GAYTHEIST PREMIERE NEW VIDEO FOR "THE DARK DEEP"!

Do you need a little break?  Can you co-mingle the dread of our apocalyptic times with some good-natured fun?  If so, the new Gaytheist video ought to scratch that itch.  Plus, it's for an absolutely killer song.
Check out the new video for "The Dark Deep" from the recently-released "How Long Have I Been On Fire?", which was created by friends Jayson Smith and James Rexroad.
Watch it all the way through if you want the joke to land....

IT'S REVIEW TIME FOR JULY!

I don't know what to tell you folks, things are kind of crazy- no closer to seeing a band play live than we were three months ago, gestepo out on the streets of the city I live in, and way too many people in complete denial that there's a public health hazard going on worldwide.  I've said it many times and I'll reiterate- I always try to look for the positives to remind myself there's some good in the world and amplify all that.  On the good news front, there is significant progress on the label end of things being released as expected.  Also, the good folks at Decibel magazine did a big piece on the importance of masking up to protect others that I was asked to take part in, and there's a bevy of new music out there to take your mind off the troubles of life and here I am to tell you about it.
I just want to add one last bit- musicians are often the brokest people out there and I'm humbled to have seen so many of them recently donating money they could desperately use to help out humanitarian causes.  Seriously, it brings a tear to my eye (of the joyous variety).  OK, ehough of that, here's what's making me dance around my house like a dummy.

COLONIAL WOUND, s/t EP

This review comes at a bit of a mid-point of sorts for this records timeline.  It was released digitally some time ago by the band and got a little bit of attention.  However, the champs over at Dropping Bombs saw the crime of this not being on a physical format and are planning on releasing a 12” version of this beast of an EP later this summer.  So in one sense, I’m late to the review game here, and in another I’m giving you all a heads up to get on this while the getting’s good.  For those who care about physical objects Dropping Bombs always goes out of their way to make cool stuff- in this case, a one-sided 12” with a fancy screenprinted B-side.  For those who care not about format let’s get to the music.  These Florida amp-worshippers have come up with four songs (and one heavy duty interlude) that bridge the gap between Kiss It Goodbye’s final recording and Engineer’s first full length.  Think mountains of sludgy, math-y heaviness that refuses to relent until their guitar heads short-circuit, cause an electrical fire and burn whatever structure they’re in to the ground.  And even then there might be aftershocks from the seismic shifts caused by riffs.  Yeah, of course stuff like this is what I’m into, so hopefully you’ll give it a shot as well.  (Dropping Bombs)

DEATH EYES, “State Of Fear” EP

A group of San Diego-based miscreants have been churning out vicious weirdo punk for a bit now via several permutations.  At first they were known as Rats Eyes before altering their lineup and becoming Death Eyes.  It’s mean, weird, and creepy hardcore punk that unfortunately has come to a conclusion due to the untimely passing of their vocalist earlier this year.  In the case of Death Eyes I’m pretty sure this dude is irreplaceable as his manic, Cobra Commander-gone-HC frontman cantankerous scream really adds a vital component to how sinister this band sounds.  While the music has plenty of character on it’s own- Jesus Lizard-ish tumbling grit (“Management Is Not Your Friend”) and NoMeansNo-style aggression (“State Of Fear”), filtered through the lens of 80’s SoCal hardcore it’s the dearly departed vocalist Alberto Jurado who ties things together into the menacing juggernaut Death Eyes came to be.  Thankfully, we get this brief document (along with a decent back catalog) so we can bear witness to these crazy sounds. (31G)

DESPERATE LIVING, “City Sadness” EP

The part-time rockers/full-time dads that are the Philly-based quartet Desperate Living have graced us once more with a new EP full of riffs sure to make you want to quit your job and take up smoking, or vandalism, or cussing as a full-time endeavor.  The family tree that branches out from Inkling, The Minor Times, Ladder Devils, Wives, Legendary Divorce, and plenty more maintains a common thread aside from membership that drives these songs.  If you take careful consideration of the players long histories of playing together you begin to see where their tones and execution remains perfectly dialed in while the songwriting has transitioned from more mathy hardcore to simpler, but just as skull-cracking heavy, punk rippers.  And there is definitely a strong lean on just beating the shit out of their instruments to make kick-ass punk music.  There’s no re-invention of the wheel, but things are executed extremely well and hardly derivative. It’s just good, heavy, catchy fast music with one slower song at the end.  Here’s to 13 minutes of time well spent.  (Brutal Panda)

HEAVY MEDICAL, “Problems” EP

Portland-by-way-of-Philly noisy boys get real lo-fi on this EP of short and wildly erratic jams.  It’s like they kind of made an effort to make this sound like a trash compactor with false takes, cut n’ paste interludes, and probably some holes kicked in walls, smashed bongs, and overturned furniture in whatever living room mics were set up to record this.  A little bit of rhythmic post-hardcore smashing face first into the spazziest of Gravity Records back catalog while a KARP practice tape plays in the background and a self-destruct button that won’t stop going off is what you may think upon spending all of about nine minutes with these five tunes.  (self-released)

HUM, “Inlet”

I never gravitated as hard to “Downward Is Heavenward” as I did to “Electra 2000” and “You’d Prefer An Astronaut” with the Hum catalog.  Some people think I’m completely nuts for this position.  I don’t really care.  But if you want an assessment on how Hum’s first recorded output in 22 years fares with the rest of their catalog, and if it’s a worthy endeavor, here ya go.  It definitely has more of the “Downward…” sound and yes, it’s an incredibly worthy effort.  I mean, they just fucking nailed it.  It has a very similar sound and production quality to “Downward…”, and hinges on a lot of slow, long riffs…  which is rather par for the course with Hum.  I think I enjoy their older output more because there was a bit more variety, things were a little more loose, rough and tumble, but had those gigantic, spacey riffs right from the get-go.  “Inlet” is still a great record because it’s definitely them.  They haven’t changed by any drastic measure- the rather milksop drone-y vocals, the tectonic plate-shifting riffs and tones, the otherworldly shegaze-y bliss, the million guitar pedals and drums that resonate deeper than the Mariana Trench.  Heck, if their contemporaries in Shiner and Failure can release recent exceptional recordings, and current torchbearers in Cloakroom or Kindling keep the flame bright, why can’t Hum- arguably the most commercially successful band championing the space rock sound- return on their own terms?  After all, they’ve only been working on this record for around 4 years and then surprise released it all at once.  So yeah, it’s friggin’ good.  (Earth Analog/Polyvinyl)

SECOND ARROWS, s/t

People are making a big deal out of this band because it’s ex-members of Deadguy, but it’s Crispy the guitarist on the microphone, so the musical output isn’t the sort of audio violence you might be expecting.  The remainder of the band is a New Jersey whos-who of sorts comprised of dudes from bands who probably owe a debt of gratitude to Deadguy from their own previous endeavors.  The result is that it sounds a lot more like the Noras, Every Time I Dies, and The Banners the membership is both culled from and the early 2000s metalcore those bands were responsible for.  I’m not saying that’s an altogether bad thing, because I was certainly part of that whole scene, for better or for worse.  It’s just that there ended up being a whole lot of bad metalcore coming up at that time and separating the wheat from the chaff was a bit difficult.  Second Arrows, for the most part, revisits the better elements of that scene and produces a worthwhile first effort.  If this were released on Ferret Records in 2003 you would never know the difference as you moshed with reckless abandon in your skinny jeans, right after dying a pink stripe in your hair and getting a tattoo involving a dagger and brass knuckles.  You might scrape fists with a dude in a Fall Silent battle vest, but you’re both aiming for the kid with the FATA t-shirt. (Hellminded Records)

TRVSS, “New Distances”

The debut full length from Pittsburgh’s TRVSS shares the same title as the first Narrows LP, and when the band is at their heaviest they share some sonically similar qualities to the Seattle-London supergroup.  But otherwise I’d say TRVSS have more in common with the weird and noisy, often sassy, dynamics of groups like These Arms Are Snakes, early Rye Coalition, and occasionally the drunken swagger of The Jesus Lizard (like on album mid-point “The Ventriloquist Always Has the Last Laugh”).  They do a good job of mixing things up a little with a couple short and distortion-packed rippers, including the quick, off-the-rails, “Tourettes”-styled “Malaria” and the clunky stumble of “Early Pornographers”.  Overall, TRVSS has crafted a good debut that touches on enough influences to keep it varied, yet has established an identity as a band.  Now to just figure out what the hell their name means.  (self-released)

V/A, “Quarantimes Vol. 1”

Everyone go and get this digital compilation right quick because we all miss the heck out of seeing shows, and you know venues are going to be the last frickin’ place to open back up after all this craziness, and those places got rent to pay as well.  That being said, every dollar from the sale of this comp goes right into NIVA, the organization helping to keep a lot of these venues afloat while we await the passing of the apocalypse.  So not only are you giving a worthy organization some much needed dough, you also get a bunch of noisy-ass bands submitting some jams to inspire your next dance floor fit when you can actually attend a show again.  My personal picks here are Super Thief throwing down “Dale Gribble”, a tune a bit out of character from their usual crazy fucked-up rock, but a change I find to be cool and catchy and weird.  Bbiggpigg follows a similar tack of snotty, wired post-punk/noise rock that sounds like a fire alarm having an anxiety attack. Obviously, I’m also partial to the Grizzlor dudes and their ultra-negative noise rock.  On the sorry/not sorry track “Playing Shows Blows” the CT trio offer their most straightforward rocking track to date and I’m really not sure if they just wanted to rock out, or if they’re playing a cruel joke on us all.  Disasteratti were a nice surprise as they submit a grungy rocker that would be right in place between Tad and Screaming Trees on a 1989 Sub Pop tour.  Moon Pussy gives what feels like a stream-of-conscious racket jam session intended to annoy even the most fervent fan of noise rock, while Liferaft possibly got wrong directions when getting to the gathering here as “Maim You” is a pulverizing metalcore jab more at home on a Beatdown Anthems Compilation.  A few others round out this 13 track comp so it’s worth a small stack of your bucks for a good cause.  (Learning Curve Records)

EXHALANTS DEBUT FIRST SINGLE FROM NEW ALBUM... WHICH YOU CAN ALSO PRE-ORDER

Austin, TX-based noise rock trio Exhalants will be releasing their second full-length, entitled "Atonement" on 9/11/2020 through Hex Records.

The first single from the record, "Bang", can be heard now via a premiere on Metal Injection.  Go and check that ripper right now.

And from there feel free to pre-order "Atonement" on LP, CD, or digital either HERE or HERE.

Exhalants began in 2017 sprouting from their local DIY and club scenes with one goal in mind; be loud as fuck.The three-piece quickly cut a demo, played some shows around town, and then set out to record their first full length not long after that.  That first LP yielded a strong collection of songs that balanced the moody experimentation of indie heroes like Unwound and the harsh distortion and feedback-drenched noise rock of Unsane, coupled with raw emotion on display. The record received a good amount of acclaim, which helped Exhalants get their name out more and tour throughout the U.S.  During this time they also recorded a split 7” with fellow Texas trio Pinko (Hex Records) to have while both bands were out on tour together.
Immediately following the release of their first record, Exhalants started working on new material. They spent most of 2019 writing and touring, fleshing out newer material on the road while still promoting their 2018 self-titled debut. While on their West Coast Tour, Hex Records spent a couple days getting to know the people in the band and offered to release their next record for them. After wrapping up both West and East Coast tours, exhalants focused on finishing the rest of the record and decided to take Hex up on the offer. Plans began to emerge for what would become their second LP, “Atonement”.
The band began recording the album in the Spring of 2020 in their practice space, with a pandemic looming on the horizon. While the pandemic caused some hiccups with getting things finished in the studio in a timeframe they had planned on, it eventually came together with a great deal of DIY know-how and taking some of the mixing duties into their own hands.  
The members of Exhalants all have roots with playing in multiple bands around the area and have been employed by various venues in town, so they are no strangers to the community aspect and DIY nature of playing the sort of decidedly non-mainstream music they do.  With a mountain of amps, precision pounding drums, eardrum-rattling feedback, and a healthy dose of experimentation Exhalants are easily one of the more exciting newer bands to gain attention within the punk/noise rock arena in recent memory.  “Atonement” aims to push that sound further for anyone willing to listen.

HERE'S WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON FOR MOST OF THIS YEAR

So we're already halfway through this incredibly weird and pretty miserable year.  However, always the optimist, I figured it was far past time to give an update on what's going on with Hex Records for the majority of this year.
If you pick up the newest issue of Decibel you'll see an ad for these plans laid out:

Obviously, events of this year have pushed things back a little bit, as I had initially planned to have one or two of these records out around July or August, but we're looking at September and October for most of this.
You all know that Gaytheist record is still on fire and they're fully intending to do more with this record (more on that in the near future) so check it out if you haven't already.
Next, we will be releasing the new LP from Austin, TX three-piece Exhalants.  I was so impressed with their self-titled full length that I just had to track them down and find out more about these fine Texas gents and now here they are with a whopper of a new album that we cannot wait to get out into the world.  Their blend of filthy noise rock excess, unexpected weird melodies, and amplifier worship is truly an interesting sound we want to share with the world. If you're unfamiliar you can check out some of their older music here.
Hot on the heels of that will be the third LP from some friends from Buffalo, NY.  Alpha Hopper haven't been around all that long, but they already have quite a discography under their collective belt.  The members are prolific musicians in their own right with guitarist John Toohill having at least three other projects he is consistently involved in.  Alpha Hopper combines a wild mix of off-the-wall guitar effects, bratty but existential vocals, and these total earworms hiding beneath the chaos.  I highly suggest their last LP, "Aloha Hopper" as a primer for what's ahead on "Alpha Hex Index" (which they named prior to even being approached by me), expected out in September.
And in late-October you can expect the fifth full length from London, England's USA Nails.  Talk about prolific.  "Life Cinema" was released last summer and by November of that same year (2019) they had already recorded another LP with the intention of waiting until the fall of 2020 to release it.  The band knows how to get to work.  More news on that in the near future.
Finally, I just want to add that this is not it for the whole year.  We got a bit of a surprise in store for the Winter.  I know things have been super weird, confusing, and often difficult.  I find, personally, just keeping the work going and keeping busy with that keeps me sane and I appreciate, to no end, the patronage and support received from people interested in these bands and records.  Thanks for hanging in there even through the tough times!

IS THE WORLD OVER YET? REVIEWS FOR JUNE

So, sad to say we're all still living on Planet Shitball and I'm feeling just as much anxiety as the next person.  And if I may give myself an ever-so-slight pat on the back I feel as if I'm doing my civic duty by wearing a mask any time I go to a business or other indoors place that's not my own home, giving to a few charities, voting in my primaries, and demonstrating with the masses (wearing a mask, of course) in order to stand up for my fellow citizens against the nonsense of our corrupt system.  I realize that doesn't even begin to put the tiniest dent in all the bad things happening day in, day out.  But it's better than doing nothing at all.  And all that being said, it's still important to take a little time out for oneself and for me it's discovering new music and amplifying it so others can check it out for themselves.  A lot of us are struggling, many of us are exhausted, and despite our best efforts we all need a little break now and then.  So feel free to check out some of this stuff because this month I've come across some really excellent records that have definitely helped me get out of my own head for a bit.

-(16)-, “Dream Squasher”

For a band that has been around nearly 30 years with a cast of members rotating in and out the length of your arm -(16)- has certainly dedicated themselves to a particular sound.  It’s certainly grown more polished over the years as they have fine tuned their particular strain of cannabis-infused hardcore sludge, but I’m just surprised they sound as good as they do after multiple member changes, numerous full lengths and about a million splits and EPs.  For the uninitiated, in their most accessible moments -(16)-  may bring to mind Crowbar or Down.  And when they don’t really give a rat’s ass about appealing to your catchy sensibilities they are a down-tuned sludgy beast clobbering you over the noggin with riff after riff before shifting gears and drag-racing over your face.  I’m not entirely sure what to make of the content of the songs, but when you got a track called “Me and the Dog Die Together”- literally making a suicide pact with your dog- I’m inclined to believe the lyrical remainder of this album is equally as bleak and miserable as the music itself.  Intended exclusively for listening to when you develop a bad drug habit and are hanging out under a rain cloud that won’t stop following you.  (Relapse)

CORIKY, s/t

“All the pennies hammered into swords/ And the penniless that they’re pointed towards”.  So goes one of the best couplets on the debut album from the oddly-named Coriky.  But it’s a decent place to begin within the song “Last Thing”, which has a strong air of folksy protest leanings and I suppose that may be a direction the band is interested in.  While the news this group even existed led to a myriad of imaginative possibilities before they even debuted a lick of music (“Will it be like The Evens, but more electrified?  Or will it sound like Fugazi acoustic?”) I would have to say the resulting album sounds naturally how you might imagine the pairing of these three personalities sounds if you are familiar with their music from the last 15-20 years.  Yes, there are parts that remind me of later-era Fugazi material- delicate yet intense, clever and jagged (“Too Many Husbands” has this simple staccato riff going throughout the song that I associate with a number of my favorite Ian MacKaye guitar-playing moments).  There are certainly more than a few parts that bring to mind The Evens (Amy Farina’s consistently inventive drumming, cooing and terse vocals), and Joe Lallys monumentally dexterous yet deceptively economical bass playing that recalls work from his solo records.  All three parts work well together and obviously having those working relationships together in various bands over the last couple decades has something to do with it.  Still, there’s an element to Coriky that seems new-ish.  I think people who were really hoping for something more upbeat, or closer to Fugazi, than The Evens will probably be let down.  I’m personally invested/interested enough in the musical adventures of all the players involved to be overall pleased with what they have created here.  I think there’s a couple slower, meandering songs that don’t quite land, but there’s also a number of songs that may not have registered immediately that I later found myself humming after only a couple listens.  So that ought to say something about them being able to create earworms.  And there’s a few other songs that are immediately pleasing which, for me, was pay off enough to consider this an album worth getting.  (Dischord)

DUMMY, s/t EP

I may be a little off-base when describing the debut from Dummy because I don’t often find myself listening to music of this sort, although I do admit I find it enjoyable.  In my defense though, Dummy do offer up a mixed bag here as a few songs run through what appears to be a decided approach while one track is totally acoustic, and another is an extended electronic foray with blips, chirps, and chimes as some sort of meditative trance.  On the songs where they do find themselves falling into a groove Dummy set off on a trip that is part psych-bliss, part dreamy shoegaze, as dissonant Sonic Youth-inspired passages collide with Stereolab’s experimental weirdo pop.  It’s a nice change of pace from what I typically roll with and despite not yet locking down their sound it makes for a decent introduction to this new band.  (Pop Wig)

HEADS. “Push”

It has nothing to do with how this record actually sounds but I want to make a point to state that I really like the way this record looks.  It’s very minimalist in a unique way in that everything is right on the front- big, bold title, all the lyrics and information on the front cover while the rest is incredibly simplistic.  But that’s sort of the modus operandi for international noise rock group Heads.  They may seem like there’s a lot going on between effects, feedback, and various layers.  But at it’s base the band write simple, repetitive, and trance-like screeds that are as suave as they are surreptitiously vicious. The record bookends with a menacing machine-like drone with spoken word warnings while all the music between falls somewhere into early Young Widows worship and upbeat Euro rock akin to Lack if they’d gone post-punk.  Heads are several records deep into their career, and this one seems the most focused yet.  (Glitterhouse)

ILS, “Curse”

There’s a sense of instant gratification about listening to the debut full length from Ils.  Within the first minute of opening track “Bad Parts” you know exactly what you’re getting in the 10 songs on this record.  Their sound is informed as much by 90’s chain-wallet core (without resorting to the parts that didn’t age well) as it is by the precisely fine-tuned killing music of the last several Unsane records.  Everything is dialed in exactly as it is supposed to sound, each song tends to clock in around a lean 3 minutes average, and there’s a rhythm here so workmanlike it ought to apply for a union card.  The X factor here belongs to vocalist Tom Glose (ex- Black Elk) whose range goes from gloomy howls, rambled diatribes, and throat-shredding shrieks all within the space of each song.  It lends a dose of variety to enjoyable noise rock gut-busters that may otherwise suffer a slight case of repetitiveness were it being heralded by a singer with a singular delivery.  If you like heavy-handed, meat-y noise rock this is for you.  The only downside is all five of the songs from their demo have been re-recorded, so you’re really only getting 5 brand new songs.  But if you haven’t heard the demo then you’re getting 10 new songs if you want to go with a glass half-full approach!  (self-released)

LIGHTHEADS, “Cold Sheets”/”This Is Fine”

I’d seen this band here in town a couple times and have enjoyed their earnest, scrappy, and catchy brand of punk rock in cruddy dives.  But for the most part they were an easily-digestible opener for whatever band I was really there to see.  I feel like that is about to change with these two new songs that sound galaxies apart from what they had done up to this point (a demo and a split 7” to be exact).  There is so much more drive, focus, and an incredible-sounding production to these two gigantic anthems.  The bass is dialed into this gruff dirge worthy of the dirtiest of post-hardcore bands while the guitars shimmer and provide texture to the righteous Fugazi-esque vocals.  They still retain that scruffy punk side, but have given it purpose with developed songwriting and these massive choruses that make you want to go out and accomplish something meaningful, ya know?  Go listen to this and then run a marathon, or convince the entire Portland police department to mace themselves in the face.  (self-released)

TRUTH CULT, “Off Fire”

On their debut full length the kids in Truth Cult already check off a number of positives for me.  For starters, they’re named after a Lungfish song (closing track, “Where You’re From Is There Death” could have been a B-side from “Talking Songs For Walking”).  The majority of their music has an exuberant, positive energy to it in the spirit of Revolution Summer DC meeting up with the loose and wild fury of Swiz.  Opening track “Chemical Trials” immediately grabs a hold of the listener and clobbers them with a quick punch heavily reminiscent of early Ink & Dagger (not DC-derived, but Swiz-influenced).  And near the record’s end they roll with some grooving post-hardcore thump on “Vacuum Of Faith”, with its repetitive slink and alternating serpentine vocals.  So there’s a bit of a mix that hits upon a lot of stuff that I really, highly value, and it all works into an excellent record from some very exciting newcomers.  Listening to this is not only super enjoyable, but I get that weird feeling that seems to arise when you’re old and it’s that sort of proud/hopeful energy like, ‘the kids are alright’.  Damn, I feel old, but also pumped about the future of punk if these people are a part of it. (Pop Wig)

HEX RECORDS BENEFIT T-SHIRT, AND BANDCAMP FRIDAY (6/5/2020)

As you may be aware, Friday 6/5/2020 Bandcamp is one again waiving all of their usual fees so we thought this would be a good time to spread some love around.
Here's what we're doing:
- 100% of digital download sales will be going to the artist. None of the bands on this label make a living off their music, but just like everyone else I'm sure they'd like to play out and tour again and I'd like to kick back to them because I love them
- 2019 titles will be discounted for the day because I need to make room for upcoming new releases. This includes titles from Post/Boredom, USA Nails, Great Falls, #TheFuneral, and Null.
- Finally, We almost never make t-shirts, but here we are. A proudly triumphant middle finger directed towards that which aims to take you down- be it a lousy boss, your bigot neighbor, an overly-authoritative blowhard, our crappy 'president', Spotify, whatever. Fill in your own blank.
Gilden shirts, all sizes, printed right here in Portland. White ink on a black shirt, one-sided.
100% of proceeds from this will be split evenly between Dont Shoot Portland (Portland) and Reclaim The Block (Minneapolis) because I believe in the important work they are doing, which is achieving the results we need right now. 

Get it HERE.

NEW GAYTHEIST VIDEO FOR "CROOKED" UP NOW!

Gaytheist went and made a short animated video for "Crooked", off of the recently-released "How Long Have I Been On Fire?" album while locked down in quarantine.  Take all of just over a minute to check it out and get yourself a record if you haven't already!
You can view this over at BrooklynVegan as well!