The Shrubs, Full Steam into the Brainstorm (12" EP)

The heavier side of the mid-'80s English underground tended to lean heavily on the Gang of Four and Nightingales as primal influences. The Shrubs were a notable exception to this trend—they borrowed overtly from the Minutemen and the Birthday Party. 1986's Full Steam into the Brainstorm is somewhat more primitive than their later full-length Take Me Aside for a Midnight Harangue, which reminds me a bit of Slovenly. It sounds a bit smaller and thinner, and the experience just feels a bit more chaotic. The splattered blue and black cover is jarring, chaotic, and powerful.