End Of The Year...
Wherein I keep the corny tradition of talking about that Embrace record...
Self-indulgence is the rule…
It is a cliché for people of a certain age to make references to the EMBRACE LP come the end of the year - if for no other reason than to incorporate the lyrics of “End Of A Year” into some sort of pithy remark around the oncoming onslaught of time. I’m not gonna do that but, I have been revisiting that LP’s lyrics lately and thinking a lot about the words to be found on Out of Step and how they reflect a struggle around disillusionment, the coming to terms with the expansion of the punk world and the compromises people make for personal gain rather than working towards a collective bettering of the overarching culture.
And the life that I've worked for
Can be bought and sold
It makes me wonder when the
Time will come for me to stroll
-Last Song
Embrace
If you caught me yammering on a recent Axe to Grind podcast, heard the chatter on Demolisten, or read the discourse on various online opinion outlets about Taco Bell commercials, you know this is something being widely debated and discussed right now. It pops up every time hardcore/punk explodes into the mainstream consciousness - what continues to matter, for me at least, is that the discussion and the pushback still happens. Life is a series of compromises - what’s good for you isn’t good for me and vice versa but what makes punk/hardcore interesting, important and alive isn’t the music or the words but the context in which it is created. The desire to create an alternative, to reject business as usual and to exist outside of a mainstream context. Popular musical styles shift, costuming changes, political trends alternate from one to the other but the creation, maintenance, and defense of space for all this to happen is what matters most.
For years I couldn’t stand the EMBRACE LP, I hated the way it was mixed, the production was so mid 80s and at time the lyrics rang out a little too obvious, too plaintive but as I’ve grown older, it has grown on me. Maybe it’s the overt frustration and anger expressed in the words, the stripping away of flowery metaphors layered over music which seeks to strip away the ‘hard’ in hardcore. Ian was facing down a world where people were everything he and his friends had built was being torn apart in favor of short term personal gain and rabid violence. This was the pushback - it was never about being tough, it was about being true to your beliefs - hardcore, love it or leave it. What do you give back? To quote the BIG BOYS, what are you doing to participate?
Top Releases of 2023
Enough of the same sort of yammering I do all the time - here’s what you actually care about, my favorite records of the year. As in the past, I always list these in alphabetical order as life is not a competition, punk means cooperation. Yes, there are more than ten. Yes, I mixed LPs, casettes and seven inchers all together. It’s my list.
There was a flood of top shelf jams hitting my ears this year - the pace of music being released in the current era is just unreal. At times it is almost impossible to fully digest the tasty platters of earworms before another one is plopped down in your lap - a deluge of sonic vomit akin to drinking from a firehose of filth with occasional reprieves of sweet sweet nectar. Or some other nonsense like that - anyway. opinions are like assholes, here’s mine.
Total fucking scorching hardcore from here in the sublime city of Richmond. Think United Blood-era AGNOSTIC FRONT rammed headlong into NEGATIVE FX. Just go-go-go! Absolutely fucking ruling.
AVSKUM - En Annan Värld är Möjlig LP
I’ve never quite understood why AVSKUM doesn’t seem to get the same hype and praise as their fellow Swedes because they more than deserve it. Thanks to the kind folx at Prank for making this tasty platter of raging Scandi thrash available to the world - I feel its a bit less metallic in its production than the last few releases, leaning more into their classic style of bracing d-beat pummel while sounding totally modern. It’s a bulldozer attack with lyrics going after misogyny, fascism, political corruption and the like. Despite it being over 40 years since their demo dropped, they’ve not lost one bit fire or venom.
CICADA - We Are Going To Kill You Tape CS
Super gnarly, thrashing hardcore punk from right here in Richmond, VA. Really into the snarling vocals (bit of a guttural YDI meets UNITED MUTATION feel to them) which are layered over a moderately chaotic musical approach that hits at a bit more controlled VOID.
What a totally delightful record - I feel like I don’t see too much of this sorta pop punk in the CRIMPSHRINE meets DILLINGER FOUR sorta style being cranked out as of late. You know pop punk that is actually punk. Rough and tumble recording, quick and punchy song writing, snotty ass vocals - just a perfect record.
CROSS - No Beginning, No End CS
Now this, this is my shit - 1000mph hardcore punk that takes the RIPCORD/HERESY formula off the shelf, scuffs it up a little bit, modernizes the production to appeal to the noise not music maniacs. Snarly vocals are buried a little bit behind the gnarly ass wall of distortion and rampaging drums. Fucking great, great, great!
This is so fucking good - just a relentless onslaught of Scandi style hardcore punk in the classic style but brought to you by a bunch of French folx. Its got that same style rampaging approach that you find in those later era TOTALITÄR records - burst of thunderous speed mixed with this beer sloshing, face crunching stomp. Outstanding stuff.
ELECTRIC CHAIR - Act of Aggression LP
There’s so much packed into the 15 minutes that make up this record it almost feels a bit purposefully claustrophobic. Chaotic instrumentation where things are just layered so tightly that these is no room to breathe, layered every so delicately under a modern day Darby Crash vocal attack. Its wild how something so careening and chaotic can also be so melodious and catchy. A Perfectly perfect, wild ride.
ENZYME - Golden Dystopian Age 12”
I love ENZYME - I don’t even know if I should be allowed to write about them because I love them so much - for the unfamiliar these Australian mutants crank out track of distorted to hell, rhythmic, and absolutely danceable thrashing hardcore. GAI meets SWANKYS meets some of the polyrhythmic elements to be found in CRASS that swirls in this treble soaked, eardrum rupturing cacophony of glory. Perfect.
Total WRETCHED worship here, especially on the drums. It’s not as chaotic and hectic but hot damn that drummer sounds so much like Giancarlo. The one sheet mentions TOZIBABE and I can certainly see that in the vocals which have the same sort of lilting cadence while being out of sync with the rest of music. All that while being surrounded by swirling reverby soaked thrashing guitars. It’s a truly great LP
FLOWER - HEEL OF THE NEXT / PHYSICAL GOD
Crushing metallic, crusty hardcore from NYC - people love to toss around the NAUSEA meet SACRILEGE comparison and while it is a fair one to make, I find this somehow refreshing. Maybe it is the monstrous riffing? The epic sensibility in the song writing? Others have attempted this vibe but this just nails it in all the right ways. Totally essential stuff here.
I mean, there is reason so many people put this on their top releases of the year - just a monster of an LP. Brutal hardcore punk, with a heavy groove, massive riffs and a vocalist with a throat punch of a delivery. An utterly ferocious document and testament to a band that is just devastating live. Utterly brilliant. Hardcore for the fucking freaks.
GRISAILLE - Entre Deux Averses... EP
New project from members of SYNDROME 81 and MENTALITÉ 81. Obviously this rules, like you know its gonna rule but you don’t know how much its gonna rule and then you listen to it and you are like fuck me this ruuuuuules. It’s more of the same from these folx - melodic, slightly new wave vibes, jangly guitars but fuck a duck can they write melodies, hooks, chorus, bridges - just everything. Like, it’s unreal how good they are at this - absolutely brilliant.
First off, I can’t get over how much the vocals on this remind me of KURT VILE, it’s wild. Also, I had no idea these Texans up and moved to New York were still active - thankfully this is a pleasant revelation. On this new record we find them continuing their moody, rambling, meandering riffing backing up a sorta dour vocal affect which strangely approaches a pop sensibility. Sucking up inspiration from the likes of MAGAZINE, SIOUXSIE SIOUX, THE FALL and infinite long forgotten 80s UK cassette comp bands they create this fascinating and compelling auditory approach.
Totally reminds me of those early 00s Copenhagen bands or even the whole No Way records thing - snotty, minimally distorted, ripping hardcore punk which studies the early 80s USHC model deeply but produces their own spin on it. Excellent.
LAUGHING CORPSE - Demented Thoughts Posed As Dark Comedy CS
Really cool stuff from these DC punks - its a bit like the missing bit between Eye For An Eye and Animosity era CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. It’s got the wild quasi metallic riffing of the latter with the primal hardcore ferocity of the former. Super sick.
NOSFERATU - Society’s Bastard LP
One of the finest USHC bands going these days - hailing from Texas, they just hammer away at a ridiculous velocity that feels like its on the cusp of falling apart at any moment. One of the most blessed things about the internet is that now everyone can hear the KORO EP, study it, learn from it and then do their own take on that idea. By no means derivative, this takes notion to newer, even better places. Unreal good.
Super amped on this - tough as nails skinhead rocknroll from Pittsburgh. It’s a bit ROSE TATTOO meets TEMPLARS. Rock’n riffs, jangling guitars, and burly as shit vocals with top notch song writing a melody making. It’s cool to see stuff like this coming back but a decidedly left wing/working class lyrical focus rather than… well you know… All killer, no filler. See you fucks at the bar!
This just fucking rules - nine ripping blasts of Iron City hardcore punk. Pissed as fuck lyrical approach backed up by a rampaging musical approach perfectly matching the urgency of the vocals. Taught and powerful stuff.
PHYSIQUE - Overcome By Pain EP
I’m always excited to see another release from these Olympia noise merchants - for the unfamilar, take that heavy crasher crust feeling of the likes of Japanese maniacs GLOOM and cram it through a US filter a la ATROCIOUS MADNESS and sprinkle on a little DOOM and this is what you get. This release is a little slower with thicker, more bassy production but its still ever bit as glorious as their prior records. PUNK LIFE IS SHIT! SILENCE EQUALS DEATH - WE MAKE NOISE!
RESTRAINING ORDER - Locked In Time LP
This record is perfect. Like when I first heard this I was like noooo way tooo clean - but then I rubbed some sand paper on my ears and it improved things. RESTRAINING ORDER play USHC in the most classic manner possible and much better than others doing the same. Its ripping fast, filled with plenty of infectious breakdowns and I just can’t get enough.
RIVALRY - Sometimes You Have To Look Back LP
Yo check it out - this is Mackie from BLITZ’s latest outfit but its less razors in the night and more in that tradition of UK melodic punk (LEATHERFACE, BROCCOLI, DIAZ BROTHERS, etc). Like a lot of this stuff these days, the production is a bit cleaner than I would like but thats just me being annoying because the songs and the hooks here are absolutely stellar - its always amazing how bands can manage to take lyrics that are soaked in the misery of modern life and make it sound like a lovely sunny day. Sleeper hit jam of the year.
STIGMATISM - Ignorance in Power LP
Now this... this is my shit - rapid fire blasts of primitive hardcore that leans heavy in the early AGNOSTIC FRONT meets NEGATIVE FX way of thinking. Bursts of speeds crashing headlong into brief moments of dog piling mosh. Great!
STRESS POSITIONS - Harsh Reality LP
Outfuckingstanding - Chicago punk, ex-C.H.E.W. and just this compelling, intense, barrage of thrashing mayhem that feels like it will collapse or fly completely off the rails at any moment. Lyrics addressing the violence of capitalism, the police state and focus at liberation, be it sexual, interpersonal, or all points in between. Great, great, great!
I’m so damn excited for this LP - TOZCOS remain one of my favorite bands going. Just packed with pogo-rific energy, they write compelling, catchy, impactful punk songs drawing from a well of influences that range from the angsty punk of ESKORBUTO to the garage inflected hooks of old LA bands like THE BRAT, X and THE EYES. The songs just ebb and flow in this powerful groove. Just unreal how good this is.
VACANT - We Wear Our Traumas Well LP
I’m supper amped on this new Minneapolis band featuring the legendary Pignose from ASSRASH on vocals - the production on this is just massive, really helping to power the GBH meets POISON IDEA style riffing. Reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh legends CAUSTIC CHRIST in how musically intense and heavy it is - a total juggernaut of ferocious hardcore. Absolutely brilliant.
Ok this is easy - I should just be able to list the bands (DESTRUCT, SCARECROW, DISSEKERAD, RAT CAGE) and that should have you soaping your stamps, and putting a money order in the post… or hitting that PayPal button for you modern punx. Unless you have been hiding under a rock you already know that these are probably some of the top d-beat fueled, hardcore punk ragers going these days. This is filled with 100% purely ferocious fury and not an ounce of filler. Just go get it or cry later.
Couple last minute things…
Had the recent pleasure of being on Mike Foster’s YouTube show, WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? If you like the idea of watching me chatter about a few records with some friends, check it out:
Also, gonna try to get back on the regular, post holiday schedule next week - so be on the outlook for a bevy of reviews next Friday.