Reviews

Broken Sound

Bazooka Joe Pastor of Muppets / Send in the Klowns cassette

Cassette reissue of both 7” releases by a late ’80s hardcore outfit from Myrtle Beach, SC. BAZOOKA JOE played revved-up hardcore punk that would fit in both politically and stylistically with the likes of MDC. Formed in 1987, BAZOOKA JOE originally released Pastor of Muppets in 1988 and Send in the Klowns in 1989. The avid Maximum Rocknroll fan will recognize BAZOOKA JOE from the 1989 compilation LP They Don’t Get Paid, They Don’t Get Laid, But Boy Do They Work Hard! (MRR No. 4). The band had a total of five songs on three different compilations from 1989 and 1990, and the tracks are all true rippers. What a missed opportunity! With the inclusion of a few extra songs, this could have been a complete discography cassette. Either way, BAZOOKA JOE played no-nonsense hardcore punk, and this is a cool collection of some of the band’s output.

Prevail Prevail cassette

This limited cassette re-release of the second 7″ from this late ’90s South Carolina screamo hardcore band is a gritty blast from the past. The scooped-mids production, crunchy guitars, and boomy bass nail the era’s vibe, while the vocalist’s high-pitched and raspy scream-sing style makes them a perfect match for a bill with REVERSAL OF MAN or FORCE FED GLASS. It’s an aggressively raw recording that definitely sparks my nostalgia for the ’90s hardcore scene that is worlds apart from that shit they’re calling screamo nowadays. All of these songs are on their discography Curtain Call, but if you don’t have that already and you need something to play on your Walkman, you should jump fast to snatch this up.

V/A Unearth’d: Underground Deathrock, Post-Punk, and Darkwave LP

This is surely a collection of 1988 goth club classics, right? These are certainly some the CULT and GENE LOVES JEZEBEL B-sides that have been forgotten to history? Nope! This is some new shit and it’s just that good! While leaning heavily on Athens, GA and North Carolina, this compilation throws in a few acts from various other states, Europe, and Canada as well. It’s like when Suicide Girls released that classic goth comp in 2005 and everyone suddenly thought they were an expert on the genre, except this is bands that are up-and-coming and actually need the attention. SOLEMN SHAPES provide “Concealed” to the mix, and its industrial drumbeat acts counter intuitively to the slow, anxiety-inducing build of whispers and chants that end up going a little wild on you.  If Bologna, Italy’s HORROR VACUI’s “Lost,” probably the strongest jam in the mix, doesn’t make you flail your limbs and lose control in a darkened room, then you have a soul. Deathrock is alive, no, dead and well, and this compilation proves it.