IXNA - s/t 7" EP (1981)

Up next we have the fabulously obscure and underrated EP by San Francisco's IXNA, released in 1981 on Dumb Records, cat.# DUMB #PJ101.  IXNA was a duo of performer and vocalist Marina LaPalma and multi-instrumentalist Jay Cloidt.

I knew nothing about this record when I purchased it besides the fact it was on Dumb, home of Novak, The Survivors and Bob.  That alone was enough for me to take a chance on the purchase.  I was sufficiently rewarded.

Sound-wise, it's a great mix of minimal electronics and and DIY-strangeness with plenty of tape loops, bizarro sounds and even some scissors thrown in on Ixna Portal Exo for good measure.  Also, I believe this is the only record I've ever heard with a song sung in Esperanto.  Any comparisons I attempt to make will be extremely loose at best.  I would think that if you like Sis Q Lint (which I'll hopefully cover in a future post), Blah Blah Blah, The Stupid Set or possibly even Crawling With Tarts, you'll find plenty of things to like in this record.  I will say, the rhythm of Mi Ne Parolas reminds me a little of Buy MCCB by Geoff Leigh's Black Sheep...but that might be a bit of a stretch.  Anyway, listen for yourself and think up your own terrible, off-base comparisons.

I did a little poking around on the web and found some additional information.  (1) In a 1987 issue of How(ever) Magazine, Marina LaPalma wrote about the background of IXNA, the group's inspiration and her other projects.  Read the web-archive version here.  (2) She recorded a track for Bad Alchemy Nr 5, a German zine and tape compilation released in 1986.  Additional information can be found about this at discogs and at a discography page of Guy Klucevsek, LaPalma's collaborator on the track.  (3)  Jay Cloidt is currently a composer, musician and recording engineer and still works out of the San Francisco area.  More information about him can be found at discogs, of course, and at his website.

If anyone has any additional info on this record, the members or anything remotely related, please don't hesitate to share.

Zip includes 320kbs rip from the original vinyl and high quality scans of ALL the packaging, including the 7"x7" decal.

Enjoy.