We Can Do Anything!

Ah, the sound of children's voices, so green, carefree, and heart-warming, especially when shouted over grinding fast hardcore punk!  It's thanks to another blog visitor that I was pointed in the direction of a record virtually unseen on these shores.  The "Making Children's Songs a Threat Again" comp might suggest a themed collection, and that is indeed the case.  The tracks, writings, and interview responses are all concerned with either growing up, or the ongoing conundrum punk/anti-authoritarian parents face as they struggle to reconcile their ideals with the choices they make for/with their children.  Some documentaries have been made on this subject, but the interviewees and bands on this one are not as mainstream as the ones in those flicks.  In addition to fantastic music and discussion, this comp was put together with that ingredient foodies love to allude to-- I'm talking about the "L" word here, people.  There's a hand-bound smaller booklet with lyrics, a comic book clipping, and even some handwritten messages.  The larger booklet is less involved, but nicely and simply laid-out, and contains interview responses from some members of contributing bands, members of other hardcore bands, and some label proprietors (Deep Six, Profane Existence...).  And, just look at the international line-up:

This is an incredible comp; something I seldom ever say.

Some other things you may want to know about it:

• It starts off with a long spoken word in French by the singer of 20 Minutes de Chaos.  But that is the only track of its kind.
• Yes, a couple of tracks do actually have band members' kids on vocals.
• Some European distros still have copies of this, such as here. This one is worth owning just for the packaging alone!
• Many of the tracks are exclusive to this record
•  There are some between-tracks sound bites and music; I often wasn't sure where to cut them off.  Sorry if I goofed.  However, this comp seems designed to be heard all the way through, no interruptions. 

"Making Children's Songs a Threat Again" LP (scans of all booklets included), (Guerrilla Shooting Records, 2005)

Recent Re-ups:
Servitude/Ebola split 7"
Servitude 7"
Multi-Facet/Sheephead split 7"
Token Tantrum 10"
Assassinators early EPs/Demo CD

Okay, next up, we return to the Swedish series...

A Cold Gust of Wind

A little bitterness to offset life's sweetness is one thing, but then there's the need now and then to prepare for those inevitable bouts of despair-- stare down the barrel of a gun, glance over the edge of a precipice, or just listen to some metallic Polish hardcore.  Bands from that country have an intimidating tradition of flirting with utter bleakness; favorites of mine would be Lost, Silence, and Insuiciety (I know, technically based in Germany, but still comprised of Polish personnel).  Next Victim became an instant entry to the list with the outstanding From the Depths split LP, which I still regard as one of the best splits I've run across in quite some time.  On this one, Next Victim break up their doomy, hypnotic riffs and rhythms with more buoyant, almost groove laden picking, and one very haunting, melodic interlude.  Although confined to only a small section of wax, their three songs still succeed in capturing the expansive, epic quality of their approach.  But it's on their CD, "The Cold Gust of Wind," that the band was able to fully unroll the intricately realized map of pure hopelessness in sonic form.  The whole disk flutters in circles like our own stomach butterflies as we peer over the beams of a bridge that could be our last stop in life.  The frequent use of space in the songwriting offers moments of clarity, which are then abruptly suffocated by heavy chords and anguished screams. Then, occasionally, our buckled and hunched figure is raised up by Gosia's robust vocal melodies and some truly enervating guitar riffage.  Rarely before has a band succeeded in making the abyss so alluring.

I'm going to offer both records for download, but I hope you'll at least try to find the split or send the label or bands some money.  The split tracks are my own vinyl rips, by the way.  And, if you haven't heard From the Depths before, they are another incredible band, dark and powerful, with almost operatically sung lead vocals (they are also a Crimethinc joint, if that matters to you).  Finally, if Next Victim appeals to you, certainly check into Mind Pollution, a band which not only has NV members, but sounds rather similar too.  They offered much of the darkness and songwriting idiosyncrasies, while kicking up the speed at times and working in more dissonant chords, a la Silence.

Next Victim "A Cold Gust of Wind" CD (Sadness of Noise, 2009)

Next Victim/From the Depths split LP (Nikt Nic Nie Wie, Scream, and Zaraza, 2010)

Mind Pollution "Spalone Dusze" CD (Yama Dori and Sadness of Noise, 2005)

Loud Silence At Home

If anyone has the cure for Busy, please send it my way! There's no shortage of great music here at the headquarters, but the postings just haven't been happening for various reasons. I'll see what I can do to catch up this weekend, but for now here's a heaping gravy ladle of French 90's hardcore. I've noticed that a lot of my posts and would-be posts are of newer records, simply because there are a ton of great releases of late. But I can't forget the decade that this blog specializes in, and so I present the few releases I own by Undone. While I can't guarantee you'll love Undone as I do, they did offer an enticingly puzzling admixture of hardcore styles; if music doesn't cut it for you unless it boasts copious moshy metal riffs, emotive dissonance, or speed, Undone have got you covered on all accounts (especially the first two). It won't take long to figure out that Undone grew thorny and strong out of the same cracked concrete slab as Finger Print, Ivich, Vanilla, etc, and for that they should already warrant a serious listen. For today, I'm offering the band's later 7" "The Other Side," as well as an early 7" that I will simply call "Undone." Both rage, but on this early outing I like the vocals better, and the metal is cranked way the hell up.

Since you hate comps, I'm sneaking in yet another rose among weeds, the "World Hardcore" 2X7". Perhaps it should really be called "European Hardcore", but whatever. A comp is a winner if more than half the tracks are at least good, if not great, and this one huffs and puffs across the finish line. I was mainly interested in the Vanilla and Undone tracks, but Olotila rock and it was nice to hear an early-ish Deadbeat track (post of their 10" coming soon).

Get the two 7"s and Comp here

More Undone posts as I find more of their releases.

** Addendum- Mike of mighty Twisted Tracks posted the 12" and the "Reconstruction" comp!

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?"

Words Hidden Between the Words

Lost is either a doomy crust metal band from Poland with ex-members of Homomilitia, or civilization's last hope impaled on a rusty barb somewhere on an undiscovered tract of tundra. The word bleak doesn't even cut it. If you find yourself in too perky a mood... seriously, check this band out. Then if you like, listen to their musical legacy scratching its way through the distorted hell of bands like Insuiciety and Token Tantrum. Perhaps you'll also enjoy their 7" which hopefully you can still get here. For now, get these 9 originals and a 13 cover below.

Lost "Strach" (Fear) LP (320 kbps vinyl rips)

No Hay Banda

No Song was calling my name, topical or otherwise, so I took a look at what I've been playing lately. I can't seem to get this El Banda 7" off my turn table. Not that I'd want to. What you need to know is a) They're from Poland, b) the bass player is from Post Regiment. Yep, that should do it. "Wisi Mi" was released on CD with a different cover and I believe one fewer song. You can pick up the vinyl here if you live in 'Merica, and I strongly suggest doing so. It's really smart and at times quirky hardcore punk with melody and nicely layered guitars. "Grojecka" is the first track and is exceptionally gloomy compared to the rest; hence, I love it! It appears to be about a dismembered woman, but whether literally or figuratively I cannot say. It rocks just as hard from both angles.

"Grojecka"

"Grojecka" (Mediafire)

August Is Cruelest Month

For my last summer vacation Song Of The Week, I was temped to post Bananarama's "Cruel Summer," but I opted for a band that never put out a weak track. Post Regiment was awesome, enough said. The booty-shaker this week is what I like to call their 'radio hit,' although it's dubious that it ever got any play. It definitely strikes the ears unawares with its sweet, poppy allure after an album-full of snotty-yet-sincere, fuckin' raging hardcore! Don't be surprised if this tune sneaks into your synapses while you're warming up for your morning shower-a capella session-- it's damn infectious! Being a non-Pole, I am not qualified to say that Post Regiment was the best band to ever come out of Poland, but I secretly believe this to be true. Sincerely so.

"Catch Another Train" by Post Regiment (from their self-titled first album).

If that doesn't work, click HERE

On a related side-note, the new El Banda 7" rules!

Big Fat Bag O' Splits!

Splits are always a great way to learn about new and obscure bands, but how about a grab-bag full of them? That's what we're dealing in today- a series of split 7"s I've run across recently and wanted to share. You probably haven't heard most of these bands, so unlike a real grab-bag, I offer some descriptions to either dissuade or entice:

The first split in the bag is from a couple of awesome Polish bands. You may recall Stupor from their split with Harum Scarum posted somewhere below. They play more of that thick and intense crust, like a more raw and heavy Post Regiment, while their partners, Verrecke play one long Amebix-meets-Counterblast dirge. It's as good as it sounds.

The name Spider Cunts kept coming up in blurbs about the lineage of Burning Kitchen (one of my favorite punk bands), so it was high time to check them out. What they deliver on this split is four obnoxious songs, mainly about getting wasted. The slamming drums, simple and catchy riffs, harsh vocals... I'm thinking a more obnoxious and punk Sin 34? Sure. Obnoxious is definitely the word here.

Oh, and The Dregs rage hard too. I don't know why I thought I'd dislike them; I actually ended up a fan. Nicely distorted guitars and screamed and wailed vocals that don't get monotonous like some bands' do. The hardcore attack and street punk sensibilities are reminiscent of Filth, but I wouldn't get too carried away with that comparison.

Finally we get to the international pairing of Yokel and Pisspoor. I hadn't heard of Australia's Yokel, and was impressed by their four well-played and vicious crust blasters. The vocals (especially the female member's) are scathing as hell. Granted, nothing originally is going on here, but it won't matter as you scream along, railing against genocide and greed!

Austin's Pisspoor offered some pretty good tracks on the "El Guapo" comp and their split LP, but there's something about these tracks that show a hitting of a stride. A band like this can only be successful if their anger comes across genuine and abundant, and really, that's exactly what this is-- unadulterated rage that's both punishing and cathartic.

Download a sack o' splits

A Great Mass Of Despair: Silence & Burning The Prospect

There'll be no holiday cheer on this blog, not in the presence of Poland's mighty and brooding Silence! Say what you will about "neo-crust" and other such epithets; what it boils down to is that Silence plays powerful hardcore. Yes, there are song titles like the title of this post, and they've been known to throw in some piano and violin at times, but the proof is in the final product. The tracks on this split with Burning The Prospect are two of the band's best-- they're solidly written, crushing, and not as meandery as some of the band's other work. As always, check out the Box o' Songs for a sample. And if the more straight forward crust-core approach is more your thing, Burning The Prospect should not be missed. Their three tracks were recorded at the 1in 12 Club, if you know what that means. If you don't, let's just say that that venue is notoriously connected to acts like Doom, Police Bastard, Ruin, etc. BTP completely rages with some stomping, thrashy beats, and powerfully distorted guitars. The songwriting is not super typical, and keeps their modern crust sound from blending in too much with that particular over-saturated scene. Keep an eye on this band; needless to say, this split is highly recommended!


The Silence/Burning The Prospect Split


Another Repost Alert!
To rectify another injustice where I ripped a good record at 128kbps (unknowingly, of course), I have re-ripped Silence's "Mad Civilization" 10," this time at 320 kbps. They're not as tight on this early release, but they hold nothing back in laying all their guts and emotions out on the table. It's powerful stuff, but with song titles like "Suffering," "Tears Of Humiliation," and "In A Tunnel Without End," you probably shouldn't throw it on during your New Year's Eve Party!


"Mad Civilization" @ 320

Silence "Mad Civilization"

This band's name reflects the amount of comments I've been getting lately (ha!). Silence is, really, a mournful, crusty hardcore band from Poland. Call it neo-crust, drama-crust, emo-crust (actually, don't call it that)-- I call it good hardcore. Each track on their "Mad Civilization" 10" (Les Nains Aussi, 2004) is out to wrench your guts and emotions thanks in large part to the darkly discordant guitars, hoarse screams, and on a couple of tracks, piano and violin. Most tracks reach hardcore-level speeds, but many slow it down in order to drag the listener through some serious emotional beatdowns. For lack of any better comparisons, some reviewers were hasty to foist Silence into the "Tragedy-esque" category. This is fair in terms of sub genre placement, but their tactics/techniques are more akin to Remains of the Day, Fall of Efrafa, or even Jeniger. In some ways, this is my favorite Silence release, although they have been busy in the last couple of years releasing some really excellent pieces: this 10", an LP, a split LP with Easpa Measa, a 7", and a split 7" with Burning the Prospect (probably a demo too, but I haven't seen/heard it). Of all these releases, the 10" seems the most difficult to find lately, so here you go...

"Mad Civilization"

Post Regiment

Doing a post on Post Regiment here may be like preaching to the choir, but I can't help but fear the possibility that someone out there has yet to be anointed...

Post Regiment was perhaps the greatest punk/hardcore band to ever come out of Poland (yes, I said it... and yes my exposure to Polish bands is a admittedly limited), and one of the best ever world wide (I'm not retracting that either!). When I listen to either of the LPs depicted above, I often wonder if I need to listen to any other punk records ever again. Granted, that thought disappears when the music stops playing, but at the time it is truly genuine. PR fills me with such fist-pumping euphoria, I often lose my faculties. Their ability to do this lies in the almost-perfection of their all-encompassing sound, replete and often oozing with sincerity, energy, speed, controlled melody/catchiness, diverse song writing, quirky, slightly distorted guitars, pounding bass, righteous lyrics, and the most awesome sounding vocalist any hardcore band could want! Further descriptions will only cheapen PR's greatness, so I will stop here.

For a fairly complete and succinct history of the band, go here. PR has another LP where they collaborated with members of Tragiedia and covered that band's songs. This album ("Tragiedia wg Post Regiment"), as well as their recently released demos LP ("Death Before Metal") is widely available and highly recommended. Members are thankfully still gracing us with their talents in such bands as PESD (the guitarist) and EL Banda (the bassist), and their influence is everywhere (most notably: check out the recent album by Antidotum). Finding Post Regiment's first two albums anywhere outside of Poland, on any format other than cassette is a real B-word. If any band members or labels have issues with me posting these tracks, let me know and I'll take care of it.

Kneel down, and humble yourself! (or don't...):

"Czarzly" (PR's best album! I added an LP only version of "Aniol")

"Post Regiment" (PR's first and almost best album! Contains some non-LP tracks)

Please try to support this band and its representing labels because they deserve it:

Nikt Nic Nie Wie

Profane Existence

Tujaca Fala