Search - Henry's Dress :: Bust Em Green

Neat-o Complete-o

Sam | Milwaukee, WI | 10/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Reasons to buy this CD: 1) It's a way fuzzed-out more rocking version of the Aislers Set 2) The songs are so catchy you'll have the experience of having at least three of them in your head simultaneously 3) This is noise pop at it's best Seriously, If you're a fan of the Aisler's set or the Slumberland sound in general, you'll do no wrong in picking this one up."

Peppy pessimism

John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 12/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This SF trio sounds as if produced in a cement mixer rather than behind a studio mixer. The record rushes by in about twenty minutes, it seems. It's tinny and buzzing and shrill. The female singer has the voice of the spaced-out, emotionally-challenged girl next door who was into creepy and unwholesome diversions you didn't really want to hear her drone on about-- long before such grrrrls or such an attitude were commodified by Hot Topic and Emily the Strange. The male singer's actually not bad, but he doesn't get to sing as often as the female. I like this the more I listen to it.



Since you are here, you likely know about the Aislers Set, and female singer Amy's subsequent music. This 1995 disc, by comparison, is even more (which means a lot, given the recording favored or afforded by her and her bandmates) garagey in tone and texture. This record does not reveal its potential when you initially hear it. At first, and as heard through modern speakers, this sounds like dreck. I thought I'd been deluded after searching long for a (pricy) copy of this sought-after, out-of-print CD.



However, it's the kind of record that suits best a transistor radio; the disc's mod & Motown echoes fit older technology. It's the bop of the boppish mid-60s filtered through the postpunk miasma of the early 80s. It reminded me at times of The Primitives, a short-lived British band of the later 80s, who also joined, if more slickly, peppiness with pessimism.



If vinyl was still an option, this CD would have been a fine choice for an LP. Digitally, it probably suffers from enhancement. Not a bad track on it, and it goes by so fast you may not register at first much distinction between songs. This is a plus, as this enhances the deceptively friendly sound. The first track's punkish. the sixth track shows the promise of what would become the Aislers Set's ambiance, track nine has a killer riff, and track ten's nearly as catchy.



Slumberland Records, so the reliable source of its mastermind tells me, may release in 2007 an 'omnibus' collection of Henry's Dress's music. I do not know if this means everything they have issued already on Slumberland. If you must have "Bust 'em," it is not easy. I paid quite a bit for it myself, before hearing of the possible anthology. Knowing that there may be a compilation out soon, you may want to wait for that; if not, save up the cash, seek it out and enjoy it."

Wicked fun

Arnie Grape | 01/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I second what the person below said: this album rocks. I got it in a bargin bin, in a used record shoppe, and have liked it ever since. It couples shoe-gaze with garage, which is a nice effect. And it's totally fun-sounding."