Introduction

originally published July 16, 2008

So wait, they still make singles? Like, on vinyl, and everything? Sure they do! "They" being any number of bands and record labels that still realize the power and permanence of the physical object. Yes, the market for vinyl might be small, but it's remained relatively steady of late compared to that of compact discs. The sort of collectors and music obsessives who still buy vinyl are totally willing to overpay for their addiction, like the dude who paid $30 for that Vivian Girls record reviewed below. It's not just about money, though. The continued release of vinyl records helps sustain a community of like-minded cultists and audiophiles who believe vinyl to be the ideal format for the dispersal of prerecorded music. To the faithful, records are more satisfying sonically, physically and aesthetically than MP3s or CDs, and singles are the most direct and succinct summation of that satisfaction.  So, let's talk about some, huh?

Oneida

Heads Ain't Ready 7"

These Are Not Records

originally published July 16, 2008

Psych-rock juggernaut Oneida refocuses on its spastic side with this two-song 45. Both "Cream Puff War" and "Cold Rain & Snow" are quick manic bursts of rhythmically complex drums and organ - overdriven with blots of shredded guitar and group vocals that verge on chanting. It's some fine stuff, but it sounds less like recent Oneida and more like something from five years ago. Oh, yeah, did I mention both songs are Grateful Dead covers? The awesome tie-dyed vinyl is kind of a clue.

Garrett Martin

Vivian Girls

"Wild Eyes" b/w "My Baby Wants Me Dead"

Plays with Dolls Records

originally published July 16, 2008

The Vivian Girls are a 21st-century garage girl-band with solid pop hooks and a lo-fi shoegazer veneer. A-side "Wild Eyes" comes from the band's debut LP, which sold out immediately back in May and fetches up to $100 on eBay now. It's a good pick for a single: catchy and jittery as anything else on the record but slightly cleaner and more, y'know, presentable. The b-side starts with a smoldering instrumental fake-out that ducks out just in time for some creepily beautiful vocal harmonizing. Good work all around. 

Garrett Martin

XYX

Sistema De Terminacion Sexual

S-S Records

originally published July 16, 2008

Some of the truest facts: S-S Records is beyond reproach and Mexico's XYX proves why. If you ever wanted to hear Gang Gang Dance keep the promise made by the final word in that name, buy without skimping on the crazed female vocals, delay pedaling and general noise chaos, then point your ears towards Sistema De Terminacion, especially if you want that promise kept in a language that might be totally foreign to you. No lingual barriers imaginable, though, can prevent any right-thinking individual from recognizing the power of "Microvibraciones," the EP's side-long, clear-cut stand-out. 

Garrett Martin