Autocrat 7" (1985)

txe

Both of these songs are on Echelons. As far I know, this was the first release from For Against and is no longer available. If I ever a source for it, I'll post its location on my For Against site.

Echelons Letterpress edition (1987)

ipr94

First LP from this great Nebraska post-pop band. We made a limited letterpress edition with beautiful, die cut folder and comes with a sprig of wheat. This edition was nominated for a Grammy Award for best album package in 1987. Numbered edition of 1000.

LP

$10.00

(11)

(ltd. stock)

Echelons (1986)

ipr94

Normal offset edition of the same record. Cassette has letterpress card insert.

cassette	$4.00	(03)
LP	$6.00	(09)	(ltd. stock)

trou

All through Echelons, the echoes sound of guitarist Harry Dingman arouses a berserk fireworks show careening like a thousand power drills. Pin it to the non-stop rhythm section and Runnings' boyishly sweet catchy pop voice, and For Against are a waterfall of sound. When the tempo slows down, they draw you in like a hypnotist, as on the tantalizing six-minute closer, "Broke My Back."

txe

Less polished than their later albums, this still has some killer moments and catchy tunes. Jack Rabid gave it his #4 pick in Big Takeover #23. I'm anxious for the band to finally re-release this on CD. I've made myself a personal-use-only CD of it, along with In the Marshes, and the sound quality is decent, but it'd be nice to see an official release as well, with liner notes and an actual distribution.

In The Marshes ARCHIVE SERIES (1986)

ipr94

The first release in the IPR Archive Series features six songs recorded between their two LPs and not otherwise available. Dreamy, melodic, intense, and definitely in the mood of 4.A.D. stuff. Numbered letterpress edition of 2500 copies in our special die-cut sleeve.

10" EP	$9.00	(06)
Colored vinyl version	$12.00	(06)	(ltd. stock)

trou

A 10-inch artifact of 1986 demos. Predating both albums [Does it? -- Trav], these six tracks bear little relation to their manic pop thrill (especially with Hill supplanted by a no-frills drum machine). Attempting a 4AD-style chamber atmosphere, For Against succeeds only twice, on the bitter "Purgatory Salesman" and the spindly "Amnesia."

txe

Definitely an atypical release; this is dreamy synth-pop with a drum machine. It's not bad, and after repeated listens might even be a little more listenable than Echelons. To offer a counter to the Trouser Press review, the two songs off of it I like most are "Amen Yves" and "Fate." Jack Rabid gave it his #38 pick in Big Takeover #29. Definitely worth checking out. There's been talk off and on about re-releasing this on CD with Echelons.

December (1988)

ipr94

Second album sports a cleaner sound, hooks & melodies galore. What more could you want? The only remaining vinyl copies of the LP are unused promotional copies. Offered here at a reduced price.

LP marked for promo	$4.00	(08)
CD	$10.00	(04)	(ltd. stock)

trou

December is a stunner, a high-water mark from UK-inspired American music. Dingman pull sout all the stops for a neo-psychedelic spiderweb of sound. Runnings' bass lines are also more forceful, well supported by Hill's Steward Copeland-on-speed bashing, a pulsing drive marked by rapid cymbol rolls and floor tom flourishes. There's greater scope, too, from the slow doorbell chime of "The Effect," the moody, emotional collapse of the title track and the brave despair of "The Last Laugh" to the exciting arousal of "Clandestine High Holy" and "Stranded in Greenland." A remarkable and ambitious effort.

txe

This is a fantastic album, full of deliciously icy vocals, blizzards of swirling, shimmering guitars, and crystalline rhythms, all coming together to form a perfect snapshot of the beauty of winter. Jack Rabid gave it his #1 pick in Big Takeover #25. Jack's advice: "If you only buy one LP this year on my recommendation, make it this one. It's too great for me to say how incredible it is, I hope you see for yourself."

RealAudio sample: Stranded in Greenland

You Only Live Twice (1993)

ipr94

Limited edition single release on New York's Part-Trance Records documents two songs from the reformed FOR AGAINST. With Jeffrey Runnings the only remaining member, these two songs show a strong continuation of this Nebraska post-pop band. A bit more jangly and catchy, this could easily be found on Creation Records.

7" single

$3.50

(03)

(ltd. stock)

txe

Both of these songs are on Aperture. This was the first release with the new lineup (Dingman and Hill left after December). Jack Rabid gave this his #9 pick in Big Takeover #31.

Don't Do Me Any Favors EP (1993)

ipr94

Three songs that escape a description of just how good they are,. Just the most wonderful pop music this side of the big water, Jeffrey Runnings explores themes of personal emotions and questions the big label status quo. Intelligent, thoughtful, and a pure pleasure. Three-color letterpress edition of 1500 copies.

7" single

$3.75

(03)

txe

All three of these songs are on Aperture. They are all really good! IPR calls this an EP, so maybe these are extended versions of the songs, but I wouldn't bet on it.

RealAudio sample: Don't Do Me Any Favors

Aperture (1993)

ipr94

Long-awaited third album from this Lincoln, Nebraska band. Brilliant guitar pop of the finest order, described by Jack Rabid in Rockpool as "chiming guitars weaving pure pop perfection." Finest full-length release of the summer. Because IPR was involved with this release only in the final stages of production (it's a co-release with Rainbow Quartz Records, run by FOR AGAINST's manager) it is presently only available in CD format.

CD

$12.50

(04)

trou

Aperture doesn't forgo the effects-laden, atmospheric, guitar-dominated pop that distinguished the band's prior work, but uses that sound in a more mature way, supporting the riffs rather than stealing the show. With Runnings making a switch to guitar, he helps [Steve] Hinrichs' low-key shimmer, warmer tones and a glimmering, troubling tease/tickle replace Dingman's soloist blitz. The resultant mood suits Runnings' lyrics of loneliness ("Today Today" is as forlorn and heart-broken - downright glum - as alternarock gets), longing, cheated desire, frustration, and cynicism - all of it belied by his sweet, boyish voice. It's not easy to make melancholy sparkle so, but Aperture is absolutely touching.

txe

Not so much an album as a collection of singles and b-sides; many of the songs have abrupt intros (almost as if the engineer tried to reduce the length of the album by fast-forwarding to the vocals) and a rushed relentlessness that, though sometimes fatiguing, often works perfectly, yielding some of the band's greatest songs. Aperture earned Jack's #4 pick in Big Takeover #34.

RealAudio sample: Don't Do Me Any Favors

Mason's California Lunchroom (1995)

trou

With Aperture's bassist gone, Runnings returned to his original instrument. Otherwise, Mason's California Lunchroom doesn't so much change the formula as toughen it, with faster tempos and a harder edge. On the gasket-blowing "Tagalong" and "Coursing," Engelhard's lightning-quick blasting around the toms adds chops and spark, while Hinrichs employs distortion and flangers. The poignantly fragile "Hindsight" returns the group to more familiar realms of regret and sorrow, an emotional onslought held together by the penetrating melody and Runnings' harrowing sincerity. Spellbinding.

txe

Despite the down-to-earth title and terse song names, this album tends to wander and linger in delicious otherworldly excursions ranging from the post-punk "Tagalong" and "Vista" to the tenderly contemplative "blow". Though it sometimes lacks the incessant focus and energy of the band's earlier offerings (imagine sparkling slopes of sugar), it enrichens the band's sound via experimentation and a greater underlying maturity (thick, woodsy maple syrup). Jack gave it his #2 pick in Big Takeover #37.

RealAudio sample: Tagalong

Shelf Life (1997)

txe

It's a lot mellower than the previous albums (and I'm not a big mellow music fan), and the last two songs are covers, but there's something irresistable about the ultra-smooth vocals and guitars; I can't stop playing this album!!! For an in depth review, check out Randy's Review on the For Against web site (listed below). Jack gave it his #3 pick in Big Takeover #40.

RealAudio sample: Lilacs

Pendulum ARCHIVE SERIES with bonus 7" (1990)

ipr94

The seventh IPR Archive Series release is a full 38 minutes spanning the length of this under-appreciated LA. band. Featuring all previously-unreleased recordings, it begins with the early JOY DIVISION meets GANG OF FOUR workouts with Tom Dolan on guitar & vocals (sounding a lot like DECEPTION BAY on some tracks!) through their beautiful instrumentals and into the later period recordings with Beth Thompson (now of MEDICINE) on guitar and vocals. Recorded at Biff Sanders' (now of ETHYL MEATPLOW) Motiv studios between 1984-1989, this is a fine document of one of L.A.'s most interesting bands of the period. Numbered edition of 1500 copies in letterpressed sleeve.

10" LP w/ 7" single	$11.00	(08)
Colored vinyl version	$13.00	(08)	(ltd. stock)

txe

Cool stuff; I like it. It's pretty, powerful, and repetitive. Though there are vocals, I regard it as instrumental music. If I had to describe it as a melding of styles, then I'd say Thin White Rope meets The Fall meets Shriekback.

Self-titled LP (1985)

ipr94

One of the best mid-eighties postpunk bands L.A. had to offer. This is not often unlike a more tribal early JOY DIVISION. Excellent energy.

LP	$4.00	(08)
Cassette	$3.50	(03)

txe

This has a tighter focus than that material on Pendulum. It's even catchier and more polished. The songs all flow together, making them hard to regard separately, but the sound is cool enough so that I don't really want songs to end. Excellent.

Fill The Sky (1986)

ipr94

The excellent first album by this under-rated L.A. band. More great music akin to their Self-titled LP.

LP

$6.00

(08)

txe

A little more experimental, ambitious, and varied than their former work. It's also more electronic and less smoothly relentless than before. I personally prefer the eponymous LP. "Apologize" is a killer, though, and "Dream" is a nice remake of "Original Dream."

Shimmer EP (c. 1989)

ipr94

Later material with vocals by Beth Thompson, now in MEDICINE. A nice, five song 12", with the material a bit poppier than the earlier stuff. Back in stock now at a good price.

EP

$5.00

(08)

On The Other Hand (1989)

ipr94

Last studio album and perhaps their most accomplished and accessible LP. It comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve, and at a good price, too!

LP	$6.00	(09)
CD	$9.00	(04)

txe

Fourwaycross at their poppiest, with vocals by Beth Thompson. "Allison," "Shimmer," and "Nip & Tuck" are infectious. An enjoyable, long album, and it's on CD!