Guerilla Toss ‘Gay Disco’
Guerilla Toss ‘Gay Disco’
NNA Tapes, 2013
NNA069
This dissonant blast comes from Boston spaz-rock outfit Guerrilla Toss, who make a no wave racket that I would’ve dug back when I was catching acts like the Chinese Stars and Mr. California and the State Police.
And while Mr. California and the State Police was enchanting at the Fireside — I mean, it was essentially a one-man band that telling himself an inside joke — it didn’t exactly translate to disc. When it arrived in the mail from Load records, I remember being pretty disappointed.
Quite a few of the bands of that ilk and era were much better witnessed than heard, and by some credible accounts, these guys are much better live.
That said, I like this ‘Gay Disco’ on its merits. It’s a calculated mess of freak-out grooves, jumbled arrhythmic jams and wrong notes that keeps me captivated throughout. It’s also hard to ignore vocalist Kassie Carlson.
Stick around for the finale, 'Gay Disco,' which brings the party to a crashing halt with a convulsive stomp. I dig it.
Fans of Brainiac, Ex-Models, Ponytail and maybe Deerhoof. Check them out at Bandcamp or their very active Soundcloud.