TREVOR & DANIEL - s/t 7" EP (Speculation, 1998)

Simply put, TREVOR & DANIEL's one and only EP is my personal apex of what we could so sweepingly describe as "indie rock". This duo, comprised of former Connecticut residents Trevor Healy (guitar; later of Weigh Down) and Daniel Pastrana (drums; later of Anton Bordman) recorded this one, relatively obscure 7" in 1998 before moving on to other musical ventures as well as other geographic locations. We are left with a telling document of two friends that appear so musically in synch with one another, a near-flawless, emotive burst of energy captured in time.

The three tracks themselves generously reflect the time in which they were written. Equal parts San Diego (Gravity Records) and Chicago (Kinsella clan) are very apparent (and also telling, as Anton Bordman would continue such Gravity influence and the Weigh Down would notably reflect aspects of various Kinsella projects in years to come) and tastefully executed. Truth be told, the dominating nature of these influences give the tracks a bit of a dated feel, but that does not mean they don't age well. In fact, the opening track's delicate and refreshing sound intrigues as much as it entertains, taking the listener along on an angular rollercoaster ride before its sudden finish. The delightful voyage through these aural peaks and valleys continue throughout the remaining two songs while never feeling formulaic nor redundant.

While acknowledging my soft spot for fellow Connecticut bands, particularly in a historical context, I must say that this record is simply stunning at face value. Bands that make any present attempt at writing such material seem hackneyed, trying again and again to implement that aforemention formula, but continuously falling short. Sometimes it's immensely rewarding to simply reflect on what was and be satisfied that it ever came to be in the first place.

DOWNLOAD

NUDE BEACH demo cassette (2008)

My band went on tour a few weeks ago, and out of all the great bands with played with, Brooklyn's NUDE BEACH was my favorite new discovery. They had been described to me as "sped up Clash riffs meets Beach Boys through fuzzy amps," and after seeing them I'd augment that description with "The Clash by way of BENT OUTTA SHAPE and Beach Boys by way of EXPLODING HEARTS." Unfortunately, NUDE BEACH had apparently been long sold out of their demo tape.

Thankfully, we got these music piracy boxes. This 7-song, reverby demo is now in constant electronic rotation for me. Maybe it will be for you too? I know your next question was gonna be "do they have cred?" Never fear, they do! The drummer was in DUSTHEADS and BOTTLE ROCKET, and they seem to be in with the ifyoumakeit.com dude, which is where I found this download. A guy who was in GET BENT is putting out their forthcoming LP. Just fucking download it, before summer is over and bouncy punk of this caliber will only serve to depress you!

KILL THE MAN WHO QUESTIONS "SUGAR INDUSTRY" LP (2001, Coalition)

A friend recently expressed to me, prompted by my FAILURE FACE post, a lack of knowledge regarding worthwhile 90's hardcore. While this LP may not technically pass specifications, the majority of KTMW?'s time as a band was logged in that erstwhile decade.

Uncompromising fucking hardcore. A lot of times they come across to me like a crustier, slightly more attention-deficit BORN AGAINST. This comparison also holds up lyrically and vocally - the Y chromosome part of the male/female vocal-tradeoff equation has a very McPheetersy yowl at points. (You can't tell from his record, but he went on to AMATEUR PARTY and ARMALITE).

I don't really know what else to say. This record thankfully helped inform my naive view of hardcore and punk as (ideally) an alternative culture rather than a commodity deigned upon our undeserving heads by Victory Records or an excuse for macho dudes to run into each other very hard. The out-of-press LP is worth seeking out for the 'zine insert. The music was just as formative - make sure you stick around for at least two tracks, because I'd argue that the opener functions almost as an intro.

DOWNLOAD.

THE BUSY SIGNALS - LOVE AND DUST 7" EP (Douchemaster, 2005)

I have a feeling this record will eventually be one of those singles that people dig through boxes to find, stashed away and forgotten in some used record store basement, with the hopes they will stumble upon a copy of The Busy Signals' "Love And Dust" EP. Chicago's The Busy Signals feature some of the tightest, catchiest punk rock being released these days. Taking a heavy dose of influence from edgier power pop bands like The Breakaways (think their single "Walking Out On Love" specifically), The Busy Signals burst out the gate with three undeniably catchy, scathing tracks on their 2005 debut EP. The track 'Love And Dust' is the equivalent of getting hit by a musical Mack truck, with its deliriously quick start, lightning fast tempo throughout, and toe-tapping melody, one would think that this song alone makes the single worth your time.

'Just Wanna Go Out' maintains the impact of the EP's initial track, leaving you ready for the record's closing track, the sneaky 'Do What You Want'. Unlike the previous two songs, 'Do What You Want' shows the band taking the tempo down only slightly as to further reveal the band's ability to write pop gems. The formula is almost overly simplistic. However, that unto itself (at least in the case of The Busy Signals) is its very charm. These songs are not terribly unlike any slew of power pop bands from nearly 30 years ago (see: The Breakaways, etc.), and yet it doesn't matter. Fun songs are simply that and rarely seem to be faced with the often pretentious and frankly overrated "need" to constantly reinvent the wheel or break the mold. If you can do it better than almost anyone else, these things don't seem to matter.

The band has since released another single as well as a full length on Dirtnap Records in 2008. While the Dirtnap release is still widely available, you can check this EP out here (now in convenient zip file format for all you non-rar folk out there!)

DIALLO - DIAGRAM OF A SCAM 7" EP (Yellow Dog, 2001)

Diallo was an incredible hardcore band from Windsor Connecticut. They came together sometime in late 2000/early 2001, quickly recording a demo that would eventually become their first EP, 2001's Diagram Of A Scam. Diallo specialized in producing ear-splitting, politically charged hardcore. They also happened to be some of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting/playing with. For a few years at the beginning of the decade, Diallo were constantly playing, releasing records, and organizing/promoting shows with impeccable consistency in the Hartford area (long before the current configuration of shows/houses/spaces/friendly faces that occupy Hartford's city limits). The impact and influence of their efforts were lost on most of us while they were happening...of course they were mostly taken for granted (I am as guilty as anyone), as most things of this sort are while they are currently happening under our collective nose. However, if you look back on what they did, when they did it, and how they did it, it would be naive to deny their influential stamp on the state of Connecticut's current punk/hardcore community.

If you happened to miss them when they were around, or if you've since misplaced your copy, below is a link for the aforementioned Diagram Of A Scam EP.

Enjoy!

FAILURE FACE "ALL PAIN, NO GAIN" 7" ep (Ebullition/Daybreak, 1995)

Another post, another record I couldn't scrounge the cover of. The only good thing about school beginning in scant few days is the revival of my scanner access.

So, this one's a fucking classic. I checked it out about two years ago based on a random recommendation. For whatever reason, they're positively lining used bins - probably because there are thousands of copies. Whatever, its availability does not detract from its brutality. At times it can be awkwardly dated - the nineties were a very confusing time for backing vocalists in hardcore, but it mostly takes the most compelling elements of DIY hardcore from this period and consolidates them on a single slab. It's ugly but almost catchy in it's strange reliance on traditional song structures.

The title and cover shot of a person in mid-leap off a very tall building about sum up the lyrical content. The musical ugliness and menace is matched only by the vocal venom with which lines like "every day that I don't eat the gun, I won! I won!" are spat. Bob Suren, the man behind the venerable but deceased Burrito Records, is the vocal abuser in this band, and gives it everything he can muster, which is surprisingly versatile.

Even considering the closing epic banger, the entire affairs totals in at seven songs in eight minutes. If you don't like it, I didn't take much of your time. Just download it.

While we're at it, here's an added download of their indispensable compilation track "Pure Entertainment".

THE NILS - THE NILS (Profile, 1987)

Hailing from Montreal, The Nils were an absolute gem of a band that existed throughout the early-to-mid 80's. Led by the brothers Soria, the band is perhaps most known for guitarist/singer Alex Soria's musical exuberance, having started the band while only 12 years old. Unlike their stellar 1985 vinyl debut 'Sell Out Young', their 1987 self-titled effort shows signs of maturity. Additionally, it also provided a glimpse into the development of the younger Soria's inner demons, which would plague him continuously until his suicide in 2004.

What we are left with are 10 fantastic instances of pop perfection. The album's opening track, 'River of Sadness', bears alot of comparison to mid-career Replacements, foreboding in a deeply personal way and yet generalizable enough to have personal impact on any random person listening to the song itself. These comparisons remain throughout the duration of the LP. Their re-do of 'In Betweens' (originally appearing on the 'Sell Out Young' EP) is a certifiable barn-burner (although I would add that the horns on the SOY version does add a little extra something to the track overall). If you aren't humming half of these songs in your head immediately after your first listen, you might need to get your hearing checked out. 'Daylight' reminds me of Bob Mould's better tracks off of Sugar's 'File Under Easy Listening'. While many are quick to pigeon-hole the band as merely "power pop", the obvious influences utilized by the Nils as well as the obvious influence the band has had on others since the album's release, are quite varied and apparent (particularly given the time period in which they released the bulk of their material). For that reason, it boggles the mind that such a group remains off the radar of many.

In making this post any longer, I am denying you the opportunity to be intently listening to this fantastic record. Check it out here.

MEAT PUPPETS "IN A CAR" 7" (World Imitation/SST, 1981)

The Meat Puppets' legacy contains several universally embraced highlights. Their aciddrenchedindiecountry masterpiece of a second album. Their unlikely 1984 U.S. tour with labelmates Black Flag. Their also unlikely but well-executed appearance on Nirvana's legendary MTV Unplugged performance. Their still unlikely 1994 alternative rock hit, Backwater (most certainly influenced by their aforementioned television appearance with Nirvana), off their 8th studio album, 'Too High To Die'. But to designate their debut record as a hardcore classic might seem, to many at least, the unlikeliest feat of all. And yet the band makes a rather convincing argument.

With their 1981 debut EP, 'In A Car', this rough-and-tumble band from Phoenix, Arizona comes charging out the gate with 5 tracks and about 5 minutes of some of the sloppiest, craziest, and most interesting hardcore the world had seen, particularly in 1981. The sound of punks murdering a circus clown, the Meat Puppets would begin to shift their musical direction shortly thereafter, as their 1982 debut LP and subsequent releases would reflect. Thankfully, such documentation remains.

(YOUNG) PIONEERS "EMPLOYER'S BLACKLIST" single (Whirled/Irony, 1996)

Adam Nathanson's folksy/bluesy leanings were already becoming evident in the last BORN AGAINST material. Once the unit imploded at the pinnacle of their creativity, they went a lot of separate, weird ways - most notably (to me) MEN'S RECOVERY PROJECT and Nathanson's YOUNG PIONEERS (they didn't add the parenthesis for a little while). The latter expanded on these more rootsy influences through a number of EPs and an LP on Sam McPheeters's illustrious, sadly-defunct VERMIFORM.

This little blast of a single captures the ensemble transitioning to a more coherent, less-sludgy sound than their early material. It came out around the time of the "Crimewave" ten inch and just before their transcendent output on LOOKOUT and subsequent breakup. Musically they are noisy, melodic folk ballads (complete with harmonica) that eschew traditional song structures run through a punk filter. Nathanson's vocals are heavily distorted, as with the entirety of the PIONEERS catalog, but his gift for boiling manifestos down to couplets is entirely clear. Though they are more loathe to repeat hooks than on their later material, it certainly keeps me coming back for more. The b-side, "(It Looks Like He'll Be Joining) The Navy" merely runs through it's brief lament of a "life where swears and curses meet" before immediately and abruptly disintegrating. You can find this and 15 other tunes included on the compact disc release of "Crimewaves", but I always prefer to listen to releases as distinct entities, maybe even moreso with (Y)P. Maybe you do too?

(Postscriptum - I must apologize for the lack of appropriate pictures with some of my updates, I haven't been able to find accompanying pictures anywhere on the internet. Next time I have access to a scanner, I will retroactively rectify these posts)

DEFECT DEFECT "DEMO" (Self-released, 2006)

While some may roll their eyes at the 80's hardcore resurgence that spanned from roughly 2004 to 2007, I always felt this four year window provided the masses with some remarkable bands. Others felt this time period triggered too many bands too soon, resulting in a bandwagon devoid of substance, plagued with redundancy, and littered with uber-obscure influences for the sake of pretension. Not to say those concerns aren't unfounded, but why only focus on the negative? Maximum RockNRoll's 2006 international compilation LP, Public Safety,will serve as a wonderful tribute to this moment in time and the bands that helped make it so.

Of course, one LP cannot and will not accurately or adequately represent any such time frame. Hence I bring you a demo by Portland Oregeon's Defect Defect. Featuring ex-members of fellow Portland outfit The Observers (who are featured on the aforementioned compilation), Defect Defect (named after the refrain from the Wipers' track "D-7") brought forth a brand of up-tempo, witty punk rock that distanced itself greatly from the gloomy, melancholic ways of The Observers. Tracks like "People My Age" and "Yeah, I'm A Terrorist" are anthemic yet simplistic, a beautiful combination the strips away any hint of the aforementioned pretension. This is just plain fun. No tricks, no gimmicks.

I had the pleasure of seeing this band in a basement in Chester, CT in the summer of 2007. I don't believe they've made any attempts to return to the east coast since that time. Since '06 they have only released two singles (the aformentioned "Yeah, I'm A Terrorist" and "Words", which also appears on this demo). While there stands a chance we might not be hearing from Defect Defect again anytime soon, we can at least enjoy this recording, a set moment in time not too long ago.

FUTURE VIRGINS "GRAVITY" EP (Plan-It-X South, 2006)

Some, especially those of us who came of age during the folk-punk explosion, may be predisposed to wince at the mere mention of Plan-It-X Records. Although I count myself in these ranks, I must admit it's often unfair. When the ultra-DIY label comes up in conversation, I tend to gloss over the fact that they have Delay, Dead Friends and Heathers to their recent credit. My mind instead goes straight to Best Friends Forever, Punkin Pie and Ghost Mice. The fact that PIX deals nearly exclusively in the increasingly useless Compact Disc format doesn't help their case with me either. Luckily, this "branch" of the loved/maligned label is run by the more level-headed codgers in This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and releases lots of fine, drunken, Southern punk rock on vinyl.

This is the first FUTURE VIRGINS 7", and for my money the best thing I have heard by them. A drunk, gruff, suicidal pop-punk supergroup of sorts, with the singerman from the illustrious SEXY and folks from ADD/C. If this pedigree means anything to you, it should tell you that you're in for an exercise in musically-competent raw pop. The guitar tone is twangy, the recording is coherent but noticeably DIY, the singing is surprisingly croon-ey, and the hooks do not let go. The first blast seems to be orchestrated purely to demonstrate that the band can trade in all-out chaos as well, a musical theme they occasionally revisit, but it's over in forty seconds and making way for the "Followed To The Grave"'s ode to criminality. If you only check out one song, make it the next one, "Broken Down" - the chorus would fit in a stadium if its surroundings weren't too dirty to be anywhere but the basement of a punk house. This is, I believe, the only record they have that is currently out of print, so you can check it out HERE, and seek out their other three seven inchers if you're so inclined.