Song of the Week: "Images" (Complications)

I'm bringing back an old institution after a couple of weeks without any inspiration. This time my drooping antennae were compelled northward by the signal of an LP aged three years in the pipeline. Most descriptions of Montreal's Complications will start with the members' prior involvement in Born Dead Icons. An irresistible attention-grabber, no doubt, but inadequate for descriptive purposes. You might also see the Killing Joke reference, and here we start to unravel the secret. Whether you settle on post-punk, post-hardcore, dark punk, etc, Complications will likely mesmerize many listeners at first with the complex layering of their dark guitaristry, such as the amazing second riff in today's selection, "Images." Such shadowy music deserves a fitting vocalist, and here I think the band succeeds again. At the risk of completely missing the mark, I offer this: the creeky basement despair of Rozz, the rasp of Piciotto, the gravely hum of Stubbs. Despite the persistent gloom, there's odd warmth to the band's sound that isn't common among its tribe; this is due in part to the drums which in calmer instants lull and rock, but in fits of violence pulse and pump-- the former like a warm oatmeal stout by the fire on a moonless night; the latter a frantic chase through a tunnel whose end is a mere pin-point aperture. I thought I could kick the habit I had formed from listening to Zygote and Bad Influence, but it seems with bands like Complications and Cross Stitched Eyes around, there may be no end to it. "Images" from the self-titled LP by Complications (Feral Ward Records)

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)

Song of the Week: "Suburban Home" (Descendents)

In a couple of days I'm gonna be moving to a place that, according to friends and family, reveals that I'm finally "growing up." As you can imagine, these words are more upsetting than encouraging. To drown out their jeers, I celebrate with a song I've been enjoying since high school, from a record that, groove for groove, might be the catchiest of all time. So catchy in fact, I can imagine even Asian lesbian jock drug addicts forgiving the sophomoric lyrics and singing along. "Suburban Home" is not my favorite track on the "MGTC" LP, but every track on there is a winner in some way, and thematically it was just too perfect to pass up.

So with starting work up again, and with my records packed and stacked and probably no internet for who knows how long, posting will be even more scarce than it has been lately. This reprieve will also allow me a little space and time to make some decisions I've been grappling with about the future of this blog...

"Suburban Home"

Song of the Week: "Homo Afflictus" (Charred Remains a.k.a. Man Is The Bastard)

Still vying for my favorite Man Is The Bastard track is "Homo Afflictus," for the usual intensity these musicians always brought to their music, as well as for its unpredictability of structure and overall weirdness! I've said it before and will continue to do so: MITB's recorded material pales in comparison to their live sets. When these guys plugged in, the brutality was real, not just an aspect of the genre they played. If you were fortunate enough to see them a couple of times, just close your eyes and crank up the volume; maybe some nifty flashback experience will visit your consciousness. For others, the advice concerning volume is still recommended.

"Homo Afflictus"

I've been putting off a re-post of the excellent comp from which this song was ripped. I'll continue to place it high on my list of priorities.

Song of the Week: "Mit Mareridt" (The Assassinators)

Here's one of my favorite Assassinators songs from a 7" I've been playing uncontrollably for a couple of months now. Addiction is inevitable with these Danes, from their tight, traditional structures and galloping punk drumming, to the contagion-laced vocal melodies and harmonies (the comparisons to Bad Religion and La Fraction are not entirely misplaced). This is one of the few bands I know that can somehow sound so sweet and digestible, and still hold a stern place in the political/crusty hardcore canon. I've also heard that the band is no more, sadly, but this 7" is available all over the place. So, support them, and while you're at it you can support DSB who is also rad.

"Mit Mareridt" by The Assassinators from the split with DSB

Song of the Week: "Gusano De Fuego" (Moho)

Well, the SOTW is way late, but that's how it goes on vacation-- the days of the week are thrown out with the alarm clock. Late rather than never, we have one of the vices of all my summers. Along with more melodic stuff, I tend to grab the slow and sludgy records too, complimented with some non-cigarette tobacco product and a little alcohol. Eyehategod and Cavity are defaults for porch-sitting capers, as is the mighty Moho. They fit the MO perfectly-- Low and dirty post-Sabbath riffs? Got 'em. Sickening vocals? In abundance. Oodles of feedback? Check. Bearded Southern guys loaded on meth and whiskey? Ooh, not quite. Moho is some ex-grindcore kids from the capital of Spain, but don't let that prejudice you; they can easily hold their own with the big guns.

"Gusano De Fuego" by Moho from "20 Uñas"

Song of the Week: "They Divide" (SSR)

Judging from the quietness around here, I suspect that everyone's summer has started off great. I hope that's the case. Mine has as well, but after just coming off of Mount Whitney everything seems so little and insignificant, including blogging. I'm trying real hard to snap out of it. Inspiration for the SOTW wasn't coming through for me either, so in these cases I throw out a song from a new record you may like...

SSR (Sedition Sub Rosa) was a huge hit at FE headquarters after I picked up their LP and EP on the strength of their myspace playlist. These Richmond, Virginians are the genuine article and play fairly noisy '80's Japanese meets Scandinavian hardcore punk. Not "Confuse" noisy, but there's a deliberate lo-fi quality that adds authenticity to the sound. Like their influences, they've mastered the art of using simple riffs that stick with you, and in addition add some catchy, semi-melodic guitar leads once in while to keep their records on your turn table indefinitely. Certainly a band to look out for, although their "Orwellian Future" 7" and self-titled LP are already admirable accomplishments. "They Divide" comes from their 7" and although the tempo is much slower than most of their tracks (which are more 'd-beat' in speed), it does wonders in capturing the eerie, dystopian feel the record's title foreshadows, and it's a real crusher!

"They Divide" by SSR

Song of the Week: "Mlha" (Uz Jsme Doma)

Being on the mighty Nikt Nic Nie Wie label, I bought "Rybi Tuk" a couple of years ago thinking it would be some awesome crazy Polish punk. Uz Jsme Doma is neither Polish nor punk, but they were something incredible. What that something is, I still can't put into words. Passion and musical daring, it certainly exudes, and if genius was a musical genre, then there it would definitely fall. Tradition and innovation collide here in a voluptuous feeding frenzy to satisfy anyone's true Transylvanian hunger.

"Mlha" by Uz Jsme Doma

Song of the Week: "First Step" (Jawbreaker)

Some summer vacations are about adventure and getting into trouble; this one is all about R'nR-- drinking it all in and convincing time to go a little bit slower. "First Step" is yet another (the 3rd) Jawbreaker Song of the Week, but it seemed so perfect and mentions two things I associate with leisure time: bikes and coffee (one I would like to do more of, the other less). Beer is not mentioned, but there's plenty of SOTW slots for those kind of songs.

"First Step" (Jawbreaker)

** Be sure to pick up a copy of the re-press of "Unfun"!

Song of the Week: "Only To Infinity" (Remains Of The Day)

Blame them for tainting the American well with a hemlock dram of "neo-crust" if you will, but I tend to credit Remains Of The Day with playing powerful and unique hardcore (yes, they were similar to Cwill, but still different enough). I think I heard somewhere that they had a member of Hellshock in their line up, but rather than stenchy crust, ROTD opted for dramatic narratives with fast and energetic tempos (mostly), dabbed with a few slow and somber interludes. If you follow the rule that crust should be simple and straight forward, this band is not for you. But if you like it when bands tunnel across boundaries and smuggle in musical contraban, maybe you already know this band, or should.

"Only To Infinity" (ripped from the vinyl version of "Hanging On Rebellion." Buy the full album at Crimes Against Humanity Recs.)

This post should be called "Remains of the Year," as the last week of school is finally here! Hopefully this means that posting will become more regular. I'll make that a goal, not a promise.

Song of the Week:"Left Hand" (Envy)

I remember when Envy was still somewhat of a hardcore band. It was during the transitional phase that I first found them, with the release of "All The Footprints...". Screamy hardcore was getting dull and redundant, but Envy wasn't about to fall into that trap. Their hardcore was indeed emotional, but there was still a raw fury backing each song, and the emphasis was on the music, not the hairstyle. "All The Footprints..." is a great album, and to a certain extent there is greatness on all of Envy's releases... just not nearly in this high a concentration. Level Plane had a hand in releasing it on CD, but "Left Hand" was ripped from the LP version put out by H:G Fact and Molaire Industries.

"Left Hand" (from "All The Footprints You've Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead")

Song Of The Week: "Twilight Amaranthine" (Asunder)

The vast majority of doom metal bores me, but every so often a band of this ilk, with slow grace, will "bore" into me in another way-- under the skin and right to the psyche. Asunder did this with their beautiful 1x1/2 LP, "A Clarion Call." They succeed for me because they structure their compositions like intricately wrought narratives and use heaviness as only one facet of what are ultimately fairly complex songs. More importantly, tracks like "Twilight Amaranthine" are just chilling and beautiful to hear, all the way up to the fourteenth minute(!). It's been a while since I've posted a long, slow one, but "TA" should more than make up for lost time.

"Twilight Amaranthine" by Asunder (ripped @320 from vinyl)

Song Of The Week: "After You" (Sin 34)

I think it was 17 years ago when, through the fuzz of a broken KROQ signal, I first heard Sin 34 and Anarchy 6. But it wasn't until the heyday of Napster that I finally got to hear them in all their suburban LA, snotty-ass glory. Still to this day, I own nothing by either band, although if money wasn't an issue I probably would. Slowly over time, I've come to place Sin 34 in the higher ranks of my '80's hardcore faves, among excellent company I assure you. "After You" is wound up with the fire typical of this band, and perfect for yet another ass-dragging week that won't end, with vacation so near on the horizon.

"After You"

Song of the Week: "A Six Inch Valley" (Planes Mistaken for Stars)

Another song about loss and the sauce, "A Six Inch Valley" is one of the more hard hitting tracks on the brilliant "Up In Them Guts" LP. Plenty of bands are "hard to describe," but PMFS was one of those rare breeds that created a distinct concoction that seemed to flow from them organically. They didn't try to sound like anyone else, ended up truly sounding like no other, and if anyone else tries to sound like them, they will be called out as posers, but quick. The Motorhead comparisons you may have heard only allude to the band's grit, but really the similarities end there. It's just grungy, emotive, brutally sincere rock that although standing alone, has its roots anchored in many varied and mysterious soils.

"And you know, I couldn't sell you a lie to save my life.
So it's up to ugly truths to scrape us by.
Or down to dirty tricks to keep us blind..."

"A Six Inch Valley" by Planes Mistaken for Stars

Song of the Week: "Facet" (Dezerter)

I've been on a bit of a Poland kick since the release of the new El Banda 2xLP (which is excellent but a bit over long) so I have a very Polish song for you. Dezerter designed the blueprint for modern Polish punk in the early eighties from the other side of the Iron Curtain, and continued to lay waste for many years after. You can hear lots of British and Euro influences ("Facet" was inspired by Crass apparently), but more importantly you can hear Dezerter's influence in band's like Post Regiment and El Banda in not so subtle ways. This is an excellent thing I hope you'll agree, and "Facet" takes the form of a duet with a guest vocalist who sounds uncannily like those from the above two bands (although from what I can decipher from the liner notes, she is neither(?)). There's great energy and chemistry on this one, so enjoy; and in case you're wondering, "Facet" means "Tough Guy" and it's about chauvanistic men.

"Facet" by Dezerter from "Ile Procent Duszy?"

Song of the Week: "Drowning In The Aftermath" (Schifosi)

Coming out of a 3 year, late-nineties bender of straight His Hero Is Gone, I needed something to keep me going, and keep the edge off. This and my unreconciled need for more bands like Unhinged led me to a little known Australian band called Schifosi, specifically to "Ill Winds From Outopia." The abrasive character of the vocals and Swedish-style drumming were smoothed over by the dark, malty guitar leads with the insidious after-effect of both satisfaction and craving. The year or so after this discovery is a bit of a blur, until "Half Lit World" came out. There are only four tracks on this one, but even after the great final 12" was released, I consider this 7" to be the band's finest achievement. "Law Is Freedom" and "Drowning In The Aftermath" are still my two favorite songs by the band, but after binging on both, "Drowning's" forceful build-ups and excellent songwriting put it in the #1 spot.

"Drowning In The Aftermath" by Schifosi (from the "Half Lit World" 7")

Song of the Week: "Cut" (Drunk)

Last time I posted Drunk, the download numbers were a little... modest, but the Song of the Week is all about... me, damn it! So I proceed with "Cut" for the week's selection, for the usual reason of its brilliance. The more rock-influenced nature of the band may put people off for the first listen, but great things are bound to happen with my favorite guitarist in the line-up (Roger from LBHTLI, So Much Hate, and I think Bannylist), and English lyrics that put many American/English bands to shame. The punk rebelliousness and abrasiveness is all there, it's just projected through the more wise lense of experience and therefore more subtle (or does experience make us wise, or just more confused? Lately I've been leaning toward the latter...).

"Cut" by Drunk (from the split LP with Goatboy)

Song of the Week: "Power" (Agnostic Front)

It was great to finally hear "Victim In Pain" on vinyl thanks to Bridge Nine who put out the well packaged re-issues with butt-ugly covers. Well, they're not ugly; they would make good menus or something. Not that the original was pretty to look at, but it was authentic. They used the original recordings, why not the covers? Anyway, "VIP" is one of my top ten early '80's records (I was never into buying at collector prices. I settled for years with that cool Combat CD that also has "Cause For Alarm" on it), and easily one of my favorites of all time. Agnostic Front was often challenged for their politics (or other people's perception thereof), but on "Power" they dig their trench before an abstract enemy most of us can feel good uniting against. And, as the band professes on many songs, unity is in fact what we're all about...

"Power" by Agnostic Front

Song Of The Week: "Forgetable Fire" (Harriet The Spy)

For years I've been listening to the Harriet The Spy singles collection thinking it was a discography. Discovering that the glorious "Unfuckwithable" LP was exclusive was quite the rejoiceable moment. No, this is not crusty hardcore; it's not even screamy nineties chaos. It's just spacey, rackety rock that's deceptively complex, wonderfully dark, ghoulishly sarcastic, and subtly tinged with hardcore sensibilities (very subtle). They did a split 7" with 3 Studies for a Crucifixion, and I believe are related to Party of Helicopters. HTS are not for everyone who comes here, but they are definitely for me.

"Forgetable Fire"

You can get a CD copy of "Unfuckwithable" here. The above is a homemade vinyl rip.

I've got a little vacation time, so I'm gonna be posting like crazy. First some requests-- tonight... One by One EPs, then some Out Cold!

Soon... I'll be posting tons of links of stuff people have sent for review, etc.

Eventually... I want to do some mega posts on bands like 3 Studies for a Crucifixion, Bonescratch, Ivich, etc.

Intermittently... I want to post a ton of other stuff. Now would be a good time for requests (of course, no guarantees that I have it, but it doesn't hurt to ask)!

Song of the Week: "Slaves" (The Holy Mountain)

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression The Holy Mountain don't get the love they deserved. One reason may be that they operated at time when every other crusty hardcore band was being given the FAR/Tragedy treatment in reviews. At first it was complimentary; then it became code for trendy bandwagoners; then it got to be a ridiculous deterrent. It sucks that probably a lot of bands and records lay as casualties in mass musical graves because of this. So this is my one song tribute to one powerful band that played dark, crusty, Japanese and Swedish influenced hardcore, and did a rip-roaring job of it. If you like them, go to No Idea records and pick up a bunch of their stuff for super cheap, then check out the band ABC Weapons (Australia) for a similar sound. If you already know this band, you've done the above already. "Slaves" comes from the "Entrails" LP, and it rules. Feel free to share your favorite HM song, or a post-Tragedy/HHIG band that deserves mention.

"Slaves" by The Holy Mountain