The Human Being Lawnmower
I'm just a rambling rose, blathering about a bunch of shit...
Miscellaneous Ramblings AKA An Old Man Waving His Fist At Clouds
Sometimes I get weirdly fixated on the the most banal bullshit. Lately, I’ve been hyper focused on the things I find annoying at shows and like weird random shit about punk in general. It gnaws at the back of my brain in a manner that no rational person should allow to happen - like, if i was a normal person I would probably spend my time on more normal obsessions like hot wings or my lawn or the dating habits of people on television but alas, here I am pondering the ins and outs of a decades old subculture. So without further adieu, here’s some random thoughts:
I hate bands that obsessively tune in between songs - you aren’t in the Allman Brothers, no one cares or can even tell if you aren’t finely tuned to 440hz when you have twelve distortion boxes between you and your amp. I used to maintain a passionate anti-tuner box stance as I felt it was easier to just tune to each other once prior to the start of your set but then I found out that people can’t tell if things are in sync (see the point I made at the start of this rant) so instead, just everyone tune once and be done with it.
The obsession over the last like decade or so with crazy pedal board configurations is stupid to me. Like I can see using a single distortion box or like a phaser but when I see folx rolling out the entire display case of a Guitar Center I’m just like whats the point? You are playing in someone’s living room - no can tell the nuances between your twenty different distortion tones. Granted this feeling is birthed from years of playing house shows, squats and barely legal spaces that could raided in a moment and you need to get your shit out fast (like the time my band was playing a show in Valencia and the squat was attacked by Spanish Raver Nazis…)
That giant half circle that forms when you have two or three people doing their choreographed kung fu dance routine they’ve been working on in the mirror all week sucks. It sucks for the band and its a weird ‘all eyes on me’ ego move for someone who frankly looks like they are having seizure. Flood the zone and let them lead their aerobics class in the back of the room.
Moshing, thrashing, stage diving, creepy crawling, raging, pogoing, etc all rules - actively trying to hurt people is stupid. It’s always been stupid and will continue to be stupid - sorry you didn’t make the football team, your mom/dad didn’t love you, etc.
Bands shouldn’t play longer than 25-30 minutes, max. Part of having a successful creative process is learning to edit. Being tighter, more concise, saying more with less and leaving people wanting more is always better.
No shorts on stage. Unless you are Lemmy or in Void. Drummers get a pass on this because… well there are so few of them and we have to be nice to them or else they’ll decide they only want to play in just one band.
If you are sharing a backline it shouldn’t take you 20 minutes to changeover between bands. The point of sharing is to keep shit moving along. Drummers, of course, get a little bit of leeway here but only because we’re all afraid of upsetting you. Please don’t quit.
Shows in random, questionably legal spaces are always better than bars but respect the space - abide by the what we do is secret and should stay that way principle, don’t trash the venue and realize that some people are sticking their neck out to create these spaces. Obviously, you are naive if you think the cops don’t know where these places are and what goes on there but typically they can go on for years without interference as long as you aren’t actively creating a nuisance.
I could yammer on and on about things that annoy me but I’m trying to channel my inner 7 Seconds live album and reflect the more positive world I want to see around me, or something.
Ok enough bullshit from me, now onto some facts…
Jams, Which You Should Be Kicking Out…
Mid-paced pummel from Germany - in some moments its got that same sort of steady groove distorted slab rock you find on the last GEL release but then it flips into this more melodic, cleanly sung ditties which sorta throw me for a loop. I like it.
BRAZEN BULL - Deus Misit Nos CS
San Diego hardcore in a decidedly where were you in 82 USHC manner - no PMA just raging negative fury. Am a fan of this for sure - I mean it might be from California but it feels like they’ve spent a lot of time studying a certain band from Detroit that is also quite negative and maybe a smidge of THE STATE.
Maybe its the six espressos I’ve had this morning but I swear the vocalist sounds a lot like Beki Bondage from VICE SQUAD and the jams are sorta like a modern take on that sorta UK82 style. Its a bit noisier, more aggro, and slightly more chaotic. This is great.
Melodic while remaining rough around the edges punk from France. There was a time when when I felt there was more of this style going around - UNHINGED, PETROGRAD, INSTIGATORS, LA FRACTION etc. It’s catchy, with big hooks, and a heavy emphasis on the song writing but not slickly overproduced. Fucking great.
THE CHISEL - What A Fucking Nightmare LP
Well shit - look what it is! I was a bit worried that there would be a slip on this, their sophomore release because we know thats a thing but thankfully here we find the hooks are even bigger while retaining the aggro and velocity that made Retaliation such a delight. A total masterclass of classic UK bands like COCKNEY REJECTS & BLITZ, melding it with that 70s pub rock and just baking it into a tasty pie of modern punk. Top shelf stuff.
CLASS VIOLENCE - DEMO II: ANTI
Total meat and potatoes, simple hardcore in the manner that would make Choke proud. Put another way “This demo is dedicated to TikTok hardcore and longhairs with no bitches.” What else do you want from me? They said it all. To be honest, when they play fast I like it, when they play slow I don’t - but this is sort of my take on most bands.
Rough and tumble, fairly raw and definitely straight forward d-beat from Belgium. Not fully blown out and primitive its more mid-paced while remaining rampaging. Solid release.
CONSENSUS MADNESS - 2023 Demo CS
This is fucking great - snotty, slashing, quick-paced punk rock from Chicago. It’s got cool twists and turns with a vocalist saturated in piss and vinegar. Great!
Snarling metallic crust from Los Angeles - crusty, stomping stuff with what sounds like a monster on vocals. This certainly feels like a band best experienced live.
Speedy Norwegian punk that leans towards the more classic hardcore sounds found in bands like BANNALYST but with plenty of modern flair - ranting vocal approach, twisty riffs, big breakdowns. A tasty little platter.
They say its influenced by SIEGE & THE FAITH but this feels more metal and less melodic than that to my ears. Zippy, crusty and simple hardcore with vocals soaked in reverb. To be honest I hear more FILTH going to the dance with SKAVEN after smoking a bunch of meth than the aforementioned influences - trust me thats a good thing.
DEVIATED INSTINCT - Dance Of The Plague Bearer - 12"
I mean you know this, right? Legendary metal infatuated UK crust lords from the 80s back at it with some reworking of some classics. It’s weird hearing a modern recording of songs I’ve heard seemingly a million times over but to fresher ears than mine it will certainly make you want to embrace the stenchcore lifestyle. Fucking heavy as shit mate.
ENEMIC INTERIOR - Enemic Interior III EP
Punchy, anthemic street punk from Barcelona - its a bit raw and primitive in its recording, saturated in chorus but its a compelling listen and every bit as good as bands like THE CHISEL but, you know, in Spanish. I love this.
Fuzzy ripping punk with a slight garage feel from Chicago that leans hard into the manner of the NEGATIVE APPROACH EP. Raging, short, angry songs.
Somber and moody goth punk - its got that enticing icy cold, monotone vocal delivery and all the spooky guitar work you could ask for or ever want. This sounds like black lace saturated in clove cigarette smoke.
Straight forward, 1-2-1-2 pogo inducing punk that hails from Spain - just enough velocity and oomph with big singalong choruses to make it compelling.
Trashy, snotty, sassy punk - plenty of speed and lots of venom. I’m into how ranty the vocals are, its almost got a MEATMEN vibe to it. Killer.
JUVENTUD PODRIDA - Control y Encierro EP
Downtuned, heavy yet simple Panamanian crust alternating between throbbing heavy grooves and d-beat fueled velocity with the requisite vocals recorded in a giant, echoey cave sound.
LAMICTAL - Hard Pill To Swallow CS
Honest, this sounds like they recorded these songs then sped them up with they mastered it - like it doesn’t quite sound like playing a 33rpm record at 45rpm but more like playing it with the pitch shift cranked all the way up. Its manic and uneasy sounding thrashy punk in all the best ways.
Stomping and distorted hardcore in the similar style to bands like SPY or GEL. It thuds and marches along with manic, echoey screaming on top.
Massive sounding slabs of d-beat fueled hardcore that sounds a bit like what I imagine it would sound like if CATHARSIS went down the path of the stadium crust thing, if that makes sense. Its heavy and expansive with effective use of speed and dynamics and a lyric sheet that means something. Quality stuff.
Buzzsaw guitars and snarly vocals paired up with a steady d-beat hammer of a drummer. Some cool layers of differing distortions and just the right amount of speed make for a cool listen.
Totally infectious, blown out as all fuck, 40000 mph hardcore noise not music from glorious burgh of pitts - its sloppy, noisy, primitive as shit and fucking pissed. I love this.
Fucking great, high speed, thrashy Euro-core - its got elements of early 00s bandana thrash, Burning Spirits style anthemic guitar leads, Ray Cappo style ranting flipping to full throated clean melodic rock vocals, and later era POISON IDEA sorta riffing. Its like all things at once and just oozes energy.
Sorta peace punky, sorta RUDIMENTARY PENI, sorta garagey, sorta NEW MODEL ARMY but it certainly doesn’t sound like you expect a Finnish band to sound like. It’s dissonant but with some pop sensibilities, oddly angular and repetative in that LUNGFISH manner but more pointedly anarcho/political in nature. It took me a few listens but I’m super into this - the weirdness is the selling point here.
NUCLER BLUD - Corridor / Frown CS
Inept punk stomp - its messy, curt and noisy. Just three short tracks.
Thick albeit muddy German punk in the more classic anthemic style - its got hints that remind me of a more modern take on RAZZIA with a nod to the songwriting sensibility of the braintrust that gave the world NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS. I dunno if the production is supposed to be this muddy but its a detractor which is a bummer because there are some strong songs here.
This reminds me so much of HUGGY BEAR - slightly chaotic, sloppy in the best way and just utterly fierce ranty punk. Snotty, pissed as fuck and totally fierce garage punk that reminds me so much of efforts of early to mid90s Riot Grrrl bands. I love this.
Throaty Norwegian hardcore that has that same riff heavy feel as SO MUCH HATE. Its powerful and totally ripping stuff. I want more from this band for sure! Total rager.
Snarling, mostly mid tempo ardcore punk with occasional bursts of speed from Chicago that would sit right at home on the Convulse record shelf. Its vicious and soaked in aggro with plenty of interesting twists and turns in that RUDIMENTARY PENI sort of way.
Take DISCHARGE, put it through a Swedish filter, then take that and stick it through the perspective of a bunch of wild Greek punks and that should sort of give you an idea of what’s going on here - its got a heavy MEANWHILE stomping feel to it (think The Show Must Go On) though a bit purposefully thinner and rawer in the production. I’m a sucker for this sort of thing so obvies I love it
One Last Thing
Two giants of my youth passed away recently - Wayne Kramer and Mojo Nixon. Growing up in Toledo, the influence of the MC5 was just massive. Detroit and Toledo rock stations were playing that shit while the rest of the world was hung up on Night Ranger so I grew up with it infecting my brain. There is no Discharge, no Crucifix, no Born Against, no His Hero is Gone, no Skitkids, no Gel without MC5.
And then Mojo Nixon… you know at one point, punk/hardcore had this whole relationship with these sorta insane and just too weird yet totally comedic bands - its seemingly lacking these days. Or maybe it’s not… anyway here’s my two favorite videos from each of these folx.
I’m going to get back to your music reviews/recommendations, as I always enjoy taking my time working through them. But, I had to scroll down to the comments and quickly share that your rants made me laugh many times. Laughed in agreement. Laughed with your assessment of the obsessions we chose (?) when we get to a certain age. And, laughed with your craft of phrasing and for being a wordsmith. Not a bad way to close out my work week. Thanks.
I agree with your rambling. Except for your anti-shorts sentiment. Thats an odd one. LOL