Posted on 09/13/2005

 

No question that David Banner white label you've been looking for is hard to find. But, try securing a limited edition seven-inch single from a Dutch punk band that went out of print in 1981. I understand, you might be asking, "Why would I want to?", but before you roll your eyes and picture spiky haired brats pissing in alleys, let me introduce you to The Ex. The group's inception is traced back to the late 70s, when a group of anarchist squatters in Amsterdam decided to start a band, and then as an afterthought drew straws to determine who would learn to play which instrument. As it turns out, more than 20 years later, few of them ever really got around to learning, at least by conventional standards. Throughout its career, The Ex has taken the form of a theatrical, performance-art vehicle; a blistering noise act; a translator of incendiary, ethnic protest music from around the globe; and a jazz-punk hybrid collaborating with luminaries such as the late cellist Tom Cora.

Back before all that, they were a percussive, non-conformist punk outfit banging out a seemingly endless string of small-run singles and EPs. Singles. Period. hopes to document several chapters of the band's attenuated history with a 23-track syllabus and a handy set of Cliff Notes from the folks at Touch And Go Records, who have served as the band's American hosts since the early 90s. Fans of slightly outdated, strikingly specific songs about Apartheid, guerrilla fighters in El Salvador, the evils of Reaganomics, the labor struggle, cultural homogeny and—of course—the music industry are likely to find a sympathetic racket here, though if you're not already a fan of punk music, The Ex's early days are not likely to make you a convert.

Lyrics like "Guerrilla war is not for fun, the only way to get things done" are imbued with a certain blunt simplicity. It's almost refreshing compared to the glut of obsessively careerist emo bands of today whose lyrics read like diary entries from Clove-smoking would-be high school bohos. Musically, The Ex's early brand of aggro punk is short on colleagues. Like its peers of the day (Chumbawumba, the Mekons, Dog Faced Hermans), the group evolved over time, incorporating elements of jazz, world music and free-form experimental noise. Over the course of 23 songs, it's interesting to see a band grow and age, both as people and as musicians. Perhaps most valuable is the example The Ex lends in dark times when one has to ask, "Where have all the musicians gone?" Here is a discontent that develops an aim and a focus, rather than a self-destructive flare out. At times this is captured better than others, musically, though The Ex is rarely short on passion.

If you're new to the game, Singles. Period. is a good place to start. And much easier to find than the original EPs collected herein. OK, so, now back to that Banner 12"...