Review Revue: Ism - Constantinople

Every once in a while, I post an album from a band that's been so minimally documented on the Internet that I feel I'm adding significantly to the body of public knowledge about them with one little blog post. This is dangerous because usually I know next to nothing about these bands. Take Ism, for instance. I was able to find some short reviews by the all-important Christgau and Trouser Press (and seriously, a secular blessing upon both of those entities for their copious archives), and an interesting sum-up of the band's career allegedly written by someone from the Rare Record Investor Club and posted on The Punk Vault... and that's about it. So, in the interest of not muddying the waters too much, I'm just going to hand it over to the KCMU DJs of almost exactly 32 years ago for their take on this 4-song EP. (Who, honestly, don't add a wealth of information. Sorry. Just go back and read that Punk Vault post again.)

"Influenced by the Residents and Fugs and including a cover of the former's 'Constantinople' [and the latter's 'CIA Man']." It turns out to be a little harder and faster (and maybe more conventional) than its influences. Watch out for a Big Red Dot on CIA Man."

"Pot LOW"

"Bouncy..."

"Bouncy and bluesy. 'Bedpan Hunting.'"

"Great, but warped/skips." [Well the label is called Broken Records...]

"(We do want another copy)"

"Good version of 'Constantinople.'"

"Skips like hell!"

"What does hell skip like?"

"I think the skip adds a certain... idiom."