Alex Sane – Greatest Hits 1988 – 2012 cassette (/ ???)

I walked into Beatdisc Records one day and found this tape on the counter. Alex was one of the douche bag geniuses behind that horrible LLAAFF ‘EP’. It was free and I guess he’s my friend so I picked it up and took it home to listen to.

One stormy night months ago (I really need to post more I’ve got a lot of posts to make…not that anyone really cares or reads this thing) I decided to throw on this tape and prepared for the worst. It turns out that this isn’t that bad! This tape was actually quite enjoyable. This consists of a bunch of lo-fi bedroom recordings backed with samples, a shit tone of feedback and I’m guessing a lot of booze and drugs.

Not bad Alex, not bad at all. I did not hate this.

Website: http://bricksandgluerecords.bandcamp.com/

Immortal Technique – The 3rd World

‘The 3^rd World’ is the third album/mixtape by underground rapper Immortal Technique. Apparently the proceeds from this album were used to fund and construct an orphanage in Afghanistan.

Immortal Technique – Revolutionary Vol. 2

‘Revolutionary Vol. 2’ is the second album by rapper Immortal Technique. As with ‘Revolutionary Vol. 1’, Immortal Technique is raw and aggressive. His storytelling abilities to get across socially and politically packed messages has developed as with his ability to structure songs which are clever and complex. Perfect examples of this can be seen in ‘You Never Know’ and ‘Harlem Streets’.

Ignite – Our Darkest Days

Politically and socially driven melodic hardcore from Orange County, California. I’ve listened to ‘Our Darkest Days’ quite a few times and it still doesn’t really click with me. I’m not sure what it is exactly but I just can’t get into this album.

FFO: Boy Sets Fire, Rise Against and Bad Religion

 Website: http://igniteband.com/

Immortal Technique – Revolutionary Vol. 1

I’m not going to pretend to have a comprehensive knowledge or understanding of hip hop, because I don’t. I have no clue. I’m just an occasional listener. So here goes my short impression of Immortal Technique’s ‘Revolutionary Vol. 1’.

‘Revolutionary Vol. 1’ is the debut album of rapper Immortal Technique. Originally released in 2001, the raps are raw and aggressive with an intellectual spin. Politically and socially driven, these underground and lo-fi tracks carry powerful messages.

Austin Lucas – The Common Cold LP (Black / 500)

I picked this LP up from the Midnight Funeral distro at an Australia Day show at The Tote in Melbourne. I had been meaning to check out Austin Lucas’ material for a while after falling in love with a few of his tracks that I had found on various compilations.

There is something that puts Austin Lucas above the other country/folk punk artists which I have listened to.

‘The Common Cold’ is the type of record that you need to listen to on the porch with a beer on a hot and sticky night. This record is a true gem.

FFO: Chuck Ragan, Jen Buxton, Ben Nichols and Revival Tour

Website: http://www.austinlucasmusic.com/

The Jam – 4 Side Affects12” (black / ???)

Four track EP from English punks/new wavers The Jam, including, on the A-side Start and Eton Rifles and on the B-side That's Entertainment and Going Underground.

I think this was an Australian only 12” EP released by Polydor.

Headless Death – Headless Death cassette (/ ???)

On a trip to Melbourne I stopped into Polyester Records in Flinders St. I picked up this tape as a chance purchase to see what is happening in Melbourne.

I was rewarded with 9 tracks of grinding metal, including a Grave cover (‘Hating Life’). These tracks can be found for free download on the band’s Bandcamp

FFO: Internal Rot and Trench Sisters

Website: http://headlessdeath.bandcamp.com/

If Hope Dies – Life In Ruin

Metalcore. Urghhhh.

FFO: Parkway Drive

Wild Flag – Wild Flag 12” (black / ???)

Wild Flag have to be one of my favourite super groups. Consisting of Carrie Brownstein, Rebecca Cole, Mary Timony, and Janet Weiss, who have played in Sleater-Kinney, Helium, Quasi, The Minders, amongst others.

Combining the best parts of indie rock, post hardcore, Riot Grrrl and punk rock, these girls have created something that is fun and catchy with its own personality and quirk.

FRO: Sleater-Kinney, Helium, Quasi, The Minders and Riot Grrrl

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

            http://www.mergerecords.com/

Rude Awakening – Demo 2011 (62/200)

I picked up this four track demo from Arrest Records while looking through their distro at a Blood, Sweat and Beers. Rude Awaking features members from Death Before Dishonour and Hammer Bros. Hard hitting and faced paced hardcore that incites mosh.

Arrest Records have also pressed this demo onto vinyl

FFO: Backtrack, Hammer Bros and Death Before Dishonour

Website: http://rudeawakening.bandcamp.com/album/ra-demo-2011

            http://arrestrecordsaustralia.bigcartel.com/product/rude-awakening-demo-2011-7

            http://www.facebook.com/RudeAwakeninghc?ref=ts&fref=ts

            http://www.arrestrecordsnh.com

Grim Fandango – In The Rough 7” (beer / ???)

Grim Fandango follow up from their great debut album ‘Birthmark Blues’ with a two song 7” and three extra downloadable tracks. I’m in love with their gruff and poppy style of alt/punk rock. Jangly guitars, catchy hooks and sing-a-longs.

Released via Poison City, there are three colour variants (beer, bone and black) and the artwork has been drawn by Extortion’s Rohan Harrison.

I’m not a fan of the idea of adding extra downloadable tracks to the 7”. I would much prefer a 10”, but I’m guessing the cost of pressing a 10” prevented that from happing.

Grim Fandango have a four way split coming out in the coming month(s) with Chiling Winston, Ten Points For Glenroy and Celebrator through Sewing Circle Records..

Catch Grim Fandango on tour with QLD’s El Alamein. You won’t be disappointed. 

FFO: Jawbreaker, Good Luck and The Smith Street Band

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

            http://grimfandango.bandcamp.com/

            http://grimfandango.bigcartel.com/

            http://www.sewingcirclerecords.com/

Billy Idol – Vital Idol 12” (black / ???)

Original 1985 release of Billy Idol’s compilation of remixed singles from his first three albums. I don’t like remixes. I do like the hilarious photo on the jacket.

Various Artists – Artless Armchair: Children’s Theme Song Compilation

A bunch of bands brought together in the one place by Lesstalk Reocrds, to play wacked out covers of the theme songs of your favourite childhood TV shows. Some are really good, others fall flat, others just plain should not exist.

Tracklist:

1. Caviar – The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
2. The Snoozefests – Ren & Stimpy
3. Jess Locke – Catdog
4. Simo Soo – Daria
5. ODDFOOT – Mysterious Cities Of Gold
6. Wheatpaste Poets – Raggy Dolls
7. Anal Discharge – Trapdoor
8. Fox Trotsky & The Explosives – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
9. Dr. Darren Banter – Pokemon
10. Mannheim Rocket – Dexter’s Laboratory
11. Michael Crafter – Feral TV
12. Origami Girls – Art Attack
13. Skippy The Bush Kangaroo – Skippy The Bush Kangaroo
14. Hinterlandt – Sandmann Lieber Sandmann
15. The Saturday Nights – Dragonball Z
16. Mushroom Family – Pingu
17. Aktion Unit – Love Boat
18. Penguins – Tetris
19. Lesstalk House Band – Get Smart
20. Drillbit – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Website: http://www.lesstalkrecords.com/

            http://lesstalkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/childrens-theme-song-compilation

Homeward Bound – Chorus Of Castouts

I first saw Homeward Bound play at The Valve Bar for Holy Hardcore. I had no clue who these guys were and they hooked me in. I managed to catch them again a couple of times after when I have been a lot more sober and they had the same effect.

‘Chorus Of Castouts’ is their debut album of melodic punk rock that makes you want to grow a beard and sing-along in a sweaty basement with your friends and a bunch of beers. The melodies get stuck in your head and the sing alongs are plenty. The only thing I found was that the stronger songs tended to be towards the beginning of the album.  

Having been mixed by Brian McTernan at Salad Days Studios, there isn’t much to deter you from picking up this album.

FFO: Smoke or Fire, Sommerset and Small Brown Bike

Website: http://homewardboundmusic.bandcamp.com/album/chorus-of-castouts

            http://www.facebook.com/homewardboundmusic

Icepick - Violent Epiphany

Icepick formed in 1996 as the side project of Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta and Danny Diablo or Crown of Thornz and Skarhead. As you would expect, this is brutal hardcore full of beatdowns and songs about typical hardcore things such as taking a stand and loyalty stuff along those lines. There is a tone of guest vocals on here as well, including Ice-T, Roger Miret, Freddy Cricien and Al Barr.

 It’s nothing new and gets repetitive fairly fast, but for what it is it holds its own amongst other tuff hardcore albums.

FFO: Hatebreed, Terror and First Blood

Website: http://www.myspace.com/icepick

Iceage – New Brigade

‘New Brigade’ is the debut record for these young punks from Denmark. Still fairly young, not having hit their 20’s at the time when this album was recorded, Iceage have created something great. Mixing clangly post-punk mixed with hardcore punk in a way that most of their seniors probably never will. I cannot wait to see where these guys end up. 

FFO: Joy Division and Ceremony 

I Exist / Phantoms – Bad Romance Split 7” (water and piss / ???)

Recorded while on tour together and visiting Wet ‘n’ Wild in Queensland, this 7” is a fun split between two Australian hardcore bands. I bought this for the I Exist tracks, not really being a fan of Phantoms. Each band offers two tracks with ride themed names (I Exist ‘Terror Canyon’ and ‘Mammoth Falls’ and Phantoms ‘The Blackhole’ and ‘Kamikaze’).

The I Exist songs are the winner here. Sludged out hardcore with some thrash thrown in for good measure.

Phantoms (who have now recently broken up, or gone on a hiatus, or whatever) play(ed) a moshy and grove laden NYHC style of hardcore, which seems to be pretty popular at the moment.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/iexistmusic

            http://www.facebook.com/iexistcbr

            http://iexistmusic.tumblr.com/

            http://www.iexistmusic.com/

            http://midnightfuneral.limitedrun.com/

            http://www.facebook.com/pages/PHANTOMS/226292875043

http://www.phantomshardcore.tumblr.com
http://www.myspace.com/phantomshc
http://www.phantomshc.bigcartel.com

Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted / Kill At Will

‘AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted’ is the 1990 debut album by Ice Cube released after his split with N.W.A. This comes with the ‘Kill At Will’ EP that was released soon after ‘AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted’.

FFO: N.W.A. and Public Enemy

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

            http://www.icecube.com/

Paramore – Misery Business CD/5” (black / ???)

This is a pretty cool single. One side of this is the CD single of Paramore’s  ‘Misery Business’, while on the other side vinyl with a non album track, ‘This Circle’.

I picked this up from Midnight Funeral’s distro during last year’s Poison City Weekender Sunday show.

Unfortunately, I can’t play the vinyl side of this as the hole is a touch too big to put on the turntable.

Website: http://www.paramore.net

            http://www.facebook.com/paramore

The Icarus Line - Penance Soiree

‘Penance Soiree’ is the second full length from LA’s The Icarus Line. Driving rock n’ roll in the vein of The Stooges with a little shoegaze thrown in for a good measure.

Website: http://theicarusline.org/

La Dispute – Wildlife LP x2 (black / 2000)

‘Wildlife’ is the second album from LA Dispute. Released by No Sleep Records, Musically continuing on from where ‘Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair’ left off, ‘Wildlife’ cements La Dispute as one of the better bands playing post-hardcore at the moment. The lyrical content is where La Dispute particularly shine. This time the focus is on personal loss and the anger and despair felt from watching your hometown decay.  A good example of this can be seen in the songs ‘King Park’ (a song about a boy killed in a gang shooting) and ‘Edward Benz, 27 Times’ (a song about a father and his schizophrenic son).

I’ve seen La Dispute play two out of three of their Australian tours and I’m beyond excited to get to see them play again at Fest 11 next month.

If you haven’t checked this band out, stop procrastinating and start listening.

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

http://www.ladisputemusic.com
http://www.nosleeprecs.com
http://www.nosleepstore.com
http://www.ladispute.bandcamp.com
http://www.shirtsanddestroy.com/la_dispute

Go It Alone – Histories 7” (black Sound and Fury pressing 70/110)

Released via Rivalry Records, this is the Sound and Fury pressing of Go It Alone’s ‘Histories’. The A-side is ‘Love’ and ‘Histories’ while the B-side is ‘Beacon’.

FFO: Miles Away, Blue Monday and Champion

The Fake Boys – Nice Knowing You 7” (vomit 49/152)

Aggressive and desperate pop punk from Lowell, Massachusetts. I picked this up from Arrest Records after hearing about them and being recommended that I check them out. I was not disappointed. This 7” didn’t leave my turntable for a few days.

I’m more than stoked to get to see The Fake Boys play at Fest 11 this year.

Check out Brisbane based Arrest Records while you’re checking out The Fake Boys. They’re doing a lot of great things.

FFO: Alkaline Trio and The Queers

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

            http://thefakeboysma.bigcartel.com/

http://thefakeboys.bandcamp.com/

http://thefakeboys.tumblr.com/

http://arrestrecordsnh.com

http://kissofdeath.limitedrun.com/products/12053-fake-boys-the-nice-knowing-you-7-digital-download

Joyce Manor / Big Kids – Split 7” (black / 300)

Southern California’s Joyce Manor and Northern California’s Big Kids have come together, with the help of both Solidarity Recordings and Brick Gun Records, to release a pretty good split.

Joyce Manor offer two new songs, an original (‘New In This Light’) and a Murder City Devils cover (‘Midnight Service At The Mutter Museum’). I’m pretty excited to get the chance to see Joyce Manor play live during Fest 11 in October.

Big Kids offer one original (‘Pig Through A Python’) which is heavier and more distorted than other material which I have heard, more along the lines of Touché Amore.

I purchased this from Ritual Music and Books in Melbourne. Check that store out.

FFO: Against Me! and Touché Amore

Website: http://www.solidarityrecordings.com/

            http://www.brickgunrecords.bigcartel.com/

            http://www.facebook.com/joycemanorband

            http://joycemanor.bandcamp.com/

            http://www.joycemanor.bigcartel.com/

            http://www.joycemanor.blogspot.com.au/

            http://www.facebook.com/pages/BIG-KIDS/217293400119

            http://bigkidsgetrad.blogspot.com.au/

            http://ritualmusicandbooks.wordpress.com/

Jakkpot – Hit Or Miss 7” (clear / ???)

Released in 1997 via American Punk Records. Hailing from Baltimore Jakkpit play (or played, I’m not sure if they are still around) punk rock n roll with in a 70’s vein. The A-side is ‘Hit or Miss’ and the B-Side is ‘Stepping Stone’ (The Monkees) and ‘Inside Out’ (999).

The Wonder Years – Don’t Let Me Cave In 7” (grey / 500)

This 7” single for ‘Don’t Let Me Cave In’ came with the pre order of ‘Suburbia, I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing’. The Wonder Years are the best pop punk bands around at the moment. Their songs are smart, well constructed and the content is so relatable it’s scary. The B-side is and acoustic version of ‘Local Man Ruins Everything’.

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

            http://thewonderyearsband.com/

            http://www.myspace.com/thewonderyears

            https://twitter.com/twypoppunk

           

Frank Rizzo – 2010 Demo

One original and a S.I.C. cover (Radiation) from log standing Sydney band Frank Rizzo. Ripping hardcore influenced thrash that is definitely worth checking out.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/frankrizzomusic

            http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frank-Rizzo/202315866488504

Crouching 80's Hidden Acronym / Rara Avis - Split CD

I’ve herd a lot of people talk about how awesome Crouching 80's Hidden Acronym are (mainly Jerry, Dave and Tom). I managed to catch one of their shows at Black Wire and was instantly smitten. I picked up this split immediately after.

Released by Tenzenmen, this split between Crouching 80's Hidden Acronym and Rara Avis is pretty damn awesome. The packaging is hand made and the fabric is plaid (I have a thing for plaid due to its association with the Bay City Rollers). Crouching 80's Hidden Acronym come from NSW and play mathy, indie punk without any sort of attention span and a knack for melodies. Rara Avis consists of most members of Crouching 80s and offer some great 8-bit shoegaze.

If you get a chance, snap this up.

Website: http://www.facebook.com/Crouching80s

http://tenzenmen.bandcamp.com/album/crouching-80s-hidden-acronym-rara-avis-split-cd

I Exist - I: A Turn for the Worse

For their first full length, I Exist have done a great job creating an album that is perfect to chug beer bongs to. Doom and sludge laden hardcore packed full of riffage and pulling tunes. ‘I: A Turn for the Worse’ is released on CD through Common Bond Records and pressed on vinyl by Midnight Funeral.  

FFO: Cursed, Eyehategod, Integrity, and Mindsnare

Website: http://www.myspace.com/iexistmusic

            http://www.facebook.com/iexistcbr

            http://iexistmusic.tumblr.com/

            http://www.iexistmusic.com/

            http://midnightfuneral.limitedrun.com/