Rabbit Rabbit - a new mixtape

Hey, how about some jams?

I feel like it's appropriate to share some of what I've been listening to regularly lately. So, with that in mind, here's a mix for you. As with my other mixes, this fits perfectly on a C-90 tape, if you want to get analog with it. Just end Side 1 with Suicide.

What can I say? You've probably heard some of this before; some you'll never hear again. I don't expect you to love everything here, tho my hope is you'll find something you like that you've never heard before. This year's taking a 2x4 upside most of our heads. Let this be a helmet for the rest of the year.

Click here to download.

Shout! Factory in July

July looks like the proverbial calm before the storm for Shout! Factory. There are a lighter-than-usual number of releases this month, and while there are a couple of Blu-rays coming that I'm excited for, there's no triple-A, must haves dropping. That doesn't mean we're not going to chop it up right here, right now.

July 7

Here's one of those Shout! Factory releases that looks like nothing on the surface, but, with a bit of digging, you get why it was picked up. "Proximity" is a direct-to-video release from 2020 that's billed as in the vein of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". OK, I'm quite fond of "Close Encounters", but I need a little more. This is director/writer/producer Eric Demeusy's first full-length. "Who's that?", you might be asking. Demuesy's background is in digital effects. IMDb says he created the opening sequence for the first two seasons of "Stranger Things". He directed a "Star Wars" short, and a short film called "Video" that I liked. NOW I'm interested in what's going on here. It has a value price point of $20, and nothing else is releasing this week. If you're into suspenseful sci-fi, then this looks to be in your sweet spot.

July 14

Hell, yeah! It's time for a Hammer vampire movie! And not just any ol' Hammer vampire movie; it's a SEXY Hammer vampire movie! 1963's "Kiss of the Vampire" was released as a Region B Blu-ray a few years back, but this Collector's Edition is stuffed to the gills with hot vampire/newlywed action. I watched a dubbed VHS of this a million years ago, and saw a lot of similarities between this and "Rocky Horror Picture Show"...minus the song and dance, obviously. The end of the movie is kind of nuts, featuring a swarm of bats from Hell. Like last year's "Lust for a Vampire" release, you get both a 1.66:1 and a 1.85:1 2K restoration of the film, along with separate commentaries on each aspect ratio, and the TV cut ("Kiss of Evil") which also gets its own commentary. The new cover art looks slick, and a preorder via SF gets an 18"x24" poster of the cover. Approved!

Shout Select has a reissue of Ron Howard's mystery/Western from 2003 "The Missing" coming out on the 14th. I don't remember this having any impact on me when it came out in theatres, and there hasn't been a Ron Howard movie I've been happy with since..."Parenthood"? But there's one reason why I'm interested in checking this out eventually. There's an extra on the SF page entitled "The Short Films of Ron Howard". I WILL cosign his early films; everything up through "Parenthood" is rewatchable and has a great sense of fun. So I'm intrigued by what that feature is.

For those of you interested, "The Missing" comes in two versions on this edition: the theatrical release, and an extended cut with 17 minutes of extra footage and commentary by Howard. Hell, any movie with Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Rachel Evan Wood, and Val Kilmer can't be that bad. Right?

July 21

Did you know Marcel Marceau, before becoming synonymous with mime, fought the Nazis as a member of the French Resistance in World War II? It sounds made up, but it's true. And now there's a movie about it. In "Resistance", Jesse Eisenberg plays Marceau, Ed Harris plays George S. Patton, Matthias Schweighöfer plays Klaus Barbie. I watched the trailer for this a while back, and was a little underwhelmed. I'm a sucker for any Jewish resistance movie: historical, exploitation, whatever. So I'll probably check this out in the future. It's another in the series of IFC/Shout! Factory releases, which leads to a bare-bones physical release. Just about every sentence I've typed in this paragraph feels super weird and unbelievable, like a fever dream, or macrodosing.

From the ridiculous to the sublime: Shout! Factory is finally releasing a complete series box set of "Northern Exposure". Back in the day, CBS actually aired shows that were quirky and appealed to people outside the 55+ demographic. "Northern Exposure" was my favorite. It's a show about misfits and fish out of water and the embracing of eccentricity, all set in a fictional town in Alaska. The first woman I ever dated regularly and I would call each other and watch this in our respective bedrooms. It was a sweet and innocent time for me, long before I became Ape Mummy. This was a good-ass show, winning the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series in 1992, and keeping me on the lookout for cheap copies since 2000.

Now, you may say, "But, Ape. I see this all the time at thrift stores for $4. Why should I pick this up?" If you look closer, you'll notice that you see a lot of Season 1 and 2, but none of Seasons 5 & 6. How are you supposed to know how things turn out for Dr. Joel Fleischman? I imagine the extras remain the same from the single season releases; the standard deleted scenes, gag reels, and what not. It also doesn't look like this is available to stream anywhere, so, yeah, give it a go. If you haven't seen it, you won't regret watching it.

July 28

There's a trio of horror coming to wrap up July. First up is a Collector's Edition of 2001's "Thirteen Ghosts", or "Thir13en Ghosts", if you're in a nu-metal band or a Silver Pictures marketing maven. Look, I didn't give a shit about this in 2001; I don't care about it now. I'd much rather go back to the original William Castle movie from 1959, or revisit "House on Haunted Hill", released by the same production team two years before. This release has a number of new extras that weren't available on the previous Warner Home Video release. Director Steve Beck recorded a brand-new commentary track, and there's an interview with Shannon Elizabeth, who I thought had retired from acting to play poker competitively. You're either already super hyped for this release, or you're like me. Thankfully, I've done the hard introspection for all of us, and now you don't have to overthink not getting this. That is a dope looking cover, tho.

Thankfully, there's a Blu-ray release of Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" to check out this week. It's the final film in his "Apartment Trilogy", as well as the last film he made before permanently leaving the United States for Europe. Based on the book by French polymath Roland Topor, this is a Kafkaesque psychological horror film that's grown in stature over time, despite Polanski's fugitive status and decline in public appreciation. This movie is dark and paranoid in a way that too few films are. When I first saw it, I observed a number of similarities in tone to "The Shining". It blurs reality, fantasy, madness, and the supernatural for its characters. As you'd expect, there are a wealth of special features here, including an interview with Polanski himself, an archival featurette with Topor, and a commentary track featuring critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. If you pick one new release up this month, make it this one. This is a prime film nerd title.

Last, but not least, is a reissue of 1990's "Graveyard Shift". When it was initially announced, I wondered why I'd never seen this, especially in light of my opinion of the source material. It's one of my favorite Stephen King short stories. The film, however, came out in that weird time when I was just starting to get into horror, but my parents wouldn't let me watch anything R-rated. Add to that a very culty cast, and a director making his first and only film, and I guess it makes sense why this fell below my radar. Anyway, if you're bummed out by rats, I guessing this isn't going to be your cuppa. The extras on this release are relatively bare bones: you get a few interviews with the cast and director. If you're a King adaptation completist (and I know you exist out there), then this will be a welcome addition in hi-def.

So what did we learn today? Well, I think I'm just going to snag "The Tenant" as a preorder. I can hold off on the "Northern Exposure" complete series and "Kiss of the Vampire" for now; they're both perfect sale titles. August has a lot more of what I'm looking for, including the first release of "Swallow", a pair of Miyazaki steelbooks, more Hammer horror, and the latest Universal Horror collection. See you back here in 30.

The Criterion Collection in July

I've been waiting a hot minute for July to come around. It's not that I'm suffering cabin fever, although I'd love to walk around with minimal clothing and no PPE on. No, it's just that the Criterion Collection announced some fantastic releases, and I've been waiting with baited breath for them to arrive. Criterion has applied their magic to some of the most influential movies in my life, will bring out the first home release of one of 2019's best reviewed films, and given a new polish to two catalog greats. LET'S - GET - INTO - IT!

July 7

George Pal's "The War of the Worlds" is the second sci-fi movie I ever seeing, after "Star Wars". There are special effects that remain indelible to me; the hovering saucers, the flair and burning of the observers at the crater's edge. In my memory, it was wonderful and terrifying in a way that had to have established my tastes early on. So it's a huge pleasure to have this 4K restoration lead off the July lineup. This restoration looks pretty damned definitive. There's an all-new 5.1 sound mix created by legend Ben Burtt, as well as featurettes about the effects and restoration of the film. There's also an archive interview with producer George Pal that I've never seen before. Finally, because how could you NOT add it, Criterion's added the original 1938 Mercury Theatre radio production of "War of the Worlds", along with an interview featuring Orson Welles and H.G. Wells. The Patrick Leger artwork on the cover is poster-worthy, which is to say: Hey, Criterion! How about some posters for new releases? I'll pay for them!

July 14

Criterion has always put a lot of attention and care into their collector's sets, but I feel like the ones that have come out over the last two years are next level. The 2018 "Dietrich and von Sternberg in Hollywood" set is, if you have any interest in golden age Hollywood, a must own. Last fall's "Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975" release set the bar not just for content, but for extras and design. While I love those, I'm probably more excited for this week's release. After all, it's not every day that you can repurchase five movies you've already bought in multiple formats.

I'm not a Bruce Lee superfan, but I am a big fan. I paid full retail on the Enterbay 1:6 scale figures. I wear Onitsuka Tigers, even though they're hell on my insteps. I've owned copies of his five films my entire collecting life, going back to shitty VHS transfers in the early 90s. I've ended up with multiple copies of "Enter the Dragon" on DVD across box sets, single editions; I even own two versions on laserdisc. The man remains one of the superheroes of my childhood, alongside Bo Jackson and Bill Sienkiewicz. So will I be buying "Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits"? You're goddamned right I will be.

I'm only going to gloss over the highlights of this set, because they're really comprehensive, and I'm already 200+ words into this single review. I'm looking forward to seeing the restoration work on all five movies; I can only assume how much more vibrant and alive they'll look after getting a once over. The background interviews look great as well. A Golden Harvest featurette, a chat on Brucesploitation, interviews with Linda Lee Caldwell, Nora Miao, and Sammo Hung: it's almost like a syllabus of HK filmmaking in the 70s. All of it adds up to a package I'll be watching on release day.

Also out the 14th is the "first time on Blu-ray" issue of "The Lady Eve", one of the all-time great screwball comedies. Preston Sturges had one of the best runs as a director over his first five movies; "The Lady Eve" falls right in the middle of that run, and it's one of Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck's best roles. The dialogue is so sharp, the gender roles cleverly reversed. There are some new features on this reissue: the now obligatory 4K digital restoration, some new critical essays, and a round table conversation with Peter Bogdanovich, Ron Shelton, Leonard Maltin, and James L. Brooks. I can listen to Bogdanovich talk about movies all day long.

July 21

I gotta say: I'm not a big fan of Noah Baumbach. I know a lot of people think Wes Anderson's movies are as white as it gets. I say Baumbach's work is so white, it's transparent. I've never connected with any of his films. He tells these stories of upper/middle-class New York City life that I just can't relate to. None of that seems to hamper me when I'm watching Wes Anderson or Woody Allen or even Greta Gerwig. There's just something about his movies that really sticks in my craw.

All that said, I expect I'll eventually give "Marriage Story" a shot. While I'm not often swayed by critical acclaim, I do listen to what my friends have to say, and they've all been really complementary of it. But let's be fair: if you're buying this, you're doing so to expand an experience you can already get from Netflix. The extras here look pretty solid. Along with the 4K transfer and lossless soundtrack on the Blu-ray, there are featurettes with the filmmaking team and the actors, as well as a making-of. If you're a fan, you'll be buying this; if you're like me, it'll be low on your list.

On the other hand, I'm pretty interested to check out the new-to-Blu-ray reissue of "Taste of Cherry" ("طعم گيلاس..."). I've owned my DVD copy for almost 20 years, and while I don't watch it super-regularly, I do revisit it from time to time. If you've never seen one of Abbas Kiarostami's films, this is a great opportunity to check out one of the great auteurs of the 20th century. He works in this singular, minimal style that I've never really otherwise experienced. The premise of "Taste of Cherry" is fairly simple: an Iranian man drives through the suburbs of his city, searching for something to bury his body when he commits suicide. What develops over 95 minutes is this pretty incredible mediation on death, spirituality, and the nature of truth. I promise it's not nearly as heavy as that description makes it sound.

So ends our July with Criterion. I'm 100% in for the Bruce Lee box set, and will probably pick up "The War of the Worlds" around release date. August looks to be chock full of great directors. French director Agnès Varda gets a box set featuring her complete works, one of my favorite D.A. Pennebaker docs joins the Criterion Collection, and Jean Renoir's "Toni" gets a full restoration. Should be a good month. See you in 30.

  

Dillinger Four - First Avenue Live

Paddy Costello of Dillinger Four by Rebecca Reed

It was rare that I'd get drunker or have a better time than at a Dillinger Four show. As soundtracks to your twenties go, they were a good one. D4 played Baltimore once on my birthday, and, as you might imagine, if you're familiar with them, it was a total piss-up. I started drinking before doors opened, and didn't stop with kamikazes and Jameson until last call. Or so I've been told.

This was recorded at the height of the band's powers. As the story goes, Bad Brains was scheduled to play upstairs at First Avenue in Minneapolis the same night that Dillinger Four was playing downstairs at 7th St. Entry. H.R. called the club a few hours before doors and left a message stating that Bad Brains wouldn't be playing that night. That left a well-liquored D4 to entertain the hometown crowd. And entertain they did, ripping through 15 songs with some of my favorite stage banter ever.

I don't want to give anything away, but you will hear the H.R. message in its entirety. That's worth the price of admission.

Discogs

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various artists - Boot Power Vol. 4 - 1970-1979

One of the fun things about the "Boot Power" series is how many awesome songs one discovers over the course of 100+ tracks. When would I have heard the Gorillas, or Protex, or the Sensational Alex Harvey Band? Possibly: my enthusiasm for seeking out music I don't know anything about hasn't waned as I've gotten older. I'm not sure, however, if I'd come across a track like Supernaut's "The Kids Are Out Tonight" if I would have been able to put it in a similar context that this curation provides.

That said, my favorite here is, and will always be, Cock Sparrer's "Trouble On The Terraces". Recorded in the same sessions that produced their self-titled 1978 debut, but not released until 14 years later, "Trouble..." is a perfect football anthem, as well as a great example of how pub rock transitioned into punk in 1976 and 1977. It's hard to believe that "Cock Sparrer" only came out in Spain, and wouldn't come out in England until it was released as "True Grit" in 1987. An OG pressing is rarer than hen's teeth, so, you know, now you know what to get me for my birthday.

As with the other collections in the series, there's some real cheeze amongst the rockers. That's fine, because they make a track like "Tired Guy of the Road" by Blood Chains really pop. Speaking of: don't let corny-ass band names sway you from listening. Some of the best cuts across the series come from bands like Giggles and Bilbo Baggins.

Click here to download.

New music from NØ MAN (ex-Majority Rule)

Maha Shami from NØ MAN

It's a toss up in my house which early-aughts NoVA post-hardcore band we like more: Pageninetynine or Majority Rule. While I've seen the former far more often, it is the latter whose records I revisit more. The 1-2-3 combo of "Interviews with David Frost", "Document #12", and "Emergency Numbers" are around 90 minutes of some my favorite music from that period; full of passion and power...exactly as I want music to be. It's hard to imagine they all came out within 24 months of each other. My enthusiasm has carried over to the regrouping of the Majority Rule trio, with Maha Shami now on vocals, as NØ MAN.

NØ MAN announced their second LP, "ERASE", earlier this morning. Due out this August, there's a limited edition of 100 preorder up live now on their Bandcamp. Released on their own Quit Life label, you can snag a copy on that lovely "smoke" color that always looks so good. If the preview track "DIVE" is any indication, expect some brutal, political hardcore along the lines of their earlier "CUT OUT" cassette from 2019, and influenced by Memphis-style crust and D-beat. Are you sold yet?

Click here to preorder.

Iggy Pop - Heroin Hates You

Iggy Pop at the Longhorn Bar, 1979 (Tom Sweeney)

Stinky's awesome post about Brian James over at Jonderblog the other day got me thinking of the first Iggy bootleg I ever picked up. It was the 1997 reissue of "Heroin Hates You", and while it doesn't have the history or cache of "Metallic K.O.", it's still pretty damned good.

KROQ broadcast this live from the Stardust Ballroom in L.A. November 30, 1979, so you're, at best, looking at a FM-quality recording here, right down to the DJ wondering aloud if the Igster is going to do a second encore. The lineup here is pretty strong. Lining up behind Mr. Osterberg is the aforementioned Brian James (the Damned, Lords of the New Church) playing guitar, Ivan Kral (Patti Smith Group, Blondie) on guitar and keys, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, Rich Kids) slapping bass, and Klaus Kruger (Tangerine Dream) hitting the skins.

I know some people prefer the Bowie/Sales Brothers lineup from "TV Eye Live", but I prefer this group of first wave punks backing Iggy. They're really in the pocket here, even when playing the looser Stooges cuts. Additionally, I really enjoy the cover of the Kinks and the replay of "One For My Baby", foreshadowing Iggy's crooner records "Après" and "Préliminaires". The addition of some "New Values"-era tracks rounds out a pretty alright bootleg.

Discogs

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Huggy Bear - Our Troubled Youth

Make yourself a list of the great split LPs. Go ahead, I'll wait.

What'd you come up with?

Is the Bikini Kill/Huggy Bear split there? Yeah? Good, you're a bright kid. You'll go far.

The Huggy Bear side is entitled "Our Troubled Youth", and I listen to it far more than I do Bikini Kill. Granted, I know "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" like a rabbi knows the Torah, but there's some real dirt on Huggy Bear that I find mighty appealing.

The ability to play 1,500 person rooms and the comprehensive reissue program draws sharp relief between Bikini Kill and the relative present obscurity of Huggy Bear. It's a shame, because the British contemporaries to Olympia's finest colored the next 30 or so years of queer and feminist DIY. Maybe they don't get back together to play Terminal 5 or Lollapalooza, but they deserve better than dollar bin obscurity.

Also, above is Huggy Bear absolutely tearing it down on a British equivalent to 120 Minutes.

So here's "Our Troubled Youth". If you like, I encourage you to pin down some of their 7"s, including the outstanding "Her Jazz", which, as far as I'm concerned, is right up there with "Rebel Girl" and "Bitch Theme" as my favorite riot grrrl jams. For now, rock this out.

Discogs

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Scientist vs. Prince Jammy - Big Showdown

Scientist at Channel One – 1983 (Photo: Beth Lesser)

I don't have a lot to say here that I didn't already mention in my earlier Scientist post. This is Scientist and Prince Jammy, doing dub plates of Barrington Levy tracks, backed by Roots Radics. Pretty standard early 80s reggae excellence, as far as I'm concerned.

What's fun about this release is that the original Jamaican release on Jah Guidance apparently has completely difference music from the overseas releases on Greensleeves and Мирумир. This version comes from the 2015 Мирумир CD reissue, which omits Prince Jammy's credit on the cover. I found it new for $8 at a Half Price Books. How they ended up new copies, I'll never know.

Also worth pointing out: apparently Scientist and Greensleeves had a falling out in the recent past, so all the reissues coming out of the UK have no reference to the all-time great producer. It seems weird to me that the only legit reissue, with proper billing, comes from Russia. But it's a weird, weird world, ladies and germs. I'm just trying to hear some decent dub.

Discogs

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Voorhees - Smiling At Death

Ah, Voorhees.  One of the crucial steps in UKHC's evolution, from Heresy to Perspex Flesh. Just blazing fast hardcore that slotted in well with both the power violence of the late 90s and the early 00s thrash revival. Mike Riley booked them at Goucher on their last tour of the States; this would have been right around the time of their split with Kill Your Idols. I can't remember who else they played with, other than Looks Like Rain, but I remember the show being fairly under attended and just an absolutely, front to back ripper of a night.

What you have here is the 1996 compilation, "Smiling At Death", on the outstanding, sadly defunct Cali reissue label Grand Theft Audio. It contains their first two demo tapes, the "Violent" 7" from 1993, the "Spilling Blood Without Reason" LP, a bunch of outtakes, and two Negative Approach covers that would eventually appear on the first release on Ugly Pop Records. I feel like Tom Haverford when I say it, but every song here is a banger.

I think it's odd that no one's really revisited any of those GTA reissues. I love when the lesser lights of 80s punk and hardcore get a second look, preferably via a legit release. Grand Theft Audio is the way I first heard Rattus and Terveet Kädet. It kept me from having to spend crazy money of a copy of the State 7", and was the only place you could find anything by Trip 6 before the internet. Even a band like Demob, who almost everyone now recognizes as crucial, collected their early demos and live recordings with a GTA release.

Discogs

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Re-Re-up: Sweep the Leg Johnny - 4.9.21.30

(Re-up, June 2020: this is one of the first things I ever wrote for this blog [if not the first]. It's possible I re-bought this on vinyl last year just to have a vinyl copy.)

So I'm dating this girl. She's a riot grrl in 1997, so that should tell you something right off the bat. Or maybe not. But she & I get along swimmingly. We both live about 15 minutes from the Pennsylvania border in Maryland. We have a lot to do, but we spend most of our time making mix tapes for each other, hoping on the hood of my Grand Prix and shouting "Anarchy" and going to DC for shows. After all, the Ottobar was newly open, Memory Lane was a distant memory and the only thing Fletcher's was good for was the occasional H2O show.

She & I drive into DC to see Sleater-Kinney for the first time. We trek down to the old Black Cat, me terrified someone is going to break into the Grand Prix. It's probably the month "Dig Me Out" comes out, so we are fucking down for the show. I think Versus opened. Wow, they sucked. I'm not feeling it at all. Neither of us is legal drinking age, and if memory serves, there was no re-entry that night, so we both hawk the merch stand, furiously puffing cigarettes like only 20-year-olds can. (Now that I think about it, maybe it was 1998. I definitely seem to recall drinking a beer.) (But I digress.)

We end up behind the soundbooth, trying to talk over whatever P.A. music happened to be on. She had seen a flier for Fugazi's annual Fort Reno show, and we quickly made plans to attend. The music changes on the P.A. A marching band beat quietly plays. A guitar drops in for 8 bars, maybe 12. Then...fury.

"What the fuck is this?" I ask her. A shrug. Stop. Start. Weird time signatures. Whispery vocals that barely raise over the driving rhythm. For a kid raised on harDCore and John Coltrane, this was a revolution. "Seriously, have you ever heard something like this before-" and then I'm cut off by this skronky saxophone. And Mr. Whisper is hollerin' over the beat, and I really want to break a window out. That's how tightly by the throat this track has grabbed me.

I lean in to the soundguy. "Sorry to bug you, man," laying on my best impression of a hipster. "What is this you're playing?" "They're called Sweep the Leg Johnny. I think they're from Chicago or something." And that was the first time I heard Shower Scene.

I got to see Sweep live twice: once at the Ottobar, on a bill with Yaphet Kotto, the Exploder & League of Death; and out at the last Michigan Fest, where they were one of three reasons I drove halfway across the country for a show. I've heard them described as math-rock, but they always struck me as a little too aggressive for that tag.

Enjoy the reason I started this blog.

Discogs

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various artists - Boot Power Vol. 3 - 1970-1979

There's a part of me that counts "Boot Power Vol. 3" as the weakest of the four volumes I've heard. I suppose that should tell you something about the quality of the whole series, because there are wall-to-wall rippers here. Maybe it's the sequencing; it just doesn't flow for me. But, damn, if that's the worst thing I can think to say...

The one-offs here really make this comp. I'd never heard Darren Burn before downloading this, but "Quick Joey Small" is just a killer song from a child singer who really didn't make any other records. Bilbo Baggins is easily my favorite Tolkien-inspired glam band of 1974. The Rebels featured Gaz from Angelic Upstarts, and have a fantastic proto-Oi! cut in "All Hate". The best of all of these is Hector's 1974 track, "Bye Bye Bad Days". Label mates of Elton John, they only released two singles as a band before they disappeared in 1976. This is the one that I find myself singing all the time. It's an ear worm in all the best ways.

Click here to download.

Juneteenth and Bandcamp

Picture of Envy from Bandcamp

By now, I think you know where we stand on Bandcamp Friday's, as well as with Black Lives Matter (spoiler: we're for 'em). Hopefully, you also know that June 19th is the latest occasion where Bandcamp is donating their fees towards a progressive charity. From midnight Friday to midnight Saturday, Pacific time, 100% of Bandcamp's share of sales will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The LDF serves as the lead legal advocate for civil and human rights in this country, providing people of all colors with equality and justice before the bar. If you can't cosign that, I don't know what to do with you.

Now, I don't need any great excuse to go shopping for music, but this is a great way to assuage your anxiety about where your money's going when you buy something. There are a HUGE number of labels and artists who are donating a portion or all of their profits from sales on Juneteenth. Here's what I have on my list to pick up:

I've been holding off on buying the new Envy double LP, "The Fallen Crimson", since it came out in February. There's no particular reason; it just keeps falling off my radar every time I go to buy a record. I've been jamming it a lot via the Bandcamp streamer for the past two weeks, and now seems to be a perfectly cromulent time to pick it up. If you're uninitiated, Envy are a Tokyo-based post-hardcore/screamo band who have been making music for 28 years. Now I feel REALLY fucking old. As they've continued to progress as a band, they've moved further towards a post-rock sound, while maintaining their hardcore roots. Their American label, Temporary Residence Ltd., is donating 100% of their revenue from digital sales to The Black Art Futures, The Conscious Kid, and Black Girls Code. 

Suicide Squeeze Records here in Seattle is also kicking their share of profits to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. That's a perfectly good excuse for me to pre-order the new L.A. Witch record, "Play With Fire", that's due out in August. As of this writing, there are still copies available of the limited-to-500 splatter vinyl, as well as the limited-to-250 cassette. If you're into Paisley Underground sounds, or a band like the Gun Club...well, L.A. Witch is the stylistic descendent of those 80s Los Angeles jams.

Pax Aeternum Digital, Brent Eyestone's digital-only label, is donating all proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I've been a NAMI member for the past year, and, up until the coronavirus hit, I was a regular attendee in one of the local peer support groups. NAMI's mission is to destigmatize people with mental illness, as well as offer support and guidance to both the mentally ill and their support networks. It's a great cause. I will be picking up the 2017 digital release of Apartment 213's "Cleveland Power Violence". I snagged this from Blogged & Quartered when it was an active blog, and now's my chance to pay for it.

The big news the day before Juneteenth was that Björk and the newly-renamed One Little Independent have added her entire studio catalog to the Bandcamp platform. Not only that, but all proceeds during Juneteenth will be donated to Black Lives Matter UK. I've never really written about Björk, but her art (and let's make no mistake: she's no mere singer) has been a constant influence in my life going back to "Debut". "Homogenic" remains one of my desert island records, and while I'm not AS into her more recent records, I'm always going to check them out. Fun trivia fact: this is now the second time Björk has been a label mate with Crass. Now you know!

So let's end with Crass, shall we? It's "odd" to me how much of their work resonates with me now. "Penis Envy" might be one of the most apropos records for the times we're currently living through. I've been thinking a lot of these lines from "Yes Sir, I Will":

Those of us who stand out against the status quo
Do so against all odds.
We cling so closely together
Because we have little other than ourselves.
Critics say that it's just punk rock or that we're just naive anarchists.
They hope to discredit us with their labels and definitions.
Throughout history societies have condemned those who are later celebrated as heroes,
In so many bourgeois homes Van Gogh's sunflowers radiate from the walls,
Yet he lived in utter misery, condemned by those very same people.

We are not so alone in our anger and protest anymore, are we? I'd say their entire catalog is worth owning, although don't expect a "Do They Owe Us a Living"-type sing-along in their later records. The OLI reissues that have been coming out over the past year are pretty awesome; there are some minor artwork changes from the old Crass/Southern releases, but are 100% worth owning.

In addition to these, go ahead and revisit my earlier Bandcamp posts: despite COVID-19, people are making some amazing music in 2020. I'd also suggest snagging a copy of the new Asshole Parade demo, Coriky's debut LP, and the newest SOUL GLO track, assuming you haven't already. Have fun, drop some bread, support some good causes!

Lungfish - live at the Empty Bottle, 5 December, 2003

Photo by Pat Graham

If there's a recurring theme to this blog, it's "I took way to long to get into this band/movie". As someone who was a Baltimore resident during most of their heyday, there's no excuse, other than the dipshittery of youth, for me not having gotten into Lungfish sooner.

There's really no excuse: I was already a fan of what Dischord was putting out, and I got a promo of "Sound In Time" for my radio show when it came out in 1996. They opened for Fugazi at the Steelworker's Hall out by Dundalk in 1998, but I stood outside during most of their set, smoking and being tres punk. I'd seen Pat Graham's photography of the band for years, and despite the amazing visual story those images told, it took until their 10th record, "Love Is Love", for something to click for me. By the time they'd gone on hiatus, I'd only seen them that one time, and not even really watched then.

Which is a shame, because what I didn't get in my twenties has become an obsession as I've aged. In one sense, I get it: I had no context under which I could appreciate their post-, post-hardcore experiments. I genuinely tried to rectify that mistake by diving into their entire catalog. My preference is for later-period Lungfish; I love taking a long drive to "A.C.R. 1999" and companion release "Necrophones". There's a tactile nature to the music; the lyrics, delivered like a revival preacher. I feel something very primal when I listen to Lungfish. It stirs me as much as any Coltrane record, any Morricone film score.

I originally downloaded this 2003 set from the team at [shiny grey monotone], which should be on your blogroll if it isn't already. Since the link has expired, I think it's pretty fair (with appropriate credit) to repost it here. This dates from their tour immediately following the release of "Love Is Love", and I think is a pretty decent representation of their work, and gives just enough sense of their live show to make you wish they were still playing out. In a less wordy statement, let's let a quote from [sgm] sum it up:

It is fucking scary. Like an angel telling you shit you know is true, but can't understand.

Fair play, Ipecac. Fair play.

Click here to download. 

D'Compose from Tim Baron

I don't follow the world of low-run designer toys like I used to. It was an easier time to do so when it was my job. While I still own a few Sucklord pieces and a few customs that I bought several years ago, I just don't know who's doing what. Which I why I want to signal boost Tim Baron's new D'Compose figure.

Tim first came to my attention with his Shogun Fett figure for SkipBroToys a while back. That he was doing 1:18 scale art toys caught my interest; a melding of Shogun Warriors and Boba Fett snared my attention. Tim continues to release limited edition art toys with SkipBro, and has moved on to develop a lot of the figures for Super7's ReAction figure line, including the Agnostic Front and "They Live" Ghouls.

Tim just dropped a limited edition release from his Inhumanoids line. If memory serves, this is the fourth release in the series, and it - is - pretty - awesome. It's a gnarly looking figure, with a classic blister card, price tag and all. Tim's love of classic horror and Pusmort cover art really shines through on both the sculpt and the art. It's non-articulated, and at $65.00 it's not a mere toy. This is a designer toy, through and through. But I dig it, and if you have some money burning a hole in your pocket (and who doesn't?), go ahead and pick yourself up a super-limited piece for your wall.

Click here to purchase one. Tim also has a Redbubble store where a number of his 2D items are available, including a grip of facemasks that I just ordered for myself. Check it out now, before you have to go on eBay and pay top dollar.

New Venom ReAction from Super7

I really like the direction Super7 has taken their signature ReAction figure line since the rights reverted back from Funko a few years back. Sure, you still get rad movie releases like their recent "Aliens" and "Army of Darkness" lines. But they haven't been afraid to dive into more culty releases like their recent Rancid and Agnostic Front figures in service of 1:18 scale weirdness and fun. The release announced today is a perfect example.

The new Venom Reaction - Black Metal that just went live for order is just...SOOOOO metal. It's about as perfect a 3D representation of the classic 1982 record cover as you could ask for. We originally saw this at Toy Fair this year, and the final product looks pretty close to that sample.

You can always visit your local comic/toy store to pick one of these up, but if you're still under quarantine, the folks at Super7 will deliver one to your front door at an SRP of $18.00. It's a small price to pay to lay down your soul to the gods of rock 'n' roll.

Click here to order.

This Song Is A Mess But So Am I - Church Point, LA

I haven't thought about this record in 15 years, but I saw it between This Mortal Coil and Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments in my iTunes, so I gave it a whirl. It helped me recall a few things about this period: I booked Freddy on a bill that included Dan Deacon's first club show in Baltimore; I got super into experimental pop after hearing this record; I'd ride my bike up Calvert St. at 3 in the morning listening to this on my last Walkman, watching the sex workers on each corner fidget and adjust themselves between propositions.

This is an unpleasant, unhappy recording that, performed live, proved to be gripping. There's so much sadness and pain here that it feels like the room got darker as I listened to it. It's also painfully honest and young, which may be why I enjoyed it as much as I did, and why I dug revisiting it. "Church Point, LA" is an interesting synthesis of industrial/EBM, pop, and emo that would be representative of that whole Not Not Fun Records scene from the early aughts. I recommend a spin.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Crossed Out - 1990-1993

When you collect records, you inevitably sell off music that you regret disposing of. Such is today's jam, the 1999 release of Crossed Out's discography, "1990-1993".

You could always count on Slap A Ham Records to put out records worth buying. Even a release like "Caveat Emptor" by Ancient Chinese Secret was interesting, if unloved. So it was that I ended up buying damned near everything Chris Dodge released from 1996 on to the end of the label in 2002. Spazz and the "Fiesta Comes Alive" comp were my gateway drugs, Hellnation and Fuck on the Beach were my heroin. Crossed Out was the PCP-laced joint I smoked way too much of.

Bad analogies aside, I'd heard enough "whoa" statements, and fallen deeply in love with power violence in 1999 that, when the Crossed Out discography came out late that year, I bought a copy on CD AND a copy on vinyl. I didn't typically buy multiple copies of records, but I knew I'd probably just leave the CD in my shitbox Grand Prix, so I wanted to have something to play at home, too. The LP lived in the stacks and probably only got listened to a few times before I sold it at an Ottobar flea market for some beer money. I held onto the CD until 2015, when I saw what it was selling for on Discogs, and shipped it off to a new home.

Like a lot of now-legendary bands from the early days of PV, Crossed Out were short lived. They played only 16 shows, which seems insane to me. They released a 7", appeared on two splits and one comp, and they were done with a "Fuck grindcore." by singer Dallas Van Kempen at the Fiesta Grande #1. Hell, they didn't even leave much of a photographic legacy behind. As far as I know, no one from the band went on to additional punk fame. But where the world of extreme music is concerned, you can put these folks up on the Mount Rushmore of power violence.

Discogs

Click here for download.

Mika Miko - 666

Photo by Canderson

There's this blur of bands from 2003, 2004, 2005 where I can't quite remember where I heard them first; they just suddenly were part of what I was listening to. That's how I'll always think of Mika Miko.

Now, I know they made it to Baltimore sometime around then, playing with the embryonic Double Dagger in the basement of Charm City Art Space. I knew very little about them; just that it was this group of girls who played the Smell and they had done a record on Dean from Wives' label. So while I expected some super hipster shit (due to the L.A. connection, for sure), I was pleasantly surprised that there were kids channelling X-Ray Spex and Huggy Bear. They were loose and having a ton of fun, and it was no surprise that the next time they came to town, they were playing a bigger room for a guarantee.

So, whatcha got right heah is Mika Miko's self-titled and "666" 7"s, along with three live cuts for shitz and gigz. "666" was so named because it was recorded on D-Day, 2006. Not because of the devil. Let's make that clear. That's not to say that you won't shake ass and speak in tongues when you listen in.

Discogs

Click here to download.