John Sharkey III, (ex-lead singer of Clockcleaner and mastermind behind Puerto Rico Flowers) once described Fan Death Records as being run by "a cripple, a weirdo, and one normal woman." Take that as you will. FDR, based out of Baltimore, Washington DC, and Montreal--has always been my favorite label. For all intensive purposes, most of the material Fan Death puts out falls under the category of noise punk, post punk, and jackass punk (i.e Homostupids, and I made that genre up).
I love Fan Death because it oscillates effortlessly from the absurd to the intellectual, and one can never be quite sure whether the releases are art at its finest, or thinly veiled parody. Fan Death possesses the classic disenchanted punk vibe, but behind the baseball references and the jabs at other labels and artists, it's clear that every release has been meticulously produced and carefully chosen. FDR is run by nerds, for nerds--and in my opinion, that's what a record label should be. In a world of instant gratification, where the main objective is delivering maximum entertainment with minimum effort, Fan Death chooses quality over quantity.
Some of the tracks on this mix aren't immediately palatable. But the beauty of these releases is how you absorb and interact with them. The connection that I feel to music like Puerto Rico Flowers, FNU Ronnies, and Homostupids comes from slow assimilation, and the complex set of reactions, both conscious and subconscious, that occur when listening to a record or a song for the first time.
1) Nature of Feeling: Pleasure Leftists
2) Lust Murder: Twin Stumps
3) Siberian Eclipse: Screen Vinyl Image
4) When Your Lonely Heart Breaks (Neil Young): Puerto Rico Flowers
5) Faux King Vogue: Broken Water
6) Herb Albert: FNU Ronnies
7) Sunbathing in Squalor: Taco Leg
8) Sisyphus: Body Cop
9) Wearing Sammy: Homostupids
10) Your Party Sucks: Pygmy Shrews (Okay so FDR didn't put out this song, but they did release "Lord Got Busted.")
11) Knife Day: Drunkdriver
12) Untitled: Neon Blud
13) Princess Bride: Pfisters
14) Salvation Road: Lamps
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