Swallow This

The end of our last century brought the hardcore world platitudes-a-plenty, from the personal to the sweepingly apocalyptic. But there was always an overpowering, undermining presence, seeping out now and again from the barrio cracks, and snapping us out of our self-righteous daze.  Spearheading this force was Martin and Lengua Armada Discos.  Both names have become inseparable from the names Crudos and Limp Wrist, but this post will focus on one of the less celebrated bastard children of the franchise, Tragatelo. I'd like to think it was celebrated less only because of its brief existence.  As Ricardo pointed out, the band was formed by Martin and Lina (of Subsistencia) among other hardworking musicians active in the late '90's.  Lina takes most of the vocal duties, and the band backs her bansheefied screams with the same raw and elemental drive that immortalized some of Crudos's finest work. New fangled designs will come, dazzle, and eventually succumb to obsolescence or else collapse under the weight of their own convolutions.  But the LA Discos workshop hammered out simple ones, made of the most solid stuff, and which aren't likely to wear out for some time yet.

 The twelve inch below comprises the band's tiny discography, collecting their side of the split demo (with Kontraattaque) and some unreleased tracks.

¡Tragatelo!

Recently Re-upped:

The "El Guapo Comp."

Wires of Storm and Song

I hope the reader will forgive my ADD by springtime proxy that has kept me away from this blog for so long. I hope s/he will also forgive this brief break from crusty hardcore to allow us to revel in a band which I always associate with spring, and not only because they are so obviously influenced by Rites of Spring. The Shivering may have artistic roots in DC/Maryland (ie. The Hated), but there is something all too Californian about them (Burlingame to be exact). The sap-risen angst of these youths pours out in April torrents of awakening and transformation, and always with that stabbing twinge of sadness, perhaps due to the overwhelming grandness of the splendor surrounding them, but with such little time and such paltry senses with which to take it all in. A noisier and more aggressive Rites of Spring is as good a start as any in describing The Shivering (or Bullets In, if you've heard of them), but their early work did garner at least one Jawbreaker comparison (merely a genre reference point). The link below offers their CD, two 7"s, and a 10".

The Shivering

"Behind Broken Eyes" CD (No! Records, 2000)

"To the Ground" 10" (Council, Into the Hurricane, and Owsla Records, 2002)

"Wires of Storm and Song" 7" (Council Records, 2002)

"Brand the Lion's Mouth" 7" (Council, Ahoalton, and Into the Hurricane Records, 2003)

When They Sleep

Here's that A Light In The Attic LP I was talking about. All twelve rippers are so much better realized than the ones on the previous post; each one a mesmerizing, frenetic haze of grey chaos. Lots more twisted discord this time around, for maximum ambiance. This isn't for everyone, but I goddamn love it!

A Light In The Attic "When They Sleep" LP (Wild Zero Records) @ 320 kbps

11 Fits Of Communication

What would happen if members of Yaphet Kotto and Suicide Nation got together? Besides an excellent split 7", the answer would also include A Light In The Attic. Silverstein reference aside, LITA was an impressive, ephemeral musical event that fused the respective emotion and metallic brutalism of both bands, the congealed result of which sounded like neither. Now, I'll admit, their tracks on this split LP are not exactly their crowning achievement. I suggest approaching them as preparation for the Takaru tracks, or for the much superior ones that appear on their own LP (shall I post that tomorrow?). The Takaru tracks are indeed fine examples of what this band could do. If you're one who finds some qualities of "screamo" redeeming, but prefer some metal chutzpah (balls) placed heavily in the mix, you'll appreciate Takaru immensely. I want to say they have connections to Burial Year, but I lost track. This is a blog, though, so if you know more about Takaru or this supposedly rare split, you should try commenting. You'll feel good about it afterward. Trust me.

A Light In The Attic/Takaru Split LP (@ 320 kbps)

World Of Hurt

All four of the "Cry Now, Cry Later" comps have been compiled on CD, but with a line up and layout like this, I felt an urgent need to add volume one to the FE catalogue. The "Cry Now" collection is akin to the Deep Six "Reality" comps in that they gather as many kick-ass bands from every extremity of speed and heaviness that they can find. Installment #1 wasted no time in establishing Pessimer Record's superb ear for the sonic manifestations of violence, depression, and psychosis. This is the part of metal and hardcore history the documentarians will always try to keep secret. (I guess I'm supposed to warn people that Meat Shits' graphics are, well, graphic. So ask your mom's permission before you download and stuff).

The Troops:











The Comp

Brutiful

If you were able to squint and see the band names on this 7" and know either Yaphet Kotto or Suicide Nation, you have probably skipped to the download link already. In case you don't know these bands: Yaphet Kotto were one of the better second wave Ebullition bands, who played dissonant and emotionally charged hardcore/rock. "Critical Response" is recorded rather muddily, and the vocals are difficult to hear; considering that they consist of indecipherable screaming anyway, I don't think that matters much. The track itself is urgent and intense, and deals with a certain empire's economic pillaging of third world countries. Being the only song of YK's present, you can't complain this time around that their songs sound too similar to each other. Now, the reason I combed the corners of the earth for this split was Suicide Nation. And man, was it worth it! "Collapse & Die" musters all of the band's conviction, musical proficiency, and 90's emotive angst into four of the most powerful, blackened minutes of the band's existence. The production is a step up from the first LP, but the songwriting is much in the same vein (which if you've heard it, is reason to rejoice!). Is this the best SN song of them all? Quite possibly! But I am a little biased right now...

Listen for yourself

West Bay Chupacabras!

This blog may not get an excessive amount of visitors, but the ones who do stop by tend to be awesome individuals (or so it seems from here behind my desk). Two bands I hope to post this week were brought to my attention by a couple of these music-enthused passersby. The first band is Cathy Ames, who were recommended by Rygar (Ryan), who, incidentally, started a blog recently. He's a gifted wordsmith and posts bands that aren't the typical fare on all the crusty hardcore blogs. He's also looking for a job, so go over there and hook him up and leave lots of nice comments. But I digress. Ry mentioned the band when I was posting one of my favorite sub-sub-genres of music: dark and crusty hardcore with cackling banshee-ass vocals (often provided by a member of the fairer sex). Cathy Ames isn't quite that dark, but they certainly meet all the other qualifications. The three tracks herein shred pretty hard, and Fenny, the vocalist, belts out some real blood-curdlers. All searches for more CA releases have been fruitless. If you know anything else about this band, there are at least two people who would love to hear it.

Then we have Godstomper, who may not rival Agathocles for releasing split 7"s, but they hold their own pretty well. Being a bass and drum sludge/grind band, I am forced to throw in an annoying reference to MITB. If you prefer Lana Dagales, then, sure, go with that. Anyway, the six tracks on their side are heavy and raw. As a matter a fact, there's a noticeable rawness to the whole release, which was put out by Paul Barfo's (Godstomper) label, Cesspool Records. The "cover" is a two sided photocopy with no lyrics, and the recording is rough to say the least. But the music is what matters most, so see what you think...


Here

... which is Spanish for "The Guapo"

Apparently, the El Guapo Comp was a real pain in the ass to assemble and release, and well, it was only slightly easier to rip it! Regardless of these ripping complications (read more below), I felt that this comp was such a classic (for me at least) that I simply must post it. Being an early 625 "Productions" release, the conclusion seems foregone that several, if not all the post-Plutocracy bands will be represented (Spazz, No Less...). The line-up in general is...
intimidating! Many of the who's who of mid-nineties "powerviolence" are in attendance, at varying levels of quality. I've spun this thing so many times since its release, a note on the sound quality may be in order.

Disclaimers: First of all, according to Hirax Max, pressing number one had shitty mastering (my copy-- pressing number one). Second, I was not always as near-retentive as I am now regarding my records. This one has been a casualty of neglect and it shows in the fuzz and crackle; not to mention the giant scratch which makes the first three tracks a little hard to listen to, and which led me to delete one between-song audio sample (many apologies). For the most part, though, this is one hell of a noisy comp, and sound quality isn't a huge factor. The final issue is the track tagging. The band SBC supposedly has five tracks, but it wasn't clear how they are divided. I decided just to combine them into one giant track. With regard to No Less's track, I had to guess at the title. And finally, for the track that appears between Pisspoor's and Ansojuan's, I just assumed (perhaps wrongly) that it was an unlisted Pisspoor track and tagged it as such. There's always a glimmer of hope that someone out there is more astute than me at this (comments are more than welcome).

So here it is... around 40 headache-inducers conveniently assembled for your listening joy/agony/hilarity.


Here

Last Call For Saké

Thanks to a kind, anonymous commenter (you rock!), I was finally let in on the last piece (?) to the Saké puzzle: "Unnatural Disasters" a.k.a. the Saké/Submission Hold split LP. Saké was a talented and awesome band, so if you're unfamiliar, click here for all Saké posts on this site...

These final five Saké tracks display the band at its most mature and contemplative (although I'm still a bit partial to their 10"). Expect the usual hard rockin' riffs, dual male/female screaming, violin melodies, and personal/political lyrics. The songwriting this time, however, is less "in your face," and tends to stay with slower, moodier themes longer, which contributes a more atmospheric dimension to their sound. To add further to this, Saké's track list is punctuated with a nice instrumental acoustic piece ("Myesis")-- a lovely swan song for a sadly under-appreciated band.

Now, Submission Hold is a band that I've been putting off exploring for some time. One thing can be said about them: within the hardcore pantheon, they are certainly one of the most innovative bands. SH combine the cacophonous, jarring chaos of the Ebullition sound, with the further unpredictability of avant-jazz and indie/progressive rock/post-hardcore. Within each track, you're sure to experience the confrontational quality of Spitboy, as well as the quiet-before-the-storm aspect of Indian Summer or Maximilian Colby (with the occasional flute trilling to accent the whole experience). While not the easiest music experience to "get into," it is admirable for its originality and its intermittent brilliance. You can view the band's discography here if you're interested in ordering their available releases.

D/L "Unnatural Disasters" HERE

Another Round of Saké

I picked up this "Emergency Broadcast System Vol. 4" 7" comp. mainly because of the Saké track ("Skinner"- I believe this is the only release on which this song appears). After many listens... that's still the main reason it remains "post-worthy." If you haven't checked out Saké yet, you're missing out! They were a creative and talented band from Eureka, California that sometimes used a violin to complement their amazing crusty, metallic, rocked out "progressive hardcore." I just re-ripped their 7" and 10" with cleaner sound quality and higher bit rate, so if you're interested just go to the original post to download. Also, members went on to form an excellent sludge-rock band called The Hitch.

The EBS comp series was released by Allied Recordings (Music for the Proletariat!), which was also responsible for releasing such classics as Nausea's "Cybergod" 7" and Antischism's "Still Life" LP. The other three bands on this volume play either emoish rock (Nevertheless) or poppy punk (Crease and Marry Me). They're good for what they are, but I'm still all about the Saké!!!

Download EBS 4

Back Cover

Saké !!!

Often credited as the first hardcore band to include a violinist (I'm not sure that's true), Saké contributed a small but interesting body of work to the stellar Northern California punk cannon. As far as I know, their "Piñata" 10" (1996?) and unnamed 7" (1997, both released by Hopscotch Records) were their only releases. Based in Eureka, California, Saké seemed to draw as much influence from the great Bay Area hardcore bands of the early '90's, as from the progressive metal pioneers (Neurosis, Logical Nonsense) of the time. The hardcore influence rears its head on a few tracks where the band kicks up its pace, and certainly in the vocals, which consist of both male and female yellers and screamers (at least when the violinist isn't playing her parts). Lyrically, the band stays within the righteous framework of their time and place, spouting off against gender injustice, backstabbers, and the spiritual and environmental price of progress. The general pace, however, betrays the more sludgy, metal influence, as do the meandering, unpredictable song structures which, by punk standards, enter into almost epic territory. In better moments, the songwriting is powerful, with some driving riffs, and even a little groove here and there, but at other times it drags on (but very seldom). In the case of Saké, I would say that the violin indeed adds to their sound (i.e. it isn't thrown in just to be different). Said violin is used both as a great device for moody intros, as well as a melodic component to the actual songwriting (in both fast and slow sections). On one track ("The Desert"), the melody transforms from an almost middle eastern sound, to a more American or Irish folk one. Very interesting stuff indeed.

Play it Loud!:

The Saké 10", 7", demo, and comp track.

Split LP with Submission Hold