FLYING BUTTRESSES, 11/21

Playing catch up with my writing…grab this stuff when you see it.

*”Busted at the Lit Club: Shielded By Death” comp (Incognito) – I guess this is the first installment in the Shielded By Death series, and it’s pretty decent. No surprise that my favorite stuff on here is from Chronic Disorder and White Pigs, as they’re the two bands I’m most familiar with. I don’t know how many of these are ‘standout’ tracks, but I was kinda digging the overall vibe of this comp. Just some local bands that didn’t seem like they took themselves too seriously. Nice document to the 70s-80s CT scene. The 2nd volume is pretty good too. There’s a 3rd as well, but I haven’t hipped myself to that yet. http://mythkoz-areyouexperienced.blogspot.com/2011/09/va-shielded-by-death-1-busted-at-lit.html

*Throbbin’ Urges “self titled” (Deadbeat) – Wow, unexpectedly stellar LP. Throbbin’ Urges do a blown out garage punk thing that crushes everything in sight. The recording suits this stuff so well- lots of treble, feedback drenching everything, vocals that sound like a megaphone, all that. It reminds me of bands like Dean Dirg that are way more punk than garage, but still have that swagger…you know? I always thought this label sucked, but this got my attention. http://www.myspace.com/throbbinurges

*the Partisans “Police Story” (Get Back) – Sometimes I’m a cheapskate and just want a cheap comp of all a band’s good stuff. This Partisans record fills that need very nicely. I’ve always liked this band but never really sought out anything- and this collects pretty much all of their 1st LP and first couple 7″s, so I’m good. Classic sounding UK82 style punk. There are some straight killers here, so check it: http://ferryconnor.blogspot.com/2009/01/partisans-police-story.html

*Stillborn “Answers Left Unquestioned” (Punk Records) – Fuck! This rules so hard. It’s really fast straight forward 80s NYHC, but without any breakdowns or mosh riffs or metal. This is a collection of some demos from back in the day- this is the kind of stuff that I love running into, what keeps me interested in punk even though I’m old and boring now. Man, if this had seen a proper release in 1987, this could have been up there with Straight Ahead or Victim in Pain. Totally worth your time. http://www.myspace.com/stillbornnych

*Contrast Attitude “Apocalyptic Raw Assault” (Whisper In Darkness) – This is good, but it hasn’t blown me away yet. I’ve liked these guys on comps and splits, but this record feels kinda too messy and “in the red” for its own good. It’s still insane-o Japanese d-beat crust but the recording washes the songs out quite a lot. And I know it’s got the word “raw” in the title, but sometimes I want to hear riffs. Still worth a listen. http://demiphoenix.blogspot.com/2011/08/contrast-attitude-apocalyptic-raw.html

*Ratos de Porao “Descanse Em Paz” (Tralla) – Reissue of their 2nd LP. Somewhat more crossover thrash than the preceding LP, and maybe not as strong…but this is still a great listen. Lots of fast songs, but they do these mid-tempo intros/songs that really fit well in the context of an album and keeps it nice and varied. http://rat-shit-sandwich.blogspot.com/2008/12/ratos-de-porao-descanse-em-paz-86.html

*Ned’s Atomic Dustbin “The Ingredients EP” (Chapter 22) – Loving this record right now. Four awesome indie shoegaze pop whatever songs that breeze by too quickly, but fortunately all of ‘em stick in my head. “Grey Cell Green” is so good it annoys me that I don’t even know how to write a song that catchy. And “Aim” and “Plug Me In” could easily be Boyracer songs or something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFxVMfBfQDY, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jzK1kMfpqc, http://www.5318008.co.uk/music/NedsPlugMeIn.mp3, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD_jkxs8HuU

*Volahn “Live Ritual” (Final Agony) – Welp, damn this is a tough one to describe. Volahn is awesome raw black metal, total primitive jams. But on the other hand this is just a boombox recording of a live show, so it sounds like absolute garbage. I’m not super-familiar with their normal output, so it was tough for me to make out anything in the music. Still I find myself drawn to this- it’s like cavemen discovering corpse paint or something. http://funeralstench.blogspot.com/2010/12/volahn-live-ritual.html

*Rites of Thy Degringolade “An Ode to Sin” (Nuclear War Now) – Harsh black/thrash metal with a killer recording. It’s pretty ‘technical’, lots of changes and stuff, but the overall feeling is still most of the focus to the songs. Another solid notch in the NWN belt. http://antichristus-antireligious.blogspot.com/2011/06/rites-of-thy-degringolade-ode-to-sin.html

*Monarch “Dead Men Tell No Tales” (Crucial Blast) – Double CD collection of a couple previous releases, it seems. This shit is slooooooooow and doomy. Like, REAL slow. Take Noothgrush and slow it down. So heavy and crushing that it feels oppressive. I dare you to sit through both discs in one sitting without feeling kinda nauseous. With that said, I loved this band. http://musicfornothingnothing.blogspot.com/2010/02/monarch-dead-men-tell-no-tales.html

*Malkuth “Sefirah Gevurah” (Hospital) – Some dingy sounding black metal. Pretty par for the course if not a bit on the slower end of the spectrum. Nice record with a real amateurish recording, which works very well in its favor. All about atmosphere. http://blackmetalownsyou.blogspot.com/2009/06/malkuth-sefirah-gevurah.html

*Pharoah Sanders “Live at the East” (Impulse) – Stupid good jazz that is every bit out of control as it is smooth. Like, this is something I might recommend to someone just getting into jazz (read: me) as kind of a high point in mixing the styles. Very moving record for me to throw on- just awe striking jamming and it has this spiritual streak that really sets a mood. Recommended so highly! http://ajbenjamin2beta.blogspot.com/2008/11/pharoah-sanders-live-at-east.html

*”Killed By Death d’Italia” comp (Bootleg) – Italian punk/hardcore has become one of my very favorite areas of the OG 80′s circuit. This comp does a nice job of plucking some of the more obscure blog-worthy tracks from singles that I’m far too frugal to spend their asking price on. So what you get with this is the standard KBD style stuff- not too gruff, just catchy ass punk songs. I’m a huge fan of the Tampax/Hitler SS EP and that’s represented here, but for the most part everything is worth hearing. http://downunderground.blogspot.com/2010/06/va-killed-by-death-ditalia-lp-77-83.html

*Dead Mechanical “Medium Noise” (Toxic Pop) – Finally got around to check this band out and I’m pumped that I did! Really, really good pop punk that leans more towards the J Church style with maybe some old ’77 punk and post-punk influences every once in awhile. Some clean guitars here and there, a few more “angular” parts, stuff like that. Love it. I think I recognize their guitar player/singer from the old band Charlie Brown Gets a Valentine!  http://backtopunkcity.blogspot.com/2009/05/dead-mechanical-medium-noise.html

*Headlights “Kill Them With Kindness” (Polyvinyl) – I’m a fan of Polyvinyl’s stuff, so when they were doing this $1 CD blowout sale, I went and stocked up on basically anything I hadn’t heard before. Headlights is a female-fronted type indie band, along the lines of Stars crossed with a more drawn-out guitar-based Mates of State or something. There are a few songs that are obviously way better than the rest, but sometimes it starts to drag. The best songs are the peppy tunes with piles of keyboard. http://www.mediafire.com/?yx4553njytd

*the Hives “Barely Legal” (Gearhead) – Before they were all over the radio, the Hives put out some solid garage rockers. I’m feeling the vibes on this one a lot- it’s pretty polished but still has a charge to it. Never would have taken the chance on this a few years ago, but this is totally worthwhile if you see it for $5 or whatever. http://www.mediafire.com/?1izz4z70wm9

*Fourwaycross “self titled” (Nate Starkman & Son) – I know virtually nothing about this band or this record, but it’s pretty above par gothy post-punk stuff. It’s like half gloomy, but with enough hooks to give it some sunshine. Not all batcave sounding like I usually prefer, but this has some good stuff going on. Cool band. http://www.divshare.com/download/12222217-199

*Killing the Dream “Lucky Me” (Deathwish) – Great modern hardcore band, but I always feel like their records are too short. They play a mix of driving faster stuff with melodic sing-songy breakdown parts, occasionally dipping into some “epic” wanking. Pretty much every song works that way, but for me, they mix things up enough to keep it just a little different than your typical bro-mosh stuff. Can’t pinpoint what I like so much about this band, but I always do. http://www.mediafire.com/?xc8l9ofy6s7l9wj

*GG Allin w/ the Antiseen “Murder Junkies” (TKO) – Not the biggest GG Allin fan, but I do love the Antiseen, so what the heck. It’s the same scuzzy punk rock the Antiseen always do with the always over-the-top lyrics oozing through. If I was to chose one GG album to go with it, it’d be this one- it’s a lot easier to digest than most of his other nonsense. Hell, a few songs on this are classic even. http://www.mediafire.com/?wawtm5zdndn

*Mercury Program “From the Vapor of Gasoline” (Tiger Style) – Man, I always forget how awesome this band is. I could listen to this stuff every day- so relaxing and chill. Take a band like Tortoise and strip out the weird jazz influence and add in some tension…and vocals of course. Such a great record. http://www.mediafire.com/?2jxddfzyhq2

*Prurient “The History of AIDS” (Hospital) – Punishing drone/noise/power electronics/whatever stuff. I think this is my favorite Prurient material- it”s varied quite a bit, so it never falls into the wall of noise trap. I was listening to this record when the air conditioning repair guy rang my doorbell, and he looked bummed when I let him in. http://www.mediafire.com/?nbni0acsy679cci

*Press Gang “self titled” (P. Trash) – Pretty good 80′s style punk/hardcore. My first thought is that it sounds like Fucked Up with a bit of a KBD influence. It also has a little bit of a UK street punk streak, but it’s kinda buried in the mix. I like this one, not what I thought it would be at all. http://www.myspace.com/pressgangpunks

*Drunkdriver “self titled” (self released) – All controversy aside, this band KILLED it. Sucks they broke up. Dirgy, grimy noise rock gone hardcore stuff that is played maniacally. I don’t know too many other bands who can have such a pounding, relentless sound but still maintain a good sense of dynamics and timing. Bad ass music. http://www.mediafire.com/?dbdq4rdouwu1lwo
*Instigators “Phoenix” (Bluurg) – Very cool mid-80s UK punk. This is, I think, their 2nd LP? It’s dark stuff that’s actually really well played and well thought-out. There’s a lot to take in in most of these tunes- everything from peace punk style intros to rocked out solos. Very worthy of your time and attention, love it. http://www.mediafire.com/?yvoixnn4efh

*the Coathangers “self titled” (Rob’s House/Die Slaughterhaus) – This is fantastic! It’s like taking a garagey Vivian Girls and writing a bunch of fucked up scrappy punk songs for them. I could see people who like the Raincoats and Slits, or riot grrrl fans, even getting down with this. And just found out that they’re on Suicide Squeeze now, weird! http://www.mediafire.com/?ntze0ynhyt5

Good Lord Have You Seen Avatar??, 10/14

Yeah, my lovely girlfriend and I just watched Avatar last night for the first time, a couple years late. It was OK I guess, but I feel like I missed something by not being completely overwhelmed by the IMAX 3D stuff…I mean, it was still stunning as far as visuals go, but there’s only so much a 28″ TV with a WalMart surround sound system can give you. But no sweat, let’s rock:

*Cat Party “self titled” (Flat Black) – Wow, this is unexpectedly awesome. Based on the label, I figured it’d be more ho-hum SoCal punk stuff, but damn- this way more gloomy sounding that the bright yellow cover would imply. Think the Wipers with a little bit of a goth thing going, maybe like the punker era of Christian Death. The length is just right, too. Great LP! http://twoheartsarebetterthanone.blogspot.com/2011/04/cat-party-st-lp.html

*Acts of Sedition/Bafabegiya split  (Spacement) – Really nice record. Acts of Sedition always has pretty good output, sounding a little like an updated take on Econochrist to me. Better half of this for sure. The Bafabegiya side is more straightforward hardcore with a bit of a hectic edge to it, kinda mid-tempo, but still really cool. http://www.actsofsedition.com/media.htm and http://www.mediafire.com/?5c9ctujgmx7cr66

*”Innate Rebellion” comp (Catchphraze) – Essentially a four way split between Resist and Exist, Contravene, Resistant Culture and Fallas Del Sistema. I enjoy this very much, but can fully appreciate that the majority of people out there would have no time for it. Resist and Exist have my favorite tracks, as good as any of their other records- fast anarcho punk stuff with a ton of anger. Contravene does a peace punk type thing, always like their stuff, but these 2 songs don’t totally floor me like usual. Resistant Culture has a more crusty Extreme Noise Terror type sound with a Native American message, neat stuff.. And Fallas Del Sistema has a bit more of melodic anarcho thing, real nice hardcore. http://fovoskaiparanoia.blogspot.com/2010/05/va-innate-rebellion-2005.html

*Dirt “Black and White” (Skuld) – I’ve had a bootleg CDR thing of pretty much every Dirt record, so this purchase was just to have a legit copy of the tunes. They’re one of my favorite anarcho punk bands from the 80′s…killer anthemic punk jams, and I love the trade off boy-girl vocals. They really work for them. Anyway, this is a discography (or close to it)…and it’s a lot to sit through, but all of it rules. http://seeeingred.blogspot.com/2007/08/dirt-black-and-white.html

*Ned’s Atomic Dustbin “Until You Find Out” 12″ (Chapter 22) – Phenomenal early single from these britpop indie rockers. I could listen to this stuff all day, and totally wish this was more than three tracks. They have a shoegazey feel but don’t mess around with all the effects and feedback, just write pop songs that nail the mark. Actually, they sound a lot like the Stone Roses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTb5zr9vI4E, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgtskZQsOIA, http://www.myspace.com/nedsatomicdustbin/music/songs/bite-58241854

*Ascension “The Years of Fire” 10″ (Toybox) – Riffs all over this slab…man, this is so killer! Take Integrity and add more sick mosh parts, not quite as dark sounding but just as hard-hitting. Go figure, they’re from Cleveland. This band gets me pumped- someone get me their full length, stat!  http://www.mediafire.com/?mdarlve960v0mwh

*Church Bizarre “Sinister Glorification” (Hell’s Headbangers) – Campy black metal that doesn’t seem all about being evil and satanic, just kinda cartoony demonic. Made for an enjoyable listen for me, so I can hang. Not everyone can be from Norwegian forests, you know? Plus the packaging on this LP is a really sweet die-cut job, which doesn’t really scream “grim”. This is like the Evil Dead of dark metal. http://dunkelheit616.blogspot.com/2009/02/church-bizarre-denmark-sinister.html

*Enslaved “Mardraum” (Osmose) – Slamming “progressive” black metal or whatever…this bad boy is all over the place. Really weird. I’m not familiar with anything but the first couple Enslaved records, so this might be a hint at their future direction. It’s pretty technical, but without being flashy- no wanky solos, just lots of tempo changes and chunky riffs. But mixed with the screechy vocals and blast beats. Really fresh sounding stuff. http://www.mediafire.com/?znofmyiqmiy

*Bathory “self titled” (Black Mark) – Godly black metal that started it all…this recording is so ugly that I don’t even know if I’m 100% sure I fully grasp what I’m hearing when I listen to this. I can’t believe I never really had the opportunity to sit down with this record after all these years…their 3rd LP was always my go-to, but this one is really good and not just a badass cover/t-shirt design. I can see a bunch of the new crop of blown out hardcore bands taking cues from this style. http://www.mediafire.com/?z0zdk02mdz0

*Burzum “Det Som Engang Var” (Misanthropy) – Still working my way through a box of black metal standards I got like 6 months ago…this is the pre-prison guitar Burzum and all of that material sort of sounds the same, i.e. GOOD. Lots of depressing chords and maniacal vocals, and the whole thing has a really cold feeling that makes it feel like the aftermath of a nuclear winter. Good murder music, I guess. But yeah, awesome music, though I’m certain you already know ‘dis. http://www.mediafire.com/?gum3fkdzoer

*Aborym “Fire Walk With Us” (Scarlet) – Man, this band is an insane acquired taste. The first few times through the other record I’ve ever heard, I fucking hated it. Industrial black metal stuff that sounds like it’s made by, like, theater majors or something. But the more I listened, the more I caught this weird post-civilization robot world vibe from it and maybe that’s the point? This record is along the same lines but the electronic stuff is more subdued- still weird as hell, though. About 1/3 of the tracks don’t really seem to have any vocals or structure to them. Another third of the tracks are straight pummeling metal, and then another third are a mashup of the two styles that sounds so abrupt you might think the record skipped or something. This is for sure worth a listen, even if you end up hating it. http://apokaliptischen.blogspot.com/2007/09/aborym-fire-walk-with-us.html

*Demoncy “Empire of the Fallen Angel” (Red Stream) – Gotta admire Demoncy’s uncompromising brutality. This might as well be like 40 minutes of straight blast beats. There’s nothing to really latch onto other than getting wrecked, and an occasional melodic break, but that’s where I think this is supposed to take you. If you like the USBM style, then I can’t see how you’d dislike this. Again, so starkly harsh- rules. http://www.mediafire.com/?nzednvyt3zf

*Y Pants discography CD (Periodic Document) – Always interested in hearing more out of the 99 Records no-wave circuit, so I was thrilled to get ahold of this. It’s fucking GOOD all female disco punk stuff, not very chaotic or anything, but really stripped down to the core…meaning no guitars, just crazy synths, drums, bass, and ukeleles- f’real! Their EP is killer, the LP isn’t quite as good, but this is a really great collection. http://the-soundhead.blogspot.com/2008/03/y-pants.html

*Civic Progress “Disposable EP” 7″ (Fashionable Idiots) – While not being blazingly fast, this record still hits with quite an impact. Solid hardcore punk that sounds like an updated take on the ’80s Midwest hardcore. The vocals are great on this record. http://fashionableactivism.blogspot.com/2009/01/civic-progress-live-at-kdhx.html

*Gepopel “No One Can Stop Advance” 7″ (Burka For Everybody) – Awesome reissue of some old demo tracks from these Dutch punk legends. The songs here are real good, but they’re not really hardcore (or like their legit records) at all. More like some rockin’ US style stuff- maybe like a less sleazy Pagans or something. http://www.mediafire.com/?bf7v4ku7bw4nti1

*Terrible Headache “Terribly Insane EP” 7″ (Blurred) – Ah, Japanese “crasher crust” shit, how I love thee….Terrible Headache has long been one of my favorites. They tend to play quick burly hardcore with that thick-ass Framtid sound to ‘em. Always look forward to hearing their comp tracks, and this 7″ is a total winner.

*”Sick of Fun” comp 7″ (Stress Domain) – Cool comp of a ton of fast punk/hardcore bands, some better known current bands (Ecoli, Coke Bust), some lesser known rippers (Valoids sounding more like FYP than ever), and even a few older bands kicking down tracks (No Thanks, Ribzy). Really swell little record, and all the songs are like less than a minute. http://shortfastloud.blogspot.com/2008/09/va-sickoffun-vinyl-2008-sdr.html

*Brutal Knights “My Life, My Fault” 7″ (Spin the Bottle) – It’s well established that I’m a fan of this band, and this 7″ is as good as their other output. 3 quick barnburners that remind me of New Bomb Turks on the A-side and a longer, more KBD influenced number about bowling on the flip. Party down. http://www.mediafire.com/?tjt5ezn0jdf

*Ancient Shores “Step to the Edge” 7″ (A389) – This is some great dark hardcore stuff, from the same label that brings you Integrity, Gehenna, Pulling Teeth, blah blah. This is not too different than all of that, but the first song has that melodramatic Modern Life Is War type thing going on. Not hating, just saying. It’s a little more simplistic than the bands I mentioned, but like I said, there’s a real bleak tone to most of the songs that works really well with me today. Who says I never buy new records? http://elementaryrevolt.blogspot.com/2011/05/ancient-shores-step-to-edge-7-2011.html

*Jacob’s Mouse “Good” 7″ (Wiiija) – Passable UK hard rocking pre-shoegaze indie stuff from the early 90′s. I can’t really tell you this is great, but it’s not awful. Not something I feel like I’d ever listen to again, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1nYOJDGp2o, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUo5a9RYS7Y, and the 2nd B-side track is by far the best tune here…too bad all’s I got is a 30 second preview: http://www.amazon.com/Lip-and-Cheek/dp/B001MFGHZY

*the Killers picture disc 7″ (Hater of God) – Not the theater-rock band all over the radio, this Killers is an ex-Charles Bronson band from the early 2000s and they do a pretty grim sounding hardcore thing. I actually really loved spinning this- it’s got some clean parts to mix with the heavy, and lots of shifts within these songs…pretty different than any of their other records I have, even. Nifty looking picture disc (something I usually groan at!).

*Complete Waste “self titled” 7″ (Give Praise/Rock Bottom) – Swift hardcore that’s straight to the point. It’s got a bit of an unhinged skate-thrash type feel, but the songs are over so quickly that they never develop into anything other than fast ass 1-2-1-2 hardcore. Good listen, though, digging it. http://www.myspace.com/completewastehardcorepunk

*the GOP “England Sucks” 7″ (Blind Spot) – First off, let me say how underrated this label is- I love everything they’ve put out. This record is so killer- it’s straight punk/hardcore with a strong DC influence…total reckless abandonment. This one is a definite keeper. http://www.myspace.com/gop

*Bathtub Shitter/Misery Index split 7″ (Emetic) – Good grind split. Bathtub Shitter seems more serious than usual…pretty normal grind vocals and no whacky acoustic interludes or anything. Nothing flashy but enjoyable. The Misery Index songs on this are blazing grind rippers- I’ve somehow managed to sidestep them for years, but their couple tunes here are real solid- one’s a Napalm Death cover! I’ll be on the lookout for more from them. http://www.myspace.com/shitterofbathtub and http://www.myspace.com/miseryindex

*Bastardass/All Gone Dead split 7″ (Give Praise) – Pretty much something you’ll never listen to…2 absurd grindy bands doing whirlwind tracks that have no sticking power. Bastardass is slightly better than AGD, doing a caveman grind/hardcore type thing. All Gone Dead is kinda noisecore-ish, but it seems unintentional- like they were trying to be a Godstomper clone band, but didn’t even pull that off. http://www.mediafire.com/?djmjkzwj2nn

*Outta Hand “Hardcore 2006- No Brains, No Guts, No Heart” 7″ (Bystander) – Straightforward hardcore that’s not-so-serious. I mean, it isn’t a joke band or anything, but they just seem like they’re having a good time. Reminds me of bands like Guns Up or maybe even Allegiance- fast stuff with meat and potatoes breakdowns. Into it. http://www.myspace.com/outtahand666

Maybe She’s Born With It, 9/19

Went to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not last night- hadn’t been since I was a kid and it’s way different than I remembered it. Like, they tell you that stuff is or isn’t legit. Anyway, it’s totally awesome, and teachers are free for the rest of the month. We have so much free time away from work that we can even pick up and go to pseudo-museums at 10:00pm on a Saturday night. But that’s neither here nor there- we’re talking about records. This time, let’s start out with a shit-ton of $.50 bin 7″s that I’ve been slowly getting through….

*White Wires “Pretty Girl” 7″ (Trouble In Mind) – Much more power-pop than I remember the LP I have being, but both songs on here are stellar anyway. Both songs are really peppy, lending itself to repeat listens pretty easily. Oh, and I’ve got to say that I love it when labels have their own aesthetic/consistent sleeve design, like an old jazz record or something. It just looks cool. http://teenagelobotomies.blogspot.com/2009/10/white-wires-pretty-girl-7-2009.html

*the Forty-Two 7″ (Concurrent) – Really, really good mid-90s emo that sounds very southern, if you know what I mean. Sounds like 400 Years, Griver, that stuff. This has been on my radar for like 10 years now and I just never got around to picking up a copy, but now I wish I’d put a little effort forth. And hey, this was recorded at the old SPOT Studios in Orlando, for the local folk! http://www.mediafire.com/?0jngzidzmzg (has a bunch of unreleased live stuff, too, DOPE)

*Dead Uncles “Cut Down to Sighs” 7″ (self released) – Pop punk that sounds a lot like old Green Day or maybe a lighter Pinhead Gunpowder. Not a bad thing, as I don’t usually hear the new crop of Fest bands tackling this sound, but this ain’t all that either- it’s catchy and fun, but there’s only so far you can take this sound. A good once in a while record, when you’ve exhausted the parts of the Lookout discography that are actually tolerable. Lots of respect to the band for giving up the tracks for free: http://deaduncles.blogspot.com/p/cut-down-to-sighs.html

*Doomstone “Rosemary’s Baby” 7″ (PS Records) – The pencil drawing demon cover sold me on this one. Musically, it’s ok, I guess, but the overall feeling I get from this is way more appealing. It’s like half-speed metal, not even sure who to compare it to, but it’s definitely some basement-level black thrash shit. B-side is a couple live tracks that I couldn’t find online. Check this out if you need a quick hesher fix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T16xZq24JU

*Casper and the Cookies/the Marbles split 7″ (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) – Part of the HHBtM singles series, here you get another slab of indie pop that’s pretty a’ight. I think I liked the Marbles (main guy from Apples in Stereo solo) track a little better; it’s about Dracula and it’s got this cool neo-wave type pop sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr9lGOvxa5g. Casper and the Cookies are ok, but their tracks don’t really grab me:http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/7667110 or download the entire singles series here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZQNR4EVN

*Demon’s Claws “Weird Ways” 7″ (Rob’s House) – Twangy garage rockin’ from these modern heroes…these songs have a real classic sound to them, like southern rock with a little more garage stomp to ‘em. A TermBo review referenced the Band, and you know, I can see that a little. Anyway, http://teenagelobotomies.blogspot.com/2009/09/from-robs-house-records-weird-ways-is.html

*Graves at Sea “Cirrhosis” 7″ (Southern Lord) – Booming sludge metal stuff- great band. Lots of thick riffs that sort of twist over themselves to give this swirling type doom thing, kinda like Eyehategod with some black metal influence, maybe? Crushing two-songer. http://www.mediafire.com/?yzg2d9zmyz7

*Upstab “With Report” 7″ (Way Back When/Even Worse) – Thought I had this, but according to my record shelves, I was mistaken- easy fix though, because this is like a $2 record. A bunch of the Clevo hardcore all-stars are in this band and it sounds a lot like early American hardcore, so good. Nab this EP next time you see it around, worth a bunch of spins. Someone set me up with their demo 7″.  http://www.myspace.com/upstabcleveland

*Beta Minus Mechanic “69 Camaro” 7″ (Revelation/Crisis) – I’m still such a fan of the post-hardcore stuff that has singy girl vocals…stuff like Ashes and the like. This band sounds like that. I enjoy these songs very much, they’re a little more rough sounding than the bands I’d compare them to. http://www.mediafire.com/?2igjg4toqet

*Public Nuisance “Cheap Sex and Booze” 7″ (Profane Existence) – I guess this record created some sort of controversy when it came out, as I can only assume its because this record has zero to do with politics and PE was taken as the arbiters of the punk rock PC status quo or something? Whatever. This record is passable drunk punk stuff that definitely sounds like it was made by braindead squatter crusties…it’s worth a listen, but I can pretty much guarantee you’ve heard this all before. http://upthefuckinpunx.blogspot.com/2008/12/public-nuisance-cheap-sex-and-booze-7.html

*Junkdrawer “self titled” 7″ (Freewill) – Picked this up because it’s on the same label as the first Christie Front Drive stuff. This is pretty melodic emocore stuff, not really exciting or anything, but it sits well in the context of the mid-90s Midwest scene, if you dig the smoother, indie side. No idea where to find this online, though.

*Servotron “Meet Your Mechanical Masters” 7″ (Sympathy for the Machines)- Love this band. Thinly veiled members of Man or Astroman? clone band doing futuristic themed surfy robot rock songs. This is their first 7″, I think, and while it’s good, it just teases at how awesome their full lengths are. Good starting point, though- the song “People Mover” is so great. http://www.myspace.com/httwwwmyspacecomservotron

*Pachinko “El Diablo En Senorita” 7″ (Alternative Tentacles) – Weirdo noise rock, pretty good. Passed this band over for years because I assumed they”d suck compared to the big league bands from the 90′s, but this actually holds up well. I know they did a bunch of other records that I’ll look for in dollar bins wherever I go. http://www.shinygreymonotone.com/2008/10/pachinko-who-shaved-pachinko-5.html

*Beneath the Street “Class Struggle” 7″ (Think Tank) – This kinda sucks. It’s generic modern hardcore stuff with a revolutionary tone, the lyrics are kinda cool, but they have all these parts that don’t seem to fit right. Like, they’ll have a little melodic run that segues right into a crappy breakdown. Just doesn’t do anything for me, I guess. And I’ll be honest, I was just hoping this was an oi record. http://www.myspace.com/beneaththestreet

*Swinehood “I’m Startin’ to Hate What I Used to Dig” 7″ (Ken Rock) – Man, the title is the summation of my close to 30 years on the planet. It happens to the best of us. Have another 7″ of theirs that rules, and this one is awesome too. Reminds me of Zeke playing hardcore punk type songs without the rock and roll. Badass. http://www.myspace.com/swinehood

*Redfive “Bunny” 7″ (Crisis/Revelation) – Man, this sucks pretty badly. My girlfriend saw them at a Warped Tour in 1996 and said they were awesome….but it was ridiculous of me to trust that memory, in hindsight. To me it sounds like some punky all-girl bar rock band- like L7 or Babes in Toyland. http://www.myspace.com/redfivemusic/music/albums/anthology-1993-1999-16689368?songid=74410843 (“Leave Time” and “Nailed to the Neurotic” are on this single)

*Dartboard/Live From Death Row split 7″ (Boiling Point) – When local bands get together and say “hey, let’s do a 7″ together”, it can go really badly or be a totally underrated surprise. These are 2 bands from somewhere in Massachusetts that isn’t Boston and it’s like half of each of those. Dartboard does some inept thrash type stuff that’s my favorite of the two sides. Live From Death Row does the same basic style, but it’s not as memorable and kinda too “wacky thrash” for me- not bad, but far from great material…I mean they have a song about Frosted Flakes. Overall, this 7″ is totally forgettable to everyone outside of their towns, but I’m not trying to hate either.

*Hudson “Out of Gas” (Far Out) – NOFX worship from South Florida. I remember these guys from my high school years. This isn’t that great, but being a Florida band this holds a special place in my heart. The more I play this, the more I like it. Even the “Dancing With Myself” doesn’t bother me. Just dumb fun, you know?

*Jon Spencer Blues Explosion “Son of Sam” 7″ (In the Red) – Jukebox series single with an OK cover on the A side and an excellent original on the flip. You already know what you’re getting from this record, so I’m not gonna bore you with more of my witty banter. http://alliwantsevens.blogspot.com/2011/05/jon-spencer-blues-explosion-son-of-sam.html

*Devour “Insect Circuitry” 7″ (Headcount) – This one surprised me- kind of a D-beat take on Japanese hardcore. Really awesome stuff. Five songs that are wild enough to please the most discerning “noise punk” freak but with the song writing chops to make this listenable without suffering a headache. http://www.mediafire.com/?9ui1gwbcdb74ssu

*Dinosaur and the Missing Link “self titled” 7″ (Milk n’ Herpes) – Garbage can snotty, choppy garage punk rock that bangs its way through four tunes that are barely put together. Awesome! It’s pretty stupid music, but I wouldn’t have it another way…if they were more proficient one might call this “art punk”, but thankfully this is just beat-you-in-the-face trash. http://www.myspace.com/dinosaurandthemissinglink

*Whorehouse of Representatives “It’s A Corporate World After All” 7″ (Un Yelliman) – This band was pretty prolific, but I never paid any attention to them over the years. It’s your standard anarcho-punk, but actually pretty well done. These songs are kinda draw you in with melody and anger, without losing their power. Sometimes the vocals are a little monotone and boring, and there’s a song about eating people (some sort of vegan analogy I think) that’s kinda silly, but all in all, I really liked this 7″. http://www.mediafire.com/?tdw5zgzw2yx

*Cancerous Growth “Today’s Society” 7″ (Ax/ction) – Hell of a record…complete hardcore smackdown from 1986. I really love the slow part that opens the title track; it’s so indicative of the ’80s US sound. The majority is still real fast and tuneful with a recording that really captures the manic energy. http://www.mediafire.com/?o76c10c6bnolkwc

*the Brass “Homosapien” 7″ (Dead Broke) – One of these dudes was in Latterman, so that had me interested. This is a pretty cool record, though not really a whole lot in that vein. The first song sounds straight up like At the Drive-In, and is by far the best thing going on. The others have that thick power-chord emo rock sound, good enough at it too. http://elementaryrevolt.blogspot.com/2011/01/brass-discography-2008-2009.html

*Betray “self titled” 7″ (Crucial Response) -European straight edge hardcore….hey, this is Crucial Response #1!! It’s short, to the point youth crew type stuff that isn’t really powerful, just kinda there, but it is sufficiently fast so I’m sold. I’m really, really into this scene, though, so I was more than happy to dive into this. I mean, it’s not great, but it gets the job done. http://hanou.home.xs4all.nl/betray/

*Deathbag “self titled” 7″ (Get the Axe) – Pretty decent straight forward Discharge-influenced hardcore, without being really crusty. They do a Raw Power cover, which rules. I really like the recording, too, it’s really messy- adds to the overall tone. I think there’s some sort of No Fucker connection, which makes so much sense. http://scummified.blogspot.com/2011/06/deathbag-7.html

*”Transition Period” comp 7″ (MCR) – Nice three band Japanese street punk comp here…all good. The Dick Spikie tracks are gruff numbers, one faster and one real tough smasher. Youth Anthem and the Discocks both do one track each of more traditional poppy oi stuff. Can’t say one band is better than another, per se, but the Discocks song is really great. http://www.mediafire.com/?05wxfkw88jc16

*Convicted “Unconquered” 7″ (Organized Crime) – Underrated mosh core stuff. I love this EP, it’s so hard and uncompromising, but I never hear anyone even mention it. I’m a sucker for tough guy straight edge these days, so I’ll mosh to pretty much anything that sounds like this, but I really do think this is far above average. http://midwesthardcore.blogspot.com/2010/01/convicted.html

 

Hey- Lemme Hold a Dollar, 9/17

WOAH, so I forgot this blog existed over the last 4 months….but this is the only way I’ll force myself to sit down and listen to everything I’ve got piled up, so I’m going to embark on the journey again. And maybe someone will spend a few minutes checking out something new, too. I like to help out. Here’s the first stack of catch-up tunes:

*Flaming Lips “Clouds Taste Metallic” (Warner Bros.) – Always avoided this album for some inexcusable reason, but it’s really great. Has a very chill tone to it, for the most part, and being an old fart, I can really appreciate that. But man, when they get to rockin’, this album really steps up to bat. “Lightning Strikes the Postman”, “Kim’s Watermelon Gun”…so awesome! Plus, this record has the best bass lines… http://mapref41n93w.blogspot.com/2009/04/flaming-lips-clouds-taste-metallic.html

*Grandaddy “Under the Western Freeway” (Will) – My favorite Grandaddy record. Funny enough, it sounds a lot like the Flaming Lips, but instead of psychedelic tangents, they use these cool 70′s sounding synth sounds. If you haven’t ever heard them, start here. http://burningdowndreams.blogspot.com/2007/07/grandaddy-under-western-freeway.html

*the Afghan Whigs “Gentlemen” (Elektra) – My musical mood changes with the breeze, but I always, always love this record. Part intricate indie guitar work, part bluesy rock music, and even some soul-inspired vocals. This is, like, desert island music. Such a good flow to these songs, too…everything fits together nicely. http://blogdelhuarencito.blogspot.com/2009/12/afghan-whigs-gentlemen-1993.html

*the Boo Radleys “Giant Steps” (Columbia) – This is the first time I”ve ever actually sat down with a Boo Radleys record. It’s pretty good- has that psych tinge to it, but almost with a nod to Brit-pop rock stuff. I like the noisier shoegazey feedback parts a lot, but the low-key stuff flies with me just as well. Pretty cool, recommend me more stuff like it. http://plasticpalacepeople66.blogspot.com/2011/03/boo-radleys-giant-steps-flac.html

*the Books “Thought For Food” (Tomlab) – I dig this band, but I can never remember anything about any of their songs. Like, they create this listless, meandering cushion of music that works really well over the course of 45 minutes, but no song really stands out in my mind as a notable part of the equation. It just all kind of works. Acoustic guitars blend into laptop-generated hums, etc. http://ueoa.blogspot.com/2009/05/books-thought-for-food.html

*Ativin “German Water” (Secretly Canadian) -  Reminds me a lot of other heavily-instrumental bands like June of 44 or Don Caballero or something. Rides a darker, gloomy indie thing with some good guitar/drum dynamics. I haven’t heard anything else they did, but this is some real impressive stuff…goes great with a rainy Saturday afternoon. http://www.mediafire.com/?j2jdnlmd30o

*”Masters of Misery: Black Sabbath Tribute” comp (Earache) – Good god, this lineup is stacked. It’s a lot of the killer heavy bands from the mid-90s era (Cathedral, Godflesh, Sleep, Iron Monkey, etc.) cranking out great Sabbath covers, ’nuff said. Pretty much everything on here is awesome- with the exception of the stupidest waste of space, Ultraviolence. They do “Paranoid” and it sucks so bad. http://devotionalhooligan.blogspot.com/2009/09/masters-of-misery-earache-tribute-to.html

*Rick Reed “Music For the Rothko Chapel” 10″ (Beta-Lactam Ring) – Very meditative drone stuff that doesn’t really change pitch or notes or anything. Just a constant hum that lulls you into a trance. I’ve been listening to this for a few minutes every day in the interim between waking up and going running and I think it’s really set my head right. http://www.blrrecords.com/mp3.album.php?aid=161

*The Weakends “self titled” (Rob’s House) – Pretty diggable garage rock stuff that sounds like something that would’ve been done in the era when rockabilly and garage were kinda similar. Maybe, I dunno, just sounds really “vintage”- like, really twangy and there’s not much rockin’ or distortion or anything. Reminds me of hanging out in some dive bar in, like, Mississippi a handful of decades ago- part of the new crop of French rockers, too. Good stuff. http://www.myspace.com/theweakends/music

*Black Heart Procession “The Spell” (Touch & Go) – I kinda didn’t realize that BHP made any records after like 2004, but I stumbled on this in a used bin and got really excited. Love this band’s dark calypso indie thing- usually a sucker for minor key piano driven stuff. Anyway, this doesn’t sound much different than the “Tropics of Love” record to me, which I’m cool with because I always need a few solid go-to jams when I need to feel sultry and seductive. http://www.mediafire.com/?z2ywwi2kooy

*Zola Jesus “The Spoils” (Sacred Bones) – Haters be damned, this is a solid LP. I don’t really have any songs that get stuck in my head, but I can put this on while I’m folding clothes or something and be totally carried off into the Zola Jesus world- where weird synths and disjointed pseudo-rhythms come together to create this brooding, ethereal, murky stew. http://audiblelawsuits.blogspot.com/2010/02/zola-jesus-spoils-2009.html

*the Joneses “Criminals” (Full Breach Kicks) – OK, so I like pretty much everything I listen to at home…that’s what I bought it in the first place. But this band just doesn’t click with me. A couple West Coast buddies hail this band as godly. I’ve heard a couple of their punker tunes on that old BYO comp before and thought they were cool in a Johnny Thunders sort of way, but my first foray into their own releases didn’t make me a believer. This shit sounds like some Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls of Fire” rock schlock with more pronounced guitars. They even cover “Crocodile Rock”, for crissakes. The opening tune is pretty cool, I suppose. http://punknotprofit.blogspot.com/2009/02/joneses-criminal-tits-and-champagne.html

*”Bloodstains Across Spain” comp (bootleg) – Man, Spanish punk is right up there with some of favorite stuff ever out of the KBD scene. This comp has all the heavy hitters throwing in a classic tune: TNT, La Uvi, Ultimo Resorte, the killer Eskorbuto tune…17 tunes all worth your time. http://amargadodelavida.blogspot.com/2009/03/va-bloodstains-across-spain-cd.html

*Oak “self titled” (A389) – Four loooooong doom metal tunes that have enough twists and turns to keep my attention up for 11 minutes at a time. Parts of this meander a bit, but the thickness of it all saves it from being just another slow-mo headbanger. There’s some thought to these tunes. http://www.mediafire.com/?0mjmfnl20az

*Love Tan “Miscellaneous Night Feeings” (Kill Shaman) – Strangely enchanting stuff- I kinda wrote them off as some ‘purposely-weirdo’ band without much saving grace on first listen, but the more I spun this, the more I picked up their vibe. It’s got a real sputtery sound like it could fall apart at any second but then there’s these pop hooks underneath that kinda bind it together. One of these dudes is from the Intelligence (great band), so it sort of makes sense in that context. http://www.myspace.com/0lovetan0/music

*Ken Camden “Lethargy & Repercussions” (Kranky) – Really good droning experimental stuff for those times when you want to sit around playing Scrabble with your ladyfriend before bedtime. Or that’s been the context of this record for the past couple nights and it seems to set the right mood. If you’re ok with music that doesn’t have a whole lot to grab onto, then this is top-notch stuff. http://www.mediafire.com/?6n6w1m4go4td4pa

*Dead Moon “Dead Ahead” (Tombstone) – In my quest to acquire all the Dead Moon output, it’s led me to this, their last full length. Fear not, and no need to tread lightly- this is up there with my favorite albums they’ve made! Seriously such awesome hooks, riffs, even the whole layout looks like classic Dead Moon- nothing at all lost to age. One of the best bands ever just proving that again here… http://www.mediafire.com/?ztx2kmvjuyt

*Sir Coxson Sound “King of the Dub Rock” (Safari) – Straight ILL dub from 1975…this is a damn masterpiece, even if it is on the lighter side of the genre. This will cure all sickness and heal all wounds- just listen to this until you know every note of every bassline and you’ll be good. http://dub-lp-6.blogspot.com/2009/03/sir-coxsone-sound-king-of-dub-rock.html

*the Apollo Program/Short Supply split LP (Emergence + 4) – So this has been sitting in dollar bins since just about after it came out years ago. Always pass it up in favor of something else, but for some reason I decided that 2011 would be the year I finally let this into my life. And it’s not great, but it doesn’t suck at all. All the reviews I’ve seen compare the AP half to Yaphet Kotto and the SS half to Small Brown Bike– and I can totally see that. A little too derivative to make this stand out, but this is good enough to have around if you don’t have to spend more than a few dollars. http://www.mediafire.com/?hjhk3ayitza

*Frustrations “Glowing Red Pill” (X!) – Fantastic punk rock with some oddball quirks to it. Their 7″ had more of a blown out Black Flag type sound, but this is a lot more varied while maintaining “scorcher” status. Seriously, this is a great LP for anyone into fast hardcore or even Amp Rep noise rock stuff. http://www.mediafire.com/?9z2v4la46qna3mp

*Highscore “Unsuspecting Actors in a Bad Soap Opera” (625) – Had awfully low expectations for this, and I can safely say those were met. Pretty unexciting thrashy youth crew type hardcore from, I think, Germany. This is fine, and I did enjoy it (hard not to get a little pumped on that Y2K beat), but there are literally a thousand other bands that do this sound better….you can find this in pretty much every dollar bin in the world. http://www.backin77.com/2010/08/05/highscore-unsuspecting-actors-in-a-bad-soap-opera/

*Operation S “self titled” (Broken Rekids) – Tight synthy punk stuff here. It has a nice cold sound to it, maybe like a more new wave take on the Screamers or something with female vocals.  http://www.myspace.com/sexesubversionsuicide/music/albums/operation-s-11141783

*Neighborhood Watch “Bad Man” (Flat Black)- Flat Black is trying to bring Mystic style punk back in fashion, it seems, and it just doesn’t seem to ever catch on. Neighborhood Watch sounds like any third-tier band from an old Super Seven Sampler comp. Very Nardcore, just doesn’t quite live up to Ill Repute or anything. At times it verges on out of control Neos style punk, which rules, but mostly it’s just rough and tumble hardcore without anything super memorable other than the vaguely surfy riffs, and that they play really fast. http://smokebeerhailskatin.blogspot.com/2011/01/bad-man.html

*Burial “Speed at Night” (Deranged) – Straight up Japanese worship from these German hardcore rippers. These 6 tunes are really good, maybe their best stuff so far, but they always seem to lack something- like it’s a little formulaic, even though it’s kicking my head in. Hard to deny it, though. http://www.mediafire.com/?uzyuztmfziv

Enter Title Here, 5/7

Spent a day at the Florida Library Association conference, then spent another day in St. Augustine at the AFC conference…it’s always a trip. It’s like Spring Break for the learned, or maybe some weird nerdy professional family reunion. Yeah, it’s corny, but I love seeing people from other colleges around the state- the library world is pretty small, so it’s neat to run into friends and colleagues and share ideas and stuff. Totally, totally lame, but I really get into the professional stuff once in awhile. Makes my life’s work valid in my heart. Anyway, some records that made the rounds during such  joyous occasions…

*Government Warning “Paranoid Mess” (Grave Mistake/No Way) – Ripping hardcore that sounds like it could easily have fit in with the old So-Cal sound. No trace of metal, mosh, or breakdown…a very classic feel to it. All of their records are good, but this may be my favorite so far. http://krsssdistro.blogspot.com/2009/06/government-warning-paranoid-mess-2009.html

*Final Conflict “Rebirth” (Tacklebox) – Continuing in the “later albums” phase of my life, this is Final Conflict 2nd LP, though it came out like 10 years after the first. I was expecting this to be pretty crummy, but found myself jamming this a bunch. It’s no Ashes to Ashes, but it still has some truly hard riffs and some biting vocals…two things which I expected to evaporate by this point. I guess Sepultura covered one of these songs? Craziness. But yeah, this is a cool way to spend $5! http://upthefuckinpunx.blogspot.com/2009/10/final-conflict-rebirth-12-inch.html

*Born Dead Icons “Ruins” (Feral Ward) – Last LP by the mighty Born Dead Icons. This band sort of single-handedly got me stoked on Motorhead, as lame as that probably sounds. Take that sound, throw in some gruff crusty hardcore scenery, and voila. This is their most rocked-out stuff, but I love every second of this record. http://grave-new-world.blogspot.com/2008/10/born-dead-icons-ruins.html

*Yankee Wuss/War Machine split (self released) – GOD, I’d been looking for this for years. It’s not some crazy sought-after record, just not something that pops up ever. Finally nabbed a copy, though, so there’s a certain calm washing over me these days. War Machine does your typical PDX punk stuff, a little crusty, a little dark sounding. Pretty cool stuff, and if it weren’t for the flip side, I’d be all over their tunes. But ah, Yankee Wuss…I’m a ridiculously huge fan of this band. One of the most underrated hardcore acts- they do this sound that’s sort of like a super-punk version of Assfactor 4 or something, but definitely a Portland band. I don’t know how to describe them accurately, but they’re in top form on this record. Can’t find shit for this online, but here’s a Warmachine 7″: http://7inchcrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/warmachine-european-2000-tour-7.html

*”Bloodstains Across Germany #2″ comp (Bootleg) – If you have the first volume of this comp, then you already have like 70% of these tracks. Kinda funny that two bootleggers pumped out versions of this at virtually the same time. This is mostly great stuff, though, so if you don’t have the former than this is totally worth tracking down. In fact, I have a spare copy if you need one. http://rat-shit-sandwich.blogspot.com/2008/12/va-bloodstains-across-germany-vol1-2.html

*”Rip Off Records: The Early Ones” comp (Rip Off) – Another collection of some of the out of print Rip Off 7″s. It’s hard to go wrong with this stuff- just about the best of the ’90s garage punk scene, especially if you like it dirty and loud. Everything on this comp rules, but that goes without saying when you have some big league names at bat. Teengenerate, the Rip Offs, the Makers, etc. https://rs439tl2.rapidshare.com/#!download|439l3|203568688|Rip_Off_Records__38_-_Various_Artists_-_The_Early_Ones.zip|58602|R~87BE4742E1740BB9C35A7B9EBF46EE43

*Diagonal “self titled” (Rise Above) – I don’t know much about prog-rock, but I think that’s what this is. It sounds like some weirdo hippie jazz/dad-rock hybrid. It’s actually really cool, riding a decidedly stoned vibe into some fantasy land. It’s a little much at most times of the day, but when the mood hits me right, I’m all about this. http://veinsdriedout.blogspot.com/2009/12/diagonal.html

*Richard Hell and the Voidoids “Blank Generation” (Sire) – Just realized the other week that I’ve never owned this album before, so I remedied that. I’ve always liked it’s sort of artsy take on the NYC rock and roll sound. A good balance of the Velvet Underground stuff, some glam rock, and the proto-punk stuff that was going around at the time. The songs will get stuck in your head, and I especially appreciate the weird little guitar noodles they throw in as intros. http://www.mediafire.com/?xlz43m1lg2r

*Dead Boys “We Have Come For Your Children” (Sire) – Always heard this record sucks ass, but kinda dismissed that because I like the live versions I heard, but not enough to ever listen to this album. Turns out it’s pretty stellar! Maybe not quite as memorable as the first one, but shit, this rocks. A couple songs even sort of hint at the power-pop direction Stiv Bators was leaning. Dive into this. http://punknotprofit.blogspot.com/2007/05/dead-boys-we-have-come-for-your.html

*GG Allin “Singles Collection Vol. 1″ (TPOS/Temperance) – Weird little CD…it collects a few of the earliest GG 7″s, as well as some of his pre-solo output where he was the drummer. The non-solo stuff is straight pop-rock stuff, vaguely punk I guess, but it confused me for a minute before I read the liner notes. Super different than what you’d think this man would associate himself with. The solo stuff is about the best music he ever did, maybe short of the stuff he did with the Antiseen. Not the hugest fan, but this does me alright. Not the same disc I have, but has most of the same stuff- http://paulcook-welovepunk.blogspot.com/2011/04/gg-allin-singles-collection-1977-1991.html

*Liquid Liquid “self titled” (Grand Royal) – Discography of this essential no-wave band. God, I love this stuff, best music ever. Take a funky disco beat, add a bunch of weirdo percussion, throw in some free jazz style freakouts, some howling…there you have it. This stuff should be required listening. http://chasm-filler.blogspot.com/2010/04/liquid-liquid-st.html

*Teenage Jesus & the Jerks “Everything” (Atavistic) – The noisy end of no-wave starring Lydia Lunch. I love this stuff, so it’s nice to have it all in one place…well, at least a version of each tune. There’s a new CD out that has a bunch of other stuff. But this record is so, so good. Such a creepy beat…these songs just sort of haunt you until you succumb to their awesome. http://commercialzone.blogspot.com/2007/04/everything-recoge-todo-lo-grabado-por.html

*Amen Corner “Fall Ascension Domination” (Cogumelo) – Reissue of some ripping early 90′s black/thrash metal from Brazil. Has their LP and EP on one disc, so if you’re looking to get into some hesher metal. It’s all pretty crude, but it hits the spot for me right now. http://dunkelheit616.blogspot.com/2009/05/amen-corner-brazil-fall-ascension.html

*Municipal Waste “The Art of Partying” (Earache) – Ah, the Waste…so many fond memories of boogie boards in the circle pits and jean jacket vests. I’m a fan, but this album is a little, just a tiny bit, stale sounding. They’ve gotten more metal in their thrash attack, and the partying gimmick is a little too much up front now. Some of it borders on total cheese in a not-great way…I mean, “Beer Pressure”? Back off dude, some of us have to be jogging at 7:00am before teaching. Maybe I don’t wanna party with you tonight, you dick. It’s still a good album and there are some real bright spots, so by all means check it out. http://themetalplanet.blogspot.com/2009/08/municipal-waste-art-of-partying.html

*Aschmicrosa “Incubus Black Metal” (Blackmetal.com) – Messy black metal (who told?) from Slovenia. It’s pretty blown-out, though not really heavy, but what I really dig about it is the brevity of the songs. Sonically, this is awesome, sounds like it was recorded inside a grain silo. Musically, it sort of has an ambient feel to the riffs…like they’re sort of just setting a tone and the vocals are just kind of an afterthought. Decent stuff. http://www.myspace.com/aschmicrosamusic/music/albums/incubus-black-metal-16300348

*Low “I Could Live in Hope” (Vernon Yard) – This Low album is sort of upbeat compared to some of their other records, but that’s not saying a whole lot. It’s still slow clean guitar melancholy stuff, but I dunno, it’s not as downtrodden and even a little less ‘slowcore’ at times. These are some of my favorite songs they ever did with Mimi singing, but as a whole it might not even be in my top 3. Don’t get me wrong, though, this is still awesome, a classic record even! http://stotchanddoctorphibes.blogspot.com/2010/04/low-i-could-live-in-hope.html

*Mogwai “Happy Songs For Happy People” (Matador) – Great album! Big time Mogwai fan, but this album hits me…it’s more direct than some of their early stuff without losing the dynamics that they’ve mastered. I’d put this up against any of their often-cited albums as their best, these songs are just a lot of fun to listen to…well at least as much as ‘post-rock’ can be fun. It really does put me in a pretty good mood. http://thelifelearner.blogspot.com/2011/02/mogwai-happy-songs-for-happy-people.html

*Scorn “Logghi Barogghi” (Earache) – Industrial soundscapes, pure and simple. This is my first exposure to the band, and while I like this ok, it doesn’t really go anywhere. Parts of it are kinda dub influenced, which of course had my attention. But there’s no vocals and it’s not really that harsh, relies more on the mood to make its point. I guess really my complaint is that it’s LONG. http://thestroboscopesyndrome.blogspot.com/2011/04/scorn-logghi-barogghi-1996-flac.html —-note: I have no idea what a FLAC file is.

*Conga Fury “Never Die” (Six Weeks) – Great female-fronted Japanese hardcore that takes the trademarked everything-in-the-red style and doesn’t just play it into a blur. I mean, it is a total hardcore mess, but there are a lot of decent riffs here and, while it’s still pretty wild, it’s not just a wash of blast beats and distortion…some actual song writing takes place now and again! http://shredtasticvoyage.blogspot.com/2010/11/conga-fury-never-die-lp.html

*Hogan’s Heroes “self titled” (New Red Archives) – In my quest to unearth every last inch of  80′s NYHC, I finally checked this record out. It’s not so hot, but there are flashes of brilliance. The real problem is that they spend too much time dicking around with BS reggae jams and wanky goof metal. When they buckle down, the songs can be pretty stellar hardcore, but it’s definitely like 4th tier stuff for the genre. http://bloggedquartered.blogspot.com/2010/08/hogans-heroes-1985-1995-2xcd.html

*the Infarto Scheisse/Lady Tornado split 10″ (Shove + 3) – The Infarto Scheisse are a real good heavy screamo type band, kinda reminds me of like Acme crossed with Reversal of Man or something. Their half of this split kills it. Lady Tornado is alright, too, doing a metally screamo thing that kinda jumps all over the place. Both bands were from Italy. http://megawolfslair.blogspot.com/2010/06/infarto-scheisse.html and http://www.myspace.com/ladytornado/

*Minnow “self titled” 7″ (Rank & File) – ’90s emocore stuff from Canada that sounds like a more chaotic Quicksand or Sparkmarker to my ears. It’s really, really good stuff…kinda chunky, but very noisy and offbeat. I’d had this on my radar for a long time, but finally ran across a copy last month for like $2. Weirdly, I found some mp3 site with 30 second clips…http://mp3om.com/buy/Minnow/Self-Titled/mp3/music/album

*Marvelous Darlings “Sleeping Like a Dead Man” 7″ (Bachelor) – Authentically vintage sounding power pop punk jams from Fucked Up’s guitar player. These songs are so, so catchy and they just put you in that mindset that you can just party down all day, like the Exploding Hearts record. Nice introduction to this band. http://www.mediafire.com/?jzwxij2lzzg

*No Time Left “Zero Effort Solution” 7″ (Third Party) – Awesome straight edge type hardcore. This band really had their own stamp on this style- like, it’s played pretty standard, but they have this energy that makes them sound so much more intense than their peers. I really love this EP, and their 10″ on 625 is super underrated too. http://downsided024.blogspot.com/2009/12/no-time-left-zero-effort-solution-7.html

*Creutzfeldt “self titled” 7″ (Scene Police/Bastardized) – Tepid metallic hardcore stuff from late 90′s Germany. They just missed the boat with the whole Morser/Acme crowd, and their sound is not too far from that, but with more of a Rorschach feel. A couple times they have a cool Integrity or Gehenna riff, but it doesn’t last too long…and by no means as good. http://www.myspace.com/wedestroyedus

*Edgar/Tetsuo split 7″ (Mountain) – Late 90′s emo/hardcore split that for some reason I never bothered to check out. The Edgar side is pretty good, has kind of a that chuggy emo thing that was way popular in the 90′s. I could see this band putting out a pretty stellar full length. The Tetsuo half is even better to my ears. A little bit heavier, a little more screamy, but with a lot of cool stuff going on. http://toliveanddieonlongisland.blogspot.com/2010/12/tetsuo-and-edgar.html

Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It, 5/2

*the Estranged “Static Thoughts” (Dirtnap) – Rainy day Portland punk rock. Somewhere along the lines of the Wipers, with a little bit of the post-punk spunk of bands like Wire and Mission of Burma. Very awesome stuff. The songs have this sort of anthemic-without-being-anthems quality to them that stacks up with the legends. http://twoheartsarebetterthanone.blogspot.com/2010/08/sabo28-estranged-static-thoughts-lp.html

*the White Wires “self titled” (Douchemaster) – Pretty good poppy garage-punk stuff, not too terribly far from Ramones territory. Maybe a little artsier, but it’s basically just power chord bubblegum rock. Kinda reminds me of M.O.T.O., now that I think about it. Catchier than hell, I’ve only listened to this a couple times, but can probably recite most of the lyrics as poetry if needed. http://ratb0y69.blogspot.com/2010/06/white-wires-self-titled.html

*Boulder “The Rage of It All” (River on Fire) – Silly stoner metal from Cleveland…this is never going to make anyone’s top 10 list, though I’d think just about anyone could have a good time listening to it. I think this is pre-Midnight or something, if you’re down with that sort of thing. Fun LP. http://www.mediafire.com/?nmw1d22mhmy

*the Business “Suburban Rebels” (Taang press) – So I’ve always thought the Business kinda sucked, but since I’ve been on a huge UK punk kick lately, I decided to give this album a shot again. Turns out it’s way better than I remembered. I mean, it’s still not quite as good as it could be, but it walks a neat line between Sham 69 and a bit more of an oi type sound. http://ya-cant-go-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/business-suburban-rebels-1983.html

*Lover “self titled” (P. Trash) – Really good punky new wave-ish power-pop. Dude from this band was in the Reatards and Lost Sounds, so it makes sense that this is sort of awesome. Like this stuff a lot! http://www.myspace.com/killdewaynne

*Los Raw Gospels “La Fiesta De La Muerte” (P. Trash) – Garage stuff that has a really classic sound to it. Like, not so punk, but total rock and roll party. The recording makes it sound like it was recorded in a basement 30 years ago, which really helps its cause. Not too bad- I found myself getting really into some of these songs. http://www.myspace.com/losrawgospels

*Extinction “Hypocrisy Breeds Traitors” (Catalyst) – Damn good vegan/sxe hardcore, circa the mid-to-late 90′s. Not quite as militant as Vegan Reich, and a little less metal than Earth Crisis, Extinction just kinda blazed their own trail through all the hypocrites, murderers, and liars that plagued their lives. The lyrics are, surprisingly, really thoughtful and well-intentioned, even if you aren’t all about liberating every last animal in the world. Highly recommended. http://definitionxhc.blogspot.com/2008/06/extinction-hypocrisy-breeds-traitors.html

*Carpathian “Nothing to Lose” (Resist) – Mosh down your house, rage all night. This is tough as nails hardcore from Australia. Really intense new school stuff, I can see this band getting a lot of hype…and maybe they are, I’m clueless on this stuff these days. http://livvid.blogspot.com/2008/06/carpathian-nothing-to-lose-2006.html

*Dead to Fall “Everything I Touch Falls to Pieces” (Victory) – Reminds me a lot of Darkest Hour with more hard parts. Lots of wanky metal riffs that work pretty well in keeping this album flowing. Nothing mind-blowing, but if you dig metalcore that doesn’t rely solely on chugga chugga parts, this is worth a listen. http://royalcore.blogspot.com/2009/01/dead-to-fall-everything-i-touch-falls.html

*Gromm “Cold Old Thorns” (Blackmetal.com) – A collection of two demos from these heshers. Sort of sounds more like a black metal/thrash metal hybrid, in that it doesn’t sound super dramatic or super harsh, but keeps the pace up for the most part. Pretty enjoyable listen. http://lord-abigor.blogspot.com/2008/10/gromm-cold-old-thorns-anthology-2006.html

*Machinedrum “Now You Know” (Merck) – Pretty good glitchy IDM stuff that sounds a little like hip hop now and again. A couple tracks even have rapping over them, thought that was kinda different. I remember seeing this dude play live with Kid606 years ago and being impressed, and this served as a good reinforcer to that train of thought. Really dig the atmosphere of this album. http://freddypogo.blogspot.com/2008/10/machine-drum-now-you-know-merck-2001.html

*Orton Socket “99 Explosions” (Moikai) – A Rob Muzarek project, this one is more laptop-based soundscape than post-jazz Chicago Underground Duo  jams. I really like this record- has a nice balance between empty space and waves of bleepy-bloopy synth stuff, all without sounding very digital at all. Couldn’t find a single clip of this online, so pick it up if you should see it cheap.

*My Bible Company “Trying to Get to France On…” 7″ (Sick of Talk) – Considering there was a note saying this was written in 3 days, I expected this to be some goofball noise grind stuff, but it ends up sounding a little like an emo/thrash type band, but more stripped down with some fastcore elements. Seriously, there are some riffs that sound like Dead Friends or something! Not at all what I was expecting. http://www.myspace.com/mybiblecompany

*”Albany Style Hardcore” comp 7″ (Gloom) – Dollar bin ripper. Has unreleased tracks from Monster X, Devoid of Faith, Police Line, and By the Throat. Pretty much all great tracks, though I’m partial to the Monster X material…toss in a cover of Negative Approach and I’m listening. Check the links for downloads, all good bands.

*Parasites “(Our Love Is) Top Secret” 7″ (Rocco) – Decent 90′s pop punk…I never really got into this band back in the day, and this 7″ isn’t really anything special. Two mid-tempo poppy numbers with syrupy lyrics and all- you know the drill. B-side is a Winepress cover. I’ve heard songs from the Parasites that I loved (“Hang Up”), so I’ll still give this a few more spins to see if it grows on me. http://rapidshare.com/files/372776314/SP2010_Parasites_-__Compost.rar (singles collection, boyeeee)

*Tullycraft/the Smittens split 7″ (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) – One of the HHBtM singles series EPs…though not one of the best. The Tullycraft tune is alright, a Pooh Sticks cover. A downright great band covering another downright great band seems like a winner, but I dunno, it’s sort of extraneous. The Smittens, who I’m otherwise not familiar with, toss in a cover of “My Boyfriend’s Back” that’s not really much different than any other version you’ve heard. Fun though. http://www.myspace.com/thesmittens and http://tullycraftnation.com/mp3s/

*the Cave Weddings “Bring Your Love” 7″ (Hozac) – Poppy garage pop. Very 60′s-ish, maybe even some 50′s rock and roll feel at times. Just good old fashioned jangly guitar pop stuff. http://victoriansquidmusic.blogspot.com/2011/04/cave-weddings-bring-your-love-lets.html

*Sick-E’s “Mankind” 7″ (Square Wave) – I’d think if you like bands like the Screamers, you’d appreciate the Sick-E’s. Heavy on the synths, but still has the guitar-bass-drum punk rock thing at work, too. Both 7″s I have are really good, but the song “So Sick” on this one is probably my favorite tune. Check this out. http://www.myspace.com/thesickes and http://www.myspace.com/squarewaverecordss (“Get Out” is the A-side)

*Drongos For Europe “Hope and Glory” 7″ (Puke n’ Vomit) – I THINK this is new recordings, like from the 2000′s, of this old 80′s punk band. Not sure though because it sounds like it could have come from any time period, and I’m almost certain I’ve heard a couple of these songs before…so may be that they’re rerecorded versions? Anyway, it’s alright tuneful UK82 type stuff…not very familiar with their old records, but this ain’t too bad. Probably wouldn’t have bought it, but got it as a toss-in so it’s worth holding onto I guess. http://www.mediafire.com/?tgn2zmzkz2g

*the Krunchies “Interrobang EP” (Criminal IQ) – Love this band…they’re super peppy punk/hardcore, played very simply with some shrill ass vocals. They’re a band that just kinda does their thing under the radar and pumps out great records consistently. http://radpartyonlignebis.blogspot.com/2011/04/krunchies-interrobang-ep-2003.html

*Spectres “Cold War” 7″ (Whisper in Darkness) – More cold post-punk stuff in the vein of the Wipers and Killing Joke. I’m such a sucker for this style, but I can say that Spectres seems to attack it with a little more aggression and passion than a lot of the current crop. All of their tunes are winners. http://www.myspace.com/inlowlight

*Akutare “Riot City” 7″ (Schizophrenic) – Party rock from Japan…this is a dead ringer for those crust punk bands who were going for the Motorhead sound, bands like Inepsy. For the most part it’s pretty good, though “Inject Blues” straight up sounds like any band playing at your local bar…oof! http://rapidshare.com/files/358739730/akutare__jap__-_2007_-_riot_city_7__ep-gym-rf47.rar

*King Khan “…is the Velvet Monobrow” 7″ (Squoodge) – Fantastic low-key King Khan outing, the emphasis here being on sad songs. It’s really great solo stuff…way different than the records he makes with his bands. Sounds like Lou Reed, even! http://www.mediafire.com/?0kbhkyixd50bxyx

*Hygiene “Recruitment EP” 7″ (Going Underground) – Cool little EP- they’re from the UK and sound like they could have been around 30 years ago…punk anthems that sound like something off a Bloodstains comp. I know next to nothing about them, but I want to hear more. http://www.mediafire.com/?2bcbxmajnbuvp8n 

*Cococoma “All I Give” 7″ (Shit Sandwich) – Great poppy garage band! I love everything I’ve heard from Cococoma, and this record might be some of their best material. Noisy and tuneful at the same time, best of both worlds. http://cosmozebra.blogspot.com/2010/08/cococoma-singles.html

*Teenage Lovers “Number One” 7″ (Randy) – By the numbers power-pop stuff with the corniest of lyrics. It’s perfect for the style- not trying to say I don’t like it. Sometimes it’s a bit over the top, but they win me over with the effects-laden little guitar leads. I guess this is a dude from the Smith Westerns. http://keyboardsisdrunk.blogspot.com/2009/09/teenage-lovers-7.html

*the Boytoys “Girls Like You” 7″ (Spin the Bottle) – Again, very sugar sweet power pop type rock. This has melodies all over the place, almost like the stuff they play on the oldies station. I could see my mom getting really into this. Good EP, for sure! http://hardcorepunkreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/boy-toys-girls-like-you-7.html

*the Smith Westerns “Be My Girl” 7″ (Transparent) – Aaaaaand, the circle is complete. Nabbed this Smith Westerns EP for like a dollar or something…it’s two tracks from their 1st LP, don’t even think they’re different recordings or anything. Probably a European tour teaser record when it came out. You get “Be My Girl” and “Girl in Love”. Huzzah. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSKZMQSPtZA and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1j4_N3tCBg&feature=related

*Pohjasakka “Maailma Taynna Vihaa” 7″ (boot) – It’s well established that I love 80′s hardcore, so I grab any reissues/boots that look cool at all. I’d seen this band around from tape distros and whatnot, so I pounced on this record when I saw it for a couple dollars. Stunningly raging Finnish hardcore. http://degenerik666.blogspot.com/2011/03/pohjasakka-maailma-taynna-vihaa-ep-1985.html

*Team Effort “The Third Age” 7″ (Good News) – Pretty standard youth crew, straightedge hardcore with a more modern sound to it. I can definitely hang with all of these nth tier bands because this sound is sort of timeless. Has a Bold type sound, very posi and no tough guy posturing. My copy’s a tour version too, so wooooo!

*Swinehood “In Bad Shape” 7″ (Ken Rock) – From the start, I was digging the Negative Approach rip off cover. Made me chuckle. The tunes are pretty stellar, too. Brash punk rock, almost leaning into Dwarves territory. A-side is four rippers, and the B-side is one long dirge. Nice one! Holy shit, just read that this is a dude from the Brainbombs! http://outstandingasshole.blogspot.com/2010/01/swinehood-in-bad-shape-7.html

*Suburban Death Machine “Fuck the Scene, We’re…” 7″ (Urban Death Mission) – Totally generic grade punk/hardcore from Pittsburgh. Way more mid-tempo than I was expecting. Nothing wrong with it, but it’s very textbook in its delivery. This stuff is a good time, but not super essential or anything. Probably perfect for just throwing on while you’re trying to remember where you left your ID before heading to the liquor store. http://www.myspace.com/suburbandeathmachine

*Time’s Up “At Ease” 7″ (Happy Days) – Old 90′s hardcore band that gets pretty mathy/techy. Lots of killer riffs and devestating  breakdowns. Great songs…think stuff like the early Dillinger Escape Plan or Rorschach even. Pre-Burnt By the Sun, too! Not the same record, but you’ll get the idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJfxP-_zs_A

*Velcro Stars/Keith John Adams split 7″ (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) – Another entry in an older HHBtMe singles series. The Keith John Adams tune is pretty cool indie rock, I dunno it reminds me of like a poppier Bob Dylan or something. Velcro Stars are more of a rockin’ indie band, but no slouches either. Nice enough split. http://www.myspace.com/keithjohnadams and http://www.myspace.com/velcrostars

You Think It’s Like This…, 4/30

So, OK, I haven’t had time to get around to this (like you care), but now I’m going to take a stab at this again…

*Circle Jerks “Golden Shower of Hits” (LAX) – Been going through a “good band’s 2nd/3rd/4th albums” phase lately and picking up a lot of later-era LPs on the cheap. Turns out this Circle Jerks album is pretty darn good, like probably even better than Wild in the Streets! It sounds pretty punk, fast and a little quirky, and it hits the mark way more times than it misses. Could do without the medley at the end, but I realize it’s part of the album’s theme. http://punknotprofit.blogspot.com/2007/03/circle-jerks-golden-shower-of-hits.html

*Last Communion “self titled” (P. Trash) - Not your typical P. Trash band at all. It sounds more like a Leatherface or Husker Du-influenced punk band than anything remotely garage. This is a pretty solid record, which I think is helped by the fact that it’s only half an LP. The other side has a bitchin’ screenprint for bonus points. Really into this band. http://www.myspace.com/thelastcommunion

*Ares Kingdom “Firestorm Redemption” (Nuclear War Now) – Gotta collect ‘em all…this amounts to little more than a 12″ single for a song off of their Return to DustLP, but I fucking love this band, so I waited until I found a copy for $3 or so. The title track is a killer metal tune, lots of technical twists and turns. Real beefy. The 2 b-sides aren’t slouches either. If you like older death/thrash stuff with a way more punishing sound, then this ought to be on your radar. http://rapidshare.com/files/123945448/Ares_Kingdom_-_Firestorm_Redemption___ep__-_2006.rar

*”England Belongs to Me Vol. 3″ compilation (77) – I’m virtually certain this is a bootleg, but I live for these: comps that collect insanely difficult to find EPs from the late 70′s/early 80′s punk scene, the world around. This one’s all British stuff, kinda hit or miss, but I liked the majority of it. These bootleggers really scrape the barrel clean, huh? Christ, I can’t believe I’m going through this much trouble…couldn’t find a link for the comp, so here’s all the individual slabs that I could find: Romford Stompers, Lucy, Llygod Ffyring, Surgeons, Cherry Poppers, Trainspotters, Moscow, Petticoats, Liberace Coughs Up Blood, Sick Things, The Plague, Chaos U.K. (NOT the band you think it is), Intestines, Automatics, Hornsey at War, the Pigs, Neon, and the Now. Whew.

*Guitar Wolf “Missile Me” (Matador) – Still seems so weird to me that Matador was cranking this stuff out, but whatever- this is a GREAT record. In high school, I didn’t appreciate it…thought it was just a crappy recording of a rock’n'roll Ramones. But now I realize that everything anyone says before the age of, like, 24 is a total load of shit, so I’ve come around to this as if it were scripture. Everything about this is perfect- the sound, the songs, the aesthetic. http://www.mediafire.com/?cpbcxj0mwsm

*the Hatepinks “Sick Cake” (P. Trash) – A buddy of mine told me this is his least favorite band, so I had to check it out. I mean, worse than Aerosmith? Sublime? Linda Rondstadt? You know as well as I do that it was an exaggeration- so this record isn’t that great. Totally generic garage rock, but played with a little bit of soul. The songs seem like they’re going somewhere, but since it only lasts like 6 tracks, it’s hard to get a feel for them. Worse than fucking Michael Bolton? I dunno, dude. http://hatepinks.free.fr/sound.htm

*Corrosion of Conformity “Eye For An Eye” (Toxic Shock) – Stupidly good crossover hardcore LP. I think I own every possible version of this record possible now…had a tape for years, then upgraded to a CD with the bonus “with Mike” tracks, ended up with a boot of the LP, now I snagged an OG copy. If you’re scared off by what they turned into in the ’90s, fear not, their 1st 3 albums are all crucial jams. http://punknotprofit.blogspot.com/2008/05/corrosion-of-conformity-eye-for-eye-six.html

*Athletic Automaton/Made In Mexico split LP (Armageddon) – Split between 2 bands that are both ex-Arab On Radar. They’re both pretty good; I think I dig the Made In Mexico stuff a bit more though. It’s got this spastic, almost no-wave type feel to it at times. Athletic Automaton is cool, too, though they’re more stripped down- likely due to them only being a two-piece. http://www.mediafire.com/?ozmulwbudnv

*Zero Boys “Vicious Circle” (Rifleman press) – Decided I needed to own a copy of this record finally, so here it is. Killer 80′s punk, with that cool, twisted Midwestern sound to it. Don’t really know what to say about this band that hasn’t been said a thousand times. God, I’m so into this record…few bands stick in mind with writing such catchy and rocking riffs. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NCLIR2KY

*Disrupt “Unrest” (Relapse) – Another classic record in my new piles…had this on tape for like the last 12 years, finally had to nut up and buy a legit copy. Devestating crusty hardcore that sounds so damn intense. This makes me a little on-edge, even today, it’s so blunt and forceful. Love the animal rights sound clips, too. Essential listening. http://satanachist.blogspot.com/2008/11/disrupt-unrest.html

*Dead Milkmen “Big Lizard in My Backyard” (Restless) – Continuing the theme of “duh” records, I present you my 2nd favorite Dead Milkmen album. This is considerably more ‘punk’ sounding than most of their other stuff, and in mind this is forever linked with the Angry Somoans. Guess it’s just the goofy catchy punk thing. There’s a few songs on here that I could live without, but for the most part this rules back to front. http://commercialzone.blogspot.com/2009/06/dead-milkmen-big-lizard-in-my-backyard.html

*Phobia “Grind Your Fucking Head In” (Deep Six) – High/low vocals, grindy guitar riffs, total “war all the time” layout…yep, we’ve got another Phobia record on our hands! This band has been churning this stuff out for close to forever, and they do an alright job at it. I like Phobia in small doses, and this album clocks in at like 18 minutes…so we’re good. http://www.mediafire.com/?exypj2nwo4ev7o6

*Iskra “Selected Works” (Profane Existence) – Really, really cool metal influenced crust stuff. Like, Bolt Thrower influenced stuff. It’s super metal, but keeps the hardcore stuff fully intact. This CD collects their LP, some 7″s, and a few live tracks. This might be the best thing Profane Existence has put out in like 10 years. http://noiseagainsthumanity.blogspot.com/2011/02/iskra-selected-works-2007.html

*Waldteufel “Sanguis” (Beta-Lactam Ring) – The closest comparison I could make is maybe Crash Worship…it’s very rhythmic and noisy with some weirder elements now and again. I enjoyed this very much, but it’s sort of mood music…like, this will harsh any mellow you might have going on. Love it. http://melodiametal.blogspot.com/2009/08/waldteufel-sanguis-2007.html

*Fudge Tunnel ” The Complicated Futility of Ignorance” (Earache) – Possibly the hardest of all Fudge Tunnel albums, this one reminds me of those bands like Life of Agony or Prong or something, not really metal, but not really sounding like anything else. There’s some seriously raging locked-groove riffs on some of these songs. I’m a big fan of these dudes, but they seem somewhat forgotten to time. http://anotherbullshitblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/fudge-tunnel-complicated-futility-of.html

*Yo La Tengo “President Yo La Tengo” (Twin Tone) – Man, this record is a pretty mediocre spot in the Yo La Tengo catalog. It’s not that it’s bad, it just doesn’t even sound like them. Kinda rocked out, meandering, but just not very hooky. Worth a listen, but it’s eclipsed by most of their other stuff…conveniently located here: http://sobrecafeecigarros.blogspot.com/2009/05/yo-la-tengo.html 

*Autechre “Amber” (Wax Trax) – Autechre’s second full length album starts to build into a more ambient structure that would eventually become “IDM”. This is still pretty ‘beats’ heavy, sounding more like the stuff Wax Trax was pumping out around this time, but it kinda has a more free-form feel. Not bad stuff, especially if you can dig on the more light-industrial parts of electronic music. http://popstalinist.blogspot.com/2010/02/autechre-amber-1994.html

*Fennesz “Hotel Paral.lel” (Mego) – Riding more of a “noise” thing, but still very much a headphones-electronica type album. I get lost in the shifting nature of this album (and all of the Fennesz records I’ve heard), making me feel sort of like floating through a bunch of random ideas that got smashed together. For some, that could be a problem, but I dunno, it holds my attention. http://newnoisenet.blogspot.com/2008/11/fennesz-hotel-parallel-editions-mego.html

*King Louie One Man Band “Chinese Crawfish” (Goner) – This is alright, but I sort of can’t take it seriously. There’s a song about being a one-man band. Yeah, I got it. And some weird narration/skit type things.  The songs are pretty ok though, ranging from Hasil Adkins type stompers to more subdued acoustic numbers. I haven’t heard any of his other stuff, but I was expecting a little more from this one considering dude’s legend status. http://www.mediafire.com/?mdd2jzwmyymhttp://www.mediafire.com/?mdd2jzwmyym

*Antiseen “Raw Shit” (Repo) – I think this is the only Antiseen LP that hasn’t been repressed yet…guess because it’s an oddball collection of 7″ and live tracks, some outtakes too. It’s awesome though- 80′s Antiseen is hard to top. The Confederacy of Scum lives on in my heart, even though the only physical trace you might note is my gangly beard. http://www.megaupload.com/es/?d=U1TFIQRH

*King Khan & the Shrines “What Is?!” (Hazelwood) – Always dig King Khan’s vibe. So much fun! He kinda takes an R&B/soul thing, gussies it up with some fist-pumping rock and roll, and goes to town. I’m a big fan of this album, just puts me in the right frame of mind to leave the house and have a good time. http://ongakubaka.blogspot.com/2007/07/king-khan-shrines-what-is.html

*Chrome “Blood on the Moon” (Cleopatra) – Love Chrome and this might be the LP I listen to most…this shit sounds like real outsider music. Like the stuff machine’s would make if they were capable of thought. Way more haunting than you realize, until you get the creepy little nuances caught in your head and you’re walking down the street staring at strangers, realizing the world is cold and alone. The best. http://stance-out.blogspot.com/2011/01/chrome-blood-on-moon.html

*Stormtroopers of Death “Speak English or Die” (Megaforce) – Stellar thrash attack. This record still holds up, many years after I first heard it. Don’t you wish Anthrax sounded like this? Stone cold classic, it is. http://bloodjunkies.blogspot.com/2008/08/stormtroopers-of-death-speak-english-or.html

*The Spawn of Satan/Bloodsick split LP (Hell’s Headbangers) – Pretty awesome thrash metal from these bands. Both sides sound a whole lot like they could have come from the golden era Bay Area scene…I think both bands have dudes from Nunslaughter in it, so there’s a pretty solid mark of quality for me. Get this bad boy if you should see it cheap. http://www.myspace.com/666spawnofsatan and http://www.soullessdomain.com/bloodsick/bloodsick.htm

*Ultrasound “Analogic” (Ba-Da-Bing) – Sleepy drone stuff, reminds me a lot of Stars of the Lid and the like. Man, I could listen to this stuff all day…and I suppose that’s what it’s designed for. See, each side of the 2 LPs represents a time of day: morning, night, afternoon, dawn, or something along those lines. Not that it really sounds any different, but this is the kind of record I could be happy with in just about any situation. Just nod my head and smile, drift off to that happy place. Here’s a track from them, but this record is near impossible to search online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49nZ0mt-TyE

*Meanwhile “Remaining Right: Silence” (Feral Ward) – Fucking DOPE d-beat hardcore from these masters. This is a vinyl reissue of their 1st album and it slays with some youthful energy and power. This stuff cracks like a whip, bulldozing everything in its path. Bands like this are everywhere (thanks, Internet!), but Meanwhile always stands out at the top of the heap. http://degenerik666.blogspot.com/2010/12/meanwhile-remaining-right-silence1995.html

I NEVER ASKED TO BE BORN, 4/7

I NEVER ASKED TO BE BORN.

*Lords “Fuck All Ya’ll Motherfuckers” (Black Market Activities) – This band’s been cranking out their jagged hardcore/metal stuff for years now. This record doesn’t sound drastically different to any of their other stuff, which ain’t a bad move on their end. I always liked how wild their song structures sound without being a total mess. Next time lose the intro track though. http://toxicbreedsfunhouse.blogspot.com/2010/02/lords-fuck-all-yall-mother-fuckers.html

*Dawn of Azazel “Sedition” (Ibex Moon) – Pretty standard death metal from New Zealand. The drums on this record are pretty great, a big flurry of blasts and crazy patterns. Overall this band is pretty technical, actually. And the vocals are shouted rather than growled, so that was a welcome difference. Won’t blow your mind, but not a bad way to kill 30 minutes. http://angrierchairs.blogspot.com/2009/11/dawn-of-azazel-discography.html (get it all in one scoop)

*Algebra One “Conscious Pilot” (Delmar) – Such a great band. Emo rock that has a fairly unique bent, sort of making a Pixies-ish sort of dissonant pop tune into a Boys Life number. Or something like that, I dunno. They know how to write a hook, then jam on the good parts for awhile without getting boring. http://jameshoffer.blogspot.com/2010/04/algebra-one-earn-your-halothe-keep.html (for some reason the link to this record is missing the 6th song, bummer)

*Smoking Popes “Destination Failure” (Capitol) – Really good punk/pop from these legends. For some reason, I never picked this album up. Maybe I figured it’d be shitty in comparison to their 1st 2 LPs. But nah, it’s a good’n. Some of the songs sound kinda phoned in, they rerecorded a couple tunes and made them worse, and they always pick the fucking stupidest covers (a song from Willy Wonka? F’real?), but the good songs carry this. Ever wanted to know what it would sound like Morrissey fronted a power pop band? “There’s yer sign”. http://futureisunwrittenmusic.blogspot.com/2009/10/smoking-popes-destination-failure-1997.html

*Pigface “Truth Will Out” (Invisible) – Live Pigface album that ends up sounding less like industrial and more like noise rock. Translation: I’m listening. This is not a very good introduction to the band, but if you’re just wishing you could find more dirge trash, then this will suit you fine. You might recognize the song “Suck”, which went on to be a Nine Inch Nails tune. Really dig the use of horns and sitars and shit. I know nothing about torrents, but it seems that you can get everything they did from this blog: http://expresionexcentrica.blogspot.com/2011/01/pigface-discografia.html or http://www.myspace.com/officialpigface

*Through the Eyes of Carrion “The Passing” (Blackmetal.com) – Primitive sounding blackened death metal. It really doesn’t sound like black metal other than the raspy vocals and blown out recording. This is a weird one, it’s their previous band Slumber’s demo, bookended by 4 tracks by this current incarnation. The sound doesn’t change drastically, but I think the new band is only a 2 piece and doesn’t sound as full. Still cool shit, though. http://www.myspace.com/tteoc

*Prefuse 73 “The ’92 vs. ’02 Collection” EP (Warp) – I don’t know much of this band’s stuff, but I can say that everything I hear is awesome. This EP is great, though 4 songs is way too short. Just when I start to really feel the groove, it’s over! Really solid 15 minutes of subtle, hip hop-laden, electronica, though. http://itscomingoutofyourspeaker.blogspot.com/2007/06/prefuse-73-92-vs-02-collection.html

*Magnetophone “Come on the ‘Phone” EP (4ad) – Much like the above record, this record is toooooooo short. 4 songs that I find really endearing, but wish there was more. This was my introduction to this band, so I guess it serves its purpose, but dang. It’s very stripped down, spacey electronic stuff. Nice lush sound to it, almost soundtrack type music. Could listen to this stuff all day. Really want their 7″s now! http://www.myspace.com/magnetophone

*Flying Saucer Attack “with Roy Montgomery” EP (VHF) – I love Flying Saucer Attack, and was always curious about this one. It’s snippets from live recordings and random studio bits pieced together to make an audio collage of sorts. It plays pretty well, and doesn’t sound too far off from their usual output. Think shoegazer walls of feedback, with everything buried so far into the murk that it gets overwhelming. Mood music for sure. This instrumental version of “The Whole Day” is up there with the best FSA tracks, ever. Someone start a band with me that sounds like this. http://www.allmusic.com/album/goodbye-and-goodbye-whole-day-r257720

*Karate “Unsolved” (Southern) – Best band. Laid back jazzy indie rock with a strong sense of dynamics. Every record they make is jaw-droppingly good and fun to listen to. I wish I could play any instrument as good as these guys play all of them. Karate always has this cool tension to their songs, and this album uses quiet instead of feedback to build it. Way good. http://sharethread.blogspot.com/2009/12/karate-unsolved-2000.html

*Low “The Curtain Hits the Cast” (Vernon Yard) – Low is, in my brain, eternally linked with Karate as a brother-band. I saw them play together a decade or so ago and it was one of the more magical experiences of my musical memory. Low is sort of the exact opposite of Karate, though. Instead of playing with jazz structures and complicated tones, Low is just slow and sad. Seriously,  if this shit makes you smile, you’ve got issues. It’s perfect music, though; everything about it is lovely. The songs are deconstructed into playing a note every few seconds and creating this huge silence that makes the songs just crawl into you. So minimal that, if I remember correctly, that the drummer’s entire setup live was a snare drum and a ride cymbal. Couldn’t recommend this album more. http://janoexpo.blogspot.com/2008/01/low-curtain-hits-cast.html

*Rocket From the Crypt “Group Sounds” (Vagrant) – Finally took the plunge into later RFTC stuff recently, and I must admit that my fears were unwarranted- like they’d sound like anything else than they always have. Full on rock and roll with enough noise and cleverness to appeal to pretty much everyone. The horns have gotten so anthemic, it’s awesome. Glad I grabbed this one. http://bloodjunkies.blogspot.com/2008/06/rocket-from-crypt-group-sounds.html

*Circulatory System “self titled” (Cloud) – Dude(s) from Olivia Tremor Control starts a new band that sounds, well, exactly like Olivia Tremor Control. Dark outsider psych/pop stuff that sounds like it’s from some Orwellian hippie scene. Lots of random noise loops and stuff act as interludes to the good tunes. Pretty good album if you dig the Elephant 6 side of life. http://maroonbible.blogspot.com/2008/05/circulatory-system-circulatory-system.html

*Dead to Me “African Elephants” (Fat Wreck Chords) – While not being nearly as good as the previous LP and EP, African Elephants is still a solid listen. Weird decisions are all over this record (opening with a reggae tune, closing with a grunge rocker), but for the most part the songs still have that Dillinger Four-lite pop punk style. The main dude isn’t on this album, but it doesn’t really hinder anything- the songs are super political and still pretty catchy without being sugary. http://sharethepunk.blogspot.com/2010/02/dead-to-me-african-elephants.html

*the Movielife “Forty Hour Train Back to Penn” (Drive-Thru) – Good radio pop punk stuff, not unlike A New Found Glory and their ilk. I like this stuff just fine, and this band has a few real hits. Not every song works, but that’s par for the course with this genre. I bet these dudes had frosted tips.  http://sickalbums.blogspot.com/2010/09/movielife-forty-hour-train-back-to-penn.html

*the Loved Ones “Build and Burn” (Fat Wreck Chords) – First time I listened to this, I thought it was horrible. I like their 1st LP and EP a lot, but this is quite a bit different. Not really the style, it’s still your basic big-budget pop punk with gruff vocals, but the song writing here seems, I dunno, stifled. Even the good ideas only seem half-realized. But when I revisited it a week or two later, I found it more redeemable. Has sort of an Americana feel to it, like maybe they listened to a bunch of Springsteen.  http://oddsongs.blogspot.com/2008/01/loved-ones-build-burn-2008_21.html

*Miles Away “Rewind. Repeat.” (6131) – Passable modern hardcore. I didn’t really get into this band that much, but I know their earlier records were on Bridge Nine, so I might check them out eventually. It sounds like a lot of the updated youth crew bands, maybe Champion and Bane, but it just doesn’t have the heart.  I do like that they messed with the formula a bit with acoustic guitar parts and stuff, but this stuff really doesn’t carry the anger with it at all. http://totaldeathcore.blogspot.com/2008/09/miles-away-rewind-repeat-2007.html

*Soul Position “Things Go Better With RJ and AL” (Rhymesayers) – Hip hop side project from RJD2 and Blueprint. This is pretty good, kind of a middle ground between their 2 styles, but it’s pretty silly…so don’t go into this expecting to have a whole lot of insight when you’re done. It’s still a pretty fun record, and it’s obvious that they had a good time making it. http://freshmusick.blogspot.com/2007/07/01-beginning-02-no-gimmicks-03-hand-me.html

*Fear of God “Useless Murder” (Bootleg) – Had this for years, but haven’t listened to it in awhile. Fear of God are kings among the grindcore heathens…brutal, wicked fast, and pissed. This is a boot of pretty much all of their output, or at least both 7″s are a ton of rehearsal demos. This is the stuff nightmares are made of! http://noiseofgod.blogspot.com/2007/08/fear-of-god-useless-murder-85-tracks.html

*Animal Collective “Feels” (Fat Cat) – Sure, you’ve probably heard this before (me too), but just picked up a cheap copy for myself. It’s pretty chill, even for them. I like it a lot, maybe even more than that really famous album they did before this one. I’m partial to the early bizarre-o stuff, but this gets my mind right. http://gatorip.blogspot.com/2008/03/animal-collective-feels.html

*the Gossip “That’s Not What I Heard” (Kill Rock Stars) – Always had a soft spot for this band. Kinda bluesy, garage type indie stuff. If this wasn’t rough around the edges, this would probably some sub-White Stripes bullshit, but this record is pretty cool. God, their fanbase was the worst back in the day, though, we can mostly all agree on that, I think. http://basuraindie.blogspot.com/2009/12/gossip-thats-not-what-i-heard.html

*Spraypaint “Still Empty Me and Still Moving Out” (Oval) – Incredibly solid pop punk from Japan. Some of my favorite music in the world, and Spraypaint are heroes. This is a really, really great slab of punk rock. If you like anything melodic and distorted, this would do you right. http://www.undermusik.com/2010/01/spray-paint-still-empty-me-and-still.html

*Conga Fury “Chaotic Noise” (Six Weeks/Slap A Ham) – This was one of the last Slap A Ham releases, I think. Maybe? Regardless, Conga Fury is a lesson in total noise thrash ‘core. Most of this flies by in a blur, but it’s in the best of ways. The female vocals really make this band shine. http://downunderground.blogspot.com/2008/03/conga-fury-chaotic-noise.html

*Flashpapr “self titled” (Ypsilanti) – Wow, this is an awesome LP. Fred Thomas from Saturday Looks Good to Me and Lovesick did this band a decade ago, going for less of a pop sound and ending up somewhere in a more artsy indie/folk type place. Harmonica, bells, chimes, that sort of stuff. Think of maybe of Ida or His Name Is Alive or something. Beautiful music. http://blissinconcrete.blogspot.com/2009/08/flashpapr-flashpapr.html

*the Grifters “Full Blown Possession” (Sub Pop) – Great, but still not my favorite, record from the Grifters. This one sounds more focused than their earlier material, with less wild noisy parts and even some acoustic numbers. This band writes some of the best ’90s indie rock, though, so be sure to check it out. http://ihatethe90s.blogspot.com/2010/07/grifters-full-blown-possession-1997.html

*Pines of Nowhere “self titled” (Slowdime) – Nice and hectic indie/punk jams. This sounds like it easily could have come from the same scene as bands like Cars Get Crushed and the weirder Gravity bands. Cool band that I don’t know much about at all. http://www.mediafire.com/?mzkozl3yekj

*Protestant “The Hate. The Hollow” (Halo of Flies/Rimbaud) – Dark, heavy, thick hardcore, combining elements of Tragedy, Damad, and even a little metalcore. This is way better than their previous records, which in themselves weren’t too bad! http://troubleonyoursystem.blogspot.com/2009/03/protestant-hate-hollow-12.html

*Plaid “Trainer” (Warp) – Neat collection/overview of these early 90′s electronic fellows. I like this, but it does sound really dated…some of it sounds like dance music, but some of it is proto-IDM stuff, making it a fairly important entry into my record collection. When you’re dealing with this much music (double disc set!), there are some real stinkers, but it’s easy to look beyond that. http://acrocosm.blogspot.com/2008/07/plaid-trainer.html

*”Kid606 and Friends, Vol. 1″ compilation (Tigerbeat6) – Don’t think a second volume ever came out, but no biggie. This is a killer comp of original Kid606 tracks and a bunch of remixes by folks like Cex, Aube, Electric Company, and a handful of others. It plays well enough to work as an album. One of my favorite electronic records. http://rapidshare.com/#!download|714l33|135309444|K_k_f.part1.rar|85973 (part 1) and http://rapidshare.com/files/135578648/K_k_f.part2.rar (part 2).

Right in the Kisser, 4/6

Spent the weekend chainsawing storm debris, and I’m happy to report that as of this morning, it’s all gone. Well there’s a buttload of it behind my yard, but it’s on the city’s property so it’s their problem. Look, if they wanted me to dispose of it, they should relax the burn ban…just sayin’. 4-3-2-1 GO!

*Over My Dead Body “Sink or Swim” (Indecision) – This band always gets me pumped. Updated straight edge hardcore, played pretty much exactly like your favorite Revelation bands with a better guitar tone. One song on here throws me off because it sounds exactly like a Lifetime/Kid Dynamite tune, but that’s not to say it’s bad. Great record, short and sweet. http://toxicbreedsfunhouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/over-my-dead-body-sink-or-swim.html

*A.N.S. “Let Them Eat Wood- Discography 2005-2007″ (Gnarly Slaughter) – Collection of all this band’s earlier records. Really into these guys and their Nardcore style, think bands like Ill Repute or Agression mixed up with some surfy guitar and thrash ‘tude. Actually, they cover JFA (and Agression) and that might be a pretty good comparison. Can’t really go wrong here. http://toxicbreedsfunhouse.blogspot.com/2009/10/ans-let-them-eat-wood-discography-2005.html

*Nobukazu Takemura “Hoshi No Koe” (Thrill Jockey) – I’m a big fan of the bleepy bloopy electronic music, I guess “IDM” is the word that gets thrown around with this stuff. My girlfriend loves the more dance-oriented end of the genre, but we can usually agree on this stuff when chilling around the house together. This album is really cutesy and gentle, and very random- all over the place with notes and loops, but there are a few tracks that feel more cohesive too. It’s a little longer than I’d like, but overall that’s not too distracting. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QZ77WKAF

*Clouddead “self titled” (Mush) – Motherfuck! This is so awesome, can’t believe I put off hearing this for years. It’s like taking ambient stuff, hip hop, and shoegaze music and blending all that up into some crazy mashup. I guess these guys went on to be pretty well-respected on their own, but this collective just nails it. The songs are all super long, minimal, and disjointed, which just adds to the manic, lack-of-sleep feel they pull off. So, so good. http://speakerb0x.blogspot.com/2009/01/clouddead-clouddead-2001.html

*Reagan Youth “Live and Rare” (New Red Archives) – Superfluous release from a great band. I mean, this is basically the best tunes from the 1st LP (insane-o good) and a few songs from the unreleased one (kinda weak) played live, then some demo versions of the 1st LP tracks that don’t really sound a whole lot different. I’ve grown to really enjoy live records because it allows me to hear a band play without having to sit through the misery that is a live show in 2011; god I hate going to shows nowadays. I digress…anyway, this is a fine listen, but if you don’t have the Youth Anthems LP you’re really missing out. http://killthepose.blogspot.com/2010/01/they-were-and-american-hcpunk-band.html

*Helmet “Meantime” (Interscope) – This is by far my favorite Helmet record. It’s got all the start-stop riffing and oddly-timed JNCO-core rhythms that bring me back to a time in my life that was full of angst and recklessness, a simpler time. Now I eat cantaloupe for breakfast and manage my banking online. Whatev. It still sounds “hard” to me, like this is something I would power lift to at the gym if I should be willing to pay for a membership instead of leeching off my girl’s account as a perpetual “guest”. I can’t imagine you haven’t heard this band by now, but just in case…http://musictraveler.blogspot.com/2008/01/helmet-meantime-1992-256.html

*Incursus “Eternal Funeral Trance” (Forever Plagued) – Pretty cool raw ass black metal. I really have very little frame of reference for this stuff, but this is definitely not at all operatic and melodramatic. It’s nice and harsh, very focused on the guitars to create the atmosphere. It’s not like this is reinventing the genre, but it works nicely to get down and evil with. http://blackmetalownsyou.blogspot.com/2009/12/incursus-eternal-funeral-trance.html

*Paint It Black “New Lexicon” (Jade Tree) – Dan Yemin of Lifetime/Kid Dynamite/Resurrection fame kicks out the jams with this band, and again they’ve made a really cool record that sounds a bit different than the (wolf)pack. It’s got a recognizable melodic hardcore style, but they always find a way to do this sound more aggro and creatively. Plus the lyrics are pretty thoughtful and witty. Really digging it. http://hxcpunkrockbands.blogspot.com/2009/01/paint-it-black-new-lexicon.html

*Screeching Weasel “Emo” (Panic Button) – Umm, well, figured I might as well complete the SW collection and pick up the late 90′s/early 2000′s albums because, hey, I can afford the few dollars a pop. This album actually starts out really strong; the first two songs are as good as anything else they ever did. Then it goes downhill pretty fast and gets pretty blah. Like, it doesn’t flat out suck, but it’s just so tired and boring sounding. I know this is supposed to be serious and heartfelt and all that, but they couldn’t even be real enough to give the album a halfway serious title, instead just throwing jabs at a term. This is the beginning of the “that’s that” portion of the man’s life/career. http://discostoxicosrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/http%3A%2F%2Frapidshare.com%2Ffiles%2F234475645%2F1999.rar.html

*Browntrout “Stepping With Fuzzy Ideas” (Anti New Waves) – Ohhh boy, I LOVE the Japanese pop punk scene. Seriously, every single band I hear from that circuit is flat out amazing, Browntrout being no exception. Take Leatherface, but make them more poppy and nuanced, throw in some of All’s melody, and there you have this band’s sound. Blows my mind at how good this is. Cool Descendents cover, too. http://www.undermusik.com/2010/01/browntrout-stepping-with-fuzzy-ideas.html

*Descendents “I Don’t Want to Grow Up” (SST) – There are only 2 really good Descendents records: Milo Goes to College and this one. So I finally manned up and bought a copy. Not every song is that good, but the good ones are so awesome that you can look past the couple stinkers. http://sanityisafulltimejob.blogspot.com/2009/02/descendents-i-dont-want-to-grow-up.html

*the Queers “Punk Rock Confidential” (Hopeless) – Bought this along with the Screeching Weasel record to try to reexamine the years of high school when I was getting into Assuck, drifting away from this stuff. Turns out this album isn’t that bad! I liked it back in the day, but then somehow decided this is the album where the Queers got really shitty. It’s still not the same as Love Songs for the Retarded, but the tunes are catchy and have the dirty-old-man quality that this band has sort made their signature move. http://www.mediafire.com/?mxgjnnznkwy

*Modern Machines/the Fragments split CD (New Disorder) – I love the Modern Machines. They did the whole Replacements thing better than pretty much anyone else. This is their 1st record, I think, and it shows- the songs are ok, but definitely not as catchy or refined as the tunes they went on to do. Still, they’re better than the Fragments part of this record, who just do a typical pop-punk thing. http://suicidepills.blogspot.com/2011/03/modern-machines-2002-modern-machines.html

*Refrigerator “How You Continue Dreaming” (Communion) – Oh how I love my lo-fi indie stuff. This is total bedroom-core stuff, washed over with a layer of tape hiss and acoustic guitars. It’s really not noisy at all, tending to stay on a more contemplative note, but it really sounds good to my ears. Their later records sort of get into a more alt/country feel, but this one is up their with Sebadoh and whatnot. http://allmusic.com/album/how-you-continue-dreaming-r252458 and http://www.myspace.com/lonesomesurprise

*Autechre “Peel Session” (Warp) – One of my favorite electronic bands/artists. This is exactly what it sounds like- a few IDM tracks recorded for John Peel in, like, 1995. Great EP- I’d rank these songs up with some of the best Autechre’s done. This is a step in their more mechanical sounding direction, which is what I prefer. http://musistenz.blogspot.com/2009/10/autechre-peel-session-131095-1999.html

*Mercury Rev “Yerself Is Steam” (Rough Trade) – Incredible 90′s alternative/indie rock stuff. This album is kind of hazy, psychedelic, and sort of freaked out, drifting in and out and feedback and understated pop songs. The recording makes these songs sound almost like you’re hearing them from next door, like maybe you shouldn’t be hearing them. Love it, so I’m definitely in the market for anything else they did. http://dromoscope.blogspot.com/2009/06/mercury-rev-yerself-is-steam-1991.html

*Uw Hypotheekadvies “Nature or Nurture” (Beta-lactam Ring) – Freaked out improv guitar rock. Lots of noise, distortion, and feedback, played very loudly and somewhat chaotically. I guess this is “modern prog” or something, but to me this sounds like what a no wave band might do if they just jammed instead of writing disco riffs and lyrics. Cool stuff. http://www.myspace.com/uwhypotheekadvies

*Meat Beat Manifesto “Subliminal Sandwich” (Nothing) – Industrial stuff influenced very heavily by hip hop beats and dub style. I’d never really payed attention to this band before, but they always came highly recommended to me. My one real complaint with this is that it’s LONG…like, too long. There’s good tracks, but a good bit of filler too. The 2nd disc has some killer stuff, though, where the dub gets kicked up a notch and they just jam on for like 10 minutes. I guess one of these songs was in the Matrix or something? Never watched those movies, so I can’t comment. http://www.mediafire.com/?ktlm9yzmti0 and http://www.mediafire.com/?vjbymmwmmn1 to grab both discs.

*Set Fire to Flames “Telegraphs in Negative/Mouths Trapped in Static” (Alien8 ) – Awesome experiment post-post-rock stuff from Canada. Some of this stuff barely passes as music, but it creates such a downtrodden atmosphere that it works perfectly. Can’t get enough of this record lately- it’s a lot to digest at once, but it’s worth it for a long car ride or something. http://akuma-no-uta.blogspot.com/2008/10/set-fire-to-flames-telegraphs-in.html

*Rocket From the Tombs “The Day The Earth Met the…” (Smog Veil) – Nice collection of live and demo tracks from this band who were live a supergroup in reverse. Dudes from this band went on to start the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu; heavy hitters for sure. This is very Detroit/Stooges sounding rock and roll, in a great way. Also of note is hearing early versions of “Sonic Reducer” and “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”. The versions here aren’t quite at the level that their respective bands would reach, but they’re unpolished and quite simply badass. A couple Stooges covers thrown in for good measure. http://chasm-filler.blogspot.com/2009/02/rocket-from-tombs-day-earth-met-rocket.html

*Samhain “Black Dream” (bootleg) – Picked this up for a few dollars because I’ll pretty much buy anything associated with Danzig at this point. Kind of a cool artifact, though- contains the original mix of the Unholy Passion EP, which is kinda useless, some demos, and a live set that rules. The real jewel of this is the interview bits, because I fucking love hearing Danzig pontificate on ANYTHING. http://rapidshare.com/#!download|734l3|284583031|1996_-_Black_Dream.zip|80065

*Set Your Goals “This Will Be the Death of Us” (Epitaph) – I can admit that I’m a total cheeseball. I can admit this band is terrible. But, screw it, I like them ok. It’s total pop-hardcore, like the kind of stuff that would be playing at whatever store sells designer sunglasses and surfer shorts at the mall. I mean, it’s like it was written by a computer to be pitch perfect, a little aggressive, and physically attractive, so it’s hard to deny it’s at least catchy. Before you judge me, keep in mind that CDs are like water nowadays, and I bought this for like fifty cents. http://www.melodicpunkportal.com/2009/07/set-your-goals-2009-this-will-be-death.html

*Microstoria “Model 3, Step 2″ (Thrill Jockey) – Beautiful electronic backdrops from the guy from Oval and one of the dudes from Mouse on Mars. Coming from that camp, you kind of have to expect it to be good. This record is very laid back, but with some actual structure…not too far from the usual Oval stuff, actually. Worth your time. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1Q453AI8

*David Kristian “Beneath the Valley of the Modulars” (Alien8 ) – Priding himself on never using samples and generating every sound on the record himself, this David Kristian album is probably the most coherent thing I’ve ever heard of his. It’s sort of like IDM-lite, as far as electronica goes. The beats are really driving and there are some killer melodies thrown around. It’s obviously very focused on the tones and all but it’s not all spacey like the norm, so this is a good listen once in awhile. http://www.alien8recordings.com/releases/beneath-the-valley-of-the-modulars – listen to the entire thing!

*Blodulv “II” (Knightmare) – Oppressive black metal that leaves little room to breathe. I really like this album. Nice and cold sounding, drum machine kicking it in the back, very Burzum-esque. It’s kind of over the top at times, but sometimes you gotta go all out. http://metal-album-source.blogspot.com/2007/09/blodulv-ii-2004.html

*Green Milk from the Planet Orange/Kuruucrew split (Beta-lactam Ring) – The Green Milk song on here is a 20 minute long stoner jam. Bitchin’ material. Kuruucrew is more psych rocked out, with nods to kraut rock and even some of Sun Ra’s space jazz stuff. Not necessarily a great introduction to either band, but this won’t disappoint either. http://www.mediafire.com/?umv0qmrdgqd

*the Ladderback “Honest, I Swear It’s the Turnstyles…” (Bifocal Media) – Screamy driving emocore stuff, not unlike Sleepytime Trio, but with more experimentation. It doesn’t really sound like that, but I get a similar mood from them. They have some of the twinkly parts now and again, but for the most part they spend their time rocking out. Good band. http://www.mediafire.com/?nj2zzdizzhn

The Horror, The Horror, 4/5

Yoooooo, decided to do this again. So just indulge me and read it once in awhile. It’s the only way to justify my record collection so at least my girlfriend can’t say it’s a completely worthless hobby.

*Sunburned Hand of the Man “Weekend at Burnies 2″ (Lost Treasures of the Underworld) – Like this band, but never know what to say about them. It’s, at heart, just weirdo improvy stuff, this record a little heavier and more rockin’ than usual. I think I prefer their more drawn out space cadet stuff, but this record works fine for what it is. Oh, just read that this is random outtakes, might explain some stuff. http://www.myspace.com/sunburnedhandoftheman

*Cop Shoot Cop “Ask Questions Later” (Interscope) – This band hits the spot when I want to hear some oddball rock stuff. It’s not too far from 90′s industrial goth rock type stuff, but they employ a lot of little twists that give it an eerie sort of vibe. I remember hearing this record in middle school and thinking it sucked, but what the fuck do 8th graders know anyway? This is so awesome. http://p-l-m.blogspot.com/2007/02/cop-shoot-cop-ask-questions-later-1993.html

*the Spits “IV” (Recess/Thriftstore) – Man, if you aren’t into the Spits, then I can’t do nothin’ for you. One of the best punk bands of the 2000′s, for sure. It’s like Ramones songs as played by the characters from the Sega Genesis game Mutant League Football. Totally catchy, totally dumb, totally barbaric. Perfect length for a full length, too- I can easily listen to a few times in a row and not spend my whole morning. http://teenagelobotomies.blogspot.com/2009/09/spits-vol4-aka-schools-out-2009.html

*Old Man Gloom “Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regressionism” (Magic Bullet) – I’m a big Cave In fan, so every few years I give this side project band a shot. I know it’s like a “super group” or whatever, but it never really grabs my attention. Sort of has that post-rock-gone-heavy vibe, with long droney pieces infused into the sludge rock stuff. It’s a’ight, but probably won’t listen to it for another few years. http://stonerobixxx.blogspot.com/2010/05/old-man-gloom-seminar-ii-holy-rites-of.html

*Worn Thin “Long Road Ahead” (Youngblood) – Really great post-youth crew hardcore. Fast and to the point, nothing too flashy and they definitely don’t mess with the formula. It sort of reminds me of Carry On and those type of bands. I’ve been playing this one a lot lately.  http://stillherezine.blogspot.com/2010/01/worn-thin-long-road-ahead.html

*Chelsea “self titled” (Get Back) – Copped a repress of the first Chelsea LP awhile back and just got around to spinning it. I’m BIG on picking up 70′s/early ’80s UK punk jams, but always wrote this band of as slightly better than pub rock. Well, as usual, I’m wrong because this is a killer stab at the whole Stiff Little Fingers style. Actually this band might have been around first, I dunno. Very melodic with great vocals, these songs just get lodged in your head. So the dive into this band’s discography begins, ooof…. In 2 parts: http://www.mediafire.com/?xbmwb0zkwhv and http://www.mediafire.com/?j5oyidmzr2w

*Pezz/2 Line Filler split LP (Bitter Sweet) - Pezz does a gruff pop punk thing, not bad. I liked them back in high school, but I dunno, they don’t hold up as well now. It’s sort of like Jawbreaker but with a weird amelodic bent. But I bought this for the 2 Line Filler side, and that’s where the payoff is. They’re awesome; think of Samiam’s early tunes with less finesse, more rumbly and you’re on the right track. Great band. Get everything 2 Line Filler ever did here: http://howcantheyintendtoheal.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/two-line-filler/ and check out Pezz here: http://www.myspace.com/pezz69

*Kvoteringen “Bister Prognos” (Terroten) – Raging awesome Swedish crust stuff. I could listen to this record all day…I mean, it’s pretty standard D-beat stuff, but this band just pops. Hardcore veterans pumping out the hits: http://troubleonyoursystem.blogspot.com/2009/04/kvoteringen-bister-prognos.html

*Xibalba “Ah Dzam Poop Ek” (Nuclear War Now) – Man, this is so sick! Mexican black metal from the mid 90′s that has that borderline-inept quality that makes this stuff great. Sounds like it could fall apart at any minute, though maybe that’s due to the recording. Still, everything this label puts out is decent, but this one is ruling me right now. http://satanicblackmetal666.blogspot.com/2008/04/xibalba-ah-dzam-poop-ek-1994.html

*Jackie O’ Motherfucker “Candyland” (self released?) – Another awesome LP from JOMF. I think this one might be live, maybe? I dunno, it’s still their usual loose improv soundscapes that crawl into your brain- love this band. Worth your time if you ever see it, though I think it’s limited as hell. http://surrealapplications.blogspot.com/2008/08/jackie-o-motherfucker-candyland.html

*Peter and the Test Tube Babies “The Best of…” (Get Back) – Well, this is sort of crummy. I’ve been waiting to run across copies of their “Pissed and Proud” LP and early singles, but found this for like $6 first. Sure, it’s got songs from all of the records I want…but it’s also got a bunch of songs from later in their career. Those songs are pretty damn lame. Worse yet, there’s really no order to the songs, so you’ve gotta sit through all the filler to get to the real jams. I mean, it’s not as bad as I make it out to be, but still. Someone hook me up with everything they did up to (and including) The Mating Sounds of…! http://www.mediafire.com/?ytg1zvyzmjm 

*Fuck, Wolves!/Chaos Is split LP (Ape Must Not Kill Ape + like 10 others) – European screamo still holds up surprisingly well, so I do like to check it out now and again. Both bands sound exactly like you think they would, but the Fuck, Wolves! side is a little more aggressive. Chaos Is sounds like Orchid, though, which is a-ok with me. Still a sucker for this stuff, it seems: http://natureswithnoplagues.blogspot.com/2010/08/chaos-is-fuck-wolves-split-2010.html

*Senator Flux “Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet, & Watch” (Resonance) – Pretty decent alternative/power pop stuff from DC legend Jeff Turner (Gray Matter, 3, etc). Can’t say it’s half as good as his Dischord output, but I was tapping my toes listening to this one. I guess this is what happens when punk rockers get good at their instruments and start thinking R.E.M. had some good ideas. Are any of their other records good? http://downunderground.blogspot.com/2010/09/senator-flux-spectacles-testicles.html

*Firehose “Fromohio” (SST) – Funky bass and clean guitars…if you’ve ever wanted to hear Firehose, then this is the album to start with. I don’t really love this or anything, but it’s a lot of fun to listen to. “In My Mind”, no matter how many times I hear it, makes me smile like a goof. http://www.shinygreymonotone.com/2008/07/firehose-fromohio.html

*Cloak/Dagger “We Are” (Grave Mistake) – Decent garagy punk/hardcore. It’s very by-the-numbers, a little bit rock and roll, but the songs are memorable in their own right. ”Runways” is a jammer.  The recording’s pretty stripped down, too, which helps its cause. Like if Black Flag had been from Detroit in the 70′s or something. http://www.mediafire.com/?ce2je4bg2wr

*Sham 69 “That’s Life” (Dojo) – Fucking GREAT punk rock that’s just as catchy as it is real. Real in the sense that this is the stuff that I can identify with…songs about dealing with living with your parents and the little in-between-song skits just make this such a legit banger. No punk posturing or anything. I love it. This band just seems so much more genuine than a lot of their peers, and they’ve got the tunes to back it up. Highly recommend picking this one up. http://ya-cant-go-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/sham-69-thats-life-1978.html

*River City Tanlines “I’m Your Negative” (Dirtnap) – Alicja Trout cranking out her pattened garage tunes again. This one didn’t hit me as hard as their singles, but it’s grown on me a lot over the last month or so. It’s kind of weird, I keep expecting there to be synth parts, but they never show up…guess that’s just her style of writing. One song sounds identical to “Blank Generation” if that gives you an idea of where it’s coming from. Pretty good record. http://pascalitolb6.blogspot.com/2009/10/river-city-tanlines-im-your-negative.html

*Abigail “Ultimate Unholy Death” (Nuclear War Now) – Such a killer band…they’re sort of a black metal band, well their earlier stuff was waaaay trashy black metal, anyway. This album is newer, though, and it’s got an almost party metal vibe to it. Seriously fun, headbanging stuff. It’s a lot more light-hearted than I thought it would be, which I can see turning some people off, but I’d rather just enjoy the ride. http://dunkelheit616.blogspot.com/2009/05/abigail-japan-ultimate-unholy-death.html

*Noise Addict “Meet the Real You” (Grand Royal)- I saw Ben Lee open for the Lemonheads on my 13th birthday. What I remember of it was pretty standard acoustic guy stuff. So fast forward 16 years and I stumble on this record for like a dollar, and see that it’s on Grand Royal…turns out it’s Ben Lee’s old pop punk/rock band. Even more suprising is that it’s not terrible! It’s very 90s sounding, sort of like the kind of thing you’d see opening for Green Day back then. Very enjoyable; super simple and brainless music, perfect music to clean the house to. http://ihatethe90s.blogspot.com/2010/07/noise-addict-meet-real-you-1996.html (link is in the comments)

*Landed “Everything’s Happening” (Vermiform) – Noise rock with the emphasis on the former. You’ve got to listen to this LOUD. It’s really jammy and messy, but with some legit parts thrown in for good measure. It’s got the Vermiform seal of approval, and I like it, so check it out: http://www.myspace.com/landead

*Caroliner (Rainbow Brain Tool Imbued With Rust and Mold) “Wine Can’t Do It, Wife Won’t Do” (BullsHit) – Caroliner is so awesome. Strange, largely instrumental, soundscapes that rely on tones and accidental melodies and distant horns/synths/loops to make their point. It’s never easy listening, but pretty much every record they do is worth listening to. This record is right up there with my favorites.  http://www.myspace.com/carolinerrainbowherniami

*Gigolo Aunts “Flippin’ Out” (Fire) – ’90s alternative rock, out and out. It’s kinda rockin’ and kinda jangly, sort of run of the mill power pop material. Not even sure why I picked this up other than the fact that I’ve been way into this style lately. http://ihatethe90s.blogspot.com/2009/07/gigolo-aunts-flippin-out-1994.html (link in the comments)

*Hickoids “We’re In It For the Corn” (Toxic Shock) – Wacky cowpunk tunes from the ’80s. I really dig this record, it’s a lot of fun. I guess kind of similar to the Meat Puppets, but significantly more noisy and not as diverse. They stick to the twang and play it hard. http://punkanada-us.blogspot.com/2010/11/hickoids-were-in-it-for-corn.html

*Black Flag “Loose Nut” (SST) – I’m sure I don’t really need to say it, but this record is such a winner. I get so pumped any time I hear this record start playing…the first 3 tunes all destroy anyone’s “their jammy 80s stuff blows” argument. “Bastard in Love”, are you kidding me? That song is so damn awesome. Plus I’ve always been attracted to the cover art on this one. Nabbed an OG copy for not much money, so here goes…http://ustedville.blogspot.com/2010/03/black-flag-loose-nut.html

*the Sorts “Contemporary Music” (Slowdime) – Very good indie jazz/funk stuff from these DC goobers. This is the perfect music for early morning/late night sittin’ ’round. I find myself more and more drawn to this style as I get older, so let me know if you’ve got any recommendations for similar stuff. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r501037