The Stain Remains

While we're on the topic of dark, mysterious, post punk bands from yester-year (and with Tim Crow on bass too, no less), The Smartpils have been name-dropped on this blog a few too many times to not post some of their work.  Maybe they're not the intuitive choice for my first summer post, but I have to admit... I've been infected by the mutated gothy germ that's been going around.  The Smartpils (or Smart Pils if you prefer) could teach some of these new bands a thing or two. Unfortunately the Pils have taken measures to not tout their role as an influence, or even that they were once a band.  Like many, I thought their mighty "No Good, No Evil" 12" and their first demo comprised their only recorded material.  The digital age, however, has provided the proper implements to exhume some fine Smartpils treasures from their analog graves.  Cassettes seemed to have been the bands' favorite M.O., but I own none of them.  I had to grave-rob the cheap and unadventurous way via peer to peer download.  Considering this, some of the tape rips below are of varying quality (decent to piss-poor).  I'm just glad to have them, and if you happen to be one of the rippers whom I downloaded from, infinite thanks to you.  The rips of the aforementioned 12" are my own, as I was tired of the lackluster ones I had been clinging to for years due to some twisted sense of loyalty or just plain laziness.

Smartpils- "No Good, No Evil" 12" (Bluurg Records, 1987... ripped at 320)






As far as I can tell, Smartpils released three demos-- the one mentioned above, "Toxic State," and "Zen Punk." I tried to find the best quality rips, but the pickings were slim.  As always, if anyone can offer more info or point us in the direction of better rips, you are strongly encouraged to get in touch!

All three demos here.

And now for some compilation appearances.  For all I know, some of these recordings are not exclusive and may be redundant if you download all the links I'm putting up.  I just wanted to throw different rips out there. Seven of the tracks come from a cassette called "Wessex 1984," two come from "Open Mind Surgery," and two others come from two volumes of "Aquae Sulis Calling."  The last in the list is of particular interest if you enjoyed the previous post.  The two tracks in question do not have the usual vocalist on board, and could easily pass as Zygote songs (I would love to know the line-up on "Brothers of the Head").  Both comps are available for download or streaming from the label's bandcamp page.

Smartpils tracks from all three comps here.

Although the "All And Everything" tape has many of the songs from the demos, there are some interesting odds and ends, plus, even though the bit rate on these rips isn't great, the clarity of the songs is better than some of the rips in the demo link.  In addition, there's a 40 minute live side.

"All and Everything" 


Requested Re-ups:
Deformed Conscience/Excrement of War split LP
Harsh/Control Mechanism split 7"
400DayHeadache comp
Lana Dagales 7"
Grievance 7"
"Le Garage" Comp

From Our Red Halo's Hands

With the positively bubonic scourge of dark, gothy post-punk infesting the distros and venues these days, I decided a Zygote revisit would be in order.  For years I thought the "89-91" LP was the band's demo with a live set tacked on.  Turns out it's the "demo to their full length" (with live tracks), but there was another demo done earlier (which happens to follow the studio/live format).  I'd be a real bastard if the next thing I said wasn't that I have a copy and have ripped it for you.  I have, although this is one of those "elitist completist" posts in that if you have "89-91" and "A Wind of Knives" already, then you're pretty much set.  The cassette boasts only one truly exclusive track, which is a live recording of "Conspiracy."   Beyond that, there's additional demo and live versions of tracks you already know, but it should be mentioned that the title of "God is Dead" was changed to "Scarred" on later releases.

For those of you who have somehow avoided the acrid stench of the still-smoldering crater left by Zygote's short existence, they were a very polarizing band in that they had two members of Amebix, yet sounded little like them (and they started up shortly after "Monolith," which probably alienated some fans).  Less concerned was Zygote in the end of all; their obsession seemed to lie in the more subtle agony of living in the half-dead world of right now, and the desperate attempts we all make daily to rise above the filth.  The dark post-punk alluded to above is a starting point in describing their music, which is a swirling kaleidoscope of squealing reverb/flange and pulsing rhythm.  The full demo experience is a bit much to take all at once, but it really captures in full the nightmarish psychedelia that was the essence of the band.

Zygote- Demo Cassette (Bluurg, 1990).  This is a large file (about 160 MBs) and was ripped at 320 from an old tape... just a heads-up.

"A Wind of Knives" is the band's only proper full length, and is completely essential.  If you need it, here it is at 320 with scans of my copy's insert (damaged as it is after all these years).

Zygote- "A Wind of Knives" CD (Epistrophy, 1994)

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...

Run with the Sheep, or Dance with the Banshee

If you weren't already a happy bastard today, the album art above should take care of that.  If that fails, give the music a shot.  Unless you're one who considers melody a ghastly scourge upon hardcore, these Eugene, Oregonians will surely free the closeted, illicitly-begotten child within all of you and stir your loins into such a tizzy you'll want to accost strangers, beget more and start the bastard baby boom!  But seriously, these bastards create a real threat in the way they coat pure subversion and defiance in a glorious subterfuge of sweet melody and driving rhythms, reinventing hardcore punk as something dangerous and new again.  We all now it's not actually new, but for a moment or two, while listening, I actually forget I'm a jaded fuck.  Fans of Burning Kitchen, Sado-Nation, Godless, and Harum Scarum should take special interest in Happy Bastards, and to spread the creed I'm offering two splits.

 The first is a 7" with the UK's Kismet HC, who bring together the best aspects of One By One, Ebola, and Disaffect, with a touch of Life...But How to Live it?  On this one, Kismet blast Happy Bastards away.  They're just way on top of their game, and HBs have hollow production and much less energy than they had on the next split (except for "Damn Nation" maybe).

This next split is an LP, and although both bands are from Eugene (not international, I know), the Happy Bastards tracks are just too incredibly good not to post.  These eight anthrax Jell-o shots go down so smooth and just rip you the hell apart.  I was an instant fan; no latency period required.  Side A is occupied by Human Certainty, a band who seemed young and full of ideas.  Like many bands of this nature, putting it all together yielded uneven results, although I do enjoy their music quite a bit (not so much their vocals).  Stylistically  HC could have come from Arizona, bringing to mind the metallic yet emotional fury of bands like  Absinthe or Jeremin.  

Happy Bastards splits with Kismet HC and Human Certainty

Recent Re-ups:

Def Master 7"

Sutek Conspiracy Discography

A Very Special Brew

Whether you're of the opinion that Axegrinder was derivative or just happened to be doing similar things at the same time as other early UK crusties, you can't deny their place in the 'evilution' of the genre.  I for one have thoroughly reveled in their savage and methodical torments since discovering them for myself about a decade ago.  "Grind the Enemy" was Axegrinder's raw punisher of a demo released before their opus, "Rise of the Serpent Men;" but the rips I've been stringing along for years were a bit lacking. Now that I think of it, I probably could have found better rips if I was more persistent.   But, enter the (Italian?) bootleg operation, Pelvic Alee, who got it in their minds to release the demo on LP recently.  When this arrived at my doorstep, I was quite the giddy mess-- so much so that I decided to rip it.  The "label' did a quality job all around from the sound (keep in mind this is a 26 year old punk demo), to the covers, to the insert which includes lyrics and a biography of the band.  Check it out; I don't know if the quality is any better than what you have, but I wouldn't be much of a host if I didn't share.

Axegrinder "Grind the Enemy" demo, unofficial LP release

Q: Mankind? A: Dirt.

I won't get into all the reasons for this blog's dormancy; it's the usual case of taking on too much and having too little left to give by the end of the day. I'll slowly get the cogs moving again, and by the end of November, it should be back to clacking and clanking at its old pace. But what really matters is the music, so I'll continue on the therapeutic simplicity of the last post with a couple of splits by Connecticut's Mankind?. This short-lived peace punk/hardcore ensemble channeled all the best aspects of the 80's and 90's, albeit through only a handful of songs...

The first split represents arguably the best material from both bands present, the other being UK veterans, Dirt. Dirt's flickering presence throughout the 80's had exceptionally luminescent moments, but their brief return in the 90's was for me their most focused appearance. Maybe you'll enjoy their more raw material better, but the stylized direction of Deno's vocals just do it for me on this one.

While disappointing by comparison, Mankind?'s two offerings on their split with Final Warning are still solid efforts. The disappointment for me lies in the poor production and in the decision to not make Stacey the lead vocalist. Other than that, "Utopian Nightmare" is a more than passable contribution to American political hardcore, and their cover of "Electrodes" is a boiling, frothing brewpot of angst and loathing.

The original idea for this post was to gather a bunch of Final Warning tracks, including the Warning 7". Both Warning and Final Warning were New York-based bands featuring Neil, Nausea's original vocals-man. Mike of Twisted Tracks must have been eating the same thing this week or been tuned to the same frequency as me because he beat me to it. To complete your Final Warning collection, the track "Wasteland" on the split above is one of the finer examples of FW's post-Discharge bleakness, complete with Neil's burliest angry-sailor vocals. You can get FW's "Eyes of a Child" 7" here, some compilation tracks from both FW and Mankind? here, and FW's live LP here. In an interesting twist, on the LP Final Warning takes their stab at an "Electrodes" duet between Neil and Stacey (Mankind?).

Mankind?'s splits with Dirt and Final Warning

Powerless with a Guitar

When the clutter of life becomes so entangled as to become a hindrance to living it, I look to bands built on a framework of simplicity. The last month has been one of those times, and Disaffect has been one of the remedies. By now the band is infamous as part of the Scottish division of the more hardcore branch of peace punk produced in the late eighties/early nineties in parallel with Nausea, Disrupt and the like. "Powerless With A Guitar" is a posthumous live document that proves to me at least that Disaffect only gets more classic as the years pass. Side "Punk" is a superior recording of a set in Glasgow in '92, and side "As Fuck" is perhaps one of the band's last sets (1994), and was recorded in Dijon. The 23 tracks hereon make a great bookend to their studio discography, the main contents of which can be found on the resurrected Stay Female Fronted blog.

Disaffect - "Powerless With A Guitar" Live LP

Rock-Out Without Your Cop-Out

For your sake, I hope you already have Ebola's "Imprecation" 7", as it is quite the classic of nineties fast/grindcore. I thought I had convinced myself of the superiority of the band's more hardcore material, but hearing these nine tracks and their split with Servitude has me constantly swaying and reassessing. The band however, could always be counted on to pinch our self-righteous nerves with the forceps of their scathing honesty, and at times to slam our hypocritical ideals headlong into the meat grinder of their sour chords and unforgiving blast-beats. These musicians and people rank way up there in my personal cannon of UK hardcore, so as with the last post, the honor is all mine in presenting this to you...

The "Imprecation" 7" by Ebola (UK)

Studiocidal Transmissions from Planet Fascista

With this other oddball 7", we keep kindled the One by One fire with the waning hope that one day the former members will catch our signal and release the mythical discography CD. In the meantime, click the One by One label below for a bunch of their vinyl efforts, and the link below for the "Atrapad@s en el Fascista Planeta Tierra" 7". This one features a "studiocide" ("Silent Consent" and "Virtual Reality '93") and a "live evil" side ("The Monsters Almost Look Human Now," "Making Bacon," and "Nazi Raus"). Regardless of how you feel about live recordings, this is One by One, so it doesn't matter, but I do have to apologize for the abused condition of the vinyl being ripped here. By now you know the drill: One by One played passionate and unique political hardcore, members of which would go on to play in Ebola, Jinn, etc. Always a joy to hear, and an honor to post...

"Atrapad@s en el Fascista Planeta Tierra" 7" by One by One (Flat Earth & Victimas del Progresso- Crimines de Estado)

Another Day In The Void

You knew Grievance would have to make another appearance here, didn't you? Before throwing this one against the wall to see if it sticks, I recommend sampling the previous 7" posted below. The 7" at hand today, which I'm calling "Un Altro Giorno" after the first track, is a bit flawed. Let's begin with the positive-- the songwriting is amazing! The guitars are even more dissonant than their other material, and while the tempos aren't as varied and oddly placed, the riffs perform some pretty impressive time signature gymnasticism. Where this little record falls short is in the weak production (specifically on the drums), and in the absence of the usual vocalist. But seriously, the music destroys.

Whenever I can I like to add a little bonus track. The "Resistance Is futile... Assimilate" comp has another outstanding Grievance offering (with the other vocalist!). It reverts back to their other 7" with its whacked-out tempo progressions and emotive build-up. I was going to just add this track, but I figured you might also like the other material from Konstrukt, Stalingrad, and No Comply (they do a Spazz cover with pretty much a drum machine and bass!).

Grievance "Un Altro Giorno" and "Resistance Is Futile" Comp.

Unholy Sea Of Shite

Members of One By One, Jinn, etc blasting through 13 intense, grinding tracks-- I'm not sure what else you could want in a record. This is the UK Ebola's only 12" I think, which might be self-titled but I'm calling it "Incubation" because that's what it says on the booklet cover. Both vocalists are in rare form and belt out their wares with straight from the gut anger. Classic!

Ebola (UK) LP (Side B had some surface scratches, so sorry about that.)

...With your cock out.

Painajainen was going to rip this for us too, but because he's a bit busy I took the liberty. The Servitude/Ebola (UK) split is about what you'd expect from these two musical bruisers if you've heard them before. I was all excited to hear more Servitude after their excellent 7", but I gotta say, their tracks on here were a bit listless by comparison. They still play their own take on dark-edged crusty thrash, and for that I'll always appreciate this band. Ebola on the other hand, dominate, ripping this EP to shreds, gluing it back together with their own snot, only to smash it to pieces again. This is angry political hardcore that reaches the borderline of grindcore and does the hokey-pokey all over it. The funny sound samples and smart lyrics top off their five tracks capitally. Rock out in the cockpit...

here.

I'm Feeling I Wish I Was Dreaming

As the season arrives when we sweep out the dust bunnies from the baseboards and corners of our houses and the psychic junk from the recesses of our minds, it's time to replace the bad debris with the good Debris. I'm referring of course to Scotland's Debris, who continue the traditions begun by Scotland's Quarantine. Those traditions include driving and precise punk rhythms, harshly sung melodies, and acerbic political commentaries. The "Attrition" 7" was recorded way back at the end of 1998, and continues pretty close to where "Automatic Negative Thoughts" and "Junction 10" left off, and is beyond satisfactory for people like me with a love for crust and a soft spot for Bay Area (pop) punk.

The band followed up with the equally piss and vinegar suffused "Ten2" LP which is available in many distros, so I may not be able to keep the link up for long. The rips were recorded at a fairly loud volume, so be sure to play them through good speakers.

Debris LP and 7"

Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down

As requested, I went ahead and ripped a couple of One By One 7"s, and Mike generously contributed rips of their 12". The "Fight" 7" is one of my all time favorite EPs, drawing on tons of UK punk and hardcore traditions, but of course sounding like something quite all its own. Two deadly forces are conspiring: rage and intelligence. The same is true for the other two records posted here, but unfortunately the vocals are more subdued (both by Micky and the recording) by comparison (some of this has to do with the absence of Karin's vocals). Either way, this is classic hardcore/punk that should never be forgotten. It seems that the long-promised One By One discography CD has been back-burnered, as Micky is focusing on his fiction writing.

One By One 7"s

One By One LP

One By Sedition

This is a pretty odd ball 7", but that only makes it doubly worth a post! One way to look at this is to call it a One By One/Sedition split 7". A more precise description would be a One By One live 7" with a (badly) studio(?) recorded Sedition track. It was a 40th birthday gift for "Le Vieux" (depicted above); Sedition was supposed to play at this gig and be a more substantial part of the final output, but ended up breaking up too early. The good news is that the One By One tracks sound pretty damn intense (Keep in mind this is coming from a HUGE One By One fan who is not much of a live recording fan) and the Sedition track rules like all of their stuff did/does, even with the muddy recording. Let's see, what am I forgetting?... The 1b1 set was recorded in a farmhouse near Tours, France and includes a cover of "Police Bastard."

Download

Here's a photo of One By One at the same show, graciously offered by Fab(rice):

Song Of The Week: "Discipline" (The Rosie Jones Band/Leatherface)

Yeah, I know, tribute comps suck. Most of the songs, as decent as they might be, just make you want to throw on the originals. Rubber Factory's "Leatherface Tribute" isn't very exceptional in this respect. Of the forty or so renditions hereon, about eight warrant repeat listens. The one I celebrate today always kills me though: a western version of "Discipline" (western as in country and western)!?! On paper, it sounds hokey and ridiculous, but in the capable hands of The Rosie Jones Band, we are given one beautiful piece of work. The band's rootsy approach luckily predates the trash the industry passes off as "country" these days, and the skillful use of acoustic string instruments and the nice vocals delicately harness the urgency and somberness that make Leatherface an eternal favorite. A good cover should bring something new to the table while still keeping the integrity of the song's mood and power intact. This one does it, and while doing so, completely rips apart my genre prejudices. A lot of you are gonna hate this, so proceed only if you're feeling a little adventurous.


"Discipline" (Leatherface) performed by The Rosie Jones Band

No More Shit Society

I've at last reunited with this nineties treasure after parting with it years ago. I probably sold it during a brief deluded state where I was convinced I had "outgrown" crust. While not much into CDs, the need to atone for my arrogance has brought "Cathode Ray Coma" back into my collection and perhaps the main contents of it right into yours. Much of what made Discharge and ENT great is lovingly retrofitted into this blazing fast crust odyssey. The advent of Leigh's vocals and more varied and interesting song writing make "CRC" a noticeably more exhilarating listening experience than say, the material from the split LP. "Extensive Slaughter" and "Shit Society" are total classics in my personal cannon if you need a place to start. In addition, this CD version has the tracks from the "The Waste and the Greed" 7" as well as the EOW side of their split with Dischange.

Excrement of War "Cathode Ray Coma" CD (Finn Records, ripped @ 256 kbps)

A Punx Picnic On Industrie Strasse

This week has been a real pirate whore. Next week and this weekend, I'll shoot for diligence, but no guarantees there. After such a shit week, it's time for a couple of fun comps. Shit, the "Industrie Str. 23 96-97" comp has an exclusive Quarantine track, for fucksake! Throw in a possibly exclusive La Fraction number and a bunch of other nice Euro punk/crust/grind of the late nineties, and you have instant party! Lots of variety; seldom a dull moment...

"Industrie Str. 23" Comp.

And, I need your help with this one. Below is a silly 7" comp from a festival in Biel showcasing a cover song contest. I picked it up because of Lost and Skew Whiff, but my brain isn't working right this week. Do you recognize any of these covers?

"Schrott Bar" Comp

It's My Choice to be on the Piss

Just because you have a favorite beer, is that going to keep you from trying other brands? It certainly doesn't stop me (Green Flash's Hop Head Red Ale is my current obsession in this department..). Neither does the fact that The Obliterated didn't exactly revolutionize hardcore punk stop me from liking their stab at the crusty obnoxiousness exhibited in today's featured disks. Do I hear some Vice Squad, Dirt, Mankind?, and Smarpils in these tracks? Or do my ears just want to hear them? Whatever the case, this is The Obliterated, and they rock hard.

When Brandon H. mentioned this band, I didn't hesitate to jump on them since he's the man who introduced me to Whipped, which I'm still jazzed about. Today you can get the "Insanity" 7" and..

... their split with UK d-beaters, Haywire. The vinyl for both recs. are in pretty "used" condition, but this is crusty punk, not Relapse rock so it shouldn't matter!

Both 7"s HERE

Zap

As we near the hour when the goblins and phantoms come out to play, I felt it was time to revisit a witchy "punk" band I fear many of you overlooked when I posted their discography long ago. Witchknot was one of the more unique bands I've ever heard, and seemed even more curious when held alongside their label mates (Flat Earth Records). Subversive, rhythmic, funny, smart, catchy, quirky... this band was so many things, and yet every time you listen to them, you'll find other facets that will only make them more beautifully perplexing. The Song of The Week is called "Zap!", and it employs heavy-handed witch imagery, which I believe is sarcastic to a certain extent. It also showcases the signature wacky guitar picking, violin frenzies, and ecstatic and snotty vocal stylings that made me love this band instantly (and, yes, not a little cowbell thrown in too). Witchknot won't be for everyone, but I think they should be. Mount your broomsticks and...

"Zap"