Device-004: Soft Targets “The Kids Want Action” single

“The Kids Want Action” backed with “Don't Ask Why”

Soft Targets: Reg Shrader (ex-Seam, Circus Lupus; guitars), Chris Auman (ex-Reagan National Crash Diet; guitars, vocals), Dave Potter (formerly of Lustre King; drums), Dan Kiss (former Public Defender -- and that's not a band; bass). Jane Hanna and Chris Negrete (both of Vamplifier [myspace]; Negrete now the Soft Targets drummer) contributed backing vocals, and Hanna also played keyboards on “Don't Ask Why.”

Cover by Mike Dixon. Recorded by Kris Poulin at Kayfabe Studios and pre-mastered for vinyl by Carl Saff.

Both tracks from this new Soft Targets 7" are available for preview on myspace, at both the Soft Targets page and the Loud Devices page!

Device-003: Plastic Crimewave solo “The Howling Light” single

Solo acoustic excursion from Plastic Crimewave (he of The Galactic Zoo Dossier hand-drawn zine, “The Secret History of Chicago Music” and many other things).

Two songs: “The Howling Light” backed with “I'll Be Back in Your Days Again.” Vinyl-only 45 rpm seven-inch single.

Acoustic guitar, sitar, words and cover artwork by Plastic Crimewave. Folksy blues guitar and background vocals on A-side by Joe Cassidy, with additional background vocals by Merritt Lear, dog tags by Fozzy. Produced by Joe Cassidy at Musicola Studios in Chicago. Mastered for vinyl at Golden Mastering.

Plastic Crimewave has released CD-Rs of his solo work, but this release marks his solo debut on vinyl.

You can order online from Rocket Reducer Mailorder.

Device-002: First Coat Move Like Sparrows CD

Eight tracks: 1. try again ( mp3 3.1 MB)   2. artichoke ( video at youtube.com)   3.  drunk online shopping   4. uranium decay   5. catchy pneumonia pajamas ( mp3 7.5 MB)   6.  listen to your kids   7. astonishing astronomies   8. butterfly

On Move Like Sparrows, First Coat was: Paul Brannon (drums), Will Long (guitar, organ, piano, vocals), Conor Loughridge (vocals, guitar, wurlitzer, piano, synth), and Sean Mahan (bass, organ, synth), with Deirdre Kelly (cello).

The songs are by Conor Loughridge. The sessions were engineered and mixed on analog tape in September and October/November 2004 by Scott Adamson at Sema phore Recording in Chicago, and the album was mastered for CD by Jim Wilson at Yes Mastering.

First Coat hailed from the South Side of Chicago. A beloved Hyde Park neighborhood institution, they played together in various configurations from 2000 (when they went under the name Drexel) to 2006 and were an enduring and inspirational constant in the close-knit collective of musicians around Mr Hyde Records.

You can still order copies from CD Baby. You can also buy Move Like Sparrows (or individual tracks) from the iTunes Store.

Device-001: The Swansea Mass “Silver Venus” single

“silver venus” backed with “chessy”

Maybe the Swansea Mass was just too good to last. Other than one compilation track, this seven-inch single is the only release to document the post-shoegazer sound of this too short-lived band, who existed, in slight variations, from the fall of 2002 to the spring of 2005.

For this record, the then core trio of Emma Bryant (ex-Salomé, on drums), Jeff Rufo (guitar, vocals) and Anne Stevens (bass) was joined by Pavan Singh on lead guitar. Both tracks were recorded by Jeff Boyd in November 2003 and were mastered for vinyl at Golden Mastering. This record really captures the band at their peak.

The cover art (printed black on silver) was drawn by Plastic Crimewave.

You can order online from tonevendor.com.

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