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TockTockTock · 06-13-2011, 08:16 PM

Bush Tetras (1979 - 1983; 1995 - 1998; 2006 - Present)

General Information

Bush Tetras was a post-punk/dance-punk group formed in 1979. Some consider it directly apart of the No Wave movement, while others say it wasn't. One of their members was Pat Place, who was a founding member of the Contortions as well as their lead guitarist, which is probably why Bush Tetras is in the grey area of No Wave.

Band Members

Cynthia Sley (Vocals)
Pat Place (Guitar)
Laura Kennedy (Bass)
Dee Pop (Drums)

Album Reviews

Too Many Creeps (1980)

Track Listing

1. Too Many Creeps................ 4:02
2. Snakes Crawl....................... 3:36
3. You Taste Like the Tropics.. 1:31

Total Length: 9:09

Allow me to say that this was a pretty fun EP to listen to... and this is coming from someone who doesn't like most dance-type music. The first song, "Too Many Creeps," is probably their most famous one. There's not much to it except a basic post-punk beat, monotonous bass work, and occasional quasi-noisy guitar riffs, and yet... it still kicks ass. The next song, "Snakes Crawl," has a few similarities to the No Wave "sound" (if there even is one), although it's mainly in Pat Place's semi-unconventional approach to her guitar playing. You can definitely hear a bit of The Contortions' influence in this track... Lastly, there's the third song, "You Taste Like the Tropics," which has very punkish lyrics that flows along side repetitive, unchanging music. Of course, it's only a minute and a half long, so it's not expected to evolve too much. It cuts off at an usual point, too, which wasn't what I was expecting (then again, I'm sure that was their intent).

All in all, this is a very funk-driven E.P. It's fun to listen to, and I would definitely suggest it to someone who wants to get into post-punk. Doesn't have a lot of No Wave tendencies, though.

My Rating: 7/10

Rituals (1981)

Track Listing

1. Can't Be Funky.............. 2:40
2. Funky (Instrumental).. 2:41
3. Cowboys in Africa....... 2:51
4. Rituals......................... 3:54

Total Length: 12:06

This EP is a bit less funky than their previous one. "Can't Be Funky" and its instrumental are pretty much the only ones that exhibit any sort of funk-driven sound. The only difference between the two tracks, however, is that the instrumental omits Sley's vocals and adds a piano at the beginning of the song and sparse saxophone throughout the rest. The only funky aspect of the next song, "Cowboys in Africa," is the bass playing (or at least, I thought it was funky). Other than that, it uses simple, distorted guitar riffs, a little more developed percussion (but only a little), and an almost Ian Curtis-like delivery of the vocals. Lastly, there's "Rituals," which is a very slow-tempo post-punk song. There's just something so... badass (I guess that would be the best term to use) about the way this song flows... Maybe it's the Western-like vibe of the guitar or the small inclusion of the piano in the background (which is mainly just hitting the 'G' note over and over again).

Anyways, I liked this EP as well. I would recommend you check out the other one before moving onto this one, though.

My Rating: 7/10

Quick note... I'm sort of ripping off of Wikipedia when I say this, but the only characteristics of this band that really "stand-out" to me are Cynthia Sley's singing and Pat Place's guitar work. Everything else is just... boring and not very unique. Personally, I feel I am being a bit too generous by giving both of the EPs 7/10, but I guess I'm letting my own bias of liking the songs get in the way of giving them lower scores (oh well).

06-13-2011, 08:16 PM	#21 (permalink)
TockTockTock They/Them Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,914	Bush Tetras (1979 - 1983; 1995 - 1998; 2006 - Present) General Information Bush Tetras was a post-punk/dance-punk group formed in 1979. Some consider it directly apart of the No Wave movement, while others say it wasn't. One of their members was Pat Place, who was a founding member of the Contortions as well as their lead guitarist, which is probably why Bush Tetras is in the grey area of No Wave. Band Members Cynthia Sley (Vocals) Pat Place (Guitar) Laura Kennedy (Bass) Dee Pop (Drums) Album Reviews Too Many Creeps (1980) Track Listing 1. Too Many Creeps................ 4:02 2. Snakes Crawl....................... 3:36 3. You Taste Like the Tropics.. 1:31 Total Length: 9:09 Allow me to say that this was a pretty fun EP to listen to... and this is coming from someone who doesn't like most dance-type music. The first song, "Too Many Creeps," is probably their most famous one. There's not much to it except a basic post-punk beat, monotonous bass work, and occasional quasi-noisy guitar riffs, and yet... it still kicks ass. The next song, "Snakes Crawl," has a few similarities to the No Wave "sound" (if there even is one), although it's mainly in Pat Place's semi-unconventional approach to her guitar playing. You can definitely hear a bit of The Contortions' influence in this track... Lastly, there's the third song, "You Taste Like the Tropics," which has very punkish lyrics that flows along side repetitive, unchanging music. Of course, it's only a minute and a half long, so it's not expected to evolve too much. It cuts off at an usual point, too, which wasn't what I was expecting (then again, I'm sure that was their intent). All in all, this is a very funk-driven E.P. It's fun to listen to, and I would definitely suggest it to someone who wants to get into post-punk. Doesn't have a lot of No Wave tendencies, though. My Rating: 7/10 Rituals (1981) Track Listing 1. Can't Be Funky.............. 2:40 2. Funky (Instrumental).. 2:41 3. Cowboys in Africa....... 2:51 4. Rituals......................... 3:54 Total Length: 12:06 This EP is a bit less funky than their previous one. "Can't Be Funky" and its instrumental are pretty much the only ones that exhibit any sort of funk-driven sound. The only difference between the two tracks, however, is that the instrumental omits Sley's vocals and adds a piano at the beginning of the song and sparse saxophone throughout the rest. The only funky aspect of the next song, "Cowboys in Africa," is the bass playing (or at least, I thought it was funky). Other than that, it uses simple, distorted guitar riffs, a little more developed percussion (but only a little), and an almost Ian Curtis-like delivery of the vocals. Lastly, there's "Rituals," which is a very slow-tempo post-punk song. There's just something so... badass (I guess that would be the best term to use) about the way this song flows... Maybe it's the Western-like vibe of the guitar or the small inclusion of the piano in the background (which is mainly just hitting the 'G' note over and over again). Anyways, I liked this EP as well. I would recommend you check out the other one before moving onto this one, though. My Rating: 7/10 Quick note... I'm sort of ripping off of Wikipedia when I say this, but the only characteristics of this band that really "stand-out" to me are Cynthia Sley's singing and Pat Place's guitar work. Everything else is just... boring and not very unique. Personally, I feel I am being a bit too generous by giving both of the EPs 7/10, but I guess I'm letting my own bias of liking the songs get in the way of giving them lower scores (oh well).