Speed
Temporary Residence, 1992 (reissue: 2005)
rating: 5/5
reviewer: tamec


The promotional materials for the Temporary Residence resuscitation of Crain's Speed (originally pressed as a 1000-copy LP in 1992) hail the record as "The Holy Grail of Louisville art-punk circa 1992" and state that, as anyone in the know is aware, the two bands at the forefront of the post-punk movement in that particular time and region were the mighty Slint and... Crain! With a lineup originally including Drew Daniel of Matmos and the Soft Pink Truth, Crain, with their Steve Albini-recorded album Speed, seem to promise post-punk greatness by virtue of style, region, and personal connections. Never having heard of the band, I was pleasantly surprised when I threw on the CD and heard some extremely high-quality rock.

Crain is, er, was a band accurately described in terms of other, better-known post-punkers. The time-signature changes and shredding bass work on "Car Crash Decisions" and "Monkey Wrench" sound a whole lot like the Minutemen and Drive Like Jehu, and the spoken word sections of some tracks have a definite Slint feeling. The band's sound can be heard on modern records like those of June of 44 and Sweep the Leg Johnny, and their sonic dissonance and unromantic subject matter place them squarely in the Steve Albini Cool Club. But if what I've said thus far indicates that Crain is derivative, I've erred in my descriptions. Crain sounds like all these bands because they were one of the best, and anyone who owns Spiderland, Rodan's Rusty, or either Jehu LP should allow no delay in picking up Temporary Residence's reissue... unless you'd prefer to shell out $30+ for the LP on eBay -- and you wouldn't get the bonus tracks! This re-release comes strongly recommended.

1. Car Crash Decisions
2. Monkey Wrench
3. Proposed Production
4. Kneel
5. The Dead Town
6. King Octane
7. Skinminer Pastel
8. News from Warsaw
9. Ten Miles of Friction
10. Ribcage
11. Fuckerman
12. Stabilizer
13. Blistering
14. Breathing Machine