This is it.

This is a bunch of stuff that I wouldve gotten around to posting. I am taking a break from the computer for a bit. Of course I will still be on, but mostly just to bullshit and see whats new. Mostly I just have a bunch of things I really need to do. I'm getting a new dog tomorrow, and on top of that it being summer, and, importantly, I need to absorb a good deal of the stuff I have picked up over the past few months. It has been a fever pitch of music frenzy.

Alot of this stuff is in conjunction with the mid 90's hardcore posts we've been getting into lately, and this is most of what I have left from that era. I am sure there is more, and there are one or two things I'll probably post here or there, but this is the majority.

Also, I can't find good artwork for most of these, so we're getting down to bare bones here. If anyone has some decent artwork they can provide that would be cool.

Downcast - LP (1991)
The LP was kind of a let down after the ferocious debut 7". But most of the problem lies with the second half of the album, as the first half is pretty strong. There is a bit more metal and even the songs that dont work as well have some pretty awesome parts which make this still a worthy effort.

Union of Uranus - To This Bearer of Truth
I'd say if Orchid were influenced by one band it mustve been UoU. Their style of screamo seems to be the beginning of the frantic, almost grind like screamo of the northeast. UoU were from Ottawa Canada and shared the scene with fellow label mates Shotmaker whom they also share some similarities. This might be the whole discography, but I am not certain. They were an even more elusive band than Shotmaker.

Frail - Make Your Own Noise
PA hardcore that was also ont he beginning edge of scream-your-head-off emo style. They had a nice chaotic style, but could still lock down into a sick groove. A bunch of skinny kids on stage, ripping shit up, getting frantic with their guitars. Good stuff. They had some stuff on Yuletide as well as Bloodlink and a song on the Ebullition come Some Ideas Are Poisonous.

Guyver-One - 7"
Super frantic early screamo from none other than San Diego. Very similar to Swing Kids, Antioch Arrow, Clikatat Ikatowi and Heroin (theres gotta be something in the water there). The funny thing about this record is the Grandmaster Flash and Sugar Hill Gang records playing in the background of the recording... Very similar to the Indian Summer song Angry Son, with the Bessie Smith record playing... Funny, and then the band cuts your entrails out with a swift razor sharp blast and youre not laughing anymore.... until the next break when you can hear more old school hip-hop. Yay.

Native Nod - Today Puberty, Tomorrow The World
They are a personal favorite of mine. Native Nod is Chris Leo, Ted Leos brother. They are another band with a slinty spidey sense of when to ratchet up the tension. Leo's lyrics are mostly spoken word until he begins to explode from the neck up. Back to Mimsey from the Bread 7" is one of my favorite songs from this era. It would go on a "Best of Mid-90's Hardcore That Isnt Syracuse Hardline, Old School or NYHC" list. Tangled is also a classic emo track. This is their disco.

Assfactor 4 - s/t LP
Wonderfully fast and to the point hardcore punk from Georgia. Assfactor 4 are somewhere closer to Los Crudos in style. Shorty fiery blasts with screechy vocals.

Julia - Unknown Bloodlink records album
Julia had a member of Unbroken, who were nothing at all like them. Julia was more like Portraits of Past. One of the first bands to add a decent amount of post-rock in to this style of hardcore, paving the way for bands like A Day in Black and White and City of Caterpilar. They also share a fair amount of influence from mid 80's DC sounds.

Merel - Discography
Another originator of the scream your head off style, but with far more driving power than the blinding frenzy of much of ehat is considered emo hardcore. Quite a bit more force and power too, yet still retaining a good balance of melody and experimentation.

Mohinder - Discography
Pre-Indian Summer band. A little more frenzy than the subdued approach of Indian Summer though.

Ordination of Aaron - Discography
Can you tell I'm losing steam. More good emo for dat ass.

Policy of Three - Discography (Disc 1)

Policy of Three - Discography (Disc 2)
likewise... alot of this stuff shares components of the DC scene, whether from the revolution summer stuff to the early 90's discordant stuff. DC really helped form the face of hardcore, and its ripples can be felt through most of the bands on this list.

Current - Discography
Definitely for Current. They even did a cover of Embrace for the Land of Greed comp. (You can find that in the first three or four posts in the archives.. Its the whole Embrace album covered by hardcore band. Some really good bands and really good covers...) Current has a lot of sound in common with both Rites of Spring and Embrace, yet still have a more discordant punk sound that sets them apart from being just clones. The Coliseum album was pretty good, and this is the whole Disco...

Spitboy - True Self Revealed
Spitboy is great punk hardcore from Ebullition. Sometimes it reminds me of Econochrist, but there is a bit more actual singing, some of which sounds like Jello Biafra. It gives a much more punk edge ala Dead Kennedys of course, and even has some Black Flag in its blood.

Orchid - Chaos Is Me
Orchid are about the craziest you can get with the fall-on-the-floor style of screamo. It heavily toes the line of Grind, yet also has a dynamic influence from UoU . Most of it is skittering and top-speed. They manage to weave a great deal of emotion into these short songs and leave you and themselves completely exhausted. It is also easy to see why they are such a divisive point for hardcore. They can be too much at times, but they also can scalp you with a shitty recording and leave you wanting more. "How do they do that?" its all about the delivery man. These guys are no slouches either. Half the band went to Brooklyn and started Panthers, (ahem whoo kinda suck) and the others went on to try to destroy screamo all together in Bucket Full of Teeth (look in the archive), perfect political hardcore punk in Wolves, try to one-up their previous work in Ampere and also find time to experiment with a more Boston style (meaning early Hydra Head / Converge) in Transistor Transistor. I am sure these guys will never tire of trying to chop peoples heads off with sound.