Punk Rock Died at 8th and Gilman

Dark, dark days lie behind me, but the light is coming back up ahead.  This time it will bring a slew of splits, and things will once again be noisy around here.  We start with a band mean enough to steal your Christmas, but it's more likely they'll just lace your candy canes with something extra special.  Grinch was some grungy, stonery, post-hardcore rock whose line-up consisted of members of Christ on Parade, Machinehead, Crimpshrine, etc., and whose touring crew at various times consisted of Aesop (Ludicra, Fuckboyz, Agalloch), Tim Crow (Zygote, Smartpils, etc.) and Spider (Amebix).  It's tough to nail their sound, and to keep the mystery mysterious, they don't sound like any of the bands above.  They produced two full lengths prior to this split LP, "Eden" and "The Blacking Factory."

Lost Goat continue the trip, but with more noise and effects to thicken the ethery haze left by Grinch.  LG can't be accused of following formulas from track to track, as each one has its singular way about it, while still showing off the band's gift for rocked-out, yet off-kilter riffs, leathery vocals, and that well-documented creepiness hinted at by the cover  "art."  Lost Goat might be an acquired taste for some of you, but if you awaken in the night with strange dreams and cravings, the band has three full lengths, a 7" on Alternative Tentacles, and a split 7," which I may have to post soon.

Grinch/Lost Goat Split LP (Probe and Misanthropic Records, 1998)

Recent Re-Up- Saturation 12"

I Should've Been Kissing You

It has been entirely too long since the last emotive French band was posted.  This attempt at making things right is brought to you by Kiss The Bottle, a short-lived project comprised of members of Finger Print, Amanda Woodward, Daymare...the list goes on.  Amanda Woodward is the most recognizable reference point, but with only one guitar, KTB's sound is a bit more raw and bare, but the vocals are the identical outraged shouting AW fans have come to appreciate.  Beyond that, expect less of the quiet picking and more of the buoyant mid-paced, emotive rock-core these musicians mastered previously.  The rips of the 9" are my own (320) and the demo CD-R was provided by the band and Stonehenge Records.

Kiss The Bottle 9" and CD-R

Recent Re-ups Requests:

Hard To Swallow- "Protected By the Ejaculation of Serpents" LP (re-ripped!)
Enewetak "Deadbird" 7"
Axiom/Church of Nihil/Autonomia Split LP
Whipped- "Agitator" LP
The Shivering partial discography

I've once again got some time on my hands, and no money with which to skip town.  Keep up the re-up requests, and let me know if you're looking for anything else.

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)

400DayHeadache

We're gonna slow things down a little, add a pinch of dissonance, and coat them with a nice glaze of melody for easy ingestion. "400 Day Headache" spins like a good Allied Records comp from the mid nineties, but this one was put out by an operation called Unite and Fight Records. The cover above has a few very recognizable names, but a few that are less so offer some pretty impressive contributions as well. A very nice listen that brings back angst-y coming of age memories-- as does the suggested retail price. Four bucks in 1993 got you an LP shipped to your doorstep, and the label was still able to send fifty cents of the proceeds to The Rainforest Action Network. Bygone as those days seem, at least these days you can get a free simulation of the real thing beamed right to you...

"400 Day Headache" LP

Crashin' Down the Halls & Bouncin' Off the Walls

Words are so two-dimensional, that to describe the majesty of Icon Gallery's debut LP would surely be an exercise in falling flat. Each of these nine tracks seems to have its own life, its own deep subtext, and so much energy the air itself seems electrified when needle hits groove. Driving each are the red-hot, punk rock pistons of the rhythm section, but the guitar leads take cues from Iron Maiden and Sonic Youth, and all this is spearheaded by a woman with the voice of the Avenging Angel. Icon Gallery is everything you've ever loved about rock, minus all the cheeze you've been forced to tolerate. Even the most calloused crusty has an inner place for music like this, so put aside your pretenses, and take the plunge...

Icon Gallery LP

gallery.icon[at]gmail.com

dearskull[at]gmail.com

Kevin and band were kind enough to allow us to download the album, but I strongly recommend contacting them or Dear Skull Records at the above addresses and buying a copy. The LP looks and sounds too amazing to pass up. In fact, I may remove the link after a while to encourage such a transaction. Their equally amazing demo and 7" are available through the above addresses as well.

Skull Crushing 101

My love affair with The Conversions persists long after their demise, leading me to pursue a copy of their split 7" with iron tenacity. So here it is: three of their best tracks on this very rare platter, recorded with the same rawness as their 7". The sound The Conversions explored was not unlike the blueprint of eighties punk being reworked by ambitious engineering students armed with protractors and slide rulers and hopped up on coffee and Pixie Sticks- smart and angular, while still retaining a hefty impact at the gut level. This band will be sorely missed, and I hope you'll go find a copy of each of their 12"s, and maybe download the 7" and comp. track I posted long ago. As for Witches With Dicks, they have a tough act they're following, but I still enjoy the Lookout! Records throwback sound, huge Crimpshrine fan that I am. More contemporay analogues may include The Sainte Catherines and The Monikers. Catchiness, energy, a sense of humor... good stuff, just don't get me started on their band name.

The Conversions/Witches With Dicks Split 7" (It's Not A Phase, Dad Records, 2005)

The Creators of Dismay

Two tracks today: one on distinguishing our past from our present, the other on our present attempts at affecting our future. Both are about futility. And so Arctic Flowers and Spectres do the only thing there is to do when tethered to an atrocious past, in a morally desolate landscape: make great music.

Arctic Flowers/Spectres Split 7"

This out of print split was a great excuse to post about one of my new favorite bands (AFs) and it also gave me a chance to really listen to Spectres who have finally sunken in and won me over (they have several releases you might be interested in). Arctic Flowers are touted often as "Stan from Signal Lost's new band" and they are that and so much more. They're the celebration of all things dark and beautiful, and the annihilation of the illusory and false. I hope this band is as resilient as their namesake, because their next releases will/would be amazing. Be sure to grab their 7" here or from the band on their California tour dates.

Guts On Fire

I'm too friggin' busy to make any rips right now, so I'm taking a chance that this incredible Icon Gallery 7" is sold out. If it's not, don't be a cheap-ass-- order one if you like what you hear. "Retribution" made it to the Song Of The Week a few months back (which is when I ripped this), and I'm easily sticking with that decision. How to describe IG's rock leads us to quite an impasse. The band's myspace profile cites Post Regiment, Heart, Iron Maiden, and Prince. Some of these names make sense in vague ways, but we're far from a complete picture. What we do have is some kind of awesome post punk-rock-hardcore with a fair amount of complexity, melody, grit, and hooks; the kind of rock that needs to be heard and not analyzed.

This EP presents their 3 demo tracks and one extra. Some members were previously in Aphasia.

Icon Gallery "Demo" 7" (Link has been removed. Go buy a copy)

SOTW: "The Game" (Shotmaker)

That's one tasty looking piece of asparagus. It's also the iconic cover of one of my all time favorite splits. Many great splits result in stalemates, but I have no problem saying that Shotmaker win this and then some. I am biased however... I own everything they ever released. But take note of that persistent and stubborn rolling thunder of a bass trying so hard to establish dominance over the grating nails-upon-chalkboard assault of the guitars, and see how both come out together in a unified hand-gesture of total defiance to categories. This is not a vegetable phallus, but a big middle finger to genres, preconceptions, and all potential and forthcoming judgment.

"The Game" by Shotmaker (from their split LP with Maximillan Colby)

Songs of the Past Few Months

It's been a damned long time since I've done a Song of the Week post. Having given myself a chance to catch up on recent releases, I'm bubbling over with songs to where the SOTW format just won't cut it. That's right, it's mixtape time! This is NOT a best of 2009 mix. It's merely a sampling of some records I picked up last year and which refuse to stay in their sleeves. Hell, some of them may be as old as 2007. I also made an effort to choose LPs that have NOT been posted either as a SOTW or complete download here in the past. The genres showcased tend less toward the violent grinding ensembles this time, and lean decidedly toward the heavy and gloomy, as well as the melodic. I can't say why-- that's just the way it happened. I'm super stoked on all the records represented below, so if you're not familiar, give 'em shot!

All the tracks were ripped from vinyl (@256) so there may be some minor editing issues. As usual, if you like what you hear and have the cash, support the bands, labels, etc.

1. Never Healed- "Where The Crosses Grow" from the s/t 12"
2. Battle Of Mice- "The Bishop" from the split 12" with Jesu
3. Extortion- "Losing Battle" from the "Sick" LP
4. Preying Hands- "Preying Hands" from the "Through The Dark" LP
5. Insuiciety- "Left For Dead" from the s/t LP
6. Contrast Attitude- "Life" from the "Apocalyptic Raw Assault" 12"
7. Agrimonia- "The Decay" from the s/t LP
8. Organism- "Hell" from the "Hope" LP
9. Morne- "Untold Wait" from the "Untold Wait" LP
10. Assassinators- "A For Anarki" from the "Sigt Efter Hjertet" LP
11. Aussitot Mort- "On A Qu'à Se Dire Que L'on S'en Fout" from the "Montuenga" LP
12. Grails- "Reincarnation Blues" from the "Doomsdayer's Holiday" LP
13. Masshysteri- "Istiden" from the "Vår Del Av Stan" LP


Download The Mix

WaitSitSceamListenFlyDreamFallRiseSpread

In my conscious effort this week to mix in some variety, Guts Pie Earshot seemed an obvious choice, and indeed the textures on the "Anatopia" LP also meld nicely with the autumnal moods of some recent SOTW selections. Guts Pie Earshot answer the hypothetical question few would think of asking: what would happen if a few squatter punk music students with diverse tastes threw all inhibitions and genre limitations aside and wrote some songs? The answer turns out to be as kaleidoscopic as you'd think, and "Anatopia" is a shape-shifting color palette of some of the possible outcomes. Their colorful diversity comes through not only from record to record, but from song to song on this LP. The band's music is driven by bass, drums, and cello with occasional appearances by other keyboard and string instruments, and their early recordings were graced with robust vocal melodies (by Anneke). This is indeed one of those earlier recordings, although the vocals are absent or subdued on many of the tracks. From funereal dirge, to Eastern European folk, to punk, to an awesome cello waltz... this one really shows the astounding array of this band's influences and abilities. It's also apparently a soundtrack to a film (which I haven't seen), presumably about the squat of the same name (?). Any more info about the film would be much appreciated. For more GPE, try this record too-- it's excellent!

"Anatopia" (ripped at 256)

The band is still around and plays mainly as a two piece, however the flyer at their site advertises a reunion with Anneke! Wish I could be there. I have a couple of other GPE LPs if there's one that you're missing.

God's Chosen People

Would anyone else like to join Strangeranger and me on a pensive amble down memory lane? My musical diet of the 1990's consisted of a weird Smörgåsbord of bay area pop punk, European crust, US powerviolence, and whacked out, screamy DIY bands like the ones on the "God's Chosen People" comp. In fact, "G'sCP" was one of the earliest bits of exposure I had to the avant nuttiness of the whole HeartattaCk-Old Glory-Gravity situation. I still love half the bands on this thing, and lucky for me, they're mainly the bands whose tracks were collected later in some form or another. Yep... lots of memories, and the love and abuse I've given to this comp over the years is evident in the condition of the vinyl. I cheated a little on a couple of tracks and just ripped them from discography CD's; but the whole imbroglio of naked, flailing bodies and disenfranchised, idealistic minds is still here, both in the tunes and within the pages of the stunning booklet.

Here

Bands & Tracks:

Worth A Thousand Dark Words

Something to sweeten your palate here after the bitter pill of the last post. Calvary was total Rites Of Spring worship brought to you by Matt Weeks (and others), perhaps recognizable as the man behind Council Records and co-conspirator in Ottawa, Nema, Current, and Dearborn SS. From that intro, you should already know whether you'd be interested in Calvary or not. "Outnumbered Is Outflanked" surfaced when Council Records grew new roots in Chicago in the early 2000's, and stands as the band's only full length. The tempos are upbeat, but the guitar lines never get too dramatic and the melodies never get past the courting stage with pop. Just 12 tracks of the good late eighties style DC rock, but with its own distinctive character.

And, since there's room, why not throw in Calvary's follow-up 7"? At least two of the three tracks rock, especially the title track, which comes complete with a melodica intro! These two waxen slabs are all I've come across from the band, so if you know of more, don't hold out on me.


Both records here