Stump Tone - Circles / Jeremy Bentham's Boots 7"
Label - Two Ohm Hop
Released - 1999
Genre - Space Rock / Psych
Notes
Multi-instrumentalist & songwriter Chris Plavidal of MK Ultra joined up with two of the dudes from Sub Oslo, Mazinga Phazer's Wanz Dover, Marked Man Mike Throneberry, and a heap of other folks to make Stump Tone. This 7" was their debut and its contrasting sides gave the listener a good idea of what to expect from the band.
Side A lifts off and pulls the listener along for an transcendent experience that must have been a real trip live. Here, limited by time (i presume), the song slips away as an undulating bass takes over. The pulsing tone sounds like a far less irritating Hypnotoad.
The flipside holds a softer song. Almost a lullaby, the tune is so accessible it sounds like home. Around the bridge, there is a swell of noise. It's the type of noise that my parents can't stand, but that's the most exiting & pleasant thing to me. Plavidal sings something here about a creation myth involving a giant bomb. I couldn't be bothered to focus on the lyrics through the whole song at either speed. It seems strange that no lyric sheet was included, given the fancy-pants packaging here.
Those 2 great songs and the deluxe packaging makes this a special treat for collectors & appreciators of fine music. Included are a transparent page silk-screened with a crazy scene of headless farmers with eyes just under their collar bones and mouths where their solar plexi ought to be. (It's a crazy scene.) Behind that is a 7x7" sheet of photo paper with the picture of a copper pyramid or something; it's a little abstract. Between those two things is the record -- clear vinyl with wordless labels featuring some black & white designs that will make you say "woah" if you peep it while it's spinning (if you don't puke). To tell which side is which, one must squint at the closing circles toward the inside of the track to find the inscription.
This was my first time hearing StumpTone. I had several chances to see them live, but I had assumed from the name that they were either a nu-metal band or a lumberjack-themed ska band. Don't let this happen to you, guys. I missed out.
Here they are at J&J's ODB.
*Fun Fact
The second song references Jeremy Bentham. This is either a "LOST" reference made possible through time travel or they're talking about the other Jeremy Bentham, father of Utensiltarian philosophy.