Monday, October 10, 2005

Kind Of An Artsy Noisefest Shogazing Cacophony....



Medicine - Aruca

Medicine first started out in the early nineties as the brainchild of Californian Brad Laner who's first releases were on Rick Rubin's American Recordings label, kind of an artsy noisefest shogazing cacophony that was quickly compared to My Bloody Valentine...
Not surprising then that Alan McGee took a fancy to them and signed them up to Creation Records whereupon there were two 12" releases, this track being the title track from 1992's release, they recorded their final 12" 'Come Here To Drink Milk' for Creation the following year.

During this two year period they gained quite a reputation in the UK touring with the likes of Mercury Rev, and working with The Cocteau Twins and The Smashing Pumpkins, although the comparisons with the mighty My Bloody Valentine were always there, and possibly hindered them more than helping them by being percieved as a cheap US immitation... and to be honest they do (and specifically this track) sound like they discovered a tape of lost MBV songs and decided to release them as their own.
But I think there is enough room in the world for a few MBV soundalike bands, and Medicine were the best of the bunch.

Things took a bit of a turn in 1994 when Medicine appeared as the house band in the Brandon Lee film 'The Crow' in which Brandon Lee was killed... but being part of this film would lead to a meeting down the line...
When Medicine disbanded in 1995 and Brad, inspired by his mate Kid 606 bought a sampler went on to record and release his more electronic meanderings under the Electric Company moniker....
Until a chance meeting with Shannon Lee (Brandon's sister and Bruce's daughter) lead to the name Medicine being re-used from 2001 till this day...
Although there are touches of the early Medicine in there, lots of noise and harmonies, I like it but I like the early incarnation even more, and seeing as the Creation releases are well and truly deleted I thought I'd post an old track.

Brad recently popped up playing guitar on the Caribou (formerly Manitoba) album 'Milk of Human Kindness' earlier this year.

And I can't go without saying a big thanks to Mr.Dunproofin' for re-introducing sounds to my long addled brain that I'd long forgotten about.


Buy - Medicine - The Mechanical Forces of Love
Visit - Creation Records Doing it for the kids


Simon
x

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