SSAB Songs (1999)

SSAB Songs are Brian Degraw and Harmony Korine. Think Cro Magnon, Vertical Slit, early Ralph Records, early Nurse With Wound. This glorious flow of tonal and atonal mixes up damaged, fractured noises with faint glimmers of Appalachian hillybilly snuck in. "So. I walk into the record store Other Music in lower Manhattan, this store is owned by my partner in Omplatten, the illustrious Jeff Gibson, and I head straight for the water cooler adjacent to Jeff's office where I get involved in a conversation with one of his co-workers. I can't concentrate much on the chat, however, since some quite messed up and wondrous music is flowing out of Jeff's office. I can't place the music, and I know that as soon as I enter Jeff's space I am in for some serious oneupmanship if I can't figure out what I am hearing. It is sounding pretty great. Damaged, fractured sounds, not unlike the glorious flow of tonal and atonal that the con-e-sewer would enjoy on Meet the Residents, Nurse With Wound's Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella, Deep Freeze Mice, or even the Homosexuals' more atmospheric stuff. I am just about to place the material as coming from the U.K. in the late 70's. Some sort of wonderful Rough Trade/Recommended/Fuck Off Records release that I'd missed out on, and then I catch myself and think that what I am hearing has to be American; faint glimmers of Appalachian hillbilly flow through the din. Some sort of connection to Ralph Records maybe? Unheard material by Cro Magnon? The Parasites of the Western World? Mike Rep? Vertical Slit? Debris? I give up. "Hey Jeff, what are you listening to?
  "Do you like it?"
  "Yeah! It sounds like prime homemade mid-70's slop!"
  "It is Harmony Korine and his pals."
  "Wow."
  "Do you think we should put it out?"
  "Yeah, why the hell not!"
  "I think so too."

After spending some quality time with Harmony and his dopest ghost, Brian Degraw, Jeff and myself sorted out the logistics of this release. To give our close personal friends in the media some more meat on their proverbial bones, we did a brief Q&A with Mr. Korine which follows here:

Omplatten: Who are the other players?

Harmony Korine: Most of the players involved are prepared to die. Some pick up their instruments in order to fix a plate, others wonder in with hope on their shoulder. Hope that they will disappear into that which isn't. Die off. Played down under the nations fallen.

Omplatten: Have the musicians played in any other bands?

Korine: Yes. I can't remember which ones, but very popular music they play.

Omplatten: Have you done music before?

Korine: Yes, in secret.

Omplatten: What made you guys decide to record this?

Korine: We have recorded many pieces, all the music sounds different. The songs depend on the state of the players. Are they healthy? Are they sick? Are they drunk? Are they fouled up to begin with? Most of the time they sing in affluent tones and horse shoe vomit.

Omplatten: Any influences you want to mention?

Korine: Uncle Dave Macon and the Smiths mainly.

Omplatten: Are there going to be live gigs?

Korine: We will play live in gay lands.

Omplatten: Do you want to mention anything about upcoming records?

Korine: It was made out of desperation and unhealthy lads abound.

Note: Clever ears will recognize that a few passages sound suspiciously like much of the incidental music in Korine's cinematic masterpiece Gummo. A second SSAB release will follow early in 2000. Look for some (no doubt) handsome live performances n the New York area this Fall."