Subsonic Barflies Questions EP
Aussie rock punk on all three tracks. Decent power and big beat but no real special energy or lyrics to make you sit up and take notice.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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Aussie rock punk on all three tracks. Decent power and big beat but no real special energy or lyrics to make you sit up and take notice.
German funny pop punk. Good sounding classic punk, which is enjoyable without understanding a word—though I’m sure it’s much more fun to sprechen Deutsch.
Imagine Ralph of CAPITOL PUNISHMENT fronting a grungy psych/psludge band. You can’t? No, it works.
Six-song EP from France that usually starts slow then charges furiously into each song much like a lot of Japanese hardcore—there are songs they sing in English, complete with lyrics, but they whip by so fast you’ll have no idea what they’re saying.
This band has always been a breed that is able to blend industrial noise with garage punk. Most notable here is the colored marble vinyl plus a live extremely noisy sound. Most of the stuff is slower and more experimental noise but one of the five is the best bunch of rockin’ noise lately. Not their best but OK.
Chaotic thrash and punk, a little on the dirty/sloppy side. Good vocals, the singer sounds convincing. Pretty good.
You know, I could bash on instruments and scream unintelligibly, also, and I can do it for free.
Live at CBGBs in ’79, both tunes suffer from unexceptional performances and poor sound quality. For fanatics of this once-great Ohio band only.
Not to be confused with the UK band, this CULTURE SHOCK is from Illinois. Seven songs of gloomy, droning, metallic rock, similar to DIE KREUZEN’s October File material.
Ex-FALL guitarist Marc Riley and his ilk have come up with another quirky, rigid fast-paced Anglo post-punk record. It’s no accident that this should appeal to FALL fans or fans of groups like the THREE JOHNS or the MEKONS, as guitarists from both groups make appearances here.
This demo-style cassette features four songs of great quality, sounding like early L.A. material with a modern touch. Short but good.
Jangly acoustic punk, but sometimes more fuzzed-out. The accent here is on melodies, good smooth stuff, but the vocals are a bit annoying.
Surprisingly enough, this new LP is actually a really good record. No metal, no thrash, just straightforward punk rock with some good hooks and, for the most part, excellent lyrics. An unexpected comeback
With a name like that, you know it’s gonna be metalcore, and you’re right. Actually, it’s not that metally, but Satan-y vocals have gotta go. Lyrics—hmmm—I don’t want to know. Pass.
The debut tape by the most obnoxious band in the Bay Area contains covers of “Stayin’ Alive” and “Old McDonald Had A Farm” and annoying originals. Actually, these bozos are amusing, criticizing everything in sight.
Strange record. Side One consists of two songs, both punk-ish with good drive and aggression, while maintaining a quirky aspect. On the flip, the quirkiness comes to the fore, and musically they transform into an experimental-ish post-punk band, much lighter and eclectic.
Dubbed as the “Best of…” album. Side A features nine previously released songs from demos and early vinyl. Side B has nine songs too, three of which are fair covers, all of which were recorded live. The quality is pretty good and does a fair job of capturing the fel of this band. Overall, if you have never heard this band’s heavy punk sound or if you’re diehard fan, then this is of interest.
Some varied punk noise here with a fuzzed-out guitar tone and harmonic female vocals. Gets a bit too folksy at points, but some tunes really jam.
Basic and raw, degenerating into noise jazz at times, this will appeal to those who like the NY noise bands of today (SWANS, SONIC YOUTH, etc.) and the NY noise band of the past, VELVET UNDERGROUND. Cool and bizarre cover of PRETTY THINGS’ “I Can Never Say.” Contains members of SHOCKABILLY, HALF JAPANESE, and VELVET MONKEYS.
Pretty standard punk and thrash without too much personality, save their catchy sing-along bits. Lyrically, I don’t know, but “Zombie Mosh” is pretty funny.
This first Mexican punk record is a four-song job. Stop-and-go mid-tempo, it’s amazing that anyone could get an indie record out there considering the shambles their economy’s in.
Sixties power pop, one decent rocker and the other a ballad à la PRETTY THINGS. Not urgent.
Less than half the tracks here have enough oomph to make their long and drawn-out format hold my attention. But those that do have punch are good ones, delivering melodic but powerful hardcore à la late MINOR THREAT. No lyric sheet, a trademark of this increasingly impersonal label.
Pretty tuneless stuff here, garage punk and thrash with lots of screaming. Sixty tunes in sixty minutes, what fun!
Quick HC with a metal-y guitar sound, but what rules here are the well-thought-out lyrics, attacking ignorance, sexism, racism, religious fanaticism, greed, governments, and more. Comes with a booklet—good stuff!
Enjoyable punk and thrash from this West German outfit. Good lyrics, powerful, clear sound quality make this tape a hot one.
No, this is not the U.S. band of fame, but a pop punk neo-’60s band. At times they sound like LOVE, especially the Arthur Lee-type vocal inflection, though the music is a bit more modern. I knew that France was isolated musically, but this is a bit much!
What, a second EP already? This noise-fest of a record is playable at either 33 or 45, and either speed sounds plausible. So take your pick, slow grunge with growly Satanic vocals or speed noise with falsetto.
Out of New Zealand, this European release contains tracks from two of their EPs. Three of the four tunes are pretty pop punk (with the emphasis on pop), and one’s a cooker with raw guitars, sorta like the DOUGHBOYS.
Three tunes here: Side A is a long, slow punk tune which gets a tad tedious, while the two numbers on the flip are upbeat and melodic with jangly guitars. Good.
Metal up the gazoo! Makes me cry to see one of Europe’s (Finland, to be exact) oldest and formerly best bands end up this way.
Just in case you don’t have enough GG ALLIN records, this release will solve your problems. OK, this package contains no songs playable on the radio, ten songs with “fuck” in the title, three with “cock,” five with “piss” or “shit,” etc. Live and studio, usually good sound quality.
Mostly mid-tempo punk with monotone-sung vocals which don’t fit with the music. Not bad, but nothing special.
This Swedish band sounds more like an Italian hardcore band, meaning it’s a bit spastic and eccentric with lots of changes and frantic outbursts. Actually, it’s sort of like MDC in its bassy, herky-jerky sound. Good lyrics.
Distinctive female vocals (that sound like an angry twelve-year-old kid) are the highlight here. The music is good too, featuring medium-paced raw guitar punk. Sounds tough.
A duo (guitarist and drummer, as well as both singing) dish out pop punk that sounds like it might be the German equivalent of the TOY DOLLS. Catchy, poppin’ tunes.
A potpourri of musical styles (acoustic, metal, experimental, etc.), all with silly/dumb lyrics. Slightly amusing, but not a bucket of laughs.
Weird production and vocal effects add a mysterious feel to this otherwise straightforward hardcore release. If they hadn’t added the distortion, it’d be pretty generic.
So-so speedmetal without too much personality or distinction. One long, slow number is memorable, but the rest is passable.
This, their third EP, presented heavy-hitting hardcore at various speeds. Seven tunes, no lightweights, all world quality playing and punch.
Basic hardcore sounds here done with the intensity and energy of the early DC acts. Good social, political, and personal words, fun sing-alongs, and loads of spark! Good.
Mykel Board’s latest scam, a supposed South African surf band who do twisted covers of “Livin’ in the USA” and “California Girls.”
KTMK return after a few years’ vinyl absence, and though their famous short insane songs have disappeared in the interim, what remains sounds OK. Songs are in the medium-speed range, focusing on the beat and power. Good guitar, not too much of the post-punk pretentiousness, and hot production.
A potpourri of sounds here: from early DISCHARGE to SUBHUMANS-y punk to speedmetal, all with political lyrics. Pretty enjoyable, overall.
At least on their second LP, this funny punk band combines pop punk with that curious mixture of country music and German drinking tunes, a blend that goes down pretty easy. Lots of tunes sound familiar, meaning they’re good at ripping off tunes and rearranging them, twisting them for their own weird reasons.
Punk with a psychobilly flavor, this album is well-done and has a crazed quality to it. Not over-the-edge, but there’s spark, fun, and power to it.
David says this is what can happen if you go too long between records. All I know is they’ve made the most radical change of direction since BAD RELIGION hurled themselves into the unknown and barely made it back alive. So, from a hardcore band they’ve become a WALL OF VOODOO synth/mood band. Only on one track do they use drums and guitar. Hope they get back alive, too.
“Eleven Parts” is an instrumental which mixes metal, punk, post-punk etc. with discordant guitar noises. The two cuts on Side B sound like a cross between BLACK FLAG and a modern speed-core act. Not bad.
Disjointed metallic HC which sounds BLACK FLAG-influenced. Four tunes, all powerful and twisted. Good stuff.
Straight ahead mid-tempo garage punk with strong social and political commentary. A stab at melodic structures and decent playing makes these guys a step above the ordinary. Hand-screened covers and self-production. Yeah!
