Das Damen — 1986: Keeps Me Wild
Qobuz reissue/archival release review (Sept. 2023)
In the weird and wonderful era of the mid-to-late ’80s, as “college rock” was morphing into “alternative rock”–well before the Nevermind big bang and its after-effects–off-kilter rock bands on indie labels made their bones by making interesting records and then touring those records through clubs and small venues until the wheels fell off their Econoline van. And on that touring circuit, there were three bands that were infamous for delivering shows that were so loud that they could literally take your breath away: Dinosaur Jr., obviously; the Flaming Lips, perhaps surprisingly to fans of their glitter-and-body-bubble era; and Das Damen, who turned their acid rock influences into volume-induced hallucinations, and whose exceptional body of work has largely been neglected by history.
Hailing from New York City, Das Damen (name sounds like: scary metal band; name means, in German: “the ladies”) was championed early on by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, who was not just a band friend, but also released their debut EP on his Ecstatic Peace label in 1986 and would help get them signed to SST for their two follow-up albums. That EP is the basis of 1986: Keeps Me Wild, which also includes a clutch of additional material. Head straight for “Slave Bird,” the chorus of which provides the reissue its new title, as that number is a great demonstration of everything the band was going for — multi-part arrangement, overdriven guitars, raucous chorus, noisy breakdowns — but also their shortcomings at the time: wobbly vocals, a less-than-cohesive execution, and thin production that failed to give these songs the impact they were designed to make. While this reissue definitely improves on the original’s fidelity, these recordings still pale somewhat in comparison to Das Damen’s live presence, not to mention the decidedly more well-constructed albums that would follow. Still, this was an impressive debut release, and the unique way that it’s been reissued is notable.
In addition to a well-remastered reproduction of the original five songs, there is also the sui generis inclusion of unfinished demos and alternate takes; more interesting though is the band’s decision to call in some guest musicians to assist them on reworked versions of four of the original five songs. The new takes — especially an absolutely paint-peeling version of “Trick Question,” featuring a guitar solo by Screaming Trees’ Gary Lee Conner (another act in the pantheon of late ’80s volume dealers) — are an absolute delight, providing not just improved fidelity and a bit of updated weirdness, but also a new lens through which to view these songs. Although “Slave Bird” doesn’t get a new version, the revisitation of “How Do You Measure” (featuring new vocals by Thalia Zedek, who was prowling the same NYC clubs at the time as part of Live Skull) is stunning, and bringing in the former vocalist of the Fluid (John Robinson) to sing on “Behind My Eyes” is a great shout out to another unjustly overlooked band of the era. (The cut also features Black Flag’s Dez Cadena on freakout guitar and vocals, which is as perfect as it is bizarre.) Featuring new material like this as an addendum, rather than a replacement, to a sonically improved original is an excellent way to present archival music and one hopes that this is just the beginning of a long-overdue reissue campaign by one of this scene’s best bands.
