tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66817911841931429672024-03-15T18:12:55.089-07:00Hex RecordsHex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.comBlogger467125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-60524294738462499992024-03-12T23:04:00.000-07:002024-03-12T23:04:27.208-07:00HEX 25th ANNIVERSARY SINGLE SERIES- MARCH- NAW COVERING BAD BRAINS!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis83fWKWv1ddpsniNqShH5TVI9S0iPJGyoOQEj3k53qo8CoKtd17sKWbdbRpwUJgjHFcHB5JBo4nZrAF5nW2AGMMGVNXLNWz062jsVTuNA-cnSKP-h6ojIcaS0-AFbFsPnW9NsMvYdC8gbiTOsweVKS_dYkGZBX9ZSvFLQTuJNEuM0U9bs-cePP2MK0Y/s1200/nawatl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis83fWKWv1ddpsniNqShH5TVI9S0iPJGyoOQEj3k53qo8CoKtd17sKWbdbRpwUJgjHFcHB5JBo4nZrAF5nW2AGMMGVNXLNWz062jsVTuNA-cnSKP-h6ojIcaS0-AFbFsPnW9NsMvYdC8gbiTOsweVKS_dYkGZBX9ZSvFLQTuJNEuM0U9bs-cePP2MK0Y/s320/nawatl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In an attempt to get out of my own comfort zone of bands I already work with, or friends I’ve known for a long period of time, I thought of Atlanta’s <b>NAW</b> for this next cover. I don’t really know any of them at all. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The only thing I really knew about about them ahead of time was that I liked their name a lot. Is it a Southern drawl of saying ‘no’, or is it a phonetic spelling of being chewed up and torn apart? Could it be both? Whatever it is it’s clever and I like that. They have a great way of mixing metallic grungy heaviness with a punk leaning and vocals that alternate seamlessly from almost harrowed clean singing to one of the most evil screams you’re bound to hear.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">So when I was drawing up a list of bands and songs I wanted to see covered I knew <b>Bad Brains</b> had to be on that list. They basically invented hardcore. And I thought to myself, ‘who, out of current bands that I know and appreciate, can do what they did? Who has the technical skill to pull it off? Who has a voice that can emulate HR’s manic howl and anthemic croon all at once? How low can a punk get?’ And I thought ‘<b>Naw</b> has those qualities and I believe they take an amalgamation of subgenres and mash them into something exciting…. the same way Bad Brains can.’ <b>Naw</b> chose to cover <b>“I Against I”</b> and they stay true to the original’s quick-paced first half but then transform the second half of the song into a freaky mutant sludge befitting a band that has an original streak of their own going on with their own music. I’d expect no less. Thank you Naw for contributing “I Against I” to this series. So yes to <b>Naw</b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/track/naw-i-against-i">LISTEN HERE</a></b></span></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-32686308232129310212024-03-11T14:12:00.000-07:002024-03-11T14:12:26.639-07:00HEX RECORDS 25th ANNIVERSARY SHOWS!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FuY9s9ClAVMlmyuU5o_Zkv-BRpvS3Y4FtUqkgYwo6zPr6ihaDmEulsnPgjXipNZxCv5Gg8xcY2CdVYoHxAGef7Iki33WmneQ4J_YIuniN83Ew20Ej9i6WN_weCmLXwZOwuhB06onkbnp52YpnIO64P3yGelVZ-gVuTH2cezQG4Qw3ZhfHWMXieWMNmU/s3300/flyer%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="3300" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FuY9s9ClAVMlmyuU5o_Zkv-BRpvS3Y4FtUqkgYwo6zPr6ihaDmEulsnPgjXipNZxCv5Gg8xcY2CdVYoHxAGef7Iki33WmneQ4J_YIuniN83Ew20Ej9i6WN_weCmLXwZOwuhB06onkbnp52YpnIO64P3yGelVZ-gVuTH2cezQG4Qw3ZhfHWMXieWMNmU/w400-h309/flyer%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We've done enough hint-dropping, date-reminding, and jibber-jabbing, so it's about time to drop the actual lineup for the <b>Hex Records 25th anniversary</b> shows! It will be held on <b>Friday, May 3rd</b> and <b>Saturday May 4th</b>. Both shows are happening at <b>The Fixin To</b> in <b>Portland</b>. You can get tickets in the link listed.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're happy to have <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/GaytheistPDX?__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;"><b>Gaytheist</b></span></a> , <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/GreatFallsNoise?__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;"><b>Great Falls</b></span></a> , <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thehelm?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><b>The Helm</b></a> , a couple pals from the East- <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/BrainCave2k18?__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;"><b>Brain Cave</b></span></a> and <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/wipesband?__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;"><b>Wipes</b></span></a> , as well as alumni from <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/kinghornmusic?__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;"><b>Kinghorn</b></span></a> , and a some bands we just <a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>like- <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/coffinapartment?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><b>Coffin Apartment</b></a> and <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/yellfireseattle?__cft__[0]=AZW9FzoapZPEH1oAQi-yHITtx3hjnCcYPi8EkHN_tud-4jIzFr7jJ5xWXQLmE5bijQTckWdXuHMbis8fhCON9zKK191-UFfhrgZ_Ux-cXFQGsG3ArkPwLKSYqOFHmL0KW_53YDHG7yzM26o9osOBQgLhlkgCO2XK_qcsiPaesonvA9tvzOyz_LDrOTeSxykRth0&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--blue-link); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;"><b>Yellfire</b></span></a> ! So maybe see ya in May?</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thefixinto.com/event-details/hex-records-25th-anniversary-w-gaytheist-the-helm-wipes-night-1">TICKETS NIGHT 1</a></span></b></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thefixinto.com/event-details/hex-records-25th-anniversary-w-great-falls-brain-cave-kinghorn-night-2">TICKETS NIGHT 2</a></span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div></div>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-45520056690972512652024-02-19T23:44:00.000-08:002024-02-19T23:44:55.621-08:00REVIEWS ARE FOR LOVERS<p> What's up with February? All of a sudden literally everything starts happening. Like, 50,000 records just came out or were announced, and I've bought tickets to like 20 different shows all of a sudden and now I'm checking my calendar for what's happening in like October? How the heck am I supposed to know that?<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I have to check my work calendar probably three times a day just to remember what I'm supposed to be do</span>ing that day. Cut me some slack. Any way, here's a bunch of cool stuff that caught my interest this last month.</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This month I want to lead off with a few bands that I clearly have a conflict of interest in discussing so I’m going to be biased. But then again, I’m generally talking about stuff that I like anyway, so believe it or not the payolas are not being raked in over here.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First off, the homies in <b>Brain Cave</b> have just released their second full length, <b>"Foot Off the Gas"</b>. I’ve been championing these Cleveland fellas for a few years now and even went on to release a split for them. They’re a prolific lot, releasing numerous EPs and singles over the years so it’s good to see another full length from them. This time around they opt for a heavier, chunkier, noisier production and the songs err on a bit of the slower side as opposed to a couple of the 7”s they did recently with the exceptions being the fast opener “Neologism” and mid-point “Displaced”. They give a try with clean vocals and an almost slacker vibe on “Death Weapons”, which is a change for them. But for the most part you’re getting what you are accustomed to with this band- gruff vocals and driving, chunky post-hardcore that gives equal love to noise rock as it does melodic heavy punk.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=896465390/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://braincave.bandcamp.com/album/foot-off-the-gas">Foot Off the Gas by BRAIN CAVE</a></iframe>
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next is <b>Cower</b>. Gareth from USA Nails lends his talents to this project, though if I understand it correctly Wayne Adams is the main player here. Wayne is a well known studio engineer in the UK and has recorded all the USA Nails material, as well as a million other bands and plays in a myriad of other projects (maybe most notably Petbrick). But <b>Cower</b> isn’t some post-punk/noise rock thing, nor is it some technical death metal band despite the cover art here likely leading one to assume such. <b>Cower</b> is goth-y industrial music that does find itself dipping it’s toes into post-punk occasionally. I was really surprised how much their last LP “Boys” stuck with me, as I don’t typically get into this sort of music. But it’s engaging, strangely catchy, and brooding. <b>“Celestial Devastation”</b> follows a similar course.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1892532306/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://cower.bandcamp.com/album/celestial-devastation">Celestial Devastation by COWER</a></iframe>
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OK, so I can’t get through this without giving a heavy nod to the Texans in <b>Porcelain</b>. Steve has been a trusted pal for several years now and post-Exhalants (yeah, I did a record for them, you see a trend developing here?) he really wanted to go all-in on Unwound worship, and how can you blame the guy? They’re one of the best to do it. So along with members of Superthief (who were also pretty stellar) and more I don’t know about <b>Porcelain</b> came to be. They’ve been sitting on this full length for a hot minute and now it’s out there for all to absorb into their brains. Despite wearing influences proudly upon the sleeve I’ve always noticed Steve to have a particular way of playing. riffing, and laying out songs and I’ve always found it to be engaging and exciting. Even though Exhalants often pushed heaviness to the apex you could hear those strange melodies and that exists in <b>Porcelain</b> as well, just minus the overwhelming blast of volume and distortion. So whether they’re ripping through the quick and abrasive assault in “Vanity” or the huge, gargantuan chorus in “Plastic” <b>Porcelain</b> has offered a solid debut of a record.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3690750515/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://porcelainatx.bandcamp.com/album/s-t">S/T by Porcelain</a></iframe>
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next, <b>Chimes Of Bayonets</b> arrive with their first full length after a couple of 7”s. The trio have been playing together, some in other bands with each other, for many years and that familiar playing style is represented in full here with a sort of rough and tumble math rock that if you’re old and obscure like me you’ll hear hints of stuff as wide-ranging (yet very cool) as Forstella Ford, Atombombpocketknife, and Kerosene 454. Oh yeah, and it also comes in this fancy package with a screened clear slipcase thing so it looks extra cool.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2904766084/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://peterwalkeerecords.bandcamp.com/album/chimes-of-bayonets-replicator-lp">CHIMES OF BAYONETS-REPLICATOR LP by CHIMES OF BAYONETS</a></iframe>
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OK, so here’s a few things new on my radar and not just bands/musicians I’m already familiar with dropping some stuff that’s spinning my wheels. First off, <b>Suntouch House</b> went and dropped a new EP out of nowhere so that came as a surprise to me. Their debut EP last year kicked my ass and why wouldn’t it? Colonial Wound dudes doing another one of their 5,000 other bands and it all rules. This time around <b>Suntouch House</b> feels a little more reigned in in a way that sounds like they’re a bit more comfortable with who they are. It just sounds a bit tighter and this whole thing comes off like an unreleased Deadguy record with a more grooving rhythm section.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3968893449/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://dazestyle.bandcamp.com/album/laugh-to-myself">Laugh To Myself by Suntouch House</a></iframe></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Going down some kind of noise rock wormhole I came across the Toronto-based <b>Sundowner</b> and their debut EP <b>“Asbestos Tiles”</b>. Let me tell ya, it’s pretty wild. There’s a lot of spit and vitriol going on with these furious punk/noisy jams but they got the good sense to introduce some shimmering leads here and there, like on the almost space-y “Petty Tyrant” and a reprieve of rhythmically chunky and melodic hardcore on “Glazed Eyes”. I see a lot of promise of what lay ahead for this new band. Cool stuff.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3023736672/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://sunsgoingdown.bandcamp.com/album/asbestos-tiles">Asbestos Tiles by Sundowner</a></iframe>
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Edging</b> may have released this record back in the late Summer but it’s just getting to my ears and holy shit, this is some great hot-shit badass punk. I’m going to make this as simple as I can for you: when you play ripping punk rock and you add a saxophone to it your band automatically becomes 100 times better. So congratulations to <b>Edging</b> for discovering that secret recipe, and writing short songs that fall somewhere between the blown-out freak rock of Big Clown and wiry ensemble punk of Mallwalkers. Bonus points for naming your record <b>“Good Sex Music”</b>.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=475952035/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://edging.bandcamp.com/album/good-sex-music">Good Sex Music by Edging</a></iframe></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, <b>Baratro</b> is a band that Dave Curren, most known for his long time two-ton bass duties in Unsane, started after moving to Italy and joined up with a couple other pisans to continue sonically crushing skulls. In all honesty, I thought maybe this was just a project because they did one great EP a few years back and then silence. It’s like there was a pandemic or something that got in the way of being an active band. So anyways, I wasn’t expecting them to return. But it’s 2024 and here we are and there’s a Baratro full length. So not to bring up old shit, but you listen to this and it becomes very clear just how significant Curran’s songwriting was to his time in Unsane. You hear it all over this. Not only does the man have one of the heaviest bass tones in all of recorded music history but his dense and ham-fisted riffs are unquestionably the sort of thing to give you a migraine, or make you, as the opening song title implies, “Fight the Parking Meter”. This is a very easy sort of record for me to get into as it totally speaks my language and if you like aggressive music that will blow your wig off with it’s sheer heaviness than pal, <b>Baratro</b>s got you covered.</span>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=590378389/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://improvedsequence.bandcamp.com/album/the-sweet-smell-of-unrest-imp099">The Sweet Smell Of Unrest (IMP099) by Baratro</a></iframe>
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, <b>J Robbins</b> makes his return with a new solo record after some sporadic singles over the last couple years. And by ‘solo’ I mean he wrote all these songs, but has some exceptionally wonderful people along to play on the record with him, including his Report Suspicious Activity and Channels bandmate (and one one of my all-time favorite drummers) Darren Zentek. <b>J Robbins</b> is up there in that same general age range of people like Ted Leo, Walter Schriffels, and John Reiss whom I all consider to be some of the great American songwriters to emerge from the punk scene of the late 80s and early 90s who are still writing, recording, and playing out incredible music. J is certainly in that group. He has a sense of melody like no other and his intricate playing, particular cadence with his vocals, and sense of songcraft (not to mention a wildly talented recording engineer) is completely unique to him. He’s said in a recent interview that on this record he’s made an attempt to be less obtuse in his lyrics and more straightforward about what’s he conveying, though I’ve always thought he’s had a great way with lyrics and wordplay, and that remains here as well. Most poignant is how open he is in using songs on <b>“Basilisk”</b> as a means for getting through, and celebrating, the life of his son who sadly passed away a couple years ago after life-long medical complications. That’s a tough thing to do. The effort, as a whole, is a great listen. If you’ve somehow lived under a rock for the last 30 years and don’t know who <b>J Robbins</b> is think maybe stuff like Bob Mould, the aforementioned Ted Leo, or literately any of J’s older bands like Jawbox or Burning Airlines.</span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=214324079/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://jrobbins.bandcamp.com/album/basilisk">Basilisk by J. Robbins</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-83738495448714520252024-02-12T23:56:00.000-08:002024-02-12T23:56:19.203-08:00MONTHLY COVER SERIES #2: HEADLESS HORSE!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeL1kGJfhENcKwR_8aSvxeqJYWCNH3ovEE3AeV-S71xHcRlBWFfwYbMVSZ9hIncrkmOmyTB6jGuF98sJ0gwYnxGjE5tbmhacNDIA8NgSsDQxvpKRaLlO-2r-ZREt7_70LvrLgeWRatiwdeWV8Ns2C1MjffR5F2IBi8SBTKvEs0FkwXvE3_oGTzSFTAyY/s1768/circle%2025%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="1744" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeL1kGJfhENcKwR_8aSvxeqJYWCNH3ovEE3AeV-S71xHcRlBWFfwYbMVSZ9hIncrkmOmyTB6jGuF98sJ0gwYnxGjE5tbmhacNDIA8NgSsDQxvpKRaLlO-2r-ZREt7_70LvrLgeWRatiwdeWV8Ns2C1MjffR5F2IBi8SBTKvEs0FkwXvE3_oGTzSFTAyY/s320/circle%2025%202.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://headlesshorse.bandcamp.com/album/final-lexicon">Headless Horse</a></b> is the project band I was invited to be a part of with <b>Rob Antonucci</b> from <b>Achilles</b> (and like a million other bands) that was started during pandemic stuff. We had talked about doing a band together for literally 20 years and it finally took shape when we recorded an EP of songs a couple years back. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew that with this covers project I wanted to contribute myself in some way besides just organizing it. And with that I decided a good band for <b>Headless Horse</b> to tackle would be <b>Sick Of It All</b>. I realize most of the people who enjoy things I put out look for left-of-center, weird and abrasive, noisy, sludgy, what-have-you. And I love all of that. But a big part of my musical DNA is hardcore. Like, hardcore-for-the-hardcore hardcore. It’s what I came up in, despite always having a foot in other types of aggressive, or underground music. There’s a whole boatload of bands from the hardcore scene I have taken a lot of influence from, and I decided <b>Sick Of It All</b> would be a worthy inclusion because they are always there. They have been a consistent force in music for over three decades. They’re still one of the best live bands you could go see and have more energy expressed in one song than most bands have in their entire discography. And still nobody cries while the innocent die and the guilty go free.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Go on and check out <b>"World Full Of Hate"</b> at the link below: </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/track/headless-horse-world-full-of-hate"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/track/headless-horse-world-full-of-hate</span></a></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM8DzByXcq-Qan_PszwiaTeKdBnWjSU3VVxWtyaEeJSpG56KLa8UZ-ODlCcqDZyuZbOG2dXDWI735yIDlQpiCn9sTTFTOXpgWgXcD_iw2wq_i2kCSIvfro6L4TbnheU_s44p7GJefjN1Q2BzjAfE6Shr3bRWa2baGOw95lcP_kO0nGVQGGMP49Hi-m3c/s1050/HH%20SOIA%20pic.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM8DzByXcq-Qan_PszwiaTeKdBnWjSU3VVxWtyaEeJSpG56KLa8UZ-ODlCcqDZyuZbOG2dXDWI735yIDlQpiCn9sTTFTOXpgWgXcD_iw2wq_i2kCSIvfro6L4TbnheU_s44p7GJefjN1Q2BzjAfE6Shr3bRWa2baGOw95lcP_kO0nGVQGGMP49Hi-m3c/s320/HH%20SOIA%20pic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-87764551685868150712024-01-28T20:59:00.000-08:002024-01-28T20:59:42.424-08:00NEW REVIEWS<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m trying a little something different here so bear with me, we’ll see how this shakes out.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rather than a rote item-by-item roll out of releases I thought I’d frame this as more of a train of thought sort of exercise in stuff I’ve been listening to lately, which is still mostly new. Mostly.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a new year and I’ve been running reviews in the same way for like a million years. I even considered stopping doing this altogether, but the thing is, I enjoy writing about stuff I like and sparking discussions about those things. So that all being said, why not discuss some new (mostly) music?</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First off, a band that I had an eye on for the last couple years teased something new in the fall last year and then I kind of forgot about it. But right as the calendar turned over an entire LP from the St.Louis-based <b>Blight Future</b> popped up and it was a welcome surprise. I really thought they were a band that kind of called it during pandemic times, but they merely hibernated. They don’t seem to be a super active band by any means, but I thought they had a cool approach to tried and true hardcore by injecting some very awesome sludgy riffs, interesting transitions, alternating vocals between guitarists Stephen and Emily, and parts that lean into thrash amongst a hefty dose of modern hardcore punk. It’s quite the stew, but it’s effective. <b>“Succession Species”</b> is their second self-released full length.</span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=613540015/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://blightfuture.bandcamp.com/album/succesion-species">Succesion Species by Blight Future</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another surprise I received was a record I actually ordered a couple months ago, I just received it faster than anticipated. In the past I’ve been hesitant to review reissues because it’s taking space away from new bands. However, I’ll make exceptions every now and again because this is a reissue of the <b>Angel Hair</b> discography and it’s one of the most looked over, yet batshit insane, hardcore punk records ever. <b>Angel Hair </b>existed only for a couple years between the early-mid-90s yet their mark is undeniable. While the band hailed from Colorado they were lumped right into the Gravity Records / San Diego scene of the first wave of what would eventually be known as ‘screamo’. Their music was a chaotic swirl of guitars being thrown down the stairs, wild drumming and the very distinctive scream and wordplay of vocalist <b>Sonny Kay</b>. These dudes all went on to a million other bands (notably <b>The VSS, Year Future, Pleasure Forever, Ssold, Rabbits</b>, and more) but this is where they started. Back in the late 90’s their discography was originally issued as a CD titled <b>“Pregnant With the Senior Class”</b>. This is the same material- their sole LP, a couple splits, and 7”- all on LP and it’s finally been remixed/remastered so it sounds fucking awesome. All the original material sounded cool in this otherworldly basement-recorded shitty sort of way that still made the band sound exciting. This new mix emphasizes all the rad stuff you couldn’t pick up on in the original recordings, as well as some drum and bass treatments that sound crushing. The record has a new layout that is pretty wild to look at (save for an awful new logo…. seriously, the original one was sooooo much better) and re-titled as <b>“Insect Immortality”</b>. Seriously, grab this for a lesson on how to play completely spastic and off-the-wall hardcore punk.</span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2315603682/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://angelhair.bandcamp.com/album/insect-immortality">Insect Immortality by Angel Hair</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sticking with old stuff, but in a different way, <b>Black Donut Records</b> comes at us again with another covers comp (they did a Melvins one not too far back) and this time it’s all 80’s New Wave covers. I’ll be honest, I don’t know most of these songs even though I grew up in this era. So in a way, some of these sound new to me. The first half of the record is stacked with some really excellent bands such as <b>Science Man, Wipes, Naw</b>, and <b>Basement Family</b> all doing different styles of awesome heavy music/punk/noise rock/whatever. Actually, there’s just one dud on here because I’m not sure a glam/metalcore-sounding cover of The Eurythmics is at all appealing to me. But then things wrap up with Seattle’s grungy chonk rockers <b>Glose</b> dirty-ing up “Everybody Wants To Rule the World”, arguably one of the prettiest songs ever written.</span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1763079630/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://waxdonut.com/album/new-wave-donut">New Wave Donut by Various Artists</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OK, ready to get back to new stuff? Here’s the quick and dirty: <b>Dry Socket</b> from here in <b>Portland</b> has been completely ripping faces for several years now and their official first full length- appropriately titled <b>"Sorry For Your Loss"</b> given some of the record's subject matter and a sentiment that has seemed to lose most of it's meaning over the last couple years out of sheer exhaustion- just came out. This thing was written and recorded like 2 or 3 years ago and it’s just now coming out. Chalk it up to being one of the final (hopefully) lags in the horrible vinyl production bullshit of 2022-ish. Either way, the fast hardcore crew has introduced a little more variety into their exceptionally speedy tracks by, wait for it, playing fast AND slow. Yeah, it’s a minor detail. Even though the whole record is done and over with in probably under 20 minutes it’s not just one quick punch after another. What I’ve always admired about them is their ability to tap into a raw emotion and parts that genuinely sound pissed off and desperate. It’s not just playing to a crowd, it’s exorcising personal demons.</span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2444329471/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://drysocketpdx.bandcamp.com/album/sorry-for-your-loss">Sorry For Your Loss by Dry Socket</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the other coast, featuring other long time pals, <b>Into the Light</b> is a new project of dudes who have spent time in <b>Achilles, How We Are, No Idols</b>, and a million other things playing exactly what someone between the ages of 38-45 believes is post-hardcore. It’s exactly that. Which means you get an entire EP of big, spacey riffs, tons of melodies, rock-solid heavy-ass rhythm, and mostly kind of spoken/sung vocals. You can hear some of the more shoegaze elements of Deftones, the kind of chunky rhythms Quicksand built a foundation of this kind of music on, even a bit of the upbeat sunshine of groups like Sensefield. I love this stuff, it’s incredibly catchy and well-written and a lot of fun to listen to.</span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2314066484/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://intothelightroc.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-light-2">Into the Light by Into the Light</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lastly, a couple blasts of noise rock from two different sides of the coin- both <b>Philly</b>’s sludge grumpsters <b>Eye Flys</b> and <b>Kalamazoo</b> artsy/aggressive duo <b>Bronson Arm</b> both dropped new self-titled LPs this month. While <b>Eye Flys</b> throw down the most burled of burly in a very direct ‘yeah, we’ve friggin’ heavy’ sort of way <b>Bronson Arm</b> really throw the listener for a loop with an exciting take on what you can do with just guitar and drums by running various effects and left-of-center angularity, but still with dextrous muscle behind their somewhat more manic approach. It’s cool. <b>Eye Flys</b> are cool too for those seeking immediate gratification through ham-fisted riffs and fans of their previous material will be completely satisfied I’m sure.</span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2394122400/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/s-t">S/T by Bronson Arm</a></iframe>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3873952548/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://eyeflys.bandcamp.com/album/eye-flys-2">Eye Flys by Eye Flys</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-30377822172729093302024-01-25T20:54:00.000-08:002024-01-25T20:59:53.328-08:00TOURS!!!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcUZlqytGhzMPEiBuyjMnrW0lO2jtan6H_azTA48mFyV2cBk3bGxFCLX1ZrRToJHwUE91js3c2RWsnFBoW-epsEwImJydR3mXnXp5GFW8zWukGxH9on2yc5d_rgIuZIqIOj6YwXmuIH7guH546I_Le3iFsfCOdC6BecYjKrOYLyww4qo7Md8VWQhxr8M/s1280/tour%20van.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcUZlqytGhzMPEiBuyjMnrW0lO2jtan6H_azTA48mFyV2cBk3bGxFCLX1ZrRToJHwUE91js3c2RWsnFBoW-epsEwImJydR3mXnXp5GFW8zWukGxH9on2yc5d_rgIuZIqIOj6YwXmuIH7guH546I_Le3iFsfCOdC6BecYjKrOYLyww4qo7Md8VWQhxr8M/w400-h225/tour%20van.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Hot shit on a cracker, it's a new year and already there's all these bands and whatnot planning on getting on the road and imploring you to see them in your weird little town, followed by the all-too-familiar response of 'come play Istanbul/Forks/Shrevesport/Ulaan Bataar/Phoenix/whatever'.<p></p><p>Well, they try their best to make it everywhere. Here's what you get from the bands we work with/have worked with (as well as a couple more hints as to the lineup of the 25th anniversary show(s)):</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>BRAIN CAVE</b></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">2/16/24- Cleveland, OH- Record release show at Little Rose</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">2/29/24- Kalamazoo, MI - The Runoff</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">3/1/24- Chicago, IL - Burlington</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">3/2/24- Toledo, OH - Ottawa Tavern </span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">3/3/24- Columbus, OH - Dirty Dungarees</span></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>GREAT FALLS</b></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><b> w/ Botch</b></span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 08 – Prague, CZ – Meet Factory</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 09 – Vienna, AT – Arena</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 10 – Chemnitz, DE – AJZ</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 12 – Berlin, DE – Festsaal Kreuzberg</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 13 – Copenhagen, DK – Vega</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 14 – Hamburg, DE – Uebel & Gefährlich</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 15 – Brussels, BE – Botanique</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 17 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 18 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, LUX – Rockhal</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 19 – Paris, FR – Elysee Montmartre</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 21 – Bristol, UK – Marble Factory</span></p><p style="color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">March 22 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 23 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">June 15th- Seattle, WA @ Showbox (w/ Helms Alee too)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>w/ Wake</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">3/29/24- Seattle, WA @ Funhouse</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">3/30/24- Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">3/31/24- Victoria, BC @ Victoria Events Center</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">5/3-5/4/24- Portland @ The Fixin To (<b>Hex Records 25th anniversary blowout</b>)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>DAY JOB</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 5 - Nashville, TN </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 6 - Birmingham, AL</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 7 - New Orleans, LA </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 8 - Memphis, TN </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 9 - St Louis</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">, MO</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 10 - Chicago, IL </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 11 Louisville, KY </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 12 - Pittsburgh, PA </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 13 - Philly, PA (w/ Wipes)</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 14 - Washington, DC </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 15 - Richmond, VA </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 16 - Asheville, NC </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">March 17 - Atlanta, GA</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>WIPES</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">3/13/24- Philly, PA (w/ <b>Day Job</b>)</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">5/2/24- 5/5/24- Northwest</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> US</span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"> tour</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>GAYTHEIST</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">5/3-5/4/24- Portland @ Fixin To (Hex Records 25th anniversary blowout)</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>MUMS</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">2/24/24- Manchester, UK @ Paper Hat (w/ <b>USA Nails</b> and Blacklisters)</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">3/9/24- Sheffield, UK</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">5/17/24- Preston, UK (w/ <b>USA Nails</b>)</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">6/7/24- Liverpool, UK (w/ <b>USA Nails</b>)</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CHILD BITE</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/9/24- Ferndale, MI @ Curses</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/10/24- Cleveland, OH @ No Class</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/11/24- Louisville, KY @ Portal</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/12/24- St. Louis, MO @ Sinkhole</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/13/24- Kansas City, MO @ Minibar</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/14/24- Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Back Arena *</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/15/24- Fargo, ND @ Aquarium</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/16/24- Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre *</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/17/24- St. Paul, MN @ White Rock Lounge</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/18/24- Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center *</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/19/24- Chicago, IL @ Live Wire Lounge</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/20/24- Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">2/22/24- NYC @ Madison Square Garden *</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">*- w/ Pantera, Lamb Of God... no kidding</span></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-29205778069128744902024-01-13T14:37:00.000-08:002024-01-13T14:37:31.925-08:00MONTHLY COVER SERIES KICKS OFF WITH ALPHA HOPPER!<h1 class="_ap3a _aaco _aacu _aacx _aad7 _aade" dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1 class="_ap3a _aaco _aacu _aacx _aad7 _aade" dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF1xZAunryMIh-MgZZKfZafAT88cULEuHrhK8rjAO1-DeOCcr6j1K6SZv5EKMBvg4OOdVHwgOkSJsVYn_onFzU3R9tDN7-GUS6mhfKArMg6LQB4n-W7jbSMj5A-x0Su6LQ0oadYYfsJmbvg-6hXblXei0tmzlbAfhM3Rvo7M6dBdwO3TICnlbQz6U3QQ/s1760/circle%2025%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="1712" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF1xZAunryMIh-MgZZKfZafAT88cULEuHrhK8rjAO1-DeOCcr6j1K6SZv5EKMBvg4OOdVHwgOkSJsVYn_onFzU3R9tDN7-GUS6mhfKArMg6LQB4n-W7jbSMj5A-x0Su6LQ0oadYYfsJmbvg-6hXblXei0tmzlbAfhM3Rvo7M6dBdwO3TICnlbQz6U3QQ/s320/circle%2025%201.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1 class="_ap3a _aaco _aacu _aacx _aad7 _aade" dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It’s the first of the monthly Hex Records 25th anniversary series of covers, and to kick things off we got </span><a href="https://alphahopper.bandcamp.com/album/alpha-hex-index">Alpha Hopper</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> covering </span>“N-Sub Ulysses”<span style="font-weight: normal;"> by the legendary </span>Nation Of Ulysses<span style="font-weight: normal;">! In asking Alpha Hopper</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> if they would consider covering the crazy DC band I thought of them because both bands exhibit(ed) wild energy on stage and in my own history living in Buffalo for a bit the town had a storied legacy of heavy and straight ahead hardcore (which is all well and good), but Alpha Hopper are certainly an outlier of weirdness, same as I think of Ulysses to the DC scene.</span></span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You can check out the cover here:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hex-25-year">https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hex-25-year</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QYx5X0HGcmvPsLFkp-wkctrUYfks0vS3qmy98az48nV8RWnWE-JsTF33eaPILwOqib6veIUKmPXVhaFaG1m76TTRmn2rT0dRWPkOn9O9MG14K99jCn_7VcIOdEl_DMc_jWE_YfkKoNikQlfYZxmF5MZksTjUlEjzALFR6GQ5LYj2iT66LQSoOWmaEkM/s1050/AH%20n-sub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QYx5X0HGcmvPsLFkp-wkctrUYfks0vS3qmy98az48nV8RWnWE-JsTF33eaPILwOqib6veIUKmPXVhaFaG1m76TTRmn2rT0dRWPkOn9O9MG14K99jCn_7VcIOdEl_DMc_jWE_YfkKoNikQlfYZxmF5MZksTjUlEjzALFR6GQ5LYj2iT66LQSoOWmaEkM/s320/AH%20n-sub.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-39751128461783552542024-01-01T22:20:00.000-08:002024-01-01T22:20:37.273-08:00HEX RECORDS TURNS 25 IN 2024!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5FWgb8OIyHckWdwotp-QLpO765pznNWwtPBls0D2CrwAmEaVpKH13ruO_BOJgucW7V46ajr_6UP_Rpyib20L9l0JiHEAEXSu1SwsW7tZNz3LMzMF_84JeeSkNg0XBeWa6uRmgHjvQGvmgyLldL2x6xuNmk_vSvvE1QcK5WaqtMkFU8Oav_mFKlBpdwk/s1500/hex%2025%20year%20logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5FWgb8OIyHckWdwotp-QLpO765pznNWwtPBls0D2CrwAmEaVpKH13ruO_BOJgucW7V46ajr_6UP_Rpyib20L9l0JiHEAEXSu1SwsW7tZNz3LMzMF_84JeeSkNg0XBeWa6uRmgHjvQGvmgyLldL2x6xuNmk_vSvvE1QcK5WaqtMkFU8Oav_mFKlBpdwk/w400-h400/hex%2025%20year%20logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy New Year!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A big year is ahead for 2024 as it will be the <b>25th anniversary</b> of <b>Hex Records</b>. It’s quite a milestone. I ought to do something special for it. I’ll get to that. Please feel free to share a memory, or an anecdote. I made a little logo for the 25th anniversary <i>(look up)</i> that I think looks kinda cool.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are currently plans for several new releases this year and one repress (the <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/usa-nails-character-stop">USA Nails, "Character Stop"</a></b> pre-order I put up last week) and I can’t wait to get going on them.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing I’m going to give a try is a </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">monthly cover by a band either part of this label, or associated in some way</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Essentially, I’ve reached out to a bunch of bands with fairly specific covers that I think would fit for them and, well, </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">starting next week</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> you’ll begin to see those popping up. I’m shooting for one a month for the whole year. </span>Who's<span style="font-family: inherit;"> going to cover what? Well, you’ll just have to tune in to find out!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next order of business: there will be a <b>two-night show</b> as part of the label’s anniversary on <b>Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th at The Fixin To in Portland, OR</b>. Again, this will be all bands on, or associated with in some way, the label. So many bands I’ve worked with are from all over the stinkin’ place so, by and large, this will be primarily Northwest bands. However, it won’t be all PNW bands. There’s a couple making a trek. I’m not trying to make this some all-day fest, just a few bands each night. If you find yourself out this way come to the show(s)!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think that’s about it. Be on the lookout for news on new releases, tours, and other nonsense. And thank you, if you’re reading this, for being a supporter in some way over these last 25 years. Hopefully you’ve experienced some joy and excitement from any (or all) the projects we have worked on over the years.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheers!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ryan/Hex</span></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-59650213367298548362023-12-12T22:10:00.000-08:002023-12-12T22:10:09.270-08:00IT'S THE YEAR END LIST 2023!!!<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAbod4wZ5U9SoPEpkysKyU_jw7WqM8ky-HspGt1xaI_ah10jh23S4sLVdLrm9TGXGerNs4TcqL3xaej8ud8Dxn3-BnL1slCgujdLjwbxBu1Oy2M2MEmDRK-mHf2B3Uz_Cy6jb2Q3RJ2fuzmLl187xI-4RIiAyIg58Dj2Xkyn3W26MO4kYrchjd22oXoM/s1350/group%20intro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAbod4wZ5U9SoPEpkysKyU_jw7WqM8ky-HspGt1xaI_ah10jh23S4sLVdLrm9TGXGerNs4TcqL3xaej8ud8Dxn3-BnL1slCgujdLjwbxBu1Oy2M2MEmDRK-mHf2B3Uz_Cy6jb2Q3RJ2fuzmLl187xI-4RIiAyIg58Dj2Xkyn3W26MO4kYrchjd22oXoM/w400-h400/group%20intro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a wild year where I felt like I had to keep running to keep up because I had some big changes going on personally that were very exciting, but kept me quite occupied.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Number one on that list was I bought a house and spent several months completely immersed in the arduous, and quite frankly scary, process that comes along with that, as well as all the fixing-up, settling in, and so forth. So lots of work there that was an exceptional change in life.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Hex Records</b> had some amazing opportunities this year too- I had the great pleasure of releasing the debut LP from <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/facet-2">Facet</a></b>. It’s a ridiculously great-sounding record from an exciting new (ish) band and I had the pleasure of seeing them a couple times this year as well.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio65UZHw7z-WR6nxo96z4ATMoOwthUekTbiuOSw2to3lAS6r273dSd7EN-iDR9xcKCDdMvNNfWqGGngAmwxzvUW3a8mt1LDU7XOwwMqrW6H3lx24Mxdvl418KMP0BdafThLj-gIKh0jL6thCJK_y_xJg2ooOI68aAvF05TttXffKdDtdJYEcgisb-AphQ/s2016/facet%20live.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio65UZHw7z-WR6nxo96z4ATMoOwthUekTbiuOSw2to3lAS6r273dSd7EN-iDR9xcKCDdMvNNfWqGGngAmwxzvUW3a8mt1LDU7XOwwMqrW6H3lx24Mxdvl418KMP0BdafThLj-gIKh0jL6thCJK_y_xJg2ooOI68aAvF05TttXffKdDtdJYEcgisb-AphQ/w320-h240/facet%20live.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a dream come true to release the new record from <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs">Mums</a></b>, a band that I have been mildly obsessed with for years now, and their gargantuan fuzzy riffs and playful songs. Not only does the new LP rule, but it’s a total bonus that they’re just fantastic people to boot.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got to reacquaint myself with long time pals Kevin and Brenton and their new band <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/day-job-the-auger">Day Job</a></b>. I worked with both those guys about 5 years back with their other band <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/null-act-of-love">Null</a></b>, so it was a pleasure to release another worthy effort from their creative minds in the form of sludgy sledgehammer tracks.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a summer I wish didn’t end filled with activity, tons of bike rides (many of which were themed from the Talking Heads ride, the vegan donut ride, a Pee-Wee Herman memorial ride, a Devo-inspired ride, and the World Naked Bike Ride just to name a few), lots of swimming in rivers, and beautiful weather. Honestly, the first summer in years where the heat didn’t eventually just make me wish it got cold.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But there was part sadness as well. The world lost <b>Rick Froberg </b>of Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Obits, Pitchfork, and artist extraordinaire. I know much of the music I love, the kinds of bands I promote through my label, the art I find exciting- a lot of that has a connection to the art and music Rick was a part of making and his influence is nothing short of legendary. I feel lucky to have been able to see three of his bands over the years on multiple occasions. And a little more personal, my old pal <b>Steve Muczynski</b> passed suddenly- a very kind soul from Michigan/San Diego who always shared his music with me, would randomly touch base on and off, and for some reason was always buying CDs from me. Small acts of kindness ya know? I know his loss runs deep to many. RIP Steve.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FAVORITE ALBUMS (in no order)</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This year there wasn’t anything life changing; nothing that made me completely re-evaluate my interest in music. There were just a lot of records that were really solid efforts, plainly said, a lot that just kicked ass. So there’s a bit more than a ‘top 10’, and no ‘number 1’ because all this stuff was just swirling around my ears a lot.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FACS, “Still Life In Decay”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At first I didn’t like this band- too slow, too artsy, too minimalist. Then I saw them and it was brilliant. I also slapped myself for being a shmuck. They have several albums. This is just the newest. The rest are great too. And yeah, it’s exactly like I said- slow, artsy, minimalist on the surface- yet with a serial killer precision in execution and emotional wrangling through crazy guitar effects and awesome use of space. <i>(Trouble In Mind)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=428051111/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://wearefacs.bandcamp.com/album/still-life-in-decay">Still Life In Decay by FACS</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>STRESS PALACE, s/t</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just came in at the start of the year. Did you forget about it yet? you shouldn’t. It’s an awesome debut from this rather mysterious Houston (I think?) band. They have an awesome way of creating the kind of noisy post-hardcore that I like with all these interesting layers of mood and texture with some tastefully added synths. It’s rare to see a new band start that already feels fully formed. <i>(The Ghost Is Clear)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2334337045/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/stress-palace">Stress Palace by Stress Palace</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>OBITUARY, “Dying Of Everything”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been years since I listened to Obituary and nothing has changed. They’re just as good as ever. I know I can be a bit nose-in-the-air highbrow about my music tastes, I’m aware. But sometimes you just need some caveman shit with riffs that will pile drive you through a brick wall. Obituary have always been able to hit that groove while splitting yr skull. Fuckin’ heavy. <i>(Relapse)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1773339604/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://obituary.bandcamp.com/album/dying-of-everything">Dying of Everything by Obituary</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GREAT FALLS, “Objects Without Pain”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s crazy to think Great Falls have been a band for well over 10 years, highly prolific with numerous releases, and they’re just hitting their stride now. This is their most realized record and their most emotionally exhausting. They write violent and bleak music that’s complicated and savage and pour their entire being into it all and you can hear it on here. “Thrown Against the Waves” is kind of a perfect title that encapsulates what they do and happens to be one of the best songs on the album as well. <i>(Neurot)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3104561116/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://greatfalls.bandcamp.com/album/objects-without-pain">Objects Without Pain by Great Falls</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TRUTH CULT, “Walk the Wheel”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was one of my most highly anticipated releases of the year and it shows the Baltimore punks delving deeper into melody and songcraft to pair up with their awesome DC-influenced Rev Summer/Swiz worship. They also put on a heck of a live show swirling with non-stop energy. <i>(Pop Wig)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1566928018/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://truthcultband.bandcamp.com/album/walk-the-wheel-2">Walk the Wheel by Truth Cult</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HIRS COLLECTIVE, “We’re Still Here”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whenever bands or artists talk about ‘collabs’ none of them have a goddamn thing on HIRS Collective, where essentially every song is a collab with various people in punk/hardcore/indie/hip-hop/whatever. And they do this awesome thing where you get their distinct style of pummeling hardcore/grind/powerviolence while still giving their collaborators equal voice. Who else would have Melt-Banana, Geoff Rickley, members of Thou, Fucked Up, Converge, and Full Of Hell all sharing space on the same record? It’s fuckin’ nuts. HIRS brings people together and that’s beautiful.<i> (Get Better)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4251468539/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://hirs.bandcamp.com/album/were-still-here-2">We're Still Here by HIRS</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MIRAKLER, “How I Became the Devil”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What a killer debut. I mean they really pack it in, no one can say they feel shortchanged by this because they cram like 17 tracks onto this record. Some might say it’s a bit too long. But with all the awesome riffage and chunky, gooey, noisy hooks stuffed in I’m going to say it’s a deal. This Pittsburgh trio is one to keep an eye on because they’re streamrolling right on through with this record. <i>(Reptilian)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2486101551/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://mirakler.bandcamp.com/album/how-i-became-the-devil">How I Became The Devil by MIRAKLER</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>STUCK, “Freak Frequency”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel lie Stuck are THE post-punk band for this era. Their sound is clean, quirky, super catchy, and still a bit weird. In a subgenre that can often get mired in boring snobs talking about nonsense guitarist/vocalist Greg Obis writes clever lyrics about real issues and modern day concerns in a way that evokes a slight panic, but also a refreshing take. The couple tracks on here that feature backups by Melkbelly’s Miranda Winters are just stellar and a couple of the bands best tracks to date. <i>(Born Yesterday)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1017151862/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://stuckchi.bandcamp.com/album/freak-frequency">Freak Frequency by Stuck</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BIG GARDEN, “To the Rind”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I try to be careful about nostalgia because it can be easy, alluring, and a distraction from cool shit happening now. That’s not to say it’s not worth re-visiting, that’s fine. Just don’t let it dominate. Well, this debut by Thou project band Big Garden threatens to full-on teleport me back to the 90’s with it’s complete worship of stuff like Hum, old Smashing Pumpkins, and big, heavy grunge straight out of 1992. You know how those Thou dudes write riffs. Echoes of that are all over this, just more mid-tempo, less screaming, and piggybacking off of every episode of “120 Minutes” into one chunky glob. <i>(Gilead Media)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4188029268/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-rind">To the Rind by Big Garden</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FIDDLEHEAD, “Death Is Nothing To Us”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I used to be skeptical of this band because I thought maybe they were just big right from the get-go based off their previous band associations and were just cosplaying whatever it is they do. But I was so wrong. They really do write wonderful songs and Pat Flynn’s lyrics evoke real musings on life and death and the beauty in-between it all. “The Woes”, “15 To Infinity” and “Going To Die” are all amazing tearjerkers of songs that are all stated fantastically while still managing to shoehorn in 108 and Bad Brains references. Yes, there is Rites of Spring and Embrace worship, but it’s also just energetic and engaging music. <i>(Run For Cover)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3115190787/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://fiddleheadma.bandcamp.com/album/death-is-nothing-to-us">Death is Nothing to Us by Fiddlehead</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>OPEN CITY, “Hands In the Honey Jar”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wasn’t sure if we would ever hear from Open City again. It seemed like a fun project band at first, but it seems like an ongoing real thing, despite rarely playing shows and 5 years between their last album and this one. Still, this hardcore group of seasoned musicians has made another tribute to DC-inspired hardcore and Sarah Kirsch worship and if you know me, I really love hardcore when it comes from those sorts of reference points. This is another fun one, in a similar vein as bands like Truth Cult. <i>(Get Better)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=207975981/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://theeopencity.bandcamp.com/album/hands-in-the-honey-jar">Hands In The Honey Jar by Open City</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FILTH IS ETERNAL, “Find Out”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been a fan of this group since seeing them under their previous moniker Fucked and Bound and their vicious live show. They’ve only gotten better and maintained a similar sound despite some lineup changes. But their mish-mash of grungy metallic hardcore mixed with lots of d-beat and thrash pacing is just solid ass-kicking audio terrorism at it’s finest. Short songs, tons of energy, and still loud as fuck live. <i>(MNRK Heavy)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2978622728/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://filthiseternal.bandcamp.com/album/find-out">Find Out by Filth Is Eternal</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>PAINT IT BLACK, “Famine”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So it just occurred to me that Dan Yemin is on this list three times- a guest spot on the new HIRS Collective, the Open City record, and now the new release from the long-running Paint It Black, who strike back just as agitated and ferocious as ever. This short burst possibly qualifies as a full length, but it’s more of a longer EP? Whatever. This recalls the best of the short-fast hardcore of their early material with some of the curveballs they’ve thrown in on later records, all of which are awesome and creative. Lyrically, some of their most on-point and striking of their long run as a band. <i>(Revelation)</i></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3160084301/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://paintitblack.bandcamp.com/album/famine-2">Famine by Paint It Black</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Late Entry:</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>VULTURE FEATHER, “Liminal Fields”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I only stumbled upon this a few weeks ago, though it was released over the summer. Total Lungfish worship, but with some extra turns and textures and I absolutely love it. It’s chill but epic, beautiful and strange, and it’s their first record. They’re seasoned players from bands I’ve never heard but that’s inconsequential. Just check this out for pure bliss. <i>(</i></span><i>Felte Label)</i></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1609918886/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://vulturefeather.bandcamp.com/album/liminal-fields">Liminal Fields by Vulture Feather</a></iframe><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SHOWS</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P_QPcGbRxZsE4N0JWWcEct5ya8SBJSWR2txEz34w7f6zBZ_i787fowk9GXAPnx-8ZwL3xpZGSwG6IBfqLzwaWa1BwmF5k60dakuso1nRQ7EbJ929XpC-hrHc1s4VaFaP1RP3oY0znSyHQFcJy7y8DGZKGnPGL2DgtW2SEhSJwX_my0M5ZI76setuDSE/s2016/botch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P_QPcGbRxZsE4N0JWWcEct5ya8SBJSWR2txEz34w7f6zBZ_i787fowk9GXAPnx-8ZwL3xpZGSwG6IBfqLzwaWa1BwmF5k60dakuso1nRQ7EbJ929XpC-hrHc1s4VaFaP1RP3oY0znSyHQFcJy7y8DGZKGnPGL2DgtW2SEhSJwX_my0M5ZI76setuDSE/s320/botch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not going to lie, this year was a reunions wet dream. I really hate to resort to that as I’d much rather concentrate on current and new bands. But I saw <b>Unwound</b> twice and I never got to see them when they were around and they were magical. I also caught <b>Botch</b> twice (who I was able to see many, many times over the years) and they’re one of my favorite bands ever. And finally, while hardly a reunion at this point (more like a fully operational band in their second- well, third sort of- go around), I got to see <b>Quicksand</b> do a special set where they played <b>“Slip”</b>, pretty much my favorite record of all time, in it’s entirety from start to finish. And that was pretty special I must say. So while that certainly gives a big nod to the past there’s also some fantastic current stuff that I was stoked to experience live this year.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IubBQ0ZVZ4J1cfaOGHB0NZ1FYVaa1k7MEFFLKeFXCQfyde4mWWplQ0Fb7g-H0teyFuH038b7k8BdLfsImmeLll4p4Kb2R-zYxo4sRgisi4E750vblpXeDWUPaoZbS5xS_-lvmmrD8k9BWsqyovjLAGYbo5LqKPtHog3b4LDQqKe5KnxT_-L7FO7Sj7A/s2016/unwound.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IubBQ0ZVZ4J1cfaOGHB0NZ1FYVaa1k7MEFFLKeFXCQfyde4mWWplQ0Fb7g-H0teyFuH038b7k8BdLfsImmeLll4p4Kb2R-zYxo4sRgisi4E750vblpXeDWUPaoZbS5xS_-lvmmrD8k9BWsqyovjLAGYbo5LqKPtHog3b4LDQqKe5KnxT_-L7FO7Sj7A/s320/unwound.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <b>Caterwaul Fest</b> in <b>Minneapolis</b> was an exhausting long weekend, but an exhilarating event filled with a lot of people I was happy to see and hang around with, as well as a virtual boatload of bands that all kicked ass. Seeing the <b>USA Nails</b> guys again, <b>Cherubs</b>, <b>Rid Of Me</b>, <b>Facet</b>, <b>Multicult</b>, <b>Traindodge</b>, <b>Grizzlor</b>, <b>Chat Pile</b>, <b>Child Bite</b>, <b>Still/Form</b>, <b>Naw</b>, and <b>Kal Marks</b> between a beautiful outdoor stage in great weather, and a packed indoor venue was really life-affirming and to know so many people are into this loud and ugly music felt quite nice.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkYHBZePvn9ddJgCzVOx1VvVqwzHGZ4XvZuJ7N82WIhiYFQfhQjGPBxNUCImXLLTRTXeBeCkmhzFbvFKaTihZ7vzWP4F0e1jzfpinbgFR1EgJPummfe0tZn-6xtleG3E8Y796x7ghE-RU9NPBuJDPE8iEWMnRrqdrLLcQnTPqqWJ-JPpR1SvVYB5I7VM/s2016/child%20bite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkYHBZePvn9ddJgCzVOx1VvVqwzHGZ4XvZuJ7N82WIhiYFQfhQjGPBxNUCImXLLTRTXeBeCkmhzFbvFKaTihZ7vzWP4F0e1jzfpinbgFR1EgJPummfe0tZn-6xtleG3E8Y796x7ghE-RU9NPBuJDPE8iEWMnRrqdrLLcQnTPqqWJ-JPpR1SvVYB5I7VM/s320/child%20bite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In February I saw <b>Sumac</b> for the first time. I know they’ve been a band a pretty long time at this point, and they all live in the Northwest. What can I say? I just hadn’t gotten around to it. At this particular show I guess they were playing pretty much just older stuff and the venue they played was this relatively smaller hall with a very low stage and <b>Thrones</b> opened (and I’d never seen Thrones live either!). But I gotta say, Sumac absolutely destroyed. They sounded massive and had a ton of energy. Really impressive.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb9TfbE1f7EW1XsQbyZRfZoO5z78rWJOQDYkbE0KE68SSmp5ljao_HEaRJJqoQ7R6k5Fsw5Nl7fSkVi7SjpIL34x1_OIbTr6lB5MsZ9Sg02pMuyOmU7d2xwwYoRghc20AI_Hs_yYdo2Se3s2qqzMtbgrV_Gm8EBhkzXUpOqX06DYOp4xq4N0j6WN1VAo/s2016/sumac.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyb9TfbE1f7EW1XsQbyZRfZoO5z78rWJOQDYkbE0KE68SSmp5ljao_HEaRJJqoQ7R6k5Fsw5Nl7fSkVi7SjpIL34x1_OIbTr6lB5MsZ9Sg02pMuyOmU7d2xwwYoRghc20AI_Hs_yYdo2Se3s2qqzMtbgrV_Gm8EBhkzXUpOqX06DYOp4xq4N0j6WN1VAo/s320/sumac.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In October I went down to <b>Eugene</b> for the day/evening to see a bill with an assortment of awesome current bands all completely rip it up in the perfect-sized venue. <b>Deaf Club</b>, <b>Entry</b>, <b>Help</b>, and <b>Filth Is Eternal</b> all played together in what was easily a dream bill of fast and exciting hardcore/something-heavier-and-crazier-than-that at times and I can’t think of a better cross-section of how aggressive music can all be different in sound, yet still come across so forceful and engaging. Truly awesome.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNVwv8MlNTsaacnOwd2jD08N6Pnc5n0WXlKB86TJ3wYKG8B6rYCW5iHDJQWpmRavCk9tb9aTV0ERyEiVUhcZRbP3OD0RlKJGgJp5wd7sOnNFWDf3emOdzg2QIFqUj3ANzqlq2Z4rJcHkTaIgtlvLvKkEnynKwaJBUGnkjNeWF-NNQP16_FwDAMdCHQMw/s2016/deaf%20club.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNVwv8MlNTsaacnOwd2jD08N6Pnc5n0WXlKB86TJ3wYKG8B6rYCW5iHDJQWpmRavCk9tb9aTV0ERyEiVUhcZRbP3OD0RlKJGgJp5wd7sOnNFWDf3emOdzg2QIFqUj3ANzqlq2Z4rJcHkTaIgtlvLvKkEnynKwaJBUGnkjNeWF-NNQP16_FwDAMdCHQMw/s320/deaf%20club.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-10122259296089736132023-12-03T20:00:00.000-08:002023-12-03T20:00:03.959-08:00THE LAST OF THE REVIEWS FOR THIS YEAR<p> The year closes out and a handful of releases made their way into paws and earholes. And let me tell ya, it's a mixed bag: there's two surprise releases, one of which is a reunion out of the blue I never thought would happen (Blacklisters and Coliseum). There's a fitting tribute/memorial; part sadness, part triumph (Sulaco). And there's, like several European releases in here (TV Cult, Blacklisters again, and Bug). And among all that there's the general smorgasbord of new shit that I just found to be cool, interesting, or ruining my brain even more. Happy holidays buttheads.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKSIGWR6sjdadOyLkKJiMKERJgDBJ21XpgFEqdCkmiK6EmUzNe9hTJP9O47Ct3nc7K7tiu1kqBiyhuIVb2U4GSgBHO6ggwJvmCal7MJ-2TqcIOsoAo6QO0T5tC2HbRgSUfykVdv0AfnQm4RAvSlVOKDVrphtsxVeHeEYatDZMBAHhlDWSeETS9DBrBx4/s1800/review%20bunch%2012.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKSIGWR6sjdadOyLkKJiMKERJgDBJ21XpgFEqdCkmiK6EmUzNe9hTJP9O47Ct3nc7K7tiu1kqBiyhuIVb2U4GSgBHO6ggwJvmCal7MJ-2TqcIOsoAo6QO0T5tC2HbRgSUfykVdv0AfnQm4RAvSlVOKDVrphtsxVeHeEYatDZMBAHhlDWSeETS9DBrBx4/w400-h266/review%20bunch%2012.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BLACKLISTERS, “Auf Dem Tisch” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Surprise! For a band that finds it exceptionally difficult to get together- members are split between the UK and Germany- Blacklisters are a fairly prolific group and I appreciate that to a wonderful degree. Last year saw the gonzo, sax-infused, ball buster “Leisure Centre” EP, while not too long before that was their total high-water mark LP “Fantastic Man”, and they got plenty of shit you can find that came before that too. So on this new surprise EP they belt out four more noisy-as-hell rippers, erring on a more scuzzy, punk sound. Though I’m going to say that I think part of that is due to this having more of a demo quality to the recording versus anything fancy. Are these songs intended as near-complete drafts for a future LP? It sort of feels like it, but for all I know they just wanted to throw out some new songs, distance between members be damned. The UK’s answer to Pissed Jeans with more repetitious rhythm? An international melee frothing over old Jesus Lizard records and zooted on whippits? All possibles. A band that I wish would tour the US at least every couple of years and kick our dumb behinds with their crazy music? Definitely. <i>(<a href="https://blacklisters.bandcamp.com/album/auf-dem-tisch">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2239886171/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2095748709/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://blacklisters.bandcamp.com/album/auf-dem-tisch">Auf Dem Tisch by Blacklisters</a></iframe>
<b>BUG, “Lux Ultima”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This German band has been around for quite awhile and I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. Their sound is most closely on par with long time noise riffers Big’n. In fact, if I didn’t know what I was listening to I would have thought this was Big’n with lots of those punchy stop-start riffs and the garbled and growly vocals being almost identical. And then they throw in some Jesus Lizard love on “I Bark At Nothing” with it’s quick pace and slide guitar that borders on plagiarism. However, the band throws a curveball with “God’s Hell” as it’s a straight up black metal song. Just, ‘sure, let’s put a black metal song in the middle of this album for no real reason.’ “Snafu” takes the complete opposite tack with a super slow and lurching sludge attack and it’s really pretty awesome. The lyrics fluctuate between German and English and are all over the map with (what I presume to be tongue-in-cheek) conspiracy theories about vaccines, 5G controlling our brains, Brittany Spears, American political disasters, and more. It’s super weird and honestly a bit too on-the-nose in terms of it’s very obvious influences…. minus the random black metal song. <i>(<a href="https://www.interstellarrecords.at/">Interstellar Records)</a></i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1033416547/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3699060058/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://bugbuam.bandcamp.com/album/lux-ultima">lux ultima by BUG</a></iframe>
<b>C.L.S.M., “Infinity Shit”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another (even bigger) surprise! After closing up shop nearly 8 years ago Coliseum just went and decided to make another LP for the heck of it. Since that time, where it was quite a clear decision to part ways the members have all been busy, diving fully into other bands such as Yautja, Fotocrime, Null, and more, leaving Coliseum, and the past, behind. But the future is a weird place and here’s Coliseum to lay out the punk jams. They’re clearly aiming to follow a sound akin to their early material, prior to all their explorations of post-hardcore and post-punk (all of which I adore). However, the Coliseum that made the s/t LP and “Goddamage” was (aside from guitarist/vocalist Ryan Patterson) a completely different lineup. So this is the lineup from “Sister Faith” and “Anxiety’s Kiss”, which produce a bit of a different sound. There’s the straight-ahead Motorhead/D-beat sort of fury found in Coliseum of old, minus some of their more melodic DC hardcore tendencies, throughout the record and one interlude kind of track that is slow, and has an almost omnipresent saxophone accompaniment (I mean, what’s Coliseum without trying new things?) as the lone outlier. Late in the record you get a couple songs that have more of a fun and bouncy approach, kind of like something you’d hear from The Damned, on “Psychedelic Ward” and the closing title track. All in all, it’s a nice surprise from a band that I had such admiration for giving us all some new gifts. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(<a href="https://equal-vision-records.myshopify.com/collections/c-l-s-m">Auxiliary/ Equal Vision</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3658182757/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=706714104/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://coliseum.bandcamp.com/album/c-l-s-m-infinity-shit">C.L.S.M. Infinity Shit by Coliseum</a></iframe>
<b>THE MISTONS, “Extended Play” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Local trio The Mistons show up here on this new EP to remind the world scruffy power pop is alive and well and will worm it’s way into your noggin like Kahn’s brain leeches in Star Trek. “Contagious” starts things off and, yeah, I get it man, this song is catchy as the cold in a packed school bus full of snot-nosed 4th graders in winter. Most of these five songs are short, spunky, and to-the-point, although mid-point track, “I Can’t Stay”, slows things down a bit but remains just as hum-able. The record closes with a cover of “Wait A Minute” by the Wipers, which makes sense from the perspective of being a local institution. Yet while I often feel like under their energetic punk exterior The Wipers were often kind of dour (much like our frequently cloudy/rainy Northwest skies) The Mistons are far too jumpy and play like someone lit a fire under their asses for this cover to sound emotionally pouty. There’s a hecka cool etched B-side art for you to gaze upon and that, along with just “Contagious” and “Brikka Brakka Firecracker” are worth the price of admission alone. <i>(<a href="https://themistons-nadinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/extended-play">Nadine Records</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=54586012/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2433954207/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://themistons-nadinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/extended-play">Extended Play by The Mistons</a></iframe>
<b>NAW / ASBESTOS WORKER, split 10”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two semi-newer promising bands team up for a heavy dose of grungy, kinda metal-ish offerings. Asbestos Worker was, at first, a solo project that is now a full band (or at least they were when I saw them earlier this year). In my brain, when I saw them, it seemed slower and heavier, but these songs are pretty upbeat. Thank punk riffs and beats with sludgy guitars and all the vocal and lyrical positivity of a Sheer Terror album. Naw strike back after a raging full length a couple years ago with three new songs. Their knotted, riffy metal-tinged noise stew remains as vitriolic as ever with vocals that alternate between evil screaming and harrowing singing. The first couple tracks have parts that lean more into chunky, rhythmic grooves in parts where one could possibly detect a hint of nu-metal influence. But this shit just sounds too pissed off and noisy to really fall into that trope. It’s the final track- “You’re a Coward and This World Will Remain Unchanged Without You” that is not only a ‘damn, that’s harsh’, but sounds exactly as mean-spirited as the title implies where the group are at their peak and showing exactly who they are and what they can do. <i>(<a href="https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/asbestos-worker-x-naw-split">Learning Curve</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4078785853/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=848461556/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/asbestos-worker-x-naw-split">Asbestos Worker X Naw Split by Naw</a></iframe>
<b>SULACO, “Spoth” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few months ago Rochester human institution and accomplished bassist Lon Hackett passed away suddenly. The dude had been slinging the low end for numerous metal bands over the last three decades and had a very unique style that only he could hold down. Most notable of these bands is the long-running Sulaco who decided to take the last couple tracks they wrote with him and put them to tape. Guitarist Erik Burke (also of a million bands from Brutal Truth to Nuclear Assault to Blurring), who may be the only other capable steward to deliver the goods, has done so in a way that honors their pal and does justice to a dude whose back catalog is thick with innumerable tracks of knotty, weird math-y riff stew heaviness. These two songs stay true to the man and the band if you’re already a fan. If you’re unfamiliar think plodding riffs, dizzying puzzle-like passages, crushing double bass, and parts that will make your fingers arthritic just thinking about how this could possibly be played by human hands. A great starting reference point is Burnt By the Sun and early Mastodon, but I guarantee you’ll come across more than just that. <i>(<a href="https://sulaco.bandcamp.com/album/spoth">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1093847002/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=600188402/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://sulaco.bandcamp.com/album/spoth">Spoth by Sulaco</a></iframe>
<b>TV CULT, “Colony”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is one of those albums that just drew me in with the cover art. It just looked cool, especially the band logo. Glad to say upon listening to it there was some solid music to back it up as well. Drawing from the same sort of energetic post-punk well that you would hear from both older bands like The Wipers, as well as the first Shame record, TV Cult aren’t going for anything complicated, overly thought-out, or undefinable. They play punk rock that’s fun and energetic, yet knows a thing or two about melody and dynamics. The vocals alternate between hoarse shouting and low talking, and everything in-between is just a quick ride through 10 tracks from the first official LP (after re-recording many of these tracks from digital singles released over the last few years) from these Germans. <i>(<a href="https://www.flight13.com/tv-cult-colony-lp-vinyl/150531">Flight13 Records</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2626133029/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2206576457/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://tvcult.bandcamp.com/album/-">𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵𝒀 by TV Cult</a></iframe>
<b>YATSU, “It Can’t Happen Here”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Heavy, grinding political hardcore madness is the game here and Yatsu are out here torching Park Place. Similar in attack to fellow Texans Kill the Client (though maybe less metallic) the dudes in Yatsu give us 17 tracks that blast right by. The back-to-back of the short and simplistic title track and it’s noise-interlude counterpart “It’s Already Happening Here” speak to the themes of this record and the accompanying sort of duplicitous social upheaval occurring in our backyards through the sounds your hearing. The two tracks do plenty with barely any words. But if that doesn’t tell you enough maybe song titles like “Beaten To a Pulpit”, “Militarized Hope”, or “Afterbirth Of a Nation” will drive the point home. Anyway, this is the kind of raging, pissed off hardcore/powerviolence you need in your life that isn’t just 20 second blasts. The whole thing is fucking heavy, but it’s mixed into a stew where you get enough variety to keep things interesting and engaging throughout. <i>(<a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/it-cant-happen-here">The Ghost Is Clear</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2543158961/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2198262274/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/it-cant-happen-here">It Can't Happen Here by YATSU</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-60056024170041216072023-12-01T00:02:00.000-08:002023-12-01T00:02:55.494-08:00HOLIDAY SALE AND GOODIES AND WHATNOT<p> It's again that time of the year to consider not just others, but yourself. You know your family is going to get you another hat you really don't need, or some gloves, or some shit you are allergic to, or whatever. So just get your own gifts. In that regard, we got you covered.</p><p>Here's the deal- I'm only doing a single sale item this year just to keep it simple. The deal is this: <b>all 4 of my 2022 releases are going for $50</b>. That's it. That's the sale. It's a good deal. It works out to less than $13 per record. So go check it out here:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/merch/holiday-sale-all-2022-releases-4-lps-for-50">https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/merch/holiday-sale-all-2022-releases-4-lps-for-50</a></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCJAFPnudRUOmpdL-iQzd3ZOoVRhJ1vGGq12r41QdqU2R72FitNCM6mjsUBva_7wxIV7p9cDq0zsSHYE5wE6CS2KY1A6pt2YZ5rJ6mdeckoQnhKsnzskEN7bUwwVA2yybO3-kx2EfS1G1OHKcVJIl-0esusqFzkVtEyxS27f0j0VIsfjugLd0MXss5Eo/s1950/2023%20sale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1950" data-original-width="1950" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCJAFPnudRUOmpdL-iQzd3ZOoVRhJ1vGGq12r41QdqU2R72FitNCM6mjsUBva_7wxIV7p9cDq0zsSHYE5wE6CS2KY1A6pt2YZ5rJ6mdeckoQnhKsnzskEN7bUwwVA2yybO3-kx2EfS1G1OHKcVJIl-0esusqFzkVtEyxS27f0j0VIsfjugLd0MXss5Eo/s320/2023%20sale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>You get <b>STILL/FORM, 'From the Rot Is a Gift"</b> LP (hazy gold/yellow), <b>COLONIAL WOUND, "Easy Laugh"</b> LP (neon blue), <b>BRAIN CAVE/ KNUB split 12"</b> (clear with rainbow splatter), and <b>WIPES, "Making Friends</b>" LP (solid pink).</p><p>Plus, there will be some goodies in each package (see picture)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17bZ7HWWgbONWMbf_iF-Z4ZlcnJFnKueknhMFw4hGjraeAtcxJ4zZ3_CmcjT8ql8wB_NYEuR7mlbk-arDOLQvbzERcvKpNksKOzjd9hkK66_-Jvxxgb97A46ObDHcefXPbSX8j7ZQ-1dRP_zf8JleqtP6XavgkMh3Po2sXUz1QN4Y16l599uKHa5e4JI/s1512/extras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17bZ7HWWgbONWMbf_iF-Z4ZlcnJFnKueknhMFw4hGjraeAtcxJ4zZ3_CmcjT8ql8wB_NYEuR7mlbk-arDOLQvbzERcvKpNksKOzjd9hkK66_-Jvxxgb97A46ObDHcefXPbSX8j7ZQ-1dRP_zf8JleqtP6XavgkMh3Po2sXUz1QN4Y16l599uKHa5e4JI/s320/extras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That all being said, it behooves me to also remind you that we have a clutch of the <b>UK pressing</b> of <b>MUMS, "Legs"</b> LP that came out this year. Ours have pink covers and come on either clear pink or clear/pink/blue splatter. The UK version has a black cover and comes on gold nugget vinyl. Just look at the picture below. And get it here:<div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs">https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs</a></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRFgWLge_OjF39Pk6AtLnJWkeFkMu96aTa3W-TyvPa_NDlv2_2PqPBcqjcG_bbKzXaYTVbuqQ62ixKwPmxfIxcMIeVrpRcr4Qgz20oPsl8DwNrG332OCr-6XuR_uFYlA59QeCSCNs3WmURWcHdJ50WNOiaV3VJgU00-kp3ZO-fDjpz2icvmdLPpANLME/s1950/mums%20legs%20sale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1950" data-original-width="1950" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRFgWLge_OjF39Pk6AtLnJWkeFkMu96aTa3W-TyvPa_NDlv2_2PqPBcqjcG_bbKzXaYTVbuqQ62ixKwPmxfIxcMIeVrpRcr4Qgz20oPsl8DwNrG332OCr-6XuR_uFYlA59QeCSCNs3WmURWcHdJ50WNOiaV3VJgU00-kp3ZO-fDjpz2icvmdLPpANLME/s320/mums%20legs%20sale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, it should go without saying that the <b>DAY JOB</b> LP just came out and they are shipping as we speak. But if you didn't get one ahead of time now's a good time to do that. Each one looks different because they were all pressed on random regrind vinyl, which means whatever colors they had laying around they blended 'em together and they look sweet. So get one here (or listen to the dang thing):</div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/day-job-the-auger">https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/day-job-the-auger</a></span></b></div></b><p></p></div>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-43292863584953109812023-11-24T08:25:00.000-08:002023-11-24T08:25:10.624-08:00DAY JOB FULL ALBUM STREAM AND SHIPPING UPDATE!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bzanKvvfjLLeplL1nLjPzWWublFFIu-IhL0V9QTZYKOWykGRrAxXxt0Hp4DEGloHXsCin2bjKDhKZw1BYRcubBSU5mKGLMs-HRcGtlhDZBJk0lzxlHzIHDwNMr_y_loHW9CXI7EBiINtgxLaFFIV2xZ3yIwwbLHpA_l45-40_sQuKMfJlt0uxbbJ3zA/s1800/Day%20Job%20front%20cover%20high%20res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bzanKvvfjLLeplL1nLjPzWWublFFIu-IhL0V9QTZYKOWykGRrAxXxt0Hp4DEGloHXsCin2bjKDhKZw1BYRcubBSU5mKGLMs-HRcGtlhDZBJk0lzxlHzIHDwNMr_y_loHW9CXI7EBiINtgxLaFFIV2xZ3yIwwbLHpA_l45-40_sQuKMfJlt0uxbbJ3zA/s320/Day%20Job%20front%20cover%20high%20res.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Today we're beyond stoked to drop the full album stream for the debut <b>DAY JOB</b> full-length <b>"The Auger"</b>. The (presumably) handsome gents at <b>Invisible Oranges</b> are dishing out the premiere for you all so you can enjoy it in full while fighting over the last PS5 in a Wal-Mart.<p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">FULL STREAM <a href="https://www.invisibleoranges.com/day-job-the-auger/">HERE</a>!</span></b></p><p>The band will be playing a handful of shows to celebrate the release starting with this show on 11/25 in <b>Birmingham</b>. Try and show up if you can.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjZbMVZy3q3zdmEHoPsjg9-BJXR0bVAi8n19gy5zndmi1p3wmKGmZASh8Zd6-OdnmfP8wJ3Kfzv0W6xKmvHtrvmSvVgzeabMZEwit2KrhnYSmOGkrFLO0COi2vQTHtHebJU3D53vNFbdSYnBH6o4ofHobIGSxlxBHFWx0k6zWyKwvcQeDeAvcc7a5yK8/s600/DJ%2011.25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjZbMVZy3q3zdmEHoPsjg9-BJXR0bVAi8n19gy5zndmi1p3wmKGmZASh8Zd6-OdnmfP8wJ3Kfzv0W6xKmvHtrvmSvVgzeabMZEwit2KrhnYSmOGkrFLO0COi2vQTHtHebJU3D53vNFbdSYnBH6o4ofHobIGSxlxBHFWx0k6zWyKwvcQeDeAvcc7a5yK8/w400-h266/DJ%2011.25.png" width="400" /></a></div>As far as actual physical media is concerned, here's the scoop:<div>- CD orders are shipping now. The band has their share of CDs as well.</div><div>- LPs ought to shipping within the next 1-2 weeks</div><div>- Streaming on all other platforms starts on 12/8/23<br /><p><br /></p></div>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-28413560169010312102023-11-14T23:36:00.000-08:002023-11-14T23:36:05.472-08:00GIVE 'EM REVIEWS<p> Now that we only have a total of 3 hours of sunlight per day (when we get sunlight) it's leaving me more time to listen to music instead of being outside like an idiot, right? So before I start compiling a 'year end' list I ought to maybe take stock of what just came through my speakers over the last month. And, jeez, these bands just don't let up. They just keep releasing records! What the heck! So I threw in a book too this time around.... which is about records.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9JfGcTL0FkJjlUmjO22q4RUi5p-_dMJlKgOdER4jF56MhEg7F4BnXNysbAR1wl_UqXlXuRd13qV4vVRoet6CiwUZvyZCxAqNqs7NdHbql3S2wqjIo-piXB6ukbw-tK_6YrDCkXxMBjLgp3nk8z2_Q8pC_xWl-KF92nyQJVjw-vu_zKJ8RVakdAdwgs0/s1800/review%20bunch%2011.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9JfGcTL0FkJjlUmjO22q4RUi5p-_dMJlKgOdER4jF56MhEg7F4BnXNysbAR1wl_UqXlXuRd13qV4vVRoet6CiwUZvyZCxAqNqs7NdHbql3S2wqjIo-piXB6ukbw-tK_6YrDCkXxMBjLgp3nk8z2_Q8pC_xWl-KF92nyQJVjw-vu_zKJ8RVakdAdwgs0/w400-h266/review%20bunch%2011.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>CLOSET WITCH, “Chiaroscuro”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been a few years since this midwest band graced us with a new record and when it finally comes out- and hoo boy was it worth the wait- they go and announce they’re going on some kind of hiatus. Well then, fuck me right? It’s fine. I’ll just rip this record over and over again and spazz out in my living room, lurking neighbors be damned. It’s really a perfect amount of music for a grind (more or less) band- 13 songs, 19 minutes. Anything more might be overkill, and the best bet is to leave people wanting more. Closet Witch definitely sound better and just a tad bit more structured than their last full length, where they certainly bow at the alter of Full Of Hell with less reliance on metal and noise (though there’s a bit of that to be found), as well as contemporaries in fellow Midwest grind maniacs Cloud Rat in terms of how well they execute this ridiculously fast pace while keeping things pretty chaotic too. Here’s to hoping they grace us with some shows, or more music not too long from now. But if not, well, this is one heck of an awesome record. <i>(<a href="https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/chiaroscuro">Zegma Beach</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=516158345/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3234135969/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://closetwitch.bandcamp.com/album/chiaroscuro">Chiaroscuro by Closet Witch</a></iframe>
<b>DRIP-FED, “Leap For the Fountain” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been singing this bands praises for awhile now and here they go surprise-dropping this new EP on us all. So listen up, because I’m gonna sing some praises again. This band has done a great job, over the course of a couple of albums, of combining rowdy and raging hardcore punk with really inventive and catchy melodies making for some ridiculously fun songs. On this new EP they go in even more on the melodies and deft musicianship to create parts that can be a bit tricky, but still rattle around your head like the earworms they are. I think their last album, the exceptionally excellent “Kill the Buzz” had a little more aggression going for it overall in comparison. Still, this is a quality addition to their catalog, filled with clever lyrics, brief songs (4 tunes in 10 minutes is all you need honestly), and lots of fun riffs made for making you and your knucklehead pals run around in a circle and bouncing off each others heads. <i>(<a href="https://drip-fed.bandcamp.com/album/leap-for-the-fountain">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3941880257/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1857615774/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://drip-fed.bandcamp.com/album/leap-for-the-fountain">Leap for the Fountain by Drip-Fed</a></iframe>
<b>DUST MUSCLE, s/t EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If this hadn’t been recommended to me by a peer whose musical opinion I respect I wouldn’t have had any idea this existed. Keeping it real low key dudes from Yautja (and formerly Coliseum) drop this EP full of off-putting ugly rock. They go for a lot of those more jangly clean tones with the guitars, but the garbled screaming and menacing structure of the songs make the whole thing sound kind of nauseating. I don’t mean in some gore-y death metal sort of way. More like a very uncomfortable feeling of everything around you being sort of messed up and disorienting. I’m sure it’s intentional. Don’t get me wrong, it still rocks. You just might need to throw up after you’re done rocking. <i>(<a href="https://dustmuscle.bandcamp.com/album/ep">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1864188715/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3110898823/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://dustmuscle.bandcamp.com/album/ep">EP by Dust Muscle</a></iframe>
<b>“ESTRUS: SHOVELIN’ THE SHIT SINCE ’87” by Alpert Coyle and Scott Sugiuchi</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I leaped at the chance to get a copy of this well ahead of it’s actual release date because while I don’t necessarily have an obsessive love of the Estrus Records catalog (which, if you do, I get it) I am an ardent fan of their whole ‘thing’- their consistency, their DIY ethic, their ‘family’ approach to working with bands, their making of a scene unto themselves, their willingness to try all sorts of crazy ideas, and most of all their art/presentation. I absolutely love how their records were put together, the logos, their ads, and all the fun that went with it. And a lot of that is due in large part to the tireless mountain of work Art Chantry put into much of the art direction of the label. Now this book looks pretty fucking fancy, but some of it was also present in the Art Chantry-specific book “Some People Can’t Surf” from quite awhile back. So I already had a familiarity going into this. However, this is a book about the record label. I’ve never been a huge garage rock guy, so aside from some more known bands in here (Man…. Or Astroman, The Makers, Mono Men, Southern Culture On the Skids, etc) much of this was unfamiliar to me. Yet the story of the label, and founder Dave Crider, was one I could relate to- energetic guy in a small town (Bellingham, WA) realizes not much happening in his town, starts a band, turns it into a label, books endless shows at a hole in the wall dive bar, things pick up, and the scene comes to him, label flourishes into one of the most prolific purveyors of trash rock in the world with an astounding dedication to their craft, both in sound and art and things are good. It’s what every small label out there hopes to achieve. So yeah, I like this story. I like the art even more. This is a hell of a good-looking book and it’s filled with cool stuff. <i>(<a href="https://www.koreropress.com/estrus-shovelin-the-shit-since-87/">Korero Press</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EX EVERYTHING, “Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s four guys who clearly worship at the alter of the tangled and warped punk beauty of Drive Like Jehu, as much as they do the forward-thinking complex mathy hardcore of Botch. As another group in the Kowloon Walled City family of bands (as well as like a million other bands) those highlights are present in terms of the perfect tone of the guitars, the expert level of musicianship, and the crispy clean recording. So all those elements right there make Ex Everything worth at least a listen. However, their songs err a bit on the long side and finding a hook amongst it all can be quite the exercise. Their influences are clear, but can get a bit too involved for my taste, and thus some of the immediate impact you get from the first couple tracks starts getting a bit lost as the record winds on. I will say though, having just seen them live their energy on stage is incredible and they can go toe-to-toe with any hardcore band half their age on that front. But if you’re putting this on at home or something for a deep listen it’s take awhile to compartmentalize what they’re doing because they’re doing a lot. <i>(<a href="https://neurotrecordings.merchtable.com/artists/ex-everything/ex-everything-slow-change-will-pull-us-apart-cd-lp-digi">Neurot</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2594171853/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3248631549/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://exeverything.bandcamp.com/album/slow-change-will-pull-us-apart">Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart by Ex Everything</a></iframe>
<b>FEVER SLEEP, s/t EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The local fellas in Fever Sleep come from a long line of countless other bands and convened together clearly because they are lifers who just can’t stop the endless cycle of band addiction. Yes, we see it time and time again- these healthy young people pick up a guitar and it ends up being a gateway to the stage, and even when they try to stop- starting families, getting ‘real’ jobs, having kids, getting old- that demon keeps calling them back. Why, some of these people have 4 or 5 bands going at once! Some can count off dozens of bands they’ve been in over the years; their eyes sunken, pockets empty, flannel shirt tattered. Thankfully, Fever Sleep say ‘yes’ to band addiction and keep the devil in business. I’ve seen them a bunch, as they mostly operate at the local level, and I gotta say, the songs on this new 12” have a much darker and somber feel than how it all comes off live. I don’t mean that in a bad way. These are still energetic and heavily melodic grizzly punk songs. Yet there is a darkness, a cold melody that permeates throughout these tracks that alludes to bad times, tough situations and maybe, just maybe, the glass pipe of (dun, dun, dun) band addiction! <i>(<a href="https://thirtysomethingrecords.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-3">Thirty Something Records</a> / <a href="https://ashtray-monument.square.site/product/fever-sleep-s-t-12-ep/85?cs=true&cst=custom">Ashtray Monument</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=863280257/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=589275958/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://feversleeppdx.bandcamp.com/album/ep">EP by FeverSleep</a></iframe>
<b>GREAT FALLS/ RADIATION BLACKBODY split 7”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, this is the third record Great Falls has released this year. But to be fair I think all the material was from the same recording session. Still, thanks an insane amount of output for a band so complex and emotionally devastating. And also to throw it all out there when they got a new drummer who put his mark on a bunch of these songs within the space of just a few months. Anyway, this is the last of it and it’s another fastball, face-smashing slab of almost grind at the beginning followed by a crushing, collapsing sort of riff at the end. If you heard the “Funny What Survives” EP earlier this year it’s very in line with that group of songs. On the flip side is Radiation Blackbody, a duo that I had no idea was still going. RB is 2/3 (or just the rhythm section) of long-defunct noisemongers Anodyne who absolutely punished eardrums through non-stop touring in the early aughts. Radiation Blackbody formed soon afterwards and they’ve just gotten weirder since. They toss out a blast of instrumental bass/drum knotty riff-mangling that will suit your interests if you enjoy Voivod if they smoked crack. It’s a quick little offering but comes with kind of a hefty price tag because 1) it’s a fairly small pressing and 2) the leverl of badass-ness that went into screenprinting these covers and assembling them is some next level shit. Pretty to look at, ugly to hear. <i>(<a href="https://ancienttemplerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/great-falls-radiation-blackbody">Ancient Temple</a>/ <a href="https://7degreesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/7dr051-great-falls-radiation-blackbody-split-ep-pre-order">7 Degrees Records</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1143860823/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2483298876/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://ancienttemplerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/great-falls-radiation-blackbody">GREAT FALLS // RADIATION BLACKBODY by Great Falls // Radiation Blackbody</a></iframe>
<b>PAINT IT BLACK, “Famine” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s so good to see this band back with a relatively longer offering (still an EP though for all intents and purposes) where the band seems to give a bit of everything they’re known for. The first couple tracks (as well as the 30 second ripper “Serf City, USA”) go for that fast, direct, “CVA” hardcore style. Meanwhile, “Safe” takes on more of that overtly melodic style as heard on their second LP, “Paradise”. From there we get some of the fucking-with-convention experimentation the band tried out on “New Lexicon” with the rhythmic pounding of closer “City Of the Dead”, as well as the harrowing “Exploitation Period” where the bulk of the song is just a creepy bass line and vocalist Dan Yemin shouting his always compelling prose over it while strange background noise filters through. And I can’t say “The Unreasonable Silence” recalls anything from any of their other records, but it’s seriously the closest thing to a new Fugazi song since…. well, Fugazi. Paint It Black, 20 years on, still make important records with engaging, vicious music and I still consider Dan’s lyrics to be some of the most well-written screeds against the world at large- clever yet direct, insightful while still harsh. Just like their music. <i>(<a href="https://paintitblack.bandcamp.com/album/famine-2">Revelation</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3160084301/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3440624750/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://paintitblack.bandcamp.com/album/famine-2">Famine by Paint It Black</a></iframe>
<b>RID OF ME, “Access To the Lonely”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rid Of Me has always excelled at somber, emotionally-wrenching slow burners, and then all-out crushers and there is no point on their second LP where that is not on display more than the back-to-back tracks of “Gutted” and “Hell Of It”. The Philly crew really went all out on this one and put their all into it, and I imagine they are darn proud of it. I think it’s an overall exceptional effort with stronger and more developed songwriting, as the group has really gotten their footing (a lot of touring and members having played together in previous bands helps too). The record leans more into the slower, more melodic stuff with a sort of permeating sadness or remorse, though they often add a hefty dose of distortion to it all just to drive the emotion home. I’m always a fan of when they’re more upbeat (the aforementioned “Hell of It”, or “Libertarian Noise Rock”) because they can beat you within an inch of your life with a riff. The real challenge is bringing that emotion and they have truly managed that well. <i>(<a href="https://ridofme.bandcamp.com/album/access-to-the-lonely">Knife Hits</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1909635571/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1722644118/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://ridofme.bandcamp.com/album/access-to-the-lonely">Access To The Lonely by Rid Of Me</a></iframe>
<b>TRAINDODGE, “The Alley Parade”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Truly a band’s band, Traindodge are the secret kept for the last 25 plus years that every band worth their salt in post-hardcore rock aesthetic knows about and worships, and yet amongst the masses they’ve remained largely unheard. But in all those years they have failed to release a dud of an album (and they have a bunch of albums). I remember hearing about this band in the late 90’s, whispered by other Midwest legends such as Giants Chair, Shiner, and Boys Life with reverence. Years later, when I had the pleasure of working with Portland post-hardcore rippers Prize Country they went and did a split with the group and I thought, ‘they’re still together?’ Fast forward another 10 years one of the Traindodge guys lives in Seattle and has a band up there and once again I thought, ‘they’re still together?!’ And FINALLY, over the spring I actually saw Traindodge live and witnessed just why so many bands hold this group in such high regard. Sure, they all look like the most dad of dad rock bands, and to an extent they are. However, you will be hard pressed to find a group whose sound is so pitch perfect, present, loud, and full. Their music is brawny but soulful, heavy but taut and precise, thoughtful without over-thinking it, and it simply rocks very hard. This is a great addition to their already exceptional canon of work. <i>(<a href="https://traindodge.bandcamp.com/album/the-alley-parade">Spartan Records</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1590258255/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1100279379/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://traindodge.bandcamp.com/album/the-alley-parade">The Alley Parade by Traindodge</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-48863285154931306042023-11-02T18:03:00.000-07:002023-11-02T18:03:13.535-07:00DAY JOB, "SIMPLE MACHINE" NOW STREAMING<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1t-wCDk5njAfvv86q9pKeLQw15WtLAG1Wy-8VAuuV_S9I5dDksZSBQTnycLDbqO1-Aho00kTsAWB7sF8ffdjCrk8FCsEq4PO1VBJasRu-t6gosYTiJq_gZh5XDr86m8hY2KZsHo9_qedQypdqoULt5RHySeEdlItIq2Jd_ObkdGhJ0Yg1q5PPzwucqEM/s1800/day%20job%20hSIMPLE%20MACHINE%20single.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1t-wCDk5njAfvv86q9pKeLQw15WtLAG1Wy-8VAuuV_S9I5dDksZSBQTnycLDbqO1-Aho00kTsAWB7sF8ffdjCrk8FCsEq4PO1VBJasRu-t6gosYTiJq_gZh5XDr86m8hY2KZsHo9_qedQypdqoULt5RHySeEdlItIq2Jd_ObkdGhJ0Yg1q5PPzwucqEM/s320/day%20job%20hSIMPLE%20MACHINE%20single.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />The second single (and actual first track) from the upcoming <b>Day Job</b> debut full-length, <b>"The Auger"</b> is now available to check out.<br /><b>"Simple Machine"</b> is debuting today so maybe go take a listen to it.<br />"The Auger" is due out at the end of November and will be available on LP/CD/digital.<br />All vinyl copies come on random regrind vinyl, meaning no two copies will look alike and will be on various mixtures of colors. Should look interesting.<br />A little background about this song from bassist/vocalist <b>Kevin Wright</b>: "Simple Machine came from an old riff I had been bouncing around for awhile. I feel like the somewhat mechanical repetition felt like a fun device with the overall concept we were working towards and it felt like a suitable back drop for the cycle of grievances of just being a person. Just the sort of dull pounding that comes with the monotonous menagerie of the day to day."<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/dayjobnoise/">@dayjobnoise</a> will be playing a record release show on <b>11/25</b> in their hometown of <b>Birmingham, AL </b>at the <b>Woodlawn Theater.</b><br />Check the song out here:
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1482630436/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=2450618063/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/day-job-the-auger">DAY JOB "The Auger" by Day Job</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-2934820542471446172023-10-17T12:37:00.000-07:002023-10-17T12:37:00.023-07:00HALLOWEEN TIME REVIEWS!<p> It's the best time of the year for the punks- Halloween! Why? I have no idea. Maybe because we were always the ones perceived to be 'in costume' all year and the one day a year where everyone else dons a costume makes us all feel more at home? Costumes and insecurity aside, it's just fun. People get creative in different ways- with what they wear, what they put in their windows, or lawns, or whatever and I always enjoy a good dose of creativity to get my spirits up. And that extends to a bunch of cool new stuff that came out over the last month or so that I'll pontificate upon here. And in keeping with the holiday theme each review will get a bit of a Halloween nod as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEotzBeTZWdWO0t9VDUnWS3nm2zGh5ouoZBOS8CH8zyvEskrRsGe529NonH9vwY-p6u8gN4pbqhiS0hfM2RMyxmA58t7WeTOqkmTUIvAbjF8sTwNWU6bahnrBhZzRGyHLX_MybVSLBYKPkRYz8MbJUXO7YzbYyEO06FDgIyKP2mBnHRkDGj6HLVPdCyRk/s1800/review%20bunch%2010.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEotzBeTZWdWO0t9VDUnWS3nm2zGh5ouoZBOS8CH8zyvEskrRsGe529NonH9vwY-p6u8gN4pbqhiS0hfM2RMyxmA58t7WeTOqkmTUIvAbjF8sTwNWU6bahnrBhZzRGyHLX_MybVSLBYKPkRYz8MbJUXO7YzbYyEO06FDgIyKP2mBnHRkDGj6HLVPdCyRk/w400-h266/review%20bunch%2010.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ANOTHER HEAVEN, “IV: Heaven Sent”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These midwesterners have been around a minute but they’ve mostly flown under the radar (mine at least), aside from a couple really good singles here and there. Based solely off those couple random songs I heard I decided I really needed to make sure I saw their set, playing quite early on a godamned Sunday at this year’s sensory-exhausting Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis. And they were just super, donchaknow (say it like a Minnesota native would). Unbeknownst to me, they were about to release another new record and here it is. This continues their heavy shoegaze dreamy rock that just can’t help but frequently break out into unbridled post-hardcore-but-slower heaviness in many of the songs. I can’t complain about that. It’s like the bliss of stuffing your face full of candy, pilfered from a night of trick or treating in the ‘good’ neighborhoods, and getting a sugar rush headache, only to be gouged later with a nasty stomachache from overdoing it. Songs like “Erased” come across as pleasant, breezy, and poppy as can be and then they just shout at you with a hard stop-start chorus several times, alternating between the two styles all bi-polar like. “Catacombs” gives you their best take on Hum for the first half and then during the second half they decide to demonstrate what it would sound like if Hum really liked Neurosis. Patterns like this exist all over the record until closing track, “The Light” which has an almost Radiohead-quality to the melody and feel of the song. Current contemporaries would place them around the likes of Soul Blind, Cloakroom, or Big Garden. Eat it up like a king-size Zagnut kids. <i>(<a href="https://anotherheaven.bandcamp.com/album/iv-heaven-sent">Mpls Ltd</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3420940719/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1422423800/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://anotherheaven.bandcamp.com/album/iv-heaven-sent">IV: Heaven Sent by Another Heaven</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>CRONIES, “L1V3 S1CK0 L0V3 F3ST”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get a load of these bold motherfuckers. Who comes out the gate swinging their dicks around just to show the boulder-sized balls they got to go with it like this? They start their record off with some nasty chunky old Helmet sort of bomber and then go right into “Ice Pop” that sounds like it was birthed from the center hole in a mint copy of the KARP/Rye split. After that they continue with some songs that sound like Chat Pile covering Rage Against the Machine, though I could probably do without the rappy-sounding vocals, which are most prominent on “Rentboy”. And even though I cringe just a little bit at that it’s still bold on their part to just say fuck it and go for broke. They bring it back at the end with a very long song that somehow manages to continuously rock the fuck out for over 9 minutes, like the entire time. So hats off to Cronies for being the types that would double down by not only keeping their Halloween decorations up all year ‘round, but go in on having at least two 12 foot skeletons in their yard. <i>(<a href="https://reptilianrecords.bandcamp.com/album/l1v3-s1ck0-l0v3-f3st">Reptilian</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=897206421/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3311949657/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://reptilianrecords.bandcamp.com/album/l1v3-s1ck0-l0v3-f3st">L1V3 S1CK0 L0V3 F3ST by Reptilian Records</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DUG, “You Make Me Sad”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Slower than the plot of “Rosemary’s Baby”, but two dudes having more fun than the silliness of “Phantom Of the Paradise”, Dug is a band you really need to see in order to fully understand. On their third album in probably just as many years the duo continue to lay on the crushing sludge/drone/amplifier worship to a ridiculous degree. Most of the time stuff like this goes right past me and at first I kind of felt that way about this band too. But then I saw them and witnessed just how much fun they were having, seemingly enthralled and giddy about how huge and heavy playing 5 beats per minute could be before an utterly flattened audience. So yeah, on record it’s all doom, gloom, broken machinery, abstract samples, and occasional deviations into strange found sounds or electronic bits. You’re kind of suffering through it, and some people like that. Live, you’re cheering the sonic apocalypse while winging empty beer cans at the stage and the two guys in Dug are laughing with you before another note deflects the shotgunned tall boy with sound so dense you need a shovel just to get out of the room. “Pain Machine” (the record before this) is probably their most ‘accessible’ one, but this ain’t too shabby either. <i>(<a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/you-make-me-sad">The Ghost Is Clear</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1952749085/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=501305287/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/you-make-me-sad">You Make Me Sad by DUG</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FILTH IS ETERNAL “Find Out”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think I feel a bit misled by the first couple singles that were released from the new Filth Is Eternal record. They had some hooks, some singing parts…. were they going soft? Um, heck no. Put this slab of wax on and the entire A-side is like getting creamed by a cement truck sick of waiting in Tacoma traffic on the I-5 and gone full road rage. There is absolutely no letting up through the first 7 or 8 tracks. It’s a new high water mark for the band, who have already been pushing their raging hardcore for years now. At their most vicious they fall somewhere in between the stadium crust of Tragedy, and the HM-2 heaviness of Black Breath. And at their least ‘heavy’? I’d say they evoke some of the snarled shouts and catchy thump of L7. It isn’t until the last 4 or so tracks where they do kind of stretch their musical wings a bit and try some different song structures, a number of leads and melodies, and not just plowing through riff after riff. It certainly adds some tasteful balance to an already stellar record. And this is a record that truly sounds as loud and heavy as the band does live, so kudos on a great recording that really captures what it’s like to see this band on stage (or floor), which is like a hearty kick straight to the Wolf-Mans nards. <i>(<a href="https://filthiseternal.bandcamp.com/album/find-out">MNRK Heavy</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2978622728/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=313510757/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://filthiseternal.bandcamp.com/album/find-out">Find Out by Filth Is Eternal</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FINAL GASP, “Mourning Moon”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This sounds like early Van Halen playing Samhain. I don’t mean that derisively either. It’s fine. It certainly makes it stand out. But don’t tell me you don’t hear some of that Diamond Dave intonation in the vocals. It’s there. I’m just waiting for this guy to bust out some spandex and jump off the stage while doing a split. Although I’m guessing that’s not going to happen, unless it’s occurring in a cemetery under a full moon and there’s zombie moshers around. This isn’t my typical go-to punk, but I like it when I hear it. Get you some deathrock, goth, and hardcore all rolled together. There is a distinctive 80’s quality to the recording on purpose, which just makes these punk rippers sound all that much more distinctive. “Blood and Sulfur” stands out as one of the strongest tracks on record between it’s upbeat delivery, crushing stomp, and keeping things brief. And yet, they cruise right into the title track afterwards, which might be one of the more melodic songs on the LP, adding some synth for texture while remaining spooky all around. Honestly, if you’re not listening to this a lot this month (it being October and all) you’ve either got Samhain on repeat, or you’re doing something wrong with your life. Carve a pumpkin, put it over your head, and skeleton mosh through Spirit Halloween. <i>(<a href="https://finalgasp.bandcamp.com/album/mourning-moon">Relapse</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=526848197/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3592261159/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://finalgasp.bandcamp.com/album/mourning-moon">Mourning Moon by Final Gasp</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>NECKBOLT, “Dream Dump”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Austin’s Neckbolt serve up a platter of songs more bizarre and off-the-wall than the entire 88 minute runtime of schlock horror B-movie “Blood Diner”. As strange and out there as the band is they’re really not too far afield from fellow acid-trip experimental groove gurus Guerilla Toss, if they were winging it from a garage and with more duck tape holding everything together. In other words, the group can reel you in with rhythmic repetition but then peel back the layers of reality through piles of feedback, distortion, and every conceivable voice modulator made even weirder through circuit bending (or some other process I’m too much of a layperson to understand). It really does make for a wild and fun listen, especially because they mostly keep the songs relatively brief, which is just enough time to surprise you, confuse you, and then get out just as you begin to grasp what they’re doing. Recommended for fans of weird and original shit from another planet. <i>(<a href="https://neckbolt.bandcamp.com/album/dream-dump">Born Yesterday Records</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3841454380/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3357060173/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://neckbolt.bandcamp.com/album/dream-dump">Dream Dump by NECKBOLT</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>OPEN CITY, “Hand In the Honey Jar”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’re all lucky to be living in a timeline where we get to experience the individuals in this band get together to make music and share it with us. It’s been a pretty long time since Open City graced us with new music (nearly 6 years I think), but to be fair, they are an extremely part time band so I suppose we ought to just feel lucky to get anything at all. For those unfamiliar, Open City is half of Paint It Black with drummer Chris Wilson (Ted Leo/Pharmacists) and guitar virtuoso Rachel Rubino (Bridge & Tunnel) trading 6 strings for one microphone and absolutely shredding throat. Despite an overt dedication to channeling all things Sarah Kirsch (Fuel, Torches To Rome, Bread and Circuits, a million other bands) and Dischord hardcore, you can still hear traces of guitarist Dan Yemin’s distinct playing style in there. It all makes for an excellent listen of emotionally wrought, tenuously melodic, and energy-filled hardcore punk. A couple welcome deviations from the overarching theme take place where Yemin slips in a full-on Paint It Black song with “Blitz Kids Stay Sick”, as well as an obvious nod to Philly legends Ink & Dagger at the end of “Return Your Stolen Property Is Theft”. Meanwhile, midway track “No One Thinks About You More Than You” takes a slower, more somber, yet melodically uplifting respite before things pick up again through the second half of the record. All told, this is a great follow up to their first album, filled with enough emotion to wake the dead Herbert West-style in “Re-Animator”.<i> (<a href="https://theeopencity.bandcamp.com/album/hands-in-the-honey-jar">Get Better</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=207975981/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=945401241/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theeopencity.bandcamp.com/album/hands-in-the-honey-jar">Hands In The Honey Jar by Open City</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TORONTO BLESSINGS, “Big Wins”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OK, try to keep up, geographically speaking. Toronto Blessings are a band that does not hail from Canada, but instead the UK. And yet, on the first few tracks here they really remind me of the punky noiseniks in Canada’s very own Metz. So, just keep your head in England here, OK? Because after that initial salvo of songs they pivot to the far more expansive and drawn out “Omission”. And from there they get weirder as various guitar effects whizz and weave throughout the songs like laser fire in some sci-fi flick, to 70’s slasher proggy film synths. Additionally, insofar as vocals are concerned, the band errs more on the sassy punk side evoking some kind of midway point between the freaked out spazz of The Blood Brothers and the more wavering singing of At The Drive-In. I know this all sounds kind of like a mixed bag, but believe me, it works. You get enough rippers that are nicely balanced out by some of the longer and more involved songs. Just like the “Halloween” film franchise sometimes they just throw in the odd movie that doesn’t fit with the others, but regardless of which one you’re watching someone’s getting killed. <i>(<a href="https://torontoblessings.bandcamp.com/album/big-wins">Serial Bowl Records</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4092914525/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=290202885/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://torontoblessings.bandcamp.com/album/big-wins">Big Wins by Toronto Blessings</a></iframe>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>WRONG MAN, “Big Plans” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second EP from Wrong Man comes pretty quickly after their first one and I sort of wonder why they didn’t just roll with an LP from the jump. In the long run I suppose it doesn’t mater, however, there is a noticeable difference between the songwriting on that first record and this one where it seems they put an emphasis on more melody than before, particularly in the layered guitars across the pensive and anxiety-inducing “Wait”. Still present are the Rollins Band style bluesy riffs (especially on the title track) and the almost spoken word creepy crawl of “Lights Out”. Of course, there’s some seriously great screaming in that song as well. This EP lacks a little of the more overt weighty heaviness of their first EP, but comes across just as crunchy in other ways. Not everything has to come at you with a sledgehammer to be heavy. This is more creeping killer waiting in the woods, a la “Killer In the Woods” (how’s that for a comparison?). <i>(<a href="https://wrongman.bandcamp.com/album/big-plans">Sunday Drive</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2193823592/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1629734968/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://wrongman.bandcamp.com/album/big-plans">Big Plans by Wrong Man</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-84885940920056081402023-10-06T08:02:00.002-07:002023-10-06T08:02:18.988-07:00DAY JOB TO RELEASE "THE AUGER" THIS FALL<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtAB6zJNpdeJiE0IJjiMaVTmCIxdE0cLD3CCudPLbjnIvjnrngvRicRcFpLiz-tjXiYxGQ5eoykN3QLHTdi7mU9yVq0rduZhwuBwNbcnmw69B-EAHo7PyPAL2I4wUJab8Nz2B_6FMrYw909l6n_5-URZxfO8CZX3chBgJRsKmGLlXuUdvH0vzsIZCECo/s5005/day%20job%20drawing%20big.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2224" data-original-width="5005" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtAB6zJNpdeJiE0IJjiMaVTmCIxdE0cLD3CCudPLbjnIvjnrngvRicRcFpLiz-tjXiYxGQ5eoykN3QLHTdi7mU9yVq0rduZhwuBwNbcnmw69B-EAHo7PyPAL2I4wUJab8Nz2B_6FMrYw909l6n_5-URZxfO8CZX3chBgJRsKmGLlXuUdvH0vzsIZCECo/w400-h178/day%20job%20drawing%20big.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>DAY JOB</b> is a fairly new band from Birmingham, AL comprised of two individuals who have been playing with one another in a variety of other bands around the area over a long period of time and a recent transplant with a resume of their own.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Today, New Noise Magazine is debuting the first single from the record, entitled "Hour Back", as well as a pre-order for the record.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CHECK OUT THE SINGLE <a href="https://newnoisemagazine.com/premieres/track-premiere-day-job-hour-back/">HERE</a></b></span></span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>PRE-ORDER <a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/day-job-the-auger">HERE</a></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Day Job started with Brenton and Kevin wanting to work on something more aggressive than their two other active bands, <b>Null</b> and <b>Bulging</b>. After jamming with several different drummers, they watched scene newcomer Jake pummel through a live set and found their fit, ultimately landing on what is now Day Job. After spending about 6 months writing and playing their initial shows, the trio recorded a debut EP with Shibby Poole (Thirdface, Yautja) in early 2022. <b>Hex Records</b> took quick notice of the group and a deal for a full length was quickly struck up.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">As an introduction of sorts, the band recorded a few more tracks which were released through Hex as a limited split tape release with Wipes, also on the Hex label. Day Job then began the writing process for their debut full length, <b>“The Auger”</b>, in February 2023. The whole procedure of writing and recording took just 6 months and in that time the band played live only once so that they could pour everything into writing new material. Day Job then returned to Nashville where they recorded every single sound on the record in 4 days, from July 8-11, once again with Shibby Poole behind the board.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">The result is <b>“The Auger”</b> - a 10-song crusher of big riffs, sludgy bass, and morose heaviness. The band has developed beyond their earlier KARP/Unsane worship and added unsettling melodies, moments of trance-like repetition akin to the members' other work in Null, as well as the tasteful use of various effects pedals to add texture and emphasis to these otherwise hammering songs. </span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uxpxofxY-s1DKN7im7BOjkzdKCGN-ENOPb-x5D70LyNp5z0LixcJBaeBi7Aob70lqSkYuSebqdKtjbYF1nY4Z0gNmxND4nvpXsEnUwIHq9SSiRszKJvFEzrDsuuUEYjSBSmYPp-zh4FjHBqpmcgQWWvxJzzED5mxKZslKjDjM5DOXwrcVI4uehWmods/s1800/Day%20Job%20front%20cover%20high%20res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uxpxofxY-s1DKN7im7BOjkzdKCGN-ENOPb-x5D70LyNp5z0LixcJBaeBi7Aob70lqSkYuSebqdKtjbYF1nY4Z0gNmxND4nvpXsEnUwIHq9SSiRszKJvFEzrDsuuUEYjSBSmYPp-zh4FjHBqpmcgQWWvxJzzED5mxKZslKjDjM5DOXwrcVI4uehWmods/s320/Day%20Job%20front%20cover%20high%20res.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><p></p></div>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-22358720089841034642023-09-24T21:40:00.000-07:002023-09-24T21:40:06.771-07:00REVIEW SPICE LATTE<p> OK, if summer was a little slow (for me anyway) with new music that made me do a double take this early entry into fall has already got my noggin on a swivel like I'm Linda Blair in the Exorcist. But instead of Satan's vomi<span style="font-family: inherit;">t I'm spe</span>wing words of excitement over a bumper crop of great new music both from long-standing familiar favs (Great Falls, Will Haven, KEN Mode), as well as a bunch of new up-and-comers (Silk Leash, Kircher, We. and more!). Heck, the season is already so chock full of excellent new stuff that I kind of already have next months block of reviews mapped out. So just give me a minute to catch up, alright?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5DB4nbQkUzlBm3UMOK6Ajq0xUVnQZwxnaOoMZjrb7MqrT1gqR44bXlIzwasvmI6v81xfkRXX7_tW1ZSy3Ppnq3gP9eRQSWHPz_wpoa7PC0c-9GLyO9Hr74vebF-3kAdSIR1FKMhYH8MYKrZJTK4XlrQKWDMuB_su3XQVt1Zn7wkCJPh8xACk9nb1ub0/s1800/review%20bunch%209.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5DB4nbQkUzlBm3UMOK6Ajq0xUVnQZwxnaOoMZjrb7MqrT1gqR44bXlIzwasvmI6v81xfkRXX7_tW1ZSy3Ppnq3gP9eRQSWHPz_wpoa7PC0c-9GLyO9Hr74vebF-3kAdSIR1FKMhYH8MYKrZJTK4XlrQKWDMuB_su3XQVt1Zn7wkCJPh8xACk9nb1ub0/w400-h266/review%20bunch%209.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FEEFAWFUM, “100”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon getting underway with listening to the new LP from Oakland group FeeFawfum I was instantly transported to the early aughts by way of quirky and bouncy sassy punk like Q And Not U. As the record goes on though it deviates into a little more goofy-sounding and somewhat chaotic bits, and I don’t mean that derisively. So instead of nose-in-the-air hipster nonsense it musically comes off as more fun and a bit spazzy, which is cool. Despite that I guess based on the bands own album description a lot of this record is about dealing with being a diabetic…. so ya know, not so funny. Still, the band sound exceptionally fun in a freaked out way on “Plucked” before the second half of “Miles Away” slows things down to a melancholy instrumental revolving around mostly synths and sampled noises. <i>(<a href="https://feefawfum.bandcamp.com/album/100">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602109267/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://feefawfum.bandcamp.com/album/100">100 by Feefawfum</a></iframe>
<b>GET WELL, “Burning the Village To Feel It’s Warmth” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For a band whose name makes me think they’re a youth crew band (I’m getting them mixed up with Be Well) this is very confusing. And disorienting. Have you heard this? Of course not, that’s why you’re reading this. It’s a really unsettling listen. The vocals come at you harsh as fuck, channeling some Botch energy. So you’re then expecting crushing guitars and math-y parts, but instead it’s almost clean guitars, jangling and jabbing at you like some sociopath with a Swiss army knife and a wound fetish. The first song really throws me off from what I’ve just described but by the time track two rolls around it begins to settle in that this is something weird. Yet it’s only three tracks total so there’s never really a full adjustment period. That’s kind of a good thing though- keep people guessing, never let them feel at ease, and left a bit uncomfortable. Recorded in a roller rink. Cool, cool. Even more discomfort at that thought where a campy horror movie style murder definitely isn’t going to happen. <i>(<a href="https://getxwell.bandcamp.com/album/burning-the-village-to-feel-its-warmth">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3076916228/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3409285114/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://getxwell.bandcamp.com/album/burning-the-village-to-feel-its-warmth">Burning the Village to Feel Its Warmth by Get Well</a></iframe>
<b>GREAT FALLS, “Objects Without Pain” 2xLP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m going to be partial to these guys because I’ve released stuff for them and their other bands and they live in the area. So any hint of journalistic integrity is kind of kaput here. It’s not like I’m going to lie and tell you this doesn’t rule. I feel like Great Falls are a band that consistently outdoes themselves each time and it’s quite a feat to do so honestly. Their music is so emotionally exhausting, cathartic and crushing, and done so in ways that often defy what average musicians should be able to pull off. And to be as prolific as they have been just makes it more bewildering. Basically, Great Falls are the current high water mark for bands doing chaotic, emotionally draining, math-y noisecore. Are all those words together a subgenre? Whatever. They easily transition from blasting, knotty riffs that shouldn’t make sense (but eventually do) into world-ending Neurosis-like sludgy doom, and somber reprieves…. and writing long songs. And now with Nick Parks (Gaytheist) playing drums things sound even more violent and intense. But be warned, the theme, or sort of concept, of this record is some truly depressing adult-in-limbo distress. It’s that real life existential musings on failure, family, trying to cope with giant life changes in middle age sort of shit. It’s hard. So take that as you will. Like all releases from this band their presentation is stellar, with intricate artwork, as well as some bonus stuff with a letterpressed booklet (designed and handmade by the band) and extra song for the obsessive weirdos like me. Hey, I’m a guy like me! Nevertheless, everything about this band and record gives you 100% of what they have and then some and on the live front you’ll either go deaf, get your neck swiped by a swinging bass guitar, or cry…. or maybe all of the above. What you’ll never be is shortchanged. <i>(<a href="https://greatfalls.bandcamp.com/album/objects-without-pain">Neurot</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3104561116/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://greatfalls.bandcamp.com/album/objects-without-pain">Objects Without Pain by Great Falls</a></iframe>
<b>GRIDLINK, “Coronet Juniper”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been a number of years since Gridlink gave us all new music to get whiplash to. I’d long been a fan of vocalist Jon Chang, ever since shredding his throat for grind maestros Discordance Axis. His undeniable shriek is all over this record (well, not the second half, but I’ll get to that in a minute). Musically it’s in that same vein, but there’s more emphasis on classically trained guitar to go along with the seemingly endless blast beats. Sure, these guys all love grindcore, but they also love video game music. So imagine those concepts of wailing guitar over Sonic going like a thousand miles an hour collecting coins like a fiend, or Camy kicking the shit out you in an alley and apply it with blast beats. The first handful of tracks here lean a bit more into those ideas, along with lots of leads. But once they get to “Octave Serpent” and going basically until the rest of the record things just become straight up vicious, with songs barely passing the minute mark and just absolutely killing it. That’s the best stuff. Now here’s where it gets weird. There’s 22 tracks listed here with the second half listed as ‘karaoke’ versions of all the previous 11 tracks. It sounds like it could be something fun, or a goof with this group’s sense of humor. But it’s just all instrumental versions of those songs. So just a fun name for instrumental tracks I guess? Either way, the vocalized record is a compact 19 minutes and 11 tracks, which is basically the perfect length of time to experience a grind record. Anything more than that and your head will explode. <i>(<a href="https://gridlink.bandcamp.com/album/coronet-juniper">Willowtip</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3635437687/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=923325089/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://gridlink.bandcamp.com/album/coronet-juniper">Coronet Juniper by Gridlink</a></iframe>
<b>KEN MODE, “Void” </b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The quick follow up to last year’s “Null”, KEN Mode strike back with more insidious noise racket. I’m unsure if this is supposed to be a companion record to “Null” and written in the same time frame, though the similar cover art alludes to as much. However, I’m more inclined to see this as their side record where they get to fuck around more with sounds you wouldn’t normally chalk up to the KEN Mode sound. Tracks like “These Wires”, which, I’m not gonna lie, sounds like an emo Steve Erkle for the first half. But then they go into “We’re Small Enough”, an instrumental that uses spacey synths alongside a cold post-punk sort of Killing Joke thing. It’s not long before they jump back into the absolutely crushing berating they’re known for with the plodding “I Cannot” and that’s probably my favorite (arguably best) song on the album. If “Null” was the official introduction for newest member Kathryn Kerr- with her accompanying saxophone on a few tracks, as well as noise/synth additions- than this record truly folds her completely into the fabric of the band and gives them another dimension. “A Reluctance Of Being” has her saxophone playing a somber and jazzy lead for the entire first half of the track while it bellows and wails spastically during the repetitive and cacophonous second half of the track. The last two songs on the record take a decidedly less aggressive approach as the vocals are mostly spoken, the bass is overall less distorted and keeps a simplistic repetition on both songs, and there is more piano, sax, and even some strings (on “Not Today, Old Friend”). Yeah, it’s a different turn for the otherwise highly confrontational KEN Mode, but it’s awesome they have given it a go and for the most part, it works. Not to worry for those who appreciate consistency- at least three of the 8 songs here will beat the ever-lovin’ snot out of you in the way you’re used to. <i>(<a href="https://kenmode.bandcamp.com/album/void">Artoffact</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2543843154/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1731202535/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://kenmode.bandcamp.com/album/void">VOID by KEN mode</a></iframe>
<b>KIRCHER, s/t EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not sure if this can be called a side project when the ‘main’ project isn’t super active. What do you call that? Adjacent project? Whatever, it’s all semantics. Kircher is the project of fellas from Prayer Group and it doesn’t stray super far from that, but they do exorcise a few additional musical demons on this EP offering that you may not encounter in Prayer Groups riffy racket. Kircher definitely toss in some of their loud and brash noise rock clanging around, heavy on Jesus Lizard/Pissed Jeans/Blacklisters sort of worship and that’s never a reason to be mad. However, midway track “How I Learned To Start Worrying…” (and it’s short noise intro before it) delves into some droney chatter over trance-y drug-addled jamming. Lyrically, Chat Pile would like you to hold their beer. Final track “Gone” is lengthy and pulses uncomfortably with added effects akin to what the dudes in Haunted Horses get up to before it busts into some “Souls At Zero”-era Neurosis apocalyptic slow burn. It’s certainly the odd track out but it’s a good one. So you get three more straightforward heavy rockers and a trio of varying levels of weirdness with mixed results. Give it a try why not? <i>(<a href="https://fisherkingrecords.bandcamp.com/">Fisher King Records</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=191798639/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://kircher.bandcamp.com/album/picking-a-scab">Picking a Scab by KIRCHER</a></iframe>
<b>SILK LEASH, s/t</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not exactly a new band, but my first encounter with their brand of audio terrorism. These Maryland filth addicts let loose with all the ugly swagger and self-injurious punk destruction akin to Pissed Jeans after they fell into a dumpster of used syringes. I know it’s a fairly easy comparison, but it’s apt. I’d say Silk Leash aren’t as up front about their humor (if they have any) but they bring unsettling noise rock in relatively quick bursts for the first half of this full length and then let fate take their hand as they close out things with “You Are Replaceable” comprised of a a winding bass looping amongst swirling chaos and hitting every guitar pedal they own just to see what happens. But packed between the opening 90 seconds track of this record and the closers five minutes-plus of fuck all abandon are 8 more punchy and dastardly ripping jams. <i> (<a href="https://silkleash.bandcamp.com/album/silk-leash-3">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2328334565/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3980598709/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://silkleash.bandcamp.com/album/silk-leash-3">Silk Leash by Silk Leash</a></iframe>
<b>WE., “Blursed” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wild and weird chaos from the wastelands of Ohio comes the difficult-to-google We.. One guy plays a two-string bass and sings while the other bashes drums. But for two guys it’s a whole bunch of racket and it’s pretty awesome. Much of the song structures and tones they’re getting out of that wacky bass are really akin to Denver noiseniks Moon Pussy, while adding in a big trashy sound similar to another band reviewed a couple months back called Big Clown. But instead of a full band just imagine two fellows fucking up your day. While the content of the songs seems to be serious there’s definitely a sense of fun, what with naming their EP “Blursed”, as well as the crazy structure to these songs- chaotic but having a good time doing it. By the time they get to “Behind Closed Doors” there’s no fucking around and maximum damage occurs. I’m all for it. Pretty rad overall. <i>(<a href="https://weplaynoise.bandcamp.com/album/blursed">self-released</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2130881534/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2328141498/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://weplaynoise.bandcamp.com/album/blursed">Blursed. by We.</a></iframe>
<b>WILL HAVEN, “VII”</b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Haven is nothing if not extremely consistent. They’ve barely changed their sound in the 25+ years they have been a band and it’s pretty much guaranteed that if you like one of their albums you will probably like all of them. At times they have leaned more into their mix of sludge metal and atmospheric sounds (like on 2011’s “Voir Dire”), but you will never not catch them throwing in heaps of their chugging metallic groove throughout. “VII” is a fine addition to their rather large body of work and I’d say focuses more on their chug-chug-chug style, as well as on shorter songs. Will Haven has long been their own beast, even though many want to lump them into nu-metal, which I think is far off-base. They are a band that favors slick production, lots of low end hostility, and tight groove but you’ll never see them attempting to rap and they all love Neurosis so there’s that. They’ve toured with plenty of arena-packing nu-metal bands, but hey, why not play in front of a huge crowd if you can, right? Whatever the case, Will Haven has always paired their desire-to-punch-a-parking-meter stomp with slow and crushing riffs, pained screaming, and spooky atmospheric noise to make something all their own. It’s a thing I like, and I will continue to like Will Haven because they’re great at what they do. <i>(<a href="https://willhaven.bandcamp.com/album/vii">Minus Head Records</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=457588909/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=836120247/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://willhaven.bandcamp.com/album/vii">VII by Will Haven</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-82372834423897324822023-09-22T13:17:00.005-07:002023-09-22T13:17:59.719-07:00MORE MUMS, IN VIDEO FORM!<p> OK,OK, enough about <b>MUMS</b> right? Wrong.</p><p>Not only is their new record out now, but you can also get a little view into their studio stuff while they were recording to the tune of <b>"100 Kilos"</b> off the record.</p><p>Get a load of this:</p><p><br /></p>
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Get <b>"Legs"</b> on LP/CD/digital <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs">HERE</a></b>.Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-45590140289281441942023-09-21T08:01:00.002-07:002023-09-21T08:01:18.226-07:00MUMS, "LEGS" STREAMING IN FULL!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLZVSW-RhXK8wbyrh4WlvTOlvDdygpdVwiB8qRG02b44zfhTKymo6_HUJY1DdDhIPO-34J4wJbnqZDFTWuD1mKAjKsMaMXsJkQ_H8vlmrAgG5YF9zFAemVBKR4QA0-KbujLgQuA5oIB-syHnBufl84Cs3g5cVDc-6X16JM0WBS0j0PWCcuU4RJDy64XM/s3000/press%20pic%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLZVSW-RhXK8wbyrh4WlvTOlvDdygpdVwiB8qRG02b44zfhTKymo6_HUJY1DdDhIPO-34J4wJbnqZDFTWuD1mKAjKsMaMXsJkQ_H8vlmrAgG5YF9zFAemVBKR4QA0-KbujLgQuA5oIB-syHnBufl84Cs3g5cVDc-6X16JM0WBS0j0PWCcuU4RJDy64XM/w400-h266/press%20pic%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It's here! The first new <b>MUMS</b> album in something like 6 years is out and you can listen to it in full a day before its official release through the folks over at <b><a href="https://idioteq.com/thick-riffed-rockers-mums-premiere-new-album-legs/">Idioteq</a></b> !<p></p><p>They're doing a full album stream, along with a track-by-track breakdown of each song on the record so you can see just what they're all about.</p><p>If you haven't heard the cacophonous roar of <b>Mums</b>, coupled with their very apparent joy they take in making lots of noise busting eardrums and all that maybe right now is a good time to rectify that.</p><p><b>"Legs"</b> is out now and shipping via <b>Hex Records</b> in the US on LP/CD/digital. <b>Society Of Losers</b> is handling the UK version (which has alternate, and very cool, artwork and a different vinyl color), which will be out in November.</p><p>Get it <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs">HERE</a></b> or <b><a href="https://societyoflosersrecords.com/product/mums-legs-lp-pre-order/">HERE</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66QDAY8VTem_l_hA0mpjIlKH3WrLywYX_mdpJA4lDCa9Xw3iymKFf1mqXOGcZIFH4zZfnOAGNoXEB7ZIkWibKCpctP1a3QXrl6bUq4c0MEyMhpj_H-JEdqHRqMHJcIuvXJ5mqMRsOPwVGQR7sMlPwtHKKGZP37fCqWLjtmX7bW7OcdWXpX0QVg5ucRRo/s3600/Mums%20front%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="3600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66QDAY8VTem_l_hA0mpjIlKH3WrLywYX_mdpJA4lDCa9Xw3iymKFf1mqXOGcZIFH4zZfnOAGNoXEB7ZIkWibKCpctP1a3QXrl6bUq4c0MEyMhpj_H-JEdqHRqMHJcIuvXJ5mqMRsOPwVGQR7sMlPwtHKKGZP37fCqWLjtmX7bW7OcdWXpX0QVg5ucRRo/s320/Mums%20front%20cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-10252714558914963682023-08-20T20:14:00.003-07:002023-08-20T20:14:39.451-07:00REVIEWS AS HOT AS SCABIES IN AUGUST<p> Is that headline in poor taste? Do a lot of my readers have scabies? I hope not. I did, once, when I was a teen. It really sucked. Why am I telling you this? I guarantee my mind is on this litany of new releases I've decided to check out and I assure you they're bringing me great joy and not scabies (though that Rabbit EP might give you scabies, jury's out).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRpSPYlg0xQsTXejX1VOGorjqrZP3gOAJ5Y3J6ml-kG85TJcHijihgfmbqB8_S9P8NO4HHvovZ3GMOsvPZJBRX3XQPUrgyiTF2u1rVgOHiIVLMeHko7dwrkbXD4PoydtZCsQEUOAazlgNUO7XXFKpxmpWIhLAE77DHE8rfjAZlEc4W_61GJXjjuFvQak/s1800/review%20bunch%208.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRpSPYlg0xQsTXejX1VOGorjqrZP3gOAJ5Y3J6ml-kG85TJcHijihgfmbqB8_S9P8NO4HHvovZ3GMOsvPZJBRX3XQPUrgyiTF2u1rVgOHiIVLMeHko7dwrkbXD4PoydtZCsQEUOAazlgNUO7XXFKpxmpWIhLAE77DHE8rfjAZlEc4W_61GJXjjuFvQak/w400-h266/review%20bunch%208.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>BEDTIMEMAGIC, “Sleep Together” EP</b></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On first listen to this new effort from Bedtimemagic a lot of it just wasn’t making sense to me. Too much going on. How can just two guys make things this complicated? But after a couple more listens it kind of came to me that they’re sort of like Big Business (which is rather obvious, and a bit lazy on my part as far as descriptors go - a bassist and drummer duo shouldn’t automatically relegate them to tat comparison) meets The Locust. They do big gnarled riffs and pair it up with spazzy and unpredictable parts. It’s still not the sort of thing that grabs me by the balls, but at least now I can make sense of it in my head. Whereas on really short tracks like “Keep Dreaming” it starts off all weird and cool with some almost video game sort of repetitious sound it then just sort of goes off into some chaotic thing, but then you get to “Soporific” where they again go for brevity and just nail it with a fast ripper where the chaos is reined into something you can grasp. In the middle of this quick 6 song EP they turn in a long, exceptionally emotional song with “Turn Down Service” that kinda pulls at the heartstrings. It’s kind of hard to tell with this group if they’re going for serious or ridiculous. The subject matter of the songs appears to be heartfelt and therapeutic. Their chaotic nature and the goofy onesies they insist on wearing live allude to comedy? I’m not sure. There’s a lot going on here, some of it really great, some of it kind of unnecessary. I do enjoy their experiments with added percussive elements and some of the added electronic sounds here and there, which works to great effect. <i>(<a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-together">The Ghost Is Clear</a>)</i></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1483850039/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2264470323/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-together">Sleep Together by BEDTIMEMAGIC</a></iframe>
<b>FIDDLEHEAD, “Death Is Nothing To Us”</b></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s going to be hard to top Fiddlehead’s last album, “Between the Richness”, as it showed a band fully realized and in command of their sound. But I gotta say, this new one is catching up to it. I was relatively unfazed with a couple of the singles they released prior to the album coming out and I thought maybe the band had gotten stale. But when those songs are now heard in context with the rest of the record, as well as with the lyrics in front of me, it’s a whole other thing. Musically it’s just as on point as before and their own description of ‘hardcore energy with anthemic 90’s alternative and Revolution Summer emo’ is right on the money. As for the songs themselves, “True Hardcore (II)” eloquently bashes gatekeepers and dusty old heads stuck in ‘the good ‘ol days’ who shit on anything current while you get some of the best lyrics and tearjerking joy from “The Woes” with it’s 108 wink-and-nod followed by the line “The woe is me, the woe is you, here in our rooms, so walk with me and I’ll walk with you out of our doom.” Sadly, it’s followed with a single incredibly corny line at the end of “Fiddleheads” stating “but I don’t just want to get by, good thing I got my ride or dies”. The last two tracks on the record are some of the best material the band has written- “Fifteen To Infinity” with it’s great mid-paced groove and closer “Going To Die” with another lyrical wink, this time to Bad Brains, and a fantastic diatribe on odes to those who’ve passed, the joys of life, and the uplifting spirit of getting back up and getting by. It’s quite beautiful honestly. There’s a lot of depressive rumination throughout this record, both from a personal perspective, as well as from the viewpoint of others, and a general sadness for humanity. But it always feels like there’s a bit of light a the end, where you take in all the bad and you process it and then carry on with positivity in your life despite the grief and (at times) hopelessness that comes with getting older. And it’s all set to a great soundtrack. You’d do well to give this a thorough listen. <i>(<a href="https://fiddleheadma.bandcamp.com/album/death-is-nothing-to-us">Run For Cover</a>)</i></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3115190787/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=854629325/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://fiddleheadma.bandcamp.com/album/death-is-nothing-to-us">Death is Nothing to Us by Fiddlehead</a></iframe>
<b>MAXIMUM MAD, “Anxiety” EP</b></span></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I thought maybe Portland’s most riff-tastic sludgy rockers had called it a day, but here’s an EP of new material that says otherwise. I’m really glad this is out in the world too because I recall having heard a couple of these songs live in the band’s somewhat rare public appearances and you all need to catch this. Heirs to the lumberjack heaviness of other Northwest luminaries like Harkonen this sounds almost like unintentional tribute and there ain’t a thing bad about that. My favorite track here is “Baby’s First Noise Complaint” due to how alarmingly catchy it is, but closer “Cigarette Mother” isn’t too far behind with it’s world-ending final couple minutes. Put this on and immediately watch your beard grow and a tallboy of Rainier magically appear in your hand. <i> <span style="font-kerning: none;">(<a href="https://maximummad.bandcamp.com/album/anxiety-ep">self-released</a>)</span></i></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1279579281/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=32997710/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://maximummad.bandcamp.com/album/anxiety-ep">ANXIETY EP by MAXIMUM MAD</a></iframe>
<b>PRETTY PLEASE, “Discount Wax Museum”</b></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This band has been quiet for awhile now and I thought maybe they were a flash in the pan. Thankfully, they have graced us with more sludgy grunge to bang your head and rip the sleeves off your flannel to. With vocals that unabashedly fall somewhere almost perfectly between Alice In Chains and Nirvana, the music isn’t far behind those two either. Although I’d say that both grunge forefathers had a bit more depressing demeanor to much of their material and Pretty Please sound a bit more fun, even if the lyrics pine similar territory. They break it up in the middle with the solemn, but still kinda fun, “Burn This Fucker Down” that has all the simplistic repetition of early Weezer (but, ya know, good) before getting back to the relentless riff sniffing. This is a good one, check it out. <i>(<a href="https://prettyplease.bandcamp.com/album/discount-wax-museum">self-released</a>)</i></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2583348624/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=500763543/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://prettyplease.bandcamp.com/album/discount-wax-museum">Discount Wax Museum by Pretty Please</a></iframe>
<b>RABBIT, “Bardo” EP</b></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rabbit were pretty damn hard previously. This just ups the ante. Previously I had compared them to other NYC rippers Warthog (and ya know, even in their more moshy parts a bit like Ekulu now that I think about it), but Rabbit has leaned way more into their metal side here and I think there’s no going back. Everything is pushed way into the red and where glints of hardcore once were Rabbit just say ‘fuck it’ and go for more disgusting speed, howling solos, and grimey-ass breakdowns. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a group that takes all of the filthiness of second-generation cassette-only death metal band, and pair it with the most devious hardcore and d-beat around. Do you like things really fast? Second track “Tail Wags Dog” is basically a grind song with an evil solo tacked on in the middle. Do you like things slow and beatdown-y sans macho pit calls? Closer, “Anti-Priest Summons Baphomet” should whet that appetite and cause rotator cuff injuries. I don’t know if physical media of this EP exists, but I imagine if you leave a sawbuck at a sewer pipe emptying into the Gowanas Canal a golem in a patch-covered battle vest will emerge and give you a tape of this along with a bag full of airplane glue.<i> (<a href="https://rabbitnyc.bandcamp.com/album/bardo">self-released</a>)</i></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2014879674/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=241716173/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://rabbitnyc.bandcamp.com/album/bardo">BARDO by Rabbit</a></iframe>
<b>SELF DEFENSE FAMILY, “<span style="font-kerning: none;">Law of Karma Live: Fake Shit Wins But Not Tonight” 2xLP</span></b></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s a little odd to think, given a lengthy timeline, that most people now would know Self-Defense Family vocalist Pat Kindlon from his non-stop touring band Drug Church (or maybe from his podcasts he co-hosts). But before all that (well, kind of concurrent with) Self-Defense Family was releasing records seemingly every month. The groups earlier incarnation as End Of a Year may have been even more prolific. Between the two there’s probably at least three dozen LPs, 7”, splits, and EPs which is wild to think about. Self Defense Family has been rather quiet over the last few years as Drug Church became basically a full-time band. However, there’s a lot to be said for SDF and their ever-evolving sound. This is a live record, which is kind of a rare thing these days. But if you’ve ever seen SDF then you know this will be a treat. Why? Well, not only is their music great, but Kindlon’s between-song banter is legendary so some of that is basically worth the price of admission. They’re a band that never really spends much time revisiting old material and they tend to focus on whatever they’re up to at that moment. In the case of this album, recorded in 2019 across a few shows, they’re playing material mostly from “Have You Considered Punk Music” and “Heaven Is Earth”, but sprinkle in a bit here and there from various EPs (there’s a lot to draw from honestly). Two of my favorite SDF songs make an appearance here- both from the aforementioned LPs- “Talia” and “Watcher At the Well” and they’re played true to form. Kindlon’s raspy growl is at opposite ends of the mostly somber and slow music; obvious musical touchstones being stuff like Lungfish, anything made by Alex Dunham, Slint, and even early Tortoise to a degree. SDF takes patience, but there’s a wealth to devour here and not just the hilarious vamping from Pat between tracks. Additionally, I don’t have my vinyl copy yet, but the label releasing this- LandLand Colportage- is known for going all out on creative handmade/hand-screened packaging, elaborate design, and beautiful screen prints, posters, and other artistic ephemera. So it’s a cool bonus that I know is coming my way once the physical media is out there. <span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(<a href="https://landland.bandcamp.com/album/law-of-karma-live-fake-shit-wins-but-not-tonight">Land Land Colportage</a>)</i></span></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=546998168/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2992690279/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://landland.bandcamp.com/album/law-of-karma-live-fake-shit-wins-but-not-tonight">Law of Karma Live: Fake Shit Wins But Not Tonight by Self Defense Family</a></iframe>
<b>TACOS, “3”</b></span></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Last time I checked in with Tacos (at least on record) they were a duo. Since that time I’ve seen them on a few occasions and they had become a trio with the addition of Helms Alee drummer Hozi Matheson-Margullis on bass and vocals, thus giving the band a lot more room to work with different sounds, ideas, and vocal patterns (with all three members sharing the mic). Tacos already had a good deal of commonality with Helms Alee (outside of just sharing a split 7” together) in terms of a big burly sound and dueling male/female vocals and now it’s a bit more. However, I’d say this result, while certainly not lacking in regards to heavy and lumbering rock, leans pretty hard into psychedelic melody and weirdness more than I had expected. A mid-record acoustic sort of interlude gives way to the lengthy “Coug Snugz”, which spends much of it’s time meandering and exploring before it’s eventual break into a harder finale. And by the time they close with “Ye Olde Growth” they’re drifting into the ether, an almost pleasant ending to a record that shows it’s love to all things Pacific Northwest heavy fuzz, an obvious adoration of the melodic interplay and ripping rock of Heart, as well as some unexpected twists into the unknown.<b> </b><i>(<a href="https://tacosband-nadinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/3">Nadine Records</a>)</i></span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=812166648/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3898515660/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://tacosband-nadinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/3">3 by Tacos!</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-84035693067474426182023-08-14T15:45:00.001-07:002023-08-14T15:45:57.747-07:00PINKO ANNOUNCE FALL TOUR!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa6h1192mdF_WxDOvcQcqnzPyH94wYdOr6B96r4pjPb65vf_pXRoG26ppW5RBbVJf6JdeI_WG4SAvVKwnm83VafclCG51DBhtTi6ppJZr9eF0rMqQKkqDNHr4-yT1tU-f2PYCFRwvGEW3oDEnbk_e0gU6V0-uP0e2CaJ0GPwDF2UkzfLw1fV5rkVbeFw/s1038/pinko%20tour%202023.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1038" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa6h1192mdF_WxDOvcQcqnzPyH94wYdOr6B96r4pjPb65vf_pXRoG26ppW5RBbVJf6JdeI_WG4SAvVKwnm83VafclCG51DBhtTi6ppJZr9eF0rMqQKkqDNHr4-yT1tU-f2PYCFRwvGEW3oDEnbk_e0gU6V0-uP0e2CaJ0GPwDF2UkzfLw1fV5rkVbeFw/w400-h400/pinko%20tour%202023.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Our homies in <b><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pinko-you-you">Pinko</a></b> will be hitting the road this Fall for an East Coast romp that takes them up the coast and then back to TX for the annual <b><a href="https://nocoastfest.com/">No Coast Fest</a></b>. They will be with fellow Midwest noise mongers <b>Nerver</b> for the trek.<p></p><p>Of note, this will be <b>Pinko</b>'s first run as a four-piece! Bassist <b>Jared Flores</b> has switched to second guitar, while our old pal <b>Bill Indelicato</b> (of <b>Exhalants</b> and <b>Neckbolt</b>) has joined in on bass. It should make for a true sonic assault of the senses. This will get the band fine-tuned for recording some new stuff later this year as well. More on that for another time...</p><p>In the meantime, go check out this tour!</p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/8- Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/9- New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/10- Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/11- Atlanta, GA @ The 529 </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/12- Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/13- Baltimore, MD @ The Crown </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/14- New Brunswick, NJ @ In The West </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/15- Philadelphia, PA @ Ortliebs </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/16- Pittsburgh, PA The Govt Center </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/17- Kalamazoo, MI The Runoff </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/18- Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/19- Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/20- Memphis, TN @ Lamplighter </b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>10/21- Denton, TX @ NO COAST</b></span></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-7365224660216007382023-08-05T16:02:00.001-07:002023-08-05T16:02:48.669-07:00MUMS TO RELEASE NEW RECORD THROUGH HEX, DEBUT FIRST SINGLE AND PRE-ORDER!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiD6GHDZHSgPn19rqCIIEwJyDH23aLn_V-qNNySoCFW5JrC5Lt5werTPwwgfMFAYQ00oELazyvNc1Mq2KC2lQFGWFQT20K_C5twB21w2MinHROFbtK-lU0HwSJWi8gK5KcRIUg7-pB7jJR-7mTRlZkLr0bO5V4iFPPmmYbYVg6NgNba1CmzzPkBpgMKrk/s3000/press%20pic%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiD6GHDZHSgPn19rqCIIEwJyDH23aLn_V-qNNySoCFW5JrC5Lt5werTPwwgfMFAYQ00oELazyvNc1Mq2KC2lQFGWFQT20K_C5twB21w2MinHROFbtK-lU0HwSJWi8gK5KcRIUg7-pB7jJR-7mTRlZkLr0bO5V4iFPPmmYbYVg6NgNba1CmzzPkBpgMKrk/w400-h266/press%20pic%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><a href="https://mumstheband.bandcamp.com/">Mums</a></b>, hailing from Northwest England, have been a band in one form or another for a considerable amount of time. <b>Jack and Roanne Evans</b> met in high school and discovered they both had an affinity for loud and visceral bands from both the alternative rock scene, and more extreme end of the musical spectrum. After a bit they partnered with a local friend and began the first iteration of Mums, known as <b>Aeroplane Flies High</b>. </p>Fast forward a couple years, one marriage, and some musical development the duo got a new drummer and not long after changed their name to <b>Mums</b>. Under this new lineup their sound pushed their limits further- the riffs got more recognizable, the vocal melodies delved into earworm territory, and at the same time the noise and feedback drove everything into the red for maximum audio damage. It was with this new focus the group recorded <b>“Land Of Giants”</b>, an astonishing LP that displays a minor miracle of not destroying the turntable once the needle hits. <br /><b>Mums </b>did some touring throughout the UK and Europe, refining their high-decibel sound and building a fan base of loyal gluttons for noise. They had some momentum going. However, a bit later their drummer decided to pursue other interests and they had some trouble finding a permanent replacement.<div><span class="bcTruncateMore"><br /></span></div><div><span class="bcTruncateMore">Enter Jack and Roanne’s best friend <b>Jonny Dickin</b> who managed to step in and reinvigorate the group to create their next collection of songs, which has resulted in their new album <b>“Legs”</b>. <br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1247140425/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3081722187/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs">Mums, "Legs" by Mums</a></iframe>
<b>“Legs”</b> was a long time in the making and even features a song that dates back to the earliest days of the band, but the majority of the songs were worked on and fleshed out after Jonny joined. While Mums are a trio “Legs” was actually recorded as a four-piece with a baby Mum in utero while the group was in the studio. <br /><b>Mums </b>sought to retain the intensity of “Land Of Giants”, but with stronger songwriting chops, and a big focus on creating a sound that was as exciting as it is fun, Mums took careful measure to mix and master this record exactly the way they wanted without compromise. <br /><br /><b>"Legs”</b> will be released <b>September 22nd</b> in the U.S. by <b>Hex Records</b> and in Europe by <b><a href="https://societyoflosersrecords.com/shop/">Society Of Losers Records</a></b> </span></div><div><span class="bcTruncateMore"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="bcTruncateMore" style="font-size: large;"><b>GET YOUR COPY <a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mums-legs">HERE</a></b></span></div>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-64053665235310174032023-07-18T21:48:00.000-07:002023-07-18T21:48:51.713-07:009 TIMES THE PAIN, REVIEWS FROM HELL<p> I have a complicated relationship with summer. I don't really do all that well in the heat. I get sluggish and lazy and I feel kind of gross. Also, as a fairly pale white guy with a bald head the sun tries to kill me.</p><p>But I love the long days and cooler nights, and drinking root beer on my porch, and actually experiencing sunlight (as opposed to the 6 months of the year where it's always cloudy).</p><p>This particular summer I have, so far, made the most of it despite it being hot- tons of bike rides at night, enjoying the company of friends, swimming, and catching tons of new music which has seemed to just come out of nowhere all at once. So why not read about some of it here and then enjoy your own summer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHLiC4F0AW-79nOzto38LZKit8nUXuEJtpAD0EQQdFxVemShM0rUGTx3aFTTNjSuxFmkDDL6aWWDCL6Aj_rK7Xwx9ysS5zXjFzgil9hWMYAutsp9b6wiejxBsyWv-XU2p6kYV2R6TTbwZCiw3GuRdCmPF7gEk3AB8riBFvDXRTgtP7e0ZQiC9h7tMERk/s1800/review%20bunch%207.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHLiC4F0AW-79nOzto38LZKit8nUXuEJtpAD0EQQdFxVemShM0rUGTx3aFTTNjSuxFmkDDL6aWWDCL6Aj_rK7Xwx9ysS5zXjFzgil9hWMYAutsp9b6wiejxBsyWv-XU2p6kYV2R6TTbwZCiw3GuRdCmPF7gEk3AB8riBFvDXRTgtP7e0ZQiC9h7tMERk/w400-h266/review%20bunch%207.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b>BIG GARDEN, “To the Rind”</b><br />Anyone who is the least bit familiar with the tectonic sludge of Thou will know their unyielding love 90’s alternative and grunge as evidenced by their mountain of covers of bands from said era. It should come as no surprise then that when a couple members of that band offered up this side project that it’s a big wet, sloppy mash note to the Clinton years. This most strongly resembles Hum, and of the multitude of bands that try and ape their style I’d say this group is doing a really good job of it while still finding their own voice. There’s that low end at work that helps make Thou magic sauce, but a bit more upbeat grunge-y guitar rock at work, along with a lot of shoegaze energy. There’s a lot of times where this also presents shades of the most wonderful collaboration Thou did with Emma Ruth Rundle a couple years back and harkens to songwriting in that vein. Plainly said, I’m in love with this surprise of an album. It really makes me wish it was a full time endeavor rather than a project. Perhaps some live shows are in order for the not-too-distant future? <i>(<a href="https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-rind">Gilead Media</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4188029268/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2613448321/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-rind">To the Rind by Big Garden</a></iframe>
<b>CONSUMER CULTURE, “The Future Is a Pile Of Bodies”</b><br /> Though they have already dropped some material over the last couple years Consumer Culture is pretty new to me and I gotta say, I’m really into what they’re doing. They don’t nail themselves down to a specific style, but instead seamlessly meld riffy stoner metal, hardcore-punk, and even some grinding blasts into a noisy stew that makes the 7 tracks on this 15 minute slab of wax an almost perfect amount of material that satiates while piquing my curiosity for more. The opening track, “Pile Of Bodies” is the riffiest of the bunch here and lays a great foundation for what’s follow which is primarily faster, and more pissed off, culminating in the 19 second scorcher “Liars”. From there they begin to head back in a rocking, riff-oriented mode that closes with “Wants and Needs”. The record takes a wonderful arc, slowly moving into more chaotic territory before reeling you back in, all the while laying down screeds against your usual suspects of villainy- the man, working dumb jobs for the man, exploitation by the man, you know the drill. If the awesome cover art doesn’t make that clear perhaps the bands very obvious name will. Whatever the case, you should probably get listening to this right away. It’s 15 minutes, so make sure you’re doing so while on the clock. Maybe listen 2 or 3 times while you’re at it. <i>(<a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-future-is-a-pile-of-bodies">The Ghost Is Clear</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2696490260/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=225208749/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-future-is-a-pile-of-bodies">The Future is a Pile of Bodies by Consumer Culture</a></iframe>
<b>DEMONS, “Under the Western Heel”</b><br />Whereas this Virginia bands last EP, “Swallow” was a quick burst of raging, violent and noisy hardcore, their latest full length harkens back a bit to their initial LP they released a couple years before that. By that I mean to say they bring back more of the Converge-isms, and some of the moshy metallic punishment akin to Every Time I Die, particularly in some of the more elaborate and descriptive lyrical prose. It’s not to say this doesn’t make for a crushing collection of songs, but I suppose I felt a bit more shock with the blitzkrieg immediacy of that last EP. These are, for the most part, much longer songs than they have displayed before and at times it works well, other times I’m just looking to get my skull caved in through a quick audio hammering ya know? Still, between “Eternal Shithead” and “Albatross” I get my wish as they each clock in at under two minutes, while opener “Husk” just crosses that mark but rips twice as hard. Later on, “By the Blood” has the band trying their damnedest to grasp at that Unsane-level of saltiness. “Man- The Herald Of His Own Condemnation” might be kind of a low point as it has a sort of rappy cadence in the vocals that comes off a bit weird and out of place for this band. My preference is on the fast and brutal with this group but I’m not gonna knock them for doing other variations on musical ass-beating exceptionally well. <i>(<a href="https://knifehitscollective.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-western-heel">Knife Hits</a>/ <a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-western-heel">The Ghost Is Clear</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1305996488/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=4006262613/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-western-heel">Under the Western Heel by Demons</a></iframe>
<b>END REIGN, “The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay”</b><br />Imagine if you could basically make a wish list of all your favorite musicians, put them in a room together, and make a record. Pretty awesome fantasy right? So Dom from A389/Integrity/Pulling Teeth/all sorts of stuff basically did just that with End Reign. It doesn’t hurt that he’s probably one of the most shredding guitarists in underground music and appears to have the work ethic of a 1900’s coal miner. Dude seriously needs to be checked on for some Tyler Durden-level psychosis because I’m not sure if he ever sleeps. So anyway, he went and wrote a bunch of thrashy heavy fuckin’ metal, which you kind of expect from the guy anyway, and enlisted Mike Score from All Out War to sing, Adam Jarvis from Misery Index and Pig Destroyer to play drums, Art Legere from friggin’ Bloodlet to play bass, and Sebastian from Exhumed/Noisem to double up on the shredding. While supergroups can often be a mess of big personalities playing what they want to play and lacking cohesion, this group seems more about one person’s vision and having the most competent players imaginable to make it reality. So while I’d love to hear some weird jazzy/sludgy Bloodlet bass parts, or Pig Destroyer chaotic blast beats, it’s not really what was planned here. The result is more of what you’d imagine is probably playing in Dom’s head all the time. <i>(<a href="https://theendreign.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-all-flesh-is-decay">Relapse</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2405448382/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1092594808/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theendreign.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-all-flesh-is-decay">The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay by End Reign</a></iframe>
<b>GRAF ORLOCK, “End Credits” 7”</b><br />They’re finally calling it a day. 20 years, a bunch of records, and endless samples later Graf Orlock are giving us their final piece of audio violence, packed into a 7” record with partially burned covers. It wouldn’t be them if they didn’t put some elaborate thought into the presentation of their record because they always do and I applaud them for it. Half the fun of checking out any Graf record is catching the samples, attempting to parse the lyrics (AKA, chopped up movie dialogue), and if it isn’t immediately apparent, catching what movie they’re referencing in each song. On this final outing they skewer “Children Of Men”, “Dredd”, “Mad Max”, “Snowpiercer” and “Waterworld”. I can definitely get behind 3 of those 5 movies, all of which are tied together through their own individual vision of an apocalyptic future. Musically though? It’s always a good time- thrashing hardcore/sometimes grind with plenty of wild breakdowns and super fast, ultra pissed mania. Never a disappointment. And after 20 years of crazy shows, totally over-the-top looking records (some of the best packaging on all their records of any band ever), and a true dedication to a theme, Graf are closing out the cineplex and this ain’t a bad way to go out. See you at the movies. <i>(<a href="https://vitriolrecords.bandcamp.com/album/end-credits">Vitriol</a>)</i><br /><b>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=994343251/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1959635763/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://vitriolrecords.bandcamp.com/album/end-credits">End Credits by Graf Orlock</a></iframe>
<br />JAYE JAYLE, “Don’t Let Your Love Life Get You Down”</b><br />The latest full length from Jaye Jayle (AKA Evan Patterson of Young Widows with various collaborators) continues his path of dusty Americana and folk, mixed with a variety of other influences. On the last outing I had from them, “No Trail…” it was a smorgasbord of styles from krautrock to jazz to atmospheric rock that somehow all worked. Things feel a bit more reined in this time around as all the songs have a slower pace, stick to a rather folksy feel, but put a good deal of emphasis on synths to add a great amount of texture. At times the lush synths make things sound like they could be part of the Twin Peaks soundtrack (“Waiting For the Life”), other times it follows a catchy song structure on “Black Diamonds and Bad Apples” (which repeats the album title as the chorus), or it’s a simple vocal cadence throughout that makes the opening track, “Warm Blood and Honey” sound like a Fleet Foxes outtake. Or, in the case of closing track “When We Are Dogs” it’s a slow thump amongst a swirling chaos of saxophone. All in all, it’s another effort from Jaye Jayle that takes some time to fully appreciate, and it’s a slow burn, but it’s a cool effort you’ll enjoy. <i>(<a href="https://jayejayle.bandcamp.com/album/dont-let-your-love-life-get-you-down">Pelagic Records</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2121474077/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2744020727/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://jayejayle.bandcamp.com/album/dont-let-your-love-life-get-you-down">Don't Let Your Love Life Get You Down by Jaye Jayle</a></iframe>
<b>LACING, “Never”</b><br />Despite being a scant 5 songs, this new record from Lacing comes in at a solid 30 minutes so that ought to let you know you’re getting an ample amount of music for your buck. And if shoegaze stuff is your drug of choice than you’ll probably be blissfully entertained by the big atmosphere Lacing bring forth. But, ya know, it’s a thing now. Lots of bands do it. So what does this band do to separate themselves from the horde out there already filling up stage space with gigantic pedalboards? Well, I guess Lacing’s trick is to play all pretty and slow and just lay on the atmosphere really thick. There’s plenty of British school of gaze at play and to be perfectly honest, I find a lot of that to get a little boring after awhile. And then just when you think maybe the song is going nowhere, or has been doing the same thing for ten minutes, they hit every available pedal all at once and you get a wall full of noise, laser sounds, bells, whistles, clangs, whatever. So for the head-in-the-clouds types you’ll have your trip ruined at about the 5 minute mark. The rest of us who enjoy the chaos just need to be patient for it to eventually arrive. <i>(<a href="https://handstandrecords.com/news/2023/05/05/lacing-never-ep-vinyl-preorder/">Handstand</a> / <a href="https://bummerrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/never">Bummer</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3682837900/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3665067397/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://bummerrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/never">Never by Lacing</a></iframe>
<b>LIFEGUARD, “Dressed In Trenches”</b><br />It’s pretty exciting when you hear a new band you were otherwise unfamiliar with doing a really creative and unique thing with their music that evokes some familiar sounds but in a way that is very much their own thing. It makes it sound as if these cats have been at this for awhile and developed an identity very much their own. It’s even more impressive that everyone in this band looks as if they’ve just passed their driver’s test (or are still practicing). And so Lifeguard premieres their new EP (and first for Matador) for eager listeners such as myself. While only 5 songs (one of which being fairly short and almost an interlude of sorts) it displays a great breadth of creativity between jangling, clanging guitars, prominent bass leads and hypnotic, almost spoken, vocals. The whole collection is somewhere between Jawbox’s talent for balancing tunefulness with chaos, Unwound’s otherworldly beauty amongst audio annihilation, and Sonic Youth’s experimentation with anything involving an amplifier and a guitar. It’s extremely promising and I, for one, am excited to see what else they come up with. If you grab the LP version of this it also includes their previous EP tacked on to the B-side where you can hear the band still figuring things out but grasping at a sound to call their own. <i>(<a href="https://lifeguardband100.bandcamp.com/album/dressed-in-trenches">Matador Records</a>)</i><br /><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1498088680/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=714325640/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://lifeguardband100.bandcamp.com/album/dressed-in-trenches">Dressed in Trenches by Lifeguard</a></iframe>
<b>OMEN ASTRA, “The End Of Everything”</b><br />This is half something I’m way into, and half not-entirely-my-thing. So their self-description I’d say is pretty spot on: a volatile mixture of bands like Neurosis, Sumac, Cave-In, Gojira, Cave-In, and Disembodied. So yeah, most of this is super heavy, sludgy, filled with giant, crushing riffs and I’m all good with that. It’s done well. Sure, thousands of other bands have done it; this is just done exceptionally well, so no complaints. There are some more melodic/spacey/atmospheric parts with singing that don’t really shake my spray can. Again, not to say it’s not executed well, but I’m a very hard sell for singing parts in crazy heavy metal and I just don’t feel those bits. They’re good for breaking up the songs from being nothing but full-on assault all the way through but I’ll personally take the beatings. Also, I think there were a couple other players on this record, but for the most part it’s the passion project of Canadian hardcore lifer Dave Buschemeyer, who has been in like a million bands over the last three decades so he’s no slouch I tell ya. Also, these are all really long songs, so ya got to really soak it in. “Glory To the Crown” may make the best use of some of that alternating singing/melodic-meets-ultra heavy as it incorporates some unique percussive elements before transitioning to a repeated breakdown that registers on the Richter scale. <i>(<a href="https://deathwishinc.com/collections/protagonist/products/copy-of-006-standard-lp-template?variant=42594534654123">Protagonist</a> / <a href="https://hypaethralrecords.com/collections/omen-astra">Hypaethral</a>)</i><br /><p><br /></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2308852500/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3035276340/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://omenastra.bandcamp.com/album/the-end-of-everything-3">The End Of Everything by Omen Astra</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-59938050593150300602023-06-21T23:57:00.000-07:002023-06-21T23:57:08.135-07:00FACET PRE-ORDER FOR DEBUT LP IS A GO! PLUS, A NEW SINGLE!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94tH2H8-34Hig-cMYZq38vJTQQm5OitErnmtn6ywZYgHIpB9CFaCUwfzP3XsL19UedgYptal5KJo2YOinyRupfF6uKqnXoOPATa2rSINPuxKm9BgkptORhQcGKpMA8NmKst99ZGTKVVNNIC-emmdhNe3neOe1v6S10dat3FAgtOLGkm6YIMDD_8VZLGg/s2100/facet%20front%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2090" data-original-width="2100" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94tH2H8-34Hig-cMYZq38vJTQQm5OitErnmtn6ywZYgHIpB9CFaCUwfzP3XsL19UedgYptal5KJo2YOinyRupfF6uKqnXoOPATa2rSINPuxKm9BgkptORhQcGKpMA8NmKst99ZGTKVVNNIC-emmdhNe3neOe1v6S10dat3FAgtOLGkm6YIMDD_8VZLGg/s320/facet%20front%20cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Facet</b> will be releasing their self-titled debut LP through Hex Records on August 11th. Today a pre-order for the record is going live, along with the first track from the record- <b>“Automatic”</b>.<br /><b>Facet </b>are a trio from Oakland that began in 2019. They quickly got underway with their debut self-released EP “Duck” that summer and then did a west coast tour later that same year.<br />Over the last few years they were able to hunker down and write what would become their full length, which is an expanded and refined vision of the first EP- coils of knotty and rhythmic bass, jangling angular guitar, and driving post-hardcore riffs propel this group to take their influences (think “Repetition” or “Challenge”-era UNWOUND) into this decade. Coming off of lockdown the trio began playing again in earnest throughout the Bay Area opening for the likes of Metz, Kowloon Walled City, and Tunic.<br /><br /><b>“Facet”</b> was recorded by Scott Evans at Sharkbite and Antisleep in Oakland, CA and mastered by Amar Lal of Big Ups.<br /><br /><b>Facet</b> will embark on a short West Coast tour in support of the LP the week after it is released and follow up with further touring throughout the US later in the year.<p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>PRE-ORDER "FACET" <a href="https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/album/facet-2">HERE</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQACMeN0lM5NODuk7u9nPQdgix0BQJwPVfYL69elX8MwnJh0VbnUCUKcF-JDCQLWwkhzy28oDZXK87_QycLUtTf_qWvZtqGIujnVBjtuVekiBySTnoL1_vqmrg9oJFpxWxJAg_6zudFsKltFw9u5Maknb_L8oMo5683hCIOsaGY1LoXdascn3ZW60rhS0/s2016/IMG_0917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQACMeN0lM5NODuk7u9nPQdgix0BQJwPVfYL69elX8MwnJh0VbnUCUKcF-JDCQLWwkhzy28oDZXK87_QycLUtTf_qWvZtqGIujnVBjtuVekiBySTnoL1_vqmrg9oJFpxWxJAg_6zudFsKltFw9u5Maknb_L8oMo5683hCIOsaGY1LoXdascn3ZW60rhS0/s320/IMG_0917.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /> </b><br /><p></p>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681791184193142967.post-46383795745452100942023-06-14T23:23:00.002-07:002023-06-14T23:23:53.405-07:00I AM BECOME SUMMER, DESTROYER OF MUSIC<p> Welcome curious reader to what feels like awhile since I posted about new music and reviews, but honestly it hasn't been that long. I've just been way too wrapped up/consumed with other things to give too much attention to new stuff out there. So this month is kind of a mish-mash between some reliable stuff I can always count on, a bunch of hardcore punk stuff, and maybe something in-between. Take yr chances.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy_iMf1Ow_Q7rYgbFpngdjXmEJd3-91wAZItRQfHwTwbP3nI5dw6_d_Fvz6DTpAfil_Z7J99TcsU2ZVwCqAE-_4t3OWVtajwEy9b-iujbErP00CjDqRCshIljq9KPsbYt6Nry0xMW2lTphXPFq-ofXOgecvWUdrK87jiUr4_d9135rCFvvOeRTQCn/s1800/review%20bunch%206.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy_iMf1Ow_Q7rYgbFpngdjXmEJd3-91wAZItRQfHwTwbP3nI5dw6_d_Fvz6DTpAfil_Z7J99TcsU2ZVwCqAE-_4t3OWVtajwEy9b-iujbErP00CjDqRCshIljq9KPsbYt6Nry0xMW2lTphXPFq-ofXOgecvWUdrK87jiUr4_d9135rCFvvOeRTQCn/w400-h266/review%20bunch%206.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b>BIG CLOWN, “Beatdown” 7”</b><br />This sounds insane and may have some of the worst cover art of any record I own. That all being said, musically, I love it. Imagine Lightning Bolt as played by Pussy Galore and released through K Records in 1995. The whole thing sounds completely blown out with big dumb riffs distorted all to shit, punk as fuck, and shrieked/howled vocals about frogmen and clowns and crap. But those RAT pedal-driven chunks of song are all over the place. Whatever, you get 8 songs on 7 inches and that’s a deal. <i>(<a href="https://bigclown.bandcamp.com/album/beatdown">Swimming Faith</a>)</i><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1293947386/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2972710322/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://bigclown.bandcamp.com/album/beatdown">Beatdown by Big Clown</a></iframe>
<br /><b>COFFIN APARTMENT, “Tomb Building Exercise”</b><br />I have an appreciation for local bands like Coffin Apartment. When I lived in the Northeast there were similar bands that were wildly talented but highly underappreciated, often because they rarely left town. So when I think of Coffin Apartment, they remind me a bunch of Rochester stalwarts Sulaco who churned out incredible metal for years and are hardly known outside the region. Coffin Apartment rep Portland and play the sort of labyrinth metal that ebbs and flows between uncomfortable melody and weirdness, all-out assault, and sludgy riffing that sounds like St. Helens erupting all over again. This is the bands second full length and I’d like to think it’s a step up from their first LP in many ways- the recording sounds bigger and more full. The songwriting reins in some of those more twisted and dense sections to flow a little more smooth, and even though most of the songs are a little on the long side they keep you drawn in throughout. I really, really enjoyed the first album because of it’s wild abandon and scrappy approach to writing crazy fucked up metal. This just fine tunes it into a well-oiled machine. I dig it. Hell, they start the record with some serious blasting so it’s honestly a pretty good way to start things off. <i>(<a href="https://coffinapartment.bandcamp.com/album/tomb-building-exercise">self-released</a>)</i><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=68918326/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3260789119/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://coffinapartment.bandcamp.com/album/tomb-building-exercise">Tomb Building Exercise by COFFIN APARTMENT</a></iframe>
<br /><b>GUMM, “Slogan Machine”</b><br />I didn’t have a whole lot to go on with this band other than the title track when it first dropped. But something about that song and the way it was put together made me feel there was something special about this Tennessee group. And once the record came out I feel like my intuition was right on the money. Gumm draw heavily from the DC/Swiz style of hardcore, which is right up my alley. For a more current example, they’re in the same vein as Truth Cult- catchy and emotional hardcore that knows when to be fun and rocking, but can also lay down kick-ass hardcore at the same time. Most of these songs show a band quickly maturing and creating their own unique style, but there’s a couple songs here that play it a little more straight ahead, faster hardcore, minus the flourishes the band adds (such as “Mirror”) that make me think it’s a bit of an older track perhaps. But with songs like the title track, “Free” and “Give You Back Your Youth” they’re onto something that is catchy, exciting, and has a loose and fun style that I greatly enjoy. Cut to the closing track “Leave Me Out” and they add some great harmonized vocals and wonderful melodies for what might be the catchiest song on the record (particularly in it’s closing section). This is a great start for this relatively newer band and I hope to see them grow more as they continue. <i>(<a href="https://convulserecords.bandcamp.com/album/slogan-machine">Convulse Records</a>)</i><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=821159433/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1624639474/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://convulserecords.bandcamp.com/album/slogan-machine">Slogan Machine by Gumm</a></iframe>
<br /><b>MIRAKLER, “How I Became the Devil”</b><br />Mirakler take the combined experience of past bands, endless miles in subjectively reliable vehicles to play countless filthy basements and fly-by-night venues and spit it all out in a 45-minute tirade called “How I Became the Devil”. Yeah, some of them had another band that sort of morphed into this, as the sound is quite similar, but this is a different beast altogether in other ways.<br />They go for the gusto and ensure every listener gets maximum bang for their buck with 17 tracks of noisey rock/punk abandon in about 45 minutes. Some may say that’s a bold move for a relatively new band. However, Mirakler have a lot to offer. Interspersed between the lumbering grungy noise rock squall are uncomfortable and weird interludes, melancholy melodies, occasional toe-dipping into sassy chaos, and even a bit of experimentation with electronics and post-rock instrumentation.<br />It’s kind of a roller coaster of an album that has an air of mystery around it with it’s thumb print/eye blots on the cover, alluding to some alien in a ski mask coming to thieve your jewels. It’s unsettling and dangerous, and that’s kind of what you get from this Pittsburgh trio with their debut LP. <i>(<a href="https://www.reptilianrecords.com/products/743259-mirakler-how-i-became-the-devil-lp">Reptilian</a>)</i><br />
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1517263318&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/reptilian-records" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Reptilian Records">Reptilian Records</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/reptilian-records/03-mirakler-egg" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="03 - MIRAKLER - EGG">03 - MIRAKLER - EGG</a></div>
<br /><b>NO LIGHTS, “Dream Eraser”</b><br />Seeing as half of this band provides the rhythm section for Kowloon Walled City one might be led to believe the same sort of tectonic plate shifting heaviness would be at play but this couldn’t really be any more different of a band. No Lights give us the sort of upbeat dreamy pop that if one wanted to bandy around subgenre descriptors ‘post-hardcore’ might apply, but may I suggest ‘post-post hardcore’? I’m not trying to make a big thing of it, really. I like what this band is doing. It’s clean and calculated. They mess around with unsettling and spooky feedback in the title track while the first few songs are incredibly catchy and upbeat while also using a unique set of effects and anthemic rock hooks to reel people in without a shred a cheesiness. They also got a real slick sense of design to add to their music, which is always a plus- a cool looking record to go with a cool-sounding band. <i>(<a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dream-eraser">The Ghost Is Clear</a>)</i><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=980042464/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=1624895823/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dream-eraser">Dream Eraser by No Lights</a></iframe>
<br /><b>PLANET ON A CHAIN, “Boxed In”</b><br />I was a huge fan of Tear It Up so to see the maniac vocalist of that band fronting another super fast, super pissed hardcore band is just fine by me. I mean, just look at the cover of this record. But the rest of this band is like a who’s who of people who have played in basically every crazed and gnarly California hardcore band over the last 25 years essentially. OK, that’s a bit of hyperbole. Still, 11 songs in 20 minutes gives you a starting point of what to expect. A band like Planet On a Chain rests somewhere between appreciating traditional hardcore, yet has a deep love for all things D-beat and crust as the songs are absolutely unrelenting from start to finish. And yet they don’t play fast for the sake of playing fast, or being sloppy about it. It’s furious while displaying expert chops and stupendous drumming. While they’ve only been at it for maybe three years they’ve already released a couple demos, a couple singles, and a full length. While that first LP packed 17 songs into basically 17 minutes this new one develops songs a bit (they’re mostly longer, call it blasphemy if you will) but loses none of the impact. If anything it’s a more impressive feat that sounds better and comes off stronger. <i>(<a href="https://planetonachain.bandcamp.com/album/boxed-in-2">Revelation</a>)</i><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4030382105/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2069709608/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://planetonachain.bandcamp.com/album/boxed-in-2">Boxed In by PLANET ON A CHAIN</a></iframe>
<br /><b>STUCK, “Freak Frequency”</b><br />Stuck are back with a second full length (after an excellent mid-way EP) that is a fine continuation of their freak funk post-punk that is undeniably fun and dance-y but also addresses modern ills/problems through clever and thoughtful lyrics. Musically this takes the upfront super catchy and repetitive bass style of groups like Talking Heads, along with guitarist/vocalist Greg Obis’ peculiar howl and hammer it all home with clean guitars that jangle along, or deliver short, sharp jabs of skronk. Take “Time Out”, for example that acts like a sped up and noodley Joe Jackson tribute to “Got the Time”; or the stomping, almost marching beat of the title track that switches to a contemplative, somewhat haunting, melodic chorus and back again.<br />I think like their earlier material it took me a minute to really latch on to this, but after a couple listens it’s a surefire win for the Chicago group. While you could really jump in anywhere in their catalog thus far and get a similar experience I’d like to think “Freak Frequency” offers some new ideas- such as having the most excellent Miranda Winters (also of the most excellent Melkbelly) supply some terrific back-up vocals on both fun and danceable “Break the Arc” and closing track “Do Not Reply” where her back-ups are more of a lead once the slow start erupts into a sped up anthemic ripper. They also toss in a fair amount of saxophone bleating sprinkled through several tracks to add a bit of color. If you dig post-punk at all, especially when it’s more fun than cold and somber Stuck is certainly a band you’ll want to check out. <i>(<a href="https://stuckchi.bandcamp.com/album/freak-frequency">Born Yesterday</a>)</i><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1017151862/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2757244912/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://stuckchi.bandcamp.com/album/freak-frequency">Freak Frequency by Stuck</a></iframe>
<br /><b>V/A, “Stranded”</b><br />The idea of a compilation is a daunting idea these days when it’s so easy for people to just create digital playlists, or see a bunch of bands they may be unfamiliar with and not interested in plopping down a sawbuck for one or two songs from one of the bands they may have heard of. But a comp can also be, if well-curated, a really fabulous thing, and I like what’s happening with “Stranded” because you get four bands that are all quite different from one another, but share some common threads that tie things together pretty well.<br />Great Falls may be the most familiar to listeners as they have a fairly lengthy discography and while they only contribute one track it sounds like two given how long the quiet part is in the middle. Their ultra-abrasive and knotty mathcore/noisecore/whatever-it’s-just-fucking-heavy-and-crazy is made all the more outlandish with the recent addition of drummer Nick Parks (also of Gaytheist) on drums.<br />Dug then offers two tracks of bruising sludge with an emphasis on being drone-y, experimental, and punishing. I normally don’t go for this, but Dug won me over when I saw them live and could tell how much fun they were having just crushing drawn out power chords through total amp worship. If they’re loving it than so am I.<br />Canyons starts out the B-side with their chuggy and lumbering hardcore that draws from the likes of Breather Resist but distilled down to big heavy riffs.<br />Lastly is Don’t Grow Old, a band I’m completely unfamiliar with and is a bit tough to put a finger on, though they’re clearly into the heavier side of the screamo side of things but also add in some wild guitar effects, especially in their last track “Ghosts In the Blood”. <br />While this is a well-put together comp my only suggestion would be putting a little more into the packaging. For those of us already at least somewhat familiar with some of these bands it’s an easy sell, but to most people a little extra is needed to draw them in. <i>(<a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/stranded">The Ghost Is Clear</a> / <a href="https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/stranded-great-falls-dug-canyons-dont-grow-old-split">Learning Curve Records</a>)</i><br /><p></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1836230096/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2262212805/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theghostisclearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/stranded">STRANDED by Great Falls</a></iframe>Hex Recordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00847668255656452322noreply@blogger.com0