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Featured Release Roundup: June 27, 2019
Groinoids: Lost 12” (Limited Appeal) LP compiling a 1988 session from this Boston band whose track “Angel” appeared on the legendary This Is Boston Not L.A. compilation LP in 1982. Six years is a lot of time, and the Groinoids of 1988 sound nothing like that track, which is OK because the session compiled on Lost rules. The sound here is heavy and metallic, but unique; there’s some of the heaviness of the early Melvins records, lots of Celtic Frost-style primitive metal (including that band’s penchant for odd, off-kilter changes), and a handful of Kiss-influenced hard rock riffs. Just a few years later a similar set of influences would coalesce into the whole noise rock / AmRep scene, but Lost isn’t quite that yet. The band still has one foot planted in the 80s punk scene, as evidenced in their singer’s snotty and sarcastic vocal style, which I like better than grunts and yowls that would become the standard for this style of music. I also love the gritty recording, which reminds me of the early Pentagram tracks collected on First Daze Here. If you come to Lost looking for something that sounds like Gang Green or Jerry’s Kids you will be disappointed, but lovers of raw, gritty, and misanthropic noise rock will love this.
Hierophants: Spitting Out Moonlight 12” (Anti-Fade) I missed out on Hierophants’ debut LP from 2015 and their many 7” releases, so I’m coming to Spitting Out Moonlight fresh and I’m really impressed. I immediately recognized the two vocalists from their other projects (most notably Ausmuteants and Parsnip), and while there are elements of both bands’ sounds in the mix (and fans shouldn’t hesitate to check out Hierophants) it’s hardly the whole story. I’d call Spitting Out Moonlight aggressively eclectic, as every track flirts with a different branch of the post-punk family tree. I hear bits of Tubeway Army-style synth-pop, some 60s-inspired jangle of Television Personalities or the Times, Talking Heads / Gang of Four-style punk/funk, some Wire-esque cold post-punk (“Stoned” even nicks part of its vocal melody from Wire), and even space rock on the instrumental outro to “Memory Card.” Hierophants excel at all of them, particularly the janglier and poppier tracks, and the stylistic diversity makes for a lively listen. If you’re a sucker for all the great punk and garage coming out of Australia, make a point not to miss this one.
RMFC: Hive 1+2 12” (Erste Theke Tonträger) LP compiling two cassette releases from this bedroom project from Australia, though the sound is three dimensional and organic enough that I’m surprised all of this racket is being made by one person. I can’t imagine there’s a piece of writing about RMFC that doesn’t mention the Coneheads, because the singer’s robotic monotone sounds very similar. Musically, though, RMFC aren’t as jittery; instead, most of their tracks remind me of Andy Human & the Reptoids’ futuristic take on catchy garage-punk. The songs are top notch and the recording is raw in all the right ways, so where is RMFC’s Total Punk single?
Breakout: Say Hello 12” (On-High) It’s been a whole five years since we last heard from Texas’s Breakout, when they released a pair of strong oi!-influenced hardcore EPs, one of which came to us courtesy of the great Grave Mistake Records. Six years is a long time in the hardcore scene, and indeed Breakout have changed a lot since those two EPs. While oi! is still a big influence, they’ve more or less dropped the hardcore from their sound. I hear traces of “New Age”-era Blitz on Say Hello, as well as the Business’s poppier moments. Rather than putting the melodic guitar lines front and center, though, Breakout have a denser sound, with two guitars, bass, drums, and vocals fighting for space in the mix. It reminds me of early Leatherface because it sounds chaotic on first listen, but (with some effort and attention) your ear parses out the criss-crossing melodic lines. Parts of Say Hello also remind me of bands like H.D.Q. and later Government Issue who worked to graft a pop sensibility onto hardcore, dropping its macho aggression without sacrificing the energy and intensity. While Say Hello doesn’t sound like any other record I can think of, try it if you like scrappy melodic hardcore.
Scab Eater: Ultra Vires 12” (Symphony of Destruction) Debut 12” from this Australian hardcore band that has been kicking around for a while now. Ultra Vires has been getting hype, and with good reason… it’s an intense and desperate-sounding record. Scab Eater remind of early Agnostic Front in that they write mid-paced parts that are total earworms, but when they kick into the breakneck tempos, they’re a little looser, giving those parts that dangerous, close to the edge feeling that I love. Ultra Vires wouldn’t have been out of place on Youth Attack Records; like a lot of the bands on that label, Scab Eater seem equally interested in hardcore’s power and (black) metal’s grainy textures and dark vibes. Brew yourself up a pot of black coffee, put this on, and hate the world.
Slant: Vain Attempt 7” (Iron Lung) Debut 7” from this band featuring members of Scumraid and Bloodkrow Butcher. Slant don’t sound like either of those bands, though; they’re a fast and catchy hardcore band blending elements of harder UK82 (think the Partisans or Ultra Violent) and USHC. The riffs are straightforward but catchy, reminding me of LP-era Negative Approach, Out Cold, or SS Decontrol, but with harsher vocals that sound like early Warhead. It takes a sophisticated grasp of songwriting and arrangement to make meat and potatoes hardcore sound this great. Here’s hoping Vain Attempt isn’t a one-off, because the world needs more hardcore like this right now.
All New Arrivals
Slant: Vain Attempt 7" (Sorry State exclusive color vinyl; Iron Lung)Breakout: Say Hello 12" (On-High)
Scab Eater: Ultra Vires 12" (Symphony of Destruction)
Arseholes: PHL 2019 7" flexi (Symphony of Destruction)
Glaükoma: 4 Track 7" flexi (Symphony of Destruction)
Difficult: Demo cassette (Nervous Intent)
Mutilated Tongue: Fuel the Flame 12" (Armageddon)
Bat: Axetasy 12" (Hells Headbangers)
Nekrofilth: Worm Ritual 12" (Hells Headbangers)
No-Heads: Pressure Cracks 12" (Six Feet Under)
Cronander: Trapped 12" (Annihilate)
Xantotol: Black Doom Metal 12" (Nuclear War Now)
Sabbat: Disembody 12" (Nuclear War Now)
Vice Device: Living Textures 12" (Black Water)
Driller Killer: Fuck the World 12" (Unrest)
Litige: Fuite On Avant 12" (Destructure)
Better Off Dead: Sans Issues 7" (Destructure)
Better Off Dead: Taking Trains 12" (Destructure)
Bronco Libre: S/T 12" (Destructure)
Mission of Christ: Silence in Grave 12" (Supreme Echo)
Elf: Carolina County Ball 12" (Music On Vinyl)
Mort Garson: Mother Earth's Plantasia 12" (Sacred Bones)
Thrice: Red Sky 12" (Island)
The Raconteurs: Help Us Stranger 12" (Third Man)
American Epic: The Best of Leadbelly 12" (Third Man)
Hierophants: Spitting Out Moonlight 12" (Anti-Fade)
Groinoids: Lost 12" (Limited Appeal)
Buzzcocks: A Different Kind of Tension 12" (Domino)
Buzzcocks: Singles Going Steady 12" (Domino)
Gazm: Heavy Vibe Music 12" (11:00 PM)
The Gotobeds: Debt Begins at 30 12" (Sub Pop)
Sap: 2 cassette (self-released)
Public Interest: Between 12" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Supercrush: Never Let You Drift Away 12" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Endless Column: S/T 12" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
R.M.F.C.: Hive 1 + 2 12" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Gaahls Wyrd: GastiR - Ghosts Invited 12" (Season of Mist)
This Gift Is a Curse: Throne of Ash 12" (Season of Mist)
Oberon: Techen Metal 12" (Nuclear War Now)
Scarecrow: Dep Optimo Maximo 12" (Nuclear War Now)
Suspiral: Chasm 12" (Sentient Ruin)
Deathspell Omega: Kenose 12" (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
Enthroned: Cold Black Suns 12" (Season of Mist)
Tartaros: The Grand Psychotic Castle + Red Jewel 12" (Underground Activists)
Integrity: Systems Overload 12" (Organized Crime)
Integrity: Humanity Is the Devil (20th Anniversary Edition) 12" (Organized Crime)
The Path of Resistance: Who Dares Wins 12" (Victory)
One Step Closer: From Me to You 12" (Triple-B)
Death By Stereo: If Looks Could Kill, I'd Watch You Die 12" (Indecision)
Odd Man Out: New Voice 12" (Pop Wig)
Young Scientist: Results, Not Answers 12" (Bureau B)
Stephen O’Malley: Gruides 12" (DDS)
Akira Ifukube: Godzilla OST 12" (Doxy)
Dome: 2 12" (Editions Mego)
Bad Religion: Age of Unreason 12" (Epitaph)
Calexico & Iron & Wine: Years to Burn 12" (Sub Pop)
The Deviants: #3 12" (Real Gone Music)
Gas: Konigsforst 12" (Kompakt)
Caetano Veloso: S/T (A Little More Blue) 12" (Lilith)
Galactic Explorers: Epitaph for Venus 12" (Mental Experience)
Renaldo & the Loaf: Songs for Swinging Larvae 12" (Editions Mego)
Nello Ciangherotti & Silvano Chimenti: Sonorita Nel Lavoro 12" (Sonor)
Dungen: Ta Det Lugnt 12" (Subliminal Sounds)
Hygiene: Private Sector 12" (Upset The Rhythm)
Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan 12" (Domino)
Animal Collective: Painting With 12" (Domino)
Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca 12" (Domino)
Team Dresch: Personal Best 12" (Jealous Butcher)
Cave In: Final Transmission 12" (Hydra Head)
Fu Manchu: Godzilla's / Eatin' Dust 12" (At The Dojo)
Chris Robinson: Servants of the Sun 12" (Silver Arrow)
R.E.M.: In Time, the Best of 12" (Craft)
Shellac: The End of Radio 12" (Touch & Go)
Madonna: Madame X 12" (Interscope)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: And Now for the Watchamacallit 12" (Marathon Artists)
Duster: Stratosphere 12" (Numero Group)
Duster: Contemporary Movement 12" (Numero Group)
Mountain Goats: In League with Dragons 12" (Merge)
Arctic Monkeys: Humbug 12" (Domino)
Blood Orange: Coastal Grooves 12" (Domino)
Blood Orange: Cupid Deluxe 12" (Domino)
Blood Orange: Freetown Sound 12" (Domino)
Clinic: Internal Wrangler 12" (Domino)
Clinic: Walking with Thee 12" (Domino)
Animal Collective: Centipede 12" (Animal Collective:)
Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavillion 12" (Animal Collective:)
Animal Collective: Strawberry Jam 12" (Animal Collective:)
Grateful Dead: Aoxomoxoa (50th Anniversary) 12" (Rhino)
Restocks
Judy & the Jerks: Music for Donuts 7" (Thrilling Living)Beowulf: S/T 12" (Mono)
Flesh Eaters: No Questions Asked 12" (Mono)
Midnight: Complete and Total Hell 2x12" (Hells Headbangers)
Midnight: No Mercy for Mayhem 12" (Hells Headbangers)
Midnight: Satanic Royalty 12" (Hells Headbangers)
Midnight: Sweet Death and Ecstasy 12" (Hells Headbangers)
Drive Like Jehu: S/T 12" (Headhunter)
Drive Like Jehu: Yank Crime 12" (Headhunter)
Tragedy: Fury 12" (Tragedy)
Sabbat: Evoke 2x12" (Hells Headbangers)
Brainbombs: Burning Hell 12" (Armageddon)
Brainbombs: Fucking Mess 12" (Armageddon)
Orchid: Chaos Is Me 12" (Ebullition)
Cock Sparrer: Shock Troops 12" (Pirate’s Press)
Warthog: 4th 7" (Toxic State)
Unruled: Time Is Running Out 7" (Schizophrenic)
Exit Order: S/T 7" (Side Two)
Youth Avoiders: Relentless 12" (Destructure)
Short Days: S/T 12" (Destructure)
Kronstadt: S/T 12" (Destructure)
Gai: Rock N Roll History Fuck Off 12" (Gai Best Punk Band)
2Pac: All Eyez on Me 4x12" (Death Row)
Angel Du$t: Pretty Buff 12" (Roadrunner)
Angel Olsen: Phases 12" (Jagjaguwar)
Beach Boys: Pet Sounds 12" (Capitol)
Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill 12" (Def Jam)
Buzzcocks: Another Music in a Different Kitchen 12" (Domino)
Cage the Elephant: Social Clues 12" (RCA)
Carcass: Heartwork 12" (Earache)
Death Grips: Bottomless Pit 12" (Third Worlds)
Death Grips: The Money Store 12" (Epic)
Eminem: Slim Shady 12" (Aftermath)
Entombed: Left Hand Path 12" (Earache)
Green Day: Dookie 12" (Reprise)
Husker Du: Metal Circus 12" (SST)
Iron Maiden: Number Of The Beast 12" (Sanctuary)
Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer 12" (Atlantic)
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold As Love 12" (Columbia Legacy)
Kanye West: College Dropout 2x12" (Roc-A-Fella)
Kanye West: Late Registration 12" (Roc-A-Fella)
LCD Soundsystem: S/T 12" (Parlophone)
Migos: Culture II 12" (Motown)
Mumford+Sons: Sigh No More 12" (Glassnote)
Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile 12" (Null Corp)
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon 12" (Pink Floyd)
Pink Floyd: Meddle 12" (Pink Floyd)
Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain 12" (Warner Bros)
Radiohead: Amnesiac 2x12" (XL)
Radiohead: The Bends 12" (XL)
Shellac: At Action Park 12" (Touch & Go)
Spoon: Kill the Moonlight 12" (Merge)
The Mountain Goats: In League with Dragons 12" (Merge)
The Clash: London Calling 2x12" (Columbia)
The Fugees: The Score 12" (Columbia)
The Lumineers: S/T 12" (Dualtone)
Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders 12" (Jive)
A Tribe Called Quest: Low End Theory 12" (Jive)
Velvet Underground & Nico: S/T 12" (Vinyl Lovers)
Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2x12" (Nonesuch)
Die Kreuzen: S/T 12" (Touch & Go)
Snoop Dogg: Doggystyle 12" (Death Row)
Grateful Dead: Skeletons from the Closet 12" (Rhino)
Childish Gambino: Camp 12" (Glassnote)
Caetano Veloso: S/T 12" (Third Man)
Laughing Hyenas: Life of Crime 12" (Third Man)
Sleep: The Sciences 2x12" (Third Man)
The Monks: Hamburg Recordings 1967 12" (Third Man)
White Stripes: Icky Thump 12" (Third Man)
White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan 12" (Third Man)
The White Stripes: White Blood Cells 12" (Third Man)
White Stripes: De Stijl 12" (Third Man)
Suck Lords: True Lords Music 7" (Edger)
Bib: A Band in Hardcore 12" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
ISS: Endless Pussyfooting 12" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Devil Master: S/T 7" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Devil Master: Inhabit the Corpse 7" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Maze: S/T 12" (Lumpy)
The World: Reddish 12" (Lumpy)
Nosferatu: Sounds of Hardcore 7" (Lumpy)
Q: 2nd 7" (Lumpy)
Closet Christ: You're in My World Now 7" (Lumpy)
Propagandhi: How to Clean Everything 12" (Fat Wreck)
Youth of Today: Break Down the Walls 12" (Revelation)
Gorilla Biscuits: Start Today 12" (Revelation)
Texas Is the Reason: Do You Know... 2x12" (Revelation)
Warzone: Don't Forget the Struggle, Don't Forget the Streets 12" (Revelation)
Torso: Build and Break 7" (Revelation)
Count Me Out: Permanent 12" (Indecision)
Bikini Kill: Reject All American 12" (Dischord)
Drudkh: Eternal Turn of the Wheel 12" (Season of Mist)
Drudkh: Handful of Stars 12" (Season of Mist)
Craft: White Noise and Black Metal 12" (Season of Mist)
Enslaved: Frost 12" (Osmose)
Sacrifice: Torment in Fire 12" (War On Music)
Pagan Altar: Judgement of the Dead 12" (Temple of Mystery)
Pagan Altar: Lords of Hypocrisy 12" (Temple of Mystery)
Craft: Fuck the Universe 12" (Season of Mist)
Leviathan: The First Sublevel fo Suicide 12" (Devout)
Woe: A Violent Dread 12" (Vendetta)
Craft: Terror Propaganda 12" (Season of Mist)
Leviathan: Unfailing Fall into Naught 12" (Devout)
MF Doom: Operation: Doomsday 12" (Metal Face)
Cat Power: Wanderer 12" (Domino)
Madvillain: Madvillainy 2x12" (Stones Throw)
J Dilla: Ruff Draft 12" (Stones Throw)
Earth: Full Upon Her Burning Lips 12" (Sargent House)
Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism 2x12" (Barsuk)
Boy Harsher: Careful 12" (Nude Club)
Institute: Readjusting the Locks 12" (Sacred Bones)
Priests: The Seduction of Kansas 12" (Sister Polygon)
Big Business: The Beast You Are 12" (Joyful Noise)
Lust for Youth: S/T 12" (Sacred Bones)
Mac Demarco: Another One 12" (Captured Tracks)
The War On Drugs: Lost In The Dream 12" (Secretly Canadian)
The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient 2x12" (Secretly Canadian)
Bon Iver: 22, A Million 12" (Jagjaguwar)
The Fix: At The Speed of Twisted Thought 12" (Touch & Go)
Negative Approach: Tied Down 12" (Touch & Go)
Anderson Paak: Malibu 12" (OBE)
Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror) 12" (Matador)
Tool: Undertow 12" (Volcano)
Tame Impala: Currents 12" (Interscope)
Portishead: Dummy 12" (Go! Beat)
Weezer: Blue Album 12" (Geffen)
Nirvana: Unplugged in New York 12" (DGC)
XXXtentacion: Skins 12" (Bad Vibes Forever)
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats: Wasteland 12" (Rise Above)
Descendents: ALL 12" (SST)
Pink Floyd: Ummagumma 12" (Pink Floyd)
Adolescents: S/T 12" (Frontier)
Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City 2x12" (Interscope)
Misfits: Die Die My Darling 12" (Caroline)
Cranberries: Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can't We 12" (Island)
Tool: Opiate 12" (BMG)
Neutral Milk Hotel: On Avery Island 12" (Merge)
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew 2x12" (Columbia Legacy)
Chet Baker: Sings 12" (Wax Love)
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme 12" (Impulse)
Bad Brains: I Against I 12" (SST)
Tyler, the Creator: Goblin 12" (XL)
Radiohead: The Bends 12" (XL)
David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust 12" (Parlophone)
Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die 2x12" (Rhino)
Napalm Death: Scum 12" (Earache)
Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy 12" (Rhino)
Dead Kennedys: In God We Trust, Inc. 12" (Manifesto)
La Dispute: Panorama 12" (Epitaph)
The Faint: Danse Macabre 12" (Saddle Creek)
Arctic Monkeys: AM 12" (Domino)
Buzzcocks: Time's Up 12" (Domino)
John Maus: Love Is Real 12" (Domino)
John Maus: Songs 12" (Domino)
John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves 12" (Domino)
Protomartyr: Relatives in Descent 12" (Domino)
Real Estate: Days 12" (Domino)