V/A - Escondido, CA Compilation 7" (2001)

Have about four and a half minutes? That's how long it will take you to listen to this six-song compilation featuring four powerviolence bands out of Escondido, CA. I think I got this for free... honestly, I don't remember how or when I got a copy of this record. I don't remember being stoked though. It sounds how it looks: quick and sloppy. Two songs from each band, all of them true to form and under a minute. Bands featured are Crippled Monguloid, Charmburgler, Losin' Fusion, and perhaps most interesting to some, DisreantiyouthhellchristbastardassmanX. The latter band is the only one I could ever find any information on for various reasons; I was only reminded of this band and compilation after reading a story about the vocalist cutting himself open and covering a venue floor with blood. In any case, here you go: a very obscure and limited edition compilation from the sweaty ankle of California.

This was released on Thrashbot Records and Tapes in 2001. Thrashbot had a website on GeoCities that is obviously gone now. There were apparently 200 of these records made. Sit down with a hot cup of tea, dim the lights, light a fire in your fireplace and enjoy.

V/A - Econdido, CA Compilation 7" MediaFire

Venus Cures All - LBS 2x7" (1995?)

Every town, big or small, has pockets of creativity congregating together. Sometimes those pockets bloom and their talent halfway immortalizes them. Other times, they're mostly overlooked or short-lived (bet you're tired of hearing me say those words, huh) and leave only vague traces of their existence. Here tonight is such case, specifically one from Toronto that I was lucky to find even one webpage on. Granted, it was their label Wavelength's website, but sometimes not even that pops up... Venus Cures All formed after the break-up of another Toronto band called Chicken Milk. The bio I found made references to Drive Like Jehu as far as similar sound goes, and actually that's pretty dead on. It's funny, I got this home, started playing it at 45 rather than 33, and instantly heard unabashed late 90s emo vibes flowing through the room. "Wow," I thought, "quick, melodic bursts, super catchy, this is great." Then the chipmunk vocals came in and I was admittedly disappointed, turned down the speed. But not to worry, the record was made in such a way that it's worthwhile at both speeds. Definite Jehu, alt. rock and emo vibes all strewn together beautifully. I'll break it down how I see it: Jehu in instrumentation, alt in vocals, emo in... phew, all that melancholy attitude. At least that's how it is on the first 7". Once you get to the second, it's a little more complicated. On the first side, the songwriting becomes a lot more elongated with lengthy verses and an emphasis on a heavy tone, but the second second side first has a dissonant, Unwound or EVOL-era Sonic Youth feel with a pop leaning, and then a return to the themes found on the first record. Yeah... all over the place, just like my perspective.

Man, I should also say that this record is really falling apart. The sleeve is beautiful - fancy parchment with brilliant golden silk screening, or maybe something even fancier - but it's threadbare as they come. The sleeve just barely hanging on to each side by the corner... In any case, I saw it and thought "looks pretty emo."

Like I said, information was scarce. This band seemed to be deeply involved in the Toronto punk scene during the late 90's, and they apparently broke up around 1997. They have this double 7", a CD and possibly a compilation track to show for themselves. The band covers Mission of Burma's "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" if you're into that. This was a split release between Wavelength and Aural Borealis. After a little more digging around, I saw that they opened for Seam once; all the more reason to enjoy them if you ask me. In the liner notes, the band politely suggests that you crank the treble to 10 prior to putting this on... It's out of my hands.

On a surprisingly vital side note, the title of this release proved difficult to pin down. One spyware-ridden page claimed "Paradise by the Highway," but another said "L.B.S.," which makes more sense considering that's on the back sleeve. After an eeny, meeny, miny, moe session with myself, I chose the latter. Incidentally, check out this radio station's playlist for June of '95 in which this record was featured. Just about encapsulates this sound and era, I'd say.

P.S.: Shortly after finishing this entry, I went to slip the record back into its plastic sleeve only to have that last corner piece I mentioned earlier rip... Rest in two pieces.

Venus Cures All - S/T 2x7" MediaFire

Fearless Iranians From Hell - Die For Allah (1987)

In light of recent events (yeah... why not), here tonight is a largely overlooked Texas band, led by an Iranian immigrant, from Berkeley's Boner Records label. About two years ago, I lucked out and picked up this Fearless Iranians From Hell LP, as well their second LP Holy War (which people seem to like more than this one), from a hole in the wall shop after a couple months of seeing it and several price markdowns. At one point, both were being sold for an upwards of $75 respectively. Ridiculous, actually. Even more ridiculous is, again, how utterly overlooked this band is, given their sound being similar to other satirical, more popular crossover thrash of the 80s and beyond, although I think they lean toward hardcore more than anything. It is perhaps for that reason that I favor this band over most other crossover bands, never mind the pop leanings present in their songwriting as well. If you haven't already figured it out, these are Americans pointing out the flawed relationship between U.S. and Iran through blatantly satirical songwriting (see OPEC.) A small step above songs about pizza and weed, wouldn't you say? Just kidding. The band no doubt sought to spark reaction and thought through their music, and what reactions they did accrue:

We were attacked by police, protesters, skinheads, right-wing radio hosts, left-wing college boy bands who were too caught up in their seriousness to get what we were doing, gangs, religious organizations, promoters...hell, Fearless Iranians From Hell album covers were even featured in PTA slide-shows portraying the evils of rock 'n' roll. Mission accomplished. (source)

Sorry about the hiccups, I tried.

Fearless Iranians From Hell - Die For Allah MediaFire

New Sweet Breath - Go Away 7" (1996)

A quick single from this very overlooked lo-fi indie band out of Seattle. New Sweet Breath were one of many nobody bands that migrated to Seattle in the 90s to play music. And like so many of those bands, they went virtually unnoticed despite several singles, EPs and three full-length albums (incidentally, the second of which I recently picked up, still sealed.) Already beautiful praised in the blogosphere, here tonight is their second single, which is over before you hit the play button again. No kidding, "Go Away" is a zippy expressway to yr skull... well, what I mean is, it's catchy and melodic like any good single is, although rife with distortion and fuzzy goodness. The flip side is a little heavier and maintains the band's noisy, melodic charm throughout its two minutes. The aforementioned blog noted a similarity to Husker Du, a comparison some may not take lightly but one that I can agree with. Really, though, if you're any sort of fan of any 90s indie, like along the lines of early Superchunk or Built to Spill even, you're bound to enjoy this band as well. I have nearly all of this band's singles, but if you're eager, head over to Willfully Obscure and snatch them up.

New Sweet Breath - Go Away 7" MediaFire

The Answer Lies/Tulsa Split 7" (2007)

The writing on the price sticker more or less sums this split up: "Bay Area Hickey Worship vs. Desert Fastcore." A bargain at any price under two dollars, this split features a bipolar mix: The Answer Lies busts out four aggressive DIY hardcore on their side, while Tulsa slow down the tempo and the mood with three punk-leaning, heart-bleeding "folk punk" tunes. The cover features an overgrown tostada laying waste, which was drawn by Mitch Clem (oooooh, fancy.) Great stuff all around! Might be out of print, but I know my copy is from the second pressing. Don't know why there is a hiccup near the end of the Answer Lies side. Looks like you can still get copies from Interpunk... so... there's that...

The Answer Lies/Tulsa Split 7" MediaFire

Neo Cons - S/T 7" (2011)

After a long, coffee- and frustration-fueled excursion into the world of hardware drivers and support forums, I managed to trick my computer into doing what I wanted it to do. In other words, I am able to rip records again! On a side note, I managed to rack up more followers just letting this blog fester than I ever did updating frequently - 'sup with that, eh?

Here is a long overdue treat for the sound-starved. I was unaware of this record's release prior to seeing it pop up in a Katorga Works distro update a couple months ago, a fact which I am ashamed to admit given Neo Cons have been opening up punk shows in the Bay Area since... well, near the beginning of last year, I think. I neglected to pick up their demo in hopes that it would eventually be sold in distros as well, but it was my own fault for not throwing the band a few bucks directly.

I did have the pleasure of seeing Neo Cons recently on School Jerks' stop in the Bay Area in February of this year. Mind blowing performance: an energetic vocalist with a snarkiness to boot, groovy bass lines, simple riffs with inherent melodics, loud loud loud - everything no one would expect out of an opener and more.

This record complements those sentiments: six crunchy hardcore jams that keep it simple, but certainly not primitive. I don't know if this is still available (edit: it is), but below is a link to the band's blog if you want to get in touch.

It's May and there's ice coming out of the sky in California.

Neo Cons - S/T 7" Mediafire
Neo Cons - Blogspot
Neo Cons - Buy It

Hesitation Wounds - Demo (2010)

"No frills" hardcore from the Bay Area to tag along with the likes of Yadokai and Vaccuum. It sounds like punk music and maybe you'll like it. There are five songs on this cassette and they are fast as well as loud, which makes sense. I can't hear what the vocalist is saying and you won't be able to either. Contrary to my previous entry, my wimpy cassette player sweated this seven-minute punishment out and with not much to show for it. I e-mailed this person to get a copy, so you should do the same. They are playing with Condominium this week.

Hesitation Wounds - Demo MediaFire
or
Bandcamp

Compound Red/Sidekick Kato 7" (1997)

This record is one I recently described as being a "dollar bin ripper," and I think you will agree even if you don't admit it to anyone. It is a split between two somewhat obscure Midwest emo bands, Sidekick Kato being from Illinois and Compound Red being from Wisconsin. Both tracks are an agreeable blend of heavy and melodic punk music, a sound that was (seemingly) characteristic of the genre at the time. Not much else to say about this, as I think it's been passed around quite a bit; this is just a replacement for the record I was originally going to share, which is too dusty to rip properly.

Compound Red/Sidekick Kato 7" MediaFire

V/A - And Now Live From Toronto... The Last Pogo (1979)

Here's a cool one from Canada. This Bomb Records compilation showcases a few of what I assume were heavyweight punk acts in Toronto at the time. All of these songs were recorded live at a venue called "The Horseshoe," during what seems to be the venue's last show. The compilation is the de facto soundtrack to an eponymous documentary by Colin Brunton. Bands include The Everglades, The Mods, Cardboard Brains, Drastic Measures, The Secrets and more. A seemingly obscure record with a heaping of 77; it's apparently a classic and a shining example of 70's punk in Canada. Great stuff, enjoy!

V/A - And Now Live From Toronto... The Last Pogo MediaFire

MX-80 Sound - Someday You'll Be King 7" (1980)

Apologies for the lapse in updates. My stereo receiver was malfunctioning for whatever reason, so I was unable to rip any records without a harsh buzz accompaniment. To make up for it, I will try to update every day this week.

Here is a band that needs no introduction, Bloomington's own MX-80 Sound. This second single comes from their second full-length Out of the Tunnel, so maybe you could download it for the fantastic B. This was released on Ralph Records. Great, mostly overlooked post-punk.

My 100th entry is coming up soon... trying to figure something special I'll do it for it, if anything.

MX-80 Sound - Someday You'll Be King 7" MediaFire

Niner - Zero 7" (1999)

A long day spent scraping the mold off the dollar bins three years ago accrued me this obscurity. Niner were a band that might have been from San Francisco. Visalian Records put out this 7", and it is for certain that they were from San Francisco. A website says the following about the label: "San Francisco indie. Home of The Cave-Ins, Cosigner, Mathew Tea, Niner, and The Playroom." Information about this band could not be found, hence the entry. Punk music with fast tempos and melancholy themes. There are probably a lot of these floating around in the same stacks.

Niner - Zero 7" MediaFire

Red 40 - Discography (1999)

Surely not an unfamiliar sight to most, but Red 40 still seem to a band that is perpetually under the radar. I just recently picked up this discography CD after having the MP3s for easily a few years. I'm genuinely at a loss for anything coherent or fresh to say about this band that hasn't already been said before. This is not groundbreaking music, and any fan of Jawbreaker (a band which I more or less abhor incidentally) will immediately hear the influence they had on this band. The lyrics are longing, juvenile and rife with adolescent desperation. And the frontman, Ben Nichols, went onto to form Lucero... I'll let you draw your own conclusions. What I'm saying is, this has its drawbacks... but how much more catchy can this get! This stuff will get in your head and stick around past the afternoon, perhaps even later. It's apparent to me that these songs were written while Nichols was relatively young, or young enough to warrant lyrics so painful (pun intended), and probably going through a transitional period in his life (read as puberty).

With all that said, about halfway through the CD you'll probably turn it off. I find that their niche unfortunately becomes tired near the end. The first half is worth a at least a couple listens though. If you didn't figure it out, this was a pop-punk, Jawbreaker-influenced band from Little Rock and the predecessor to a more successful band, Lucero. This discography CD was issued twice, my copy being from the re-release. It is out of print and hard to come by - like all of this band's output - but there are a few copies on eBay as of this posting. For anyone reading who still has this, grab this if you want a higher bitrate; I was able to replace my 128kbs MP3s with this. Highly recommended!

Red 40 - Discography MediaFire

Totsugeki Sensya - Chain of Tragedy EP (2011)

Okay, I couldn't wait another day to share this one as well. Japan's Totsugeki Sensya (apparently translates into English as Attack Tank) have been a band since 1998 or earlier, and yet it seems so little due attention has been paid to them. I, too, had never heard them until this five-song EP, which I've played over and over again since I received it. The package also came with their first EP, also on Lengua Armada, which I'm tempted to share alongside this at some point. This is a perpetually hasty affair, with the signature Japanese tone and little hooks to be found. The music is simple down to its lyrics, which were written in English just broken enough to be coherent. It's my opinion that the lyrics are frivolous, as they've been written one million times for the two million years ("We are killed by the system as it stands / Resist the system right now.") Whatever. One of my favorites from the bunch.

Totsugeki Sensya - Chain of Tragedy EP MediaFire
Totsugeki Sensya - Chain of Tragedy EP Buy It

Criaturas - Arañas en el Corazon (2011)

Continuing with the new Lengua Armada releases, today I'm sharing the new Criaturas EP. This is yet another Austin-based hardcore band that released a demo sometime last year that, unlike the Vaccuum demo, I haven't heard and didn't notice. That's okay, this four-song slab of catchy punk music makes up for that. There have been many interesting bands and sounds coming out of Texas for the past couple years, and it seems this band is no exception to that. "Harsh," "ferocious," "fast," other assorted adjectives. This band has members of Deskonocidos and the vocalist screeches harmoniously in Spanish. The end.

Criaturas - Arañas en el Corazon MediaFire
Criaturas - Arañas en el Corazon Buy It

Vaccuum - Vaccuum EP (2011)

I'm back from vacation, and happy to announce that I came home to a package from Lengua Armada, chock full of their latest round of releases. The first new record of theirs I'll be sharing is the one I was most excited about: the five-song Vaccuum EP. Includes re-recordings of songs from their demo. A very loud, occasionally upbeat, consistently angry round of hardcore from the Bay Area. I thoroughly enjoyed the "blasted-out" (oof), unrelenting guitar tone present in every song; there are moments when you can't hear a thing apart from the guitar. The EP is an improvement over the demo, but also sounds like more of the same (which isn't necessarily bad.) Turn up your volume and give it a shot.

This is now sold out from the label, and only distro copies are still available. Click the link at the bottom to snag the last of them.

Vaccuum - Vaccuum EP MediaFire
Vaccuum - Vaccuum EP Buy It

Manipulation - 2 EP (2010)

Okay, okay, one more. This is the newest release from Chicago's Manipulation, whose first 7" I shared back in April. I'm pleased to say that their new record shows improvement in leaps and bounds. Not much else to say, too busy packing. I did not rip this one, and instead will be sharing the download code version. This is currently available in every applicable way, so there is no reason not to buy a copy yourself. Okay, now I'm leaving. Enjoy.

Manipulation - 2 EP MediaFire
Manipulation - 2 EP Buy It

Thought Riot - The Dangerous Doctrine of Empathy E.P. (2003)

Here's a record I didn't even know existed, let alone ever heard of before I bought it. Thought Riot were an anarcho hardcore-esque band with members from Livermore and Modesto. They were a favorite of mine around the time their full-length Sketches of Undying Will came out. I believe they were on A-F Records at one point or another.. told you it was a long time ago. I only ever saw them once unfortunately, but it was a good time. They've been teetering on playing a reunion tour for the past couple years, but it hasn't happened apart from a one-off show on September 11th of this year, a show that I found out about a month too late. So much energy coming from these guys, despite the sentiments and sound aging too poorly for me. In any case, these guys ruled back in the day. Maybe you'll like this, maybe not... If it's any incentive, the flips are Fugazi (Burning Too) and Redemption 87 (The Plague) covers.

This EP was released on The Record Labelation from San Leandro, CA, a label run by a member (or members?) of Livermore's own Silent Film Stars. And that doesn't mean a thing to anyone not from Livermore...

Thought Riot - The Dangerous Doctrine of Empathy E.P. MediaFire

Matsuri - Endship (2010)

Matsuri are a band that never get old for me, despite seeing them play a hundred times over the past few years. I still get just as excited by their energy, positivity and presence in 2010 as I did in 2007. I caught the end of their set last night at their very own DIY space and had a blast. While I was there, I picked up the CD version of their new LP, which has yet to come out. They had to push back the release date due to delayed mixing, so they were still taking pre-orders... at the show. Never before last night had I seen a band take pre-orders in person. But that's okay. It probably happens more often than I am aware. If you checked out any of the music I posted in my previous Matsuri-related post, you're bound to like this as well.

Matsuri - Endship MediaFire
Matsuri - Endship Buy It

Single Mary - 4 Song E.P. (1987)

A genuinely mysterious quintet from Eugene, Oregon, Single Mary self-released this aptly named four song EP in 1987. Simple punk songs with synth, saxophone and male-female vocals. A brief search came up with no information for this band. There are probably a couple hiccups in this rip somewhere, but it should be fine other than that.

Single Mary - 4 Song E.P. MediaFire

Lollipop - Live at Reptilian Records 7" (1997)

Another noisy freebie from the same recent trip. Lollipop were a Maryland band that relocated to San Francisco, released two full-lengths and several 7" records that included a split with Thee Headcoats, and broke up by the end of the nineties. Most of their output was on Amphetamine Reptile, but this particular was on Reptile Records, the same label that brought you a couple Buzzov·en-related singles. One of the inserts likened this band to Blue Cheer and MC5 in the same breath, but you be the judge. Two loud raw live recordings packaged in a hand-screened "dayglo" sleeve. Well, well well.

Lollipop - Live at Reptilian Records MediaFire

...and somehow I managed to befuddle this post by ripping the second song at the wrong speed (not that you noticed), so here's your correction. I re-uploaded the above .RAR file with the correction, but in case you already downloaded the previous link here is the standalone second track. Sorry:

Lollipop - Carburetor Dung 45RPM MediaFire