Pitchfork

Mobilization Records, a San Francisco label specializing in California experimental 80's post-punk, has begun to advertise Savage Republic CD reissues in numerous music publications. The band's entire catalog, including their debut Tragic Figures, the underground classic Ceremonial, and their final album Customs are being offered, including a handful of bonus tracks from the band's ten-year existence. Whether or not these reissues will include the original artwork has not been made clear. With ex-guitarist Bruce Licher in charge of Independent Project Records, a company that specializes in unique album packaging, this may be a possibility.

While the future of these reissues is unclear due to the incompleteness of information offered at the Mobilization Records website, Savage Republic's past is not. The L.A. post-punk quintet formed at UCLA in the early 80's as Africa Corps, but quickly changed their name, possibly due to outraged African corpses. ("Our identity is all we have left!") Post-rock before rock met post, Savage Republic employed tribal percussion made with pipes and 55-gallon oil drums and raga-style guitar with large helpings of "world music" and proto-industrial drone. Bruce Licher went on to form the Arizona instrumental trio Scenic, which softened Savage Republic's attack with a southwestern border feel and Morricone soundtrack music. With the critical success of Scenic's last album, 1996's Aquatica, interest should be high. If so, why the shortage of information outside of the magazine ads? I guess you'll just have to ask the label.