Adulkt Life - Book Of Curses

I've had terrible luck with computers and the like lately. As noted earlier, I misplaced my HDD, holding the widest part of my collection, and have yet to turn it up. The battery in my MacBook Pro recently gave up the ghost; it was a real trooper, having lasted almost 7 years. Finally, what I had prepped on the servers to share didn't exactly raise my blood pressure. I think I've used the expression before, but I couldn't be arsed to kick out a few hundred words on much of anything. Having a computer go dead and staying busy at work all combined to give me a perfectly cromulent excuse NOT to hunker down.

It's the first Friday in March, though, and so it is that Bandcamp Friday has come to pass. Has it been a year of these yet? It's truly a great excuse/time to support an independent artist. So it is that I come to insist you check out Adulkt Life, a very very sexy band of grown-ass punks from London town who I'd give my eye teeth to see and shake asses in person to once this pandemic ends.

Adulkt Life is fronted by Chris from Huggy Bear, and includes John and Kevin from Male Bonding, along with newcomer Sonny. They jumped up last year with a trio of PDF zines ahead of their first release, an LP released by What's Your Rupture? Sonically, you can hear the members' previous bands, along with a healthy dose of British riot grrrl and post-punk, as well as Chris Thomson-style vocal madness. The first song on "Book Of Curses", "Country Life", musically takes me back to "The Birth Of The Ulysses Aesthetic", all skronky saxophone and hip shaking. Hell, I'd go so far as to call out some musical cues that bring Sonic Youth's "Goo"-era to mind. All of it adds up to a record that's pretty close to the kind of music I'd like to make myself.

Tl;dr? I think you ought to spend a few shekels on "Book Of Curses" this Bandcamp Friday. It'll put ardor in your larder, the dowser in your trousers, take you back to those days of mixtapes and barrettes in the mid 90s. It's a 10-song refreshing dose of the Before Time, and I'm kind of ashamed I forgot to add it to my Best of 2020.

Bandcamp

Hey, is it Bandcamp Friday?

...there's only one way to find out. Click here, and it will either be, or not be.

In my house, any Friday can be Bandcamp Friday. But having the day is a good opportunity to talk about new music I've been listening to and records I'm planning on buying. Here's a few worth looking into if you have some bread to spend.

I definitely slept on the release last February of "Brave Faces Everyone", the newest full-length from L.A.'s Spanish Love Songs. It took this showing up in the #1 slot for Best of 2020 at Sophie's Floorboard to even hit my radar. And you may ask yourself, as I did, "Who is this band with the terrible name, to have the best record of 2020?" Well, fer Crissake, do yourself a big ol' favor and stream it, tout en suite! Then drop the $5 on a digital download, or $20 for a record via their MerchNow. I'm almost embarassed at how into this record I've been. I've seen it described as "Depression: The Record". That ain't wrong, but that's not the full story, either. It's angsty without being melodramatic. The songwriting is great; the lyrics are a reflection of what it's like to be overeducated, underemployed, and up to your neck in meds and debt. A very apt record for this day and age.

I loved Loved LOVED Slant's 2018 demo, released on cassette from the folks at Pissed Off! Records. Just an angry hardcore band from Seoul, doing what they do best. They released a really limited 7" on Iron Lung the following year that I slept on; no doubt because it would have cost me over $10 for seven minutes of music on an EP. But they're back with their first full-length, titled "1집" (imaginatively), collaborating again on the release with the best label in Seattle (don't @ me). It's 10 songs, 17 minutes, and comes in marble blue, translucent pink, or black. As the page alludes, this mixes the fury of the NEHC scene of the teens with the classic rhythms of, say, a Minor Threat. And Yeji is a brutal vocalist. Approved! I'll be taking mine in pink, please and thank you.

Those Taylor boys are back at it again. I make no secret of what love I have for their previous bands, pageninetynine and Pygmy Lush. We may not have been next door neighbors, but they were kindred spirits who I was always happy to see out in the world. They have a new band with Ryan and Adam from City of Caterpillar called TERMINAL ESCAPE. Based in Richmond, I'm pretty sure they have yet to play out. But they do have their first record coming out, a one-sided 12" called "BRUTE ERR/ATA" on Relapse that's been ripping me from neck to nuts every time I listen to it. Think of your favorite iconoclastic hardcore bands from the past 40 years: this harkens to each of them, whether it's in Cris's lyrics (a la Born Against or Dead Kennedys) or in the absolutely gross, blackened sound (Void, Gauze, Necros). Their Bandcamp has a few preorders left for the limited-to-300-copies on clear with black inside. This is the aural equivalent of this Takishi Miike movie I'm watching right now; brutal, dense, and weird.

My buddy Jumbled has a new physical release coming, inventively called "Just The Singles". He provides the beats, lyrics come via Dwell, Taylo, Nyoka Ny-D, Ill Conscious, Vans_Westly, JBerd, ALYX Ryon, Jack Wilson, Berko Lover, Cody Cody Jones, Alaska, Action Bastard, Dot Com Intelligence, Butch Dawson, salk., Ullnevano, Drew Scott, Special Berriez, Torito, Bito Sureiya and more. If you're into the boom bap, or backpack hip-hop, or just punks making non-punk music, give this one a spin. He also has a new beat tape out, "Classic Rock Breaks Vol.1", in a limited edition of 10. It's not J.Dilla, but I like it. Don't think it's not tearing me up inside that I can't remember what this cover is calling back to.

This is but a sample of what's out there. I actually like going to Bandcamp's front page on days like today, and just finding something that catches my eye. Had I previously considering copping some Flying Lotus? No, but seeing this article makes me think about it. So, you know, live a little. It's Friday, you just got paid, son.

No Stagediving

The best laid plans of mice and men called for an in-depth, last Bandcamp Friday of 2020 blog, detailing all the stuff on my wishlist that I'd spend money I don't really have on, all in the name of supporting the little guy.

And then I took a nap after work, laid in bed with my wife, watched "Bob's Burgers" and ate too much Jack in the Box. What I'm saying is, I turned into a real turd this evening.

So I'll limit comment here to an ongoing project supporting artists from Baltimore and organized by the team at the Ottobar. Readers here know I'm an Ottobar alum, having worked the door, mopped the floors, backed the bar, and played the stage. From its first location on Davis St., to its present haunt at 26th and Howard, it was my spot until I split town in 2014. Even still, it's where Mrs. Ape and I will plan to meet friends for a drink should we ever make it back home.

Organized by Jerrod and Steve, and backed by Tecla, Todd, and Dana of the Ottobar's management, "No Stagediving" is a two-volume, 106 track collection of Baltimore past and present, grouped solely by having appeared onstage at 2549 Howard St. Some names, you'll already know: Future Islands, Dan Deacon, Lower Dens, and Wye Oak. Baltimore punk, hardcore, and emo also represents, with 90s groups like Cross My Heart and Daybreak mixing with current leading lights like War on Women and Truth Cult. It's one of the few surveys available covering any sort of historical swath of Baltimore hip-hop, as Labtekwon, Rye Rye, and Soul Cannon all turn up. If it's played that stage, it's probably turned up here.

Each collection is a $10 donation and, as happens every Bandcamp Friday, all proceeds go to the bar and bands. Get into the City that Breeds.

Bandcamp

Another Bandcamp Friday, another $100 in music

Tim, Mike, and Lee from Concrete City (from Facebook)

I swear to the maker I didn't plan on dropping much money on Bandcamp Friday this month. Sure, I had things on my wishlist I planned on picking up. But I figured my big purchase would actually be the three tapes I ordered last night from Sorry State Records (more on that later). Instead, I get announcements of two records I've been waiting for from Bitter Lake Recordings. Thanks, Adam. You've totally fucked me with your exquisite reissues.

I learned about Bitter Lake due to their reissue of the Grave New World LP, "The Last Sanctuary" earlier this year. I've spent a fair amount of the pandemic diving into the underworld of Japanese hardcore/crust/industrial/punk, and when I learned that Grave New World was what Crow did after he split up his eponymous project. I was really stoked on the MP3s I heard, and happily plunked down the bread on a record/t-shirt combo. Sadly, that order is hiding out in a USPS COVID hole, a casualty of Herr Trump's attack on mail-in voting. But it didn't keep me from ordering the following tonight.

I've read Kyoufu Shinbun (恐怖新聞) described as Japanese crust channeled through early 80s J.G. Thirwell. That sounded pretty alright by me. The vocals are super dubby and distorted, like U-Roy fronting Nine Inch Nails. If I'd been introduced to this when it initially came out in 1993 and 1994, I probably would have shit my pants; it makes Ministry sound like Boston. Bitter Lake has collected the entire output of keyboardist/sampler/vocalist Proletariat Honma on this 3 x LP box set, entitled "Death Training". It's a total of ten tapes and a flexi 7", all intially released on Honma's Integral Label label. If you're into synth-punk, industrial, or noise, this is probably right in your wheelhouse.

I wasn't expecting a second announcement from Bitter Lake, but I couldn't pass up a chance to pre-order the Pipyu LP + 7". Pipyu (ピッピュ) was an ultra-obscure band from Tokyo, circa 1985-87. They made a demo, a split 7", and appeared on a few Japanese comps before more or less disappearing. I'm struggling what to liken this to. Can you make D-beat with a drum machine? Can you make deathrock without direct exposure to the American West? What I do know is I like this...a lot. It's a remarkable mix of new wave and hardcore and noise; there's no way I could sleep on this.

Concrete City gets it: 1) release a new single every other month on Bandcamp Friday, and 2) profit. Their fourth single of 2020 has another great pair of sing-alongs in "Don't Do It, Man" and "Same Things". I've been meaning to put together a playlist of all the songs they've recorded and released this year to see how they fit together as a larger body. Individually, though, they've been spectacular. Some wise soul is going to collect everything of Concrete City's, release a physical copy and make a million thousand spacebux.

I like to take a wag on something new every Bandcamp Friday, and this month it's the new single from Richmond's Haircut. Their new 7", "Cake", came out in August on hometown label 11 PM Records, and is a full-blown ripper. Featuring ex-members of Charlottesville's Animal Planet (a band I dug during their short existence), this is the kind of short/fast/loud burner that's revved my engine since the 90s. The difference maker is Juliana Viana on vocals. Her delivery reminds me a lot of Henry Rollins in State of Alert. It's hearing something like this that makes me wish I still lived on the East Coast...and, you know, there wasn't a pandemic on.

Silent Era's newest record, "Rotate the Mirror", was a last minute preorder during the last Bandcamp Friday, but I think it's appropriate to add it here. I was familiar with the bands the members had been in (Neon Piss, Deskonocidos, the Slits), but hadn't checked out Silent Era before snagging this. This is a pretty awesome mix of SF-style hardcore and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with wonderfully sung vocals. I'm hearing more bands reference that metal scene in non-metal music, and I think it melds well.

I normally wouldn't tack this on, but I read it around 11:45pm on Thursday, so I'm adding it to Bandcamp Friday. If you're not signed up for it yet, head on over to Sorry State's website and sign up for their newsletter. It's like getting a zine's worth of reviews and recommendations on what's new and good in the punk/hardcore/indie/metal scenes. Sorry State carries damned near everything worth carrying, and their mailorder is top notch. For example, I learned Thursday that Usman at Sorry State had tracked down copies of the Anti Cimex "Live!" reissue. Originally released in the mid-80s as a limited Swedish cassette, this has been newly reissued by Charlie from Anti Cimex and Gianluca of the UK's Godzilla Records. It looks like Sorry State might be the only place in the States to get copies. I managed to nab one, along with the new demo from Artificial Joy and Krigshoder's "Krig I Hodet" cassette. These sort of releases are rarely in stock for long, but I keep going back because, even if what I initially was there for is out of stock, I still regularly find good records for a fair price. And isn't that what record stores should be about?

What we're buying this Bandcamp Friday

I'm not going to say that Bandcamp Friday stands in opposition to Record Store Day, but I will say that I enjoy the former much more than the latter. I like that more of my purchase is going to the band, and that it pushes me to pick up more new music, instead of a reissue, or something I already own on digital or CD. It's pretty rad that, since starting this in March, it's generated over $75 million dollars (!!!) for independent bands and labels. That shows real support for a scene that's hurting bad from a pandemic-induced shutdown. So here's what I'm planning on picking up today.

I'm a big fan of the former bands of each member of Truth Cult: Joe Biden, Post Pink, Protester, Pure Disgust...these are the sounds of DC & Baltimore from the last ten years. I've held off on picking up their demo tape from 2018 for a while. But now that Truth Cult has a new LP, "Off Fire", that came out in May on Pop Wig, the time is right to snag both records. "Off Fire" has a great vibe to it. It's hardcore with a snotty edge to it, very danceable, just fun.

I picked up last year's demo from Portland's All Hits in July, and I really liked their speedy, post punk. It's super primitive, reminding me a lot of Chainsaw-era Sleater-Kinney, but with shouty, Oi!-style choruses. Anything that's that floor tom heavy is going to get me hyped. Iron Lung put out their first full-length, "Men and Their Work", in June, and no less than Rough Trade named it their record of the week. If you can find the vinyl, snag it; it was limited to 500 pieces, and it's been pretty tough to track down.

I would have never guessed that Downcast would have put out a new record in 2020, or that Ebullition Records would have a hand in releasing it. Their 1991 self-titled record was the first record on Ebullition I ever picked up, and it's held an honored place in my collection ever since. "Tell Me I'm Alive" came out via 31G and Ebullition back in February, and it's time I moved from the occasional stream to buying a copy. They've held their political edge, a trait I'm thrilled to hear is strong as ever.

Sticking with Ebullition releases for a minute: they also released the first record from Portland's Visions. This self-titled 12" features 3/4 of Dead Cult and Sara from Vicious Pleasures on vocals; what I've heard reminds me of a gothier Terrible Feelings. I've found myself being increasingly drawn to deathrock and other goth-influenced punk in recent years; blame a band like Arctic Flowers, who I really got into, or finding cheap Gun Club records in the wild.

I had meant to grab the newest Concrete City single during last month's Bandcamp Friday, but I forgot to add it to my wishlist, so I overlooked it. "Smash the Old World & Pink Shirt" is their SEVENTH digital release in 14 months, and they remain not only prolific, but probably the best rock band in Baltimore right now. This is their second pandemic-era release, along with a live on WTMD session from 2019, and the quality shows zero fall-off. This is top notch power pop from folks who have playing longer than some of us have been alive. Now if only we can get a bit of physical media out of these kids.

Philadelphia's Soul Glo's 2019 record, "The N***a In Me Is Me", hit me like a ton of bricks. It's what I had always heard Death Grips described as, but never actually experienced. Their fusion of hardcore, hip hop, noise, breakbeat, and lo-fi is unlike a lot of what I've found in recent years, and made me wish I lived back on the East Coast so I could see these dudes with some great regularity. I've had their "Live at WKDU" session on my wishlist longer than anything else. I think it's time to pony up and see how their incredible sound translates to a live in the studio recording.

Arizona's King of the Monsters was always a label to watch for me. They put out heavy music, had an awesome design aesthetic, and they were always priced inexpensively. That's 3 for 3, in case you're counting. They put out a discography for grind/crust masters Unruh about 5 years ago, and it's apparently been uploaded to Bandcamp this week. I knew about Unruh via their split with Creation is Crucifixion and their appearance on "Cry Now, Cry Later Vol. 1 & 2" reissue. When I listened to them, I wanted to grow out dreads and headbang. "Tomb" everything Unruh ever put out, and, at $12.50, is a lot cheaper than trying to track everything down. Hell for $25, you can get the box set itself. That's a good price!

There's obviously a ton to find on Bandcamp, and the digging can be the best part. I'm certain, as with previous Bandcamp Fridays, that there'll be some cool, limited edition releases posted up, so be sure to take a look.

New music from Lydia Loveless

Lydia Loveless (photo by Megan Toenyes)

It never ceases to amaze me how solutions to life's little issues just present themselves. For example: I had no clue what to write about today, and was futzing around on Bandcamp, just killing time listening to Mikey Erg. I notice that Lydia Loveless did backing vocals on a song on his new EP. "Hey, I wonder what she's been up to?", I ask. Sure enough, Lydia has a record called "Daughter" coming out in September. Nice country!

This is Lydia's fifth full-length, and first since 2016's "Real" on Bloodshot Records. She's gone fully independent on "Daughter", and judging by the two preview cuts available on her Bandcamp, it might be her finest work yet. Her lyrics are cutting, her vocals melancholy. There's a world-weariness present here that reflects her recent divorce, the state of the nation, and the chaos of modern life. "Love Is Not Enough" is a mid-tempo jam that wouldn't be out of place on Top 40 radio in the early aughts. It leads off with a great set of lines: "Talk to me/Tell me how it feels to always see everything in a major key/When I’m drowning in ennui". "Wringer" sounds like post punk played by a bluegrass band. I'll be playing these a lot over the next month. The record also promises guest spots from Laura Jane Grace and Nora Barton. I can really relate to this theme of using failure or endings to reassess and reassert one's identity.

"Daughter" comes out September 25, and preorders are live on Loveless's Bandcamp page. "Daughter" is available as a download, CD, or two colors of vinyl. Folks who preorder the vinyl will also get a lyric sheet hand-typed by Lydia herself. Pretty cool!

Listen to the first two preview tracks below:

Kind Of Like Spitting - Learn 2: The Songs of the Karl Hendricks Trio

Every town should be so lucky to have a band like the Karl Hendricks Trio.

I learned about them through two people. Henry from Chunklet always rooted hard for this group from Pittsburgh he'd grown up seeing. They'd put out a few records on Merge, so I knew I'd probably dig what they had put out. But it took hearing Ben Barnett cover some KH3 songs for me to go pick up a record. He'd covered the title track from 1993's "Some Girls Like Cigarettes" 10" for MySpace; he burnt it to a CD-R and left it at my house after one of his numerous stop-overs through the years. It was such a great teaser that I had to go check out the original; I picked up the first two Karl Hendricks CDs within a week. They played this noisy indie rock that fit in well with the Dutch East India Trading-era Grass Records lineup. The songs were short, tuneful, had great titles. I always thought of them as the perfect first support band; not flashy, but always entertaining and really...fucking...good. They'd never let you down.

Karl Hendricks died in 2017 from cancer, and, not long afterwards, Ben began posting online that'd he'd be wrapping up his 20+ year career as the leader of Kind of Like Spitting by paying tribute to the bandleader with a second release in his "Learn" series. "Learn 2: The Songs of the Karl Hendricks Trio" comes out today. The first track, "The Scoffer's Reply" (from 1995's "A Gesture of Kindness"), is available as a preview below. All proceeds of the release would be donated to Karl's family in his memory. Seeing how this releases on a Bandcamp Friday, I'd like to suggest you pick it up. It's a great release, from a wonderful person, for a good cause. Y'all know I won't steer you wrong.

Click here to purchase.

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!

What didja buy: Bandcamp Friday in June

Sniffany and the Nits (photo by Upset the Rhythm)

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't planned to buy more than one or two things this past Bandcamp Friday. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men...

Let's start by saying something about Death Domain, the release that spurred me to action. Dark Entries, the folks behind the great Patrick Cowley reissues, pinged me with a notice that there were copies of the "Ethidium Bromide" 7" available again. I never got one of these when they were originally released back in 2009, so it seemed like a great chance to grab one. It also spurred me to grab the latest Death Domain jam, "CDC-PSA", a COVID-19 jam if I've ever heard one. No, seriously; Adam has sampled a coronavirus public service announcement and laid it on top of a tense synth-punk snare sound and bubbling keyboard. It's cool to play these three tracks back to back, if only to get a sense of the musical progression present 11 years out. Here's to a fella who I first met due to his Robocop fandom.

I also figured it was high time I picked up the latest record from Baltimore's Curse. I got to book some of Jane & Logan's early shows in Baltimore, and with their regular touring, they're friends from home that I actually get to see from time to time. "Metamorphism" is their third full-length, and first on Fake Crab Records. These folks have been making doomy synth-punk for eight years now, and, dare I say, this is a real breakout for them. This one is less of a cacophony than their previous records, but retains a lot of the slinky ooze that I've always found so appealing about them. I didn't want to make the comparison, but I've listened to this twice since picking it up, and it actually reminds me of Björk's "Homogenic", especially in Jane's vocal phrasing. I also picked up Curse's 2018 split with Cincinnati's Street Sects, for good measure. I'm glad I did; Street Sects' name has popped up around me for years, but I've never had chance to listen to them until now. Their two songs have a real Big Black meets Xiu Xiu vibe. I think I might be in love.

I've always trusted Chris and Jon from Fake Crab's taste in releases; they've put out some great releases over the years, including 2018's Bustdown tape and a pair of Eyelet records that knocked me on my ass. So I took a wag on their final 2019 release, the self-titled 7" from Tokenized. What I didn't know at the time is that this is the newly-renamed band formerly known as Joe Biden. It is little wonder that I loved these four songs. These folks have dropped some of their more PV tendencies and released a four-song EP that reminds me a lot of early Poison Idea. Do they deserve the comparison? Fuck yeah, they do. I would stan this hard if I still lived in the 410.

I wrote about Manuela Iwansson as my comeback post for "Primitive Offerings" back in April. Go back and read it to get up to speed. Go ahead, I'll wait. Night School in the UK is now hosting the digital download for her 2018 12", "Dream Lover", as well as doing mail-order for that 12". I hope this means that we'll be getting a new record this year. I stand by my earlier comparison to Pat Benatar, and add a healthy dose of Berlin. I also stand by my earlier opinion that a total of $40 for six songs across two records is a fucking INSANE price to pay, so I'll stick with digital only on these. I hate being a little crybaby about this, but it really grinds my gears.

Sticking with UK releases that I'm too cheap to buy physical copies of: I've been meaning to check out London's Static Shock Records for a minute. The team at Sorry State Records always recommend their new releases, and Iron Lung is a good US source to pick up their records. So I downloaded the new EP from Powerplant, and I did deem it most good. The marketing text is pretty spot on: this has a strong early 80s synthpunk/new wave vibe, with some damned delightful crooning on "A Spine". I mean, if you're going to wear an influence on your sleeve, Devo is a pretty good one to do so with. I'd be remiss if I didn't note that there's a cassette edition available out of Dreamland Syndicate in Warsaw; it's pricy to ship into the States, but you can always combine your order with the Powerplant LP from last year to amortize the shipping.


One of the joys of Bandcamp is discovering something you'd never otherwise discover, simply by typing in a few keywords. I've been trying to pay greater attention to what's going on in Australian punk since getting the Chats 10" a couple years back, so I picked up the demo from Perth's Gaffer. Coming from the same label as the recent Cold Meat records, I guessed (correctly) that I'd enjoy this. The music here reminds me of my favorite Damned songs, as well as Baltimore post-punk bands like the Fuses and the Miss, while the vocals are straight-up barks. This would fit right in on the early Frontier Records catalog...if they were from L.A. instead of western Australia.

I like a good gimmick. If your gimmick is to play snotty-nosed pogo punk, I'm probably going to enjoy your schtick. If you throw in "vocalist dressed as a nurse", you'll not only have my curiosity, you'll have my full attention. And so it was that I learned about Sniffany and the Nits. This Brighton group released a pair of recordings in the past six months, chock full of feminist fury headlining UK-82 revival tracks. I grabbed the earlier of the two, last December's "I Love You (...But You've Got Nits)" cassette. What can I say about this? Well, if Vice Squad had a decent sense of humor, or Crass's "Penis Envy" was less musically adventurous, maybe they would have sounded like this. I hope that these folks lean into the lo-fi aesthetic, because it all sounds very dangerous and vital coming from a blown out speaker.

Kansas City's Warm Bodies has been on their bullshit for a few years now, making what is charitably described as "weirdo jazz punk" and getting some decent word of mouth. I picked up 2019's "UFO EXTREMO'S", just for shitz and gigz, and I think it might be my favorite purchase from Bandcamp Friday. There's a ton of tape manipulation and freaking out and brain riot going on here; it's a lot for 10 minutes of recordings. I definitely feel like I smoked some Sherm during and after listening to this. I have a feeling that, live in action, these folks are all over the place in the best possible way. I just hit me, on my fifth listen: this gives me a real Wrangler Brutes/Mika Miko vibe. It's just delightfully weird and I want to hear it all the time.

I capped out my purchases for Bandcamp Friday with a little bit of Canadian screamo/skramz. I started following Middle Man Records in Indiana after they released my favorite record of 2018, Closer's "All This Will Be". It'd been on my wish list for a minute, so I picked up the second and final full-length from Toronto's La Luna. This is exactly what I'm looking for when someone tells me I should listen to a modern emotional hardcore band. Vanessa Gloux's vocals here are outstanding; powerful, right to the edge of shrieking at times. The rhythm section does its job, pushing out a throbbing low end, which guitarist Nicholas Field rides to create some really fascinating sounds. This style has always been a favorite for me, going back through La Quiete, Majority Rule, Spitboy, and Current. "Always Already" will be a mile marker for screamo for years to come.

And that's what I got. Now I'm broke. The next Bandcamp Friday is in two weeks, on June 19. Judging by this month's response, and the ongoing social awakening worldwide, I'd guess a lot more artists are going to climb on board and get music posted, tout en suite.

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.

MD/DC/VA HC/Punk Demos, Etc. on Bandcamp

Today is May Day, comrades. It's also the second time that Bandcamp has waived its fees in support of artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Which...is...dope! Last time around, back in March, folks spent $4.3 million on music and merch, all of which went right to the artists. Now it's happening again.

There's a million different bands you could spend money on today, but I wanted to call attention to the new MD/DC/VA HC/Punk Demos, Etc. Bandcamp. Mike Riley, formerly of Pulling Teeth, ADVLTS, Looks Like Rain and Charm City Art Space, put this together during the quarantine. It's pretty self-explanatory: these are the tapes, CD-R, and live recordings that us packrats held onto for 20 years. I expect it will continue as a living collection, probably focusing on the period from 1995 to 2010. For now, there's 68 recordings posted; a stunning cross-section of DIY punk in the Baltimore/DC metro area at the turn of the century. So if you're planning on spending some money on Bandcamp today, check this out. My suggestions are snagging the League of Death demo, the De Nada "Raw and Unmastered" CD-R,  and the Can't Say demos.
-League of Death was Nolen & Bruce from Double Dagger's band before D.D. They were the first MICA band I ever made a point of checking out after they played a house party I was DJing.
 -De Nada was an incredible, snotty power violence quintet from D.C. who played a ton the year I went to University of Maryland. Definitely from that Stikky/Spazz Bay Area fastcore/grind tradition.
 -Can't Say were a great punk band in the style of Leatherface and Drive featuring a bunch of kids I grew up with in Harford County.

Per Mike:

All proceeds from this pay-what-you-want record will be donated to the MusicCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. This fund provides relief for musicians and for professionals across the music community, including concert crew members, many of whom are fully out of work due to this crisis. 

To summarize:

1. pay-what-you-want
2. goes to support musicians
3. check out some pretty hard-to-find demos from the past 25 years

What can I say? Sign me up?

Check out the Bandcamp here.