SC Distributon

The Dead C's DR503, released in 1987 (and not to be confused with the releases DR503b or DR503c, which are completely different recordings), sounded like nothing before it ? a furious pastiche of unrelenting drones, noise and menace. It didn't fit in with the other bands New Zealand's venerable Flying Nun was releasing, and it immediately staked a fork in the road, dividing the "New Zealand Pop Sound" from it's black sheep brother, "New Zealand Noise." Today, the record still sounds as vicious and vital as when it first went to vinyl, except now perhaps there will be more people ready to appreciate the innovative approach the band took some 21 years ago.

Eusa Kills is The Dead C's second album from 1989, released by Flying Nun, the arbiter of the time for all that mattered in New Zealand rock. Considered by many to be their "songs" record, the band took the abstract sounds of their time -- those being created by such luminaries as Dustdevils, This Kind Of Punishment and Dadamah, and added their own dose of ominous aggression. Sneering vocals drift over improvised melodies and unstructured rock songs. One can hear the direct influence The Dead C had on Sonic Youth at the time -- mining deep into the underbelly of music to yield a truly intense and unparalleled sound.

The "V" single, and the two songs contained therein, will be a sort of satellite of The Dead Science's next album, Villainaire, a record dealing with a very specific period of time in singer Sam Mickens' life and, more generally, in the embrace of personal nihilism and the potential psychic luxury of amorality. The A-Side, "Make Mine Marvel (Remix)" will be, in the style of R. Kelly's remix work, a completely new song, with completely new melodic and lyrical content, built on components of the original "make Mine Marvel" which will appear on Villainaire. The B-Side, "White Mane," was a song initially intended and recorded for the album, but which will be exclusively here instead. "White Mane" is, in fragmentary and impressionistic fashion, about the American film actor Robert Blake, both in his own recent life and in terms of his relationship to certain past roles.