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BASTA have captured a rich, bassy instrumental sound on this debut EP, which features some solid mid-tempo Oi anthems. Of the compositions here, “Nessum pudore” and the tasty “Caos” exploit the raw guitar assault and gravelly Italian vocals to good result. Recommended.
Buzzsaw guitar echoes throughout this Swedish ensemble’s second EP. Tight rhythms of punky-paced aggression, not thrash, to move and sing with. Fast, with youthful energy and a spunky sound, like an exhilarating tune you’ve heard before but can’t place. Seven songs of marvelling headlong titillation.
This compilation of anarchist and “human rights” punk bands from the UK is a strong, varied, and provocative selection, one that should be of major interest to hardcore aficionados. It’s somewhat uneven, as are most samplers, but the brilliant track by CONFLICT stands out, and is almost matched by those of some surprising new groups.
A new collection of UK bands performing a variety of styles, including basic Britpunk (RIOT SQUAD, CHRISTIANITY BC, the X-CRETAS, DEAD MAN’S SHADOW, the CLOCKWORK SOLDIERS, and EXTERNAL MENACE), Oi (BREAKOUT), “classical” punk (RESISTANCE 77), and tense experimental punk (PARANOIA). RIOT SQUAD, the CLOCKWORK SOLDIERS, and the X-CRETAS each do one thrashed-out number, and RESISTANCE 77 have the most retarded lyrics. Although Wet Dreams represents a positive effort to give new bands more exposure, it doesn’t always satisfy from a musical standpoint.
The A-side contains bands that all, more or less, owe their chops to the NEW YORK DOLLS/HEARTBREAKERS school of rock ’n’ roll (except the BARRACUDAS). There are groups like the BAD DETECTIVES (a DOLLS song) and the BABYSITTERS (HEARTBREAKERS?), and songs like GENOCIDE’s “Private Hell,” which can be compared to the DOLLS’ “Private World.” The B-side slips into more mundane rock, and isn’t at all memorable save for the reemergence of former SWELL MAP NIKKI SUDDEN.
The fifth in the series of “Oi” compilations. Like the others, it contains a mixture of punk bands (COCK SPARRER, the ANGELIC UPSTARTS, PROLE, PARANOID PICTURES, and the NEWTOWN NEUROTICS), Oi groups (the BUSINESS, CLOCKWORK DESTRUCTION, the 4-SKINS, MANIAC YOUTH, and the VICIOUS RUMOURS), ranting political poets (PHIL SEXTON, TERRY MCCANN, MICK TURPIN, and the great GARRY JOHNSON, not to mention a cameo by ATTILA), funnypunk outfits (the GONADS, the ALASKA COWBOYS, the “L.O.L.S. Choir”), and assorted oddities. A lot of the music is appealing, so give this a listen.
Another fine compilation contains fourteen bands of varying degrees of competency doing 22 songs of varying degrees of sound quality. You’ll find FLUX, POLITICAL ASYLUM, the BLOOD ROBOTS, LEGION OF PARASITES, IMPACT, and the ABDUCTORS, among others, most of which are mid-tempo punk bands. The best track is “The Race Is On” by CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
Another fine compilation with both English and American bands represented. POISON IDEA really rips out some incredible stuff, as do LEGION OF PARASITES, the most intense UK thrashers yet. Other tracks are by the INFECTED, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, the WARDS, XOSET UK, the OBSCENE FEMALES, and STAGNANT ERA.
Two choice new jams from the VIBES. “Flying Home” is a haunting cut with sharp drum rolls, bittersweet vocals, and quasi-psychedelic guitars; the B-side is one of their irresistible rocking blasts with brilliant guitar riffing. Too cool to contemplate.
This guy’s material sounds sort of like the FALL. Most of the tape consists of literate ranting poetry, but three of the tracks also have tough instrumentation and funky rhythms. Interesting listening that’s probably best appreciated by native Brits.
The A-side is totally great, full of that powerful, cleanly produced, uplifting, and distinctive SUBHUMANS sound. The B-side revolves around the theme of the album’s title, and runs through many musical styles from lyrical point to lyrical point. As with most such ambitious ideas, some of it works and some doesn’t, but the higher moments remind me of nothing so much as ATV or CRASS. I can’t wait to see them live!
The new ONE WAY SYSTEM has excursions into three different but related musical sub-genres—”Children of the Night” is an undistinguished slow- to mid-tempo punker rooted in a heavy metal chord progression; “Down” is a faster, catchier ditty in the old ONE WAY SYSTEM tradition; and “Shine Again” is a grinding post-punk cut with a heavy guitar. Diverse but unexceptional.
Whoever these guys are—and they are reputed to be members of the DAMNED in disguise—they’ve captured the 1966 punk feel amazingly well, right down to the classic psychedelic “soundtrack” album concept. The numerous covers here are true to the originals (by groups like the ELECTRIC PRUNES, the HUMAN BEINZ, PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS, the LITTER, and the SEEDS), but generally not quite as good. It might prod you to pick up the real things, though.
Beki Bondage, formerly of VICE SQUAD, has a decent outing with this new EP. “Crime and Passion” is a confounding yet effective mixture of pop, metal, and ’77-style punk, but still nowhere as good as early (or even recent) VICE SQUAD. The two songs on the flip unfortunately swerve toward genericness with that same combination of influences. Merely adequate.
A very likable new release from Scotland’s LAST RITES. The guitars are primitive, the production is raw, the lyrics are spot-on, and there are some irresistible sing-along segments on the A-side. “No Right to Take” is particularly seductive.
VERBAL ABUSE specializes in creating tight, powerful thrash and metal-punk. The band is originally from Texas, and has the same intense, ultra-frenetic approach as M.D.C. and D.R.I. What distinguished them from those groups is the presence of ex-SICK PLEASURE vocalist Nicki Sicki, who expresses hostility and nihilism rather than political concerns in his lyrics. A hot-sounding release with a hilarious “mystery” track on side 1.
Dave Edmunds got his hands on these guys and upped the ante plenty. From the rough weirdness of their debut EP, they’ve gravitated to a smooth big-time wall of sound. That’s both bad and good. The weirdness has been sacrificed, but their current variety of modern R&B/rockabilly is very powerful.
Both sides contain metallic-edged rhythmic punches Á la BIRTHDAY PARTY. The vocals evoke that band too, but it really doesn’t diminish the value and strength of these songs, as there are other influences here (the CRAMPS?) that make for fine listening.
While the ICONS aren’t as consistently dynamic as some of their peers, their debut album shows that, at their peak, they can thrash with the best of them. Incisive lyrics, mostly emphasizing the need for individual responsibility and autonomy, work particularly well on steamrollers like “Power for Power” and “Sod the Children,” and the cover art is equally impressive. Intelligent and politically astute, if a trifle inconsistent musically.
At first, this new long-player from FALLOUT all seemed to have that familiar anarcho-Britpunk style, but after more listenings, the variations and intensity come through. They have a PiL sound on “Know Your Enemy” and “Apartheid,” an IGGY POP riff on “Trojan Horse,” and lots of early CRASS garage influence. Well thought-out and executed.
On this bizarre and surprising double album, FLUX alternates between strangely mixed, highly inflammatory hardcore attacks and bursts of industrial noise. Most of the material here is rather unpleasant listening, though the vitriolic lyrics and some of the studio effects are remarkably compelling. I’m not sure whether I like it or not, but it’s certainly challenging.
This CULT MANIAX 45 is hard to get ahold of, and it reflects the musical transition they underwent between their fantastic “Blitz” 7″ and their album. “American Dream” is a mid-tempo punker with their usual high-pitched singing and some post-punky frills; the overly long flip is more measured and psychedelicized.
On the charitable side, one could call this “adventurous industrial experimentation.” On the not-so-charitable side, it might be termed “eclectic self-indulgent crap,” similar to the terminal stages of ’70s “progressive” rock. Take your pick.
Only one thing differentiates the Accursed from their many Britpunk contemporaries—they lack the well-produced sound that characterizes so many releases from England. Instead, they have a dense, raunchy guitar roar that adds oomph to fairly predictable material. “Going Down” is decent.
An OK compilation of Phoenix rock and hardcore bands that features one side of studio and another of live tracks. MIGHTY SPHINCTER has a twisted psycho-punk style that I found quite interesting, but several of the songs by CONFLICT and SOILENT GREENE (especially the latter’s “Pledge”) provide most of the energy and excitement. An uneven, interesting release.
Volumes 4 and 5 are essential to any garage punk fanatic, as they give a good representation of regional scenes in the ’60s. #4 deals with Chicago and brings together a nice blend of pop/folk rock/R&B punk groups. Especially cool are the LITTLE BOY BLUES’ “The Great Train Robbery,” the REASONS WHY’s “All I Really Need Is Love,” BUZZSAW’s “Live in the Springtime,” and GROUP INC.’s “Like a Woman.” Volume 5 concerns itself with Michigan, and again the results are wild. Particularly hot are the BOSSMEN’s “I’m Ready,” the UNDERDOGS’ “Surprise, Surprise,” the LEGENDS’ “I’ll Come Again,” and, most of all, a super-rare radio ad by the RATIONALS. Volumes 6 and 7 just came out, with #6 dealing again with Michigan, and #7 covering the Pacific Northwest.
This particular valley is the Silicon, home of GRIM REALITY, RIBZY, the FACTION, and MISTAKEN IDENTITY. All four bands contribute a pair of songs each, none of which are losers, and some of which are great (especially RIBZY’s). The FACTION deserves a lot of credit for putting out this EP, and the cover is great.
You’re probably already familiar with most of the sixteen bands collected here (including the OUTPATIENTS, N.O.T.A., NO LABELS, C.I.A., IMPACT UNIT, C.O.C., SEPTIC DEATH, R.O.T.A., and STALAG 13, among others. Each of them has donated two to four tracks which together add up to one fine tape.
First advertised here about a year ago, this Texas hardcore compilation has taken a long time to see the light of day. Was it worth it? Fuck yes—with tracks from REALLY RED, the OFFENDERS, D.R.I., MY DOLLS, the BIG BOYS, MARCHING PLAGUE, the BUTTHOLE SURFERS, BANG GANG, the DICKS, STICKMEN WITH RAYGUNS, the HUGH BEAUMONT EXPERIENCE, and others, it’s got lots of power and variety.
The best punkadelic albums I’ve heard in years. YO, a Bay Area band with some ex-members of B-TEAM, mix an abrasive punked-out guitar attack, meaningful TIM BUCKLEY-style vocals, innovative musical structures, obtuse lyrics, strong melodies, and occasional flashes of brilliant psychedelic guitar work to produce a cult masterpiece. Play this record next to those of the over-hyped neo-psych groups from LA, and watch them fade away along with the pink elephants you saw before the acid wore off.
The second EP from New Jersey’s WORST follows in the footsteps of their nifty debut. They still combine catchy, heartfelt vocal parts with a loud and fast instrumental backing that’s alternately straightforward and interrupted by unpredictable structural changes. Some of the compositions work better than others, but this release is well worth the price.
The newest entry into the nutmeg state’s hardcore sweepstakes presents a basic thrash attack with several metal-influenced solos and that by-now-traditional stop/start structure. Nothing here will surprise the listener, and both the drums and vocals occasionally sound out-of-sync, but a lot of these cuts are hotter than hell, especially those on the B-side.
This album is a little on the frustrating side. The VELVET MONKEYS seem to shift effortlessly from the sublime to the awful—classy ’60s-influenced psychedelic pop tunes (like “Everything Is Right,” the VELVET MONKEYS “theme” song, and “Any Day Now”) stand side by side with self-indulgent trifles (like “You’re Not There” and “Bad/Dirty Blood”). Their sound revolves primarily around a cool quasi-psych guitar and an ethereal organ, but it may not appeal to everyone.
The revamped line-up of T.S.O.L. makes its debut on this highly-produced album. I was prepared to dislike this after seeing the rock-star atmosphere they projected live, but there’s a lot on here that’s likable. On about half of the songs, they pack a good punch and the new singer’s annoying Jim Morrison delivery is minimized, but others are less worthwhile. Although it’s better than expected, give me their first 12″ any day.
A harsh debut from Wisconsin’s TAR BABIES. They offer mutated thrash (like “Be Humble” and “New Poor”), slower metallic growls (“Punch”), and disjointed experimental punk (“Triplets”), all with DIE KREUZENish singing and a super-distorted guitar. Intense and occasionally annoying.
Like MARGINAL MAN, SECOND WIND start with the basic D.C. thrash-oriented attack and play a lot of tricks with it. In this case, that means slowing down the tempo, and adding clever bridges, an occasional tasty guitar part, and particularly fine drumming. Although the singer has definite Ian MacKaye inflections, this is a distinctive release.
RUIN present a strange, unclassifiable amalgam of psychedelia, acoustic doodling, heavy metal, punk, and thrash, usually all within the same song! The lyrics are alternately oblique, humanistic, or cosmic. These guys are clearly experimenting and searching for a unique approach, which is admirable, but I don’t always find it enjoyable, mainly because of the frequent predominance of ponderous metal elements. I really like “Dionysian” and “Where Fortune,” though, as well as the chorus in “Rule Worshipper.”
Some very hotly-produced and performed ultra-intense thrash, sort of like a combination of D.R.I. and the MEAT PUPPETS. Great.
This varied effort from L.A.’s RED SCARE is reminiscent of U.X.A.’s early style, but with a considerably more metallic approach that I found somewhat annoying. Nevertheless, “Last Request” and the chilling, mid-tempo title track qualify as standouts here, in spite of the fact that many of the other songs don’t seem remarkably catchy. Fair.
REBELS AND INFIDELS provide some sharp, almost nihilistic satire to complement their mixed-tempo compositions, but it’s the thrashers that really stand out here. The pile-driving “Last Rites” and “American Citizen” (as well as their theme song) offer both excitement and food for thought, and the off-beat production emphasizes this band’s raw, “live” qualities. Solid and creditable.
Buzzsaw guitars and garage punk are combined with some Midwestern alienation in this Cornhusker combo. The songs herk and jerk all over the place, as do the inner-directed lyrics.
P. DISTURBANCE’s second release has a primitive sound and a weird trebly mix that emphasizes the vocals. At first, the songs seem sort of cluttered and disjointed, but after a couple of listens, they begin to coagulate in your cranium (except for the spastic “Do the Guilty”). The title track is the hottest from a musical standpoint.
The new PLASTICLAND 45 contains more of their vintage psychedelic noises. Fortunately, they have the heavier fuzzed-out ’67-’68 sound rather than the syrupy unstructured approach that took hold in late ’69 and early ’70s. Both songs are textured and loud.
A surf-folk-rockabilly-new wave-punk mixture that mostly comes off well. It’s not exactly my cup of tea, but it is lively and energetic.
Despite some rather questionable lyric overtones, there’s no question that this 9-track EP by the NIP DRIVERS presents extremely catchy, high-velocity bursts of punk rock. “Dog and a Cow” and their theme song are especially strong thrash-style tunes, so if you like accessible hardcore with dumb/funny lyrics, you’ll find this release delightful.
Most of the material here is in a slow-to-medium-tempo post-punk vein, with the accent on eerie vocal and guitar tones. It’s a bit too polished for my taste, except for the occasional faster tracks that remind me of early PERE UBU.
Another winner from NAKED RAYGUN. The three compositions on this EP mine poppier song structures, but don’t sacrifice a whit of abrasiveness when the situation calls for it. “Surf Combat”, with its inventive changes of pace, rates as the most notable song here, but the aggressive energy of “Gear” is also quite appealing. A highly original release.
It’s been a long time since this Houston outfit has released anything, and they’ve come a long way in the interval, as this is undoubtedly their best material to date. Side one is hard, and side two is soft, but both contain haunting post-punk. Although MYDOLLS aren’t outspoken feminists, they have a scathing demeanor—musically, vocally, and lyrically. “Christmas Day” is a great track, and “Please No, Mary” is poetically grand.
Although dodgy sound quality mars some of the tracks on the MINUTEMEN’s latest opus, this retrospective album offers a variety of unreleased studio and live compositions (including gems like “I Shook Hands” and “Base King”). Not all of the songs here exploit this band’s unique punk-funk stylings, but their fans will find interesting moments among these twenty-seven tracks.
