‘The Predator’
is Ice Cube’s third album and released within months of the 1992 LA riots.
FFO: Public
Enemy, NWA and Cypress Hill
Website: http://www.facebook.com/IceCube
Friday, January 18, 2013
Various Artists – Worldwide Hardcore Mixtape
This is
what you guess it would be. A mixtape of hardcore bands from across the globe. This
free download includes a PDF booklet with links to band pages and info on where
the recordings can be found.
Bands worth
checking out include Shackles, Pressure, Stay Hungry, Connections, Outright,
Police and Thieves, Ill Brigade and No Turning Back.
You can
find a download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?i5bwbfgt1p4u6yp
Crimpshrine - Duct Tape Soup LP (black / ???)
‘Duct Tape
Soup’ is my introduction to Crimpshirne. After hearing and reading about them I
stumbled across this while flicking through the records in Ritual Music and
Books in Melbourne.
Coming from
Berkeley, California,
Crimpshirne formed in 1982 under the name S.A.G. before a name change in 1983
to Chrimpshirne. Members would go on to play in bands such as Operation
Ivy, Rancid, Screeching Weasel, Pinhead Gunpowder, Tilt, amongst others.
‘Duct Tape Soul’ compiles tracks from EPs ‘Caution’ and ‘No
Idea’ the ‘Lame Gig Contest’ LP and comps ‘Floyd’, Collecter Nerd’ and ‘World
In Shreds’ Vol 1 and 2. The recording is rough. But that’s all part of its
charm. The LP comes with a zine containing lyrics, interviews, written pieces
by the band and more.
A worthwhile addition to the collection and a history
lesson.
FFO: Operation Ivy, Green Day and Jawbreaker
Heartsounds – Drifter
Heartsounds
continue to perfect their sound with ‘Drifter’. As with ‘Until We Surender’,
Heartsounds’ melodic and technical punk rock is soaked in metal riffs and
packed with hooks making sure these songs will not leave your head for a long
while. Its bands like Heartsounds that show us that not all hope is lost for Epitaph
yet.
FFO: A
Wilhelm Scream, Anchors and The Swellers
Candy Hearts – Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy (cassette / ???)
Simply put,
Candy Hearts play cute female fronted pop punk. And it’s pretty damn good. My girlfriend
surprised me with this tape after we played ‘Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams’
on repeat for months. If you liked that album then you will like this one as they
haven’t strayed too far from the path, and that’s not a bad thing. If you like
sweet and genuine pop punk, this is for you.
FFO:
Lemuria and Mixtapes
Website: http://www.facebook.com/candyhearts
Top 10 of 2012
I haven’t posted here for a while. I have a massive back log to post about as well. So here is my top ten list for 2012:
• Top ten
releases of 2012:
-
Mean Jeans – On Mars LP
-
Guantanamo
Baywatch – Chest Crawl LP
-
Chinese Burns Unit - Chinese Burns Unit 7”
-
Title Fight – Floral Green LP
-
Various Artists – Split
Scene LP
-
Helta Skelta - Helta Skelta LP
-
Snake Face – Oberon LP
-
Code Orange Kids – Love Is Love/Return To Dirt
-
Big Eyes – Back From The Moon 7”
-
Smith Street Band – Sunshine and Technology
• Most disappointing release of 2012:
-
Hot Water Music – Exister LP (This is a good album, but I was expecting a
little bit more. Much like The Fire, The Steal, The Tread 7” from 2011)
• Favourite
reissue of 2012:
-
The New Red Archives reissues of Samiam’s Samiam, Soar and Billy
• Favourite release from 2011 that you discovered in 2012:
-
Night Birds – The Other Side Of Darkness LP
Monday, December 3, 2012
Portugal. The Man - Waiter: "You Vultures!"
If new
Saves The Day and The Mars Volta were to get together this would be the result.
Not a fan.
Website: http://www.portugaltheman.com/
Cheap Girls – Ruby 7” (black 244/500)
The B-side
is ‘Living Like Hell’.
FFO:
Dinosaur Jr and Lemuria
Cheap Girls – Giant Orange LP (black / 200)
Upon first
listen of ‘Giant Orange’ I wasn’t instantly grabbed like I have been with their
past records, ‘Find Me A Drink Home’ and ‘My Roaring 20’s’. However, I hung in
there and the album grew on me.
Recorded by
Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, the sound is a lot more professional and
slick. It doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a hot boxed room. I don’t really
like that. I want these tracks to be covered in a haze of cigarette smoke.
That’s my only real complaint. Be patient with ‘Giant Orange’
and you will be rewarded.
FFO:
Dinosaur Jr and Lemuria
Monday, November 26, 2012
I Spoke – Autobiography
I picked this CD up on a chance while flicking through the CDs at
Beatdisc one day. Despite the horrible cover art, I took it home.
I Spoke are a female fronted emotionally driven post-hardcore/screamo from
Canada
with a political edge. This CD compiles tracks from their side of splits with
Beaumont Hamel and Panserbjorne (neither of which I have herd of before) and
unreleased tracks.
Plenty of melody under the chaos and I’m a sucker for female fronted
bands like this.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/ispoke
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Ida Maria – Fortress Around My Heart
‘Fortress Around My Heart’ is
the debut album by Norwegian Ida Maria. When this came out this didn’t leave my
CD player for a while.
The opening
track ‘Oh My God’ is my pick off the album, but there is plenty indie pop here
to enjoy here.
Chuck Ragan – Covering Ground LP (black / ???)
For the
most part, these songs seem to be love songs for Mrs Ragan, or maybe his beard.
Another
great solo effort that shines above the abundance of punk frontman turned solo acoustic.
In Time – Daily Commute
Youth crew
hardcore punk via Juiceboxdotcom. I’ve listened to this album a handful of
times and nothing has really stuck with me. Free download.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/intime
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness - I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness 12” (black / ???)
Produced by
Britt Daniel of Spoon, I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness play angular indie
rock with, at times, gothic and new wave tendencies.
FFO: Joy
Division and Spoon
Website: http://www.chosendarkness.com/
I Rise/Soul Control – Split 7” (black / ???)
I found
this 7” while digging through the bargain bin at Missing Link and picked it up for
the Soul Control side. After hearing a little about them and their name thrown
around a bit I thought I should check them out.
Both bands
play hardcore with melody and post-hardcore influences. Soul Control is the ‘harder’
of the two, comparable to 108. I Rise take the more heart felt/passionate route
to their style of hardcore.
Worth
checking out.
FFO: Bane, 108
and Verse
Monday, November 19, 2012
Bomb The Music Industry! – Vacation LP (clear/pink split / 500)
‘Vacation’
is the sixth album from Jeff Rosenstock’s spazzed out project. This time the band has ‘matured’.
‘Vacation’ is BTMI leaving its twenties and entering into its thirties but not
letting go of the party.
The album seems
a little more thought out, allowing for the song writing to shine while the ‘let’s-see-how-spastic-this-song-can-get’
moments have taken a back seat for the most part. BTMI continue to progress and
become a better band/project/collective/whatever.
‘Vacation’
is the first record to be pressed on Really Records, and the label has done a
great job. The record is housed in a beautiful gatefold jacket and the artwork
and the vinyl looks super sweet. You can find this, as well as all the other
BTMI albums and other great music, for a pay what you like (aka free) download
at Quote Unquote Records.
FFO:
Weezer, Arrogant Sons of Bitches and summer
Website: www.reallyrecords.com/
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Basement – I Wish I Could Stay Here LP (black / 500)
I was
flicking through the Midnight Funeral distro at the Australia Day show at The
Tote and stumbled across this LP for a very reasonable price. Basement’s EP ‘Songs
About The Weather’ received some heavy play (thanks Kyle) and I had only herd
good things about this LP so I picked it up.
The songs
on this album are more thought out and written with a little more confidence
than those on the EP, helping to set them apart from the other 90’s emo/punk
revival bands around at the moment. This album slowly worked its way into my
head and has refused to leave.
Basement
are now on hiatus.
FFO:
Daylight, Balance and Composure and Title Fight
Website: http://iwishicouldstayhere.com/
I Killed The Prom Queen – Music For The Recently Deceased
I made a
legitimate attempt to properly listen to this. I was restless and frustrated
the whole way through. I don’t know why I did that to myself. I think I just
wanted to prove that I could.
Also, when
this album came out all the local bands used to cover ‘Sharks In Your Mouth’. It
was horrible. Every damn show there was a band playing that fucking song. It
sucked.
I Killed The Prom Queen – Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You
When you’re
15 you listen to some stupid things.
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