This is a nice little 7". I've been listening to The Ex since Shellac had them play at their All Tomorrow's Parties in 2012; they've been going forever and have released so many albums I've barely scratched the surface in my listening. The 30 compilation (celebrating the 30 years they've been together, including a list of every show they've played!) showed many sides of them, and is well worth a listen.
I bought this record on something of a whim - Norman Records had one of their massive online clearance sales and this was amongst the records I decided to pick up. I think it was a Record Store Day release, but I wasn't aware of it at the time. I probably would have bought it for a much higher price had I seen it on the list. I'm never going to have a huge collection of The Ex's records - there are more than I care to count and they're a nightmare to search on eBay - but I buy what I find when I find it. I've drifted away from buying 7" singles in recent years - I never play them enough and when I do it's a bit of a chore, but releases like this one are why they're worth picking up sometimes.
Here, The Ex join forces with an Ethiopian band called Fendika. They've played with a variety of musicians from far-flung parts of the world before, so it's very much in character. The best part of it is that no matter what music they mix their particular style of punk with, it works; given that these songs aren't written by The Ex, they have their very distinctive sound to them ("written" in the traditional sense - I'm sure there's a huge influence in the particular arrangements). Lale Guma is based on an Ethiopian war cry and features an instrument that sounds a bit like violin but almost certainly isn't. The riff is fun. Addis Hum is a bit more chuggy, but the way the vocals mix is perfect.
I'm glad I picked this record up - I doubt it's considered essential amongst fans of the band, but it's nice to hear something a bit different - I strongly suspect there are no other records in my collection (currently) that feature any Ethiopian musicians, let alone a war cry.
Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3.50 new
Bought: Norman Records
When: 29/03/16
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: None
