THE END OF THE YEAR
The year's finest releases, random babbling, and more...
New Day Rising…
A top thirty? Sure, why not? Look, 2024 came and went in what felt like a blink of the eye and yet again proved that if you are one of those people blathering about how there’s no good new bands anymore, you just aren’t paying attention. Obviously, end of the year lists are alway subjective but as usual, my list is the correct one and clearly will stand the test of time as the final word on the subject for decades to come.
Joking aside, this is what has floated my boat, more or less, over the last twelve months and of course reflects my my taste. Hopefully, this helps you to discover some new favorites buried in the deluge of releases that is the nature of the streaming age.
Alambrada - Ríos De Sangre 12”
Absolutely raging thrash from Colombia - I think this has some people from Muro but not 100% sure but it certainly has that same sort of disjointed and manic sense of urgency. Raw and careening in this manner where everything sounds like they are about to fall apart at any moment but it manages to hold it all together. Brilliant stuff!
This is fucking great - tuneful punk from the Bogota braintrust that birthed bands like MURO, TRAMPA and ALAMBRADA. This leans into crafting pogorific, singalong punk mainlining ESKORBUTO, PELIGRO SOCIAL and the like, transforming it into their own take on the formula. When done right, its absolutely powerful and these folks do it to perfection.
I’m a sucker for this sort of gruff, despondent melodic punk from the Midlands of England. There was an era in the 90s where these sort of bands seem to spawn from the head of No Idea Records, fully formed and would creepy crawl across the country playing sweat and beer soaked house shows, whipping the crowd up into big anthemic singalongs and just a sense of weirdo punk joy. You know the vibes, Leatherface, Dillinger Four, etc. I’m fully down for this party.
Hey check it out - that’s Amanda MacKaye on vocals, which is great as I don’t think I’ve heard their vocals since DESIDERATA - so what does this sound like? Sorta, angular, dancey, post punk from the early EX meets RONDOS meets early GANG OF FOUR sorta thing mixed with an artsy 90s Dischord vibe, if that makes sense. Its cerebral, powerful, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Well this is a long awaited LP - at least for me. Their demo from a few years back set the stage for me to be absolutely obsessed with them - as some of you may know I’m a sucker for that early OC/SoCal melodic hardcore that just drips with melancholic angst and these folx do it to perfection. It’s as though Rikk Agnew bestowed these riffs upon them from his deep vault. Think DI, think ADOLESCENTS, think more recent bands like THE WAR GOES ON, RED DONS, NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS, etc. Absolutely perfect.
BOOTLICKER - 1000 Yard Stare LP
I fucking love BOOTLICKER - I mean they are this perfect Canadian take on MISSBRUKARNA Swedish proto-hardcore jangle with a tinge of the musicality and reverence for hooks of TOTALITÄR but with a more modern production style. It’s absolutely infectious stuff here.
DOLLHOUSE - I Hate You Don’t Leave Me EP
NYC’s DOLLHOUSE is so fucking great - Darby Crash style snotty vocal approach with a poetic, angst soaked lyric approach layered over Revolution Summer style melodic guitar work. It is a truly powerful and beautiful release.
FAUCHEUSE - Rêve Électrique LP
There’s a quip in the press materials for this where they equate this French band to Japanese legends Paintbox and I find that to be fairly apt especially with how they play with completely out of genre normal elements (operatic metal, groovy basswork, moments of etherial dissonance, meandering guitarwork etc) all placed on a solid kång/d-beat backbone which serves to support what could be unwieldy and incongruous ideas - making them somehow work, all without losing a ounce of punch or energy.
FRIED REALITY - Dissolved Mind Tape CS
Absolutely feral sounding hardcore punk mayhem from here in Richmond - the vocals on this really make it for me, just this snarling, rabid onslaught of dripping venom layered over pummeling distort-o-rama hardcore punk. Killer.
GOLPE - Subisci. Conformati. Rassegnati. EP
Swedish hardcore done with an Italian flare, does that make sense? TOTALITÄR style stomp and strut blended with a bit of WRETCHED’s intense efficiency all the while paying homage to the early years of DISCHARGE injected with a sense of unease and angularity. Outstanding.
Ferocious, go for the jugular hardcore from Chicago - hard as nails, massive breakdowns which surface infrequently amidst track after track of thrashing drums and guitars backing up this snarling vocal attack. So much of what is called hardcore these days is just slow and heavy nonsense designed for jocks to listen to while lifting weights - this is not that. Think VOORHEES, think OUT COLD.
INDUSTRY - A Self Portrait At The Stage Of Totalitarian Domination Of All Aspects Of Life LP
There are a lot of moments where I get actively irritated by people my age disparaging modern music in general and punk specific because it belies that they are just lazy to some extent, which in itself is fine but its the need to trivialize the current output which makes me crazy. There are currently bands cranking out caustic sounds just as good as anything that was ever created prior and INDUSTRY is one of those bands - like are you a black clad peace punk who takes endless inspiration from the street fighting punch of early CONFLICT, ICONS OF FILTH, EXIT STANCE, etc but want something more modern in critique and focus? Well INDUSTRY clearly scratches that itch - taking the classic anarcho-punk thing, infusing it with their own spin, modernizing the targets and making it relevant and powerful again. Fucking outstanding.
INFERNO PERSONALE - La Scelta é Tua 12"
Take the frenetic thrashing mayhem of WRETCHED and mix it up with the throbbing slabs of power you find in CRUDE SS, shake it all about and you end up with INFERNO PERSONALE. Relentless hardcore punk attack which starts at a bit more of hammering attack then cranks up the velocity and ferocity. A band you shouldn’t sleep on - just absolutely perfect.
INVERTEBRATES - Sick To Survive 12”
This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! Careening, maniacal, full throttle thrashing hardcore punk from here in Richmond, VA. I’ve seen them enough times to sorta have a feeling how good this would be but, this surpasses my assumptions. Everything just feels like its at the top of its game, from the drumming to the guitars to the interplay of the bass to the vocals. A frenetic ball of relentless energy and power. Its such an exciting and inspiring thing to see a band produce something which fully captures them at their best moment. Outfuckingstanding.
JUPITER HEARTS - All That Pain You Left Behind LP
Hey check it out - homies from Louisville got a new band and it rules! Rob Pennington (ENDPOINT, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, etc) has such a distinctive vocal style that is just perfect for the musical backdrop that leans heavy in the Revolution Summer, RITES OF SPRING/RAIN sorta thing but there is a tinge of that WIPERS via OBITS moodiness that really drives it home. It’s somber, intense and earnest music and lyrics which pairs with the current era we live in.
MURO - Nuevo Dogma LP
Quite possibly the greatest live band I’ve ever seen, on this, their third LP, Colombia’s MURO continue document their progression - this time inject a bit of ENGLISH DOGS style metallic riffing to their frantic, unhinged attack that leans hard into the terrain mapped out by GAUZE and NEGAZIONE. Neuvo Dogma is a bit tauter, leaner and less careening in it’s approach compared to MURO’s prior releases but remains a brilliant testament to the power of hardcore punk.
This is such a vicious and massive record where the sonic qualities convey the somber yet enraged lyrical backbone of the record - telling the tale of being the child of Palestinian refugees, providing a personal perspective of decades of violence, repression and genocide. It’s massive sounding, cathartic and utterly ominous with dense introspective moments giving way to cacophonous throat punching layers of dissonant guitars and velocity.
Oh how I love Phane - they’re one of those bands that I just rambling stumbled across by popping by a show one night and I’ve been in love ever since. High velocity, riff soaked thrashing hardcore that takes the ENGLISH DOGS thing, speeds it up and adds in one of the best guitar players I’ve ever seen in real life. Just crazy riffs and shredding but done in a manner where it doesn’t detract from the power of the songs - an absolutely glorious release.
PLANET ON A CHAIN - Culture Of Death LP
Take the singer of TEAR IT UP, stick him in a band with folks from TALK IS POISON and LOOK BACK & LAUGH and you kinda expect it to be pretty damn good, right? Well you’re not wrong to make that assumption but its even better than you expect - gnarly hardcore punk played with mountains of hooks while steamrollering along at a blistering pace - and I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight Moses’ drumming on this latest release. Its a shame that he’s not touted in the same manner as fellow bestial rhythm maniacs like Chuck Biscuits or Mackie. While he certainly keeps the momentum going, its the flair and polyrhythmic manner in which he does so which really helps to make this band stand out. Totally killer.
ΠΛΕΚΤΑΝΗ - Καλλιτεχνικές Ανησυχίες LP
Thunderous and absolutely crushing d-beat hardcore from Greece - monstrous riffs, galloping drums, and a vocal attack which just helps to drive the overall intensity of this release. Just enough DISFEAR style rock inflection and ripping leads to keep it interesting with this thick, wall of sound production so it just hammers you. An absolute battering ram of a record with all the right parts to get you genuinely excited about d-beat again - more please!
PUBLIC ACID - Deadly Struggle LP
From the first time I got to witness this powerhouse of a band I’ve been just fixated by their ferocity and intelligence around their songwriting. Live, they are unstoppable - just a juggernaut of monstrous riffs saturated in a cacophony of noise inducing frenetic mayhem and general bedlam. While I’ve been a fan of their releases from the first drop of the needle, none of them truly reflected the feeling of them live like this album manages to do. It’s a tricky thing, distilling all of energy and volatility of the live setting to a few minutes of tape in the recording studio. How do you harness chaos without losing the power in the punch? In many ways PUBLIC ACID manage to combine the duality of my hardcore musical tastes - profoundly immoral sounding metallic riffing a la GASTUNK or GISM saturated in sheets of white noise driven through a filtration of Tom Robert’s early manic riffing on Kings of Punk and the urgency of Mike Dean fronted COC. Just a monster of a record - essential.
Absolutely brilliant, melodic punk from Spain - it’s a got a dark moody tinge to it but retains enough pop sensibility to not bring you all the way down. For me, it brings back memories of hearing GORILLA ANGREB or the VICIOUS for the first time, not in how it sounds, per se, but in how they are able to creative powerful melodic punk without removing a sense of ferocity and punchy aggro. Fucking great.
Witnessing SEEIN RED in my living room in 1996 was an absolutely life changing experience. I mean these dudes were in their thirties and still playing fast as hell! Still pissed! Still political and unapologetic about it! And now look at them - nearly thirty years laters and still playing fast as fuck, still unapologetically political, still pissed, still an inspiration. Twenty-seven tracks of resistance music serving as an outcry against the rise of fascism across the globe. Essential - Punk Is Verzet!
Newest LP from these Swedes with an affinity for Polish punk from the 90s - though on this, their third LP, we find them finding of their own way. While you can still detect hints of classic Polish bands like TRAGIEDIA or TXN XENNA in their approach (like on their earlier releases - POST REGIMENT too), they inject a healthy amount of gothic moodiness, expansive anthemic riffing and a focus on melody invoking an even darker texture to the sonic landscape. A powerful release.
SMOKERS - The Rat That Gnawed The Rope LP
Hard mod? Pub punk? This is one of those releases that I feel like went under a lot of people’s radar and I’m truly perplexed as to why - total 70s punk worship from a bunch of East Bay luminaries (BLACK FORK, NUISANCE, TALK IS POISON, SAINT JAMES INFIRMARY, etc) that feels like they spent a lot of time studying piles of Chiswick Records releases, the Bloodstains Across Northern Ireland comp, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS and the like. The soundtrack to late nights down the pub, Harrington jackets, cigarette trousers, and pogoing the night away. It’s got everything you want in the style - basslines that drive the melody, slashing guitars, lockstep drumming, and vocals that indicate a lifetime of too many cigarettes. A truly perfect record.
Another magisterial band out of Richmond - members of a bunch of bands that rule but this one might be the hottest, most smoking jam I’ve blasted this year. Thunderous approach in the War All The Time-era; powerful roaring vocal punch with big guitar riffs and drums that are just a jackhammer onslaught. Great! Great! Great!
Well this is exciting - if you managed to catch Stockholm’s VIDRO last year on tour you know how good they are. Taking an aggressive yet danceable approach to Swedish punk. It has this sort of staccato pogo approach with swirling guitars and bass while their drummer helps to drive the point home, providing a stable foundation for vocalist to rant in this almost rhythmic style themselves. Truly great and compelling stuff - outstanding!
90% of this is what one might expect - rampaging, face blistering hardcore punk from Cleveland with minimally distorted guitars in a manner that sorta crosses over into a garage punk vibe. It rips and rages in all the best ways - then its flips the script into this meandering, jamming, nearly eight minute long acid induced freak rock track. It’s weird and wild and totally perfect. More of this please!
YANKEE BASTARD - Fucking USA CS
Pummeling, thrashing, and relentless all go no slow hardcore from here in Richmond. Most of the songs are in Korean. Fuzzy and sloppy in all the right ways, I absolutely adore this and can’t wait to actually see them.
I am a total YAMBAG fan - I mean if you know anything about me, this makes total and complete sense, right? Thrashing, moderately sloppy hardcore punk thats played at such a pace that it feels like its about to fall apart at any moment -whats not to love? Eleven tracks clocking in around ten minutes - totally ferocious.
Books, Check ’em Out
Punk and Other Four Letter Words - Linda Aronow (Cabin One Books)
Once upon a time, finding books about punk beyond “Ramones, Sex Pistols break up then… Tada! Nirvana releases Nevermind” was a fundamentally impossible task. It was if the whole of USHC never existed and the notion of an international network of friends wasn’t even a consideration.
Obviously the frustrating thing about this is that it all was documented - via records, tapes as well zines, both big and small. Part of that, of course was photographers like Linda Aronow who showed up, week after week, capturing the bands and the people who made up this unheard music which thrived in the shadows of the corporate rock world.
It is probably hard to fathom a time when shows weren’t over documented, when it didn’t feel like every other person is taking a photo or a video but that truly was the case. Grainy, poorly half-toned images or photocopied to the point of high contrast was all you ever got to satiate your dreams of scenes far away from the comfort of your bedroom. It is a sharp contrast to the world of today where images of last night’s show, half a world away come blasting into your phone in high definition shortly after the last echoes of the amplifiers fade into a ringing in your ear.
Regular readers of Razorblades & Aspirin are already familiar with Linda’s work via the interview in issue 15 (reprinted here on ye olde shitstack), so some of these images will be familiar but what we have here is the full breadth of those weeks spent fighting for the right angle, the correct bit of light, waiting for the precise moment to capture the moment of energy, angst, power which makes these images so compelling.
Presented over 208 pages, in rich black and white, we find an alphabetical documentation of the who’s who of hardcore punk in the late 80s as it steamrolled through Southern California -featuring bands like Agnostic Front, MDC, Christian Death, Minor Threat, TSOL, GWAR, GBH, Black Flag, Social Distortion, and countless more. It is an epic documentation of an important time in music, when the fans took back what they created and controlled it.
I’ve often maintained that, in many ways, hardcore punk is a folk music of sorts. It is for the people who create it, participate in it and despite the best attempts of those whose desire is to monetize everything in this world, can never be fully co-opted. Books like this are an important reminder of this - of just what can be built, and the thread that binds the current era to this distant past of the underground. It reenforces the importance of not only documenting the past but the present and the importance of controlling who does that documentation so that a real and accurate story can be told.
THE MISFITS We Walk These Streets At Night - Roxanne Lowit (Ryebread Rodeo)
THE MISFITS Shock Theatre - Paul Till (Ryebread Rodeo)
Two more short but sweet books from the punk rock archival genius behind Ryebread Rodeo - Ryan has dug up rare images of the early days of the Misfits before but personally, these are my favorite yet.
Nearly 50 years after their formation, the current iteration of Lodi’s favorite sons are just a bloated zombiefied corpse of their former selves. It’s hard to imagine Danzig and crew were ever this young, just angsty horror movie and comic book obsessed nerds bashing out primitive rocknroll that leans hard into Elvis, 60s garage and psych thats years away from pyrotechnics and heavy metal flare they inhabit today.
And that is what is so beautiful about these slim booklets, wherein we find the band in their early primal state, captured by two professional photographers with a flair for technical precision often missing in today’s image makers. For Paul Till’s part, we find him capturing the band in one of their earliest performances in Toronto, in 1977 - pounding their guitars like jackhammers in front a screen awash in B-movies but not quite transitioned over the black clad worshipers of the Crimson Ghost as of yet.
Meanwhile, Roxanne Lowit (who would later make a career as a notable fashion photographer) documents the band in September of 1979, the transition towards the realized vision of the band is more complete. This is post Bullet and these images appear on the soon to be released Night of the Living Dead EP - albeit in grainy black & white, in contrast to these prints as they were shot in their original form, on Kodachrome slides. The images are beautiful and haunting and not only document the early form of the band as they move towards the 1980s, but also reflect gritty urban blight of the late 70s and early 80s which is missing in the modern era of New York.
Flipping through both of these slim tomes I’m again struck by the importance of documentation and the preservation of images like these. Certainly, The Misfits are important because they are… The Misfits. However, in 1977 or 1979 they were just a bunch of nerds bashing out simple, minimalist rocknroll - the importance and recognition thereof was years to come. Moreover, it was and is the culture which created, surrounded, and nurtured them that is important capture and actively work to continue on. Nostalgia is a trap but can also serve as inspiration and if anything, these images serve that purpose.
Smierc rules!
Several pointers for records I missed (so far) --- many thanks. Here's to another interesting year coming....