Monday, January 22, 2007

Splash 4 - Different




The Splash Four Different b/w Pink Dress (Rock A Rolla, 1996)

Ah, the Splash Four. The TV Killers may have gotten a record out first but it was the Splash Four (name picked up from a 13th Floor Elevators song) who were the first Frenchies to have any kind of profile with Ami record buyers. They seemed singularly devoted to popularizing then-totally obscured European punk songs in the French language; indeed, this here track Different is a Strychnine cover. It was certainly refreshing to have a garage punk band dipping into a whole 'nother bag of tricks rather than trotting out the umpteenth Fun Things cover. This was also the band that marked the 'return' of Lili Z to the ranks of the rockers, there being some inexplicable delay between the 'Four and Manisch Depressiv (see KBD #6). She really was unique amongst gurl guitarists in the 90s: She fashioned a different sound for her other band the No Talents and for her solo stuff as well, without much commercial impulse to do so. Just liked to play, wotta concept...

So this 7" is probably the hardest Splash Four disc to track down, I certainly grabbed it the one time it showed up on a wholesale list, so we give you both tracks. There was a Splash Four comp CD on a Japanese label with these tracks but since it is now out of print as well treat this as a teaser to push you into tracking it down on Soulseek. -Ryan W.


Comments:
Perhaps my favorite band of the Nineties garage rock explosion (excepting, like, the Mummies, and maybe including Teengenerate on some days) but anyway, so under-rated I thought, and Lili's guitar always sounded so great and Jack was/is a great singer in that certain cool-ass way. Just really loved this band. Amazing cover songs, they made impeccable choices, but their originals wrere always just as great. The CD was on 1+2 and was called "Do the Earthquake Shake" and comped the early singles plus some unreleased numbers. Sweet. Who's next, Les Teckels?
 
I'll bite: Can you explain the Lili Z/Manisch Depressiv connection?
 
Why, my friend, she played gittar in MD as a google-eyed youngin', as I understand it...
 
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