Doll Baby Hell Block cassette
Equal parts punk(er) CONCRETE BLONDE and pretty alt-rock. Very professional.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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Equal parts punk(er) CONCRETE BLONDE and pretty alt-rock. Very professional.
Loose, lurching rhythms and often tuneless and sarcastic vocal tone both result in a jarring listen. I’m getting an overall very ’90s grunge, noisy alt-rock feel from this Minneapolis duo. All five cuts are ugly, tense, and grating music that I cannot say I find appealing. Aside from an occasional vocal hook, I find most of this to be indistinguishable from one moment to the next.
This starts out with something that pretty much just sounds like a later GRANDADDY song, just not as catchy or witty. The record moves on from that to sound a little more pop punk / indie rock, sort of like WEAKERTHANS with a hint of BUILT TO SPILL. It’s mid-tempo to mellow, with fairly clean guitars and slightly nasal, sung vocals. It’s not mind blowing, but it’s reasonably catchy.
Classic example of do not judge an album by its cover. This one looks pretty gothy, maybe psychobilly-ish. However, the music on the disc is more of an indie rock nature. It’s sweeping and sincere, and the singer is schizophrenic. The record lists only one singer, yet he sounds like different singers from song to song. He reminds me of GUY PICCIOTTO, then DAVE GROHL, then D. BOON, and so on. I enjoy the experimentation, and encourage it.
OK, so this LP actually came out several years ago, not long after Lou caught his last train uptown. As the title implies, it collects Reed’s earliest work, and does a pretty comprehensive job at that—the two doo wop-tinged tracks by the JADES date all the way back to the late 1950s. It’s not entirely clear how much (if any) the teenaged Reed is on that recording, but he did at least write one song and co-write the other. Most of the rest of the material is culled from early-to-mid-’60s releases, during which time Lou earned a living writing and performing knock-offs of popular music trends such as rock’n’roll and surf. My favorite here is the PRIMITIVES, an ensemble also featuring John Cale, Tony Conrad, and Walter de Maria. Don’t get too excited, though—their track “The Ostrich” is a nice palate-cleanser on other VELVETS boots, but as the standout here, it’s not quite enough to recommend this LP to anyone outside VU completists. Also featured is a rare Reed solo demo of “Heroin” from 1965.
Although this should immediately be picked up by the seven remaining folk punks out there, don’t let that be a turnoff. This is the shit! With just four hits, sung in Spanish, there’s not only really fucking beautiful violin and pedal steel guitar with proper crooning, enough to satisfy any train ridin’ shithead or redneck country music aficionado, but also some straight up street punk for when your friends come around. The leaps from genre to genre are fucking sweet, and not painfully forced like a lot of the shit that you heard way too much way back when. Get this ASAP!
This DYS-worship demo packs a whole lot of punch, landing somewhere between HOAX and ARMS RACE. The riffs are simple, driving, and catchy, and the vocals sound gruff and desperate. The lyrics are super bleak, with lines like “blank as death I stare at myself” and “dead flies on the windowsill / bed-ridden corpse.”
How do you describe a thing that is technically proficient and theoretically good…but kinda goes in one ear and out the other? I will try: VORTIS is from Chicago, and they sound like it (that’s a positive). Open garage chords and snotty midwest punk with an ear towards a distant past. It’s catchy and there are tons of hooks (check “Frog In The Pan” specifically, because that song jams). See? I did it.
UNKNOWN RIVER DRIVER are really reaching towards that ’90s alt / college / emo chalice—it’s moody and dark and kinda awesome, even though it fades into the background pretty quickly. Ironically, the drums in slow parts of the last song just remind me of “Everybody Wants Some” from Van Halen III (solid track, btw). An amalgamation of RATIONS dubbed R.A.T.I.O.N.S.N.O.I.S.E, on the flip, delivers manipulations of studio recordings, anti-drone war missives, and general tape loop fuckery. It’s an excellent way to get me hooked, and an excellent listen.
First of all, let’s give it up for the Finnish language for giving us a split EP between two bands whose names start with the prefix “Ydin.” A split doomed to hang out in at the very back end of any properly alphabetized collection. All linguistic concerns aside, this should be pushed up to the front of the queue in terms of quality! YDINASEETON POHJOLA are a fucking stellar example of a modern Finnish band carrying the legacy left by ’80s heavy hitters like KAAOS, offering two quick tracks of nasty, treble-y hardcore with vocals so raw that they’re almost plaintive, and hooks that’ll stick with you long after the record has left the turntable. YDINTUHO are just as raw, but mining a completely different vein: dropping three tracks of very early DISCLOSE-style blown-out D-beat, complete with crazed solos and some truly epic, conquering riffs. Fuck y’all, this is an early seed for best split EP of the year, and I can imagine that later contenders will have a hard time knocking it off. Fucking great stuff—buy now or regret it later as there are only 300 copies to be had!
Max is maybe the most prolific musician in the Bay Area right now, seemingly releasing something on cassette or vinyl almost monthly. On this release, Max augments found (?) sounds, field recordings, skronky gear, tape manipulations, broken shit, and saxophones, bending them to his will and creating a wall of cacophonous collapse. Max feels life, and you should feel it with him.
The LUNGS are a new band to me, but I can absolutely dig what they’re laying down. Very BORN AGAINST-style, off-kilter hardcore with some weird tunings and tempo shifts and abstract lyrics, though a touch less heavy than the aforementioned band. TOTAL MASSACRE are a known commodity and they continue to be fucking great PIST / BRUTALLY FAMILIAR straightforward hardcore fucking punk with uncompromising, clever political lyrics and super catchy songwriting. Both sides are over a little quick, and I’m bummed that there’s no insert, but this is a super solid DIY split between two above-average punk bands.
Four tracks of bratty garage rock from Portland. Two original songs on the A-side, two covers on the B-side of good time, ’60s-inspired fun. Peppy songs with a bit of vocal whining that is emphasized by the organ sound.
Five Kentucky bands, mostly on the early garage and/or proto-grunge end of the spectrum. VASELINES, EUGENIUS, a little bit of SCREAMING TREES maybe…that brand of laid back action. Not bad, and it definitely grew on me.
Midwestern hardcore punk with the requisite discordance and an adolescent-sounding voice that cracks constantly. You can’t fake this shit.
This record really makes me realize that the only difference between a lot of the “cheesy” pop-punk that gets compared to NOFX and the “authentic” pop punk that gets compared to CRIMPSHRINE is production value. BAD YEAR’s songs are pretty great, but I kind of can’t get past the squeaky-clean delivery. There are moments where the grittiness sneaks in, but most of it lands closer to SCREECHING WEASEL. Hand-screened, one-sided, four-song picture disc.
No, not that BLACK DOTS band! I have to admit that I gave this one sided twelve incher an extra spin, because it looks like April from VENA CAVA plays bass in this outfit, and she is a stellar human being. This is well polished, Fest-ready, gruff melodic stuff. Despite it not being my favorite genre, it’s pretty fun, and at the last second they show off some FUEL influences, which is always acceptable in my book.
A trio of guitar and harmony-drenched “college rock” punk efforts, along the lines of Creator-era LEMONHEADS and the first MOVING TARGETS LP. These aging ears are delighted that the kids are still kicking out the melodic jams in this genre.
The TERRAPLANES originally formed out of the ashes of ANIMALS & MEN in 1980. Disbanding after one 1981 single, they reformed in 2017, and this album is the result. A sparse, post-punk mix of new originals, revisited old songs, and favorite garage / rock’n’roll covers of JONATHAN RICHMAN, ELVIS PRESLEY, ED COBB etc. The raw, simplistic recording and dual female (mother / daughter!) vocals lends the whole thing a HEADCOATEES vibe, which is never a bad thing! Great stuff, and a welcome return to the music scene.
Could this lot really be related to my beloved JUMPIN’ BEANS AND WILLIE??? ’Tis true, but of an altogether different bewildering bash. CELEB HANDSIES wallop mightily from the jump: noize noise noize and barking weirdness that would do the Bulb and Blackjack imprints proud. Four really rough gems in total, each “centered” by the maddening-yet-spirited blur of their attack (drums, guitar scree, unhinged keys, bleeding and blown “production”). I was not prepared for this…Goddamn. Now I must obsess over their every move.
What timing: I just returned from seeing RED CRO$S do Born Innocent live, and am still trying to collect myself. What a band—rabid obsessives that dreamed themselves into becoming one of Los Angeles’ all-time finest. That life-altering love of rock’n’roll is the very blood pumping through Teen Babes From Monsanto, their all-covers sophomore album from 1984, reissued now with revamped pin-up teen-dream cover art to boot. As the McDonald brothers cruise through STOOGES, KISS, and ROLLING STONES tunes (to name a handful), they reimagine the material via punk fandom and pure love, eschewing the nihilism & violence so often associated with the time and place for a tongue-in-cheek, glitter-rained rock-star dreamworld. It’s easy to get caught up, and that’s the goddamn point. One to reach for when all the shit’s got you down.
Complete mindfuck intellectual noise-core. Fans of NOXAGT, BOREDOMS, or MELT BANANA will want to take note, and the uninitiated will want to strap in before diving into this Russian act. Chaotic pogo/blast drums, shrill screams, nonsensical construction, and manic horns throughout. It’s a fukkn mess to say the least, and it’s really, really great.
This is a cool comp of modern garage rock bands. The bands are lo-fi, fuzzy, surfy, laidback, etc. Includes THE PRISTEENS, MR. AIRPLANE MAN, FREAK GENES, UK GOLD, DAMAGED BUG and more. The title is appropriate: Our Voltage is whatever feels right in the moment, and every band hits it perfectly. Even the covers of SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES’ “Christine” (the MYRMIDONS) and BO DIDDLEY’s “Who Do You Love?” (ATOMIC SUPLEX) manage to sound fresh. Nice.
Two songs of jangly garage pop. “Get Back” is a peppy rager. “Vampire” is a drony ballad. The singing is flat in charming way. I like it.
This is sort of long-winded, noisy indie rock. The whole thing is pretty fuzzy and spacey, but also very bright due to the guitars and the cymbals being real up front. The monotone vocals are sparse, sitting pretty far in the back, and not doing a whole lot to add to the music. At their best, the band has a ’90s indie rock feel, something like CHAVEZ in its catchy aspects and the interplay of the two prominent guitars. At their worst, the songs feel like they go on forever with unending instrumental parts. This would be really good if edited.
Freaky robot punk about video games, killer zombie dicks, and sentient mustaches. If there is a such a thing as artsy metalcore, this is probably it. Simultaneously silly, fun, and totally terrifying.
Poppy, self-loathing, and self-rewarding bedroom punk from Philly, with a distorted recording that really lends it a fuzzy, warm vibe. The vocals make me think of BAD SLEEP and BIG EYES, but with way more bummer subject matter. Aileen Wuornos samples between songs let you know these people are on the right side. Killer.
So this compilation LP is apparently a tribute to the French fastcore band TEKKEN. I regret to announce I was not familiar with TEKKEN the band, but it looks as though they were around in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and with some video research, I have realized that they were pretty good! If you like to blast off with CHARLES BRONSON, SPAZZ, DAMNABLE EXCITE ZOMBIES, AGATHOCLES, or even FANTOMAS, or any bands that were forming when fastcore was really breaking into its stride, I have this recommendation for you! There’s also some really bizarre MIDI carnival music, which I must admit I am entertained by, if not perplexed.
Four-band comp that goes like this: 1) The DRIVIN’ BEATS play early ’80s sounding late punk vs. early college radio rock and/or legit new wave rock ’n’ roll; 2) SOURPUSS sound like if the SPITS were trying to sound tough and/or offensive—also if the SPITS were actually a bad grunge band; 3) The DOWNSTROKES are classic ’80s Midwest punk; 4) The XILES are like the SEX PISTOLS if Johnny’s exaggerated accent kept falling out of line and / or any heartfelt, determined bar punk band in any town in North America—and “American Nightmare” is the best song on this comp. That is all.
Killer working class French punk rock. Hints of LEATHERFACE and EA80 peek through this 24-song collection (from releases spanning the last five years, as the title suggests), while ZERO GAIN settle into their own distinct style. The more I listen to these tracks, them more the band sinks into me, and there’s something wholly refreshing about hearing a band construct important sounding songs. Listen to “Runnin’ on Empty” (not a cover), and you’re taken back a decade or more, not in the sound, but in the feel of bands like BORN DEAD ICONS, J CHURCH or LA FRACTION—they punched you in the gut and they stuck with you. They were a new band to me before this disc, but I’m totally sold.
Poland’s WLOCHATY (“Hairy”) originally released this nineteen-song recording on cassette in 1994, sold an astounding 20,000 copies, and then re-released it on vinyl in 1995 as a condensed fifteen-song LP, with an added saxophone track (?) in the mixes of the songs. This deluxe, double-LP version presents the original recording—without sax—with strong remastering, deluxe presentation in a gatefold sleeve, and lyrics in English and Polish. As a debut record recorded 25 years ago, this long-standing veteran band was still defining their sound, but this classic is such a expansion on the genetic blueprints of the crucial elements of Polish hardcore: pogo-ready punk stormers, odd experimental avant-garde turns, unexpected reggae influences, melodic acoustic passages, brute cold wave harshness, and scathing hardcore as their vocalists ramble and shout poetic, thoughtful political lyrics. Tandem choruses by male and female backup screamers punctuate and stoke the chaos. Engaging, challenging, and ultimately rewarding—a fantastic re-release!
This band has been around since 1980, with the singer/bass player being the lone original member. From San Luis Obispo, they play sloppy mid-’80s skate punk, a lot like the wave that included the FACTION and JFA. Although I give them props for sticking to this genre for so long, I didn’t like this at all. The vocals try to jam in too many words to fit the music, and the uneven playing and song mixes don’t help. Admittedly, I’ve never been a skate punk guy, but I do like it when it’s done right.
Recorded in 2016, released in 2017, reaching Maximum Rocknroll in 2019, the ’90s band the WHITTINGTONS are back together or finally got off their asses to make some new music. It’s punk with a hard rock edge. Aggro, macho, and trashy, but catchy. If only they could resist the guitar solos. Regardless, I like it.
Sludge with shoegaze-y tendencies. Shrieked vocals, and two or three riffs on the whole record. I liked the parts that emulated MY BLOODY VALENTINE a lot more than the parts that emulated EYEHATEGOD, but they were too few and far between. Kinda tedious overall.
This one is hard to nail down. VLACK are big and “rock” sounding, but there’s a dark vibe that reminds me of under the radar monsters like ANGST or MY DAD IS DEAD—even while they are playing what is basically ’80s college alt-rock. I spent the entire disc trying to figure out how to categorize it, and that says a lot on its own, right?
This is the last piece of wax that I will review for the last regular print issue of MRR, and it is pure fukkn fire. Biting and fierce Swedish hardcore punk with terrifying female lead vocals, and an affected flanged guitar that borders on destruction for the entire recording—especially the leads. VIDRO are just pure ferocity: urgent, desperate hardcore punk that doesn’t really sound like anything except themselves, and there is an approach to the (de)construction and presentation of their songs that is enviable. To take a formula that is known and manipulate and manage it until it becomes your own is in itself an art form, but if you also create a total motherfukkr of a record in the process, then you have my respect. So I finish my last review just wanting more, as it should be.
Long running Czech punk/prog band who started when their region was still under communist rule in the ’80s. This live LP is a celebration of their 30th anniversary, and spans much of their career, bringing back past members to play on stage with them. It sounds like a party, with so much instrumentation (the usual standbys as well as flute, piano and sax) and gang vocals. It took me a minute to get into this, but I like it. There are traces of early anarcho-punk (in the vein of DE KIFT and the EX), prog-rock, weirdo shit (like the RESIDENTS, BEEFHEART) and so much eastern European punk that I am not properly schooled on. The whole thing is played rapid-fire with no breaks between songs and no space to catch your breath. It’s entirely impressive for a bunch of old farts, and it sounds like such a fun show. Consider me impressed.
France’s URAKEN serve up a heavy mix of hardcore, crust, sludge, and powerviolence that is reminiscent of some of Southern Lord’s faster acts on this reissue of their 2017 demo. While none of their style is particularly new or innovative (anyone else remember when it seemed like every other band was crust-infused?) it is varied and punishing enough to avoid a monotonous listen.
Electroclash dance punk from Paris that keeps the guitar, bass, and drums high in the mix, and doesn’t stray too far into the electro end of the spectrum. Impassioned group vocals and melodic riffs bring to mind the chaos of early ’00s synth punk. Lyrics in English that sound cool, but don’t totally make sense. Probably pretty incredible to see this band live, if they keep up even half the energy level of this recording.
Here are two bands out of New Orleans that want to fuck up your reality. TORTURE GARDEN brings some deadly D-beat crust that is both furious and mournfully melodic. They keep it extra heavy, with just the right amount of driving, epic crust. THE WORLD IS A VAMPIRE seems like a band that I would not like at all. First, I hate that song they’re named after. Second, this sounds like some goths trying to play freaked-out, blackened D-beat. It all just seems like it should be an awful disaster, but somehow it all works, and this band is fucking awesome! If you’re a grim weirdo, then check this out.
Eight tracks of jagged funk-punk from this Cologne group. Quirky, stop-start rhythms plus wandering bass-lines punctuated by hyper-speed funk guitar form the foundation for these terse, varied ruminations on modern society. The songwriting is complex, the playing polished and accomplished—a potent mix of fIREHOSE, TALKING HEADS, and BADGEWEARER. Fantastic stuff.
They look like skinheads. They sound like (early) FALLOUT BOY meets AVAIL, and then near the end of the first side, there’s one really exceptional track that sounds like the DARKNESS or JET (it’s called “Off With Their Heads” and I’m not gonna lie: I like it). Slick, polished, professional, radio-friendly alt-rock.
The cover art is somewhere between prison art and high school drawing competition: a centaur straddles a police car as two puzzled police officers point their weapons his way. This disc contains some choice dollar store guitar ’n’ keyboard punk, with nods to KBD klassics. Sneering Danish synth punk that errs on the side of the sick with songs about mechanical human attributes from the womb to the tomb. If you are a Florida’s Dying mailorder freak, this is definitely callin’ your number.
This is a young emo pop punk band from South Dakota. Sound wise, this is along the ways of GET UP KIDS and TAKING BACK SUNDAY. The vocals are pretty off on this three-song release. Like way off, in a hitting-lots-of-bad-notes way. Oh well.
Life ain’t easy for a two-piece band (I should know, I hung out with POPULATION REDUCTION for like a decade), but Nashville’s THETAN are absolutely making it work. This bass-and-drums duo offer up a grip of gnarly powerviolence-influenced tracks that alternately rage and sludge, highlighted by some remarkably nimble bass playing. The lyrics are super bleak, even for the genre—which is a plus in my book—and that desperation is conveyed very effectively by the frenzied vocals (Dino from DYSTOPIA-esque at times). It’s worth noting that this outer rim of this LP is etched, which is very cool indeed.
In the 432nd and final issue of this magazine, we are still asking the age-old question: “What is punk?” Is it the chaos punk at the bar drinking corporate beer while high-fiving his friends and not giving a flying fuck that the serial rapist still comes to their shows? Is it lesbian separatists who attach contact mics to filing cabinets while they saw them in half? Is it historical reenactments of D-beat cassettes from 1982? Is it a guy from Japan making minimalist synth in his room? We may never have a definitive answer that will please everyone, and this synth guy probably doesn’t even consider himself a punk, but he sent his record to a punk magazine, so here we are. Anyway, SOLOIST ANTI POP TOTALIZATION is completely synth- and noise-based, recalling the early industrial era, when everyone was still trying to figure out their sound with limited technical capabilities. S.A.P.T. draws influences from DENDO MARIONETTE, PUBLIC IMAGE LTD and CABARET VOLTAIRE with almost monotone, barely affected vocals. Rarely abrasive, but it has a good, harsh beat. Is it punk though? Ask me if I care.
This is a project created by Polish punks living in Sweden who wanted to pay tribute to the works of Polish poets and bands. While I’m not well-versed in most Polish arts (which is a shame), I can still find something to appreciate in the thoughtfulness given to presenting the lyrics and explaining a bit where they come from. While I don’t understand the lyrics, which are in Polish, the notes about their sources, such as the works of DEZERTER, HOMOMILITIA, and poet Adam Zagajewski, are in English. That being said, I feel less inspired by the band, with its pretty straightforward punk riffing and melodic vocals. The vocals by Ninka are often left to carry the melodic weight of the band, and they often do not feel like enough to help them stand out from the herd.
This Japanese power pop punk band has been around for five years or so. I can only assume they got their name from the EXPLODING HEARTS song. New wave power-pop with keyboard in the mix at times. Vocals in English, the songs here are pretty solid along the ways of later BUZZCOCKS as well as CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH vocally. Fans of Snuffy Smiles type pop punk will like this.
Given that members of SLANT play in South Korea’s SCUMRAID, you would expect their first EP to be drenched in noise. You’d also be wrong. This is a pretty straightforward hardcore outfit that stands out from the pack of USHC revivalists due to both vocalist Yeji’s harsh, raw shouting and the band’s strong attention to detail. Songs like “Scorn” are more dynamic and punishing than a lot of bands mining the same territory. Fucking great.
A 30-song semi-discography of Poland’s SANCTUS IUDA’s (“Saint Jude,” the patron saint of lost causes) recordings from 1995—1998. Their sound is grounded in thick, mid-tempo Euro-squat crust like HIATUS or FLEAS AND LICE, with oversaturated guitar distortion capped with caustic, berating vocals. The tempo occasionally quickens to speedy hardcore bursts, while their later recordings slow to a crushing churn, but the remastering here hammers a nice consistency to the variance. Sides A and B chronologically present their split EPs with the SARCASM, SHARPEVILLE, REGENERACION, and DOG ON A ROPE, along with the otherwise-unreleased material (mostly live songs and covers) from their 1996 ABC cassette. Side C has darker, sludgy unreleased demos for an aborted second LP, that treads the slower AMEBIX / NEUROSIS / GODFLESH gloom, twisting around the thrash blasting. These four tracks are pretty hot, as they edge on that late ’90s pocket of experimental, heavy bleakness, with caustic vocals raking over the top of everything. Side D is an unreleased 1996 semi-techno remix of songs from their first LP (the only recording not included here), by a member of SARCASM, that weaves in samples and deconstructs everything to interesting but only questionably essential results. While you could pick up the band’s original records for equivalent cost, this collection is packaged in a nice gatefold with tons of grainy band photos, record covers, and an extensive booklet with a Polish-language history of the band—but is oddly deficit of lyrics or other artwork that really signify to people unfamiliar with the band, or the Polish language, what they’re singing about. Polish labels have been impressively and wonderfully attentive to documenting their scene history, but sometimes as they upgrade everything from old cassettes or make an efficient package of old vinyl, they forget that not everyone has always been around to follow along, or how leaving the lyrics and meaning by the wayside works on the assumption that everyone still understands the impact of those lyrics, and subscribes to those ideas meaning—and the state of the world in 2019 underlines that the ideas still need to be hammered home.
