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RELEASES:




$12 ppd (within USA*)
GIANT HAYSTACKS/YOUNG OFFENDERS Split 12" LP (625 Not So Fast):
As Tim from the Young Offenders said in their MRR interview, "it's a split with a mate's band, it's a mate's label that's putting it out, and it's only our mates that will buy it".



$5 ppd (within USA*)
"All Back To Mine/The Scar That Will Never Heal" (Art Of The Underground Singles Series). Limited to 250, subscription only. Two unreleased GH dancefloor burners. You need this and there ain't many places where you can get it. We've got a bunch left. Instant collectible bargain price: $5 ppd.




$5 ppd (within USA*)
GIANT HAYSTACKS/OUTNAUTS Split EP (Snuffy Smiles, Japan): We do one original and one cover by the Diagram Brothers. Outnauts play quirky hardcore with great guitar leads. This record is $5 ppd.
"GIANT HAYSTACKS / THE OUTNAUTS: Split: 7" If Giant Haystacks were based out of London, they'd have been on the cover of the NME by now. Or at least been a single of the week. People toss around the Minutemen thing with them a lot, which is somewhat true, but I think they also fit in with a lot of the arty, angular pretty sweet rock that has been coming out of England in the last few years. If you toss in some Jam and/or Gang of Four with that Minutemen comparison you've got something closer to the truth about their sound. I fell a little out of love with these guys over the "A Rebirth of Our City" song on their 7" of the same name. Living in Oakland myself I didn't exactly agree with some of the sentiments that I perceived were in the song. It sort of weighs on my mind when I think of them now. Anyway I get all sensitive some times about Oakland and what people think may be wrong or right for the city. Blah, blah, blah, East Bay politics. They're still a good band and good people. The Outnauts from Japan back this thing up with some spastic feedback-peppered punk that youÕd be paying $100 a 7" or 8" flexi for if it had come out in '85. Quite nice. - Steveo (Snuffy Smiles)" (RAZORCAKE)



$4.50 ppd (within USA)*
Giant Haystacks/This Is My Fist split 7" EP (625 Not So Fast/Art Of The Underground, 2007)
Two songs from each band. This was recorded a long time ago and is finally being released.
According to the 625 Website:
Energetic-angst from two of the Bay Area's best. TIMF kick down more of their catchy anthemic punk while GIANT HAYSTACKS offer up of their expression of politically driven anger. This is a testament to the vitality of the current Bay Area punk scene.




FCC Violations Cassette Tape (Bakersfield 2006)
Two radio sets, plus unreleased cover versions and an improvised collaboration with Jer Reid (Dawson/Pool Cleaner).
"Giant Haystacks are one of the Bay Area's finest bands, and this cassette tape, called FCC Violations, compiles two radio appearances, one from May 2005 and one from March 2006 (with new bassist Alan, formerly of Your Mother). This band has only gotten better and better, mixing excellent, thoughtful lyrics and art with sometimes somber and sometimes playful (post-)punk. The song "Young Shavers" always gives me chills when they play it live, and their newer stuff is among their best and most catchy yet. The opening song, a noisy instrumental jam featuring guitarist Jer Reid reminds me a lot of The Ex, who Giant Haystacks usually only call to mind peripherally. Anyway, I really love this band, and this tape is no exception, but act fast 'cause there are only a hundred copies out there." (Golnar) MAXIMUMROCKNROLL #282

Limited to 100. It's $5.50 postpaid from punxonly.com. Paypal to punxonly@gmail.com.


A Rebirth Of Our City 3-song 7" EP (Pizza Pizza Records, 2006)
Track listing:
  • A Rebirth Of Our City
  • After The Strike mp3 (from Littletype)
  • All Night Garage
"One good release after another for Giant Haystacks. The latest is a three song EP featuring their sharp sound. Strong musicianship without any sense of pretentiousness and good melodies and two of the three songs make observations about their city - the clash of cultures between the gentrifiers and those still struggling. I've namechecked the influences before (M**men, G**g Of F***). Yes, it's POST PUNK, there's familiarity, but when it's this well played, this fresh-sounding, after a pile of soundalike records, it's welcome." - Al Quint, SUBURBAN VOICE

You can sample the title track by visiting our MySpace page.
We're all out of these. Try Little Type or No Idea.




Armedalite Rifles/Giant Haystacks split EP (FDH Records 2006)
Two songs from each band. Here's what MRR had to say:
"GIANT HAYSTACKS is one of my favorite local bands to see - they have this rad energy, which sounds like lame-o hippie talk but I mean it in a smashed-block-on-the-dancefloor-mod-rocker way. Like being up all night with a pile of early JAM 7"s and a bootleg video of THE MINUTEMEN. Allan's lyrics are reallly incisive and cool - it's politics with a beat; I guess an easy reference would be the first GANG OF FOUR 7" but I think they are looser than that with some BIG BOYS/MINUTEMEN style. ARMEDALITE RIFLES are from New York and are going for a late-70s mod revival/power pop sound, but they don't quite get there to these ears. I hear a definite STRIKE influence, but they are a little more straight-up pop punk than I like anyway. But this is a great 7". Totally recommended, and on clear vinyl too! (LG)"

and Razorcake:
"Giant Haystacks: Think Three Way Tie (for Last)-era Minutemen, sprinkled with Nomeansno. The initial knife-point blurts of their early work has been redirected to mid-paced, heart-felt, believable punk funk. That said; it didn't initially grab me as hard as the earlier material, but I have a feeling this'll grow on me. Armedalite Rifles: Reminds me of political and introspective, rough-hewn punk (pop and otherwise) of the '90s (Strawman, bits of Swiz, traces of Jawbreaker, the two songs of Fifteen that I can listen to until the self-righteousness chokes me). I rarely say this because I'm no sucker for fidelity, but their songs sound too hot, and I think these guys would totally benefit from clearer recording so their intricacies aren't lost. ­Todd Taylor"

You can sample tracks on the bands' MySpace pages: Armedalite Rifles - Giant Haystacks
Go to the FDH Records page to buy.



$11.00 ppd (within USA)*
LP is sold out. Buy the CD:

Click here to sample all tracks and download from iTunes
Blunt Instrument (Mistake Records 2005)
12-song CD/LP from Giant Haystacks on our own label, Mistake Records. (MIS 004)

Recorded in two days at San Francisco's Louder Studios by Phil Manley of Trans Am and The Fucking Champs.
  • New Position
  • Closing Time Scene
  • Question Time
  • Cost/Benefit Analysis
  • Election Day
  • Winston Is A Grass
The reviews are starting to come in:
"intricate, tight, quirky, and memorable tunes, incredible musicianship (without sounding show-offy), and vocals that are subtle, friendly, and serious all at once (could it be the Scottish accent?)." - Maximumrocknroll #265/June 2005

"Where the early stuff just ran for the finish line, Blunt Instrument takes its time and fleshes out some really great melodies... Best record I've heard so far this year." - Razorcake #26

"terse, disjointed punk(...) addressing the frustrations arising from life's ongoing, machine-like routines." - Big Takeover #56

"another bag of top tunes, all hitting a blistering chorus once and once only before moving on at haste to the next hook... instrumentation that would sandblast the sharp edges off supposed 'angular' acts... a must-have album for young punks and old alt-rockers." - Is This Music? #16

"Mixing the unstoppable flop motion of early Burma with the vocal angularity of mid-period minutemen, this SF trio turns guns into butter with the best of 'em" - Arthur #17





SmartGuy order page

Click here to sample all tracks and download from iTunes
We Are Being Observed 14-song CD on SmartGuy Records. smart 016CD(2004)/Limited vinyl version: MIS005/smart 016LP (2007)
  • The War At Home
  • The Process
  • Crucial Gap
  • Town Of Stone
  • Are We Safe Yet?
  • People Disappear
  • The Place Without Roads
  • Eerie Canal
  • Keep Your Head Down
  • Words In Vain
  • I've Had Enough
  • A Different Fish
  • John Ray Leonard
  • Cancel My Subscription
"the confident flexing of three guys who've nailed smart, complex songs without wanking off. Excellent stuff and highly recommended." - Razorcake

"Brief, jangly, and exciting post-punk" - Horizontal Action

"totally catchy and propulsive" - Maximumrocknroll

UPDATE: Reissued in April 2007 on clear vinyl. Limited to 200 copies.




SOLD OUT
How We Lost The War 4-song 7" EP. (As heard on John Peel!)
Track listing: How We Lost The War full length mp3 (1.6MB); The Pigs Vs. The Kids; Hard Wired; I've Never Been So Scared
"...the tense, choppy punctuation of political UK art bands from Gang Of Four to Red Monkey... imaginative and urgent... A stand out debut EP." - Maximumrocknroll #239

"Riff nabbers! The Jam and/or Gang of Four should be taking immediate legal action for this case of British post-punk thievery..." - HeartattaCk #38

"...the title track here is incredible... strong Minutemen influence with strong instrumentation and sung vocals" - Suburban Voice #46

"...like a mod version of The Punch Line era Minutemen" - Razorcake #16

Note: This is a seven inch vinyl record, not a CD.





***SOLD OUT***
Come On Wee Man 9-song CD. Recorded live on the air at KZSU Stanford. Includes lyrics and a story by Daniel.
Track listing:
  • The Crucial Gap
  • How We Lost The War
  • The Process
  • Eerie Canal
  • I've Had Enough
  • Are We Safe Yet?
  • The War At Home
  • Keep Your Head Down
  • Song For Ross




*** SOLD OUT ***
At Last... The lifestyle you've earned 6-song CD and zine. Contains art, stories, lyrics, and more.
Track listing:
  • Song For Ross
  • The Biggest Mistake
  • 1978
  • Solo Project
  • Couch Song
  • The Occupation
"Jabbing/scraping guitar and a propulsive rhythm... Minutemen and Mission of Burma..." - Suburban Voice #46

#1 on the KZSU "Heavy Shit" Airplay Chart for the week ending 1/25/04 (#8 in the regular chart)!
Read complete reviews here.

Available from Giant Haystacks c/o Allan McNaughton, PO Box 22971, Oakland, CA 94609
Make checks/money orders out to Allan McNaughton, not Giant Haystacks, Thanks.
*US only. Overseas orders: Canada/Mexico: Add $2 per item. Rest Of World Airmail add $6 for the first item and $2 for each successive item. Email for Paypal instructions.

MUSIC:

Click here to listen to a 12-song live set recorded at WFMU on May 21st 2005.

Click here to listen to our set from KALX Live! on March 4th 2006.

Sample tracks:
How We Lost The War from How We Lost The War
Catatonic State from Blunt Instrument
New Position from Blunt Instrument

There are some other songs available for download on our Myspace page 		VIDEO:

Our last show, on YouTube. Thrillhouse Records, April 27th 2007. Also on the bill were The Vicious (from Sweden), Young Offenders, and Surrender. Earlier that night we played across Mission Street at The Knockout with The Vicious and Signal Lost. It was a fun (if hectic) night and a fitting end to our band's existence. Hopefully not too many people got turned away at the door to Thrillhouse's back alley entrance.

Live at Munoz Gym, Bakersfield Part 1; Part 2. This show was with Bakersfield locals Loser Life (the beginning of an enduring friendship) and Pittsburgh's Brain Handle. I think it was a Sunday night although it might have been a Monday. Pretty subdued crowd. I'd heard that shows at Munoz could get a bit rowdy, with folk getting in the ring with the band, but I guess we just didn't get the kids worked up enough.

How We Lost The War at the Port Lite, Oakland, August 30th 2002.
Video shot by T. Ripod.
This was our third ever gig. I don't remember much about it except that Daniel was wearing sandals and had also met Jackson Browne that day at Subway Guitars. He invited Jackson to the show but he didn't turn up.

The War At Home at Headline Records, LA, February 9th 2003.
Video shot by Sam Whiting III.
This was on day two of our first trip to LA. The first show was an all-day hardcore fest headlined by the amazing Breakfast (from Japan). This show at Headline was with Shank (from Glasgow) and Knife Fight.

Are We Safe Yet? at The Clinic, SF, July 16th 2004.
Video shot by Cole Krippene.
This place should have kept doing shows. This was the second last gig for Stockholm Syndrom (feat. Young Offenders' Timmy Brooks on vox). No Hope For The Kids and Death Token also played.

Quicktime required. Apologies for Apple's hokey background images.

GIANT HAYSTACKS | PO BOX 22971 | OAKLAND, CA 94609 | INFO@GIANTHAYSTACKS.COM

All contents Copyright © Giant Haystacks 2002-2004.

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