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...

Entropy Time Motherfucker

I thought I could get this up sooner, Roman; sorry for the wait. This is a re-post of the venom spewing classic, Suppression/Cripple Bastards split LP posted way back in '08. I first came to know the biomechanoid hate-generator known as Suppression from their split with Despise You circa 1996, and have since then continued to admire their caustic ejaculations with few interruptions. If Man is the Bastard and Crossed Out deliberately crashed their tour vans into a Guitar Center's amplifier department, these 13 tracks would be the ostensible result if it happened to be in Virginia. The sludge, the speed, the noise-- it's all there, in horrific abundance.

There's little that needs to be said about Italy's grindlords Cripple Bastards other than maybe some comments I've heard about some unenlightened things said by the singer (no details; not in the mood). Other than that, the 23 songs on their side are pretty raw renditions of tracks that would appear on the "Your Lies in Check" LP.

Suppression/Cripple Bastards split LP (Bovine Records... ripped at 320 kbps)

Loud Silence At Home

If anyone has the cure for Busy, please send it my way! There's no shortage of great music here at the headquarters, but the postings just haven't been happening for various reasons. I'll see what I can do to catch up this weekend, but for now here's a heaping gravy ladle of French 90's hardcore. I've noticed that a lot of my posts and would-be posts are of newer records, simply because there are a ton of great releases of late. But I can't forget the decade that this blog specializes in, and so I present the few releases I own by Undone. While I can't guarantee you'll love Undone as I do, they did offer an enticingly puzzling admixture of hardcore styles; if music doesn't cut it for you unless it boasts copious moshy metal riffs, emotive dissonance, or speed, Undone have got you covered on all accounts (especially the first two). It won't take long to figure out that Undone grew thorny and strong out of the same cracked concrete slab as Finger Print, Ivich, Vanilla, etc, and for that they should already warrant a serious listen. For today, I'm offering the band's later 7" "The Other Side," as well as an early 7" that I will simply call "Undone." Both rage, but on this early outing I like the vocals better, and the metal is cranked way the hell up.

Since you hate comps, I'm sneaking in yet another rose among weeds, the "World Hardcore" 2X7". Perhaps it should really be called "European Hardcore", but whatever. A comp is a winner if more than half the tracks are at least good, if not great, and this one huffs and puffs across the finish line. I was mainly interested in the Vanilla and Undone tracks, but Olotila rock and it was nice to hear an early-ish Deadbeat track (post of their 10" coming soon).

Get the two 7"s and Comp here

More Undone posts as I find more of their releases.

** Addendum- Mike of mighty Twisted Tracks posted the 12" and the "Reconstruction" comp!

Another Day In The Void

You knew Grievance would have to make another appearance here, didn't you? Before throwing this one against the wall to see if it sticks, I recommend sampling the previous 7" posted below. The 7" at hand today, which I'm calling "Un Altro Giorno" after the first track, is a bit flawed. Let's begin with the positive-- the songwriting is amazing! The guitars are even more dissonant than their other material, and while the tempos aren't as varied and oddly placed, the riffs perform some pretty impressive time signature gymnasticism. Where this little record falls short is in the weak production (specifically on the drums), and in the absence of the usual vocalist. But seriously, the music destroys.

Whenever I can I like to add a little bonus track. The "Resistance Is futile... Assimilate" comp has another outstanding Grievance offering (with the other vocalist!). It reverts back to their other 7" with its whacked-out tempo progressions and emotive build-up. I was going to just add this track, but I figured you might also like the other material from Konstrukt, Stalingrad, and No Comply (they do a Spazz cover with pretty much a drum machine and bass!).

Grievance "Un Altro Giorno" and "Resistance Is Futile" Comp.

The Magic Formula For Misbelievers

After two visitors recommended Grievance, I finally got around to grabbing their 7". The verdict: holy shit! Just about everything I love overtly or secretly is nailed by this band- challenging structures, metallic chugging, gloomy moods, and the mastery of conveying heartfelt emotion without sounding sappy and weak. This should appeal to a wide array of hardcore fans, but especially those who kneel at the altar of Contropotere, Zero Hour, Daymare...

Grievance 7"

I forgot to include this little bookmark with English translations in the folder.

Song of the Week: "Briganti" {Live} (Contropotere)

My camera is somewhere on the bottom of the San Diego River (which right now looks like an actual river for once) so I stole the image to the left from the great Night Gaunt Graphics site. Posting will be even slower than usual until I get a new camera, but this week we feast on the haunting, yet rousing live version of "Briganti." This little beauty was found nestled within the "Farmhouse Records 1994" comp amid rollicking pop punk songs and some ragers from Apeface, Lesser of Two, Mohinder, Fuck Boyz, etc. All this talent aside, Contropotere's offering is the one I sweatily anticipate during each spin. That should come as no surprise once you hear it, or maybe it will; depends on what you like. But if you're at all like me, this song will have you burying your dead and marching on to the good fight in no time at all.

"Briganti" (Live)

The Cripple Bastards/Suppression Split LP

As '90's artifact number 1 billion, I present to you this split LP (Bovine Records, 1997) between Italian grindcore stalwarts, Cripple Bastards, and Virginian noise-violence misanthropes, Suppression. Unless you've been living in a cave lined with grindcore-free insulation, you know Cripple Bastards. For information about them, including lyrics, visit their excellent website. The 23 tracks they provide on this LP were supposedly some prime cuts from their "Your Lies In Check" album but with rougher production (which the band felt was more appropriate for their sound). "YLIC" is still available, but these versions are long out of print. CB's split-mates, Suppression, rival them with a sound that has been rightfully described as the illegitimate child of Crossed Out and Man Is The Bastard. The songs are simple, but formidable as fuck, alternating between slow, crushing, repetitive parts that are bursting at the seams with distortion and feedback, and ultra-brutal blast-beat stints matched in intensity only by the previously mentioned bands and perhaps Hatred Surge. These tracks are also included in Suppression's partial discography "9296" if you like what you hear and want more. I might be posting their 7" with Despise You next, but in the meantime: put your hand on the volume knob and prepare some ointment for your new asshole.

Cripple Bastards/Suppression LP