Rashomon: Pathogen X 12" (Iron Lung) I was looking forward to this debut 12” from DC’s Rashomon, and I’m pleased to tell you it does not disappoint. Rashomon have a Japanese singer and take some obvious stylistic cues from Japanese hardcore’s history, but Pathogen X doesn’t sound like a tribute record or a genre exercise. The qualities that Rashomon share with Japanese hardcore are top-level and abstract: an emphasis on melodic lead guitar; a quasi-epic propensity to brood; metallic riffing; an overall sense of heaviness. They aren’t so gauche as to borrow riffs directly, or maybe they’re just so good at it I didn’t notice. Instead, they’ve forged their own path and, as a result, Pathogen X sounds like nothing but Rashomon. It’s hard to imagine this record appearing at any other time than the present, and consequently it feels vital and alive. The only bad thing I can say about this record is that it is frustratingly brief. I hope this isn’t the last we hear from Rashomon, because Pathogen X is one of the most exciting and stylistically innovative hardcore records in recent memory.

Mikan Mukku:  缶 b/w ちんダン 7” (Bitter Lake) Bitter Lake Recordings unearths another Japanese obscurity. This time we have Mikan Mukku and this 7” collecting the only two tracks the band released during their 1982-1987 run, each of which appeared on a different, rare flexidisc compilation. Stylistically, Mikan Mukku is very much in Bitter Lake’s wheelhouse. While I’m not super knowledgeable about this scene, from my limited perspective it seems like the lines between no wave, new wave, post-punk, minimal synth, and experimental and avant-garde music were all but non-existent in early 80s Japan. While Mikan Mukku’s singer reminds me of big-voiced post-punk musicians like Siouxsie or Bjork, the music covers a surprising amount of ground on these two tracks, from minimal synth that sounds rooted in traditional Japanese music to quirky and robotic, Devo-esque rhythms. A drum machine even does an intriguing approximation of a flamenco rhythm at one point. If you’ve followed Bitter Lake this far, there’s no reason to stop with Mikan Mukku. And if you haven’t picked up anything on the label yet, this is a good place to start.

Protester: Watch Them Fall 12” (New Absolute) Final 12” from this DC straight edge institution. While Watch Them Fall is an overtly straight edge record (nearly all the lyrics are about the topic), Protester’s music comes from the hard, fast, and mean school of hardcore… more Negative FX than Gorilla Biscuits or Bold. While there are a handful of pit-clearing breakdowns and a brooding closing track that sounds like it could have been on the Judge LP, those are the only stylistic nods to youth crew. Instead, I’m reminded a lot of Wasted Time and Out Cold, two bands that weren’t afraid to sound good or play well, but channeled those skills into sounding like a bulldozer rather than being technical or accessible. This whole record hits with the force of a wrecking ball. The militant straight edge lyrics will put off some people, but honestly this is one of the few times I’ve bothered to read the lyric sheet on a hardcore record in recent memory, so there’s that. A total beast of a record.

Timmy Vulgar’s Genetic Armageddon: S/T 12” (Mind Meld) Mind Meld is a new label from the same person who brought you Florida’s Dying and Total Punk, and while Mind Meld (at least so far) is in the same artistic waters, it distinguishes itself by focusing on solo projects rather than groups. This record from Timmy Vulgar (whom you may know from Clone Defects, Human Eye, and Timmy’s Organism) gets the label off to a great start. Stylistically, Timmy Vulgar’s Genetic Armageddon (let’s call them TVGA from here on out) is more krautrock than punk, with spacious arrangements, hypnotic rhythms, and melodies that seem improvised rather than premeditated. I hear a lot of different influences here, from Captain Beefheart to the Stooges, but the big ones seem to be German... Can’s more out there moments, Agitation Free’s raga-rock, or Ash Ra Tempel’s swooping tape manipulations. There’s also the album’s overall vibe, which is utterly unique. I can’t hit the nail on the head any better than the label’s description, which calls it “Timmy’s patented caveman via space alien filter.” I love lighting a few candles, staring at my ceiling, and zoning out to this kind of stuff, and if you’re reading this document and like to do the same I highly recommend checking this out.

Tipex: S/T 12” (self-released) Self-released debut from this band out of Valencia, Spain. Broadly, their sound is fast, precise, and catchy, but they cover a fair amount of stylistic ground on this record. A lot of the songs remind me of Social Circkle or Terminal State, bands who sounded like hardcore bands deliberately trying to slow things down, play deeper in the pocket, and focus on writing catchy and memorable songs. At other times they can get more melodic, reminding me a little of Rata Negra (particularly on a track like “Flores”), but they can also be more aggressive, as on the Sudor-esque “Plaza de España.” The record also closes with a striking track, “Sarna,” where they jam out and get a little psych-y, sort of like the ending to Rocket from the Crypt’s Circa Now. I haven’t heard many DIY punk/hardcore records that sound so fleshed out and ambitious while still sounding like a DIY punk/hardcore record. If you like one dimensional this probably won’t do it for you, but punkers with open ears and a predilection for catchy hooks will love this.

Vintage Crop: Company Man 7” (Drunken Sailor / Anti-Fade) We last heard from Australia’s Vintage Crop on last year’s New Age LP, and if you liked that record I’m sure you’ll be on board with this. I’m stealing this from label’s description of the first LP, but if you’re familiar enough with Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Uranium Club to imagine a 50/50 mix of the two bands’ sounds, you’re probably not far off from Vintage Crop. The back of the jacket says, in a self-aware manner, “Can Vintage Crop be a marketable band in 2019??” Is Vintage Crop hinting that they have bigger ambitions? Are they pledging allegiance to the DIY underground? A little of both? Parquet Courts, who don’t sound too far off from Vintage Crop themselves, have blazed a trail for making music that sounds vital and ambitious yet appeals to a wider audience, and I could see Vintage Crop heading down the same path. For now, though, they’re just a standout punk band with some of the catchiest tracks around. If you like the aforementioned bands, odds are you’ll really enjoy both Company Man and the previous LP, so give ‘em a listen.

Heavy Metal: Too Oz for It 7” (Total Punk) Germany’s Heavy Metal have been putting out some of the silliest, most irreverent punk music in the land for the last couple of years, and this single on Total Punk continues the string of hits. Too Oz for It might be the zaniest, most irreverent Heavy Metal release yet, and that’s saying something for a band who has covered Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” The a-side is legitimately some of the wildest, most unique-sounding punk music I’ve ever heard. There are all of these crazy, dissonant harmonies, an organ droning a single note, and vocals so ridiculous and over the top you have to hear them to believe them. The first track on the b-side is weird in a different way with its ISS-esque hip-hop cadence, while the third track is the most conventional by the band’s standards but still wild and weird as shit. You have to like zaniness to tolerate this, but if you like bands like Butthole Surfers, the Dickies, or the Cravats then you won’t have any problem. And if you crave the wildest, most out there sounds you can start here and continue to check out all of Heavy Metal’s records.

Reign of Terror: Don’t Blame Me 7” (Radio Raheem) Reissue of this SST-related giga-rarity (originals go for over a grand on Discogs) on the always-reliable Radio Raheem and the quickly-gaining-our-trust (hey, this is only their third release!) Meat House Productions. What’s the SST connection? Well, Reign of Terror’s label shared an address with SST, the bass player was in the Stains (the SST one, duh), and vocalist / guitarist Ed Danky was Chuck Dukowski’s bandmate in Würm. While I’m sure there are some SST / punk collectors out there who are interested in this record from that angle, I’m guessing a bigger part of the record’s value comes from how great of a metal record this is. With its lo-fi production and catchy yet powerful sound, Don’t Blame Me reminds me a lot of the earliest releases by Iron Maiden and Def Leppard and the legions of British bands who sounded similar to them. If this record had come out two or three years earlier, maybe Lars Ulrich wouldn’t have had to bother going to England to get his NWOBHM fix. There are three tracks, each of which sounds raw, immediate, and exciting. If you’re interested in the NWOBHM or underground early 80s metal I would strongly recommend checking this out. Or you can just wait until you get your hands on an original…

Slum Gang: Fermented 12” (YOFC) Slum Gang were a 90s punk band from Nottingham, England, notable to hardcore folks for featuring a member of Concrete Sox. Stylistically, Slum Gang remind me more of the melodic hardcore of bands like HDQ and the early records by Leatherface and Snuff. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of them before as I used to be a big fan of this sound, chasing down hard to find singles by bands like Broccoli and Hooton 3 Car on labels like Crackle! and Snuffy Smiles, and Slum Gang are very much of a piece with those bands. I don't like much 90s American melodic hardcore, but I’ve always been a sucker for the British stuff. While some of it can creep more into Lookout! Records territory, if you’re a fan of records like Leatherface’s Cherry Knowle and HDQ’s last couple of LPs you should ignore the country and western cover art and get this record.

Torso: Build and Break 7” (Revelation) I never would have thought a Sorry State Records band would release a record with Revelation Records, but with Torso’s Build and Break EP that thing has come to pass. Sure, it’s strange to see Revelation release a d-beat record, but it’s also weird that Sorry State put out a straight edge record. Which is to say Torso is still Torso and Build and Break rips. Two of the songs are rippers, while the other two cruise along at a more moderate pace. The title track reminds me of Wasted Time’s burly hardcore, while “Repulsion” is the pit-clearer and “Sick of Fighting” closes things out with a main riff that would have fit perfectly on Totalitär’s Vi Ar Eliten. Sick art, great recording, killer tracks… hardcore rules.

?Fog: 7-inch Round Black Thing 7” (Bunkerpop) Reissue of this obscurity from 1985 New Zealand. I was unfamiliar with ?Fog going in, and like a lot of records from New Zealand it sounds like the Fall’s 1982 tour of their country deeply shaped the band. While ?Fog zip along at faster tempos (which seem even faster thanks to their distinctively busy drummer), the combination of Krautrock-inspired rhythms, a quirky sound pallette, and speak-sung, poetic lyrics and vocals can sound a lot like the Fall’s Room to Live or Hex Enduction Hour. The Fall are probably my favorite band and ?Fog do the sound justice, so I like it. The insert also includes some old photos and press clippings, and the hilariously bad reviews of their gigs add the perfect ambiance. This is a deep cut for sure, but if you like scrappy post-punk, UKDIY, or early Kiwi punk this is worthy of your attention.

Physique: The Evolution of Combat 12” (Distort Reality) Olympia’s Physique follow up their noteworthy debut on Iron Lung Records with a new LP. The banner at the top says “DISBONES CRASHER,” and as they say in the UK it does what it says on the tin. While a lot of American d-beat bands go for a more organic, vintage sound, Physique remind me more of Japanese bands like D-Clone or Ferocious X (not to mention Disclose) who have a colder, more modern, and processed sound. Texturally, The Evolution of Combat is closer to industrial music than the more organic-sounding recording quality of a band like Pollen. In other words, it feels like the point here isn’t to recreate Discharge and Anti-Cimex records as precisely as possible, but rather to continue to push those bands’ ideas forward. I’ll leave it to you to decide where they land on the originality scale, but I think two of the band’s strengths are the Bones-esque guitar solos and the distinctive drumming, which is peppered with wild and out of control-sounding fills. If you’re not tired of adding d-beat records to your collection The Evolution of Combat is a top-notch one.

Sauna Youth: Deaths 12” (Upset the Rhythm) This latest 12” from the UK’s Sauna Youth came out a few months ago but we only just got copies now. However, I won’t let an opportunity to sing this band’s praises pass me by. With previous releases on both Static Shock and Upset the Rhythm (among several others), Sauna Youth have always seemed to have one foot in the world of DIY punk and another foot in something bigger and more ambitious. Their curious decision to use a groaner of a pun for their band name also contributes to the slipperiness of their identity… are they punks, freaks, hipsters, or artists? While no one wants to claim the word “hipster,” I’ll admit that I sit near the center of that Venn diagram, if a little further toward the punk side. Which is all to say I like what Sauna Youth do. I particularly like the way they do it on Deaths. In a (hyphenated) word, Deaths is art-punk, music married to punk’s hyperactive aggression but always pushing/pulling toward something bigger and broader. Sometimes they write a catchy punk tune, while sometimes they intone free verse over a This Heat-esque backing track. Yet, as on Wire’s Pink Flag, it all feels like part of the same journey. I love this band.

Zodd: Operationally Ready Dead 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Debut vinyl from this new band out of Singapore, a country which has brought us a noteworthy number of killer hardcore bands over the past few years. The thing that amazes me about a lot of these bands from Singapore is that they seem so “on trend” for the styles that are popular in America. Asia seems like such a distant place, and the fact that the music that comes from there sounds a little alien is part of the appeal of tracking down these records. It takes me away from my mundane reality and reminds me we live in a huge world. However, Zodd could be from Los Angeles or London or Toronto just as easily as Singapore. There’s some kind of vestigial colonial impulse to say Zodd is influenced by western bands like Blazing Eye, S.H.I.T., and Bib, but Operationally Ready Dead doesn’t sound like a copy of those bands, but rather an extension of the same conversation. If that’s a conversation you’re following then you’ll have no problem noodle moshing to this one in your bedroom.