Net Nuggets 21: Lose Control!

A while back, I posted Girls Against Boys' definitive cover of Joy Division's «She's Lost Control». You could read that song as an ode to party people's reckless and almost compulsive disregard for their own well-being—which, incidentally, is what this Saturday's Toilet Guppies-sponsored club night △ is all about. Punch common sense in the tits, why dontcha, and head down to Sjokoladefabrikken on the 28th of November! Toilet Guppies' official trash consultant, DJ Sheik Yerdix, may or may not play «She's Lost Control», but if he does, it'll probably be one of these versions:

Tronik Youth's metallic knock-out skullfuck remix of Joy Division's original, gradually reducing the track to its backbone, with only the frazzled, fuzzed-out drums left in the end, lingering like the buzz in your spine whenever N₂O vibrates in your marrow:

Joy Division: «She's Lost Control» (Tronik Youth shred it edit) [mp3]

Then there's the new (and as-yet unreleased) BJM song, obviously inspired by the Mancunian post-punks' «She's Lost Control» (rhythm track) and «I Remember Nothing» (lyrics):

The Brian Jonestown Massacre: «This Is the One Thing We Did Not» [mp3]

Sjokoladefabrikken @ Stockholmgata 12, Oslo.
Doors open 22:00.
Entrance fee: kr. 100,- (80,- before midnight!)

Rare or Unreleased 18: GvsB

Girls Against Boys: «She's Lost Control» [mp3]

An out-of-control girl can be a mixed curse. There's no way of being certain «other people» aren't really just a figment of your imagination—that they actually experience and feel anything at all—so some volatile girl with yo-yo moods, little self-discipline and no emotional restraint, feeding on the feelings of anyone who will stay, may provide a convincing case for the existence of other minds, whenever you're in the clutches of lonely, late-night solipsism.

And what better day to celebrate dysfunctional girls than on a Friday? When they willingly go out to losen the tentative grip they have on life (and on reality as a whole), dressed in black and wearing too much make-up, their self-medication a big «fuck you» to their team of doctors, specialists and therapists.

So here you go: an inexplicably out-of-print cover version of «She's Lost Control». The original by Joy Division lacks the confidence that sometimes comes with a modicum of technical ability, but Girls Against Boys were still in their tight & ballsy prime in 1995. Not only does their rendition surpass the original; it's one of GvsB's most glorious moments, kicking so much arse it's been stuck in my head for the better part of fourteen years. (Which is about as long as it's been out of print.)

To coincide with the various artists tribute album, A Means to an End—The Music of Joy Division, GvsB released this bottom-heavy and über-kool tribute to the humourless division as a single. Needless to say, it didn't fare well. But it certainly deserves to be played.

Every Friday night.

Rare or Unreleased 15: Codeine

Codeine: «Atmosphere» [mp3]

Codeine was a '90s New York band—one of the more sophisticated acts on the otherwise teeny-oriented Sub Pop roster, and subtly innovative. The trio's songs were extremely slow, which made their melancholy music sound downright depressing to a lot of people. A fitting group to interpret Joy Division, then.

In 1995, more than a decade before post-punk became so fashionable again and Joy Division experienced its renaissance with Ian Curtis biopic Control and a slew of reissues, Hut Recordings put out the various artists tribute album A Means to an End—The Music of Joy Division, which was discontinued as quickly as the few copies sold out.

Here then, is a largely neglected and forgotten band's able version of one of Joy Division's last and most accomplished tracks, «Atmosphere».



Tender, understated, unpretentious and unlike Joy Division, Codeine somehow always managed to stay clear of maudlin sentimentality and self-pity on their two albums and one EP, even as the subject matter they explored was invariably one of loss or longing. They weren't depressing. They were simply straightforward.

People like you have it easy
Face like the sun, walking on air