Trying to explain why this record is such a cornerstone item for me is gonna be something of a feat, as Departmentstore Santas' M.O. is an entirely elusive one. There's a certain guilelessness to the way experimentation is undertaken by this L.A. outfit, a kind of naif art brut, albeit one without the cloyingly cutesy overlay of, for instance, Jad Fair's work. Incredible pop smarts are secreted away in offhand gestures and art damaged jams erupt in the least likely places in Departmentstore Santas' mercurial shoebox universe, giving them a certain frisson I thought was exclusive to L.A. equally hermetic (if more acknowledged) Decayes.
Get it Here
Whoah! Forgot about these guys, thanks. Ever heard of Freshly Wrapped Candies? Another LA band around the same time, walking the same outsider/avant line.
ReplyDeleteHi here,
ReplyDeletejust trying to bring your attention to your old Uppsala post - everyone is having problems with the last track of the album, before the bonus cuts - it's full of faults and is pretty much unlistenable. Many folks kindly requesting a re-post of that track... Please? That would be awesome.
Also wanted to tell you I couldn't unzip the Kulu Hatha Mamnua album with Winrar - for every track, it says "Cannot create [filename here]. The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect."
regards
Chris
O-Right you are and funny that you mention them, as I'm intending to post the first two Freshly Wrapped Candies later this week (Jim already posted their third some months back).
ReplyDeleteO-Right you are and funny that you mention them, as I'm intending to post the first two Freshly Wrapped Candies later this week (Jim already posted their third some months back).
ReplyDeletethis is a general comment about your blog, and a request, plus an offer of something you might enjoy. i don't reall feel you need to publish it.
ReplyDeletethis blog is amazing.
really fantastic.
the most superb i have ever seen.
etc.
really.
i mean it.
sharebee is fantastic, i commend you on your use of it.
i would like to request, if you have/ can source it an lp i believe was released in japan in the 1970's by akio suzuki & takehisa kosugi.
my flatmate at the moment has a number of old australian experimental tapes which he has been ripping to mp3. i haven't heard all of them, and don't know what they all are, but i could get you a list. i know he has some rare severed heads related stuff, and i have a couple of laughing hands tapes on my hd now (no cover scans, sorry)which i could send you copies of if you like.
you can contact me via
pleasing_everyone(AT)yahoo.com
the website i have listed is the lable i am involverd with, please take the time to check out our music. contact directly through the site doesn't go to me.
or you can find me on slsk as jpeatt
thanks again.
joe
wow thanks!
ReplyDeletethis blog delivers like no other. thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved this record. An open letter from mackenzie. Yeah!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the stupendous work.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PcsXb-S6ZbA
ReplyDeletejoseph d'angelo asked me to upload and share this video...
enjoy
~will s.
Hey, I am extremely new to the world of Departmentstore Santas, I don't know a thing about them, but I want to be able to listen to some of their work. All I've seen is a video of Kaleidoscope on a forum called the Psychedelic Exchange... Where can I buy/listen to music from DS?
ReplyDeleteIan
hey, i've recently discovered departmentstore santas, but have only seen video of kaleidoscope on another forum... can anyone tell me where i can buy/listen to more material from ds?
ReplyDeleteIan
hey, i've recently discovered departmentstore santas, but have only seen video of kaleidoscope on another forum... can anyone tell me where i can buy/listen to more material from ds?
ReplyDeleteIan
any chance of re-posting this?
ReplyDeletedrew-Why? the links are still active...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you need a premiere rapidshare account to download it. The other links are expired.
ReplyDeletebtw...Huge thanks for making this blog so great
Years ago a pal of mine slipped me a copy of this album dubbed onto a cassette. I listened to it all the time. I'd lost the tape since but am so happy to find it here. The quirkiness of this album with it's simple, sparse arrangements, child-like story telling and low-fidelity recording is so inspiring to me.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
-Mark Groesbeck
Clovis, CA
Hello there -
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you have the Guy Goode and the Decentone Orchestra lp to put up on your brilliant site?
The DSS lp is one of my favorite pieces of music, but I've never been able to find a copy of the Guy Goode lp.
Thanks
Ted.
Your blog is just amazing !! Thanks very much for all the effort you've put into it!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Ireland
I have this one on vinyl, and the above-mentioned Guy Goode & The Decentones (featuring Joe DeAngelo, natch) LP, "There Are No Clean People." (Although I lost the album cover for Guy Goode decades ago, when my dad threw away every item that was on the floor in my bedroom--dick!)
ReplyDeleteA Minor Bone To Pick: These artists were NOT from Los Angeles by any stretch of the imagination; They were born and raised in La Mesa, CA, a suburb of San Diego County (and therefore over 2 hours away by car). That is all. Carry on.
anonymous-I've been looking for the Gut Goode LP for ages. Any chance that you'd consider offering a rip of it to share on Mutant Sounds? I expect many would get jazzed over that idea...
ReplyDeleteEric
Another plea for any more Joseph DeAngelo from those of you that are "holding".
ReplyDeletePlease re-postt!!?! Please...
ReplyDelete