Minimum Wage Slave Tirade

I've got another handful of random requests to fill, starting with Default's "Die With Honor" one sided 7" (sorry, I don't yet have the other EP requested). There was a time when Default 7"s were being sold for a dollar, and in one instance, I received one free with an order. What a travesty. Maybe it was because they were from Wisconsin and didn't release an LP (I don't think), but they never received their due respect. The "Complacency" comp was my first exposure, and those 44 seconds of gonzo crustcore made them standouts even among the honorable company they were in. "Die With Honor" thankfully continues along these lines, burning with such intense fervor that the tracks disintegrate shortly after starting. The impression is lasting, though, due in part to some flourishes in the songwriting, but mostly due to the tornado-like ass-kicking they deliver.

I got a request a while back for the first Scorned 7", and why not? Scorned is one surly political hardcore ensemble with a scary guitar sound. Being a pretty raw and rough outing, I would maybe not recommend this EP for the uninitiated. After listening to either their LP, split 7", or more recent 7", the first one can be a lot of fun, if fun includes the hardcore equivalent of a jackhammer and a chainsaw trying to drown out the shouts of an angry neighbor. Scorned is another in probably a long line of mid western bands that deserve way more attention, so give 'em a shot.

I was going to post the "Double Crossed" 7" by feisty Texans, Manchurian Candidates, but then I remembered that Mike included it in his post of the LP. For now, we'll just have to settle for some comp tracks until I track down their other 7" and split 7" (which I thought I still had...). Two tracks were re-ripped from the "El Guapo" comp ("Blind Lives" is still my favorite) and the other comes from "Reality Part 4" (a much more metal manifestation of the band).

Default, Scorned, Manchurian Candidates

A Channel of Static Gray

It's opportunities like this where I'm glad I stuck with this blogging nonsense. Today's split 12" features two fairly obscure bands that I already liked, it seems pretty rare, it was cheap and in great condition, and, most importantly, it kicks a fierce amount of ass! Prior to this split with Segue, I only knew Manitowoc, Wisconsin's Inflicted from their split with Ojorojo. That's a whopping three minutes of music, but they left their mark. I remember them sounding a lot like the nineties Bay Area HC I worship often, and these five tracks continue that, but for some reason this time they seem more New Mexican. Dark and slow meets fast and angry in a contest I find myself comparing to Neurosis, Logical Nonsense, Dead and Gone, and Eldopa. This is solid, world-class hardcore that deserves much more attention.

Segue is a bit more of a protean beast. Between the grooves is a nightmare journey of noise, Bremen-style grind/hardcore, and heavy Neurosis-esque mood-crust. I took a chance on these bug-obsessed Minnesotans a while back with their first 10" and loved it. This is more of the same despair-ridden ugliness, mingling with blades of gray melody that keep the tracks from collapsing on themselves. Certainly a sweet find for fans of Mörser, Dimlaia, and Christdriver. If/when I verify that they're out of print, I'll post the band's first two releases. Their second 10" is still available from Trujaca Fala.


The Inflicted/Segue split 12"

... 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

Choking On What's Real

As some of you may know, dark crust-core with witchy female vocals is my kryptonite. I'm positively weak-kneed over that shit. Throw on some Zero Hour, Unhinged, Jeniger, Dearborn SS, or Initial State and I'm a docile zombie, ready to do your bidding (or that of the vocalist). Which brings me to today's overlooked and completely awesome band, OJOROJO. Those of you wise enough to have downloaded the "Shit Gets Smashed" comp a while back have read the prologue to this band's dark tale. The above description and comparisons pretty much tell the rest, but you should also know that members previously/currently play(ed) in Grimple, Econochrist, Talk is Poison, and Brainoil, and the incredible vocals-woman screamed for a similarly great band called Multi Facet (also on the "Shit Gets Smashed" comp... Post on their 7" coming soon). As far as this sub-sub genre of hardcore goes, OJOROJO deserve to be regarded as one of the best. The band only released one full length, "Can You Keep Your Sanity," (East Bay Menace Recs.) consisting of 14 scathing crust blasts. I think you'll like... (click on the song in the singingbox for a preview).

(Scroll down for download link)


As a bonus, in the folder below you'll also find OJOROJO's split with Wisconsin band, Inflicted. Unfortunately, OJO recorded these two tracks without Jenean on vocals, but they are still good and it's nice to hear these guys working out their sound. Inflicted were a great choice to share this split. They resemble the Bay Area bands OJO rose up around (El Dopa, etc.) and completely shred (perhaps better than OJO on this record)! If anyone has info about Inflicted, you know what to do...

Download these 2 records