From the frayed edges of sounds that once hummed and the lingering ghost of forgotten amplifier feedback & the unanswered answering machine message echo, Glands of External Secretion return with their most different album until the next one. "Baboon and Chest" is a four-pronged stumble through the usual-yet-unusual and weird-yet-no-weird delightful auditory wreckage. This "collection" stitches together echoes across time, from 1987 to 2025 and from San Francisco and Long Beach then to Edinburgh and back again.

Side A cracks open with "One Of The Decorator's FAQs Was A Twined-Together Mix Of Doubt And Dread", a sprawling sound-tangle recalling the dense textures of their "Neck Pillow" album. Here, Glands' recordings from Scotland with Ali Robertson and Malcy Duff (of the now-defunct but legendary USURPER) knot together with (more) recordings from Barbara's and Seymour's house(s), and soundchecks from various other live gigs around some globe. Following this, "George Lazenby" offers a concise transmission, originally beamed into Neil Jendon’s "One Electronic Sound For Five Minutes" podcast – a fleeting yet potent auditory jab, on her majesty's secret service. Side B reveals "You Haven't Seen Me Without My Teeth", a brand new sound collage promising further deconstruction and reassembly, hinting at unseen architectures within the noise. Finally, Baboon erupts with the untamed energy of the closing "Wank Theme Song". Salvaged from a mid-to-late 1980s San Francisco one-off live improv free-for-all featuring approximately fifteen players, this lo-fi document captures a glorious caterwaul of unfettered aural exploration in the likes of "At The North Pole, Easter Day, 1982" or "A Real Nice Clambake" by Bren't Lewiis Ensemble.

"Baboon and Chest" is conjured by the core duo of Barbara Manning (voice, guitar, music boxes, objects) and Seymour Glass (loops, objects, field recordings, electronics, organ, appropriated and recycled sound, voice), alongside sonic accomplices including Tom Lax (voice, spatula, tongs, knives), Ali Robertson (voice, objects, tapes, trumpet), Malcy Duff (pictures and sounds), Firas Khnaisser (objects), Buck Campbell (bass), and Dan Vallor (effects). The visual realm is shaped by a front cover drawing from the singular mind of Malcy Duff.

This release marks the third BUFMS-related offering on Coherent States, continuing our dedication to the enduring reverberations of the Butte County Free Music Society and its vibrant ecosystem of sound adventurers. "Baboon and Chest" embodies the persistent spirit of experimental audio, a journey through sonic debris steered by the unique vision of Glands of External Secretion.

Glands of External Secretion began on February 8, 1992, when Barbara Manning was recording tracks for a solo single to be released by the Majora label, and summoned Bananafish writer/editor Seymour Glass for assistance pushing the record button.