V/A Notes From the Underground cassette
A sampler in the true sense of the word, with 19 NJ/NY outfits playing everything from psych to speedcore to melodic pop to 77-ish punk to comedy skits! For the diverse.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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A sampler in the true sense of the word, with 19 NJ/NY outfits playing everything from psych to speedcore to melodic pop to 77-ish punk to comedy skits! For the diverse.
An international comp featuring BLUT+EISEN, ANGRY SAMOANS, SUBHUMANS, KTMK, COC, FANG, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVY, and lots more. Hot tracks from the DEPRAVED, NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES, FALLOUT. Many tracks previously released, but now largely unavailable.
A regional comp featuring S.O.B., BRUTUS, OUTO, DITHER, RIOT, and DORORO. Mainly hardcore, with some pop-thrash and a bit of slower music. S.O.B., OUTO and RIOT are my faves.
A four-band project. LES GNOMES have a hard-hitting but quirky thrash/punk sound that’s distinctive without getting pretentious. DAMES are an all-femme band that have an English pop-punk sound with a slight post-punk flair. BARON ROUGE has a ’79 English arty punk sound that still has power. ZOI are a mid-temp band that occasionally lurch into thrash, all with SIOUXSIE-like vocals. Good variety on all tracks.
This 90-minute sampler of HC and noise punk from Wisconsin contains no less than 30 songs from the likes of CHARMING DEVIANTS, IDK, 10-96, U.S. DISTRESS, and JOHN ADRIAN. Lyric booklet included.
While this label put out the great Surfin’ in the Midwest compilation, this sampler suffers from a little too much of the “folk rock” sound and not enough of the great 60s garage fuzz. Still, some respectable tracks from UNCLE AND THE ANTEATERS and DAYBREAKERS.
Current garage sleaze from both the U.S. and Europe featuring LES THUGS, CANNIBALS, LEGENDARY GOLDEN VAMPIRES, SICK ROSE and much more. One of the best neo-60s series going.
A good follow-up to their 7″ featuring the same quirky yet melodic thrashers, funky moments, some good material, and lots of the ol’ saxophone. Their slower moments get dull and gothic sounding, but the fast ones are really fun.
The metal-punk on this release crosses the Offensive Barrier, at least for me. Basic speedcore riffs, crunching lead breaks, and sub-par songwriting combine to make for four songs distinguished only by their relative speed and energy.
Metalcore with songs like “Motor Maiden,” “I Hate the Bitch,” and “Kill em All,” etc. Draw your own conclusion.
One of the greatest of all UK bands is given another long-shot chance to become the next BEATLES on this 12″, which contains disciplined but enjoyable versions of four of their terrific songs. UNDERTONES fans (and I know there are lots of them) should snap this one up, and fast.
Garage-y punk and thrash from these USELESS PIECES OF SHIT. Lots of songs, grungy production, stupid punk at its best, or is that worst?
This is actually the domestic pressing of their latest EP. The import, reviewed in a previous issue, contained some tracks from the American release “Kill by Remote Control,” so they’ve replaced those tracks with the import 7″ “God Bless America.” If you don’t have the import EP or 7″, snap this up.
This has all the components of a great Aussie garage record. There’s a great underlying melody that never gets in the way, some tough guitar slashing, and everything moves along at a pace reminiscent of the FLAMIN’ GROOVIES and SCIENTISTS.
Mostly melodic punk and thrash with intricate guitar work here, save their MOTORHEAD cover. Neat lyrics book with intelligent lyrics. Swell job.
Pretty pedestrian thrash with a considerable amount of gusto. Lyrically, these guys possess a heavy anti-drug and alcohol slant. Pretty good.
I’ve always dismissed this band as a wimpy neo-’60s band, but not after listening to this. Anyone could be impressed with the hard-edged guitar sounds while maintaining a melodic pop charm. Sounds like a long-lost LP from the era that brought us the YARDBIRDS, ZOMBIES, and THEM.
A hot live set from the SUBHUMANS’ last show, with mucho songs including a great live version of “From the Cradle to the Grave.” Opening act STEVE L. plays melodic acoustic punk with smart lyrics. An excellent tape.
This release contains engaging change of pace thrash with solid performance and production, along with some very strange lyrics. Meets all the requirements for slamming along with it in your own bedroom. Nine songs, very good.
Resurrected from the depths of the early San Diego scene, these guys belt out 11 classic raw punk tunes plus three great covers. The demo side is clean with good production, but the live side gets berserk! Look out for vinyl soon.
If you feel the HÜSKERs have gone too far overboard into pop lately, then try this baby out. Same melodic din, but delivered with crunch. Poetic lyrics that don’t do much for me, though.
Powerhouse thrash with some cool melodic breaks. Only four songs, but a neat tape.
Another one of those strange post-punk releases that instantly reminds you of a thousand bands. Their taut, murky music and oblique lyrics reminded me of the MINUTEMEN, PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, even the BLOODY MANNEQUIN ORCHESTRA.
SOB clearly take their nod from fellow Japanese thrashers the SWANKYS and CONFUSE; nine fast blasts here, exploiting an enormously energetic, basic HC style with loads of emotion and power. A total winner!
This band does a dark, rolling sound and also has a lot of instrumental finesse. Some of the guitar…uh..”hoodling” sounds a lot like GONE and the vocalist has a touch of NICK CAVE without being obnoxious about it.
Mostly mid-tempo, driving punk with occasional ventures into SEPTIC DEATH-ish thrash. Lyrics have a desperate personal edge to them. Cool.
In their latest effort, SEKAANNUS employs a mid-tempo HC approach that’s listenable, but fails to pick up enough energy or noise to make a definite impression. Three songs, all in a repetitious, riffy style.
Punk rock with a great obnoxious “punk rock” attitude. Lyrics range from rebellious to ridiculous. About 45 minutes worth of great tunes plus a funny interview. Too great for words.
The A-side from this veteran DC band at its best has strong MC5 influences: with the structure, leads, vocals, and riffs, it has a bit of a 70s rock feel, but it’s catchy and powerful. The flip is a folk/acoustic song that lacks power but has good lyric impact.
I don’t think fans of Southwest bizarro noise will be disappointed here. Six songs that loudly snake their way across your turntable, with a modern acid sickness in their trail. I guess this is art.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS are a new NC band who play punk and thrash with metallic tinges. Eleven songs, clean production, personal lyrics. Good job.
Superfast hyperthrash with fierce roaring vocals. Nothing too original, just 15 minutes of total insanity.
HENRY ROLLINS’ (ex-SOA/BLACK FLAG) first solo vinyl effort is not so solo. Backed on cuts by a hard-driving band (including ex-SOA/FAITH/EMBRACE member Mike Hampton), the musical tracks sound much better to my ear than anything the Four Towels did in recent years. Despite the cleanness of the production, there’s real structure and bite here, and Hank sounds in great form. Biggest surprise — no spoken word.
Mostly ferocious noisy thrash but a little more metal than their flexi released last year. Good lyrics, and contains both live and studio material.
Some recent recordings by Finland’s RATTUS, showcasing a powerful hardcore sound with metallic guitar work and thoughtful lyrics. Contains live and studio material. Good job.
“Noise” is the operative word for PUSSY GALORE — and happily, noise is used in very inventively on most of the tracks here. The two songs on the A-side sound remarkably like riffy 60s garage punk put through the old blender, while the thrashy “Get Out” easily out-trebles the JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Unusual, and good.
Here’s a Scottish act who makes a variety of noises, all with intelligent words about war, pacifism, etc. Enjoyable stuff.
This four song effort presents mid- to fast-tempo punk/HC with some lead breaks that tax one’s attention, and frankly less in the way of memorable compositions than I’d hoped for. Good energy, but unmemorable.
Rockin’ garage-y pop punk with a fair amount of variation. Hilarious personal lyrics, too. Fun stuff here.
This French band manages a mid-tempo punk style competently, yet without the passion of some of their countrymen (i.e., KIDNAP). “Ilot Amsterdam” is the clear standout due to its energy and melodic crunch; much of the other material just stands there.
Basically, this sounds like the STOOGES trying to do a cover of a JESUS AND MARY CHAIN song they just can’t get a handle on, so they make up for it by laying out a full-out aggressive noisefest ending. Truly inspiring.
A new release from the new version of the NIKOTEENS. Mostly energetic HC with slight metal influences. Good job.
Fun, garage-y, varied punk with good, common sense lyrics. Good stuff, but “Terminal Dudes” and “Gay Rape Squad” stand out as prime cuts.
While the sound is fairly decent (a bit thin on bass), the music is a mixed bag. Some tracks rage, while others are a bit languid. Lots of medium-to-fast punk, with a few ballads. Not overwhelming.
The A-side is a decent driving post-punk tune with a YARDBIRDS’ “For Your Love” vocal harmony. The flip is an early 70’s type ballad — yecchh!
The thoroughly glammed-out band photos on the pic sleeve was fair warning on this one. Three songs in a metal-punkish vein, interrupted by dreary Japanese lead breaks and lame sung vocals– and close to zilch in the way of cool songs. Too bad.
An interesting mixture of punk, hard rock, and reggae. MCRAD definitely has their act together, but the wanking leads go a bit overboard. Pretty good.
A-side is pretty icky pop, but the flip has a lot more zip and a slight edge and okay guitar sound. Decent power pop.
Heavy on the sludge from this now-defunct Australian garage band. You get a lot of nasty, crusty guitar riffs that pound insistently over and over in your head with just a touch of psychedelic melodies to mix things up.
On a major now, and the music is way pop. Decent rock’n’roll a la RAMONES, but not as pounding or catchy. Kinda disappointing.
