THE STYRENES: It's Still Artastic

The Styrenes

It's Still Artastic

© 2002 ROIR/Styrenes (053436827628)

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Precursors to many of the precursors of the bands that you are listening to now. They have their origins in the burgeoning 70s Cleveland scene that spawned such classic bands as Pere Ubu & Dead Boys. (ROIR)

notes

"Even for Cleveland, The Styrenes were freaks." - Art Black (Liner Notes)

The Styrenes are precursors to many of the precursors of the bands that you are listening to now. They have their origins in the burgeoning 70s Cleveland scene that spawned such classic bands as Pere Ubu & Dead Boys. Indicative of this incestuous family of Cleveland bands, the Styrenes were founded by The Electric Eels' Paul Marotta & Mirrors' Jamie Klimek, with an amalgam of attending musicians- Jim Jones
(Pere Ubu), John Morton (Electric Eels), Anton Fier (Golden Palominos, Lounge Lizards), Mike Hudson (Pagans). With a style best described as jazzy agro-pop, the Styrenes were a bit "off," a bit too weird, even by CLE standards-kind of like Syd Barret backed by Pavement. Including "Drano In Your Veins" (truly one of the best songs you'll hear, and one of the most joyously violent songs of all time.), "Girl Crazy," "Jaguar Ride," "Radial Arm Saws," It's Still Artastic could possibly be the quintessential Cleveland 70s anthem you need in your collection.
This is the genuine article- more convincing & more daring-playing host to modern day re-makes & copycats. Although The Hives (The Saints), Strokes (Velvet Underground) & White Stripes (too many to name) are loved for their retro-sound, and are quite good at it, they risk nothing.
The Styrenes, on the other hand, experiment with almost every song. The result is indescribable, chaotic, often catchy, and always on-edge. Adventurous and exciting- punk/agro-jazz w/ a tinge of hostility that can only be described as genius. The music on It's Still Artastic sounds just as idiosyncratic now as it did then, and just as prescient. The rest of the world has yet to catch up.
The Cleveland landscape is coming under the microscope again; Pere Ubu, The Electric Eels, & Amoeba (raft boy) (feat. members of the Styrenes) all recently released new albums, Rocket From The Tombs' newest re-issue is selling very well, and Cheetah Chrome is packing the house in Nashville. The time is ripe.

"It's Still Artastic" contains 10 new tracks & 2 new versions of classics. So, even if you already have It's Artastic (1991) this is in fact an album worth purchasing. Tracks are culled from 1975 all the way through 1998- a wide & varied landscape of The Styrenes' distinctive musical action.

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  • Buy it!
    author: alex d.

    An amazing album. The songs can be artsy and angry, but without sacraficing the melody. The samples on this site don't do total justice to some of the full length songs (especially to It's Artastic). Opus 12, Minstrel Boy, and It's Artastic are a few of my favorites off the album, but the other 24 tracks don't trail far behind!

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