MISERABLE FRIEND

Even with all of the adoration heaped upon MY BLOODY VALENTINE (justified) over the years, and modern band's often apparent inability to attempt nothing new aside from aping some past icon who has not yet been aped (guilty), I find it odd that there are not more MBV ripoffs in our midst/s. And please don't misunderstand, Wisconsin's MISERABLE FRIEND don't sound like Shields & Co., but they are doing the damn thing, man, and that's the mood they set. And they set it right. I mean, "Wasteland" has that one guitar part that is straight NEUROSIS in production and presentation, and "Coming To Life" is just really good fuzzed out indie/psych, and I swear I heard THE CURE more than once, but these kids are just taking it all in and then doing their damn shit. And it's awesome. And that's what the kids are supposed to do. 

THAWED, FLAWED + SUFFERING

NUCLEAR WITCH

All hail the mufukkn bargain bin. Last week in Seattle, two of my finest dollars earned me this NUCLEAR WITCH cassette. That's 16 minutes of pure filth for less than the price of a mediocre beer in most major metropolitan area meat markets. See? BARGAIN. NUCLEAR WITCH are a fukkn mess....feedback, noise, shitty recording pegged in the red, random leads, (hopefully) satanic and (likely) inappropriate knuckle dragging noise/metal. Raw and relentless...I don't know anything about them, and it's probably best that way. Get weird, my friends.

NUCLEAR WITCH

Shit - I searched anyway, and apparently this noise is from Wisconsin. Color me intrigued...

HINGE

Karoline and I just had a discussion about the HICKEY/FUCKFACE show she booked in Milwaukee in '96...I have always thought that HINGE was one of the locals on that show, she thinks that they had probably split up by then, but we both agree that we spent most of the show making out in the front seat of a double parked brown Ford on Oakland Avenue, so the memories are good ones either way. I have had a different HUNGE recording floating around since that era, but I snagged this one from Daniel when he was purging a couple of summers ago, and it's way better than the one I've been listening to. Four tracks of impassioned basement DIY with a heavy DC influence and killer swarms of guitars. I've said it countless times in these pages, but I miss bands having the freedom to write like this without instant access to every subgenre at their fingertips...I miss songs like "How The West Was Won" popping onto tapes and steering your listening in an entirely different direction. So whether I saw HINGE or not, I'm glad to have the sounds. And if, in fact, didn't see them? Well, it was a really good make out session, so no regrets.

HINGE

STRAIGHT FORWARD

For some people, I will just be able to say "emotional '90s hardcore from the Midwest," and they will know exactly what I'm talking about. How you explain SMASHING PUMPKINS and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE seeping into a DIY punk band's sound is a little tougher...I mean, that shit happened all the time. But tracks like "One Sided" are legit time capsules, and "Mushy Foundation" sounds so much like someone from that era that I can't put my finger on even after listening  to the song five times in a row and it's killing me. STRAIGHT FORWARD were from the suburbs of Milwaukee, and I can't give you any background at all....though clearly they made me think about my own.

STRAIGHT FORWARD

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

MERRIMAC

Midwest basement hardcore from the '90s should be its own genre and anyone who was around, or passed through, at the time surely knows what I mean. That sound plus college rock/AmRep leanings is exactly what this MERRIMAC demo from 1996 sounds like, so if you were hoping for some DISCHARGE shit today then you should try back later.

MERRIMAC

EXCAVACATIONS // BLACK EAGLE CHILD

Sometimes, the discount experimental section at your local record store can be your friend. Two separate doses of layered ambiance from Portland's EXCAVACATIONS and Milwaukee's BLACK EAGLE CHILD. Both acts compliment each other well....EXCAVACATIONS have an calm but eerie ambiance not dissimilar from some SIGUR RÓS stuff, while BLACK EAGLE CHILD offer a campfire comfort that I'm not ashamed to say I quite enjoyed. An excellent way to end the day, and $2 well spent.

EXCAVACATIONS // BLACK EAGLE CHILD

BORED STRAIGHT

BORED STRAIGHT started just before I left Milwaukee, and I only got to see them a couple of times in their infancy - they were good, but it's obvious listening to these final four bangers that I left town before they really hit their stride. Sure, they play hardcore influenced by the '00s bands they grew up on (and the '80s bands that those bands grew up on), but these kids absolutely bring something new to the table without trying to reinvent anything. It's a part of living just enough off the map to be allowed to go about things as you like - punks in Milwaukee aren't going to nitpick your sound. If you want to take start/stop fastcore with manic riffing and inject the misanthropic weirdness of JESUS LIZARD then the kids in the basement are still gonna get wasted and throw beer everywhere while you play...and the dozen or so people who are actually studying are going to quietly nod their approval. The only thing wrong with this tape is that there are only four songs, roughly six minutes that send the band off on the highest note possible. The aptly titled Final Session comes with a review written by a friend of the band, a review that pretty much nails the sound and serves as an epilogue at the same time: BORED STRAIGHT is an underdog, which is a concept that I think a lot of people understand, but never really gets talked about...they get to play with bands that are hyped or popular and are probably never the band that anyone goes to the show to see. Maybe if they had been from somewhere cool, more people would have paid attention. Then again, maybe if they had been from somewhere cool, they wouldn't have been this good.

FINAL SESSION

I GIVE UP

Early '90s sounding DIY hardcore straight out of early '00s Milwaukee. I GIVE UP perfectly capture the determined churn, the discordant guitars, the lurching tempos, the general cacophony and the vocals....three dudes just spewing their guts and you know they mean it. I like when you can just tell, when it sounds desperate, when it sounds like they are just about to....well, just about to give up. The samples and bits between tracks (mostly culled from banter off of rehearsal tapes) are a touch goofy at times, but they add a welcome touch of unpredictability to a demo that already sounds like nothing else. I only saw the band once, and I remember them sticking out and confusing people...I'm guessing that happened a lot.

THE NAME SAYS IT ALL

SHADOWED VEIL

How many thousands of "bands" like this have dropped demos that flew under the radar and then anonymously fell to the ground? SHADOWED VEIL were a two piece bedroom anarcho outfit from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and this 30 minute offering is nothing if not compelling. TG styled proto industrial noise with CRASS politics and awkward moments of rudimentary dark punk...the fact that this is a winner is a complete accident. Tracks like "E" and "The Children's War" would be complete schlock with a different production, but in this environment it sounds like sheer success. A glorious collision between raw 4-track punk, noise and art. Standout track: "Blood Blister Coitus."

RESIST THE PUNISHER

And adding to the appeal of this tape is the mystery that lurks behind the SHADOWED VEIL. Only presented as ETC..., I figure this half hour of noise and samples and manipulations was created by the duo responsible for the SV sounds, but without any of the punk leanings. Just pure, primitive and dark sounds ranging from psychedelic loops (track 09 and the eleven minute closer) to harsh noise (tracks 02 and 05) to ominous dirges (track 11) and general weirdness (basically the rest of the tracks). In a way, I find this more compelling than the SHADOWED VEIL material simply because it's more mysterious, but either side would be a swell find on its own...and to find them both inside one little plastic shell? That is what you call victory.

ETC...

FAILED MUTATION

I saw a few bands this summer. If you told me to make a list of the best five, then Milwaukee's FAILED MUTATION would be on that list. If you told me to make a list of the best three, then FAILED MUTATION would be on that list too. I could tell you some of the other bands that these kids are (and have been) in, but do you really need me to do that? You shouldn't. I'm not gonna lie and say that the demo kick my ass as hard as seeing them live, but band should be better live than recorded...right? This is Midwestern US hardcore punk.

FAILED MUTATION

URBN DK

Kenosha, Wisconsin legends URBN DK might mean a lot more if you were there, but who doesn't like high energy pogo punk? Dummies, that's who. I want to see the comments section filled with stories of Kenosha weirdos...

IN THE BLOOD

I haven't been to Gainesville in fukkn years. I will be there tonight with NO STATIK, ASSHOLE PARADE and SO PASTEL at Mars Pub. I look forward to it.

SHUT IN

SHUT IN is disgusting. And really really pissed. Bombastic hardcore/crust at the very end of its rope - the low end is crushing, but the vocals are simply terrifying. There are blasts, there are devastating breakdowns (sometimes the two fall into each other with jaw dropping results) and everything is filthy. This is what it sounds like when you have had enough.

FEAR/BLOOD

Members of PROTESTANT, ABADDON, MALACHI, PARTY BY THE SLICE, NO BRAINER, ARCHITECTS OF THE AFTERMATH and others, in case you are keeping track or need extra incentive...

BRET SCHNEIDER

Almost a full hour of mesmerizing (a polite way of saying "dizzying") sound manipulations. Taking found sounds and field recordings and reincarnating them is itself an art form, but on Model Of A Garden Scene..., Schneider has successfully digitally altered aural DNA to create an entirely new being. I find myself just staring at the speakers, not sure if I am more fascinated by what I've just heard or excited to hear what comes next. This defies categorization, but I would sooner file it amongst "art" than "noise," as these collages are every bit as enthralling as those put to canvas.

MODEL OF A GARDEN SCENE WITH WATERING CAN

Physical copies still available from Avant Archive

SUBURBAN MUTILATION

Snotty, loud, raw and punk as fukkn shit, Green Bay, Wisconsin's SUBURBAN MUTILATION will still put you on edge. Hits like "Daddy Was A Nazi," "El Salvador Stomp," "Eat A Preppie," and "Bored Teenager" just scratch the surface of this tape's greatness. I suppose they fall somewhere between the two famous DEAD bands of the early '80s (MILKMEN and KENNEDYS), but there's a RAMONES worshipping garage rock 'n roll simplicity that demands to be blasted at maximum volume and allows SUBURBAN MUTILATION to bypass advanced songwriting chops. These 13 jams come from a tape claiming to be a live recording, but if this is true, then they are playing in front of the least enthusiastic crowd ever and Rev. Norb's wit is conspicuously absent....but fukk me they are screaming. If this doesn't kick your day in the ass, then I'm not sure if I can help you.

SUBURBAN MUTILATION

LIFES

More tapes from bands made up of people I have played in bands with. This two-piece from Milwaukee features the drummer from CONQUEST FOR DEATH (also PEOPLE AGAIN, THE LOVE MOVEMENT, PARTY BY THE SLICE and others) and the guitarist from HIGH ON CRIME (also SEVEN DAYS OF SAMSARA, PARTY BY THE SLICE, KUNG FU RICK, LUKE SKAWALKER and others) - and the result of their damage is every bit as monumental as you hope it will be. Uncompromising lyrically and musically, it should come as no surprise that two people responsible for such personal and poignant vitriol would also crank out breathless blown out blasts of hardcore. SWING KIDS and DEATHREAT covers along with the members' lineage will give you a pretty good idea of what you're in for here, but LIFES sound even angrier and more focused than you might expect from two happily married and relatively recent fathers...but that's how lifes goes I guess.

MMXIII

DHARMA DOGS

When bands that would later be considered grunge first started playing, most folks just thought they were rock and roll bands - a little dirtier perhaps, and definitely more aggressive, but it was still just rock and roll. Of course, most of those sounds quickly morphed into something that was little more than  mainstream rock (though mainstream rock did expand its parameters a bit to absorb this new crop of unkempt youngsters), but there were still bands in that first wave who were dishing out punk, or at least playing their rock and roll with undeniable punk attitude. That attitude is what makes Wisconsin's DHARMA DOGS so infectious - even the laid back "Hokahey" and "Laxadaisy" are delivered with more than enough barely contained aggression to tip it over the edge, and the majority of these songs are seething even when the band are obviously songsmiths of the highest caliber. "Billboard Blues" reeks from the stench of STT-era SONIC YOUTH, while the whole recording owes a debt to the more sinister side of Mark Arm (with maybe a small stipend to FLIPPER). These two EPs were conveniently packaged on one cassette last year, and the contents are guitar rock of the highest caliber - the closer "Longshot" is a ferocious journey in an of itself, but the entire collection is a winner.

DROWN w/ MOON ROCKS + SPEED

BURIED

This is hardcore that doesn't seem to exist anymore, and that is something that I lament more and more as I get older. BURIED's politics are personal and urgent, unfettered by adulthood or the crushing realizations that sometimes come with it. Musically, this is melancholic basement hardcore, fronted as much by Grant's guitar (that's Grant from ANIMAL FARM, WARCRY, TALK IS POISON, OJOROJO and others, in case you need a nudge) as by the soul baring idealism in the vocals, with an intensity not derived from playing faster or harder, but rather from simply meaning it more. Wisconsin has a rich punk and hardcore legacy dating back well over 30 years, and I am quite pleased that I was fortunate enough to get a glimpse, however brief.

LEADERS, MACHINES AND LIES

MELLOW HARSHER

As advertised. This shit is disgusting.

MELLOW HARSHER

NO JOKE

Mark left me a box of tapes when he moved to Madison, many of which were remainders from his time  in the Midwest before relocating to the West Coast. This 1990 demo from Portage, Wisconsin's NO JOKE is indicative of the punk that the Midwest spawned in basements throughout the region (including Milwaukee's LSD, Madison's INSPECTOR 12, a pre-PROTESTANT Corey and a pre-PROMISE RING Davey, all thanked on the insert). This was personal hardcore, and community mattered more than riffs or posturing...but two decades later these tracks hold up remarkably well. "Waiting For The Rain" is the fastest number, and not surprisingly the one that suits my modern day ears the best - SUBHUMANS (UK) meets mid period Dischord (the latter seemed to be the model for so much Midwestern hardcore from this era), but all of the tunes here are packed with purpose. 

IDEALS SO UNTRUE

Karoline tells me that two of these dudes were the rhythm section for NAKED AGGRESSION when my first band crossed paths with them in Albuquerque next door to the THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS show in 1992. That was a weird night, and I have a memory of those dudes pulling up to the show sitting on an open bed trailer that they had just driven from El Paso in...I find it hard to believe that this could be true, but that is my memory (not to be confused with the final track on this demo, "This Is Reality").