Xerobot by Xerobot
The mid-90s in Madison, Wisconsin wasn’t necessarily the best time to be a band like Xerobot, but thank the gods that they decided to become one. Spastic, hyperactive scrawl evoking the original New York No Wave scene, Xerobot’s recorded output consisted of a CD, a couple split singles and a handful of comp appearances. This self titled LP assembles 37 tracks in almost as many minutes and collects all their releases and even additional unreleased material. This LP was mastered by Weasel Walter and includes a 20pp booklet featuring photos, first person accounts of the band and lyrics! First edition of 180 copies.
Scott Bonneville: I never knew them to vary the hierarchy of those three sonic components– the skronk guitar, the lurching machine rhythms, Greg’s squeal-howling -- and they executed them as though it were a grim duty. I never knew whether I was feeling excitement or respect. They didn't pander or compromise.
Sarah Hennies: I’m glad someone remembers it - there was so much great music that happened right on the cusp of the internet becoming a thing. The obscure, weird bands that broke up before digital music really took off have often been lost in the shuffle of history and I think it’s never a bad idea to introduce people to a bizarre little slice of history. It doesn’t surprise me at all, I’ve never seen another band like them.
Weasel Walter: Xerobot was an extremely tight band and they blew people away by executing their somewhat complex material with a lot of vigor and control. Greg certainly was the wild card and the rest of the band seemed to react with a range of bemusement and/or disgust at his antics and spontaneous in-between song banter.
Tracklist
| 1. | Personal Locater | 1:06 |
| 2. | Lil Pudgy | 0:35 |
| 3. | Mr Poppers Penguins | 0:32 |
| 4. | Tally Ho | 1:30 |
| 5. | Whisper | 1:43 |
| 6. | Wrustle | 0:45 |
| 7. | D-Con | 1:13 |
| 8. | This Is Bill | 0:59 |
| 9. | The Warning | 1:27 |
| 10. | Too Tough To Paint | 1:08 |
| 11. | Song One | 0:50 |
| 12. | Wo-Wo-Wo | 0:32 |
| 13. | I Forced Him | 2:13 |
| 14. | Bathysphere | 1:09 |
| 15. | Genotype | 0:54 |
| 16. | Brillo | 1:28 |
| 17. | Send In The Elephants | 1:13 |
| 18. | One Push | 1:40 |
| 19. | Puppethead | 0:42 |
| 20. | Good Driver Bad Driver | 0:52 |
| 21. | Spy Plane | 0:40 |
| 22. | Work And Family | 0:55 |
| 23. | Lumber | 1:03 |
| 24. | Tickle Time | 0:54 |
| 25. | The Train Conductor And The Army Man | 2:13 |
| 26. | Fly Cry | 0:42 |
| 27. | Huffing | 0:48 |
| 28. | It's Only Natural | 0:28 |
| 29. | Kitty Pig | 0:34 |
| 30. | More Than Kittens | 0:56 |
| 31. | Pig Jig | 1:09 |
| 32. | Eel Mountain | 0:52 |
| 33. | Captain Cookers | 0:36 |
| 34. | Iron Command | 0:53 |
| 35. | Chronos God Of Time | 1:00 |
| 36. | Grand Marshall | 0:58 |
| 37. | Xerobot | 0:57 |
Credits
Tracks 1-22: Control Panel CD, Coat-Tail Records
Track 23: Second Sixty Second Compilation, Coat-Tail Records
Tracks 24-25: Duotron/Xerobot split 7", Coat-Tail Records
Tracks 26-28: Melt Banana/Xerobot split 5", Coat-Tail Records
Track 29: Previously unreleased
Track 30: The Money Shot compliation, Chunklet Industries
Tracks 31-37: Previously Unreleased
Tracks 1-23: Recorded by Eric Brusewitz, Madison, WI 1996
Tracks 24-25: Recorded at The Green Room, Madison, WI 1995
Tracks 26-30: Recorded by Steve Albini, Chicago, IL 1996
Tracks 31-37: Live recording, San Francisco, CA 1997
Liner notes assembled by Ethan Swan
All tracks remastered by Weasel Walter, 2020
A Chunklet Industries Release
All Rights Reserved
Manufactured and Assembled in the U.S.A.
CHKLP032
