CRAZY SPIRIT

Who makes this shit? I snagged this gem a few weeks back, and I still can't figure out what the hell is behind CRAZY SPIRIT, but I stopped caring long ago. It's like THE SPITS doing BORN AGAINST covers...totally garaged out psychedlic fuzzy punk shit - and you will love it. Look at that cover...see it? Up there above the words? Well that's how this thing sounds, so get into it.

CRAZY SPIRIT

KARMA SUTRA

Great moody anarcho punk from KARMA SUTRA. There are only four songs on this 198? demo, and I will happily take this kind of quality over quantity any day.  A pretty rough demo recording (which they included an apology for), but superb political punk rock from another band that I know little about.

ANARCHY AND PEACE

THE BELLICOSE MINDS

Attempting to recreate the moods of early 80s goth/new wave/dark post punk is a bold move, and hoping to nail the sound as perfectly as THE BELLICOSE MINDS would be nothing short of foolish..unless of course you happen to be THE BELLICOSE MINDS. This 5 song demo was recorded last year and they so seamlessly bridge the gap between my youth and the resurgence of seemingly everything that existed culturally in the time of my youth that I find myself with no words to describe the demo.  The bass sounds like early CURE, but without the flanger, the guitar is layered perfectly and simultaneously reminds me of the 80s and modern bands trying to ape the 80s (which, honestly, is exactly what these folks are), but the vocals have a lost mournful yearning that takes everything over the top. But what makes this, is that somehow you can tell that they are punk. I'm not sure how I can tell (perhaps the fact that I bought this at a punk show is a significant contributing factor - but the ripping 1:25 "Hammer of Ice" certainly drives it home), but it gives these songs something more than just a bunch of folks with a goth obsession and some keyboards can manufacture....I know that there are only going to be more bands cropping up like this, but let me assure you that THE BELLICOSE MINDS are head and shoulders above the minions.

THE BUZZ OR HOWL SESSIONS

The start of the first track "Oppression Depression" is cut off...that's how my tape came, so that's how you hear it (see, I told you they were punks). Also, check out the lyrics to "Bloody Hands," fucking vicious.  This rules.

7th PLAGUE

Dreary punk from Wolverhampton courtesy of 7th PLAGUE and their second demo tape. "Brave Face" could easily have been the blueprint for a band who planned to move onto mainstream schlock, but fortunately it is followed by the ominous guitar and sinister laugh that starts "Painful Death" and things only look up from there. "In The Name Of Progress" is a single-worthy UK punk burner drenched in saxophone, it's followed with "Frenzy," that could be the unsung flip side of that non-existeant single, and then they mix in some live recordings (including a rougher/better version of "Brave Face") including the killer "For Kingdom & Country." I know fuckall about the band, but expect their first demo in the coming weeks.

7th PLAGUE

I used to post tapes from my home state of Oklahoma every Sunday. I stopped. I still have more gems, but if I keep up this once a week shit then you, my valued followers, will have to slog through SLUGFUZLE tapes, maybe even some more BLEMISH, and no one wants that. My pal Ross has a great Oklahoma only blog set up here, and I highly recommend checking it out...FACE FIRST EP went up most recently, and that thing fucking rips. Cheers...

COMPLETE WASTE

You know how VOID were so fucking fired up about playing hardcore and so generally "full of hate" that half the time they could barely play and their songs were all sloppy and shit but that just made them rule even more? Yeah, COMPLETE WASTE rule pretty hard. "My uncertainty is my only stability // I tried so hard but I've become a casualty." Indeed, my Minneapolis friends...indeed. 5 songs in as many minutes, enjoy your Saturday.

COMPLETE WASTE

WHO TAKES THE PROFITS FROM OUR LIVES?

It's no secret that the late 80s were not exactly the heyday for hardcore, whether in Europe or the US (Japan is a different story entirely), but this French (I believe) compilation tape is packed with unknown gems that had me paying attention from the first CORPORATE GRAVE track all the way through to the final CEMTARIUM song and the line "in the basement // playing with my gun."  Granted, STINKY FINGERS are every bit as awful as their name might suggest (a bit worse, actually), but the good far outweighs the bad, and metallic punk shits from FANATICAL VIEWS, SOURIRE KABYLE and JESUS WENT TO JERUSALEM are good, while the 3 songs from FILLED WITH ANGER take my fucking breath away, it's worth the whole tape for these songs alone. Friday is for comps and mix tapes...and for going to see CONDENADA in Oakland tonight and also for going to see BOG PEOPLE and VIVID SEKT afterwards.  I'm going to be busy, good thing I've got a killer mix to power me through the evening!

WHO TAKES THE PROFITS FROM OUR LIVES?

FUNERAL ORATION

I suppose i could try to convey the sounds contained on this tape, but for music that has been passed around and analyzed so many times, that just seems a little redundant. If you had this as a teenager, then here it is again, and if this somehow slipped by you, then do yourself a favor.  In the words of Pushead, printed in MRR 26 years ago:

Tremendous explosions of maniac proportions that blisters as it smiles in triumph. Titanic nitro charges of frizzling speed and determined spunk packed by well-written lyrics snorted out in a raging fury. This entire effort reminds me of the Neos. It is irresistible and crude, as it devastates with hammering force. A band that should not go unnoticed by compilers around the globe.

THERE IS NOTHING TO LAUGH ABOUT

I saw FUNERAL ORATION in the late 1990s (Chicago I think?) when they came to the US.  Having heard these songs so many times, I was beside myself with excitement. They were terrible...oh well.

VIVID SEKT/BOG PEOPLE

Portland's VIVID SEKT passed through the Bay Area again last week, and they were stellar once again.  Dark and dreary early 80s UK punk worship with a frontman who almost gets the pitch right - but it's the 'almost' that makes this shit so good. "Captive" will be stuck in your head for days.  Not ones to travel alone, VS brought their pals BOG PEOPLE along for the ride, and after drilling their demo into my brain repeatedly I knew it was going to be good. BOG PEOPLE share one member with VIVID SEKT, and share a drummer with the mighty NERVESKADE (yeah, Portland has a few good bands), but their attack is something entirely different from either. Noisy and chaotic UK82 styled shits to be sure, but there is something off kilter about BOG PEOPLE that make them stand out, and the guitar sounds like they rescued the tracks from a dumpster (that's a good thing).  Two songs from each, I recommend getting amongst this shit.

2010 Tour Tape

CIVILISED SOCIETY

Do CIVILISED SOCIETY need even more introduction?  Here's a rough early demo that shows the band well before the Scrap Metal record or even the Who Would Have Thought... demo (both of which are, of course, excellent). Songs like "Crime" and the crude UK82 stomper "Home Is Where The Stench Is" highlight Bev's vocals that have always been my favorite part of the band - I understand that having three singers was cool and unique, but when one is clearly stronger than the other two then it seems logical to cut some dead weight...think of all the extra room in the van! There are 7 studio tracks, followed by 9 minutes of live shits that suffer from pretty poor recording quality; "Everyone's A Loser," "MP's Song" another version of "Animals Have Rights" and one more (?) are included. Great fucking band, but that goes without saying.

7 Tracks Demo

MOENDA

I've been stuck on this 30 minute jam for a few weeks now, so it seemed appropriate to share.  Drones, loops, drums, samples all join forces to create a truly analog experience that comes to us from North Carolina. Side A is busier, with swells that culminate in a truly disconcerting atmospheric assault of island drumming (think ARTHUR LYMAN on LSD), while the B side concentrates more on the ambiance, taking found sounds that seem suited to the Appalachian homeland and severely tweaking them until they are totally foreign . Liberal backwards tapes turn into an instrument of their own as the tape comes to an end, and it feels like the whole piece has just collapsed at your feet. It's possible that this was created by a couple of fiends who just happened to get lucky, but whether calculated or accidental, these sounds are superb. Enjoy...

SOPHIE'S PALACE

ILEGAL

People have been going nutso over this Canadian band, and with good reason.  Inspired by 80s Italian hardcore, ILEGAL blast through nine songs with searing guitars and an urgency rarely rivaled in modern days. Canadian and Finnish personnel, and they sing in Spanish. Grab their new EP on Lengua Armada before it's gone.

ILEGAL

RELATIONSHIPS

From the cutting guitar that kicks off "Teenage Suicide," you know that this is going to be a scorcher...and you are right. Boston's RELATIONSHIPS twist 80s US punk into the same knotted mess that bands like REGULATIONS and GORILLA ANGREB were famous for, but then add just enough of their own take to set them apart. Maybe someone listened to a little bit of Lookout punk in the 90s, it could be the insistent edge to the vocals, or perhaps one of the folks in this band claims BAYONETTES as their all time fave, but whatever it is that they have - it fucking works. The lyrics come in the form of a classroom note, complete with the lined notebook paper (if only it were Big Chief), all sealed with a heart in the stylish envelope you see below...total class and quality here.  The weather is supposed to be really nice tomorrow, and this one sounds like spring.

RELATIONSHIPS

POLISH HARDCORE COMPILATION

There's not really anything to be said about these bands, except that they rule.  But even a cursory glance into the world of 80s Polish punk will let you know that these bands rule.  DEZERTER are probably the best known Polish band from the era, primarily because Tim and Maximumrocknroll released their music in the US, perhaps the first punk record that made it outside the Iron Curtain. To hardcore fans, SIEKIERA are just as legendary - their demo tape made the rounds for years, and even after the singer left to form the epic band ARMIA, the transformed SIEKIERA released two excellent cold wave records on the state label Tonpress. The SIEKIERA track "Fala" was the namesake for the first Polish "alternative" compilation LP, and the tracks on this tape capture them in all their live fury. DEUTER start this tape off right with the track "Fuckin' System" and continue on with more 77 punk pogo friendly numbers. SEDES are the mystery band on the tape, no song titles and few clues on the internets, but these songs are super catchy and have that angular quality that seems specific to Eastern European punk. ABADDON are fantastic as always, and these tracks are not on the Wet Za Wet LP or any other releases I could track down.

POLISH HARDCORE Side A

POLISH HARDCORE Side AA

All of these songs seem to be recorded at a festival (or at least a show with a big fuck all crowd), and all have about the same recording quality...a good board mix I'm guessing. The guitar sound for DEZERTER and SIEKIERA is to fucking die for. I would classify everything here as 'punk' instead of 'hardcore,' but this is what was written above the track lists, so who am I to argue with the maker of the tape, much less start splitting hairs over genre definitions? This tape appeared in my box at MRR last week...I honestly do not remember if I loaned it out and it was returned, or if someone was nice enough to donate this gem so that I could share it here. Well, thanks either way - and if indeed I have loaned you anything else and forgotten about it, I would like it back now please.

KRÜEL

Yet another post from the stable of LA bands on the Silenzio Statico tape label. KRUEL are a killer raw DBeat assault, and while this rehearsal recording is great, San Francisco folks who saw them last Sunday at the outdoor show know that the live show is crucial. No frills and no filler, just kick ass DISCLOSE worshipping hardcore punk (the last track is a DISCLOSE cover, as if there were any doubts). I'm looking forward to seeing them again with CROW in a couple of months, now you should look forward to getting those fists flying into the air.

PONX NO DISCO!

BRUCE ROEHRS, R.I.P.

Bruce Roehrs, legendary punk rocker and punk writer, unifier of punks and skins around the world. I am completely and truly devastated, and he will be missed by more people than I think he ever could have realized. You should listen to COCKSPARRER and ANTISEEN today...I know I will.

BRUCE ROEHRS, 1950-2010

BAD INFLUENCE

BAD INFLUENCE draw as much from early 80s political anarcho punk as they do from late 80s UK thrash, and the end result doesn't sound like either - but totally rules. Personally I prefer the female vocals, and it seems that she is not a part of the reformed, modern version of BAD INFLUENCE (too bad), but these tracks will power you through your doldrums regardless of the vocalist's gender. Nearly 45 minutes of late 80s political Belgian hardcore that will power you through your day and then some.  You are thinking to yourself "I don't need this...whatever, this shit ain't really all that good and besides, I got enough punk." And I am thinking that you are foolish, and that this is your loss.

              

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER THAN THEY THINK

INTERNAL AUTONOMY

INTERNAL AUTONOMY are perhaps the complete antithesis of yesterday's noise assault. Female fronted late 80s UK peace punk showered with acoustic guitars and liberally effected ethereal vocals. Even the term "punk" might be a stretch on tunes like "One Fine Day," but IA were no doubt punks in their approach, and driving songs like "Persons Unknown" and "Burn The Witch" are fucking top notch anarcho shits that are impossible not to love. Together until the early 90s, INTERNAL AUTONOMY released several records (most notable to folks in the US was probably the Only You Have The Power 2x7" on Profane Existence in 1993) and this - their 4th demo.  

4th demo

Included at the beginning of the demo are the only two tracks I have from the drummer's side band MARBLE INDEX.  The first is a dark goth punk burner called "Rose Marie," and then they confirm suspicions about their influences with a cover of SISTERS OF MERCY's "Alice." I've only got the two songs, and they came on the same cassette as the IA shit, so it seemed logical to throw it in...pretend they are bonus tracks on a CD retrospective.  And pretend these are your liner notes. 

PISSBOLT vs. COLLAPSED TOILET VIETNAM

Look at the cover, really soak it in.  That's what this Australian split sounds like - minus the toilet brush, because there ain't nothing clean about this tape. There are songs buried somewhere underneath the chaos, but consider it a supreme challenge to find most of them. Oddly, the challenge comes with a supreme reward as well, as some of these tunes are fucking ace (CTV's "Ballsweat" as a prime example), but are so drenched in bathroom recording quality and over the top distortion on everything that the search for music itself become fruitless...and without a doubt this is the intent. Both bands hail from Melbourne and have their hands in several other noise/doom/shitpunk bands up and down the east coast of Australia. PISSBOLT's angle is fast chaotic hardcore blown to shit, while COLLAPSED TOILET VIETNAM are more sludgy and repetitive, but with the same manipulations. Make no mistake: regardless of my attempts at describing these sounds, the end result does not resemble music in even the slightest way. This is not for the weak.

Drenched In Stench

DIET OF WORMS

Three weeks in a row with Oklahoma posts culled from the tapes that Blake lent me...and I haven't even dug into the BCT shit yet! DIET OF WORMS started in '83, and called it quits the following year.  This EP is supposedly their entire recorded 'catalog' (seems logical, as they even included brief but the rather off putting Sabbath jam at the start of "Happy And Dumb," and why the fuck would you do that if you actually have more ripping hardcore tunes, right?), and was issued in 1990 by German label Old World, well renowned for giving second rate US 80s hardcore bands another shot at glory.  The difference here is that DIET OF WORMS are first rate to the fullest! Barebones blown out thrashing hardcore with a fury that borrows blatantly from fellow Oklahomans N.O.T.A. and simplicity that reminds me of THE CLITBOYS (from my other hometown). These six tunes fukkn rule, and I thank whatever older, wiser punk shared them with Blake 20 years ago on this tape so that I could share them with you today without bending my rigid "cassette only" policy (thankfully I've got the vinyl version for the cover scan, but I can't really imagine that this demo released in 1984 would have been graced with full color rotten bananas...then again, maybe it would have).  Now, if someone could just send me the NO DIRECTION and FACE FIRST demos, then we can make everyone happy!

Are You Hungry?

BRIGANDAGE

London's BRIGANDAGE appear to have been inspired as much by the shock and art end of punk as by the music itself (vocalist Michelle ventured into the fashion end of the punk spectrum, and when you access their website today you have to wade through her 'Punk Hooligans' clothing line before you can get to the band photos/history and a few downloads).  The F.Y.M. cassette from 1984 comes off a bit like a watered down RUBELLA BALLET, but that still leaves plenty of room for superb female fronted UK anarcho punk. The material here is taken from live recordings, the quality of which ranges from 'good enough' to 'superb,' and then there are two studio recordings thrown in randomly.  The differences in quality make for a rather disjointed listen, but the tunes here are more than good enough to make up for it.

F.Y.M...

BLOOD WING

This is the ultimate in retardo punk. BLOOD WING sound like THE SPITS playing ALICE IN CHAINS songs. I bought this tape at a SPITS show (they were great, in case you were wondering) and it rules.  It really sounds like THE SPITS reinterpreting shitty 90s hard rock tunes, which turns out to be a really good idea. My friends Mike and Paul came over tonight, and at least two of us drank whiskey. It is entirely possible that "War Cry" and "Cold Cold Soldier" are the same song. This is probably the best Thursday you will ever have. You should have bought this here, but now might I suggest downloading it instead? Good idea.

BLOOD WING

HOTBLACK DESIATO

I'm not really drawn to stoner rock, it's just never tickled my fancy.  Every now and then I hear a band that makes my ears perk up, but for the most part I'll take my heavy music more in the form of the atmospheric, the noise, or the drone.  Don't get me wrong here, I love SABBATH as much as the next guy, and I'll even get into a Dio vs. Ozzy debate from time to time (for the record, I lean towards Dio simple because the entire body of his work with SABBATH is flawless, whereas the Ozzy era is tainted by the liberal smattering of clunkers on Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die), but I simply prefer punk. Now I'm certainly not trying to suggest that HOTBLACK DESIATO achieve heights warranting BLACK SABBATH comparisons, but I do think that in a rock 'n roll world filled with third rate KYUSS emulators being passed off as the Next Wave Of Heavy Rock Greatness, songs like "Love Child Miscarriage" are well worth my attention. And the affected vocals at the start of the brilliantly titled "Rolling Joints Of Vengeance" might have me rubbed the wrong way at first, but I was more than completely sold before the second verse. This demo, recorded in 2004, features the drummer for Oakland's ACTS OF SEDITION, who was nice enough to drop off a few tapes a few tapes of projects past and present for The Escape (thanks Clint, and others please take note: Terminal Escape is an excellent home for your old and/or unwanted cassettes, just get in touch. I even pay postage...). The one live track shows the faster, more metal side of HOTBLACK DESIATO, and makes me wish there was more to this band than one four song tape...but that's how the great ones go, ain't it?

Stop Go Destroy tapes #3

SANITY

Someone please tell me something about this band.  I've only got these three roughly recorded demo tracks, but SANITY are killer driving midtempo UK punk. Perhaps in a different world, these would have been classics? They were from Lancaster...please fill me in.

SANITY

OI POLLOI

I figure OI POLLOI kinda goes in the "needs no introduction" category, but I completely skipped over this band for years.  Perhaps I saw one too many idiot wearing their shirts, or maybe I was simply too concerned with the bands playing live in my area to bother checking out some old codgers from Scotland. But OI POLLOI are fukkn bad ass, and this is their first "proper" recording (the first demo is a way rougher home job, but still killer) from 1984.  If anyone else has not bothered getting into them, then might I suggest that this is the perfect place to start - any demo that begins with "Punx 'n' Skinz" is probably going to be a winner. And in case you aren't sold, how many bands have anti nuclear power songs and pro-skinhead songs on the same release? Not many.

DESTROI THE SYSTEM!

WORKDEATH

Monday. You people go to work today, huh? Well, for the next few months I have to use a cane to walk normally (but still it's pretty awkward, to be honest), and I didn't go to college (well, I did kinda go but then I quit - and then I had to sign up for another year because...well, it's a long story) so I eek out my living as a proud union laborer. But since I can't really walk so good for a while, I can't exactly labor very well.  I'm not complaining - just speaking facts - and the facts are that most of you are working today.  Because it's Monday. And I am not. Because I can't walk so good. WORK // DEATH. Grim but true, ain't it? We all do it, in some form of another, it's what we have to do to survive, but isn't that just a fukkn shitsystem? If only there were another way, but there fucking isn't, is there? I got this tape at Amoeba last week when my pal Lugs was in town (hi dude, miss you, can't wait till you live here, you rule). It was in the Metal section, but methinks someone misplaced the shit, because this Providence band are all fukkn noise, baby. Think THROBBING GRISTLE in the vibe department, but the result here is something akin to what NEUBAUTEN might have sounded like had they just created noise with no percussion. These two tracks are brilliant chaotic 16 minute industrial drones. Perfect to listen to while you are at your job.

ANOTHER MORNING

FENSICS

Today's Oklahoma post comes from the same batch of tapes that I pulled last week's RANDYS record off of (cheers again for the loaner, Blake!!).  FENSICS were also from Oklahoma City, and released their lone EP in 1979. The A-side ("Full Time Job") was comped on Killed By Death #999 some years ago, but personally I prefer the flip "Tornado Warning" and the fake accent and Johnny Rotten style trills from the singer and the killer high end guitars that start the track. The tail end of "Full Time Job," where the contemptuous kid is in the argument with his mom about getting a real job, starts to get real fuzzy, like perhaps the record that this tape was made from had been partied one too many times. Or perhaps there was just a lot of dust in the room...Oklahoma does have quite a history with dust, after all. Point is, it ain't a perfect copy, but fukkn tapes ain't perfect, and that's why I love 'em.

Full Time Job // Tornado Warning

The record came with no picture sleeve, so you don't get anything pretty to look at here today. However, my wife takes excellent pictures, and they often very pretty to look at. Here is one of them:

TEN TENNANTS

TEN TENNANTS might might fall between the cracks somewhere in the abyss of late 80s music of dubious quality, but floating in the seas of schlock like NED'S ATOMIC DUSTBIN and JESUS JONES (both of whom I enthusiastically endorsed at the time), there were JESUS AND MARY CHAIN and POP WILL EAT ITSELF (both of whom I still enthusiastically enjoy today) and other bands who have withstood the winds of time.  Now, I am not contending that TEN TENNANTS should be held in the same light as PWEI...but this bedroom project from 1993 would have gotten healthy play on the Dance Floors Of My Adolescence, though I don't like the backing vox on "Fucking Hell" at all. This tape works best with the bass frequency placed on "maximum."

TEN TENNANTS

CAPITOL CHAOS

This 8 band, 29 song mix tape features some of the best that New Zealand had to offer, and whoever put this bad boy together did a stellar job.  There's really no sense in giving a rundown of how this thing plays out, because everything on this tape is fukkn amazing.  From the Oi tinged scorchers from NO TAG and FEATURES (both of whom were on the equally killer New Zealand Mix I posted back in September) to FLESH D-VICE's UK82 styled punk jams and angular distortion free BUZZCOCKS tinged shits from TOY LOVE.  THE HENCHMEN do an excellent job of conjuring up RADIO BIRDMAN and while TERRORWAYS only contribute one track, "Never Been To Borstal" is an absolute gem.  Two UK worship burners from PROUD SCUM and dreary sinister post punk from UNRESTFUL MOVEMENTS round out the roster and make this one of the best 90 minute mixes I've ever had fall into my hands.  Side 1 is pretty much all raging ("Mistaken Identity" by NO TAG might quickly edge it's way into my favorite songs ever list - it's that good), and side 2 slows it down a bit (but THE HENCHMEN's 7+ minute "We've Come To Play" is a perfect way to start off a flip side). How does the saying go? "All Killer, No Filler!"

CAPITOL CHAOS Side 1

CAPITOL CHAOS Side 2

And here's the scant info that was included inside the tape...obviously the internet can fill in a few more holes if you're so inclined.  The internet is pretty good at filling in holes.