Cows - Sexy Pee Story (1993)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Cows - Sorry in Pig Minor (1998)

Probably my favorite Cows record, and definitely some of the best noise rock in existence. Noise-fucked guitars, a beefy rhythm section, and a vocalist who sounds somewhere between pissed-off, dejected, terrified, and bored.

Track listing:
1. Blown
2. Shitbeard
3. Doing the Obvious
4. Ch
5. 39 Lashes
6. Uptown Suckers
7. Sexy Pee Story
8. The Ouch Cube
9. Mrs. Cancelled
10. You Owe Me
11. Sugar Torch

It cuts me right in half
It does it just for laughs
It's got me in its claws
It's my one true applause

Similar energy:

The Flesh Eaters - A Minute to Pray,
A Second to Die (1981)

Alice Donut - The Untidy Suicides
of Your Degenerate Children (1992)

Cows - Sorry in Pig Minor (1998)

Sorry in Pig Minor was, sadly, Cows' final album. While the band's core sound remains (noisy, feedback-addled guitars over a tight, hard-hitting rhythm section, a vocalist who shouts, moans, and sings off-key about the absurd and unpleasant) they end up in some bizarre places. It's not just the songwriting and instrumentation that's fucked up. On some songs, it's the mixdown; like, the drums will be all room-mic and low in the mix, while quietly sung, double-tracked vocals are uncomfortably, artificially loud. King Buzzo, who served as producer, surely is responsible for a substantial amount of this insanity.

Track listing:
1. Cabin Man
2. Finished Again
3. No, I'm Not Coming Out
4. Dear Dad
5. Eureka! Funday!
6. Death in the Tall Weeds
7. El Shiksa
8. Life After Beth
9. Saliva of the Fittest
10. Felon of Troy
11. Say Uncle

You wanna shove this horn up my ass?

You might also get some kind of sick enjoyment from:

Alice Donut - The Untidy Suicides
of Your Degenerate Children (1992)

Today Is the Day -
Willpower (1994)

Chokebore - Motionless (1994)

Noisy, grungy, negative guitar rock. Do I have to tell you that Am Rep put it out?

Track listing:
1. Shine
2. Never
3. Van McCoy
4. Spear
5. Motionless
6. 2nd Song
7. Nguyan
8. Coat
9. So Sour
10. Sãdãvia
11. 60,000 Lbs.
12. Hit Me
13. Line Crush
14. Cleaner

Why are you constantly bleeding?

If you like this, try:

Girls Against Boys - Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby (1993)

Tad - God's Balls (1989)

Today Is the Day - Willpower (1994)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Today Is the Day - Today Is the Day (1996)

Pro-tip: There is no such thing as the "best" Today Is the Day record. The way I see it, Willpower, Temple of the Morning Star, In the Eyes of God, and Sadness Will Prevail are all equally qualified for the title. But right now, I'm feeling Willpower the hardest, and I can at least say with minimal doubt that it's the best of their three Am Rep records. Math-y rhythms, thick, dissonant guitars, deranged leads, and a hallucinatory but razor-sharp and crushing overall feel, punctuated by the powerful, borderline terrifying vocals of supposedly very nice psychopath Steve Austin. Also, listen for "Simple Touch", a very rare moment of beauty in an extremely harsh body of work.

Track listing:
1. Will Power
2. My First Knife
3. Nothing to Lose
4. Golden Calf
5. Sidewinder
6. Many Happy Returns
7. Simple Touch
8. Promised Land
9. Amazing Grace
10. Execution Style

You are the angel and the fist

If you like this, you might like:

Therapy? - Babyteeth (1991) +
Pleasure Death (1992)

Fudge Tunnel -
Hate Songs in E Minor (1991)