GILGONGO RECORDS

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SOFT SHOULDER - "People Problems" 7" (GGGR-035) - OUT OF PRINT.
(origionally planned as GGGR-034 / which the matrix reads as).

SOFT SHOULDER
Two new addictive / damaged tracks recorded in one temporarily hollow corner of the infamous YOBS house in Tempe, AZ by the illustrious Gerald Biggs. SOFT SHOULDER has been sporadically
offering small documents of skuzzy outsider-punk / no-wave and free-jazz noise since 2006 with various line-ups (this incarnation includes James Fella and members of TENT/CITY, MANGLED MEN
and PIGEON RELIGION’s live band). Realistically, is just James Fela on this one. RIYL: Pussy Galore, The Hospitals, Old Time Relijun, Clockcleaner. MP3: SOFT SHOULDER - "WRONG".

partial discography:
split cassette w/ Shearing Pinx (Isolated Now Waves)
split cassette w/ A++ (Not Not Fun).
improve / noise recordings CDr (Arbor).
split 7” w/ Baby Gecko (Gilgongo).
“2 Song Hit Single” 7” (Gilgongo).

Foxy Digitalis:
Soft Shoulder is an apparent fixture in the southern Arizona scene from which Gilgongo Records comes. This is another in a string of “random releases” (to quote Gilgongo) that various lineups have concocted in the recent past. Side A features sludgy, pounding guitar madness over a haltering beat, with muddled vocals and occasionally audible cymbals. Notable is the guitar (bass?) tone, which manages to retain remarkable Shellac-like clarity even as everything—the instrument, the amps, the recording apparatus—is being punished. Side B is similar in tone, with more chaotic guitar leads and breaks. The goal seems to be clear—musicians striving to take whatever it is they’ve learned and unlearn it, to take what they’ve made and erase it. An intriguing sample of some no-wave punk from a relatively obscure corner of the continent. The sleeve comes with three pretty cool little inserts, on which are printed mysterious high-contrast photos and copies of lyric sheets that are, fittingly, almost completely scratched out. - Travis Bird

Intentional Press:
I’ve been on a dad-rock bender the past couple of days, jamming nothing but Zevon, Elton John, and Loudon Wainwright in the car and around the apartment, so this blast of pissed noise from Soft Shoulder – James Fella, joined on this record by members of Fella’s other bands Tent/City, Mangled Men and Pigeon Religion – has proved a welcome respite.

In the pages of a Creem collections (or some other thing I stashed in some other corner), MC5 talks about incorporating the sounds of Sun Ra and free-jazz into their Detroit boogie. On side A of “People Problems,” “Wrong” lurches and stomps, with Fella shouting “It’s only when something’s wrong” over skittering guitars and a giant riff. “Wrong” sounds like Fella & Co. are all about combining outsider sounds with a rock n’ roll backbone, albeit one that’s suitably more twisted and contorted than MC5's “Come Together.” And “Wrong” is a whole two minutes shorter.

B-side “Rules” is a little faster and screechier. The primal drums sound like the drummer is banging away in a cave; a nicely-affected guitar riff jumps in at the minute mark. It sounds like Fella’s shouting “a douche” over the riff near the end, but he’s actually yelling “abuse, abuse, abuse, abuse.” The track is hugely abrasive and noisy, but there’s also some sexy pop sensibility – never mind the ominous droning of the last 30 seconds.

Like all Gilgongo releases, the record looks nice and comes with neat little cardboard inserts of the lyrics and a cool photo of Fella shredding. There’s reportedly a new full length in the works, in addition to the million other things Fella will be doing, like issuing more killer Gilgongo things and his solo stuff. That said, I think it’s time to cue up that Zevon record for the 12th time today. I’m hiding in Honduras, I’m a desperate man and the shit’s hit the fan. Dad, you know what to send. - Jason Woodbury

Still Single:
The only thing Phoenix, Ariz. is good for is drying your wet towels in under five minutes post-shower, bath or swimming pool, certain structures of golf course, and as the ancestral home of the Sun City Girls. Other than that … well, it’s a goddamn nightmare. And I lived in Dallas for two years, so I know. These wonderful mopes hail from Tempe, which I pray to the baby Jesus is better than Phoenix. Judging from these two tracks of thunder-mud, it either is, or Soft Shoulder’s Brainbombsy urk is a reaction to their surroundings. Either way, don’t ever move, people, but feel free to play in my living room whenever you like. / Joe Gross

KFJC:
The name of this Arizona band is ironic, for the thrash offered on this 7??? is closer to the feeling of having a cold shoulder turned on you. In that sense the two songs deliver on the angst you???d expect if you were experiencing ???people problems.??? It???s hard to make out the lyrics, but if noisy assault is what you???re in the mood for, here you have it. Reviewed by humana on August 6, 2010 at 12:10 pm