search and destroy: gorky's zygotic mynci

"I say: oren, mefus a chadno!"

We were listening to something the other day (not sure what it was exactly) from when they were really really young where one of their dads comes in at the end of a song and yells at them for the noise. It was great.

Hahaha, I'm listening to that very collection (Patio) and waiting for that moment.

"Keep the noise DOWN."

That's it! It's so funny.

"That's your last warning, it does not need to be that loud. Especially the bass!"

Hahaha, yes! Damn noisy bass guitars.

That's kinda awesome.. I wanna hear.

Patio's kind of awful. Or it was last time I listened to it. Tatay through to Spanish Dance Troupe all great, and the two (or three?) after that have their moments.

Whatever happened to the Ankst-era reissues (I guess they fell out of the back of whatever happened to Sanctuary records)?

Last night, out of the blue I dreamt that someone was asking me what this band's name translated as. I spent a good deal of time racking my brain trying to remember and came up with nothing.

Gorky's Zygotic Monkey.

Let's Get Together (In Our Minds) = best thing they ever did.

I remember seeing them support The Fall - Merched Yn Neud Gwallt Eu Gilydd (Girls Doing Each Other's Hair) was either out or just about to come out. They were all really young and they were utterly fantastic. That 7" probably remains my favourite thing they've done.

Liked Tatay as well, and I have a sentimental fondness for Fresher Than the Sweetness in Water.

I saw Euros Childs play a bunch of new songs on Sunday, he seems to be trying to reinvent himself as a kind of Welsh indie John Shuttleworth

My favourite of what I've heard is "Barafundle", which sort of captures all of their early to late ideas and affectations meeting each other head on - so you get folk and pop and psych and garagey rock and weird wizard stuff.

So OTM. I really need to get some more Gorky's on my itunes - I think all I have on there right now is Bwyd Time. I like the schizo/wizardy & pastoral sides pretty much evenly & think both are represented best by the If Fingers Were Xylophones & The Blue Trees eps respectively.

I saw them live once, in 2003 or so, & there were literally about 20 people there. I felt bad for Euros for all the usual unheralded genius-denied-proper-appreciation reasons, but the poor attendance didn't phase the band b/c they played an excellent set which culminated in a 20+ minute epic closing performance of "In the Heart of Kentucky!"

"the blue trees" is so, so impressively beautiful. i'm really happy that i discovered this band when i did (like a week ago), 'cause listening to the blue trees as the summer's winding down is perfect, man.

besides this i have only heard bwyd time and patio. bwyd time is more consistently hilarious (i mean, it's booty time) while the humour in patio is imagining this band of welsh kids playing these fucked-up noisy jams, and then their parents come in and yell at them to turn it down lol. but i prefer patio for its garage-y rocking-ness, even though i am more glad that the evolved into making beautiful folk music than i would be if they had continued being a rock band.

can't wait to finish listening to every album by this band, though. they are fantastic.

btw found this searching for a gorky's vs. ween thread.

I saw them several times, I had at least 3 of their albums, and the only song that pops into my head when I think about them is "Stood on Gold".

God it really is Gorky's time isn't it? I think I bought "How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart" just as I was moving into my third house (and year) at university, and the memories associated with that fantastic place and year and the friends I had made are immovable fromt his record.

"the blue trees" is so, so impressively beautiful. - otm

marc, I think you'd really enjoy Barafundle & Spanish Dance Troupe - both of those have a really good mix of their haunting, folky side & the bizarro psych-rock stuff.

Sad to see that one of my favorite songs of theirs, "Mow The Lawn" gets short shrift above. I hear it as a kind of absurdo version of the Velvet's "Head Held High." Even has pseudo-Lou yodeling.

that collection of little odds and ends from the early years--20, i think it was called--is really great too.

but yeah i fucking love this band. barafundle was my favorite back in the day, then how i long to feel that summer, but they're all great.

np: hush the warmth

everything said above is true so it is a puzzle that most of euros childs solo material has been missable. the one richard james record i heard(is there more than one?) was also a bit dull. they need to collect john lawrence and megan and get back together, please. ah i just googled him and john lawrence has released an album this year. has anyone heard it? comparisons to csny-groan.

holy fuck what a band

today is my GZM watershed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6v8SHvL7Zs

next week: LJ discovers Ned's Atomic Dustbin

seriously though, How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart is perfect for me today. Bwyd Time and Gorky 5 are also great.

...the
Game
OF
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS

OTM

I used to think it was "The Game Of Eyes takes place between two people and you have to follow each other around the board".

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Game Of Eyes takes place between TWO PEOPLE on a BURNING MARBLE BOARD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! AHHAHAHAHAHA! GEOOOOOORGE!

Bwyd Time rules, probably my favourite of all their albums.

"...you're listening to..."

BWYYYYD TIIIIIME!

i love the reprise later on in the album when it sounds like someone firing lots of GEORGE out of a cannon or something...

The bit at the end of 'The Man With Salt Hair'?

This thread is making me want to listen to this album right now. The Telescope & Bonfire/Man With Salt Hair/Game of Eyes run is one of my favourite parts of an album ever.

I really miss this band.

We don't appear to have talked about the Serpents or the Infinity Chimps on here much...

the social worker tries, she tries
to work out the game of eyes

Good to see some love for this album. It's my favourite of theirs but I don't see it talked about often - not that I see Gorky's talked about enough at all.

Blooooooood Chant....

All those early Ankst single/album covers were ridiculously great. Talk about making a distinct look for a band.

xxxpost:

I dunno, part of me thinks that Gorky's had ran their course by the time they split. Euros used to be prolific and consistently good, now with his solo career he just seems to be prolific... there's the odd good moment here and there though, I think. Richard and John Lawrence were much less prolific songwriters in Gorky's, but they always managed to come up with some sterling stuff... and I can't help but think they lost a little something when John left the band after Gorky 5. They left behind a great deal of good music, though! Even now I'm taken aback by how good some of their B-sides like 'Lucy's Hamper' are.

All those early Ankst single/album covers were ridiculously great. Talk about making a distinct look for a band.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:21 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Totally agree... especially the sleeve for 'If Fingers Were Xylophones'!

http://images.45cat.com/gorky-s-zygotic-mynci-if-fingers-were-xylophones-ankst-1.jpg

These all look like they should be the cover of a fantasy series. You know, Susan Cooper or something:

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-379127-1131174104.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-565473-1132181513.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-565474-1132180566.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-2669374-1295807054.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-1673794-1295821691.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-576150-1295874982.jpeg