Secret Satan 2019

Things are mostly terrible, so how about a mixtape I made for a coworker a few years ago? It won't solve anything, other than your desire for something to listen to today.

I'm not sure what it says about life that my favorite job from the past 10 years was the year I spent working for minimum wage in a bookstore before COVID. But it was the most connected I've felt with my fellow human beings since we left Baltimore, and I got to be really good at my work, which was:

• Keep my sections organized
• Know a lot about books, music, movies, and ephemera

It's a bloody shame I live in a world where I can't make a decent living doing so.

Which is not to say I feel shitty about my prospects. But the mutual exclusivity of financial compensation and fulfillment never ceases to amaze me. Am I being naive to think that you should be able to make a living at something you're good at that makes you feel good? Probably.

I digress.

Anyway, I made this for a coworker I really connected with. I was trying to think of music that an aging club kid would enjoy, but not necessarily heard (the New Order track at the end, nonwithstanding). So there's a little bit of this (Big Freedia), a little bit of that (Daft Punk). A couple covers. Just lots of beats. Something that you could dance or make out to. And I think I succeeded.

You be the judge.

Click here to download.

A smorgasbord of Bandcamp buys (national jams)

Judy and the Jerks (from Goner Records Facebook)

Yesterday, I wrote (at great length) about the Baltimore bands whose music I picked up on Bandcamp. Now, let's talk (also at great length) about the various national bands I downloaded.

A note before I start: the day before the 1 May fee waive was announced, I ordered the new Coriky & Hammered Hulls from Dischord, and a pair of C.H.E.W. records from down the road at Iron Lung. I'm omitting them here, because I'll end up saying something about each of them in the coming days.

Gouge Away - "Consider" b/w "Wave of Mutilation" / "Stray"

Hey, new music from Gouge Away! I was really blown away by their last full length, "Burnt Sugar", after years of people telling me to check them out. Their new single popped up on my feed a few weeks ago, so I made a mental note to snag it when the opportunity arose. "Consider" sees Gouge Away moving farther away from hardcore into post-hardcore, but also remaining super political in this observation of white supremacy. I like this for the same reasons I like a band like Modern Life Is War; there's an obvious groove present in the song that not every hardcore band embraces. The B-side is a Pixies cover; they play it pretty straight, although there's a lot more guitar hijinx present here than on the original. There's a 7" release of these two songs through Deathwish, if you're looking for a physical release. As an added bonus, I grabbed the digital-only release of "Stray", which appeared in an shorter form on "Burnt Sugar". I like this expanded version; again, there's a Fugazi-like groove present that really grabs my attention.
American Nightmare - "Life Support"

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out that American Nightmare was putting out new music in 2020. I was aware they were still playing out, but here's their first recording in two years and it is...unexpected. The band first blew me away in 2000 has matured a lot, showing influence from both deathrock and Swedish power pop on this 7". The songs are still short, fast, and loud, but there are real tunes here. I think this is what I hope for when a hardcore band's sound evolves; their songwriting and performance progresses, while remaining true to the spirit that brought them to life. And, hey, there's a Lemonheads cover on the B-side!
Self Defense Family - "Leeds"
I really enjoy the sheer volume of music that SDF releases on an annual basis, and their willingness to experiment. SDF has been, in their words, "cleaning out our hard drives for your quarantine entertainment" for the past few weeks, as well as putting together some limited edition t-shirts inspired by the songs. There's no dating for these recordings; I'd guess they might have been recorded in the past couple years, since both evoke the songwriting on "Have You Considered Punk Music". I know most folks have a fairly binary opinion on Self Defense Family; you either loathe them, or you love them. I'm firmly in the second group.

Time Crisis - "Demo 2020"

I like taking wags on Bandcamp releases: I put in whatever (sub-)genre I'm feeling, look for something interesting, plunk down my $1-$5, and typically enjoy. That's how I found Denton, TX's Time Crisis. I've been listening to a lot of D-beat and crust during quarantine, so this is right in my wheelhouse. If you like Doom and Inepsy, you'll more than likely like this. I will say this is more blue jean crust than it is ropeleash crust, if that makes any sense at all. A track like "World Crumbles" takes on new relevance now. And how can you not love a pair of lines like "Everyone/Is so uptight/Everyone/Going to die"?

Judy and the Jerks - "Bone Spur"

I got put onto Hattiesburg, MS's Judy and the Jerks via 2018's "Dog City, USA" comp, provided by Robert at Terminal Escape. I hear good things about what's happening right now in Hattiesburg; I'm always interested in what's happening in smaller cities down South, considering that's where I grew up. And holy moly, I AM INTO THIS! If I had one adjective to describe these songs, it'd be "brash". If I could add another one, it'd be "snotty". These cats have a ton of attitude, but instead of it coming across jerky, it just sounds fun! JatJ cut these new tracks last September in preparation for their East Coast tour. $4 gets you four new JatJ songs, as well as an Urban Blight cover. I hope they're spending their quarantine writing new music, because I think I just got hooked on their junk.


And that's it. Just a metric fuckton of music. It should keep me occupied for at least a few weeks. Here's where I remind you that Bandcamp is doing this again on June 5 and July 3 (the first Friday of each month), and if supporting active artists and labels is important to you, it's a good chance to provide that support.

A smorgasbord of Bandcamp buys (The Baltimore stuff)

Homosuperior

So it's possible I may have gotten a little out of control on Bandcamp this weekend.

As I noted in my Friday post, Bandcamp waived their typical fees for the day in support of musicians. I'm really excited to see what kind of money was spent; if memory serves, fans spent something around $4.3 million on independent music during the last sesh. I was able to do my part this time around, picking up 16 records this past Friday. Today, I'll talk about the Baltimore bands; tomorrow, it'll be the non-Baltimore jams. So here we go!

Concrete City - "Break Up The Band" / "Strange Bodies!" / "Killer Kane"

Concrete City bills themselves as "power pop for a disappointing world". I'm just happy that some of favorite 40-something punx from Baltimore have teamed up and are making really fucking great music. Mike Hall (Sick Sick Birds, the Thumbs), Elena Fox (Squaaks), Tim Baier (Roads to Space Travel), and Lee Ashlin (every fucking band) have been playing the soundtrack of my life since the late 90s, but have only been together for about a year and a half now. Since June 2019, they've rolled out six singles, the three newest of which I snagged Friday. I typically try to wait until there's a physical release I can get through a new band's Bandcamp, but these are worth snagging immediately. I suppose the closest sonic comparisons are the last Sick Sick Birds record and, I dunno, maybe something like the Greenberry Woods or XTC? These are the kind of recordings that would have been championed by WHFS and released by Merge back in the 90s, only you get to see them today with 50 other smart souls...if you live in Baltimore.

Homosuperior - "SISSY FUSS"

Here's another one that I wasn't going to wait for a physical release to pick up. Homosuperior is super-queer, super political punk from D.C. This is their third record. They started playing out and about the year after I left Baltimore, but I was lucky enough to check them out live during my last trip home. This is awesome, basement dance party punk rock; I dare you not to shake your ass while listening. I really like Donna's vox on this recording; there's more than a hint of Darby Crash in the performance, without the out & out nihilism. This record is so snotty, you almost want to offer it a tissue. How much do I like this record? So much that I'll buy a physical copy when it comes out.
Dakota Condition - self-titled / Geezus/Hain's Point - split / Inner Oral Photography - "Assorted Artisanal Hand-Crafted Meats and Other Fine Dairy Products"

It's really fun when the kids of former bandmates get old enough to start their own bands. It's also nice to see when their taste doesn't necessarily echo their parents' taste, instead using it as a jumping off point. That's what you get here with these three releases from Baltimore's Soursop Records. Dakota Condition's been playing a fair amount of DIY shows over the past couple years in Baltimore, and started to make a good name for themselves. This recording from 2019 sees them wearing their post-hardcore & emo influences on their sleeve, but that's not a bad thing. Honestly, the more I listen to it, the more I'm reminded of the Emo Summer CD, which, again, good thing! Two of three members play on the Inner Oral Photography cassette. It embraces the players' more experimental side. I found myself reminded of the first Mr. Bungle record listening to it; they've heard a lot of great music, and now they're playing it back in 90 second blasts. Finally, there's the Geezus/Hain's Point split, which I grabbed mostly because there's a perfectly good Rites of Spring reference on the B-side. Most of what I take away here is "promise". I can't wait to hear what comes next. Oh, for shits and giggles, here's Dakota Condition covering Fugazi.

Cold Feet - Punk Entity

I shared "The Worst of the Worst" last week, so that era of American hardcore has been on my mind lately. I had heard good things about Cold Feet from friends back in Baltimore, and I figured it was a good time to check them out. "Punk Entity" is their brand-spanking new 12", and it - fucking - ROCKS! I hate to regurgitate the text on their Bandcamp page, but it's really true: they sit firmly at the intersection of 1983-era American HC and 2020 rock & roll. I like this for the same reasons I still love "This Is Boston, Not L.A."; this is young, snotty, fast, and often unintelligible. I feel kinda dumb that I only snagged the MP3s on this; I really should have copped a copy of the 12" while I was at it.
Mallwalker - DEMO

Fuck, this turning into a REALLY long post. But it's worth it; I swear. Baltimore's Mallwalker has been on my radar for a while. I'm not sure why I haven't snagged their 2018 demo tape until now, but it's a worthy addition. I think making a riot grrrl reference would be really lazy, but I hear a fair amount of Bikini Kill and, oddly enough, Circle Jerks on these five songs. There's a definite Girls-Up-Front vibe at work here, and it totally works for me. Considering it's been two years since this was released, I expect to hear something new from Mallwalker after the quarantine lifts. Grab this and get out in front of the hype; we should be hearing more from this quartet soon.


And that's it. I got some real bangers from my hometown on Friday. Come back tomorrow and listen to what I got from around the country.

New jams from Manuela Iwansson

Stupid COVID-19, stupid unemployment. About the only good that comes from any of this is there's plenty of time to read, watch movies, and listen to records. Lots and lots of records.

I was a big fan of the late, great Terrible Feelings. They put out a bunch of fantastic post-punk/power pop records over the last decade, including a pair of LPs that came out in these parts via the folks at Deranged Records. Sadly, I missed their show in Baltimore at the Golden West several years ago due to...I was poor? I had to travel for work? I hear it was a ripper. But then this Swedish quintet, as most things do, called it a day, apparently in 2016.

Imagine the pleasure I felt when I saw that lead singer Manuela Iwansson had started making music again under her own name. She released a 4-song EP June of 2018, but what drew me to her was the digital release last fall of two new tracks by PNKSLM Recordings in Sweden. They're hitting a real sweet spot for me. They're a pair of icy new wave rippers that scratch a real itch for me.

The first place my ears went when hearing "Strangers on a Train" was to Haircut 100; I hear some musical references to "I Ran (So Far Away)". There's a lyrical reference to A Flock of Seagulls in the first verse which is a little on the nose. Still, this is the kind of track I like sinking my teeth into.


"Blank Surface" is even better. The newest cut released by Iwansson, this has a real "Heartbreaker" vibe to it. Mrs. Mummy, who never ceases to draw the links between Pat Benatar and Bikini Kill, asked me to play this three times in a row when I played it for her for the first time.

The ad copy on the Bandcamp page references "added noise and 80s Berlin noir", and far be it for me to argue against that. There's a lot less punk and more polish to both of these cuts than with Terrible Feelings, but, fuck it, I'm 42 now; that's not a bad thing.

It appears that these will be released as one of them there "double A-side, limited edition 7"s" in May by the folks at Night School in the U.K. Who knows what the pandemic will do to that release date, and it's not like this fella, who's currently "on the dole" (as a 1970s British punk might say), can afford paying $15 for a new release 7". But if you're flush with cash, or feeling like a wild person, I'd say fuck it, and order one, because I'm into these tracks.