Notes
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT VARIANT CAUSE TODAY: 'Their just-compiled album rocks some dark-and-moody carnival-goth slime, some psychobilly goo-goo muck, some proto-techno jungle drums a'la Suzi Quatro's 'Primitive Love' and a great song called 'She's A Moving Violation' that dedicates surf guitar explosions and metal screeches and trippy garage organs to someone's backfield in motion. And it all has a goofball bounce to it that would have scared most grungesters back to their heroin dens.' - Chuck Eddy, Paper Thin Walls, Sept 2006 ' . . my first impression was dead wrong. Definitely not hard rock or grunge, 'Excavating: Volume I' is instead a collection of eccentric rockers, ranging from throbbing, dance rhythm songs not unlike David Bowie's later material to hip alternative rockers that bring to mind bands like King Crimson, Blue Oyster Cult and Devo (yes, I said Devo). It's a fun and fascinating ride, with the band showcasing original songwriting and admirable musicianship while the production sounds fresh and near perfect.' --- R. Scott Bolton, RoughEdge.com Jan 2008 'While the CD sleeve is quick to remind you that these forgotten oddballs once stalked the same stages as Green River, Soundgarden, and The Melvins, Variant Cause are way more interesting than just another second-rate grunge band. In fact, if anything, the songs collected here suggest that there was a lot more to the Seattle scene in the early 90's than we ever suspected. There are some loud guitars on Excavating, but there are also funk basslines, metronomic Devo beats, Oingo Boingo keyboards, and a constant stream of nice hooks from lead singer Jan Gregor. This is amazingly cheerful music coming from a region where it rains pretty much all the time. 'In fact, between all the irreverent genre-hopping and Gregor's playfully nonsensical lyrics, you could almost dub them Seattle's answer to They Might Be Giants . . .'Bad Blood Between Us' nicely channels the Replacements. Not a single song on the compilation sounds like it's repeating another, with touches like harmonica solos and terrifically elastic, original bass playing complementing the band's plus songwriting. I very much hope that there will be a Volume 2.' - Mark T. R. Donohue, Westy Gets Mail #3 2007 'This band was part of the late-'80s Pacific Northwest music scene, rubbing shoulders with many flannel-clad faves of that era. As is often the case when a scene explodes, some worthy bands get lost in the shuffle, and Variant Cause can make a pretty compelling case that they belong with their better known brethren. 'Although this compilation showcases a driving post-punk style that shares a similarity to The Wipers, the band tried a few different things. For example, the blues harmonica breakdown in the middle of 'Push Out Your Borders' wasn't exactly trendy back in the day (or now, for that matter). I also admire the Jon Lord-esque (as in the Deep Purple guy) organ on the desperate driving rocker 'She's a Moving Violation' . . . This apparently is just the beginning, as the Cause has a lot of songs in storage. I look forward to hearing more.' - Mike Bennet, FUFKIN May 2007 'As far as most of music fandom knows (including me), the Pacific Northwest was a dead issue between the 60s garage rock explosion and the ascent of grunge in the very early 90s. (Heart's 70s superstardom was an exception, of course.) Variant Cause intends to change that perception. 'Excavating-Volume 1 is A set of 80s recordings from a band that crossbreeds the classic rock sounds it grew up with and the new wave noises proliferating in both the mainstream and the underground. Tunes like 'She's a Moving Violation,' 'Right Now She's Not' and 'Life in the Wind' sound like the love children of Thin Lizzy and Devo; shockingly, it for the most part works. Part of it's due to Jan Gregor's appealing voice, but most of it is due to the group's unerring accuracy with hooks. It's a sound full of promise, if not exactly timeless. The alb
