Bitch Magnet were the band that Sooyoung Park lead until he started Seam and they are one of those bands that defined the post hardcore college sound like Squirrel Bait and later Slint. I remember this sitting in my local record store a few years after its release and for some reason I never picked it up so although I own every Seam, Polvo, Squirrel Bait and Slint record, the sounds of Bitch Magnet were lost on me until now. Temporary Residence has had the good sense to release a compilation called Bitch Magnet which encapsulates all of their recorded output which includes their albums Umber, Ben Hur and Star Booty as well as some extra tracks. I picked it up on the Temporary Residence website for like $15.00 which is insane for such a greatly packaged set of essential eighties hardcore. Bitch Magnet were a bit more easily digestible than Squirrel Bait and the math rock strangeness of Polvo and Slint. Park always had a pop sensibility to his music and Bitch Magnet are almost like the missing link between Big Black and Seam. I cannot recommend this highly enough. If you like any of those other bands I’ve mentioned then you are going to love this.
Ducks Battle Satan 