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.
BLACKLISTERS, “Auf Dem Tisch” EP
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. (self-released)
BUG, “Lux Ultima”
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. (Interstellar Records)
C.L.S.M., “Infinity Shit”
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.
THE MISTONS, “Extended Play” EP
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. (Nadine Records)
NAW / ASBESTOS WORKER, split 10”
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. (Learning Curve)
SULACO, “Spoth” EP
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. (self-released)
TV CULT, “Colony”
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. (Flight13 Records)
YATSU, “It Can’t Happen Here”
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. (The Ghost Is Clear)
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