(tour poster by Bis Aufs Messer)
No doubt, one of the happenings this year - and my second or third show within one year (hahahahaha, okay I will attend Yo La Tengo's gig in my town, too). Reviews and shirt postings by both bands will follow.
Finally I could get my hands on a copy of this record. It was released after their brilliant debut LP. It's a pity that they never got the attention they deserved.
The title track is way more catchy and pop than the songs on their first release, but still unique. But the other tracks are a fine frowardness in a time when it simply wasn't cool anymore to play that sound. Especially the saxophone is very driving here giving it all a bit The Pop Group or James White & The Blacks feeling. While when it gets more way out in those three tracks The Contortions and La Société Des Timides à l' a Parade Des Oiseau come to my mind. 4 000 000 Telephones even learned some Sun Ra and Art Ensemble Of Chicago lessons here - can't go wrong here.
Is that a xylphone in "Mrs. Brown (The Clown)"? Totally corrosive!
Now: Funk you!
4 000 000 TELEPHONES - French Girls E.P. (12") Summerhouse #Sums 02 recorded 1986 released 1987
side a:
1. French Girls
2. The Same Thing
side b:
1. Mrs. Brown (The Clown)
2. Icebox
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Again: please do not confuse them with the Death Metal band of the same name!
I was just uploading their split 7" again and I thought it might be nice to post their 7" too. Maybe their two best songs with a lot of mid phase Shotmaker and Thumbnail in here, although I think that those bands weren't an influence to Anasarca. On the other hand the flip side was a huge influence to Blue Water Boy - a band that was better than Anasarca in my opinion just suffering from the European underdog status.
Released on the small label that brought us Frail or Four Hundred Years and produced by no one else than Ken Olden from Battery/ Worlds Collide/ Damnation a.d./ Farcry and and and.
ANASARCA - self titled (7") Yuletide Records #04 1995
side a:
1. East Bunk Hill
side b:
1. Eugene Debs
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Links:
Livetrack at The Sound Of Indie
Video at The Sound Of Indie
Liveset at The Sound Of Indie
I have sent Erich a digital version once and he answered with "the perfect nails into the coffin".
Yes, here it is: the nails into hardcore punk's coffin. A big "fuck you" towards exaggerated nostalgia and historiography. It's like the end scene of "American Hardcore" with Keith Morris' statement.
Black Velvet Flag were three guys covering the Westcoast classics they grew up with with their definition of lounge music. Lounge music, a music that is used for non annoying1 background sounding in bars, hotels or malls, is in every way the total opposite to those originals. And it just fits! It sounds like late Frank Sinatra, muzak, lounge and elevator jazz and new bossa jazz with horrible 80ies pop themes.
Although the record got some attention in many magazines and the band having articles in well known newspapers (some of them are featured on the Black Velvet Flag movie homepage) only a few seem to know this record. I always have to copy it to friends, when I try to share my joy with them. Go Kart Records even do not list the record or the band any more on their homepage! Why?
There is even a movie in existence documenting their tour experience but I have never seen it. It was finished in 2003 and it never was up for sale as DVD. The homepage works but there is no contact address etc.. If anyone can help me out here: please drop me a line.
Just looks better.
Black Velvet Flag, V/A - Look at All the Children Now, Deuter, 4 000 000 Telephones E.P. and some reups are next.
Never forget: support the knives!
(Philipp playing in my Neglect hooded sweater - I need that one again! - Bunker Friedrichshafen ca. 1997)
That was a surprise to me: a hoax interview in the first Victory Megazine following a 7” for the Victory Records Fan Club single series (someone remembers the ugly shirt that came for every member?!). This might be one of the best records Victory has ever done – just kidding. The plastic sleeve is screen printed or sprayed and the record was recorded “on the straightest days of 1998 at the straightest place by the straightest person, Thanxxx to straightness.” And please always keep that in mind: “Jud Jud can only be contact by those who are at least as straight as themselves. From this it follows that Jud Jud can only b[e] contacted by Jud Jud. Sorry, any outside communication would certainly jeopardize our status as the world’s straightest band and we cannot allow this, we are too straight.”
JUD JUD - no tolerance for instruments (7") Victory Records Fan Club Swingin' Singles #02 1998
side a:
1. we're back
2. wah wah song
3. harmonics song
4. speed picking song
5. tune down song
side b:
1. bass in beginning song
2. double bass song
3. grindcore song
4. hammeron song
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
First of all: thanks to my sister Simone who gave me her USB record player until I buy myself a phono preamp again.
Here they come: the only two straight edge records which ever mattered. Jud Jud are nothing then Steve Heritage from Assück, Bombs Of Death and Anthem Eighty Eight and B. Rouse from End Of The Century Party and Scholastic Deth (Bookstore Core!!!!) doing human beatbox straight edge anthems. Total deconstruction of every cliché, riff, chorus etc. you expect from a drug free hymn. Beside those two singles they had several tracks on compilations (403 comp., Blindspot mailorder compilation, Back to Donut etc.) which are on the singles too. Everything’s a winner here. The Side By Side mocking cover, the flyers and yes, the lyrics. If there will be a “incredible strange music” compilation for the 90ies Jud Jud will be on it.
JUD JUD – x the demos x (7”) No Idea Records #57 August 1997
side a:
1. high hat song
2. gallop song
3. slither song
4. divebomb song
side b:
1. fast song
2. rounds of jud song
3. tuning song
4. backmasking song
5. turn around song
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Links:
Jud Jud @ myspace
Jud Jud @ No Idea Records
"bring honour or walk away RJC - BTBC - CTYC"
(Abhinanda in the 90ies by Henrik)
My buddy Henrik from Sweden started a blog concentrating on the 90ies and some 80ies classic mainly concerning Beatdown and vegan drugfree music. He posted some real burners until now - some stuff we traded a while ago, but were told by other traders to not share it on the internet, but that was quite some time in the past; I think the good old tape trading and even CD-R days are gone forever. So check it out and download all the stuff I needed nearly ten years to get by tapetrading - the world is fucked! Things like the Birthrigt demo, Everlast demo, Flame of God demo, two of the three Contempt demos etc.:
Those who fear tomorrow!
I will also use the opportunity or let's say as trigger for posting stuff I held back for some years now.
Sorry, for this nonsense posting. This is the rerelease by Rødel Records - supposed to be a bootleg, but I don't think so. Maybe just some misunderstandings, lack of communication and crustpunk paranoia. The repress must have been done in the same pressing plant: the etchings are the same like from the No Records release just adding the Rødel catalogue number. I just know that Finn took over No Records after only a few releases. The main reason for posting this is that my copy of the rerelease is just better sounding - no surface noise etc.
Rødel Records is one of the most likeable labels in this whole grind, crust and hardcore universe: still no homepage, no myspace page and I can remember him writing down his e-mail address on paper flyers by hand. You won't sell that many records in this way like others do, but you also won't have to deal with a lot of shit that comes with the www.
DISFEAR - self titled (7") Finn Records & Rødel Records #17 1998
side a:
1. religion
2. min elegi
3. undergang
side b:
1. vietnam idag
2. det sista kriget (Svart Parad)
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Since the band is nearly existing for 20 years - if you include the Anti-Bofors - now I will celebrate this with their first 7"; okay I am lying, I was just going through my 7" records starting with "dis" for the Dismay 7". Since there are a lot records starting with "dis" in my collection, I didn't know what to pick first but I choose Disfear's debut released in 1992 by No Records, a short lived label which was "taken over" by Finn Records then.
Disfear became quite huge now due to being on Relapse - I even wonder if their wider audience knows "soul scars" and "everyday slaughter" - and having a more popular sound now (thinking of Mötorhead, Turbonegro and Entombed etc.), which still rips anyway.
This single can't be compared to the new Disfear sound: d-beat with this typical Swedish sound that made me buy hundreds of records blindly at that time (do not just blame it on Anti-Cimex and Mob 47). The worst part - maybe the blog indicated earlier that I had (have?) a huge love for d-beat/dis-core and crust - I listened to those records daily and now the vinyl of all those records is totally shabby. The Disfear 7" is no exception here - but no match to my fucked up Discharge singles - and I tried to polish the sound with Steinberg's Wavelab, but it just made it worth, so I kept the 1:1 recording I did. The last song is a cover tribute to Svart Parad - maybe known to some of you tape traders (a species becoming extinct).
DISFEAR - self titled (7") No Records #02 1992
side a:
1. religion
2. min elegi
3. undergang
side b:
1. vietnam idag
2. det sista kriget (Svart Parad)
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Links:
Disfear
Disfear@Myspace
This 7" came out before their fulllength and featured - again - three songs which are released on the demo tape and cd ("untitled") and the cd ("death of a planet" and "uncivilization"), so it makes no sense if you own the cd. But I wouldn't be a record collector if... guess what. This record was distributed by the famous TPOS label/ record store (you will know the label if you know GG Allin, Violent Children (pre-Youth Of Today), Charles Manson, Reflex From Pain, 76% Uncertain, Far Cry (pre-Battery), Antiseen or Agathocles). The label also did some crazy stuff like 8-track cartridges (I'd like to hear those stuff from Violent Children, GG Allin and Charles Manson - please help out!) or those famous 80ies tape compilations ("war between the states" etc.)
Although the pressing quality is shitty I am quite angry that all the other stuff wasn't released on vinyl: it just gives Dismay's music the right power due to the sound.
Yes, the cover is cheesy.
DISMAY - self titled (7") M13 #02 & TPOS 1995
side a:
1. untitled
side b:
2. death of a planet
3. uncivilization
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Since Dismay had only a few songs some of them made their way onto compilations. Two of them are Endless Fight's "over the edge vol.2" which I sadly do not own and this compilation (which I bought for other reasons back then: Jasta 14, Blood Runs Black, Botch, Asphalt and Dissolve):
V/A -Psycho Civilized (CD) Elevator Music #09 1995
8. In Doubt (Of The Absolute Truth)
[password: antithesis]
And a friend of mine mailed me the demo tape version, that was posted on Middle Aged Youth. Thanks!
DISMAY - demo 1994 (Tape)
1. nowhere
2. in doubt
3. madness
4. another day in the life
[password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
This was a real blast to me. Dismay's album on We Bite Records - a European label is the last thing you will do to become more known (although their stuff was distributed by Victory back then (before the big clash)) - has a better production and the new songs (all songs from the demo are on this cd too) add a lot more diversity to the previous stuff. Adding Quicksand to the huge Burn influence. The songwriting is elaborate not just a sequence of riffs and parts, just the guitar solos are sometimes annoying.
If you dig Quicksand, Burn, Fahrenheit 451, Orange 9mm, 454 Big Block (with members of Wrecking Crew), Only Living Witness or newer - so called "modern hardcore"? - bands like Soul Control or I Rise you have to love "In Doubt". You can get this cd for cheap at Ebay, Amazon etc. and it was also released as cassette in the States.
In my opinion it's better than Burn's reunion 12". By the way the producer of the recording is later doing stuff by Snapcase or Boy Sets Fire's "After the Eulogy".
DISMAY - in doubt (CD) We Bite #121 1995
1. catch 22
2. waiting
3. untitled
4. death of a planet
5. uncivilization
6. king for a day
7. madness
8. overseer
9. in doubt
10. onlooker
11. grasshopper
[OGG Vorbis, quality settings, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Dismay's demo was released in several versions with different song orders and some with different covers (one version was featured at Middleagedyouth, but this blog is gone now). Their 1995 version is listed at Discogs.com and I am very interested in it since it features different songs. Besides the stuff I own Dismay also released a demo in 1991 and I am very interested in it. I can also remember seeing live recordings from that time in tape trading lists but the MP3 just killed it.
Dismay hailed from Wilton a small town in Connecticut - about 16. or 17.000 inhabitants - and dissolved too early. They only recorded a few songs which all appeared overlapping on different releases, which I will post now. I don't know why they never became more well known. The time - 1994/1995 - was just right for this well played mid tempo hardcore. The production is right, the singer does a great job and the half personal half critical lyrics are well written. Of course one band comes directly to your mind/ear: Burn (sometimes Eye For An Eye too). Dismay just sound like Burn did never stop to exist - until their reunion. Where Burn left a breach Dismay was filling it for me and they did my expectations justice. 14 years later I can still listen to this and enjoy it.
If you have any more informations on Dismay please leave a comment. Thanks.
Sadly their singer passed away in 2007. RIP.
DISMAY - demo (Tape) Rockhouse Productions #?? 1994
side a:
1. untitled
2. lucky grasshopper
3. madness
4. another day in the life
5. overseer
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Update:
I was able to find the former Middle Aged Youth posting at archive.org:
"About a year and a half ago, while on a 2-county musical shopping spree, I walked into a local record store that I had never been to and started up my usual A-Z browsing of CD titles. While browsing, my eyes were constantly being drawn toward the wall of cassettes they had, fully stocked and completely neglected. By the letter H, I realized that I wasn't finding a goddamn thing to buy in the CDs, so I walked over to the wall of tapes and saw the sign that said "$1.50 each, or 10 for $10". It's a well-known fact that people do not buy cassettes anymore, and this was obviously a blowout-sale of sorts. I noticed that all of the titles were old, and I started to get excited wondering what I was going to find. It didn't take long before I realized that they had tons of demo tapes in the selection - jackpot. That's a quick way to my musical heart - present me with a feast of demo tapes from unknown bands. I pilfered through the wall-rack and pulled out 20 cassettes, 15 of which were demo tapes from bands that I had never heard of. I took them home like a kid with a new video game, but ended up stashing them away after listening to only a few. I recently pulled them back out and was elated to find some really good shit in the bunch, both Hardcore and Metal.
Which brings me to Dismay. All I know about these cats is that they were a Hardcore band from Connecticut and released this demo in 1994. Other than that, they are a complete mystery to me. There must have been 500 bands called Dismay over the years, so finding any info on them has been nigh impossible. Running a few different Google searches produced nothing except the band Palehorse mentioning them in an interview with Bystander Fanzine and a kid who had this on a trade list. But this shit kills, period. The first thing that jumped out at me was how much the vocalist sounded like Chaka Malik (Burn/Orange 9mm) in his delivery. Dude is almost a dead-ringer for Chaka, but really sounds like what would happen if you could somehow splice together the voices of Malik and Anthony Comunale (Raw Deal/Killing Time). The music has an obvious Burn influence as well, though it is crossed with the CT/NJ HC sound of that era, and is a bit "laid back" at times while still being crushingly heavy. I find myself playing this thing over and over lately, especially "Nowhere" and "Madness". The part in "Madness" where it kicks in with "...there's no way out" just fucking smokes my ass, and makes me wish I had found these guys when they were around. I gobbled up this kind of stuff like it was breakfast in those days, and I still love this style of HC. One confusing thing about this demo is that the songs on the actual tape do not match the songs listed inside the cover, so I wonder if there was another demo and they got crossed, or if it was just a weird decision by the band to change songs after the covers were copied (?). Also, the tape had no labels for Side A and Side B, so I don't even know if this is the proper order for the songs. I'm hoping that someone out there knows more about them and will clue me in, because if there is anything else out there floating around by this band, I have to have that shit.
Nowhere In Doubt Madness Another Day In The Life"
I still don't get all the myths around this 7". The first version is considered to be in a 100 pieces press run but for 100 pieces it just pops up too often. My copy is supposed to be the reissue from 1985 and it states "an ORCA production for PACIFIC RECORDS INT." on the back. Is Pacific Records Int. = Pinsicato Records???? Or is this copy an even later rerelease? Also this copy has stated "recorded in 1979" on the back, which I have never seen on any other sleeves of the reissue. But who cares! The Descendents still without Milo and more into surf than punk and: I love it. I do not share the many scorchers concerning this 7".
Here is a detailed posting about the pressings but I am not wiser after reading it, especially concerning my copy.
It's a SPOT production of course. This 7" is later included on SST's "bonus fat" compilation - still available as cd, 12" or even cassette.
THE DESCENDENTS - ride the wild / it's a hectic world (7" ) Orca & Pacific Records l-1056 1980 & 1985
side a:
1. ride the wild
side b:
1. it's a hectic world
[OGG vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror1, mirror 2)
Links:
The Descendents
This 7" @ Flex!
Maybe I was too harsh concerning my Recess Records statement, since I love a lot of stuff by them (even posted it), but something by the Nitwits still captivates me. I think it's the sympathetic presumptuousness of playing this strumming punk (we Krauts call it "Schrammelpunk"). A huge middlefinger towards musical finesse - not that this concept is the biggest statement in 1994, but this nonchalant amusement meant a lot to me1.
They even deconstruct mercilessly Johnny Mercer and Rube Blooms' "Fools Rush in"2 - and I think they even intended not to do so.
Please do not confuse those Cali boys with the European Nitwits - two bands with the same name (including an "the") are known too me and both play boring punk rock. And please do not confuse those with the dutch The Nitwitz (I just know their quite nice, early but somehow way to average stuff - never heard the 90ies reunion stuff).
While comparable bands like F.Y.P. etc still exist and got a lot of fame I found nothing on Nitwits on the world wide web so this posting makes sense in preventing this record for being lost. I wonder what they were doing afterwards (I just hope they didn't improve concerning instruments and songwriting because it ruins bands like this one - I am dead serious).
NITWITS - great day! (7") Monitor Records #01 1994
side a:
1. Catalyst
2. Ankrumb
3. Mad Ratts
side b:
1. Killjoy
2. Only Fools Rush in [Johnny Mercer/Rube Bloom]
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
1 it doesn't nowadays since Youtube and Myspace offers millions of Überzeugungstäter to share their inabilities. Please do not call this Zeitgeist or I'll slap your ass.
2 Nelson's version was better than the one by Elvis!
Here is the Mohinder split 7" with Nitwits on both the bands' own labels Stinky Feet and Unleaded. Nitwits from San Jose were totally different and this split was recorded right after their demo tape (I will post their own 7" too). I liked their snotty lowfi punk more then comparable stuff from labels like Recess in the 90ies. Another band that comes to my mind is Quadiliacha1. I still wonder what amps were used by Nitwits since they make Destroyer sound like Manowar.
The three Mohinder songs might be my favourites by the band - especially "Imbalance" which has some very Swing Kids-ish moments. All tracks are even better recorded compared to the other two singles.
Companies which produced envelopes back then must have been well off in the 90ies if you consider the need by kids to buy them in huge quantities for silkscreening and hand painting them over.
MOHINDER & NITWITS - split (7") Stinky Feet Records #?? & Unleaded Records #?? 1994
side a:
Nitwits
1. Captain America
2. Walgreens Girl
3. Strawgly
side b:
Mohinder
1. Number One
2. Imbalance
3. Itch
[OGG Vorbis, maximum quality, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2)
Links:
To me known releases by Unleaded (Mohinder's own label)
7" @ Discogs
1 I wanted to post their 7" and 10" until I realised that nearly everything by them is on this page and in a good quality. I even didn't know that they had a fulllength cd but these weren't my cd buying times back then.
It's been a while again and I've gone through a lot of changes.
Here we go: I'll post the second Mohinder 7" and their split 7" - I was never into the first one. All the stuff was later compiled on a LP on GSL including a CD with live recordings (I am looking for this vinyl version, so help me out). If there was ever something you can call the Gravity sound Mohinder1 will be one hell of a definition. If you dig Honeywell, Angel Hair, Eurich and Han-Shan this is for you. Fast and hectic hardcore with screamed vocals and lyrics quite in the - what I call - Rainald Goetz emo vein. I am not sure, but most of the songs sound like being done in an old fashioned way: all instruments recorded together "live" and then the vocals later. When the songs have transitions it sounds like those two songs are even recorded in one take. This might lack some quality concerning the production but captures the energy better.
The covers for this 7" are all different since they were pictures or ads in fashion etc. magazines and thenscreenprinted. Some people list this single as "the mission" e.p. but it's just self titled - at least old Gravity flyers etc. tell so.
The members went on to play in Makara (I will post the 7"), Duster, Calm (together with Indian Summer members) and Jenny Piccolo.
I found this short description at Epitonic.com:
"1993. Cupertino, CA. Right in the heart of what was soon to become (for a time) the new economic heart of America, Silicon Valley, came a hair-raising, filling-rattling scream of rage. Hidden behind the pristine office parks and suburban strip malls, a seething force of paranoid aggression was brooding, and its name was Mohinder. For a little over a year, Mohinder captured the attention of the Bay Area's alienated hardcore underground, providing a Northern California counterpart to the burgeoning San Diego art-punk scene (Mohinder, like Heroin, Antioch Arrow, et al, was associated with the notorious Gravity Records) with their brief but absurdly powerful bursts of shambolic noise and instantly legendary live performances. By the end of 1994 Mohinder was only a memory, the brevity of the band's existence a testament to its unsustainably fierce, almost superhuman energy.
Mohinder's four members went on to form a number of noteworthy new bands, including Jenny Piccolo, The Anasazi, Calm, Duster, Valium Aggelian, Haelah, and A-Set. GSL's Discography collects Mohinder's complete musical output -- the two EPs they put out on their own Unleaded imprint, their one Gravity EP, and live performances recordeed at the Gilman in Berkeley and on KZSU Stanford radio."
(front print)
(back print)
Someone who wrote a comment was missing his Old Glory Records shirt, so I give you the opportunity to at least look at it again. I got it from a friend who was clearing his closet and selling a lot of his old shirts, but I was just wearing it two times for running outside and I just got weird looks. So I think this will stay a pyjama forever. Due to the fact being a lazy retard I just managed to do one Old Glory Records posting until now although nearly all old records (and some of the later releases) by this label were hit unaccountably by the needle of my record player - just think of Assfactor 4, In/Humanity, Avail, Policy Of Three, Groove, Iconoclast or even Jerome's Dream (me being an idiot I even gave the Funeral Diner stuff away).
Old Glory Records was mentioned in a list of antisemitic and antizionistic bands and I think this shirt was also one of the reasons; but I am not able to give a lecture on the coherence since I can't remember why the label was named.
What I do remember an increbible statement by Holger Ohst who used to do Summersault and shared his flat with the owner of Old Glory Records once concerning the - let's say - mannerism of the label owner, but since I can't stand the shittalk anymore: just pull out the Plot fanzine issue and figure it out for yourself.
I just realized that some shirt pictures are really bad, so I am going to redo some of them.
Okay here it is: the fucking essence with only 300 copies in existence.
I am not sure if Oberon was the band's own label - I do not know any other releases by this "label" - and when it was recorded/ released. There are no detailed informations provided here - all Don Martin Three records have that in common.
This 7" must be one of my most played ones concerning the 90ies emo thing (together with Inkwell maybe) - I have an additional copy up for trade.
I am not writing that much today (I haven't the last few weeks), just let those nine and a half minutes of delightful cliché speak to you.
DON MARTIN THREE - self titled (7") Oberon Records #?? 199?
side a:
1. katahdn
side b:
1. inefficient engine
[OGG Vorbis; 256 K; password: antithesis; mirror 1, mirror 2]
I recently saw that the scans of the 12" and 7" compilation were taken for the myspace tribute page of Don Martin Three - at least: ask nicely.
Links:
Former postings 1, 2
Uh, back from the dead. Thanks to all those who wrote.
Last part concerning Floodgate: the "Education" compilation on the now defunct Mountain label. Here are some notes by Jeff from Mountain Records:
"The Education compilation was Mountain's first release to focus not just on music but also address a particular social issue. The booklet that came with the LP contained liner notes for the LP as well as lengthy essays by various educators and educatees addressing the titular issue. It examined the complicated relationship that politically-minded, idealistic individuals have to education as it is and should be. All proceeds from the comp, which has now sold all 3,000 copies, went to the East Harlem Tutorial Program.
Musically, this comp is (for me) one of the key records from that period of time between the great wave of HC that spawned bands like Born Against, Rorschach, Econochrist, and the like - and the time when the word "emo" showed up on every page of every hardcore zine applied to every kind of music. Some of these bands are probably familiar to most people: Devoid of Faith, Policy of Three, and Floodgate are all fairly seminal groups. The rest of the comp is no slouch either. Coleman, one of my all time favorites, gives a slower song that spews venom and mucas. Kisses and Hugs offer a spazzcore (emoviolence?) tripcych that is nothing short of great, three short blasts of total fury. The rest of the music ranges from rocking quiet/loud stuff to more simple punk with an emphasis on screaming, bile chucking mid-tempo hardcore. As if the material in the booklet wasn't enough, all these songs address issues of education as well."
Okay, one of the compilations I am posting concerning Floodgate; their track "the pessimist" is otherwise unreleased and has a strong Moss Icon feel to it, but it is sadly one of their weaker tracks. But that's venial: "Bread, the Edible Napkin" is a great compilation. It was part of the No Idea fanzine - I was too lazy to scan the issue but I included the booklet of the compilation - but also available as double LP. You might still get it from No Idea records, if not you'll get it cheap second hand. The tracklist reads like a who is who of the late 90ies: Braid, Brutal Truth, Hot Water Music, Floor, Serpico, Cavity, Threadbare, Still Life, Sideshow, Moonraker, Horace Pinker, Car Vs. Driver, Locust, Christie Front Drive and so on. More than a half of the songs are otherwise unreleased and a few are my favourites by these bands especially those by Moonraker and Hope Springs Eternal. Some bands should be featured here sooner or later (later! ha ha ha): Serpico, Rhythm Collision and Gus.
If anyone has any additional tracks by The Lisa Killers which is a Floor/Dove sideproject, please write me a short e-mail!
Okay, that's it for today, after Threadbare's version of "sunstroke" I am going to spend my evening with Swiz records.
VA - No Idea Fanzine #12 - Bread, the Edible Napkin (CD) No Idea #20 1997
1. Hot Water Music - Floor
2. Floor - Who Are You?
3. No Empathy - Daddy's Got a Problem
4. Ash County Sluggers - Achiever 9
5. Brutal Truth - Eggshells
6. Christie Front Drive - Bag
7. Cavity - Wounded
8. Pung - Anthem for the Youth
9. V-Card - Strap Me Down
10. Floodgate - The Pessimist
11. Against All Authority - Corporate Takeover
12. Serpico - Double Negative
13. Elmer - Let's Get into a Fistfight
14. Gus (Canada) - Sinister Acts in Bright Sunshine
15. Moonraker - Friendly Fire
16. The Bruce Lee Band - Calling For Me
17. Horace Pinker - Sloth
18. Car vs. Driver - Generis
19. Locust - Inbred America
20. Hope Springs Eternal - Loneliness Equals Coldness
21. Jack With Killer - Stupid Heavy Metal 2--Restriction
22. King Friday - Lonnie
23. Braid - Katy Cat
24. The Lisa Killers - No One Gets Through
25. Rhythm Collision - Jack
26. Sideshow - Soar
27. Skankin' Pickle - $13,000 is a Lot of Food (live)
28. Crunch - Furioso Zapping
29. Threadbare - Sunstroke
30. The End of the Century Party - Doozer La, Doozer Do
31. Still Life - Someone Stole My Bike
32. Bombs of Cheese - White People in the Park
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Links:
No Idea Records
And finally: Floodgate's 12" which was a cooperation between Ebullition and the band's own label Youth Strike Chord - a huge step forward after their 7" but I must insist: still behind the double 7". Anyway I always loved how they managed to keep their sound on the hardcore side and "6+5+4=3" and "big brother blindness" are really two great songs. The instrumental on the flip side totally reminds me of something... but I can't recall of what... Rain? You tell me.
Funny sidenote: I saw this twelve inch on some Spanish blog filed under the category "Stoner".
FLOODGATE - Troubles A' Brewin (12") Youth Strike Chord #2 & Ebullition #13.5 1993/1994
side a:
1. troubles a' brewin
2. 6+5+4=3
3. big brother blindness
side b:
1.floodgate, m.l. (instrumental)
2. eldin o'brian
3. ancient of days
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
And since it has been a while, I repost their double 7":
Click! (Here is the original posting)
(front print)
This is an original Floodgate shirt and the only one known to me. In the 90ies it was a must for every band or fanzine to have at least one Käthe Kollwitz drawing or etching for a record cover, artwork etc. (no matter if your name was Split Lip or even Earth Crisis). This motive is also on the back cover of the Floodgate 12" on Youth Strike Chord/ Ebullition.
Off topic: if you ever stop by in Berlin, please drop a bomb on the district Kollwitz used to live. You'll do the city a huge favour!
It's been a while and I like to subsume the last 4 months as "hard times in an age of quarrel".
I got Floodgate's first 7" for 5 bucks lately and I will post it together with other Floodgate stuff (12", shirt and compilations) the next few hours. Their debut release - I don't know if there's a demo tape - is still a bit behind their later stuff but it has it's moments. The last song "mountain" on this 7" is one of these moments: about 5 minutes long and driving with a huge Wash D.C. feeling in it. I'd like to emphasise that not that many bands played this style in 1993!
FLOODGATE - 1st (7") Youth Strike Chord #01 & Anomaly #?? 1993
side a:
1. the organic
2. conscription
side b:
1. abusive ego
2. mountain
[OGG Vorbis; 256k; password: antithesis; mirror 1, mirror2]
Links:
Floodgate @ BandtoBand
Floodgate's double 7"
The Notorious Love Affair
Floodgate are mentioned rarely (while people throw in Indian Summer, Constantine Sankathi and Current to often)! I never heard or even had their first 7" on their own label Youthstrikechord (Nuzzle, Loomis Slovak...) but their 12" and this double 7" are classics for sure. Driven and heartfelt Hardcore with members of Campaign and the Fisticuffs Bluff including a household name: Andrew Gilbert who was also in The Notorious Love Affair (by the way: I think he wrote his best lyrics for The Notorious Love Affair, also I really dig the staccato but kafkaesque like lyrics from Floodgate).
I haven't listened to this record in years now until I picked up an additional copy some weeks ago and like more than 10 years ago I was steamrolled by "at rest". Jeez, this song blows. It has everything I expect from this type of music.
Compared to the previous 12" on Youthstrikechord/ Ebullition those songs are more sophisticated, true and tuneful. Even the production is way better.
The other songs are great too but I listen to "at rest" ten times in a row without getting bored.
If anyone wants to contribute a good rip of the first 7" including scans or sell it to me for a reasonable price: get in touch! Thanks.
Since it's easy to satisfy me concerning artwork: I really love the nice idea of an obi/banderolle around those two seven inches inside.
"Miles behind on the road to success" - yeah, me too!
FLOODGATE - I choose danger (Double 7") No Idea #17 1994
side a:
1. at rest
side b:
1. grind the pepper
side c:
1. I'd rather be out here with the unkown
side d:
1. miles behind on the road to success
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2)
"At rest" was also released on the "Blindspot" compilation CD on No Idea/ Toybox Records in 1997 and it looks like this (other bands are Integrity, Jud Jud, Ascension, Hot Water Music...):
Maybe you remember some of my previous postings: one of them was the No Cruelty shirt which was the “label” and mailorder of Tina and Peter who did Hardline Germany in Lörrach back in the days. I can also remember them organizing gigs in Lörrach with bands like Acme and Dawnbreed – none of these bands knew that they were involved in Hardline1.
Anyway this 7” was intended to be released on No Cruelty (their only releases are the Neckbrace 7” and an audio cooking book), but was released by Per Koro in the end, after the bands found out about the Hardline chapter and some crude statements by the people involved.
An observing reader of the blog also wrote me that he wanted to point out the Zorn – Step Into Nowhere connection which was swept under the carpet by me: Zorn (1, 2, 3, 4) were not only friends to Step Into Nowhere but also influenced by them, which makes sense. But I wanted to concentrate on the metal influences since I am a short haired friend of all longhairs.
Maybe Step Into Nowhere won’t stand the test of time like Zorn do (something big is coming up concerning Zorn by the way!), but this song here really sounds like early Zorn stuff.: empathic vocals, sluggish guitars… in the end: very “krauty”. Make sure you get your hands on their LP which is their best stuff in my eyes… ears. Spit Acid were from Göttingen and also had a LP on Per Koro/ Conquer The World Records which I listened a lot to in the 90ies. More due to their combination of political attitude, huge booklets and the melodic hardcore punk which combines early Ebullition with Berkeley – the weak vocals sometimes ruined it for me.
The only thing I found: an old Heartattack review.
The lyrics and a statement in the booklet all deal with the issue of animal "rights" and exploitation in a way both bands would have been better off on a Hardline label.
The label of the a side looks like the cover of the Crisis Of Faith/ Chokehold split 7" by the way.
SPIT ACID & STEP INTO NOWHERE - split (7'') Per Koro #?? & NC #01 1995
side a:
Spit Acid
1. PETA
2. tell me
side b:
Step Into Nowhere
1. schweigsam (im Grauen)
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis, first mirror, second mirror]
1 funny side note: Hardline in Germany was more connected to the Ebullition and Profane Existence type of thing.
Welcome to Postmodernism! This band arose after the end of Loxiran and clearly has one influence: San Diego. I think the band was also intended to be a rip off of bands like Guyver One – if you remember them? – and Swing Kids. They also had the perfect outfit for the sound (take a look at the glasses inside of the cover). But they kept this – self reflective - in mind and even their lyrics were insinuatingly this a bit (for example in „es gibt keinen Neuschnee“). Apart from those points (Alan Sokal we salute you… ha ha ha ha ha) they were one of the most intense live bands around that time on the old continent. You might be bored by this 7” - which was available as 5 song US version, 4 song version from Per Koro in Germany and a split CD version of those songs together with Enfold - but won’t do this band justice if you haven’t seen them live (they also toured the US together with label mates Enfold): an intense mayhem of guitar throwing and flying, doing somersaults and collecting the lost eyeglasses.
Enjoy! If you love Guyver One. „Showing ze Americans where ze hammer hangs“.
The members are quite successful in doing music nowadays being in Tomte, Marr and Der Tante Renate. Chispa just did those 7” songs and a compilation song. Markus from Per Koro Records still has some of those in his basement, write him nicely.
CHISPA - obstinator (7'') Per Koro #29,5 & Bloodlink Records #31 1999
side a:
1. Bradley
2. Glorification
side b:
1. Alienation aka K. Meine
2. Iskra
3. Es gibt keinen Neuschnee
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
CHISPA – unreleased song (recorded live) & compilation track (“Seed Of The Next Season” CD/LP Alveran & Per Koro Records)
1. Johnny Cash (live)
2. City of…
[MP3, 128k, password: antithesis]
Links:
Myspace Page
Okay, my robot friends; Since I have to work I still can listen to the Headphone Festival by Privatelektro this year. Here is the stream:
privatelektro headphone festival livestream
Informations:
Headphone Festival @ Myspace
Artists:
Friday: 10th August
18.00 Uhr: Rolf Ulrich Kaiser (DJ) Hamburg / D
19.00 Uhr: Minimatika (DJ) Berlin / D
19.30 Uhr: triPhaze Leipzig / D
20.00 Uhr: Mix Mup Leipzig / D
21.00 Uhr: Kauerhof & Randy Carpenhengst Leipzig / D
22.00 Uhr: THE ! Weimar / Jena / Leipzig / D
23.00 Uhr: Manami N. Berlin / Tokyo, D / Jp
23.30 Uhr: Jadegarten Osaka / Japan
00.00 Uhr: Gast fall Paris / Frankreich
Saturday: 11th August
00.30 Uhr: Minimatika (DJ) Berlin / D
01.30 Uhr: Inannia (DJ) Jena / D
02.30 Uhr: Nachtwächter und Maurer Leipzig / D
Pause!
13.00 Uhr: Rolf Ulrich Kaiser (DJ) Hamburg / D
14.30 Uhr: Brandt & Friebe Leipzig / D
15.00 Uhr: Idiot Switch Berlin / D / USA
16.00 Uhr:
17.00 Uhr: Readymedia Berlin / D
17.30 Uhr: 33 Leipzig / D
18.00 Uhr: Dirk Markham Deeside / Berlin, UK / D
18.30 Uhr: Tetsuya Hori Berlin / D
19.00 Uhr: Enzym Dresden / D
20.00 Uhr: Sven Ihlenfeld Berlin / D
20.30 Uhr: Tilman Schmidt Berlin / D
21.00 Uhr: Igor Hax Liverpool / UK
22.00 Uhr: Stephane Leonard Berlin / D
22.30 Uhr: Shintaro Miyazaki Basel / Berlin, CH / D
23.00 Uhr: Rev. Benn Schipper Toronto / Leipzig, CAN
23.30 Uhr: Rebecca Cunningham Australien / AU - direct Stream
Sunday: 12th August
00.00 Uhr: Nicolas T. Weiser Berlin / Leipzig, D
00.30 Uhr: Rubén D'Hers Caracas / Venezuela .. TBA
01.00 Uhr: Electrigger Berlin / Leipzig, D
02.00 Uhr: Various Artists Szession!
I am selling some stuff I own twice or three times, maybe you are interested: both Five O 7"s, Assay LP, Assfactor4 LP, Up For Grabs compilation with Acme and Luzifers Mob, Against The Wall, Ex-Ignota, Antioch Arrow, Framework, Hail Mary, Monster X, Carol, In/Humanity, The GTC (ex-Honeywell), Pale Creation, Shed...
Klick here!
It's been a while and I am starting with a shirt (again for all the political correct ones): nice screenprinted bootleg shirt with the cover of the second Statement 7" (first one was the split with the Apostles1 (one of the first queer punk bands as far as I can remember)).
I still quarrel with myself since flaunting a huge hardline logo in 2007 might not be the most clever thing to do, but on the other hand: who really remembers hardline? And: Statement wasn't a hardline band - a Wikipedia entry states:
"[...]had a one-man studio project called Statement which initially was aligned with Hardline; however, he discarded the label over a disagreement over the issue of homosexuality."
The shirt is currently available, has a great printing and cotton quality and is a fine thing to antagonise the hippies in town.
1 I am going to post the split 7" and split LP in the near (far) future.
Two jobs and law school, I can't remember what "free time" is. Thanks to everyone who wrote nicely and sorry to all those who still have a lot of requests.
Stop sending annoying e-mails about selling records and shirts or even bullying concerning "re-ups"!
I will occasionally upload some of the stuff posted again and rework the postings with additional information and pictures.
Here is a very short lived project from Germany with Andrew from Floodgate, Campaign & Fisticuffs Bluff and former/recent members of Prone, Stack, Narsaak, Dead Beat, Bastard King and Black Shape of Nexus. They never played live and just managed to do this 7" on Per Koro. They listened a lot to Native Nod, early Rye Coalition/Merel and Iconoclast but still have this krauty/Bremen touch. I am recently trying to get my hands on one unreleased song from the same recording session, so stayed tuned.
THE NOTORIOUS LOVE AFFAIR - self titled (7'') Per Koro #14 1996
side a:
1. Das Wundenlecken
2. I am the song my enemy sings
side b:
1. Autist
2. panic
[OGG Vorbis, 256k & MP3, 256k, password: antithesis]
Links:
Myspace Page (recently done by their nice bass player Michael)
Update: some readers here are faaast (thank you!)!
Here is a different cover version, which is slightly different from the first booklet page (the complete booklet is included in the .zip file):
I think I saw this compilation with different covers? Maybe you can fill me in on this here.
Another 90ies emo jewel, no need for much talking: all your heroes on two 7"s. Have fun (or cry, kiss... whatever)!
Pressing quality is shitty by the way but it features one of my favourite Indian Summer song, so... I am going to listen to Cap'N Jazz's album now. Good bye...
V/A - ghost dance (Do7'') Slave Cut #01 1994
side a:
Indian Summer
1. sugar pill
From Ashes Of
2. theme for memory
side b:
Third Rail Rhyhme
1. double helix
side c:
Embassy
1. his years
Cap'N Jazz
2. blue grass
side d:
Braid
1. elephant
Embassy
2. how can you
[OGG vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Here is a benefit by the A-Wat fanzine for Animal Peace which was an animal rights organisation and had its most popularity in the late 80ies and early 90ies in Germany and got later critisised for having "Drückerkolonnen" (I found no English expression for it; the word describes a group or people who use every means necessary to get money for their cause/ organisation etc.).
Abolition contribute an otherwise unreleased track; same goes for two other bands of my youth: Embittered from the U.K. (most of them know them from their split with Dystopia and their 7" on Ecocentric Records) and Truth Against Tradition from the Ulm area. Their previous name was Out Of Question and they had a nice demo tape (I am looking for the cover (scanned or xerox copy)!?) and released a 7" on Equality Records and one self released 7" (distributed by Knopp's Common Cause label) later. Truth Against Tradition was an incredible live band. Their track is very much in the Underdog/ late Bad Brains way.
V/A - Turner Raus (7'') A-Wat #11 circa 1992
side a:
Abolition
1. state of perfection
Embittered
2. crush
side b:
Truth Against Tradition
1. if not you
Venus Fly Trap
2. crocodile
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
This band was called Violent Arrest - which is an old The Freeze track and should not be mistaken for the new U.K. hardcore band - before and they had a demo tape and another version of this demo as split with Step Into Nowhere (all things which are requests by readers; be patient and contribute!). Abolition were fronted by the man behind the famous Amok/Confrontation fanzine and Corey who was mainly running Equality Records back then (I really regret selling the old three-sided Downcast shirt she wore too). This was their first output besides the "Turner Raus" compilation, at least I think so.
Quite in the vein of the early Power Violence bands like Infest and No Comment and some Reagan Era or even NYHC bands, this 7" won't stand the test of time but has my sympathy, especially for the 26 paged booklet with explanations concerning the lyrics which were written in a less affective and heated way than most of the political hardcore pamphlets at that time (something I loved about the Confrontation fanzine too).
Incredible comic cover artwork (or horrible... depends on your standpoint).
They were called Stack later - in case you didn't know.
ABOLITION - jesus was a fuckin' dick (7") Equality Records #02 circa 1991
side a:
1. in my own right
2. sadistic soldiers
3. reasons
side b:
1. I'm pissed
2. action/reaction
3. death + death
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Links
7" @ Panx.net
Abolition @ Punk-O-Graphie
Here is decent overlook of all the Bitzcore stuff the label did in its most exciting era (Rereleases by Articles Of Faith, Offenders, Verbal Abuse, Direct Action, Attitude Adjustment, Reflex From Pain, good compilations by Black Market Baby, United Mutation, Flag Of Democracy etc. or even new and good releases by Zero Boys (yes, I love the reunion LP), Alloy and so on).
I was watching some old Clint Eastwood classics the last few days - me having the flue I used the time in bed to do so - and after posting the two Articles Of Faith CDs (1, 2) I remembered this one. After pulling it out I spent the whole morning listening to records by Black Market Baby (man, they were brilliant and overlooked, shame on all consumers of D.C. hardcore punk records!), United Mutation (brutal!), Attitude Adjustment (I like them now more than I used to do) and Toxic Reasons (most of my friends said that they are something like a boring D.O.A. copy, that's not true: two mixtapes I did with my favourite songs by them and their heavy used condition proof the opposite). All songs were on different Bitzcore releases, but maybe you like it anyway or you even discover something you didn't know.
I am not sure, but I think there was also a US version of this compilation?!
Related want: I am interested in a dub with cover scan/ xerox copy of the Direct Action demo tape! I heard one original version on a tape compilation and it's great! Please write me.
V/A - for a fistful of yens! (CD) Bitzcore #01665 planned 1992 released 1994 (???)
1. Last Train To Dagenham -- Cock Sparrer
2. Headfirst -- Toxic Reasons
3. Animal Day -- Leatherface
4. On My Way -- Chiona Drum
5. More Alone With You -- Alloy
6. Unafraid -- Alloy
7. Indianapolis -- Zero Boys
8. Do The Wrong Thing -- Apartment 3-G
9. White As A Sheet -- Apartment 3-G
10. 5 o'Clock -- Articles Of Faith
11. Buried Alive -- Articles Of Faith
12. American Paranoia -- Attitude Adjustment
13. Bombs -- Attitude Adjustment
14. Verbal Abuse -- Verbal Abuse
15. Leeches -- Verbal Abuse
16. Laughing Boy -- Poison Idea
17. Cop An Attitude -- Poison Idea
18. Face Down In The Dirt -- Offenders
19. Fight Back -- Offenders
20. White Noise -- Toxic Reasons
21. Positive Change -- Zero Boys
22. Powerload -- Flag Of Democracy
23. Own Way -- United Mutation
24. Fugitive Family -- United Mutation
25. Generic Life -- Reflex From Pain
26. Damn-Age -- Direct Action
27. UXB -- Direct Action
28. Sacrifice Not Suicide -- The Freeze
29. Broken Bones -- The Freeze
30. Downward Christian Soldier -- Black Market Baby
31. Killing Time -- Black Market Baby
32. Kicks -- Destination Zero
33. The Only Way -- Destination Zero
34. Straight Time -- Jones Very
35. Don't Turn Away -- Vic Bondi
36. Dino -- Reflex From Pain
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Links:
Bitzcore Records
Just to complete the previous posting: the first LP rerelease on Bitzcore (originally by Reflex in 1984) with a slightly redone cover layout. Again with songs which are not on any other record or even on one of the Alternative Tentacles compilations! Those two songs are also from the "wait" recording session and are nice; especially "angry man" which has a dub feeling in it.
The album itself is way more diversified or let's even call it experimental than the previous stuff. Many tempo changes, lead guitar solos (but not annoying) and the production by Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü make this a very interesting record and for me it also doesn't lack power like many others stated. The calm parts in "hollow eyes" are just beautiful, really predate the later Chicago indie guitar rock!
By the way: if you like the calmer second LP, make sure you check out Jones Very.
ARTICLES OF FAITH - give thanks (CD) Bitzcore #01678 1992
1. give thanks
2. in your suit
3. I objectify
4. acceptance
5. Chicago
6. everyman for himself
7. five o'clock
8. hollow eyes
9. in this jungle
10. American dreams
11. prison
12. angry man
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis, mirror 1, mirror 2]
Links:
Review @ Flex!
Articles Of Faith Homepage
Articles Of Faith @ VicBondi.com
Lyrics to this record
I was digitalizing some CDs for my MP3 player the last few days stumbling over some things which might be nice for the blog.
There is nothing what has not been written about Articles Of Faith so I am going to spare you this part, the only thing I am going to tell you: you need this compilation by Bitzcore! It features complete remixed versions of all songs by Articles Of Faith before their first LP (including the first two 7"s, songs from the "wait" e.p. sessions and the compilation/ demo tracks) and although I love the sound from the original records, these versions blow! Many tracks (mainly the tape compilation stuff) here are not on the so called discography CDs/LPs on Alternative Tentacles (!!!), among them my favourite Articles Of Faith track of all time: Articles Of Faith. It was a recording featured - together with 4 songs from the same session - on the "charred remains" tape compilation in 1981/1982 on Version Sound. The original version lacked a bit of power, but the remixed one just kicks ass! Listen to the bass run and then the vocal staccato by Bondi: Brilliant! I read that they left this one off the compilations on Alternative Tentacles since it wouldn't do the band justice today (bullshit!).
Nice liner notes by Vic Bondi and 3 more tracks on the CD compared to the vinyl version of this record. Leech now, downloading freaks!
Someone at Kill From The Heart with the same opinion:
"Core includes the first two Articles of Faith EPs, a bunch of compilation tracks, and a few unreleased songs. Although their later records were also good, nothing can touch their early stuff. Anger and emotion, amazingly great music, and intelligent lyrics. The songs on this collection were either remixed or remastered from the originals, and since this record was my first exposure to AOF, I tend to prefer listening to these versions than those on the actual 7"s (the sound seems fuller, which might not be the best thing for a lot of hardcore bands, but definitely works for AOF). This is one of the handful of records I would consider essential.
-CHRIS"
(cover)
(misprinted cover)
A few days ago someone demanded a band that takes crust punk for a ride by using its sound, aesthetics and lyrics and then unmasking the merciless boredom of crust as known it today. Disfleisch - who said Swabians couldn't be funny - is the only band that comes to my mind who ever tried to do so! Their only 7" was released on the beautiful Rödel Records label featuring three cover songs - partly with different lyrics - of the nordic Dis-clones Dischange & Dissober and three tracks on their own. All the lyrics attack hang-up attitudes within crust etc.: outlook, lyrics, stealing riffs, unimaginative band names...
Although being a huge fan of the sound and many bands (old and new), I consider crust one of the most redundant styles ever followed by zombies with fascist dress codes (Did you ever wonder why crusties haven't got tools in their tool belt?).
It's 2007 not 1982!
Review from an old Profane Existence fanzine:
"DISFLEISCH Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing New 7"
I'm aware that I'm probably the only one at PE that holds this view, but as far as I'm concerned it would be best to dig a big hole and throw about 98% of all the Dis-bands in it. Needless to say, I'm extremely pleased that others in the DIY scene are beginning to hold similar views. While Active Minds set the standard with their recent Dis is getting Pathetic 7", this new German bands have made it their goal to give a good kick in the nuts to the international Dis conspiracy. Features hilarious lyrics lampooning the mindless sloganeering and meaningless pose that goes with doing a Dis band in the 90ies. Songs like Disease of Punk, War is Unsightly, God Bless Dis Way really bring the message home. My favorite line is: Rob Discharge of some riffs, play them a bit faster - It's gonna be a hit! The real surprise is that all of this is carried by some pretty damn powerful Hardcore Punk, certainly better than most of these Dis clowns out there, played very tight and in-your-face. (Y@hoo)
Rödel Rec / Keule Sternkicker / Allmendeweg 89 / 13509 Berlin / Germany"
I thought about posting all Rye Coalition stuff that is not available anymore (or not that easy available; some other stuff - split 7", demo (an earlier rip is already floating around at Soulseek) etc. - will follow) starting with this compilation on Stationeight Records, featuring them, Impetus Inter, Animal Farm and As Good As Dead. Here is an interview with Rye Coalition in which Dave mentions the 7" (but forgot its name and the other bands on it). Animal Farm was a typical compilation band back then, nothing exciting... a bit like hectic Black Flag, Econochrist etc.. I remember As Good As Dead being better on their regular records, for example the split 7" with Armatron (featuring As Good As Dead members and had a record on GSL) is quite nice. Impetus Inter's track is one of the last they recorded before they changed their name to L Vado (and Lux Vanitas; I will buy their 7" next week and tell you about it); nothing new but quite solid in the vein of their previous stuff.
Rye Coalition are definitely the winner here.
VA - degress of... malice (7'') Stationeight Records #02 1995
side a:
Rye Coalition
1. ceremony for a fat lip
Animal Farm
2. another day
side b:
Impetus Inter
1. don't care much about places
As Good As Dead
2. shackled
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Update:
As stated in the comments before: Alex was so nice to provide a cover scan of a limited version of the compilation! Thanks!:
This one of the last releases by X-Mist – together with Steakknife and Hell No – in a more conservative hardcore/punk context ( I would consider Guyana Punchline or Eniac conservative too, but that’ s different story – the voice from the off1 might even say: “reactionary”) and it’s an enjoyable one. If you see the track list, you might think: a who’s who of the era. Some tracks are even exclusive here: so enjoy. Solar Bomb Kit – used to be called Scud before and they were a provoking band (have a nice 7” too) – are pre-Trend by the way. The Baby Harp Seal song was recorded while being on tour, I think. Some distinguished bands existed in the UK back then: Schema, Baby Harp Seal, Spy Vs Spy, Fabric, Dead Wrong, Tribute, Understand etc.
I consider Kurt being the best band here, often dispatched as Germany’s Shotmaker, but this fails their abilities (they also disprove the most popular public opinion within the culture industry that nasty people do good music and polite people don’t).V/A – for want of… (Double-7”) X-Mist #50 circa 1996
side a:
Christie Front Drive
1. After the Parade
side b:
In/Humanity
1. The ins and outs of haste of flesh
Baby Harp Seal
2. fully transistorised
side c:
Torches To Rome
1. Torches to Rome
Solar Bomb Kit
2. Wicked I Shift
side d:
In/Humanity
1. Rocket Park
Kurt
2. Franklin (kleiner Ladenbesitzer)
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Links:
X-Mist
1 The off is located in Switzerland, fool.
I am getting several mails concerning the OGG files.
If anyone has playback problems, check the Vorbis homepage for everything you need to get it running on all of your systems (Mac OSx, Linux, Windoof or even IBM OS/2 (those were the best of times!)).
Vorbis.com
Even iTunes is running them afterwards, so you can synchronize your iPod, Sansa or Hongkong copy with it. A powerful and nice alternative to all the common media players is MediaMonkey by the way. It combines everything you need (ripping, tagging, converting, organizing, playing nearly all files etc.) in one easy program. It has a nice Amazon based tagging option for adding the album cover art and additional informations:
MediaMonkey
I tried several players over all the years combining them with additional tools (ExactAudioCopy, Foobar2000 etc.) and I think this is the best I had until now. If you have portable MP3 players: MediaMonkey will convert every playable file on fly while sychronizing with your player.
Why OGG files?
I do not have an own server or web space and I want to keep it this way (due to the costs), but until now all free file host services still offer not enough space for one file being lossless. It would be fine with me if I could offer all the stuff in lossless files like APE or FLAC although it's sad that still only a few nerdarios care about this issue.
OGG files offer the better sound than MP3s while having the same file size (or even a bit less). One may argue that it makes no sense for Assück or Indian Summer if they are offered as MP3 or OGG files, but that's not the point here.
And: OGG is open source - license- and patent-free (MP3 isn't!).
Why are the OGG files not tagged?
I am a lazy bastard. Do it on your own (Foobar2000, MediaMonkey etc.).
This is the second Abridged Records posting (more to come). Refuse To Fall reunited once for a Shelter gig and also recorded tracks they just played live before. This are definitely their most melodic and - some of them - best songs. The MCD does not capture the feeling of their 1991/ 1992 stuff since this was six years later with people changing but luckily with improved music skills. I am still vexed by the bad guitar solos (like in the second song of the "stalemate sessions" 7").
"Fuck rock, fuck cigarettes and and fuck the high door price".REFUSE TO FALL - grey (MCD) Abridged Records #08 1997
1. 236 (intro)
2. grey
3. faith healer
4. in or out
5. self-contained
6. 236 (outro)
7. pleasure (live version)
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Here's a video from 1991:
Links:
The MCD at Abridged Records
Quite unkown record by the Syracuse label that also did the Framework "justice coming" 7" (catalogue number 03) together with Conquer The World Records.
Process Of Elimination are very "New York hardcore", but too rudimental to be remembered. Dead Image had a 7" on New Direction Records and I sold it being pretty vacant.
The Refuse To Fall track is very much in the vein of their first 7" on Equal Vision and Encounter's song suffers a bit from the thin production and the pressing quality. Now you know why this is quite unkown... ha ha ha...
V/A - No Exit, No Return (7") Upstate Records #01 1991
side a:
Process Of Elimination
1. fight back
Dead Image
2. winter
side b:
Refuse To Fall
1. count me out
Encounter
2.disillusioned
no artist
3. outro
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
This was released about 2 years after Refuse To Fall disbanded and includes two songs from a previous unreleased recording session. Less mosh, more rock and in the end I think it's boring; the first song has its moments but couldn't catch the drive of the first 7". The cover with the fallen man uncovering the logo on the bottom side is somewhat too pathetic; comical.
That's about it.
REFUSE TO FALL - stalemate sessions (7") Drive Records #03 1994
side a:
1. stalemate
side b:
1. pleasure
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
Speaking of "emo mosh" and having an Abridged Records posting before I thought it's about time to post the Refuse Of Fall stuff I have. They were somehow discovered by Ray Cappo when he was still involved with Equal Vision Records and existed for about three years (break up after a US tour with Shelter and 108 and being disillusioned with the hardcore scene). Them being less preachy than the other two bands I like them a bit more among the Krishna "hardcore" bands that were popping up everywhere.
This record had more power when I first got it - listening to it over and over again; had the same status like the second Shelter album or all the 108 stuff concerning my listening habits. the first song totally reminds me of something but I do not get it (Outspoken? I am getting old...). Somehow or other enjoyable to listen to those tunes again. Lyrics are very in the Krishna vein, spiritual but not preachy. Some members of Refuse To Fall join the Dischord band Bluetip (with former Swiz and Krishna influenced Worlds Collide members) later.
If you want a debate about Krishna within hardcore and punk check out Confrontation #05, a fanzine mainly done by the Abolition/Stack singer. This issue dealt seriously with the Krishna movement without all the affected fuss which was the main issue when those discussions were led back then.
To spare me the talking, here's a quite nice story/interview with Damon Allen from an e-zine called Space City Rock:
"not done yet: damon allen grows up. words between by jeremy hart
Damon Allen Damon Allen's been around. He started out back in the late '80s as the singer for influential Houston straightedge band Refuse To Fall, whose members went on to form a half-dozen similarly influential bands, in turn, hardcore and otherwise: guitarist Arnett went on to I End Result; bassist Danny formed Scarred For Life (now known as Will to Live); Bill, the drummer, ended up in Austin, playing with ska guys The Bowler Boys; and Damon himself joined with guitarist Gilbert to start Blueprint, and later moved on to Celindine and then to his most recent band, That Gospel Sound.
Despite the years, though, Damon's probably best known for his Refuse To Fall days ("When [That Gospel Sound] go[es] on tour, I'm gonna put 'ex-Refuse To Fall' on all the flyers, so people'll come to the shows," he says, with a smile).
In the years since Refuse To Fall started, Damon's had a lot of growing up to do. Now he's got a full-time job, a wife, and a much more complex musical project to spend his time on, and he's learned the hard way that you can't keep doing things the way you did as a kid. Don't take that to mean, though, that Damon's stuck on memories of his former band -- he's the last person to want to keep that particular ghost alive. Instead he's moved on, keeping his eyes open all the while, and watching Houston's music scene change and grow.
Damon Allen So, it's not too surprising that when we get together at Mientje's to talk, it's the state of the scene as a whole that comes up first. Damon starts out talking about a recent article in The Houston Press, where Gram and Killian of local favorites The Drapes talked about not needing to support everybody.
"I just wish they'd be a little bit more considerate of other people," he says, "and not be so self-centered all the time. You can't just expect to have this grip on the whole scene and analyze everything and put everybody else down." He shakes his head.
"I've been through that whole not really wanting other bands to play, or wanting other bands to get ahead of where we are, y'know, if I didn't think they were good, with the whole straightedge thing. That was all about 'we're this, and they're that.' And you can't do that; it'll never work out."
We talk about how important it is for Houston musicians to stick together, the non-fanbase in this town being what it is. He points to ZZ Top, King's X, and Helstar(?!) as the only bands from Houston who've ever made it big in the music world at large, and wonders if Houston's scene will ever "explode" nationally, or if that time's already passed us by.
"I feel like, when I was in Refuse To Fall, starting over again, I feel like it's that era but ten years later, because it's so hard for me to get shows now, 'cause I don't know anybody anymore, and 'cause I don't have friends that play in a lot of bands that I used to get shows with. I feel like it's the same thing. People would ask us for shows, 'cause we had our pick, of like the Axiom or wherever we'd play," he remembers.
Damon Allen I tell him that somebody else I'd talked to referred to him as "the Ray Cappo of the west of the Mississippi," to which he just laughs. "No, I know Ray, and I'm nothing like Ray," he answers. When I press for details on Refuse To Fall, he recounts a bit of the band's history, from his joining the band at 16 after seeing Youth Of Today at the Axiom. He's not straightedge these days, but doesn't regret adopting the philosophy in his youth at all.
"I'm glad I was at that time," he says, "because I think that's the time where if you don't have...some people just need a little more to keep them on the right path, or whatever, and not fuck up real bad. 'Cause a lot of people in their teens are looking for themselves, trying to find certain things -- they go through a lot of crap, and a lot of hard times." I put forward the idea that you need some kind of group to support you, something to belong to, and he nods in agreement.
"Big time. Maybe it was like a...not a 'club,' or whatever you want to call it -- I don't know what you'd want to call it, but it's like, it helped, and it was supporting, and just having that was fun, more than anything. We had so much fun. We didn't have the problems that most bands had during that time, with people being into drugs, or people being into whatever, breaking up. That's why we stuck together so long.
"We didn't do anything, we didn't have any activities besides the band. We didn't go party -- y'know, when you're a teenager, that's a big thing, to party and drink, because 'we're not supposed to do that, but we want to do that,' y'know? We didn't want to do that, so we had all this extra time...why not play music, y'know? It made it so easy. And we were just like, 'this is fun; it's what we like to do.' And we were just true with ourselves. That's the basic thing -- I think that's why it went somewhere. It wasn't the fact that we knew anybody, because we didn't know anybody!" As the rain starts to come down harder, we pause for a moment to move our chairs under cover.
"We were really into it, with all of our hearts. And that's what I try to do that with every band I have."
Rain starts leaking on us through the overhanging tarp, so we adjourn inside Mientje's and resume our conversation in whispers. About Refuse To Fall and the straightedge scene, Damon says, "it taught me a lot about music. 'Cause we played in New Jersey; it was the biggest crowd we'd ever played to, huge. It was the Gardens...? A big huge place. Like the Unicorn [a now-defunct Houston club that was basically a hollowed-out supermarket], but totally packed. And we had this video, and it was just like...playing places like that, y'know, if you want to be around those people that're pretty popular, it teaches you a lot.
"You wish you could experience that with every band you play in, y'know. But it definitely taught me that you just have to be patient with things, and if you're really into it with all your heart, you can make things happen."
He talks about how much easier it was to tour back then, working at Kroger and quitting every time they wanted to hit the road, and says that that made the success of Refuse To Fall possible; with the responsibilities that come up later, you can't necessarily tour like that, and that lessens your chances. "If they want to make it so big, they're gonna have to do the same thing," he says, referring back to The Drapes article for a moment. "The label reps aren't going to come to you -- you're going to have to go to them, and play there, and that's what we did."
We get sidetracked talking about the Refuse To Fall CD that local labels Abridged and 76.2% put out last year. The album, simply entitled Refuse To Fall, was a "reunion" of sorts for the band; they got back together and finally re-recorded old songs that they'd played back in their heyday (however, the album also features a live track, "Pleasure," from an old show at local club the Vatican).
Refuse To Fall were together for six years, a surprisingly long time for a Houston band. In the end, the reason they called it quits had a lot to do with disillusionment with what they saw going on around them in the scene.
"I think it all kind of fell apart when it was just like Equal Vision [Records], with the whole Krishna thing, because we got to know those guys so much better, and just found out that it wasn't what it was all cracked up to be." He says he still likes a lot of the Krishna philosophy, and thinks that it has a lot to offer, but that it didn't help the band, especially once the backlash against "Krishnacore" started within the straightedge scene. For himself, he says that "it was a lot more than just being in a band and trying to be a 'Krishna band' and playing. I was looking for something religious, y'know, and I didn't really get into Christianity, so that had something to offer.
"It's just like anything -- I mean, I wasn't born knowing about Christianity; it's been taught to me. It's the same thing with Krishna, where people think 'they're being brainwashed!', or it's just because Ray Cappo...yeah, it could be, but no," he demurs, and points out that the majority of people who are into it aren't musicians at all, but are instead doctors or lawyers, so-called "respectable" people.
When I ask about his view of the current straightedge scene, Damon admits ignorance of a lot of what's out there, but says that he's skeptical. "It's just like before," he says, "I mean, there were people who were into it for the image, and there were people who were really into it. And just by sitting down and talking for like thirty minutes, you can figure out who's really into it and who's not."
He also says he doesn't like a lot of the more "metal" straightedge that's out now, and that Refuse To Fall never really fell into the same category as a lot of the ultra-heavy New York/New Jersey straightedge bands, but took a more melodic route.
"That's the thing that I think appealed to a lot of people. You'd be surprised how people on the East Coast when we toured out there liked it because it wasn't the 'heavy thing.' And it wasn't the 'mellow thing,' too -- it wasn't like we were doing any 'thing'; we were just kind of ourselves, doing our own thing. And it appealed to a lot of people, 'cause we weren't your typical straightedge band. A lot of people didn't even think we were straightedge -- we'd play and they were like 'what kind of stuff are you guys?'"
I mention that I'd heard a while back about a Refuse To Fall reunion, and Damon chuckles and shakes his head. "It's just...it's over. And people want to keep bringing it back because it was the popular thing, and people want to relive the glory days. It won't happen, because for one thing, everybody's not into it; it was so much of an emotional outlet, and you can't recreate that, y'know. We played with Shelter when they came through a few years back, and that was kind of a 'let's just do it' kind of thing, but we were into it -- we were just kind of like 'yeah, this's cool.' It was alright, but it wasn't like the old days, y'know. If it has no value for you, how can you expect to output that? It's real visible, especially to people who've seen you before. So I started thinking, 'y'know, this is just a facade; it's a total'...I don't know. It just didn't seem to work well."
After Refuse To Fall's breakup, everybody went their separate ways. Damon picked up a guitar for the first time, and he and ex-RTF guitarist Gilbert joined together to form Blueprint, partly out of a newfound love for a lot of different, non-straightedge music that he'd never been exposed to previously.
"I could kick myself for not going to shows that I heard about a long time ago, just because it wasn't the thing that I was into, y'know? Now, I look back and think of all the bands and things I could've seen, and things I could've heard so long ago, that've influenced me now... I missed out on a lot, but y'know, now that I've realized it, the generation after me missed out on all the stuff we did, too, that I had a chance to see."
He goes on to talk about the ways in which different styles of music evolve, and how it's pretty much impossible to not be influenced by something -- even The Beatles ripped off Chuck Berry, he points out.
"A lot of people go 'I don't like them because they're not completely original.' Okay, well, you don't need to go to shows if you want originality. Originality would be actually not listening to music -- that'd be pretty original..."
That Gospel Sound, in contrast with Refuse To Fall's mass acceptance in the straightedge scene at the time, has been an uphill battle for Damon and his bandmates. In the short time they've been together (just over a year, which is a lifetime for Houston bands), they've gone through a total of five bassists (the most recent, Dyn@mutt alum Chad Shaw, quit to play with The Cinders), their practice space was burglarized a few months back, and both Damon and guitarist Zeke (who quit the band not long after) have gotten married, which obviously makes things a bit more complicated for the band as a whole. All the while, their odd style of indie-rock, quiet, instrumental soundscapes (a far cry from RTF's melodic quasi-hardcore), has received only grudging recognition in Houston.
"A lot of people don't understand, 'cause a lot of what we're doing is slower, like 'sad' type of music, quiet and other things," Damon says, his voice barely audible over the coffee machine down the hall. "People don't want to go out and be sad -- they wanna go out and be happy. People don't understand that our music is happy, but in a different way, y'know? They just take it for face value, and we won't probably ever get ever as many people as Refuse To Fall did, 'cause there's not that adrenaline going."
I point out that it probably has to do with categorization problems -- straightedge is an easy reference point; if you're into it and somebody says "hey, let's go to a straightedge show," chances are that if you can, you will. That Gospel Sound, though, aren't that easy to classify; they're kind of rock-ish, but more "spaghetti Western"-ish, almost.
"Yeah, we were kind of trying to go for that sort of thing. It's funny...my perfect thing wouldn't be this alternative band that gets played on the Buzz or anything. What I really want to do is make music for movies -- just like soundtrack stuff as the background, something so different, so instrumental.
"What I focused on with Refuse To Fall and all other bands..." he continues, "I've been singing for so long, and I want to get more into the music. And I know that I'm not like this great guitar player; I can't play that type of music and have enough ideas to where I can just put it into things, and I want to start doing other things, just having other avenues to go down, beyond just playing clubs and playing shows and stuff like that. I wouldn't mind doing that."
When I suggest that maybe that's a better route than the traditional "play-shows-sell-tapes-and-tour" method, he tells me that he'd like to do that, as well, but with no illusions about their chances. "It's just, y'know, I'm not gonna try with all my heart to get picked up by a label, because I know that it just might not happen.
"It's like, I've been disillusioned, just being here so long. I've tried so many different things; maybe they weren't...maybe they just didn't have what it took to get picked up. That could be the ultimate reality, and I'm not saying they were great bands; it's just, y'know, if there's a way to make things work out to where I can play music and get paid for it, that would be better. That would be a good thing."
Following along those lines, I ask if That Gospel Sound has any plans to put anything out. "If we can ever get a lineup together and actually stay together for a while!" Damon says, laughing. END"
After listening to Drift Again I though that this might fit in here, even though it's a fair compilation (it achieves high prices now at Ebay.com, but that's Ebay). The early Lifetime track is a new recorded version of a song from their demo tape and it's also featured on their first full length "background" on New Age Records; still has some straight edge hardcore feeling in it compared to the Sticks And Stones influenced sound they did later. The Ressurection song is also released otherwise; it's a pity that their stuff had such a shitty production, the album is great but really lacks power, but I loved it anyway: Rob Fish's straight edge lyrics in combination with the dodgy chugga chugga sound. The Flagman (members of Crud Is A Cult, Mouthpiece and later Ink & Dagger) track - otherwise unreleased I think - is a bit more boy scout hardcore styled than their later great stuff, sounds like Turning Point etc. I mainly kept this one due to Encounter (a favourite band of mine). A friend wants to put out a Encounter discography for years now, including the unreleased EP and the demo etc., but I think it will never see the light of day, since Redemption Records wants to do a compilation CD with their early 7"s etc.V/A - Horizon Records Hardcore Compilation (7") Horizon Records #01 1991
side a:
Encounter
1. solitude
Flagman
2. tomorrow
side b:
Ressurection
1. melting awy
Lifetime
2. alive
[OGG Vorbis, 256k, password: antithesis]
(front print)
(back print)
This was done by Network Sound/ New Age Records one year after the 7" came out. I cannot remember the compilations Drift Again were on besides the New Age Records 7"; if you do: tell me - and I post them...
The front print looks like some cheezy early techno label stuff ("does anyone know where the rave is?").
Members of Drift Again were not only in Freewill/ Stone Telling, Against The Wall and Pushed Aside before but also in Outspoken, Kill The Messenger, March (great LP!) or even Ignite (at least at the beginning) later.
(front print)
(back print)
I think this was Drift Again's first shirt design (who was drunk while doing the back print?). Holy moly, the beginning of the 9oies - the heydays of the emo mosh, I was really into all those bands who combined the second wave of slower but melodic youth crew bands and of course Verbal Assault with mosh; for all you may say: only straight edge bands have this sound: early Split Lip, Framework (huge!), Remain (totally forgotten!), early Network Sound, New Age, Doghouse etc.
Currently listening to their 7" again, funny how effective two riffs in one song were to me.
Before I forget it: Mike Hartsfield from Freewill/ Stone Telling, Outspoken, Strife and so forth was in Drift Again.
(front print)
(back print)
I can remember the faces of the straight edge kids who were excited about Chamberlain on their European tour them being called Split Lip afore and the incontestable heroes of Doghouse records and even a whole new wave of bands: some guy with long hair and cowboy boots entered the stage. Me being toughened from the change in appearance of Uniform Choice or all New York straight edge heroes I wasn't bemused.
Back to Split Lip, who had really nice shirt designs back then. Here is one example, I sold another one in khaki which had the print above the tailbone (and I want it back!). Native speakers: isn't "it's" wrong? Wouldn't be so bad since I know people who have tattoos which say "straihgt edge" or for example "strenhgt", but it's funny.
I am still looking for both of their demo tapes!!! Maybe someone wants to contribute them to the blog (same goes for pictures of other shirt designs by Split Lip). And: I lost the booklet of the Split Lip digipack CD version of "Fate's got a driver"! If anyone will be so nice to do some scans for me I would post and uploading anything you demand from me! Thanks!
Funny side note: some Split Lip members filled in for impeded members of Hardball for their shows since Split Lip have been friends with them since the beginning. I think that was when Clearsight were still around?
Links:
Wikipedia entry
Split Lip's "For The Love of the Wounded" @ Doghouse
Chamberlain
Who ever entered "jutta bunker friedrichshafen punk" at Google.de: you are my hero! Contact me for nobel prize or whatever.
(home sweet home)
While all the Reagan era hardcore cult followers or let's say crybabies1 were still moaning about the end of Articles Of Faith, others already enjoyed the acoustic album on Wishing Well Records and of course later: Jones Very.
There is a nice story about how the name Hawker Records came into existence: the guy who started the label had this ultra brutal New York street accent and he wanted to name his label "Hardcore Records", but when he was talking on the phone everyone caught "Hawker" and not "Hardcore"; quite nice anecdote - also included here (I don't know if there's an English version of the book).
Anyway the label - a subdivision of Roadrunner - was blamed for bad business tactics, which also led into the demise of bands (Wrecking Crew). Vic Bondi states that he never saw royalties for this record. All Hawker records have a poor appearance, mostly no lyric sheets, black and white printing but - especially the European pressings - promotional sheets which left me embarrassed for the writer. Some of the Hawker records also sound shitty (Token Entry), but that's not the case with this beautiful record (which looks shitty... ha ha ha).
Jones Very's first album still has some Articles Of Faith moments but is way more diverse, melodic and sophisticated (I should concentrate on grammar instead of foreign words) and it's a pity that it's not available anymore (pops up at Ebay sometimes or as CD version at Amazon.com), maybe one of the reasons it's overlooked? Same goes for the LP and EP on Jade Tree, whose release miens led to the end of Jones Very. I know people who just know Alloy concerning the Articles Of Faith/ Bondi context but never heard of Jones Very!
After ripping and listening to it several times again: I am really in love with it! Quite a consequent development after the last Articles Of Faith album; a lot of late Hüsker Dü and Mission Of Burma influences. The calmer songs really anticipate a style that will become famous for Sub Pop, Chicago bands, Caulfield etc..
The lyrics are mainly political, not that finger pointing more in a lyrical way (maybe someone has seen the "American Hardcore" movie, which was a frightening freak show and left the impression to me that Vic Bondi and Mike Watt were the only more or less self-reflecting people, although I wouldn't be consistent with Bondi's conceivabilities of left-wing politics). The first song also points at the Reagan era hardcore nostalgists and American leftists who stilled fueled their anger and views from political circumstances which existed half a decade before:
"past the nuclear age
the American century lasted barley a decade
things fall apart and thing fade away
past nostalgic hate
looking back on a new generation of waiters
in hell they watch heaven on television
it's yesterday in the western world"
"Recorded at the original Fort Apache South on Norfolk St. in Roxbury by Lou Giordano, this often overlooked debut was way ahead of it's time. The tiny tracking room with brick walls and piles of gear provided a very live sound also found on The Pixes "Come on Pilgrim" and Uncle Tupelo's "No Depression. Despite the chorus effect on the bass, i am particularly proud of this record. Apparently Ryan Adams also likes "Words and Days"."
