You Can't Run Away From GOB

I've recently run across some GOB paraphernalia, so it's time for a series of posts! For more info and links regarding this noisy, subversive ensemble, visit an earlier post on their great LP. The first split for today is one I've had for a while, and was my first exposure to the band. Somehow these blaspheming corrupters-of-the-youth roped in God-fearing ex-game show host, Wink Martindale to do a split with them. Holy Shit, indeed! If anyone knows any info about how or why this scheme was cooked up, PLEASE comment. On GOB's side of the insert, the band puts on the sheep's clothing and claims to be a Christian rock band. They're pretty convincing until the end when they command "SAY YOU LOVE SATAN!" (well, then there's the large image of a little devil jack-hammering a guy's head...). To say that the band has a wicked sense of humor is a major understatement. The GOB track, "Soft Bodied" completely shreds, and the Martindale tracks, well, you be the judge.

I believe only 600 of these were ever pressed by the once mighty Slap-A-Ham Records. My copy's a little scratched to Hell, but here it is (and another GOB split will be coming up later today, hopefully).

Your Salvation here

Get their split with Spazz here

Get a live track here

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No(w You MUST Leave A) Comment

Along with Crossed Out and Infest, No Comment comprised the unholy trinity of early modern So-Cal powerviolence (or fastcore, etc... honorable mention goes to a bunch of bands like Neanderthal... ). I mean, these bands pretty much wrote the manual on how it's done, and no band has yet to eclipse their greatness in the genre. As the title of No Comment's discography LP/CD, "87-93," suggests, the band tore shit up during the same period that Infest reigned. Having only released EPs and Comp tracks, they've remained relatively neglected over the years (although I'm sure there's a legion or two of devoted fans out there). The CD I've ripped for today's post contains all of NC's studio output (including their demo which was later released as an EP), as well as a ton of live material. The LP version was released by Deep Six Records and is sold out, and the CD version (presumably sold out?) was released, I believe, by the vocals man, Andy (later, vocalist for Man is the Bastard). Until someone decides to make this material available again, here are some 256 kbps rips. It's a big file, but this is both a big chunk of history, and 100 mb's of ear-blistering awesomeness!


Here

Another Round of Saké

I picked up this "Emergency Broadcast System Vol. 4" 7" comp. mainly because of the Saké track ("Skinner"- I believe this is the only release on which this song appears). After many listens... that's still the main reason it remains "post-worthy." If you haven't checked out Saké yet, you're missing out! They were a creative and talented band from Eureka, California that sometimes used a violin to complement their amazing crusty, metallic, rocked out "progressive hardcore." I just re-ripped their 7" and 10" with cleaner sound quality and higher bit rate, so if you're interested just go to the original post to download. Also, members went on to form an excellent sludge-rock band called The Hitch.

The EBS comp series was released by Allied Recordings (Music for the Proletariat!), which was also responsible for releasing such classics as Nausea's "Cybergod" 7" and Antischism's "Still Life" LP. The other three bands on this volume play either emoish rock (Nevertheless) or poppy punk (Crease and Marry Me). They're good for what they are, but I'm still all about the Saké!!!

Download EBS 4

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The Backwards Slide of Mass Genocide

It's time to take a break from the crusty stuff. Why would I want to do that? Good point, but sometimes good punk rock melodies are the just the call of the day. I can't think of a better fix than the three EPs by Portland's The Observers. This band came on the scene in the mid 2000's, dropped some jaws, released one full length, were touted as one of the best things to happen to punk in a long while, then abruptly fell off the face of the earth. Not really, as some key members are carrying on in a very similar band, The Red Dons. Both bands play punk rock/post punk with a bittersweet undercurrent to the music, and fairly dark themes to the lyrics. I hear a little Youth Brigade (LA), and some influence from The Wipers, but the bands are doing their own thing, and it's excellent! There's energy, intelligence, and infectious melodies popping out of every pore of these songs, and once in a while the drummer even treats us to great little drum solos. In 20 years, I can see myself complaining that they just don't make records like this anymore...

These seven inchers seem to be sold out everywhere, except Deranged Records has limited clear vinyl versions of "Lead Pill" for 8 bucks!... and some other stragglers may be found here.

Get These EPs here

Tracks:

Lead Pill EP

1. "Lead Pill"

2. "Can't Be Sad"

3. "Short Day"

4. "Normally Normal"

Walk Alone EP

1. "Walk Alone"

2. "The Void"

3. "Slipping Away"

Where I Stay EP

1. "Where I Stay"

2. "Manipulator"

Land of Eternal Stench

Here's a couple of Nor-Western bands that may not need too much of an intro. Hellshock is the advanced guard of the stench-core comeback and features a bunch of musicians from all of your favorite Portland bands. Their output has ranged from pretty good to outstanding, and I'd say the two tracks posted here are among their better ones. The band has released some EPs and two full-lengths, but many of their records are going out of print (perhaps this foreshadows a coming discography CD?); "Shadows of the Afterworld" may be purchased here or here. Sharing this EP is Consume, which is a Seattle-based band with a long history (members have played in Disrupt, Shitlist, State of Fear, Decrepit...). Their attack resembles that of their predecessors, and they have an uncanny way of making simple riffs that are engaging and powerful. You can still pick up their excellent split LP with Born/Dead here, and if you search hard enough, you may find their LP which collects their split and EP material.

The Hellshock/Consume split 7" was pressed by Blackwater Records in a series of presses that totalled 2000. You may still be able to find a copy here. The awesome cover art was done by Dennis Dread.

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Dark Freaky Circus Music of the Northwest

The final EP for today comes from the Seattle masters of gloom: Wormwood. Many genres claim these guys: doom, hardcore, black metal, goth... you decide. This EP is Wormwood's debut on vinyl, containing the two tracks, "Circus," and "Seven." If you're familiar with their album "Requiescat," then you know what to expect: guitarless, plodding bass mayhem with angry vocals and eerie organ-style keyboards. It's as if Man is the Bastard and/or Seized were asked to compose the soundrack to a Vincent Price movie, and it turned out good. All descriptions will end up sounding goofy, so if you're curious, just give the band a try. Perhaps it's needless to say, but Wormwood is no longer; their two full lengths are fairly easy to find and are highly recommended.

listen

Endless June Gloom

There must be something in the water up there in Washington-- a toxic level of gloom (or maybe it's just that lingering, oppressive overcast)! Öroku embodied this gloom with dreary down-tuned guitars, fairly slow tempos (mostly), and relentlessly caustic vocal snarls. This untitled EP provides three doses of gloom that remind me a little of the bands King of the Monsters Records used to specialize in (metallic, but not metal... hardcore, but not typical of any one particular style... always heavy, though). Öroku also released an excellent LP, but unfortunately they fell victim to the slash-and-burn trend of many Seattle bands these days, and broke up prematurely. Cool band... check 'em out.

Here

Northwestern Deicide

No, Order of the Vulture are not concerned at all with Harry Potter. They are, however, hellbent on celebrating all things blasphemous. The Order's debut EP "Christ Killer" is a venemous onrush of metallic hardcore with black metal vocals, themes, and aesthetics. They have refined their sound a bit since, as may be apparent on their highly recommended LP (on Aborted Society Records). The tracks from this EP will be made available again on the CD version of the LP, which Aborted Society is working on now. Keep an eye out for that, but I also recommend tracking down the vinyl version of this EP. The band did it up nice with white vinyl, a nice insert, poster, sticker, and patch. DIY is still the shit!

Listen

Northwestern Blight

It looks like I'm locking myself into a theme this week: wicked, gloomy bands of the American Northwest that may or may not have broken up. All the EPs posted today are presumably out of print and fit the above description (if you know them to be in-print, please comment so I can remove them). First up is a powerful, pre-Sanctum grind/crust-core band called Blight. This EP is their only vinyl release, as they broke up entirely too early. There are six crushers packed on this slab... for fans of Disrupt, Masskontroll, Infekcja, ENT, Napalm Death...

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No Sanctuary, and No Sanctum Either?

I thought I heard/read somewhere that Sanctum were breaking up. I hope that's not true, because they have been a powerful entity in the Pacific Northwest crust revival. The band plays/played dreary and brutal crust-metal not unlike Deviated Instinct engaging in D & D battle with Bolt Thrower. This 7" (2005) is the self-released press of their first record, "Enslaved" (another batch of 500 was repressed with different cover art). Aside from some recording flaws (I'd like to hear more vocals...), this is a solid debut from a formidable band. For more listening agony, track down Sanctum's other EP, split LP with Stormcrow, and recently released LP, "On The Horizon."

Listen here

Fugitive Equilibrium 101: A Retrospective Mixtape

Before I go on with post number 101, I'd like to say hello and thank you to the folks that stop by every once in a while and read/download. And, of course, a much bigger and sloppier thanks is due the to the handful of you kick-ass people who have left comments in the past (and hopefully in the future) as well as to the bloggers who have been kind enough to link this site (if you have me linked but I haven't returned the gesture- let me know!). Those who have mustered the volition and time to leave comments know what blogging is all about, and realize how crucial the sharing of encouragement, suggestions, stories, information, and opinions are to the on going dialogue (it also helps direct our future posts-- a sort of participatory blog experience). So thanks again to all of you.

Today's mixtape is a sort of "best of" sampler of the bands I've posted. It serves two purposes: 1) It gives newcomers a musical treasure map of previous posts (and some motivation for those of you who have not downloaded something because you suspected that you wouldn't like it or that it wasn't worth the wait to download). 2) It's a really rockin' playlist of some great bands! To keep this thing within the bounds of the 100 MB limit, I had to cut a lot of bands (very reluctantly). I first cut bands that only appear on split EPs, then had to cut some remaining ones because they are already fairly well known. It sucked to have to do that, but the mp3s for those records are all still up and ready for download if you scroll around. However, some of the download links on this sight are going to be removed soon for one reason or other (Post Regiment, Zero Hour, Life... But How To Live It... Just to let you know.

The Bands: 1. Zero Hour 2. Jeremin 3. Unhinged 4. Daymare 5. Hatred Surge 6. Zygote 7. Abc Weapons 8. Life... But How To Live It 9. Seized 10. Systral 11. Post Regiment 12. La Casa Fantom 13. Mine 14. Saké 15. Suppression 16. GOB 17. Waifle 18. Acursed 19. Fallout 20. Bonescratch 21. Sink 22. Silence 23. Asebia 24. Plutocracy 25. Spine Wrench 26. Short Hate Temper 27. Harsh 28. Quill 29. Damad 30. Brainoil 31. Dearborn SS 32. Grimple 33. Logical Nonsense 34. Arma Contra Arma 35. Bad Influence 36. Stapled Shut 37. Strychnine

Link has been removed.

Attention: Sweaty Collector Nerds!

Post number 100 (and it took just under a year, all right!) comes by way of the fulfillment of a request. Cliff commented about the "Make the Collector Nerd Sweat" comp. a little while back. This 10" is a classic and features two of my all time favorite bands (Crimpshrine and Jawbreaker), so I scoured the earth (not really) and found a good copy for, well, a non-collector nerd price. Not that it matters, but the one ripped here is the repress from the early nineties on Too Many Records (originally Very Small Records, but it's the same guy). If you haven't figured it out already, this comp falls more into the "pop punk" category, so if you're exclusively crusty in your listening habits, you may want to skip this one. However, if you like good and catchy punk rock, this comp is really great listen and, as mentioned before, a classic! Other super star standouts include The Mr. T Experience, Sam I Am, and Plaid Retina (Coffee & Donuts crank out a surprising good, moody instrumental number too). So, if you're into this sort of thing... enjoy!

Click me.

Back Cover & Track List:



Yes, it's THAT Offspring. Apologies in advance.

The Unholy Princes of the Split

We finish up this noisy split-week with the runners up in the race for split EP proliferation: Unholy Grave. These far-east dudes can always be relied upon for raw, yet unpredictable grind/hardcore. This split presents six roughly recorded UG tracks; supposedly they were recorded live in 1998, but the only actual "live show" recording seems to be the unlisted sixth track. I've heard mention that the band has somewhat dubious stances on certain current issues in the world. At least one track backs up that notion: "Just Another Terror?" Here the band rants that terrorists "Must be stopped!!" However, they don't mention at what price this stoppage is to be carried out. Isn't there enough fear-mongering in the mainstream?

Anyway, Depressor is a band I can completely sink my hooks into! These east-bayers shroud themselves in a bit of mystery-- releasing their records in small quantities, and generally not using much pomp in their "self-marketing." I kind of respect that, but I also think a lot more people out there should check these guys out. Depressor plays "Amebix-crust," and started even before the huge Nor-Cal/Pac-North West stenchcore revival. The band was first called Charger, and then gathered more troops and renamed. The recordings on this release are definitely from their more crusty era (they are heading more in the direction of early death metal these days). Tempo-wise, the band is not fast or slow, but every second of each song is heavy with distortion and rage, conveying the desperation cum defiance of their lyrics. All the songs in some way reflect the human desire to break free from the imposed order of things, but for me "Mold" hits home the hardest. This one explains how traditional forms of education systematically kill our creativity and only prepare us for life as a functionary in the profit machine. Original? No. But it's powerful in its stark presentation and in its stripped-down honesty-- the theme song for the paradox that is my life...

Download

"A Reality that's infinite

And yet they're telling us how to think

Creativity is kept on a short leash....

Many hours a day of mindless drudgery

Is training for what will be the rest of your life"

from "Mold" (Depressor)

Note: I wasn't sure where exactly the track "Subsystem" begins, so I did my best to estimate (it runs together with the previous track). Also, I put Depressor's heavy and noisy cover of "Largactyl" on this mixtape.

Agathocles: Lord of the Splits

This wouldn't be a proper "split week" without an offering from the kings of splits. This time Agathocles team up with LA cult grind legends, Excruciating Terror. Four tracks from ET, and 2 from Agatho. No pretty intros; no melody; no bullshit. Just the purest cuts of raw hatred.

Listen

Lash Out & Burst

This EP may not come from two of the most obscure bands, but it's out of print, and the bands are great, so here it is. Lash Out play what has become known as metalcore, but don't let that deter you. I'm starting to think I should be a little less prejudiced about that (rather overplayed) genre. LO play with a ton of scathing conviction, sincerity, and technical skill. Only one song from them, but it leaves an impression, for sure. The two Burst tracks are outstanding remnants of the period of time just prior to their "going Relapse." I enjoy their Relapse releases quite a bit, but in some ways I love their more hardcore work better. If you dug "Conquest:Writhe," or "In Coveting Ways," these tracks come from that era. Very "modern" and intricate, but still full of raw hardcore fury!

Listen

The Nuclear-Blackened Gates of Hell!

So I've heard that you like Japanese bands. Well, not all of them are good. There are two or three bad ones I'm sure, but that's irrelevant to today's post. The two bands of the day shouldn't disappoint you, even if you've been less than impressed with Disclose in the past. The G.A.T.E.S./Disclose split EP was originally released as a 7", and repressed here as a 10" (Plague Bearer Records). It is now sold out again, so it's time for a post! Maybe I haven't listened to later Disclose much, but they seem less formulaically Discharge-y this time. I consider this a good thing (And, yes, their "more is better" theory of distortion/volume usage is still in effect!). But, I'm going out of order, and need to mention that G.A.T.E.S. is one of the many great rock 'n roll hardcore bands coming out of Tokyo these days. Their three tracks deliver the goods: heavy drum production, raspy, traditional hardcore vocals, rockin' riffage, a little guitar solo wankery... I'm hooked! Keep an eye out for more from this band! But for now...

Download

A Week of Splits

This seems like a good week to unload some great split EPs on you- each day will bring a new one (ending Saturday). Some super stars you can look forward to hearing include Burst, Disclose, Excruciating Terror, etc. I'm fairly sure these are all out of print, but I can't be sure they haven't been posted elsewhere. Honestly, it's easier just to post something than check all the awesome blogs out there first. So, here is installment #1: They Live and Ruination (Deadalive Records, 1998?). They Live are alumni of the Infest/MITB/Spazz school of ass-pummeling, and Ruination take a more modern approach, resembling the angst-saturated chaos of Born Against, Kitchener, and/or Spacehorse. Both bands dominate (!), so you know what to do...

Download

It's Hittin' The Fan Now!

The Bay Area hardcore stuff I've been posting doesn't seem to be getting much download love. Maybe people out there don't realize how good it is! There's nothing like the "Shit Gets Smashed" comp. (East Bay Menace, 1995) to reveal that goodness! On this bastard you'll receive a veritable 40 oz. of dirty and/or crusty hardcore that evokes some serious punk rock inebriation, and which will leave you dizzy by the curbside, wretching your guts out by the end. If you love Grimple, Econochrist, and Filth... then I highly recommend this to you (even though those bands don't actually appear on this thing). I also recommend "SGS" if, like me, you're a sucker for female-fronted dark crust along the lines of Zero Hour, Unhinged, Jeniger, Children of Barren Wasteland, etc.

Synopsis (Band List)

Hot Rod Shopping Cart - Rock'n Roll hardcore. Pretty good... don't know what else they did.

Multi Facet - This band and OJOROJO (see below) shared the same singer. Both bands played awesome dark, crusty hardcore like the bands mentioned above. Some members also played in Grimple, Talk is Poison, El Dopa (1332), etc.

OJOROJO- see above

Mickey and the Big Mouths - Old school hardcore with hints of melody. Really good!

Loaded - Melodic hardcore not unlike early Grimple.

Squat - Very melodic female- fronted hardcore punk. "Misery" is a great song!

El Dopa (aka 1332) - Great dark and menacing hardcore. They had a name change and put out a 7" on Prank Recs and have an early discography CD available on Tee Pee Recs.

Strychnine - Rockin' Poison Idea-core. Two early recordings that would end up on "Dead Rats and Oakland Dogs."

Apeface - Great modern hardcore band. On these early tracks they sound like a mix a Filth and Econochrist. For a more emotive and "mature" Apeface, visit here.

Masterbaiter- Darker hardcore than their name would suggest. Good stuff, not unlike El Dopa, etc.

Smash Some Shit!

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Beer. Beach. Bike. Blogging?

It's summer (fucking) vacation!!! For the last five years I have opted to teach the toughest age group of all: 8th graders (that's 13 and 14 year-olds in case your country has a different grade system). Every summer break is more of a necessary period of recuperation than a vacation. It's a time to undo the knots and smooth out the psychological kinks that twist up inside us from six hours a day (and 180 days) dealing with hormonally charged wrecks (who can be downright mean at times!). I'm gonna miss them. But that doesn't mean I'm not REALLY glad it's over!

So with all this time on my hands, that means more frequent posts, right? Not necessarily. With the lack of comments and the sun blaring bright outside, I don't think my motivation will increase too much. Who knows... it may vary from week to week...

But the first post of this season of fun is from a band that I associate with fun too: Operation Ivy. I used to consider them a "guilty pleasure," but after so many years of OPIV listening and skanking joy, I can fully admit that I love this band! The " '69 Newport" EP is an early sampling of Operation Ivy's uniquely great brand of ska-punk that has won over thousands of punks of many persuasions over the years (their battle cry of "unity" seems to have worked!). These two tracks ("Hedgecore" and "Left Behind") have been compiled on some OPIV collections in the past, but in case you haven't heard them, here are some rips from one of the original Very Small Records pressings.

Link has been removed. I believe Epitaph has just released a CD with these tracks included.

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Strychnos Nux Vomica

The last post was an appetizer while I got this 17 track feast ripped. On "Dead Rats and Oakland Dogs," the motliest of East Bay crews, Strychnine, serve up all the tracks from the "Fucked Up Inside" EP (minus the Poison Idea cover) in re-recorded form, plus 13 more high gravity, rocked-out detonations. The production does wonders for the band's thick and gritty attack, as does the fact that these tracks were ripped from a pretty well-preserved piece of wax. Many of the masters recorded for East Bay Menace Records were tossed in the garbage (from what I've heard), so it's possible that this LP won't be released again (but stranger things have happened...)

Listen here!

Purchase some in-print Strychnine releases

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Choose Your Poison

Among the sweet and pristine breezes of Bay Area pop punk, Strychnine was a lung-full of hot, dirty, urban stench. Over the years, the band would gather its soldiers from such great Nor-Cal outfits as Crimpshrine, Econochrist, Capitol Punishment, Filth, etc. Armed with a love of Poison Idea, a love/hate for alcohol, and a bitterness brought on by the years, Strychnine has been sickening thousands for over a decade with their poisonous spew of burly rock-infused hardcore and chant-along choruses. The band's two earliest releases are long out of print, including this great "Fucked Up Inside" 7," released by Reform Records (Denver) around early 1996. Here you'll get 4 doses of the hardcore described above, but with some Crimpshrine-esque bass work, and a cover of Poison Idea's "A.A." If I get motivated enough, I'll post the "Dead Rats and Oakland Dogs" LP later this coming week.

Check it out here

Back Cover:

Leave Nothing Die !!!

I finally got my hooks on one of these! Since finding out about this great split between Sink and Hellnation (Sound Pollution, 1997), I have made it a little side mission to find one for cheap. So here it is. I believe this is the only other release Sink did other than their great 7". These four Japanese ladies have been brutalizing me for about eleven years, always finding some way back onto my turntable. This time they crush and grind us with three more raw, dark crust stampedes. Vocally, the band is more varied, throwing in some painful screams and yelps rather than the crusty barking prevalent on their other outing. No disappointments here! All three tracks kill-- especially "Life."

What needs to be said about Hellnation? If you're into grind or any fast hardcore, you probably have a ton of stuff by these Kentuckians. The split 7" format is the best way to enjoy this extremity of noise, primarily because the piercing vocals can be overbearing in too large a quantity. The band offers no fillers here. Nothing but the best Hellnationization! (they even flatter their split-mates with a cover of "Leave Nothing Die").

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Puro Desmadre

Blasting the Lack of Interest/Stapled Shut 7" again after so many years re-piqued my interest in both bands. Since Stapled Shut are the lesser known, and never released an LP or even a split LP (that I know of), they are the perfect post candidates for a blog like this. SS (sorry that's just their abbreviation) finished their career playing infectious and simple thrash with fast d-beat drumming and simple riffs, played through fuzzy distortion that was as dirty as the most soot-encrusted freeway sign in LA. The band managed to make this formula powerful and interesting through tight playing and short songs. That split with Lack of Interest and the EP posted here, "World of Noise" (Clean Plate Recs, 1996?) represent this climactic point of SS's life, and are therefore recommended to be played first. Being such a generous dude, I have also loaded their tracks from the Despise You/Stapled Shut split EP, and tracks from three different comps into the folder below. I'm not sure if those are all the comp tracks they ever did, but they are the only ones I know about (The Despise You tracks were left out because you can find those with good sound quality here, there, or even maybe over there). Stapled Shut never supplied lyric sheets, but based on the song titles, they are either about how fucked up the world is, or about gettin' stoned. So if either of those sentiments fit your mindset today, Stapled Shut has composed the score...

Stapled Shut EP, Split EP Tracks, Comp Tracks

Stapled Shut/Lack of Interest split 7" (in case you missed it before)

Unauthorized Duplication is the Obvious Solution!

Before we dig into today's auditory buffet, I'd like to point out that commenter and all around stand-up guy, Javier, has done us a huge favor by uploading Logical Nonsense's rare "Deadtime" LP. This album is incredible, and may even be a little surprising (in the vocals department) for those of you familiar with LN's later work (Green Day meets Napalm Death... um, no). Thanks again for doing that Javier!

As foretold, the arrival of "Vinyl Retentive" on compressed digital files is here! This massive comp. is one of a handful that shaped my musical world during my late teens, for better or for worse (along with some of the early Lookout! collections and so forth). On a comp. of this magnitude (33 bands), you're bound to dislike or even hate some of the tracks, especially considering the diversity presented herein. One thing is for certain: this is a unique ride indeed, the peaks and valleys of which range from the bizarre as fuck (Pounded Clown), to the silly as fuck (Horny Mormons), the catchy as fuck (Nar), the twisted as fuck (Lizards), all the way to, of course, the awesome as fuck (Econochrist). Some other "big" names include Buzzoven, Logical Nonsense, Grimple, Pinhead Gunpowder, Gr'ups, and Schlong. The sides of each of the two LPs seem to be organized loosely around the featured bands' styles: sides A and D contain most of the melodic, poppy punk bands (with tons of variation within that genre), side B presents the groovy, progressive rock/metal bands, and side C delivers the angry, heaviosity! There's tons of fun to be had here, so grab your favorite mind altering substance (or don't), and crank it loud!

LP #1
LP#2

Note: I didn't realize just how many times I have spun this beast in years past. It really shows in the crackley background noise. I did what I could to counter this, but it still sounds... rustic. Sorry about that. Or maybe I'm not. This is "Vinyl Retentive" after all (emphasis on the vinyl); perhaps this is as it should be (Maybe I should've named this post Vinyl Expulsive). Each pop and crack is a memory of mine coming loose...

Back Cover & Tracklist

"What Are You Pointing At?"

Here's the first in a pair of compilations I'll be posting this week put out by Very Small Records in the late eighties/early nineties. I'll always remember Very Small for its/his eclectic punk output, and snide/silly sense of humor (see cover design to the left). The 10" you see here was released in '89 and then repressed in '94 (on Too Many Records... really it's the same label). "What Are You Pointing At?" is a classic, featuring early work from Econochrist and Screeching Weasel, as well as four good, slightly more obscure bands. Yes, the Econochrist tracks have already been compiled on their essential discography CD (Ebullition Records). These two are among the band's earliest recordings, and display punkier, more melodic songwriting than on the later, more discordant and angry material for which they would become legendary. I'm not sure about the availability of the other bands' material. Screeching Weasel drop two catchy, fast pop-punk jams, one of which, "I Wanna Be a Homosexual," may be their catchiest and funniest of all time. The rest of the troop, Vapor Lock, Schizoid, Dissent, and Bazooka Joe, come from different parts of the country and each play their own style of '80's hardcore and/or punk with energy and panache! I think you'll like this one... and if you have any info about the last four bands, definitely don't hesitate to help out and leave a comment!

Download It

Back Cover & Track List

A Three-Part Recovery Program for Former Listeners of "Adult Contemporary" Part 1: Agathocles & Shikabane

I have some split 7" ragers I've been wanting to rip and get out here for a while. Since many Americans have a three day weekend (I have four!), and the weather sucks, this seemed like the time to do a "Triple Thrash Threat" kind of deal, Fugitive E. style (please don't sue me, MTV)! Today's "program" begins with a Belgium vs. Japan match-up. Most of you know Agathocles, at least by reputation. What reputation would that be...? I guess the band competing with Unholy Grave for the unofficial "Who Can Do the Most Split Records" contest. Here again they pump out three more simple mince tracks that are more compelling and enjoyable than I remember my last AG experience being (which was admittedly a while ago). Good stuff, although they aren't my favorite band in the world.

Shikabane, on the other hand, is a band I always look forward to hearing from. Those who know this band will be a little surprised by their offerings on this one. Missing is the brooding layer of darkness which has become the hallmark of this band. Instead, these tracks resemble the energetic thrash attack of Romantic Gorilla or Quill. I like their newer material better, but it's still nice to see where this band "came from." Note: I don't know how to transcribe Japanese titles. Sorry. If anyone knows a good method to learn this, do share!

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Part 2: D.P.P.S & Nailed Down

Our second installment brings us back to Japan with DPPS. These psychos play a screaming mad, high energy grind/hardcore that is as tightly played as it is energetic. These ragers win the match on this split because they kick ass, and for reasons I'll explain below. Once again, sorry about the "Japanese Title" thing.

It has been said on another blog that Austraila's Nailed Down didn't release anything great since their 3" CD. This may indeed be the case. The tracks on this record are alright, but they have a certain listless, sloppy feel to them that led to ND losing some listeners. The band is obviously excited by eighties Japanese and Swedish hardcore as can be witnessed in their distortion, raw simplicity, and "pidgin" English song titles (eg. "Grand Order of Confuse Assasin"). The best track is a cover song (Mob 47), which is usually a fairly bad sign.

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Part 3: Lack of Interest & Stapled Shut

Finally, we have this split between two fast LA area bands. Lack of Interest drop an impressive set list of Negative Approach-styled hardcore that is tempered by the band's proximity to Burbank (Infest). Good stuff-- I'd say some of their best!

Stapled Shut are the LA area's compilation darlings. Here they get to shine with a full six tracks of their stoned-out, fuzzed-out thrash. The extremely fuzzy, yet warm sounding distortion is the standout quality here, as is the fast d-beat drumming (which occasionally lapses into a blast-beating). The songs are simple, but somehow keep your attention (the short song lengths help, too). I have another EP from these guys somewhere, so let me know if you want me to post it.

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(Not Such A) Bad Influence

If you're one of those people who were disappointed by the brevity of Zygote's lifespan, this post may provide a morsel of solace. It seems Tim Crow, bass player for Zygote and The Smartpils, hadn't received his fill either, and joined with some Belgian musicians to create Bad Influence. The mention of Crow's name is not incidental or gratuitous, for his bass work is, in a major way, a crucial ingredient to the gloomy brew concocted on the "Afterbirth" CD (Genet/Skuld/Self-released). The bouncier tracks absolutely reek of Zygote in the best way imaginable, while at other times, when the tempo creeps more slowly, the band wafts out a thick overcast of atmospheric despair, infiltrating the nightmarish and paranoid recesses of the human psyche. "Afterbirth" is a dark affair, so be sure to imbibe when the sun is shining and sharp objects are out of reach.

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