Zen and the Art of Face Punching

2011-05-18T01:17:00.003-04:00

Hey! I entered a tee shirt for submission at Threadless.
If you like it, please take a moment and click the above image to go vote.

VOTE HARD!

If it wins, it will be printed and available to the world for a good price.

Thanks!!!

New Frodus

2010-11-09T13:48:00.003-05:00

For those who care, peep this shit above. Thats the cover for the new Frodus 7" from Lovitt Records.

Just came out. There were 100 printed on smoke vinyl with a different cover, but apparently they sold out yesterday (the day it went up). There is another version, in a run of 450 with black vinyl and the above cover.

You can click the cover to take you to the Lovitt Bandcamp where you can preview the 2 tracks and order the 7". The 7" comes with a digital download which also includes a 3rd song not on the 7"

If you dont know who Frodus is, I must say, now is the time to get into them. I just previewed the songs and while one is stronger than the other, they both seethe with an intensity that leaves you wondering if they ever took a hiatus in the first place.

This release gives me hope for good things from Frodus Conglomerate International.

For those of you new to the Frodus Conglomerate, do yrself a favor and check out 'And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea', as well as their previous album, 'Comglomerate International'. Amazing stuff!

Preview and Order at Lovitt Bandcamp

...

2010-11-08T17:31:00.001-05:00

Hello again. I will make something of this.
Look for me again after the New Year.

:O

A tribute

2010-02-18T15:14:00.003-05:00

Sick of it All - Blood, Sweat and No Tears (1989)

I grew up in Westchester Co, NY... not far from the city or NJ. I mention this as a setting for how a young Tim first heard hardcore and how it consumed him and spit him back out as the awesome individual he is today. (^_~)

Because of my geographic location I was privy to some good radio stations, most notably, WNYU and the king of all radio stations in the tri-state area in those days (1990) WSOU Seton Hall's Pirate Radio. At a young age of 12-13 I thought two things in this situation; A) That metal ruled and there wasnt enough on the radio and B) that Pirate Radio must mean it was just like that movie Pump Up The Volume where Christian Slater takes over the air waves and plays music that no one ever hears on the radio.

Well, 'A' was true, but 'B', well, I just wish it were true, but nonetheless, WSOU played metal and more metal. Overkill, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Slayer, Iron Maiden graced mine ears as well as a slew of bands I had never heard of before.

Here I should digress and explain that at the age of 13 (or was it 12) I still had to hit the hay on the early side of the evening and the radio shows I liked were often on at midnight and beyond (adding the mystique that it was truly and illegal pirate radio run by a bunch of metal heads..) So often, I would toss a cassette into the deck and hit record and go to sleep wondering what I'd hear the next day on the bus ride to school.

One fantastic day, two songs flowed into my aural receptors that changed my world. Blue Blood by Biohazard and Injustice System by Sick of It All. My friend Fooch and I were in love with these two songs, bookended on either side by metal bands. The DJ called it hardcore, which I hadnt really heard of yet. I didnt even really listen to punk. Just metal. So it was a whole new sound to me, both metallic, but harder and meaner and more to the point. I felt like I was in that fight or flight sort of mode when this stuff played and I loved the feeling. It made me skate better too!!

So, Fooch and I made it a point to search out these bands. He and I went to some crappy mall music store and he found a cassette of Biohazards first album, and I found Blood, Sweat and No Tears on tape and we jetted to go home and jam these fuckers.

it was immense. The cover of Blood, Sweat blew me away. It looked so fierce and so hard that it gave me a lump in my throat. I could never picture myself surviving such a scene, and yet, I still dreamed about being there.

With a good sense of what a mosh pit was, thanks to the cover, Fooch and I preceded to trash his room, moshing everything in sight. Then we went out and skated for hours before coming back to jam some more hardcore.

Since then, nothing else mattered but skating and finding more hardcore. Thrasher magazine was concurrently entering our lives and we began paying attention to the music section. "whos this band 7 seconds? where can we find that?!" "whats Youth of Today?! that looks sick!" and my favorite, "Gorilla Biscuits?? What a stupid name!!!"

A steady stream of Hardcore and Punk began to flow through our ears. Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, 7 Seconds, Bad Brains... the world was new and bright. Eventually we were even able to procure some Youth of Today and even some Gorilla Biscuits, who consequently turned out to be my favorite of the bunch, and eventually birthed Quicksand who took me even further down the road of awesome music. But that is another story, for another AOTM.

For now, I'd like to finish this by saying that I dont aim to make any new fans of SOIA. I assume youve all heard it and made your decisions on how you feel about them. They are still around and still releasing albums and even though I havent really cared about them since Just Look Around, it still rules that they are continuing down a road they started well over 20 yrs ago.

For me, this is the entry point to a world Ive never left. The world of hardcore, it's ideas and values are things that made me who I am today.

What was yr first intro to hardcore? Where were you? How old? How did you hear it? This I'd like to hear as well as yr thoughts on this album.

I turned 33 a few weeks ago and was recently thinking about how I've been into hardcore for 20 yrs now... so this is my tribute.

Stuff You Should Hear, late 2009 ed.

2009-12-15T22:45:00.013-05:00

Its been a while since I've taken the time to make another post. In that time, much good has taken place. I met someone amazing. I had a most excellent, first ever trip out of the USA to anywhere. And I've heard tons of great new music.

As a prelude to a series of "Best Of's" for the end of the year I'd like to offer you a varied group of some of the best new bands to come out this year. While diverse in sound, all these bands share one thing in common; the ability to create powerful moving music, on their own terms, with their own steam. DIY is something that everybody can have a say in, down to its ethics or to its practical applications, or even its naiveté, but when a band puts together something solid that stands on its own two feet, its not a matter of any scene or idealism, its a tried and true result of putting 110% of yr heart into what moves you.

Dogs Of Winter - From Soil To Shale (2009)

Dogs of Winter are a Brooklyn, NY band playing a post hardcore version of early 90s grunge. While trite to bring up grunge in a review for music, one has to appreciate first the pure balls that bands like Soundgarden and Alice and Chains brought around that early period of grunge. A sound both burly and soulful, with delicious low ends and a crowd moving sense of groove. Dogs of Winter gets their kick by mixing such burl and soul, such 90's vintage groove, with fiery and tempestuous post hardcore, in the vein of such fascinating greats as Drive Like Jehu and Frodus. With angles arising betwixt belted out harmonies in triplicate, and heavy repetitive bass grooves, Dogs of Winter rule from multiple view points, even tossing in a deep low end that some stoner bands wish they had.. The singing is particularly tight and very powerful, never becoming trite or nostalgic, occasionally even bordering on the bellicose. The whole album is strong as fuck, comes complete with lyrics embedded for each song, and most excitingly, features an amazing set of artworks by artist Joe Boyle. His work is dark and splattered, with each piece speaking towards the song it represents. It would be amazing if Dogs of Winter would give this album a full release with a full booklet of artwork. (Do I smell sweet vinyl in the future?). Peep another panel of this art, for the song Anathema...

Dogs of Winter @ Myspace
Dogs of Winter
Joe Boyle Art

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Bad Actor - Portrait of Finality (2009)

Bad Actor are from Florida, and they sound like it. Pure throat shredding metal. Glass shoved in your face, and dirt clogged in your throat. You can try imagine something sunny while you take a ride with Bad Actor. But its nigh impossible. With two vocalists, ie. two times the shredded vocal delivery, in two octaves, bellowing and new and improved sound of razors against bone. Yep, Bad Actor, like their name implies, dont want you enjoy this performance. This is no sunny walk in the park. You will be bruised and possibly broken. You will get a dry feeling caught in your chest and air wont seem so readily available as blackened chords rain arpeggiated deah upon your nightmare. Whatever hasnt succumbed thus far is sure to taste the steady rumble of the rhythm section as it gallops all over the wasted lands, victims strewn by the sonic battering, crushed beneath its death encrusted hooves. Somewhere, Carcass is proud. and in Florida its probably sunny. :)

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Collapse Under the Empire - Systembreakdown (2009)

Collapse Under the Empire are a German post-rock / electronic act with subtle releases of cathartic energy, bubbling into subdued melancholy and introspection with rays of light punching through on occasion, to let us all know that while, yes, life is hard, there is beauty in the cracks of the every day. Between moments of careful progression Collapse Under the Empire rests on beautiful repetitious notes, while percolating electronics breathe an array of color and tone into what can be seen as a basic post-rock approach. The closest touchstone to these guys I can think of is 65daysofstatic, who also use programmed beats and synths among crescendos of guitars and martial drumming. Here, the combination is far more successful, with the electronics playing equal parts in the mix and often driving the sound while the guitars hang back and offer some much needed texture. The electronics in this case are more in line with one of my favorites, Obfusc. Meaning that they are steeped in equal doses of melody and ambience, the kind that brings to mind a slow flame as it dances on tiny winds, or the rush of water over rocks on a rainy day in the woods. Collapse Under the Empire (CUTE, if you havent noticed) offer up an album that is at once familiar while also honing a style that has yet to be done this successfully.

They are releasing a new album early next year called "Find A Place To Be Safe". You can hear two of the tracks on their free single, "Crawling". Download that right here.

You can also peep a video they made and be sure to check out their sites.
Video
Band Site
Myspace

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note. - My City of Ghosts, Stars and Hours (2009)

Another band from Germany playing a great style of post-rock is note. As a 4 piece that knows how to make a lot of noise, note. have something nice and unique going on. At once brash and chatoic, quiet and organized, note. has found their muse in not only combining the two extremes of explosive noise and reflective beauty and have instead infused a number of other elements into what, until this year, has been a very static and overdone music scene. By combining elements of jazz and chaotic styles of punk riffing not often heard in this genre (and by not often, im referring to a tendency to occasionally approach the hyper kinetic energies of a band like Off Minor) note. has forged an exciting new sound. While at times featuring the rapidly blurred guitar ringing of bands like Caspian and Gift From Enola, there are also copious amounts of piano, some clapping, some swift and heavy time changes that will have you doing double takes. In short, the musicianship is very tight and very obvious on these long players. The only band that has ever managed to combine such disparate influences with such success is the Samuel Jackson Five, who now have some competition if these four guys known as note. decide to come back with more albums. Lets hope they do!

Peep their myspace.

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We Only Said - We Only Said (2009)

We Only Said are a French band bringing forth a wonderful style of subdued post-rock that usually tends to arrive from the likes of Louisville or Chicago, if you catch my drift. This album portrays an amazing sense of dynamics that only bands like Shipping News, Slint and Tortoise have on some of their more subdued numbers. In other words, this is more Three-Four than Save Everything, more Washer than Good Morning Captain, more Swung From the Gutters than Djed... If you catch my drift. And drifting is something We Only Said seems to be comfortable doing. Drifting in and out of consciousness, We Only Said lull you into a sense of safety and then beg that you be more on yr guard as a tense shimmering slow build piece cracks in with a snare hit. Never content to just hit you over the head, instead, they keep you on your toes by offering hints of what might lie around the corner of yr next shift to consciousness, like a seething reminder that all that is beautiful is not always safe. And all that is safe is not always static. Its a very hard album to describe and might just be one of my favorite things I have heard this year. There is darkness all over this record and its some of the most luminous darkness I have ever experienced.

We Only Said @ Myspace

My Apologies

2009-11-17T14:17:00.004-05:00

THIS SITE IS NOT DEAD.

I have been extremely neglectful of the site lately. I apologize to those of you that I have promised reviews to. I still have a number of great things coming up and then I want to get back into posting some older stuff.

Coming up soon:

Dogs of Winter
note.
Bad Actor
We Only Said
Secret Wars

There are a few other things I need to go through as well. So if you are one of those people, reviews are on the way.

I havent been online much these days but if you are ever interested in seeing what I have been listening to, please check out my last.fm on the right. Im usually scrobbling music all day, every day and you can write me and say "whatsup" and ask me shit if you want. I also belong to a group there called Album of the Month, which has a hardcore flavor. So feel free to join and get to know those fine people.

If you have a band that you'd like me to check out. I can only say it will be a while before I can even think of promising a review. After the bands listed above I plan on delving into a large catalogue of hardcore that I have been jamming to lately.

As always, there are tons of records being released all the time, and so many of them rule. So always keep your radars on and search search search. There are some new blogs added to the roster on the right, and those people keep up on their posting quite a bit more than me, so give them some traffic and stop back in a few days to see my next post.

Thats all. Thanks for reading. Lata!!

Tim/Blend77

Sinaloa - Chapel & Basement

2009-09-10T12:14:00.003-04:00

Sinaloa is a state. Sinaloa is also one of the best post-hardcore / emo / insert inane genre tag here bands that are currently going. Many of you already know all about them and have probably heard a number of their albums and splits since the early 00's.

Earlier this spring Sinaloa made it down to NYC and for the mini tour released a screenprinted version of their Fathers & Sons LP and this cassette which is comprised of all the songs from Oceans of Islands played acosutically. The title of the release is due to the fact that these songs were recorded in a chapel which the drummers father arranged for them to use.

These version of the songs portray, in startling detail, the intimacy that has always laid at the foundation of any Sinaloa song. Their concern for the world around them has always had its roots in hardcore but such a humanistic approach goes much further back to the dawn of mans first questions. The resonant sounds and the acoustic quality of these songs hearkens back to a time when we didnt need to scream our questions, doubts, and fears about the world around us, but instead could have open discourse with the ability to shape things as they arise. Times have clearly changed and while the severity of what goes on around us continues to elevate in every way possible, this set of songs, presented as they are, juxtaposed with these quick moving and harsh dealing times, is a quiet scream for change. When the din of the world drowns out everything, sometimes it takes just a whisper to shatter the noise.

Sinaloa can be found here and here.
Explanations of all lyrics are included not inly in every release that the band puts out, but also on their website.

Junius - The Martrydom of A Catastrophist (2009)

2009-09-04T13:48:00.005-04:00

This just dropped on Gimmesound, courtesy of the band and Mylene Sheath, and I just have to exclaim:

Holy Fucking Shit.. This is SOOOOOOOO GOOOOD!!!

Seriously, this band is amazing recorded. They are amazing live. Mylene Sheath is amazing and is easily one of the best record labels in existence right now.

If you know what the deal is with Junius then let me just tell you that this is going to floor you. The songwriting is so top notch and the vocals and lyrics (from what I can make out) are awesome and this works as a wonderful progression from the Fires of Antediluvia 7" that came out a year or two ago.

If you dont know Junius, well now is the time to get on board. Junius strikes some crazy balance between The Cure, The Chameleons, Depeche Mode (without the electronics), Mogwai, Caspian, and even, though some may see it as a stretch, Quicksand and other progressive hardcore bands of that ilk.

Simply put, they have a number of disparate influences that as a whole work to become something much greater. Visceral and real, haunting and illuminating, The Martyrdom of the Catastrophist is going to be a record to be remembered for years.

Mylene Sheath is pre-ordering the vinyl as of now, and I'll let their blurb speak for itself, as this package looks to be mighty intense. As soon as the funds free up I am grabbing one of these suckers and rest assured it will not be leaving my turntable without a fight.

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We're insanely proud to announce that we can begin taking preorders for the incredible new full length by Boston, MA's JUNIUS entitled "The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist". After two critically acclaimed EP's (later combined on a self titled reissue), the band can finally be experienced in true full length form and the results are nothing short of stunning! We've wanted to work with these guys since the humble beginnings of the label, so to finally be able to to work with them is a dream come true for us. Throughout the past few weeks we've laughed, we've cried, we've faught, we've healed, we've slept little and hugged lots - and the end result is something that not even we could have imagined =) The packaging is, quite simply, going to drop jaws. You'd definitely be hard pressed to find a harder working, more dedicated band. Constantly pushing themselves to the next level, both artistically and functionally as a band, Junius believes in what they're doing with all their hearts... and so do we. And it is with that mutual belief in one another that we announce the preorder for "The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist"!!

PREORDER HERE: Junius - The Martyrdom of the Catastrophist Preorder

We went all out for this monster - the vinyl will have 5mm spine, super thick 350gsm jackets with spot gloss and include a massive 11" x 11" 16 page paperback book in which the cover is on heavy, upgraded 250gsm stock w/spot gloss and the inner pages are on 200gsm uncoated paper featuring art by Drew Speziale (Circle Takes The Square) and illustrator Matt Gauck. The CD comes housed in a 300gsm cardboard gatefold CD jacket and includes massive 24 page booklet on thick uncoated paper featuring art by Drew Speziale and Matt Gauck as well. The album was recorded by Kevin Mills and Tom Syrowski (Weezer, AFI) and mastered by Dave Collins (Danny Elfman, Black Sabbath). There's also a tote bag edition of the vinyl, the record will come snuggled up inside a limited edition, preorder only, Junius tote bag! These will be hand screened by the band themselves in a very limited run of 25, exclusive to this preorder =)

Pressing info for the vinyl will break down like this:
-100 on clear vinyl with bronze haze
-100 black and bronze vinyl swirled
-700 bronze vinyl

All preorders will ship out in late October and as always, don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions.

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So thats that!! Get on this shit!! If you like vinyl, it sounds like you cant lose out with this presentation and if you arent in the market for LPz than please support the artist by getting it for free at Gimmesound.com

Gimme Sound - Free Music, Good Causes

2009-08-07T12:48:00.002-04:00

Whats up people! I hope everyone is having a nice summer so far. Mine has been tight and it never ceases to amaze me that whatever I anticipate any summer to be like, it always turns out so unexpectedly, and never for the worse. So things are good on this end, and I'm here to share the newest in free files sharing with those of you, like me, who feel that great music makes the summer days even better.

Gimme Sound is a new site that allows labels and bands to host their songs and albums for free download and still get paid through some light and inoffensive advertising techniques. The even better part is that part of the proceeds go to a charity of the bands choice. Very cool! I am not a master of how this plan exactly works, though I am sure if you wrote to some of the label owners, like Magic Bullet Records, Mylene Sheath or Excursions Into the Abyss, they may be able to give a bit of lowdown on the actual process, if knowing is half the battle for you... or something. :P

On a basic level though, what this means for you, the listener, is that you get free downloads of full albums from awesome labels, often in 320kpbs. The idea of this site has been done before, but Gimme Sound is hosting some really quality acts and the best part is that for each song you download the artist gets paid at a fairly reasonable rate. In other words, if you see any of these albums for download anywhere else, then you owe it to yr self and even more so, to the bands and labels, to make a free account on Gimme Sound and make sure that these amazing artists are being supported while you still get to have yr cake and eat it to. Its obviously a very cool idea and I personally would like to know more about how it works, and would especially like to see more of this kind of creative approach to the ever changing music industry.

I would like to take a few moments to go over some of the more exciting ones I have come across. Though I urge you to search around and see what else is offered besides what I mention, as often the labels entire works are available for free download.

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In the post rock realm, Mylene Sheath has put most of their current releases up and aside from the two below, that includes releases from Beware of Safety, If These Trees Could Talk, et al... But the two best options, IMHO are:

Caspian - Tertia

Caspians new albums is well worth the wait. They continue with their amp worshiping post-rock meltdowns, producing some of their greatest songs to date. La Cerva and its companion song, Ghosts of the Garden State are are both moving and cathartic. Of Foam and Wave is a quick grower with epic washes of sound. Frequent show closer Sycamore is also present here in wonderful form to close out the album. The rest of the new songs are just as tight and really, if you havent seen Caspian yet, then you owe it to yourself, as they are seriously one of the few instrumental rock bands worth hearing these days.

Gifts From Enola - From Fathoms

Gifts From Enola made waves with their first album a few years ago. Made by themselves in their dorm rooms, they displayed an incredible knack for dynamics without ever sacrificing play ability and catchiness. Harder than most instrumental bands without bending into the "post-metal" field of things, From Fathoms finds GFE greatly expanding on their sound, adding subtle electronics, even more subtle vocals, and a slew of amazingly written songs with their new guitarist and drummer. They have clearly gone in their own direction with this one and From Fathoms just continues to deliver on so many levels. They are touring right now, and will be playing Brooklyn this Sunday, the 9th. Come out and hang!!

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In the more post-punk/post-hardcore vein, Excursions Into the Abyss, has been up to some new stuff lately, and if sources are correct (they are, trust me, from the horse mouf!) there are going to be some seriously exciting things coming up on this roster, so keep yr eyes and ears peel'd. The current thing that excites me is:

Morrow - S/T

Morrow are from Bloomington, Indiana, and play a brand of rock and roll that touches on many sub genres to create an rich, textured and emotional sound. One part Pygmy Lush, one part Three Mile Pilot, one part Nick Cave and a few doses of post-hardcore mixed in make for a very unique yet extremely pleasing sound. Morrow is a new band, but its members have been playing music in the post-hardcore vein for years. Their debut CD displays an uncanny knack for whipping you over the head and wrapping you up in fuzzy blankets, all while delivering some of the best lyrics I have heard in a while. Lyrics are dime a dozen these days, so its always nice when something resonates and pleases the ears at the same time. Definitely grab this and give it a few spins. The first two songs are a mission statement of sorts, but the rest of the album continues to build on those themes and proves to me more and more amazing with each listen.

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Magic Bullet Records, out of Virgina, aside from having post-rock faves This Will Destroy You and Lymbic System for free download, also has some great hardcore and indie stuff going on. Check these out and see what else they have up!

Kaospilot - Shadows

Kaospilot are from Norway, and while I had heard a bit of stuff from this band a few years ago, I had kind of forgotten about them until I heard just today that the new album is out, and obviously the band is still around. And let me tell you, this album is a fucking rager!! Sick, heavy and creative as hell. Lots of screams, lots of stuff to get angry about and lose yr shit over. I am definitely impressed as it seems while these guys were keeping low, they were obviously perfecting their craft of shredding brains. Apparently they are working out a tour to the US. So pay attention for dates to follow.

A City Safe From Sea - Throw Me Through Walls

A City Safe From Sea is a Massachusetts band with a lot going on in terms of sound and hooks. While I had never heard of these guys before, (save for the fact that guitar player Daniel Danger is a great artist that I have been following for the past few years) I feel it is safe to say that this is one amazing record, both in terms of production and song writing. So many hooks!! and such a great attention to detail went into every song. Its apparent that these guys spent a good deal of time crafting this album and its well worth your weight in salt to check this out if you ever liked anything from Meneguar, Joggers and bands of that ilk. Though I'll just say it right now, pretty sure this kills Meneguar at this point... It's still new to me, but damn, it feels so good! Abrasive when it needs to be but flowing and mellifluous the rest of the time, chugging along with hearty smiles. I look forward to a chance to see these guys.

Golden City - 10"

This is one that should get some people frothing. Im pretty sure a good cross section of you loved Christie Front Drive, and from what I often hear, a good portion of you also loved Antarctica, both featuring the song writing and singing of one Eric Richter. Its no surprise then that his new band, Golden City is yet another amazing addition to the more indie side of things in the punk/hardcore world. Eric clearly has a gift for writing these kinds of songs. Imagine an upbeat, more grown up version of CFD and Golden City is just a stones throw away from that, never trying to be something its not, and never trying to reinvent the wheel, but instead realizing that the strength of this music relies on the delivery and song writing skills of those involved. I am unsure of who is playing with him, but Im pretty into this album and this stuff doesnt always go over well in my book, but like I said, Eric has been doing this for years and if I have to choose someone to continue this heartfelt style of music, than I vote for him to be the one to do it. (Speaking of Daniel Danger, he did the artwork for this album.)

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So!! Thats a bunch of awesome and varied albums to download for free with the added benefit that the bands and labels are still getting paid and ever donating to charities that are doing things to better this world around us, instead of just continuing to act as cogs in the capitalist machine that the record industry seems to love being.

Remember also that these are all actual physical releases as well. Meaning you can order vinyl, CDs and other merch if you like to have a physical copy of things. The cool thing about that is that, say you want to buy the Gifts From Enola 2xLP from Mylene Sheath (which is completely worth it due to its awesome artwork and vinyl treatment) you can buy the record from the band or label, and then you can still go to Gimme Sound and download the songs to have for yr iPod and the band gets paid twice. Im all for supporting these hardworking and talented musicians who seem to do what they do out of a love for the craft. If anyone deserves the cash flow, it is these types of bands.

Spread the love, repost on other blogs, tell people on message boards and tell yr friends and loved ones. This may be another chance to subvert that great dinosaur of a record industry we've all been aiming to take down for years.

Trembling Hands - Demo

2009-07-23T16:11:00.003-04:00

New Bay Area grind style hardcore band. Some may say "powerviolence". If that gets you wet, be my guest. As a rule, I find that this kind of stuff usually sounds good, no matter how rehashed or used and abused this sound can be. Even shitty grind sounds pretty cool in comparison to a lot of stuff out there. (The same can be said for shitty hardcore as well (and I dont mean Crabcore or any other "cores") I just tend to be biased towards liking it.)

So with that said, I often will move on rather quickly from grind-like, power violence, but this demo has me going back for more... Though not re-inventing the wheel, they know what theyre doing and they know how they want to hurt you. If you relent and let them in yr head, then yr doing the proper masochistic thing.

They will be touring at the end of the summer. Tapes and CDs to appear at the end of the month. Get on it.

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As for the rest of the site. I told a few people I would do posts about albums that I was really into. There are a ton of other things I wanted to write about.... All in all, I just havent made the time. So, my sincerest apologies to those who may have been waiting for a post, and more apologies to any of you who have wondered if I was going to keep updating this site. As of now, the answer is 'yes', I will continue to update though I cant say how much or when. As of now its looking like once a month, but you never know what can happen.

Suffice to say, life is good and the summer is always about the outdoors anyway. Maybe the winter will bring back the urge to nerd out to my favorite music.

Until then!

StapH - Keys EP (2009)

2009-06-15T11:03:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I think I wait too long to review something and it feels like the more I like something and the more I listen to every tiny detail the further away I get from saying something coherent. Its at times like these that I feel like I should be a writing a haiku for all the albums I love. Capturing their essence so to speak, as opposed to surgically opening them up and scrutinizing all their intricacies.

Music so pretty
Would not be named after
A bad infection.

I dunno. I think I might need to practice with my haikus for a bit before I send them out to the world. But regardless, my point being that I find it very hard to describe this record as I have grown quite fond of it. I can describe my co-worker sitting across from me, but if I had to describe my friend Fooch*, I would have a hard time. I would be like "uhhhh, Awesome? hows that?"

So yeah, flip Fooch out for Staph...

Q: Sooo, whats this Staph band like?
A: uhhhhh... Awesome?

I mean, it leaves something to be desired. Dont you think?

Well, lemme try another stab at this. Staph rules... better? Okay, theyre "really really good"... okay, now im just toyin' around. Staph is really good. They jam out 3 amazing tunes on this, their first EP and they are going to be a band to keep an eye on, because if I'm not crazy (which I probably am) everyone still loves a healthy serving of the slow burn in their 90's styled hardcore. And by 'slow burn' I mean post-rock tendencies, and by 'hardcore' I mean bands like Still Life, Portraits of Past and Moss Icon as opposed to Minor Threat, NYHC or Earth Crisis.

So its with that explanation that I feel I can comfortably move forward and say that this album is one of the best emo hardcore records to not be released in the 90's. 'Harvest' starts with an awesome bass and drum rumble with all members screaming in unison before deconstructing and coming back together with guitars and the whole bit. its a tight fucking song and has great drums fills and offers up some really pretty breaks that would make some midwest emo kids happy. You might even call it twinkly, except they are still screaming, and not like Scream either... theyre really screaming.. and probably not screaming for change either. In fact, I dont have any lyrics, so ahem (HIT ME UP WITH SOME LYRICS) I can only assume they are screaming for dear life.

The songs go well together with a good sample tying them all together. The latter two songs exhibit a more subdued intensity that reminds me of Moss Icon at times while the majority of the album is something that could easily have a nice home on Ebullition with their great roster of bands. Skirting a fine line of overblown cacophony and outright prettiness Staph is clearly on the leading edge of this style. In fact, there are plenty of moments on this record that remind me of the amazing post-hardcore band Julia. Which, when I come to think of it, reminds me of DC stuff... I guess what I'm getting at is that this short 3 song EP exhibits a lot of style and variety without sacrificing continuity and, overall, this band is hard to pin down. Something I always look for in my music.

Label/blog - http://kidsisterrecords.blogspot.com/
Staph on MySpace - http://myspace.com/staphcamp

Comadre / Trainwreck / Saddest Landscape / Black Kites - ABC No Rio - TOMORROW! 3PM...

2009-06-12T10:13:00.003-04:00

Yet another show I will be attending... this is a matinee though it probably wont start on time. 4 bands, 4 doses of awesome. If you dont know these bands, I suggest you get jiggy with the google search and start finding out.

Black Kites 3 song sampler can be found somewhere in the archives here. It rules.

Again, if you see me, say hi. Much greater chance of me meeting people at this show than the previous show at Webster Hall...

And dont forget, the Van Pelt is playing shows again! Tomorrow (Saturday) they are playing somewhere, and if I dont go, someone is going to pay, in blood. (You'd think someone would say something like that about Agnostic Front or something, but no, I'm ready to get violent over some pre-emo twinkly indie band.)

Moving Mountains, Irepress, Junius - NYC - TONITE!

2009-06-12T10:05:00.003-04:00

Im probably going to be going to this... There is another great show going on tomorrow.. and my friend just told me that The Van Pelt is playing tomorrow night... Agnostic Front and Antidote are playing tonite as well. and I have a friend from college coming to Brooklyn and I definitely want to hang with them. So basically, I need another me..

But for those interested, All bands tread the line between post-rock and something harder. How hard is up for each band to prove. I can say this much, Irepress gets pretty freaking heavy. Moving Mountains spends more time on the post-rock side and well, I cant lie, Junius is easily the best band playing tonite, and easily worth going to this show just to see them (though Im pretty pumped on Irepress myself)

So, if youre there, and Im there, we probably wont run into each other, but if we did, it would be pretty cool.

Update: Sex-Vid, Mind Eraser, Iron Age, Failures show for June 6th

2009-06-05T12:41:00.002-04:00

Two Great Things

2009-06-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

Hey yooo!!! Been busy again. Lots of news and lots of changes in my world. Not all interesting for you though. But these two things should interest you...

Two new hardcore punk bands featuring members of Failures. Two awesome demo tapes for you to download and enjoy. Go see these bands when they come through. Failures is playing this weekend in Brooklyn for anyone in the area.

Get these from their pages.

short fast edgeviolence from western massachusetts

joe shumsky - drums (think i care/glue)
matt swift - guitar (relics)
matt mckeown - vocals (red room records)
will killingsworth- bass (ampere/failures/clean plate records)

demo tape limited to 100
$5ppd
you can download it for free and/or purchase it from their blog page.

Five tracks of noisy, angry music by:

Ryan Abbott (Blank Stare, Social Circkle)
Andrew Jackmauh (Failures, Cut The Shit)
PJ Miles (Brain Killer, Male Nurses)
Jamie Jones (Like Rats)

One hundred cassettes, with full color inlays inserted by hand (not pro-printed), glued pocket sleeves, double-sided inserts on linen paper, hand numbered, sealed shut and bound for authenticity.

purchase from http://confines.tumblr.com/

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I have a few things Ive been wanting to get up, so lets see how well that works out..

Calvary - Outnumbered Is Outflanked (2003)

2009-05-01T16:11:00.004-04:00

This record is so amazing. I urge you all to drop what your doing and start listening to this right now. Similar to the Bullets*In post, I dont know of anyone who doesnt think this record rocks.

In fact, its so awesome that I dont even really know what to say about it other than that. Its not like some new kind of awesome punk. Its not breaking any boundaries. On first listen I didnt think to myself, "Holy Jesus Lord, this is the holy grail of punk rock!" Nope. Not even on the second. But I liked it.

Actually, Sweetbabyjaysus told me I would like it. So yeah, I liked it. I listened to it a few times, and one day it clicked. The record has yet to leave my iPod since then. It gets weekly listens and I find it near impossible to only listen to one song. Its one of those albums I throw on, whatever the mood and find that I have to listen to the whole thing.

When I shared it with someone recently they asked who was singing and when it was from because at times it really sounds like Rites of Spring and the singer sounds just like Guy. But nope. Not that. Instead its Matt Weeks from Current who is well known for sounding like Guy. Now, Current is easily one o my favorite bands from the 90's. Coliseum is a great album and their 7"s and split stuff are so great. They have held up well over the years, but dare I say that Calvary is better? I think it needs to be said.

Calvary is actually better than Current.

Im sure that has a lot to do with the musicians being better and more focused, but it probably has a lot to do with me as a person. I have grown since those mid-90s days and Calvary speaks to me so much more at this point in my life.

And the Rites of Spring thing, dont let it throw you off. There are only touches of it besides Matts voice that sound like RoS. They evoke a number of even earlier bands like Wire and Mission of Burma. Tense and precise guitar playing with metronomic drumming, Matts emotive voice and a slew of amazing hooks are whats waiting to be found in this amazing album..

Check it out and let me know what you think. You can find the LP pretty cheaply, usually on blue marble vinyl and you may still be able to get the 7" direct from Matt Weeks (now defunct) Council Records.

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Anyone interested in picking up either the Calvary LP or 7" - can do so at Residue Records:

http://www.residue-records.com/

They have both (as well as some other Council stuff) for mailorder. (thanks matt)

Bullets*In - Conceive (2005)

2009-04-23T19:27:00.003-04:00

Whoa! This is pretty crazy! Two posts in two days?!?

Okay, heres the deal: Yesterday sucked and today kind of rules. Not that I'm bi-polar or anything. You know, sometimes a day just sucks and you really need to just start over again. The weather helped today. Backlash also helped. A steady diet of Backlash mixed with some brooding and I was all good! See, Hardcore can save lives.. or at least moods... and if moods can ruin lives well... if A is to B as B is to C, than A = C.. or something marginally awesome like that, right? So it goes that music, namely hardcore in this case, can save lives.

So now that we've got that squared away, lets move along to the next order of business. Which issss... Well, let me tell you first that I found a new place to live, and its pretty awesome and its huge and its fairly cheap (by NYC standards, which is still ridiculous compared to many other places). I am stoked beyond belief. Which leads me to my next order of business...

Bullets*In... I don't know about you, but when I'm in a good mood, I can go a million ways with what to listen to, but there's something about that Mike Kirsch sound that really adds to a good day. Is it the guitar melodies? or is it the lyrics? Well, shit, I can barely understand half the lyrics, so it must be the melodies.. But here's the catch, Bullets*In may be better than most of Mike Kirsches bands. (For info on Mike Kirsch, peruse my blog, google him, note the myriad amount of bands he has been in and the quality of each one) I'd like to draw you to one specific Kirsch band in particular, namely because my friend Damian told me this and it fits, irrevocably so. What he told me was that Bullets*In started as a band that wanted to sound like Torches to Rome.

Now, sacrilege or not, as much as I like Torches to Rome, I think Bullets*In would win in a one on one cage match. Not that they are any burlier or have more tattoos or anything, or even more members...but they got rifffffs... Mad riffs, son! They have ears for melody! Crazy ears of tuneful melody! Ya know, maybe because I'm lazy, but really because I am a geek for the source material for so much of this stuff, but there are times this really reminds me of Current or Calvary (who I am upping next, because that record is damn near flawless!). Either way, you get blazing fast melodic hardcore with so much passion and energy that its enough to make the sun burn brighter.

If you ever liked Current, Calvary, Torches to Rome, Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack, Bread and Circuits, The Shivering and even Baader Brains or Fuel than you will basically flip your wig for this album. Many people have said it was easily the best of that year and many say its still one of the best. I must agree and now its time for you to stop reading and start listening.

You can also find this record for fairly cheap, so if you are a vinyl collector, keep your eyes peeled. There is also a 7" which I would like if anyone has any leads.

Backlash - No Reason Why Not (1995)

2009-04-21T17:27:00.002-04:00

Sooooooo... Today sucks...

I was posting this last night when I got distracted, but who knew today would call for such awesome heavy hitters as Self Assured and Why I'm Mad...

Yeah, without getting into what made my day suck, lets just say sometimes too many things happen at once, and youre left with, well.. nothing... but theres always hardcore.

Hardcore. My bastion in a crazy world... my island. My impenetrable fucking fortress of "who gives a fuck". Blast these tunes loudly and watch as you either A) boil your sadness and aggravation into a vapor, or B) melt away said negativities, throw your hat in the air, point your fucking finger and yell "GO!" and feel the tides change. Hardcore usually does the trick either way.

Sooo. Backlash n' shit... They were from durty jerz and well, for some reason I remember kids making fun of these guys, but either I'm the chump or they were just posin' hard, because regardless of what you think Backlash kicked my ass and many a time I could be found pumping this stuff out of my tinny Honda speakers, racing down whatever road, most likely shouting the lyrics and tossing finger points out the window like it was nobodies business.

Today I find myself at my desk, completely done with work today and feeling a number of stresses that have halted my forward motion for the day, so I toss this bad ass on, thinking I need to type some stuff up about it, and well, how am I doing so far? Kind of all over the place if you ask me. Come to think of it, this Backlash record is kind of all over the place. I mean that in a good way, because there is a common thread through all the songs, both in lyrics and in tunes. In fact, each song has a specific section with a specific groove that I feel was this bands trademark. Lots of fast parts leading up to awesome old school breakdowns ala Judge, Leeway, Gorilla Biscuits and the like. Backlash clearly werent re-inventing the wheel, but thats only because the wheel is damn good as it is. What I mean to say is, if youve got the chops, than keep writing old school hardcore, because there is something vital in it that no other music touches on.

"Mad is feeling that I get
Mad is a feeling I cant control yet
When I see these things that get on my nerves
Mad is a feeling that no one deserves"

Just a Lil' Somethin'

2009-04-17T17:02:00.003-04:00

What is up people. Its been a bit of time since I have even looked at this page, and frankly I am dismayed at how negligent I have been. If this were my garden it would be over run with weeds. Not the good kind either. If this were an empty lot, it would have lots of broken glass in it.

Now its spring, time for some spring cleaning then!

I made this mix for my friend who wanted to hear more new punk. This was about two years ago when we both started our new jobs at the same place and, while I still stand by it today, I guess I cant lie... I would not only probably make it totally different now, but I would also feel the necessity to make a 3-mix set, or something similarly grandiose, to even touch upon the amount of punk music that has meant so much to me over the years.

Well, this is what I made then, and as I said I stand behind it. The main thrust of this mix was to give someone who may not know a lot about punk a good idea of where punk has been throughout the years and where its headed. I think in that capacity I did a decent job, even if I passed over specific classics in favor of something I was vibing off of then.

So, while many of you may be familiar with these bands my hope is turn at least each person to one new band and maybe make them re-evaluate the importance of a band they might have overlooked. Clearly this a flawed idea cuz most of you will tell me "OMG you forgot this song!!!" or "You put THAT Minor Threat song?!".. Haha. Yep. I sure did.

Heres the tracklist so you can decide for yourselves if you care to test it out. Please let me know what you think, even if you think adding the Pixies was the dumbest idea. Lets hear it!

1. We Train These Robots - Please Inform the Captain This Is a Hijack
2. Who Are You - Void
3. Born With a Beard - Brainworms
4. Pay to Cum - Bad Brains
5. I Like Your Mom - Bouncing Souls
6. Sidewalk - Avail
7. Again and Again - Reason to Believe
8. Why Do I Care - Faith
9. Angry Sleepers - PITCTIAH (again, but this is a real song)
10. Fingers.Voice.Heart.Shake - Suis La Lune
11. La Ultima Sigaretta - La Piovra
12. California Uber Alles - Dead Kennedys
13. Daneurysm - Lifetime
14. Solidarity - Scream
15. Trash Flavored Trash - Blood Brothers
16. Asesinos - Los Crudos
17. Bit Part In a Bad Movie - Ampere
18. Broken Face - The Pixies
19. Mr Suit - Wire
20. No Reason Why - Pennywise
21. Sleeping the Terror Code - Q and Not U
22. One Way Widow - Les Savy Fav
23. XOX - Hot Snakes
24. Spring - Rites of Spring
25. Your Cheated Heart - The Ergs!
26. New Wind - 7 Seconds
27. In Defense of Humans - Fugazi
28. My Life - Sick of it All
29. Six Bar Phrase Hey Hey - Bear vs Shark
30. No Reason - Minor Threat
31. Resurrection - Fury
32. Spectra Sonic Sound - Nation of Ulysses
33. Bob - NOFX
34. Marriage - Descendents
35. Guigno - La Quiete

and thats all. As I was typing that out I realized I really would have made this much different if I made it today, but you know...

Super Busy

2009-03-24T11:35:00.002-04:00

Many apologies... I try and I try to keep a regular posting schedule over here, but sometimes I just cant manage it. Work is busy, real life is busy and whatever time I finally get to relax is used for just that... Relaxing.

Being that it is just me writing and posting it is bound to happen on occasion. But lately it feels like whenever I get excited about posting I all of a sudden have a ton of things to do...

------------

Theres a bunch of cool stuff going on:

Sinaloa has been playing shows. They will be coming to Brooklyn this weekend. Head to their myspace and check out the details on that. They will be playing with Daniel Striped Tiger and it will be great.

Drowning With Our Anchors, San Franciscos best band, has just released their new LP on Adagio830 out of Germany. It is an amazing record and fans of Portraits of Past, Funeral Diner and the like will eat it up. It should make Envy envious of the fact that they suck now instead of sticking to the sound that worked for them. (ooooh, Burn, talk smack to me in the comments.) Copies can be purchased at Vinyl Junkie Distro, so hit that up if you like buying records..

Young Widows are also playing shows right now, and if you didnt catch it, I placed them as one of the best things to be released last year. I still feel that way and supposedly they put on a great show. April 1st in NYC and again, Myspace to see the rest of their dates..

Sweetbabyjaysus of Burning Down the Dreams of Forever is stopping by NYC again with Brooklyn shoegazers Asobi Seksu. I will be hanging with him, though I just realized that Asobi Seksu i also playing on April 1st so that raises a problem for me... They will be playing the Bowery Ballroom which is one of my favorite venues on the planet Earth.

What else, what else..... Joe Burke, aka Obfusc, is preparing a 7" to be released soon on Static Caravan label. If you like down-tempo electronic music with just the right shuffle and skronk than he is the man for the job. Also one of my favorite artists of last year and the new song is easily one of his best.

And thats all I can think of right now... Im sure there is more. Always records being released, always new stuff entering these ears of mine. I will attempt to set some time aside for some proper posting.

For now, no links... Google! Google the bold type if you find any interest in these goings on... and maybe I'll see someone local at one of the shows this weekend.

Later and thanks so much for sticking with me even though I am not here sometimes.. There are plenty of other great blogs on the right, all done by cool people, which you can peruse for the time being...

Outspoken - The Current (1994)

2009-03-10T11:31:00.002-04:00

This record popped up on my radar not long ago. I just felt like listening to it, I guess, but I cant really pinpoint what it was that dredged it up from my past. Maybe I heard something that reminded of it, maybe it was just because I was looking for something to listen to.. oh wait, no, i got it. Haha! I was going through a stack of loose cds that I needed to put back in the book. Yep, thats it, as mundane as it sounds, I was cleaning. I was cleaning my messy office area in my apartment and I came across a bunch of old cds that I dont listen to often (Nineironspitfire? jeez) and of course this one stuck out, begged to be listened to. It appeared brighter than the others, but it couldve just been the way I was holding it to the light, getting lost in its rainbow hues and seeing a world full of color and possibilities.

Regardless of its causes, the effect is what I care to reflect on at this moment. I cant say its been years since I last listened to The Current. In fact, its the one I will most likely go for as its recorded best, and has their three best songs on it plus better versions of two old songs. It also has the clearest and least cheesy lyrics. I mean, one thing I think can be leveled at Outspoken is the fact that Johns voice was never much of a hardcore voice, and that to boot, his lyrics were a little cheese. Of course, dont get me wrong, please dont, Outspoken was one of my favorite bands at the time, they meant well and had a good message, they still remain one of my most favorable hardcore bands, given the passing of time and all that I can now attribute to so much of my hardcore upbringing. But yeah, throw on A Light In The Dark and tell me it isnt a little cheese.

The Current, while still remaining hardcore in every way, and by that I mean lyrics that still fall on the obvious side of obvious, managed to at least have some really great basically phrased mantras for any progressively thinking hardcore kid. I guess thats the part that I want to talk about because I feel these lyrics still mean something.. To me at least.. and they should mean something to everyone who even half gives a damn about making this world a better place for people to survive in.

Well, to start off, the first song caters more to the self questioning that most people have to go through at some point and will continue to go through intermittently through life. At least this is how I see it, and this will be the case for the rest of the post. Consider this my opinions. You make of it what you will. So Shadow raises the question of morality, points the finger at the duality of good and evil present in each of us and begs us to recognize it as something we have to contend with and cannot ignore. As a basic idea I think it is something that everyone needs to come to terms with at some point, but overall this song rules because of its music more than anything.

Innocent is where I really feel they begin to hack away at the issues. Innocent is, first and a foremost, a call to gay rights. "What crime - is love - between - two people / the crime - is hatred - caused by ignorance - of difference". This is a clear signifier of the belief that love has no boundaries what I really think sets this song high on the bar is that these sentiments transcend sexuality and can be very appropriate of gender issues and race. "Ignorance breeds Intolerance" is the mantra of this song. It is strong and true and to this day there are still people being held down because of their sexuality, because of their color and because of the genitalia they have. I do not condone that line of thinking and this song spoke to me at an age where all of these things were becoming obvious to me. It is for this reason that I still find this song so powerful. "Im the one that needs to change" still holds true. No one is perfect, no one has it figured out. Keep growing, keep learning and keep finding ways to except the differences around you, to love them and appreciate them for the myriad ways in which the world wishes itself to be known.

'Current' is the proper closer to the 7", though I have the cd and it includes the two extra songs. I will end here with 'Current' as its the song that has had the most lasting effect on me after all of these years. Its also the best Outspoken song in my opinion, musically speaking. The lyrics here deal with the struggle of watching those around you, those who may be important to you, those who were once important to you, watching them get caught up in vice, depression, anger... whatever negativity it may be (and I believe this is probably most likely a straight edge song, but the best straight edge songs make their point with out and X ((and mind you, I am not straight edge)). The first person viewpoint of the song expresses the wish to save friends from drowning in a current, and the current can be, as stated, a number of things. I am sure we have all had a friend who got too into drugs or alcohol, or a terribly painful destriuctive relationship, maybe even a set of morals that deviates from the goodness of life and leaves that person in a darkened place. Whatever the current may be, its ever present. The narrator wishes to be able to save those people. As he states in a calm section of the song, "Set adrift. They drift away. I reach to save them. But how can I save those who won't save themselves." This part has always held so much meaning to me. Again, its such a simple truth, but so many people dont get it... And the way I see it, this song isnt telling us we cant save our friends as much as its saying that you have to save yourself. I dont know if anyone has tried and tried to not avail to save someone that just didnt want to be saved. You have to see things for yourself. No one can drive this ship for you. All that shit about Jesus carrying you when you are weakest, all the shit that people get hung up in to try to deal, too much drugs, too much sex, too much hate, all the people that want to save the world person by person.... Save Yourself. Revolt!

Now, I know that can be pretty Darwinian in its presented form, but think about it. Inject it with warmth and love and you may be able to see that its not some cold mechanistic way of dealing with loss, but rather a call to each and every one of us that we all need to fight our own battles before we can think to achieve the victory of other people battles. Jesus wont save you and I wont either. We all need saving and until we save ourselves no one else can do it for us. Only when we have fought our own demons can we even begin the idea of healing the world around us. When we all take responsibility for our own actions, when we can see what part we each play in a bigger picture and find peace with that, then, and only then can we truly begin to be the world we wish to be.

I might be way of base from what John Coyle wanted to get across with that song, but thats how its been to me all these years. And despite that I have tried anyway. I have tried and tried and in the end, the best thing I could come up with was that "being there" for someone and "saving them" were two totally different things.. and that what really matters is being there... people come to their own light when the time is right for them, and the best way you can facilitate that is to be there for them.

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Heady shit in this post. Feel free to comment (please do) and refute me, agree with me, call me out for talking a poor line of bullshit. Whatever you got from these songs I want to hear, and whatever you got from what I said, I want to know. Thanks for listening.

Im in the process of photographing some of the cool vinyl finds I have made and will be sharing them with you at some point this week. Much lighter stuff...

Cheap Tragedies - 2000 and 7: Demo

2009-02-27T17:54:00.004-05:00

Hey all!! Sven from Prediction.Error.Signal (and an all around great guy with good tastes) pointed me in the direction of Tony Erbas new band, from Cleveland of course, and its damn good time.

For those of you who dont know Tony Erba, he originally sang for the hardcore band Face Value, who had one really great record (The Price Of Maturity) and a few not so great moments after that. Erba then went on to perform with H-100s, 9 Shocks Terror and Gordon Solie Motherfuckers. Erba has a certain quality to his voice, that while still simple and mostly in the talk/screamed punk vein, comes off with a great old school hardcore vibe.

Cheap Tragedies definitely mirror Erbas previous bands, and I could probably make a bunch of comparisons here, but suffice to say, its fast, catchy and definitely something I think a lot of you will like. Its hardcore at heart, relentless in a way, but not in a suffocating, life draining, low end rumble. Rather a high speed energy boost, like the good parts of Sonic the Hedgehog with lots of great bouncing breakdowns.

Excuse that absurd comparison. Im so tired and Cheap Tragedies is about the only thing keeping me awake right now. Sing-a-longs and lyrics that you can actually understand aren't such a bad thing either. You know, this reminds of some of later era Sick of it All if that stuff were actually any good. Or maybe like Kid Dynamites first album, but with much better vocals. I dont know, tell me what you think.

Check the myspace, notice they have a new LP out and another 7" and jump on board this old school juggernaut and never look back.

Monument - A 3 Song 7"

2009-02-19T16:02:00.008-05:00

Monument is a band. They play music very well. Their enthusiasm for a propulsive and dynamic melody is evident in every note. They seem like the kind of guys who would get pumped if you enjoyed their music. They seem like the kind of guys that would want to share the keg with you, cuz it would be more fun if everyone was partying. They still might pee on your front lawn though.

"What does this add up to?", you might be asking. "Does this mean they are going to crash my house and drink all my beer and pee on my lawn?" No, you missed the point. They will crash your party and make sure that everyone is having a great time and then you will all pee on your lawn together. The real grass is inside anyways.

Okay, maybe another way. Monument seems like the kind of band that wants to generate a good positive mood, something all inclusive; no one too geeky, no one too tough to enjoy their harmonious indie/emo hybrid. The songs speak to this idea by being accessible on the surface; offering group sing alongs, poppy, sunny melodies with just the right amount of introspection, and riffs, riffs to nod your head too, riff to drive a point home. But they offer just the right amount of complexity to widen their draw. Mathy, quickly plucked guitar runs shoot and scatter all over while skittering drums alternately tighten then loosen their grip on the track, keeping things tied up when they call for it and allowing the songs to breathe when necessary, veering it away from something too formulaic.

What it really comes down to is these guys really have a handle on songwriting, and if these songs are any indication than we have a band that is going to be the next step in the evolution of such like minded bands as Kickball, Algernon Cadwallader and Castevet. In fact, the band, on their myspace page, describes their sound as a combination of American Football, Braid and Monument. Being that they have a very whimsical sound bolstered by a more direct sound yet still wholly their own I think that it is very fitting.

Monument really do seem like the kind of guys you want to have play a house party and I can picture everyone smiling in the crowd at a Monument show.. especially when they play "Memory and Location" and everyone yells "Get Rad!". This is really good stuff. The 7" is $5 bucks direct from the band. It can be purchased elsewhere as well. You can see their Myspace for the various ordering options. Also, the 7" comes with a hand made lyric sheet which is actually kind of cool. Be the first on your block to rock Monument this spring, cuz once the word is fully out there these guys are going to catch on big.

Monument on Myspace

You can also download their demos from myspace and they are totally worth it. Get on this shit!

Black Kites - Advancement to Ruin (LP Pre-Order!!)

2009-02-17T12:11:00.002-05:00

Pre-Order Black Kites at Ride the Fury

Black Kites is a great hardcore band. I posted a 3 song sampler that the band put out and you can grab that and get a good idea of what these guys are up to. They play a heavy, balls out, bass heavy metallic brand of hardcore that chugs and stomps its way out of your speakers and into your body, filling you with the energy needed to do stage dives and windmills. The Kites have a nice pedigree which can be read about elsehwere. Suffice to say, these guys know what they are doing and this record is going to rule you face. This will be one of the best hardcore records all year.

There are 100 Clear pre-orders and 400 Regular black records

11.50 each which includes shipping / paypal / all that jazz
20.00 total if you decide to order both

ORDER HERE!!!
http://ridethefury.bigcartel.com/

Also, each record will include a link to a free digital download so you can listen to the record on your ipod or in your car or where ever!

Punch Yourself, Repeatedly, In The Face.

2009-02-10T14:37:00.003-05:00

Firstly, I dont aim to take away from the last post by posting this dribbling, tripe filled mix of awesomeness. So if youre here and youre reading this, than make sure you read below and check out Castevet. They are a new band making good music. This mix is all old and defunct and only serves the purpose of me writing about 11 songs that I really like for a particular reason.

Each song on this mix has at least one part that makes me love the song at least 10x more than usual. Most have a number of parts that do this. My aim is to direct your attention to these little pieces within the larger framework of each song. Maybe they will make you like each song 10x more.

1. Lusitania - June of 44 (Tropics & Meridians)

Okay, this is already harder than I imagined. Theres at least 100 things I like about this song. From the warbly weird guitar line to the choppy, shuffling drumming to the whispered / shouted lyrics about sinking ships, everything here matches up. One thing, before I get to the juicy part, is that the drumming in this song so easily brings to mind a roiling sea; waves pounding against the hull of the boat, sea sickness threatening at every crest of a wave, a bellicose vocal delivery that sounds like torpedos firing through the water.. All these things just tie up a great package. But the ultimate part, the part that gets me every time is right about the end of the song (2.40 to be exact), the pace is quickening, waves crashing over the deck as the damaged ship begins its aquatic descent, then stop... then POW!!! One final crash and the death bell is rung in one horrendous torpedo shout. That kind of shit seals the deal.

2. Gladiator - Jesus Lizard (Liar)

Another song that has a particular sort of insistent drum beat that will eventually be seen as a theme on this mix is one of Jesus Lizards best. David Yow always manages to sound like the depraved kind of lunatic that you wouldnt want to meet in a dark alley. The song has a very basic delivery, producing the same stop start dynamic for most of the song, but each time they revisit the verse everything has been ratcheted up a few notches, and everytime they hit the chorus, Yow sounds likes hes gone even further off the rails. A bridge brings us back to start and this is where things start to get interesting for me. The build up of the song is feverish, like some satanic sexual rite. Around 3 minutes in Yow sounds like hes either giving birth to a demon or having an orgasm, or both... And those lyrics... "And the warm sun, and a pain in my side" seem so fitting yet so incongruous at the same time that they leave me smiling like they are the key to some dastardly plan... The last section is where the particular moment comes in. After Yow has his orgasm/birth/death, right after another bridge, with the whole song reaching its climax, around 3.40 Denison rakes the strings with his pick making this sick razor sound that just blows my mind. The song actually climaxes at that point for me, releasing the whole juggernaut of tension they built up in just a few quick flicks, like the light reflecting off a switchblade thats just been drawn on you.

3. Blue Baby - Circus Lupus (Super Genius)

Where as the first two songs had particular moments spanning a few seconds time, this song instead has a section that really grabs me every time and keeps me coming back for more. Sure Chris Thomsons ranting is always worthy of a listen and the strange guitar patterns of Circus Lupus are always generally entertaining, but something about the bass line of the chorus is in this song is so fluid amidst such tense and jerky guitar dynamics. Its a yin and yang sort of experience, with all this atonal stuff going on and then this extremely languid yet powerful bassline pulses through, beckoning calmness among the discordant Circus Lupus swirl. Its mesmerizing, like the eye of a hurricane must be. A small part of me wishes they only did that part once, to really capitalize on how much weight it has, but hearing three times isnt something I will complain about.

4. If It Kills You - Drive Like Jehu (Self Titled)

I mean, aside from this song being long, its Drive Like Jehu, so, I mean, theres about a thousand things to love. I absolutely love every second of the song, and there are so many sections that I am certain I could write a whole post about this one song (and maybe another for Luau or Atom Jack). But there is one particular moment that always sticks out to me. It makes me laugh and makes me want to start pogoing right into traffic. So... about 4 minutes in they pull out this really strange (for DLJ) and sort of aggressive muted guitar part, that sounds way more hardcore than DLJ ever really were, but around 14 second later they toss in some shitty laser sounds that may have come from one of those crappy plastic keychains that made dumb noises. Its both startling and totally hilarious. And yes, it makes me like this song at least 10x more than I already did without that part. The last minute is also totally engrossing and mentally jarring. Oh, and Trombinos drumming, like always is sick powerhouse styles. WTF.

5. DNA Timebomb - Clikatat Ikatowi (Orchestrated and Conducted by..)

This is a really short song, and while its all good, the galloping harmonics that set in about a little past a minute in are totally awesome. While not my favorite song, this part makes it my favorite. I dont know what else to say. Its such a short song and on this mix, coming right after DLJ its seems so obvious that they were obviously influenced heavily by their socal friends. But yeah, galloping harmonics.

6. Good Morning, Captain - Slint (Spiderland)

Yet another song with an ocean like drum beat. Very similar to the June of 44 song, this song is a full package. Another story of a sinking ship, with drums that can only be an angry sea, the guitars flecking the face like sea mist while the bass roils and the drums roll, back and forth, back and forth. The imagery and sound collide to create this perfect picture of distress.... and I bet you think Im gonna tell you that the pay off in this song is the end... right? Where he screams "I miss you!!" Of course thats the intended payoff, and it delivers in no way short of astoundingly, with the guitars churned up and Brian McMahan shouts giving most of those within ear shot the chills.. but no.. thats not the part. Simply put, its the drum beat... with a little fill added in at the end of each alternating meter. No instrument or band has ever reminded me of a force of nature as succinctly as this song and its little drum have. And that is why I love this song 10x more than I would have otherwise.

7. Distracted - Helmet (Strap It On)

Oh man... this is my favorite Helmet song. People get all gushy over Meantime and that jazz, but damn it, this is the fucking biz right here. This whole album is actually top notch in every way, but Distracted has two counts going for it that rule my face. First, Page's voice, his half drawl, half shout is not only the coolest sounding thing in heavy music, but its completely unsettling, so disaffected and pissed at the same time, as if Page has many demons and is totally fine hanging with them, probably playing guitar and writing nasty breakdowns... The second and more powerful thing that makes this song so damn good is the chorus breakdown... I dont really know how to put it into words (which is why I am giving you the mix to listen to) but its so bad ass... Listen after the first verse, about a minute in and tell me you dont want to windmill down the main street of your nearest town and just churn up the concrete. Sick kick drumz going on here.

8. Treading Out The Winepress - Craw (Map. Monitor. Surge)

Another long ass song with a bunch of great sections. Of course there is one part that sticks out over all, but we'll get to that. Lets appreciate the slithery opening punctuated by humungous jabs of muted guitars - each one sounds like a boulder dropping out of the sky. The drums tell us right off the bat they will not be held down and proceed to climb and spiral all over the place for the duration of the song. Around 3 minutes in Craw delivers a few more boulders of distorted glory before launching into a frantic fast section ad then coming to rest on an eerie quite section. This is where the sweet spot comes in. The song couldve easily ended after the last blast, but instead Craw makes room for some more slithery trickiness and delivers a cryptic set of lines, bringing to mind ancient rituals and forgotten deities, while slowly bringing the song to a boil... "What do you want of us, have you come to destroy us, we know who you are" and thus the riffs beckon the terrors from above and below, colliding at once to create a scathing outburst that eventually collapses on itself with only a mighty drum fill to claim the victory. I also love the way it ends on the downstroked bass chord at the end.

9. Electrolux - Hoover (The Lurid Traversal Of Rte 7)

I have loved this song ever since I first heard it. Theres not a single part of this song that gets lost on me. The halting drum beat, the phat phat phat bass and the tiny plucked guitar lines that punctuates itself with each meter, like an exclamation point, are all so perfectly matched but then the bass drones and Dunhams whispered lyrics enter before a storm of distortion threatens to overwhelm the whole song. Toss in a horn why dont you? Sure, why not... The sweet spot comes in after the storm of distortion has settled. The bass resumes its pattern from the beginning of the song while the guitars spew feedback into each channel and heres where the sweetspot is: The feedback cuts around 6.14 and Fred bass has taken on a roll, bending the notes and tossing in this one extra note between each measure, a run down the fret? or just another bent note? Either way, Dunham screaming "Leave it alone" while that bass just rolls is amazing. By the way, this is the second song on here with Fred Erskine playing bass.

10. Song of the Minerals - Shellac

There were so many songs to choose from At Action Park and at one point I had at least three of them on here, but I didnt feel it was right to have a song from each band and then have three Shellac songs. So to start, I'll tell you that I was originally going to put My Black Ass on here, but thats just a good song through and through. Then I had the Crow, with its shattered guitar rantings and shadowy bass work. I also had the Dog and Pony Show with its lurching, slinky styles acting all hot bothered. I settled on Song of the Minerals instead because of all those songs, this one has that one particular quality that sticks out that makes it 10x better. The song, for the most part, is an experiment in tensionm with an insistent bass line leading the fray until Albini comes in with more of his razor guitar work. Its towards the end of the song, 3.29 to be exact, where all the tension just evaporates. Its such a powerful moment that it makes me back up the song quite often to see how they did that, and its really simple but quite genius. The bass repeats the same line over and over for most of the song, becoming quite hypnotic and then just drops off and the guitar takes over the same note pattern. So simple! So effective!

11. Room Temperature Suite - Don Caballero (What Burns Never Returns)

Wow! This song has about a million particular parts that jump out at me, which is why it fits as the last song. Lets see.... Song starts off good, normal enough, I mean, for a Don Cab song. 33 seconds in, I dont know what Williams and Banfield are doing with their guitars, but damn it, its amazing, it sounds backwards, but I dont know with these guys. They have lots of tricks up their sleeves.. Some double bass drumming then 1.04 in the drums half their pace, something about it is so great... there is lots of indescribable greatness going on this song, usually in the interplay of Che's insane drumming and the three guitars all locking into weird patterns. Oh wait, 2.11, what they hell are they doing now?! These insane guitar sounds, like they are raking their whole hand across different parts of the fret board. Then 3.52 they reprise the beginning with some great bass lines before looping off into more weird territory before bringing the song to a close with some awesome stop start stuff and Che banging the drums like the octopus he is.

And that concludes my 11 songs that I like 10x more than I wouldve had they not had the parts that I brought to your attention.

Castevet - I Know What A Lion Is (2009)

2009-02-10T11:28:00.002-05:00

This is some new shit for you to wrap yourself up in. Castevet is a new band from Chicago offering up a good mix of styles, all soaked in ultra melodic guitar lines and gruff yet strangely tuneful vocals.

Everytime this EP starts I think it is some other band. A post-rock band no less.. There is something so familiar about the swell of the guitar and bass that I always get thrown off guard when the second guitar starts a down stroked 2 bit piece that instantly reminds me that this is going to me a much more grounded affair. The down stroked guitar sets the rhythm for most of the song while the singer comes in with a hoarse sort of shout sing that reminds me of someone else but I can never think of who. The post-rockiness of the beginning isnt just a rouse either. The band demonstrates a knack for twinkly guitar interplay and beautiful melodic layering. Pieced in with the stop start dynamics of the song arpeggiated guitars twirl amongst each other while a well timed rhythm section really keeps every ones heads nodding.

The second song plays on that same melodic layering and exhibits some influences that might not be too far from the Kinsella family tree, but there is a bit more speed evident in this track. The vocals and good songwriting keep this from becoming the often ripped off midwest emo sound and instead displays a bit more power, maybe even something like the early Seam material (Seam was also from Chicago, hmmm) mixed with a more American Football-like prettiness.

The third song meshes what the first two songs offer and expands the template in every direction. It really shows that this band is going to have a lot to share with us in the short future. The mix of post-rock, emo and indie music is nothing new these days, but it takes a deft hand to tread this territory and come out smelling like roses. Castevet sound like they have been doing this for years and could even claim to have some say in the creation of some of these genres, but I am not sure who is in this band or what bands theyve been in before. All I know is I cant wait to hear more.

Castevet's Myspace

The Convocation Of... - Pyramid Technology (2001)

2009-01-19T16:00:00.004-05:00

Far be it from me to pretend like I know anything about this band, other than what I've read (Tonie Joy from Universal Order of Armageddon, Moss Icon, Born Against and the Great Unraveling heads the band) I am left to only subsist on what this record does for me.

With music, that certainly leaves a lot of room for speculation... opinions, emotions, creative processes converge in different ways for each of us when we hear sounds. When someone uploaded the first self titled album back in summer of '07 (my first time hearing them) I was convinced that I had missed out on something. This kind of angular, muscular music is right up my alley. Though I had enough to go on based on my first go arounds with the s/t, it was Pyramid Technology that set my sights higher. Nearly every review I read stated what I could only hope was true; that this record rocks the fuck out. In fact, something that hardcore often lacks, in any of its varieties, is pure balls out rock and roll. Sure, hardcore packs a punch, no matter if its beating you over the head with muted breakdown sections or gouging your insides out with razor sharp guitar assaults or simply shaking you right to the core with wails and walls of sound. These things are always pleasing to me. But where is the rock? That undeniable groove that links classic rock to all other forms of rock?

I dont intend to state that there is no rock existing in these genres, its just few and far between.. to the point that when something like Pyramid Technology comes along, you are not only surprised to hear such rocking moments, but also to feel the familiar bad-assery that comes along with such swagger. The Convocation Of.. takes the best moments of Tonie Joys previous efforts and seamlessly melds them together with out and out rock music, of the likes that have been present on a number of records throughout history from Blue Cheer, to Black Sabbath and even Led Zeppelin. Some would even say the opening lines of the record echo a slight Jimi Hendrix vibe. But this all makes so much more sense in the grand scheme of things when you take into account the tense, angularity of much of the drumming and guitar playing. Like as if June of 44 or Unwound were covering Band of Gypsies, The Convocation Of... muscles out any piddling rock middle ground and stands firmly with each foot residing in the most important territories of what make rock so vital; Attitude, displayed sonically in this case, either through a riff that just screams "play air guitar to me!". And Groove, with each song grooving right through bad ass fills and tangential guitar explorations alike, tossing in wah when it feels like it and making no apologies about leaving your brain on the floor 4 measures ago.

What I really want to say is that I am glad I had finally gotten around to finding this and was lucky enough to score an LP of it for a great price. It has more than outlived my expectations and proves to be one of the best of the creative rock / post-punk genre. I urge anyone into rock music in general to digest this at length. I urge anyone who has only heard the first album to jump on this like jackyls to the prey. A high point in not just punk and hardcore, but rock & roll as well.

------------UPDATE--------------

Its come to my attention that not only can you still purchase Pyramid Technology on vinyl from Insound, they are supposedly releasing new material on Gravity. I think it starts with a 7", but either way you slice it, this is good news for record collectors and fans of the band. Check their Myspace for updates on that biz.

Fuel - Take Effect 7" (1990)

2009-01-18T10:59:00.003-05:00

Someone requested I post the Take Effect 7" from the awesome early 90's punk band Fuel. Fuel, as most know by now was a Mike Kirsch related band from the Bay Area and forged a sound that I would now consider a tour bus crash of 'Waiting Room' era Fugazi and the majority of the Lookout roster at the time (Monsula et al.). While in essence a derivative, Kirsch has always brought a much needed skill to all the bands he has played in, and that is one of deft songwriting prowess and an ear for catchy melodies.

So I was surfing around my iTunes this Sunday morning, listening to old things, catching up on fellow blogs, I came across this 7" and as is usually the case, was immediately caught by its buoyancy and urgency. Each song is like an anthem for your senses, invigorating even the sleepiest of snowy Sundays. So I finish my morning activities with Fuel and the decision to share this with everyone, the chugging palm muted rhythms propelling me forward, thusly, into a new blog post.

Many are fully in the Kirsch camp of hardcore and will instantly know what I am talking about when I say this 7" rocks (even the instrumental song is great!) and many might wonder who Kirsch is and say, "why should I care?". Because Kirsch cares, and he makes this music for us, and hes been doing a wonderful job of it for damn near 20 years. Take this 7" as proof.

I rest my case.

ZAFP '09

2009-01-17T13:07:00.005-05:00

A compilation of sorts... of music from the bands from my year end list. For you to enjoy and possibly to entice you to search for more stuff, new bands, anything interesting these songs might have lead you to.

Update

Parts I and II below on mediafire...

I/II

Best Of The Past Year

2009-01-07T20:53:00.005-05:00

Best of lists... You have probably read a bunch of them by this point. Probably tired of hearing the same stuff over and over again. Well, Im here to chime in and probably repeat a few of the obvious and hopefully toss a few less obvious ones your way. At the beginning of this year I felt that this was a great year for music. Looking back I can still say it was as I feel very good about a bunch of stuff that came out, but looking back has also revealed that I have in fact done what I did last year; listen to a bunch of music by bands that havent played together in years. Cest la vie. I could wax poetic about all the things I rediscovered, all the lost gems that I unearthed after missing them the first time around, but instead I will just lead you down a short path of the things that really hit me in 2008.

Before I begin, I would like to at least touch upon the nature of my ordering. For one thing, there is none. Sure, some things are definitely amazing at any given time, and some other things are amazing at particular times. Maybe even more so than the things I can listen to at any given moment. That is the nature of music and its personal appeal. Also, as is most likely the case with any one individual, I have most certainly not heard some amazing records and have possibly even forgotten to add some that I have heard. Since we have to start somewhere, we will begin here.

1. Young Widows - Old Wounds (Temp Res Ltd)

From the first distorted bass notes of this roiling beast of an album to the very last I feel nothing but pure electricity. The Am Rep / Jesus Lizard / Shellac sounds of this record are the first of its kind to really meet my standards set forth by the aformentioned bands. Brutal yet smooth, twisting and turning through track after track of heady distorted blues like noise. Simply put this album is one that will excite me for years to come. Considering I still dont like the first album that much, this is all the more awesome as it leaves me wanting more and that is never a bad thing when it comes to music.

2. Deerhunter - Microcastle / Weird Era Cont. (Kranky)

While this album has probably popped up on a million peoples radars (and a million lists) I find it safe to say that its one of the best indie rock records released int he last five years. Sure, theres much about this that is nothing new. You could say its a rip of this or that, sure, some VU or what have you, but its richer than that and the strengths lie not in how far they moved past their influences, but rather how well theyve met those influences on their own ground and staked their claim. A wonderful pastiche of pop, soul and psychedelic sounds from the 50's, 60's and 70's mixed with a modern day indie rock mindfulness of when to be quirky and when to just drench everything in sound. I am sure some will disagree with this one, especially being a Pitchfork darling, but this is one case where they got it right. Pitchfork that is. Deerhunter has been getting right for a number of years now (See: Cryptograms and Flourescent Grey)

3. Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (Kranky)

Since I just mentioned Deerhunter, it seems fitting to point you in the direction of another Bradford Cox gem. I think this may have been one of my first loved records of the year and looking back it still remains distinctly strong. There is something about the simplicity of Bradford's lyrics that allow him to just toss layers upon layers of dreamy sounds without overloading the song, or drowning out what makes the song great in the first place. Simple repeated mantras that seem to call out from dark pasts meld with airy atmospherics that would seem out of place on one of many ambient releases that have become so popular in recent years. Whereas those releases can tend to bore, Bradford anchors every song with a wistful, half anxious, half hopeful tone that really fits certain moods of calm recollection. This is definitely one of those albums that really hits when the mood is right. Though not all that different from Deerhunter in the sounds that are used there is a tasteful sparseness that makes this record stand apart from its much more high profile doppleganger.

4. Sinaloa - Oceans of Islands (Level Plane)

Sinaloa puts me in such a good mood. I still have yet to figure out why this is. The songs are tense and moody with moments of extreme melody, filled with cautionary tales and aphorisms for the destructive habits of our kind, yet still I feel elated everytime I listen to them. Maybe it is because I feel so strongly about what they have to say, and not only that, but I love that they feel so strongly about what they are saying that it just feel real. No posing involved, real concern for our planet and our obsessive consumerist nature are present in almost everything they present to the listener. I may also feel so happy because they remind me, more so than any other band of the style (hardcore? emo? what?) of music that I loved so much in the 90's and still love so much today. Whatever the case may be, I challenge you to find a group of more socially and ecologically responsive musicians who are not shoving their ideals down your throat, but simply pointing in what should be an obvious direction for us all to achieve some kind of harmony with each other and the earth we live in. Yeah, you could call it some hippie bullshit, and I fucking love it. And I am still dying to see these guys play live. Look out for them in March in the US.

5/6. ...Who Calls So Loud - 2x10" & 12" EP (Sorry / Protagonist)

Speaking of bands that make me happy for reminding me of yesteryear, ... Who Calls So Loud released not one, but two of my favorite releases. The 2x10" hooked me instantly with its brooding Portraits of Past / Funeral Diner style of hardcore. Seeing them live not only cemented that they were a great band, but also that Matt is a sick drummer and has only gotten better and better over the years. Not only that, but ...Who Calls So Loud has also made reevaluate the strengths of the Portraits of Past material only to find that I like it even more than I ever did. Now, conversely, I was totally not sold on the EP. I purchased it like wildfire, expecting nothing but more of the same awesomeness as before, but for some reason it just didnt stick. Well, of course timing is everything and it behooves anyone to give something a second chance under different circumstances and lo and behold I found myself in the right time and place loving every single minute of this EP. Though there are only two proper songs, one short and one long, they are amazing and passionate songs, expanding on the styles set forth by the previous album and only hinting at where this band would gain its own identity separate from its looming past. The second instrumental track in particular, with slide guitars and very subdued sound got me excited to see what was next and had me shaking my head at my earlier dismissal. Sadly, the fate of the band may hang in the balance and only time will tell if these realizations will ever be met. Of course, theres always the opportunity to start another band.

7. Obfusc - Cities of Cedar (Boltfish)

"Obfusc is the musical output of Brooklyn, NY-based photographer/graphic designer Joseph X. Burke. Drawing inspiration from everything that surrounds him -- the chirping of birds, conversations overheard in passing, mass transportation -- Burke submerges field recordings and other found sound amongst layers of sweeping melodic lines and percussive geometry." So says the guy behind the curtain...

I remember a moment, one of my strongest emotional moments set to music in years; I was flying across the Cascades from Seattle around June, listening to Cities of Cedar, and had just left some people that are very important to me. As we flew over a white washed landscape of cloud cover I watched as the clouds mimicked mountains, only to open up at the last minute and reveal not only the one of the biggest mountains in the continental US (Rainier) but a successive group of similarly awe inspiring mountains, all capped in snow, stretching to what seemed to me to be my very own feet. The effect of this natural beauty combined with the love felt for those so important to me was staggering when combined with the sounds coming from my iPod. Cities of Cedar revealed itself in full to me at that moment, and I actually shed tears at the joy of our beautiful (albeit fucked up) world. Easily one of the most important personal musical moments in the past decade, if not all time.

8. Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind Of Cadwallader (?)

I was determined not to like this. Seriously. I set out to resist its charms. To deny its ramshackle elegance. I fought long and hard against its exuberant energy. I even downloaded it to prove to myself that I was above its trite optimism.

I failed. Miserably. Theres not a single note on this record that didnt breach my wall of scrutiny.

Why? Why would I try not to like something? Oh, its all stupid shit, even my ego gets the best of me sometimes. My 31 year old mind thought, "Oh, this is kid shit. They eat this up. Im progressive, forward thinking, adult." Of course, this all sounds ridiculous. I musically live in the past and my 15 year old mind could only laugh at such stuffiness and say "You old tool, you love this shit. How could you not? You listen to all that crappy mosh bullshit, you get all excited about how emotionally forward bands from the 90's were, as if it were the only time it ever happened. Listen up old man, if you refuse this undeniable charm, you will just be stuck in some sort of arrested development. Even my 15 year old mindset knows you have to sometimes move backwards to move forwards. Silly old man. Your age is beginning to show in your futile cynicism. Submit and be free."

So I did. And you know what? I was right.

9. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)

I watch Greys Anatomy. Its true. My girlfriend Lara loves it. I generally spurn the TV (and this is something all ages of my mind can agree on) but occasionally I get sucked in. Such is the case with this show. If it werent for Lara I would most certainly forget to tune in week after week (and as it is we still miss most of the episodes). I also love folk music. Something my mother imbued in me. After all, shes was a teen in the late 60's and it only seems right to like folk music if you grew up in the city. Of course I am generalizing. There was lots of shit then too. Thankfully my mother mostly liked good stuff. Some shite, but mostly good. So, there was this song on Greys Anatomy, I didnt know who it was, nor did I care, but I liked it. Concurrently people on the interwebs were all gushing over this Bon Iver thing. I occasionally try to toss some music Laras way since she doesnt go for most of the stuff I post around here, but we both share a love of folk and indie rock (She loves The National and Iron & Wine, as do I). So I figured I would check this guy out. Turns out, its pretty damn amazing. Strong vocals, almost choral at times; subtle yet powerful instrumentation and some touching words. Lara loved it too, so its nice to have something that we both feel strongly about. I even gave it to my mom for christmas and she likes it. She said it reminded her of Neil Young. That made me smile, even though it doesnt sound like Neil Young, buts that relative really. You should see for yourself.

10. The Samuel Jackson Five - Goodbye Melody Mountain (?)

At one point in my life I was seriously addicted to what most would consider 'post-rock'. To me it has always been 'instrumental rock', but really, thats unimportant. What is important is that this hard to pin genre has been seriously lacking in any real creativeness for some time now. Countless bands ape the same sounds over and over again, and while I feel this works fine in most rock based forms containing vocals, in the instrumental realm it seems really important to attempt to engage the listener with your song craft. Last year I put Caspian in my best of list, and it was one of the first instrumental rock albums to really leave a mark. Since then the genre could have disappeared for all I care. But one band kept sticking in my mind; the strangely titled Samuel Jackson Five. Their previous 2005 album, Easily Misunderstood, was a pastiche of hard rock, folk, ambiance, jazz, and so on and so forth. Their style was so nailed down that none of these disparate influences ever seem awkward next to each other. So occasionally I checked up to see when they would release something new. Eventually I grew tired with their lack of updates and stopped checking on them, even thinking they were done with the SJ5. Thankfully I checked one last time, after almost a year of no thought whatsoever. Goodbye Melody Mountain was released late last year to little fan fare and god damn did it exceed any of my expectations that they raised with their previous work. I could wax poetic about so many details that make this record great. Even my friend Joe, completely skeptical of 'post-rock', was hooked like one who chases the dragon. Together we would be listening and furiously emailing each other all the amazing moments of this incredibly varied and smooth album. The Hill Street Blues sax of 'Eye Eat Lotus' that never fails to conjure images of police cars jumping in slow motion, the oboe like easy listening horns of 'Hey Now, Who Really Cares', the subtle shimmering ambiance of 'Slow Motion Simulator' or the arpeggiated closing to 'How To Evade Your Obsessive Shadow'; all these things begged to be heard again in again. Within the first week I had listened to this album more than almost any other throughout the year. I knew all my waiting had been worth it. This is the one (insert arbitrary genre description here) album you should really hear at least once.

11. A Silver Mount Zion - 13 Blues For 13 Moons (Constellation)

Before we begin, yes, thats not their name. Apologies to the band, but I cant be botherd to even copy and past the absurdly long name, in whatever iteration they have chosen to use. Plus, A Silver Mount Zion has such a ring to it, I dont know why they ever changed it. And considering all their name changes and what they have meant in terms of overall sound, I can only say that they lost me somewhere along the way. But still I cared and when I had the opportunity to digest these four extremely long songs I was nothing short of impressed. Blown away in fact. I mean, sure, it seemed like the same band, but something clicked this time. Now I know a lot of ASMZ fans have slagged this album for not sharing the calm brilliance of 'He Has Left Us...' or 'Born Into Trouble...', but maybe their just being purists. I for one think that it behooves this band to move as far away from the obvious references that people always like to mention. After all, the leading members previous projects are unfuckwithable. But something amazing happened here. A tense, shuddering tower of blues, cathartic in every sense of the word, is displayed profoundly and fluidly throughout this hour of music. Beginning with a repetitious mantra stating, "One million died to make this sound", the song eventually builds to what can only amount to the whaling and gnashing of teeth that is the fruit of our destructive world. Its a hair raising musical moment and easily one of my favorite musical moments in recent years. The rest of the album follows suit, and fantastically so, but the release of the first song is worth the price of this album all on its own.

12. 5ive - Hesperus (Hydra Head Recs)

How about 'doom'? You wanna call it 'stoner'? Oh! What about 'sludge'? We can call it that if you want. Whatever the deal, 5ive caught me by surprise this year with their heady and pummeling sound. Hesperus is an album of cyclical riffs that aim to completely drown out all the nonsense in this world, only to replace it with a dominating bass heavy slow motion swirl that is sure to have even the staunchest of metal heads banging back and forth. 5ive release torrents of thick slabs of guitar and bass, all sans vocals and somehoe never come off as just another copy or a boring muddled addition to yet another overstuffed genre. There is something about subterranean guitar theatrics that holds its appeal though, and I am glad that I check back with the 'stoner'/'doom'/'sludge' world on occasion, because when its right, its oh so good. Whats even more astounding about this release is that 5ive consists of only a drummer and a guitarist. The amount of volume these guys reach, when given that consideration, is phenomenal. It almost chokes out the atmosphere. And just when you are ready to throw the towel in they present a quiet, slinking alternative to the bombast that they are know for. The quiet parts are almost as heavy as the loud parts, due in part to the looming sense of another aural assault. Definitely recommended for those with an ear for the low end.

13. Maps & Atlases - You and Me and The Mountain (Sargent House)

Great great EP by these polyrhythmic geniuses. Most of the instruments (all rock based) are used in percussive ways. Its quite often that I find a new thing to love on each listen, usually something minuscule like where they placed the drum roll, or how how the bass glides in at one moment later than the rest of the band. The guitars are usually going in five different directions per guitar, but the bass and drums have a whole separate appeal when taken as own their own; often building structures around the capricious guitar interplay, deftly moving from upbeat to slow beat. There is no doubt these guys are onto something. While at first I was disappointed that every moment wasnt a hyper blast of whirling melodies such as the first EP (also amazing, by the way) over time (a short amount of time too) I found myself craving the intricate melodies and vocal interplays of this record. I can safely say that while they are different sounding in a noticeable way, this record, if anything is more Maps & Atlases than before. That sounds like a strange thing, so what I mean to say, is that where their influences may have been more readily apparent, here they have staked their own claim in the music world without sacrificing anything that made them the stellar band they were to begin with.

14. La Quiete - 7" (Sons of Vesta)

Though not an album by a long shot, La Quiete deserve notice when they pop up with new material. At least thats what one would hope, considering their awe inspiring back catalog. Watching this band grow better and better at their craft has really been something I have enjoyed being a part of. Following in the same path as the 2006 self titled 7", this release delivers melodic yet chaotic hardcore punk with the same amount of varying dynamics that they are known for. The first track alone, Cosa Sei Disposto A Perdere (What You Are Willing To Lose), is easily one of their greater moments, followed by Musica Per Un Giardino Segreto #4 (Music For The Secret Garden #4), which is an instrumental continuation of the first 3 songs of the same name found on previous 7" releases. The third song, La Conseguenze Di Un Abbraccio (I cant translate this one. Consequence of... anyone know?) displays some newer sounds for the band, with a more tense feel the guitars play a complicated arpeggio while the drums insistence rises with each meter. Unfortunately its almost over after that, but not without one last stab at some real triumph. Gemelli Siamesi (Siamese Twins) begins with a laid back beginning section before breaking into a series of octave chords, which to me always displays a strong sense of urgency and longing, but the urgency and longing I feel in this case is to hear more La Quiete. Mission accomplished.

15. Suis La Lune - Heir 10" (Escucha / Ape Must Not Kill Ape)

You know, everybody is always talking about the 'mid 90's sound'. Me more than anyone probably, but I dare you to show me something truly new in music that isnt electronic. With that said, when something so good has inspired others to have a go at it, and to such great effect as producing a band such as Suis La Lune, well, I dont understand how anyone complain, save to say that theyve just grown tired of what once inspired them. With the Heir 10" has proved to me, on each consecutive listen, that this is one sound that isnt going to become un-inspirational anytime soon. Suis La Lune offers up four tracks that expand on their 2006 album and surpass it in many way. With Sunny Day Real Estates early approach to melody mixed with punks ferocity, these 4 songs positively blaze with an inner light. 'With Wings of Feather & Glue' is possibly one of the strongest punk hardcore songs I have heard in some time, even surpassing much of the great la Quiete. And on some days you could get me to admit that Suis La Lune and La Quiete share a lot in common in terms of sound, though with both bands latest releases is seems unfair to consider that the case, even though both balance blazingly fast intricate tunes with beautiful, tear-jerking melodic sections. Whatever the case, and whatever your concerns for descriptions are, this 10" rises higher than that, to something purely and powerfully emotive. I cant wait to see what they do next.

16. Brainworms / Tubers split 7" (Rorschach)

I just went and saw Brainworms last night. As it was before, so it was last night. They killed it. While I probably wont get to experience the joyous mayhem that I did two summers ago @ The Woodser, there is nothing short of a jaw dropping tightness to the band that makes my synapses do the dancing for me. I can say, hands down, that Brainworms are my favorite punk band right now. They play catchy songs, awesomely fast, with some sick drumming and a good ear for slower more rocking parts. While I would love to discuss how awesome their new songs sounded last night, I would especially like to focus my attention on Jay's Big Date. Easily one of their best songs yet and a good indication of whats to come. The song starts powerfully with some rapid guitar work before hitting their stride and then dropping what I now consider a "Brainworms Breakdown" consisting of a short mid tempo section that not only begs your head to nod furiously, but adds weight to all sections connected to either side of. Thus the track grows exponentially awesome with each listen. Also added is what I believe to be the encore from their live demo, 'For Want Of' which is a pretty faithful Rites Of Spring cover. Being that some of the revolution summer sound is evident in sections of their other stuff, this doesnt seem a huge stretch. Though For Want of has some of RoS's best lyrics, a part of me wishes they covered 'Spring' which I consider their best song. But thats apples and oranges, or more fittingly, relativistic bullshit. Tuber side drops some good songs, definitely the best band the 'Worms have done a split with, but apologies to them, because while I enjoy their rocking punk sound, it is strongly overshadowed by Brainworms' offering. Look for LP2 on Rorschach soon this year.

-----Some Other Things Worth Checking Out------

Iota is from the midwest and play, according to their myspace "Metal/Psychedelic/Rock". Some might call it stoner, but whatever the case its a great release from a young band. Awesome cover art too.

German psych rockers Colour Haze drop another gem of hazed out garage blues for us to all drool to. May be their best release yet.

Electric Wizard rule, and this song is an obvious reason why. Reverend Bizarres side is a Beherit cover, and though not amazing as their proper works is pretty decent. This is really for the Electric Wizard song. Better than their last (yet also awesome) album.

Chicagos Bongripper dropped another heady brew of satanic, marijuana-induced drug haze. The first track is creepy as hell and then turns into a massive brain meltdown of towering proportions before receding in the same creepy way it began. Definitely another high point in the doom metal world.

Who the fuck doesnt think Nick Cave still rules? I will fight you.

Old Song, Remastered and Re-released This Year

Faraquet disbanded in around the turn of the century, but not before leaving us with some of Dischords best material since the early 90's. This is all their 7" and split stuff re-released, remastered, displayed in a nice package for a great price. Dischord wins again.

And again, and again, and again... One Last Wish was around for less than a year around 1986 (as the title implies) Basically Rites of Spring without Mike Fellows, replaced by Embraces Mike Hampton. The sound is similar, but closer to the later RoS stuff. Very strong songs and a slightly more 80's feel to the guitar tones. Not a weak song on the whole thing. Finally released this year by Dischord.

Jejune / Jimmy Eat World splt 7" (1997)

2008-12-19T12:55:00.003-05:00

It may not snowing where you are right now, but it is snowing like crazy in NYC. For some reason music like the above 7" really fits with snow. Maybe its the melancholy of the grey skies mixed with the ebullient quality of the snow dancing and flitting around that goes hand in hand with these kind of songs. The short day light hours mixed with the invigorating chill. Something along those lines....

Regardless of what comparisons could be made this is a strong showing from two bands that both got more popular after this release. While Jejune may have crossed you radar before I think it is safe to say that there is not a person between the age of 13 and 33 who knows who Jimmy Eat World is. This was my first introduction to Jimmy Eat World and Jejune, and they remain my two favorite songs from both camps. While Jejune may have stayed their course for the most part I feel that they never achieved the playful yet emotional depth portrayed on their side.

Jimmy Eat World on the other hand went on to progress through a number of different sounds. Some more successful than others, but one thing they never really reached for again was the chugging stop start dynamics of "What Would I Say To You Now". This was somewhat to my dismay as I feel that although I do appreciate some of their later stuff, this song creates a mood for me, where as something like Clarity requires a certain mood for me to delve into it fully. Nothing is more powerful in music than having the sounds take over your mind for 3 or 4 minutes and then leaving you with its glow for a short time there after.

While many would disagree with me on this being the best of their songs (the band included I would assume) I still have to share this with all of you as I think the most important thing about this 7" is how these two songs complement each other. Jejunes breezy cathartic pop and Jimmy Eat Worlds noisy rocked out bliss are two things that I think go together perfectly.

I have only included one of each song. The other song from Jejune is an instrumental which I find forgettable in comparison to "Early Stars", and Jimmy Eat World have another decent track called Speed Read which I believe you can find on their Singles collection, along with "What Would I Say To You Now".

Tell Me If Im Crazy...

2008-12-15T17:39:00.004-05:00

...but did my whole death metal post disappear?

I swear I didnt do it... Obviously it was a problem to someone, so I guess thats that. No metal for you.

2008 lists coming soon.

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Ohp!!! This just in... After two years I have crossed the line apparently. From this point onward you will not find high profile death metal albums on ZAFP. There are plenty of other places to find them and I suggest you do that if it is your ultimate desire to live in sin (As I so enjoy)

Peep this, from the Blogger Crew. It seems pretty official.

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Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the record companies it represents, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.

The IFPI is a trade association that represents over 1,400 major and independent record companies in the US and internationally who create, manufacture and distribute sound recordings (the "IFPI Represented Companies").

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

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So, with that said, it is very clear that Friday is no longer a good day for Death Metal. Instead, Fridays will continue with their regular broadcasting of weekend warriors and binge drinking. For those of you not into those two aformentioned recreations, please know that Fridays will continue to be good for staying in and watching movies as well.

-MGMT

Four Hundred Years - s/t 7" (Yuletide / Rose Petal)

2008-12-12T10:42:00.002-05:00

This is without a doubt one of my favorite 7"s. I am pretty sure that everyone has these 4 songs as they were released with their first LP Suture as 'Suture and Other Songs'.

If you dont have these 4 songs, well, nows the time to get it. I personally feel that these 4 songs stand best on their own power. Lock Up and Hoodwinked are both incredible tracks with sick drumming and awesome interlude sections.

All in all a perfect 7". All artwork included.

You can still get Suture and other songs from Lovitt Records. And though I am not a huge fan of Four Hundred Years after Suture I believe you can still find those albums through either Lovitt or one of the many distros. Lovitts link is on the right.

Thats it. Short post. Happy Friday. Check the Towers stuff below. I zipped the files and put a link for them in the image.

Towers

2008-12-11T17:00:00.004-05:00

Towers is a pretty sick hardcore band from Philly who are tossing out some interesting chaotic heavy hardcore jams. I unfortunately missed their set this past summer, but everyone was raving about it and I felt dumb for missing it. Though in my defense they did only play for 15 minutes. Considering their songs generally just crest the 1 minute mark this is no surprise. Massive, jilting riffs tossed around like razor blades collide with cinder blocks of bass crunch. Anguished screams dual with rambunctiously pounding drums. People get hurt. For a band to squelch this much feeling out of a minute is an impressive feat.

Craig, the bassist / vocals for Towers posted a link to their site where you can listen to much of what the band has released thus far. Last year they released a self titled LP that came out in a variety of formats and a slew of labels. Very sick record, and if you grab the LP version its in all its screenprinted glory. Next on their list, slated for an early 2009 release is their newest LP, Full Circle, also released on a slew of labels.

If you live in the US check the Towers myspace page for shows that may be happening at this very moment (one with the Black Kites in Philly on the 30th). If you dont live in the US than I am sure they will be eventually making it out your way soon, so keep your eyes peeled. Craig also plays with Peter from Algernon Cadwallder in Peter & Craig. If Algernon makes you happy, Towers is sure to ruin your life.

Check it on the dubs. I made it easy for you. I put all the available files in a zip.

Stuff To Get Into

2008-12-04T23:15:00.007-05:00

**PLEASE READ THE BOTTOM FIRST**
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Antlers - S/T (Rorschach Records)

Richmond is fertile ground for punk bands. And they tend to be good ones at that. Really good. Rorschach Records also has a roster stock full of them. Not even overwhelmingly so. They seem to have carefully chosen bands that create some sort of community. Communal living style. A sonic punk commune. A few select bands with a variety of takes on a single genre. It all fits together nicely like something maybe only Dischord and few others could claim. And thats kinda where Antlers makes a lot of sense in this scheme of things. Comprised of a slew of prolific musicians, Antlers creates a community with their sounds. Something to rally around and something to sit down reflectively with, like a good friend you have had, sharing both rousing and quiet moments in the passing of time (or maybe you party all the time, and damn it good for you.) Antlers and Rorschach have a very good set up going on right now and it would be a shame if more people werent looking for that kind of community in their daily goings on.

Failures - S/T (Clean Plate)

When I first heard Failures it was live at ABC No Rio earlier this spring. I saw Will from Ampere/Orchid hanging around and thought maybe Ampere was going to play too. They werent on the bill, though it seemed appropriate. Brainworms played along with ...Who Calls So Loud and Apeshit! and a band called Failures, whom I was just about to witness. Will went up to stage and picked up the guitar and was joined by 3 people who werent in Ampere. What happened next not only made my jaw drop straight to the floor, my jaw then actually crashed right through the shitty busted floors of ABC No Rio. I witnessed CHUDS lurking underneath making screenprinted patches and upon opening their murky ceiling with my unhinged jaw, they pounced up and wreaked intense havoc in the tiny ground floor of poor ABC No Rio. They flipped some guys peanuts in the crowd and when the pitch of the music revved up even fast, Wills fingers burning on the fret board, mid hop, they even began chewing on the innocent bystanders. What started as good punk lovin fun ended in a bloodbath of victims that never knew what hit them...

Actually it was just Mark McCoy completely freaking the fuck out. It was still quite an awesome and energetic sight, comparable to that of twenty or so CHUDS ripping down your entire house around you and then eating your face to boot.

Suis La Lune - Heir 10"(Ape Must Not Kill Ape / Release The Bats / Escucha)

Suis La Lune makes me smile everytime I put them on. A sort of knowing smirk to myself. This is mostly due to that fact that I didnt find them that appealing at first. I still wonder how or why to this day I didnt eat it up right away, and there in lies part of the smirk. At this point I would have to say they have become one of my favorite things to listen to for about 2 years now. The other part of the smirk lies in the simple fact that they remind of so many good things. Memories of my favorite songs, tapes made for friends, walks on breezy days, and some kind of unnamed appreciation for the little things, be it a knowing glance or a certain progression of sounds and tempos that enliven and invigorate at the same time, and in the most welcoming of ways. Suis La Lune means more than either they know or I know. Theirs is something innate, encoded in their music, and daring you to recognize your own pulse and your own primal sense to not just live, but live greatly and passionately, with critical yet loving care and a raucous sense of when to veer the whole ship into reckless abandonment.

(US citizens should order from Escucha for better shipping)

Timber - s/t 7" (Something Crucial)

Timber is another band from the fertile crescent of Revolution Summer inspired punk, residing somewhere near the mason dixon line in Maryland. Timber supposedly only got together as a project between some friends that were home from school and if thats the case than it is one of the finer and more convincing of projects I have heard. Sharing much in common with their regional brethren both current and times past, Timber display a deft balance of some of more urgent sounds from that area. It reminds me of a mix of Brainworms and Stop It!! but with a punkier Dag Nasty element to it. Its anthemic, its fast and its melodic as hell. I only wish we were guaranteed to see more from these talented young folks. I tossed in their demo which is pretty sick. You can grab the 7" for $4 ppd from their site

Young Widows - Old Wounds (Temporary Residence ltd.)

This shit right here folks, is one of the finest records I have heard in a fat chunk of time. I feel like this record will go down as one of my favorite records of all time in fact. There is nearly nothing I dont like about this record. From the first song a progression of sparse, cold instrumentation and dry apathetic lyrics introduces the record, teasing you with drum rolls and fills, before igniting all cylinders and chugging right over your measly human form. The second track doesnt let up either, fiercely dropping you into a psychotic blues stomp before tossing you back and forth again. It is seriously one of the best one two punch openings I can think of. (both tracks one and two are present here). The rest of the record displays such a variety of sounds, amazingly played and unbelievably recorded, so much so that I am at a loss as to how to accurately paint a picture to you the listener. Suffice to say that I believe Steve Albini would even like this record.. So would David Yow. I hope youre catching my drift and I can only add that this record and these three individuals (only 3!) offer so much more in the way of intensely created and played songs than that statement could dare to suggest. Go get this shit, at all costs and listen to it from start to finish. Dont talk to me if you dont like it, just move along. I wont be having it.
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Well, if you came here first, thanks. First off, dont bother downloading each file, they are all one file with everything clearly labeled in their proper folders. Secondly, I formatted it like this for aesthetic reasons. I felt a block of type wasnt very enticing. At least "please read below first" is intriguing, at best. Moving on...

In the recent years, records have been bought by the dozen. My old habits of procuring aurally and visually exciting material has risen to equal the youthful enthusiasm I once had for the format. I figure some of you still enjoy purchasing music these days and maybe you want to know but cant check all the avenues for details on something of particular interest. Maybe you already have a place that could place you 'in the know' on your latest musical craze. Maybe the internet is just too damn big and it never hurts to hear praise of something good from sources you trust, en masse. Maybe its because I was going to write about it anyway.

To entice any new listeners I have included portions of the records (or EPs in some cases). I basically dont want to deprive hardworking bands of all their chances of income. In all cases each record is as fantastic as the part displayed. And the artwork on all the albums is very great (Especially the Antlers LP). These are no parlour tricks to generate income. This is an appreciative nod to those who inspire, and not just musically, but artistically, ethically and enjoyably so.

Fugazi - Live 1988

2008-12-03T11:21:00.002-05:00

Just a quick shout. Been busy, but dont want to let this idle for too long.

This is overall a mediocre set, in regards to sound quality that is. If anyone remembers, I dont like live recordings, unless of course they are taken from the soundboard or someone has the means to record it with decent sound; though this is usually not the case.

The two things that make this most noteworthy and worth a few moments of your time are the set list, which due to the time period (pre-Repeater, and pre-Guy playing guitar) is mostly material from 13 songs, and the inclusion of the song In Defense of Humans which still remains a favorite of mine. Like every Fugazi set, there is a point where the show is stopped and an appropriate lecture is handed out to those unruly enough to deserve it. Also, Ian comes off as younger and more brash, which for anyone who followed Fugazi through the 90's is funny considering he seems like such an even tempered guy.

I got into Fugazi right in between Steady Diet and In On the Kill Taker, and from that standpoint it seems weird that they chose to end their set with Provisional. While I do like that song, it never seemed like a show closer, though I suppose at the time they felt strongly about it as it appears again on Repeater.

Of even minor noteworthiness; the show happened on my birthday. I would be 11 when this show happened and was probably home listening to a lot of Motley Crue and Skid Row. Or Led Zeppelin. They were my mainstays prior to getting into Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. Lastly, I designed the cover to look like a 2 color screen of white and silver on black. I was semi happy with this, so I am happy to share that with you as well. Though looking at it now (I made this cover a few years ago) I suppose I intended to put another colon betwixt 'Fugazi' and 'Live At Canterbury', but you dont give a shit about that, right?

I thought not.

Maybe more later today. I have something already started, If I can just find time to finish scanning and wrap up the bit I wrote. Ah, well, we shall see...

Black Kites

2008-11-25T15:46:00.003-05:00

Its been a long time since I have been excited about a new heavy hardcore band that I have practically resigned myself to listening to old Snapcase and Groundwork records whenever the mood strikes. All the new heavy stuff is either shite or its straight up metal. Which serves me fine as I like both. But I do miss the sound of those earlier bands and somehow no one seems to do it right or they feel the need to throw in something else to make it "new" that makes it less than what it could have been. I had just about gave up on hope of ever finding something new. Something that would make me wish I could pile up at the front of a stage, screaming lyrics and tossing my self into disarray.

That is, until Black Kites came into my life. Black Kites are the first glimmer of hope that heavy hardcore isnt dead. Residing in New Jersey, the three piece knows how to keep the adrenaline levels pumped without sacrificing what made hardcore good to begin with. They use no bass player and instead utilize multiple amps to produce a convincing low end. The vocals are screamed in a usual manner, though if one had to weigh in on what kind of scream this guy has it falls on the higher pitched side of things. A bit screamier than a lot of the bands of its kind. The fate of the band lies mostly with the guitarist and here is where Black Kites delivers. The guitars (or one guitar, though it sounds like 5 guitars) have a very dirty sound that reminds me of Groundwork or Absinthe. I see this as a wholly positive thing. Then theres the low end, also being produced by the guitars that almost takes the form of some of the stoner doom elements that so many bands love these days. But when this beast is fully firing on all cylinders that low end combined with that dirty sound give it a weight that leaves no question that these songs mean business...

The end effect is something that comes off squarely in the Unbroken, Disembodied, Chokehold, Groundwork style. If you tossed all that shit together and made a shake out of it you would have the Black Kites. The songs have groove, crunch and plenty of momentum to keep a dancefloor moving. Each of these three songs has a certain part that makes me day dream about moshing. Be it the gang vocals of "Our hunger for greed / will bring the end!!" on Selfish Tradition, or the guitar and kick groove about 30 seconds into Sly Fox, right before the whole mess comes crashing into you again, or the bass heavy rumble of Advancement to Ruins second section, these songs just keep on kicking.

Advancement to Ruins is their new album that is about to come out soon on Ride The Fury records. Check out the Black Kites myspace page and check out the Ride The Fury myspace page for any shows and pre-order info. Let me know what you think of these three songs. Consider it an e7". The cover is unofficial, pasted together from myspace and the lyrics are included in the zip.

Tom, the guitar player, used to play in You and I and The Assistant and currently plays in In First Person. All bands worth checking out. The drummer Jay plays in Zhenia Golov. NJHC for the win this time. more later.

Damezumari

2008-11-06T12:22:00.003-05:00

Two posts in one week?! Youve got to be shitting me.

Honestly, I am only just able to get back into my blog for the first time since The Swarm post. For some reason my computer at work would not let me connect to blogger. I couldnt even see comments or anything. Pretty budget. So somehow that has worked it's self out and here we are now.

So a few months back I finally decided to check out Damezumari. I had heard the name a number of times and had always intended to give them a listen but somehow time kept passing and when I finally did it was like some sort of revelation. In fact, it was almost biblical in proportions, like Moses parting the Red Sea, the aqueous landscape spliteth apart before mine eyes and there, on the other side was Damezumari, wreathed in white light, beckoning me forth to its aural pleasure, no shame in its eyes for my callous disregard for their ultimate tunage.

And thus it was folks. I was hooked, like Mrs. McCain on painkillers. I just couldnt get enough. Honest to God*, to Yahweh*, Joe Hova* even, I couldnt believe that I had survived without it this long.

Whats all the hoopla about? Well now that I built it up so much I have to deliver some awesome catchphrases and crucial comparisons to lure you into this revelatory glory that is Damezumari. But why, why do you need that? Why do you need my arbitrary pseudo-intellectual, grade school descriptors? When music is this driving and this crucial, isnt just enough that it exists? No! You need to give this a listen and see for yourself. Experience the complex flavors of angst and bliss, the heartfelt words and the twisting spiraling guitars of one Eric T. Listen and make them your own.

In all seriousness though, I am just being campy, Campy Campertons over here. Eric was nice enough to give me the green light to post this up for you guys to enjoy. In so far as I can tell Eric is the only mainstay of the band with a rotating cast of drummers and bass players. Whoever he finds to fill these spots though are some seriously awesome musicians. The songs all lock together in a fireworks display of emotive hardcore music. I believe you can still buy some of their wonderful screenprinted records from the band themselves. So if you are into vinyl than its a worthwhile purchase after you have digested these six songs here. Go visit their myspace and give them a shout and be sure to keep visiting here as I'll have some more upcoming stuff soon.

Credit for the below photos goes to Melissa Robbins.

* Zen and the Art of Face Punching does not specifically endorse God, Yahweh or Joe Hova or any other related deities. Damezumari on the other hand is fully endorsed.

Another Wall 7" (1993)

2008-11-04T19:40:00.006-05:00

Over the summer I was out having some drinks with my friend Joe at a bar we lovingly call "The Shithole". We met up with some of Joes friends and somehow got onto the topic of hardcore. I believe it began with a discussion about the book Radio Silence coming out soon and Joe mentioned that I did this blog and Glenn got excited saying he reads the blog frequently. I found this awkward as I had never randomly met anyone that read this page and as it turns I got the chance to be excited when Glenn mentioned he used to play drums in a band called Another Wall.

Well shheeeeit! I loved the Another Wall 7", one of the many things I sold, and had recently been on the lookout for so I could relive the glory days of blasting it in my shitty Honda. So Glenn and I ended up having much more than a passing discussion and the result was that Glenn wanted to get me the DATs of Another Wall stuff so I could post it up here. That was agreeable to me, especially if it sounded as good as I remember.

During a hilarious weekend retreat a few months later Glenn produced the converted files of the 7" plus an extra song that was never released. Radio Silence had just come out and we all geeked out to it and put the book to good use. It had seriously been years... more than a decade since I last heard these songs so when I got home I eagerly tossed it on and was surprised to hear that from the first note I recognized every single bit.

Another Wall could be fit into the progressive sort of hardcore scene alongside Quicksand and Burn, but they also didnt really sound like anyone else. Glenn thinks some of the guitars have some of Greg Ginns more experimental qualities, which I think is pretty spot on, especially on the unreleased song, Not A Word. The first thing you'll notice is the metallic leads followed by huge drums. The groove lays thick on this business and the two guitars throw loose yet chunky, stop-start metal riffs all over each other. Drum fills and rumbling low end dominate a good portion of this hybrid metal progressive hardcore beast as well, giving you plenty of room to do your windmills. The vocals are in a kind of spoken sort of singing style that seemed somewhat popular in NYHC at the turn of the decade. I guess I am thinking of Chaka's vocals on the Burn EP, but there is some actual singing too and some pretty good singalong parts to go along with some of the moshier stuff. This is definitely a record you could you could go off to. Despite it not being like Earth Crisis or that scene it definitely has riffs to match the chunkiness of a band like that albeit with a lot more texture to the guitars and a lot less anger in the vocals. All in all a very creative and interesting take on hardcore of that time period that I have yet to see replicated.

The unreleased song is actually the best of the four here. The other three are pretty great too, though Globe was always a personal favorite back in the Honda days. Some of the band members went on to do other awesome musical projects as well. Glenn went on to play in the band Antarctica along with Eric from Christie Front Drive. If you havent heard that stuff yet than it behooves me to tell you to get on that right now. Brian Maryansky, who is actually Glenns brother went on to play in The Van Pelt with the bassist Sean Greene. That is another thing you should really check out. And Chris Traynor later played in the similarly minded Orange 9mm. I am not sure what Luke (voice) does these days, though I feel like Glenn said Luke is a photographer. Luke and Glenn also contributed to the Radio Silence book as well and Glenn currently plays drums for the band Blacklist, who play a dark sort of rock and roll that has a nice Chameleons UK feel to it.

Blacklist is the only band that is active from the Another Wall family tree and you can check them out on their page.

I am going to try to keep up with this page and hopefully get at least one post a week out. Thats not too much to ask of myself. I had gotten very lazy after my last set of deadlines and it should be noted that Xbox is partially to blame.

Thanks to all of you who kept checking back despite my absence. Keep visiting as I have no intentions of closing up shop yet.

Peace!

...:::RADIO SILENCE:::...

2008-10-03T14:09:00.007-04:00

If anyone here hasnt not heard of this books existence yet, than now is the time to pay attention.

Radio Silence - A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music, by Nathan Nedorostek and Anthony Pappalardo, was released very recently and I want to take this moment to let all of you know that it is thus far the definitive hardcore book in existence. It is chock full of amazing photographs, album art and tees and is presented in a very slick style that is reminiscent of the similarly awesome Banned In DC book.

Peppered throughout the pages are ruminations, stories and ideas as told by the people that were involved when this was all going down. You can hear Adam Nathanson (Born Against) talk about the Sick Of It All debate and how he flier bombed a SOIA show. You can hear Sean Brown talk about his time in Swiz, Matt Anderson (Heroin) and Jeff Winterberg (Antioch Arrow) discuss the San Diego scene and the rules that arose as a way to present themselves.

There are so many great photos from so many time periods including amazing shots of the NYHC shows in the mid to late 80's, early DC hardcore, mid 90's new school hardcore and revival bands and of course the previously mentioned San Diego scene of the early 90's.

Click the cover above and head to amazon to purchase the book for a very good price. Trust me. This is highly worth having in your personal library. I received my copy a few weeks ago and recently brought it upstate with me to a weekend in the woods and my friends Glenn (who has a number of photos in the book), Steve, Joe and Chris repeatedly perused its awesome pages.

Check these images for a little taste. They all blow up bigger if you view the image.

For those of you in NYC and the surrounding areas, there are two nights of openings going on. There is a release party TONIGHT! with Mind Eraser playing and music and free beer. Tomorrow there is a gallery opening, also with free beer, and blow ups of photos from the book. I will definitely be at the gallery opening on saturday, so come by, pay your respects to a movement that has most definitely shaped a little bit of all of us. And say hi to me too! ^_^

There are also some openings going on in the Los Angeles area, so head to the Radio Silence site and check out all the info and other interesting things that they have going on there.

But first and foremost, consider purchasing this book. You wont regret it.

The Swarm a.k.a. Knee Deep In The Dead

2008-10-02T11:23:00.004-04:00

I am dedicating this post to my friend Sean. Thanks for raising my awareness to these guys. If not for them, by extension of you, I would surely have a serious fucking meltdown today.

I am feeling kind of sick and disgusted of everything these days. I hate our government. I hate the greed of this nation. I hate our economy. I hate our news. I hate so much and I dont have any better answers. Not ones that can be taken seriously at least.

Whats a person to do when everything seems to just get worse?

Listen to The Swarm.

So in honor of being pissed off at the world and taking life way too seriously on a Thursday morning... here is a 7" that makes me feel like I am not alone.

Big ups to Papst Benedikt XVI from Am I Mean? Another person who just cant hate enough.

Seriously. Fuck the world.

Stick my dick in the dirt.

And big "ups!" to xjustinx from x43x for the Force Fed Glass split.

Also massive props to all the rest of you guys. You are the best people I have ever met on the internet. Sorry things have been slow and promises have been hollow.

I will make amends for the site. The world? well thats a different story...

Unbroken Owns Your Soul

2008-09-25T17:05:00.005-04:00

Like all good things, they come to an end.

This was the end of Unbroken. I was able to see the first "last" Unbroken show that year and damn it, it was a memorable experience. One of the top show experiences of my life. I have a few very choice photos that I must find... One of kids going nuts with Dave wearing an awesome Undertow shirt and a very cool shot of Eric Allen rocking the hell out of kids at the Tune Inn in New Haven.

Anyway, things are busy here still. I think sometime in the middle of October I can resume posting in a somewhat normal fashion. For next I have three awesome things to show you guys. Black Kites, Damezumari and another blast from the past. Lets see if I can actually pull it off.. I want to give the first two the proper credit as they are active and touring bands with great styles...

That is all.

------

Psych.

Someone mentioned Fall on Proverb and since its such a fucking awesome 7" here you go. Going away for the weekend. Will talk to you all on sunday or monday. I think we should all meet up in Chicago for the reunion show to end all reunion shows. I know reunion shows smack of velveeta cheesiness, but seriously... does this line up sound anything less than bad ass?

Disembodied
Unbroken
Undertow
Mouthpiece
Coalesce
108
Trial

I didnt think so. Does anyone else think Outspoken should play this show? Lets all write to them and threaten them with bodily harm if they do not play this show. Of course Im kidding... about the bodily harm part.

Hey, heres Fall on Proverb! Tear shit up! Wow, that was a Vogelism...

Los Crudos

2008-09-19T14:17:00.003-04:00

Its Friday. Fuck you.

CRUDO SOY!

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Yeah, everyone already has these. So whats my point? I strongly urge you to listen to them Right. This. Second.

Seriously.

Here. Fuck it. Go fuckin nuts. Dont say I didnt say "I told you so"

Fabric 7"

2008-09-16T16:59:00.003-04:00

I cant remember how I found this again, but it was originally released on Doghouse records. I bought it simply because of that reason. After all, Endpoint was on Doghouse and they pretty much ruled. (See Prediction-Error-Signal for a good Endpoint post). As it turns out this was a pretty good blind purchase.

Fabric were a UK band with a heavy post-hardcore sound. Theres only two songs here, but both are 5+ minutes and there are a good number of ideas presented in each song. They come off as a mix of maybe Sparkmarker, Swiz and every once in a while the vocals remind me of Bobby Sullivan from Soul Side. Its a tough call to make, so you decide. They are both good songs with some pretty good production quality, so if you turn it up loud its sure to make you get psyched.

They had a CD as well, and while its not bad it doesnt really stand up to these two songs. I am waiting for some Another Wall stuff to arrive here, and would love to put that up. So keep your fingers crossed that I can get it next week.

Here are some pictures I took of stuff on the streets of the LES. I always find this stuff fascinating. Torn up forgotten pieces of art that look 20 times better than any single of these artists probably intended.

Hope everyone is well. Click and view to make these bigger if you like that sort of shit.

Minutemen - History Lesson Pt II - Acoustic

2008-09-09T12:04:00.002-04:00

This song has always pulled the heartstrings. This video of this song brings a tear to my eye. The Minutemen stood for so much goodness in this world. I wonder if there will ever be another band like them. Irreverent, funny, touching, scathing, surreal and humanitarian.

Enjoy this video. Make sure to see We Jam Econo.. you can Netflix it or buy it and see all the extras it comes with. Fully worth it either way. Use Google to search for it. Read Our Band Could Be Your Life too. Google that also.

Things be mad busy over my way. More posting in the future.

Bad Brains - Live @ CBGB 1982

2008-09-05T10:14:00.004-04:00

I bet a lot of you have seen this footage before but its Friday and I was listening to Bad Brains this morning on the subway and when Supertouch / Shitfit came on I got excited, knowing full well that it has one of the best hardcore breakdowns ever. This in turn reminded me of the DVD which is amazing. It is footage from 3 shows around X-mas time in 1982.

The part in particular that I thought of is naturally the breakdown. Around 1:50 in, during the second breakdown, watch the kid on stage do this mega stomp. It is hilarious and awesome, and I can totally feel the energy that he is getting off the song. I wish you could see his face better while he stomps across the stage. He has the ultimate look of ecstasy and fury, presented in a grimace of epic proportion. Dr Know looks cooler than anyone on the planet and HR is in his best form. The rest of the video is astonishingly awesome with a ton of great crowd shots of people going off. It's been a long time since I've been to a show where people go off that much, and even then, I think anything from early CBGB years trumps the most insane of the shows I've been too.

Well, I wanted to just post Supertouch but I couldnt find that on you tube so you get this instead, which is part 2 of 5 segments on youtube. You can go check those out, but the quality isnt that great, so if you have the notion, I would suggest searching out this DVD as its a wholly worthy way to spend an hour.

Click the cover to head to Amazon if you care to purchase this awesome snapshot of one of the best hardcore bands to ever exist. Its only $14.99, so your guaranteed to get your moneys worth.

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Also, Chino Hordes song 'Arson' is one of the finest punk songs ever written... Can I get a "Hell Yes!"

Cornerstone - Beating the Masses (1995)

2008-09-04T14:12:00.005-04:00

Okay, back to music for punching faces...

haha! In case you didnt know, I dont support actual face punching. Unless its consensual, of course. Frankly it hurts to punch someone face, so go for the gut if you feel the need to throw a punch. Now kickboxing, that is something I can get behind. Especially when its the Connecticut Crucial Kickbox as played by youth crew revivalists Cornerstone.

Cornerstone, or xCORNERSTONEx, as they were lovingly labeled, were a straight edge hardcore band from, yep, you guessed it, Connecticut. They played a great rendition of thrashy old school hardcore that wouldnt have been out of place in NYC in 1985. I am no youth crew fanatic. I am happy to stick with what I know when it comes to that scene, and that tends towards stuff released in the hey day of that style, but Cornerstone were somewhere near omnipresent in the CT hardcore scene. Being that I spent a decent amount of time at the Tune Inn in lovely New Haven I was able to see these guys open for a number of bands.

The first thing that struck me about these guys was that besides the singer, who liked wearing Champion sweatshirts ala Gorilla Biscuits, all the band members were younger than me. I was 17 at the time, so the band members mustve been around 14. Nonetheless, they played an infectious variety of hardcore that my ears were keen to. Like other youth crew style bands in the 90's, people slagged them for ripping the styles of so many bands the late 80's...even though those 80's bands were ripping the Cro Mags and Agnostic Front, somehow people miss the point that nothing is original... its only the conviction with which you play that sets you apart from all the other copycats. With that said, the key to Cornerstone's success, in my eyes, was that their songs were very short. A style like youth crew doesnt need to be much more than a minute long... 2 minutes tops or I am getting bored. So this 9 song, 14 minute recording benefits greatly from that aesthetic.

Add to all of this an awesome and crucial cover by Ernie from Token Entry / Black Train Jack and you have a great reminder of what makes hardcore great. At least in terms of aesthetics. When it comes to values I am happy to say that Cornerstone is also what you expect. Positivity, unity and sticking it to the man, the haters and the fakers. The lyrics are sung (screamed) in an intelligible way so you can be guaranteed to know all the lyrics while you kickbox with your friends.

Members went on to form Fastbreak around the same time as Cornerstone and they were pretty decent and I am sure many of you have heard of them by now.

------------------------

I promised a post about the term "Punk". As cliche as it is, I still intend to do this. I got much busier this weekend than I had thought and work is picking up these days, so if you dont see me making many new posts, you can be rest assured that I havent given up, just tending to other business.

Hope everyone is good.

Tim / blend77

Portraits of Past - Live @ Cake Shop NYC

2008-09-03T14:35:00.002-04:00

I went and saw Portraits of Past this saturday. It was EPIC.

When I got there I was almost as excited to see Off Minor and Ampere play. Especially Off Minor as I had never seen them and was told they were great live. So to begin, the Cake Shop is very small. And it was very crowded. Very.

So Off MInor played, and while I enjoyed listening to their set, I was a little bummed that a lot of the people in the front just kind of stood around. I mean, if youve listened to Off Minor than you know that they have a pretty explosive quality. I expected the place to erupt in flying bodies. This was not the case and it was somewhat to my dismay. Nonetheless, they played adequately and Jaime did all the straight arms and good ole hardcore guitar maneuvers that you would hope for. I just couldnt really see them that well so all in all it was good, but not much better than listening to their records.

Ampere was next. I saw Ampere play with Daitro last year and that was a great show. People were into and plenty of people were moving. As was the case with Off Minor, no one moved. I barely even saw people moving their heads. Again I was slightly disappointed. Of course Ampere sounded great, but since I had the same spot I couldnt really see them going off and since no one was moving there was a general air of "lets just get this over with because I am hot as fuck right now and I could be home listening to my records and having more fun". It confounds me that people dont physically react to this kind of music more. Maybe it is because Off Minor and Ampere play technically complex songs and its harder to find a groove to lock into. As a side note, it occurred to me that Ampere and Off Minor would have been very likely candidates for a split recording. I am not sure why this hasnt happened and as of now I am not sure it will. Rumors abound of Off Minors imminent end. When I asked Jaime who was selling their records he repiled "No one!" and laughed and then added, "The real question is: Who is buying our record? NO ONE!!! HAHAHAH!!!". I simply said, "Well, I want to buy one if you can have someone sell it to me and he kind of was like, "Oh... okay... cool."

So by the time Portraits of Past were coming on, I was getting to the point where I was antsy for this to be over. Not that it was a bad time, but, well, read above... Last year I saw Lifetime and Brainworms on two separate occasions and they were both bonkers. People going off! Thats what I like about going to hardcore shows. The kinetic energy and the way it affects the band... It becomes a cycle. A closed circuit loop where the band electrifies the audience and the audience in turn electrifies the band. I think I will go on record right now and say that if I am going to any punk or hardcore show that I expect that to be the way its going to be. I want action and craziness. I want a time I can remember. Not just a hotter, louder more crowded version of me listening to records in the comfort of my own home. If you disagree, then why are you into this kind of music.

Portraits of Past made good on this ideal. And not only PoP, but the crowd made good on this deal. People went off. It was great and affirming. Just when I thought I was bored enough to leave, PoP and the crowd came through in spades. Man it was hot. Very good time. They closed with Journeyman which was what I was hoping for. I beat my chest very hard. I sweated about 5 lbs of liquid out of my body. I went home emaciated and glowing. I can only hope for more shows like this.

These are some pics from Damian. They are not from the cake shop. They are from the SF shows and the Death By Audio show in Brooklyn. One thing I will say is the Cake Shop is too small to be that crowded and I have yet to see any good photos from that show. If you know of any, or if you took any that look great, send em through and I will post them here. These shots are pretty freaking cool though, and I think you can get the idea.

Brooklyn Cat House Show

2008-08-29T12:02:00.004-04:00

Yooooooooooo!!!

I am little late on this one. Yesterday was busy as hell and last night I went for a beer with some co-workers before completely crashing. Needless to say, it was near impossible to wake up this morning. Thank god for summer Friday. Actually, this is our last summer Friday. back to the grind. The slow grind of fall into winter. Hey! Maybe we will actually have some fall foliage this time around. I dont know about you but Fall has always been my favorite season.

So, the show I went to on Wednesday was awesome. It was at the Brooklyn Cat House in my old hood of Bushwick, Brooklyn. I went on the solo tip, despite feeling like I might skip it. I had been excited to go since the beginning of the month though, so I woke my sorry ass up and biked out there. Always nice to get a good bike ride through the ghetto in.

The bill: Blue Letter, Algernon Cadwallader, Towers, Dead Letter Auction, ...Who Calls So Loud

To start off, I got there and didnt know anyone so a generous and happy looking gent by the name of Tank was very friendly and talkative with me. This led to a comfortable feeling and I ended up meeting a bunch of really cool people. I have a number of photos that someone took. Her name is Teesa and she took some great shots. I had asked her if I could use them and have not heard back so I am using them anyway. If this is a problem, just say so and I will pull them down. You can go see the rest of her shots on flickr. I only chose a few for space reasons.

Blue Letter played first and they were okay. They had some good crunchy, hard parts, but I wasn't really familiar with any of their stuff so I was an innocent bystander. The guitarist had a pedal set up that would rival Radioheads, My Bloody Valentines, and Mogwais pedal set ups. It was actually kind of funny. I have no pictures of them and I couldnt find a myspace for them either, so youre just gonna have to take my word for it. I would be interested in hearing something in the future.

Algernon Played next. As was to be expected, they were wonderful and fun. A sweaty sing along. All good vibes. Peter, Joe and Tank smiled and played with ultimate abandon and everyone else smiled too. Joe is a sick guitarist and pulls off all the parts with ease. I was happy to purchase one of the LP's from them, as I didnt expect them to be on sale in the US yet. Apparently there are multiple versions of the LP. Everyone who like Algernon should make a point to go see them live. A very fun and inspiring show in a very personal set up. Learn the words and sing out loud.
Algernon Cadwallader @ Myspace

Towers were next and I regrettably inform you that I missed them. WHAAAAAT!!! Yeah, I was bummed. They only played for like 10 - 15 minutes, but apparently they were awesome. I heard them start and I was having a good discussion about painting with someone outside. While I regret missing them, it was also nice to have a good conversation as that is half the reason I was there. Also painting is something that has been resurfacing in my life so it was some good synchronicity. Here are the pics of them anyway. Towers is an awesome band, so check them out for sure.
Towers @ Myspace

Dead Letter Auction was next. I also had not heard them before, but they apparently hadnt played together in 4 years. So this was a sort of reunion for them. The members have been in a number of other good bands since then, including Bullets In and Burial Year. They rocked though. Passionate, screamy post hardcore style with some short songs and some longer songs. Everyone seemed very into it and it made wish that I had heard them back in 1998. Though that was around the time I kind of fell off. Heres to rediscovery! Message to DLA: keep playing music!
Dead Letter Auction @ Myspace

Lastly, ...Who Calls So Loud played. This is the second time I have seen them, and while last time was good, this time was even better. Guitarist Dave was pretty sick but you would never have known as everyone was locked in and they played a powerful set. it was a bit loud, but knowing their songs made it easier to appreciate the volume. If I wasnt familiar with them I may have felt differently about it as it would be hard to discern the melodies. They opened with Sleeplike which is an amazing song.
They also had their new 12" record from Protagonist Records and it looked amazing. I ordered mine so I have to wait a bit, but it was cool to know what it looks like. Made me that much more excited for it to arrive in the mail.
...Who Calls So Loud @ Myspace

So that was that. I was super excited that I went and like I said, I got to meet a bunch of really cool people. The vibes were all good and the hosts, John and Brooke, were very friendly. If you live in the city and you get a chance to go to one of their basement shows than I say do it. A fairly quick bike ride home closed the night for me.

Tomorrow I am going to see Portraits of Past with Ampere and Off Minor at the Cake Shop in Manhatten. It is a very small place and word is it is definitely going to sell out. PoP played a surprise show last night, Thursday, with Dead Letter Auction and Towers and while I really wanted to go I couldnt justify it in light of responsibilities. PoP is playing tonite at Death By Audio in Brooklyn with Dead Letter Auction and Ampere as well, so if you are game then go check that out.

I will be at tomorrows show (Saturday). I am hopefully meeting with some people so if anyone else is going, give a shout and maybe we can meet up too.

Either way, whatever your plans are, have a great long weekend!

Slipknot - s/t (1989)

2008-08-26T22:54:00.009-04:00

I know you motherfuckers want to hear this. If youre me, then you saw this shit on the Rev catalog and saw the CoC reference and wondered what the hell it was. If youre me, you saw the cover artwork and thought "what the fuck?!". Clearly the odd man out on Revelation catalogue. This EP, if youre like me, is something you some how skipped over...

How, and why did I skip over this? I owned everything off the revelation catalogue up to Sensefields self titled reissue of their demo. I mean, everything, minus Warzone. For some reason I never got into Warzone, and before anyone cries foul, just remember that I am me and not you. Warzone didnt do it for me. Its up for debate but I may eventually warm up to it. Back to Slipknot...

Someone on the comments recently said, "Slipknot?!"

Yeah... Its not what you think. Slipknot...yeah. It has its connotations... and before I completely demonize myself, I would like to add that the first Slipknot album... the current Slipknot album or band.... whatever... the 9 piece, clown mask wearing sons of bitches... they wrote a few good metal riffs that shouldnt necessarily be ignored, they just shouldnt be lauded for it. I mean, they dressed like fucking clowns for christ sake. If you want to be taken seriously, then dont dress like a goddamn clown. Ask the Insane Clown Posse. Clowns are associated with balloon animals, perverts and John Wayne Gacy. But this is Slipknot circa 1989, from Connecticut. This Slipknot is 4 dudes playing raging, thrashy hardcore, that pretty much anyone who likes hardcore is gonna dig.

A commenter from the blog Crucified For Your Sins (proper link to follow...) said whatsup the other day and I went to visit and saw this there. I instantly jumped at the opportunity to finally, after 17 years, yes, that long, finally to check it out. This officially came out in 1989. It was one of Revelations first batch of releases, falling just around the time of Gorilla Biscuits seminal Start Today. Well, clearly I was too addled by Youth of Today, Judge and GB to quite wrap my head around a shitty cover of what looks like a faceless, dreaded guy and a CoC reference. CoC is Corrosion of Conformity, for those who want to know, and maybe it was because CoC wasnt the thrashy powerhouse that they once were at the time I first came across this, but it just seemed easy to pass by. Damn was I wrong.

Now, this isnt gonna change any lives. At this point in time the sound employed in this recording has become a staple of hardcore. Crusty, thrashy, dirty sounding hardcore. Add to that a less than stellar recording and you have an officially awesome hardcore record. Though I would hesitate to venture anywhere near the term "D-Beat" I would willingly compare this to a band like Tragedy, but with much more of an old school vibe. Thrashy is the key term here.... Dirty too, and thats all because of the crappy recording which goes towards the positive side of things. If this record was recorded well, I think it would be basic and boring... What did Revelation say in their blurb? It was something to the effect of "dont leave them alone with your pets.." Something to that effect.

While maintaining a general old school hardcore sound that was rampant at that time, Slipknot managed to imbue just enough of a scathing sort of sound to make this stand out in current times.... If only they knew at the time that so many bands would ape this style. (I am looking at you Capitalist Casualties, Scholastic Deth... I am onto your game... and I like it.)

Enjoy.

MITB.LIVE.KSPC.1992

2008-08-19T17:16:00.005-04:00

This has been floating around in the ether lately and at first I hesitated because Man is the Bastard has the ability to sometimes be amazing and interesting and other times just come off as as pile of muck. Add to that my aversion to live recordings and this show would have never been enjoyed to the extent it has in the past two weeks. As it were, I decided to at least check it out. It was recorded in 1992 and that tends to be my favorite of the MITB stuff so maybe its pretty good.

Well, the results are in, and its pretty freaking rad. The sound quality leaves something to be desired, but then again so did many of their recordings. After all, sound quality is not the point when it comes to stuff like this and all it takes is one listen to the first song to see that the power is still extremely evident in this recording. As the opening statement says, "we prefer to make it more imaginative and harder" and that is one reason why I would go on record as saying that this is now my preferred choice of Man Is The Bastard material. Aside from the apparent hardness present in these songs you get some illuminating (and often downright funny) descriptions of the songs meanings. These often times are in the form of one voice remaining calm and lucid while another sounds downright militant. This is all fitting for the MITB aesthetic as many fans would already guess.

Like I said, this has been floating around on the nets and some of these songs ended up on the "Uncivilized" 7". If you havent heard it then do yourself a favor and grab this and give it a thorough listen, because as I stated, a lot of these songs are performed awesome and they do come off as "more imaginative and harder" then their recorded counterparts. If you have heard this then the only thing I can offer is that I split up the tracks into their respective parts for easy perusing.

I was looking for some pictures and I couldnt really find anything worth reposting, but I found an interesting interview with Eric Wood. He waxes on about various relations with other bands, different splits from that time, wanting Keith Huckins (from Rorschach) to play guitar for them and general philosophies that most would find interesting. You can find that here on the Housepig Records site. Also, here is a mostly full discography of all the Man Is the Bastard stuff and all related projects.

Here is the tracklist, as it appears in iTunes. ^_^

Hard Stance - Face Reality (1988)

2008-08-16T12:51:00.002-04:00

Hard Stance were a straight edge hardcore band from California in the late 80's. Their sound is fairly typical of the sound from from out there. Old-School-ish mid to fast tempo hardcore. Done mostly pretty good.

I hadn't heard this EP until more recently. I had known of the bands existence for some time. Like a lot of people know, it's the band with Zach Del La Rocha in it. And that's cool. He plays guitar like he did for Farside shortly after. That was a brief moment before his rise with Rage Against The Machine. The bands pedigree is deeper than that. The connections are many and some of the bands that these guys have been involved in might be more the reason for the interest in this EP, than just Zach De La Rocha. The Haworth brothers went to play in State of the Nation, a really good post-hardcore band. The drummer went to play in Chain of Strength, continuing the Hard Stance sound and aesthetic (read hard-line straightedge), but with more of a NYHC youth crew influence. And one of the two brothers were in the band Farside who played more of a rocking punk vibe. I guess we cant forget Inside Out, which is an amazing EP and is probably ubiquitous at this point, but No Spiritual Surrender is a classic.

Thats mostly what I have known / learned. It's cool to finally hear this EP and while it doesnt hold a candle to members later projects it is a cool entry into the history of Hardcore. People had requested this too, so this ones for you. We should talk about Outspoken after this. They were a great Cali hardcore band from this time.

You know what the best thing is?

I was drinking a beer while doing this post.

xBEERx

Chino Horde LP

2008-08-13T16:08:00.003-04:00

Another feel good hit of the summer. I admittedly was late to the Chino Horde party. Although I loved (and still do love Current) I somehow never really got around to listening to the Horde. I think others can probably pay better homage to this one than I can, but needless to say I have been rocking it out recently and I am falling in love with it and the song Arson is so great that everyone should just stop what they are doing and listen to it right now..

Chino Horde were somewhat similar to Current in sound although they threw a bit more of that good old rock and roll into the mix. Imagine rock and roll being played with the passion of Rites of Spring and you are damn near close to the unbridled splendor of this record.

I was looking up some info on Chino Horde and I came across the Towncraft website. It seems to be a sort of chronicle of the Little Rock, AR music scene and has some really good anecdotes of Chino Horde shows and other related topics from people that grew up there or travelled with the band. You should go check it out and listen to this record while you do.

Thats is all folks. Reflective moods and the slow descent of the summer into fall. Does anyone else feel it? The days get shorter.

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One last thing. I am looking for the LP version of Stop It!! - Self Made Maps. It is OOP, but if any of you have it and are willing to part with it hit me up. I absolutely love the artwork on it and the CD packaging just doesnt do it justice. If any of you havent heard that record than you are missing out. Easily one of the best records of the past few years...

Sevens - 777

2008-08-13T15:18:00.003-04:00

Hey all!

Not much going on over this way. A failed attempt at a Sinaloa show occurred in which I biked out to my former nemesis neighborhood, Bushwick, to soak in the shadows and scratch my head, wondering where the show was actually happening. Turns out it was cancelled, but unless you frequent Viva La Vinyl or other lesser known places you wouldnt have known this as no one made any mention of it on Myspace. I guess I am archaic or just not in the know, but either way I got a really good work out biking out there and back in high gear. I am attempting to resurrect my knee from its damaged slumber. That old story another day...

For today, and in honor of the amazing weather we have been experiencing in NYC, I have been listening to the soulful grooves of DC's Sevens. Sevens were the Sullivan brothers, Mark and Bobby, Chris Farral, drummer of Hoover, and Josh LaRue from the Sorts. The web is more complicated than that, of course, and if you like a good read you can check out Gabbagabbahey's Hoover Genealogy over at Hardcore for Nerds. He has been chronicling the diversity of styles that the members of that amazing band went on to propogate and continue to do to this day.

It should be noted that this release features Joe Lally playing bass and was released on his record label Tolatta. I am not sure how the instrumentation breaks down here. I guess Mark is playing drums on this release? So that leaves me to wonder what Chris Farral played as he was drummer for The Sorts and Hoover. Regardless, though I dont have much of a frame of reference for this 7", it is an awesome little number and the song "Hammer" in particular is a really good jammy sort of track that would sound good outdoors in the summer. If you ever liked Rain Like The Sound of Trains then its a good bet you will like this as well. Sweat it up and enjoy Sevens.

Proven Hollow posted this a ways back, and as he is a self proclaimed Sullivan brothers fan you should check out his original post for some more info. I just want to spread this one around...

HeartattaCk 7" Reviews

2008-08-08T13:20:00.007-04:00

I was looking through some old issues of HeartattaCk Zine and remember reading a lot of these reviews back when these issues came out in the mid 90's. I used to be so pumped to read a great review and then actually find the 7" at the local store or order it via mailorder. Zines were definitely a big part of spreading info around during the early to mid 90's and if it werent for people like Kent McClard a lot of hardcore would have gone unnoticed. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Zines are the unsung heroes of hardcore for that specific reason.

I thought I would let Kent McClard and Co. do some of the reviewing today. These 7"s are all amazing and they all got reviewed favorably. I am sure many of you have these in one form or another, whether it be the discography or the mp3s, but I thought it would be cool to view them from the eyes of the people that were reviewing them at the time they came out.

Theses Zines were found as pdf's on Operation Phoenix Records. They have full scans of many different zines including Maximum Rock and Roll, Flipside, HeartattaCk and more... They also have a great section of flyers and a music store. Be sure to give them a visit.

Click on the image to download the 7". Apologies if the reviews are hard to read. I had to fit them in this column so I hope they arent too hard to read. All original covers are saved in the mp3s themselves. Enjoy! Have an awesome weekend. Next week I am going to jolt you with a massive cliché. ^_^ b.l.e.n.d.7.7...

Fuck Metalcore - A ZAFP Compilation

2008-08-06T15:55:00.005-04:00

I dont know why, but I hate the term "Metalcore". I mean, it's not that offensive in reality, but it seems to send a little twinge of disgust throughout my bones whenever I hear it. This I cant ignore. I also cant ignore the fact that metal colors so much of the music I have been listening to for the last 20 years. So needless to say, this term pops up often.

The funny thing is I am all for abbreviations. I am all for making up new words, hybrid words, nonsense words. I am all for changing the meanings of words at random and for no other reason than they seem funny or fitting at once point or another. So with that, why would I rather hear "Metallic Hardcore" as opposed to "Metalcore"? It seems like a logical abbreviation...

I chalk it up to music journalism and its perversion of most things good. Of course, I am treading the waters of music journalism by writing these pages and I am most certainly a pervert, but I think that leads to something different. What is it about music journalism that tends to make a mockery of things? Well, the crux of music journalism attempts to grab onto something new and fresh that will attract readers and thus you end up with a number of people that are either on the fringe of a scene or music movement and even more people that have no ties whatsoever with whatever thing they are covering, yet they are qualified to comment on such under the right of free speech and the ass-kissing realm of self aggrandizing music journalism which permits them the misnomer of "taste makers". For once I would love to hear someone start off an article by saying, "Well, this isnt really my scene and I know very little of the machinations of said music styles, but as an objective observer I have the right to make my comments and as an employee of this magazine I have the ability to have these comments published". Or something to that effect. Obviously this would never happen as the readership of said journalist depends on his all knowing sense of what is cool, hip or the next big thing; his or her ability to appear ahead of the curve. But wouldnt it be nice if people practiced any amount of honest to goodness truth instead of the constant stream of colored smoke being blown up our asses on a daily basis?

"Metalcore", while inherently not a bad term, has taken on a sour taste to many who have stood by and watched hardcore and metal grow into the current age. I attribute this to the wrong people talking about things without a sense of actually knowing about what they are talking about. Pitchfork Media is the best at this as they disguise their complete lack of knowledge with lengthy aphorisms and who's who lists in obscure 70's garage rock/jazz fusion/avante garde/insert esoteric genre here... I still read it on occasion, but I never really get a good sense of what anything is supposed to sound like as the best they can muster is some comparitive review where X is like Y having sex with B and C is dropping tabs of acid whilst Q is off in the corner masturbating to church photos. In this case X = Current cool new band, Y = Philip Glass or something even more obscure, B=Joy Division, C=the Zombies and Q= David Bowie. Its ridiculous and I highly doubt that any of these people even know what they are talking about. I certainly dont! But I am digressing at a seriously fast rate. Metalcore was made a bad term by the same people who claimed that Nirvana saved punk rock (without actually sounding a shred like any punk band I have ever liked) and that continuously label My Chemical Romance and Dashboard Confessional "Emo", when neither even sound alike and neither sound like anything that ever could have been called emo... Whew!

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So I made this compilation. Its all Metal and its all Hardcore. It's ferocious and I hope if it does any single thing, I hope that while listening to it you can transcend all genre terms and see these bands on their own ground, for their own accomplishments, beyond anything that has labels and see it as music, powerfully made and powerfully delivered. The cover is an actual effects pedal for guitar. I think its pretty funny that this exists. I bet I will get crucial crunch if I purchase it. Obviously the pedal doesnt say "Fuck" on it, but thats my fitting addition.

1. Stigmata - Hands of God: This is kind of how this whole comp began. Buske posted the awesome album Heart Grows Harder by Troys hardest, Stigmata. I was immediately taken back to college when I used to think they ruled. It's been a number of years since I broke out anything by them and when I put on Hymns of an Unknown God I was inextricably blown away. These guys are incredible and this is seriously bad ass song.

2. Converge - Dead: Of course I couldve put on any number of Converge songs but aside from this one fitting wonderfully after the ending of the last track it also reminds me of that same time in college when this was one of my most favorite things. I love the shitty vocals in the beginning with all the octave chords, I love the bark you can hear as the music ramps up and from there on out its ridiculous breakdown after ridiculous breakdown. These guys do not disappoint.

3. Overcast - For Indifference: There are many good Overcast songs, but this one is chock full of riffs and different tempos. Some of the changes dont even make sense at first until your knee deep in a psychotic mosh part and then you look back and see how it all made sense getting from point A to point Hell. The ending riffs in this song are terrifyingly awesome.

4. V.O.D. - D.T.O: Yet another song that reminds me of college. While Suffer might be their coolest track, and Through My Eyes might be their scariest track, D.T.O. (Drop the Oppressor) is definitely their toughest track. This track takes no shit. You look at it the wrong way and you will get beat down with a thousand tons of brick heavy riffs. You like F-Bomb, you got it! What the fuck, I cant breath"... Awesome elementary lyrics that are perfect for singing along and some really cool drum patterns. Similar to Brian Fair from Overcast, Tim really knows how to hit both sides of the spectrum in the vocal department, and he does this without seeming forced or cheesy. Like I said, this track will kick your ass.

5. Dillinger Escape Plan - Abe The Cop: Even though each release makes me less and less interested in this band, their first 3 song offering, Under The Running Board, is still a favorite in the Zen household. Everything they went on to do was perfectly encapsulated in those three songs. Amazing guitar wankery, jazzy breakdowns and a complete and utter disregard for whatever hardcore and metal claimed to be. It's no wonder they helped spawn a new sub-genre of the hardcore scene as many of these sounds that arent ripped from Converge's repertoire are wholly original ina metal or hardcore format. The section when he screams "White Lights, Mad and Maniacal!" is pretty much one of best mini breakdowns ever.

6. 108 - Killer of the Soul: I used to think Songs of Separation was the best 108 record, but as I get older and the more I listen to them it becomes increasingly evident that Threefold Misery is just incredible in comparison. SoS is still amazing in its own right, but the flow of this record is great. So I was going to put the song Woman on this comp, but decided that Killer of the Soul has the same ideas set forth in a much more metallic way and played with about 100 times more fervor. Vic Dicara can do no wrong on the guitar.

7. Bloodlet - Eucharist: If it isnt obvious in the first few seconds why I picked this song then you have to replay it instantly. Yeah, of course Bloodlet were an amazing metallic hardcore band, invoking terror filled visions of world crazed with religion, but listen to that bass line that starts off the song! I love the way he bends it at the end of the measure and then the guitars come ripping in, not unlike the popular Powell Peralta skateboard graphic. This song also gets extra points for extra thick distortion.

8. One King Down - Defiance: I suppose More Hate Than Fear or Absolve wouldve been obvious choices for many, but Defiance has a few key points that not only make it badass but make it hella more metal than the other tracks. First, the baddass. Derek is one of my favorite drummers of this style. He plays hard as hell and he pulls out some awesome fills. When Rob sings, right before the breakdown, "And their lies, Burn me ALIVE!!!" Derek comes in with THWAP-TH-TH-THWAP-TH-TH-TH-THWAP!!!! hahaha!! Its so fucking awesome I want to stage dive out of the 8th floor window! Now thats all well and good, but check the guitar solo at the end. Its amazing, with twinges of eastern melodies. Michael has stated that he was massively influenced by Mike Maney from Stigmata and it shows in this solo. Awesome ending to an awesome song.

9. Snapcase - Filter: I always think of Snapcase as the kings of this style. Probably because they were my favorite band for some time. I remember the first time I saw them live in Brewster, NY. It was with Shelter and I had a concussion that I recieved a day or two before (I dont recall how I got that one, but maybe this will help explain why I forgot) So my mom says "be careful" like any good mom would, so I laugh and go to this show that is guaranteed to be a simulated fist fight between friends, complete with full on riot style stage dives. So Snapcase is playing and they play this song (again with the ridiculous drum fills!!!) and people are hanging off the pipes in the ceiling and everyone is going completely nuts and I am freaking out in my own way, hopping up front and screaming "Intent to Survive!! To Sift and Purify!!!" and I get a massive kick to the dome. I can only assume that is was unintentional, but man it was a wollop. It didnt matter, I raged on, dizzy and sweating and absurdly happy, even by my standards. It was amazing. Amazing and Awesome and ridiculous. haha!! I have pictures from this show. I'll have to dig them up.

10. Dissolve - The Ultimate Nullifier: This is a new track, but not so new as it was written in 2000. Dissolve have finally released their promised record, Caveman From the Future and if you like any of the above bands then this song is going to rend you flesh into little pieces for easy consumption. The vocals in this one are deranged and even a little disturbing. The whole song is like one amazing breakdown that will have you ready to take on the NY Giants, one to eleven and you may have a chance of winning.

11. Starkweather - Shards: How could you have a Fuck Metalcore compilation and not have Starkweather on it? I dont even know what to say. Starkweather is another band that seems to get better with age. I didnt appreciate them enough when Crossbearer came out and as I have grown older I feel like every single song is a psychotic journey into one mans personal hell. The song writing and time changes on this song are unbelievable. Its not even so much the time changes as much as everything is just so tight. These guys mustve been a sight live.

12. Unbroken - Blanket: I had a hard time picking one song here and I eventually chose this one based on a number of things. For starters the opening riffs drip of Slayer lust. This is never a bad thing. What makes this even better than Slayer is the fact that these riffs come out at a half time drip that makes the whole seethe with darkened terror. "I see no help, I just see us" leads into another amazing riff before ending the song on a blistering note. These guys were a sight live. Watching an entire room of people flip their shit while these guys played damn near every good song they ever wrote was an experience I will not soon forget. I have a few awesome pictures of this show and I have to find them along with the others.

13. Integrity - Hollow / Psychological Warfare: So, you guys like holy terror, right? I figured a double dose from the kings of holy terror would serve everyone right. I dont think their much I can say about this one other than the bass line that opens Psych Warfare is great and totally reminds me of what made Micha: For Those Who Fear Tomorrow such an awesome track.

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I intended to only put 13 tracks on this comp. I kinda weasled out an extra track by combining the last two, but they work perfect with each other. By doing this I left off a ton of great bands that deserve mention, including but not limited to: Earth Crisis, Chokehold, Undertow, Groundwork, Brothers Keeper, Soulstice, Cave-In (early stuff), Corrin, SevenYearsWar, Disembodied, Coalesce and others.

If my business was only to make mixes I would make a part two and include all of the above bands, but for now this comp shall suffice. You can tell me what I missed, but you cant deny the awesomeness of the bands already present.

Enjoy!

Overcast - Fight Ambition To Kill

2008-08-04T14:39:00.004-04:00

As the crow flies, Massachusettes has created some damn good metallic hardcore. And though I truly love Converge, apple of my eye, Overcast has always been in the running for most punishing metal disguised as hardcore. Though shorter lived and with less releases Overcast has never had a dull moment. I will attribute this, in part, to Brian Fair. The man has the coolest metal voice ever. From his actual singing voice to his unbelievably brutal howl, every time this man opens his mouth, a wonderful blackness spews forth, one that is both cathartic and frightening. If demons exist they would listen to Overcast.

It wouldnt be fair (no pun intended) to give all the credit to Brian Fair. True, the man has pipes worthy of the darkest shrines (and dreads to make Jah jealous) but the band is incredible. Wrenching their way through maze like compositions of off kilter timings, blast beats and furious sludgy breakdowns sure to give the geriatric crowd a kickstart to heart. Fight Ambition to Kill is a perfect example of their complex riffing and awesome rhythm section. So often, though, complexity tends toward a general lack of hummability. This is not the case here. This album is chock full of hooks and amazing grooves. If you have any pulse you will most likely want to jump out of your skin and stage dive off the top of your house. Repeatedly. The breakdowns are sick. Sick!

Well, as of the past few months it appears that Overcast is not so short lived. Despite members going on to Ozzfest sized metal bands Shadow's Fall and Killswitch Engage they have found it in their embittered souls to grace the world with their presence once again. Someone said recently that metal was once the saving grace of hardcore, but now it seems Metal is taking that crown back, since the over abundance of "metalcore" bands has polluted and watered down what was once a vital sound. So what better time for Overcast to make a comeback and show both camps how its really done.

A quick check on their myspace page shows that not only has the whole band reunited to play some shows in the North East, but they are doing so in conjunction with a new release on Metal Blade records called "Reborn to Kill Again". The retribution this band has always deserved is finally coming to them. Its gets better though. Turns out that Overcast will be touring with legendary NY hardcore band Dissolve (to me and anyone who liked them at least). If you know Dissolve then you know that they bring a hurting that fits perfectly with Overcast. The only thing that could make this better is if they added Starkweather to the tour. I think people would be dropping like flies at every show if that happened today. Nonetheless! You, as hardcore fans, owe it to yourself to get into this band, get the new release and go see the show if you can feasibly make it.

Overcast w/ Dissolve and guests.
Aug 21 2008 - 7:00P @ School of Rock - South Hackensack, New Jersey
Aug 22 2008 - 8:00P @ Valentine’s - Albany, New York
Aug 23 2008 - 8:00P @ Living Room - Providence, Rhode Island
Aug 24 2008 - 7:00P @ The Showcase Lounge @ Higher Ground - South Burlington, Vermont
Aug 29 2008 - 7:00P @ The Palladium (Upstairs) - Worcester, Massachusetts
Aug 30 2008 - 7:30P @ Bobby Allen’s - Waterbury, Connecticut

Which leads me to my next point. I dont drive. I dont even have a license. I respectfully lost it years ago and have never attempted to retake my driving test. So, who wants to take me to one of these shows? ^_^. Gas money and other accoutrements can and will be provided by me. Leave me a comment.

This photo taken by Bruce Bettis at Zeroflesh.com. Go check out his awesome photography.

Before I go. It should be mentioned that Dissolve was also around during the days of Overcast and has played a lot of shows with them. They too have recently released a new record called Caveman of the Future on Trip Machine Laboratories. It is absurdly good and any fan of metal or hardcore will call it their favorite in no time. You can buy it at most big distros, including Very, RevHQ and Interpunk.
For the time being you can go over to Aversion for samples from the new album and you can get their old album and the EP at An Attitude Exhumed. Essential.

Lastly, I have another comp in the works. That was supposed to be todays post, but I copied over the wrong stuff to my iPod this morning. Check back tomorrow.

Unionsuit - Demo (1996)

2008-08-01T13:41:00.002-04:00

Okay, this may or may not mean anything to anyone, but this demo kicked my ass back in 96. My friend Brendan from college was and is from Massachusettes, so at the time I thought anyone from Mass was automatically in some club where every cool hardcore band from the state was automatically made known to you at an early age so you could reap the beneifts of face melting hardcore (Converge, Overcast, Dive anyone?!). Hydra Head records was just getting under way in these days and had nothing of the exorbitantly priced, yet astoundingly beautiful gatefold 2xLP released with foil printed artwork and lazer that shoot out the sides and vinyl that shimmers 50 different colors under normal light. These were the days of cut and folded sleeves and the early days of Aaron Turner.

So Brendan arrived to school in Vermont, fully formed with hardcore glory and a cassette of this here Unionsuit demo. (Also the Petitioning the Empty Sky 7" which was the reintroduction of Converge in my life. Converge MK II, we shall call it, wherein Converge slaughters the mighty Slayer on the alter of Metal and claims the crown as their own with vicious blends of death metal riffage and hardcore breakdowns. But that is not the point) No! Unionsuit is the order of the day. Just as it was back then, I frothed over the idea of anything cacaphonous with shredded, hectic vocal stylings, not unlike the milieu of San Diegos finest.

I was really into this demo, though I never copied it. Fast forward to now. 10 years later I get a hankering to hear Unionsuit. Especially knowing the Aaron Turner went on to form the mighty Isis. Now memory is faulty, especially after living in Vermont for two years, but I swore that Unionsuit was nothing like Isis. I searched for confirmation. Discordant guitars and dual screams pierced my hopeful dreams as I searched out this infamous tape in MP3 form. Infamous only because, not only could I barely find mention of it, but it seems that Mr. Turner himself is "embarrassed" by the mere existence of this tape. Maybe this is because Mr. McClard gave it a mediocre review in HeartattaCk. Maybe its just because his ultimate goal was to become the king of sludginess and then give it up for a taste of the post-rock crown. These things I will never know. What I do know is that my search continued until I found the Unionsuit 7" on Second Nature Recordings. This was a start.

Right off the bat, it was clear I was treading in the proper waters. DC-ish guitars with Converge-ish breakdowns and an overall metal/emo hybrid were apparent. But it wasnt as good as I remember them being. I chalk this up to it not being the demo, which mine ears were seething to hear. A year after this discovery and still no luck, until... a guy, by the name Endverse, says "Yo, Homie! I got dat shit!" and I can only respond with skepticism. Could it be true? Does he really have the mp3s of this extremely elusive cassette?

You already know the answer, dont you?

ps. Its not "as good" as I remember, but its definitely pretty cool. Check what I am pretty sure is guest vocals by Jacob Bannon on the 4th track. Nice. Spread this tape around, someone send it to Aaron Turner and tell him not to be afraid. And know this: I made the cover art. The original cover art was much cooler. If anyone has OG artwork please send it over.

New Blog w/ Underdog as the Inaugural Post

2008-07-30T18:13:00.003-04:00

Luciferyellow, a long time ZAFP reader and contributor has started his own blog. he has great knowledge of the scenes of times past and he has a great taste in a wide variety of music.

His new blog is called Prediction-Error-Signal and his inaugural post is the epic and mighty Vanishing Point by none other than Underdog. Other than listening to a friends copy of Revelations Demos album I really never knew much else about Underdog. Even being the HUGE Into Another fan I am and having skateboarded most of my life I somehow never really got deep into Underdog.

How?! I dont know. Thats not important. What is important is that you go over to PES and read Luciferyellow's post and book mark the site for future awesomeness. He also has the OG artwork for this beast. And trust us, its a beast.

This has been a ZAFP broadcast.

[end]

Side C - An Addendum to NYHC

2008-07-30T14:25:00.002-04:00

Quickly now, lest the boss know that I am making posts instead of making prints. Hehe...

Side C, it began as the NYHC post, see below. So I made that post, listened to the mix all week, got damn excited about it, wrote about the two areas of NYHC that existed in the end of that particular decade and wrapped it up, succinct, to the point, but as I knew at the time, though happily looked past to make a concise point in an easy way, I overlooked some of the more fringe bands of the NYHC scene that fell in neither the youth crew group or the tough guy group. This was in part due to the fact that I wasnt aware of all the bands that populated this fringe part of the scene. Of course Born Against was the first and foremost of these that I felt deserved their due, but I did not feel right in adding this third sound to this concise little mix I made. Born Against were sort of anomaly of the NYHC scene, even going to far as to create epic beef with some of the heavyweights in the scene.

So it is my intent to bring to light some of the other bands that werent repping the same styles as the Rev crowd or the Schism crowd or the Blackout crowd. And so it goes that I owe a large part of this post to Luciferyellow for sharing with me some of his favorites of that scene. Their is more variation in sounds within this group and I think that makes for not only an interesting mix, but an interesting way to view how varied and broad the NYHC scene really was. Some of these bands were from outlying areas of NYC, such as Rorschach, Merel and Native Nod, coming from Jersey. But if Youth of Today (originally from Connecticut) and Bold (originally from my hometown in Westchester, NY) could be NYHC, then why not the whole goddamn tri-state area?

It is also worth noting the subject matters that these bands tend to cover. Whereas much of the youth crew scene sang about being straight edge, being pure, being true and sticking up for you friends, and much of the tough guy scene (this is NOT an actual scene, I am calling this Tough Guy because of the power of the music and the image of band members looking tough, not because they actually bullied people around and talked all tough, though I wouldnt cross any of them either, but thats just NYC, especially at the time), but much of the tough guy scene sang about not taking shit, revenge, hit me and i'll hit you back, help me and i'll help you back; Where as those bands had those messages, these Side C bands have a much more politically conscious message and/or personal reflective message that colored the output of the hardcore scene well into the nineties.

So, grab this, get a taste. This is side C to the NYHC post. The fringe styles of NYHC.

1. Won't Allow - Citizens Arrest
2. The A-Train - GO!
3. Yellow Journalism - Yuppicide
4. Here Today... - Nausea
5. Crossings - Native Nod
6. Sticks To The Skin - 1.6 Band
7. My Sweet Dull God - Merel
8. Checkmate - Rorschach
9. Nine Years Later - Born Against

NYHC - Revised and Reordered***

2008-07-26T10:16:00.012-04:00

Zen and the Art of: New York Hardcore - A NYHC Compilation

Todays post is all about NYHC.

A NYHC compilation is not, in any way, a new idea. And the comp I offer you today, painstakingly pieced together with 18 influential hardcore acts, is not going to blow any doors of subconsciousness open and make you all of a sudden love New York Hardcore. If you already enjoy NYHC from 85-90 then you will like this comp.

My major goal is not so much to turn people on to NYHC as much as rectify an issue I have noticed a few times. This is the fact that a number of these compilations are weighted towards one type of sound. The Revelation comp, The Way We Were, focuses more on straight edge youth crew hardcore while the New Breed comp (thanks Sven!) focuses more on the tougher bands. Of course, when dealing with NYC things from this time period they are all imbued with a natural toughness. The city was still a rough place and the struggle was all the more present. Drugs were rampant and so was disease. Gangs were prevalent and the crime was at an all time high. These thing then, become all the more evident upon listening to these two types of hardcore. For the sake of easy explanation (cuz lets face it, there is so much more involved on closer inspection) we will visualize this into these two styles. And both of these styles make sense in regard to the current state of affairs at that time. Hence the messages of positivity, the unity and the humanitarian concerns of the more youth crew variety. Also just as understandable are the messages of hate and anger and disgust of the tougher and more street oriented NYHC bands.

So my goal is essentially to marry these two ideas together even more so then I have experienced before. Here I am trying to portray a balance of ideas set forth by these bands in the late 80's period. One of mistrust, frustration and anger yet also one of hope, help and new directions. They are both equally valid and have their successes and failures, their idealisms, so to speak. But there is no denying, however idealistic, that these bands were a powerful force of influence and a catalyst for change in a situation that was against all odds.

Times seem easier today. We can overlook a lot of the bad things that still exist because we have TV or movies to watch, "reality shows" that are anything but real. We can go buy pre made healthy food at "Whole Foods" and get cheap and "hip" fashions, talk on our cell phones, go to myspace and get the latest "cool" band and the see the latest trends, etc etc. It's absurd. The bad things in life, to those who dont have to deal with them everyday, have been relegated to Youtube videos and the News thus furthering the sensationalism and yet utter desensitization of all the horrors that still exist today. The call of hardcore, and not just NYHC, is all the more important now. The odds against us are even greater, more subversive, crawling under your skin. And the messages of these 18 bands dont ring any less true today than they did 20 years ago. So scream your lungs out, be different, ask the world to be different, demand it, god damn it! Its, your world, our world. We all have a voice and if we need a little prodding from our favorite bands, than so be it. Music is a powerful medium and it should never lose that momentum for change.

So, this is music as well. It's not only about messages. It's also about badass tunes; jumping out of your skin, freaking the fuck out, with a smile or a sneer, flipping off the world and saying, "fuck you! I am going to stage dive off my bed, right now! I am going to go apeshit for no other reason than this breakdown makes me want to karate chop through all the bullshit!".

To start it off, I think Sick Of It All's "Clobberin' Time" is a choice way to get things moving. This song makes my blood boil. Beginning with KRS-One's awesome intro, the first ringing bass chords are some of the most chillingly powerful moments in hardcore history. I will leave the rest for you to decide. I personally have been enjoying the hell out of this mix for the past week while I was compiling it and feel songs flow together well. Also, I would like it to be noted, that even though this obviously a digital thing, I arranged the songs to flow as two sides of a cassette. I did this because when I was getting into a lot of this stuff cassettes were still prevalent. So, side A and side B have their own flows, peaks and valleys.

Side A
1. Clobberin' Time / Pay The Price - Sick of It All
2. Vitality - Beyond
3. Dead & Gone - Absolution
4. New Release - Raw Deal
5. Trapped - Crumbsuckers
6. Sick People - Breakdown
7. Blind Justice - Agnostic Front
8. Enforcer - Leeway
9. No Guts, No Glory - The Icemen
10. Malfunction - Cro-Mags

Side B
1. New Direction - Gorilla Biscuits
2. Time Is Now - Side By Side
3. Blue Blood - Biohazard
4. The Bright Side - Token Entry
5. ...Shall Be Judged - Burn
6. Breakaway - Straight Ahead
7. New York Crew - Judge
8. Disengage - Youth of Today
9. Mass Movement - Underdog

The last thing I would like to mention is the cover. Everything about the cover I owe to other artists. Most notably the amazing artist Dan Witz. Dan is a NYC artist that as far as I can tell was around in the 80's and from looking at his amazing oil prints of mosh pits one can only assume that he was there during those times. The artwork I made is basically a re-rendered version of one of his mosh pit paintings laid over a number of hardcore flyers from the era done by various artists. The text was the easiest part and that was done by me. (Carnivale Freakshow, for anyone who likes fonts) So, this is a free comp, not endorsed by anyone involved other than me. I encourage you to pass it around and play it very loudly. Get pumped, get inspired.

One things for sure, you need to go check out Dan Witz's artwork. His oil skills are sick and his street art is inventive and inspiring. He has an amazing looking book coming out this fall too.

22x28" oil and mixed media on canvas © Dan Witz (posted without permission)

Also, enjoy this flyer site, Hardcore Show Flyers. Tons of flyers from all time periods, updated daily. And man oh man, I wish I could've been at some of these shows...

One more thing...

Hahah!!! Sven, aka Luciferyellow, made this amazing picture in anticipation of the NYHC comp. Little did he know that Ganesh is a huge thing in my life. I am planning (for years now) a tattoo of Ganesh to be applied to my body at some point in time. A Revelation Ganesh holding NYHC records might be one of the best things ever. Thanks!!
(Although I have to admit, no Sheer Terror or Maximum Penalty.)

*** At a point brought up in the comments it was revealed that I completely overlooked the mighty hardcore of Agnostic Front. So please, if youre into it, re-download the mix, appended with AF and delete the old one from your player. I placed the song Blind Justice from 1984's Victim in Pain album making it the earliest piece of NYHC on the mix. As forefathers to a lot of the other stuff this fits nicely within the time period. I put it right in between Breakdown and Leeway. I think it sounds good right there. Tell me what you think.

Worlds Collide - All Hope Abandon

2008-07-24T13:34:00.002-04:00

So I got this in the mail the other day. Quickest delivery ever. Serious. It came from Florida from some third party Amazon seller. I ordered it last Monday and it came that Wednesday. Awesome. Because I was dying, literally gasping for my last breaths, to hear this album. I know, as the story goes, that this wasnt heralded as the awesomeness that Object of Desire promised, but I do remember listening to this in my room, in my car, at school, wherever I could manage a few untouched moments to fill my ears with the fury and anguish of hardcore music... (oh, also the positivity and the unity! It wasnt all anguish and anger! I was a happy kid who loved the emotional displays present in music)

Well, upon popping this in the first song instantly sent waves of nostalgia washing over me. Ritual is an awesome metal song that totally fits within the promises laid forth by the 7". I think there is a definite early Soundgarden feel to the intro riffs. From there it is a pure Megadeth riff. The song is great and is no doubt the highest point on the record. There are tons of great sections, tons of great grooves and rhythms. And that is one of Worlds Collides strong points. Ken was and is, obviously, a good guitar player, lacking no chops and maintaining a decent sound throughout most of his recorded output. And he is really good at keeping things interesting (which I why I should really give Damnation AD another shot). Even Battery had a great amount of riffs for a hardcore band. (Not to leave Graham Land out, but he is not on this release as I think he was playing with Shelter at this point.)

It's no secret that Worlds Collide were less of a hardcore band and more of a metal band (at least in my eyes). This is ever present on All Hope Abandon. She's Drowning is the second song and truly sets the pace for the remainder of the album. More of a mid-paced affair and less appetizing as their strongest cuts, but still an awesome song. Faces is a long one that doesnt really need to be. The version from Pain Is Temporary is much shorter. On this version they tack on an extra 4 minutes of mid paced sludginess that may or may not be your cup of tea. It's good as an album side closer, but in a CD or MP3 format it kind of sags the middle a little. Crusade is another awesome song, but its the least metal and the most grungy, garnering even more Soundgarden references, but then the album closes with Any Worse which is back to the intensity of Ritual and the metal chug that made this band so appealing to begin with.

According to singer Matt Burger, this pained sort of feel is what he intended and is also indicative of the strains on the band members personal relationships (See the Aversion link in the last post and find Matt's comment, consider this a footnote of sorts). You can feel this in a number of places, especially the slower numbers. Overall it is still a good album and I definitely still like it. Though I think Ritual and Any Worse could have made a ridiculously good EP with Object and Absolute. Tell me what you think.

As stated before, all the members have gone on to perform in a variety of other hardcore bands and you should all seek these out if you are just looking for something new, have an intense fascination with where band members go to or are just getting into these bands from this era and are looking for more of the same.

Oh and check these pictures from the liners. ^_^

Updates, New Blogs, Stuff and more Stuff...

2008-07-18T12:59:00.004-04:00

First of all, this picture rules the most.

If you know this girl, send me her number. (just kidding Lara. ^_~)

Ummm, second of all, eh, Im not gonna order this, thats silly... though I love the word tertiary, if I could figure some way to use it I will. The next thing to discuss is all the awesome new blogs on the list.

Alphabetical? Sure, why not.

Am I Mean? from Papst Benedikt XVI is an awesome hardcore/punk/grind/thrash blog. Basically any scathing and revolutionary music you could want. He has lots of OOP stuff and is especially noteworthy for all the amazing artwork scans that he provides. I always try to offer good sized artwork and he ups the ante by offering liners notes and the like.

An Attitude Exhumed run by hardcore's very own hearthrob Buske. (Sorry man, I had to give ya a dig) His blog has been up for a bit now, but just wanted to point you in that direction. He has a number of great out of print, badass hardcore posts as well as the occasional "thought" post, like why do people fall on the floor when playing live. These and many other issues can be discussed while listening to great bands like Dissolve, Trapped Under Ice, Jasta 14... you get the picture. Great blog.

Condensed Fresh has awesome show flyers and stories from various shows as well as a lot of underground Japanese hardcore and grind related stuff.

Unsavory Palindrome is another hardcore punk blog with plenty of hard to find classic of the genre, spanning way back to more recent 90's era stuff...

Severed Forever run by Deathmetaldan has been in the links for a bit, and offers up some hefty slices of early metallic hardcore classics. Check his recent post for an awesome live recording featuring Converge, Endeavor, Still i Rise and others.. Awesome recordings..

The Poet You Never Were is another great OOP blog with tons of great mid-90s emo/screamo classics.

There are a bunch more including the classics most of you may already know.Aversionline, Burning Down the Dreams of Forever, Mostly Blue Skies, Damn Those Bloodsuckers, Wine-Women-Song, Lo-res Viscera. All amazing blogs with commentary by people who obviously still have tons of heart for the music that makes our hearts pump faster.

Of course there are plenty of others that are all noteworthy reads. So check the links and say hello to all of these people and leave comments and get involved in discussions, critiques, opinions etc.

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Portraits of Past is playing a few reunion shows at the end of the summer. Two in SF and two in NYC.
Check their myspace for show listings. It is a given that I will be going to one or both of the NYC shows. Ampere is playing one of the shows with them. it should be pretty fun, and especially so if anyone else wants to meet up.

They also just released their discography, finally, after years and years of promise. You can order it from Interpunk for only 8 bucks.

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Just for the shit of it, here are two desktops I use. One I created. It is an industrial section of Brooklyn, out in between Bushwick and W'Burg. The other is a photo I took of some stuff pasted on a wall. This one section mesmerized me, so I made it into a desktop, though it is a bit chaotic and you'll probably lose your icons, but it sure is inspiring to me.

Click and view to make full size, then do what you gotta to save it to the proper folder on your computer.

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Lastly! (Tertiarily? nah! I made that up, besides, this is the 4th or 5th point of interest.) A drawing I made of elephants. I love elephants. They are amazing creatures. Dont really know what to do with it. Maybe a shirt, maybe nothing. I will let it speak for itself for the time being...Elephants. Fo-Evah!

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I lied. One more thing...

Youth of Today's awesome Disengage EP from 1990. Three of my favorite YoT songs. This is still available from Revelation, so if you dont own it then its more than worth the meager price. But for ultimate-summer-fist-pumping-finger-pointing-action grab this now and give it a number of spins.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Worlds Collide 7"

2008-07-16T17:49:00.006-04:00

So, that last post was long. Way longer than I had planned. I really do have to get a move on, so I will keep this one short, which is difficult because I have been searching for this 7" forEVER! I bought this at Trash American Style in Danbury, CT (one of the best record stores that ever existed, past tense.) Being a metal head I found it awfully easy to love these two songs. The members have been in a host of other bands and their pedigree is not one I care to cover. Andrew at Aversion actually wrote about these guys 3 or so years ago and he provides all the information one could want. Matt, the singer even left a comment to his post, so there is even more information then one could hope (From the Horses mouth, so to speak)

What I care about is how ragingly awesome these two songs still are! Pure metal riffing, fret runs all over the place, chopped up rhythms and the proverbial crunch that makes this music so goddamned awesome to begin with. Picture Megadeth, Soundgarden and Ken Oldens other band Battery. Yeah, that doesnt make too much sense until you delve into this heaping mess of awesomeness. Anyway, I had been looking for this and their cd All Hope Abandon for sometime and I would like to thank Sven for hooking me up with the Pain is Temporary CD, which has the demo and a live set that sounds pretty great. This initiated a search for All Hope Abandon, which, despite a few people mentioning it not being as good as the 7", I remember liking. So then the greatest thing happened. I found the CD for sale, used, on Amazon.com, through one of their third party sellers. And to top it off I also found the 7" for $3.99! So I ordered them up. Very stoked. I always loved the artwork for this 7". And then it occurred to me that these two song were released on the Victory Singles Comp, which also has the awesome Iceburn 7" with the songs Burn and Fall.

I remember having that 7" around the same time as the Worlds Collide one and it is similarly an awesome early metallic hardcore classic. Those two Iceburn songs are also available on their first LP, Firon, which is equally as good. After that they became all experimental, which was much to my liking as Hephaestus was always one of my favorites.

Also. ALSO! It seems that Interpunk still has some Worlds Collide 7"s for $4.00, so if you are interested in spending some hard earned scratch, then head on over and pay them a visit.

So, go over to Aversion and read his post, check the comments too for Matts (the singer) response and play these two songs loud! For the rest of the summer! Alternate between this 7" and the Rollkicker Laydown 7"

Addendum:

For the partial record:

Ken Olden went to play in Battery, Damnation A.D., Better Than a Thousand, Face The Enemy and When Tigers Fight.

Graham Land played with Shelter, Better Than a Thousand, Battery and Face The Enemy

Hillel also played with Damnation A.D.

Matt Burger had a band called Jack Potential and as of 05 had a band called the Whips.

Zac Eller also played with Battery before going on to Seven Gone and Bluetip.

It seems most of these guys are still active and are still playing some version of hardcore or punk rock these days. Keep your eyes peeled.

More soon!

Extra Addendum:

ALSO! Bluetip is playing some reunion shows! I dont know the details just yet, but this is good news. Gray Matter, another awesome DC band is also playing a reunion show August 12th in DC!!! May be checking both of these out.

Rollkicker Laydown 7"

2008-07-16T17:01:00.002-04:00

So, long story, short, or even longer, depending on how quickly I can type (end of the day, at the old job, red ta go!):

It all starts with Sweet Baby Jaysus (how sweet it is!) from the wonderful and often hilarious and quite insightful blog Burning Down the Dreams of Forever. Jay writes me often here and around a year ago we established a repoire based on a similar fascination with the same music scene that we all gush about over here. See, it's already becoming verbose in structure. I even used the completely unnecessary word "verbose". What. The. Fuck. How come you people dont call me out on this shit?!

Where was I? Oh! Talking with the Jaysus (nobody fucks with the Jaysus) who at the time was living in the great northwestern state of Seattle, where one of my nearest and dearest friends lives. I mentioned an excursion I was to take out there and inquired about anyone from the area that may be interested in meeting up and scoring some beers and tossin out a few words of mutual appreciation for hardcore. Jay replies, "I live here, we will hang, we will blaze" Yes, kids, blazing, tough! Being that I was to spend most of my time in the mountains this was an agreeable thing.

So, fast forward, but not too fast or you'll miss the good stuff... I fly, I land (as is sometimes the case) and, holy shit! I am across the country! (A rare feat for this earth-bound sort.) I meet up with Fooch and we proceed to drink, only the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer, Rainier Beer. Giant ones. At the Sloop Tavern. As big as my head! And so I call Jay and he says he's slave to the grind and when he gets off he will meet up. So continuing to fast forward we meet up and share some stories and some brews. This is essentially my first Pen Pal meetup. As lame as that sounds, it was quite awesome. We got irie on the curb and parted ways. I met with him again and he mentions he has this 7" he really wants me to rip and post. That is what you are seeing at the beginning of this post. I recognize the DeSoto Records imprint but am at a loss for who Rollkicker Laydown is. Jay says "it's J. Robbins from Jawbox. A little project they did at the beginning of the 90's". Unsure of whether to take this supposed gem off of him Jay assures me that it is fine. I pack it in my bags and depart. Take off (the worst part), Fly. Land. NYC. Home again.

Now, that was last August. I still have this 7" and I never ripped it. In fact my ripping tools were never quite great to begin with (recall my one channel rip of the Absinthe 10" and you will understand.). To further complicate the situation my turntable needle got all busticated and being the lax individual I am I have still not replaced it. So I have this 7" which I need to rip and send back to Jay, who now lives in Tulsa, OK.

Well, wouldnt you know it, this guy Spavid on the blog Willfully Obscure posted it, and forgive me that I can't remember who pointed this out to us, but needless to say Jay and I were psyched. I had been wanting to hear it and Jay was being very patient with me. So, without any further delays, download this lost gem from the early 90's DC era. Jawbox, Government Issue, Gray Matter and Wool alumns. It sounds like two Jawbox songs that could have easily fit on either Grippe or Novelty and they are both incredible songs. Thanks very much to Spavid at Willfully Obscure for the original upload (Read his post for actual info regarding the band) and thanks to Jay for entrusting me with his record. Jay! I am still waiting for your address so I can send it back your way.

PS. I LOVE these two songs!

Absinthe 7"

2008-07-10T13:28:00.005-04:00

Absinthe were a dirty, crusty, evil sounding hardcore band led by ex-members of Arizona legendary Groundwork and Bury Me Standing. As my previous post attests, Absinthe seemed to loosen the hold on the political lyrics of previous bands and focus more on the negative associations with mass market religion.

The sounds are lurching, powerful and caustic, like any good hardcore band should aspire to. This 7", which I had never heard, ) and in fact wasnt even aware of its existence at the time it came out) has proved incredibly difficult to track down. I have heard some people mention that they prefer the 7" over the 10" and while that is a difficult call to make I can say that these 4 songs positively seethe with grinding energy.

Big thanks to Luciferyellow (via Mike), for linking me up with this! ^_~

In other Absinthe related news, Brendan, the vocalist (or Vo-kill-ist, as some may prefer) paid us a visit and mentioned that there are plans to re-master and re-release the Absinthe discography. For anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing my damaged rip of the 10" then this should be exciting news. I personally dont need much in the way of recording quality to make me happy, but skips? No good. I am not sure when this will be released, but I will give a shout when I know.

For those that are interested, King of the Monsters Records have repressed the out of print 10" Absinthe record on white vinyl. It is available through them directly or through Interpunk for a whopping $5.50. A wholly worthwhile purchase if this is your thing.

Get pissed!

Clikatat Ikatowi - Demo

2008-07-09T11:36:00.004-04:00

Clikatat Ikatowi - How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. Your spazziness is life affirming. Juggernaut of treble and razor sharp "Zing!"
2. Your angularity makes me nervous and exciteable, prone to bouts of pouncing, bearing my teeth.
3. Your Slintyness, oh so tense and soothing, slow burns, desert planes and sand in my shoes.
4. Your eruptive, dual nature of controlled chaos, limbs flailing wildly, grin, 1 mile wide.
5. Your icky sticky strange name, alien to me, like 6 legs, 8 legs and more, tickles the tongue on delivery of sound.
6. Your swagger, flying in the face of what punk is, at once embracing and eviscerating to the genre.
7. The way you jangle, sends shivers up my spine, burrowed into my cerebellum, release cold chills throughout my body.
7. Mario Rubalcalba, once a hero on 4 wheels, now a hero with 8 arms.

Know this: 4 Unreleased tracks, 3 later released on Orchestrated and Conducted by...Slinty tendencies are highly visible on the first two tracks, "Saxby's Gail" and "Meatho". "Librarian" is pure punk. "Off To Here" is the closest thing to a pop song they ever wrote. Close is still a million miles away, but peep the jangly, indie style guitars. The other three didnt change much from the originals. The recording is fairly decent. Enjoy.

Clikatat Ikatowi - Demo
1. Saxby's Gail
2. Meatho
3. Identity Crisis
4. Librarian
5. Off To Here
6. Transmission
7. Affirmation

* The cover art is not official. I took a pic from their myspace and cropped and gradient mapped it and added some typewriter text. Duly noted.

Junction - A Collection of Random Mishaps (1995)

2008-07-08T16:55:00.002-04:00

Junction were a 4 piece band from PA who toed the line between post-hardcore and straightforward rock music. If there were ever a time for this kind of style to truly be heard then it takes place in the early 90's. Bands like Quicksand and Jawbox were heading the way with their almost radio friendliness, but there was always something that kept it from being so trite and consumable. It's sharp edges were still apparent, twisted forms left unpolished for others to glare at and eventually feel association with.

Junction falls within these parameters. Exisiting from 1989 to 1993, they had a few releases on Significant Records and Art Monk Construction eventually released a discography in 1995. The vocals were sung by Vanessa and the guitars, two of them, pushing a distinctly DC-ish sound, were manned by Gregg and Ben, who later both played in Delta 72 with Ben eventually going on to play in the Capitol City Dusters. Vanessa later played in a very similarly structured band on Art Monk called Samuel.

I personally have always loved the tense angularity of Junctions music juxtaposed with Vanessas smooth voice. She doesnt resort to cheesy vibratos or anything of the sort (ie. Elena from Ashes), instead coming off like a mix of Joan Jett and DC's own Chris Thompson. Definitely a rocker chick with some great lyrics to boot.

Also, Ben Azzara has a website for Junction that is a little out of date but still interesting. Check it

Shield - Build Me Up... Melt Me Down (1994)

2008-07-03T12:40:00.003-04:00

Shield were a Swedish hardcore band from the mid 90's. They had releases on Desperate Fight Records. They released one full length and this EP. The EP was their first release to hit the states. It is 5 of the best hardcore songs I have ever heard. I say this with conviction because I have been able to put this on for the past 14 years and still want to listen to it over and over again.

"Flow" is an amazing start off with a great riff. The reference the "relentless flow" and that is a good starting point for how powerful these 5 tracks are. There isnt a weak part to be found (though some might feel differently about the female vocal additions on "Hide"). My personal favorite has always been "The Snowman Blues", which the cover and title cheekily reference. Its starts off slowed down and slurred, like what it must feel like to wake in such cold climes, drums lagging, sounding weird, guitars lazily riffing, then it speeds up to proper speed and it feels like the sun has just opened up on the land... But this isnt post rock, this is a shredder. Of course the lyrics could be the subject of much humour. The song is written from the viewpoint of a snowman who wishes for the sun to shine its warmth upon him, to clear the winter from his heart. "Build me up! Melt me down! Please turn your face to me / I am the snowman, and I am singing, the Snowman Blues". If the song that backs these lyrics werent so amazing then these lyrics would be trampled by tougher animals. But as it is, the chops alone make you feel for the sad, frosty fucker.

So, think Swedens answer to New Age Records... Similar to Outspoken with a dose of early Lifetime melodies (early, like Backgorund early) These 5 songs give The Current EP a run for its money. And for any Outspoken fans, they know that The Current is the best Outspoken record.

I know very little else of Shield, but these 5 songs positively burn with roiling, introspective energy. I havent shown this to one person that did not like it.

Best Of.... Converge

2008-07-02T14:14:00.005-04:00

Fact Leaves It's Ghost - A Zen and the Art of Face Punching Best Of Converge (2008)

Converge has long been one of my favorite bands in any extreme aggressive music genre. They have tact, skill and feeling in all that they do. The albums have artwork that is equally as good as the songs within. The lyrics echo sentiments of lost love and innocence all while waving a big fuck you to all who care to balk. Its no surprise that with those elements Converge have been a consistent force in hardcore and metal for the past 15+ years. They have yet to tire and yet to show any signs of slowing down, whatsoever. Their latest album, No Heroes, released last year, attests to this fact. It is some of the most surgically precise and visceral music made on the planet.

I compiled this 2 disc set together in an attempt to convert those who might need converting. Consider this the Converge Missionary Post. I want you to join my church. A church of togetherness, emotional release and blistering metallic hardcore. Not such a bad deal eh? Just sign on the dotted in your own blood and youre good to go.

This 2 disc set is NOT official. This is not a release, and nothing to do with it is official, other than the complete and official awesomeness of the songs and their makers. The cover artwork is also not official. I made it in a paltry attempt to keep up with the Converge design aesthetic. Of course some will think I missed some of their favorite songs and I must assure you that it was no easy task to leave many songs off. Each and every album has a particular flow that is worth hearing in its entirety (Except maybe Petitioning and Unloved, which are compilations of sorts, but Petitioning is also my all time favorite Converge record). As I said before, the packaging is amazing on all releases and there is nary a weak song on all 6 or 7 or 8 of their releases.

Songs are arranged in chronological order starting with the very first song from Halo In A Haystack, "Shallow Breathing". Most of these songs stick out to me for particular reasons here and there and that is why they are included. It could be song I skated to, a song I blasted in my car, a song my friends and I jumped around like lunatics to. Do yourself a favor and if you find yourself as into these guys as I expect you to be, then do seek out the rest of their stuff because I left a lot of amazing songs off of this.

*As it turns out, the song that I was wondering about is called Serial Killer. It is the b-side to the Downpour 5" and is a cover of a Vio-Lence track. Thanks to Forever Gold from Last.fm for clearing that up. If anyone has the full track and wouldnt mind upload please leave a link in the comments. The mp3 I have is cut off towards the very end.

Converge [Disc 1]

1. Shallow Breathing / I Abstain
2. Two-Day Romance
3. Fact Leaves Its Ghost
4. Divinity
5. The Saddest Day
6. Dead
7. Farewell Note To This City
8. Color Me Blood Red
9. Snowblind
10. For You
11. Downpour
12. My Unsaid Everything
13. The High Cost of Playing God
14. Conduit
15. Year of the Swine
16. Love As Arson

Converge [Disc 2]

1. Serial Killer*
2. Locust Reign
3. This is Mine
4. My Great Devestator
5. Concubine
6. Fault and Fracture
7. Hell To Pay
8. Thaw
9. Last Light
10. Drop Out
11. Hope Street
12. Heartless
13. You Fail Me
14. Hanging Moon
15. Heartache
16. Hellbound
17. Sacrifice
18. Vengeance
19. Weight of the World
20. No Heroes

Bl'ast!

2008-06-18T23:46:00.003-04:00

Hello,

This is the other half of Tim's brain. The left side. He's been pretty busy lately with work deadlines so he hasn't had much time to think about anything musical. He also is leaving for Seattle tomorrow to be the best man in one of his greatest friends weddings. He will be gone for four days so in the meantime he thought it would be an opportune time to drop a little Bl'ast! on you. He was reading something on Lo-Res Viscera about skateboarding in the 80's and listening to Bl'ast! so he did just that, except the skating took place in his mind. You know those silly right brain types, always fussing with things that arent real, day dreaming, ideas, etc. etc. I am the side of the brain that is more concerned with real things. This writing business isn't for me.

Well, the sonic assault of California's Bl'ast! is pretty real. Theres no doubt about that. A few spins and you will know just how real it is. They say that Bl'ast! was more Black Flag than Black Flag, or the later parts at least, so I hear, but thats a load of conjecture. All I care for is hard facts. And its a hard fact that Bl'ast! rules.

Tim's capricious Right Brain will be floating back this way sometime next week, when hes done partying in Seattle and drawing silly little elephants on surfboards back at the office.

For now, feel the realness.

This has been a message from Tim's Left Brain, Bl'ast! and the letter 'B'

Bl'ast! - The Power Of Expression (1986)

Bl'ast! - It's In My Blood (1987)

PS! - Check out the links on the right. We added some new ones and I even made sure Mr. Right Brain spelled everything correctly. I also made him alphabetize it. Silly guy, what would he do without me?

Barrit 7" (1997)

2008-06-13T12:42:00.005-04:00

I dont know much about this band. In fact I didnt even know they had a full length out. I can be pretty disconnected at times and in fact spent much of the time from 1998 - 2004 not even concerned with music. Thats no so important really, other than the resurgence of listening to music and finding new music and hunting down things I used to like added up to me liking music way more than before and eventually starting this blog to share all the musical discoveries that have helped me along in life.

Right about the time I left Vermont to move to NYC is when I acquired this 7". My friend Brendan, always an ultimate resource for all things hardcore and metal, had showed me this and the two songs instantly grabbed me. I threw it on a tape and jammed it in my ride (my awesome 1989 Honda Accord) and probably drove way to fast as a result. I used to make it from NYC to Vermont in record times. "They" always say it takes about 6 hours, give or take, to get from NYC to VT. Fuck that, it should take 5 (give or take) but I used to make that drive in just over 4 hours. I drove like a lunatic for years and subsequently lost my license around 9 years ago. I have never gotten another license. My penance for all the people I most likely scared the shit out of.. Anyway, they were good times. Surely hardcore mustve had something to do with this... and maybe the fact that my father flew jets in the Air Force.

So, I leave school and my favorite tape to listen to in the ride was this one. It was an old tape that had Converge's Halo In A Haystack on one side. That dates the cassette to around 1994 or 1995. Along the way I put the Channel 7" with Fairy Tale on the other side and the Jesuit 7". Sometime later I added a 7" by another New England metallic hardcore band called Corrin and then eventually made it to VT where I added the Barrit 7" you have here and the Execute demo (Super heavy hardcore from VT with the same drummer from Seven Years War).

Needless to say, that tape ruled. In fact, it still rules. I still have it and all of the things on it are nearly impossible to find. Its one of 3 tapes I still own along with Sick of It All's Blood, Sweat and No Tears.

This 7" is great. You will have to listen to it to find out what it is like, though I can say it did fit on that cassette really well alongside those other bands.

If anyone has the LP I would love to hear it as I mustve dropped off the map not long after this 7" graced my life.

EDIT:

So I was looking up some stuff about Barrit and was pleasantly surprised to find a very old Tripod page for Barrit. It turns out they were from Worcester, Mass and existed for maybe 4-5 years tops. I also found the cover to the LP that Dan dropped in the comments. Go check it out, though as Brendan says, I dont think it is as good as the 7". Mainly because of the voice. The vocals are shredded on the 7" and they are far more polished and lower end in the album. I personally love the shredded scream, Carcass style.

Friday Is A Good Day For Grind...

2008-06-06T12:45:00.002-04:00

ASSÜCK - MISERY INDEX (1996)

PRESTO? - ODIO PURO CONCENTRADO (2002)

I thought I'd switch things up a bit and give you a double dose on top. Seeing as how A) I missed last weeks crucial death metal post and B) both of these records together are just over 30 minutes long, then it behooves me to drop two whole tons of furious political grindcore on your unsuspecting heads.

Being that Grindcore shares many things in common with Death Metal it doesnt seem too far a stretch that these are served up to you today. In fact, Grindcore is the monogloid inbred cousin of both Death Metal and Hardcore. You all know this.

Lets dig into the goods. Assück. First of all, Umlauts... or just one in this case. Can anyone make the correlation? That's right. Motley Crüe. If the Crüe were to meet up with Assück in an alley, it would be a blood bath, with hair flying everywhere, torn pleather and lipstick smears all over the concrete. Assück can literally liquify the entrails of lesser metal bands.

What sticks out to me about this release is the amount of catchy riffs that exist within the one minute framework of brain blasting grind elegance. Sure they drop the blast beats like Dresden circa 1945, but they lock into some serious grooves that could almost have you genuflecting to the mighty Riff if you werent literally (or metaphorically) stomping every innocent thing in your path. The cookie monster vocals are in full effect for maximum misanthropy with all the intelligible lyrics spouting angry anti-capitalist agendas... When all is said and done a breakdown sounds a million times more powerful when book ended with spastic bursts of hellish noise and thus revolution sounds that much closer to realization.

Presto? are something similar yet also quite different. For the sake of putting two things together for the sheer fun of the image in my mind, Presto? sounds like the bastardized child of Los Crudos and Eyehategod, or maybe some of the doomier Enewetak, seeing as how the longest song on this album is 1:11. They use a far lower end of the spectrum to bludgeon their point right into your head. You may get hives from listening to this record

Zen friend and one time contributor Destroyer dropped this on me a ways back and it is a "go to" for pure grind on grind action. Presto? are a Brazillian band who sing in Portuguese. Despite the language barrier, if this doesnt want to make you overthrow governments, and I mean plural, like, all of them, then youre just not getting it or youre in the wrong building altogether. Presto? drops ridiculous riffs within a 30 second period, going from full on blast beats to awesome punk hardcore and then unleashing an atonal doom riff that makes your spleen pump 12 times more blood. If you made it through Assück then youre adrenaline is already maxed and your heart is straining to put up with the extra stress. By the time you get to Presto? your heart is actually doing a circle pit inside your chest.

The title means Pure Concentrated Hate and that is pretty much what you get here. Its nothing but smiles for these guys as they generously start off the record with dirt caked bass riff that is slowed down. Its a land speed record of grinding atonality from there on out. One amazing highlight is Potencial Pra Nada which starts off like a Crudos song veering into absurd blast beats and choppy breakdowns before shearing off all sense of hope and light with stupendous riff that would make many doom bands want to put down the bong and start writing doomy grind core. There are many of these moments on this record.

Many people know of the mighty Assück. Fewer people know of Presto? I strongly urge you to check out both of them. If you like one then you are guaranteed (a one time Zen and the Art of Face Punching Guarantee!!) to like the other. Listen to them back to back and try not to hurt anyone in the general vicinity.

Also, Happy Birthday to Nick over at Damn Those Bloodsuckers. He posted the other two Assück records, Anticapital and Blindspot, so you should make sure to go get those and wish him a Happy B-day.

That is all. Play nice.

Into Another - s/t (1991)

2008-06-04T12:12:00.003-04:00

It may or may not be a surprise that Into Another is one of my most favorite bands. I believe we covered my love for Metal in middle school and how it led me down a path which leaves me here now, sitting in front of this computer, talking about why this or that mean this or that.

My intro to Into Another came at a time when my hardcore education came from ordering everything off the Revelation Records mail order list. Of course Sick of It All already owned my head and it wasnt long after that when I was able to obtain copies of Start Today and Break Down the Walls. So it goes, picture me, young and goofy, sitting on the floor of my bedroom thinking of how best to waste whatever meager pay I earned from the Royal Bookstore, circling just about everything in the catalog that I didnt own already (except for some reason the Slipknot 7" and the Warzone stuff). I ordered Supertouch, Bold, Chain of Strength, the self titled GB, Youth of Today's Disengage EP, and this (Not all at once, mind you). I was unfamiliar with Underdog despite knowing of them, but I knew the name Ritchie Birkenhead from the liner notes to Break Down the Walls, and I knew Drew Thomas as the drummer for Bold. So naturally, despite the strange description, I thought it would be hardcore.

Hardcore this is not. I am not even sure I have the touchstones to bring up when talking about this kind of music. It is clearly metal. And even though I enjoyed my share of Poison and the Crüe and Bon Jovi I cant veritably say that this has any relation to that. I cant even compare this to the heavier metal that I grew to love. In fact, the only touchstone I can think of is remembering my first impression of Overlord and thinking that it sounded like an early Ozzy Osbourne song. Aside from some love for Mr. Crowley and the opening bars of Crazy Train I can take or leave a good portion of his catalog (It's a different story with Black Sabbath. They ruled at what they did). Somehow, some way, this was everything that my 15 yr old brain wanted to hear.

Peter Moses had some of the best guitar style ever. His picture in the booklet was amazing. He looked like Steven Tyler circa Dream On, but he was wailing these awesome guitar lines that were at once glammy, sludgy, dark and brooding. Into Another were an anomaly and the best thing that couldve happened at the time. Not long after I ended up buying Ignaurus and Creepy Eepy and realized that these guys had mad skills. Tony Bono in particular sticks out to me often as his bass playing was amazing. And of course, Ritchie has pipes that can only be compared to the range of Axl Rose or Robert Plant. Dude can bust some notes. Thats all im sayin.

The Castlevania like guitar leads in While I Die, the hokey as hell lyrics in Dare Me (complete with an "Unh!") the sick bass lines in Splinters and the awesome breakdown in As It Were... I could wax poetic about every little nuance in every little song. The only thing that could do this justice is for you to relieve yourself of all pretense and listen. Loudly.

Threadbare 7"

2008-06-02T13:15:00.002-04:00

So, I guess it was 1995, and this hardcore girl that I knew, she called herself Hahdcore Girlie or something like that. I dont know, It's on the tape at home. Anyway, she and I met at the Tune Inn and New Haven, CT, but she was from Pleasantville or something... haha!! real spot-on with the facts right now. The point I am attempting to reach is that she and I traded mix-tapes of our hardcore favorites. I believe mine consisted of Unbroken, Mouthpiece, Outspoken (all that New Age stuff ruled) and probably Native Nod and Frail and stuff like that. She gave me a tape that for the most part was good. It got me into Slugfest long after they were gone. It had a xCornerstonex song (which I would love to have that album again) on it which was awesome and various other goodies. Most of it I was familiar with and loved accordingly. Threadbare was the thing that stuck out the most.

Two songs, from a 7" that I instantly went on the hunt for. Two amazing songs. Well as it turned out a friend had bought it. This is the same friend that bought every good record and then sold them all (ahem! Crud is a Cult, Converge - Halo In a Haystack, etc.) He bought this one and of course I was all "where'd you get it!?!". Him: "oh, Trash. They only had one left". I couldve ordered it, but I didnt, I had it on tape, so I waited and ended up never purchasing it. But the songs never left my head. As it turns out, its only one song that never left my head. Ignition.

Ignition is one of the best hardcore songs ever. And personally Threadbare raised the bar so high with this one song that they never ever lived up to it again. I know some people get all saucy over them, but they never did it for me. I just wanted to listen to Ignition over and over, which is what I am doing right now.

The song reminds of Ressurection, but way crunchier and harder. Like Despair with Rob Fish on vocals. Ignition has certain parts that make me want to freak out. It is such a tense song. When he says "Under all these layers of filth, under all these layers of decay, HERE IT IS!!" Wow. I want to do a backflip. "Harvesting Misery, Crack, Cracking!!!!... Cracking the Facade, Ignition. CRACKING!!!!!!"... and then the tension really goes up a few notches as they lay into this darkened section... "Are we really in control, do we really know? I look around and cant help but thinking NOOOOOOOT! Fill the gap in my heart!" The bass work in this part is eerie and wonderful. The rhythm pulses underneath the screams and the low end and then explodes. You think this would be the ultimate end to the story, but they have another thing coming. One of the fiercest breakdowns, with shredded vocals screaming "Cracking the facade! Ignition!".

Adventures in Scrobbling

2008-05-30T12:52:00.003-04:00

So I started a Last.fm account, as some of you may have noticed. I have known of its existence for quite sometime, but I never really understood it or rather, took the time (miniscule as it may have been) to understand Last.fm or "Scrobbling" for that matter...

So it goes, I am logged in for full-time scrobbling. For those of you who are as archaic as me when it comes to the nets (the internets, not the NJ basketball team) scrobbling refers to the magical process of transferring your listening information from your iTunes (or other computer based music device) and even your iPod to the site and in turn keeps running totals of your listening habits. This translates to current listenings, weekly top artists and overall top artists.. I'm sure there is more to it. Oh, yeah, you can talk to your friends and loved ones, as a few of us meat heads have done already. You can look at your friends listening habits or the listening habits of total strangers if you like. You can have recommendations... all that shit, toughguy! You can even get a little widget like the ones on the left, or right depending on what mental hemisphere you reside in.

Enough! this isnt an ad. This is a totally self serving list of one of my adventures in Scrobbling.

I took the liberty of leap-frogging through my iTunes at work, skipping over every other album as I saw fit, playing a song from each one, or in some cases, a few in a row. So, for some reason, I am going to document this experience. It should be known that my library is currently arranged by when I ripped the songs to iTunes. So this list of bands covers a period of time at my job when I brought these in to listen to. What day to cover? I dont know. I planned on doing this on Wednesday, but then I did some more leap-froggin yesterday. Im going to focus on yesterday since its fresher in my head.

1. Bread and Circuits - Shameful Library: from the split with Former Members of Alfonsin. One of B&C's greatest song and one of Kirsch's best bands. Good way to start the morning.

2. The Mercury Program - The Secret to Quiet: from All the Suits Began to Fall Off. A seriously smooth instrumental track with Vibraphones galore and awesome DCish guitars that remind me of Hoover.

3. Shapes and Sizes - Head Movin': An indie band I know nothing about. But I really like this song. That is all.

4. Blonde Redhead - U.F.O.: From La Mia Vita Violenta. One of my favorite songs. Its go a sexy smokey sort of feeling with some good slacker vocals.

5. Absinthe - Head of Twine: amazing anti-christian hardcore from Brendan and Dave from Groundwork. This is some abrasive stuff, and supposedly will be re-released as part of a discography. This song has a sick ass breakdown towards the end.

6. Council of Five Nations - Ocean Girl on 5th: A 7" Ive had forever and a day that I know nothing about. Emo-ish screamy hardcore from CT. The song is from a split with In Vain who shared members with CoFN. Its a great song. Kinda Native Nod-ish. Let me know if you can find anything out about them.

7. Engine Down - Slingshot: Under the Pretense of Present Tense. Phenomenal song with awesome bass work. Its too bad they changed so much from their earlier DC twin guitar sound.

8. Guyver One - ø: from their 7". I didnt know a thing about this band when i bought this. Its was purely for the awesome artwork. Luckily the band turned out to be awesome. This song is great, when he screaming "Fucking Nothing, Fucking Nada, Fucking Zilch!"

9. Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Love Comes in Spurts: Richard Hell is awesome. I got into the Voidoids after readin Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil. You all should read that book. Its fantastic and even people that dont care for punk like it. It covers the burgeoning punk scene from VU up the British Invasion. It ends with Sid Vicious' death, which is kind of lame, but the stories from Iggy Pop and Dee Dee Ramone are worth the price alone. Plenty of other great stories about a time that will never happen again.

10. Econochrist - Withdrawal: You all know how good Econochrist is. They werent the first to do the crusty political punk thing, but damnit, they did it best.

11. Struggle - Red, White and You: Best lyric in a hardcore song. Ever. "I'm Officer Friendly now fucking lick my boots!!". Im not a big fan of Struggle other than this first 7", but the four songs on it get played often.

12. Toner Low - Evil Machinery on the Rise: It opens with a deep gutteral Ommmmmmmmm before laying into riffs so thick you are gasping for air. A long, plodder of a song, but one of the best Stoner/Doom bands going right now. From Amsterdam, no less...

13. Sufjan Stevens - For the Widows..: Damnit, this guy gets me all choked up. Its those fucking banjos. Why do banjos make me so soft?

14. Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day: Fucking...

15. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (Acoustic Version): ... Banjos. (sniff!)

16. Please Inform the Captain This is A Hijack - Angry Sleepers: Great song. EVERYONE MUST GO! I dont really love this album, not as much as the self titled, but this is easily the best song they wrote.

17. Navio Forge - Weaponizing: This sounds like it could have been a Fuel song too. Which means its rad as fuck. I clearly had a Mike Kirsch moment for a few days...

18. Bread and Circuits - The End of History: Yep. Mike Kirsch Moment. Similar yet entirely different from my Sufjan moment right above this.

19. Goatsnake - Innocent: Fuck yes! What an awesome guitar sound this band has. When mentioning Greg Andersons previous bands people never seem to mention that he was in Engine Kid. I wonder why this is.

20. Current - Dial: I still have this record (Coliseum) and my freaking cat chewed the cover to shreds. Regardless, this record was my introduction to one of my long standing favorite bands of the genre.

21. Julia - Tongue Biting: This song sounds like it could be Bluetip song. I never appreciated them as much when I was younger. But this band has more than stood the test of time. I find myself wondering what I was thinking not giving this more play back then. If I want to ratchet up the tension ten notches I put on the Untitled last track.

22. Native Nod - Back to Mimsey: One of the best emo songs ever. Eerie and explosive. I have no idea what he is talking about in the song.

23. Union of Uranus - Panacea: Listening to these guys is like being flayed. Its a wonderful experience that you should try sometime. Aurally removing the flesh from your body with UoU. mmmm.

24. Orchid - Death of Modernist: See above description. I just hope people know that UoU was doing this in the early 90's. Orchid do a good job of it, but not as good as Ampere.

25. Life At These Speeds - Retina: It took me a while to like this album. To Your Health. I pretty much love every second of it now.

26. Converge - Divinity: "God Killer, Mind Cleaner". Those are awesome lyrics. "The shallower, the more I sink".

27. Life At These Speeds - Birds and Climates: This is one reason why it took me so long to get into the new album. The urgency is so ripe here. Compared to the poppy melodies of To Your Health this feels like death metal. Obviously its nothing like that, but its a track that only seems to build in intensity as it plays.

28. Pinback - From Nothing to Nowhere: First song from the new album, with Mario Rubalcaba playing drums. He played in 411, Clikatat Ikatowi and Black Heart Procession as well as Thingy and Hot Snakes. Pinback is one of my favorite bands because Three Mile Pilot os one of my favorite bands. This song is one of the least Pinback-ish songs in their catalog.

29. Crud is a Cult - Stance/Emotion: The gang vocals at the end are choice "Love Hate Life Death!". I also like the double tracked vocals on Seans voice.

30. Overcast: Then I got to Overcast and I had to give that a few plays. Overcast played some awesome fucking metal. They had some seriously good rhythms too. Brian Fair is one of the best metal vocalists, even to this day. Though I am not a huge Shadows Fall fan, as the bird flies.

ahhhh, well, that was fun. I listened to a few more things, distractedly I might add, and then listened to Underdog and Into Another for the rest of the day and my ride home. (Thanks Sven!)

Maybe this would have been fun with more graphics... who knows, not me. Its friday and I'm off. Its 2pm. Life rules, for today at least. I'll make my crucial death metal post later on and who knows, maybe I'll stay indoors for long enough to catch up on some of my other stuff..

Cheers!

Sorry

2008-05-29T10:23:00.000-04:00

I didnt have any time to do anything last night.

I owe some people things, and I owe all of you more updates...

if only there were 48 hours in a day...

Friday Is a Good Day For Death Metal

2008-05-23T16:18:00.003-04:00

Malevolent Creation - Retribution (1992)

As it turns out this whole week has been good for Death Metal. Actually, ever since hearing the new Arsis record and then finding the Cannabis Corpse record I have pretty much not listened to anything else (Well, some Sufjan Stevens oddly enough. I was listening to Suffocation and then Sufjan comes on and I swear, that dude is a tear jerker. One minute my head is being shredded into little digestible pieces of flesh and the next minute im listening to acoustic music and its hitting me hard. anyway)

So, here I am sitting on this immense album from Malevolent Creation which, along with Heartwork, Arsis and Cannibal and Cannabis Corpse and Converge has been my steady favorites for true misanthropy throughout the week. It is a little known fact that I spend most of my week making graphics for baby clothing. Yes, that is what this badass does for a paycheck. I draw little elephants surfing, monkeys playing guitars and the occasional giraffe driving in an off road vehicle. You get the picture. Its no wonder I listen to such fucked up viscerally disturbing tunes. There is a sort of reciprocity to the whole idea of making cute graphics for the newest beings on the planet whilst synonymously listening to music about being mutilated and ripping entrails from a virgins cunt.

Malevolent Creation get the plays because along with being brutally heavy and uncompromisingly grim they have a great vocalist and sick groove to their style. Now while a band like Converge or Immolation (or lets say Meshuggah too, for arguments sake) can pummel with razor sharp guitars and frantic atonal time distorting attacks there is something to be said about a riff. Its what your head latches onto long after a song is played. And while Malevolent Creation dont push the envelope in any direction they make up for this lack of artistic egotism by bluntly hitting you over the head with riff after luscious riff of downtuned palm muted guitars. They know how to use the Slayer arpeggio guitar strumming style so well known to the genre. Its when they hit a mid paced lurch that you just cant help but smile and think that this shit was made for floor punching. While Malevolent Creation cant claim to have invented this awesome breakdown they have certainly learned to use it with bludgeoning force and damn near every hardcore band with a breakdown has also realized the immense potential in making your listeners feel like they could stand up to god and karate chop him in half.

As an interesting side note Malevolent Creation was originally from Buffalo, home of the mid paced chug, before moving to Florida to be with their blackened brethren. They also have an adept grasp of the ubiquitous double bass drum. No death metal should be without it.

Enjoy.

----------------prologue

Its Friday, I had a busy week, hence no posts. This nice long weekend we have should prove fruitful in that regard. In the meantime, I have started a Last.fm account in part to put one of those little charts in my sidebar so people could see what my habits are, but also to learn more about my own listening habits. So, if you care, add me up, whatever the deal is, and have a great fucking weekend!

Friday is a good day for...

2008-05-16T14:29:00.004-04:00

DEATH METAL!

Carcass - Heartwork (1993)

As it goes, Metal got me into Hardcore, and in a strange twist of the plot, Hardcore got me even more into Metal. If you have been following over the past few posts, Hard Rock got me into Heavy Metal, which led to me to Thrash and Speed Metal (I never mentioned my love of the song Painkiller by Judas Priest or Caught In A Mosh by Anthrax), which led me to Sick Of It All and Biohazard. The road gets hazy through this section because I got into Fugazi and DC styled stuff as well as Slint and early Post-Rockish stuff like Tortoise and Rodan around the same time I was hunting for the entirety of the Revelation Records catalog. It was maybe towards the end of 94 that my Hardcore worship was fully blossoming. I had moved into the realms of early emo, which I still cant remember calling emo, though the word was tossed around with bad connotations by jockish hardcore kids. It was in this time period of being into multiple facets of hardcore that I began to note the similarities between metal and hardcore and, as though a light from on high was shone upon my world, Converge entered my life.

Its a meandering road, this travel through tims day of hardcore reckoning. But nonetheless it was my friend Dan who purchased the Halo In a Haystack LP on Earthmover Records that began a link that to this day cannot be broken. Now I have told this story before, so I wont recount that one again, but after the sale of Halo in a Haystack I was only left with a dubbed cassette copy with the xeroxed artwork fashioned into cassette size. Of course this is one of the few tapes I still have in my possesion. I eventually added some 7"s to the other side, Barritt, Channel, and later in the future, the Execute demos (Execute was a Vermont band with Todd Henig from Seven Years War on drums and a local snowboard kid, Jon, I think, on vocals. I'll get that up one day, along with Barritt who were awesome) Where the hell am I going with this?!?!

Oh, well, I just mentioned Vermont and that is where part 2 of this story takes place. I went to college in VT in 95 where I met Jim from Albany who loved Snapcase as much as I and introduced me to the Albany scene of One King Down, Withstand and Stigmata. The next year I became friends with Brendan who not only shared our love of all things hardcore, but even more so was seriously into Death Metal. He introduced me to the Converge 7" with Saddest Day on it and needless to say I was addicted. It was full circle for me. Liking Thrash and Metal and then Hardcore and then finding this ultimate blend of the two.... it was a revelation.

Converge still rules to this day. I consider them more Death Metal than hardcore in fact, but thats all relative (they call themselves, "Aggressive Music"). What counts is that Hardcore made me like metal, and specifically very heavy, churning, fast metal, even more than I did before.

So it is with that story, however inane, that I present you with Carcass's 1993 masterpiece, Heartwork. I know most of the readers wont latch onto this, but really, its an insanely good album full of catchy riffs and blistering tempos. The opening chords are heavier than most hardcore and there are some breakdowns that make it clear where bands like Overcast, Unbroken, Starkweather and Converge got some of their inspiration. If you like those bands I just mentioned then you should really do your best to make it through the first four songs at least. Do something while you listen; read, work on the computer, paint or make out with someone. In fact, yeah. Make out with someone while listening to Heartwork. That is your homework for the weekend.

Happy Friday!

Awesome

2008-05-14T16:50:00.002-04:00

You all know I dont post many videos, but I could not pass this up. You must wait for this to load and then watch the whole thing with sound. Its unbelievable stuff!

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

The best part is this was made by the same person who did the video for the La Quiete song from their 2006 7". I believe Gabba just posted all three of the La Quiete videos on his awesome blog Hardcore For Nerds.

Here is the La Quiete video.

la quiete from blu on Vimeo.

Please check out their site and drool at the fantastic work these guys put out.

blublu.org

------------------------

In other news, I added some new blogs to the side links ---------->

If I am missing any that fit within the content presented here than don't hesitate to tell me. And don't take it wrong if I don't put it up right away. I get sidetracked.... a lot.

ALSO!!!!

Sweet Baby Jaysus made an awesome mix tape on Burning Down the Dreams of Forever that pretty much made my morning. If you are looking forward to tomorrow being a good morning than I suggest you take a little stroll over that way and grab that mix and ensure yourself a good mood.

Seaweed

2008-05-09T15:50:00.003-04:00

Seaweed - Four (1993 - Sub Poop)

Seaweed - Weak (1991 - Sub Plop)

I started snowboarding in 1991. It was a glorious thing to experience. I bascially learned how to snowboard on golf courses. This may sound weird, but the only mountain we had near us was called Big Birch and, let me be honest, there was nothing big about it and I dont really recall any Birch trees, but that part is of minor significance. The main point is that it should have been called Big Bump. I got some better snowboarding in on my front yard then I ever did at that paltry mountain. But credit is due where credit is due; along with my friends Joe and Fooch and another friend from high school, Dan Hickey, we made the trek to learn snowboarding. I believe Dan was the only one who had been before. Joe and Fooch and I were deep into skateboarding at this point so it seemed a natural progression to throw the same moves down while moving very fast on a slippery downward slope. This turned out to not be a bad thing and we all picked it up within the afternoon. Except for Dan, he already knew what was going on. That night we went to the old folks home and used the hill to try out some more carves. This also proved useful and quite more so because it was free and only a walk away from the house. Thus began out snowboarding lives.

That winter was great. In fact, we had lots of good winters in the early 90's. Not really sure what happened, but its of no consequence to me (excuse the extreme ecological incorrectness of ignoring what many call Global Warming), this is a story about snowboarding, and somehow, the band Seaweed. So fast forward a few weeks and one of us came up with the great idea of to hit the Mount Kisco golf course. This was probably Joe as he and his dad did landscaping and plowing and he was privy to lots of hidden areas of the great expanses of tiny Northern Westchester. So we head out there and sure enough there is a hill. Kids are sledding and we begin snowboarding. It was tiny, but it made for an easy hike back up and it was endless fun. Especially when we started making jumps. Now, which one of decided to venture into the golf course, i dont know, but it was surely inspired by one of the sand traps that we encountered on our first day there. They made natural jumps and were capable of giving you quite a pop into the air. So begins our 18 hole adventure of snowboarding.

In an effort to move this along, I will say that the first year of my snowboarding career took place mostly in that golf course, slogging with our boards, hitting every sand trap we could. Sometime just setting up on the high side of a sand trap and treating it like a mini bowl. After all, we were skateboarders and it was hardly a stretch to think of snowboarding as incredibly similar. So sand trap after sand trap, grinding bushes covered in snow, shooting through trees, I only wish I could do that now without getting arrested.

So, in a similar vein as my experiences with Thrasher Magazine playing tastemaker to my unbridled enthusiam for all things punk and hardcore, Transworld Snowboarding entered my life and, aside from offering pretty pictures of places I wouldnt visit until over a decade later, it offered a wonderful music section which I frequently would skip to first to see what was new.

Enter Seaweed. The biggest draw for checking out Seaweed wasnt that they were punk. That was a given. Thats most of what Transworld and Thrashers music sections consisted of. The biggest draw for me was the fact that they were from Tacoma, WA. I was born in Tacoma, Washington, exactly one day after my father died in an Air Force accident. Saving the specific dates for myself, it happened on the 11th while my mom was in the hospital and the 12 I was born into this world. Needless to say, my Bronx born mother was now alone with a new child in her care and a family that was very far away. So my tenure in Tacoma and the west coast ended shortly after it began and we moved to Yonkers where my grandparents could help my mother get back on her feet and take care of me when the need arose. This was an agreeable decision to my unformed mind and I happily remember this as my life. I am a New Yorker, born and raised just over a half our out of NYC. But I was born in Tacoma, and this is where a great rift happened that I to this day have not figured out. It was draw that could not be ignored and before I knew it I had ran to the store and purchased Four by Tacoma's very own Seaweed. Somehow I felt my dad would be proud.

It's no suprise that music and skating or snowboarding go so well together. Fluid motion, pushing yourself, pulling off sweet moves like in the BMX movie RAD or Breakin' all deserved proper soundtracks. Seaweed was the most inspiring soundtrack to go snowboarding to. It was perfect in every way. It was upbeat, melodic punk, with great vocals, great lyrics, not too much or too little of anything. In fact, I will go so far as to say Seaweed made me a better snowboarder. How, I couldnt tell you, but I'm laying claim to the truth of that statement. Of course Seaweed didnt prevent me from destroying my knee, but maybe thats a whole other matter. I dont hold it against them. Seaweed still rules these many years later. And the link with Tacoma? Still hits every time, gives me chills of nostalgias and mysteries I dont quite get. I imagine my father smiling.

Quicksand

2008-05-08T16:44:00.004-04:00

Quicksand - Slip (1993)

Quicksand - How Soon Is Now [Smiths Cover] (1993 - B side from the Dine Alone Single)

Quicksand - S/T EP [only one song, Clean Slate] (1991)

Nothing gets me hotter and hornier more than Quicksand. And frankly, you can take Manic Compression and stick it where the sun dont shine. Eh, its good, but nothing close to the power of Slip. The funny part is when I first purchased Slip, I didnt like it. It wasnt heavy enough.

I entered middle school with a healthy dose of classic rock under my belt. (Thanks mom!) and this in turn led to a middle school obsession with hard rock music, namely Motley Crue. I really didnt think anything could be better than Motley Crue. That is, until Guns and Roses came along with Appetite for Destruction. Now, my young mind couldnt grasp all the stops this band had pulled out; It's So Easy meant nothing more to me than "ease of use", like, "that math test was easy!", and I certainly only thought of Mr Brownstone as some cranky old man that lived next door and clearly couldnt put up with these young ruffians rocking out all the time. Ha! Yeah, I think around that time my friend Wayne attempted to get me into Slayer - Reign in Blood and that was just too soon for me. The satanic cover art scared me. I come from a catholic family. The fear of god was born in me and took many drugs to finally be quelled forever, but in middle school, evil was ever present. The few kids smoking pot, the even fewer girls having, gasp! sex!. These were different times, the very end of different times as it turns out. But I digress.

So Slayer was out. Megadeth and Metallica? They were in. Metallica especially. I was getting into the sound of palm muted guitars and Metallica had them in spades. It was around this time that I started listening to Seton Halls WSOU Pirate Radio. The metal shows were on late at night and me, being a youngun, had to hit the hay on the earlier side. So I would set up a tape and dub one side of a tape hoping to get something good. The next morning I would be all excited and head to the bus stop with my monolithic walkmen, which was about the size of an average lunchbox and I would be all giddy as they played bands like Overkill, Iron Maiden, King Diamond and the likes. These were great times. (Consequently I revisited Slayer around this time and found much to like and little to be scared of. I just needed to ease myself into it. I even think it was my fast growing love of Slayer that helped me digest Converge only a few short years later)

The most memorable of these occasions was when I heard a spot by a band called Biohazard; "We are Biohazard, from Brooklyn, NY and you are listening to WSOU Pirate Radio." They sounded so badass. The song was Blue Blood and in that same show they played some Sick of It All. I should mention that this is now falling around the end of 8th grade. Motley Crue, as epic and amazing as they were, had fallen by the wayside in favor of heavier music. It only took a few hardcore songs for me to develop an obsession with heavy and fast palm muted guitars mixed with attitude. I was also starting to become more serious about skateboarding. So this angsty badass sound resonated in me even more so than ever.

I owe a lot of my musical discoveries to Thrasher Magazine. Without them and WSOU I probably would have never of heard of hardcore or punk music. Or maybe just much later than I did. I didnt have an older bro or sis to get me into things, so Thrasher was my sibling. I couldnt go on line and surf the net to find out more about Sick of It All or Biohazard, and I didnt have anyone to ask, but it was clear that my life could not go on unless I had a real solid copy of this immense sound. It was almost as if it were a dream, I didnt really hear it, and I half expected it not to exist.

It must've have been the incredibly shitty Bazaar Mall in Mount Kisco, New York that produced the fruits of my searching labor. There I found a tape of Blood, Sweat and No Tears. The faux shattered glass graphic with the photos of people going apeshit and the awesome type face. I was kinda scared, but I purchased it with my friend Fooch. (I still have that tape. One of three that I can let go of) I can say with almost complete honesty that I never looked back from that day. Hardcore was what I wanted and all I could do now was find more and skate like no tomorrow. This led the march to bands like Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, Dag Nasty and The Circle Jerks. Between my friends Fooch and Joe, we amassed a nice little cluster of bands. Fooch tended towards the more brooding and brought in Type-O-Negative. Joe tended toward the punkier and introduced us to NOFX, Pennywise and Green Day and I managed the straight and narrow, searching in vain for Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits.

It wasnt until 1993 that I found the holy grail of musical existence. And that came in the form of Trash American Style. A one stop shop for everything underground. They even preferred to work on a barter system! They had 7"s from bands I never heard of, LP's and CD's, used and new, and stickers and anything a little punk grommet could want (and a lot of GG Allin stuff as well, which always irked me). The first thing I bought was Youth Of Today's Break Down the Walls. I went back maybe a week later and bought Start Today and thus ensued a weekly habit of purchasing records from every band that sounded cool, had a cool record cover, or was on a label that I knew was good. I ordered catalogs from every label that I could and ordered as much as my meager bookstore job would allow.

But back to the matter at hand. We're still in 1993, and obviously I had heard that Walter Schreifels had a new band. Not so new in 1993, but still new to me and most of the world. I bought the tape with Fooch again, and I remember giving it a listen for the first time in Irvington NY. We were being hooligans and doing really bad graffiti and I just wasnt into it. I felt like I had wasted my money. Where was the punch? Where was the heavy? In any case, I found the song Freezing Process to be pretty intriguing and I slowly started getting really into it. I think Unfulfilled was the next song to catch my ear and my friend Joe was all excited about Too Official and Transparent. Thus began our love affair with Quicksand.

We went to see them play with Rage Against the Machine in NYC in the fall of 93. I had hurt my knee earlier that year and pounding around that night I did what has now become the bane of my existence and popped my knee cap out. My enthusiasm outweighed my pain and I managed a hobbling bounce for the rest of the show. State of the Nation played that show as well, and of course I purchased that too. (wonder what ever happened to that album?) It wasnt until early the next year that I got to see Quicksand again, this time headlining, with Orange 9mm and Foundation opening for them (the old band Foundation, not the new one) Well that was a hell of a show! My knee didn't pop and I got all frenzied while Chaka and the guys from Foundation got all frenzied too. I really felt like a part of some amorphous powerful being of angst and change. It was immense and I still cant stifle the smile that comes to my face when I think of how that opened up the world of hardcore to me. Not just in the sense of songs and listening, but the fact that other people were into this, other bands were like this and the shows were cheap, you just had to pay attention and find them and maybe travel a little bit. Man, Quicksand set off some of the best days of my life. Skatebording, seeing shows, buying records. That was the life.

Enjoy these. I have never heard another band like it my life. And even if I did, it doesnt have that history attached to it. I want to be 75 years old and still smile about it, listening to Freezing Process or Unfulfilled and getting my creaky bones moving again.

Sparkmarker - Products and Accessories

2008-05-08T15:08:00.002-04:00

Sparkmarker were a great band from Vancouver who managed a very precise blend of NYC post hardcore crossed with DC post hardcore. They existed for the better part of the decade from 1990 - 1997 when they packed it in and moved on to other things. One thing that always struck me about Sparkmarker was the singers voice. It was and still is very unique in the realm of hardcore and punk. He sings, but he kind of yelps at the same time. I dont mean that as any negative aspect, yelping, in this case, works really well. The songs are rhythmic and more to the point than a band like Quicksand and heavier and more visceral than a band like Soulside who they kind of remind me of at times.

I first heard of Sparkmarker from the Land of Greed, World of Need comp from Trustkill Records. It was a compilation of bands covering the Embrace album song for song. And while lots of people froth over the mention of Embrace I never really liked them all that much, preferring instead to listen to these cover version, many of which are better than the originals. Current, Sparkmarker and Avail by far had the three best covers, followed closely by Beltaine, Groundwork and Lifetime and even Rancid had a great track. (In fact, if you use the useful little search field up on the top left, you can type in Land of Greed and the file is still linked up. I think it was the second post I did. Its worth having.)

Nonetheless, hearing the Sparkmarker track and being obsessed with Quicksand made me want to hear more and thus this band entered my life. Lots of bands get described as sounding like Quicksand, but with the exception of this band and maybe Shift in their earlier years, no other band really sounded like them. Except for maybe Never Only Once from Vermont, but how many of you have heard that? Its a good EP. I should upload that too.

Dive

2008-05-08T14:40:00.002-04:00

Dive were an awesome hardcore band occupying space and time around the Boston area in the early to mid 90's.

I know very little of this band. Supposedly members went on to perform in bands Get High, Overcast and the Dropkick Murphys. The only band I know out of those three is Overcast, and they were some seriously awesome early metal core. Dive is way more old school hardcore oriented. I wouldnt go so far as to label them an old school band by any means as they also share alot in common with some ebullitions early stuff, like the Downcast and Struggle 7"s, but they have a fast hardcore sound that is undeniably awesome and somewhat influenced by bands like Boston counterparts DYS and Slapshot. So you kinda take that mentality and then throw in a breakdown like the one in Hate Comes Easy from the Downcast 7" and maybe add in some melody that might take you over to an area like Burn once occupied around the same time, and come to think of it, I think of Burn often while listening to Dive. Especially the Force Five 7" from Moo Cow records. Like maybe Burn if they came from Boston.

Yeah, whatever, you should listen to it. It rules. This is the Moo Cow Records 7", the Figure Four Records 7" which shows a lot more of a melodic tendency and a song from the Over The Edge Compilation which came out on Endless Fight Records, which is the only song I had heard from them until more recent years. For some reason I found myself listening to Force Five in particular a lot lately and thought others might appreciate hearing them again. You can still buy that 7" from Moo Cow Distro for $3.50, so dont go getting any crazy ideas to spend tons of money on one.

On a side note, I am pretty tired of hardcore in general. Of course I still like the music, but the whole hardcore thing is really fucking lame. The way people treat each other, the way people play know it all, the elitism of young people who feel that this is their punk rock. Its just stupid. I like the little community we have here, and its been awesome talking with you guys and meeting some of you. Frankly, the biggest issue is I am running out of records to post. I have this awesome Barritt 7" I want to rip somehow, and a few more posts, but this page may be nearing the end.

We all knew it couldnt last forever.

more news to come...

La Famiglia

2008-05-07T10:45:00.002-04:00

This is a pic my friend Joe took of us last night. About a block away from our new place. Lara is holding Mugsie. Shes one year old. I am holding Mo and he is two years old on the 15th of this month.

This is the fam. Dont mess with us. We'll fuck you up. ^_~

I have some posts coming up tonite. are you psyched? cuz I am...

Request - Dive - Help

2008-05-02T16:29:00.004-04:00

Hey all!

I just moved from one part of Brooklyn to another. This is an incredible thing as I now not only live near the Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and Prospect Park, but I also now have a back yard with our very own tree, whom we named Harold. My girlfriend Lara and I enjoy naming our plants as if they were pets. I understand this may seem odd, but if you saw the character these plants have then you would understand. We have a Split Leaf Philodendron who is very hearty and gigantic. His/her name is Phyl. We have one of those trees that look like palms which we named Matthew Gerald and we have a banana plant which we named Super D. We also have two giant palm things that refused to accept any names and thus go by the joined and extremely un-clever name of Palms. So now we have Harold and hes a beaut!

What I intend to say is life has been busy but the pay off is immense. So with that said, on to the topic of the day.

I have two things, or three that I am planning. One of these concerns the awesome band Dive from Boston circa the early 90's.
I want to make a somewhat comprehensive post of their stuff. The only problem is the rip of the Moo Cow Records Force Five 7" has an incredibly bad hiccup in the middle of the second song.

Here is the cover of the 7" I am looking for...

I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can give me a proper rip of that song, titled "With Forgetting and Reforgetting" or a rip of the whole 7" as it will be consistent. I have the Figure Four records 7", the Moo cow 7" and one song from the awesome Endless Fight Records comp (which you can still download here).

I would also love if anyone would like to share some info or stories of this band as I only know they are awesome and from Boston. I only had the Endless Fight song from back in the day, so my knowledge of this band is lacking at best.

My friend Sean and I are going to see Brainworms and ...Who Calls So Loud (ex Funeral Diner) tomorrow afternoon at ABC No Rio. Should be awesome. Sean also wants me to post some swedish hardcore. So I was thinking of making a post of Abhinanda, Shield, Spawn and Refused. Sparkmarker and Avail to follow.

Hope everyone is well!

Thanks for all the comments. You guys are the best readers on the net!

Seven Years War - Ranks Of The Common People (1995?)

2008-04-19T19:25:00.002-04:00

While in college at a little school in Burlington, VT I was introduced to one of the smallest and coolest hardcore scenes known to the genre. Moo Cow records was the flagship label and, looking back, it seems they were actually quite influential in their own right. They released records from Grey Before My Eyes, Dive, Disembodied and they also released Burlingtons own take on Ebullition records, Seven Years War. The extremely political Seven Years War released only a smattering of things, this full length being one of them. Previously they released the John Brown 7" with the amazing song Convenience of Ignorance (which was later covered by the punk band Heckle which was formed by an early member of Seven Years War.)

Seven Years War sounded like Groundwork covering Chokehold. (Or maybe Chokehold covering Groundwork.) So what that means to you is jagged and/or chaotic sections of furious ultra political hardcore backed with maniacally heavy breakdowns of a similar ultra political nature. Simply put, the descriptions dont do too much justice, because the War had their own sound of sorts. While on one hand they tended toward basic metal, on the other was a math-rock powerhouse blanketed within the harsh folds of hardcore ideology. It was always fun to see them play because the music intrinsically had power that made you want to move, but it was hard to actually get a groove going, and then they drop would a ton of bricks on your head and the whole dance floor would erupt, like, "Finally!!! I can windmill to this!!!" Lol!

But it was a sight to see. When they pulled out the whistle and screamer Jonathon Hughes was blowing that thing like his head was going to explode, man. I wish I could convey some experiences to video. Just hook a cable up to the ole noggin and download memories. And they were skinny, well read college kids from UVM just hamming it up all serious. I unfortunately dont have the lyrics anymore as I relinquished my hold on many of my CD cases as they were super cumbersome after years of moving, but needless to say there is nothing funny about any of the lyrics and they, like so many other, thought they could change the world. Themes of anti-imperialism and natives rights run rampant and riffs galore will make you a firm believer that you too can change the world with a whistle and a guitar.

My bet to you, wonderful readers, best readers on the net, is if you like the description above, if you like Groundwork, Chokehold, or early Ebullition records releases, then you will eat this shit up and smile while you chew. Chances are Hibakusha will make you want to mosh in your living room, Caged will make you jump up and down, Native Crown will make you want to go say sorry to Native Americans and Nrubaidem will make you froth at the mouth.

PS. Moo Cow Records still exists and they have releases coming out this year. Go pay them a visit.

Rodan

2008-04-12T20:49:00.004-04:00

Rodan - Peel Session - 1994

Rodan - How the Winter Was Passed 7" - 1994

Rodan - Rusty - 1994

It should be no surprise to any of the readers that Rodan is one my most favorite bands. Simply put, they are the only band that sounds like this, and while Shipping News comes close, there is no comparison to the jarring tempos and immense beauty of a song like The Everyday World of Bodies.

The main purpose of this post is to share the John Peel Session from 1994. One of our readers (Michael? I apologize for not giving proper credit) shared this with me and I have to say, I am blown away. Everything great about Rusty is present here in the form of three rare tracks (to me at least). I personally had never heard anything more of Rodans work until earlier this year. Rusty has been sitting in my collection for damn near 15 years and holding a spot on a pedestal as one of my most coveted records. Hearing this 3 song Peel Session brings my love of all things Rodan to new heights. That these songs are played live is no small testament to the fact that these guys, and one girl, were born incredible. Their timing, their tact and their ability to engross within the first few seconds of listening is a rare feat in music today; especially to these jaded ears. I hold my breath until the day another band comes around that works within this mold as theyre are very few who remain completely true to the sounds. In fact, I think I may just have to take the steps and start debuting music I make to even attempt this ideal of sonic juxtaposition.

For those who may have missed them before, Rusty and How the Winter Was Passed are incredible vital to any collection. But make sure you hear this Peel Session.
Artwork is finagled by me, remade from a silly 70's era Rodan movie poster. As always, view image in a new window for larger size artwork for iPods and iTunes.

Enjoy!

Algernon Cadwallader - Demo (2006)

2008-04-12T19:12:00.003-04:00

I was never a huge Promise Ring fan and I missed Cap'n Jazz somehow. American Football had some good ideas that I felt werent as interesting in succession. In fact, that whole emo split that happened in the mid 90's left a huge rift in styles, with some bands remaining fast and chaotic, sprinkling pretty moments amidst tense dynamics. Some bands tended toward a twinklier, prettier, more twee sound. Lyrics tended towards the high school romance spectrum of emotion, and while this all has its merit, I still wonder sometimes how such a great stylistic difference occurred.

Nonetheless, I am not one to scoff at something that catches my attention, no matter how far out of the normal listening range it is for me. And while my first experience with Algernon Cadwallader was met with stiff opinions regarding how cheesy and unoriginal it was, somehow, through some convergence of nicer weather, a reflective mood and the need for some melodies to match, I found myself inextricably drawn to the ramshackle charm of this band that I didnt want to like.

Algernon Cadwallader, the band with the strangest name on the planet, has completely won me over like none of its predecessor has. Was it timing? Pure chance? Or some strange serendipity that led me to play this every day for the past few weeks. It reeks of cheese (Gouda maybe) and I feel so unashamed to listen to lyrics about liking girls and the most mundane of worldly details.

They have a full length album coming out this year, as well as a 7" re release of this demo (with an official cover, mine is swiped from their myspace page) and I think I may even have to go see them live. Hopefully sometime this spring so I can smile like an idiot and feel 16 all over again.

Spacehorse - Ghosts of the Civil Living (2006)

2008-04-12T19:03:00.002-04:00

It's not long ago that I got my first taste of Spacehorses first LP (or is it an EP? its only about 12 minutes long) and man was I blown away. At this point I would assume most people visiting here are familiar with and into Heroin. Heroin and Spacehorse are born of the same blood. Matt Anderson and Scott Bartiloni have been playing together for well over a decade and the sound they helped create in 1991 has come full circle at this point in time. Spacehorse sounds like revitalized and rejuvenated Heroin that grew up and learned to play their instruments.

Its no known secret that Heroin sounded like they were falling head over heels down the stairs while they played their furious and cathartic brand of punk rock. There in lies part of their charm. Young kids saying fuck you to music and fuck you to everything else, including their poor instruments which sound like they recorded them through a blender. Well theyre still not happy with the way things are run, they just have a larger arsenal now with which to bring these issues to forefront. Anyone looking to catch a bit of that sound will absolutely eat this up. Spacehorse delivers and make no doubts about it, age has done nothing to slow these guys down.

Shipping News - Live in San Fran (2001)

2008-04-12T18:46:00.002-04:00

As I may have previously mentioned, and will probably mention many times in the future, the 90's Louisville music scene is one of my most favorite in the world. The fact that this particular sound lives on very few places makes the existence of Shipping News a wonderful thing. For those who may not be familiar Shipping News was began a few years after the demise of the great Rodan. Jason Noble, at the time (and possibly currently?) was playing in the avant chamber orchestra post rock band Rachel's, led by pianist Rachel Grimes. Jeff Mueller was playing in the similarly incredible and very Slint-worthy band June of 44. Kevin Coultas and Tara Jane O'Neil have not joined their one time band mates and drums have instead been filled by Louisville native, Kyle Crabtree, also of the band Metroschifter. The trio expands upon the sound of their experiments begun in Rodan, fusing tight angular rhythms with sometimes breezy and sometimes jarring guitar and bass signatures.

On to the goods. As a general rule of thumb most live shows arent worth more than a passing listen. Sound qualities are often mediocre and a lot of times bands will just play the source material to the best of their present abilities. Of course you come across the occasional show that is powered with so much crowd positivity, or maybe the band was just in a fantastic mood, but you can garner a few good tracks, possibly even better than the originals. The clincher are the bands that expand on their sounds ina live setting. Shipping News is a perfect candidate for a good live show recording. And this is what we have here.

Recorded in 2001 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, Shipping News deliver in ways I am often surprised at. As a fan of the News I feel it safe to say that this recording is the best way to experience them. Not only is the set list wonderful, but each and every song is given incredible breathing room. Songs like Quiet Victories and Steerage are far better than their originals. March Song, while not having the Steve Albini treatment, has a much more powerful lurch, and Actual Blood sounds like it quelled even the smallest whispers in the audience, with its tense shimmer and brooding vocals. An unreleased track, Claws, sounds amazing, and Books on Train closes out the set wonderfully.

Did I mention this is a soundboard recording? It really sounds great. Its perfect for headphones or home stereos. I'll have to say, it is my preferred way of experiencing these songs. Every musician is completely on this night, and they sound proud of their songs.

Friday is a Good Day for Deth Metal

2008-04-11T14:48:00.002-04:00

I've been listening to the new Arsis all day. Its ridiculously silly and awesome.
Check out the cover art work. Super LULZ!

This album reminds me of later Death works like Individual Thought Patterns or their last one The Sounds of Perseverance.
Seriously shred worthy stuff.

For anyone who cares...

2008-04-11T11:17:00.002-04:00

You can find me Here, and Here.

Make sure you say "Hi" and mention Zen, otherwise you could just be another random creep looking to get me on your web cam site and I will ignore it. I don't regularly check either, but they have been useful in the past...

Hope all is well.

Check back this weekend. I absolutely PROMISE to make some posts. ^_~

Quick Quick

2008-04-07T10:58:00.003-04:00

Time is flying by with no fanfare. this will be the most poorly spelld post... evar.... i am typing liek the wind... this is how life has felt... tyoed to fast with too many spelling mistakes and no sense of grammar... life does that sometimes. its doing it to me now... though make no mistake, i am not complaining... i o nly pine away for the time to post up more stuff on the ole bloggggg...

maybe i can even spell check this after the facct. but the time being, i am at work. i wanted to say hello to everyone... the blog still seems to be getting hits, and i want to apologize to everyoe that has been checking back to see whats new... well, theres nothing new here, but there is a ton of new stuff in real life.

my girlfriend Lara and I (and our dogs, Mo and Mugs) are moving, to the other side of our beloved Brooklyn. we decided that loft living in the ghetto, while it has its perks (dramatic fights, drive-by shootings, and easy access to cheap crack dealers) is not for us. Rooms are where its at, Prospect Park is where its at, restaurants where youre not afraid to order food from is where its at... having a backyard? that pretty gives a whole new lease on life. a back yard in the city. and we will live a block and a half away from the Brooklyn Museum. not bad.

so needless to say, things been mad busy. add to that work deadlines and some interesting (to say the least) credit/ identity theft issues and you can say things have been pretty dramatic over here...

nonetheless!!! now that we have the place and a time to move and a summer ahead of us, i will hopefully have time to pursue the other things in life that seem ever so important but are always the first to suffer: Playing my guitar, making art work, starting the t-shirts i have been planning for over a year, and posting on Zen.

what else is new? what have ai been listening to? what will i post next?

i have been fondly fallin in love, all over again, with the Shipping News. i have an amazing live set i am going to post up. one of the readers dropped the Rodan Peel Sessions on me and aside from it sounding awesome it has three new songs that i personally have never heard. with this was a request for Rusty, so i will do one final Rusty post ( i lie, i will keep posting it over and over for anyone who wants it, its one of my most favorite albums). so one final rusty post, i'll add the peels sessions and the How the Winter Was Passed 7".

i also have been meaning to psot the second Spacehorse album, which you all need to hear. and the Algernon Cadwallader demo, which i didnt like at first but am convinced it is one of the best things to listen to in the spring. they have a new album coming out and it sounds great.

I attempted to make Tortoise live show post, as I have two very worthy live shows that get lots of play over here.

And everyone should have the new Sinaloa already. Oceans of Islands, came out on Level Plane this month. It is one of th ebest records of the whole year by one of the best bands in recent times...

New Nick Cave is great, Gregor Samsa is great, 5ive is great, so much greatness this year already. I am sure i am missing a few.

and a new record by the guy who has gotten me listening to amazing electronic music again, Obfusc. He has been mixing his new album, as of yet untitled, but needless to say, if you are a fan of Boards of Canada, the Boltfish roster or any of the wretchedly labeled IDM music scene, especially those whose focus is melody then the new Obfusc is going to be an incredible thing for the warm weather....

ya heard!

hope everyone is well... i am well. i will resume posting soon. promise.. ^_^

Pusher

2008-03-20T14:28:00.002-04:00

This is one of the most ridiculously good 12 minute stretches of hardcore I have heard in years. Its fast as all get out, its harsh and volatile, the time changes will snap the necks of lesser creatures and the vocals, man, the vocals rule. Imagine Converge doing punk with their chaotic technical style. That still doesn't prepare you. Pusher was a short lived project of members of the Louisville scene that combined members of Coliseum, Lords and Breather Resist / National Acrobat to make one of the best hardcore releases ever. The 12 songs last just over that length in time. They all bleed together into a fury of a mess and I guaran-damn-tee that you will be hitting the repeat on this one a number of times. Boss got ya down? Pusher. Cat got your tongue? Pusher. Dog peed in your shoes? Pusher.

Got it?

Good.

Spacehorse - s/t (2005)

2008-03-04T17:42:00.005-05:00

Spacehorse is the charred remains of mid-90's San Diego punk. Matt Anderson and Scott Bartiloni, both of Heroin fame, have had quite a run of things since those times. Their framework for hyper-spastic, ultra-kinetic hardcore punk has become a blueprint for countless bands since. Add to that ideal the band members other works, Clikatat Ikatowi and Antioch Arrow and youre pretty much talking about some of the sexiest hardcore to grace the planet. Spacehorse surprisingly doesnt lose an ounce of energy. Of course, the whole album is only 14 minutes long, but Anderson and Bartiloni are godfathers of this style and here they give it a swift kick in the ass and one-up even their best works with Heroin. And Heroin is the basis for all of this. When Heroin played it was almost as if the band members harnessed an energy they could barely hold on to. Now, having grown into the roles and explored then thoroughly, the members seem more than equipped to take the reigns and ride this horse right off the rail, but this time in style.

I thought this post would fit well with the recent Johnny Angel post on Kiss My Soundsystem as they both have roots in San Diego hardcore and punk, but they both also sound like they are shooting for that same style of early 90's hardcore that so many bands have imitated over the years. Where as Johnny Angel sounds like the Swing Kids, Spacehorse sounds rightly enough like Heroin.

Please check out both of these releases, Spacehorse and Johnny Angel and remember why you liked hardcore in the first place. I mean, these guys obviously remember why.

Withstand - Light of a New Day... (1996)

2008-02-29T12:32:00.002-05:00

I wanna see this whole place movin'. Lets tear this place down! Allright? Go!

"BELIEVE!"

Happy Friday. Try not to hurt people when listening to this. Withstand is Albany's answer to Life of Agony, Leeway & Merauder. In fact, screw everybody else. Its the pain that lets us know we're alive. I dare you not to move.

Guyver One - 7"

2008-02-28T15:13:00.002-05:00

This is exactly the cheesy kind of shit I write sometimes... I hope you all at least get a laugh out of it once in a while...

"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."

I mean, really... 5th grade writing level. haha!! Okay. I have yet to see the artwork for this 7" anywhere and it has always been one of my favorites. So I finally scanned it myself (on my new work scanner!) and am sharing it all with you. Click and view art for 700px artwork (700pixels?!?!? Yes. I know. Outta control). Ive included a link to the album, which may or may not have the hip-hop snippets in between the songs. If it does not (because there is a copy floating out there sans hip-hop samples) then let me know, and I will up my copy which does contain said samples by the Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash.

And while youre at it, please stop by Hardcore For Nerds and check out his blurb on the band and a link to their full length, which is worth hearing, but just okay when compared to the 7".

Now for some art, which regrettably is missing the awesome acetate insert with red printing. I had it hanging on various walls since 1995 and have long since lost it. It was another Guyver One pic (the comic) and was bookmark sized.

Front Cover

Back Cover

Inside Cover 1

Inside Cover 2

Insert Side 1

Insert Side 2 w/ Lyrics

7" Sleeve and Record

Guyver One 7" (1995 - Inchworm Records)