We Can Do Anything!

Ah, the sound of children's voices, so green, carefree, and heart-warming, especially when shouted over grinding fast hardcore punk!  It's thanks to another blog visitor that I was pointed in the direction of a record virtually unseen on these shores.  The "Making Children's Songs a Threat Again" comp might suggest a themed collection, and that is indeed the case.  The tracks, writings, and interview responses are all concerned with either growing up, or the ongoing conundrum punk/anti-authoritarian parents face as they struggle to reconcile their ideals with the choices they make for/with their children.  Some documentaries have been made on this subject, but the interviewees and bands on this one are not as mainstream as the ones in those flicks.  In addition to fantastic music and discussion, this comp was put together with that ingredient foodies love to allude to-- I'm talking about the "L" word here, people.  There's a hand-bound smaller booklet with lyrics, a comic book clipping, and even some handwritten messages.  The larger booklet is less involved, but nicely and simply laid-out, and contains interview responses from some members of contributing bands, members of other hardcore bands, and some label proprietors (Deep Six, Profane Existence...).  And, just look at the international line-up:

This is an incredible comp; something I seldom ever say.

Some other things you may want to know about it:

• It starts off with a long spoken word in French by the singer of 20 Minutes de Chaos.  But that is the only track of its kind.
• Yes, a couple of tracks do actually have band members' kids on vocals.
• Some European distros still have copies of this, such as here. This one is worth owning just for the packaging alone!
• Many of the tracks are exclusive to this record
•  There are some between-tracks sound bites and music; I often wasn't sure where to cut them off.  Sorry if I goofed.  However, this comp seems designed to be heard all the way through, no interruptions. 

"Making Children's Songs a Threat Again" LP (scans of all booklets included), (Guerrilla Shooting Records, 2005)

Recent Re-ups:
Servitude/Ebola split 7"
Servitude 7"
Multi-Facet/Sheephead split 7"
Token Tantrum 10"
Assassinators early EPs/Demo CD

Okay, next up, we return to the Swedish series...

Amber Are These Days

Institute first blipped on my radar a few years ago during a random search for Damad, but this post can be credited to eastcobb for finally getting me to upload the goods. Institute materialized from the same vapors as Damad, Kylesa, Karst, etc., but opted for a more expansive sound. The same dark universe is seen tinted through colder, slightly industrial eyes, kindred spirits of which might include early Counterblast, In Nomine Christi, and Christdriver. The voice samples and noise effects add a nice layer to the mix, but for me it's the hypnotic rhythms and driving metal riffs that are the real flesh. I'm posting my own rips of the one vinyl piece I own by the band ("Two Shadows") and tracks from "The Piano Player" which I downloaded from the band back when they made available both records to the public.

Institute

"Two Shadows" LP (Yellow Dog Records, 2001?) ripped @ 320.

"The Piano Player" (@ 192)

A Burning Black Teardrop

Unpersons is perhaps best known for their collaboration with Baroness; but don't let that prejudice you. I first came to know this ensemble from Savannah from their Life is Abuse outing, and their noise rock meets hardcore is just the shit. I believe the 7" posted here is their first vinyl contribution, but don't let that fool you either. The four tracks on this beast are every bit as accomplished as their future releases, if not more so if you ask this warped blogger. The intersection of drugs and southern life never sounded so... satisfying. Members apparently also play in Pig Heart Transplant, Kylesa, and Black Tusk among other bands.

Unpersons 7" (I) (Fish Fur Records, 2000)

Unforeseen Disasters

Another exhumed time capsule of the nineties, the "Unforeseen Disasters" comp offers an almost complete sampling of what was going on in that decade. Specifically, this one was planted in the loamy catacombs of The South, even more specifically, Georgia and the Carolinas. Of greatest interest for me is what I believe to be an exclusive track from Damad, which represents one of their earliest vinyl outings (along with the In/Humanity split). The same can be said for Initial State's "Die Silent," but that track also appears on a No Idea comp and on the band's own LP. In/Humanity, Quadiliacha, Blownapart Bastards, and El Toro each bring an eclectic tidbit to the gathering, making this shindig short, but hotter than Georgia asphalt.

"Unforeseen Disasters" (Passive Fist Records, 1994)

Destroy The South!?

Maybe we should keep Southern traditions intact after all, since that region harvests some damn fine bands! Four of them are gathered here on this early release by the great At A Loss Recordings, "Destroying Southern Tradition." Compilations are probably not high on your download priority list (assuming you have such a thing), so I'll just show you the track list and let you decide:

Here

The New Normal

I've been listening to some Damad, Karst, and Institute lately, but the Kylesa stuff had been sitting dormant in my collection for quite some time. It's time for a little revisit. I started with an earlier release, back when they were at their heaviest-- their split with Memento Mori (Hyperrealist, 2002). Darn it, I still like Kylesa! "The New Normal" certainly lays waste to their newer material in the heaviosity department, although their last two albums excel in diversity of song writing. I'm busting out their first LP next...

Commenter Aboynamedstew reminded me of the awesomeness of Memento Mori a while back. This thrash-metal-hardcore band featured Michelle of Scrotum Grinder "fame" and were quite a force (albeit a short-lived one). MM start things off with an interesting and off-kilter instrumental acoustic track, and then rip you apart with a thrasher called "Dirt Roads And Howls Of Wolves." Damad's evilness comes to mind, as does the speed and further evil of Sacrilege (UK). A bit more bass in the mix would have really increased this band's menace, but they do fine with what they have.

These rips came out nice and loud, so...

Crank it!

Oh, The In/Humanity!

I was putting off doing this post, hoping to find a cheap copy of In/Humanity's split with Bonescratch first. Nope. Not happening. If anyone has a copy they want to sell me, the e-mail address is to the right. To my knowledge, In/Humanity did only three other splits, the diversity of their split-mates providing testimony as to how difficult it is to pinpoint and categorize In/Humanity's sound.

The first offering is, I believe, chronologically first as well. It's their split with fellow southerners, and modern sludge masters, Damad. Although I'm not the biggest fan of most early Damad, the songs herein are two of their most evil! It's great to hear such early material from these boys and girl, even though, as you can imagine, the production could be better (especially in the vocals). The track "Tinnitus" is an exclusive(?) and "Slow Heal II" is a variation on a theme the band would continue with on the "Rise and Fall" LP. Flip it over, and this time around, In/Humanity offer a very primitive version of their rackety and sardonic madness. Two noise tracks, two "music" tracks... definitely a sign of what was to come...

Back Cover

(Scroll down for download link)

In/Humanity shares this next split with fellow South Caroliners, Premonition. I picked this up when I saw In/Humanity in SD (with Huasipungo) around 1996, so the cover art and insert are a little different than some versions. Premonition play emotive, yet upbeat punk rock, sharing stylistic kinship with the more energetic moments of Car vs Driver, Policy of 3 and Still Life. I actually enjoy their approach to this style, but unfortunately their track on the Inchworm Food Not Bombs benefit comp is the only other output I know from this band. Leave a comment if you know where else to find Premonition stuff.

When I first heard the In/Humanity side, I wasn't sure at what speed to play these two tracks. Sure enough, the insert was no help; the band encourages us to play them at whatever speed we will! In keeping with this assertion, I have ripped them at both speeds. Believe it or not, they actually do sound fine either way! (Which means you get 3 versions of the song "Bud(d) Dwyer Superstar" in one download!)

Here's the (literally) cut and past insert In/Humanity included for this version of the EP. It was created from an actual '70's rock album sleeve. A little help in identifying the band would be much appreciated.

(Keep scrolling for download link)

Finally, as if you're ears and patience haven't been tested enough, here's the final installment: The In/Humanity/Half Life split. Half Life are from Japan, and play metal that fuses the better aspects of two different coasts (Japanese metal and NYC moshy stuff). Although not my usual cup 'o Joe, there's some pretty righteous metal picking going on here with traditional Japanese vocals. Only one song from Half Life on this one, unfortunately.

In/Humanity offer an original with an outstanding title, "Kill the Cop Inside," and a re-recorded version of "Budd Dwyer Superstar." Nice tracks, but still not as good as the band's later work.

Back Cover

Congratulations on making it this far. I didn't realize that these EP's (ripped at 320) would make for such a big file. This one's for the fans, though. It's near 100 MBs, so get your favorite beverage, put on your favorite In/Humanity or Damad LP, and....

Download all three eps.

Have You Received The Void Today?

If you consider yourself a fan of Damad or Kylesa, but haven't heard Karst, you'd be wise to download the folder below. Karst were a post-Damad band that never achieved rock-star status like that certain other "K" band. Some may agree with me that Karst deserved it more! They continued with the singular, eerie progressive sludge Damad played, but took it to a new level of twistedness and dynamic song-writing. Totally brilliant!

This EP, "Receive the Void," was released as a two song 7" and a three song CD. The CD doesn't list the "mystery" track, but it's there after some wait, and it's called "Selfstruck." I have taken the liberty of uploading the CD at 320 kbps, deleting the extra space between the last two tracks, and tagging them all accordingly. Enjoy. And if you haven't checked out Karst's great full length CD, you can get it here.


You may now Receive the Void

Damad EPs

Damad was a band whose appeal, for me at least, took some time to sink in. Their early releases showed intriguing promise, but did not leave a memorable impact (once again, just my opinion). The zine world made a big to-do over "Rise and Fall," but I think I've only listened to that record two or three times. Then, seemingly over night, the band hit their stride and produced some outstanding work, including the "Burning Cold" Lp, the split 10" with Meatjack, and the "Centric" 7". The two eps that comprise today's post are representative of Damad's burgeoning maturity during the late nineties. The "Rewind" ep (Bacteria Sour Records, 1996) consists of two tracks that show the band in full control, but once again I feel the songwriting is lacking the power they would later discover. "Centric," (Clean Plate Records, 1997) however, was the record that convinced me that I needed to follow this band's quest to the next phase. Below the surface of these twisted and dreary dirges, is a punk energy that I didn't feel on their earlier work. The band would keep this torch ablaze until about 2000, when members splintered into Karst and Kylesa. Most of the band's later work is available through Prank Records and At A Loss Recordings.

The eps