We have just unearthed a box of the vinyl LP version of the debut full-length album by Indian Bingo. Originally released in 1990 by Independent Project Records, this album features 9 tracks of catchy yet melancholy indie pop rock. This may be your last chance to get a sealed original copy of this collectable gem.
Ned Raggett's review on AllMusic hits the nail on the head as far as a description of the sounds: "A collection of songs that call to mind a less strung-out, more wistful Thin White Rope. There are quicker, rockier songs here and there, like "Separation Days" and "Casim Glue Co.," but above all else it's the singing (from Mike Boul) that defines the album. He's gentle without being wispy, higher voiced without being entirely twangy, a bit like Mark Eitzel or Mark Kozelek but lacking profound melancholy, instead capturing an attractive drowning in the sound. Slathering on the echo at points -- check out the choruses of "The Ulcer Prophecy," where he lets loose more loudly than usual -- helps him further in that regard. Musically there are suggestions of high lonesome sounds transposed with a bit of guitar fire like Echo and the Bunnymen's, say, psychedelic but clearly of a newer time. Perhaps even a touch of U2 here and there -- "Flow" in particular -- but done in a way that avoids suggestions of bad stadium ballads. Phil Carney and Bill Boyle, the guitar players in the band, make for a good team, avoiding rough crunch in favor of attractive digital delay swirl. There is definitely a hint of semi-shoegaze, or at least where some of the more summery impulses of that style would go, in songs like "Goon Lagoon," its wistful chime combining with Boul's slightly more mournful touch to suggest one of the best American responses yet to the Smiths."
Track Listing
A1. Stan (3:07)
A2. Separation Days (2:59)
A3. The Ulcer Prophecy (4:20)
A4. Flow (3:44)
A5. Drowsy (6:41)
B1. Pathetic Thing (3:24)
B2. Goon Lagoon (6:42)
B3. Plaid (4:33)
B4. Casim Glue Co. (5:41)
INDIAN BINGO - Scatological LP
"One can be forgiven for thinking that Scatological might be something much more in a crude punk or metal vein given its title, but from the opening notes of Indian Bingo’s debut release on Independent Project Records, it’s much more clear that they have an ear for tuneful late 1980s indie rock with an ear towards the delicately melancholy post-punk side of things. A lot of this hangs on the vocals by Mike Boul, who has a tone that slightly suggests a less fraught and quavery Morrissey to a degree. Combined with the clear and direct arrangements and performances, led by guitarists Phil Carney and Bill Boyle, Scatological is often a rich experience, a kind of capturing of a sonic moment soon before grunge crushed expectations of what ‘alternative’ was supposed to be. Songs like 'Separation Days' and 'Pathetic Thing' showcase the group at its generally busiest, not quite rough sonically but quicker in pace and with Boul’s singing carefully situated in the mix. But it’s the slower flow of 'Drowsy' and the very Smithsy feeling of 'Goon Lagoon' that capture the album’s easy, engaging beauty best."
—Ned Raggett, THE SHFL