DIE MONSTER DIE

Produced by Greg Freeman and X-tal
Recorded at Olde West and Soma Sync Studios, 1990

J NEO MARVIN: Vocals, guitars, keyboards, melodica
MICK FREEMAN: Vocals, drums, guitar
JIMMY BROUSTIS: Vocals, guitar, bass
ALLISON MOSELEY: Bass, vocals, piano
Guests: Mitzi Waltz: Bass (Old Colonial, Pablo)
Annelise Zamula: Tenor saxes (Old Colonial)
Patrick Smoot: Trumpets (Old Colonial)
Melanie Clarin: Accordion (O.C.), harmony vocals (Pablo)
Kim Osterwalder: Barely audible cello (Domino's)
Carrie Bradley: Violin (AJR, White Rat)
Jeremy O'Doughaill: Mandolin (White Rat)
Slice-O-Life Pro-Choice Karaoke Ensemble: Vocals (Domino's)

1. ZION (JUST A CLOUD) (Jimmy Broustis)
2. HERE TO GO (J Neo Marvin)
3. STEPFORD ROCKERS (J Neo Marvin)
4. AN OLD COLONIAL'S HARD LUCK STORY (J Neo Marvin)
5. AJR (Mick Freeman-Andrea Rice Freeman)
6. WHITE RAT (1979-1999) (J Neo Marvin-Maati Stojanovich)
7. DOMINO'S THEORY (J Neo Marvin; uncredited monologue by Jimmy Broustis)
8. PABLO (Jimmy Broustis)
9. CAPTAIN PLUS FOUR (J Neo Marvin-Alan Korn)
10. GOLDFISH BOWL (Mick Freeman)
11. FECKLESS (Maati Stojanovich-J Neo Marvin)

CMJ REVIEW: It's a wiser and angrier X-tal that graces our stereo this year, these San Francisco-reared citizens matching a carnival of instruments with a torrent of well-enumerated opinions on everything from ganja to old, paunchy rock stars. Extinct is the sad-toned reflective X-tal of Reason Is 6/7 Of Treason, their arrangements and imaginations fired up by philosophical coffee-house brawls and an influx of Gaelic, African and Appalachian migrant musics, all brandished with a college student's indignant gleam. Matching up snarl and swing, the band fits the Young Fresh Fellows' whiny wit with a Mekons-tinged, violin-fortified ease of rhythm. Their pan-cultural instrumental smorgasbord stays fast and punchy, lest the verbal sentiments get too weighty and predictable, interchanging ska beats, Irish jigs and suburban twitch with tales of oppressor and oppressed. Oppression, ignorance and complacency are where X-tal's lyrical lance is aimed, and with an equally provocative dancefloor bounce, Die Monster Die is first-class world punk music. Top Cuts: "Zion (Just A Cloud)," "An Old Colonial's Hard Luck Story" and "Goldfish Bowl." - : CMJ New Music Report Issue: 229 - Mar 29, 1991

MICK SAYS: "Grrrrrrrrr"

NEO SAYS: The band is making splendid progress, but I'm suffering from serious writer's block. My own contributions are revamped oldies or hastily-thrown-together new stuff, the best of which is probably "Here To Go", where I bitched about San Francisco rents before it was hip. A lot of this album makes me cringe. The "mean dad" voice at the end of "Captain Plus Four" totally ruins the song for me with its obviousness. "Domino's Theory" is a bit overblown. "Feckless" suffers from corny lyrics in the chorus. (Sorry, Maati.) And "Stepford Rockers" is probably the worst song I have ever written; an attempt to poke fun at punk and indie bands that succumb to cheesy rock clichés just came off as self-righteous. Nevertheless, the album SOUNDS terrific, with Allison's great bass playing, all the loud guitars and a vast array of guest instrumentalists, and some people even seem to like it best. Mick and Jimmy take up the slack with two superb songs each. Carrie Bradley makes her first guest appearance playing violin with X-tal.