New Additions: Limited Edition EP by The Press

For someone who enjoys research and crate digging for records, a band like The Press is right up my alley. Here's how I came across their 1987 release Limited Edition EP. I was at Spoonful Records flipping through the local section, and stopped at a sealed copy of The Press 12". The band name didn't look familiar, so I flipped it over wondering what it was, and the name "Jeff Gastineau" caught my eye. How did I know that name? Why was it familiar? I pulled out my phone and searched the Discogs app for the name, which came up with Engineer credits on Razor Penguins and Eurogression, as well as contributing a track to one of the Q-FM 96 compilations. At that point, it didn't matter what The Press sounded like, I was buying the record based on the connections alone. Turns out it's pretty solid 80s pop/AOR, but more importantly I was able to locate Jeff and not long we had an interview via Skype for the book.

Video: Razor Penguins - Paris

Systems Of Romance Blog on Razor Penguins

There are not a lot posts about Razor Penguins on the web, but luckily a few blogs over the years have discovered the music and written about it. At the Systems Of Romance blog, they get into the discography, here is a snip of that:

These two releases appeared with a five year gap in between, quite a long time to wait for a follow up… The first 7” is incredible, both tracks gloomy and incisive as ever. “Paris” sounds right at home with Lung Overcoat, another US band with a similarly UK-inspired sound. The flip is far gloomier, with a nasty churning guitar working its way throughout much of the backing track. The second 7” is a bit more of an instrumental affair, though their style hadn’t changed much in five years. The title track has a bit of spoken word vibe throughout, while the second song is a straight instrumental, akin to the likes of the recent Savage Republic reissues which stripped their otherwise classic material of vocals.

New Additions: Paris / Indifference single by Razor Penguins

There are plenty of bands that managed to put out one or only a few releases. Most end up being nice artifacts of various period throughout the scene, and a few make indelible impressions that keep listeners interested for decades. Razor Penguins is more the latter. They managed a pair of seven inch singles, five years a part, yet if you Google their name, you'll find blog posts and comments about them into the 2000s. Perhaps the particular genre - the nebulous post-punk sound that's equal parts intimate and distancing. I was able to track down a copy of their first release, the 1981 two-song single Paris / Indifference, and I understand the continued interest.

Know Yer Band: Razor Penguins

Band: Razor Penguins

Members
Dave Troutner: Guitar
Bob Nerone: Drums and vocals
Jeffrey White: Bass and vocals
Also: Michael Perry, Rob Frame

Releases
1981 - Paris / Indifference ‎7" single (Moment)
1986 - The Math Professor / August ‎7" single (Moment)