“...a new system for my reviews. Real simple. I list what came, what stayed, what went. (B) = bought, (WGB) = would’ve gladly bought. If I feel inclined, I rave a bit. Right...”
Fuckin’ Record “Reviews” by “BRUCE G” - presumably BRUCE GRIFFITHS aka BRUCE ABERRANT of Aberrant Records
B SIDE Issue 22 page 41 1988 Simon Lonergan, Editor
Bruce Griffiths is perhaps better known to American record hounds as Bruce Aberrant, responsible for issuing some of our favorite combustibles from any era - Grong Grong, Examplehead, Kelpies, Toys Went Berserk, King Snake Roost, Bloodloss and of course, feedtime. Aberrant Records also issued a cache of utterly indispensable comps too: the Trousers In Action eps, Flowers From The Dustbin, Why March When You Can Riot?! and Not So Humdrum.
Well worth reading Aberrant/Bruce G overview by Steve Gardner in Noise For Heroes #17 (1989) : “Aberrant Records has been one of the most fascinating labels on the planet for the last several years. Run single handedly by Bruce Griffiths, who lives in Sydney, Aberrant specializes in putting out records by bands who make it a point to try to do something that others haven't done. Loads of bands make this attempt, but the impressive thing about Aberrant bands is that by and large they succeed in making something that's good as well as different, and in some cases it's fantastically good. And this is not to imply by any means that all Aberrant bands sound like is some howling in the wilderness behind screeching atonal guitars or some such rubbish like that. Aberrant bands are diverse...sure there are noise merchants like King Snake Roost, but there is also powerful rock and roll like Examplehead, or melodic (though still edged and charged) stuff like Toys Went Berserk, or frantic punk like World War XXIV. And of course the biggest claim to fame for Aberrant (until they recently broke up) was that Aberrant brought us feedtime, a band that really defies categorization. The Aberrant story is well worth reciting, given this background, and who better to tell the story than Bruce himself? So sit back and we'll let Bruce do the talking...”
