Fist and the Laurels (2xCD)
Speedking, the infamous and short-lived band from NYC that had a reputation
for brutal, loud, intense and devastating live shows finally is getting the release
they always deserved. In the mid-90's, the band was fairly active; it recorded 4
seven inch singles for 4 separate labels, toured with the likes of Six Finger
Satellite and June of 44 and recorded a brilliant full-length entitled "The Fist
and the Laurels" which was never released, until now.
The members of Speedking, Miriam Maltagliati, James Murphy and Chet
Sherwood were all very concerned with both the live show and the recording
studio. In fact, James Murphy (aka LCD Sound System) runs the infamous Plantain Studios in New York
and has worked with such groundbreaking acts as June of 44, Le Tigre,
Massive Attack and The Rapture and has recently started his own record label
entitled DFA with a focus on a punk/dance/thrash sound that many accredit to
Speedking.
One might ask, "Why release this record now?" The answer is simple, the
record is just that good. Whether it was released in 1997 or 2002 is irrelevant
as Speedking's music is timeless. Progressive, beat heavy, pounding and
hypnotic, Speedking are able to do it all. Guest musicians such as Matt
Harmon and Justin Simon added moog to both the live and recorded
incarnations of Speedking, while James Murphy added electronic layers of
his own. Disc 1 of this two CD set contains the unreleased "The Fist and the
Laurels" full length while Disc 2 combines all of Speedking's seven inch
releases in CD format with a bonus track. This record is gem, enjoy.
| Tracklisting | |
| Disk | 1 | 2 | |
| 1 | What Is A Mason |
| 2 | Yi Ma |
| 3 | Get The Dogs |
| 4 | Put Me Up Against The Wall |
| 5 | Maximum Teen Travel |
| 6 | Orphans |
| 7 | Hearts And Flowers |
| 8 | Trains/Resistr Now |
| 9 | Millionth Monkey |
| 10 | My Goodbye |