ostinato grove unreleased lp

this band was from georgia and was made up of ex scout members.......not much more info to go on than that........noisy mathy abrasive stuff, sometimes like shellac, sometimes like don cab, sometimes like new brutalism on steroids......this was recorded in 2000........







ostinato

voglio capirlo demo (1998)

this band existed between 1998-2000. they played with tons of passion and intensity that would make your jaw drop live......three awesome people playing what they loved....james marks, their singer/guitarist ran the vegan grocery in pontiac where many many great shows happened, he now runs some clothing company in ann arbor and i believe is more or less out of the "scene" or whatever....i believe they where on their way to great things when their bassist, sara zeidan, was killed in a head on carcrash with a truck while on her way to more than music fest in 2000.......here are the four songs from their demo....rough, twisting emotive stuff that would be perfectly at home on ebullition........a band that should be remembered even though their existence was all to brief...........


"no expectations for anyone to fail to reach...."

slavearc "structural damage in the blueprint of humanity"

this was this brutal UK band's second (and last) release dating from 2001.....more complex and even more brutalizing than "vanquish"....alot like creation is crucifixion  soundwise........same strong animal rights/hardline lyrics theyve always had, even though that sort of political stance in hardcore was rapidly becomming unfashionable (at least in north america) by the turn of the century when this record was released.........apparently this was released after the koreisch lp as i had thought that that band had formed after slavearc had called it quits, but i guess i was wrong as this came out over a year after the koreisch lp was released (1999)

anyways here it is:

structural damage in the blueprint of humanity

molly mcguire "lime"

from the meagre amount of recoded material that id heard from this band before i got this album i was expecting to hear a band heavily influenced by "innocents' era only living witness (since the couple songs id heard before "lime" where very much in that vein) but lo and behold this is solidly in the same genus of the musical kingdom as fellow midwesterners castor, shiner and hum.....albeit alot more heavy duty with more of a polished  straight ahead rock feel than those bands.....and the vocals are a bit moe in the "angsty grunge" style at times.....the standout tracks are  "american urine", "coin toss" and the last 1:30 of "humanville".........the lyrics could have been better....they seem to be mainly concerned with  love and the loss thereof......"sad bastard" music indeed.........despite some of the stated drawbacks this is definately worth continued listens as the music can be fucking phenominal at best and still pretty good at worst.

ps: this band was from kansas city and this album came out in 1996 (im pretty sure)

lime

doppler: "songs to defy"

there will be no more arguements made. the jury has its verdict and that verdict is doppler is the best band in france right now. its not even close.............im going to coin a new term right now: epic noise rock, because thats exactly what this barbwire masterpiece of a record is............i thought "si nihil aliud" was good...this one one-ups that record in every possible way, noisier, more complex, better recording values, theyve reached another pinnacle.......no song is under 4 minutes long here, just exciting and enthralling....two words that i bet have never been used in the context of a review of a noise rock album before.......this came out in 2008 and im really not sure why i dident hear about it then.........but holy shit is this some fucking amazing, energizing stuff...if you dont like this you either have no taste or are braindead.....ok, so maybe our musical tastes arent alike......what am i saying? if your reading this blog and have downloaded and liked anything ive posted, youll probably eat this up with a spoon:

songs to defy

providence union "die me infinity + 4"

between 2000-2002 i went to indianapolis/bloomington/west lafayette/muncie indiana like every other weekend for shows.....saw shitloads of bands........kurt, enfold, chispa, usurp synapse, stars of the dogon, red monkey, city of catepillar, check engine, racebannon...the list was lonngggg......anyways i saw this band and a band called excelsior! in indianapolis on a tuesday night (i remember going down there specifically because it was a weekday show) in spring/summer 2002 (i think) i was actually more excited for excelsior! because that band contained ex members of encyclopedia of american traitors who i dug the shit out of......well excelsior! had none of the energy or commitment of that band and instead played some lousy scuzz-rock....like a really halfassed karp trying to play thin lizzy covers or something like that...........anyways providence union came on and blew my mind.........just a fantastic live band....dreamy, atmospheric and loud as fuck (at least from what i remember) im not sure why, but i dident get any of ther merch at the time (in fact i dont even remember if they had merch).........i only got this cd a few months later........a bit of a dissapointment from their live show but really really fucking good nonethless.........a good description of their recorded material would be "shoegazer-post hardcore"  maybe swervedriver meets city of caterpillar? standout track are "an isometric excercise" and "plastic ceilings". methinks youll like this as much as i did.

oh yea, this band was from daytona beach florida and to my knowledge, this was the only thing they released.

providence union

long fin killie "valentino"

....."and now for something completely different.."

taking a different turn with this entry.....not a "hardcore" band by any means, yet a very memorable one to say the least.......long fin killie hailed from scotland and where active through much of the 90s..i saw them in 1996 with a shoegaze band from LA called medicine (this was in the same week that i saw engine kid and iceburn)....their vocalist, luke sutherland went on to do a trip-hop outfit called bows and after that wrote a couple prize winning books, "venus as a boy" and "jellyroll".....he also apparently plays violin for mogwai when they tour.......anways LFK was a very unique band, melding elements of indie rock, celtic music, noise, string sections and electronics to create an amazing musical landscape combined with sutherland's wry lyricism.....valentino was their second lp....it might take you a couple listens to really get into this since there is alot to take in in each song, but its a musical journey well worth taking.......

hope i dident sound too much like some rolling stone/spin critic ith that paragraph.....but a kickass band and a fucking great album....

valentino

colt discography

late 90s melodic german stuff..........someone (i think it was marianne hofstetter) said they sounded like "rusty james meets dinosaur jr"....i guess thats not really a bad starting point....im not sure if this band actually had rusty james members in it but the influence is definatly there......poppy, catchy, but still a bit rough on the edges, this is the ultimate sunny day party music....both lps are included here.....and i love both almost as much as i love the rusty james lp......but not quite...

colt

ache hour credo discgraphy

so we're in the middle of the olympics and i feel like taking part in the olympic spirit.....so im posting a band from canada today..........and from vancouver no less! i dont know much about this band other than that ache hour credo existed at some point in the late 90s and was an offshoot of m-blanket, a band im even less familiar with than AHC.......that said, this is one hell of a cd.........rough melodic punk/emo/hardcore with a shitload of energy.........hot water music eat your heart out..........some of it is more moody and borders on the mid 90s screaming hardcore/emo thing but for the most part this is pretty upbeat.........i used to think (and to a degree i still do) that all of the good canadian bands came from quebec and ontario with a few good ones from winnipeg too (swallowing shit/head hits concrete/malfaction) with edmonton/calgary/regina being virtual deserts for hardcore/emo/indie rock..........aside from strain, submission hold and these guys, vancouver never seemed to offer me anything that great musically either....maybe there are a shitton of good bands from that area that im overlooking but until i hear them AHC will be the only band from canada's west that i can consider truely superb.

ache hour credo

forced to decay "perkussive perlokution"

a perkoro band that was overshadowed by their labelmates, morser and systral......this ws their last (and best) lp.........typical perkoro style but with some more laid back, almost jazzy songs here an there...........i think the cd version had a couple songs that were difrent from those on the LP........or maybe i just had a few more...im no certain..........anyways ive kicked off the dust and put this up for your listening pleasure:

perkussive perlokution

to dream of autumn "live on wnyu"

this band always seemed to turn up in the whitebelt's record collections or namedropped by them on messageboards...im not sure why......TDOA where the furthest thing from a typical "whitebelt" band (IE: bands with shitty fashion sense writing short fast noisy blasts, usually with keyboards in there somewhere, with weird robot/pirate/viking obsessions) they where a group of down to earth honest and sincere people who just happened to play paint peeling hardcore with the occasional dreamy moment and who had the most vicious female vocals ive ever heard....they hailed from little rock, from columbus and from savannah....i saw these guys several times and got to talk to them at length after each show, i can safely say none of them had any connection whatsoever eith the dreaded whitebelt assholes who started all this sassy bullshit in the mid-late 90s and paved the way for the next generation of little douchebags to dress like this:

and this:

fucking nauseating, i know, ive witnessed this subset of assholes with their testicle busting "girl-jeans", studded belts and  saosin/she died real pretty/senses fail/ insert-shitty-faux "emo" band-of-the-moment-here t shirts all too many times in recent years........and the whitebelt assholes with their penchant for collecting the same orchid/combatwoundedveteran/locust record in 5 different colors and posting on various internet messageboards with an undeserved sense of smug self accomplishment are basically responsible for the asshats pictured above.

anyways ive gotten off on a rant......back to the point. TDOA were fucking fantastic and really dont deserve to be ignored because of some mistaken notion of association with the "scene" of these newfangled "emo kids"......this is their "live on wnyu' cd that came out on magic bullet in 2003.....really top notch recording job on this.......the sound is full and vicious....sara's vocals are out front and are fucking eviscerating....maybe the most perfect radio show set ive ever heard.

anyways enjoy!

live on wnyu

ps: the girl in the first pic is sara padgett, TDOA's singer.

i just wanna say...

big ups to http://pathtomisery.blogspot.com/ for giving me props!

its appriceated!

celebrity murders "time to kill space" lp

artie phillie's band after milhouse/indecision and members of black army jacket.............raw unrelenting noisy fast hardcore that pretty much obliterates the competition....dirty filthy stuff.....another one of those records that is infinately listenable even after hearing it a thousand times.......

time to kill space

best vocalists in hardcore in the past 20 years (in my opinion)

in no particular order here are the dudes that i think put it all out there and just destroyed everything in their path vocally over the past 2 decades:

mike edwards - unruh.

brendan desmet - groundwork/absinthe/bury me standing.

chris colohan - left for dead/the swarm/countdown to oblivion/runation/cursed

darryl kahan - citizens arrest/taste of fear/funebrarum

craig lacombe - jihad/church of the bomb

tim singer - no escape/deadguy/kiss it goodbye/family man

charlie maggio - rorschach/computer cougar

artie phillie - milhouse/indesicion/celebrity murders/the shemps

frank staplefeldt - murdock/ghost armada

bjorn/grabi - systral/morser (i think thats bjorn)

the dude from acme.

this is my opinion and mine alone.

knelt rote "from without"

generally i dont post records that are 2 years old or less, but i HAD to make an exception for this one. absolutely pulverising metallic-grind-hardcore from portland.......its like someone took unruh and dumped several thick layers of filth and grime over their sound....just absolutely fucking ugly......and jawdroppingly awesome! if you like hardcore that stretches the limits of brutality, this is the record for you......i need to see this band live......

from without.....

murdock: last 12 songs

these are, as stated in the header, the last 12 songs staten island's very own force of nature known as murdock recorded (so far, im not sure if they are done as a band or not....ill have to ask frank about that) anyways these 12  songs are alot more straight forward than their earlier, noisier stuff, but its still ferocious and pulverizing nonetheless. powerful, memorable shit from one of the best bands to do it......

12 songs....

plot comp lp

my second comp lp in a row, like the last one this came out in the mid 90s but unlike that one, this time  most of the bands hail from germany and surrounding countries.....systral, cwill, ambush, slumlords, acme, zorn....all the greats from that era are here plus some pleasant suprises....the slumlords really hooked me with their noisy bass driven song, but ive so far been unable to find any records by that band...this came with an issue of the plot zine, actually the copy of this record that i traded a kid from france for dident have the zine with it...meh...anyways this is a collection of some killer european hardcore and well worth your time.

PLOT

longbow project comp lp

longbow records was the label of a certain aaron owsiany, a dude who was, to my knowledge, closely associated with joel wick and makoto records, he also seemed to be one of a small group of kids who got to pick the bands who would play each michiganfest....a job i would have loved to have had.......for whatever reason his label seems to have only put out 2 releases, the roman invasion suite "7 and this comp. this record was a snapshot of michigan hardcore in 1997 or thereabouts.....

ill describe each band track by track:

dryeve: "breath"
dryeve where from the detroit area in the mid-late 90s and played some messy noisy hardcore in the same vein as jihad but maybe with more growly vocals and thicker mosh parts, all that is exhibited on this track....they had a tape and i think a CD also...i never saw any of these releases.......and narrowly missed seeing this band with thoughts of ionesco in kalamazoo sometime in 1997.......

gyga: "christ as a crutch" 
gyga where a grindcore band from detroit in the mid-late 90s with an anti religious theme.....they where pretty decent live and this song is pretty good.....they had a "7 on element records that you might want to track down if you like this song....featured derek grant who later replaced brian repa (who i consider a far superior drummer) as thoughts of ionesco's drummer and now more famously hits the skins for the alkaline trio (on the slim chance anyone reading this blog actually gives a shit...i really dont myself)

fieldtree: "fake days"

fieldtree where from the yipsilanti area and played a hyper melodic style of "emo" (as it was in the mid 90s...the term holds no water nowadays) alot like garden variety without so much noise and distortion....this song features a cello or violin, (im not sure which, im not good with those kind of intruments) and is overall the most beautiful song ive heard by them.....really excellent stuff.

roman invasion suite "farewell, miss sand"

RIS were a rather short lived band from kalamazoo that existed from 1996-97 and  played in a similar vein to other kalamazoo greats such as vine, ordination of aaron and broken hearts are blue.....for an out of state reference, i guess you could throw the van pelt or native nod in there as well.......a very sparse yet well executed sound.....i really dig this song.....

wallside: "in time"

wallside was a moderatly popular band outside of michigan having toured with thoughts of ionesco in 1998. this song is alot more raw and intense than the full length on makoto.....im not sure but i think it might also have been on one of their "7s.....very good live band......

jihad: "love hate"

this was the one jihad song id never heard until i got this comp......its pretty standard fare for this band...brutal, messy, hateful......pretty much an ideal jihad track.......

pinko: "montana"

pinko where another obscure kalamazoo band that existed for a couple years in the mid 90s and then vanished.........they had a "7 and a split "7 with trocar......very decent basic punk with a melodic edge. nothing special, but not even close to bad.....

acariasis: "song 3"

acariasis were from detroit and where the only band on this comp that i had never heard beforehand...im sorry to say they dident impress, by far the worst track on the comp.....deep shouty growl vocals over some rather bland  semi-dischordant metallic hardcore.....kinda like inept or nema. if they where really slow and bad....

quixote: "unless"

this song is also on their first cd....a slow meandering dischordant tune that gets more complex and intense as it goes.....very very good........for those of you who dident see my quixote post, they where from kalamazoo and where joel wick's band after jihad broke up..

thoughts of ionesco: "withdrawal syndrome"

probably the best known band on this comp.........this song can be found on their second full length "and then their was motion" on makoto......this was a track from when they where at their peak...powerful crushing hardcore that reeks of pain and anger......."the ultimate expression of pain through sound" indeed.....

and now for the sound:

longbow project

quitters club s/t cd

heavy and harsh mid 90s noise rock from KC featuring members of season to risk, germbox and vitreous humor..........like a really grimey combo of glazed baby, season to risk and unsane.........really really good! this was their only release as far as i know


QC

pressgang "self destroyed" "7

this came out on bloodlink in 1999-ish....i believe it was their last recorded material.......i posted their first (and only) full length a while back.......with this record the swiz element that was so strong on the LP is totally gone, replaced by a twisted, frantic, noisy, yet rockin sound that is x1233455 times more intense.

its unfortunate that they never got around to recording another full length, they could have really blown up if they had..............honest punk/hardcore from the steel city........members went on to the control group.....

self destroyed

ananda "5" cd

this was this french band's first stab at playing rough, ugly metallic hardcore in the vein of carcass or unruh after switching styles from the messy screamy multivocalled french emo thing they used to do......the results where astounding.....although somewhat more dog-eared and unfocused than the devastatingly efficient brutality of "profane",  these 5 songs nonetheless exhibit some vicious fuck-ugly power......the "habeas corpus" lp is also included here so you can get a sense of what this band sounded like before their metal days.......still brutal and noisy but in a much more emo way with duelling male/female vocals......

check it:

5

kiss it goodbye "she loves me, she loves me not"

ti dont care how many times this has been posted in various blogs over the years, im doing it again.............the best hardcore record of the 90s barnone and the band with the best pedigree of any band of the last 20 years...........rorschach, deadguy, no escape, die 116............all fucking legends.........this record is a black hole of negativity........dystopia might as well be the beegees in comparison..........tim singer is the most relentless frontman in hardcore........listening to this album is a painful experience and it was meant to be that way..........if you arent red faced with anger/frustration after listening to this then your not doing it right.................any mortal band would probably die of emotional/physical exhaustion recording songs like "sick day" or "helvetica".....its all in a days work for KIG...........there arent enough ways to praise this record in any known language so ill just let you get to the noise....

what if i had a badge.....what if i had a gun....

luck of aleia "6 songs"

for me, caulfield records could/can do no wrong. this was bernie mcginn's band (presumably) after sideshow....catchy memorable tunes that will stick on your head for weeks.....at least they did in mine.........the sound is more laid back and poppy than sideshow....this record got savaged in alot of reviews in zines/websites like ink19 at the time it came out...i never really understood the hate.......anyways its alot like another late period caulfeild band that operated at the same time as LOA...the farewell bend........as all the old timers would say, "they dont make em like this anymore..."  you can take those words to heart  'cause in today's incredibly shitty musical world of  reggaeton and "crunk screamo" they really dont....

LOA

full service quartet discography

another of those great old little rock bands from the 90s.......these guys existed between 1994-96. they played  noisy rock'n roll tinged fall on the floor and scream your lungs out "emo" with a gas station/greaser theme..........this is a collection of heir recorded material, the "7, split w/shake ray turbine and some comp songs (i believe)

FSQ

half visconte cd

this arizona band played noisy wandering post rock somewhat in the vein of three mile pilot/cars get crushed/paul newman.......weaving between dreamy soundscapes and utter dischordance...... my namesake song at the end is the besttrack on here............and 24 minutes long!

half visconte

12 aullidos ep

another great spanish band from the late 90s/early 2000s.....upon first listen this is clearly in the "powerviolence" vein of hardcore, but upon successive listens you can hear a bit more of a disjointed weird sound within the chaos.......reminds me of  a band like in/humanity or maybe kisses and hugs.....in any case its good!

dos aullidos!