Bonafide appreciators of any art form are constantly on the lookout for hidden gems; case in point: the modus operandi of this publication and others like it. With that in mind, it’s necessary to point out an all-too-obvious disclaimer: there’s no way that anybody, individual or conglomerate, can have their radar set to all worthwhile signals simultaneously. If there wasn’t so much quality and innovative music constantly being released, it might almost bring on the melancholy to ponder the fact that there’s so much quality music out there that’s also not being heard — either due to its depth in the underground, your preoccupation with other artists/albums, or because you have an undiagnosed ear infection. Might want to get that checked out.
Cue Static Crash, the least unknown release from the short-lived North Carolina band Ashrae Fax, originally self-released in 2003. Per the About section of their curiously well-developed website (curious, because of their abbreviated existence), it’s apparently one of the best albums hardly anybody has had the chance to listen to. An excerpt:
Static Crash is magic, one of the most gorgeous collections of Gothic ethereal pop/noise of its kind to rise from the American underground in decades… Released by the band in DIY fashion on spray painted CD-Rs, Static Crash found nearly no takers at its inception outside of a small but dedicated local following, but somehow its legend grew, even as the group fell apart.
“Legend” isn’t supposed to be a word that one easily throws around, and I’m not seeing an analogy to the dreamy movie starring the Devil and Tom Cruise here. Let me listen? Thanks Mexican Summer, and thanks for pledging to reissue Ashrae Fax’s entire discography, while also acting as a friendly accomplice to the band’s reunion. A handful of live dates are also planned, and an entirely new album is scheduled for release in the coming year. Believe the whispered hype? The reissue of Static Crash is in stores as of June 25.
Static Crash tracklisting:
01. Unndup
02. Daddystitch
03. Pointbreak
04. Ultravaca
05. Uprlxrq
06. Armpit
07. Dynamite Dust
08. Ectome
• Ashrae Fax: http://www.ashraefax.com
• Mexican Summer: http://www.mexicansummer.com
More about: Ashrae Fax
