Gifts From Enola tee

Here is the artwork I did for Gifts From Enola for their US Tour which is currently happening right now.




heres the green one... the green might be different though...

They apparently printed white on green tees, so that should look cool. It is not my most favorite drawing I have done, as I am more of an abstract artist then an illustrator, but I couldnt resist when they said they wanted an octopus or squid grabbing the sun. I wish I had had more time to work on it, as I feel I was nearing an acceptable piece of artwork, but I didnt give myself enough time to revise it, and they were leaving for tour. So, hopefully they have been selling them and people arent disgusted with my first attempt at a band t-shirt. Though I dont really think its much worse than the Explosions in the Sky shirt I bought for Lara, which has a similarly handdrawn look of a falcon with a script "Explosions in the Sky" on it...

So, go to see Gifts From Enola, do a search for my previous post on them. They will be playing here in Brooklyn this Thursday the 2nd of August with Caspian and Giants.... I am very excited for this show as both Caspian and Giants are also very good...

If your in town, come say hello, and buy a green octopus t-shirt if you like them. ^_~

I will take pics of this show. I forgot my camera for the Ampere show, so I need to make up for it... Though hardcore is a bit more photogenic than post-rock, but band pics are cool either way...

GNU BLOG! + LARRY GNU WITH THE GNUS

drawing taking from the Gaping Void

Kyle and Walt, two of my cohorts from Purevolume, have started their own blog, dedicated to hardcore of the screamy, jazzy, chaotic variety.

Believes in Patterns

They have begun with a massive post for the Ampere & Daitro tour, so if you need anything by either of these two incredible bands, please head over and say hello. The idea is similar to Zen, so any regular readers should enjoy their rants and raves.

As for the Ampere / Daitro tour...

First off, the show was free. That is always nice. I played some Skee Ball by myself ( I went to the show by myself, cuz I have no friends that like this kind of music ) learned how to get 100's at a fairly consistent rate, drank a few Stellas and ran iinto a friend I havent seen in almost 10 years! He was at the show by himself as well, so we caught up on old times. We went to school together in Vermont, and he incidentally grew up a town next to me in southern NY. (We grew up about 45 minutes from Manhatten) Needless to say, it was great running into him, and I now actually have a friend to go see shows with. Not to mention the fact that we both still love hardcore and punk as much as we did a decade ago.

Daitro ruled, they only played four songs, but they all sounded amazing. Included was the title track from their second album, and their song from the Ampere split, La Substance et la Materie. Amazing. I didnt know the other two songs as well, but they killed too..

Ampere was quite a site. They play so goddamn fast, it is almost unbelievable. Live, it almost becomes a slurry of sonic defecation, but you can pick out the tunes easy enough. They are just so shredding though. I am suprised more people werent going completely apeshit. Living up to their legacy, they played for about 15 minutes... any more and there would have been multiple coronaries. They closed with DRI's Money Stinks from the Ampere/Das Oath split and then everyone really did go apeshit, including me. It was good times.

I bought some merch:

Ampere/ Ringers split 6"
Daitro US Tour 7"
Ampere shirt, black.


yes, i'm a fucking tool

I wanted the Funeral Diner/Ampere split, but had one coming in the mail, which i received on saturday, so it worked out well...

I also just recently received the Cease Upon The Capitol EP and the LP and am still waiting for the Kidcrash LP, Jokes...

Then its time for a break. I am going to Seattle in three weeks, so I need to save some dough for whatever stuff I get into out there... oh and bills too... but I am not sure if I am gonna pay those yet. ^_~

I will post up the CUTC EP and the Kidcrash LP...

I am also gonna rip the Ampere and Daitro stuff I got at the show, but I will drop those on Believes in Patterns , so keep checking back there...

Hope everyone is well!

Peace!
Blend77

Ethel Meserve - The Milton Abandonment

Ethel Meserve - The Milton Abandonment (1997)


Ethel Meserve was one of my favorite bands in my early years of college. I can remember listening to them in my dorm room, being blown away by this debut. I worked at the college radio station and we had received this from Tree Records. From the moment I heard the opener 'East Coker', I knew this album would be special. The lyrics were poetic and the music angular and full of energy. I was instantly reminded of Knapsack, who were another favorite of mine back then. These guys never got the attention I think they deserved. They broke up way too early, with only releasing a full length and various compilation tracks. They recorded a 2nd lp which Tree Records released in 2000, two years after they disbanded.

hit me with your best shot

Hankshaw
Nothing Personal

oh hankshaw...how i love to hate you. or hate to love you...one of those. anyway, from the bowels of the same city that brought you scrog and assuck, the devil's asshole (tampa, florida), came this utterly delightful band. if you like your punk extra poppy, or your rock really peppy, you might just like hankshaw. actually, if you like your boys to sound like girls, you will like hankshaw. aside from the tight musicianship and hooky as hell music, the defining characteristic of this band is harold's singing. this isn't your typical "emo" crybaby singing or the painful scream-singing of all the other bands in this "genre," harold belts out some seriously lovely girly-ass vocals. but in a good way. there were time when people actually thought it was a girl singing. i've been at shows where people were disappointed not to see a sweet young girl take the stage. instead, it's some dude named harold! anyway, these guys were great. and i use the word "were," not only because i think they are no longer really doing much, but also because they turned into something completely differet from what these albums represent. this was their first big full length album. its catchy as hell.

download



Hankshaw
7"

a 2 song 7". i can't remember if this came out before nothing personal or after, but it features my favorite song of theirs, "maple." its a peppy little number that always reminds me of driving my car. maybe because i had it on a cassette mix that i listened to in my car alot. that could be the reason.

download



Hankshaw
Everyday I Wish You Harm EP

as the title and art suggests, you can probably figure out what this ep is all about. you definitely notice a progression in the songwriting on this thing. it gets way less punky. i really thought they were gonna hit it big with this one. doghouse was putting out some good records at this time, and it seemed like this one just got overlooked. who knows. features a wicked pat benetar cover.

download



Hankshaw
EP

so yeah, i put this record out. and it burned me. at the time i was super into the harm ep and the 7". they were random acquaintances of mine and when they were on tour with elliot, i went to go see them in nyc. i chatted with them about doing something and they were super excited about it. so we made the plan. i threw them some money to record. they eventually sent me a dat tape with the following songs, and then i never heard from them again...haha. when i listened to these songs, i'll be honest, i was disappointed. i wont say they are bad, because they are not. they are actually terrific songs, but its just not the same band i loved. it is some super dawsons creek soundtrack kinda stuff. unbeknownst to me at the time, they were going through some changes. somewhat of a crossover phase into "mainstream" or proper radio songs...who knows. i even tried to roll with it. when the cd came out, i repeatedly pleaded with them to let me put together a promo package i could send to radio and magazines and everything. but my pleas fell upon deaf ears. they just werent interested anymore. after the cd came out, i seriously never heard from them again. not a word. the only people at all interested in the cd were people from tampa. i legitamately sold maybe 200 of them and the rest i gave away. i even sent a box of 100 to ebullition and asked kent to please put them in packages he was sending out...FOR FREE! a month later i got the box back and a message from kent, "sorry." haha. amazing. i sent yet another message to the band saying i will pay all the shipping if they want the cds. i will send them the remaining 500 for them to do with what they please, i just need them out of my house! nope. never heard a word. the box still sits on my shelf. fucking hell.

download

from what i've understood. they released another album after this. i think they do movie soundtracks now. or they just mess around in the studio or something...who knows. i even think they moved to atlanta. wierd. well these records are still good anyway. i hope you enjoy.

Stop It!! - Self Made Maps (2006)

Stop It!! are a Richmond, VA band with a member or two in the fantastic newer group Brainworms. Stop It!! is less straightforward than Brainworms, opting instead for a very dark DC driven sound. At times I hear Hoover and at others Fugazi influences, but Stop It!! keep it fresh with interesting signatures and a screamy singing style, that at times resembles actual singing.

I dont have much more to write on this one.. I havent totally digested this album as of yet. It had the same serios of event as the Suis La Lune album where I felt into it then just wanted to listen to other things. But I think that has more to with a genre mood than any particular thing about this band. As of now I am fully back into this release and finding many twists and turns to keep my ears interested. It is powerful and emotive and doesnt fall into the same traps that many emo hardcore bands have the tendency to do.

Check it!

Suis La Lune - Quiet, Pull The Strings (2006)

What a wonderful album of delictae yet harsh Sweish screamo. I have been sitting on this album for a while, as it originally appealed to me, and then I found it boring, and then was drawn to it yet again, only to not be in the right mood for it. Well, coming full circle, I have been jamming this album as of late, and it is hella appealing. It has all the right parts. Screamy and spoken vocals dominate the vocal range, not unlike Native Nod or Sinaloa, and the guitars ache and shudder whilst retaining the ability to overwhelm and suffocate with cathartic beauty.

Fans of Sinaloa, La Quiete, Raein and Daitro will have no problem liking this record. If your looking for something to eviscerate, then go down to the Neil Perry, Shikari and orchid posts below.

I believe Suis La Lune mean Follow the Moon. Check me on that though. I barely speak english properly.

monochrome

monochrome - laser:view from the exterior


monochrome - ferro

so, i swear that blend posted the eclat lp by this group cause i got it from somewhere, but looking back i cant find it....anyways, heres two of their older albums, eclat is my favorite so far but these two earlier efforts are top notch also.
this is some good german post-hardcore with male and female vocals.

le shok / ink and dagger split 7"

le shok / ink and dagger split 7"

heres one i promised for metrosea, im gonna go ahead and stick it up here. le shok of course is a bunch of fuzzed out organ ridden pill-head punk rockers from the west coast, and ink and dagger is a band from philly with the curse of dave vanian on their brow. i love le shok but only recently got into ink & dagger, so if you like striped shirts, the damned, the screamers, and vampires then this is for you.

man is the.......

cyclops - second son of poseidon

ok, heres some early early pre-mitb tunes, i think this group was after pissed happy children and before charred remains which of course became man is the bastard. two cool instrumental tracks that really show the blueprint for man is the bastard. there was also a one sided 7" released, but i haven't been able to find it yet. sorry no cover either as i was unable to locate a photo of it, but you get a nice odilon redon painting.


amps for christ - circuits

on to amps for christ. this was one of the bands formed after man is the bastard splintered, the two main groups being bastard noise and amps for christ. ive decided to post the more tolerable of the two. this album is some cool noisy folk with some scottish, latin, and indian sounds to it. check it out.

...they came from atlanta...

the hal al Shedad
singles and unreleased recordings: 1995-1999

i'm back. and i thought i'd dive into some atlanta goodness. i remember there being a mention in the comments awhile back about some hal al shedad (and atlanta in general) so i thought i'd fill the need. the hal al shedad was nothing short of amazing. i will go on record to say they were probably "the best" atlanta band of the mid/late 90's. having started out in the amazing house-show scene in the mid 90's with the likes of inkwell, car vs. driver, scout, and wheeljack, these guys fit right in with the hardcorest or hardcore shows as well as with the most indie-sweater-vest-wearing college radio shows of the time. amazingly powerful live performances and amazing and talented musicians all around. (i may be a bit biased having lived and worked with them from the beginning). the band consisted of benjamin lukens, edward rawls, and james joyce (names which you will see in the next few posts as well). in family tree news, james also played drums in car vs. driver. i will probably be doing a more in depth "story" on hal on my own site, proven hollow, so watch out for that. anyway, this album is all the 7"s and unreleased tracks throughout their life. personally i find the first couple 7"s to be the best thing they did, but it is all good and all worthwhile.

download


Retconned
Unhappenings

retconned consists of jon lukens (brother of ben from above). retconned is a one man force. a man and his machine. i had the pleasure of touring europe with retconned playing the exact opposite of sold out shows. its difficult to really categorize retconned. it is part noise, part beats (part beast), and at the same time you get that wierd "DC" vibe from it...hell i don't know. i just know i like it. one of his first reviews was for the first live performance i think. the review said something to the effect of "watching retconned was like walking in on your parents having sex." brilliant. retconned has many albums out, and this is the latest. it is good. that is all. to get the rest of his albums (for free!), go to retconned(dot)com. you will not be disappointed.

download


Ultivac
s/t

ultivac was 1 part retconned, 2 parts hal al shedad. and thats exactly what it sounds like. take jon and his toys from retconned, and team them up with ben from hal on bass and james from hal on drums. i was really knocked over when i heard this. its like the best elements from both bands combined into one. that's all i can really say about it. probably one of the least known atlanta bands of the time. but yet another in a long lineage of quality from all of these guys. warning: some of these songs drive my dogs insane.

download


Amverts
...know all the right people...
demo

sometime in the late 90's/early 00's, there was a mass exodus from atlanta to nyc. (i'm sure there was also the same exodus from every other city and town in the world). but you couldn't walk anywhere in the city without seeing all the same fucking people you saw back home. anyway...wierd. so jon from retconned was in the city and his brother ben soon came. they got together with 2 other atlantians, sean greathead from wheeljack and ray sullivan (technically from athens) who was in the walt lariat. what they made was amverts. i can't say i know a great deal about amverts (i had already left nyc when they started), but i do know that it "rules" and "rocks." much more rock/punk oriented than the previous bands, with jon and ben taking turns on the vokills. anyway, if you liked hal al shedad and you liked the ultivac from above, you will like this. this was heir only output (although i think there may be a few extra songs they have hidden somewhere. i'll ask and see if i can get them.

download

well i hope you enjoyed this trip down the lesser known atlanta path. as of this writing, jon, ben and james are all back in atlanta. retconned is currently putting a new album together. james is playing drums in a new atlanta old-guys super group called sonn av krusher. and ben dabbles around with various things.

let me know if you guys are digging this stuff, there is plenty more.

Bob Tilton - The Leading Hotels of the World (1999)

Bob Tilton - The Leading Hotels of the World (1999)


Not too much to say about this band. I just discovered them recently and they go nicely with the music that we have been posting here. Very emotional lyrics together with unconventional chord progressions. There is even a trumpet. Check it out.

MONSTER X

Loved by many, hated by probably even more, Monster X was a straight edge hardcore band from Albany, New York. They mixed typical hardcore mosh guitars with grindcore and political lyrics. If ever there was a band with an appropriate name Monster X was it. Members went on to play in bands such as Limp Wrist, Devoid of Faith, and Das Oath.


MONSTER X - "Discography"
http://www.mediafire.com/?1kd0nod34e8

Toe

Songs, Ideas We Forgot (?? Unknown, Pre-2005)


The Book About My Idle Plot On a Vague Anxiety (2005)


New Sentimentality EP (2006)

"toe are a Japanese instrumental band, focusing on a more acoustic sound, though occasionally adding electric elements. They are tightly wound and resemble some of the polyrhythmic math-rock acts out there, but toe rest nicely on their melodies, never letting the complexity get the best of their tunes. Instead each song has a strong current of melody with alot of tight technical fret work that occasionally loosens up and becomes almost dreamy. Then they snap back into action making the songs dance and jump in front of you with propulsive drum work. The first half of the EP has a tendency to drift by, while still remaining very pretty, but the whole album regains control of your attention by the last two tracks. Altogether good stuff, for fans of Maps and Atlases, Pele, and Tera Melos and even Tortoise."

That was my old review, and after listening to more Toe I feel confident in saying that they are fucking amazing. Their drummer is really quite great, with all sorts of crazy fills, and the songs all hold a nice groove that never gets boring. Toe makes for good background music, due to great basswork and wonderful interlocking guitar lines that paint the room in generous hues, but you can get really deep into these songs and drop your jaw at the success of every twist and turn they provide. Toe also knows when to rest on its laurels and not overwhelm. While I enjoy the challenging nature of alot of mathy instrumental rock, it is nice to still hear that complexity in a sound that presents itself so warmly. At this point I would compare them more to Piglet and still compare them to Pele, though I think Toe has far outshine Pele in this arena.

Its also one of my favorite groups to do graphics too. But then again, so is most hardcore and metal.

On their website it says they are playing with Envy. Jeez. What I wouldnt give to see the two of them together...

Toe Website

Off Minor - Problematic Courtship (2002)

Off Minor - Problematic Courtship (2002)


Off Minor formed from 3/5's of Saetia. That might not mean much to some people(blend:P), but to me that is all I needed to know. They continue down the same path that Saetia started to clear back in 1997. With only 3 members in the this band, I am astounded at the level of noise they are able to create! This is their first recorded effort from 2002. A perfect fusion of jazz and hardcore, with some crazy ass time signatures thrown in. If you like your beauty mixed with a heavy helping of chaos, this is the band for you. This album collects the 6 songs from their split with I am the Resurrection and 4 live tracks. I have this original split if anyone wants the I am the Resurrection tracks.

Brainworms - Demo (2006)

This is NOT artwork for the demo. I lifted it from a tour poster and flopped around the type to make it a cover for the blog.

Brainworms are related to Ultra Dolphins. Brainworms is 4 fat guys and a skinny drummer. Brainworms are what emo hardcore would sound like if the band members were drunk. In fact, they may be drunk on this recording.

It is a live demo, so there is crowd noise but the soundis great, and I am having trouble placing the exact influences, and that is a good thing. It is fast, funny, and completely awesome. They have a number of things going on right now, inculding a cassette tape release, a 12" release, and a split 7" with Catalyst. The show pictures look like a lot of fun, and though I am not too into Ultra Dolphins, I think the Brainworms are gonna rule when they come out with their 12".

Get on it now, and check out the extra songs they have on myspace...Awesome!

Spirit Assembly - Welcome to Lancaster County

Im not sure exactly when this was released, but I was still in high school, so I am going to assume 1995.

I remember not knowing anything about Spirit Assembly, but I liked the name and it was released on Yuletide records out of PA, and I knew that they released good bands. When I got home to listen to it, I was floored. It was some of the best screamy atonal hardcore I had ever heard. The liner notes were funny, with pictures of Amish people and Lancaster country side.

Now, looking back, I cant help but thinking about how my sonic palette has changed. This and many other things like it seemed so off the rails and crazy fast and, as I said before, atonal. Listening to this record in current time I am suprised by how MUCH melody was put into these songs. What once seemed so brash and hardcore now seems actually quite beautiful and full of interesting twists and turns. Dont get me wrong though, it is still furious and brash, still has gut wrenching atonal moments, and still is fast and chaotic. I guess what I am trying to say is that this record has aged incredibly well over the past decade or more. I feel like i appreciate it even more now then I used to. (Not suprising, since being a music hungry teen I sold and resold my record collection a number of times in search of more more more - I guess I didnt have much appreciation for anything)

The sounds come somewhere from the whole PA emo / screamo hardcore scene, but the music is rife with Rites of Spring like melody and certain slinty Maximillian Colby feel that has been the holy grail to me in my rebirth of hardcore pride. Also, looking at it from my current perspective, it seems that SA were much revered for their brand of hardcore. I swear I felt like I was the only one on the planet listening to these guys, and even the hardcore kids I knew didnt knwo of them. This is mid 90's, when Victory and Revelation ruled the hardcore scene and most kids thought Earth Crisis were a prerequisite for all hardcore listening. So I suppose that alot of this music went unnoticed for a good deal of time to most of the hardcore community. And now younger hardcore kids are dredging it all up, from the depths, and its good to see these bands finally get some ounce of respect a decade later.

Spiriti Assembly is very worth your time, maybe even more so then it was when it was released.

Included is the Car vs. Driver split 7".

Thanks to Airball for providing all the album artwork for both the LP and the split. I put it in the zip for ya.

Enjoy!

Bucket Full of Teeth

Bucket Full of Teeth - I, II, and III (2003)


Bucket Full of Teeth was formed in 2001 by Brad and Will from Orchid. They released this monster of a collection in 2003. It was released as 3 7's and also on a cd collecting all of them. Having never really played a lot live, they seem to thrive in the studio. I would say they are less artsy and a lot more savage than Orchid. Either way, its unrelenting in your face hardcore that you are used to from these fine fellows. They went on to release one more LP and then called it quits.

Petethepiratesquid

.Petethepiratesquid - Don't Correct Me if I'm Wrong (2007)

I don't know a whole lot about this band other than the few splits or comps that I have heard them on. I do know that everyone keeps telling me I need to hear this new full length. Well now I have it, and so do you. Since I can't listen to this today at work, I figured I would post it here and let everyone else have a crack at it. I believe this four piece is out of Germany and Sweden. Sounds like a good combo.

Purevolume

Who is on Purevolume, and what is your screen name??

These are mine. I have two, cuz I didnt have my password at my new job, so I made a new account one day when I was bored.

Blend77

The_end77

Let me know, so if we ever run into other we can flame everyone. haha!!

Raein - Il N'y A Pas D'Orchestre (2003)

Phenomenal Italian hardcore! Raein had some members that went on to be in La Quiete, the other phenomenal Italian hardcore band, and I would love to know who from Raein is in La Quiete, but I am guessing the singer and possibly the guitarist. I find it hard to really distinguish a total difference between the two other than Raein seems to be really good at welding together extremely emotional polar opposites while La Quiet seems to be really good at emotionally polarizing extreme welds....

...?....

yeah, I dont think that made any sense whatsoever. But this does.

If you like La Quiete, and I mean really like them like I do, which is kind of gross and I'll spare you the details of what I do in my personal time with my La Quiete records, then you will freaking fall head over heels for Raein.

They are so cathartic without being cheesy or predictable. They are so emotive it fills me up with sparking energy. They are so fast that I have to listen to each song three times to fully appreciate every little change and subtle dynamic they squeeze in their hands. To me, theirs is a road map of every good thing to happen in hardcore since 1980.

Their split releases, with Funeral Diner, Daitro, Lhasa and Phoenix Bodies are all amazing and I strongly urge to find what you can of theirs, or wait until one of us posts up some more mind melting Italian hardcore...

and please pray for La Quiete to record another album. I am going to have to take up a heavy drug addiction if I cant have anymore La Quiete

Requests

Mean Season - Memory and I Still Suffer in Love (2005)
This is for Soulfire...I have never really heard much from this band so I don't have much to write about. I will take this home and listen to it though.


Civ - Thirteen Day Getaway (1998)

Civ of course was popular for having members of the Gorilla Biscuits. They never really lived up to the hype for me....I have come back to this album a couple of times before and I can just never get into it. I will keep trying though, because certain people in my life keep telling me its great. We will see. This is also for Soulfire. If anyone else has any requests...feel free to post them. I will try to fill anything I can.

Some old school?

Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
Common Sense was/is a rapper out of Chicago. He changed his name to Common after his first 2 albums to avoid a law suit with some european band named Common Sense. Common was friends with the Native Tongues crew early on and has some guest spots on De la Soul and Tribe albums. This is very different than the Common you hear today. If you haven't heard this album, it is a classic. It blows away anything he has released in the past 12 yrs.


De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead (1991)

De La Soul released this album as a direct response to the criticism of their previous debut. This Lp was a mainstay on my record player all throughout high school. If you have their first lp and haven't heard this one yet, you are missing out. This album is revolutionary in its sampling. It's release was delayed because all the samples now had to be cleared with other artists. Here you find De la trying to get out of the pigeonhole of Hippy rap. This album is much angrier than their debut. A definite classic. Click the cover art to download part 1...here is part 2.


Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown (1988)

Not much needs to be said about this classic album except maybe that it was the launching pad for Kool Keith's rap career. Enough said.


Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992)
Basically the west coasts answer to De la and ATCQ. Fun, earthy hip hop with great beats. Classic songs include Oh Shit, Yo Mamma, Passin me By, and of course Pack the Pipe.

Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing (1991)
Black Sheep exploded on the hip hop scene around late 1990. They had a fairly large commercial success with their song 'The Choice is Yours'. That song put them into the one-hit wonder category. They were much much more than just that song though. Every track on this album is good. Here is part 2 of the album

>
Digable Planets - Blowout Comb (1994)
This is the amazing follow up to their debut lp. Digable Planets meld jazz, hip hop beats and stick in your head eternally rhymes. This Lp goes way beyond what they did on their debut and it was slept on by most of the hip hop community. If you passed this band up as a one-hit wonder then you missed out on one of the most diverse albums of the nineties. Download part 2 right here.


Well, enjoy the classic hip hop. I have a few more albums I upped that didn't make it into this post, so I will put the links in the comments.


<

Neil Perry - Lineage Situation (Level Plane, 2003)

Neil Perry were a band I missed. I think i mustve mostly stopped looking for new hardcore around the end of last decade into the beginning of this one. Orchid was about the only band that I had paid any bit of attention to, and all the rest fell by the wayside. I was listening to a lot of Built To Spill, Pavement, Pinback... mostly indie rock (my other obsession besides metal (doom included), hardcore and post-rock)

So when I started looking for bands like Swing Kids, Orchid, Maximillian Colby and Shotmaker I was amazed and confounded to hear all these kids talking about Orchid, Neil Perry and Saetia as being the forefathers of the current emo / screamo hardcore scene. Well this of course wasnt true to me, what about Heroin and all that jazzy chaotic stuff? What about Native Nod? You know the deal. Weve covered alot of ground in the past few weeks and I realized I forgot way more than I remembered. And it seems I missed way more than I forgot.

Neil Perry, while not rewriting any books, can be said to be clear torch carriers from the early to mid-90's wave of emo hardcore. Born in Jersey from another band that I missed out on, You and I, Neil Perry ratchets up the aesthetic into an Orchid like blinding fury. Lineage Situation collects all of the bands work, in a reverse chronological order, so you get all the new songs (4 unreleased songs to be exact) first and as the disc plays the quality gets less and less and the Orchid similarities become more obvious. But lets start at the beginning.

Nine Minutes of Non-Fiction may be one of the best hardcore songs ever written, beginning with a giant punch in the face, all Uranus and Orchid in wonderful breakneck signatures, the similarities end there as real singing is introduced with some blood curdling screaming layered underneath, and just as you can gbegin to get comfortable with this, they segue into an incredible, dark post-rock journey of mammoth proportions... all in a 3 and half minute span. This is where Neil Perry's strength lies; in their ability to suprise you with melodies and harmonies that would usually seem out of place in such forceful damaging music. The first part of the collection flows wonderful with all disparate parts painting a picture of a band that was dead before its time.

For fans of Orchid, Shikari, Envy, Saetia, City Of Caterpillar.

I Shot Cyrus

Complete Discography 1997-2001

Super-fast screaming hardcore band from São Paulo, Brazil. The name was taken from one of my all time favorite movies, The Warriors from 1979. Cyrus was the leader of a gang that was shot at the beginning of the movie and The Warriors where accused of killing him. If you have never watched this movie, you should rent it, it's a must-see. This album is a compilation of all their early material between 1997 and 2001. Most songs are in Portuguese but barely understandable even if you speak the language. Their lyrics are a direct furious assault on capitalism, wars, US domination in the third world countries, cops, religion, etc... The band has had different band members over the years and this album has 4 different line-ups. Songs are short, fast and straight to the point. The album is also very short, unfortunately. As a bonus, there is a girl carrying the bass duties. This is good stuff, I hope you guys dig this.

L'antietam - Arthur Carr Ep

L'antietam - Arthur Carr Ep

These guys are out of New Hampshire and are part of the new wave of hardcore bands. They bring a style similar to Orchid and bands of that ilk. Passionate screamed vocals with beautiful and complex instrumentation. Their first full length was a compilation of previous 7's and other songs. The progression between that release and this Ep is huge and I can only wait for a full length from this foursome.

Jena Berlin - Quo Vadimus

Jena Berlin - Quo Vadimus

Jena Berlin is a five-piece post-hardcore band out of Philly. I'm not really sure what post-hardcore means...but that is how they describe themselves. I would say that Jena Berlin are intense and relentless. I was first introduced to them on a mix tape a friend of mine made me recently. Since then I have scoured trying to find anything from them. They released their first Lp, 'Passion Waits as the Program Keeps Going', in 2005. This record is their second Lp and it is scheduled to come out sometime in August. If I was forced to come up with a comparison for this band, I would say Texas is the Reason, Boy Sets Fire, or maybe even Bear Vs Shark. Now they don't sound exactly like any of those bands, but the emotional vocals and technical music brings those bands to mind. Their live show is amazing from what I hear.

Do You Want More?!!!??!

The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)

I figured I would switch up the genres a bit around here and post some good hip hop. Now I know most hip hop/rap sucks, but this album is amazing. The Roots first came on the scene around 1993. I first heard them through a friend in Philadelphia who insisted that I drive up to see a live show. I ended up seeing them right when this album dropped in 1995. I had never seen a hip hop act use actual instruments on stage, let alone actually know how to play them well. Most songs on this album were recorded with a band, not a drum machine. They mix insightful intelligent lyrics with jazzy beats. The first words you hear on this album are "You are all about to witness some organic hip-hop jazz". Those words could not be more true. If you haven't heard this, download this now.

HAVE A HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!

Shikari/Louise Cyphre

Shikari/Louise Cyphre Split 9" (Level Plane, 2005)


This Split 9" contains the last recorded material from Shikari. Their contribution to this split is amazing. They remind me a bit of Orchid, just much better. Louise Cyphre is just insane. Emoviolence at its finest. The breakneck speed of their songs and the sheer intensity reminds me of Pg 99. Plain and simple, this record rocks. This record is still available on Level Plane's website, I just ordered mine today:)

Lync

Remembering The Fireballs (Part 8) (K Records, 1997)



These Are Not Fall Colors (K Records, 1994)

I first discovered Lync from a mix tape a pen pal friend had sent me around 1997. I was more of a hardcore kid at the time but my pen pal would send me these incredible mix tapes consisting of a lot of northwest indie bands. One of my favorite bands from these mix tapes was Lync. For me they encapsulate everything that was great about the Northwest indie scene in the 90s. If you are a fan of Unwound or anything coming out of the K or Kill Rock Star labels give these albums a listen. I think you will fall in love with this band as much as I did almost a decade ago.