Song Of The Week: "Summer Sucks" (Void)

Yeah, fuck summer. Who needs it? See, I can say that now that it's officially over. Truth be told, I'm a huge fan of summer, but I'm also a huge fan of Void. I can understand their aversion to the season, being from DC and whatnot. But this post is really just a celebration of finally hearing a handful of Void tracks I haven't heard in 17 years of fanhood. The SOTW was all made possible by the the bootleg LP which contains both of the band's demos ("Hit and Run" being the one I hadn't heard) and a live set. While none of the tracks beat the greatness of the band's split tracks, I love Void in such profound and profane ways that this was just an amazing find.

"Summer Sucks" by Void (from the "Hit & Run" Demo)

You're Next

A favorite song, from a favorite record, Void's "Time to Die" is a sweet ditty to compliment all the "slasher" films you've been watching lately. I always thought the lyrics to this one would be some frightening shit to hear for the first time; but I can't remember: it's been such a long time for me since its first spin.

"Time to Die" (Void)

Song Of The Week: "Closing In" (Kerosene 454)

My relationship with Kerosene 454 has always been cursory: a song here, an EP there. When I found "Came By To Kill Me" on vinyl recently, I figured it would be my chance to finally digest them in full. Turns out, this LP was a rip-roaring choice! Along with some of the releases on the side bar over there, this one has been on non-stop rotation for the last month. Much of the Dischord stuff from the mid nineties was a bit... 'dainty' for my liking, and it seems fitting that this LP was a split release. It's as if the band was some bastard child not quite worthy of full inheritance. To my tastes, it's brilliant. Ethereal guitar chords, good cop-bad cop vocals, and drumming that must have been provided by a disgruntled blacksmith... everything adds up to a pretty unique rock experience, yet the aesthetic ties to heavy indie acts like Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, and Last Of The Juanitas make it all rather sweetly familiar.

The album is pretty stellar all the way through, but I chose "Closing In" for the usual reasons: it's one of my favorites, and it tightly epitomizes this most captivating moment in 454's lifetime. Check it out.

(Filepub's been kinda ghetto lately, so I put a back up link down below too.)

"Closing In"

"Closing In" (Mediafire)

Living In (pause) Suburban Wasteland...

When I first heard the "Flex Your Head" Comp, I was instantly on a mission to find more Void and Artificial Peace stuff. At the time, the Void/Faith split was an easy find. Artificial Peace was a different situation. I was lucky enough to stumble a few years later upon this disc put out by Lost & Found "Records." As you can easily see, it collects every studio recording by Artificial Peace, as well as the entire "Double Image" LP by Marginal Man (the (punk) rock band members would form later). So the math works out like this: 11 tracks by Marginal Man; 37 (!) tracks by Artificial Peace; 48 tracks total; 100 MBs. AP really didn't write much material, so many of the tracks are repeats. It's still great to hear them all, as Artificial Peace are one of my favorite early DC hardcore bands, and Marginal Man is pretty catchy too. Incidentally, if you like Marginal Man, they have just reissued a newly remastered version of "Double Image" with a huge booklet and live videos. They are selling it for super cheap right now, so go here for more info.

Check It Out

Strictly For The Completists...

Have you ever listened to "Rock For Light" and wondered what it would sound like if the mixing was... different? Good, same here. Lucky for me, and the two of you out there who hear me, I stumbled across this 12" consisting of four tracks that would end up on "Rock For Light," but, as insinuated above, are mixed differently (better in my opinion). The main aspect that excites me is the fact that the bass can actually be heard in the hardcore songs (and on the one reggae song, "I & I Survive," the bass is almost overbearingly upfront, but that's okay with me)! But I think the overall improvement lies in the reduction in the saturation of treble that seemed like an annoyingly shiny layer of cellophane over the album recordings (the guitar tone on these versions is meaner, and HR doesn't sound like he'd been huffing helium along with his spliff (at least not as much)). Anyway, much like my experience with the "Omega Sessions," it's incredibly refreshing to hear these songs in a new/old light.

Although this post is more for the obsessive Bad Brains fans, I bet this would make a great introduction for any newcomer to the hardcore situation. If you haven't checked out Bad Brains' material from the early eighties, I can't urge you enough to do so. As mentioned in the last Bad Brains post, it is no longer worth discussing the fundamentalism and bigotry of (a) certain band member(s). So, on that note, this post is dedicated to all the queers and heathens!

Tracks:
1. "Coptic Times"
2. " Destroy Babylon"
3. "Joshua's Song"
4. "I & I Survive"

Hear it HERE

Back Cover

...lost inside this manned collision

I shudder to imagine where I'd be without Bad Brains. The ROIR tape and "Rock For Light" were responsible for lifting me out the (strictly) reggae-listening daze of my junior high years, and pretty much got me through the most painful parts of high school. I can't count the number of times I ran home in a hormonal rage in order to throw on one of these tapes and be instantly calmed by the more genuine rage of these four musicians. In the absence of that hormonal imbalance, I still reap a WHOLE LOT of joy from those songs (let's not even get into HR's religious and homophobic "issues"...). Most great stuff from the eighties has been covered by better blogs that are more focused on that era, but I've had this strange, presumably bootlegged, 7" for 14 years and felt the need to share it. The EP pictured above and below is basically the "Pay to Cum" EP but with a bonus track: a version of "Don't Bother Me" recorded during the same 1979 session of the original EP. This may or may not be the only place this version appears!? Another reason this EP seems unique is the insert which has some photos I haven't seen elsewhere (and the fact that the record has a little stapled booklet inside... kinda rare for such an old 45...). As you can see, the back cover states the record was released on Limp Brain Records in 1980, but seeing as how that's not a real record label (or is it?) I don't know if we should believe in the accuracy of the date (potential commenters: please share if you have info!). What is clear is that only 500 were made in this pressing, and I have no idea if anyone went on to press a bootleg of this bootleg. If you don't have these songs, then do yourself a favor and download them below, and check out the pics if you're interested.

Download The Tracks

Farewell To Sean Finnegan

With so many blogs singing the praises of Void, and considering the sad news, I felt the urge to post the "Condensed Flesh" 7". It's probably been done already, but oh well. Many hardcore-types have their story about the first time they heard the Void/Faith split. Mine's no different. I was in high school, and it, as well as the Bad Brains LP, changed my musical life for the next 15 years and beyond. I doubt the members of Void could have fathomed at the time the impact they would continue to have so many years later. They were one of the greatest and most intense bands of this genre, and tore down whatever boundaries their predecessors had built. Thanks for the music, and my condolences to the Finnegan family...


The Record:
I picked up the "Condensed Flesh" 7" in the mid 1990's when Eye 95 Records graciously decided it was time to issue it on vinyl for what I believe to be the first time (whether legitimately or not, I 'm not certain). From what I understand, the nine tracks were recorded as a demo in 1981. The recording is much better than on their split LP tracks, but the vocals are not nearly as over-the-top. Regardless, it's a great EP and several of the tracks do not appear on the split. If for whatever reason you haven't heard the Faith split- listen to that first, then this EP, then go over to Lo-Res Viscera and check out the unreleased LP (don't forget to leave him comment!).


Enjoy:
Condensed Flesh