Even knowing German won't get you much closer to understanding who 39 Clocks were. On the surface, they seem to be another arty punk group with a direct lineage from the Velvets, Suicide, No Wave, Godz, and any other canonical prankster-rock acts that are held in esteem. Yet for some reason, 39 Clocks don’t have any of the notoriety or familiarity of their contemporaries (or antecedents), even with all the appropriate trappings and characteristics of a good-old fashioned fucking-shit-up punk rock act. They came of age in the early-'80s, and their album Subnarcotic actually made some German charts, sharing space with Hüsker Dü, The Smiths, Scritti Politti, Violent Femmes, and The Jesus and Mary Chain.
There was the requisite lack of respect for authority, with tales of the members smashing windows in the streets and busting chairs at shows. There was heavy drug use. There were aliases -- the two guitarists and primary members went by CH-39 and JG-39, which is somehow derived from LSD-25. They supposedly did a show in Hannover where they played the circular saw and vacuum cleaner instead of guitars. One reviewer recalls seeing them play under the name Blitzkrieg. Their aloof non-caring attitude stood out, as did their lack of talent, thin bodies, pale skin, and black outfits.
39 Clocks ultimately fit somewhere amidst the many acts that have become revered for their crappiness. They certainly aren’t super-melodic, and the recordings on Zoned won’t get extra stars for their guitar perfection. “Rainy Night Insanities” drones on for seven minutes with a lazy, tense cuckoo-clock-beat and some insane ramblings, but it doesn’t go anywhere that you haven’t already visited with The Velvet Underground. “Dom (Electricity Elects the Rain)” starts with a Suicide organ riff and then churns along like another John Cale-styled ditty. An errant feedback noise provides some edge over Dada rants, and around 3:50 we are degenerating into pure guitar noise. Contrast that with “Psycho Beat,” which is more straightforward but still full of echoing vocals and dark tones, and you get a feel for how far 39 Clocks went. “Shake the Hippie” is possibly the happiest-sounding track on the album, yet it still feels like Budweiser and Bran Flakes in the afternoon. In contrast, “Twisted & Shouts” is as Dada and nihilistic an oldies ‘cover’ as I have ever imagined.
What makes 39 Clocks special, or at least interesting enough to warrant a seven-year retrospective done in reverse (starting with '87 and going back to '80), is that they probably should have gotten more attention, but instead reside comfortably in the utility closet of the unfurnished basement of the rock underground. That might appeal to your quest to know about some band no one else knows about. I don’t think 39 Clocks will blow any minds, but they do deserve some attention, if for no other reason than their frequently amazing song titles. “Radical Student Mob in Satin Boots.” “Art Minus Idiots.” “Rainy Night Insanities.” “New Crime Appeal.” “Shake the Hippie.” I think they had the right idea.
1. My Tears Will Drown The World
2. You Can't Count the Bombs (It's Zero)
3. Fast Cars
4. PLO
5. Rainy Night Insanities
6. Past Tense Hope & Fears On 42nd Street
7. Dom (Electricity Elects the Rain)
8. Heat of Violence
9. New Crime Appeal
10. Aspetando Godo
11. A Look Into You
12. 39 Explosion Heats
13. Psycho Beat
14. Test the Beat
15. 78 Soldier Dead
16. Shake the Hippie
17. Twisted & Shouts
18. DNS