When My Blue Moon Turns Black

When My Blue Moon Turns Red Again may just be the definitive statement and expression of the Bassholes' fuzzy-boundaried dilemma of blues, punk, noise, and avant-garde rhythm rock. Landing as it does on the hells of the obtuse, experimental subterranean howl of an album Longway Blues, it'd be hard to think that the Bassholes didn't use that album as an exercise in honing their core out-rock, rock-out sound. On its own, this is a double LP of their trademark wail. Singer/guitarist Don Howland barely keeps up with the slinky, demanding freestyle blues improv drumming of Bim Thomas, but they lock into one another and can clearly read their own idiosyncratic roadmap. The LP is best either taken in small doses or consumed complemented by a six of Budweiser. It's a refreshingly bleak affair. Howland does have a knack for getting at the emotional core of the blues while offering just enough of the style's formal trappings to make you believe that he may just be rocking out. That's why the cover of Joy Division's "Interzone" is utterly perfect here. It's bleak emotional landscape and deceptively simple tune is the perfect canvas for Howland's red-blooded, deep cover blues subterfuge.