Flower Mouth – Love Letters for the Blind

Flower Mouth
Love Letters for the Blind
1993 Ton Def Records
Portland, Oregon, USA

Damien Jurado – Voice, guitar
Dana Jill – Girl voice
Andy – 4 & 6 string guitars, drum programming
Jim – 12 string guitars
Karen Allen – Keyboards

All songs by Damien Jurado
Cover by Jesse Sprinkle and Space Cowboy

1. Love
2. Billy
3. She’s so in Love
4. Sad Boy – Happy Girl
5. Belief

Early album by a band led by Damien Jurado that would also release at least one more tape (1995’s Sticky Sick). I was never a huge fan of Damien Jurado, but never really hated his music either. His off-key vocals are not for everyone, but they have found an audience with many people. See the last song on this demo (“Belief”) for an example of how they work the best. This early demo showcases where he started to develop his sound – a bit more standard 90s alternative here than his later work, but with several distinct Damien Jurado-esque flourishes that would become his staple on later projects. You can listen online or purchase a copy for a dollar or more:

The Corral on Spin Cycle – Revisiting Portland’s 90’s Scene

One of the best BandCamp sites out there is The Corral on Spin Cycle. It is basically one person (Erin Brockway Collins I believe?) that is digitizing all of her old tapes from her local scene and putting them up on BandCamp for others to enjoy. There is also a Facebook page with more info and pictures. I wish more people would do this with their local scenes. Or even some record labels would open up a “BandCamp” sub-label just to sell shorter demo reissues that can’t be made into full releases. Here is the description from BandCamp:

If you lived in the NW in the 90’s and you know what The Connection, The Corral, The Push, Tom Fest or Spin Cycle were, you have found a home. Please visit our Facebook page and post your stories, memories and photos. This project is listener run, so submissions to the site are highly encouraged

The release schedule has slowed somewhat in recent years, but they recently released Flower Mouth (an early Damien Jurado band) that I will need to do a post on. I will probably be doing posts on all future releases, as well as going back and posting on older releases as well. Some of the notable bands already on this page are The Clergy, Sometime Sunday, Five O’Clock People, Gecko Monks, Pep Squad, Sappo, Tragedy Ann, Twin Sister, and Yum Yum Children – but check out this full list of all releases so far:

Also Known As 47 – Vote 47
The Barnies – The Barnies
Blue – Blue
Erin Brockway – Naive
The Clergy – Live in Chi-Rho
The Clergy – Tender, Soft & Milky
The Clergy – Fill’er Up Mister
The Dickens – Target 60 Min
The Dickens – Target 60 Min Live
The Dwellers – Hey Doug!
Either/Or – Generation of Vipers
Elisha’s Bones – Salty Water
Tim Eurich – 1997
Evil Twin Brother – 7″
Five O’Clock People – Five O’Clock People
Flock 14 – Brave New World?
Flower Mouth – Love Letters For The Blind
Flying Merkel – Flying Merkel
Gecko Monks – Fear and Shelter
Gifty – MSB
Godspeed – Religious Death
Half Past Today – Half Past Today
Inchwater – Hush
The Losers Club – Not Quite Live From H-237
The Losers Club – The Fort Randall Sessions
The Middlemen – Archives
Motormouth – Game Day Beauty ep
Motormouth – Lucky Day
Oak – Live at T.O.M.
Pep Squad – 1995-2000: Fact or Fiction
Pep Squad – The Herkie
Pep Squad – Pep Squad Comes Alive!
Permanent Houseguest – Bait
Piqqadown – Forgiven
Piqqadown – Four Song EP
Sappo – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Sappo – Kindred Spearmint
Sappo – Wobble
Shoot Girls – White Pass
Sometime Sunday – Pain
Superchrome U.K. – Revue
The Superfriends – Please
Tragedy Ann – Lesser
Tragedy Ann – One Nation Under God
Tragedy Ann – Viva La Revolucion
Twin Sister – Twin Sister
Warp Factor 9 – The Blastoff EP
Wide Eyed Wonder – 1992
Yum Yum Children – Tastythanks

Various Artists – Bronzspondi: Push Compilation – Volume One
Various Artists – It Never Snows on Christmas
Various Artists – Playground Records Compilation Vol. 1
Various Artists – Songs From The Rain Factory