Monday, November 1, 2010

[news] Specer Krug played Ska?

S-T-A-T-U-S... BABY!

Exploring a well-established musical artist's back catalog can be a very rewarding experience. Sometimes, you discover the true roots to the band you know and love. Once examined openmindedly, the evolution of your favorite artists can be tracked with various changes to the group dynamics (see Pick Floyd post-Barrett). Occasionally you'll find some real gems (see Britt Daniel's Drake Tungsten), and other times you just scratch your head and say, "Huh?"

Readers of this site may already be familiar with this recent discovery from earlier in the year. However, thanks to the Forums over at the Wolf Parade Fansite, I finally have my hands on a copy of Mantifiluss by the Two•Tonne Bowlers. Please keep reading for those of you asking, "Who?"

Spencer Krug (of Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Moonface, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven) is one of the most prolific indie music artists around. Those familiar with his work will even recognize how one of his songs inspired the name for this site. And while he had probably wished away the existence of his earliest work, luckily (for us SK fans) some ska lover decided to hang onto a copy of this aforementioned album. As it turns out, Spencer Krug was a founding member of the ska band Two•Tonne Bowlers which released Mantifiluss in 1994. With songs like "Fallopian Tube Fandango," this 9-song LP is by no means representative of the direction in which Spencer Krug's musical career continued; however, it's a fun listen and worth checking out for its pre-historical context. The album cover is featured above, and below you can listen to the opening track "Status." I hope you enjoy!

MP3: Two•Tonne Bowlers - "Status"
(From Mantifiluss)

2 comments:

Hannah Tabb said...

Thanks for posting this gem! If I hadn't heard his trademark yelp over lame 90s trumpets myself, I never would have believed it.

Greg said...

Not sure if you saw this, but a Two-Tonne Bowler video has surfaced!

http://three-colours.blogspot.com/2012/05/video-two-tonne-bowlers-acquired-taste.html