A pile has stacked up and I have written about said pile. But in order to cram all that stuff into one post I'm keeping most of them generally short and to the point. Of course, there's a few I just couldn't shut up about, so take heed and read on.
ALL PIGS MUST DIE, “Nothing Violates This Nature”
Is it a bad thing that between this band’s last record and
this one nothing has really changed?
I mean, they just keep destroying me.
I’m like France, I just keep surrendering.
Boston dudes show a love for Entombed,
Discharge, and smatterings of black metal speed, tune down, and blast your face
off for a good half hour of nothing but disgust for humanity and a bleak
outlook on everything.
Crazy
beautiful artwork, unnecessarily difficult to read text.
Grind and punishment.
(Southern Lord)
“DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DECLARE”, by Kevin Stewart Panko and Justin Smith
A Canadian rock critic writer and regular roadie teams up
with an American musician and label owner to write a book about bands trying to
cross the border.
Well, they’re
not so much writing it as they are relating other bands tales of border woes
and triumphs, and occasionally interviewing them and each other.
See, for some reason, crossing between
the US and Canada is typically a breeze if you’re in a car.
But the moment bands in vans try to
cross it suddenly becomes an international incident comparable to smuggling
uranium.
Why this happens, no one
knows.
The writers hope to
ascertain this.
Instead, they
mostly get lots of wild tales from bands mostly of the metal and hardcore
persuasions.
Some times it gets
very redundant (some of the same people relate their tales repeatedly), but
overall it’s really entertaining and will make any band thinking of playing
outside the borders think twice before they decide to forget their
passport.
Typos abound, get an
editor.
Read anyways and beware
the latex glove.
(Vitriol)
DRUG CHURCH, “Paul Walker” LP, “Your Life…” 7”
I’m a 90’s sort of guy and I can’t pretend I’m not.
Drug Church seems to have been
specially catered to the demographic of me.
Cynical Drowningman-esque song titles?
Check.
Snarky vocals pertaining to a lot of white trash and shitty
suburban go-nowheres with catchy choruses of “Crush ambition!” and “You get
less because I need more!”
Check.
Chunky, thoughtful,
and considerably rocking post-hardcore with melodic nods towards Seaweed,
Farside, and later-era Snapcase?
Oh, big check.
The LP is
excellent through and through and hard to pick a favorite song (maybe “Clifton
Country”, maybe “Attending a Cousin’s Birthday Party”).
But the 7” is a great one-two punch of
a pair of heavier leaning songs and some of the ugliest artwork I’ve ever seen
on a record.
(LP on No Sleep, 7”
on Secret Voice)
HERO DISHONEST, “Alle Lujaa”
Cult of Ginn lifetime members here, Finland chapter.
The A-side goes at two speeds- fast and
faster.
Side B has that whole
“Process Of Weeding Out” feel to it.
All the songs are in Finnish, but rejoice, the fun and twisted lyrics
are translated into English as well.
Black Flag style hardcore in the lively fun way, and not as much the
hateful, spit-on-the-crowd way.
I
actually can’t imagine Finnish people being mean enough to want to spit on
others anyway.
(PeterwalkeeRecords)
JAPANESE FURNACE demo tape
Hard riffs, pure noise recording. Is it possible for deconstructionist basement hardcore to
not only sound like harsh noise, but to also sneak in primitive beatdown riffs
as well? You be the judge. I can’t get over how the layout on this
tape looks like a Discordance Axis release. Get grimey.
LEMURIA, “The Distance Is So Big”
Lemuria have been at it for quite awhile at this point, and
in that time their song writing remains the same- clever and quirky indie rock
with some nods to pop punk.
The
real changes are a greater focus on the vocals and using them as more of an
instrument, especially with drummer Alex Kerns and guitarist Sheena Ozella
collaborating more and more, instead of only one of them handling each
song.
Another noticeable change is
the production getting cleaner with each recording, moving away from being a
little rough around the edges to being very crystal clear.
I like it.
A great collection of more awesome and catchy songs.
Get awkward and embrace it.
(Bridge Nine)
PHANTOM GLUE, “War Of the Light Cones”
Boston sludge masters return with a second LP filled with
more of their depth-charge riffs and low-end rocking.
I have to say their first LP was a bit more memorable, but
this one has a nicer recording/production on it.
Same ugly artwork at work again on this LP.
Looks like one of those first year of
college, ‘finding my style through abstraction’ pieces that you hide in the
attic years later and cringe over.
Musically though, pretty heavy.
Worth a listen.
(Black MarketActivities)
POOR LILY, “Vuxola”
The band’s name suggests they have a contract to gig weekly
at some singles bar and that, any day now, they’re going to ‘make it’.
Their sound is probably too weird for
that though.
It’s a real punk
mish-mash of stop-start riffs, odd timing, some Jello Biafra school of nutty
vocals, and old school NYHC punk.
I bet it’s fun for them.
As
for me I’m not really moved by it.
(self-released)
SOKEA PISTE, “Ajatus Karkaa”
Another band out of Finland doles out a new record, which is
more of an EP anyway.
In fact,
it’s a re-issue of a 2011 recording.
I remember their last (most recent) offering as being a lot more raw,
punk, and fast.
This has a heavier
vibe to it, fairly beefy tones, and a little slower delivery.
It’s
still pretty cool though.
Weird nervous artwork adorns the cover, dark punk pulls you
in, and they even do a Die Kreuzen cover for kicks.
(Peterwalkee Records)
TILE, “You Had a Friend In Pennsylvania”
I want to make friends with this Pennsylvania band, but I’m
afraid they might spit on me with their ugly sounds.
Let me engage you with sweet lollipop dreams where Floor
(get it, Floor?
Tile?
Home improvement enthusiasts take
note), Pissed Jeans, and old Melvins riffs snuggle up together to make sweet,
sweet, sludgy noise forever and ever.
Sounds like a fantasy land for noiseniks huh?
Yeah, well, I’m enjoying the shit out of this record and I
implore you to do the same.
Killed
by riffs.
(Limited Appeal)
TRUE WIDOW, “Circumambulation”
I don’t indulge in drugs, but if I did, this would be the
perfect record to sit on a porch on a nice breezy day in a rocking chair and
smoke a joint…
neighbors
hoighty-toighty opinions be damned.
You just relax to this and take in the tones of the guitars, the deep
lean pulse of the drums, soothing vocals, and fuzzed out bass.
True Widow are a sort of stoner rock
band, leaning a bit on the shoegaze side of things.
While their past albums have felt a little fuzzier, a bit
heavier, this takes a decidedly more minimal relaxed approach.
I have to say I’m fan of past efforts
more, but this one ain’t too shabby either.
Now to go sit on my porch and think about life and
stuff.
(Relapse)
