SPACE IS HAUNTED

Lurching slogs, lumbering forward with unmistakable and endearing determination. 

Analogies abound.

SPACE IS HAUNTED

CAGES

Buffalo duo CAGES have been wowing and confusing me for a decade. Dark and mesmerizing sounds that move from hypnotic electronics to avant-folk and then they travel to other places with a confidence that is terrifying. Describing CAGES would be nearly impossible, even for someone who talks as much as I do...but this collection of recordings is a pure motherfukkr. Listen to "If It Flies, It Dies" at maximum volume and you will never be the same. The minutes will take years off of your life, and still feed you.

COMPLAINT AND RIOTS WE SHOULD LEAVE TO CATS

Find CAGES here....their entire recorded output is celebrated at TEHQ (though, admittedly, the celebrations are mostly on special occasions....occasions that demand introspection and emotion) and the live experience is not of this world.

DREAM JOURNAL

Smart and snappy modern day alt rock. That sounds like a slag off, but I mean to say that this is the '10s version of the infectious and underground sounds that ushered us not-in-the-know punks through the '80s. This is SUPERCHUNK, this is SQUIRREL BAIT, this is SST-era SCREAMING TREES for the new kids. DREAM JOURNAL are also really fukkn good. 

COMPETITIVE EATER SONGS

NEWISH STAR

When punks decide to play shamelessly catchy indie/punk, The Punks are supposed to shame them...right? Listen to these tracks and fukkn TRY to deny them. I dare you. You will fail. They will suck you in. You will fail....and these songs will become a part of you. And then you will be a winner. Vocals are almost on a John K. Samson level (yeah, I know, but they are that endearing), and the ability to write a perfect pop song in less than two minutes and then just leave it there - because that's all you need? That's a special thing, kids, and it will keep you coming back to these tracks over and over again. Groovy and friendly and very very sweet. We need these things sometimes. 

LOOK BOTH WAYS

TIED DOWN

Just look at that motherfucker in his straight edge letterman jacket and his CHAIN OF STRENGTH hoodie and his index finger stretched out and ready to indicate when you need to sing along....yeah, look and that motherfucker and know that his band is called TIED DOWN and they sound exactly like you think they might, except they are better. This is the 2012 six banger repacked two years later (that's last year, if you're keeping track) with two bangers from a different studio session. Initial demo tracks are heavier, but "Step Back" is the bangingest track on the tape (dude, the drum fills that open that track make drip a little in my pants and the breakdown will drop you to your knees - and the fukkn thing isn't even 60 seconds long). Brutally poignant edge/core from Buffalo, these kids do more in seven minutes than most bands do with their entire discographies. Get ready to be a little tougher than you were before you listened to this....and also to mosh. Yeah, get ready to mosh. Hard.

DEMO +2

you think you're the only one

the only one with problems

take a fucking step back, man

look at this world we live in

YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE

RESIST CONTROL

I'm back. Tour was great, though it's hard to imagine that I was gone for more than two weeks and only played six shows. Fuck it, all six of them were totally different and totally great...but you don't care about that. You want to get annihilated, and I'm here to help. Buffalo's RESIST CONTROL are faster than your band, more desperate than your band, more intense than your band, and very likely better than your band. Their recent LP drips of CAPITALIST CASUALTIES influence, and this cassette (demo/EP/live recordings) isn't far off...awkward, not even remotely cool, face melting mania. Listen to "Submission Accomplished." Several times. In a row. You're welcome.

DISSIPATION + LIVE

GAS CHAMBER

I've been sitting on this one for far too long. Started to post it more than once, but the words never seemed right so I opted for something easier. GAS CHAMBER is not easy, not simple. GAS CHAMBER is deep, visceral, and intense beyond words. This year's Hemorrhaging Light LP on Iron Lung defies description, it is a revolutionary collection of sound that transcends mere hardcore music. So it should not be surprising that this cassette collection that was released before the LP, a series of interludes, compositions (and one banging single), is a total stunner. The two pieces that make up "Prone" set the stage for the remainder of Kairos Will Erase, prolonged ambience exploding into massive bursts of advanced hardcore. Goosebump inducing vocals and bass flanged to oblivion, driving the recording (indeed the whole band) through treacherous twists that would have most outfits stumbling over their own fingers. For me, this tape is all about the noise... "IX" and "X" take up over 25 minutes, and it's that sparse, anxious intermission that makes this presentation of the Corpse With Levity EP (presented here in the same form as the vinyl release) seem wholly different than the first time I listened to it cold. The list of bands that can make so many different sounds and styles all feel like they belong is very short, and this band is at the top. Trying to describe the music is hard enough...but describing the power is impossible. Without question, GAS CHAMBER are among the most intense live bands I have ever seen, but this tape will hold you over until you become one of the The Fortunate Ones.

KAIROS WILL ERASE

Physical copies from Peterwalkee Records

SPERM

HOMO INDUSTRICUS // YAHWEH BRINGS US TO THIS HELL

WRATH OF THE WEAK

Yet another positively stunning release from the Universal Consciousness label. They describe WRATH OF THE WEAK as "wall of sound/noise/shoegaze/black metal," and while I'm not one to typically agree with promotionally provided tools, their generic all encompassing genre descriptor pretty much nails it. Hypnotic swirls, making distortion seem so brilliantly deliberate and full of passion, this cassette is an emotional workout and not one suited for casual listening. I should have waited until winter, as these are sounds best heard alone, at night, and safely bundled. Solace is apparently the final release from this Buffalo, New York outfit...we should all be lucky enough to go out with such style. 

SOLACE

SPACE WOLVES

Sometimes I need things like this. Buffalo's SPACE WOLVES expertly dish out hopelessly catchy and wistful laments, some clocking in well under half a minute and many summing up a wide and confusing array of emotions in a mere sentence or two. "I Saw You (With Your Boyfriend)" is a perfectly dour number that is well worth the entire cassette, but that track is just the tip of the iceberg - "(It Broke) My Heart (When You Forgot My Name)" is a SMITHS-esque missive while "Pizza Ice Cream (Is My Dream)" is pure innocence in song. This tape will melt the studs right off your jacket.

SPACE WOLVES

WATER TORTURE

Super fukkn mean powerviolence from New York. "Grey" is among the heaviest things I've heard in years and their sporadic use of electronics packs a wallop (seriously, how crushing is "Enslaved"?). They spend less than eight minutes dishing out these eight songs, but their efforts are appreciated.

WATER TORTURE

Knochen Tapes made this possible.

BAPHOMET

When thetapes comes with no cover and looks like this, you know you are in for a treat. Active from '87-'93, Buffalo's BAPHOMET (who changed their name to BANISHED to avoid being confused with other metal bands with generic names...but still they chose BANISHED, which is weird) cranked out a healthy slew of demos (this tape is unmarked, but I believe this is a chunk of 1990's self titled promo) before dropping a full length on legions of rabid fans. Maybe there weren't quite legions, but I like to think there were. Guttural, primitive death metal.

BAPHOMET

FATHER IGNORANT

I saw 10 bands during a 24 hour stretch Thursday and Friday, and strangely all of them were at least good. Some of them were really outstanding, but the worst one was still pretty decent. I wish FATHER IGNORANT had been one of them, but they weren't. Angst ridden and hook laden female fronted  punk from Buffalo...vocals might be the focal point, but those with a wider focus will pay attention to the songs - great riffs and a captivating presentation. I'm probably going to listen to at least 10 cassettes during the next 24 hours, and I think I've set the bar pretty high by starting with this one. 

FATHER IGNORANT

MALLWALKERS

Laid back and ultra infectious punk from upstate New York. Early '80s So Cal a la THE PLUGZ collides with BIG BOYS' affinity for funk (and MALLWALKERS employ horns throughout the demo instead of just occasionally), add in the snappy attitude of primitive and unpretentious UK post punk and you have created a monster. Lazy male vocals lead the band but the musical arrangements here are well worth delving into, and well beyond the mental grasp of your average dirt punk. "Ten More Years (Of '80s Hardcore)" is the jam of your weekend...I highly recommend some serious quality time with MALLWALKERS.

OUT OF THE MALLS AND INTO THE STREETS

All the kids are saying "you can't dance," but I think I'm gonna take that chance

BROWN SUGAR

After dropping one of 2011's sneakiest full length platters, it should come as no surprise to my ears that Buffalo's BROWN SUGAR had even more genius up their sleeves. "Birds" alone is a psych-punk masterpiece of time changes and drum fills that have no business in punk, and then they launch into a laid back jam that makes it sound like they should be on the coast in San Pedro, not on the shores of Lake Erie. One of the best kept secrets in the country, this band just kills...and they do so quite casually.

SONGS ABOUT BIRDS

CONSPIRACY OF GIANT NOIZE WOODPECKER MUTANT FROM OUTER SPACE (Vol. 1)

Averaging well under one minute per song, seven international bands blast through 27 fastcore gems on this comp. New York's I OBJECT start a truly international comp that includes bands from Sweden, Czech Republic, Indonesia and Belgium. KOBRA XI's raw grinding madness leads into '00s thrashcore from JACKSTONE, bringing to mind TOTAL FURY - a vibe that continues with the USHC stylings of Sweden's DICK CHENEY. POWERCORE might be the most ferocious band on the tape, fast and blown out hardcore perfection, but the whole comp rages. An hour that goes by without listening to hardcore is an hour that you could have spent listening to hardcore. Don't make a mistake you'll regret.

CONSPIRACY OF GIANT NOIZE WOODPECKER MUTANT FROM OUTER SPACE (Vol. 1)

UNCONSCIOUSNESS

For about a year, John and I hosted a Mix Tape Exchange in Milwaukee. Interest began to wane after a few months, but on those first couple of exchanges people really pulled out some big guns and spent some serious time putting the tapes together. This is how mix tapes are supposed to be made. Dave was a transplant from Buffalo (he has since returned) and is one of the most seriously critical music listeners I have ever known, so it came as no surprise that his submissions were consistently excellent, but Unconsciousness might be his finest work. There are bursts of hardcore that break up the 90 minute journey (LORDS OF LIGHT, G.I.S.M., KRIGSHOT), but this tape is essentially a tortured evening in a dimly lit room full of confused inward stares and sweltering doubt. From beautifully innocent female songwriters to grizzled gravel voiced songwriters, from MAN IS THE BASTARD to THIS HEAT, from the only KISS song I ever really liked (but performed by MELVINS, so it's even better) to the equally crushing and far more musically intriguing TOADLIQUOR. Unconsciousness is bookended with two tracks acid drenched distorted psych jams with soaring (and endlessly soloing) guitars from PSYCHIC PARAMOUNT, a band that I first heard through Dave. He also introduced me to PHARAOH OVERLORD who have provided the soundtrack for countless late night drives since they came into my life, and THE GIGOLOS "This Generation," which has since become one of my choicest jams - an infectious KBD tune with an undeniable mod/powerpop energy. Fortunately for you, PHARAOH OVERLORD's "Test Flight/Blackout" from III closes the first side of this tape in brilliant fashion, and "This Generation" makes an appearance as well...so you win. There is an art to making a great mix tape....and Dave is an artist.

HOW DO YOU THINK MY FATHER FELT...RESORTING FINALLY TO THE BELT

In addition to making mix tapes, Dave does time in excellent bands. Seriously. They are all good, and if you have seen them then you know I am telling the truth. CAGES. RUNNING FOR COVER. GAS CHAMBER. DEAD LANGUAGE. THEY LIVE. There are more, but that should get you started. I guess today is Dave Day.

FERAL KID MIX TAPE Vol. 1

Continuing in the tradition of mix tapes used simultaneously as promotion, celebration and hype, Buffalo's Feral Kid Records dish out this plastic shell filled with glorious sound. The reason I like the label (and one of the many fine attributes of said label's empresario) is that there seems to be no real focus beyond the simple requirement that the music be good, and this mix tape follows that guideline rigidly. Not to imply that these songs from all over the spectrum don't make for a cohesive listen, quite the contrary, but FATHER IGNORANT's "Sex Ceiling" into "I Bleed Cash" from GOLDEN BUFFET certainly falls a little outside of the prevailing punk wisdom these days. That's why this comp rules. Made up of bands mostly from upstate New York released by, affiliated with or friends with Feral Kid, including SKATE KORPSE, GHADDAR, BROWN SUGAR, UTAH JAZZ, PLATES, MAYDAY and several others. The main stand out is the fact that none of these bands sound particularly like anything else - I can't say this is a hardcore comp or an weird punk comp, though some of the bands featured would surely fall into one of those categories, but most of these bands write songs that aren't concerned with the square hole they will wind up shoved into, and it makes the ears perk up at virtually every turn (or flip of the tape). I snagged this (and the fukkn sick new BROWN SUGAR 12") when man responsible was in town last weekend...didn't see them play because I make poor life choices sometimes, but an hour at the beach is better than no time with your friends at all, right?

FERAL KID MIX TAPE Vol. 1

CAGES

I am going to Milwaukee today for my annual exercise in consumption and self abuse under the guise of volunteering at a bicycle race, and I hope to spend some time with some of the people involved in this project while I am there. CAGES combine transfixing noise/soundscapes with haunting female vocals that urge comparisons to an older, more resigned and sadder DIAMANDA GALAS. The music on this tape is garnered from various live performances in Buffalo, New York during 2006-08, and they often take on an ambient quality - while "Psalm To Mother" is an inwardly violent and cacophonous piece, the tracks that follow spend more time in the background than they do in your conscious aural field. "Burial" can sometimes slip completely by me when I listen to Anti-Realist (I think this is my favorite song on the tape, it just requires...demands...undivided and intense attention), and I'm jarred back to a harsh reality by "Cavern" to close the release. The harshness of CAGES is shrouded by their calm but erratic exterior - far from a crew of artsy noisemakers, emotion and turmoil permeate these songs. To listen to CAGES and not feel something is to simply not feel, and if that is the case then I feel for you...or maybe you just need to listen harder. And louder, these songs are better at maximum volume.

ANTI REALIST

Released in early 2011 by Död Universe, purveyor of many fine slabs of thought provoking noise.

IRON LUNG MIXTAPE

Other bands have dabbled with collecting the music of their friends and associates in the form of a familial mix tape, but it should come as no surprise that IRON LUNG have perfected it. One track each from 20 bands, and not a clunker in the bunch. There are IRON LUNG related projects (WALLS, PIG HEART TRANSPLANT, COLD SWEAT, SOCIETY NURSE), Iron Lung Records artists (WHITE WARDS, BIG CRUX, SLICES, EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING), and Terminal Escape alumni (SELF COM, RUNNING FOR COVER, KIM PHUC) alongside SOLUTIONS (the best band hardcore band you have never seen), MENTALLY CHALLENGED, MIND ERASER, Aussie synth punk from TOTAL CONTROL, LORDS OF LIGHT lounge offshoot STUDIO GEORDIE and tracks from two of my bands, OPT OUT and VACCUUM. The SELF COM and MENTALLY CHALLENGED tracks are easily my two favorite, but I assure you that the next 40 minutes of your day are going to be filled with excellent music from across the sound spectrum. Get a copy if there are any left, and if you've missed out then let's hope you have learned a lesson about what happens when you snooze.

IRON LUNG MIXTAPE I