Matthew Mercer: “Hostile Makeover” (Lumpenwave, 2002)
When lefty magazine Lumpen released this compilation in 2002, it was the peak of electroclash and 80s nostalgic irony. Most of the tracks on the CD are covers of 80s pop songs, but I was just hitting a stride making original music, with a forthcoming 12" on Forte (Secrets I) and a healthy collection of finished originals that I was shopping.
The editor of Lumpen liked this track a lot, and so he stuck it in the middle of the comp. It’s a bit of a sore thumb in context due to it having no real ties to the 80s at all, but it’s a nice little time capsule of the styles I was flirting with as I learned how to use software to make music for the first time (instead of hardware).
If anything it reminds me that I used to have a little more of a sense of humor in my music back then, perhaps something to consider as I dive back into making new stuff over the next couple of months.
Since the CD is long out of print, I’ve posted this one as a free download — enjoy! Unfortunately you miss out on the fabulous faux Nagel cover sleeve and the priceless fake line of coke printed on the silver disc, but the music lives on…
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