The Grates – Buffalo River 7” (black)

  

I picked this 7” up when I saw the band play at the Metro with The Vasco Era and The John Steel Singers. It came in a pack with a tote bag, a set of post cards and a handkerchief. To be honest I just really wanted the 7” and the handkerchief. The 7” is stamped and scribbled on by the band and I also got them to sign it.

The b-side is ‘Throw Yourself A Bone’.

Website: http://thegrates.com/

Fireworks – Gospel LP (grey marble /500)

‘All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion’ has to be one of my favourite pop punk records of all time. As a result ‘Gospel’ had a lot to live up to.

‘Gospel’ picks up where AIHTOIMOC left off. The style of pop punk is the same but with a more ‘mature’ angle taken this time around. I really can’t fault any of the songs on ‘Gospel’ either, well except ‘I Am The Challenger’, a token acoustic song which sticks out and slows the record down.

The packaging of this record is pretty good. I like the artwork (drawn by Michael Burdick) and the layout on the gatefold jacket. The vinyl looks great as well. It’s sort of a grey marble.

This band really has something special don’t pass them off as just another pop punk band.

FFO: Saves The Day, Say Anything and New Found Glory.

                                                                         

                                                                               Website: http://wearefireworks.tumblr.com/

Grade – Head First Straight To Hell

This was my introduction to Grade. I borrowed this CD from a friend in high school and really liked what I herd then. Not much has changed, and as you can tell probably tell by previous posts.

Blending together melodic guitars, vocals giving an emotional push and elements of punk and hardcore there is plenty to like here.

The artwork on this record is pretty full on as well! I really like it, although I think it is more suited to a metal release and doesn’t really suit Grade’s sound. 

FFO: Thursday, Boy Sets Fire and Hot Water Music

Grade – Under The Radar

This is one of the best hardcore/emo (aka screamo urgh such a horrible word) records in my collection. Grade manages to pull off the ‘screamo’ style with ease and make it sound natural, unlike a lot of bands trying to pull this off.

Listen to this!

FFO: Boy Sets Fire and Hot Water Music

The Craw / Death Grenade – Primitive Thrash split 7” (black /500)

This is a split between two local Perth bands. This is pressed out of 500 on different colour sleeves. I have blue on black wax with a 45 hole.

Music wise both bands are fairly similar. The Craw are pissed off hardcore with a little PV thrown in. Death Grenade is more thrashy and chaotic. Both have crusty aspects.

FFO: Extortion, Battletruk

Websites:

The Craw: http://www.myspace.com/thecrawsuck

Death Grenade: http://www.myspace.com/deathgrenadehc

Grade – The Embarrassing Beginning

‘The Embarrassing Beginning’ is a compilation album featuring Grade’s early releases, their split with Believe (which has a 90’s hardcore feel to it), their demos and acoustic versions of songs. The album also has a radio edit of ‘A Year In The Past’. Why not put the proper track on the album?

Besides that damn radio edit this is a pretty good album and shows where the band came from and how they evolved.

FFO: Refused and Boy Sets Fire

Grade – Triumph and Tragedy

Grade were one of the better ‘screamo’ (for lack of a better term) to come out of the 90’s/00’s. This single contains 2 songs which appear on ‘Under The Radar’ and a Van Halen cover, ‘Panama’.

FFO: Hot Water Music and Boy Sets Fire

Grabass Charlestons – Ask Mark Twain

This trio play Gainesville punk rock via No Idea Records. Fuzzed out and jangly guitars with gruff vocals. These songs are pretty catchy and fun although a little inconsistent at times it still rules.

FFO: The Tim Version, Gunmoll and Leatherface

Website: http://www.facebook.com/grabasscharlestons

Government Issue – Boycott Stabb LP (black)

This is a re-release by Reflex Records of Boycott Stabb by Government Issue. This is early 80’s DC hardcore. I picked this record and ‘The Kids Will Have Their Say’ by SSD at the same time when I was first starting to look into the early hardcore bands and finding out where it all started. I was hooked. I then found Black Flag, Minor Threat, the list goes on.

This reissue includes 4 bonus tracks recorded live on October 1^st 1982 at the University of Maryland, Colony Ballroom.

The insert that comes with this is also pretty cool. It has an interview which G.I. did with Suburban Noise and also a bunch of flyers.

FFO: Minor Threat, Negative Approach and DC hardcore.

Gorilla Biscuits – Start Today

This record never fails to pick me up and put me back on my feet. Positive youth crew hardcore at its best.

Gorilla Biscuits are one of those classic hardcore/punk bands that everyone should and need to know. I don’t really know what else to write. Just get this record! What other hardcore band can bust out a harmonica solo and pull it off?

FFO: Minor Threat, Dag Nasty and H20

Comadre – Everything Part 2 (cassette /200)

I picked this tape up when I saw Comadre play Black Wire while touring Australia. This tape is a compilation of their releases between 2007 – 2011, including their songs from their splits with Trainwreck and Glasses, A Wolf Ticket and selected tracks from their Mixtapes.

It’s pretty cool to have all these songs in the one place and on this format. Now I need to get myself a copy of Part 1.

For the nerds, this is the first pressing of 200.

FFO: Refused, Kid Dynamite

Website: http://www.comadreblog.com/

Death Is Not Glamorous – Wide Eyes

This record was slipped into a Run For Cover order which I did. Death Is Not Glamorous hail from Norway and play a positive mix of melodic punk and straight up hardcore.

I’m finding myself really into this!

This CD is a mix of splits and EPs the band has done. So it seems like a pretty good record to be introduced to this band.

FFO: Kid Dynamite, Shook Ones, Lifetime and H20

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Death-is-not-Glamorous/142589109118842

            http://deathisnotglamorous.bandcamp.com/

Various Artists – Equal Vision Records Summer Sampler 2011

This sampler was slipped into a mail order I did from Run For Cover Records.

There are only two good songs on here, those being by Ghost Thrower and This Time Next Year. Don’t bother with the rest.

Tracklist:

1. Texas In July – 1,000 Lies
2. Life on Repeat – Wide Awake
3. Ghost Thrower – I Never Damned You
4. This Time Next Year – Drop Out Of Life
5. Gatsby’s American Dream – Modern Man
6. Eisley – Smarter

Website: http://www.equalvision.com/

Four Letter Word – Like Moths To A Flame

I first herd this band on a Fest comp. I really liked their song and it but it took me a while to actually pick up any of their releases. This is the first album of theirs that I have picked up.

Four Letter Word come from Cardiff in the UK playing a mix of UK punk rock 90’s skate. This record is very politically driven in all aspects, including the lyrics, artwork, quotes and sound samples. The propaganda styled artwork in the CD sleeve is really great as well.

Four Letter Word unfortunately broke up this year after spending 20 years as a band.

FFO: Leatherface and Snuff

Website: http://www.fourletterword.org.uk/

At The Drive In - Relationship Of Command

Relationship Of Command is the third and final record by At The Drive In. This album is pretty damn amazing. The musicianship, vocals, song writing, lyric, everything is spot on. No wonder this is one of the most influential post-hardcore/punk records.

Just listen to this band!

FFO: Fugazi and Glassjaw

Left For Dead – Splitting Heads

I borrowed this CD from my friend Beno. This is pissed off, rough and violent hardcore from the 90’s.

This album is a compilation of their release, featuring their sides of their splits with Ochre, Acrid and Chokehold. The more I listen to this the more I like it

Go Roll Your Bones – Go Roll Your Bones

I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen these guys play before. I think it was at either Oxford Arts or some other bar and they were playing with my friends in Halal, How Are You? I didn’t pay much attention to them as I was too busy getting drunk and putting all my concentration into that. I should’ve listened and watched! This Sydney band sounds like they were born too late and should’ve gotten an insane amount of play on Triple J but didn’t.

I’m not sure if these guys are still going at the moment, but if they aren’t I’m disappointed that I missed such a good band.

Website: http://thegorollyourbones.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Go-Roll-Your-Bones/18953997358

SMG / Carcass Grinder - Split cassette

My mate Dave recommended this tape to me from a bunch of stuff he brought back to distro form South East Asia. Both these bands play raw as fuck grind. SMG are from Malaysia while Carcass Grinder hails from Japan.

The artwork for this tape is pretty cool as it is interchangeable cover that you can flip over. Having no knowledge of these bands I have done a little googling and found out that Carcass Grinder are old school grinders from the 90’s and SMG seem to be insanely prolific with their releases!

Websites:

SMG: http://smgrinder.blogspot.com/ (they have their complete discography up for download here)

Carcass Grinder: http://www.myspace.com/newcarcassgrinder

Off With Their Heads / Four Letter Word – One For The Road split 7” (White 1st pressing / 500)

This is a split between Minneapolis’ Off With Their Heads and UK’s Four Letter Word for their October 2007 East Coast Tour of the US that ended at The Fest.

Each band offers 2 songs each of their own style of punk rock. To be honest, I bought this for their Off With Their Heads side. I love their bouncy and depressing Dillinger Four punk. Four Letter Word are pretty good with their cross between Bad Religion, Leatherface and Avail styled punk but I still can’t get past that horrible name.

Comadre / Glasses – Split 7” x 2 (Clear blue /300)

I posted about this split a while ago but I thought that I might post about the hardcopy of this release that I picked up from Comadre when they toured recently.

I was really impressed by Comadre’s live performance and their releases. They put so much passion into their live show it blew me away. Their vinyl releases had so much effort put into them. They all had gatefold jackets, some came with CDs and the quality of the packaging was amazing.

I unfortunately only had enough cash for a few releases. This was one of the ones I picked up. The gatefold jacket has a 12 page booklet fixed into the spine and the artwork is amazing. The 7”s have 45 holes and are a beautiful colour.

This has to be one of my favourite splits. Grab this from Vitriol Records.

Driven Fear - Society's Finest?

Passionate hardcore out of QLD. This ticks all the hardcore boxes (plenty of gang vocals, breakdowns and mosh parts) but this didn’t leave an impact on me to make me want to come back and have another more thorough listen. I might not be giving this a fair chance and I know a few people who would be all over this. Oh well.

FFO: One Vital Word, Comeback Kid and Killing The Dream

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Driven-Fear/109397320154

            http://drivenfear.tumblr.com/

French Exit – French 3xit

Catchy melodic punk from LA that makes you want to sing along. You can find a free download of this EP on Death To False Hope Records.

FFO: The Flatliners, The Menzingers and Smoke or Fire

Website: http://www.facebook.com/lefrenchexit

Extortion / Completed Exposition – Split 7” (black /500)

I read an interview with Completed Exposition in Short, Fast and Loud zine and decided that I needed to check this Japanese band out. It turned out that they had a split with Extortion so I figured that this would be a good place to start.

I grabbed a copy of this, as well as a bunch of other stuff, through No Patience distro. Check them out.

Extortion offer 4 songs to this split. 3 of them are originals and a Man Is The Barstard cover (‘Instantly Bent’). As always, Extortion is awesome!

Completed Exposition come from Japan and consist of 2 bassists and a drummer. They offer 7 songs on their side. I was blown away by this band. I need to track down some more of their releases.

Both Extortion and Completed Exposition play a solid mix of power violence and hardcore. I recommend you check out these bands!

Websites:

Extortion: http://www.facebook.com/equalizingextort

http://extortionextortion.bigcartel.com/

 Completed Exposition: http://www.completedexposition.com/

Various Artists – The Fest 10 Comp 1

I downloaded this comp for free from the The Fest’s Bandcamp. I love these comps. They get me extremely jealous of everyone going. Next year I hope to be one of those people! There’s not much on this comp that I haven’t already got, but it’s still fun to be introduced to some new bands and have all these songs in the one place.

Tracklist:

1. A Wilhelm Scream - We Built This City! (on debts and booze)

2. Amateur Party - Kerri Writes Websites

3. Run Forever - The Devil, and Death, and Me

4. Blacklist Royals - Rock & Roll

5. Grabass Charlestons - Dale

6. The Brokedowns - This Cult Is a Bummer

7. Dear Landlord - Park Bench

8. The Dopamines - Cincinnati Harmony

9. The Flatliners - Christ Punchers

10. Iron Chic - I Always Never Said That

11. Dillinger Four - Music Is None of My Business

12. The Measure (sa) - Jersey's Best

13. The Menzingers - I Was Born

14. No Trigger - Commonwealth

15. None More Black - Mr. Artistic

16. Off with Their Heads - Wrong

17. The Riot Before - The Oregon Trail

18. Samiam - Dull

19. Smoke or Fire - Monsters Among Us

20. The Soviettes - Thinking of You

21. Bouncing Souls - Gasoline

22. Against Me! - High Pressure Low