Dude, Gorillaz was always weird. It's basically what happened when the lead of Blur and the artist of Tank Girl got together and decided to take a stab at music and music videos.
There are a handful of people who beat GPO at weird, musically speaking. Earlier records by The Residents and AMM, most of Jandek and Caroliner's catalogues—these are all at least a smidgen more disturbed or surreal than most of Psychic TV or Throbbing Gristle's output, and in some cases significantly more bizarre. That said, as a person, the venerable Mr. Megson is certainly one of the most flamboyantly odd figures in underground music. Sterling Smith, Hardy Fox and Keith Rowe might make (somewhat) weirder music, but they are all far less over-the-top on a personal level.
Actually, come to think of it, that personality is what makes some of PTV's pop records truly jarring: The contrast between the tunefulness, hooks and clever production and the strange vocals, stranger lyrics and general air of eeriness and uncertainty.
Weird does not necessarily mean unlikeable by any means. I would argue that the dearth of external musical reference points and general off-kilter spookiness that Jandek's music exudes, particularly at its most intense, is significantly more jarring than most of Psychic TV's output and a lot of Throbbing Gristle's. Now, back circa 1977, I am sure that TG would be very much more outré-feeling, because of how influential their music was later on, but now, being able to access their roots in stuff like AMM, Stockhausen and The Velvet Underground, their early stuff is still freaky and awe-inspiring (in a scary way), but it's not quite as mysterious. Jandek is still kind of a cypher. In particular, his first record is totally out of nowhere in basically every way.
Ready for the House is a really fascinating album for a number of reasons. It feels more like a recording of a very early blues musician or a field recording of native religious music than anything remotely modern. The ambiguous lyrics really add to that feeling even when they are referencing things that we would associate with modern-day America. It's like post-apocalyptic folk, to play on words.
Jandek is the only musician I've ever tried to sample but been unable to. His stuff juts out at such odd angles that it's completely and easily recognizable no matter what you do to it, and it's by and large unloopable and impossible to evenly chop. Even from that perspective, Jandek is totally unique.
Honestly you're supporting the artist just as much by just pirating them, unless you really want the physical CD I wouldn't bother. The only legitimate way to get Jandek records is directly from Corwood.
The previous owner likely bought them in bulk from Corwood, which you can still do if I am not mistaken. If they are individually inexpensive, I would buy them. However, if you get the chance, I would be interested to see which albums are there...
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Although yeah, Gorillaz are pretty strange. I think the majority of the song's quirkiness is from Andre 3K though.
Of course that made less sense, but Godzilla starting a rock band with his monster pals would be the start of a really good crack fic.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis