Treepeople - Bonus Tracks LP - Clear Vinyl

Self Released (2018)

Though it has taken me a while to write about this LP, I actually purchased it at the same time as the vinyl reissue of the first Treepeople tape on vinyl, No Mouth Pipetting.  I bought them from a record store in Idaho, though I see now that K records is also stocking it in their distro for a nice price.  My copy of this Bonus Tracks LP was missing the little postcard sized track listing, but the band were nice enough to mail me one when I reached out to them.  Class act.

This LP has ten songs in total, mostly mimicking the listing of the bonus tracks that were available on the original Toxic Shock CD version of Guilt Regret Embarrassment.  "Lazerbeam/Flamegrape" was on that CD and I think that it was only ever out on that CD.  The rest of the nine songs originally were released on various 7" singles the band released in the early 90s.

"Important Things," "Handcuffs" and "In My Head" are from the Treepeople's 1989 single on Silence records.  "Making The D" and "Pretty Girl" (aka "PG") are from the 1990 7" released on Battery.  "Cartoon Brew" is originally from a 7" compilation called Silence Sampler, though it eventually made its way on to the full length Just Kidding.  "Mistake" and "Ballard Bitter" are from a '91 Sonic Bubblegum 7".  "Neils Down" is from a split 7" on Toxic Shock with a band called House Of Larger Sizes.

It's nice to have all of these songs on an easy to play LP.  I love 7"s and collecting them has been a real passion of mine for twenty-five years plus, but there's something to be said about being able to just put this down on the turntable and enjoy, rather than getting up to flip 7"s every few minutes.

Treepeople - "Handcuffs":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvEN6CGIjCw

Treepeople "Mistake":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIcAWZnv2CI

Treepeople - Actual Re-Enactment LP - Orange Vinyl (/250)

Gravy Lane (2018. Reissue)

After the bang-up job Gravy Lane did on the Stuntman LP they rereleased a little while back, I was extremely excited to hear that they were going to put out this Treepeople album on vinyl.  Actual Re-Enactment originally came out on C/Z records in 1994, but was only out on CD and cassette.  This left a gigantic hole in the Treepeople vinyl discography and thankfully that omission has finally been rectified.

Actual Re-Enactment is a post-Doug Martsch Treepeople album, but in my eyes it's just as dynamic and listenable as anything that came out while he was still a member.  Actual Re-Enactment still has heaps of the dynamic guitar interplay that I always felt was the most distinguishing trait that the band brought to the table.  It's a unique balancing act between noisy chaos and catchy riffs and this is a balance few bands ever pulled off as successfully as Treepeople.

Just take a listen to "Slept Through Mind."  It's my favorite song on the album, mostly for the way the band perfectly places sludgy guitar drone right smack in the middle of an otherwise chill pop song.  On paper it shouldn't work as well as it does, but leave it to Treepeople to not only make it work, but make it a highlight of the album.  The vinyl version Gravy Lane released has been remastered for vinyl and the album pops even more brightly than the CD I've been carrying around for the past few decades.  I'm quite thankful to the label for helping me finally add this record to my collection.

Treepeople - "Slept Through Mine":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwtWVPnb-7E

Treepeople - "Boot Straps":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c5NRLTdU3s

Treepeople - No Mouth Pipetting LP - White Vinyl (/250)

Self Released (2018, Reissue)

Back in 1988, Treepeople released a cassette only album called No Mouth Pipetting.  This was back before Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment.  I never had this cassette and only became aware of its existence a few years ago when I found it on Discogs.  A little creative searching online led me to MP3s of the tape, but I never held out much hope for tracking one down.  Then the band decided to start playing some shows again.  And went on a short tour.  And rereleased the whole thing on limited edition white vinyl.  Crazy times.

Once I found out about this, I went a little nuts trying to track a copy down, finally locating one on the online shop of a record store in Boise.  It's a little easier to get one now if you're looking as the band put their leftovers up on eBay. So go grab one before they're gone.  I'll wait.

Back?  This record is really great.  Yes, the recording sounds a little dated and sure, in particular the drum fills sound really tinny.  But that doesn't change the fact that the songs are still powerful and Doug Martsch & Scott Schmaljohn seem to have had a real chemistry with their guitar playing right away.  For what is essentially a demo, Treepeople very obviously had their shit together pretty early on.  The LP sounds a lot better than the files that were ripped from the original cassette that I had found online, but at the end of the day it is a self released record from 1988, so it's never going to sound like something recorded yesterday.

I'm thrilled that this album was released on vinyl. Now I don't need to looks for that original tape anymore and if there's one thing that my life doesn't need any more of, it's cassettes.

Treepeople - "Pack of Lies":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mabTAHIi-lM

Treepeople - "Fish Basket":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqWhQgaze3U

Treepeople - Guilt Regret Embarrassment Promo LP - Clear Vinyl

Toxic Shock (1991)

This LP is another fun oddity I pulled from a friend's collection that he was downsizing.  I've had other versions of this album for quite some time.  Both the full artwork LP on Toxic Shock and the original CD version on Toxic Shock that had a bunch of extra songs from 7"s that weren't on the K records reissue.  As a lot of people did, I started trying to listen to Treepeople albums because I was a big Built To Spill fan.  What I've learned over the years is that Treepeople's output is more than enough to stand on its own.

I could make the argument that Guilt Regret Embarrassment is the best Treepeople album.  It certainly has the most upfront presence of Doug Martsch, but it also has two of my very favorite songs leading off this album.  "No Doubt" into "Andy Warhol" is the sort of one-two sonic punch that other bands would kill for.  Killer pop sensibilities mixed with ultra dynamic guitar work and blistering solos that never dip into feeling like self indulgent wanking.  

Those two songs on their own are reason enough to pick this album up, but the entire thing is packed with great songs.  Even simpler, straightforward punky songs like "Transitional Devices" have a little extra something that keeps them above the fray.  Just a great, great album.  This particular version seems to be a promo LP of some sort.  It's in a black DJ sleeve with little paper cutouts of the artwork glued on.  It does come on clear vinyl, which is a nice little treat as well.  I can't say I know too much about it and the internet isn't a ton of help, but it's a cool version to add to the collection.

Treepeople - "No Doubt":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZI4itH5yKc

Treepeople - "Andy Warhol":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLQF9bSQ_P0

Treepeople - "Transitional Devices":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0s5fQ3LbF4