The pandemic has put is knee-deep into MySpace-era nostalgia. Bands like My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, and The Strokes play bigger venues than in their heyday. So, obviously, it’s time for the weirdest of the 00’s to get a chance to return, too! Kill Rock Stars have resurrected 5RC (5 Rue Christine), a home for more experimental works. The video above is their first release of the 2020’s, “Glass from Sand” by MV Carbon + Charlemagne Palestine (Full Length out Nov 4th)/ I spent A LOT of time with 5RC bands in the early ’00s, as I wanted desperately to be welcomed by the noise community.
Deerhoof, obviously, is the starting point. Their 2003 record, Apple O, is arguably their defining masterpiece. And “Panda Panda Panda” might be the least catchy song ever to stay stuck in my head.
If The Twenty-First Century Didn’t Exist It Would Be Necessary To Invent It is probably the best compilation of early 21st-century noise. And there are a ton of great tracks on this one, but I’m spotlighting “September Son” by Sharon Cheslow, a glorious piece of uncomfortable pastiche, nearly musique concrete but still purely punk.
I couldn’t pick just one track of Gop Ist Minee because they didn’t list tracks on the record. The closest thing to hardcore punk from 5RC, which is probably why they only released one record on the label. But it’s a whirwind of an album- 20 minutes of delirious chaos. You can work up a sweat just listening to this one.
OK. This one is a stretch. I could have given you any brilliant track off Xiu Xiu’s Beautiful Muscles. However, this one comes from Women As Lovers, which is technically a Kill Rock Stars release, as it came out shortly after 5RC was disbanded. And this cover of one of the greatest songs ever brings out the beauty and darkness of the original nicely. And that sax part. HOLY SHIT.
I actually remember hearing “Biblical Violence” on the radio. Albeit, it was college radio in the middle of the night, but the radio, nonetheless. Hella is a band from Northern California, which is obvious from the name, and featured Zach Hill on drums, probably the most successful performer to come out of the 5RC world, moving on to work with Marnie Stern and William Shatner and forming Death Grips, one of the most interesting things to come out of hip hop in the last decade.
The Mae Shi were part of the same legendary LA scene surrounding The Smell that also brought us Mika Miko, Abe Vigoda, No Age, and a slew more. Short, fast, and fun is the name of the game, and their 2005 record, Heartbeeps, is chock full of bangers that it was hard to pick just one song. But “The Universal Polymath” is where I found this band, so maybe it will convert you, too!
BONUS
Marnie Stern was never on 5RC. She was on Kill Rock Stars from the get-go but embodies the spirit of 5RC. Although I was a hair annoyed that her original publicist seemed to concentrate on her looks above her guitar playing, I think time has corrected this. In fact, Kill Rock Stars is putting a deluxe edition of her fantastic debut, In Advance Of The Broken Arm, for Record Store Day Black Friday this year, and it’s the only thing that can get me to wake up at 5 am to go shopping on that holiday.
