We recently reviewed the Superior Viaduct vinyl reissue of the first and only full length from So-Cal (post) punks 100 Flowers, and as we mentioned in that review, before they were 100 Flowers, they were The Urinals, and as we mentioned in that review, 100 Flowers and The Urinals were essentially the same band, although with the name switch, came a pretty big stylistic shift as well, with the group angling for something more arty and poppy. But truth be told, even as The Urinals, their sound was pretty poppy and arty, more raw, more lo-fi, maybe a bit more, minimal and rhythmic and new wave, But ultimately this collection of the Urinals complete recorded works plays as a sort of rough and raw 100 Flowers demo, which is not a bad thing at all.
So many amazing songs here, some serious pop genius on display, making the shift to 100 Flowers not all that surprising after all. "Black Hole" has a serious Yellow Pills power pop vibe, right down to the harmony vocals, and then there's "Sex", which is noisy and punky, but also poppy as all get out, or "Hologram" which might be our favorite track here, a strange bit of muted murky jangle, with tranced out tribal drumming, weirdly crooned vocals, the whole thing so weirdly minor key and mantra-like, and of course "Surfin' With The Shah", which is another surfy, jangly instrumental that for sure foreshadows the impending shift to 100 Flowers. And you might recognize "Ack Ack Ack Ack", frantic and frenetic, and not surprisingly later covered by the Minutemen, it's a strange collection for sure, sonically super varied, everything the group ever recorded, over the three years they were a band (1977-1980), from snotty snarly punk anthems ("I'm White And Middle Class"), to jangly, hook heavy pop punk ("Scholastic Aptitude"), to noisy lo-fi hardcore stomps ("Go Away Girls"), to twisted jangly sing-alongs laced with wild freakouts ("I Hate"), to angular post-punk crunch ("Presence Of Mind"), to organ driven surf-garage ("I'm Like You"), to reverby twang flecked jangle ("Orange Anal Sin"), and so much more.
There are a ton of live tracks too, including a Soft Machine cover (!), as well as an acoustic version of "Sex" which had us thinking of the Dead Milkmen! WAY recommended, especially if you dug that 100 Flowers reissue, odds are you're gonna love this too!
Includes download card too!
Sadly it's R.I.P. for Brooklyn-based artpunk combo USAisamonster, this is indeed their final recording (though we're pretty sure that despite disbanding, they still think the USA remains a monster). As their many previous offerings displayed, these folks are part prog rock, part druggy jamboree, part campfire singalong, and thus pretty unique, and quite delightful. With both singsongy mathrock spazz pop and synth-driven psych-outs, along with references to Native American folklore, this record fits firmly in the grand USAisamonster tradition, and makes for a fitting epitaph to their confusional career. The distorted screaming attack of "Four More Years" stands in contrast to the much more melodic vocal approach found on most of the tracks, vocals which are sometimes chanted in a way that makes us think of The Shaggs just a bit - though unlike The Shaggs, this unit of course has got hella technical chops (just check out the jazz fusion-y guitar soloing of "Heavner"!). With odd timings, plenty of melody, quirky surprises, and their own original, undefinable X-factor, it's difficult to make comparisons to other bands, but if you like, we dunno, say Deerhoof, Lightning Bolt, The Ex, 31knots, Talibam! (a member of which guests here) and, uh, Thingy, you should check these guys out if you haven't already. USAisamonster's legacy is to leave the world of music a little richer... and possibly more bewildered. They will be missed. Don't miss this.
Head spinning, herky jerky, bright and bold, yes indeedy one of our very favorite Load-label bands is back with a new album! Who else blends spazzcore prog with folk and hippy punk protest like these guys?? Nobody in the whole wide 'homeland' that every day makes this band's moniker more and more of a commonplace sentiment worldwide. It's no wonder that The Usaisamonster identify so closely with our nation's indigenous inhabitants, seeking some sort of (mythical, perhaps) spirituality, innocence and virtue somewhere in our shared American culture (the track "Okeepa Ceremony" is an example). Yet they don't choose to express their political passions (anger/disgust/horror, mainly) with unpleasant doomy grind or anything like that. No, their ranting takes the form of music that's much more creatively colorful and chaotic, up to and including epics like the 13 minute title cut, which spins from droning build ups to prog riff attack to simple folky strum. So even if you don't always get where they're coming from (or where they're going) the musical trip they take still is usually pretty interesting, or will be in just a matter of seconds. Imagine Lightning Bolt in Indian headdresses, jamming 'round a hippy campfire at an anti-G8 protest, something like that... musically, aesthetically and politically we can dig this album's general ideals, if not always the specifics, but regardless it's quite a spectacle!
Always thought this band was called The Usaisamonster, one word like that, but on the cover of this there's spaces between the words, The Usa Is A Monster. In interest of being consistent in our catalog, though, we're gonna continue to run 'em together. And either way, it's a damn good, unfortunately true, bold-statement kind of name, perfectly matched to the radical political attitudes expressed in the songs of this weird Brooklyn art-spazz-core-folk duo. We've been fans of these guys since they first brought us a bunch of self-released cd-rs and LPs some years back, and really really loved their previous Load release, 2003's Tasheyana Compost. The brand new Wohaw, which unleashes more of their rather unique blend of prog, punk and folk, has a similar appeal. It's a bit like a weird combination of Lightning Bolt and Robbie Basho! Herky jerky heaviness (with the 'Bolt's brand of bug zapper distortion) meets what could be traditional folk songs. Children's folk songs even. And there's a definite Native American Indian obsession/appropriation still going on here as well. This is the kind of band that uses big amps and a gizillion effects pedals, but also likes to take off their shirts to play flutes and hand drums (as pictured on one side of the folding cd-insert). Partway through, this album maybe loses some steam for us, going a bit too far in the acoustic-folk direction (something their singing ability can't quite support, to be honest). Suddenly it's campfire sounds and poetry, with nothing electric to be heard. But when they're doing the unique Usaisamonster hybridization of folk and noisecore that we prefer, this is fantastic. Definitely check this out if Lightning Bolt, Deerhoof, Amps For Christ, and/or Thrones are bands you're into, as something about this reminds us of all of them.
WARNING: These are all-region PAL (not NTSC) dvds. That means they'll play just fine in your computer, but not on your TV set, unless you've got a PAL-capable dvd player.
Ah, Uz Jsme Doma! (Pronounced ooje-May-Dome-uh). Nobody else like them. Heavy and hyperkinetic "Wagnerian ska", a horn-blasted punk/prog hoedown that mingles the folk melodies of Eastern Europe with the underground/avantgarde of the Rock In Opposition scene. Yep, nobody else like 'em. We at AQ have been fans of this crazy Czech crew for years and years. And we can tell you, it's about time for a release like this! A double dvd featuring both a live concert and a "behind the music" style documentary, yes!! This is awesome for two basic reasons. Firstly, anyone who has ever seen 'em perform can tell you, as incredible as their records are, they're even more astounding live on stage. So a live dvd is of course essential to any fan, and should make new fans as well. Secondly, as big into Uz Jsme Doma as we are, we confess there's many nuances to the band, conceptually, that escape us, simply because we don't understand the Czech language. The documentary portion of this dvd set, which features English subtitles hallelujah, is quite enlightening as it delves deeply into what Uz Jsme Doma is all about. And it's more than just music and lyrics with these guys. Costumes and artwork are equally important. In fact, maybe you remember a Uz Jsme Doma artifact we once sold here (now long gone), that was a cd packaged in an elaborate pop-up book, shaped like a house? Well if not, you'll see it here, the documentary uses it to organize its varied investigations into UJD's history (one of the first rock bands out of Prague, considered "antisocial" by the Communist authorities then in control), meaning, and methods. Their politics and philosophies. You'll find out about the punk scene in '80s Prague. About the band's obsession with seminal San Francisco avant-act The Residents. About why the color yellow was chosen for so much of their artwork. And plenty more. Fascinating for any fan, and again, a good way to get converted into one if you're currently unfamiliar with the band.
The live dvd, entitled 20 Flyears, was recorded at their 20th anniversary show at the Theatre Archa, Prague, October 13th 2005 and features 35 songs or bits of songs, the first half an immense medley with ex-members joining in, the second half featuring UJD joined by something called the MIKROCHOR choir. The documentary dvd, entitled "Pudding", features interviews with former band members, critics, friends, etc. and incorporates photos and footage from the band's own archives as well as from various film appearances and stuff from Czech TV docs as well.
After three years of not a sound we were beginning to believe that our fave band from Prague had given up music and moved on to greener pastures. So it sure was exciting to have a new album land in our lap and Rybi Tuk does not disappoint. In one sense they're still the same Uz Jsme Doma: super heavy, high energy punk/prog rock, what's often been tagged 'Wagnerian ska' even though it's neither. What's maybe a little different from before is that on Rybi Tuk, Uz Jsme Doma seem to be experimenting with more open ended song structures, obtuse bridges and other unexpected twists & turns. Some of the songs even seem to hint at the majestic, folky metal melodies of bands like Hammers of Misfortune and Slough Feg! If anything, Rybi Tuk's more complex song structures merely lend to more repeated listens, as it's an album that really genuinely grows on you with every turn. Needless to say the core of what drives Uz Jsme Doma (and what excites us here at AQ), their consummate melodic wizardry, and their cleverly understated counterpoint is still very much here in spades. It's most evidenced of course in Miroslav Wanek's amazing vocal lines. Along with Frank Black (and, you know, they kind of look similar) Miroslav is one of those rare vocalists who can seamlessly slip from a croon to a scream like most professional vocalists slide into their falsetto.
Partly recorded in Oakland, CA in 2003, Rybi Tuk features some guest musicians from Bay Area's Idiot Flesh: Carla Kilhstedt, Dan Rathbun (who also recorded the album), Dawn McCarthy, Nils Frykdahl, Jewlia Eisenberg, et al. Being fans, we're glad to have Uz Jsme back and Rybi Tuk is one we'd recommend for the uninitiated as well.
For those of you out there who somehow "missed punk rock" the first time around (it was pretty cool sez the old guys...) here's a pretty decent companion / compilation / soundtrack to the Steven Blush book-turned film recently released by Sony Pictures. We've yet to see it, but it looks amazing. How could it not be? Interviews with tons of hardcore legends as well as tons of insane and rare live footage.
This is the perfect 'mix-tape' of classic tracks from movie and the golden age of punk rock: Black Flag, Flipper, Bad Brains, Negative Approach, Void, etc.
Makes a great gift for all those young-uns whose punk pedigree doesn't stretch much father back than Good Charlotte or My Chemical Romance. Wouldn't be a Warped tour without these guys and all their blood, sweat and beers...
Anyone for some "mosh" potatoes with your turkey while you skank around the 'ol X-mas tree anyone?
(All blame for that last line goes to mailorder-underling Jason. He has been punished.)
What would you expect from a label called Aryan Asshole run by one of the guys from Wolf Eyes and a pal? Big loud ugly noise right? Well, that's exactly what you get on this compilation, Aryan Asshole Compilation Vol. 1. A collection of out of print tracks (previously released as super limited lathe cuts) from Wolf Eyes, Aaron Dilloway of Wolf Eyes, Dead Machines, Burning Star Core, Hive Mind, Religious Knives (half of Double Leopards), Damion Romero as well as Bloodyminded, Graveyards, The Moonlanding, Failing Lights, Charlie Draheim and Raven Strain.
The sound runs the noise rock gamut: primitive Whitehouse shriek with ear piercing sinewaves and squealing feedback with shouted megaphone vocals, clouds of high end skree, kitchen sink clatter and blown out electronic glitch and gzzzt, full on detuned distorted metal guitar riffage, tweaked and twisted, skipping and pitchshifted into some hiccupping plunderphonic metalstorm, super spare ambience, Jandek-ish guitar, random room clatter, footsteps, chairs sliding against the floor, plink plonk percussion all space-y and abstract, rumbling SUNNO)))-like dirges but way more malevolent and lo-fi, crumbling electronic buzz and splatter and... well, you get the idea.
A pretty killer comp of modern noise (rock) of the meaner and weirder and more fucked up persuasion. The cover art features reproductions of all the long out of print square shaped lathe cut picture discs gathered within! Cool. ----* ----* New DVD's : ----*
Back in 2011, Dark Entries released a great comp, vinyl-only, called BART: Bay Area Retrograde. All Dark Entries style stuff - vintage minimal wave / new wave / punk electronics - from the SF Bay area. (For those who don't live around here, BART also stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the local commuter train system.) Just today, we just got a 2nd volume of Bay Area Retrograde, on vinyl, which we'll review as soon as we can, AND also this, a compact disc containing both volumes, yay!!
So, we're listing this cd now, though we can't say much yet about the stuff on here from Vol. 2, other than what we've heard spinning it so far has been great, and it seems maybe a bit more raw and punk and experimental, with tracks from the likes of Factrix, Chrome and Red Asphalt. So, more on that Vol. 2 when we get a chance to properly review it next time, but here's what we said before about Vol. 1, and by itself it means this cd is quite recommended:
A few years back, Minimal Wave offered some choice crate digging collections of nearly forgotten darkwave and post-punk electronics through their Lost Tapes and Found Tapes collections, highlighting the differences between the European and American models of underground new wave. Dark Entries produced this anthology in that same tradition, focusing even more tightly on the geography of the Bay Area. As Johnny Ray Huston so rightly points out in the liner notes, San Francisco in the '80s had its own unique crucible of local events that shaped the Bay Area's particular sound (e.g. the assassination of Harvey Milk, the growing AIDS epidemic and the fear surrounding the disease, etc.). While there's none of the art-damaged abstraction filtered from The Residents, Snakefinger, or Tuxedomoon in an obvious lineage to the artists featured here, BART (named after the subway that connects Oakland, Berkeley, and other parts of the East Bay to San Francisco) is a great collection of quirky minimal wave electronics, with a fair amount of unreleased material from obscurant Bay Area new wave bands.
Nomimal State opens the compilation and was from the suburban hamlet of Danville, recording this demo 1983 with a militantly uptempo drum machine and urgent synth lines. It's a track that easily fits next to the likes of The Units and Nervous Gender in terms of manic, punkish use of electronics. Speaking of The Units, they round out the compilation in contributing their sci-fi pop anthem "Mission," which is still bitchin' after all these years! Voice Farm is the other 'big name' to appear on this compilation, contributing a sinewy darkwave number from their 1982 album "The World We Live In." Batang State, Quiet Room, and Necropolis Of Love offer more Joy Division / Wire / Kraftwerk atmospheric post-punk number with considerable panache. The Wasp Women were a crossdressing trash-punk outfit, whose demo featured a wastoid lo-fi number and had appeared in the 1982 film "What Ever Happened To Susan Jane." Danny Boy & The Serious Party Gods offer a fabulously campy disco number with suitably over-the-top raunchy lyrics that ramble on and on against anthemic synths. If there's one track that you need to hear from this compilation it's this one! But the whole collection is very well done, and comes highly recommended as with everything that Dark Entries releases.
Here's the vinyl of Volume Two from the BART: Bay Area Retrograde series, which was included with Volume One on a single cd we listed last time (and are relisting now, to add this info), also released on the inimitable Dark Entries. Like Volume One, this collects vintage minimal wave / new wave / punk electronics from the SF Bay Area. (For those who don't live around here, BART also stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the local commuter train system.) The line-up for the second installment includes some fantastic obscurities from Factrix, Chrome, Tuxedomoon, and Indoor Life; and there's plenty of great new discoveries of forgotten Bay Area outfits like Zru Vogue, Red Asphalt, Timmy Spence and more. The Factrix piece was taken from an old Subterranean compilation, with the trio entertaining more of a sprightly goth-synth vibe instead of their signature industrial murk through tinny drum machine patter and strangle-choked guitar riffs. Chrome's throbbing motorik synth-punk number "Meet You In The Subway" was taken from their 1979 album Subterranean Modern, released through the Residents' Ralph Records. Red Asphault is up next with a squalid torrent of No Wave inspired fire-alarm mania. Both Tuxedomoon and Indoor Life (the latter including Patrick Cowley on synths!) adopt a disjointed, art-damaged theatricality to their warped, all-thumbs tracks. Baby Buddha's "Little Things" proves to be one of the synth-wave gems on this comp, with its spiky electronic sequencing, haunted house chord progressions, and grimly monotone vocals, followed by the equally strong "Human Dub" by Human Being Men peddling streamlined electronic anxiety of minimal wave perfection. The dour "Nakweda Dream" with its chimingly Cure-ish guitars rounds out the comp, which is considerably darker than the first but is just as recommended!
The cult '70s New York punk film Blank Generation sees a reissue on the spankin' new DVD format. With rare, you-were-there shots of the bands on stage and off, there's Television, Blondie, Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith Group, The Heartbreakers, The
As far as we're concerned, Providence artrock/noise rock label Corleone, never has to do anything ever again, just by merit of releasing Throne Of Blood's genius I Hope You Fail Miserably And Never Accomplish Anything Ever Again record. And before we get into this review, let's once again beseech those guys to reissue that Throne Of Blood. C'MON!!!!!
Okay then, well, it's been 10 years that these guys have been assaulting our ears, so it makes perfect sense that for their tenth anniversary they decide to destroy our eyes as well. And as should be common knowledge by now, Providence Rhode Island is not just a hotbed for music, it's also jam packed with visual artists and filmmakers, so this collection of videos for various Corleone bands is totally eye popping and amazing.
Did you dig the Paper Rad dvd on Load, then you'll probably dig this too. Super varied, from ultra pro shot films to hand made animations, to absolute WTF weirdness. Some highlights: the super eight video ritual for Bonedust, the perfect visual to go along with their hissy drone-y buzz, the gorgeous sepiatone washed out video for The Body, mostly them playing live, but lit weirdly and all washed out like some old filmstrip, the super gross live action / animation mix of Snake Apt's video, featuring lots of applesauce spitting, and blood and guts and gore, the goofy live action video for Lorna Doom's bad ass white boy rap, a live Black Pus show, which is basically just Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale rocking out on the kit, the super blown out experimental video for Night Wounds, awesome arty collage intercut with live action for Get Killed, rad weirdo home movies to accompany Uke Of Spaces Corners, an awesome video of Fang Island performing for a class full of little kids who dance wildly, so cute! And on and on and on. And it's also a good way to get acquainted with a bunch of the bands on Corleone, all of whom are pretty bad ass. A killer audio AND video mix tape that will blow out your ear drums and make your eyeballs melt!
Full color artwork, clear dvd case, MASSIVE thanks list, full color booklet with liner notes and video info. ----* ----* In Stock, Not Yet Reviewed : ----* If you want to order one of these, just search for the item, then click on the buy button and it will be added to your cart! 3/3 "s/t" (P-Vine) 2cd 42.00 AFRIRAMPO "Suuto Breakor" (P-Vine) cd 25.00 AHMED, MAHMOUD & EITHER / ORCHESTRA "Tsedenia Gebre-Marqos" (Buda Musique) dvd 14.98 AHOUSEN "s/t" (PSF) cd 22.00 ALCHEMIST "Tripsis" (Relapse) cd 14.98 ALTER EGO "Why Not?!" (Klang Elektronik) cd 16.98 AMBER ASYLUM "Still Point" (Profound Lore) cd 12.98 ANGELBLOOD "Mambo Mange" (Locust) lp 17.98 APACHE "Boys Life" (Douchemaster) 7" 5.50 ARMISEN, FRED PRESENTS: JENS HANNEMANN "Complicated Drumming Technique" (Drag City) dvd 15.98 AVENGED SEVENFOLD "s/t" (Warner) cd 17.98 AXA HOUR OF DARA BLEU "Clones Of Eros" (Fire Museum) cd 13.98 BACH, SEBASTIAN "Angel Down" (Get Off My Bach) cd 13.98 BACHDENKEL "Lemmings" (Ork) cd 17.98 BEHOLD THE ARCTOPUS "Skullgrid" (Metal Blade) cd 12.98 BETTER BEATLES, THE "Mercy Beat" (Hook or Crook) cd 11.98 BORIS / MERZBOW "Rock Dream" (Daymare) 2cd 32.00 BOSMANN, KARL "Eskalation" (You Don't Have To Call It Music) lp 38.00 BROTZMANN, PETER / MANGELSDORFF / SOMMER "Pica Pica" (Atavistic) cd 14.98 BROTZMANN, PETER / PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE / MATS GUSTAFSSON "The Fat Is Gone" (Smalltown Superjazz) cd 16.98 BRYARS, GAVIN "The Marvellous Aphorisms Of Gavin Bryars: The Early Years" (Mode) cd 16.98 CARBONARA, ERIC "Exodus Bulldornadius" (Locust) cd 15.98 CENTURIONS GHOST "The Great Work" (I Hate) cd 16.98 COFFINS / THE ARM AND SWORD OF A BASTARD GOD "split" (20 Buck Spin) cd 13.98 COHEED AND CAMBRIA "No World For Tomorrow" (Sony BMG) cd 11.98 COLLINS, BOOTSY "Ultra Wave" (Collector's Choice) cd 13.98 CONTROL "OST" (Warner / Rhino) cd 16.98 COPE, JULIAN "You Gotta Problem" (Head Heritage) 2cd 27.00 DAUNER, WOLFGANG (QUARTET) "The Oimels" (Long Hair) cd 24.00 DEAD RAVEN CHOIR "My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind" (Aurora Borealis) cd/lp 14.98/17.98 DEATH AMBIENT "Drunken Forest" (Tzadik) cd 16.98 DOO SOO, KIM "Ten Days Butterfly" (PSF) cd 22.00 DOWN "III: Over The Under" (Down Records) cd 17.98 EQUIMANTHORN "Exalted Are The 7 Throne Bearers of Ninnkigal" (From Beyond) cd 14.98 ERGO SUM "Mexico" (Lion Productions) cd 15.98 ESKIBOY "The Best Of Tunnel Vision" (Baked Goods) 2cd 22.00 FIFTY FOOT HOSE "Cauldron" (Phoenix Records) lp 24.00 FLOWER TRAVELLIN BAND "Satori" (Phoenix Records) lp 24.00 FUTURIANS "Play The Breathtaking Sounds Of Tivol" (Soft Abuse) lathe cut 7" 14.98 GATES OF SLUMBER / SPIRITUS MORTIS "From The Ultima Thule" (Emissary) cd 14.98 GLUTTONY "Collapse Of The Roman Republic (Liber Primus)" (Cyclops) cd 15.98 GRUDZIEN, PETER "The Unicorn" (Subliminal Sounds) 2lp 39.00 GRUPPO D'IMPROVVISAZIONE "Nuova Consonanza" (Cherry Red) cd 17.98 GUSTAFSSON, MATS / PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE "Splatter" (Smalltown Superjazz) cd 14.98 HABIBIYYA "If Man But Knew" (Sunbeam) cd 16.98 HALF MAKESHIFT "L'Anse Amort" (20 Buck Spin) cd 13.98 HAROLD & MAUDE (CAT STEVENS) "OST" (Vinyl Films) lp+7"+booklet 42.00 HIORTHOY, KIM "My Last Day" (Smalltown Supersound) cd 16.98 HUGUENOTS, THE "s/t" (Hydra Head) cd 14.98 HUMAN BEAST "Volume One" (Sunbeam) cd 16.98 IELASI, GIUSEPPE "August" (12K) cd 14.98 IRISH COFFEE "s/t" (Set) cd 25.00 JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER "Valley Of Fire" (Textile) cd 15.98 JUNO "OST" (Rhino) cd 14.98 KLIMEK "Dedications" (Anticipata) cd 15.98 LICHENS "Omns" (Kranky) cd + dvd 16.98 MANINKARI "Le Diable Avec Ses Chevaux" (Conspiracy) 2cd 22.00 MARGINAL CONSORT "s/t" (Improvised Music From Japan) 4cd 79.00 MARTIN, AARON "Almond" (Preservation) cd 15.98 MASHAYEKHI, ALIREZA & ATA EBTEKAR (SOTE) "Persian Electronic Music: Yesterday And Today (1966-2006)" (Sub Rosa) cd 16.98 MAYER, NATHANIEL "I Want Love And Affection Not The House Of Correction" (Vampi Soul) cd/lp 17.98/29.00 METZGER, PAUL "Deliverance" (Locust) cd 14.98 MITSURU, TABATA "Lumrapideco" (Utech) cd 16.98 MONSTER MAGNET "4-Way Diablo" (SPV) cd 16.98 NAGOSKI, IAN "Kerflooey" (Ehse Records) lp 16.98 NERVE NET NOISE "Dark Garden" (Intransitive) cd 14.98 NILSEN BJ & Z'EV "22'22" (Ideal) cd 14.98 NOSTRADAMOS "s/t" (World Psychedelia) cd 17.98 OAXACAN "s/t" (self-released) cd-r ep 8.98 OCEAN, THE "Precambrian" (Metal Blade) cd 14.98 ONNA "Katawa" (PSF) cd 22.00 OPETH "The Roundhouse Tapes" (Peaceville) 2cd 16.98 PEEESSEYE, THE "Mayhem In The Mansion, Shivers In The Sack" (Evolving Ear) cd 11.98 PINCH "Underwater Dancehall" (Tectonic) 2cd 22.00 PINHAS, RICHARD "East / West" (Cuneiform) cd 15.98 POCAHAUNTED / ROBEDOOR "Hunted Gathered" (Digitalis) 2cd 22.00 PRIMORDIAL "To The Nameless Dead" (Metal Blade) cd 13.98 R/S ONE "Snow Mud Rain" (Erstwhile) cd 14.98 RE/SEARCH "#4/5 : W.S. Burroughs, B. Gison, Throbbing Gristle" (Re/Search Publications) book 39.00 REICHEL, ACHIM "AR3" (Germanophon) cd 17.98 RELIGIOUS KNIVES "It's After Dark" (Troubleman) cd 13.98 RIGGS, DAX "We Sing Of Only Blood Or Love" (Fat Possum) cd 14.98 ROBEDOOR "Rancor Keeper" (Release the Bats) cd 15.98 ROOT "Daemon Viam Invenient" (Shindy) cd 15.98 ROSENHOLM, ELEANOORA "Vainajan Muotokuva" (Fonal) cd 17.98 ROSETTA "Cleansing Undertones Of Wake/Lift" (Translation Loss) cd 9.98 ROSETTA "Wake / Lift" (Translation Loss) cd 13.98 ROTH, DAVID LEE "Sonrisa Salvaje" (Friday Music) cd 15.98 ROTHER, MICHAEL "Flammende Herzen" (Water) cd 16.98 RUDD, ROSWELL "Blown Bone" (Emanem) cd 19.98 RUINZHATOVA "Original Soundtrack For Dream, Sea, Vacancy, Metropolis" (Kaeru Cafe) cd 14.98 RWAKE "Voices Of Omens" (Relapse) cd 12.98 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS "Face" (Radium) lp 13.88 SCIENTISTS "Sedition" (ATP) cd 15.98 SCORCHER "Thunder Power" (T.H.E. M.O.V.E.M.E.N.T.) cd 15.98 SEAWORTHY "Map In Hand" (12K) cd 14.98 SIEBENSUNDEN "Teratologen" (I Hate Records) cd 15.98 SIGRBLOT "Blodsband (Blood Religion Manifest)" (Nordiska Forlaget) cd/2lp 15.98/22.00 SIGUROSSON, VALGEIR "Ekvilibrium" (Bedroom Community) cd 15.98 SILMARIL "The Voyage Of Icarus" (Locust) cd 14.98 SIMONETTI, ENRICO & GOBLIN "Gamma" (Cherry Red) cd 17.98 SINCLAIR, JOHN "Guitar Army: Rock & Revolution With MC5 And The White Panther Party" (Process) book+cd 22.95 SKEPTA "Greatest Hits" (Boy Better Know) cd 21.00 SKULL DEFEKTS, THE "Open The Gates Of Mimer" (AA / Nosordo) cd 14.98 SKULL DEFEKTS, THE "The Sound Of Defekt Skulls" (Utech) cd 14.98 SOL "Let There Be A Massacre" (Van) cd 13.98 SOLITUDE AETERNUS "Alone" (Soul Food) cd 17.98 SOLITUDE AETURNUS "Hour Of Despair" (Metal Mind Productions) dvd 24.00 SORIAH "Ofrendas De Luz A Los Muertos" (Beta-lactam Ring) cd 17.98 SPEKTR "Mescalyne" (Moribund) cd 12.98 STRIBORG "Trepidation" (Displeased) cd 14.98 SUISHOU NO FUNE "The Shining Star - Live" (Important) cd 14.98 SUN RA "Disco 3000" (Artyard) 2cd 33.00 TAKAYANAGI, MASAYUKI NEW DIRECTION UNIT "April Is The Cruellest Month" (Jinya) cd 24.00 TERJE, JESPER & JOACHIM "s/t" (Shadoks Music) cd 15.98 THROBS, THE "s/t (Special Collector's Edition)" (Rock Candy) cd 17.98 TIME FLYS, THE "In Crowd" (Douchemaster) 7" 5.50 TORSKE, BJORN "Feil Knapp" (Smalltown Supersound) cd/lp 16.98/21.00 TULUS "Biography Obscene" (Candlelight) cd 14.98 TURBONEGRO "Retox" (Cooking Vinyl) cd 14.98 ULVER "Shadows Of The Sun" (Jester) cd 12.98 UPSILON ACRUX "Galapagos Momentum" (Cuneiform) cd 16.98 V/A "10 Tons Heavy" (Planet Mu) 2cd 13.98 V/A "200" (Planet Mu) 2cd/2lp 9.98/17.98 V/A "A Number Of Small Things" (Morr Music) 2cd 21.00 V/A "Achtung! German Grooves" (Bureau) cd V/A "Asian Flashback: Underground Music From Asia" (PSF) cd 22.00 V/A "Beyond Amsterdam: Baltimore Tracks From The Wire" (Nonesuch) cd 13.98 V/A "Cut It Up Def: Miami Bass Jams" (Cut It Up Def) cd 14.98 V/A "Dr. Boogie Presents: Rarities From The Bob Hite Vaults" (Sub Rosa) cd 15.98 V/A "From Dubplate To Download" (Greensleeves) 2cd 19.98 V/A "Greasy Truckers Party" (EMI) 3cd 38.00 V/A "Lifting The Veil: The Earliest Blues Guitarists" (World Arbiter) cd 17.98 V/A "Melodii Tuvi: Throat Songs And Folk Tunes From Tuva" (Dust To Digital) cd 15.98 V/A "Messthetics #105: D.I.Y. 77-81 Scotland I" (Hyped To Death) cd 13.98 V/A "Papagayo! The Spanish Sunshine Pop & Popsike Collection" (Toytown) cd 21.00 V/A "Pillows & Prayers" (Cherry Red) 3cd+dvd 42.00 V/A "Runeology 3" (Rune Grammofon) cd 9.98 V/A "Smashits" (Shitkatapult) cd 16.98 V/A "Sock It To 'Em J.B." (Body & Soul) cd 15.98 V/A "Space And Time" (Hotflush) cd 21.00 V/A "The Essence Of Swedish Progressive Music, 1967-1979" (Premium Publishing) 4cd 60.00 V/A "The Rubble Collection Vol. 1-10" (Fallout) 10 cd box 96.00 V/A "The Wire: "...And All The Pieces Matter."" (Nonesuch) cd 24.00 V/A "Trojan Country Reggae Box Set" (Trojan) 3cd 19.98 V/A "Waking Up Scheherazade" (Grey Past) lp 28.00 V/A "War II (The Turd Hunt Continues)" (Hip Hop Slam) cd 11.98 V/A "Welsh Rare Beat 2" (Finders Keepers) cd 23.00 V/A (ESHETE, ALEMAYEHU) "Ethiopiques Vol. 22 : More Vintage!" (Buda Musique) cd 15.98 VILE CHERUBS "The Man Who Has No Eats Has No Sweats" (Afterburn) cd 13.98 VILLAINS "Drenched In The Posions" (Aurora Borealis) cd 14.98 WALTER, WEASEL QUARTET "Revolt Music" (ugExplode) cd 11.98 WANDERING MIDGET, THE "I Am The Gate" (Eyes Like Snow) cd 15.98 WARMER MILKS "Let Your Friends In" (Release the Bats) cd 13.98 WILLIS, NICOLE AND THE SOUL INVESTIGATORS "Keep Reachin' Up: Remixed" (Above The Clouds) cd 17.98 WYATT, ROBERT "Comicopera" (Domino) cd 15.98 YEASAYER "All Hour Cymbals" (Are We Free) cd 14.98 YEH, C. SPENCER "Violin, Objects" (Tone Filth) lp 17.98 YOKOTA, SUSUMU "Skintone Collection" (Skintone) cd 14.98 YOUNG, NEIL "Chrome Dreams II" (Reprise) cd 17.98 YOUNGS, RICHARD "Summer Wanderer" (Gipsy Sphinx) lp 17.98 _______________________________________________________________________ ABOUT MAILORDER
Amazing compilation of fucked up / out there / experimental rock from Zerga, the Finnish label run by our pal Pentti who fronts the band Deep Turtle. Obviously, Finland is gonna be well represented with a few bands we already love: Radiopuhelimet, Keuhkot, and a whole bunch we've never heard before: Torpedos, Fun, The Revolutionary Southern AMphetamines, Chelyabinsk-40, Astro Can Caravan, Hinageshi Bondage, Cause For Effect, Manifesto Jukebox, Mothers Against Sex Association, Suonihiuksisto, Kometa, and Vuk. Finnophiles will definitely want to pick this up. But in addition to all the Finnish weirdness, representing other parts of the globe we have Zu from Italy, Boxed In T.W.A.T. from the UK, Bz Bz Ueu also from Italy, Ground / Lift from Austria, Hather And Bollen from Australia / Holland, and Sabot from the Czech Republic. And as you might imagine, the sound is all over the map. Punk, prog, noise, hardcore, psych rock and beyond. We only have 10 copies and we're not sure when/if we can get more. So act fast.
This is a compilation of Australian post punk and new wave from 1978-82. While not nearly as rocking as the Do The Pop! compilation from a few lists back, this is still a pretty awesome collection. The stuff on this comp leans more towards the no wave, art rock side of the spectrum. Quirky, angular but still punk. There are a few dance-y numbers with badass female vocals that are at times reminiscent of the Slits or Kleenex/Lilliput and some more gritty lofi stuf that reminds us of the Adverts or the Undertones. All in all, a solid document of a time and place that seems like it was most likely totally amazing and inspiring. The perfect companion to the Do The Pop compilation. And if you like the current crop of no wave wonders like SF's Numbers or Erase Errata, you should definitely check this out. Oh yeah, and did we mention there's a band called the Slugfuckers... oh my god.
BACK IN STOCK! We thought these were gone for good a month ago, but we've just managed to get a few more!
Here's the soundtrack to your wildest blaxploitation-fueled fantasies, baadasssss R&B with an acid rock edge. You'll never need to ask, "Mommy, what's a funkadelic?" after this.
"Chains & Black Exhaust" is a compilation of late sixties/early seventies raw, fuzzed-out funk put together by some young, devotedly-crate-diggin' Memphis DJs, who apparently don't think we need to know what exactly we're listening too, 'cause there's no artist info, no track listing, nothing -- heck, the title of the comp appears nowhere on it, even! They give us a tantalizing but unhelpful glimpse of some original 45 labels in a photo in the cd booklet, which is otherwise illustrated with snapshots of black motorcycle club insignia. We can't imagine this lack of info is for copyright reasons, perhaps they just don't want their finds being identified & scooped by other DJs...? And unfortunately, none of us here, despite our enthusiasm for this stuff and general musical expertise, can tell you what's on here, nor did we locate a tracklist on the internet.
Oh well, whoever these mystery artists are, what's important is that they kick out the jams big time here: hard, heavy stuff full of wailing acid-psych wah wah leads, driving organ, killer grooves, and soulful vocals. It's funk verging on rock, with Black Power meets garagey rock n' roll attitude. Of course, these old singles tracks are served up with lots of lovely ol' vinyl crackle, just scratchy enough to lend that extra level of authenticity and atmosphere to the party. Highly recommended -- if you're into *early* Parliament-Funkadelic you'll dig these 16 cuts. This is one of those albums that just sells itself the second we put it on over the stereo -- even our pal DJ Z-Trip bought one instantly. Enjoyed that Peanut Butter Wolf-produced collection of unearthed funk singles? Then you'll love this one too. Right on.
We're told that *perhaps* someday this will get reissued with proper liner notes (the kind that actually tell you who is on the record at least) but that's at least a year or a year and a half off, if ever. So, we'd recommend grabbing these copies now, while you can, before they're gone, again...
Punk nerds rejoice, this legendary, and LONG out of print hardcore cassette comp from the early eighties, finally reissued, and on vinyl for the first time. For lots of kids back in the day, this was their first taste of some seriously classic punk rock, featuring a handful of bands everybody likely knows now, Die Kreuzen, Void, Husker Du, Articles of Faith, Toxic Reasons, along with a bunch of more obscure outfits that most maybe folks don't (except everybody out there WAY punker than us, and of course, anyone who had this comp the first time around), like UXB, District Tradition, Double O, Sin 34, Rebel Truth and more. Originally released in 1982 on the Version Sound label, this was some early DIY radness, back when the underground was all about homemade zines and tapes, traded between friends and endlessly dubbed. We're guessing this was the soundtrack to many a skate sesh way back when. Mostly unreleased tracks, and demos/live/alternate versions, this is a classic slab of vintage hardcore, the sound all over the punk rock map, from the furious face melting hardcore blowouts of Void and Husker Du, to the poppier gothiness of 5051, from the sing songy hardcore jangle of Rebel Truth, to the frantic fuzz of Personality Crisis (with some super cool/weird/distinctive vox), some classic punk-noise yowl from Die Kreuzen (alternate versions of tracks from the Cows & Beer 7"), some heavy, almost metallic chug and swagger from District Tradition (channeling some later period Black Flag maybe), some blown out, feedback drenched crush from Double O, and tons more.
Pressed on thick vinyl, and housed in a heavy jacket with new artwork, includes an old school style printed zine/insert with liner notes from Version Sound head honcho Bob Moore and Die Kreuzen vocalist Dan Kubinski.
After punk exploded, an entire community of independent labels arose to document the wide spanning world of do it yourself, home recorded, punk and post punk that blew up soon after. This great Soul Jazz collection focuses on the explosion of those small Do It Yourself labels that began to emerge in the UK scene in late 70's and early 80's. Labels like Rough Trade, Heartbeat, Small Wonders, Zama, New Hormones, etc. all releasing 7" singles and albums from the likes of The Buzzcocks, Throbbing Gristle, Swell Maps, Kleenex, Glaxo Babies, and a whole lot more. Killer selection of bands and tracks, and a gorgeous 40-page booklet with band biographies, label spotlights, amazing photos and tons of artwork. Just like how those Can't Stop! compilations made us wish we were in Australia smack in the center of the post-punk era, this collection once again reminds us how fertile the underground music scene was in the UK during the '77-'82 era and has us longing for our own punk rock time machine (although this comp sort of is a punk rock time machine when you think about it!). An important nice historical document and a killer disc!!
Some serious West Coast punk rock history here for sure. A double cd collecting the fourteen 7"s released on Dangerhouse between 1977 and 1979, featuring lots of names you no doubt know: the Avengers, X, the Bags, the Dils, the Weirdos, Black Randy, but some other more obscure artists that you might not, like the Alley Cats, the Randoms, Howard Werth, the Deadbeats, Eyes and Rhino 39!
We raved about the Avengers a while back, when we reviewed the reissue of their self titled lp, and odds are we don't need to tell you what X sound like, the early tracks from both those bands are of course awesome. But there's so much more good/weird stuff here, there's the snarly punk rock swagger of the Randoms, their songs, laced with some subtle power poppiness. Or Black Randy & Metrosquad's demented drum machine driven punk minimalism, all detuned guitar melodies, primitive Casio style programmed rhythms, and Randy's insane ranting vox, sometimes sounding like some seriously wacked outsider bedroom new wave weirdness, other times sounding like wasted knuckle dragging electro punk. The Dils of course, total classic SoCal punk rock, energetic and political, quirky vocals over frenetic drumming, and some seriously crunchy riffage. The Weirdos too, fuzzed out punk rock radness, and their anthemic "We Got The Neutron Bomb", which is one of thee best punk jams ever. The Alley Cats, whom we had never heard before, wrap chugging riffage, frenzied almost funky basslines, and intricate drumming, around some jagged guitar crunch, and wailing vox. Howard Werth delivers some fuzzy power pop, with a definite Yellow Pills vibe, which had us definitely wanting to hear more (if there even is more), and Rhino 39 kick out the noisy, raucous punk rock jams, with rapid fire Dead Milkmen style vocals over wild instrumental tangles, and Eyes are pretty poppy, organ driven and sing songy, super catchy and surprisingly un-punk. There's lots more, the always awesome Bags, The Deadbeats and of course more Black Randy weirdness (lots more, three singles worth!)...
The booklet includes a an extensive interview with Dangerhouse founder David Brown, who talks about the label, as well as all the bands, there are tons of rare photos, flyers and a second booklet which reproduces all the original single sleeves! So great. Absolutely essential punk rock radness.
BTW: We can also get the vinyl version, which is a box with all fourteen 7"s, and is super expensive, but if you want one, just ask and we can order it for you.
Here's the sequel, already, to last year's great Dirty Water comp of proto-punk (sonically and/or spiritually) music from the '60s and '70s, including many often-overlooked, unlikely gems and surprises, plus some "standards" as well. It's another double disc set, with 39 tracks on the compact disc version (and 19 on the slightly less comprehensive vinyl). We were already impressed with what compiler Kris Needs (former editor of British underground '70s rock mag ZigZag) included on the first volume, and this one just as cool. Some bands make a return appearance (MC5, The Silhouettes, Death, the Flamin' Groovies, Suicide, Mott The Hoople), and deservedly so, but there's lots of room for songs by artists dipping into the dirty water for the first time. From famous folks like the Velvet Underground, Bo Diddley, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Captain Beefheart, Blondie, and Big Star to not so well known names like The Vice Creems (Needs was the singer!), The Tidal Waves, The Unrelated Segments, Kilburn & The High Roads, Doctors Of Madness, and The Human Expression, amongst others. This is quite an eclectic collection, and while, say, ESP-label proto-punk bands of radical hippies from downtown NYC like the Godz and The Holy Modal Rounders are obvious choices, many others aren't. For one thing, it's not even all rock 'n' roll. The supposedly "punk" side of jazz is represented here by Albert Ayler and Dizzy Gillespie, the former punk for being so "free" and "out", the latter simply for ripping it up bebop style, we assume! Reggae (Tapper Zukie, Junior Murvin), funk (Parliament, though the track here is oddly more of a gospel tune), and folk (Woody Guthrie) are also included. Krautrock, too, via Faust. The proto-punk thing of course makes more obvious sense regarding entries from the realms of '70s glam, '50s rock n' roll (Eddie Cochran), and '60s garage (The Zachary Thaks) and psych (The United States Of America).
And happily, at least one of the suggestions we made in our review of the first Dirty Water is included here, heavy hippies the Edgar Broughton Band. There's also some more heavy psych from the likes of Blue Cheer, The Misunderstood, and Stackwaddy. So once again, a killer collection of tracks that might be familiar to you (but given new context here) and/or that might not (but you'll be glad to hear), forming a primer part II to a "secret history of rock 'n' roll", elaborated upon in Needs' extensive liner notes that come in a huge 86 page booklet (cd version, at least). It's also quite well programmed, like they way Death's "Freaking Out" segues perfectly into the Dizzy Gillespie track, makes sense!!
One suggestion for vol. 3: Blue Oyster Cult!
Forget about making your own eclectic mix of edgy proto-punk rock and pop, you don't need to, it's been done. It's all here, folks. Well, enough of it anyway, spread over two cds or four sides of vinyl. 33 alternate-universe "hits" (or 23 on the vinyl version), from underground bands in the '60s and '70s who, if not always properly punk, were still actually punker than most punk bands EVER. That is, if someone had asked us to put together a compilation revealing the gnarled roots of "punk" back in the '60s, and then branching into an examination of some left-field, outside manifestations of the same in the '70s, we couldn't do it any better than this, compiled by Kris Needs, who used to edit the UK rock mag ZigZag back in the '70s. He knows his stuff.
From Detroit, NYC, London, LA and elsewhere, there's slicked back '50s rockers, '60s psych garage, '70s prog singer songwriters, downtown NYC art-noise, pub rock, krautrock, and even reggae... connected only by attitude and/or artistry... some cuts being rare and wondrous one-off flashes of genius, other simply displays of what the band in question was capable of doing all the time. Some tunes you'll have heard before, of course, but need to hear again. And there's probably more than a few that might be new to you too. A definite primer on a secret history of rock n' roll we wish wasn't so secret. Some of it's harder, some of it's poppier, some it's glammier, some of it's weirder... but it's all good.
Some big names/usual suspects: Suicide, Silver Apples, The Stooges (with a distortion-filled, 12 minute long live track, "Do You Want My Love?"), Flamin' Groovies, The Monks, the New York Dolls, The Seeds, T.Rex, even Sun Ra - demonstrating the outside jazz influence on the MC5, with his "Rocket Number Nine", which the compilers follow with the Five's "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)"... About the only obvious band missing, and we can only imagine it was due to a licensing issue or somesuch red tape, are Radio Birdman, but The Saints are here to represent the Aussie punk explosion. The comp even includes recent discoveries Death, from Detroit, nice to see them now written into the aforementioned secret history, a few years ago they were too unknown even for that. Others in the lineup: The Standells, The Deviants, Pink Fairies (doing "Do It", later covered by the Rollins Band, y'know), Gene Vincent, Jook (who dey?), Mott The Hoople, Zolar X (yay!), The Up, David Peel & The Lower East Side, The Silhouettes, The Last Poets, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Third World War, Dr. Feelgood (with "Roxette", if you look it up a performance on YouTube you might get your mind blown), Peter Hammill (of Van Der Graaf Generator), Can, Red Krayola, Rocket From The Tombs, The Dictators, The Hollywood Brats (doing a Kinks cover, previously unreleased on cd), and Culture. Not bad, eh?? Ok, maybe if there was a third disc we'd expect to also hear Crushed Butler and Amon Duul II and Angel Face and Les Rallizes Denudes and The Sonics and the Imperial Dogs and Gaseneta and the Edgar Broughton Band and a few others, but heck, this is a pretty good start!
And it comes with a HUGE booklet (76 pages) filled with detailed info from Needs on all these artists, crucial and obscure (or both). Really well done. You want a Xmas present to immediately up someone's hippness quotient (or impress them with yours)? Try giving 'em this comp, as well as a copy of Savage Damage Digest zine, also reviewed this list.
FYI, as alluded to above, the double lp format has fewer tracks (lacking, feristance, that Stooges number) and no huge booklet, but is still a good spread of stuff, and comes on 180 gram vinyl, for those that want some proto-punk 'tude for their turntable.
50 songs of Australian garage rock 1976-1987, almost all of it fucking great! Most of us are familiar with the The Saints and Radio Birdman, but included on this compilation are a bunch of amazing lesser knowns running the gamut from dirty rock to jangly pop to crusty garage to Detroit influenced punk. Bands like The Hoodoo Gurus (one of Andee's favorite bands ever), Died Pretty, The Lipstick Killers, The Sunnyboys, The Scientists, The Lime Spiders, The Screaming Tribesmen, The Hard-Ons, The Celibate Rifles, The New Christs, The Eastern Dark, The Exploding White Mice, The Stems and more. 2 1/2 hours!! It's like Christmas or something, I (Sadie) already loved The Saints and Radio Birdman but hadn't heard any of these other bands and I'm freaked out at how much awesome garage rock I've been missing out on. Andee told me that the Celibate Rifles are rad, and they are! Other kick ass bands are the Scientists (who also have a collection on Sub Pop), the Lime Spiders, the Victims, oh I could go on and on! Just buy this. One of the best compilations we've heard in a long time! (Particularily great if you got that excellent recent Sub Pop Radio Birdman collection reviewed on list #118, and want to hear more from their scene, or the scene that they inspired.)
The humble drum machine. It's had a tumultuous existence, equally loathed and loved, no more so than in metal (where for the most part it tends to be loathed). Without it, there's be no techno, or hip hop, or grime or industrial music. Or maybe there would be, but it would sound drastically different. It opened up a whole new world of sound, allowing musicians to program beats and sounds that they couldn't necessarily play or make themselves. So it was only a matter of time before extreme musicians discovered the sort of speed and brutality one could wring from that little box. It's nothing new, metal bands, grind bands and the like have been using drum machines for ages, but as extreme music gets more aggressive, more fucked up, more complex and more extreme, folks making this sort of music are pushing the limits of what a drum machine can do. Before, a band couldn't be any faster than their drummer could play. Now there is no limit, 100 bpm, 200 bpm, 300 bpm or more, speed is now no longer an issue. Nor is arrangement. Now a deft drum machine programmer can fit millions of beats and an insane number of different rhythms into a one minute song. Faster, more furious, more freaked out, we love it. From the murky blackened dizzyingly complex mechanical drums of black metal outfits like Draugar, to the pounding industrial grooves of Godflesh, to the lightning fast blasts of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, we can't get enough, we love the sputtering stuttering pounding skittering drum machine. Not as a replacement for real drums, and a real drummer (lord knows that usually the best part of seeing a band live is seeing a kick ass drummer totally destroy) but as another tool in the already formidable arsenal.
So here we have Drum>MachineGun, an audio report on the current state of grind. And metal. And more specifically, just what these grindmetal freaks are doing with their drum machines. And what they're doing is totally fucking mind blowing and face melting and completely confounding. Forget about music you think is fast, or heavy, or complicated, or freaked out, or fucked up. Because whatever you think, these songs, and these bands are more. Much more. 20 bands playing 67 songs in 73 minutes. Average song length about a minute. Average number of parts per song? More than our puny minds can handle. If you could imagine the most insane, most complicated, heaviest weirdest grindmetal band in the world, this comp is the record they would make. Each band linked in some ways, sometimes obviously, sometimes not so. But it makes for an incredibly cohesive listen. Which is rare for comps in general, especially one with 20 bands and almost 70 songs.
Probably our favorite discovery amongst the bunch is Noism, who might possible be our new favorite band. Imagine a group that sounded like a skipping Pig Destroyer cd. Or like multiple Agoraphobic Nosebleed cds playing at the same time. A totally mind blowing freaked out shredfest, impossibly convoluted rhythms, bizarre and brutal riffage, splattered all over the place, but sometimes lopping and skipping into bizarre industrial metal breakdowns, like a death metal Oval or something. Drum patters that are mind blowingly complex, and chugging squiggly guitars that somehow sync up perfectly. It's like a super scratched up, skipping grindcore 45, played at 90 rpm. We are dying for more than these 5 minutes. Then there's Jet Jaguar Kr3 Kill Spree, maybe the weirdest of the bunch. Imagine any of the other bands on this comp, having their blasting grind picked apart, chopped into tiny pieces and then flung haphazardly into a swirling black froth by V/VM or someone equally demented. An industrialized black metal music concrete. There are riffs and harsh vocals and all that but they are scattered amidst all sorts of bizarre sounds, damaged FX, and random looped samples. Some familiar AQ faves are present as well as a whole bunch of bands we'd never even heard of but were immediately blown away by. On the familiar side, BIG faves Black Mayonnaise, who we hadn't really expected to find on this comp, but they do indeed employ the machine made drums, although BM use them much differently. A sludgy ambient freaked out drug dirge world of fucked up home recorded doom. Noxious ambience, dense clouds of grinding guitar grrr and swooping FX drenched synths, all over a relentlessly pounding simple machine made beat. Like Hawkwind with a drum machine, or a super blissed out on-the-nod Butthole Surfers, a deliriously dark lugubrious creepy crawl. And no drum machine grind comp would be complete without Agoraphobic Nosebleed, the patron saints of mechanical grind, the lords of drum machine destruction. A technical grind metal juggernaut, who choose to instead indulge their industrial techno jones here, spewing forth a thick wash of pounding doom drenched gabber, with creepy vocal snippets, whirling clouds of synth fuzz and lo-fi hiss, all over a relentless 4/4 pound. Then there's Nemo, who we last heard from years ago on a split cd released by the now defunct Rage Of Achilles label. And we went absolutely apeshit for their new wave video game death metal grind. Wishing for a full length that never came. Thankfully not much has changed. If anything, they've gotten weirder and faster and more fucked up. It's like classic eighties metal chopped up and sped up, splattered with drum machines, run through some 16 bit video game system, and then performed by some grind metal super group. Yowza!
On the new to us side of things, there's Mecha Bongzilla, who we're tempted to believe is Bongzilla's faster, less stoned alterego, but it's a bit hard to tell. One track is downtuned buzzing blurry techgrind, but with INSANE vocals, like some alien gargling with a mouthful of kazoos and croaking frogs. Although their other track is downright sludgy and doomy so who knows? Also, Mad Cow who spit out weird echoey blast beats and spastic rhythmic splatter underneath thick sheets of low end guitar grind and super fucked black vomit vocals. Oh and a bunch of bird calls, monkey sounds, and a totally bizarre sped up super affected Elizabeth Clare Prophet sample right in the middle!!!! Woah!
Ok, it'll probably be easier to go through the rest of the bands in list form:
Artificial Intelligence Agency: more of a strange series of interludes, mostly weird sound effects, movie snippets, found sounds, bizarre FX, and only the occasional bit of music, and it's NOT metal, more some sort of weird ambient porno funk.
Voltron: chugging super fast gurgling vocalled death metal grind, with guitars and vocals so indistinct they are just blurs of low end sound and of course lightning fast drum machine blasts.
Submachine Drum: murky lo-fi industrial grind, so fast it's all a dizzying blur of hyperspeed drums and looped processed guitar riffs.
Slough: Not related to the similarly named Slough Feg... and take away the Feg and you've got a guttural grindmetal shred fest. Impossibly downtuned guitars, all a growing gurgling blur.
Scumfusion: some seriously shredding grind, but with plenty of wheedily lead guitars, grinding sludge metal riffs over ridiculously fast rhythms and super weird processed vocals, that sound like some underwater alien. Surprisingly melodic, but still furious and fierce, pounding and pummeling.
Prosthetic Cunt: We reviewed these guys' full length ages ago, a gleefully perverse and sick sick sick take on ultragrossoutgrind. Super blown out guitars and a drummachine cranked to 11 and programmed at about 300 BPM. And of course lots of goofy movie samples.
Ocrilim: No comp of insanely technical grind would be complete without some Mick Barr madness. Ocrilim is Barr (Orthrelm, Octis, Crom Tech) shredding wildly to sputtering spastic machine drums. SO insanely inspired but incredibly hard on the ears. In a good way.
Nerve Not Found: Prog gone grind. Keyboards swoop in and out of super complicated arrangements. Like the Locust covering Magma.
Hellz Army: Pounding DHR style industrial gabber. Big static repeating guitar riffs and pounding four on the floor drum machine pummel with bizarre samples of fifties rock, Space Ghost and tons of other random weirdness.
Genghis Tron: We sure do love these guys. Imagine Slayer sped up to impossible speeds, a grinding super technical satanic death metal, then mix in a bunch of fuzzed out new wave synths, hip hop breakbeats, samples and prepare to have your mind melt.
Decomposing Serenity: These guys represent the old school. Super blow out death metal gore grind. Downtuned riffing, chugging guitars, machine made blast beats, and a vast array of gurgling, strangled, alien, monster growls. Bits of this are almost even funky, making them sound at times like a gore grind Chili Peppers.
Data Clast: Another grind new wave hybrid, but with a bit of a prog bent. Heavy and super pummeling but with plenty of thick fuzzy synths, and convoluted song structures, complex arrangements, and processed guitars that skip and stutter as much as they riff. And of course some huge slow and low grumbling monster gurgle vocals.
Cocoon: Stretched out industrial black ambience, one of the few tracks whose drum machines are more a part of their whole vibe than the driving focal point. Crackling, rumbling drones, clouds of drifting glitch, and shuffling stuttering rhythms, an ominous dreamlike subtly drum machined drift.
This is the kind of record that leaves you bruised and bloody, beaten and exhausted. Like having the musical shit kicked out of you. This is a seriously intense bout of heavy listening. Hard listening. Nothing easy about this at all. Super furious, totally relentless, loud as fuck, faster than a speeding bullet, grinding and gurgling and bellowing and blasting and skipping and looping and crushing and pulverizing and pummeling and shrieking and shredding and so goddamn amazing.
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An album of Queen covers where each song is so unlike the original that it's only slightly recognizable. And the Queen connection turns out to be enough of a good thematic idea to hold this record together! The point isn't really the Queen songs, but the
On the other hand, Allan thinks this is a compilation of bands he mostly wouldn't normally want to listen to, ruining a bunch of songs he loves, but can't deny the humor value, and imagines that Freddie wouldn't be too upset. Queen were pretty campy after all.
Back in stock! (And, also, when we reviewed this a few weeks ago, we spaced out and somehow listed it under the title of Electro Grind Holocaust, which is a totally different comp on the same label, whoops!)
For those of you who just flipped over our recent Record Of The Week selection the Drum>MachineGun compilation, and want MORE crazed drum machine grindcore insanity, this other collection entitled Electro Grind Gore Compilation should also be of interest! It's slanted a bit more toward the underground and obscure than the Drum>MachineGun comp, and also more towards the porno/gore obsessed side of this bizarre metal/punk subgenre -- a subgenre that features, as displayed here, razor sharp spastic guitar riffage, techno dance beats, belching death metal grunts and growls (some so subsonically extreme that they sound like bubblings from below the earth), non-sequitorial samples (often offensive and, um, humorous), and lots of bleepy bleepy bleargh distortion and noise. There's a unexpectedly high catchiness quotient, in spots, but these tracks are definitely utterly maddening at the same time. It's kind of a "chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter" deal with the electro danciness and the harsh splattermetalgrindnoise in collision. In fact, it's kind of unclear just who this sort of music is supposed to appeal to: we can't imagine techno fans digging all the noise and gore, and we didn't think so many metalheads liked techno-dance beats -- but I guess we were wrong! Of course we like it, so...
Electro Grind Gore contains 28 tracks from 17 bands, most of whom we'd never heard of before. Some names: Atomik Surfing, Shunt Incision, Basket Of Death, Vomitrone, Skrotum, 666.Porn.Star, SMES, Posthuman Worm, Absurd God, Tourette Syndrom, Firbrosarcoma... A very international line-up indeed, the bands hailing from Brazil, Japan, Mexico, France, Croatia, Holland, Germany, Panama, Spain, Australia, and Italy. It's a veritable World Cup of sick underground electro grind! While here at Aquarius we're better versed in black metal, doom, and "true" metal, if we ever do decide to turn this drum machine fueled electronic grindcore deviancy into an AQ specialty, we'd definitely start by tracking down more stuff by the bands on this comp!
You know that guy with the Grizzly Adams beard you're always seeing skating down Valencia 'n dumpster diving outside Ti Couz? That would be the world famous artist that AQ knows as nice Mr Chris Johansson, who has single handedly released this double disc set featuring almost 50 of his favorite Bay Area rockscene bands (many of the tracks live). Everyone from Coachwhips to Caesura, Touched By a Janitor, Vetiver, Mr and Mrs Evil, Tarentel, Veronica Lipgloss, Trackstar, Total Shutdown, Quails, Troll, Erase Errata, A Tension, Tussle, Virginia Dare, Zmrzlina, Aislers Set, Tommy Guerrero, Crack W.A.R., Sonny Smith, Zeigenbock Kopf, Deep Throats, and so many more.
As with most comps meant to survey a local scene, this is a mixed bag, but there's tons more good stuff here than bad, and it's a real good way to taste what the local scene has to offer if you're not one of those folks that goes out to hear live music all the time. An exciting listen.
Double disc foldout digipack features artwork by local artists Jo Jackson, Chris Corales, Tony Cox, Dave Schubert, many more, but not, as far as I can tell, any of Johansson's stuff.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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Experimental hardcore, power violence, noise, crust, etc. comp--starring Amps For Christ, Bastard Noise, Bullet In The Head, Drop Dead, Lightning Bolt, Men's Recovery Project, Rubber O Cement, Tit Wrench, and many others.
We're so thrilled that the Strut label seems to have come out of hiding recently with not only another great Disco Not Disco comp but now this highly essential collection of jammers from The Compass Point studios in the Bahamas as well. Compass Point was where Chris Blackwell of Island Records fame held court with a house band and production team spearheaded by Sly & Robbie. This collection brings some of the tightest and catchiest jams recorded at Compass Point from 1980-86. Whether it's Grace Jones, Talking Heads, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Gwen Guthrie (mixed by Larry Levan!), Ian Durry or Chaz Jankel, they were all reaching a creative and grooving peak during this magical era inside Compass Point. While Sly & Robbie have lent their skills to thousands of songs this batch really demonstrates that when they were at their best, those guys helped cultivate a whole new sound and feeling that brought elements of dub and Jamaician roots into disco, soul, funk and new wave.
We can't get enough Funky Nassau, just about every single day since this has arrived whoever's been working up front has been blasting this like crazy (if you've been in lately and now have the lines "I'm Spasticus! Autisticus!" stuck in your head, that's why!) and we're pretty sure this will start getting some heavy rotation on your stereo as well. So damn good!
New Jersey's Gern Blandsten Records celebrate nine years of existence with this compilation of two dozen tracks by two dozen of Gern Blandsten's finest boy bands galore. Running the gamut from Wire / Gang of Four influenced post punk angst (Computer Cougar)
What more do you need to know!?! It's a compilation called GRIND BASTARDS. Subtitled "For The Grind Freaks". Released on the label run by legendary Japanese grinders Unholy Grave. And check out the band list. Tons of killer groups, and a whole bunch new to us, almost all heavy and brutal and kick ass: Mortalized, Insect Warfare, Butcher ABC, Unholy Grave (of course), Exgreed, Disgust, Top Breeder, Motiveless, Gods Of Grind, Little Bastard, Red, 48, Gate, Spiral and more.
Plenty of downtuned chug, furious blasts, growled cookie monster grunts, wild hysterical shrieks, insane chaotic riffing, most songs clocking in at under two minutes, many of those under one, short sharp jagged blasts of grinding fury, with some songs super well produced and heavy as fuck, others blown out almost Japanoise sounding boombox blur, a handful of crusty D-beat pounding, super varied, but super cohesive, heavy as hell, should totally hit the spot for punk rockers and metalheads alike, as long as you like it ultra heavy, ultra sick and blazing fast. The biggest surprise for us, is probably the 51 second long Mortalized track, "Nailing Descartes To The Wall", which just might be the catchiest minute of grind we've ever heard. Similar to how Jon Chang's new bands incorporate eighties metal and crazy power metal hooks into impossible complex grind, Mortalized sound a little like Iron Maiden on 78, or maybe some super catchy 3 minute pop single spun as fast as it will go, the guitars raging and soaring, the hooks undeniable, even some leads, but that main melody has been stuck in our head nonstop. The only solution seems to be listening to that track over and over again. Which we're still doing. And it does seem to be working. We just. Can't. Ever. Stop.
Packaged in cool fold out punk rock sleeve style with each band getting their own little square for artwork and liner notes.
With a title like Grind Bastards, you can safely assume that this comp is indeed directly targeted at you, the grind bastards. And we know there are some serious grind bastards among the aQ faithful. Anyone who has gone nuts in the past for Agoraphobic Nosebleed, or Pig Destroyer, or Discordance Axis, or Last Days Of Humanity, we could go on and on and on, so yeah, dig a little deeper and discover a whole world of grind going on UNDER the underground. Grind Bastards collects some of the best Japanese grind from mostly bands you've never heard of, but NEED to.
Heavy, buzzing, blasting, frenzied, frenetic, pummeling, crushing, a dizzying swirl of metal riffage, furious blast beats, grunted cookie monster vocals, inhuman blackened shrieks, hooks all over the place, and some of the heaviest catchiest under a minute shit you'll ever hear.
Little Bastards, Magnicide, Mortalized, Butcher ABC, Cortecuellos, Brob, Mangirl, Fortitude, Bleeding Humanity, D.I.E., Kutsujoku, Deadly Spawn, Zagio Evha Dilegj and of course Unholy Grave, whose label Grind Freaks released this (and who also run the amazing all black metal and grind and doom record store Grave in Japan). Dense and dizzyingly complex, next level heaviness for sure, fast and crusty enough for punk rockers, riffy and brutal enough for metalheads, and definitely a rad grind primer for the newbies.
BTW: We also have a few copies of Grind Bastards 2, which besides totally ruling as well, just so happens to feature one of our favorite grind jams ever, a 51 second grindpop gem by Mortalized (who have 2 songs here) covering pop punkers Propaghandi.
Okay grind bastards, time for round 4, another awesome collection of some of the best grind that Japan, and the rest of the world, has to offer. But like on past installments, this is not the grind you know and love, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Last Days Of Humanity, Discordance Axis, Hayaino Daisuki, Brutal Truth, Pig Destroyer, Nasum, that's all mainstream by comparison, this is the grind underground, some names you might know, you might even have records by Unholy Grave, whose label Grind Freaks is responsible for this mayhem, or Total Fucking Destruction, and then there's a bunch of bands you probably only know from past installments of Grind Bastards like Mortalized, Fortitude, Little Bastards, and in addition this time around a there's whole new crop of bands we'd never heard 'til now: Vulgaroyal Bloodhill, Zomba Green, Disgunder, Diborce, Ada Max, Black Ganion, and more more more.
This isn't really for dabblers though, this is sort of the grind version of grim, kvlt, true, the sounds here insane and ultra aggressive, over the top, a relentless assault on the senses, a crushing barrage of grinding buzzsaw riffage, blasting hyperspeed drumming, crazed vocals that yelp, howl, grunt, screech, the songs ultra proggy, a million parts and tempos crammed into the space of a minute or two, the sounds vary from blasts of blacknoise, to groovy almost classic metal, to white hot blasts of old school grind, to twisted effects drenched grinding avant metal freakouts, to galloping fastcore, to helping almost Melt-Banana sounding hypergrind, to epic war grind, to some almost poppy grind, some seriously gurgling goregrind, a few tracks get into 3 and 4 even 5 minutes, while others blow by in seconds, furious and frenzied and frantic and fantastically fucked up, this is some of the raddest, heaviest, most brutal and inventive grind you'll hear, anyone into fast and heavy, blasting brutality, this will kick your ass big time, and like past volumes, this would be a pretty epic grind primer, and like those volumes, this couldn't be more recommended.
Killer packaging too, a massive fold out punk rock poster, with each band getting their own little panel of liner notes...
Once again, this one is for all the Grind Bastards out there, the fifth in this long running series of Japanese comps, collecting the best of (mostly) Japanese grind, released on the Grind Freaks label, run by legendary Japanese grinders Unholy Grave, who are present here, along with some other longtime faves: Mortalized, Agothocles and some others. But the best part of these comps is discovering all the weird ultra underground grind outfits you'd most likely not hear anywhere else: Red Ran Amber, Ada Max, Extreme Noise Destroyer, Hell And Hell, Easies, Fortitude, Midnight Resurrector, Naqro, Parasite and more!
Obviously, this comp is called Grind Bastards, on a label called Grind Freaks, so odds are if you made it this far you know what you're getting into, fast and furious, blasting, churning, chugging, GRINDing heaviness, frenzied beats, insane riffing, howled and screeched vox, total metallic chaos, blurry punk mayhem, short sharp blasts of super complex, downtuned intricate metallic grind. We're digging Red Ran Amber, who if all was fair would be getting the same love as say Wormrot, Pig Destroyer or any of the other grind outfits on Relapse, Mortalized offer up another minute long epic, further convincing us that they might have the potential to be our favorite grinders if they only had more material out and it was a lot easier to track down, Extreme Noise Destroyer offer up some sort of distortion drenched bit of acoustic guitar weirdness before launching into some serious downtuned devastation, the Easies spit out blasts of super blown out and in-the-red chaos, Brob offer up some seriously old school powerviolence fastcore grind, their sound thick and caustic, Parasite are almost straight up classic eighties metal, complete with super melodic harmonized guitar leads, while Naqro might be a new favorite, their super raw lo-fi sound impossibly dense and heavy, their sound swinging wildly from frantic grind to swinging almost groovy metallic churn, and Midnight Resurrector kick out the straight up hip hop, not sure if they're normally a grind band or they just have some grind cred (they do infuse their sound with some fat fuzzy bass, and some Hawd Gangstah style bellowed rapping). Already can't wait for volume six! Comes in a cool fold out punk rock poster style sleeve.
A friend of ours is a Canadian MC who often introduces himself with the line, "I'm quite popular in France... a country renown for its terrible taste in music." With that in mind, it's unsurprising that the treasures found on this latest compilation of French minimal/cold/new-wave and post-punk from the fine folks at Born Bad Records in gay Pareee never found much favor in their homeland the first time around, as a country immersed in accordions and Edith Piaf may not have known what to do with Warm Joe's synth-bleep-infused, art-damaged, poppity punk skronk ferinstance.
If you've been following the slow but steady trickle of French reissue compilations that we've been fawning over for the past year here at aQ HQ like So Young But So Cold, BIPPP, and Les Jeunes Gens Moderne (that one coming soon on an expanded double cd by the way!), you'll be pretty familiar with the basic formula for many of the tracks: primitive beat box drums pushed to their limits + fuzzed out guitar + synths that provide everything from squidgy bass to massively hooky lead lines to disco lasers to de rigeur blips, bloops and bleeps + vocals that manage to sing, scream, coo, croon and yowl all at once = insanely melodic, freaked out french synth-punk that hybridizes everything good about early electro, new wave, disco, punk, pop and even chansons francais. So yeah, if you liked any or all of those other comps then save yourself the trouble of reading any further and just buy this already. It rules.
Not convinced? Ok, fair enough. What if we told you that IVG not only digs as deep as if not deeper than the other comps (honestly, when a track you've never heard by Ruth is the most familiar thing on the tracklist, then you know that you're in for some serious obscurities...), but it also pushes the weirdo factor up exponentially? For starters, Dead Heat have a baby laying down vocals on their contribution, "Damnee Petite Sophie" and every single part of Crise de Nerf's over-caffeinated fuzz freak out, "Rock A La Tele," honestly sounds like it's about to explode spectacularly. Toss in some alternate reality soundtrack work by Stabat stable, not one BUT TWO soundscape-y tone poems by Theatre Commercial, and a song by Ruth that sounds frighteningly like Dr. Know from Bad Brains jamming with Sonic Youth and you know you are headed somewhere fantastic. Seriously, mes amis: up the volume, up the speed, up the fuzz, up the fucked up French punks. ALLONS Y!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
The debut release from Matt Wobensmith's (ex-Outpunk) new label! Digital Hardcore-style dancepunk featuring unlikely teamups: Christoph de Babalon and Team Dresch, Jack Acid & Chris Polaris, Kento Oiwa (of Olympia's ICU) with Behead the Prophet, and 680x0 with the Mukilteo Fairies. We are happy to see the punk and extreme e-music worlds teaming up, and to think it was yesterday that the "Maximum R&R" guys were buying the Atari Teenage Riot single from us... Queercorps is leading the way.
Not sure where we were when this came out originally. Actually, the oldest of us here were around 11 years old, so we were still a few years away from discovering the joys of punk rock. But holy shit this comp is amazing. Originally released in 1981 on the Urinals' label, Keats Rides A Harley was a brief glimpse into the burgeoing Southern California (and Arizona) punk scene, featuring a handful of soon to be huge punk rock legends, many still sort of feeling out their sounds, all of them super raw and intense. Features the original comp, remastered, with Gun Club, the Leaving Trains, Meat Puppets, Earwigs, 100 Flowers, Human Hands, Tunneltones, S Squad and Toxic Shock. This cd reissue includes nine bonus tracks, an extra song from each of the above bands, as well as the way rare 5 track Happy Squid label sampler, featuring tracks from the Urinals, Danny And The Doorknobs, Arrow Book Club, Vidiots and Phil Bedel. Also includes super detailed liner notes, and an extensive history of each group.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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This is so good. Wow. Never been much for hardcore. In fact as a teen, I skipped the punk rock stage entirely, jumping from top 40 right into heavy metal. Eventually I backtracked and discovered tons of amazing punk rock. But man, had I known when I was making the switch, that there was stuff like this out there....
This stuff sounds so fresh even now, and is so aggressive and mean and boiling over with utter fury. These songs say as much about teen rebellion and the disaffected youth as it does about the time period ('80-'85). Definitely a better reminder of the Reagan years than the stuff we've been hearing about him lately (man, was he ever lucky to die during an election year!). Anyway, this is a really amazing comp, especially considering that out of 23 bands we had only heard of one! And that band's from Finland! This stuff is so heavy and mean, it even out-brutalizes lots of black metal we've heard. Wild thrashing drumming, simple skull bashing riffing, shouting and screeching vocals, throbbing basslines, and lyrics that are pissed Pissed PISSED! Some of the bands: Urban Waste, Gasmask, Terveet Kadeet, Ultraviolent, No Pigs, Capital Scum, Genetic Control, the Left, Nihilistics -- hell, even the names sound pissed! Allan and Andee have been surprising everyone lately by playing this incessantly!
Here's the first two promised discs in the revised, regionally-based Messthetics series. (Which is a MUCH BETTER way to do it than the old, alphabetically-organized Messthetics cd-rs!) Messthetics, if you don't know, is the Hyped To Death label's term for all the arty D.I.Y. kinda punk lo-fi amateur rock/pop goodness n' weirdness spawned in the UK during the late '70s and early '80s. Obscure bands that only made cassettes, or appeared on rare 7" vinyl comps, that sort of thing. A few of the bands developed cult followings or went on to evolve into more well-known, professional acts. But most of 'em were but brief blips, if that, on the cultural radar. However, thanks to the loving efforts that have gone in to compiling these and forthcoming Messthetics volumes, now 25 years later these otherwise lost gems can still be enjoyed. Both #101 and #102 are focussed on the heart of the Empire, bands hailing from the Big Smoke, London. Messthetics #101 (full subtitle: D.I.Y. and (very) indie post-punk from London and the Home Counties '78-81, pt I) includes The Homosexuals, George Harassment, Take It, Scissor Fits, and Milkshake Melon, Exhibit A, Different I's, Acid Drops, Funboy Five, Blue Screaming, Karel Fialka, Tiny Town, Grinder, The Door And The Window, Collective Horizontal, Jimmy Nipper Five, Rejects, Rich & Famous, Existence, Twelve Cubic Feet, and Outrageous Flesh. There's 22 regular audio tracks on the cd, and an additional five bonus mp3 tracks as well! Of course, some of these bands are better n' others... and everybody will have their own favorites. Plenty to chose from for sure. Messthetics #102 is indeed part II, another 23 tracks (no mp3s on this one) from Steve Treatment, London PX, Dry Rib, Vacants, Auntie Pus, Astronauts, Lines, Frank Details, Dad, Lines, Tea Set, Walking Floors, MLR, Restricted Hours, The Syrups, Metrophase, Nigel Simpkins, and Innerpropriates. Yeah, we haven't heard of many of these either (well, maybe we have but only in context of the old Messthetics cd-rs), but that's just the point!! Where the heck else are you gonna hear such weird ditties as "Marmelade Freak" and "Drive Your Car To The Middle Of Your Brain" and "I Don't Wanna Work For British Airways"?
Sure, for a more consistent track-to-track collection of pop smarts of similar styles, vintage and geographic origin, we recommend getting that recently reviewed 7" Up comp before these... but for the type of creativity that can only come when artists have ABSOLUTELY no expectations, Messthetics is the place to go. We're eagerly awaiting further volumes!
Here's the first two promised discs in the revised, regionally-based Messthetics series. (Which is a MUCH BETTER way to do it than the old, alphabetically-organized Messthetics cd-rs!) Messthetics, if you don't know, is the Hyped To Death label's term for all the arty D.I.Y. kinda punk lo-fi amateur rock/pop goodness n' weirdness spawned in the UK during the late '70s and early '80s. Obscure bands that only made cassettes, or appeared on rare 7" vinyl comps, that sort of thing. A few of the bands developed cult followings or went on to evolve into more well-known, professional acts. But most of 'em were but brief blips, if that, on the cultural radar. However, thanks to the loving efforts that have gone in to compiling these and forthcoming Messthetics volumes, now 25 years later these otherwise lost gems can still be enjoyed. Both #101 and #102 are focussed on the heart of the Empire, bands hailing from the Big Smoke, London. Messthetics #101 (full subtitle: D.I.Y. and (very) indie post-punk from London and the Home Counties '78-81, pt I) includes The Homosexuals, George Harassment, Take It, Scissor Fits, and Milkshake Melon, Exhibit A, Different I's, Acid Drops, Funboy Five, Blue Screaming, Karel Fialka, Tiny Town, Grinder, The Door And The Window, Collective Horizontal, Jimmy Nipper Five, Rejects, Rich & Famous, Existence, Twelve Cubic Feet, and Outrageous Flesh. There's 22 regular audio tracks on the cd, and an additional five bonus mp3 tracks as well! Of course, some of these bands are better n' others... and everybody will have their own favorites. Plenty to chose from for sure. Messthetics #102 is indeed part II, another 23 tracks (no mp3s on this one) from Steve Treatment, London PX, Dry Rib, Vacants, Auntie Pus, Astronauts, Lines, Frank Details, Dad, Lines, Tea Set, Walking Floors, MLR, Restricted Hours, The Syrups, Metrophase, Nigel Simpkins, and Innerpropriates. Yeah, we haven't heard of many of these either (well, maybe we have but only in context of the old Messthetics cd-rs), but that's just the point!! Where the heck else are you gonna hear such weird ditties as "Marmelade Freak" and "Drive Your Car To The Middle Of Your Brain" and "I Don't Wanna Work For British Airways"?
Sure, for a more consistent track-to-track collection of pop smarts of similar styles, vintage and geographic origin, we recommend getting that recently reviewed 7" Up comp before these... but for the type of creativity that can only come when artists have ABSOLUTELY no expectations, Messthetics is the place to go. We're eagerly awaiting further volumes!
The Messthetics series marches on! Now we visit the grotty Midlands, where (we're told, we weren't there) the avant/pop/punk DIY scene of the late '70s and early '80s was meager in comparison to the rest of the UK on account of the NWOBHM explosion taking place there then. Yet, the industrious compliers at Hyped To Death have managed to dig up a whole disc's worth (and then some, as there are bonus mp3 tracks here as well) of interestin' rare tracks from kids making non-metallic (but still loud and often obnoxious) noise. The best-known of the slew of bands found here would be the Swell Maps, and also there's a band, the Versatile Newts, who was later on to become Felt. Also: Human Cabbages, The Shapes, Domestic Bliss, Cult Figures, School Meals, Hardware, Prefects, The Buzz, Famous Explorers, Digital Dinosaurs, 021, Lester and the Brew, Cravats, Cracked Actors, the Accused (not the Martha Splatterhead Accused, obviously), Dangerous Girls, Spizzoil, and Profile. 22 tracks in all plus 4 mp3s. And as always, there's copious liner notes and graphics in the booklet, chock full of information on all these weird bands. Once you get started on the Messthetics series, we're pretty sure you'll want 'em all, and #103 provides no objection to that notion.
This deep and delightful series of late '70s/early '80s UK post-punk DIY art school pop weirdness continues its ongoing region-by-region march. This volume, Messthetics #104, brings us 23 tracks (29 counting bonus mp3s) of super freakin' obscure tracks from South Wales bands circa 1977-81, with some emphasis on a scene surrounding the Cardiff indie label Z-Block. For what it's worth here's the lineup of bands: Czechs, Current Obsessions, What To Wear, Tax Exiles, Flying Brix, Immortal Invisibles, Spitfire Boys, Decadent Few, The Sane, Discount Chiefs, Table Table (now there's a name), Crash Action Winners (doing a Red Crayola cover), Reptile Ranch, Addiction, Boywonders, Hugh Volk, Ralph & The Ponytails, Janet & Johns, and Puritan Guitars (plus Autonomes, John Marlon, and Filmstars among the bonus mp3 tracks). Sounds range from fuzzed out aggro punkishness to naive, singsongy twee pop klutz stuff, all of it wonderfully eccentric and lo, lo, lo-fi. There's enough goodness here to make it tough to pick faves, though Reptile Ranch's "(Don't Give) The Lifeguard (A Second Chance)" stands out as sounding like the music from the scene in a psychsploitation flick when there's a montage of laughing mouths, hedonistic grape-crushing, and dancing girls.
You gotta hand it to Hyped To Death label owner and Messthetics compiler Chuck Warner. This is a true labor of love, and he knows his stuff. No slapdash, ill-informed compilations these! Instead, you get a bunch of brilliant (or at least entertainingly interesting) music you'd probably never ever hear otherwise, packaged with a thick 24 page booklet stuffed with detailed notes on each track, photos, 7" sleeve art, even a comic strip. Super informative, super fun. Warner points out that Wales was never given a lot of attention by the UK music industry, so the whole DIY thing really had an impact there, giving the Messthetics series plenty of treats to dole out this time 'round!
(PS also new in stock, to be reviewed next time: Messthetics #105, a Scottish volume.)
This deep and delightful series of late '70s/early '80s UK post-punk DIY indie pop weirdness continues its ongoing region-by-region march! This volume, Messthetics #105, brings us 24 tracks (33 counting bonus mp3s) of super freakin' obscure tracks from 7" singles and demo cassettes by Scottish bands circa 1977-81, with a focus on the extremely underground, art-school spawned "Sound Of Young Scotland". Best known band here is probably Fire Engines. And let's not forget Scrotum Poles. But for sure there's plenty of gems (as usual with these comps), in fact, track for track this may be one of the best so far. This also includes the likes of 35mm Dreams, The Exile, Fakes, Metropak, Radio Ghosts, Rapid Dance, Restricted Code, Brills, Dirty Reds (pre-Fire Engines), He's Dead Jim, and many more.
Lots of lo-fi bands that formed before they either owned instruments or knew how to play them. And they were only tangentially inspired by the '77 punk explosion down London way. The band Vertical Smiles even offer a critique of the commercial aspect of the punk movement on their sarcastic song "New Clash Single". Some of the acts here go for an energetic attack but we're most taken with the more moody, melodic, sometimes monotonic skinny tie new wavey ones...
As usual, this labor of love is packed to the max with photos, art, and well-researched, extensive track notes in the super thick cd booklet. This is the comp to pick up before you go getting anything else by, say, Franz Ferdinand.
These Messthetics comps are so great. Truly a labor of love. So meticulously researched, pretty much ever single collection chock full of bands we've never heard of, with liner notes that read like a book about whatever scene or band is the focus of the comp. So here we go again, number 106 collects a bunch of rarities from The Manchester Musicians Collective. Heard of it? Neither had we. The Fall and Joy Division were the focal points, but this comp proves there were amazing things happening outside of the limelight. According to the liner notes, the four reasons that the MMC scene was different from the various other scenes were as follows:
1. The Buzzcocks, who inspired the scene to make it happen, to get involved, pick up instruments and start bands, set up shows and release records.
2. Live performances. The various meetings of the group helped fledgling bands get their shit together live and on stage, performing in front of their pals and peers, getting tight and honing their sound.
3. The MMC was not just for rocker dudes, there were plenty of gay teenagers and women making just as much noise as the guys in a scene predominantly male. And finally:
4. Incorporating more than just guitars into the sound, keyboards, synths, electronics, effects, all giving the bands a unique sound.
There's plenty more about the history and the development of the MMC, but as with anything it's all about the sound, and the songs, and the groups, and starting with the MMC's stars: Joy Division, The Fall and the Buzzcocks, you can get a pretty good idea of where they were coming from. But then there's groups like the Mud Hutters, who combined angular post punk guitars, with yowled throaty vocals and lurching tribal rhythms, with sheets of insectoid buzz. Or Grow-Up, who adding horns to their new wave, and wrapped it all around jangly guitar and funky rhythms, or Liggers, a punk rock band made up of three Catholic school girls who obsessed over Patty Smith but sounded more like Toto Coelo, or Passage, who tangled up simple rhythms with buzzing low end synths and spoken / sung vocals, or Bee Vamp, whose sound was very Devo, jagged jangle guitar, skronky synths, tribal drumming, and killer glammy vocals... and on and on it goes. So many amazing bands, one hit wonders (minus the hit), and groups who barely existed outside of the MMC scene, and who essentially don't exist at all outside of this comp. Hyped To Death should get some sort of grant, preserving musical history, like a punk rock Smithsonian. As will all of the Messthetics collections and pretty much everything on Hyped to Death, totally recommended.
At this point in this fantastic on-going series, with us having already reviewed Messthetics #101-106 plus both Messethetics Greatest HITS and Messthetics Greatest HISS, we probably don't have to introduce you to the whole Messethetics concept, that being archival anthologies of DIY recordings by obscure post-punk bands from the UK, circa 1977-1983 or so, some noisier, some poppier, some weirder, some cruder... You know what we're talking about - if not, please look up all our reviews of the previous installments in this series, you're in for a treat!
So, here's #107, subtitled "D.I.Y. '78-81 London III", meaning it's the third collection of London-based bands in the series, returning to the city previously documented by #101 and #102. Of course, there's a been lot of great bands from there! There's 23 audio tracks on the cd, plus 7 bonus songs in mp3 format included here. Here's the lineup of bands: Stepping Talk, Jelly Babies, Avocados, Occult Chemistry, Patterns, Six Minute War, Demon Preacher, Methodishca Tune, Jangletties, Stolen Power, Flags, Steppes, Disco Zombies, Insex, 49 Americans, The Milkmen, Design For Living, Twilight Zoners, and Club Tango, with a few more only on mp3. Not too many household names there, eh? But you will find, if you peruse the incredibly extensive liner notes in the thick cd booklet (filled also with photos, fliers, and 7" artwork), that folks participating in some these acts also played in the likes of Alien Sex Fiend, Flying Lizards, A Certain Ratio, and others.
More of a recommendation, really, is simply that it's another volume of Messthetics - they're ALWAYS awesome, so collect 'em all! As usual with a Messthetics volume, this disc is packed with long-unheard gems that are so charmingly THEN but also so perfectly NOW considering the sort of retro influenced stuff we've been hearing from the current DIY pop scene. Naive shambolic pop rubs shoulders with machine-driven punk angst, dubby rhythms mix it up with melodic jangle and skronky guitars... off kilter lo-fi avant garde action abounds! If we had to pick a fave, we'd say the Disco Zombies for some reason jumped out at us when we gave this the first of several spins thus far. But you'll doubtless latch onto your own faves here if you give it a few listens yourself.
Another great addition to the Messthetics library, as always we give big thanks to Hyped To Death for performing this valuable service for all music lovers whose collections aren't quite vast enough to already contain all these obscurities.
Hey Messthetics fans! Here's the latest volume in this very worthwhile series of comps of way underground UK music from the late '70s/early '80s. This one is specifically devoted to "South Coast 'D.I.Y.' and (very) indie postpunk '77-81" though we find that their geographic organization of these discs means very little to us. Each one is always awesome, full of gems we're glad to get to hear (and probably never would have otherwise). If you're into Messthetics, this one's another quality comp, featuring 24 songs (plus even more mp3-only bonus tracks and one bonus video), from almost as many bands, here's the lineup, for what it's worth ('cause you probably HAVEN'T heard of any of 'em, that's the idea after all): Chimes, Chiefs, Bloated Toads, Again Again, Objeks, Greeting No. 4, Poison Girls, Lillettes, Renaldo & The Loaf (ok, there's one we'd heard of!), Thought Police, April & The Fools, Vitamins, Pink Flamingos, Joe Dash, Relatives, Legendary Tenfoots, Attic, Indifferent Dance Centre, Almost Cruelty, Mike Malignant & The Parasites, Right Profile, 3D, Forward Edge, Intestines, The Passengers, Venus In Furs, and Butcher, who run the gamut from distorted punk stomp to stark drum machine mope. If the usual run of Messthetics bands are obscure, these are even more so 'cause according to the always-expert liner notes the South Coast scene was generally ignored by the London labels & press. And speaking of liner notes, the thick cd booklet is practically a little 'zine all by itself, each band's super detailed write-up often including a mini-interview! And lots of vintage photos and graphics. As always, a true labor of love.
For those just tuning in, H2D and their Messthetics series is like the Sublime Frequencies of reissue labels. Rather than backpack the world looking for far out field recordings, H2D delves into the past, excavating long lost cassettes and rare vinyl 7"s from the post punk weirdos found in such out of the way corners of Great Britain, such as what's documented here, bands from Bournemouth, Brighton, Southhampton, Portsmouth. The text on the tray card of this cd says "Between 1977 and '83, hundreds of bands in the UK put out their own records and cassettes..." The Messthetics series, now on its umpteenth installment has not only proved that assertion many times over, but also demonstrated that many of those bands were pretty great besides! Check 'em out.
What an awesomely punny title, Messthetics Greatest Hiss. Meaning, these are all tracks (circa 1979-'82), representing from the DIY cassette culture only, not taken from vinyl singles and 12" comps, as underground as they may be. Which means the stuff here is maybe even more "outsidery" than the usual run of Messthetics treats, as DIY got -really- DIY when the cassette culture thing took off. So, you can expect lots of fantastic -and- really weird tracks here, possibly more so than usual with a Messthetics comp. And the timing of this release is perfect too, as funnily enough cassettes have been making a bit of comeback. Maybe it's that kids today find 'em to be more of novelty than cds and cd-rs, or it's part of an analog backlash against digital, we've certainly been selling limited run cassette tapes like crazy here at AQ lately. Cassette tape, the new (old) cd-r!
Listening to this, you'll definitely have a flashback to your own home taping experiences. The clicks of the cassette deck starting and stopping as edits are made - such as at the start of Funhouse's track "Teenage Bedrooms", which begins with someone yelling "Roight! Enough of this pratting about [click], this song's called 'Teenage Bedrooms'"... and then what follows almost could be the Frogs.
The clicks, the whir, the (yes) hiss. Of course, production values vary from half-decent to practically non-existent. But that lo-fi-ness is all part of the charm. As is the creative, anything goes aesthetic of these bands and "bands". Some "well-known" names (relatively speaking) here and some less-so, from this most underground of underground scenes. Some of 'em quite "pop", others more experimental/industrial/electronic, many combining both.
Thee artists: The Jelly Babies, Danny & the Dressmakers, Storm Bugs, Colin Potter, Event Group, The Get, Instant Automatons, Missing Persons, Gravity Craze, Farming Jim & his Hepcat Groovstas, 391, The Chromosomes, Mike Jones, The Living Dead no. 5, Digital Dinosaurs, The Twizlers, Aconite, Casual Labourers, Midnight Circus, Milkshake Melon, Funhouse, Cultural Amnesia, Stripey Zebras, Chimp Eats Bananas (pre-Chumbawamba we're told), and Dean Johnson.
Everything from crunching electronic distortion to percussive jams (The Event Group) to sub-sub-sub New Wave. Talk about "noise pop", try Cultural Amnesia's track on for size! So much great stuff.
As usual, bursting with value. 25 songs on the cd, plus five more mp3 bonus tracks! A thick, info-packed 24 page cd booklet! And of course it's but volume 1. Bring on volumes 2, 3, 4, etc. we say!
