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)

Gutter Songs For The Godless

I'm in a compilations-that-don't-blow kind of mood, so I've got a couple of good ones today. The bands mainly fall into the new old school category in case that's your thing. The connection between the two comps is the appearance of one of my faves, Out Cold, although both tracks posted here are NOT exclusives. The first, "Bands That Don't Give A Shit About Being God," was pretty limited, but still might be in print. I don't know, so check with the label. In addition to Out Cold, it showcases some of best Massachusetts has to offer, including another favorite, The Conversions. The rest of the bands kick ass as well, and range from old school hardcore, to poppy punk. All of 'em are good.

Tracks & Bands:

1. Out Cold- "Doomsday Guy"
2. Violent Nuns- "The CIA Is After Me"
3. Sgt. Slaughter- "Wildman"
4. Social Circkle"- Private World"
5. Witches With Dicks" - It's Not You, It's Me"
6. The Conversions- "Chosen Few"


Keep scrolling for D/L link

In the folder below you'll also find this impressive, slightly older comp put out by Kangaroo Records, "Songs From The Gutter." Once again there's an Out Cold track that appears on one of their albums, but it's one of my favorites, so you won't hear me complain. Other bands that may perk up your antennae would be Brother Inferior, Final Conflict, and Seein' Red. The other bands compliment the awesomeness nicely.

Tracks & Bands:

1. Brother Inferior- "Collective Conscience"

2. Out Cold- "No Solution"

3. Yawp!- Inhuman Attrocity"

4. Brezhnev- "District 72"

5. Final Conflict- "Abort"

6. Boils- "Anthem 4 This Generation"

7. Seein' Red- "Dream"

Both Comps Are Here

Metrication Time

Have you heard The Conversions' full length, "Prisoners' Inventions"? I mean have you? That LP stormed the gates of my world and performed a six month sit-in on my turn table. I've been looking around for the band's other releases and finally found myself a copy of their 7"; it certainly doesn't disappoint. We get a smaller, rougher dram of their frantic, retrofitted punk angst-- a strangely organic junction of raw, old school defiance, and self-conscious, angular modernity. Somewhere out there, these Bostonians must be capturing the imaginations of some disenfranchised musical junkies; but strangely enough, I haven't heard or read very much about the band. Then again, lately I've been living a somewhat ascetic lifestyle in my cave constructed of vinyl, cardboard sleeves, and tattered, twice-read books, so what do I know? Anyway, see what you think...

The Conversions 7"