CV+G

One off collaborations are a good idea, but good ideas are sadly and too often fraught with lackluster execution and results best kept secret. Not the case with the three tracks presented here by the bleak powerhouse CRACKED VESSEL in cahoots with one-man raw black metal act GIDIM. Not surprisingly, the addition of GIDIM gives the recording a sharp edge, and the emotional exposure that makes CRACKED VESSEL so compelling on their own adds nuance to even the harshest parts of this offering....like when "JDV" breaks from the introduction and subtly pulls you in in preparation for a wall of sound akin to '90s German metalcore clashing violently with atmospheric black metal. Fans of all encompassing acts like CELESTE will want to take special note here...these aren't the "cool" sounds that are making kids squirm these days, but I suspect that CV+G is going to stand the test of time quite well. 

CV+G

RITALIN OD

What? You said you like hardcore punk music? And you said you like hardcore punk music that's kinda weird and creepy sounding, as if it was made by deranged mutants? Cool. Here you go...

RITALIN OD

UNUR

Chicago dark/minimal synth powerhouse UNUR returns with Halt And Start, four brilliant pieces of gorgeously dated (and timeless) dreary electronics with guitars that conjure Peter Hook (yes, I know Hook plays bass, I am not a complete idiot, just a partial one) and a driving tempo that comes off the like grown offspring of late '80s Belgian acid house. Yeah....UNUR are doing it that good. Good enough that I don't shy away from either comparison and good enough that I keep coming back to these tracks over and over....Modern Tapes are not fucking around. 

HALT AND START

LIQUIDS

Like the sharp edge of a knife, but when you're too drunk to be cooking. Smart, snappy punk burners from the same crew of midwest mutants responsible for CONEHEADS, CCTV and a bunch of other shit that the kids scooped up before you even knew you were supposed to like it. Pay attention, and you will be rewarded with tracks like "Piss On Me," which is without a doubt the coolest creamer you will hear all damn day. 

BRANDON'S IN JAIL

FRAGMENTED

Active during the second half of the '90s, Illinois act FRAGMENTED left us with a legacy of incredibly engaging sounds. The Solemn Drain's nearly hour and a half excursion is simultaneously a throwback to primitive first wave noise/electronic purveyors, and a precursor to today's constantly growing world of knob twiddlers...but FRAGMENTED still exist on an island. The sounds are dark, introspective, they draw you in and hold you tight and, in the right mood, I barely notice that the rest of the world fades into the background. This one is important, kids...

THE SOLEMN DRAIN

COCHINA

The real thing about this demo is not so much what it is. What it is is off kilter determined hardcore punk from four Chicago women who are wrecking shit. But what I hear is roots....because I feel like COCHINA are just getting started, and I feel like this shit is gonna grow into something deadly. "Cerdos" and "Complejo de Salvador Blanco" would make a legendary 45...but I'm just gonna wait (not so) patiently for the next chapter. Until then, there are five bangers here that will keep you on edge. 

COCHINA

BLEEDING GUMS

Garage punk is supposed to be dirty. It's supposed to be ugly. I'm fine if it's a little sloppy, I just need it to have teeth, you know? Chicago's BLEEDING GUMS don't just have teeth, they have fukkn fangs. Off the rails snotty hardcore, vicious and swinging. I'm in....you coming?

II

Seattle tonight at The Nuthole with JJ DOLL, KID CHROME, PARANOID TIME and PRIVATE ROOM. Should be an absolute ripper....so bring me all of the tapes.

CRUDE HUMOR

Ralph said this shit was good, so I gave him $5 and took the tape home with me. I just wanna say that I don't think Ralph is a liar. I don't know him all that well, but I find him to be a generally upstanding fellow. But this time.....? Come on, Ralph. This shit is not simply "good" - CRUDE HUMOR are from another fukkn planet. Irreverent, snappy and on fukkn point punk that owes as much to BAD BRAINS and ADOLESCENTS as to early NIRVANA ad MUDHONEY. Yeah...I went there. It's not my fault. Blame Ralph.

JERI'S GRILL

THE BUG

Light speed Midwest freak show for thinking punks.

Way the fukk out there, and not even remotely cool.

You'll thank me.

ROOM 44 SESSIONS

TRAUMA HARNESS

Sometimes punks go goth and buy a ton of effects pedals. And every so often, shortly thereafter, those punks learn how to write perfect pop tunes and manage to keep them dark. These punks seemed to already have that gift, as this full length dropped near the band's inception in 2012. TRAUMA HARNESS first stopped by The Escape three years ago amidst a slew of LUMPY-related cassingles that I shared all at once, but they've been rather busy since then (last year's Tried My Hardest is highly recommended). It's moody and weird, and the combination of chops and amateurish enthusiasm ("Blue Flame" for example) is refreshing. As is sometimes the case, my cassette copy sounds kinda fukkd here and there - guitars a little more out of whack, maybe a warble where the band didn't intentionally place a warble, if you know what I'm saying? - and here again I've decided to share as is. This is what I got from them, so it's what you get from me...you know? And besides, kid, that's the shit that makes tapes cool...right?! 

THE WAY YOU PRESS ON HARDER...

BIRTH

Filthy and damaged noise rock dirges of the highest caliber. I'm not sure how these Midwestern mutants have escaped me for this long (they appear to have called it quits a few years ago...or at least they stopped updating their internet), but I would rather discover sounds like this after the fact than not at all. Comparisons abound, and all flattering, but BIRTH do more here than merely regurgitate someone else's originality - these are fukkd sounds born out of the dementia of others' approach to "song" writing...and the sounds are exceptionally successful. Get ready to get dirty. 

BIRTHTRIB

HERDS

The only thing I didn't like about seeing HERDS live was Jon's guitar sound. It was fukkd, tinny, piercing but with no definition...and of course, that guitar is what puts this band's demo over the edge. Ripping '00s US hardcore with a blown to smithereens buzzsaw ripped straight out of Japanese noise punk. "Antlers" is the banger, the dichotomy between that guitar and Dave's rumbling bass is more apparent here than just about anywhere else and it swings like a motherfukkr, while "Fading" is a perfect whirlwind of Y2K fastcore dished out by people who should know pretty well how to handle the genre (members of CHARLES BRONSON, KUNG FU RICK and THREATENER here, among countless others). There are a few vinyl slabs kicking around, but of course I deal in tapes...this one is from 2008.

HERDS

PILLAGE

I sat on this one for a while...those eyes on the cover just chilling on the shelf while I slogged through review shit or bargain bins scores or whatever other things happened to worm their way to the front of the line. Admittedly, the line can get pretty long at TEHQ, but I have no excuse whatsoever for this one. I kept saying to myself, "yeah, I know it's gonna be good, but this other stuff is a mystery so I'll check it out first." This is the wrong thing to do when there's a PILLAGE demo waiting for you. Just relentless and powerful and...fierce hardcore. They blast when they want, they break down into fast parts, eschewing the mosh completely aside from the odd intro, old fashioned more than old school, PILLAGE strip away all the pretense and use power. Ugh...this thing is a monster.

PILLAGE

DEVASTATION

One of the gems I got from Daniel last summer, this DEVASTATION demo has gotten countless plays at TEHQ. Seminal '80s thrash/death metal from Chicago, these hessians released various versions of a relatively small handful of burners on two demos and self released full length (cassette) during their short existence. Unclear exactly which session this tape is from, since Daniel got it from the band at some point, but you get screaming renditions of "Cranial Hemorrhage" and "Beyond Fear" along with five tracks I couldn't positively identify...but I can declare that the (brief) mosh riff in the third (instrumental) track is unfuckwithable. Fretboard gymnastics are next level on all tracks, but DEVASTATION never sacrifice speed or intensity in the process, these dudes are hard as nails and unrelenting throughout. Collections of the demos have been released on CD and there's a vinyl box that includes a couple of live sets for the completists. But start here...

DEVASTATION

Definitely recommend listening through to the 0:46 live banter, your patience will be rewarded.

BOOTS

The opening note of this demo made me think (hope) that this was a cover of "Tonight (Back From The Death)" from THE DECAY, a factoid that will perhaps only appeal to two people who will never read this (hi Golnar, hi Layla)...but I'm digressing here before I even get rolling. Hopefully adorable power pop meets Girls In The Garage from Chicago, kinda like a more rudimentary DANGER LOVES but with a little more attitude. There's an emphasis on cuteness that is, well, cute - there's the last track "Tell Me I'm Cute" and the "you're so-o-ooh-o cute/baby you're a dream come true" in "Decked" (which also features the genius line "your friends are fucking useless"), and the forlorn "Teen Dream," which is so perfectly adorable that you almost wonder if the whole band is a ruse just to suck me in. It worked. 

BOOTS

HAND TO MOUTH

Just two songs here, and rarely has a demo sounded so undeniably '90s. From college town, Illinois, HAND TO MOUTH are the perfect combination of melody and grit, with a pile gravel in the voice and the mid tempo drums commanding a bounce and sway as you listen. "Soy Sauce Love" is about seeing a pretty girl in the grocery store (she's probably buying supplies for a delicious tofu scramble). "Omnivore" is about having a political activism discussion with your friend and then realizing that your friend eats meat. Not sure I would have liked this in 199whatever, but it suits me just fine this morning...and at least one of these tracks is a certifiable classic. 

HAND TO MOUTH

UDÜSIC

I keep wanting to call UDÜSIC "feisty." If you wanna break down their riffs, then the songs are pretty straightforward, but the guitars are anxious, like they want to get the song over with so they can go drink or something...and Sarah's vocals want to be catchy but it sounds like she's too pissed to pull it off. Check the beginning of "Mature" (the whole song, really) - it's the laid back number on the demo but it's teeth are like fangs and the swinging guitars are more like the sound track to a knife fight. Also, the OUT COLD cover is next level sickness. I guess when I wanted to call them feisty, the word I was really looking for was "punk."

UDÜSIC

DISROTTED

John (former bandmate in Artimus Pyle, High On Crime and others) sent me this tape last year after seeing DISROTTED on tour. I was instantly pleased, because I feel like this is the band that JFF (former bandmate in High On Crime, ex-Kung Fu Rick) has wanted to play in for years...and it's really good. Absolutely disgusting and sinister doom from Chicago, DISROTTED set the stage with their opening riff, a riff that switches to single note speed picking (well, the painful sludge version of "speed") at the 1:51 mark to accompany blood curdling screams to let you know what you are really in for. Raw and chaotic throughout - a rehearsal recording doing constant battle with absolute sonic devastation, and I'm not quite sure who wins. Except you. You win by listening to this morose three song lump of negativity. Winning is a mixed bag, my friends...you're welcome.

DISROTTED

DEAD RECKONING

I just missed this band's run when I moved to the Midwest in 2003, but I was fortunate enough to see the outfits that emerged from their wake (PEDESTRIANS, MANIPULATION and REPERCUSSIONS amongst others). DEAD RECKONING sounds....well, kinda like a band that would have spawned the other bands I listed. Tinges of raucous garage punk mingling with knuckledragging hardcore riffs and glimpses of '90s DIY basement punk ("Mourning America") means I will listen to your demo...a lot.

DEAD RECKONING

THE REJECTED

Spastic '90s nerdcore from a pre-Youth Attack Mark McCoy and other suburbanites. This is exactly the kind of music teenagers should make - fast, raw, catchy, punk with no fucks given. And there's an almost ska version of "Steppin' Stone" because...well, why not? There's something to be said for simply not knowing any better.

UGLY