Best of 2017!!!!

I haven't updated this damned blog in a VERY long time. I couldn't be bothered to review any of these records throughout the year. You'll just have to take me at my word when I tell you how absolutely amazing each and every one of them are.


Dad Thighs - The Ghosts That I Fear
Ostraca - Last
Foxtails - III
Converge - The Dusk In Us
Limp Wrist - Facades
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers
Mahria - Analemma
Frail Hands - S/T
Erai - S/T
Citycop - The Same Stories That Never Get Old
Rosetta - Utopioid
Primitive Man - Caustic
Antiklesis - S/T
Heaven In Her Arms - White Halo
Celeste - Infidele(s)
Boneflower - Empty Rooms, Full Bodies
Echoes - Cornerstone
Barabbas, du Fortappade - Discourse
Shizune - Cheat Death, Live Dead!

Ice Hockey - Wavefunction Collapse

Bandcamp / Facebook

     Ice Hockey is family. Ice Hockey are my brothers. Ice Hockey were born on the mean streets of the Quad Cities, which is a cluster of towns in Iowa and Illinois situated along the Mississippi River. I was born there, too. As a young man doing everything in his power to get out of the Midwest, I never would have thought a band of this magnitude could come from a place like that. Little did I know that I would end up regretting that belief someday. 

     'Wavefunction Collapse' is their newest offering, and with it you will find some of the most chaotic, bombastic hardcore this side of Combatwoundedveteran and Reversal Of Man. Now, don't take that to mean these guys are some sort of fly-by-night copycat outfit. That couldn't be further from the truth. Ice Hockey are blazing their own trails and tearing down any preconceived ideas about what a screamo record is supposed to sound like. This isn't all blast for blast's sake, shirt collar tugging, fall on the floor for effect samecore. These songs take on lives of their own because everyone in this band is a master of their craft. There are fun, noodly parts that bounce along until the breakdown drops and crushes it all. There are odd, experimental/psyche parts that let you know these guys have listened to their fare share of Yes & King Crimson records. There are unrestrained bursts of pure, unadulterated rage that should make you scared for your own safety. There is a snarling, smiling beast with a microphone doing somersaults and cartwheels through the crowd. All of these elements come together flawlessly to create a final draft that is haunting, hopeful and damaged at the same time.

     I could go finish this review with a RIYL list and all that... It's not worth it. You already know if you want this band in your life. I can't change your mind. The one thing I know for certain and the truth to end all truths is this: I am so happy to have these fellas in my life and I am 100% convinced that they are one of the best punk bands in the world right now.

Things Fall Apart - S/T

Bandcamp / Facebook

     I'm pretty sure we already have a contender for AOTY with this, the new record from Ohio heartthrobs, Things Fall Apart (TFA). These gents are part of the skramz vanguard & have perfected their take on somber, heart wrenching screamo through their newest batch of songs. The instrumentals lilt and swell with precision until the inevitable outburst brings everything crashing down around you. The vocals travel from a hushed murmur to an outright screaming aural assault, attacking from every angle, though never taking away from the power of the instruments themselves. Everything is as it should be in the mix which makes this whole thing feel that much more powerful. Having only had the chance to listen to this record a couple times so far, I can say with certainty that these songs have that lasting quality that means they will be stuck in my head for days, which is definitely the sign of a strong release. I don't really know what else to say about this... If you are a fan of their past work, you will most assuredly enjoy this. If you are just getting into real screamo and you would like a recommendation on a good band to start with, I can't praise these guys enough. If you are a fan of late 90s/early 00s screamo & post-hardcore, I would be flabbergasted if you couldn't find something to enjoy here. If you enjoy bands like Indian Summer, Ivich, Manku Kapak, Anomie, Carlisle, Anasarca, Old Gray, Calculator, Indian Taker & Suis La Lune, you WILL enjoy this.

Best of 2014 - Top 80

This list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER. All of these records are amazing and should be spinning in your head and bleeding from your speakers 24 hours a day.

1. Viva Belgrado - Flores, Carne
2. Kaddish - Thick Letters To Friends
3. Blue Friend - I Will Be Your Blue Friend
4. Yumi - Epicureans
5. We Were Promised Jetpacks - Unraveling
6. La Parade - Voces Del Exilio
7. Perfect Future - Manifesto
8. Forever Losing Sleep - I Lost Myself Again
9. Courtesy Drop - Stabilize
10. Frameworks - Loom
11. Citycop - Loner
12. Vi som älskade varandra så mycket - Den sorgligaste musiken...
13. Nous Étions - La Manière Noire
14. Fuck, Wolves! - Jetzt ist nicht jetzt, jetzt ist immer.
15. Youth Novel - Turned Around Abruptly Beside a Mirror and Jumped...
16. Celebration - Sompting
17. Ito Project - 遠方より終着 & 喚起 / 契約
18. Downfall Of Gaia - Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay
19. Cara Neir / Flesh Born - split
20. МАЯК - Искусство приводить себя в беспорядок
21. Elephant Opinions - Awakening Will Be A Journey
22. Locktender - Rodin
23. Human Hands - S/T
24. Monte Ida - Devotion
25. Young Mountain - Fragile & We're Drowning In Slow Motion
26. Handwriting! - You're Mad And I'm Still Here
27. Ritual Mess - Vile Art
28. 52 Hertz - Somnolence.
29. Black Love - S/T
30. Aviator - Head In The Clouds, Hands In The Dirt
31. Bag Of Bones - Third Dimension
32. Killeur Calculateur - Book Of Flags
33. Capacities - S/T
34. The Great Old Ones - Tekeli-li
35. As We Draw - Mirages
36. Devil Sold His Soul - Belong ╪ Betray
37. Alaskan - Despair, Erosion, Loss
38. Rosetta - Flies To Flame
39. Sport - Bon Voyage
40. Øjne / Улыбайся Ветру - split
41. Crows-An-Wra - Kalopsia
42. Plaids - S/T
43. Old Soul / Lentic Waters - split
44. Storm {O} - Sospesi Nel Vuoto Bruceremo In Un Attimo...
45. The Tidal Sleep - Vorstellunskraft
46. Iselia - II: Dawn
47. Love American - Hollow Crosses
48. Причал - Отголоски
49. Plebeian Grandstand - Lowgazers
50. My Fictions - Stranger Songs
51. Tetola93 - S/T
52. Mariesena - Ruth
53. We Came Out Like Tigers - Ever-Crushed At Pecket's Well
54. Anopheli - A Hunger Rarely Sated
55. Weakness - Too High To Die, Too Drunk To Care
56. Aleska - Time Is A Curse
57. Flesh Born - Han
58. Jeanne - Demo 2014
59. Svffer - Lies We Live
60. Left Astray - Don't Look For Me
61. Disembarked - Nothing's Wrong Here
62. Nothing - Guilty Of Everything
63. Panopticon - Roads To The North
64. The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace Is There
65. He Whose Ox Is Gored - Rumors
66. Fearless Leader - Fiercely Loyal
67. Hightide Hotel - Naturally
68. Palmkite - 2011
69. Pianos Become The Teeth - Keep You
70. Tiny Moving Parts - Pleasant Living
71. Charlotte Light And Dark - S/T
72. Jungbluth / Callow - Split
73. Batièn - Frammenti del mio flusso che insieme sono...
74. Manku Kapak - 2 Songs
75. I Refuse - Öffnen ​/​ Atmen
76. Baton Rouge - Totem
77. Sore Eyelids - For Now
78. Under A Sky So Blue / Celebration - Split
79. Remek - S/T
80. Shirokuma - Sun Won't Set

Cerce - Adieux

Bandcamp
Cerce were a powerfully violent band from Boston. Cerce are dead. If you missed out on them, I feel sorry for you. If that is the case, all is not lost because Lovechild have stepped in to carry the torch. Anger, rage, sadness, paranoia... These are all feelings one might encounter while listening to these songs. If you can walk away from this record with any sort of renewed vigor for life, you are probably doing something wrong. This is the sound of a band at the end of their rope. I wouldn't want it any other way. Fans of Man Is The Bastard, Siege or Negative FX, you will find plenty of common ground here.

Cassilis - Quitting

BandcampFacebook
Download

Um... Yeah... If you like it noisy, discordant, unbalanced and pissed, you don't have to look any further than the new offering from these dirty assholes from Philadelphia. Cassilis have become a verifiable wrecking machine dead set on decimating the ears of any unwitting prick who dare decide to drop the needle onto that groove. This goes beyond Punk, beyond Hardcore, beyond Screamo... These songs are lessons in damage. Take equal parts City of Caterpillar, the Jesus Lizard and a motherfucking atomic bomb and mix liberally. Go fuck yourself if you don't think this is going to be the best record of 2014.

Stand Der Dinge/Furtive Forest - Split

Zippyshare Download
Stand Der Dinge Bandcamp
Furtive Forest Bandcamp

Stand Der Dinge are from Germany and play a style equally influenced by Yage and Escapado. Raging EmoViolence and introspective Screamo co-mingle and we are left with some seriously ugly beauty. Furtive Forest are Serbian and sound more 90's than a lot of the so-called 90's revival bands. I hear hints of Universal Order of Armageddon and Mohinder bleeding through the chaos with a hefty amount of mechanical damage that a band like the VSS were so well know for. This in an awesome split by two bands at the top of their game!!

No Omega (U.S.) - Discography?

Bandcamp

Since everyone and their mother have been posting wildly about the new album by Swedish Post-Everything wunderkinds No Omega, I thought I would talk a little about this short-lived N.Y.C. super group with the same name.
No Omega(U.S.) featured players that spent time in some of the best fucking bands ever from the East Coast! Their vocalist, Chris Terry, sang for Light The Fuse And Run. Mr. Ed Shred played guitar in The End Of The Century Party and bassist Jeremy Scott played in the criminally underrated Gainsville band The Goddamn Deluge with a pre-folkstress Liza Kate.
The three bands I mentioned in the last paragraph have been favorite bands of mine for years, so it's no wonder that an amalgam of those three would probably just drive me wild. It's a real shame they didn't get the chance to release more music... But, time and life and such got in the way. I feel lucky that we at least have the few songs they did record for posterity purposes.
If you have ever enjoyed the sounds of any of the aformentioned bands, you really should give No Omega #1 your undivided attention.

Cabin Fire - Things Are Worse Than Ever

Bandcamp Link
Facebook Link
Purchase From Driftwood Records

Fresno, California... Yeah, I could go on and on about how I think it might be the 7th level of hell and all that. I have been there numerous times due to the fact I dated a girl who lived there for awhile. I found that city to hold little to no redeeming value. I don't want to talk shit about anybody's hometown though, so, I will just say this... I can completely understand why every Cabin Fire song sounds so pissed and desperate. For a two-piece, these gents sure do make a lot of racket. These two new songs are following along the same path they have been creating for awhile now. Fast, faster, fastest until the bottom drops out and the death knell crushes you like a 10-ton industrial press. Reversal of Man and Combatwoundedveteran are worthy reference points as well as more modern bands like Holiness Church of the Valley and Caust. The lyrics are cryptic and to the point, usually dealing with inner turmoils, societal ills and the stark reality of a future with no hope. These songs are raw, honest and very worthy of your time.

Left Askew

Bandcamp Link

                                                                                  

 

I can't give you a ton of info on Left Askew. They are friends of mine from here in Seattle and I believe they prefer a little anonymity. Left Askew are an Anarcho-Hardcore band that to me, sound like what would happen if End Of The Century Party, Mohinder and Books Lie got busy behind the local VFW hall. This band is great live and you should do everything in your power to track down any of their recorded output.

 

 

Remainder - The Frozen World Thawed LP

Bandcamp Link
Facebook Link
Wordpress Link

   Remainder, from the Boston area, used to be called C'est La Guerre. With the name change came some sort of rabid beast bursting forth from the deepest bowels of hell. The new songs, under the new moniker seem more intense, more catastrophic. The build-ups and break-downs are all still there, though, the level of intensity displayed on this new LP is far and away heavier and more pronounced than on previous releases. This is still very much a Screamo record, but with more prevalant doses of Chaotic Hardcore, Post-Metal and Noise-Rock peppered thoughout. Where as the first couple recorded outputs relied heavily on that Saetia/Sailboats/Portrait thing, these new songs remind me more of Botch or Me And Him Call It Us. Technical Metalcore clashing against strange noise-scapes and low-end decimation. This is not easy-listening music by any means. This LP represents the deep, dark neuroses we all live with on a day-to-day basis. The dread, dismay and hopelessness of living in a dying city and what it might take to pull ourselves out of that mire with the requisite amount of optimism and self-worth. Yes, I feel all of that when I listen to this record. Take a listen and tell me what it makes you feel.

Anomie - Discography(1994-1997)

Download Link (4Shared)

Europe in the 90's must have been a magical place. French, German and Czech Screamo bands were growing and forwarding the genre in ways that I can't even describe in words. Anomie were from France and without sounding like too much of a fanboy, I have to say, were the reason bands like Raein and Amanda Woodward and Juliette ever even existed. I have been feeling super nostalgic lately and listening to Anomie and Undone and Akephal for the first time in ages has really done a good job of making me feel 16 again. Trying to describe what Anomie sounds like is a lesson in futility as they are just so intense and awe-inspiring I don't think I would or could do them justice in just a few words. Download their discography and find out for yourself.













                                                                    

Siddhartha - Subject To Change EP

Bandcamp Link
Download Link (Mediafire)
Facebook Link

Siddhartha are from Memphis. They play Screamo not unlike Fiya, Life At These Speeds or Drowning With Our Anchors. These songs are not too fast, they are not too slow. They travel along at a plodding pace that to me, can only be described as lumbering. The vocals are powerful, with lyrics that are super-personal indictments regarding self-hatred and loss of control. This is Hardcore played right. Tennessee has been the birthplace of so many amazing bands over the years. From all of the AMAZING Country music in the 60's and 70's to all that Beale Street Blues to Big Star to Jay Reatard(R.I.P.) to Three 6 Mafia to The Oblivions to His Hero Is Gone and From Ashes Rise, to Gonerfest and Man With Gun Lives Here, I think Tennesse ranks right up there with NYC and Chicago and the other overly-hyped places throughout the world that have been the key birthplaces for musical ingenuity. I don't know if that makes sense. All I know is this... If Siddhartha don't break up prematurely, they are on the right path to becoming a full-blown powerhouse in the world of Emo Hardcore.

Native Wildlife - American Mischief EP

Bandcamp Link
Facebook Link

Native Wildlife consists of some young Bostonians playing modern Hardcore influenced by 'The Wave." The songs on this EP are definitely following the same basic framework laid down by the likes of Touche Amore and Pianos Become The Teeth without sounding too much like either of those bands. There is a break in the song 'Korea' that just melts my heart every time I listen to it. This isn't Screamo, it is just good ol' fashioned Post-Hardcore. The vocals are throaty and gravelly, not screamed to incoherence which I like. You can make out every word he is yelling. There is some very interesting guitar wizardry going on as well. Tons of high-end notes sounding almost psychedelic in tone. All told, I think these guys are creating some mind-bending Punk Rock with Emo flourishes that may be on it's way to blowing "The Wave" right out of the water. Ha!!! You like what I did there? Wordplay!!!!

Plagues - Self-Titled EP

Bandcamp Link (Download)
Facebook Link

    Straight out of  Southern California we have Plagues and their Powerviolence bombast!! Think Look Back And Laugh, think Crossed Out, think Infest, think Suppression. These songs can be faster than a grind tornado until they aren't and they slow to a crawling dirge. The lyrics are scathing indictments of our fucked up system and the fucked up sheep that follow it blindly. I don't think I need to sell anyone on Powerviolence. It is sort of a niche genre and if you are a fan of any powerviolence bands, you will probably be a fan of this. I don't find myself listening to this style all that much these days, but, when a band like Plagues comes along and completely decimates my ear drums with their non-stop barrage of raging riffs and caustic vocals, I can't help but slam to it!

Puer Aeternus - Self-Titled EP

Bandcamp Link (Download)
Facebook Link

Sometimes, searching Bandcamp for new sounds can pay off big time! Puer Aeternus are a relatively new band from the Phoenix/Tempe area in Arizona. This 3-song EP offers everything a fan of modern, screamy Post-Hardcore could want. These songs are fast, chaotic and lo-fi as all get-out! This might be a practice room recording, maybe... Doesn't really matter though. The power is definitely in evidence. If you like 1994!, The Vidablue, State Faults or Marital Roles, you will certainly do good by downloading this and rocking out while you fold laundry or wash the dishes. I am sure these guys slay live. I hope they make it to Seattle when they finally decide to tour.

Panthalassa - Demo 2011

Bandcamp Link

Panthalassa were from Seattle. Some say they are dead. I would never say such a thing. There is hope here, that a band as stellar and agressive and full of passion could and would never play dead.
The guys in Panthalassa are friends of mine and I miss their extremely personal and passionate take on "Real Screamo." They have played it as harsh and chaotic as the luminaries of the genre. Think Orchid, Saetia, Wolves, Suis La Lune... The list could go on and on. I would add Panthalassa to that list without batting an eye. I know a couple of the men in Panthalassa are working on something new as I type this. Their vocalist Sean assures me it is going to be heavier and darker than anything Panthalassa ever wrote... I am waiting with bated breath to hear what they unleash upon us next.

Strike To Survive - Mirror Mirror EP

Download Link
Bandcamp Link
Facebook Link

     A friend of mine named Adrien recommended this band to me a few weeks ago. I had heard of them before but had yet to check out what they were offering. Figuring as I have consistently trusted Adrien's musical tastes and recommendations before, I was plenty certain I wouldn't be let down. Little did I know at the time how absolutely addicting these songs would become for me.
     Strike To Survive come from Santa Rosa, California, which is just a short drive from my old stomping grounds of Oakland. You can definitely hear that Bay Area Post-Posi-Hardcore sound in these songs. By that I mean, California positive injected with a certain level of doom and gloom that comes from living in an area that houses an unusually large number of chemical factories. The air is sweet and sour and prone to acid rain. The sun shines gloriously through the smog clouds as more and more condos are erected in order to drive out the poor. Strike To Survive completely encompass that pissed and pondering attitude with much aplomb. These songs are short blasts of bile and bitterness that do a great job of reminding me how I felt when I first heard Charles Bronson, Assholeparade, Tear It Up and Amdi Petersens Arme. Straight-forward and chaotic while still retaining potent levels of inventiveness, I hear bits and pieces that bring to mind bands like Twelve Hour Turn and Swing Kids too. So basically, these guys play Powerviolence-esque Hadcore with little twinges of Post-Hardcore scattered throughout. The prose-like lyrics are vague sociopolitical diatribes against those retched rulers and the meek, modest hordes who are unwilling to speak up and act to bring about a better future for themselves and those around them. There is also quite a lot of introspection and soul searching going on here. Questioning the what, why and how of our day-to-day existence and what we can do to live a more involved life.  The vocalist Anthony screams and shouts the lyrics with rage and conviction, only adding to the awesome energy that these guys exude. I am stoked that the Hardcore scene in the 'Rosa is thriving. I hope there are more bands like this playing around there. That city needs it!! I would love to book a show for these guys in Seattle. My old ass would probably even attempt some stage dives. Love It!!!!!

Dayglo Abortions - Feed Us A Fetus LP

Download Link
Facebook Link

As young kids, we were initially attracted to Punk Rock because of it's dangerous aura and promise of fun. Bands such as The Crucifucks, The Circle Jerks, Crass and this here gaggle of miscreants from Victoria, B.C. named Dayglo Abortions set the tone for our Anti-Authoritarian world view and an unquenchable love for Skateboarding, drugs and pissing off our parents. 'Feed Us A Fetus' was released in 1986 through God Records. It was a combination of their first album entitled 'Out Of The Womb', which was released in 1981, and a handful of other songs that were too short on their own to make up a whole LP. I thought I would post this just to show my age. For all the years I have spent immersing myself in screamy Emo and chaotic Post-Hardcore, I never forgot my roots. Some of my favorite memories from my youth have this record as the soundtrack. I remember being nine years old and in complete awe of my cousin Mike for his ridiculously reckless skateboarding abilities and his crazy taste in music. He turned me on to Devo, D.R.I., The Exploited and these guys. Now that I think about it, when I was nine, this record had just come out. I was hearing it for the first time along with hundreds, if not thousands of older punks across the nation. Jesus, I am old!! Anyway, these songs are funny, dirty, very un-p.c. and quite metallic in tone. Lyrically, they attack everything from themselves to politicians to whatever stream-of-consciousness ranting the singer was getting off on at the time. I don't really have much more to say, other than just fucking download it and get your skull bashed in.

Traveler - Nothing Lasts Long Enough

Download Link
Bandcamp Link
Facebook Link

I am feeling pretty lazy on this beautiful Sunday morning. Too lazy to over-analyze a record, that's for sure. Traveler play powerful, driving Hardcore with a bit of melody and plenty of passion. Strong lyrics, heavy crunch, good breakdowns... You know the drill. If you enjoy "modern" Hardcore like Defeater, Touche Amore or even Make Do And Mend, you should find plenty here to make you want to slam around your bedroom. Traveler are just one more strong link in the already extensive chain that is Ohio Punk Rock.