See I told you so

2009-01-02T23:45:00.001-08:00

Top Ten of 08

2009-01-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

You care.

10. Homostupids-Cat Music 7"
Follow up to last years godhead "The Edge" is not as good, but still "Better than your band".

9. UV Race 7"
Great punk that flew with Birdmen under the radar, whatever that means.

8. Francis Harold and the Holograms 7"
Totally great noise that mixes Killdozer, Flipper and early Pissed Jeans. But I mean, not as good as any of those, still...

7. Kriegshog Hardcore Hell 7"
Hype bought. This is good, like Framtid good.

6. Loser Life "My Hell" LP
They seem to be one of the more polarizing bands in real punk today. I love em, even if they ruined a whole pressing of their 7" with spray paint. Also I get the feeling if I knew them I wouldn't like em.

5. Clown "Livestock World" LP
You know how about 5 years ago, everyone was so ga-ga over Jap-Core and you totally bought into it and now you have, like, Heartwork 7"s that you never listen to? This record is as good as you thought that was. How's that for a sell?

4. Invasion "La Caza" 12"
Nowhere near the monster that the 1st LP was, but still great. Best Spanish punk band ever.

3. Condominium "Pupils" 7"
After a first 7" of great(if not forgettable) hardcore, the follow up blows it away. Fanboy.

2. Eddy Current Suppression Ring "Primary Colours" LP
ECSR in Spin in 09. You heard it hear first.

1. Sex/Vid "Nests" 7"
Again, I'm buying the hype. For all the complaining the try-hards and try-harders did about that vaguely similar riff from that canine desire song(or that other song about wanting to be a fox), you'd think that every other punk record this year was fresh and original. And although the 12" is also great, the really should break up and never look back. This record is good enough to take Layla Gibbon seriously. SRSLY.

Sorry Dutchess and the Duke, Lebenden Toten, Pink Reason, N/N, D4, Brain Handle, Herds, Cola Freaks, Smart Cops, -/-, Masshysteri and Stagnation. I guess make your records a little better next year.

Hate say I told you so

2008-11-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

Just kidding, I love it.

McCarthyism part two.

Let the blackballing begin....

2008-11-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

While I think that Nader could have chosen his words more carefully, what is ultimately a lame play on words is pretty much going to end the career of someone who held a lot of leftist hopes for the better part of a decade. A poor choice of words means that no one is going to answer the very valid questions he was asking, and sets a very dangerous precident for anyone critical of Barack Obama. No doubt in my mind that Obama was the best of the candidates for the job, but Nader was the only candidate asking the questions I was asking. It's just unfortunate that the Amecican social climate is so knee-jerky that some poor taste disqualifies the validity of his questions. Accountability is out the door, "change" is the new buzz. Canadians are jumping on the bandwagon, even though few of them muster more commentary than "Well, Bush is just an idiot and Obama sounds like he knows what he's talking about". Hollywood Politics.

Seeing as how I live in Canada, I'm doubtful that the election will affect my life meaningfully at all. While a modicum of change is inevitable, I'm not holding my breath(much like the Bush's presidency had no real affect on my life). The same system is intact and it's going to be fine. I'd love to be wrong though.

I can live with this.

2008-10-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

2008-10-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Where ya been?

2008-10-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Not on the computer writing things no one reads. Probably not going to change anytime soon.
Some summer pictures, so what?

Chronic Seizure

Herds

Big Bry looking great!

Legendary Dudes

Condominium

Condominium

Nate being a totally cool guy.

Search and Destroy at War On

A new friend

Sometimes old people can have fun too, sometimes.

Mind Control/Vile Hands/Modern Problems/Freaks July 8

2008-07-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Ty-Guy!

2008-06-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure some of you know, Tyson AKA Ty-Guy Shwaluk died today. Let this be a lesson that smoking kills. Instead of turning this into a eulogy, I just want to remember the good times. Tyson had a smile that could light up a room. I'll miss you good buddy!

See you soon.

2008-05-10T11:36:00.001-07:00

Personalized Glitter Graphics

420 Retard Convention

2008-04-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Wanna know why everyone hates young people? Sorry these aren't in order, boo hoo.

Oh Cannabis
"Maybe my rat would like to dance in the dirt with me?"

This hygienic guy was there, obviously. Lock up your daughters.

This was kind of a hard shot to get. Some clown shoe, who just blew snot all over his face and clothes. All his friends were laughing at him. Traitors.

"Alright, I'm just take a seat and read a book, I'm a fucking momo and my name is this guy"

I think this guy is in Brain Handle

Who woulda thought there would be idiots with drums? The didgeridoo was icing on the cake. Who would wanna dance to that?

I was wrong. Two freaks and a pervert, dancing in dirt.

These kids spent like 5 minutes trying to give me a good shot of them with their gasmask weed thing. They never did really give me the shot they desperately wanted to, but they still get MCL for trying.

Two real winners. Apex of humanity right here.

Bedazzled.

OBV Sam was there. He was probably wearing this shirt because it was the most psychedelic thing in his wardrobe.

"Hey freak, let's see your hat!"

You can see my shirt because I had to hide my camera. Somehow I don't think "Hey freak, you look like Silent Bob, let me take your picture!" would have flown.

These kids were probably narcs.

Ty Guy got really stressical about these garbage cans on the way there. Quelle domage!
Individual style.
"Hey man, why are you here?" "Weed!" "Oh, okay"

"Hey you!, what does your sign say?" "Oh..."

"Hey you, I'm gonna take your picture, party a little!" and this is what I got. A little effort would have been nice.

Fuck them all.

2008-03-10T16:02:00.001-07:00

Go to bed Mike Part 2

2008-03-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Go to bed Mike.

2008-03-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Daily Life BLAAAAAAAAAH!

2008-03-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

A big backlog of random shots. Oh fun.

I babysat a 17 year old that got stoned a lot. I took this picture and told him I was gonna narc him out. He bought it.

Nick Donahue AKA Smiley Nick was in town and I neglected to take a shot of him, so here's a picture of one from a few years back.
I ate at taco bell in Fargo twice. Lots of coolies.

"Hey guys, I've got an idea for the back of our record cover..."

Some friends enjoying a show. Hardcore lives.

I saw a dead body.
Nuff Said

Tyson's dong might be in there somewhere.

I slept for an hour in Portage La Prarie, ultimately for no reason. I took this picture while watching Sportscenter from some little kid's dirty couch. About two hours before we ate free Eggos and lost a dog.

The evolution of Ty-Guy.

There's Monster around, it's something to do.
YA RLY!

Huge Knives That Kill 6 is on it's way

2008-03-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

YA EYE DEW!!!

I've been giving my zine thing another go so it's been quiet around here. Like you care.

Out with a Bang-Love My Life

2008-02-20T13:37:00.001-08:00

This was originally supposed to be part of an international zine compilation that has been delayed(killed?) for so long that I wanted to use this before it's too out of date. I kinda hate it but whatevs...

Out With a Bang "Love my Life" 7"

Out With a Bang has always made it clear what side of the "PC fence" they are on, but it seems that a few favorable reviews from the other side have caused them to take it up a notch(although The Grabbies "Better Sexist Than Faggot" might have set the bar pretty high). While "I'm Against It" contained lyrics that I'm sure sent a few people home crying, there really wasn't anything too faux-pas. So on this record(their 3rd) the line is clearly drawn in the sand. "Afraid of life, afraid of words, you need a safe place? stay the fuck home". Sure, I'm with you.. If you are easily offended and can't handle it, don't bother. Life is offensive and the sooner you learn that the easier it gets. I could give a fuck about the language, however their tact is lacking. While OWAB complains about people being overly reactionary towards them, they react to that by purposely trying to piss them off. "Fag, Fag, Fag...Fagaphobe, Oi! Sieg Heil Motherfucker". Now I'm not dumb enough to take that seriously, and if you think all punk lyrics were meant to be taken completely literally then you "Are Feeble Bastard" and "Can Tell One What To Do". But what's the point of this? Are people offended by who you are or are they offended because you are trying to offend them? I sure as fuck think it's okay to offend people, but why offend people just for the sake of doing so? I know the joy of pushing buttons and playing stupid, and it's very obvious that OWAB is doing just that. But, if you are trying to start shit, why are you complaining when shit starts? PC hysteria(although thankfully on the wane) is responsible for nothing but counter-productivity and witch hunts, and OWAB is obviously not as dumb as they are trying to appear, however I just see both sides having a big retarded knee-circle-jerk.

In the couple of years between when I became "responsible"(12), and when I was brought home in the back of a cop car(14), I used to sit for neighborhood kids. Making 3 dollars an hour to be spent on burritos, Sonic Youth cds and what not. Among the kids I sat, which are all probably making 3 times what I do at this point, were these 2 brothers. The younger one would hit the older one, and inevitably the older one would hit him back. Then the younger one would come crying to me about getting smacked and the older one would be defensive, crying about he hit him first. The whole bullshit PC argument runs parallel in my eyes, two sides whining their heart out, neither one is "right" and both sides baiting the other. The PC crowd is trying to enforce respect and dictate dialogue, both of which are extremely vain pursuits. The "Anti-PC" crowd is doing whatever they are told not to do, regardless of whether they should or not. They both exist only as an accessory to the other. Act, reaction. Personally, I burnt the "PC fence" down. I think both sides are juvenile and really want nothing to do with either one. As a young 'un I was firmly in the PC camp but as I grew older I realized that it's unnecessary, arrogant and pointless. Unlike so many others, I never swung so far the other way that I became a parody of myself. There is a nice middle ground full of people who I respect and I'll continue to shake my head at both sides. I'm not so dumb as to throw hissy fits when someone calls me "gay" and it's not that I don't get the joke, I just don't really think it's that funny.

The other things that bothers me is how insular such lyrics are. I can only wonder how someone who isn't familiar with PC backlash would interpret such a thing. While the intention is very clear to me, I'm not sure I could really fault someone outside of punk for taking them at least somewhat literally. Not to mention the uncomfortable feeling I get from mental pictures of the, uh, retards in our ranks singing along. I'm well aware that I've probably put more thought into these lyrics than it took to pen them, and if the whole point of them is to irritate people then I'm falling for it. I agree with the message, not the medium. I'm not upset with what they're saying, just how they are saying it. It's obviously not serious, and the taunting nature makes "Fagaphobe" much more acceptable than the million bands who cover "I'm not a loser" stone-faced. One side going to go "They said 'Fag', awesome", while the other "They said 'Fag', fuck them". Intelligent discourse and critical thinking be damned. It's clearly gimmicks and bait tactics, and they should be above it.

When Out With a Bang toured the US this spring I saw them 3 times. While they were okay, to be honest they weren't anything special(although once they were quite good). A band that approaches their set with indifference, will probably be met with the same by me. They were a mess. While their banter and presence was comedic, none of that matters if the tunes suck. Being fucked up and saying "Mussolini" a lot really isn't as shocking as it might of been at one point, and while I'm sure some people will still get up in arms about such things, I'm just bored. I'm sure they really care what I think too. After sharing a moment with the singer afterwards, I have no doubt that it's not a stage persona. They are for real, and they mean it maaan... but that in itself doesn't impress me, anymore. "Welcome to the real world".

However, I've always been very impressed with OWAB's records and this might be their best one yet. I really think this stuff is usually better recorded. My problems with live shows is a whole other thing in itself, but this way I can enjoy the tunes without enduring a tantrum and the one-upmanship of the crowd. "Love my Life" accomplishes exactly what it's going for, sounds desperate without being silly and is basically perfect. A great raw guitar, falling apart songs, stupid lyrics and drawling vocals. Like almost every other great punk record, there's no real production values, just a bunch of fuck ups going in the studio, banging it out and nailing it. OWAB understands very well what you need(anger, sass, creativity) and what you don't need(gear, production, talent) to make a great punk record. It's just a shame that most of "Fagaphobe" is the lyrical equivalent to a swastika drawn on a 4th graders binder. Despite all my pedantic bellyaching, they are still one of the best bands in punk today, no gimmicks needed.

Lurkers be fucked.

2008-02-14T22:02:00.001-08:00

Does anyone even read this thing?

Gluebaggin'

2008-02-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

Though I'm far from the first to lament the fact, the majority of long-time punkeroos show their true colors when they dismiss UK-82 punk. "Fuck that poser hair punk shit". So rather than piss on those who listen only to the tunes of clean-shaven Yankee teens, and obscure-o Japcore from years ago, I'm deviating from my set course and offering some prime cuts that will separate the try-hards from the die-hards. I dream of shows full of dumb kids with dumb hair and Abrasive Wheels shirts, drunk as shit running into each other and bloodying noses, instead of shows where people can sit on the ground directly in front of the band to shot pictures. Whatever. None of these are obscure, but these days the kids can sing along to "Lou's Anxiety Song" and not "Warhead", so who fucking cares? None of these records are hard to get either, but download em if ye must. I don't mean this as a best of, but if it'll make you angry take it as one. Stop trying so hard, it feels great. 5 good places to start:

Partisans-The Power and the Greed(from 17 Years of Hell 7")
Anything off the self-titled LP fucking rips too, but this is pretty much the pinnacle of teenage leather zit punk. Aside from Discharge, this the most aesthetically pleasing punk of the era. None of the silly pretense or expanded horizons that ruined(and ruins) those who think to much of their bands, just perfectly angst driven teenage stupid punk. 17 Years of Hell would probably be tattoo'd on my arm if that wasn't ten years ago. Get it while you can.

Disorder-Daily Life(from Distortion til Deafness 7")
Why are the kids listening to Kuro, Confuse and Gai, but not Disorder? That's like listening to Bl'ast! without listening to Black Flag, and I hope that's not happening yet.

Conflict-As Others See Us(from Increase the Pressure LP)
While I'm often quick to dismiss(and mock) attempts by punk bands to be overtly "POLITICAL" , Conflict(as well as a few others) will always hold a very special place for me. First, and most importantly, most bands who feel the need to market themselves as "POLITICAL"(not that Conflict necessarily did) do so due to the fact that they are bad. Conflict is not bad. What's more, instead of engaging in silliness like"Wall of Death-ing the System", Conflict truly believed in what they were doing and that it can, it will and it is happening. If you are going to be addressing serious issues, you should be doing so with the utmost seriousness, which is where Conflict succeeds and the hordes of clueless Pizza Thrashers fail. "As Others See Us" is not one of their most iconic cuts, but I think it's their best.

Cockney Rejects-We Can Do Anythings(from Greatest Hits Vol 2) and
4Skins-Chaos(from the Good, the Bad and the 4Skins LP)
While all the coolies think they are such cuz they listen to Skrewdriver("but it's like the pre-racist stuff, so it's cool"), these 2 blow them away. Hard Skin is all fine and good, but Cockney Rejects sound exactly the same and aren't kidding. And "Chaos" is easily the top song about the imminent skinhead take over. So what if the stinky kids with brown pants think you're "sketchy"?, that's a good thing.

GBH-Generals(from Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne 12")
I had always sort of dismissed GBH with the same sanctimony that most of my peers did(do?), although I would often play the live version of "Give Me Fire" from Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Vol 1 for people to get them to admit they liked it before revealing who it was. Of course, once I got to the age where I can finally get over myself, I picked this up for 5 bucks and here I am singing it's praise. Pretty much everything you could possibly want from a punk record. No excuses.
Oh yeah, for fucks sake get Neu Smell already. Trust me, you'll be able to get most of the new records you buy for half the price in three years anyway.

Walls LP

2008-02-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

The Walls 7" released last year was solid, if not unspectacular. Much of the hype was due to the ex-member status. My two cents: Held up to "Blinded" it just plain sucks, but held up to some of the other tripe being hocked as "essential", it was a worthy pick up. However I question why certain people of suspect taste wouldn't stop talking about. I hee'd and haw'd over the LP for a couple weeks and rather than do the theft/test drive thing, I just bought it. It's pretty much what I expected. Solid, interesting, really well-executed but still ultimately unspectacular. I've made a couple arguments as of late about the relationship of "okay", "pretty good, I guess" and "bad", and how they are now the same thing as far as I'm concerned. The past few Under Pressure records were "okay", Violent Minds are "pretty good, I guess" and Clorox Girls are "bad". Obviously some of those bands are better than others and have varying levels of merit, but in a world with thousands of "good" punk records, who has time for all of that? The Walls LP is "really good" , I guess.

OOFFLES

2008-01-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Pissing on the Brainbombs

2008-01-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

More than one well meaning, well schooled punk-o with proven refined tastes has thrown the name "Brainbombs" in my direction. Knowing that a couple of them are in Totalitar(god) meant that I had to stop sleeping and check it out. So seeing as I live in a town without a record store worth checking out, I used my internet machine to hear some of these tunes. At first I thought it sounded cool, a nice chunky riff, creepy vocals and gloom abound. Then I started to hate it. What makes or breaks any music(in any genre) is focus and execution, and Brainbombs fall flat in both of these areas. While a sonically similar band like Swans is very refined and laboriously put together, Brainbombs come across like a thrown together side-project, an inside joke. Their lyrical efforts to sound "evil" and provocative are extremely forced, and while a language barrier might be partially responsible for this, songs about killing and raping people without making a point are for fools. Lyrical the Brainbombs are Answer Me! for Dummies. Please reference "Jordan, Minnesota" for an example of how to do it right. The music itself is an exercise in tedium, and while that in itself doesn't exclude greatness(or even perfection) this lacks any of the charm of our fave San-Fran fish masters and their ilk. I'm left wondering what my friends see that I don't. As always, make up your own mind, I did.

Top Ten of 2007

2008-01-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here's my top ten list of 2007. Me and "The Body" are doing zine that will give me an excuse for more long-winded ego patting write-ups, this is just the list.
I've read a few try-hard pretender's lists made up of hipster crap and their friends bands. As always, get fucked.

More in Huge Cows That Kill #1.

1.Lebenden Toten-Death Cult Deprivation 8"
2.Extortion-Control 7"
3.Ecoli 7"
4.Busy Signals LP
5.Sex Vid-Tania 7"
6.Loser Life-I have ghosts and I have ghosts 12"
7.Totalitar LP
8.Homostupids-The Edge 7"
9.Cola Freaks-7"
10.Repurcusions-12"

Daily Life, Blah.

2007-12-22T22:49:00.001-08:00

Spectres Cold War 7"

2007-12-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing a thing or two about this band for a while, and being that I'll pick up anything on Whispers in Darkness, I added this 7" to a recent mail order. Being the impatient product of instant gratification that I am, I peeked ahead on a certain "place for friends" and was not impressed. It just sounded dull, redundant and overly referential of something that hasn't aged well. I was preparing a whole argument about how it's fine to emulate certain aspects of "classics", but how lyrics about the Cold War is just a grasp at the legitimacy achieved by those bands. If it's been close to 30 years since it's been "20 odd years now waiting for a flash", we can stop writing songs about it. Or maybe write a song about how you can draw a clear line from the start of the Cold War to the 9-11 attacks. So yesterday the package arrives and after spinning D-Clone(kills) I put this thing on and get ready to tear it apart. Whoops, as I read along with the lyrics to "Cold War" I find that it's not about the Cold War, but (unless I'm dead wrong) rather a pretty intelligent dissertation about how leftist types deify the members of a repressive, violent regime(Bolsheviks). Some of the lyrics are needlessly silly ("a single black bird flies though the sky"), but not enough that it ruins it. The music sounds much better on vinyl. A few people have criticized the vocals, since most bands of this style have British accents. While I agree that it would probably would sound better with the accent, I'm glad they don't fake one. This is a much better record than I anticipated after my preview. It's not super exciting or anything , but it's far from the turd I was expecting.

What?

2007-11-08T00:26:00.000-08:00

This stuff was all going to be in a zine I was going to do. It's dead in the water, so I'm stripping it apart to use for a compilation zine. Here's the reviews that aren't gonna make it. Big Fuckin' Deal.

La Piovra "Risacca" 7"
Anti-You "Pig City" 7"

While these 2 records don't really have a lot in common sonically, I did pick them both up as a result of some reviews I had read and kicked myself after seeing they were both on "Punx Before Profits", so lets lump em together. "Punx Before Profits" is responsible for releasing (and it's proprietors responsible for making) some of the most forgettable and unnecessary hardcore records of the last 5 years. Needless to say I was less than enthused to find myself the owner of 2 of their releases. However once I gave these an honest chance I'm quite surprised that I think both are actually worthwhile.

La Piovra (The Octopus) is an Italian band with a unique damaged guitar and great mid-paced punk songs. Not quite hardcore but somewhere close. I don't know if it's the Ugly American (uh...Canadian) in me, but I'm reminded of a slower, more eccentric Crudos, even though they sound nothing like them and the vocals are in Italian. They also released a 7" that's just Peggio Punx covers, so you'd probably wanna stay away from that. Get the yellow one with zippers on it because it fucking kills.

Anti-You are also Italian and have a more straight-forward US hardcore sound, with English vocals. While there is nothing really special about this, but it's solid. Of course, the Discharge cover is wasted wax but luckily it's the last song, so you can lift the needle as soon as it starts.

Total Abuse "Sex Pig" Ep
Deranged records is a shitty label that puts out a lot of good records. From the minimal packaging (which doesn't seem stylistic, it just seems cheap), high wholesale prices, trend jumping and talent pilfering, it appears to be more of a business than a labour of love. Excuse the paraphrasing, but I recall the Smalltown interview from Razorcake a couple years ago, "Gord said he had read some reviews of ours and was interesting in putting out an LP". Not to completely tear someone I've never met face to face apart, and I haven't heard anything negative about the way they treat the bands, but it all just seems a little questionable and suspect. That said, I still seem to end up buying a lot of the records on the label. I'm treading the line between hypocrite and fan. So sue me.

Total Abuse is a sloppy hardcore band from Austin. At first I was wondering why Deranged would put this out, because I hadn't heard of them and they didn't seem to be an "ex-members" group. The internet is quick to point out that Total Abuse is "ex-Snobs", although comparing inserts with the Snobs "Control" EP, none of the names match up. So I guess I understand the inherit hype, but really, your guess is as good as mine. All the better, easier to be objective. The record sounds really great, nice rough recording, the songs don't drag and the lyrics are nice and dumb ("Get a clue, I'm better than you, I drink champagne, you eat dog food"). This is one of the best US hardcore records of the year, but if you're like me you'll feel guilty plugging it.

Homostupids "The Edge" EP
I think that the Homostupids attempts to remain anonymous and mysterious would have succeeded better, say 10 years ago. With the Information Superhighway, everyone is in on every secret, and short of not playing shows there isn't much of a way around it. That said, you have to respect the fact that they aren't throwing around the "ex-member" status like so many others. Luckily, they kill, so having their cover blown is inconsequential. "The Edge", thankfully, is more in line with "The Glow" and "The Intern" than "Brutal Birthday", and is a fucking great hardcore record. "Brutal Birthday" was okay, and did get more enjoyable with time, but I'd rather listen to raging hardcore than nob-twiddling any day. Apparently this is already sold out, so buy it if you see it. Great white hope.

Warning Vinyl Fanzine 7"
Thanks to a friend finding these at Extreme Noise, I was able to get my mitts on this elusive piece of wax. Normally I'd be able to pass on an $8 new 7", but being the rabid Lebenden Toten fanboy I am, I sucked it up and shelled it out. The LT song is great, the rest of it pretty take it or leave it. I don't know about you, but Dog Soldier covering "Fuck the USA" isn't really a "must have". This is nowhere near the quality of the print zine, but still worth it for the LT song if you care. I do. Why so expensive though?

Criminal Damage "No Solution" lp
Like everyone else I was in love with the last LP and really looking forward to this. After having it for about a month, I'm really starting to appreciate it more, but it will always be measured up to the impossible to repeat 1st LP. It's really a shame it's fucking great, but it's just lacking something that made the last one untouchable. Either way, there is no excuse not to get this, it's bound to be one of the best records of the year. File next to "Tania"?

Sinks 7"
More sloppy as fuck garage punk from at least one member of the Retainers. Crazy garage punk, recorded on a two-track(rockstars) and pressed on a piece of mud. If you dug any of the 15 Retainers records that came out in the past year, you'll want this. Great, great.

Holy Shit! 12"
I was really into their previous efforts, but the more I listen to this, the more it's leaving me cold. Whereas their last EP, "Jazz Phase", just oozed character, this is way closer to the thrash revival revival stuff that is currently being beaten to death coast to coast. This easily holds it's own against any of that stuff and rips pretty hard, but I was expecting something special. I'll be keeping this, but I'm not sure I can recommend it. Make up your own mind for once.

Socialcide "Burn in Hell Bundy" 7"
They must be really nice guys or something

2007-10-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

haven't posted in forever. too bad for you. been working on my print zine and schooling in Scrabble.
fuck you.

More Photo Filler

2007-10-02T23:02:00.001-07:00

Cut me some slack, I've been busy. Fuck a life.

Tree Vagina.

Looks like Sam got himself a marker.
Sold.
They talk about next level... they don't know what they are talking about.

Redundanit? My thoughts exactly.

2007-09-28T22:20:00.001-07:00

2007-09-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

weekend.

2007-09-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Seems like a good idea at the time...

120 later I'm sure it is, even if my pee smelled like butter.

Last day of Summer

no end in sight

2007-09-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

Interesting? Probably not for more than 3 people. I lied.

Again, there is not too much here because moving is expensive. I'm being a little more selective and only really getting stuff I know I want. For the next few weeks at least. It's probably for the best.

Canadian Rifle-2nd 7"(criminal IQ)
I'm calling this the 2nd 7", even though I'm not sure which one came out first. Slightly different line-up and a bit of a different sound. More Jawbreaker than Leatherface this time. Either way it's still great melodic punk. I'd probably recommend the other 7" 1st, but both are worth picking up.

Framtid/Seein Red 7"
I few months ago I was running my mouth about how I didn't wanna buy splits anymore, "unless like fuckin' Framtid does one". So here we are. 3 new tracks from the best band in Japan and they all kill. None are as memorable as "Punishment" but still better than almost anything else new. You should be hip to them by now. Usually Seein Red has been a band that I like, but never listen to. Their 4 cuts here are totally great, better than I expected. This is obviously a no-brainer.

Diatribe-Aftermath 7"
A lot of wannabe experts seem to having trouble differentiating between a "classic" and a "historical curiosity". Their seems to be a misconception that anything released before 1984 is "classic", regardless of it's merit. This leads to any band that played 3 shows and wrote a song about "society" being revered by the mp3 crowd as another notch on the bedpost.

Diatribe was a band from San Diego, released these tunes as a tape in 1985, never put out a record and have been referred to as the 1st US d-beat band. One might point to AF's "Power" and the like, but I understand the difference, that's just for the sake of being argumentative. While this has all the makings of "historical curiosity",it's so fucking good that it doesn't need any gimmicks to sell it. Reissue of the year. Diatribe mixed Discharge, Anti-Cimex and Crucifix in a unique way that was totally ahead of it's time. The songs are fucking killer, raging and the mix job sounds way better than the mp3's I have(guilty). I was kicking myself after passing on an old boot of this earlier this year, but a legit reissue with lyrics, and MRR interview make this essential. This is limited or something, so don't sleep.

7 Seconds-Dedicated to Hardcore boot 7"
This definitely falls under "historical curiosity". It's mostly from their 1st demo, much more of a street punk/oi vibe than the melodic speedy hardcore they are known for. It's totally enjoyable and great, but doesn't hold a candle their early vinyl releases. Sound is okay, although I wouldn't be surprised if it was downloaded and not from an old tape. Still being a huge 7 seconds fan I'm not too disappointed. Whoever booted this should boot the "Socially Fucked Up" demo (their 2nd) cuz that stuff kills this dead.

We may see a print issue of Huge Knives That Kill before the end of the year, but if anyone asks this is what I've been up to...

What We Hate

2007-09-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

After complaining about the banality of "weekend party" blogs, I'm about to take a piss in that trough. Oh well. Another weekend, another house-sitting party for a bunch of losers who don't have houses of their own. Beats growing up.

Eat it till it's gone.

Of course the Tracist made tons of great food, as always.

Things got silly.

There was some great TV

Mexican Bloke pulled a chocolate bar out of nowhere.

and shared.

Food pwned.

Nate got a new hat and ate cake.

Sarde fucking with Pandora's Box

Cam made a pretty serious return to form.

Natalie loves having her photo taken, also she never shuts up.

Beeps cake.

Ty-Guy getting kinda serious.

and because you really can't have too much of a good thing...

Funhouse

next post will be interesting, I promise.

2007-09-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

get'r done

It never ends.

2007-09-03T11:17:00.001-07:00

Usually I try to stay away from reviewing old records. It usually seems arrogant and tedious. But, after looking through my weekly record purchases I realized that I hadn't got anything that was brand new, so I guess that rule is out the door. I'll try to keep it brief. It's my blog and I'll cry if I want to.

V/A-Back from the Grave Vol. 3 LP
Had been waiting for a local store to stock these. I already had Vol. 1 and 2, so this seemed like the next logical step. More raw 60s garage-punk, still it all sounds fucking great. Nothing that leaps out at you like the best tracks on Vol. 1 and 2, but I'm sure repeated listens will help. Start with 1 and 2, listen to "Victim of Circumstances" and "Rat's Revenge" a hundred times, then get this. Worth your milk money.

Black Lips-We did not know... LP
More stuff I didn't have from the best garage-punk band of today. They are all the rage these days, which in my younger, more reactionary days would have seriously bummed me out. Luckily I'm through caring. Not the best place to start (the Let It Bloom Lp) but this compilation is a welcome addition. One of the best bands going today for sure.

Confuse-Spending Loud Night EP
Reason for existence. Absolute godhead hardcore noise.

Thee Headcoatees- I'm Happy/ Park It Up Your Arse 7"
2 throwaway tracks. I wouldn't bother, but if you insist, I'll sell you mine.

Sacrilege-Behind the Realms of Madness LP
This is basically the perfect metal album as far as my tastes go. It's got all that heavy drive without any of wank-pose that usually turns me off of all metal. This fucking kills.

I'm needing to find a place to live in the next few weeks, so don't be surprised if I tone down the records for a few weeks.

Woooo!

2007-09-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

The show tonight was much more enjoyable than I expected. Maybe there is hope for me after all. Here's a few pictures, still trying to figure the camera out.

Modern Problems

Search And Destroy

Margaret Thrasher

2007-08-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Broke down and got a digital camera. Here's some art pictures, you can decide if I'm laughing with you or at you. All taken in my room. Next to godliness.

Wtf Pt. 2

2007-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

WTF Pt. 1

2007-08-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

2007-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Slow week for new records. Poison Control 7" was pretty good, even if they got their name from a Formaldehyde Junkies song(not kidding). Germ Attack 2nd 7" was exactly the same as their 1st...take that as you will. And the Go It Alone LP gets better the more I listen to it. I'm not really feeling like I need to elaborate on any of this today.

My new project is to try to get as many different copies of Flipper "Sex Bomb/Brainwash" as I can. I've only got 2 so far (one with the printed Subterranean cover, and the one posted below), if you see one with a different cover in the 10-15 dollar range pick it up and make me smile.

The weekend included getting mugged by a 12 year old, seeing a good movie twice, eating nice food, and the company of my dear friends(old, new and unexpected). Details can wait as I've got to get some sleep. You should too.

Perfect Album Vol 1

2007-08-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

From A Look At Tomorrow blog (alookattomorrow.blogspot.com)

"perfect
• adjective /perfikt/ 1 having all the required elements, qualities, or characteristics. 2 free from any flaw; faultless. 3 complete; absolute: it made perfect sense."

"I work at a job that requires very little thinking and a lot of sitting. Because of this I make a lot of lists to keep myself busy. "Classic" or "essential" albums can change and are always open to argument but "perfect" ones are purely subjective. This might not make sense to you but it does to me and that's what matters.
After a full shift of brainstorming I managed to come up with about 20 albums give or take that I deem to be flawless. I wouldn't change the artwork, I wouldn't make something quiter and something louder and I wouldn't take out a song or even a riff. In order to be considered for the list I worked out two rules for myself:
1) I can't have heard the album for the first time less than 2 years ago. This means that I can't look really cool by declaring something totally underground that I just downloaded from 7inchpunk or Soulseek "perfect."
2) The album can't have been released less than 5 years ago. 10 years ago is even better. Let's face it, people make a lot of claims to convince someone how good something is. Usually they're wrong. Plus music needs to age like a fine wine."

Makes sense to me too, seems simple enough. While I am firmly of the opinion that "Damaged" is the BEST album of all time, it's not perfect. Unfortunately our heroes decided to include what should have been a B-Side at best (TV Party). While this may have been excusable, 25 years of poseurs and try-hards saying that it's the best Flag song have made it unbearable. While some might call this needless nit-picking, it proves that the best need not be perfect.

Enough bullshit(don't you wish!), at Tyson's (the author of A Look At Tomorrow) request, I'll attempt to spoil the broth.

SUBHUMANS-THE DAY THE COUNTRY DIED LP (SPIDERLEG/BLUURG 19@T2)

When I was younger, I sorta passed on these guys . It must have had something to do with seeing some 90s punk explosion kids with SUBHUMANS next to EXPLOITED and the CLASH on their jackets. However sometime later I decided to give it a chance, eating my hat in the process. This record is everything that you could possibly want from a punk album.

Musically it's extremely original without falling victim to the "expanding horizons" of the dregs of the anarcho scene. It's planted firmly in punk, yet not afraid to throw bass noodleing, spoken word, drum rolls and guitar weirdness around. It's seething anger, melodic, short, memorable and loud. A lot of the UK bands were either playing standard 1-2 street punk or just completely going off the wall in attempts to out do each other. This takes the best parts of both of those, mixes them together and creates a sound unlike any other. At least until Instigators totally ripped the whole thing.

Lyrically it's nothing short of genius. Extremely political, never overly dogmatic or knee-jerk leftist like so much UK peace punk stuff. Not afraid to throw criticism at the clueless politicos or glue-headers. There is a sinister sense of humor and atmospheric presence to the lyrics, similar perhaps to the shinning moment of DEAD KENNEDYS(but not as silly). This is almost, for lack of better(or less abused) terminology a theme album. While DISCHARGE were screaming about how the bomb's gonna fall, SUBHUMANS were asking what's gonna happen next. While CONFLICT were screaming about
how the system's got to be overthrown, SUBHUMANS were asking the same question. This is not meant to be a slight against either of those bands, as they are essentially perfect themselves, but rather to illustrate that there was extreme care being placed in the lyrics.

The Day the Country Died is perfection.
Me=No Apologies.
You=No Excuses.

"It's 1984,
and there's gonna be a war"

Top ten of the decade so far.

2007-08-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Realize that I spend over a quarter of my work week killing time at home, so no list really seems too trivial to make. Since I didn't recognize that good punk was still being made until I was 19 or so(in 2000), I was in no position to make a best of the 90s list. I'm looking forward to making a more definitive list in 3 years, but this will do for now. The cut off is January of 2000, even though the decade begins in 2001(since there was no year zero, doye), but it doesn't matter anyway. Plus, who cares? Of course this list is extremely subjective (and subject to change), so don't lose any sleep over it. There are several records that I thought would make this list when they were released, but haven't aged well("Police" for example), so too bad for them. This was a lot harder to make than I thought it would be, and that's great. Shows that there is still an amazing amount of great music being made today. A big fuck off to those whose idea of punk in 2007 is a new Bad Brains album and a Radio Birdman tour. Apologies to Knife Fight, Young Wasteners, Tear It Up, Career Suicide, whoever...not today.

10. Pedestrians- Why Kill What's Dead 7" (Southkore 2005)
Probably the best record to come out of the excellent Chicago scene(just beating out "Dumb Hardcore" and the 1st Chronic Seizure). Fucking great mid-west punk, great lyrics, unique packaging, this has it all. Pedestrians is still a dumb name for a band though.

9. World Burns To Death-Sucking of the Missile Cock 12" (Hardcore Holocaust 2003(?))
This is a record that everyone was all about when it came out, but now they are too cool for. Personally I could care less and will stand behind this %100. In a scene of pretenders, they are true hardcore. Lyrics that make no apologies, and weed out the poseurs. Of course it can all become a bit much(see their 2nd, albeit still great, Lp), but this could make the list based on only the hilarious message board accusations that their logo is anti-semetic and the such. This is the hammer.

8. Kieltolaki- 1st 7" (Moo Cow 2006)
A perfect record. Right up there with the classics of Finnish Hardcore, even though I don't think it sounds all that much like them. More of an American HC, and less of a Dis-influence, but when it sounds this good, who gives a fuck. Unbelievable.

7. Criminal Damage- 12" (Feral Ward 2006)
Absolutely perfect, sing-along, fist in the air punk. While the pedigree is intact, none of that matters when the tunes are this good. I'm not the first to rave on this, so I'll leave it at that, but it's a fucking crime that I had a copy of this for distro for 6 months and no one would even give it a chance.

6. Formaldehyde Junkies- Are a Total Wreck 7" (Firestarter/Underestimated 2005)
For anyone who has seen their early, out-of-control early shows, this record did not make any sense. I remember how my band had traveled to play the release show for this, getting home, throwing this on the turntable and just being in awe. Somewhere along the way they learned to play, and layed down probably the most authentic 80s hardcore of the decade. Sure not sit along side the Dragnet and Crucial Unit 7"s in the used bins of tomorrow.

5.Framtid- Under the Ashes 12" (Crust War 2002)
The Crust War scene has made a slew of great records and this is the best of the best. Taking the sound of bands like Mob 47 and then blowing it away by taking it to the next logical evolutionary step. For all the (sometimes deserving, sometimes not) hype that surrounded Japanese bands for a couple years, this is one that deserved it all (and more). You can get this for 8 bucks from Black Water now, so you have no excuse. For punx.

4. Sex Vid- Drugging 7" (Kill Test 2006)
For all the bands that are formed by punk "experts" trying to meld a million different obscure references, I can't deny that at least one band got it right. Read any issue of MRR in the past year if you wanna know anything else.

3. 9 Shocks Terror "Paying Ohmage" LP (Sound Pollution 2001)
Okay, maybe 2 bands got it right. Usually the huge production would be a major turnoff, but it totally works here. 9 Shocks Terror is the band that could (hell, did) save hardcore. Give me a band that I can throw a garbage can at after waxing philosophically about them for the 20+ hours it took to get to their show(happened). This is their best record, despite the cardinal sin of the dreaded recorded cover. God.

2. Asbest-Nyt Blod 7" (Hjernespind 2002)
While everyone was losing their shit over Amdi Petersen's Arme and No Hope for the Kids, this totally flew under the radar. The apex of the K-Town scene. Just absolutely perfect rough hardcore. If this came out in 1982, it would be a $300 record. I realize that this record epitomizes the subjectivity of my list, but no apologies.

1.Tragedy-Vengeance LP (Tragedy 2002)
Definitely not the "coolest" thing to put at the top of this list, and I'm sure anyone whose read a zine in the past 5 years doesn't need to hear anymore wannabe rock criticism of this. However this is a record that made a thousand kids trade their Throwdown shirts for From Ashes Rise shirts. For once the hype was right on. The band learned from the failures those who turned underground success into mainstream failure, and played it all on their own terms. The hype has died, but I'm still right here. It's gonna take a real monster to knock this off the top spot in the next 3 years.

Here's hoping this bummed you out.

2007-08-24T09:45:00.001-07:00

I thought I was gonna die last night, but I never.

More 7" Inch Reviews AKA the never-ending story.

2007-08-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Again, only the stuff I wanna talk about

Cola Freaks 7"
Good Danish punk, maybe like Gorilla Angreb without an X influence, or a less sugary Knugen Faller. While this is very enjoyable, unless you are a glutton for this kinda stuff (like me, and those I hold dear) I wouldn't say this is essential. Your call on this one, but I'm all for it.

Off With Their Heads/ Practice split 7"
I've been staying away from splits for the most part, cuz they never get pulled out, but since I've been gushing over OWTH, I picked this up. Practice (from Japan) played some enjoyable(if forgettable) basement-style pop punk, their cover of "Silly Girl" is ROR-funny. OWTH continue to be the best band of this style since D4(Paddy used to be a member). "Fuck This, I'm Out" is perfect. Wish it was all OWTH, but this is still worth whatever trouble you go through to track this down.

Pigs "Youthanasia" 7"
First wave, summer of hate, Brit-punk. This isn't the Sick Things(what is?), but still killer classic early punk with the best parts of early Jam(but I pray they aren't Mods). Shouldn't be too hard to find to download if you want to test drive it. The prices vary on this a lot, most seem too high, but I was glad to drop 7 bills on this.

Catholic Boys 2 new 7"s
I could never find their earlier 7"s, so I jumped on these. I don't know if I'm just spoiled from those Tyrades and Busy Signals(probably a good reference point) 7"s of the last few years, but this is really In-one-ear-out-the-other. They've got a really great sound, but when it's done you realize the hooks just aren't there. Maybe I'll give these a few more spins, see if I can remember any of the songs and get back to you.

Complications 7"
Supposedly this is the new Born Dead Icons(still a band?) project. When I heard people say it sounded like The Mob(gods), I was skeptical, as I find Peace Punk very era-specific and dated. Not to say that it's not responsible for plenty of classic bands and songs, but we should all have learned by now that retro is poison. This is nothing like The Mob, it sounds like Born Dead Icons without the Motorhead(or Tragedy) influence. Gloom spiked punk that really grows. At first the guitar sounded almost country-styled, but I don't hear it anymore. As good as anything BDI has done, and I'm looking forward to anything else they put out.

I've also been jamming the new Wasted Time, the Giant Haystacks, Reagan Youth, Swell Maps, Kaaos and Cockney Rejects. You should too.

I'll be here if you need me...

2007-08-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sick as all fuck.

Whoppeeeee!

2007-08-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Again I'm gonna skip over the stuff that I got that's been out for a while. I went to Minneapolis this weekend, which was uncharacteristically slim pickings, but I was glad to get a Teengenerate split, the 1st Tyrades and a 2nd copy of the Burn 7" for a couple bucks a piece. Also I got the 1st Wu-Tang Lp, I think it may become a cool thing and I wanted to get on at the ground floor. Here's what I felt was worth yapping about...

IMPACT/EU'S ARSE split 7"

I already had the EA discography LP, but this kinda stuff is way better in small doses. Really nasty, lo-lo-fi Italian hardcore with more of a Dis-influence than most. Kills. The Impact side is even better. Sounds like a less manic version of early Wretched. This is actually a legit reish, so I would definitely pick this up soon. Probably one of the top 5 split 7"s ever.

EXTORTION "CONTROL" 7"

I thought their 1st 7" was one of the best records of last year, but their LP was kinda disappointing. Still I picked this up without any hesitation, and I'm glad I did. Sure to be on my year end list. Power violence influenced hardcore from Australia(fuck it), that still sounds original and is hard as hell. This is what Ceremony thinks they sound like.

SHOOT IT UP 1ST 7"

Not as distorted as their 2nd 7" from earlier this year(which could be good or bad). The songs are also more distinct and there is less of a thrown together feel. A guess of few copies of this surfaced without covers, so the Fash Ids threw these together(ha!). Limited to 8. Yes, 8.

CANADIAN RIFLE 7"
1st 7" from this Chicago band made of members of a few bands you might care about (Chronic Seizure, 14 or Fight and most importantly Shock Em Dead). Less of a hardcore feel, more "Fill Your Boots"-era Leatherface without the accent (or a prevalent D-beat). I think there is also another 7" out, but the covers look so similar I didn't buy it cuz I wasn't sure which one I had already bought. My loss, this rules.

RAPPRESAGLIA 1982-1983 LP
Another old Italian HC reissue. While I kinda wish it had their 7", it's not too big of a deal since the demo tracks are great and this record is the perfect length. An exhaustive discography can be nice, but too often it's just overkill. When was the last time you listened to the, for example. Gudon 2xLP that Partners put out start to finish. You might be skeptical since this is comp and demo cuts,but is a total classic, with the stand out being "Attack".

Also I saw Off With Their Heads totally own at a basement show in Money-apolis. Usually a house full of drunken r-tards is a major turn off, but since I was a long way from home and didn't know any of them, it was bearable. I was just left thinking they are a bunch of losers rather than being surrounded by people I have personal vendettas against. I had seen OWTH previously, but it was at one of those lame PBR-sponsered bowling alley shows, so I was hyped to see them in a basement. They played all the songs that I wanted to hear (their Hospitals 12" is god), they didn't play too long and it ended with the singer in a fist fight.

EMS&D

Area 51-Discography 10"

2007-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

This came out about many years ago, was recently re-released as a 12", which reminded me that I had wanted the 10", so that's what we have here.. I'll go on record and say that the Death Wish Kids 7" is one of the 10 best records of the 90s, so it even seems strange that I lagged so long on picking this up. To the best of my knowledge this is the first band of Andrea Zollo, of Death Wish Kids (God), Murder City Devils and Pretty Girls Make Graves(no thanks). Don't let those last two scare you away, this is amazing out-of-control hardcore, with no cheesy retro trappings so common today. Even though this is over 10 years old, it's still extremely unique, without tripping over itself trying to be so. Those paying attention have probably noticed that I hate talking about the music when I write music reviews. Just get this (or the new 12"), this is a fucking classic.

Finally...

2007-08-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

At the sterling age of 26, and in 2007, I finally bought a computer. Why am I such a spend thrift?

A few new records.

2007-08-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I missed a few weeks...oh well, such is life. I also am gonna skip reviewing a lot of the older records I get, since it seems extremely redundant ( totally classic...yawn). I'll still write about things that I feel should be better known, but if you need someone to tell you to check out the Adverts, you're in the wrong place. Maybe Spin will do another "Punk" issue soon.

Black Lips-Live Lp
This was put out by Vice, who I've always thought was extremely intelligent and insightful, but responsible for fostering stupidity in impressionable hipsters. Black Lips are extremely charming and enjoyable, and this live album is a lot of fun. Being on Vice, this is distributed by Warner(WEA), which is total bullshit, enough that I probably wouldn't have bought it had I known that(I'm one of the few left who actually care about that). However I'm kinda glad I was in the dark about that, since this is great. Make up your own mind.

Life Trap-Bleak Reality ep
No Way Records has been really solid and this is no exception. A lot of people were saying "Koro, blah, AOF, blah, 7 seconds", which is really off the mark to me. If there is any band that would be the reference point, it would be Direct Control. And not in the way that Direct Control sounds like Ill Repute, I mean that it sounds like these kids were very clearly influenced by Direct Control. As "uncool" as that might sound, there is nothing wrong with that. This record totally kills and don't be surprised to see it all over year-end top ten lists.

Look Back and Laugh-State of Illusion one-sided 12"
The one-sided 12" is one of the stupidest formats ever, but the fact that it was only 6 bills eases the pain (although don't be surprised if it's 15 or more at your local "hip, underground" record store though). This also has got the worst cover art of any record in my collection. The write up by the artist is some of the dumbest sloganeering ever and a total LOL. I'm all for some new ideas for cover art (the Knife Fight 12" cover was fantastic) but this is a joke. The record sounds good, very similar to the other recordings. You should already know if you want this, but I would suggest also getting a brown paper bag.

later...

Weak Sausage

2007-08-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Heavy.

The red ones make more noise.

Gross Jar, no, unfortunately that's not blood.

True Love.

2007-08-03T23:44:00.001-07:00

The Weekender

We Got Ways

2007-08-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

If you are not aware, Hjernespind has just reissued the Young Wasteners LP. This records originally came out about 5 years ago on Kick N Punch and had become a bit of a collector's item. I missed out when it originally came out, but was able to secure a copy in trade for a Th'Inbred LP. Either way, I'm not sure how long this will be easily available, so you'd best get on it before you miss out again.

Lots of people might complain about the lack of originality of We Got Ways, but that seems pretty unfounded. While at times it's very referential(even so far as to have a song about Ecuador and mentioning Maggie and Ronnie), it's not overly so, at least not in a way that I feel detracts from the enjoyment of the record. The band plays hardcore punk with a very sincere innocence that's sadly missing from a lot of bands today. While I'm sure a language barrier is at play, it's easy to see that they are not worried about sounding stupid. "It's the irony of the society". And what's more the record is great not in spite of this, but because of it.

The problem with a lot of bands in the punk scene today is they are watching themselves from the outside. While this "self-awareness" works for bands like Tragedy, the Final Solutions and Framtid(and bands like Born Against, that practically based their whole identity around it), these are the minority. For every Lebenden Toten there is a hundred bands that are just too fucking worried about appearing immature, or juvenile. Did you like Fucked Up more when they had lyrics about "trying to get some sleep, they throw me in their jeep", or when they had 8 minute songs about "what lies underneath the immediate, visualized world"? I think you get what I'm saying.

We Got Ways is one of the top 10 LPs of the 2000s. Fantastic vocals, catchy songs, stupid(the good kind) lyrics. Buy this or give up.

A day in the life...Pt. 2

2007-08-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today at work some 80-ish year old man was shaking in his wheelchair(he had a seatbelt), repeating over and over "I'm in the navy". After about 20 minutes of this, I was treated to a few minutes of "Who's in the navy", followed by 30 seconds of silence, then he said "Me". Then some old woman began to heckle him "Like they'd accept you in the navy", "You'll never make it to the navy" and so on.

Doye!

"Rock Experts": Get Fucked!

2007-07-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

30 years after the "invention" of punk, the mainstream is further off the mark than ever. Contrary to popular opinion, The Clash and The Damned and the Vibrators(and whoever), were painfully mediocore rock bands who had a few decent songs that we in the right place at the right time. You want to understand more about punk than Greil Marcus can teach you in 300 pages? Watch and learn.

Original? No
Proficient? No
Punk? Doye!

A day in the life...

2007-07-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

I work delivering drugs to nursing homes and since most of the people there are out of their fucking minds, it's high time I start chronicling some of my daily life (blah!). At least once a week I'm going to blab about something that happens. If you are offended by this, you must be more insecure than I thought.

Whenever I pass people I always give them a smile and a nod, and occasionally they'll ask me to help them. If it's something like pushing their wheelchair 3 feet, of course I'll do it. If they're asking me "when Donna is coming" or "change my diaper", of course I can't help them. I'm the fucking delivery guy.

Yesterday some 90 year old woman flags me down as I'm walking and I stop and say hey. She keeps asking me to come closer as she's reaching out for me. I'm about a foot and a half away from her at this point and she's bawling at me to come closer. I ask if she wants me to do anything, and she says "I just want to touch you". She's screaming and crying so hard at this point that I can't even understand what she's saying, even though it's a broken record. "I just want to touch you, I just want to touch you". Since I'm not about to let some 90 year old woman cop a feel, I just shrugged my shoulders and went on my way.

It's summer, doye!

2007-07-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Too busy to blog this week... tough shit.

If you wanna come play nighttime basketball, let me know. Don't worry, we suck too.

<---Me

Crimpshrine-Sleep, What's That?

2007-07-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

As someone who's not afraid of making snap judgements and being closed minded, I'm often quick to dismiss bands. So every once in a while I'll give such bands a second chance. In doing so I've decided that I still think Killing Time sucks , I still think Poison Idea is okay, but overrated and that I was wrong and Born Against is exceptional. Whatever, you live, you learn. I'd rather admit that I was wrong that be one of the many pretenders who likes "everything".

So with that in mind, last week I went to a friends house to clean house on his record collection. He had a copy of Chrimpshrine "Sleep, What's that?", and seeing as how the asking price was one dollar, I threw it in my pile. Crimpshrine is a band that held in extremely high esteem by alot of people with questionable taste in music. Personally, I dismissed them when I had bought the "Quit Talking Claude" ep out of a used bin 8-9 years ago. The "pop-punk" 90's made me a skeptic of the style, and I remember not even making it through the record. I later traded it to a friend for a can of pop. Again, you learn.

There is something that's refreshing about this record, even though it's close to 20 years old. In an age where the majority of new bands seem more interested in dropping obscure references than writing original songs, this "classic" is fresh. The punk scene is now populated with more "experts" than "fans". Everyone has an MP3 library that puts the MRR library to shame. While ideally it's great that young kids have access to every punk record ever, more often than not you end up with "Svart Framtid is my favorite d-beat band"(and 50 people agreeing). It's not even a thirst for knowledge, it's a mania for superiority.

What's my point? Here's a couple hypothetical interview excerpts.

2007 Punk Band
Q. "What are your influences?"
"Well we have very diverse influences, such as Japanese Burning Spirits hardcore, as well as US Hardcore such as Koro, Deep Wound and Vile. Also a bit of Norwegian Hardcore such as Fader War and Akutt Inneggelse"

Hypothetical Crimpshrine Interview
Q. "What are your influences?"
"I don't know, the Ramones?"

And that's how it should be. A bunch of friends getting together to start a "punk band", not trying to meld as many obscure references as possible. Listening to Crimpshrine, there is a sense of urgency, but you can still see the smiles on their faces. Sure, some of the politics expressed in the lyrics are juvenile, and 20 years of people using late-80s Bay Area punk as a "how-to-live" manual have soured me on the enthusiasm expressed. However the idealism is so infectious that even the cynical old fart I've become gets caught up in it. "Maybe I'll feel Different tomorrow".

Somewhere my 17 year old self is shooting himself in the face.

Fucked Up Show Review

2007-07-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

Each aspect of the show is to be described in 10 words or less. Save us both some time. If you really need to, insert some fancy(yet essentially meaningless or redundant) adjectives every 3 words.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, or trying to agitate. I'm just being honest. Save it for the Get-Along-Gang.

Venue: Collective Cabaret
Fuck it. "Glad to see you go"

1st Band: No Fun
Into their early shows, something got lost along the way.

2nd Band: Search and Destroy
Enjoyable. Doesn't need to play so often.

3rd Band: Under Pressure
Better than at label, but a hollow shell of 2004.

4th Band: Fucked Up
Worst I've seen em, but still a good time.

The Crowd:
I really hate the site of people having fun.

Me:
Wondering where it all went wrong.

2007-07-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

After wanting to get it for close to a decade, I finally got a copy of Flipper's second album "Gone Fishin'". This record seems alot harder to find than "Generic"(which was the first record that I bought even though I had the CD, it's been followed by dozens of others). From what I can figure there are 2 reasons for this.

First of all, the sleeve of the record can be cut into stand up figures for each member of the band, and their famous bus. I've gotta guess that a bunch of these got destroyed, and people subsequently threw the LP away(even though I have an old Subterranean order form where you can order the sleeve alone for 50 cents).

Second of all, this record, quite frankly, isn't nearly as good as Generic. I think alot of it has to do with the production. Usually when people complain about the production on punk records, it makes no sense. But here the production is so clean, that it barely sounds like Flipper. Compare the version of "Sacrifice" to the one on MRR "Not so quiet on the Western Front" and it's a joke.
The songs themselves are really fucking great, and the little "arty" bits, which I would usually think are goofy, are totally awesome. "The light, the sound, the rhythm, the noise" is probably the best track, but the version on "Blowin' Chunks", blows it away.

So if you are super into Flipper, I would get this. It's pretty easy to find online, but varies in price quite a bit. I paid around $20, but I've seen it go for over $50, which seems really high. If you are not really that into them, but you kinda like "Generic", I would pass on this.

Now, some one find me a copy of "Public Flipper Ltd".

The Week in Records.

2007-07-09T17:34:00.001-07:00

Framtid-Beyond the Ashes
This was impossible to get when it came out and since then has become an ebay big money staple. Since I prefer to be on the other end of the "$100 for a record that came out in the past 5 years" equation, I've been living with downloaded version. I was more than happy to pay $7.50 for this though. One of the 5 best bands going, but you should already have known that. For the hardcore.

Lebenden Toten- Death Culture Deprevation 8"
I could go into a big spiel about how it's stupid to press an 8" because it costs more than an LP, but who cares. After dropping a huge 8 dollars(8 dollars!) I really could care less about all that crap. This band was already one of my favorites, and this is their best record yet. You'll hear a lot of people go "blah, blah, Confuse, blah, Disorder", but this band is totally original to my ear. Get this if you can.

Ebba Gron- Pro-Rock 7"
I had their first 7" (Anti-rock), and played it to death, so I figured I should pick this up. While it's not as good as the first one, on first listen, it's still totally solid. Poppy punk from Sweden in 1978. I know some of their later material is not so hot, but if you get a chance, get their early stuff.

Blitz-All out attack 7"
I had tried to pick this up online a few times but wasn't able to, so I was very happy to get this as a birthday present. Obviously I already had these songs(a couple on 3 different records already), but if you know me, you know why I wanted this. Plus so many pictures of these 4 hunks. One of the best punk records of all time.

Dead Boys-All this and more Lp

This was another birthday present. This is a bit better than the Night of the Living Dead Boys Lp, but I'm not sure how it compares to Twisting on the Devil's Fork Lp(don't have it). I'll probably pick that up and maybe do reviews of all three together and compare. Anyway, this record rules, has all the hits(and more). For some reason I used to not like the Dead Boys, but I was wrong. You might not think that you need "live" albums, but this one is well worth your lunch money.

and then...

I don't know how to rotate it, but here's a poster I just got for my room. High art.

Someone find me this, I'll make it worth your while

2007-07-07T23:56:00.001-07:00

"It seems to me you shut out
anything that might confuse
the warped and twisted visions
of the narrow little paths you choose
we're all potential converts in your eyes
I think instead you need to take one step beyond
cause right now you're just standing on my head
I swore a million times I'd never play this game with you
so don't act all offended when I tell you what I think of you
you mouth the party line you learned from all your newfound friends
you tell me that you're feet are on the ground but now you're standing on my head
another gang of whitebred privelaged kids is all I see
I wonder if you really think that all your rules spell anarchy
react and call it revolution you're stuck in the first step
so don't pretend to be my friend
when all you're doing is standing on my head"

Top 10 NYHC SONGS

2007-07-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm always making music top 5, 10, 100 lists. Since these are essentially a waste of time, they are tailor-made for a blog. So every once in a while I'll be dropping one of these for all of y'all. Finally your life has meaning.

Up first, TOP 10 NEW YORK HARDCORE SONGS.

I know I'm being extremely liberal with "New York", but so be it. I know I'm being extremely conservative with "Hardcore". That's because I know what I'm talking about. Sorry, no mega obscurities here either. As much as you might want to pat yourself on the back because you know who Our Gang or No Thanks is, you can't fuck with the classics.

10. Warzone-Crazy but Not Insane
If every Warzone song sounded like this they would be worthy off about half the praise that they get.

9. Reagan Youth - New Aryans
Word is that this record was originally supposed to have come out on Crass Records, but they ditched at the last minute. Compare this to anything that they put out around that time(1984) and see if they it was a good idea.

8. Raw Deal-Wall of Hate
I chose the Raw Deal version over the Killing Time, because this is a list of Hardcore songs, not shitty metal songs.

7.Urban Waste- Public Opinion
Perfect

6. Youth of Today- Stabbed in the Back
As much as 1000 shitty bands have tried, you really can't ruin this.

5.Cro-Mags -Show You No Mercy
Fucking great, but people can get over it.

4. Born Against-Mary and Child
To be honest it really took me a long time to get into this band. I was wrong.

3. Citizen's Arrest-Serve and Protect
Word has it that they are doing a reunion. That sucks. They are still my favorite band.

2.Life's Blood-Not for the Weak
Duh.

1. Agnostic Front-Discriminate Me
Funny how this band wrote this song about not being able to find a job because of how you look, and then went on record "Public Assistance". Outside of a few of the racist lines, I actually agree with the lyrics to Public Assistance to an extent, however the irony is not lost. That aside, this kills.

If you disagree with some of my choices, good for you. Maybe there is something happening in there after all. Hope this was as boring to read as it was to write.

Wild Weekend

2007-07-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Tops and Plops for this weekend.

+hilarity on the radio saturday morning, including me saying that the Bro-Core Nation is most definitely a gang.
+spending a lot of money at the comic store on, for a lack of a better term, art books. "And we become what we hate..."
+Getting a bunch of rad records from ebay
+Spending time with friends
+Show on Friday was pretty good
+Skipping a weak sauce poker party
+work gathering not being crappy at all
+the Boiler

-the Boiler (he totally owes me $12 cuz I babysat him for 4 hours)
-too hot, fuck summer
-not working
-didn't spend enough time with my records
-people who drink

Records Records Records

2007-07-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr.-Bug
I had a tape of this when I was in 9th grade but hadn't heard it in forever. But since I started living with indie-rock Rich he had it on the computer and I had to get it. Freak Scene is god.

Hermit Prose-Down Beats Sect
I basically buy everything that I can on Crust War so this was a no brainer, totally heavy, crushing, yadda yadda. Plus all those stupid 2003 boston straightedge bands wish they could think of a name as dumb as hermit prose.

Germ Attack-Canadian Concentration Camp
Pretty cool 7", really straight forward hardcore punk, maybe a more generic Varukers (uh....). Some of the lyrics were dumb, such as the patronizing song about "Woman's Liberation". Worth getting for sure still though.

Dead Boys-3rd Generation nation
a re-mix of the 2nd Dead Boys album, a little bit better than the original, rougher. I basically got this because Lex was able to get a discount. Ain't it fun still rules and the Stones cover still sucks.

Awakening-reissue/unreleased
I had the Final Feast 7" and have loved it for years, so i figured I'd get this. Pretty killer shit. A chunkier BDI maybe?, whatever this kills. The unreleased stuff is also up to par.

Vulpess -pic disk
Got this quite a while ago but still wanted to waste your time on it. Probably the best reissue of the past few years. Spanish 70s girl punk that blows away all the retro shit, and most of the big names from the original era(the Damned). For punks.

Cococoma-new single on Goner
Probably my favorite band of the new wave of garage punk. keeps up to the standard on their Shit Sandwich single. Worth your time for sure.

2007-07-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

I can't figure out how to log into my old blog so here's the new one...

wow.