Hardcore as folk art; an American youth report…

Here is an LP that forms a look back at the end of the world with stark lyrics evoking Rudolph Wurlitzer, like incursions into desolate American landscapes and mindsets. It’s hard not to invoke clichés when discussing the sounds on this record; “pummeling,” “relentless,” “charging,” all words that make me think of the delivery of a TV sports journalist or someone discussing factory machinery in motion or something. Brutal music for intolerant hardcore fans, with vocals rendered in a bestial fashion over encrusted, treated guitars and an unrelenting rhythm section.

You probably already have an opinion in regards to HOAX; they are one of those bands that get written about by people that usually don’t notice hardcore. Hardcore, of course, doesn’t need outside attention; it exists on its own terms until it no longer serves a purpose. Some bands attempt to make something that is more than a collection of easily noted influences, a totality of experience for the viewer/listener, something that transcends the endless array of underground records that will end up in the 99¢ bin, forgotten in five years by all but a few.

Does this record serve such a purpose?! I saw this band play in a cave right by the Pacific Ocean last month and listening to this LP doesn’t live up to that experience. I’ve listened to it everyday, usually whilst commuting to work, which is some sort of endorsement, although ultimately I don’t think legacy or longevity should be considerations in the MRR review section.

I’ve heard they made enough of these so everyone can have one, so don’t worry about limited edition freak-out sessions alone in your room in front of the computer. I also heard that this is their swan song. Who knows what HOAX’s fate is, or really cares; this is a time capsule for a certain sound/era of USHC, complete with a huge selection of posters by various artists and miscreants (from Sugi to Heather Benjamin, for you to wallpaper your room in total devotion).

(Self-released)

Out fourth and final Record of the Week feature focusing on seven new releases from Luk Haas’ incredible Tian An Men 89 Records label. Go to tam89records.com for more info on these releases, and check out Maximum Rocknroll‘s October issue for all of these reviews and many, many more!

Never Mind the Taqwacores Here Is the Real Deal compilation 7″
Of course I’m fascinated by this compilation of Pakistani bands. I want to know to what extent expatriates versus native Pakistanis are involved in these bands and scene(s). Unfortunately, for the bands that do have contact information, some of the links (to Facebook) seem inoperable. Scoping the others didn’t answer my questions, so I’m still ignorant. From listening to the comp I can tell you metal and grind are big influences. MARG gives us a bouncy, mid-tempo track with languid vocals and some noodly guitar leads. The lyrics (translated into English) critique society. CORNHOLE‘s track, “Beards in Power,” is catchy enough through the verses, losing something on the chorus. BVLGHVM plays a standard nasty grind with rather short songs. CHOOTS (which apparently translates as “vaginas,” though any subtleties there may be lost on me) play a quick, fast metal track, with the vocals dominating over the music. “There isn’t a tunnel with fucking light, ain’t no pearly gates, ain’t no Satan to torture you, there is nothing.” MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION plays a heavy grind attacking religion with lyrics in English and a native language. FORESKIN precede their track with what I believe is a sample of the BAD BRAINS, before attacking “faggots” who don’t headbang. “Break those mental barriers and run to the fucking front.” This song is about 25 seconds long. GLORIFIED WHORE MONGERS play some demo-quality metal, which I prefer to the work of BATHORY, who seem an influence. KAFIR E AZAM has a short, well-executed grind track. Overall I’m more excited about there being kids into metal and grind in Pakistan than I am for much of the music here, though a few of these songs I’d be glad to hear wherever they’d originated from.

—Jeff Mason

CHORNAYA RADUGA – All of Us Will Fly… EP
This 7″ appears on the always-interesting Tian An Men 89 Records, that has been putting out records by punks who live in parts of the world where they lack the resources to do it themselves. The label is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. On this release, they bring us Bender’s (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) CHORNAYA RADUGA, who belts out four songs of post-metal that is informed by emotional hardcore and melodic punk. The first track, “War,” begins with a bomb siren and launches into a depressive, downtrodden song about the business of war. The other three songs delve deeper into the post-metal side of their sound and almost resembles nu-metal in a few moments, but those moments are (thankfully) brief. There are also some solid, confident guitar solos taking up a good chunk of time in these songs. This is a solid release for fans of this style.

—Greg Harvester

This month our Record of the Week feature focuses on seven new releases from the amazing Tian An Men 89 Records label. For decades now, Luk Haas has traveled the most unreachable corners of the globe seeking out punk and underground rock scenes, and releasing music on Tian An Men 89 that the rest of the world would never otherwise get a chance to hear. The man is a true hero!

BEIRUT SCUM SOCIETY/DETOX split EP
Punk from Lebanon! The first track on the BEIRUT SCUM SOCIETY side sounds like a slowed down FLAG OF DEMOCRACY’s “Madhouse.” The second song is more of a rock ‘n’ roll oldies/rockabilly, complete with harmonica, then the third continues in this vein with a more punk vibe to it, à la VIBRATORS with snotty vocals. DETOX reminds me of early 45 GRAVE with some RIK AGNEW-related moments, complete with keyboard. Then there is a hardcore jam that moshes into a punk breakdown mess in “Play a Fucking Instrument”—there is a lot going on here, but it’s cohesive and good. This definitely diverges from a path at times, but it’s firmly rooted in early ’80s punk, yet more aggressive than melodic—creative, weird and carnival-esque very early punk mixed with art punk shit, using irony and humor to address serious issues. I love the DETOX tracks on here, but the whole record is good and seriously solid if you wanna get weird…which I do.

—Mariam Bastani

MAZHOTT EP
Wow, writing about a Syrian punk band while shit is hitting the fan over there seems rather surreal. Tian An Men 89 has done it again, yet again delivering the goods! The first track has a street-punk beat that blends with a guitar solo that could only have been produced in the East: rich and intoxicating like pipe smoke or potent herbs. The second self-titled track sticks to a similar style, with some funky drumming and some cow-bell, while on the flip “Bakaloria” goes in a more rock ‘n’ roll direction, with choppy guitars and a dancey melody. The final track (“Sai’een”) is performed live and starts out with a ska-sounding guitar which turns into sad solo, accompanied by lyrics which I can tell are filled with pain, anger and sincerity. Who needs to speak a common language when you have music like this? A real gem that will be appreciated by anyone who understands what punk actually means, as opposed to (only) what it may sound like.

—Layla Gibbon

This month our Record of the Week feature focusses on seven new releases from the amazing Tian An Men 89 Records label. Go to tam89records.com for more info on these releases, and check out Maximum Rocknroll‘s October issue for all of these reviews and many, many more!

V/A – Disenfranchised in India compilation LP

Tian An Men 89‘s documentation of punk and alternative rock in far-flung corners of the world continues with its first-ever compilation of bands from India from the last decade. TAM89′s website contains a succinct explanation of its desire to document and encourage self-expression in different countries, whatever the permutations and definitions of alternative punk music people choose, regardless of styles and trends in the West. This does however collide with the mass globalization of punk and alternative music, by both major labels marketing to “emerging markets,” their use in Hollywood films that are distributed globally, and the internet allowing access to a clear idea of “what you’re supposed to do”… So there are sometimes less surprises than you’d hope for, as some band in Delhi basically regurgitates the ’90s Seattle grunge sound and NIRVANA or GREEN DAY, as those influences are sometimes more apparent than people with a vague idea left to just make up their own thing on a limited set of resources or ideas. Punk’s radical DIY template is its greatest victory, not the music, not the fashion or specific ideas, but the ability for people to take control of their own music, art and culture as an avenue for self expression—and there’s a great power in forwarding that in new places via these compilations, where bands can see their music pressed to vinyl, often for the first time, and exposed to a worldwide audience. But, despite the open-minded approach to punk, it’s still looking for a Western set of music values (the concept of punk itself) in a country that probably has way better local music that has nothing to do with punk or hardcore. Set that aside, the fourteen bands here each contribute one track with a lyric sheet and short history of each band, and there’re a lot of rewards here for the open minded not looking for a specific sound or result. The comp opens with one of its strongest tracks, by TRITHA ELECTRIC BAND—an eclectic trip-hop/ethno-punk artist from Kolkata who tours extensively in Europe, whose track here, “Fish Market,” is more of a punk-edged new wave stomper—like a hard TONI BASIL track but with the same infectious, bouncy fun and catchiness. JEEPERS CREEPERS play a catchy track of lo-fi indie rock, threaded around a solid spindling guitar line. BLAKHOLE cranks one of the comp’s few fast, noisy thrash blasts. BULL ENGINE approximates the aforementioned ’90s Sub Pop grunge sound, with a heavy Cobain-ish twang. Mumbai’s PUNK ON TOAST plays stripped down, garagey punk that is actually not too far off from, say, THEE HEADCOATS, but with ’80s-style boilerplate political lyrics and meek vocals. The RIOT PEDDLERS have a high-energy melodic hardcore sound that would be well at home in Orange County skateparks. The SCRATCH CARDS play solid, basic hard rock ‘n’ roll. TRIPWIRE plays jangly mid-tempo punk with a ’60s pop feel. And OUTLINERS end the comp with a dreamy, layered track reminiscent of one of the more subdued B-sides by the ENGLISH BEAT or SPECIALS, with its shuffling ska-ish guitar lines.

—Ken Sanderson

This month our Record of the Week feature will focus on seven new releases from the amazing Tian An Men 89 Records label. For decades now, Luk Haas has traveled the most unreachable corners of the globe seeking out punk and underground rock scenes, and releasing music on Tian An Men 89 that the rest of the world would never otherwise get a chance to hear. The man is a true hero!

Go to tam89records.com for more info on these releases, and check out Maximum Rocknroll‘s October issue for all of these reviews and many, many more!

Chaos in Morocco compilation LP
Short review: Tian An Men 89 is the most important record label in the world for punks seeking international and (truly) underground punk bands, and you should seek out everything they release—period. As for this release specifically? Five Moroccan bands ranging from all out fist-pounding hardcore to commercial ska-punk. HOBA HOBA SPIRIT is perhaps the most interesting band: proto NWOBHM clashing with anthemic, folksy punk—a combination that I enjoy far more than the description might suggest. ZLAQ WELLA MOUT is perfect Hellcat Records fodder, perfectly executed anthemic street punk—the ska emphasis on the first track is tempered with the searing metallic vibe of “Ma Tssibch Ki Dir.” The PROTESTERS are in a similar vein; a future classic if there was any justice in the world, “I Wanna Protest” is the perfect political punk starter song. But the two bands that really kick my teeth in are W.O.R.M. (churning dual-vocal hardcore that just screams for a circle pit) and RIOT STONES (rough, primal street punk proving perfection in simplicity, their two songs alone would make for an indispensable 45). You might think that punk is whatever little bubble of cool that you find yourself in, but punk is so much bigger. So. Much. Bigger.

—Robert Collins

Suriname Punks Meet Guyana Punks compilation EP
From the new batch of TAM89 releases (you bet your ass I already mail-ordered all seven of them) come three bands from two neighboring countries on the northern coast of South America (I actually didn’t know, had to look them up). DE ROTTE APPELS from Suriname kick it off with a very ’77 UK punk sounding jam with an anthemic chorus and an overall poppy feel to it. Country-mates ADHD are doing a similar style but with a looser approach and some seemingly more modern influences. On the flip you get KEEP YOUR DAY JOB from Guyana doing some solid, polished melodic punk with a very epic feel. They employ a mesmerizing guitar lead topped off with over-articulate English lyrics, kinda like PROPAGHANDI. A very cool peek into some obscure punk. The overall recording production is quite a bit more slick and digital than past TAM89 releases—a true sign of the times that technology is connecting punks from all corners of the globe, while digital recording programs are apparently easily accessible almost everywhere.

—Matt Badenhop

Jeezus, I really wasn’t expectin’ this. When I saw these guys in NYC a few years back, they didn’t really knock my socks off, but this LP sure does. Unlike the current crop of NY bands, CONCRETE CROSS includes folks who have been at it for more than a few years. And it really shows, because there’s a lot going on in these songs—searing leads, nuanced song structures and some cool interplay between the instruments—yet they execute it with a raging dexterity that few hardcore bands (in the States, at least) can match. I’m reminded of a number of metallic- yet-thoroughly-punk bands of old—particularly Animosity era COC and Return of Martha Splatterhead era ACCUSED (especially the vocals)—but no comparisons really hit the mark, as the complete package shines with a personality all its own. CONCRETE CROSS may not be one of the cool bands in New York’s fast-paced—and, dare I say, trendy?—punk scene, but they’re excellent and I hope this review sees them getting recognition for this impressive LP. (Man In Decline)

In 1917 Marcel Duchamp presented an unassuming object to an exhibition and declared it “high art.” The urinal he submitted, titled “Fountain” (and now seen as a major landmark of 20th century art) was initially dismissed as trash and removed. On Teenage Rattlesnakes the TRASHIES explore the lineage of Duchamp (not explicitly) and reinterpret the notion of “trash as art.” Teenage Rattlesnakes is the sound of the TRASHIES deviating from the more straightforward and upbeat new wave, white trash, celebratory, satirical anthems of “Taz Tattoo” or “I’m High, So What” toward the art damaged no-rock swagger of UZI RASH (with which this band shares members) and finds a middle ground between catchy garage new wave and art damage. The band also further distances itself from music that is at first listen, immediately evocative of the SPITS. What you have here is a more mature, thoughtful progression down a trip to the dump in which the blue tarp has been thematically replaced by songs about (among other things) various means of trash and bug consumption. While they’ve chosen to mine this new found art-gunk territory they still excel at writing songs that are catchy and conventionally accessible, but which sound unconventional and unique. The dub sound explored in Space Jam reappears on this outing in the form of the autobiographically rich “I Ate the Trash” and is perhaps the most accessible and fun song on the album. Teenage Rattlesnakes firmly reinforces the notion that trash, in the hands of the right people, becomes compelling. (1-2-3-4 Go!)

— Paul Lucich, from MRR #364

Damn, what to say first about this record? That it is era-defining? That it’s the first record you should seek out if you want to know anything about early Greek punk? That it put Greece on the punk map? That it shaped the sound of Greek punk to come after it? All of the above are true yet, like with any definitive regional compilation, unless you were there, or at least lived to experience its legacy and after-effect, little can sum up its true significance. Each one of these six bands sounds different yet the common thread running throughout them all is so strong, it’s proof of music’s ability to forge and reflect a collective consciousness.

ADIEXODO’s “Nightmare” is so well-embedded within Greek punk minds that the mere sound of its opening bass-line can conjure a whole whirlwind of emotions. Their second offering (“Isolation”), is equally influential, with its raw and gritty sound, its growling vocals and despairing lyrics. The EX-HUMANS song (“Blinding Light”) perfectly captures the empty ideals that fell apart (“the only truth is death, the hope of life is a lie”) while “Suicide in Slow Motion” is another sound-defining track of fuzzed guitars, creeping melodies and painful songwriting—not just with their lyrics, but with their ability to seize a whole generation’s misery into a handful of notes. GENIA TOU HAOUS follows, with their intoxicating, dismal sound. “Bastardokratia” has evolved from old punk gem to classic street-battle anthem to the definitive pièce de résistance of anti-authoritarian Greek youth, reflecting everything that is and has been wrong about the unjust, surreal land called Greece.

Moving on to the B-Side, GROVER sings a song that every Greek punk who has ever been drafted for their military service can relate to: “In the army, the razor give you no hope. Here is hell, here is desolate. Here you are alone, leave, go far away.” The negative sentiments continue with two PANX ROMANA classics, “Greeks” (“long live delusions!”) and “Athens” (“I want to leave this city, I want to leave this hell, I’m looking for a solution, but no one can help me. Athens, a ghost city, Athens, a ghetto city, Athens, a concrete jungle, Athens, a city with a past but no future.”) To close off this mind-blowing slab of wax is Athens’ godfathers of punk, STRESS, with their timeless homages to freedom (“Right to Life”) and anxiety (“Aghos”).

A truly great compilation speaks truth where there is none. And the truth about Greek punk is that it has a stoic, almost poetic quality that transcends style and form, and instead captures the essence of societal depression and youthful despair—both still so very damn relevant today. This record brings tears to my eyes and its impact could never be summed up in mere words.
(B-Otherside Records)

How can something be vicious and charming at once?! I heard the hit “I Wanna Make a Fanzine” sometime last year and, as seems to always be the case, the tapes were gone by the time I figured out how to get one. A bored sounding girl lists the things she is gonna put in her fanzine, with a snarled chorus “I wanna wanna wanna make a fanzine” true bedroom punker style. My heart stops; Spanish punx wasting time in an English coastal town by creating a bold and exciting sound… It’s got that Manchester Musicians Collective/John Peel show circa 1981 quality, handmade and earnest but not twee or throwaway like a lot of the C-86 drek, IRREPARABLES play with a true radical punk rock heart. The bare-bones punk soul of DEAD MOON meets the MARINE GIRLS!? Heartfelt songs about mix tapes may sound like the opposite of fun, but if I told you Teo of FIRMEZA10 fame was part of this endeavor and also one or two of the women from LAS TIMIDAS, (who put out the tape of the year last year[!!] which is also getting a vinyl reissue courtesy of some Hackney type) you might at least give it a listen?! Well, either way if you aren’t totally won over by deadpan girl vocals explaining that they don’t wanna go back to work, or that they are gonna spit on the pope, then you operate on totally different terms to me, in a separate reality… The songs Gwilym, the make vocalist, sings have a blood-thirsty DESPERATE BICYCLES-goes-anarcho manner of delivery that is quite compelling. These are simple melancholic masterworks, sort of like THE SHAGGS playing FEELIES songs, or simple rock ’n’ roll like “Roadrunner”—not bar rocker nightmare chug, but true sounds made by bedroom punkers and disseminated with a vision and soul. Really idyllic for people who live in foggy seaside towns and want to listen to sounds that capture that melancholy feeling while retaining their punk rock anger… US/Canada punkers can get this from Revolver, as Nominal is based in Europe now.
(Nominal Records)

Maximumrocknroll.com’s Record of the Week is back! Here’s one that’s on everyone’s top ten this month, reviewed by shitworker extraordinaire Dan Goetz. This review along with a zillion more can found in this month’s MRR!

AMDI PETERSENS ARMÉ put out the first and third best EPs of the early 2000s hardcore wave, which I think is up there with early ’80s hardcore as one of the best waves. Now that everyone who went gaga over them at the time is too grown up and listens to ICEAGE or whoever, I still blast both 7”s all the time and the APA symbol adorns my ankle in stick-and-poke form. Nostalgia is bittersweet, because I look at the photos and flyers in the booklet that came with this LP and realize that it’s been years since there have been bands/shows of this caliber on a regular basis. But I’m glad that the ephemera has been preserved, and despite the fact that their second EP is still available (both from Havoc and in dollar bins), this band is more than discography worthy. For anyone unfamiliar, AMDI PETERSENS ARMÉ played early-’80s-style hardcore that got many comparisons to early MINOR THREAT, though they were always a bit more complex than that, and certainly transcended the harDCore comparisons by the time of their second EP.

The first EP (on side A of this LP) is stripped down hardcore that has the perfect solid state guitar tone, precise, closed hi-hat drumbeat, and simple but catchy riffs, with a feeling that’s fierce, fun, cathartic, and youthful all at the same time, and to this day makes me want nothing more than to live in a punk house, give myself a stupid haircut, and skate all day for the rest of my life. But the second EP, Blod Ser Mere Virkeligt Ud På Film (on side B of this LP), is the real masterpiece, and is fit for stage-diving, listening closely and taking in its intricacies, contemplating the shittyness of life, or some combination thereof. If we must stick with comparisons, I’d say the playing and feeling evoke the darker FAITH songs (specifically the second half of the VOID split), some combination of S.O.A. and MINOR THREAT (mostly in the vocals), CIRCLE JERKS, and maybe the BAGS, for starters. But it has a sound that’s all its own, and while the first EP has a more fun sound, Blod has a bleakness that is well articulated by the various twists and turns the songs take, adding to their power and aggression, and yet many of the riffs are downright toe-tappers. “Hardcore Del II” is one of the most perfect punk instrumentals ever, and has enough swing and swagger that it could play over the opening scene of a teen insurrection film.

I can’t say a lot more that would do these songs justice, so if you haven’t heard them, get on it. This discography complies both EPs plus comp tracks, their demo, and some unreleased songs (that they were smart to leave off their records, as they’re more-or-less duds). For those of us who already know both records by heart, this discography includes a great booklet, chock full of photos and flyers in chronological order (including what looks like the majority of the flyers from their US tour in 2002), as well as an intro from DX and a back cover piece from Dave Hyde, who drove them on their US tour and recollects various tour stories. Needless to say, this band is a modern classic. People with taste haven’t forgotten, and people who know what’s up will be seeking out these songs for years to come.
(Hjernespind Records)