Violin Sect Vile Insect 12″
“Newly excavated ’80s UK DIY” is the sort of hype that will get me to reflexively open my wallet faster than you can say “it was easy, it was cheap, go and do it,” so Minimum Table Stacks had me right where they wanted me with their appended reissue of the one-off, two-song 1981 7” from Welsh art-punks VIOLIN SECT. The hopscotching bass line, one-drop drum rhythm, and disintegrating guitar delay on “Highdays and Holidays” are all lovingly smudged with the fingerprints of dub and accented with some of the most lackadaisical post-punk cowbell ever committed to tape, while “Fit & Anxious” has more of a disjointedly funky messthetic—a fanzine interview reprinted in the insert for the 12” has the band calling out the RED CRAYOLA as a key influence, and there’s definitely some big Soldier Talk energy on display. Two other songs were recorded during the same session but ultimately cut for the 7” release; they’ve been made available for the first time on Vile Insect, so any wannabe Johan Kugelbergs out there now scrambling to cop the original single should still pay attention here. “MILK” is a sparse, sideways shamble of drolly narrated vocals, rubbery bass, and trebly guitar scribble, very much of a piece with their Welsh compatriots REPTILE RANCH, and the almost SOLID SPACE-ish melancholic pop warble of “Rivals” adds some rudimentary keyboard for texture—both are just as great as the the tracks that did end up getting the 45 nod. A no-brainer!