Flower : Concrete Sky (1987-1990)
Simple Machines/Bear, 1994
According to last.fm: “Flower was a post-punk noise/pop band from NYC that existed from 1986-1990 featuring later members of Versus (Richard Baluyut, Ed Baluyut), French (Ian James, Andrew Bordwin), Cell (Ian James), The Pacific Ocean (Ed Baluyut), and Ruby Falls (Andrew Bordwin).”
I’m not sure where I downloaded this from originally, some random corner of the internet. It has been long out of print. It is a CD compilation of 2 Flower albums, Hologram Sky and Concrete.
Download it here.
Versus : Let’s Electrify!
Remora, 1993
Classic debut EP. I have looked for a physical copy of this for a long time, they are sometimes available used online for some hefty prices that I haven’t wanted to pay. I forget where I got a copy from, maybe from soulseek many years ago. I’m not 100% sure that all the songs are complete (in fact, “Seaweed Rising” is definitely cut off before the end).
Download it here.
Versus : Frog/Go Tell It On the Mountain
K, 1994
An early single, never really compiled. “Frog” is available in higher quality from the K Records website; I don’t think “Mountain” is available anywhere but on this 7″ — but honestly it’s not that great of a song. “Frog” is pretty good though. This is my own vinyl rip, sorry it’s only so-so.
Download it here.
Containe : I Want It All
Enchanté, 1994
This is a very quiet and sad little album by Fontaine Toups and Connie Lovatt.
Apologies, my CD copy is scratched up, so this skips at times. I don’t have the other Containe album, anyone wanna hook me up?
Download it here.
The Pacific Ocean : Birds Don’t Think They’re Flying
Enchanté, 1997
Connie from Containe and Ed Balayut when he left Versus. I like this EP a lot. I have the Pacific Ocean CD from Teenbeat too, but it is available online and I never really got into it. According to wikipedia, there is yet another album by them on Enchanté from 1999, but I have never seen it.
Download it here.
Versus : Oriental American / Wallflower
Teenbeat, 1998
This supposedly came with the vinyl version of Two Cents Plus Tax but I have a copy that I must have ordered directly from Teenbeat. “Oriental American” is also a bonus track before track 1 of the CD version of 2¢+T. From my vinyl copy; I hadn’t listened to “Oriental American” for about a decade and found it a pretty likeable, experimental piece. “Wallflower” is a fun tune, too, one that I’ve always enjoyed.
You can still order this 7″ from Teenbeat but I don’t think it is digitally available anywhere.
Download it here.
Versus / Unwound :
split 7″
Troubleman Unlimited, 2000
These are both covers of songs by Flower. I like them better than the originals (though I knew these versions first). I love this record, combining two of my very favorite bands. I’ve listened to the Unwound song about a million time via an old mixtape. I ripped this one from the vinyl, too; again, sorry my turntable is so sucky.
Download it here.
Versus : Drawn and Quartered
Insound tour support EP, 2001
Each song here was performed entirely by one member of the band of this era (Richard, Fontaine, James, and Patrick). At the time I found it fairly inessential, though it sounds nice now, and helped launch the career of +/−.
Download it here.