Reviews

No Plan

Artistic Decline Random Violence LP reissue

German label No Plan digs up an interesting relic from the fringes of hardcore history with their reissue of ARTISTIC DECLINE’s lone 1987 LP. This is a sprawling, all-over-the-place record that ranges from artsy post-punk to sharp SoCal hardcore, with noisy bits and goofy KBD-esque numbers mixed in for good measure. The songs are a real mixed bag, and it’s all pretty solid. “One Shot” would go great on a mix tape between the NUBS’ “Job” and “Dad I’m In Jail” by WAS (NOT WAS). They remind me of HC pioneers MIDDLE CLASS on the speedy “Media Lies,” and I might not notice if someone slipped “Hinkley and the Law” in while spinning the first BAD RELIGION LP. You get 29 tracks including some bonus material, all wrapped up in a sleeve with the LP’s original Pettibon artwork.

Jerry’s Kidz Well Fed Society EP reissue

This is not the Boston band, this is JERRY’S KIDZ from New Mexico, and this is a reissue of their 7” from 1984. Featuring four tracks of standard issue O.G. hardcore, these guys do some tough skate-rocking with clear vocals in a range of tempos. The cadence and foreboding chords of the blazing opener “Marionette” bring the CIRCLE JERKS’ “In My Eyes” to mind, and the introspective sound of “B.R.S.” (apparently meaning “Brandon’s Rest Song, as its slower parts gave the singer a chance to chill a bit between the faster tracks) reminds me just a little bit of the ADOLESCENTS’ “Kids of the Black Hole.” So yeah, this lesser-known artifact fits in alongside some of the best early USHC, and is well-deserving of the reissue.

Rappresaglia Danza de Guerra EP reissue

RAPPRESAGLIA—”retribution” in Italian—was among the early-to-mid-’80s wave of furious hardcore bands from Milan. Their first recorded tracks, some of which were immortalized on compilations like the incredible Bad Country Tapes (BCT) Italian HC collection Music on Fire and the classic Skins E Punks = TNT 7″, are among greatest examples of raw and unhinged Italian hardcore. For years, I have played their early anthem “Attack” as the perfect representation of all that is truly special about Italian hardcore; I still put that song on mixes, and throw it on the turntable whenever I need something to pick up my mood. (Italy’s Agipunk Records released all of the excellent early RAPPRESAGLIA tracks on a collection called 1982/1983 in 2006, with the aforementioned “Attack” as the first song. I highly recommend that collection to aficionados of early Euro thrash both novice and diehard alike.) The EP I am here to review—the Danza di Guerra 7″—was recorded and self-released a couple of years later, and has now been reissued for the first time (with original art) by Germany’s No Plan records. Although Danza di Guerra was the first proper RAPPRESAGLIA release, it finds the band having already moved on from their rough and tumble early sound towards something slower, more melodic, and more muscular. No one is maniacally screaming on this EP, and the guitar sound owes more than a small debt to British post-punk, or at least British post punk as channeled through Telecommunication-era BLITZ. There are even vocal harmonies on these four songs! In other words, this is a pretty different band than that from RAPPRESAGLIA version 1.0. Still, this is a delightful record with four catchy singalong anthems, and is certainly worth tracking down if you’re a fan of the melodic side of European punk.

Rejectors Thoughts of War EP reissue

REJECTORS was a seminal hardcore band from Seattle that was active from 1981 to 1986. Originally released by Fartz Records in 1982, Thoughts of War is now re-released and remastered by No Plan Records. Thrashy in the vein of West Coast hardcore, complete with angsty, snotty vocals. The 7″ comes with the original 7″ artwork and insert, plus a sticker! A guaranteed mosh record.

Upside Upside LP

Now this is one for the true lovers of Italian hardcore, those who can pretend to speak Italian because they can half-pronounce the titles of WRETCHED songs and show off at dinner parties by pointing out that NERORGASMO actually rose from the ashes of BLUE VOMIT. Avoid these boring bastards at all costs. UPSIDE can barely be considered a classic band of the amazing Italian hardcore punk scene of the time—I was familiar with the band for their delightfully snotty Nato Per Sofrire EP from 1983, but never took the time to properly listen to the rest of their discography. The aforementioned EP was a perfect example of an Italian take on the vintage UK82 sound, and this demo originally recorded in 1981 is (a little) more versatile, with songs convincingly exhibiting darker overtones and others sounding like furious proto-hardcore. I have to say the production is, well, raw, if not rough or non-existent, so that it will appeal to the aesthetes of old-school hardcore music (those who do not fear bands who could not tune their instruments but still did solos), but it might alienate other audiences. There are some great, catchy songs on the demo, reminiscent of CANI or even NABAT for the punkness and the aforementioned BLUE VOMIT for the eerier and darker influences. I personally love Italian hardcore, so I believe this record is important for two reasons: first, it is a testimony of one of the most powerful hardcore waves in punkstory, and this project matters because it is an archive, something that preserves our collective past because punk belongs to the punks. Second, because I just like, on a very primitive level, raw, snotty punk from Italy. I suppose the first reason makes me sound a bit more clever, though.