Punk Single of the Week: Skafish

Skafish - Sink or Swim (mp3)



I'm not sure how regular a feature this will be. It's not like I have that massive a record collection. But I can at least keep it going for a few months.



Skafish, a "quirky" new wave band much weirder than Devo or Oingo Boingo, have been making the rounds on the blogs lately. Joe at Last Days posted the amazing "Disgracing the Family Name" 7", then Egg City Radio threw up their first LP, so I'll complete it with the B-Side of the "Obsessions of You" single from that LP. This was actually a birthday gift. One of my college roommates gave me a small pile of weird records he'd gotten at the weird used record store in town (they had some amazing stuff for a place in the middle of nowhere, but none of it was in any kind of order. I remember that one time I found a copy of "The Show" b/w "La Di Da Di" 12", but I didn't have the money for it, and I couldn't find it when I went back!). The A-Side isn't all that great, but the B-Side, which for some reason isn't on the album, is fucking insane. Maybe the weirdest thing from that early period, definitely the most rocking thing from that period. As you can see, the sleeve got some water damage from a window leak, but the record still plays fine.



Skafish are most famous for this performance of "Sign of the Cross" from Urgh: A Music War. If I remember correctly, it's the last song in the film, and it managed to get my attention even after watching the 347 bands before it. Apparantly, there was a whole album recorded during the "Disgracing the Family Name" sessions, and it's just been released on CD this year. These are purportedly the earliest recordings of any Chicago punk band. Check it out, and also visit the rather long-winded Skafish blog.