One of my hottest retro discoveries of the year came from a sterling North Carolina aggregation,
Neon Rock Garden, whose 1986, Mitch Easter-produced
"Never Listen" 7" infiltrated my ears with visceral, jangly delight. I was aware of a previous NRg single (the one I'm featuring here) but I wasn't actively looking for it. A fews ago, without any deliberate effort on my part, I was stoked to find it while browsing through a box of discounted singles at
this bountiful record dispensary. No publishing date on the wax or sleeve, but likely somewhere in the neighborhood of 1984-85. It was recorded when the band was still a quartet, unlike the second 45 when they were pared down to a trio. Like a lot of indie DIY combos of their day, NRg had their collective antecedents steeped in punk rock. "Suicide Song" finds them gracefully making the transition to something a little less high strung, than say "Corporate Toy's" bratty, full tilt abandon. Perhaps this is precisely the spot where they placed the bookend to their punk era. Ironically, sharing the same side of the wax with that latter title is "The Light," a precursor to their next phase of their tenure, ripped lock, stick and barrel from Let's Active's "new south" playbook. As mentioned above, NRg would soon go onto record with none other than his highness Mitch Easter himself. There's quite a bit of static to be endured among these three songs, but with any luck I'll be able to share a cleaner copy in the future.
A. Suicide Song
B1. The Light
B2. Corporate Toy
https://rapidshare.com/files/91405164/nrg_suicidesong.rar
