Key: (RK: Rich Kroneiss)(BG: Brandon Gaffney)(DH: Dave Hyde)(LB: Lance Boyle)
Able Danger "Wing It�" CD-R
My first contact with the Able Danger demo was the evening Quincy and manshovel hand-delivered it to my house on a well-below freezing Saturday night in February. After expressing interest at a show that I�d like to have a copy for the radio show, the two had taken a bus from Niagara Falls enroute to a Buffalo punkhouse (presumably to stomp some young brain cells) where they would soon take up residence. They had gotten off the bus in my neighborhood and walked the CD to my house, packed up a bowl and were ready to snow-walk the two or three miles to the house when I insisted on saving their lives and driving them. Of course, we listened to it on the ride. The catchy opening track, "I Quit", is a mid-tempo pounder with the trademark sneering vocals (and the first of several AD tracks to showcase bearded trumpeter Rot Stewart). There are slight metallic leanings here, but this is pure, quality speedpunk on the remainder; Quincy�s sneer keeps things fun and in perspective, but the subject matter is frustration and desperation � things we all feel living in a town like this. It�s a good cross-section and a great fucking demo that could sit on a record as it is just fine, though the band chose to recently re-record it for an upcoming 7� coming out on the quickly prolific Feral Kid label.(LB) (self-released // deprogrammingraycappo-at-yahoo.com)
Larmo Cusack "Amateur Philosophy" CD-R
Australian one-man bedroom band. Sounds pretty clean, this guy certainly knows his way around his 8-track. Ten songs that recall The Wipers, The Spits, Supercharger and The Saints at different times. I was really taken in by how well this is put together for a one-man operation, and the tunes are certainly serviceable punkers, if not overly remarkable. The vox are pretty dry and the whole thing is just maybe a little too sanitary, but there are some good Rip Off Records-esque sounds here. As usual, there could be a could single buried here. I don't regret listening to this thing a few times, but I don't really remember any of it either. The craziest thing about it is how oddly similar the art is to the Daily Void record I received in the mail the previous day. Weird. But not weirdpunk. (RK) (Existentail Crisis Records // myspace.com/larmocusack)
First Base �First Base� b/w �Hard 2 Read� cassette
I couldn�t ask for much more from First Base. Their debut release, a cassingle (!!) on Pizza Party Records, catches your eye with a full color, cut & paste sleeve design that is not only gorgeous but also hints at the musical aesthetic. The two songs are near-perfect handmade pop, recorded with loud and punchy guitars. The Ramones-like strumming that begins �First Base� gives way to vocal harmonies a la JAMC and it becomes quite a mesmerizing tune. A succinct guitar solo breaks the vocal track only long enough to break your daze before slipping back into the sweetness of the melody. �Hard 2 Read� adds a xylophone (or some such instrument) to the mix and, like its flipside, is a compelling, intimate pop song that finds a balance between the sweetness inherent in the melodies and amateur delivery. This should appeal to fans of the Pastels, Shop Assistants, Flying Nun, and such. (DH) (Pizza Party Records // myspace.com/pizzapartyrecords)
Hallux Valgus "s/t" cassette
Sheik Anorak "Hyper Mega Giga" cassette
Received a nice little promo pack from Gaffer Records a while ago and have been perusing the contents over the past couple of months. The centerpiece of the parcel to me is the quite phenomenal Death to Pigs LP (to be reviewed forthwith) and these two tape releases seem to be extensions or deconstructions of that band from what I can tell. Hallux Valgus is aggro two-piece (both members from Death to Pigs and Monosourcil) Now Wave art-punk that replicates the sound of many of the bands on the Skin Graft roster. Jam-out drumming that kicks real hard when it hits a groove just right while the other member wrangles death-knells out of a bass (and/or keyboard). Like a lot of that free-jazzy-type Skin Graft noise, when they get a good head of steam and really charge the fuck out of a beat this stuff is dangerous, but a lot of time it just rambles on and gets a little too "out" for me. This tape definitely has a few moments that will make you want to get up and kick some shit around the room though. The Sheik Anorak tape is one guy from the aforementioned groups playing one extended free-jazzrock suite over both sides, that opening segment of which sounds like someone tuning a bass over a tape loop while dropping a drum kit on the floor for a while and then ventures off into lenghty atmospheric passages. I'm not arty enough to get into this one. I think Gaffer is like the Load Records of France, and they seem to have an A.H. Kraken release lined-up for all you Francophiles, and the label as a whole should appeal to the Weasel Walter demographic. Me, I'll stick with that Death to Pigs LP and maybe throw the Hallux Valgus on when I'm feeling adventurous.(RK) (Gaffer Records // www.gafferrecords.com)
Ginger Leigh and the Hallucinations "s/t" CDR
Ginger Leigh would be a great porn name, a reference to both the good and evil sides of the industry. It recalls Ginger Lynn, Queen of Eighties kink and a woman who was a legend in my pre-teen scrambled porn watching years. In those youthful days seeing a Ginger Lynn flick was like spotting a Yeti, an awe-inspiring happening that you stayed up late for and logged many hours waiting to happen. She retired and dated Charlie Sheen (and Martin Sheen as well, rumor has it) and actually had a semi-legitimate acting career throughout the Nineties. And in a character defining moment, she pulled a stand-up move by refusing to testify against the industry in the Traci Lords case. She was no fucking rat, even if it meant incurring the wrath of the IRS as a repercussion. She returned to porn in the late Nineties, doing some great MILF work and currently hosts a Sirius Radio program alongside the lovely Christy Canyon. Ginger Lynn = a woman who made porn work for her. It also brings to mind the tragic Megan Leigh, she of latter day Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door installment fame, who tragically took her own life in another of porn's often horrible moments. A history of drug abuse, family rejection and dysfunctional relationships supposedly led to the single bullet that she fired into her mouth, a twenty-six year old casualty of the sex industry. The porn game is tricky, some starlets can manage their lives well enough to make it through and some are all too human and succumb to its dark side. I have nothing but respect for these ladies and wish them all well and thank them for all they've done for us fans.(RK) (this disc really sucked it)
Insubordinates ��07 Demo�
Always a tad skeptical at western New Yorkers (and any other non-coastal punx) assume the West coast role and pump out soundtracks for bikini-scoping and hanging ten. Buffalo�s Skate Korpse did it a coupla� years ago and I guess they pulled it off in the technical sense (stereotypical guitar tinklings dancing up and down the frets while its big gay prevalent bass of a boyfriend threatens to kick your South Beach ass� or something), but when its deduced to the grit, the real shit � wiener stands and Huntington Beach � Rochester�s Insubordinates are doing fucking good. I guess it�s that they don�t go for the connotative throat, opting to produce some genuine-sounding revival (in audio and ethos) that could have been released at the time, instead of grabbing at the most recognizable aspects of the genre in question (hindsight being 20/20 mind you) and floating them on twenty-five years of developed proficiency and watered down attitude. Not that I don�t like that band� just some context for ya face. As I say all the time, bands making mistakes in the best of ways are in it to win it� botched-beyond-recognition guitar solos anyone? Fuck yeah. Anyways, the bass-heavy under-a-rug recording � how demos oughta� sound � definitely ups the authentic early-80�s feel, with a real sand-in-yer-socks production value consistency to top it off. Sounds like the Adolescents revving up if Rickky Agnew wasn�t laying down all the hott lixx and writing the finest songs they�d ever record� not that the writing here is subpar, but I know it�s a winner when I get goose bumps whilst some pizza-faced brat is calling the world gay. Lyrics about LBJ, Vietnam and a Cold War reprise playing out in front of you tosses that extra retrospective Americana sort of gist in with your usual suspects of confliction with society, yerself, and broads � all whined out on a nice JFA kick. While recording with my totes awesome musical group, the honorable Ski-Mask unintentionally leaked some sounds from the upcoming Insubordinates EP he�s responsible for while searching his Dutch reels snuck over the Canadian border for unsoiled strips of blank tape. Wow. I�ve no problem with telling ya to hold out, as I lifted this last tape from the band, but you�re fucking dickpulp if you pass that 7� up. Fo� real. Rochester kids are the jam, so check out Bad Taste if you get the chance (be prepared to spit back) and Rational Animals on their world fucking tour (Eastern side of �Merica) this summer. Blatant localism, I know. Sue me. (BG) (Insubordinates // 3 Ames Crescent, Pittsford, NY 14534)
Octagon Control "Fuck You Ellen" cassette
I really have to be in the mood for synth-punk, it's a genre I have a love/hate affair with, but when done well (like that Diet Cola 7" for instance) it can really be rewarding, and when done poorly (90% of bands doing this shit) nothing makes me want to throw a record out the window quicker. Octagon Control are a unit (the attached note refers to them in the plural, so this isn't a one man op) out of Washington, where it seems everyone owns a Casio or Moog. But this is a good take on the synth formula, very similar to the frantic panic-punk of Leper Print and/or Artificial Limbs. Lo-fi recording always helps, and this stuff sounds muddily distant in a thrid or fourth generation dub sort of way. Vocals are distorted and elastic, vibing is dark, drums sound programmed but well done, there's guitar/bass detectable here and there and at least two synths duking it out. No overtly gay gothiness either, thank god. Probably worth checking out if you own a complete set of Units records. I listened to this four or five times and am showing no negative effects. (RK) (Ick Ick Records // www.ickickrecords.com)
Knyfe Hyts �s/t� cassette
Red Dawn II �In Arthurs Caddy on the Way to Daddy�s� cassette
Golden Triangle �s/t� cassette
From the looks of things, all three of these cassettes are long gone, so I�ll combine them into one massive Party Store Music review. These are sharp looking tapes�spraypainted and housed in well-designed, numbered sleeves�that play out one snapshot of the Brooklyn music underground. The earliest of these releases is from Knyfe Hyts, a band who have clearly raided their fathers� closets to puff on an old bong and jam those Sabbath and Groundhogs records hidden under the Playboys. For some, this is a fucking way of life, but I think it�s more fun to visit every once in a while. Since it was done so well the first time around, bands like Knyfe Hyts are OK and all but I�ll stick with side 2 of �New! Improved!.�
Maybe it�s because they list No Fucker (easily the best hardcore band around) in the �influences� field on their myspace page (top spot, ta boot) but Red Dawn II are closer to my heart. Full of sloppy, distorted punk rock, this begs the question: why can�t every Brooklyn band sound like this? They even do a Germs cover*! By the time you hit the end of the A-side you can tell the band has finished their Schlitz and is in a groove. The solos fly on with an extra couple of seconds of nonsense and the drums are that much more out of time. Or maybe it�s just me. Side B has some weird remix shit that I�ll never listen to again.
And then there�s Golden Triangle. Holy shit, this band blew me away when I saw them with the Black Lips last year. They looked like some sort of performance art cabaret band but their booming guitars screamed MC5. Rich K compared their single to Sonic Youth, and I think a little of all of that comes through on this live tape. Hypnotic drumming and vocal chanting on the first track give way to some guitar-heavy rockers. This ain�t for the hifi at heart as the sounds all blend together into a trebly mess, but that�s fine with me.(DH) *OK, the Germs cover kind of sucks, but their heart is in the right place. (Party Store Music // myspace.com/partystoremusic)
School Jerks demo �08 cassette
Biting hard at the ass of the Necros and Germs, maybe stalking that simplified LA hardcore revival that Regulations have a monopoly on, this is rehash by way of Canadu. Instrumentally they�re not as honed in as said band, and it works in their favor. It�s one thing to be tickled in your transport twenty years into the past, into a scene you wish you lived through but probably didn�t, as the Regulations provide. And they�re great at that. It�s another thing to think you�re the bees knees for buying some Ray Charles sunglasses at the Dollar Tree and ride around in your buddy�s failed-inspection Chevy throwing shit out the window �cause you�re bored and unsexed without a particular ethos to look towards for solace. So I guess this fits in with the Insubordinates demo reviewed above: that perfect musical translation only covers some of the bases. School Jerks� forte� rests with tapping into the lattice of behavioral factors had during the glorified time � of being subject to the same sort of conditions and thus thought processes as the bands so impeccably imitated. Is this all making sense? Ya feel like you�re in school, jerk? Nevermind then. I guess this is perpetrated by members of Terminal State, and while that other gnarly Ontario band Reprobates embody the extension of TS�s 12�, these Jerks have fuller sound not unlike the �Sick� 7�, but definitely simplified on an ugly, unthinking and without-prospects stupor that most rehash of its sort can�t seem to muster. Tards. Little boxed-in three-chord farts and a streak of strong, throaty Dez-era Flag moments behind the mic, which is a good little beauty mark on the butter-face of this group. Hardcore the way we like it: good riffs played fast. Not so difficult a concept, eh? But scaling the modern catalogue�ll have you wondering. Good stuff, this. (BG) ([email protected] // myspace.com/schooljerks)
Sex/Vid �Live at QB� cassette
Picture this: you�re at a gig, hanging out in the room adjacent to the place where the bands are playing. You ducked in here to get away from the mongrels hard-pitting during the opening band. How �bout a little civilization? To your luck, you run into an old-timer and shoot the shit about some bands from before your day. Or�even better�you strike up a conversation with a cutie who you�ve had your eye on. You can hear the next band starting their set and you want to get up and leave, but the dude just mentioned he thinks he might have a spare copy of the first Plugz single (and with your luck tonight you just know it�ll be wrapped with a tie). Or, y�know, maybe you�re actually about to get kissed. The point is you�re not leaving that back room. Only your attention is wandering a little because through the murk it sounds like there�s some maniacal, frantic hardcore going down. That approximates what you�ll hear on this tape (without the back room payoff). Six songs blend into one another, with changing tempo or a blip of feedback being the only indicators as to when one ends and another begins. The track list says that one of these is a GBH cover, but even the most devout patch-pants-wearing, acne-faced stud would have a hard time identifying it here. With the garbage-quality recording, it may be a challenge to scrutinize the songs, but the energy comes across loud and clear. Taken as a single, ten minute burst of noise, this is a primo shit-core release.(DH) (Self released // no address)
Straight Jacket Nation �Live on PBS� cassette
All In Deep Shit �Infection� cassette (Note: If any of this sounds nonsensical, it�s because Rich rudely interrupted my budding summer vacation of getting fucked up and tipping cows here in the uncultured upstate region to get me to finish this. What a buzzkill�) Symbolism carries a hell of a lot of weight...In the grand scheme of thangs and in this removed little fudgefest that is rock n� roll�s temperamental bastard child. Swazis, �X�s and circle-A�s all have their quaint little connotations, but what the fuck is a Needle In a Guy�s Ass, as Dan�s Aussie tape label�s title denotes? Well, it�s a reference to a little tinkle in the ocean of hardcore history, along with the band from whom it was birthed � the land prospectors; Kentucky backwoodsmen who tamed the frontier with their stinking poor white-boy racial impurity, forging American character in their trek Westward�that�s the analogy that my mind burps your way, to what many consider the unmatched epicenter of unexplainable, mindfucking no-holds-barred �Merican hardcore � the balls of which Cleveland�s H-100�s got rolling. I mean, they were looking towards the first wave, but context is everything, isn�t it? It�s the reason we don�t pick our noses watching Blind skateboards� Video Days and say things like �hey, the Gonz is only doing bigspins, this video blows.� The Gonz rules, and you know it. It was the context of the time, and that shit was a big deal. Bringing back ruthless, violent, riot-inducing hardcore in the �90s was unprecedented, and that�s what make the H-100s � whose first EP bore a flattened duder with a needle stuck through him, resembling full anal penetration � the cream of the hardcore crop, to many. They represent that traditionally American audacity whose torch has, in my opinion, not been relayed to and respectively carried, but perhaps stolen or maybe fire-extinguished by some pimply disaffected dropout when being run through Clevo � by 9 Shocks, Gordon Solie Motherfuckers, Upstab, and Inmates to name a few. And that�s where the Needle In A Guy�s Ass comes (cums?) in. It�s symbolic of the degree of contingent violence in hardcore that Aussies such as SJN and AIDS seem to gravitate towards and aspire to (many Aussies I know having crazzzzy man-crushes on the staple actors in the aforementioned scene � fun fact). And it�s why Straightjacket Nation is one of the most piss-shiver-inducing hardcore bands going right now, and I�d expect nothing less from a dude who writes so intensely, as Dan is responsible for the rightfully heralded print zine Distort. The higher standard of unjustified violence Clevo�s become notorious for kind of translates to a higher standard of revere for such commendable standards in Oz, as seen with the unrivaled quality of Aussie hardcore and zine scenes. Just fucking unparalleled shit all around, with SJN being the upper tier of drop-on-a-dime proficiency and brute audio force. All In Deep Shit � a prominent �AIDS� on the tape�s flipside � is hardcore in the same vein, with rapid tempo alterations and blast beats galore, yet less urgency emitting from the vox box. Their name is AIDS though, so Cheers to that. (BG) (Needle In A Guys Ass Tapes // www.culthardcore.org)
Sum Fux "Demo 2008" CD-R
One of the flagship bands of the rising basement scene taking hold in Buffalo these days, Sum Fux went through a significant lineup overhaul and came through it standing strong. They quickly re-recorded this demo moving Rob to vocals and adding the infamous LMP to guitar, whose interesting and inventive chops bring a new dimension to things. This is dark lo-fi hardcore with an honest self-destructive side to it. To refer to the vocals as �tortured� is almost an understatement�this man has problems. Meanwhile, the stalwart rhythm section (Steve Sexer and Coup, who handle the same duties in Able Danger and seemingly were tracked/recorded down the hallway from the board), are holding things together when they appear to be on the verge on implosion at any time. You can almost smell the pits and stale beer.(LB) (self-released // myspace.com/somefucks)
Tusk Lord "Savage Mining" CD-R
I received this on recommendation from Pittsburgh Termbro Chapter President Vinnie the Shitbag, and I owe him a couple beers for this. Tusk Lord is one man playing some mellow instrumental passages with a real cool natural vibe that I'm all for, sort of a heavy jungle-forest thing with tunes like "Savage Mining", "Returned Land", "Hewed Redwood"...I'm a sucker for this seemingly pro-environmental shit and sweet drawings of elephants killing poachers, being a card-carrying animal/nature lover in my spare time. Don't get me wrong, I'm no hippie fag. I just love the earth and her creatures, man. But anyway, the thing that I love about this = it sounds just like Eno's "Another Green World", which is my favorite fucking Eno record. Really, it's a perfect recreation of that Eno record's whole vibe. Really well done, I suggest seeking this one out if you're a fan of that particular LP. Probably real fun to smoke dope to as well, if you're into that sort of thing.(RK) (self-released // myspace.com/tusklord)
Ugly Stick cassette
In a perfect world, these duders� DMT experimentations would have resulted in puncturing their sofa with the kitchen silverware and tossing some household lamps, barstools and record collection out the window� except their Sonic Youth and Dicks albums. And with those in the bowels of the brain, this analogue masterpiece was conceived. At first the clean albeit reverb-saturated guitars and cosmic bass yawning had me worried (as the fruity cover isn�t too flattering to begin with), but it�s redeemed in full with the straight up Gary Floyd copping and classically emotive Dicks Hate the Police-esque riff of �Betray Me� decked out with Floyd�s classic hoarse, desperate yells and �ha ha ha!� if you know what I�m talking about. All this Dicking around is on a killer Butthole Surfers sound-landscape bend that puts this Toronto band on the don�t-mess-with-Texas bandwagon, and it fucking rules. Top-notch quality tape release (and it comes with a �free download code� for extended digital pleasure�ain�t that quaint). (BG) (Telephone Explosion Records // www.telephoneexplosion.com)
Uzi Rash "Mescalito Cunts" cassette
Uzi Rash "Reptile Musik" CD-R
Uzi Rash "Fatal Rash" CD-R
The good thing about new technology for home recording is that it's so easy to record stuff and pump out a CD-R overnight. The bad thing is that people now feel free to record every single half-baked idea they might have and expect people to sit through it. I'm not singling out Uzi Rash in particular here, but with so many great actual records being produced, it's tough to give time to some of this stuff. That's not to say I haven't received some great CD-Rs in the mail at TB HQ. But this is a lot of shit to wade through. The cassette release is a waste of time, unless you want to listen to twenty minutes of one finger keyboards, bottles clanking and someone whistling. The best thing about this one was when the remainder of the Oingo Boingo 'Best of...' they taped over kicked in. The two CD-R releases are of a higher caliber, showing an actual minimal punk band running through some lo-fi stoopid-rock maneuvers. Some weird Half Jap type moves, some trash-punk eyebrow-raisers, nothing more than a minute and a half long, real annoying vocals that are hit-or-miss. Someone with more patience than me might be able to distill a decent 7" out of the tracks presented. Maybe. Nice home-made packaging is always a plus, but I still wouldn't advise anyone to pay money for any of these releases. This stuff lists Nobunny as and executive producer or something, so maybe that might get you interested, but don't get too excited.(RK) (24/7 and Church And Commune // myspace.com/uzirash)
V/A �Maggot Minded� cassette
Oh, the countless hours I�ve devoted pondering the regional hardcore tape compilation. Such a sexy format, bands dedicating their best songs to the tape�a scene coming together to document itself and let the world know that not only does it exist, but is worth your time. Am I romanticizing too much? After a listen to �No Core� or �America�s Dairyland,� I�m not so sure. The format is fast and cheap, and can come together quickly and without the resources needed for a vinyl release. This urgency comes across not only in the format but in the music contained therein. The folks who compiled �Maggot Minded� must agree with me. Here are seven bands from the Pacific Northwest underground; the scuzzy, sloppy, unprofessional recordings create a unifying aesthetic that bridges the variety of styles among the band. HIV open with three spastic blasts�buzzsaw guitars overshadowed only by gruff, mad at the world vocals. On the verge of falling apart, they manage to hang in there by a thread. Sisters and Loose Change are similar in that both slow down the pace of the tape with songs that make me think that they�d listened to their share of Sonic Youth. The songs are good and they�re sequenced perfectly in the track list. Horrible�s brand of metal was forgettable to these ears, while Funerot�s garage thrash stood out in a genre that usually bores me. For many, this tape will be most exciting for the three tracks by Sex/Vid. Like 9 Shocks Terror was at their best, this shit is relentless�crushing guitars, driving drums, just an onslaught. The fourteen songs on �Maggot Minded� fly by in a blur and even though it took a few listens to fully digest the thing, my initial impression had my mind racing back to the regional comps of yore.(DH) (Maggot Minded Tapes c/o Rob Storey, PO Box 835, Olympia, WA 98507)
V/A Magnetic Division cassette
This one's been in the TB HQ tape deck for quite a bit now, so I feel bad it took me so long to spill some digital ink on it. My profuse apologies to the fine people at Bloodstain Tapes. Anyway, what you have here is six exclusive cuts from six of the sub-underground's sickest acts. Of course Livefastdie have to make an appearance and "Thought You Could Steal My Beer" is a real shit-tastic bomber and exactly what you would expect. CPC Gangbangs forego the heavy drugs on this one and instead contribute a rolling cover of "Going Back to Philly" that sounds almost Sexareenish. Rounding out side one are the until now unknown to me White Load, who I believe are from Providence and apparently attend the same reform school as the kids in Fag Cop. Sticky, but good. Side B has a We March track that may be the pick of this tape. I've never paid them much attention, but "Rotten Goods" is some above-par heavy-punk that has me looking for their old records. The We March track was the best cut on this until I heard the Shoot It Up contribution, "Wounded Bear". I love these SIU kids, definitely the vanguard of young and irresponsible these days. Their drum and guitar rhythm section is on par with what Cook/Jones did so many years ago. I actually think the drums may be the lead instrument on this. What a wonderful mess. Toronto's Brutal Knights close this out, and although I am no fan of this band on any level, this track is actually pretty good, far burlier and less rawk than anything else I've heard from them (and I've given every one of their records an honest chance, and they fail each time). Actually, I'm not 100% positive this is actually the Brutal Knights playing this song. Could be some ringers...A real nice job from Bloodstain Records out of Massachusetts, home to another compilation we all know and love. Hopefully there will be future installments of this series. Limited to 250 copies.(RK) (Bloodstain Records // www.bloodstainrecords.com)
The Yolks "Girl Like You" b/w "Sir Charles" cassette
The Yolks are quickly becoming the most lovable band on the planet. The Kings of Awesome indeed, their cool and somewhat mellow (yet not wimpy or hippy) take on garage rocking is really doing it for me lately. "Girl Like You" is the best song The Ramones never wrote. Succint and danceable A-Side material. But I'm really falling for the B-Side, "Sir Charles". First of all, it sounds like some old instro platter they found at the thrift shop, threw on the turntable and recorded this guy waxing lyrical over top of it. It's fucking great. Like Booker T & The MGs jamming with The Ventures or something. Surfstro? Guitar twang with electric piano and some rapid-fire cooler-than-you voxing. I just know these guys are total fucking dudes. They gotta be. And you, you should grab this immediately, because it's better than most vinyl singles I've heard this year. Do not feel guilty about buying a cassingle at all, please. I'd really be into a Yolks LP right now, that sounds like a great idea. Please do it fellas. (RK) (Pizza Party Records // myspace.com/pizzapartyrecords)
My first contact with the Able Danger demo was the evening Quincy and manshovel hand-delivered it to my house on a well-below freezing Saturday night in February. After expressing interest at a show that I�d like to have a copy for the radio show, the two had taken a bus from Niagara Falls enroute to a Buffalo punkhouse (presumably to stomp some young brain cells) where they would soon take up residence. They had gotten off the bus in my neighborhood and walked the CD to my house, packed up a bowl and were ready to snow-walk the two or three miles to the house when I insisted on saving their lives and driving them. Of course, we listened to it on the ride. The catchy opening track, "I Quit", is a mid-tempo pounder with the trademark sneering vocals (and the first of several AD tracks to showcase bearded trumpeter Rot Stewart). There are slight metallic leanings here, but this is pure, quality speedpunk on the remainder; Quincy�s sneer keeps things fun and in perspective, but the subject matter is frustration and desperation � things we all feel living in a town like this. It�s a good cross-section and a great fucking demo that could sit on a record as it is just fine, though the band chose to recently re-record it for an upcoming 7� coming out on the quickly prolific Feral Kid label.(LB)
Australian one-man bedroom band. Sounds pretty clean, this guy certainly knows his way around his 8-track. Ten songs that recall The Wipers, The Spits, Supercharger and The Saints at different times. I was really taken in by how well this is put together for a one-man operation, and the tunes are certainly serviceable punkers, if not overly remarkable. The vox are pretty dry and the whole thing is just maybe a little too sanitary, but there are some good Rip Off Records-esque sounds here. As usual, there could be a could single buried here. I don't regret listening to this thing a few times, but I don't really remember any of it either. The craziest thing about it is how oddly similar the art is to the Daily Void record I received in the mail the previous day. Weird. But not weirdpunk. (RK)
I couldn�t ask for much more from First Base. Their debut release, a cassingle (!!) on Pizza Party Records, catches your eye with a full color, cut & paste sleeve design that is not only gorgeous but also hints at the musical aesthetic. The two songs are near-perfect handmade pop, recorded with loud and punchy guitars. The Ramones-like strumming that begins �First Base� gives way to vocal harmonies a la JAMC and it becomes quite a mesmerizing tune. A succinct guitar solo breaks the vocal track only long enough to break your daze before slipping back into the sweetness of the melody. �Hard 2 Read� adds a xylophone (or some such instrument) to the mix and, like its flipside, is a compelling, intimate pop song that finds a balance between the sweetness inherent in the melodies and amateur delivery. This should appeal to fans of the Pastels, Shop Assistants, Flying Nun, and such. (DH)
Received a nice little promo pack from Gaffer Records a while ago and have been perusing the contents over the past couple of months. The centerpiece of the parcel to me is the quite phenomenal Death to Pigs LP (to be reviewed forthwith) and these two tape releases seem to be extensions or deconstructions of that band from what I can tell. Hallux Valgus is aggro two-piece (both members from Death to Pigs and Monosourcil) Now Wave art-punk that replicates the sound of many of the bands on the Skin Graft roster. Jam-out drumming that kicks real hard when it hits a groove just right while the other member wrangles death-knells out of a bass (and/or keyboard). Like a lot of that free-jazzy-type Skin Graft noise, when they get a good head of steam and really charge the fuck out of a beat this stuff is dangerous, but a lot of time it just rambles on and gets a little too "out" for me. This tape definitely has a few moments that will make you want to get up and kick some shit around the room though. The Sheik Anorak tape is one guy from the aforementioned groups playing one extended free-jazzrock suite over both sides, that opening segment of which sounds like someone tuning a bass over a tape loop while dropping a drum kit on the floor for a while and then ventures off into lenghty atmospheric passages. I'm not arty enough to get into this one. I think Gaffer is like the Load Records of France, and they seem to have an A.H. Kraken release lined-up for all you Francophiles, and the label as a whole should appeal to the Weasel Walter demographic. Me, I'll stick with that Death to Pigs LP and maybe throw the Hallux Valgus on when I'm feeling adventurous.(RK)
Ginger Leigh would be a great porn name, a reference to both the good and evil sides of the industry. It recalls Ginger Lynn, Queen of Eighties kink and a woman who was a legend in my pre-teen scrambled porn watching years. In those youthful days seeing a Ginger Lynn flick was like spotting a Yeti, an awe-inspiring happening that you stayed up late for and logged many hours waiting to happen. She retired and dated Charlie Sheen (and Martin Sheen as well, rumor has it) and actually had a semi-legitimate acting career throughout the Nineties. And in a character defining moment, she pulled a stand-up move by refusing to testify against the industry in the Traci Lords case. She was no fucking rat, even if it meant incurring the wrath of the IRS as a repercussion. She returned to porn in the late Nineties, doing some great MILF work and currently hosts a Sirius Radio program alongside the lovely Christy Canyon. Ginger Lynn = a woman who made porn work for her. It also brings to mind the tragic Megan Leigh, she of latter day Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door installment fame, who tragically took her own life in another of porn's often horrible moments. A history of drug abuse, family rejection and dysfunctional relationships supposedly led to the single bullet that she fired into her mouth, a twenty-six year old casualty of the sex industry. The porn game is tricky, some starlets can manage their lives well enough to make it through and some are all too human and succumb to its dark side. I have nothing but respect for these ladies and wish them all well and thank them for all they've done for us fans.(RK)
Always a tad skeptical at western New Yorkers (and any other non-coastal punx) assume the West coast role and pump out soundtracks for bikini-scoping and hanging ten. Buffalo�s Skate Korpse did it a coupla� years ago and I guess they pulled it off in the technical sense (stereotypical guitar tinklings dancing up and down the frets while its big gay prevalent bass of a boyfriend threatens to kick your South Beach ass� or something), but when its deduced to the grit, the real shit � wiener stands and Huntington Beach � Rochester�s Insubordinates are doing fucking good. I guess it�s that they don�t go for the connotative throat, opting to produce some genuine-sounding revival (in audio and ethos) that could have been released at the time, instead of grabbing at the most recognizable aspects of the genre in question (hindsight being 20/20 mind you) and floating them on twenty-five years of developed proficiency and watered down attitude. Not that I don�t like that band� just some context for ya face. As I say all the time, bands making mistakes in the best of ways are in it to win it� botched-beyond-recognition guitar solos anyone? Fuck yeah. Anyways, the bass-heavy under-a-rug recording � how demos oughta� sound � definitely ups the authentic early-80�s feel, with a real sand-in-yer-socks production value consistency to top it off. Sounds like the Adolescents revving up if Rickky Agnew wasn�t laying down all the hott lixx and writing the finest songs they�d ever record� not that the writing here is subpar, but I know it�s a winner when I get goose bumps whilst some pizza-faced brat is calling the world gay. Lyrics about LBJ, Vietnam and a Cold War reprise playing out in front of you tosses that extra retrospective Americana sort of gist in with your usual suspects of confliction with society, yerself, and broads � all whined out on a nice JFA kick. While recording with my totes awesome musical group, the honorable Ski-Mask unintentionally leaked some sounds from the upcoming Insubordinates EP he�s responsible for while searching his Dutch reels snuck over the Canadian border for unsoiled strips of blank tape. Wow. I�ve no problem with telling ya to hold out, as I lifted this last tape from the band, but you�re fucking dickpulp if you pass that 7� up. Fo� real. Rochester kids are the jam, so check out Bad Taste if you get the chance (be prepared to spit back) and Rational Animals on their world fucking tour (Eastern side of �Merica) this summer. Blatant localism, I know. Sue me. (BG)
I really have to be in the mood for synth-punk, it's a genre I have a love/hate affair with, but when done well (like that Diet Cola 7" for instance) it can really be rewarding, and when done poorly (90% of bands doing this shit) nothing makes me want to throw a record out the window quicker. Octagon Control are a unit (the attached note refers to them in the plural, so this isn't a one man op) out of Washington, where it seems everyone owns a Casio or Moog. But this is a good take on the synth formula, very similar to the frantic panic-punk of Leper Print and/or Artificial Limbs. Lo-fi recording always helps, and this stuff sounds muddily distant in a thrid or fourth generation dub sort of way. Vocals are distorted and elastic, vibing is dark, drums sound programmed but well done, there's guitar/bass detectable here and there and at least two synths duking it out. No overtly gay gothiness either, thank god. Probably worth checking out if you own a complete set of Units records. I listened to this four or five times and am showing no negative effects. (RK)
From the looks of things, all three of these cassettes are long gone, so I�ll combine them into one massive Party Store Music review. These are sharp looking tapes�spraypainted and housed in well-designed, numbered sleeves�that play out one snapshot of the Brooklyn music underground. The earliest of these releases is from Knyfe Hyts, a band who have clearly raided their fathers� closets to puff on an old bong and jam those Sabbath and Groundhogs records hidden under the Playboys. For some, this is a fucking way of life, but I think it�s more fun to visit every once in a while. Since it was done so well the first time around, bands like Knyfe Hyts are OK and all but I�ll stick with side 2 of �New! Improved!.� 
Picture this: you�re at a gig, hanging out in the room adjacent to the place where the bands are playing. You ducked in here to get away from the mongrels hard-pitting during the opening band. How �bout a little civilization? To your luck, you run into an old-timer and shoot the shit about some bands from before your day. Or�even better�you strike up a conversation with a cutie who you�ve had your eye on. You can hear the next band starting their set and you want to get up and leave, but the dude just mentioned he thinks he might have a spare copy of the first Plugz single (and with your luck tonight you just know it�ll be wrapped with a tie). Or, y�know, maybe you�re actually about to get kissed. The point is you�re not leaving that back room. Only your attention is wandering a little because through the murk it sounds like there�s some maniacal, frantic hardcore going down. That approximates what you�ll hear on this tape (without the back room payoff). Six songs blend into one another, with changing tempo or a blip of feedback being the only indicators as to when one ends and another begins. The track list says that one of these is a GBH cover, but even the most devout patch-pants-wearing, acne-faced stud would have a hard time identifying it here. With the garbage-quality recording, it may be a challenge to scrutinize the songs, but the energy comes across loud and clear. Taken as a single, ten minute burst of noise, this is a primo shit-core release.(DH)
One of the flagship bands of the rising basement scene taking hold in Buffalo these days, Sum Fux went through a significant lineup overhaul and came through it standing strong. They quickly re-recorded this demo moving Rob to vocals and adding the infamous LMP to guitar, whose interesting and inventive chops bring a new dimension to things. This is dark lo-fi hardcore with an honest self-destructive side to it. To refer to the vocals as �tortured� is almost an understatement�this man has problems. Meanwhile, the stalwart rhythm section (Steve Sexer and Coup, who handle the same duties in Able Danger and seemingly were tracked/recorded down the hallway from the board), are holding things together when they appear to be on the verge on implosion at any time. You can almost smell the pits and stale beer.(LB)
I received this on recommendation from Pittsburgh Termbro Chapter President Vinnie the Shitbag, and I owe him a couple beers for this. Tusk Lord is one man playing some mellow instrumental passages with a real cool natural vibe that I'm all for, sort of a heavy jungle-forest thing with tunes like "Savage Mining", "Returned Land", "Hewed Redwood"...I'm a sucker for this seemingly pro-environmental shit and sweet drawings of elephants killing poachers, being a card-carrying animal/nature lover in my spare time. Don't get me wrong, I'm no hippie fag. I just love the earth and her creatures, man. But anyway, the thing that I love about this = it sounds just like Eno's "Another Green World", which is my favorite fucking Eno record. Really, it's a perfect recreation of that Eno record's whole vibe. Really well done, I suggest seeking this one out if you're a fan of that particular LP. Probably real fun to smoke dope to as well, if you're into that sort of thing.(RK)
The good thing about new technology for home recording is that it's so easy to record stuff and pump out a CD-R overnight. The bad thing is that people now feel free to record every single half-baked idea they might have and expect people to sit through it. I'm not singling out Uzi Rash in particular here, but with so many great actual records being produced, it's tough to give time to some of this stuff. That's not to say I haven't received some great CD-Rs in the mail at TB HQ. But this is a lot of shit to wade through. The cassette release is a waste of time, unless you want to listen to twenty minutes of one finger keyboards, bottles clanking and someone whistling. The best thing about this one was when the remainder of the Oingo Boingo 'Best of...' they taped over kicked in. The two CD-R releases are of a higher caliber, showing an actual minimal punk band running through some lo-fi stoopid-rock maneuvers. Some weird Half Jap type moves, some trash-punk eyebrow-raisers, nothing more than a minute and a half long, real annoying vocals that are hit-or-miss. Someone with more patience than me might be able to distill a decent 7" out of the tracks presented. Maybe. Nice home-made packaging is always a plus, but I still wouldn't advise anyone to pay money for any of these releases. This stuff lists Nobunny as and executive producer or something, so maybe that might get you interested, but don't get too excited.(RK)
Oh, the countless hours I�ve devoted pondering the regional hardcore tape compilation. Such a sexy format, bands dedicating their best songs to the tape�a scene coming together to document itself and let the world know that not only does it exist, but is worth your time. Am I romanticizing too much? After a listen to �No Core� or �America�s Dairyland,� I�m not so sure. The format is fast and cheap, and can come together quickly and without the resources needed for a vinyl release. This urgency comes across not only in the format but in the music contained therein. The folks who compiled �Maggot Minded� must agree with me. Here are seven bands from the Pacific Northwest underground; the scuzzy, sloppy, unprofessional recordings create a unifying aesthetic that bridges the variety of styles among the band. HIV open with three spastic blasts�buzzsaw guitars overshadowed only by gruff, mad at the world vocals. On the verge of falling apart, they manage to hang in there by a thread. Sisters and Loose Change are similar in that both slow down the pace of the tape with songs that make me think that they�d listened to their share of Sonic Youth. The songs are good and they�re sequenced perfectly in the track list. Horrible�s brand of metal was forgettable to these ears, while Funerot�s garage thrash stood out in a genre that usually bores me. For many, this tape will be most exciting for the three tracks by Sex/Vid. Like 9 Shocks Terror was at their best, this shit is relentless�crushing guitars, driving drums, just an onslaught. The fourteen songs on �Maggot Minded� fly by in a blur and even though it took a few listens to fully digest the thing, my initial impression had my mind racing back to the regional comps of yore.(DH)
This one's been in the TB HQ tape deck for quite a bit now, so I feel bad it took me so long to spill some digital ink on it. My profuse apologies to the fine people at Bloodstain Tapes. Anyway, what you have here is six exclusive cuts from six of the sub-underground's sickest acts. Of course Livefastdie have to make an appearance and "Thought You Could Steal My Beer" is a real shit-tastic bomber and exactly what you would expect. CPC Gangbangs forego the heavy drugs on this one and instead contribute a rolling cover of "Going Back to Philly" that sounds almost Sexareenish. Rounding out side one are the until now unknown to me White Load, who I believe are from Providence and apparently attend the same reform school as the kids in Fag Cop. Sticky, but good. Side B has a We March track that may be the pick of this tape. I've never paid them much attention, but "Rotten Goods" is some above-par heavy-punk that has me looking for their old records. The We March track was the best cut on this until I heard the Shoot It Up contribution, "Wounded Bear". I love these SIU kids, definitely the vanguard of young and irresponsible these days. Their drum and guitar rhythm section is on par with what Cook/Jones did so many years ago. I actually think the drums may be the lead instrument on this. What a wonderful mess. Toronto's Brutal Knights close this out, and although I am no fan of this band on any level, this track is actually pretty good, far burlier and less rawk than anything else I've heard from them (and I've given every one of their records an honest chance, and they fail each time). Actually, I'm not 100% positive this is actually the Brutal Knights playing this song. Could be some ringers...A real nice job from Bloodstain Records out of Massachusetts, home to another compilation we all know and love. Hopefully there will be future installments of this series. Limited to 250 copies.(RK)
The Yolks are quickly becoming the most lovable band on the planet. The Kings of Awesome indeed, their cool and somewhat mellow (yet not wimpy or hippy) take on garage rocking is really doing it for me lately. "Girl Like You" is the best song The Ramones never wrote. Succint and danceable A-Side material. But I'm really falling for the B-Side, "Sir Charles". First of all, it sounds like some old instro platter they found at the thrift shop, threw on the turntable and recorded this guy waxing lyrical over top of it. It's fucking great. Like Booker T & The MGs jamming with The Ventures or something. Surfstro? Guitar twang with electric piano and some rapid-fire cooler-than-you voxing. I just know these guys are total fucking dudes. They gotta be. And you, you should grab this immediately, because it's better than most vinyl singles I've heard this year. Do not feel guilty about buying a cassingle at all, please. I'd really be into a Yolks LP right now, that sounds like a great idea. Please do it fellas. (RK)