Top Sounds - I
I EXCUSE - …Is Dead
IMPULSE MANSLAUGHTER - Live At WFMU
{Beer City} I know absolutely nothing about these fellas. This hulking compilation collects 38 tracks of grizzled Hardcore thrash with a Metal edge. The negative is the first 17 tracks, culled from the session in the CD’s title. The show was recorded back in 1993 & the sound is muddled, muffled & lacks any kind of thrust, attitude & competency. The remaining tracks are lifted off a variety of vinyl releases & prove to be much more captivating. The band’s sound is a mix of ENT-style growled vocal Hardcore, DISORDER / DISCHARGE-ish Punk (there’s a cover of ‘A Hell On Earth’ in the live set) & the latter day Crossover sound, populated by the likes of COC. Highlights definitely include the tracks from the ‘Logical End’ & ‘He Who Laughs Last…’ albums all of which have a Thrash attack that assimilates POISON IDEA while never quite attaining the visceral, caustic & incisive animosity of PI. It’s not really the kinda HC I go for - this has too much of a growling Metal influence to it - but tracks like ‘Kein Spiel’, ‘Gutterhead’ & ‘Face It’ make for riveting listening.INFECTED - Tales Of The Tortured Mind {Eugene} A fantastic document of how a band can progress and develop without losing sight of its Punk roots, retain its integrity and constantly sound tough and raw. INFECTED was a band from Kentucky and this 26-tracker spans from the band’s 1996 debut cassette through to some tracks from the final - and as yet unreleased - album from 2003. The early gear is very much SCREECHING WEASEL/ QUEERS snot-a-rama. As each new phase of the band unfolds, you can hear the additional influence of TOXIC REASONS HC, early HOT WATER MUSIC guitar work and structures and, finally, a hint of prime-time DAG NASTY. Each track is a corker, although the final recordings that see a clearer vocal and improved production, certainly bite like a pissed and voracious Rottweiler. Without hyping this beyond its capacity, I gotta say INFECTED is one of the best ‘old’ bands that’s new to me that I’ve discovered in an age.
INFECTED - Insomnia {Eugene} A cracking 6-track 7" featuring tracks from the previously unreleased INFECTED album recorded back in 2003. This is fucking great stuff; each track stands out for a variety of reasons but the track that kicks of the b-side, ‘I Failed You...’, is essential listening. It’s structured, so sharp it’ll slash your wrists and possesses a wonderfully bitter chorus. There’s also a turbo-paced take on the CIRCLE JERKS classic, ‘In Your Eyes’, a deft opening instrumental and ‘Moving Song’ which I can really relate to. Everything on the review above can be applied here; this is simply great Punk Rock with that mystical ‘Factor X’ that makes INFECTED stand out and above of a veritable quagmire below. Miss it and be a fuckwit. Totally essential tuneage.
THE INTELLECTUALS - Invisible Is The Best {Dead Beat} This baby’s been annoying the neighbours since day one of its arrival. It’s wonderfully reckless, snotty, Garage Punk rock ‘n’ roll. Think NEW YORK DOLLS swagger played with the fucked-up distorto Punk spew of DC SNIPERS via the New Wave electro Punk of THE EPOXIES and rounded out with a nod to THE SCREAMERS. The band hails from Rome, Italy and spits out 14 tracks that rock with a total disregard for convention. Opener ‘Vinyl Junkie Paranoia’ sets the scene before sliding into an album highlight, ‘We Are Cells’. ‘Fichetti’ slays hipsters while ‘R ‘n’ R Jedi’ emphasises the trash culture the band seems to revel in. There’s killer covers of X-RAY SPEX and VELVET UNDERGROUND while the vibe of the whole disc is raucous, damaged keyboard, rock ‘n’ roll bile. Get it!!
INTENTION - Afraid At The Edges {Black} Quite a mixed bag of Crossover-style HC here from this UK 5-piece. It’s an intense-as-hell sound with roots firmly entrenched in HC Punk but with a Metal influence infusing most tracks. The vocals get a bit annoying at times as they switch from Biafra-esque singing to HC/Metal bellowing and onto virtual Industrial, distorto screaming a’la SKINNY PUPPY which all leads to a Hardcore version of Gibby Haines! Lyrically it’s well thought-out and witty. Best bits were the more direct, punishing HC assaults like ‘Army Of Darkness’, ‘Military Issue’ and ‘Sleep’. It might be a well-played, tight, intelligent and intense listen, but it was all a little too Metal for me.
I OBJECT - Teaching Revenge {Alternative Tentacles/ Blacknoise} Fuck yeah! 16 tracks of pissed off, intelligent and challenging HC Punk that fly by like projectile vomit in under 20 minutes. Think DISCHARGE played via a USHC bent with a Penelope Houston of AVENGERS style vocal playing a frantic F-MINUS meets NAKED AGGRESSION style Punk Rock. Yep, fucking superb gear. Lyrically it’s not your usual thoughtless, run-of-the-mill Punk sloganeering either. This tackles abortion and pro-choice, workers’ rights, the negatives of ridicule, eating disorders, the right to a free health service and way more that’s concise, well-thought out and individualistic. Best of all is ‘Heard The Herd’ that berates all those who state easy and obvious negatives (Bush...war...etc) but have no ideas on any kinda solution. Well said guys! Totally convincing and sincere Punk Rock that’s direct and not in the slightest sensationalist or offensive. This is JUST the kinda record that drew me to Punk Rock and is STILL the kinda disc that keeps me coming back to it. Fantastic stuff.
IPANEMA - Me Me Me {Boss Tuneage} From the opening few bars, it's clear that this 6-tracker is one of the darker releases from former MEGA CITY FOUR frontman, Wiz. It's also the first post-MEGAs release to see Wiz recording with the band's former bassist, Gerry Bryant. It's also probably the best post-MEGAs release Wiz has been involved in. The guitars combine the tonal qualities of BOB MOULD with a weightier FOO FIGHTERS intensity while rhythmically it's adventurous - none more so than 'Burkina Faso' which is also the disc highlight. 'White Cat In A Snow Storm' sees those effortless, breathless vocal harmonies pushed to the fore while 'Attrition' closes the disc in a flurry of bass-heavy riffola. This is way better than I expected; the whole disc has a gritty crunch and weight that much of Wiz's previous work has lacked, yet he retains that ear for a killer melody that has always set his work above a multitude of similar sounding bands. This includes CD-ROM footage of 'Nervosa', which, while only being a performance video, echoes the dark sounds of the disc. Great stuff - welcome back Wiz!
I WALK THE LINE - Badlands {Boss Tuneage/ Combat Rock Industry} The guitars on this churn out some seriously cutting & precise chords. It’s all based very much in a traditional style of song-writing - with SOCIAL DISTORTION being an obvious comparison - but it sounds like those guitars are hit with such force that the resulting chords could clear a forest! The band is the latest storming export from Finland, featuring members of both MANIFESTO JUKEBOX & WASTED. While the SOCIAL D. reference is not misplaced, it’s also slightly unavailing as the band offers much more than that, such as the SWINGIN’ UTTERS-esque acoustic Punk of tracks like ‘Bitter End’ & the dynamics of ‘Dear You’ era JAWBREAKER on the album stealing, pulsating ‘Barren Fields’ which is epic in construction & anthemic in completion. Opener ‘In Retrospect’ features some sublime bass breakdowns & the continual use of an organ lends a depth & dimension way beyond the usual Punk rock ‘n’ roll approach to song-writing. A great 10-track release from what appears to be a thriving scene of varied, inspirational & quality Punk Rock.