h.Chinaski

Supersphere.com

Summary:   With the band named after Bukowski's Barfly alter-ego, and album cover art by Shepard Fairey, the music could suck and still sell. But, it doesn't (suck, that is ).

At first, I thought that H.Chinaski was from the "angry young man" school of indie rock, to be lumped in with the Albini's of the world as such.   Upon repeated listenings, I now believe that vocalist Andrew Johnson is merely speaking up to be heard.

H.Chinaski, apparently deriving their moniker from Charles Bukowski's slothfull Barfly pseudonym, have been playing together for nearly ten years in Oshkosh, WI.   As a result, the band sounds incredibly tight with it's melodic twist and turns, and sown-beat drumming.   No doubt receiving inspiration from such units as Seam, Don Cab, Unwound, etc., there's a layer of flying saucer-ish sound f/x on tracks like "Track #8 Club Dancer" that sets this trio apart, and an eerie bit of laughing on "JRRY".

The songs are delicately peppered with vocals and lyrics.   Cryptic bits of wisdom that make reading the liner notes a must.   The delivery of the lyrics also makes reading the lyrics necessary, but that's part of the fun, attempting to uncover where the band finds it's inspiration, "Two-colored smoke leaks from the hand that missed photograph".

Smaller-Sized Jar with an Idea is H.Chinaski's first full length record to date, and the virgin release for Mike Siddall's label, doubleplusgood.   The full length will be followed shortly by a three-song CD single containing new material recorded by Bob Weston, to be released in March 2000.

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