12" Reviews

Bad American - Pretty/Ugly 12" (Bad Recordings) (12,50 euro)
This Philly hardcore band released a good Ep a year or two ago and has been working on this 12” Ep since. It took a while before ‘Pretty/Ugly’ actually saw the light of day, but here it finally is. The band developed a slower and heavier approach to their song writing which makes for an  interesting difference with their previous material. While Bad American was mainly playing fast on their debut Ep, this eight song 12” contains several mid-paced stompers as well and it’s during these tracks that the band really gets to shine in my opinion. What made me like Bad American before remains intact on ‘Pretty/Ugly’; their anger. This band sounds PISSED! This can mainly be attributed to singer Ray’s vocals which are harsh and raspy. He has the kind of vocal style that makes one wonder if the guy can talk at all after doing a live set. Heavy bass riffs and drumming form the solid foundation for the music on this record. During the slower tracks guitar player Cobra moves away from the riffing and adds an extra layer of guitar cries, which gives these songs a dirgey vibe I quite enjoy. The record kicks off with ‘Dirty Waters’, which might be the best song on this 12”. It’s a heavy track with great mean lyrics, but somehow it doesn’t work too well as a record opener. Perhaps it would have been better to start off with a fast one that immediately grabbed the listener by the balls instead? At times Bad American gets so tough the band almost brushes shoulders with some noise rock. ‘Pre-Load’ is a good example of this. It’s the singer screaming his lungs out over a slow three chord riff covered in guitar wailing. Apparently the inspiration for this  ‘song’  came from Ray’s workplace. It doesn’t sound like he’s having too much fun there. In the end Bad American is a hardcore band though. Let there be no doubt about that. The collage artwork of the sleeve, which is a nod to the Freeze’s ‘Land of the Lost’, should be considered a sign of their  love for classic hardcore even though Bad American isn’t the least bit reminiscent of those Boston vets. All in all  ‘Pretty/Ugly’ is a brutal hardcore record done by guys who should have known better than to start this kinda band, but did it anyway. You got to love them for that.

Bill Bondsmen - ...--. .-.-.- ... .-.-.- / -.-----..- .----. .-. . / ..-. ..- -.-. -.- .-.. 12" (Burning Sensations) (8 euro)

The story about this release is an obscure one. Some Dutch punk released two 12"s by Bill Bondsmen (of which this is the better) but somehow they ended up in his attic and most never got sold. To my knowledge the kid in question is still alive so why he never parted with these 12"s is a mystery to me. Perhaps they were of too much emotional value, perhaps he was told not to sell copies by voices in his head (it really was the band telling him not to (eds.)). Either way this 12" is some of the Bondsmen's best material and it's a shame that this release hasn't been available to the masses before. I don't feel like going into detail about this band's sound. They play intense hardcore. That's for sure. I've said it before, but I think Gaby's vocals are some of the best to be found in hardcore today. Most consider the "Swallowed by the World" Lp Bill Bondsmen's strongest release, but those who do obviously haven't heard this record. It's meaner, rawer and harsher. It has the sound the band had before the Lp came out and the songwriting qualities that the band got recognition for on their full length and succeeding single. This should be the Bondsmen record for those of you with a short attention span, because it delivers seven perfect hardcore tunes. Long live the 12" Ep! This might be the best Bondsmen record around. The artwork looks stupid, but rad.

P.s. Sailors, fill me in on what that morse code stands for. I wonder.

Brainbombs - Genius and Brutality Lp (Skrammel) (12,50 euro)
It feels redundant to write anything about the Brainbombs, because this band has been the topic of wide debate ever since their birth so you probably already know if you want to hear this record or not. During their existence Brainbombs got a lot of attention of which most wasn’t positive. This Swedish band started in the late 1980s and barely ever played live. They only released a few much sought after 7”s at first and after that a few full lengths followed. Braimbombs’ music often gets qualified as proto rock or proto punk. The band’s formula is simple. Pick a slow and heavy riff and play it for minutes straight. The music is slow and sludgy and it is all about the riffs. What the band got known for however is their lyrics. Inspired by Peter Sotos’ Pure zine the Brainbombs mostly covered topics such as rape and murder and they always showed a healthy interest (or is it awe…) for serial killers. Brainbombs’ lyrics are disgusting in one word and I can understand that they turn people off. It’s interesting how words can be so powerful. I always had mixed feelings about this band. On the one hand I feel like the lyrics are despicable and tasteless, but that is obviously intended. On the other hand I think the lyrics make this band work. Without them this music loses its grit which is shown by new material from No Balls, the band some of Brainbombs’ members created after the Brainbombs’ recent demise which is mostly instrumental. Brainbombs are a love or hate kinda band and I think they’re definitely aiming to fall in everybody’s hate category. It’s undeniable that this band left a mark and some of their songs are great. Skrammel Records from Sweden just rereleased most of the Brainbombs’ back catalogue so all their records are once again available for the masses. This was the band’s second full length originally released in 1994. ‘Who can You Trust’ of this record is among my favourite Brainbombs’ tunes. I like it most when the band includes their trumpet player, which unfortunately is only the case in a handful of songs on this Lp.

Brown Sugar - ... Sings of Birds and Racism Lp (Feeble Minds, Feral Kid) (12,50 euro)

After several 7" and tape releases Brown Sugar released their first 12" and it's a mighty fine record in my opinion. ‘Brown Sugar Sings about Birds and Racism’ delivers nine songs. What makes Brown Sugar unique is how flawlessly they incorporate so many ideas and styles into one coherent sound. The band definitely changed over the years. Perhaps I should say 'grew', but that sounds so pretentious… There is more tempo changing on this record compared to the band’s early days. Back then it was basically all fast. These days Brown Sugar takes the time to write slower parts in which the band extends their songs by adding jammy parts with guitar solos that border on the psychedelic. One moment you’re listening to a  classic guitar solo and the next you’re back to a fast three chord riff again. Fuck, they even make a saxophone solo sound punk as fuck. There’s so much happening at the same time on this Lp and yet there’s not a moment you could argue that it isn’t a hardcore record you’re listening to. It’s hard to pick favourite songs, because they’re all good and make for a coherent full length. If I had to pick a few though I’d list the opening track ‘Funkland’, which should actually be called ‘Fuckland’ if you read into the lyrics a bit, 'Black and White Panther Party’, although I don't really understand its lyrics, and ‘I wanna be a Somali Pirate’, because of its funny lyrics. Those who’ve been paying attention to this band from the start might recognize the song ‘Blow’ from the ‘Deportation’ Ep, but the Lp version is way slower, funkier and zoned out. This makes the line ‘I don’t like this place no more’ the more believable. Returning topics in Eduardo’s lyrics are not understanding and not wanting to be part of the world around him, but he words these sentiments with a lot of wit, which is refreshing. What Brown Sugar did on this record is no small feat. How many bands haven’t left hardcore behind for ‘creative reasons’ only to turn into something absolutely atrocious? I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read ‘faux coinnoisseurs’ say that hardcore is a limited genre that can only be stretched to a certain point, a point reached long ago according to many. This record is like a thick load of phlegm straight into those people’s eyes. Who would have thought a hardcore band could be this diverse without losing any urgency, rawness or fun? Few, but Brown Sugar pulled it off. Excellent!

Burning Sensation - 12" (Vertex) (17 euro)*
This three piece hail from the land down under. They're from Perth which I've seen being labeled as the most depressing town in all of Oz on several occassions. Although I've never visited the city myself, listening to the twelve tunes on this 12'' sure gives the impression that Perth is the breeding ground for depression, frustration and resent. Burning Sensation play melodic hardcore that gets compared to early Hüsker Dü a lot and although I try to keep my comparisons to classic bands on as low a level as possible the influence here is undeniable. The guitar sound is agressive and scathing and all these songs have the urgency of the Hüskers' 'Landspeed Record', which a friend of mine once labeled as the musical equivalent of one long line of speed. Quite a few songs on this record are fast as hell. Others are a bit slower and incorporate more melody. The vocals sound desperate and the lyrics sure aren't optimistic either. Topics such as angst, sexual frustration (gotta love song titles like 'I fear Erections' and 'I Chopped it off') and depression are covered without mincing matters.  The odd song out here is 'I Wonder' which I guess one could call Burning Sensation's radio friendly hit. At first I hated the song, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't that goddamn tune that's stuck in my head after spinning this record each and every time. This record is bound to be labeled as 'retro', but who gives a shit? These guys deliver the goods! From what I understand this is Burning Sensation's first and last record. That's good news for you purists out there, because it means the band won't be selling out or be signing to a lousy label or whatever it is you people care about.

*PLEASE READ: I sold the first batch of this record pretty fast and got another parcel filled with these things all the way from Australia this time around. I got the first copies send to me through a friend of the band who traveled to the UK. That's why I could offer them for cheap before. I'm sorry about the high price, but it's impossible to sell it for less. Vertex is already losing money on the deal as it is now. Furthermore I'd like to inform interested parties on the fact that the records got some wear from shipment. The vinyl is in perfect condition, but the sleeves are somewhat slit.

Butcher Cover - Lp (Rotted Tooth)
This is the first full length by Butcher Cover who hail from Oakland, California. The band started out as a two piece and released a demo and 7” in that setting. These two guys made (and still make) for an interesting combination. The drummer has had much love for the Electric Eels whereas the guitar/player singer was mostly obsessed with Whitehouse. The drummer supposedly taught the other guy how to play the guitar during the recording of the demo. I don’t know how much of this is true, but it makes for a lovely story. My guess is that these two men bonded over a mutual love for hardcore music (and bad drugs perhaps) as well as a shared contempt for mankind. Butcher Cover seems to deliver classic hardcore covers on pretty much every record. This time around they do a Shitlickers song. The band recently added a bass player to their line up. The bass sounds as if it is being played over a blown up amp. Despite the addition of the four string Butcher Cover’s approach remains unchanged on this record. I’ve seen this band being described as ‘fucked up noise’ once and that’s pretty accurate. This music sure is ugly, inept and violent. The guitar sounds shrill and there’s a lot of feedback throughout the record. The drums are loud and blown out and the vocals are seething with hatred. The lyrics are mostly indecipherable, but my guess is that the guy isn’t saying anything nice. Like on the demo there are nasty samples in between the songs of which some are tasteless jokes. The song titles aren’t going to fall well with sensitive punks either. What can I say? Butcher Cover aren’t about being nice. They’re out to offend. So Butcher Cover won’t be your new facebook friend, but that doesn’t make this record any less perfect a soundtrack to your after work daydreams of killing your boss and coworkers.

  

Canadian Rifle - Visibility Zero Lp (Residue, Squirrel Heart)

Year Zero is Canadian Rifle's first full-length. This Chicago three-piece plays music that could be labeled as melodic punk rock. The overall production of this record is quite raw. Adding to that are the vocals of both singers. They’re pretty harsh. The lyrics tend to focus on the bleaker side of life. "All good things leave and all bad things stay and multiply." There's not much cheer to be found on this piece of wax, but the songs aren't whiny and are delivered with conviction. Unlike their previous 7"s this Lp doesn't offer any hits, but that doesn't mean the songs aren't good. They are, but consistent full length is just a whole different bag than a good 7". I think Canadian Rifle delivered a strong melodic punk rock record with Visibility Zero. So if melodic punk rock is your kinda thing I'd recommend you to pick this one up. This record won't kick your teeth in, but is a nice listen just as well.

Cola Freaks - Lp (Hjernespind) (14 euro)
After five 7" releases here it is; the first Cola Freaks full-length! The Cola Freaks have been carrying the torch of Danish punk rock ever since all the K-Town hardcore bands ceased to exist in the early 00's. Not that this band sounds anything like the bands that put Denmark on the punk map back then. The Cola Freaks are on the catchier side of things. At first these guys were labeled as a 'KBD style band', but over time they proved to be so much more than that. Through the years all kinds of influences came seeping into the Cola Freaks' sound. Post-punk, pop, goth, you name it. The addition of a synthesizer is a good illustration of their versatility. At times I wonder if one should still consider this band a punk band, because there's nothing inept about them. They are good musicians. Plus I've said it before, and I'll say it again; the Cola Freaks know how to write a tune. Goddamn! This Lp serves eleven songs and there aren't any misses among it. You might have noticed that I said little about the actual music on this piece of vinyl, but that's because this record is just about one thing; the SONGS! You need to hear those to know what this is about. So what the hell are you waiting for? The record has been out on CD for a while now, but it's finally available on vinyl as well and, let's face it, that's all you people care about. I'm sorry about the price, but the Danish Kroner isn't cheap. This record is definitely worth the money though.

Cola Freaks - Live on WMBR (Mastermind) (12,50 euro)
High quality live recording from this Danish super group played at Harvard University’s radio station WMBR in late 2008. There’s hardly any chatter in between songs. No stupid jokes. No Dj talking. It’s pretty much a tightly played live set of their early material. This session was recorded during their 2008 US tour during which they supported Jay Reatard. Apparently Mr. Reatard and the Cola Freaks got along well, because shortly after some of them would do time in Jay’s backing band only briefly before he left this world. They played on what turned out to be his final record. I’m not trying to sell this thing on the Reatard connection here, mind you, because the Cola Freaks are a band in their own right. It’s just nice to have some context and background, right? The nine songs on this Lp were all taken from the singles and split that preceded the band’s full length, but they sound the way the band would later sound on their Lp; huge and tense. In that sense this live recording bridges the gap between the 7”s and the 12” (and yet it’s no 5”, hoho). The synthesizer is already added to the line-up here and it gives the old songs a big and full sound quite unlike the original versions that can be found on the 7”s, which were way more stripped down. That’s what makes this set a nice document. It gives the listener a peek into the development of this punk rock band. So it all comes down to the question whether you give enough of a shit about the Cola Freaks to be interested in their development at all. Like most live recordings, this is not the best way to be introduced to this band (although I think this thing sounds good enough for a solid introduction so in that sense it’s as good a start as any). If you’re new to these guys, I think the Lp would make for a better start. Fans of the band will love this though. It sounds great. The songs are good. What more can you ask for? The artwork shown was limited so don’t worry about your friends thinking you love the Nazis. Your sleeve will have a more neutral look so you won’t have to hide the thing when your parents in law come over for dinner.

Condominium - Warm Home Lp (Sliding Hills) (12,50 euro)
Let’s start off with a retrospective on this great Minneapolis band. The first single was sold as a new project from the guitar player of Formaldehyde Junkies, a great band, but nothing like Condominium. On the first Ep the band was still developing its style. From the second Ep on Condominium got their sound down. Then ‘Barricade’ came out and mud started to be slung at the Minneapolis four. The whole ‘mysterious guy hardcore cult’ bullshit was its peak back then. Every hardcore nerd was creaming over Sex/Vid at the time as if it were Paris Hilton’s night vision sex tape. People were saying Condominium was trying to ride the wave ‘real’ bands like Sex/Vid and Total Abuse had created. Then came ‘Gag’, a total downer of a record, which could hardly be classified as hardcore altogether. Some loved the new direction the band took, while others, perhaps more mysterious in nature, were disappointed by the fourth 7”. With ‘Gag’ Condominium left people in confusion and everything went quiet for a while. One of the reasons for their sudden disappearance was probably that bass player Kim left the band. Singer Matt has picked up four string duties ever since. However I don’t think that the line up change is the only explanation for Condominium’s radio silence. The band was never prolific when it came to releasing records. They took four years for four 7”s totaling twelve songs. Maybe this low productivity is only due to circumstances, but I like to think that the main reason is that Condominium enforces serious quality control. This band has never been out to make a name for itself. Instead it focuses on writing good songs and releasing good records. Although ‘Warm Home’ has Condominium functioning as a three piece for the first time on record, there’s no noticeable difference between this record an the 7”. In fact I think this Lp could well be seen as a merging of the singles that preceded it. For this reason I think it’s a shame that the band didn’t continue the line of artwork (black and white pictures with ‘Condominium’ stamped in color paint) with this release, but really that’s nothing but a marginal note to this otherwise awesome record. Like before Condominium still plays hardcore with noise elements and Matt still sounds like someone trying to pronounce his spite against the world while being force fed dirt. The guitar playing is wild and just spot on moving between conveying agony and rage. One thing that really struck me on this record furthermore is the drumming especially in the first and last song. It demands the listener’s attention. Maybe the band has shifted its attention a bit back to hardcore in comparison to the last two 7”s. There’s more frenzy to this release, but to me that’s a good thing. I like that the band has found some of its anger back. However there are still downer jams to be found on this Lp too as well as an atmospheric ode to Negative Approach played on a hammer dulcimer, strings and bowls filled with water. The A-side delivers the more straight forward fast tracks and a crazy instrumental, while two longer more depressing songs can be found on the flip. All in all this record clocks in under twenty minutes, but this wouldn’t be Condominium if they wouldn’t have you craving for more when the needle leaves the plastic.

Cruddy - Negative World Lp (12XU) (12,50 euro)
Cruddy released an Ep a few years ago. I remember liking it, but it didn’t really stick with me. To be honest I didn’t give it that many spins. At the time there was a pretty silly discussion in MRR about the band’s logo. The Frisco punk police said the sleeve read ‘Crudjay’? The band send a letter to correct them to which MRR wrote a pretty haughty response in my opinion, which was totally unnecessary. Looking at the artwork these Austin punks wanted to make sure there was no confusion about their name this time around. Check the artwork. They’re called Cruddy not Crudjay! OKAY! Now that’s out of the way let’s talk music. ‘Negative World’ sounds a lot more memorable than I remember the band’s 7” being. There’s a certain herky-jerkiness to the songs on this record that I really like. All fourteen tunes are really short. Only a few clock in over two minutes. This is music for caffeine addicts with short attention spans. Attention is something pretty much every punk struggles with until they outgrow punk rock, grow their hair and turn to metal. Fortunately that hasn’t happened to me just yet. Cruddy’s sound is strange. The burly and aggressive sounding bass and the static staccato guitar playing make for an odd combination, but as it turns out it totally works. Vocals duties are mostly taken up by the male guitarist whose singing is actually closer to speaking. His delivery is somewhat monotonous, but not in a way that’s annoying. Plus the female drummer sometimes jumps in on vox as well, which keeps things a bit diverse. One thing Cruddy really has working for them are their lyrics. They’re bitingly cynical as well as incredibly smart and funny. Songs like ‘Future Disease’, ‘Incendiary’and ‘Portrait of an Artist’ are all witty as fuck. This record might be a bit hard to get into, because it’s different. It took me a while before I appreciated it anyway. However I think it’s rad that these three kids dared to go for something that doesn’t fit the mould. It suits them fine and I think shit like this should be applauded in a landscape where copycat behavior seems to be rule and creativity and balls have turned into a mere curiosity. I’m basically glad there are still kids trying to create something of their own instead of ripping off Discharge. Hell, I’m gonna give that 7” another shot!

Druid Perfume - Tin Boat to Tuna Town Lp (Self Released) (12,50 euro)

This record caught me a bit off guard. Druid Perfume's previous outputs where intense, messy and chaotic if not downright crazy. The music on this record is not like that at all. Although Tin Boat to Tuna Town is calmer than Druid Perfume's former releases it still breathes the same celebration of the irrational and crazy. I'd describe the music as moody drugged punk with jolting horns. Some people have labeled the band as free-jazz, but apart from the final chord in the opening song, there's not much subtility to be found on this Lp. Whereas the bass seemed to be the only instrument keeping the music together on their former record, the band sounds more in balance on this release. The singer still steals the show. On Druid Perfume's Selftitled Lp I liked to think of him as a reverend Jim Jones kinda character strung out on psychedelic drugs announcing the apocalypse to his followers. Now imagine the following. Our anti-hero awakes in a stupor. He is surrounded  by burnt down houses, smoke still coming from smouldering fires. Corpses of his followers as well as total strangers are scattered among the ruins. Drunkenly beholding the product of his teaching the guy loses the last bit of sanity he had left. He picks up a female body lying next to him. He doesn't notice her shotgun wound nor the blood he's smearing all over himself as he starts dancing a tango with what's left of the lady. As the picture slowly fades we hear the man's manical laughter. THE END. Tin Boat to Tuna Town would be the perfect soundtrack to this somewhat disturbing scene.

Electric Manchakou - Lp (Memoire Neuve) (12,50 euro)
Review up soon...

Flying Trichecos - Onesided 12" (Mastermind) (12,50)

Is Clevo hardcore a genre these days? Some say so. Flying Trichecos hailed from Cleveland, Ohio and are now done for. This was their final release. Alessandro a.k.a. Anus the Asshole returned to his native country where the Romans held orgies two thousands years ago and contemporary politicians throw ‘bunga bunga parties’ today. Funny how little things change. The Trichecos’ love for snorting drugs sure hasn’t diminished one bit since their 7” either. Pretty much every song on this onesided 12” mentions the use of drugs except for the opening track ‘Mongo Punk Attack’. No surprises there. There’s even a song called ‘My Nose Had A Good Day’ on here for fuck’s sake and it’s actually quite a good tune too! The blown out bass sound this band uses rules and Alessandro’s vocals are great as always. The Trichecos are at their best when the singer spits his hatred against humanity, life, you, me and of course ‘faggots’ over the mongoloid music the band produces. Whether Alessandro’s broken English has its roots in his Italian background or is a result from years of drug abuse and brain damage is unknown to me, but it never fails to crack me up. Lines like ‘I have one reason to celebrate/ every single one of you has an expiration date’ from the song ‘Rock O Rama’ can do no wrong with me. This tune actually sums up what these guys are about well: ‘So snort the lines and raise the pints/ Let’s drink to everybody fucking dying’. One would say there are only so many songs a band can write about sniffing shit up your nose before it gets trite, but the Trichecos pull it off without it getting too much of a shtick. Main reason for this is that I actually believe these guys’ drug use lives up to the expectations they create for it in their songs. Not every song on here is as good as the next. There’s a fair dose of stupidity thrown in with each tune and it doesn’t always benefit the song, but overall this is a cool punk rock record. Some songs aren’t funny to me, especially ‘Nose Blocker’ comes to mind, but I’m sure they thought it was funny and could care less about what I think. This band never gave a shit about anyone’s opinion. The Trichecos were notorious for not finishing their sets, because the singer would get into fights with the crowd all the time. Go figure. The artwork shows the band posing at the statue of a Tricheco and is bound to make you jibe.

Government Warning - Paranoid Mess Lp (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Virginia’s Government Warning deliver their second Lp with Paranoid Mess. If you haven’t heard Government Warning by now you’ve either lived under a rock or you’re just deaf. I actually am close to deaf after seeing them in Amsterdam in May. Thanks guys! Government Warning is at the top of today’s 80s inspired hardcore bands. It’s true that that genre is far beyond satured by now, but Government Warning is definitely one of the better bands playing this style. By now it’s the cool thing to piss on retro hardcore apparently, but for those of you who don’t care about jumping bandwagons here’s a good Lp by a band that’s been playing this style from the start and will keep playing it despite it being out of vogue. No less than fifteen tracks on this Lp. Standouts to me were “Urban Warfield” and the title track. The drums on this release sound way heavier than on their past ones. It’s a bit too much for me sometimes, but overall this is a solid hardcore record. This is the European pressing on La Vida Es Un Mus.

Lost Sounds - Memphis Is Dead Lp (Big Neck) (14 euro)

Review up soon...

Manikin - Stop the Sirens Lp (Mastermind) (12,50 euro)
This Houston, TX, band has been going for quite a few years now and yet they seem to be relatively unknown and highly underappreciated. Their first piece of vinyl saw the light of day in 2004. Manikin has released four singles and three 12”s since of which most were only released overseas. ‘Stop the Sirens’, their third 12”, is the first record that got a pressing on our side of the pond. So this is the moment for Europeans to wake up and acknowledge this unique and amazing band. It blows my mind that so few people seem to care about them! Basically Manikin plays post punk, but that’s a genre that can go all ways, right? Manikin’s songs are build around simple plodding bass lines. The bass riffs are pretty much the melody of the songs. The guitar playing is minimal and subtle throughout the record. At times there’s no guitar at all. Some tunes include a trumpet player, which I really like. What do punks have against brass anyway? The horn cries create an ominous atmosphere. In some songs the trumpet wails and the guitar suddenly comes to the fore. Together they violently lash out for a few seconds giving the song a shambolic and chaotic vibe, but soon we’re back to the bass line that was at the sole of the song to begin with. There is something futuristic about Manikin’s music. It’s cold and impersonal. The vocals are desperate and distant. At times they’re delivered in a robotic way. The music creates an atmosphere that reminds me of old scifi movies. I can’t help but think of ‘Blade Runner’ each time I spin this record, but that might have something to do with the artwork as well. It brings me back to that scene where the robot midget leads Holden through a giant room filled with mannequins. The viewer knows Pris is among them pretending to be a puppet, hoping that Holden doesn’t notice her. There’s that tension in the music, that vibe of a world that isn’t ours, where everything is strange to us. A world we can not understand. It’s impressive how well this band transfers a mood of alienation. I’ve read people saying Manikin’s got some good songs, but that not all of it is worthwhile. That’s taking the wrong angle here in my opinion. This band isn’t about songs. Manikin tries to create a world that doesn’t exist and sucks you into it as you listen to their records. They do this amazingly well. I think this is their best record, but have to admit that this is also the record I know best. So there’s still a lot of discovering for me to do as well. I'd argue that there's no better point to start with than this record so what are you waiting for?

Neon Piss - Lp (Cut The Cord. That)
Review up soon...










No Slogan - Aversion Therapy 12" (Residue)

At first No Slogan didn't do much for me. I heard one or two of their Ep's before and was not impressed. It took this 12" to turn my head. I dismissed these guys way too easily. No Slogan delivers a solid release with this 12". Their singer's gruff vocals add up well with the tough and raw sound of the music. Although a second guitarist often feels redundant to me No Slogan makes it work well. The lyrics are pretty bleak at times yet they are always delivered with both passion and conviction. It's hard to describe what makes this record so great, but it is. No Slogan just have the songwriting down. If you like classic hardcore punk (with an emphasis on the punk) I would recommend you to give this one a hear. You won't be disappointed. I can listen to the song "Death of Cool" all day.

Plates - Lp (Big Neck) (14 euro)
Review up soon...

Predator - Lp (Douchemaster)

This record has been in the making for quite some time. Why I do not know. When I ordered Predator’s debut single from Rob’s House I was already told that the band had the songs for a full-length ready, but it must have taken at least one and a half year before the record was actually released. Here it finally is though and to be frank, it’s really really good. There’s something about this record that gives it a different feel than the 7”, but what the difference exactly is, is hard to tell. The sound is pretty much the same. There’s still the blown out bass sound, which is totally awesome. The drumming is simple and tight with a hi-hat hit on practically every count. The vocals are still heavy on the reverb and their singer still has the snotty as fuck bored teenager style down. Predator delivers thirteen songs on this record of which only one was on their previous 7”. I think the band has really nailed their sound this time around. On this record Predator moves from slow weeded out songs such as the instrumental jam ‘March of the Confederates’ with its silly boogie-woogie bass line at the end, to tight frustrated punk rockers such as ‘Alright’ and ‘Choke’. There’s no bad song to be found on this piece of wax, but the absolute hit is the bouncy ‘You’. I’ve spun this record a shitload of times and I’m far from tired of it. Quite the opposite actually. With each spin I realize how great a record this is. This is one of the best releases this year brought so far and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it would turn out to be the best punk rock record of 2011. To me this thing is flawless. It’s as great a soundtrack to a day of smoking weed with your friends in the attic at your parents place during the summer vacation as to yet another wasted day without a job, money or anything to do.

Razor X Fade - Lp (Not Normal) (13 euro)
Review up soon...

Red Red Red - New Action Lp (Big Neck) (14 euro)
Review up soon...










Sacred Shock - You're Not With Us 12" (Residue)

Sacred Shock’s selftitled debut on Schizophrenic Records blew me away last year so my expectations for this release were high. Does this record live up to those? Certainly! In fact it’s even better than their 7”. The drums sound a bit different on this record than on their previous release. It’s less heavy on the cymbals, which I personally had to get used to. What makes Sacred Shock a great band is their amazing guitar leads. They’re both catchy and heavy at the same time. Sacred Shock’s singer also adds to the band’s unique sound. His vocals are brutal yet melodic. An uncommon combination. Nine tracks on this 12” of which one is a cover of Headcleaners “Kill The Royalties”. They definitely have their own take on this song though. Sacred Shock is a contemporary hardcore band I am really excited about and they deliver a flawless hardcore record with You’re Not With Us. This is one of the records I listened to most in 2009.

Sack-O'-Woes - The Paranoids are coming Lp (Loop Rekords)

Apparently Sack-O'-Woes went through hell to get this release available. When the first run of this record arrived in their mail box, they found out that the plant had pressed the wrong mix onto the vinyl. It sounded like shit. Unfortunately for them the records were already paid for so they had to pay for another pressing with the right mix (the lesson here boys and girls: ALWAYS do a test pressing first). This one-sided silkscreened Lp is the final result and the music sure does not disappoint. Sack-O'-Woes play punk rock with garage leanings and they do it well. What else could you expect from three guys who have been kicking it since their teens and are over forty now? Sack-O'-Woes deliver seven infectious and rocking tunes on this Lp. The walking basslines push on some catchy guitar leads. Sack-O'-Woes' singer's vocals are raw as hell. I guess the music overall is. I simply can't believe that these guys are actually from the Netherlands. This is a great record. To save some money all the artwork is done by hand and it looks rad. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend the West Friesland authorities to send a copy of this record to all their teenagers. It might the get the kids dancing instead of killing themselves.

Sexpistolstanten och Mockfjärdsvapnet - Det Personliga CV:T Lp (Skrammel) (12,50 euro)
Let me start off by saying that I know close to nothing about this band. I think Sexpistolstanten och Mockfjärdsvapnet (possibly an even more ridiculous name than Lögnhalsmottagningen) are from Nyköping Sweden and 'Det Personliga CV:T' is their first record. After reading a review of their Lp I tried to get some info through the internet, but except for some funny youtube movies of live shows there was little to be found about these Swedes. Sexpistolstanten och Mockfjärdsvapnet play simple and catchy punk rock. On vocals is a woman with a bratty girlish delivery. Her fellow band members do some back ups here and there as well. Although I don't understand a word of Swedish I have  a feeling the lyrical content here isn't too serious. The artwork and costumes the band wears during live performances confirm these suspicions. I guess one could label this Lp as 1977 style punk (there are several picures of the band members wearinig colourful plastic sunglasses to be found which makes it official), but unlike many bands that get that reference Sexpistolstanten och Mockfjärdsvapnet keep it unpolished. All songs on this Lp have a  minimal recording which benefits the tunes greatly.  The band delivers ten songs on this record and their quality ranges from good to awesome. My personal favourites are 'Kysst Av Dräparen', 'Jag Blir Förbannad' with its silly whistling (every single time I check who the hell is whistling to the tune... I'm stupid) and the hit 'Cigg Hail' which you can even sing along to without knowledge of the Swedish language. The record ends with some practice room recording of what sounds like their theme song. This is a strong punk rock Lp by a band that seems to have  a lot of fun and doesn't take themselves too seriously. Great.

Shoppers - Silver Year Lp (Drugged Conscience, Feeble Minds)
As far as I can tell this is the vinyl debut from this band from Syracuse, Florida. Apparently they did two tapes before this Lp and some of the songs on those cassettes have been rerecorded for this full-length. I never heard said tapes so everything here is new to me. How exciting! Shoppers play some very noisy hardcore music, but there are other influences to be heard on this record as well. At some points I’m reminded of early indie/alternative and emo, which might sound horrible but really isn’t in this case. The guitar sounds hissy and it’s the bass that carries the music. I’m not sure if one should be talking about 'songs' in here. Perhaps this record should be considered as a whole. The labels don’t read song titles. They just state how long the A-side and B-side last in their entirety. The insert doesn’t mention song titles either. They’re listed as I to VIII, which I find a bit of a shame. Most striking about Shoppers are Kari’s vocals. Despite being buried in the noise her vocals demand attention. They’re very intense. Kari seems to have an inclination to catharsis. Her lyrics are vague, but seem to be rooted in personal experiences from every day life. A returning theme is her personal struggle between depression and staying positive. There's a lot of negativity in Kari's lines, but there are elevating lines to be found on this record as well. I really love the line ‘What’s the point of being young and dumb when you’re always too drunk to come’. I can’t help but think of Neon Blud when listening to this record, but I’m not saying Shoppers are ripping that band of. I do think the scene this band was – Shoppers are no more - part of is heavily influenced by some of the Youth Attack bands that came from Tampa, Florida. I’m thinking of Cult Ritual and its afterbirths in particular. That is not a bad thing though. Although the term 'mysterious guy hardcore' has always been a joke to me, I’ve never made a secret of liking some of the bands falling under said banner a lot and I still like them to this day. In this case it might be better to talk about ‘mysterious girl hardcore’ though, considering there’s only one male in the band. I like this record, but it’s not the kind of thing you’ll find on my record player too often. When the mood is right this is good stuff though. I can definitely see myself zone out to this record on the couch after dark.

Son Skull - Birth Scene Rewind 12" (Perennial) (12,50 euro)

Olympia seems to have quite a few new interesting bands formed by somewhat older punks these days. Son Skulls' members are probably in their late 20s or early 30s and I can't imagine this being their first band. The band plays hardcore punk with melodic sensibilities. Most songs are sang by a female with a strong (not tough but definitely intense) delivery, but there's also one song with male vocals. The bass sound is warm and clear, whereas the guitar is wild, crazy and damaged. Both 'Boston Girls' and 'Perennial Death' would have been perfect anthems if it hadn't been for the feedback throughout the choruses. Son Skull seems to deliberately wreck these songs, but they can't hide the catchiness of both tunes underneath the guitar squeals. Some say that there are 1990s influences to be heard in Son Skull's songs which makes sense, because these guys and girl probably came of age in that era. People have compared the band to Sonic Youth, but I don't really hear it. What I've heard from Sonic Youth was wimpy and Son Skull aren't wimpy at all. When the needle leaves this 12" Ep, I'm a bit sad that there aren't more tunes on the record. Fortunately you can always play it again, which I find myself doing a lot. To me this record is one of the best 12" releases all year. It's powerful, catchy, weird and damaged all at the same time. According to the Perennial Records website there's a new Ep in the works which obviously is great news.

Son Skull - Wiped Clean 12" (Perennial) (12,50 euro) 
‘Wiped Clean’ is the second 12” by this Olympian hardcore band. Their first record, ‘Birth Scene Rewinded’ swept me of my feet and to say I’ve been looking forward to the release of this follow up would be quite the understatement. Son Skull plays hardcore with stowing guitar riffs and intense female vocals. Mary’s singing and Hayes’ guitar work make this band for me. Mary’s voice is so powerful! The guitar delivers steaming after steaming riff and pulls of some nice dissonant soloing here and there. Very good. This band gets compared to Sonic Youth a lot. I never got Sonic Youth, but I’m guessing the comparison is based on the guitar work. Whatever. There’s way more frustration and anger to Son Skull and that’s probably why I like them and don’t like that band that recently did a set on ‘Gossip Girl’. ‘Wiped Clean’ isn’t that far removed from the band’s last record, but I do feel like there are slight changes. Perhaps there’s more emphasis on the song writing this time around. Of course Mary still sings on most of the tracks - ‘Weeping Hole’ is the exception, but I’ll get to that. The difference is that the band takes more time to build their songs, which makes for longer and heavier tracks. Although this results in less anthemic songs I think it works well and it makes this record a captivating progression from their last. 'Wiped Clean' is more of an Ep than an album. There are only six songs on here, yet they’re all awesome although I don’t really know what to make of ‘Weeping Hole’. It’s basically a guy talking/singing and playing guitar backed by singing bowls. The song is a bit of an odd ball and at first I didn’t like that, but it sticks and I think it’s cool when a band isn’t afraid to do something ‘different’. It keeps things interesting. Hardcore is already predictable and bland enough as it is, don’t you think? Son Skull is the kind of band that keeps me pumped on hardcore music though. This is an awesome record as was their previous one. Now stop whining about ‘Olympian hype’ and buy these records already, you fuckers.

Supersonic Piss - Umbillical Noose 12" (Rotted Tooth)

Iowa’s Supersonic Piss deliver a mix of no wave, noise and hardcore on their debut 12”. Although I’m not all that at home in the first two of those genres, their influences on Supersonic Piss’ sound are obvious. Most tracks on this record are carried by the solid drumming and simple pounding bass lines. Over those the guitar delivers its hissy, messy stripped down atonal riffs. The guitar playing is total-not-give-a-shitness, which makes the band punk despite their sound perhaps. The more popular noisy bands of today have a heavier and bigger guitar sound with lots of feedback, which isn’t bad either, but it’s cool to hear Supersonic Piss have a different approach to their music. Over the music screeching vocals are delivered by front-woman Page. Her lyrics are upfront and threatening, her delivery abrasive. By hardly serving anything that can be classified as a song on this piece of vinyl Supersonic Piss follow the path that Teenage Jesus and the Jerks walked in late 1970s New York and by doing two covers from mrs. Lunch and her boys (‘Baby Doll’ and ‘Less of Me’) the band doesn’t make a secret of its influences. ‘Go home dad, you’re drunk pt. II’ is probably the closest Supersonic Piss gets to an actual song and for that reason it sticks with you. It’s a slow and heavy tune that steams into some wild guitar soloing near the end. Somehow a girl singing ‘I might have been a little whore/ and I might have fucked your dad before/ and I might have fucked your mom for free/ and I might have taken a little bit of money’ is pretty confrontational. I actually think that word sums up this record well; confrontational. This 12” is definitely different from a lot of noise I’ve been spinning recently and I like it. Are you craving for a headache? Get this record!

Walls - The Future is Wide Open Lp (De Graan Republiek)

This is Walls’ second full length. This Seattle band came from the ashes of Cold Sweat which was one of the best hardcore bands on this side of the millennium. That should stand for something. Because Cold Sweat’s singer Shaun moved to Texas shortly after the release of their second Lp ‘Blinded’, the band saw itself without a singer. They soon found a replacement in Alston, but decided to give the band another name now that they had a new front man. Walls was born. The band soon turned out to be an entirely different creature than Cold Sweat had been. Whereas Cold Sweat was a hardcore band – and what a hardcore band it was -, Walls incorporated a wider diversity of styles into their sound. A continuity between the two bands is the overload of ugly dissonant guitar work and the incredible negativity of the music in general. There is nothing but hate going on with both bands, but where Shaun seemed to focus his anger on the outside, Alston also has a soft spot for self loathing, but after putting himself down he still has plenty of rage left for the rest of the world. His lyrics are harsh and bleak, his delivery violent and frightening. Walls’ sound is brooding and the music is downright scary at times. The band is still heavy as hell like Cold Sweat was, but there is more room for slower and sludgy parts. This band is able to drain you of your will to live like few bands can. I remember two reviews of the first Walls Lp that hit the nail on the head. One read that every time the reviewer span the record, he felt like there was a monster staring at him from the dark corner of his room waiting for the right moment to leap onto him and eat him alive. The other read that the record never failed to make the reviewer feel miserable. Those two references are accurate and should give you a pretty clear idea of what you’re in for here. ‘The Future is Wide Open’ is a very powerful record by an amazing band bringing thirteen new unsettling songs to the listener’s ear. In my opinion this is their best release yet and I liked everything the band did before. Be warned though. This music is not for everybody. It suits me fine however. I can already see myself trembling and twitching on the couch at 3 am, because I drank too much coffee again and now I can’t sleep or read, because my attention span has evaporated. All that’s left to do is play this record, stare at the wall and let the music consume me. I already feel a headache coming up. It sure is good to have things like these to look forward to.

White Boss - 12" (Perennial) (12,50 euro)

Yet another new Olympian hardcore band and it doesn't sound like any of the bands coming from the area. White Boss seem to be the most well known act from this vivid new scene that is bound to get called hyped by haters soon, but what isn't 'hyped' these days, right? There's a lot low end in the six songs on this 12" Ep although the bass lines are hard to make out. White Boss lay down multiple layers of steaming guitar riffage throughout the record. There are two guitar players in the band, but at times you can hear four layers of guitar in a song and there's a fair share of soloing. The songs are mostly slow and heavy as fuck and at times even atmospheric. All of this makes this 12" sound epic. White Boss' sound is huge, perhaps too big for my tastes.  Somehow the record comes across a bit clinical. The band obviously wasn't aiming for a nasty or ugly sound, but at times I wish they had been. White Boss' singer's voice is raspy and he sounds on the verge of collapse. His lyrics are abstract maybe even poetic? They don't do much for me. Same goes for the artwork which makes the record look like a new age recording that could be played at the next meditation session at your local community center. Maybe it will be? Basically the whole thing doesn't win me over, but many people seem to love White Boss and supposedly they're a beast live. The band sure has another take on hardcore than any band playing today and although I'm not into the layered guitar work, I know some people will lap that shit up like a dog drinking from the toilet. All in all this is an interesting intense record that could only have been heavier if it had been pressed on 180 grams vinyl.

Various Artists - Does It Hurt? Lp (Thought Crime)

Compilation records are often dismissed and not whithout reason. There are always bands on it that you really don't want to hear. Or the contributed songs are all shit, because the bands want to save their best tracks for their own releases. The list goes on, but none of these reasons apply here. Sotatila, Dumbstruck, Charlie, No Slogan, Ruidosa Inmundicia, Yellow Eyes and Narsaak all handed Berlin's Thought Crime Records a few unreleased tracks and the result is a pretty diverse hardcore compilation. There's literally something for everyone on this record. If you're into one or two of these bands, you should give "Does it Hurt?" a chance. Personally I really like the No Slogan and Sotatila songs. I had never heard Yellow Eyes before and they were a nice discovery.

7" Reviews

Astryd Lindgren's Great 5 - Ep (Ken Rock) (5 euro)

This is a new lo-fi garage punk band from Sweden with former members of the Ydils. I never heard or even heard of that band, but looking at the artwork these guys have been kicking around for a while. They sure ain’t youngsters anymore and there’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s talk about the music. Astryd Lindgren’s Great 5 deliver, you guessed it, five, supposedly great songs on this Ep - not counting the opening instrumental that is. Like I said the music is garage punk rock. I’m guessing these guys were pretty into whatever was on the Rip Off roster in the first half of the 1990s. The songs are all straight forward with simple two to three chord guitar riffs and dumb bashing drums. After the instrumental the band delivers a cover of Freestone’s ‘Bummer Bitch’ kicks in, a classic if there ever was one. The band gets away with it surprisingly well. The final song on the A-side is the anthem here. The chorus to ‘Retard Rock’ states that ‘There’s a retard in the band!’Although I can't say I disagree, the number might actually be on the low side. There are three loonies here at the very least. The recording quality of this Ep is intentionally shitty, but not to the point you can’t make out there are songs in the mix somewhere. Although this won’t be the most memorable record you’ll lay on your record player, it’s not a bad record either and there are some good songs here. If catchy garage punk still floats your boat, and I don’t see a reason why it shouldn’t, you’ll like this. The artwork is atrocious, but I think the Ken Man has a soft spot for ugliness of this sort - check out the artwork on that Rivercity Tanlines Ep he did and you’ll know what I mean. Also 7”s with different rpm each side should be forbidden. That shit is annoying. That aside, not a bad record.

A/V Murder - Tourettes 7" (Local Cross)

Second release by this new Chicago band that came from the ashes of a band that is missed  by many. I remember reading a review of A/V Murder's first 7" about a year ago and I was sure that they'd be my new favourite band. When I first heard the Ep those expectations weren't quite met unfortunately. Over time I grew to like it though. A/V Murder plays some wild punk rock with catchy guitar riffs. The band is all over the place which makes the music unpredictable. Something I had to get used to were the vocals. The singer's voice is one of the things that gives A/V Murder a distinguished sound. He sounds like he's drowning and singing at the same time. Imagine someone singing through a snorkel or something. Weird but good. This new 7" is definitely a step up from the previous one. There's two songs this time around. The A-side has an infectious guitar lead. I love it when the biting back-up vocals come in and scream "Tou-rettes". The two voices work well together. The B-side, "Fight Like A Man", would be my personal pick. It's the most chaotic of the two and there are even some horns thrown in at the end. Really great. I'm curious what the future will bring for this band and am sure that it won't take long before we hear from A/V Murder again.

Bad American - Selftitled Ep (Bad Recordings)
Debut Ep by this newish hardcore band from Pennsylvania which isn't exactly known for its amazing hardcore scene. And yet this hardcore record doesn't disappoint. Bad American deliver eight tunes on this Ep. The band has been compared to many contemporary bands for some reason, but I think none of the made comparisons do this pack much justice. This band sounds harsh and angry. The bass sound is heavy and drives the songs. The guitar wails and cries over the solid rhythms layed down in these eight tunes. Some feedback adds to the nastiness of the songs, but fortunately the band's use of this effect is modest. Bad American's singer sounds pissed. His voice is raspy, his lyrics hateful. 'Snake Doctor' would be my personal pick, because of the hypnotizing change of pace in there. I guess it's fair to say that this record is a product of its time. Bad American plays hardcore with some noisy elements, but what's important here is that they do it really well. I think this band has got the cards stacked against them. Reviews have been pretty lackluster (MRR even played the 'possibly sexist' card in their review of this Ep and I still don't get why...), while this record is a good hardcore record. This is a repress of the first Ep with alternative silkscreened artwork. The band is writing new tunes and you can expect to hear more by 'm soon.

Bäddat För Trubbel - ISO 9004 Ep (Sweken) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Bill Bondsmen - Disaster Prone 7" (Local Cross)
Wow! This is Bill Bondsmen's seventh release already! Although I thought the first releases by this Detroit hardcore band were somewhat forgettable, I always liked Gabby's vocals. They have a familiar sound to them yet he doesn't seem to be ripping anyone off. The band really got their sound down on their first full length "Swallowed by the World". The style on this single is pretty much the same. This record could have been an appetizer for the Lp, but instead it's its ugly afterbirth.  Both songs on this platter exceed three minutes. Few hardcore bands are able to cross the two minute line without me zoning out (who is still listening to Fucked Up?) yet Bill Bondsmen pull it of. The first song is build around a tightly  played two chord riff that keeps returning throughout the song. It's the most straightforward of the two. The song on the flip starts off dark and desperate. It's moody. The band builts up some serious tension. Only halfway through the song Bill Bondsmen deliver what they're known for; some hateful hardcore. Fucking great. Can't wait to hear this band's next release.

Brown Sugar/ Mayday! - Split Ep (Feral Kid)

Brown Sugar and Mayday! have little in common except for the fact that they both call Buffalo, New York their home. It has been a while since we heard anything by Brown Sugar. The band’s sound remains unchanged, but it seems like they’ve incorporated more styles into their songs than before. There’s still a lot of hardcore in these four tunes, but there’s plenty of other stuff going on as well. Overall there’s more of a rockin’ vibe to these tunes and the band shifts pace a lot more than on their ‘Deportation’ Ep. I still hope there will be a Brown Sugar Lp someday. Let’s move on to the other side of the split. Mayday! plays surf inspired punk rock with female vocals. Their debut single got a lot of positive attention, but that record didn’t do much for me. I liked what the band was trying to do, but somehow it didn’t work and I remember being really annoyed by the vocals. Great was my surprise when I heard the two songs on their side of this split. They’re a lot better than the tracks on the single. Both are quite lengthy and crafty songs.  Especially ‘In it to Win it’ is awesome. I love the use of ‘guitar overtones’ in that tune. I’d almost say the Mayday! side of this split is the better one, but there really isn’t any reason to make a pick. Both sides are great and I’m looking forward to new material by both these groups. (Getting restocks)

Bukkake Boys - Second Ep (Sorry State)

Here is Bukkake Boys' second titleless Ep. These guys are from Atlanta, "City of Pop", famous for Goner Records and its catchy punk bands. Bukkake Boys don't fit in with that crowd at all for they play hardcore punk. I picked these guys' debut  up last year and although I remember liking it, I didn't listen to it a whole lot. It didn't really grab me. With that in mind I'm blown away by how good this follow-up is. Bukkake Boys aren't rewriting the books here, but they sure deliver a strong harcore release with this record. What strikes me is the relentless drumming and the pissed as hell vocals. This Ep delivers seven short, fast and angry hardcore tunes. This band is harsh as hell! There are/were so many bands going for this style and few pull it of as well as these boys. If I haven't convinced you yet,  you'll just have to take my word for it. This record is a keeper. 'Female Dog' is my favorite song on here, but all tracks are solid. Time to dig up their first Ep again to give it another shot.

Burning Itch - Me, Myself & I 7" (Leather Bar)
I’m not sure whether this is the second or third 7” by Burning Itch. There definitely was another one sided 7” before this one. My knowledge about Burning Itch is very limited. I know that this band started out as a one-man-project with bedroom recordings, but has turned into a three piece now. If I’m not mistaken they’ve toured the States recently. This 7” contains mere one song, but it’s a good one. It’s a bit of a shame that this track also ended up on the Burning Itch Lp later, but this one sided single was released as a tastemaker before the full-length saw the light of day, back when people weren’t creaming over this band yet. First thing that strikes me about Burning Itch is their singer. He has a deep drunken voice and a swaggering delivery. His vocals are more than a bit reminiscent of the Spits, but that’s where the similarities between Burning Itch and the beloved contemporary Texan version of the Ramones end. The music is more on the garage side of things. It's sleazy. The bass is really loud. Sweet bass walks dominate the song, but the guitar isn’t suffering from it. You can still hear the six string well. The drums are really simple and minimal throughout the track. The chorus is catchy as fuck and I’d argue that there’s a certain sentimentality to it. It feels kind of sad. It’s like a lonely drunk that has been staring at his empty glass next to you at the bar for minutes straight. Not saying a word. Perhaps fighting back his tears? Suddenly he turns your way. After restoring his balance on his barstool he starts confessing to you how he screwed up. In his stupor he shares his filthiest and darkest secrets with you and describes how he saw his life get flushed down the toilet by none other than himself. Although you don’t want to get involved, you can’t help but feel for the guy. That’s the vibe this record has. ‘Me, Myself & I’ is like an ode to loserdom. (Is that even a word?) Bitter sweet music for sure, but in a good way.

Canadian Rifle - Cinder Block 7" (Criminal IQ)
Second release by this Chicago punk rock trio and in my opinion their best so far. Altough the Visibility Zero Lp was a good record, it didn't have hits on it like this 7" has. Canadian Rifle play songs with a lot of melodic guitar riffs. The vocals are pretty rough for the style which is nice. "Cinder Block" is an incredibly catchy song. I love the bridge in  the second song "Creep". I can go on and describe what makes the two songs on the flip great, but I might as well say that all four songs on this record are keepers. If you like melodic punkrock I'm sure you'll find yourself spinning this piece of vinyl over and over. The only thing that I'm not too stoked on is the artwork, but what can you do. There'll be a new Ep by these fellows on Residue and Taken by Surprise records soon so keep an eye out for that.

Cannomen - Science Studies the Black Hole Ep (Flat Black)
So Nashville isn't exactly on the map when it comes to punk rock as far as I know, but the Cannomen might just change that. The band released a demo about two years ago that got much praise, but everything went quiet after that. Somehow this Ep didn't get a whole lot of attention. It might be the label? Fat Black mostly releases 1980s styled hardcore if I'm not mistaken. The Cannomen don't really fall under that category. They play punk rock with maybe a slight hardcore influence. The vocals have a malicious cling to them. The singer sounds depressed and mean. I'm really into the lyrics. There's some cool bass lines as well as some nice simple guitar leads in these songs. Three of the tunes on this record were previously released on their demo and are all great. The new song on the A-side is cool as well. The whistling in that tune still cracks me up. These kids are mining the same ground as some of my favourite classic bands did and they do it well. I'm not gonna drop names since they're not going for a particular band's sound (thank god). Just listen to it and you'll know what I mean.

Cannomen - Sex on the Bleach 7" (Fat Sandwich)
Second Ep by this Nashville four-piece. The record kicks off with a somewhat surfy three minute jam called 'Tidal Waves'. The song is build around a driving bass line. The guitar stays pretty much in the background. The chorus has whoooooahooooaa's and hand claps. I wasn't a fan of that at first, but grew to like the song anyway. 'Tidal Waves' is definitely different from their earlier material, but I like it when bands try something else as long as it doesn't suck and this song sure does not. On the flip there are two punk rockers more in the vain of the Cannomen's previous 7". The songs are faster and shorter than the A-side. 'No Sex' is a good song. I think the vocalist totally fits this song ('Hey little miss perfect/ I'm mister worthless'). The bridge in the song is a cool addition and is hella catchy. 'I Drank the Bleach' is the shortest song on here and it's probably my favourite. I like the fast three chord hardcore riff and the angry back ups. Another cool record by this overlooked band. I think these cats have a lot of potential which I'm sure will flourish even more with a next release. The band has been meaning to release a Lp forever, but somehow it hasn't happened yet. Let's hope that record will come to be someday.

Chinese Burns - You are beautiful 7" (Leather Bar)
This one sided 7" is Chinese Burns' second release and it might come as a surprise to some. Last time I heard about them was in a MRR review that mentioned the band being done for. Apparently the inventers of punk were misinformed or maybe this is a post mortem release? I don't know. The Chinese Burns hail from the land down under and play catchy garage punk. This record  delivers only one song called, you guessed it, 'You are beautiful'. The song opens with simple drums; kick, snare, kick, snare. In comes the bass which basically plays the same line throughout the entire song after which a three chord guitar riff is added. This is the basic structure of the tune, but variations are made throughout to keep you entertained. The lyrics are fairly simple so each and everyone of you idiots will be able to sing along. All the guy sings is: 'Come here/ you're beautiful/ I love you!'  As a cheap Dutch man I felt a bit cheated by this record at first because it's only one song. However it's an excellent tune that lasts three or four minutes. It's kind of a garage jam that despite its simple foundation keeps you interested until the last note is played. The song is infectious as hell. Be honest with yourself. How many records do you own without even one good song on it? I have tons of those! 'You're beautiful' is a keeper and therefor worth your money. Hopefully these cats are still around, because I would love to hear more from them. Get this, sing along, act stupid and bop around your room like a retard.

Cola Freaks - Mig, Mig, Mig Ep (Rob's House)

Yet another output by everybody's favourite Danish songsmiths. Mig, Mig, Mig brings three new songs to the plate. After their first 7"s the Cola Freaks got labeled as a KBD band by many, but to me they always seemed to go for more than retarded punk rock sleaze. These pop soda junkies definitely take their influences from a broader spectrum than the KBD series. There's more pop and sometimes even post-punk to their sounds. Cola Freaks add a keyboard player to their line-up on this release. Although I've never been much of a fan of said instrument (unless it comes in its most badass form; the keytar), I don't mind it too much here. The guitar mostly remains the driving force throughout the record although the synths are pretty dominant on the opening track. All instruments come through nicely and I especially like the warm and full bass sound. 'Mig, Mig, Mig' is an okay tune. I like how the band plays so tight at the end of the song that I for a moment thought the record was skipping. 'Knirk" on the flip is a very short and rather silly tune. The singer sound schizophrenic in the verse and the synths add to the twisted vibe. It's a fun song that's over all too soon. Then there's 'Udsigt Til Ingenting' with its tense opening. The song structure is smarter than your average punk song, but it doesn't come across forced whatsoever. People say this is the best tune on the record and I think I'll have to agree. This release gets bonus points for the timeless looking artwork. The Cola Freaks just released their first full length on Denmark's Hjernespind records. So far it's only available on cd, but expect it on vinyl soon.

Condenada - Mother Tongue Ep (Thought Crime)

Third record by this all-women feminist hardcore band from Chicago and it's without a doubt their best so far. Condenada's songwriting is damn good. The music is inventive and dynamic. Overall this band has a mighty fresh sound. I really like some of the bass work on this record. Something that I don't really enjoy about this band however is the singing. The vocals are passionate and at times very tough. It gets a bit too much for me here and there, but perhaps I'm just a bit intimidated... Apparently the lyrics cover feminist topics, but unfortunately for me two out of the four songs delivered here are in Spanish so I do not know what they're about. The other two songs are about depression, subjection and gender issues. I'm inclined to say this is hardcore music for the femmes and I mean that in a good way. Definitely a hardcore release worth picking up. Great artwork too.

Criminal Code - Ep (Self Released)
After releasing a strong four song demo not too long ago, Criminal Code return with their vinyl debut. Musically this three piece can be thrown in with the contemporary (post?) punk bands that are being likened to the Wipers despite not sounding much like the Wipers at all. There’s also a bit of an early 1980s British anarcho influence to their music which seems to be popular at the moment. In that sense this band isn’t much unlike their soon to be label mates Arctic Flowers. The music creates a dark and bleak atmosphere. The bass sounds full and plods the songs along. The guitar plays along to the bass lines and is somewhat in the background until a lead kicks in. Every song on this 7” brings a memorable guitar solo/lead to the plate. What sets this band apart from the crowd are the vocals. Taiga’s delivery is direct. He doesn’t sing. He yells. So there’s a bit of a contrast between the music and vocals here. The first are very melodic whereas the latter are anything but. To me the vocals make Criminal Code essentially a hardcore band. They make the band sound angry while without ‘m it would have merely sounded sinister. That would not necessarily have been a bad thing, but I like it better this way. Criminal Code will release a 12” Ep on Inimical records soon. The band has changed drummers and added a second guitar player since so I’m more than interested to hear what the new songs are like.

Los Culitos - Un Ano Sin Verte Ep (Self Released)
Second Ep by this Finnish by way of Spain punk rock band. Los Culitos started out as a three piece, but recently added a bass player to their line-up. This record serves the listener two new songs and two covers. The new songs are good and in the line of their previous record: simple stomping punk rock songs with sharply sung snappy female vocals. Basically this is all that’s important. The two originals are cool, but obviously I have to say something about the covers too. So here we go. Like I said there are two: ‘Don’t Talk to Me’ by GG Allin and ‘In League with Satan’ by Venom. Both songs are translated to Spanish which is a nice touch. I’m no fan of covers on record, but Los Culitos isn’t merely copying the two songs. They do something with them and make them their own to some degree so it isn’t all that bad. Honestly I wouldn’t even have known the Venom song was a cover if it wasn’t mentioned on the sleeve. I checked out the original and it was laughable to me. Then again I could never take metal seriously so it should go without saying that I prefer Los Culitos’ version. Perhaps I’m being sacrilegious here, but wasn’t metal all about sacrilege? The GG cover is alright. It stays closer to the original, but Yvonne’s vocals give the song a different sound and I like the band’s take on the bridge. After listening to the song I don’t think: ‘Damn, the original is so much better’, which is often the case with covers so I’d argue Los Culitos get away with the covering. Still I would have preferred new originals, but I’m sure those will pop up soon enough. If you’re new to this band I’d recommend you to pick up their previous Ep first, but if you’re already a fan you can’t go wrong with this 7”.

Cy Barkley - Ep (Baby Don't)
This here is the debut of Nashville's very own Cy Barkley. When I first heard these guys I liked them, but I wasn't exactly convinced these tunes were going to leave an impression. After some spins throughout the week I actually found myself humming some of their riffs at work though. I had to think hard what the hell I was humming, but it was one of these dudes' songs. This three piece plays very simple punk rock which of course has been done to death, but there are some really good songs on this Ep. 'Lost but Found' and 'Dirt' are my favourites. The first has a sweet guitar line and great vocal bridge whereas the last has a chorus you'll find yourself singing or humming after a listen or two. The last song 'I hurt myself' has a bit of a sentimental vibe to it that I can't stand. It gets too close to slick pop punk territory, but the rest of the tunes are good. . Who is the guy in the picture? Is it 'Cy Barkley'? Is there a Cy Barkley? Looking at the back of the sleeve the face is actually a gummi mask. No info whatsoever so I don't know what the deal with all of this is, but who cares?

Daily Void - Civilization Dust 7" (Ken Rock)

For those of you who don't know Daily Void are basically the Functional Blackouts with a different drummer, but over time grew to be a band without need of that reference (and yet I make it...). It's hard to describe these guys' style without making their music come across as something less than it really is. Think scraping guitars riffs with a second guitar producing mere fuzz in the background, basic drumming and a venomous singer. After releasing a 12" on Sacred Bones earlier this year Daily Void are back with this single on Ken Rock. I still have mixed feelings about the 12". The first song is great, but the other five don't really do the trick somehow. Civilization Dust brings brings more poison and fright to the plate than the 12" and it's for the better. The A-side, "Civilization Dust (before death)", is a great tune with a simple bass and drum foundation over which the guitars deliver their insanity. The flip is an instrumental. It's called "Civilization Dust (after death)" so I guess the idea is that it's the sounds of a dead society or something? I don't mind the track, but it's hardly a song. More like an "atmospheric jam". The A-side is the winner. As always the band has put a lot of effort in the artwork and this single looks great.

Dark Times - Ep (Sheep Chase)

Dark Times are a pretty new band hailing from the cold plains of Norway, a country that isn’t exactly known for their amazing music scene unless you’re into church burning metal acts. The band released a solid demo tape about a year ago. When I first heard the demo it was described to me as ‘death rock’. I wasn’t feeling the songs back then. Hell, I don’t even know what ‘death rock’ means. I feel swamped by all these genres at times, but let’s not digress. A few months ago I gave the tape another shot and I have been in love with it ever since. I tried to get copies of the thing, but it was already sold out. The band had just released their first Ep so I decided to get copies of that instead. So this is Dark Times’ vinyl debut. I find this band’s style hard to describe. There’s some hardcore and noise to it, but I’m pretty sure there’s a thick 1990s influence to their music as well. Since I wasn’t around at the time I can’t really tell where I get the idea from, but somehow I’m pretty sure these kids all have Sonic Youth as well as a handful of Amphetamine Reptile releases in their record collection. I like how Dark Times’ songs move between heavy and slow dirges to faster angry parts. The second song ‘Fakes’ is a perfect example of this. The music is bass heavy, but not in a way that it removes your attention from the other instruments. Ann´s vocals are characteristic. Her somewhat monotonous almost spoken squeals convey despair, bitterness but also anger. There are moments where she actually sings, in ’Wipe the Slate’ for example, but they are scarce. That’s alright though, because her delivery fits well with the angsty vibe of the music. This record is bound to depress you so if that’s what you like in music - you know I do - then look no further. There are two things I don’t like about this release that should be addressed though. First of all I don’t like the artwork. Considering that I’m much ridiculed for my love of skull imagery that should say something. Furthermore I’m a bit worried where these kids will head. They can definitely play and somehow I feel like tapping into the ‘hipster world’ is an option for them. Hopefully they won’t. Please don’t get involved with Vice magazine. You can do without! All in all a strong record. If anyone can hook me up with a copy of the demo I would be ever thankful. Personally I think this Ep isn’t as great as the tape, but it’s still good.

Deaf Mutations - Crash the Clubs 7" (Static Shock)
Static Shock announced a release by Deaf Mutations years ago. At first it would be a single with new material, then it was just going to be a vinyl release of the demo, then it was back to new single and now the thing turns out to be the demo after all. That’s not a bad thing though, because Deaf Mutations’ demo was great and apparently none of the 130 copies of the tape ever made it outside of Canada. So yeah, this record came a long way and it’s not accidental that Ellis from Static Shock gets thanked on the sleeve of this 7” as ‘one patient fucker’. Deaf Mutations get plugged by listing members’ other projects, but I don’t play that game. This band doesn’t need it. It stands on its own and this record is an absolute shredder. These three songs were recorded during practice and they sure sound like it. The songs are raw and low on production, but everything comes through nicely. Nice full blown bass sound, good guitar riffs and bashing drums. What more do you need? Dave’s voice sounds hoarse and his anger sounds real. If you like early 1980s USHC you need this 7”. It’s as simple as that. A total no brainer. I know the 1980s hardcore revival got some of you burned, but these three songs are anything but mediocre. Pinky swear! I hope Deaf Mutations is still together and will do new songs sometime, but I’m afraid chances for that are slim. This is a cool record, but I have one complaint. The artwork looks like shit and there’s no insert. This record has been so long in the making and yet the packaging is totally disposable. A damn shame in my opinion, but I guess it’s the music that counts.

De-Cultures/ Thurneman - Split Ep (Too Circle) (5 euro)

Brand new split from Sweden's Thurneman and Japan's De-Cultures. For those of you still unfamiliar with Thurneman I have only one thing to say: "do yourself a favour and pick the Tegelsten för Tegelsten Ep up already!" In my opinion that's their best release so far, but the songs on this split don't disappoint either. The band delivers four new tunes that in style aren't all that different from their previous two releases. There's still plenty of room for melody and the songwriting is way above average. Such a great band. No on to the other side of the 7". De-Cultures are a new band to me. They deliver three tunes on their side of the split. There are definitely elements in their music that make it undeniable these guys hail from the land of the rising sun. The production is raw, the drums are dominant and the guitar does a lot of that metallic soloing the Japanese seem to love so bad. That shit can be annoying at times, but I don't mind it here, because the bass balances the guitar out preventing the soloing coming across as a total wankfest which bands fall for all too easily. The second song breaks down in some jammy part. I really like the De-Cultures tunes, but the Thurneman songs are obviously my favourites here. I think these two bands work well on a split together. They don't sound alike, but do seem to have somethings in common (urgent delivery, some melody and midpaced to fast hardcore songs). All in all a nice split of which I expect myself to listen to both sides! How rare is that?

Folded Shirt - Tiny Boat 7" (Fashionable Idiots)
This is the final record by these Cleveland retards. Folded Shirt are a perfect example of a band in which every member throws in his own personality and in the end the band is bigger than the sum of its parts. Larry’s vocals are very recognizable and great. I love Steve’s bass sound. Mr. California’s guitar playing is probably the craziest I have ever heard. Is he playing chords at all? Last but not least Allessandro’s drumming is just weird. You can hear he’s not schooled and is coming up with silly beats along the way. Add these things up and you have one crazy ass band. Folded Shirt delivers their two last songs on this 7”. What’s striking is that both songs fall apart near the end, but aren’t over. It's almost as if the band forgot to end the recording and both tracks include some 'off the record' wankery and jamming. You know, when everyone in the band is just in his own little world until the one in charge screams what song is next. ‘Mouth Clock’ is my favourite of the two songs here if only because of the line ‘Boring, boring, boring, boring!’ Folded Shirt were an unique band. In my opinion there was something very arty about them even though they’d probably never recognize this themselves. Most of their audience wouldn’t like to acknowledge it either, but it’s definitely there. One could argue that these cats were just weird as shit, which would be a good point, but it doesn’t change the fact that Folded Shirt were able to create a fresh take on punk rock in the 2000s that was catchy as well as downright hilarious. At times one is even left wondering if it is music at all! This is why I love playing Folded Shirt to friends. They just don’t know what they’re hearing. Even after multiple listens this band’s songs have me rolling on the floor with laughter. I can’t say I play their records a hell of a lot, but when I do I fucking love it.

Fontana - Not A Leg To Stand On 7" (Milk 'N Herpes)

Fontana did their first release on Detroit’s X! Records when they were barely housebroken. Their introduction to the world of vinyl, the I Feel Like A Jerk Ep on the very same label, did not get them much attention despite some good reviews. Hopefully this 7” and their Lp on X! will change that. The A-side of the single starts out with vocal melodies that are obviously stolen from Black Flag’s “Six Pack”. Then it stumbles into some subtle guitar work with the singer whinging how nobody understands him after which the song takes a more manic turn before it reaches its end. Yes, this song is all over the place, but Fontana gets away with it. The B-side is more of a straight forward punk anthem although the band shifts from fast to slow in this track as well. There’s a cool guitar solo at the end of the song. Soloing bores my pants off 90% of the time, but this is good stuff. Fontana plays blown out punk rock with mean sounding off key vocals. This band has edge. If you like your punk rock raw (and you should), you’ll love Fontana.

Herds - Selfitled Ep (Fashionable Idiots)

After a demo and a two song 7” on Deer Healer records Milwaukee’s Herds return with this Ep on Fashionable Idiots. Herds deliver five dark and intense hardcore songs on this record. Pounding drums, a heavy bass sound, great riffage and brutal vocals give this band a distinguished sound which makes them stand out in a sea of mediocrity. At times Herds is like a bulldozer waltzing over you. Sometimes they shift to a lower pace but only to come back full speed and crush you. The artwork of this record is top-notch. This 7” proves Herds a band to be reckoned with.

Herds - Michigan Ep (Residue)
What's left to say about this hardcore band from Milwaukee that hasn't been said before? I ordered both their Ep and Lp from Fashionable Idiots and still think both are great records, but somehow they haven't been selling all that well. I don't see what the problem is. Herds is one of the most crushing hardcore bands playing today. They are heavy as fuck. I'm a total sucker for their bass lines. The band exclusively sang about nature on their previous releases. They still do on the 'Michigan' Ep, but I'd say there's a slight difference. Three songs on this record cover stories of human casualties from the brute forces of nature. The last song is about us people wrecking nature and as you might have guessed, all events occur in the state of Michigan. My favourite track on here is 'Iron Mountain' which is about a mining accident that killed several workers. There are agonizing guitar cries in the tune that evoke the wails of death from the depths of the mines. Great stuff. This band destroys evertyhing in their wake and won't restrain from trampling you.

Hjertestop - Aarh... Fuck Er Det Hjertestop Ep (Fashionable Idiots)

This 7" was Hjertestop's debut 7". The band came from the ashes of some lesser known first wave K-town hardcore bands in the early 2000s. Their music is reminiscent of early 1980s LA hardcore punk according to some. A comparison based on the guitar sound and the great riffage Hjertestop can come up with. As soon as the riff of "Vi Er Overalt" kicks in you just know you're hooked. The vocals sound mean at times and although most songs are sung in Danish, I can work some of the subjects discussed here out just fine ("Piss Mig I Munden" means piss in my mouth. I remember the band selling a beautiful shirt on tour where Angela Merkel got pissed in the face...PUNK!). When I saw these guys live a few years ago they played a whole set without much talk leaving the crowd without much time to catch its breath. When kids screamed for more after their set, the band just played some of the songs they had already played at twice the speed. I remember the guitar player having a sticker of an erect cock on his guitar... Need I say more? Hjertestop are punk as fuck and this Ep is far better than the Lp they released on No Way after this. If you like hardcore punk and haven't picked this record up yet (it's already some years old) this is your chance to make up for that mistake. The band will play Europe next month after which they'll head out for the US once more. There will be a new 7" out on Fashionable Idiots by that time. Make sure you don't miss out on any of that!

Hysterics - 6 Songs Ep (M'Lady)
This right here is the Hysterics debut Ep. This all female hardcore band from Olympia, Washington plays pretty straight forward hardcore. At first I actually felt like this Ep was a bit generic and that the only reason people were going crazy over this band was that all members were of the (in my case) opposite sex. Call me a sexist pig if you want. Oh, and the fact that they were from Olympia probably didn't hurt either. Either way, I came around. The joke is on me. This is a solid hardcore release. The music is definitely heavily influenced by early 1980s USHC, but as bland as that may sound, the band is anything but. Although taking cues from the past the Hysterics don’t sound retro. I know that shit sounds trite and I’m sure you’ve read it about a zillion bands before, but that doesn’t make it any less true in this case. All six songs on this Ep are tough and energetic. Songs move from high tempo into slower and more brooding and intense parts flawlessly. The band succeeds in keeping the tunes interesting this way. Although the guitar player isn’t doing anything too crazy, she crawls away from the riffs in just the right places giving the songs the ugliness I came to love in hardcore. The singer sounds really angry and although her delivery is somewhat monotonous when she’s not destroying her throat, her vocals are always conveying a certain threat. The music overall has a threatening vibe like something bad is about to happen. The Hysterics really run wild with the final track on this Ep. ‘Hanging out at the 512’ is a jam with lots of guitar wailing. It’s ugly. It’s brooding. It’s great. The only complaints I have about this release are that there are only two new songs on it, but then again I’m sure many people missed out on the band’s demo so these songs will be all new to most of you. Furthermore I think sleeve was printed on shitty (probably cheap) paper. Did I really say that? Haha! Shit like that hardly matters, but it annoyed me. Overall the package is cool though. There’s an insert with all the lyrics, the record is on clear yellow vinyl and the artwork looks cool. You gotta give the band credit for their tampon take on the Black Flag logo. It still cracks me up. I hope these girls will do another Ep soon.

Los Inservibles - ¿Cual es tu pedo, ñero? 7" (Leather Bar)
Mexican punk seems to have made a huge comeback over the past few years (or was it never around before? I've been never any good with international classics...). Los Inservibles are one of my favorite bands coming from the country. The band plays three mean and  messy blown out hardcore punk songs  on this one-sided 7". Los Inservibles deliver pure chaos on this record. The vocals are reverbating all over the place and the Spanish lyrics are near impossible to make out. Your ears will be ringing from feedback after listening to this piece of wax. ‘Cual es tu Pedo, Nero?’ is Los Inservibles' third record after two demos that were both recently released on vinyl as well. To me this is their best stuff yet and it certainly makes expectations high for a next record. Part of Los Insevibles power is in their quick and vicious approach. After delivering these three stabs Los Inservibles put their rusty knife away and make a run for it. As soon as you notice you're bleeding from the gut they're long gone. I think the band might need another assault tactic for a full lenght, which they are supposedly working on, but I'm psyched to hear whatever they'll be doing on their next release. If you like your hardcore punk mean, nasty and dirty, this could be your new favourite band.

Insomnio - Walking on the String Ep (No Way)

Insomnio from Zaragoza, Spain are a bit of an ugly duckling in the No Way catalogue. Unlike most No Way bands they don’t trace their roots back to a random early 80s hardcore band. Unlike most of their label mates Insomnio doesn’t go for fast. Instead they play some mid paced melodic punk rock with a lot of guitar soloing. The songs on this Ep were taken from the same recording session as the No Escape Lp that preceded this 7” so if you liked that record you’re bound to enjoy this as well. Insomnio’s not reinventing the wheel with Walking On The String. They do however play some catchy simple punk rock you’ll catch yourself singing along to despite their awful English. What more could one ask for?

Krunchies - Interrobang Ep (Criminal IQ)
What we have here is the Krunchies first piece of vinyl. This Chicago three-piece delivers six short blasts of frantic punkrock. The Krunchies play fast and loud without any bullshit. All six songs are short with emphasis on the simple yet catchy and jangly guitar. The guitar player and the female bass player take turns on vocals and both singers (I wouldn't actually call it singing, but hey...) add to spasm of the music. The girl in particular seems to be screaming over top of her lungs pretty much all the time. The lyrics are pissed of and funny: "Douche your brain/ You ignorant fuck/ You fucking suck". Dumb in the good sense of the word. Listening to this band gives me the impression they´re having a shitload of fun doing what they do. They made this bitter old man bang his head  and tap his foot! It´s weird. There´s really nothing all that special about this music and yet I can´t come up with one single band that's doing what these guys and girl are doing. Explain that! The Krunchies just hit the right chords somehow.

Krunchies - Ugly Inside 7" (Southkore)

Third 7" by this Chicago three-piece and in my opinion by far their best release so far. The speed at which the Krunchies play would make me call them a hardcore band, but apart from their pace this band is pure punk rock with emphasis on the jangly guitar riffs and screamed boy and girl vocals. The Krunchies' lyrics are fun and witty. Song titles like "You put the 'U' in Useless" and "Ugly Inside" should give you an impression of what these cats are about. There are four frantically fast punk rock songs on this record and there isn't one among them that makes you lose your attention. Then again, you'd have a damn short attention span to lose your attention during songs clocking in barely past one minute. The rad artwork delivers the finishing touch to this record. I'm sure many people will pass on this one for snobbish reasons, but that's their loss. This is a little punk rock gem in my opinion.

Lars Adaktusson - Säger Ifran Ep (Den Magiska Cirkeln) (5 euro)
This is a new hardcore band from Gothenburg Sweden. They’re named after a Swedish journalist which makes me wish there was a Dutch band called Andries Knevel, but I digress… There ain’t much else I can tell you about these guys so let’s talk about the record instead. ‘Sager Ifran’ is Lars Adaktusson’s debut Ep and my introduction to the band. This 7” contains thirteen tracks of sloppy 1980s throwback US hardcore. Yes, you read that correctly. THIRTEEN SONGS! This makes the record a bit hard to digest perhaps. It takes some time before thirteen tracks fully sink in, probably more time than the average punk spends on a record before he classifies it and files it away. All of these tunes are fast and short and rough around the edges. This is no fastcore or powerviolence though. Nope, just plain and raging meat and taters hardcore here. Simple as that. What’s immediately striking about these recordings is the abrasive trebly guitar sound which is dominant in all songs. The guitar riffs are basic and stomping. The drumming is fast and direct. The vocals are throaty which I like and there are back up vocals on quite a few tracks. Lars Adaktusson reminds me of the School Jerks a bit. Both bands have a very simple and primitive take on hardcore punk. You know, take two riffs, play them fast, scream over them and move on to the next song. If you love your music loud and fast you can’t really go wrong with this Ep. While this style was all the kids wanted to hear a few years ago, it seems that there’s been a bit of a backlash lately. Yet I think there are still plenty of people who like their hardcore this way and why wouldn’t you? It’s fun. After some listens ‘Till Dom Älskade’, ‘Göran Häggluivd äter Diiva Barn’, ‘Kärlek Oa Verkstaden’ and ‘Jag Pissar Hellre Ner Mig’ stood out to me, probably because the bass comes more to the fore in those tracks. I’m sure these guys would love to deliver a nice fifteen minute set at your local squat. Why don’t you invite them over?

Lipkick - Selftitled Ep (Kink, Monkey Sounds,Sengaja, Spastic Fantastic)

This is Lipkick from Gemany’s first proper release. These four girls play some straight ahead here and there thrashy hardcore. The guitars are loud. Their two singers both sound angry. I love how their German accent comes through in the English. I can’t help but think it’s kinda cute which obviously isn’t intended. There are some German spoken samples in between songs that I can’t really comprehend. This is a nice debut, although nothing groundbreaking, but if you're looking for groundbreaking, you might as well drop out of punk and start listening to electro. What's really cool about Lipkick is that all these kids are just in their late teens! I'm guessing this is their first band ever. With that in mind I’m sure Lipkick can develop a sound of their own over time. I love the zombie artwork. The record is on pink for those who care.

Logic Problem - No Center Ep (Grave Mistake)
This North Carolinan band called it quits a year or two ago or maybe they just decided to take a break. Either way they're not playing anymore which is a shame. Logic Problem somehow seems to have fallen through the cracks despite good reviews and some big tours. To me Logic Problem always seemed 'that band that everyone kinda liked but no one really seemed to care about'. They started playing when the 1980s retro hardcore thing was at its peak and the band didn't really fit in. Logic Problem's sounds are bigger, heavier and darker. The band's rythm section was  powerful. The drumming on this Ep is wild whithout skipping a beat. The drummer lays down cool accents to keep your attention. The bass is very dominant and drives the songs. To top it all was the singer's raspy vocal delivery. Around the time that this Ep saw the light of day they released an excellent Lp on a Belgian label that never got that great a distribution as far as I know. All of that's too bad, because Logic Problem were an excellent band and you could do far worse than spending some euros on this piece of vinyl.

Lögnhalsmottagningen - Gomorra Sverige Ep (Ken Rock) (5 euro)

Review up soon...

Long Pigs - Ep (SMRT) (6 euro)
Another record from the much praised New York hardcore scene that brought you all Dawn of Humans, Hank Wood and the Hammerheads and the possibly even more lauded Crazy Spirit. Supposedly Long Pigs even share members with some of these bands, but I don’t exactly know the ins and outs there. The guys in this band also do Toxic State Records. Wow, that was a lot of name dropping, right? If I had a real webshop half of you readers would already have clicked on the ‘Buy-Now-button’ by now. You know it’s true. Don’t you deny it! I haven’t even mentioned a thing about the music yet. Think about that for a second, punk rock consumer. I’ll end my criticism here and will just do what a review is supposed to do i.g. say something about what’s to be heard on this Ep. The Long Pigs play noisy hardcore. I remember liking their demo, but apart from that my mind is a blank. The bass is blown out and the guitar is squealing throughout the entire record. Yes, there’s a lot of feedback to be heard, but it’s not in that contrived way that a lot of modern hardcore bands seem to go for. The drums are pretty loud too, but it’s hard to hear what the drummer is exactly doing underneath the guitar wailing. All six songs on this Ep are very chaotic. They’d have been falling apart if it wasn’t for the bass keeping the riffs going over the drum beat. I like what these guys are going for, but I have one complaint about this style. The songs don’t really stick. I like spinning this record. It has a nice messy, angry vibe, but I hardly remember what I’ve heard after the needle leaves the vinyl. Maybe it just takes more listens before this stuff sinks in entirely. Time will tell. I know there are plenty of people who don’t care about songs. So if what you’re looking for is some pissed off hardcore with lots of noise, you can hardly go wrong with this Ep. The artwork - screen printed cardboard sleeve and insert - matches the music well and like the Toxic State releases this Ep looks beautiful. You gotta give these kids credit for putting so much effort in their artwork. By now it doesn’t even come as a surprise anymore, but don’t you dare take it for granted!

Love Triangle - Splendid Living 7" (Dire)

After three four song cassettes the Love Triangle have found their way to vinyl with this 7" as a result. On "Splendid Living" the London three-piece delivers three previously unreleased songs. I see a pattern here. The Love Triangle overall has an optimistic sound as in their songs are songs for good times. The title track is an upbeat punk rock song. The vocal melody is so damn catchy and I love the little solo at the end of the song. Only on the flipside do I realize that the Love Triangle's singer is familiar to me (SPOILER ALERT: the dude also sings for the Shitty Limits) which in all honesty kinda turned me of. It makes me automatically compare the Love Triangle to that other band whereas the first song didn't suffer from that flaw somehow. This is more of a flaw of your dedicated reviewer than of the band really. Similarities aside the two songs on the flip aren't bad at all. I like them both, but not as much as "Splendid Living". One has to love the beautifully color clashing artwork these kids decided to settle for. I missed the Love Triangle on their short tour a month or two ago unfortunately, but have a feeling they'll be back. Word on the street is that two more 7"s are already in the works and the band is considering three Lp's after that.

The Magoos - Selftitled Ep (Vertex) (5 euro)

Review up soon...

Marvelous Darlings - Sleeping Like A Dead Man 7" (Bachelor)

There was not much to be heard about the Marvelous Darlings for a few years. Front-man Ben Cook stepped in as Fucked Up’s third guitar player back then, but apparently he has been spending quite some time on his own projects as well. Not only did he release three 7” of which Sleeping Like A Dead Man is one, in a short amount of time. There have also been three releases by his solo project, Young Governor, this year. Ben seems to be a busy bee. Also the guy can sing! If you haven’t heard the Darlings before let me tell you that this is some slick power pop. Boy, are these songs catchy. The a-track is a power pop gem that you’d expect from the Marvelous Darlings. The flip delivers a more lofi song that includes acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Sweet. This band is too slick for me to like and yet I love this shit. A guilty pleasure, I guess. Shame on me!.

Moralens Väktare - Konsumera! Ep (Sweken) (5 euro)
This is the second Ep by this young punk rock band from Sweden. No they’re not from Umea! Moralens Väktare delivers four short songs on this record. All of them clock in under two minutes except for the last which just crosses that mark. There are no stinkers on here, but the title track is probably the best song if only because one can sing along to the chorus without any knowledge of the Swedish language whatsoever. I can only guess that ‘Konsumera!’ means something along the lines of ‘Consume!’. This might have you think that there’s a political message in the song, but this band doesn’t strike me as the type that’s trying to get a message out there. Perhaps they are. The language barrier keeps me from saying anything decisive about this matter. Fortunately music knows no language. One thing is clear from the moment the needle hits the plastic; Moralens Väktare can craft a punk rock tune. All these songs are filled with hooks. The guitars are jangly and the songs are catchier than the flu. This record is bound to get people dancing and I imagine the band is an absolute blast live. Looking at the pictures on the sleeve these kids are still young which makes this Ep all the more impressive. Basically these four tunes are a ton of fun and if you like punk rock in a foreign tongue, you really can’t go wrong with this Ep at all. Same goes for their first 7", but I think that's sold out. Ask the Ken Man. There also is a split 7” out there, but I've heard mixed stories about that one. The band just released a full length on Dead Beat Records which you should definitely pick up. I'm sure it's killer. If only I had the money to pick me up a copy.

Moralens Väktare/ Röda Sten - Split Ep (Self Released) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Mülltüte - Ep (Self Released)
This record was quite a surprise. It came out of nowhere for me. Hardcore with German vocals from Berlin? Jawohl! I’m not an insider on this topic, but I’ve been told Germany isn’t exactly known for their amazing hardcore scene. These two Freunde apparently weren’t informed and released a solid hardcore record all out of the blue. Mülltüte delivers six tracks of raw and tough hardcore punk on this debut Ep. Although the band is a two piece, there’s definitely a bass in the mix here. I guess the guitar player did four string duties for this record as well. The drumming is pretty straight forward. The guitar player delivers his riffing over the simple drum beat. There’s feedback throughout all of these songs, but not in that modern hardcore way. This feedback sounds unintentional, you know. Funny how that seems a rare thing these days. It’s quite impressive how the guitar player keeps the music interesting. The riffs are strong and the short leads are really cool. The guitar sound is amazingly clean when you listen to it closely. What’s so amazing about that is that the music sounds filthy! I guess this feature should be attributed to the vocals which are harsh and plumb. I’m not a 100% sure, but I think both band members sing. One of them, the main vocalist, has a really gruff voice which works perfectly with the music. German doesn’t sound friendly, but the guy’s delivery sure isn’t helping either. The lyrics are all in German, but the band included an insert with short explanations to each song in English. Each tune seems to have its own message. The band adresses the punk scene ('Du bist kein Punk'), and environmental issues ('Plastik') among many things. This is the kind of record that keeps hardcore punk interesting to me. It exists in its own realm. Now someone tell me what the hell Mülltüte means!

Mundo Muerto - Rompe El Silencio 7" (Mata La Musica)
This is a repress of LA’s Mundo Muerto’s debut single that was released a few years ago on Que Punk? Records. It has been out of print for a while. The band has released a strong 12” Ep and even better full length since this 7” and with that came some more attention. Now that people know about Mundo Muerto they’re interested in hearing the first single, I assume, so Guss, the band’s singer decided to repress the thing on his own label Mata La Musica to make it available to all the sleepers after all. Reviewing this 7” is a bit of a call on my conscience, dear reader. I’ll be honest. When I first heard this single I wasn’t at all convinced. In fact when I tried to find my original copy to review this record I discovered I had filed the thing away in a purge not too long ago. I remember I was really pissed at the time that I had paid four bucks for only two songs, haha. Quite a thing to be angry about. Punks… I didn’t really appreciate a ‘song’ back then. After digging this single up and giving it some spins, I must admit that my judgement at the time was definitely harsh. This is a nice single with two cool anthemic hardcore punk songs sung in Spanish. The guitar riffs are simple, but catchy. Guss’ vocals are passionate. His voice is good, but all the ‘whoooaas’ on the A-side are a bit too much for me. Still that’s not that hard a thing to forgive. I could label this ‘raw ponk’ or ‘Latino punk’ for those of you who fall for fashionable terms like that, but to me this is just a hardcore punk band playing catchy hardcore songs. When I say catchy I don’t mean there’s no anger to these tunes, because there is. Still at the same time I think you can hear this band is having fun while playing. I can’t make out the words, but the B-side cut is called ‘Politicos Falsos’ so it looks like they’re political. The artwork looks like an old anarchist lino propagating the freedom of speech, which I like. If you want to hear this band at the top of their game get the ‘Entre El Kaos’ Lp, but if you’re already a fan or don't have the attention span to listen to a full length, adding this Ep to your record collection won't be a decision you regret. 

Negative Lifestyle - Panic Ep (Deranged) (5 euro)
Negative Lifestyle’s first Ep was on Bat Shit Records. The thing was fairly limited. This might explain why the band hasn’t had much attention so far – not to my knowledge anyway. This seven song Ep on Deranged Records should change that. This Swedish hardcore band plays some nice stripped down 1980s hardcore punk sung in English. Obviously this has been done a million times before. In all probability more 1980’s USHC records have been released in the last couple of years than in the early 80s, haha. My point being that this genre has been saturated for quite a while now. That said I love classic sounding hardcore punk and I’m guessing you do as well - otherwise I don’t see any reason for you to read this really. So instead of dismissing this kind of music entirely, which seems to be the thing to do these days, it makes a lot more sense to separate the good from the bad, because there’s still plenty of gold buried in the piles of shit that is retro hardcore anno 2012. This is where Negative Lifestyle comes in, because this band is definitely worth your ears or what’s left of ‘m. What immediately strikes me about Negative Lifestyle is their minimalistic approach. The band is a three-piece; guitar, bass, drums and of course vocals. The guitar sound is very clean. I’d almost say wimpy, but that sound like such a bad thing while it isn’t in this case. In fact I really like the guitar sound. Anders’ vocals are urgent and the thick Swedish accent in his English makes me smile. ‘So far so good, but nothing special…’, I hear you think. WRONG! This band is able to create interesting and catchy hardcore songs with very little. The song ‘Trying to fit in’ is a perfect example. Forget about ‘retro-hardcore’. That sounds generic. This shit is timeless. ‘Panic’ is a cool record that should be a reminder there will always be good hardcore as long as you’re willing to give it a shot.

Negative Lifestyle - End Up Like Them Flexi (Signaler Fran Ovan) (5 euro)
This is Negative Lifestyle’s third vinyl output. ‘End Up Like Them’ serves the listener four new hardcore songs clocking in under six minutes. The first three songs are good mid paced hardcore punk songs. It’s obvious that these three guys have been listening to a lot of early 1980s USHC. Can you blame them? Opener ‘End Up Like Them’ is yet another anthem to alienation, which seems to be a returning subject in Anders’ lyrics. The topics Negative Lifestyle addresses are not new and fairly typical for the genre, but somehow they don’t feel played out when Anders sings about them. It all feels sincere. That all boils down to gut, I guess. Some bands are believable. Others aren’t. I don’t know why. It might be a very personal thing. ‘In My Head’ has a catchy and simple chorus that sticks with you. ‘Borderline/ I think I’m stuck/ Borderline/ It’s in my head’. This is probably the catchiest song of the four. The last track ‘Never Silence’ isn’t really a song. It’s a bass riff repeated for two minutes. The guitar player hits a chord every now and then and in the background we hear some indecipherable whispering. Scary! This Flexi was released around the same time as the ‘Panic’ Ep on Deranged and I remember the two records got reviewed by the same reviewer in one issue of MRR. He said this flexi was way better than the Ep. Perhaps ‘End Up Like Them’ is a bit more direct than the Deranged Ep, but overall there’s not much of a quality difference between the two releases in my opinion. Isn’t it typical that whenever there’s two things, one always has to be the better? But let’s not get too philosophical. I’d argue you should pick both the ‘Panic’ Ep and this Flexi up if you’re still among the people who like classic sounding hardcore with its roots in the early 1980s. Negative Lifestyle are really good at what they do. I think it’s time this band does a 12” Ep.

Never Healed - Untitled I 7" (Painkiller)

I discovered the Bay Area’s Never Healed only recently. So far they’ve released a (mini-?) Lp on Parts Unknown and a split with the Violent Minds. Both those records were good and this 7” might even be better. Never Healed’s style remains unchanged. The music is pretty direct midpaced hardcore with an emphasis on the guitars. Both guitarists deliver some nice riffs on this 7". Somehow these two songs sound more defined than Never Healed's previous efforts. They slowly seem to be nailing their own style. What seems to keep people talking about this band is the singer’s voice. According to some this guy ruins the band and should have been fronting a death metal band. No surprises there. If you’re going to do something that isn't run of the mill you’re bound to get shit. In my opinion, however, Never Healed’s vocalist gives the band a distinguished sound. His vocals are mean and kinda disgusting. The two hardcore songs on this single will leave you wanting more. Hopefully there'll be a new Lp soon.

Pathetic Human - Selftitled Ep (She'll Be Right)

This Ep is a bit of an ugly duckling in my catalogue. I traded this over a year ago for some Shitty Limits singles and I can't really remember why... Pathetic Human hail from the land downunder and claim to play chronic powerviolence. I personally loath powerviolence so it's a good thing this just sounds like really fast hardcore with lots of feedback and a blown out bass to me. Fastcore perhaps? Pathetic Human is best when they're not playing ultrafast, because they can show some style in those parts. Especially the drummer does some cool fills. The lyrics are hateful, direct and somewhat tongue in cheek("we're coming to your village to audially rape and pillage"). Topics like mental issues and the J.O.B. are covered. There are ten songs on this Ep of which one is an instrumental. I really like the song "Brainfreeze". Somehow that one sticks with me. If you're a fan of fast and angry hardcore this should be your bag. It isn't really mine, but I don't mind it either. I still wish I hadn't traded this for the Shitty Limits singles though. Oh well, another lesson learned, I guess.

Pedestrians - Killing Season Ep (Residue)

Killing Season is Chicago’s Pedestrians’ fourth and (to my knowledge) final release. This band played a style of punk that wasn’t covered much back then and in fact still isn’t. Jordan’s vocals give the Pedestrians a distinguished sound. I really like the way he sings. The four songs on this 7” are in the same vain as their previous outputs and they are all good. Although the Ideal Divide 12” remains my favourite Pedestrians release, this Ep is up the same alley. If you liked Pedestrian’s previous releases, you’re bound to enjoy this Ep as well. For those of you who’ve been sleeping on this band this release gives a final opportunity to get your hands on some of their vinyl. I’m pretty sure that their other stuff has been out of press for quite a while. The Pedestrians definitely had a fresh sound to them and they will be missed. I’m sure we’ll soon hear from new projects by their former members though.

Pink Nightmare - Ep (Compact Chaos)
This is the debut Ep from Boston's Pink Nightmare, an all female band that shares members with several Boston acts you might have heard before. If you wanna know who and what just google that shit. This Ep delivers four hardcore punk tunes with some bleak topics such as war, alienation and misogyny. I'm really into this record, but find it hard to put into words what makes it good. All the instruments come through well in the tunes and especially the vocals sound really cool. The singer sounds angry in a bratty way. The drumming is some super stripped down bashing at times which is awesome. The guitar playing is simple, but there are plenty of memorable hooks throughout the four songs. This record is excellent proof of the fact you don't need to be the next Hendrix to write some cool tunes. 'Misogynist' is the standout track to me. Pink Nightmare deliver a good debut here. Why? I guess the songs are just there. Too bad the artwork on both the sleeve and labels looks  pixilated. I don't know if there's anything on the agenda for this band, but I'd love to hear more, because this Ep is promising.

Pizza OD - Ep (Self Released)
This is Pizza OD’s debut record. The three-piece hails from Lyon, France, a city that seems to have a pretty vivid punk scene lately. There are five punk rock song on this Ep. Most striking about Pizza OD are Alex’s vocals which are pretty upfront in the mix. I like his voice a lot. He sounds juvenile and obnoxious. All songs are sung in French which is a plus to me. I like it when bands sing in their own language. It just makes more sense.  Unfortunately I can’t make out much of the lyrics apart from the ‘une, deux, trois, quatre’s. The lyric sheet could help, but I’m afraid my French sucks too bad for it. My only complaint would be that the guitar sound is too wimpy. Turn that thing up! My favourite songs on here are ‘Cigarettes’ and ‘Meme pas Mal’, which means something along the lines of 'not bad at all' if I’m not mistaken. The bridge in that song is catchy as fuck. The song ‘Au Fond du Ravin’ is the odd song out. It’s a bit slower and emotional, I guess. I wish I could get the lyrics here. I think the title means ‘on the edge of the canyon’. I saw this record described as pop punk in the pages of MRR and although I can get that I wouldn’t have labeled this band pop myself. If I had to apply a genre to this I’d go for inept punk rock. These kids are no musicians. The songs are simple, but fun. I’m sure they make the French pogo in their squats. The packaging on this record is really topnotch. The artwork looks great, there’s an insert with all the lyrics and the protection sleeves of the vinyl have spray painted stencils. The band released the record themselves to boot. Punk!

Primates - Control Salvaje Ep (Thought Crime)

The Primates hail from Spain which seems to be the new breeding ground of punk rock. Eat your heart out Denmark! According to the Thought Crime site this band would’ve been gods in the US if they’d  have sported some Mohawks. I don’t know if that’s true, but this is definitely a good record. Control Salvaje is Primates’ second Ep and in my opinion it’s a lot better than their first which wasn’t bad at all. Primates’ drummer is fast and their guitar player has to keep up with that frantic pace yet is able to lay down some nice riffs. The music is very energetic and catchy. All the lyrics are of course sung in Spanish so I’m clueless as to what they’re singing about. Looking at the artwork of this Ep I’m guessing they do not like the big brother society we seem to be heading for. This is a solid release and it’s only their second output so far. It’s nice to hear a good new band from the continent. More please!

Pukeoid - Ep (Not Normal)
Pukeoid who hail from Chicago, released a demo tape about a year or two ago. That thing stank and I can’t say the artwork, which showed a lady shoving her head up another lady’s crotch, helped grabbing my interest. I tried to get into the tunes, but it was just too much of a mess for me. The recording was really poor. I think it was the singer of Fucked Up who once said that a lot of hardcore bands forget that hardcore is supposed to sound ugly, but with that said their own demo was definitely a piece of shit. Well, Pukeoid’s sure as hell didn’t forget that hardcore is supposed to sound ugly, but that didn’t make them any good either. But enough about the demo already! This Ep is definitely a step up from the tape. Pukeoid plays fast, sloppy and chaotic hardcore that will probably make many people pull out the Void-card, but I’ll just stick to saying that this is nasty and messy hardcore. The mid paced intro serves the listener some sweet guitar squeals and after that the band is set to go. Pretty much every song is a scorcher and all these tracks are fast. The drumming on this record is relentless. The drummer’s non-stop bashing creates a constant wall of noise underneath the pummeling bass and wild guitar playing. The bass comes through well and carries the riffs mostly, but the guitar adds some extra wildness to the music by wailing, squealing and lashing out at the listener. I guess it’s fair to say that the style this band goes for is fashionable, but Pukeoid pulls it off well. I can’t help but be reminded of the Repos, who these guys have certainly witnessed live whether in the Ropes incarnation or not. The vocals obviously aren’t as over the top as Aaron’s, but Pukeoid has that same kind of take-no-prisoners-approach. Some of the lyrics on this record rule. Especially the bleakness of ‘Today, Tomorrow’ and the black humor of ‘Front Page’ are noteworthy. The packaging of this Ep is great. The artwork looks cool and the record is on pink vinyl, which is so unfitting that it kinda makes sense.

Ras - Ep (Memoire Neuve) (6 euro)
Review up soon...

Sänkt - Kaos I Skallen Flexi (Signaler Fran Ovan) (5 euro)
Another flexi from this newish Swedish label that seems to be releasing nothing but these thin little pieces of plastic. Supposedly flexis are not made to last, but then again what is? You yourself won’t be here in another seventy years, my friend. ‘Memento mori’ and all that. Think whatever you want about the format, but it’s cool that Signaler Fran Ovan is releasing records by young Swedish bands that nobody has heard of yet. I know very little about Sänkt. It seems to be a rather young Swedish hardcore band influenced by the American greats of the early 1980s. Looking at the insert they appear to be yet another band from Umeå. It reads ‘UMEÅ HARDCORE!’ anyways. The four songs on this record are all fast to mid paced hardcore tunes built around simple beefy guitar riffs. It should be mentioned that the guitar player pulls of some short solo’s on the opening track though. The lyrics are in Swedish and I like the singer’s voice which is a bit hoarse. The drumming is pretty straightforward and I guess that can be said for the music overall. Problem with this kind of music is that it has been done to death and especially Sweden contributed to this genre in a major way over the passed decade or so. Because of the amount of bands doing this kinda thing it's hard to set yourself apart from the pack. I can’t say that Sänkt sounds all that different than other bands doing this, which doesn’t necessarily mean this is a bad record. The bridge near the end of ‘Döt Liv’ makes for a nice change in the song, but I find the vocals a bit lackluster on that track. The best tune on here is ‘Sänkt’. It’s a mid paced punk rocker with a catchy guitar lead as its main theme. It’s good. I can’t say the other three songs grabbed me though. All in all this is a decent release and if you’re into hardcore with its roots in the early 1980s you’ll like this. For me, however, there is just a bit too little to hold on to here. Then again that song ‘Sänkt’ grew on me. I’m sure this band is fun live and maybe I’d pick up this record after their set if I’d have money and was in a good mood. That doesn’t happen too often, but that probably tells you more about myself than about this release.

Sauna Youth - Lists Ep (Self Released) (5 euro)
Second Ep by these four Brighton boys. It seems like this record has been in the making for quite a while. The band delivers three songs this time around of which one was also on their demo. Sauna Youth's home is somewhere in the no man's land that exists between garage and hardcore, but who cares about labeling anyway? The drumming is rather simple, the bass bouncy and full and the guitar a bit thin and shrill. The singer's voice always has a certain tormented rawness to it which I like. These three tunes are all catchy and memorable. Sauna Youth achieves to sound both tight and playful at the same time. One thing I like a lot about this band is their lyrics. They feel personal somehow. It seems fashionable these days to 'just care about the music, maaahaaan', but to me lyrics can still make or break a record. The artwork is in the same vain as their previous release. I like it. Looking at the colors the picture might come at you when wearing 3D glasses, but I'm too lazy to grab mine from my 'Jesus loves the Stooges' copy to put that to the test. Apart from the two 7"s the band released a couple of cassettes that are worth seeking out as well.

Secret Police - Ep (Caproulet)
Review up soon...

Las Senoras - Selftitled Ep (Sola Para Punks)

Four song debut Ep by this new five piece from Spain. When I hear this band I think of the following scene. Five friends are hanging out in their shitty town on a Sunday afternoon. They're bored senseless. Then one of 'm says all out of the blue: "Hey, why don't we start a band?" A hunt for instruments follows and our five heroines reassemble in some garage an hour later where they write these four songs. I guess I should say that the band plays synth punk since the music is punk and there is a synthesizer among the instruments (I'm sure they found one in some attic dating back from their teenage years), but I don't think that label is apt. I don't know much about synth punk to begin with. Maximum Rock 'n Roll described this band as the Circle Jerks trying to cover a Lost Sounds' song which is a pretty cool description. Yes, there's a synth here, but it's not dominant in the sound. Las Senoras play simple punk rock with a synthesizer which makes for silly, bouncy and catchy songs you can spin all day. This is a fun record (yes, I said it!). For those of you who were into that Matado por la Muerte compilation a few years back, Las Senoras would have fitted right in on that record. So if you liked that Lp make sure you give this record a hear.

Sick Mormons - Why does shit keep falling from the Sky? Ep (Gummo Punx)

In case you didn't notice yet, I'm not all that much a fan of the Dutch punk scene. Everybody knows that the best bands are from someplace else, right? Well, Sick Mormons were from my beloved country and they weren't all that bad! Still my feelings about this band are mixed. They were going for that  late 1970s LA sound ala TSOL which you can hear best in their guitar and warm bass sound.  However the Sick Mormons always had less of an artistic vibe to me yet they do go for some epic synthy part on the second song of this record. The guitar sounds cool and the bass pulls off some nice lines in these four songs. Some of these tunes will stick with you partly because of the simple lyrics. Vork's vocals are perfect snot in dumbed down English at times, but at other times I find them lame and downright annoying. The fact that the band repeats verses in every song on this makes this complaint more agonizing than necessary. I think the songs would have been better had they been shorter. I could also do without the wimpy backups. My biggest critique, however, would be that their liveshows were always a snoozefest, but guess what? You can't hear that on vinyl! So if you're into surfy melodic punk this could well be your bag. The artwork is funny, but giving your songs Japanese titles isn't.

Silla Eléctrica - No Controlo Ep (Solo Para Punks)

If you haven’t heard about Silla Eléctrica by now you must have been living under a rock. Somehow this band seems to get more attention in the States than on my beloved continent, but that goes for practically every decent Euro band. The boys and girls at MRR headquarters have been in love with this Spanish three piece since day one. Haters say there’s nothing special about this band and that there’s no reason Silla Eléctrica is getting the amount of attention they got over the past years. If I had to pick sides I’d be in the MRR camp, because I enjoy this band’s music. Silla Eléctrica plays simple yet catchy three chord punk with a garage production. Not garage as in the style of music, but garage as in these tunes might actually be recorded in someone’s garage. They don’t sound like shit, but they sound minimal which is fitting. This is the band’s fourth Ep and it delivers four new songs of which one is also on their full length that was released around the same time as this record. It’s kind of like an appetizer being served at the same time as the main course, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it’s hardly a problem either. It’s just a bit weird. If you’ve heard Silla Eléctrica before, you know what to expect and this record will not be a surprise in any way. However, like on their previous releases, this band can craft a tune and these four songs are all good. There’s nothing new to be heard on this Ep and if you didn’t like Silla Eléctrica before, ‘No Controlo’ will not make you a convert. On the other hand, if you loved this band’s previous 7”s, you will like this one too and you probably won’t give a shit that the band sounds practically the same as before. I hate it when people say shit like ‘don’t change a working formula’, but in Silla Eléctrica’s case it’s more than apt. I liked this band before. I still like them. I like this record. Give it a hear. I love the artwork and the insert. The whole package looks great.

Slugz - Suit and Tie Ep (Feel It)
Debut Ep by this young band from Virginia, an area that got known for producing some solid 1980s throwback hardcore over the past years. Slugz don’t really fit that mould, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if you can find these boys going through record bins at Vinyl Conflict in Richmond on a regular basis and perhaps some of Brandon’s bands convinced ‘m that they too could pick up instruments to start a band of their own. Slugz’s music can best be described as filthy rock ‘n roll with a major hardcore punk influence. It’s basically hardcore kids playing rock ‘n roll. The three songs on this Ep are played with conviction. There’s no holding back and you can tell they put thought in their tunes. Furthermore these dudes can all play their instruments well which makes for songs that are more interesting than your average hardcore tune. The opening track sounds pissed as hell and is kind of their anthem. Sure the lyrics are nothing you haven’t heard before, but that doesn’t make them any less true or relevant. Is anything in punk still considered relevant today apart from obtaining the right records? Furthermore I feel like these kids are sincere which seems to be a rare thing. The drumming is heavy as hell and pretty dominant. The guitar does cool memorable leads and some not annoying solos. Even the bass is lent some moment to show his chops which, being a bass player, always makes me feel warm inside. The most striking about Slugz however is the singer who has  a raspy and filthy vocal delivery. The guy is not sparing his throat one bit on this record. If you like your hardcore with some swagger this might well be your favourite new band. I’m not in the know about any future plans for the Slugz, but I’m guessing it won’t take long before we hear from them again.

Smärtstillande - Flexi (Signaler Fran Ovan) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Solid Attitude - Prison Water Ep (Rotted Tooth)
Unlike the other Rotted Tooth releases I’ve heard this Ep doesn’t have have one foot in noise-rock. However there is still something really disturbing about the six songs that can be found on the debut Ep by this band from Iowa. The opening track is a great example of this. It’s a calm song, but you can tell there’s something brooding underneath. This applies for most songs on the record. There’s this constant vibe that make you feel like something really nasty might happen at any moment. It’s hard to label Solid Attitude. There’s definitely some garage in their sound, but this isn’t a garage band. Let’s just call it punk. One can’t go wrong with that. Apparently Solid Attitude is a four piece, but I wonder who does what. The sleeve doesn’t tell us and there’s no insert. I find it hard to make out what’s going on apart from the drums and vocals. I’m guessing there’s both a bass and guitar in the band, but the two make for an odd combination. At times I feel like there’s only a guitar and other times I think that guitar is actually a bass with effects. Oh well, whatever instrumentation this band uses, it sounds great. There’s nothing too noticeable about the drums except for the relatively loud cymbal hits. Most striking about Solid Attitude is the vocalist. He sounds young, even bratty at times. In theory his voice doesn’t really match this music, but in practice it makes for a perfect combination. Like I said there’s no lyric sheet which is a shame, because I would have loved to read what this kid is squealing about. His words aren’t that hard to make out, but a lyric sheet always comes in handy. My favourite song on this record is ‘Constant Garbage/ Totally Droll’ in which the singer goes from somewhat manic hauls in the verse to mean ass growls in the chorus. All in all Solid Attitude delivers a threatening and damaging debut record that makes one crave for more. This band could without a doubt pull off a good full-length. I really love the artwork by the way. A pink skeleton with horns and wings? Badass!

Street Legal/ Frozen Teens - Split Ep (Shut Up!)
I picked up this Split Ep for the Street Legal side so let’s start off with that one. Kansas’ Street Legal did a mighty fine demo last year. It took a while before any vinyl saw the light of day, but here it finally is. Street Legal plays punk rock with a bit of hardcore blend in. Lauren’s vocals are great. She has a strong voice and she means what she sings. I like her lyrics. They cover how life sucks and yet always have a positive message to them. I don’t mean that in some bullshit youth crew kinda way, OKAY! Most striking about the band to me is the lightning fast bass playing. The guitar plays surfy lines over the bass attack. This combination gives the band a distinguished sound. It’s a bit of a shame that the two songs on this 7” were both on the demo as well, but the recording is a lot better this time around. Especially the bass sounds clearer and less fuzzy than before. Hopefully Street Legal will do another Ep soon, because I know they’ve got some great songs on the shelves. On the flip we find Frozen Teens who hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their songs are on the poppier side of things. Pop punk? I don’t know… I think there’s a huge scene for this kind of music in the States; the Fest, Pabst beer, beards, all that. Although I’m no connoisseur when it comes to this kinda music, the two Frozen Teen songs sound alright to me. The music is somewhat sugary with a warm bass sound under jangly melodic guitar lines. ‘New Year’ is a cool song with bleak lyrics. The words make the tune for me. Their other song leaves me cold. ‘Support’ is just another love song I could do without. It’s too sappy. This is a cool split Ep by two bands that are friends with each other, released by one of their friends. The packaging is nice. I’ll take a release like this over some of the semi-professional ‘must-haves’ of this day and age any day.

Sucked Dry - Falling Apart at the Seams Ep (Less Slow, More Go)

Sucked Dry from Missouri deliver their first vinyl output with this here 7". As soon as the needle hits the vinyl we get to hear a pretty rocking mid-pace intro, but don't be fooled. It's just a matter of seconds before the drummer hits his hi-hat four times and the band is of to go. Sucked Dry deliver some heavy, raw and fast hardcore on this Ep. These guys sure didn't try to make themselves sound better through some studiowork. What's striking about this record is the loud one-two-three-four snare hits. It's like getting your face kicked in. Sucked Dry's guitar sound is low and harsh. The same can be said about the vocals which somehow bring to mind the first Direct Control Ep although that's probably more in the direct delivery than in the guy's voice which is way more guttural. Unfortunately there are no lyrics included, but the song titles gives a pretty bleak impression; "Give Up", "Ready to Die" and "Living in my own Filth". The artwork doesn't look too optimistic either. Sucked Dry shreds through seven song on this platter and the only time they'll leave you to catch some breath is when it's time to flip this thing over. I'm sure plenty of people will dismiss Sucked Dry as being "just another retro band", but let's just leave them to their new challenging mysterious hardcore. I'm sure these guys could care less for they're just playing the music they love for the sake of it. So if you're looking for a band that plays some harsh hardcore without any bullshit or pretention, make sure you pick this one up.

Synthetic ID - Ep (Cut the Cord That) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Thieves - Positive Vibrations Ep (Suburbanite, To Live A Lie)

North Carolina served us some good bands over the past years. Double Negative and Logic Problem come to mind, but apparently there's a fair share of new young hardcore bands coming from this area as of late. Thieves is one of those and "Positive Vibrations" is their first vinyl output so far. These guys deliver no less than eight songs on this Ep and you better believe me when I say there aren't too many positive vibes to be heard on this platter. The tunes are more complex than your average hardcore track without the band trying too hard. Thieves change pace a lot which makes for interesting songs. Throughout the record every band member shows his skill at some point. The guitar does some nice leads, but it's the rythm section that's stealing the show here. Fierce drumming and great clearly audible bass riffing, which is always a plus in my book, make this record standout. Thieves' singer sounds a little more monotonous on this Ep than I remember him sounding on the demo. His vocals are pretty hoarse and intense which adds to rawness of the music, but some more dynamic to his vocal delivery would benefit the band's sound, I think. The lyrics are hateful and cover both their local scene and everyday life. This is a good hardcore release from a relatively unknown scene we'll hopefully hear more from soon. In the meantime I'll give this Ep another spin.

Thurneman - Tegelsten För Tegelsten Ep (Sorry State)

When I heard Thurneman's first record I wasn't all that amazed and forgot about the band all together. It turns out I've been missing out, because, man, did they improve. These Swedes deliver no less than eight perfect hardcore punk songs on this Ep. Thurneman gets compared to Hüsker Dü (one of my all time favourites) a lot and that comparison actually makes sense in this case. Like the Hüskers these guys sure know how to write a good song! But let's not get into comparisons here, because that wouldn't do Thurneman any justice. What can I say other than that I love this band? I'm a total sucker for this stuff and I can't think of a single band that has come close to nailing this style as well as these boys. Thurneman's songs are inventive, the bass sounds awesome, the vocal melodies get stuck in your head. You'll be flipping this thing over and over and over. I know what you're thinking: "It can't be that good." But you're wrong. I can't recommend this Ep enough. Their second release is definitely worth picking up as well. I've heard talk of a new Ep on Puke 'n Vomit. Last thing I heard was that these kids were working on a 12" and were looking for shows in Europe. So what are you waiting for? Book them already!

Tumor Warlord - Subway Gas Attack Ep (Ken Rock) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Urban Blight - Total War Ep (Static Shock) (5 euro)
Let's start out with the obvious. Urban Blight plays simple and agressive Boston styled hardcore. This Canadian hardcore band has been around for some years now and recently did a European tour. This five song Ep was released around the same time. I don't really know all that much about Urban Blight's early years. I think the song(s?) they did on the second 'Generation' cassette released by Fucked Up got people talking.  The Ep on Deranged was loved by some, but a letdown to others. I enter the story here. The first thing I heard by Urban Blight was their 'More Reality' 12" on Slasher which is one hell of a hardcore record. The recording is dirty and raw as fuck which makes the band sound primitive and angry as hell. This Ep takes things a step further or perhaps I should say back, because these recordings are even more minimal than those of the 12". There's a lot of hiss. The guitars sounds fuzzy and there's quite some feedback throughout the songs. The drums and bass are blown out and loud. All of this gives 'Total War' a damaged feel. The vocals are somewhat buried in the music, but still sound pissed. The title track is a keeper. Although I like this Ep I think the sound they went for on their 12'' was more fitting. The record comes in a huge foldout poster.

White Load - Pig Eyes 7'' (Ken Rock) (5 euro)
Yet another 7” from this Providence three piece. This is their fourth single and like their first it’s one sided. I wonder what made this band fall in love with the format. There are two new songs here so they might as well have made it a two sided single. Their decision to release the record as a one sided 7” instead, reeks of a certain nihilism that’s fitting when you hear the band’s music. It also saves your lazy ass the effort to flip the thing over. The theme on this record seems to be pigs. Why? I don’t know. Are we talking cops here? The sleeve shows us a pig with an ear- and nosering being roasted. A pierced pig… A punk pig? I’d like to think there’s a hidden message in the image, but chances are there isn’t. These guys wouldn’t admit there is either way. The opening track ‘Pig Eyes’ is White Load as we’ve come to know them. I guess one could label this band as hardcore, but there isn’t any Black Flag or Die Kreuzen worship going on here. I know the band has taken cues from certain old bands, but I think instead of going for a certain sound they created their own which would be best described as loud, pounding and vicious. It’s nothing new, but they do it with a lot more vigor than most. This shit is primitive and stupid in the best way. The guitar and drums sound louder than ever on this 7”. I don’t know if they did something else recording-wise, but the band sounds more powerful than before. Bigger perhaps. It’s lovely that two guys can create this much noise. The vocals are one of the things that make this band awesome to me. The singer sounds totally insane and so angry. The lyrics are near impossible to make out although the lyrics to the second song seem to be: “Little Black Pig! You make me sick!” Poetic! The last song was originally released by Black Traitor, which was basically a White Load alias. The track is different than most White Load stuff. It’s them playing one riff into the ground Brainbombs style. Although it’s the same formula (can you really call it that?) it doesn’t sound anything like those rape and murder loving Swedes. I love this band. This shit is probably more punk than ¾ of your record collection. They just did a full-length on Load. I’m actually going to leave the house to buy that in a record store. Man, that hasn’t happened in ages!

White Lung - Magazines Ep (Deranged)

If my raving review of White Lung's first Ep didn't convince you that we're dealing with a great band here, perhaps the fact that Deranged Records released their second Ep might. White Lung once more delivers three tracks on this Ep. The band has definitely grown since the Local Garbage 7". The songs ons this Ep are more defined. There's more emphasis on Natasha's rad guitar playing than before. Rightfully so. Mish's vocals are even more biting than before. Another great record by these Vancouver femmes. Natasha left the band after this release so I'm really curious about their upcoming 7" on Deranged. Hopefully they'll find a good replacement for her.

Wooden Kimono - Ep (Perennial) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Yperite - Ep (Close Up) (5,50 euro)
I had never heard of Ypérite until picking up copies of the Peripherique Est Ep from Close Up Records. The garcon running said label turned me onto them. Apparently this Ep is Ypérite’s first vinyl release. After some research I discovered that the band does already have two cd releases under its belt, but since you’re probably as much of an elitist prick as yours truly, i.e. you only care about vinyl, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who hadn’t heard of these guys before. Ypérite delivers four polished punk rock songs with French vocals on this 7”. I imagine these guys being in their thirties. They’ve probably been in a handful of bands before which means they can all play their instruments. Especially the guitar player has some cool tricks up his sleeve. Furthermore Ypérite’s singer has a good voice and if my French wasn’t très mauvais, I’m sure I could have made out the lyrics sans problème. All the songs on this Ep are catchy. The band employs some ska elements in the opening track without it being irritating, which is quite a feat. The standout track to me is ‘Les Temps Sont Dur’. It’s urgent and the guitar playing is very subtle apart from the solo in the middle. I don’t have much of a clue what these songs are about, although I’m pretty sure the last track is about a certain bunny rabbit. Said song is mostly instrumental and I have mixed feelings about it. On some days I find it hilarious while on others I find it annoying. It definitely has a caffeinated vibe to it, which is cool. Overall this is a nice punk rock record with good songs. Can’t really go wrong with that, can you?