tone and aesthetic for the label. Also the label that gave Art Chantry a big chance to strut his stuff.
Either way they have put out hundreds of records with a failure rate much more forgiving than other super prolific 90s labels (SFTRI for example) From the singles club to the weekend festival to the 7" box sets they had it all. Killer mailorder including some classic "stag" reels. Gotta respect a trend setter.
These are a few of my not so straight ahead favorites from their vaults
1.Insomniacs. "Already Down" 45 Modish power pop from NJ on Estrus? Who knew, but it kicks ass.
2.Sugarshack "You don't mean shit to me" 45. Never mind that Zorlac pro John Gibson is in the band(making it a post-Bark Hard project!), just focus on the early 30s fuck the kids vibe and soak it up
3.Lord High Fixers. Jack of Fire. Take your pick. Tim Kerr is back!! Young Lions Conspiracy is in effect, go get a late pass.
4.Makers S/T. Come on, top ten album cover that totally catches the brilliance of the Makers before feather boas, glam, and too much of something ran them off the road. Saw them at Mama Kin a long time ago. They didn't start any fights, but it was a great night none the less.
5.Monomen "Have a nice Day Motherfucker". I suppose I could have picked an earlier release or a single, but this last LP from "Off my Back" to "Hate your Way" is a killer, Never mind the crucial Birdman cover. Murder City Nights, Motherfucker!
There are a hundred and one choices from this label, give one a try.
1 comment:
Yes! two back-to-back stellar posts. The Estrus Ape Shit Samplers are must haves, also.
Post a Comment