Various Artists – Export 7″

This bizarre 7″ comes from the Asthmatic Kitty label, coming four tracks deep from four different bands who all hail from the Indianapolis area. The idea is to get some attention aimed in the direction of the Indianapolis music scene, and they’ve come up with a great way to do so.

This is the first 7″ in a set of two coming from Asthmatic Kitty, and the plan is said best by the label themselves – “The health of any economy is in large part measured by the amount of import and export that crosses its borders. The cultural economy is no different. In celebration of this concept Asthmatic Kitty has decided to highlight the Indianapolis music scene via JOOKABOX, looking at both local and non-local musical companions. The first in this two volume set of 7″s, EXPORT is a collection of four songs by four Indianapolis native bands. Here the raw post-industrial sound of beautifully messy rock-n-roll is examined from four distinct points of views.”

Those four points of view come from Jookabox, We Are Hex, Burnt Ones, and Thunders, respectively. Jookabox take on a sound that’s reminiscent of a hell-bent zombie apocalypse with people who have miniature heads running around like mad, while Burnt Ones continue to serve up their sleazy but jangly fuzz rock that’s pretty hard to ignore (kind of like a continuation of what we heard from their own 7″). We Are Hex play a weirdo form of mutated garage rock, and their song “VU” has a strange primal quality. Last but not least there’s Thunders, and this song comes from way out in left field considering everything else we’ve heard til now. “Weird Spines” gives nods to dance influenced pop-electronica with mutilated vocals and a relentless approach, but I’m still trying to figure out exactly how this one fits in with the rest.

This first 7″ is titled “Export”, while the second is simply “Import”. Both come released in an edition of 500, and include artwork that represents Indianapolis, through the flag of the city of Indianapolis, and the state of Indiana itself. Check out the songs below, and snag those 7-inchers while you still can. Normally I wouldn’t upload every track from the record, but this time I feel like you needed to hear it all to get the full picture. Please enjoy.

Jookabox – The Eyes of the Fly –

We Are Hex – VU –

Burnt Ones – Do the Spell –

Thunders – Weird Spines –

My Rating: 5/10
Genre/ Tags: Alternative, Lo-Fi, Experimental
Export 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Jookabox – The Eyes of the Fly
2.) We Are Hex – VU
3.) Burnt Ones – Do the Spell
4.) Thunders – Weird Spines

BUY the 7″ directly from Insound – limited to 500 !
Jookabox on Tumblr
We Are Hex – Official Website
Burnt Ones on Bandcamp
Thunders (?) on Myspace
Burnt Ones – All Night Long 7″ previously posted on the Drone