A.B.A.Q #1

Not a long post today (it's Friday, let's party), but just a lil' reminder that I have only a few issues of A.B.A.Q #1 left. 

An inky collaboration between two friends, A.B.A.Q tackles real issues plaguing the mind of the American hardcore "kid" (that's codespeak for "upper middle class wigger"). Why kids with Neckbeards love Xibalba. Why clueless Mom's love Paper Trail. Why Harley Flannagan refuses to use commas in his Facebook status updates. The real shit.

Also a softball interview with Sorry Excuse, some hardcore news briefs, and some real polarizin' reviews. A quick read, but well worth your parent's pennies. (12 pages, 1/2 size)

(Attn Foreigners: We'll ship to ya, but we're not doin' bulk/wholesale stuff. Limited quantities. Yarrr....)

It even got a review here. 

Snap one up at the bigcartel here. 

ENUF (Logo Power #1)

My ADIDAS

New Jersey's hardest. Unless you've been camped out under a rock, you know about this band's pedigree. Cool logo here. I can't get behind homeboy's Yankees hat, but great lettering and the barbed-wire effect isn't cheesy.

For the unenlightened: Sucka Mosh

My War Records (Core Core Core #4)

Still on dat My War tip. Also, Insurance Risk's How Much More 7" was a great 90's record that doesn't get acknowledged too much. \m/ ** \m/ 

Free Spirit 2012 Demo (Demo Dogz #5)

Pink-Hand Sandies

Free Spirit doesn't need an introduction, but this demo does. Woah. It's a little teaser for the forthcoming 12" (which promises to be a stomper) and I'm going to say it showcases a bit of a "darker side" for them. 

The vocals are way nastier and burlier (I should know this, but is that Gil singing? It sounds quite a bit different than on other releases) and the drums have Paincave mitts all over them. I get vibes from Alone in a Crowd (mostly in the lyrics) and the mosh bits remind me of Uniform Choice. Why do so many people hate this band again? I don't know. Screaming for Change is perfect.

Dig the artwork too. Pink is punx and so are hand-drawn graphics of fists. The cursive lettering is a cool Straight Ahead homage (maybe?) too. 

Anyway, a really muddy version of "Casting Down" was featured on the Joy Boy Mixtape Vol. III, but this one's a lot cleaner. Opening riff rules and the back and forth vocal trick is clutch. "Control You" has a bit of a funky backbeat with an ironclad mosher, and both "Figure You Out" and "Selfish" showcase great divebombs (and the latter really reminds me of UC's "Scream to Say").

Very excited for the upcoming full-length. These are my favorite songs they've done so far.

Cassettes are only available at the shows, so the journeymen can have their pic, but for those of us not in the city-limits, we can take a samplin' here.

Latin heat (Core Core Core #3)

'Rican Havoc!

Yeah yeah, I nicked this from the New Breed Comp Facebook, but it was too kyut to pass up. I saw Merauder on a reunion in Philly. Couple of notables: My buddy Wiggles (who's now an ultra famous hip hop video director) got knocked out temporarily and peed in his pants a little bit, and there was lots of talk of crack transactions in the alley next to the venue. Kewl.

Turkey Lurkey #2: Thanksgiving Hardcore

A.C.A.B (B is for "Butthole")

Last night I sent out a charge to my (dozens and dozens of) fans on leads to hardcore songs about Thanksgiving. I was sure it'd be a lost cause (except for maybe some vegan poetry on the Ebullition catalog about how we should say 'Indians' or something), the encyclopedic brain of one Scott Kilcoyne kept my spirits higher than a Macy's Day Cheech and Chong float. See, he hipped me to this Clevo band called Party Plates. It's dudes from Cleveland luminaries like Inmates and Cider, and besides the endearing "Stoner Pythong" they've a song called "HAPPY THANKGIVING!"

Sloppy and psychotic punk in the grand Clevo tradition (you know, the one that doesn't involve Dwid) and is most notable for sporting some wah wah effects (guitar brohs don't correct me) and a jumpy time signature. Thanksgiving is a happy time. Here's the song on a "choose your own price" deal-io on Bandcamp. Check it.

Again, thanks to Scott, for keeping me honest and for being a Drug Dogs lifer even if I send him his stuff way later than I should.

Anthrax Turkey Lurkey #1

Cry for the Indians

Does anyone know any good Thanksgiving themed 'core?

Waaaar daaaaaaaance!

Chaotic Neutral - Living With Neighbors (Demo Dogz #4)

Suburban Discipline

Chaotic Neutral is an Indianapolis super group composed of guys from Picked Clean, Critical Response Team, Axis and Allies, Wasteland D.C., Slow Motion Enslavement and a gajillion others.

Great artwork, reminds me of something like How Could Hell Be Any Worse, and we know that the suburbs created hardcore.

This is only one song, albeit a really long one ("Exhaustion/Opportunities"), with a great build up, kind of psyche-y and lots of crazy guitar effects, and it kind of morphs and progresses throughout. They don't really sound like Guilt Lust, but I get the same little tingling nerve in the back of my balls when I listen to these guys as I do with GL, so take that for what it's worth. Really unique and totally worth copping here.

Midwest hardcore is the best.

Mistaken Identity #1

Y'all probably don't know this, but Ian Mackaye was lyke, REALLY into UK house music in the early 90's.

CORE CORE CORE #2

10 great releases. Very little hype.

Hardcore 2K12 #3

Other things that are forever: Goonies, AIDS, this terrible decision between your mouth and earlobe.

Hardcore 2K12 #2

Only slightly lamer than Earth Crisis Face Guy's. SLIGHTLY.

Become - Demo Tape (Demo Dogz #3)

Against the Grain

Before Become, the only thing I knew about Santa Barbara was that a guy I knew in L.A. used to fly there daily to go work on heat-seeking missiles. Members of this band have done time in a bunch of other bands, most notably Broken Needle, but also X-Wing who I got a 7" split for at a crappy house show in Utah out of a distro.

This demo tape sports great artwork with an excellent logo that looks absolutely great on the shirts in the Take it Back store.

This is a style of hardcore that's often attempted and more often than not, not done well. I really can't complain about the execution here though as the latent melody (which does exist) never chokes out the throaty scrap and explosive rawness of it. Obviously Swiz and Rites of Spring get connected to this band (and "Ever Know" sounds the most Rites of Spring-y in the bunch), but I also hear flecks of Grey Matter (their label, Take it Back is named for a Grey Matter album), some of the later era Turning Point riffs n' tones and Embrace (particularly in "Floor.") Toss up between the aptly named "Drowning" (which has everyone going at mach-ten, sputtering in exuberant brilliance) and "Melatonin" (with a saccharine sweet riff to close it out). The only real breather is the break at the end of "Ever Know" while the rest maintains a wild-eyed ferocity throughout. Infectious.

Verdict: Excellent...and word on the street is that they're going to have a new song on the 'Starting from Zero' comp that Crucial Response is releasing.

Stream it at their bandcamp here and then buy it from Take it Back here. Find more info at Take it Back's Facebook page.

We All Hate Mike Vallely (Inky Fanzine Nugget #3)

Southern Discomfort

Not much I can say 'bout this one, cuz the poetry's in the pudding. Comes from Stan Forsack's Atlanta Youth Report zine, ish #7. An interview with the always entertaining Brendan Radigan had me in stitches. One little quip. Love it. 

Elephant sac

I don't care about his part in that one Powell video where he's running through a graveyard. The world doesn't need another Hank Rollins. Take it to the bank. Mike V sucks.

Boarders SXE Thrashers (CORECORECORE #1)

Hey man, you like roller-boarding?

SEND SOME STAMPS FOR A FREE CATALOG. 4-6 WEEKS.

Hardcore 2012 #1

HANGING WITH THE YOUTH CREW, FLYING THRU THE CLOUDS

Hounds of Hate Promo Cassette (Demo Dogz #2)

Release the hounds

Hounds of Hate popped up on my radar this time last year when I was contributing a little more regularly to an indie rock blog and looking for submissions. Despite the "this was recorded in a cave full of wet macaroni" recording quality of the demo, the cool mix of slow-ish, dirgey oi-inflected straight edge 'core wet my whistle, enough to snag the No Redemption 7"quicker than snot sliding on brass door handle.

While this isn't exactly a demo, it is a teaser for the upcoming LP (that's apparently already been written!), featuring three new bangers and a re-tooled version of of "Brotherhood of Night" from the first demo tape. 

Artwork is simple, and works great for the tape. Old english fonts can't ever really get overused in the 'core, so no complaints there. I'm feelin' the way that spine would look on a shelf.

Tunewise, they've really stepped up the proverbial game from the 7". Recording is crisper and vocals still hit with a gravelly power. "Pride" has the illest break, and "Clean Today" has great subject matter, namely junkie-scum butt getting a hard dose of edge reality (reminds me of the real life spoken word intro of that one Rollins Band song that I can't remember the name of right now). Comparisons to Sick of it All still seem apt, but so do some of the other second-wave NYHC bands along with Life's Blood and any of 'em with a little bit of skin-savvy in their braces.

Verdict: Fiendin' for the full length. Catch them on tour.

Buy it before you steal it.