Brain Tourniquet: An Expression in Pain 12â (Iron Lung Records) While I donât listen to too much contemporary power violence, I was a big fan of Brain Tourniquetâs first two EPs. Their debut 12â, though, is something else, a record so distinctive and powerful that it transcends that microgenre. An Expression of Pain has a gritty recording that might remind you of the OG power violence classics and the songs feature blastbeats and sludgy slow parts, but everything about the way Brain Tourniquet deploys those elements is inventive and electric. Thatâs true from the recordâs first seconds, when the leadoff track, âLittle Children Working,â sounds like hell opening up and demons escaping, reminding me of early Swans with its relentless industrial rhythm. Much of An Expression of Pain recalls Black Flag when they were at their slowest and most musically adventurous, bending Sabbathâs lumbering rhythms against the fulcrum of free jazzâs deliberate evaporation of tonality. It is music that will make your skin crawl. Even when Brain Tourniquet indulges in power violenceâs familiar tempo dynamics, they subvert convention, and there isnât a moment on this record that feels cliche. Thatâs certainly true on the expansive, album-closing title track, whose 11 minutes feel like an aimless, sun-blistered stumble through the desert⌠it may leave you wondering whether you hallucinated that bass solo or it really happened. A real masterpiece, and exactly the forward-thinking yet brutal hardcore we want from Iron Lung Records.
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Record of the Week: Crucified Class: Promo 2023 cassette
Crucified Class: Promo 2023 cassette (Fresh Squeezed) Four songs of catchy hardcore punk from this new band from Portland. On first listen, Crucified Class reminded me of another double C band, Caustic Christ, and thatâs high praise from me! Like Caustic Christ, Crucified Classâs sound rides a line between US-style hardcore and UK82 punk, with the latterâs bouncy rhythms and hooky riffs delivered with the formerâs heaviness and brisk tempos. It reminds me of North American bands like Toxic Reasons that kind of sounded like UK bands, or UK bands like Ultra Violent that had US hardcore-style elements. I also hear lots of Poison Idea, which comes out both in the straightforward hardcore parts and the more rock and roll-ish riffing that pops up here and there. All four songs are a little different from one another, which I like, and the slightly hazy production is exactly what I want hardcore punk to sound like. Just listen to âMessage from a War CultâŚâ what a track! It goes from this kind of Killing Joke-meets oi! verse to a huge, anthemic chorus that reminds me of Direct Control fist-pumpers like âPlea for Peace,â and even makes room for a wah-wah guitar solo. It doesnât get much better than this, folks. Whatever this tape is promoting, count me in.
Record of the Week: Nag: Human Coward Coyote LP
Nag: Human Coward Coyote 12â (Convulse Records) Weâve been carrying records from Atlantaâs Nag since they released their first single in 2017, and over the years they have blossomed into a unique and compelling band. Iâve enjoyed every Nag record Iâve heard, but Human Coward Coyote feels like something new and special. While you can hear traces of the sound that landed them a coveted Total Punk single on tracks like âCamoflage,â Human Coward Coyote sounds unbound by genre. The chunky yet crystalline guitars make me think of 90s alternative rock, and the opener âPhangsâ is a semi-dirge that sounds like it could have come from the weirder fringes of the early 90s post-Nirvana underground. âQ Lazâ takes the menacing rattle of Wire and early Devo and bathes it in industrial gunk, arriving at something akin to the A Framesâ arty clatter, while the guitar lead at the end of âRepulsionâ sounds like a psychedelic come-down. There are also even more experimental tracks like âKismet,â an instrumental meditation centered on a menacing electronic pulse. So much punk rock gets by on speed, power, and energy, but Nag emphasizes atmosphere here, with delay-drenched guitars and disaffected, robotic vocals setting a scene fit for a 60s dystopian sci-fi novel. Human Coward Coyoteâs avoidance of big pop hooks might make it a grower, but the variety and richness of texture here keep your ears wanting more.
Record of the Week: Primitive Fucking Ballers: You Gotta Do Somethin' cassette
Primitive Fucking Ballers: You Gotta Do Somethinâ cassette (Earth Girl Tapes) Just last week I was writing about the Big, Big Wave compilation that documented the unlikely yet captivating punk scene in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and now that fertile scene gives us another Record of the Week. Presumably Primitive Fucking Ballers hadnât formed when they recorded the Big, Big Wave compilation, which is a testament to how Hattiesburg continues to kill it. The vibes on this Primitive Fucking Ballers tape remind me of the Fried E/M LP we all loved here at Sorry State⌠hardcore punk with a heavy Circle Jerks influence and a loose and nihilistic delivery thatâs drenched in swagger. That was enough to sell me right off the bat, but the more I listen to You Gotta Do Somethinâ, the more Iâm knocked out by the music, and the rhythm section in particular. The drumming here is nuts. The best way I can describe it is that itâs like Lucky Lehrer from the Circle Jerks filling in for Gauze. Like Gauze, the different parts of Primitive Fucking Ballersâ songs are often based on different grooves, but the drummer switches between them like theyâre changing channels on a TV, each section of the song locked in but very distinct from one another. And like Luckyâs drumming in the Circle Jerks, itâs lightning fast but bursting with intricate rhythmic accents. The bass playing is also great, a dry sound with lots of pluck to it, the deft picking finding tiny pockets of interesting rhythm even within the drumsâ relentless torrent. You Gotta Do Somethinâ is raw and vital, its unique mix of intricate conception and unfussy production as volatile and exciting as cold water splashed into hot oil.
Record of the Week: The Drin: Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom LP
The Drin: Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom 12â (Feel It Records) We named the Drinâs first album, Engines Sing for the Pale Moon, Record of the Week in March 2022, and now, less than a year later, their follow-up gets the same honor. The Drinâs first album had such an original voice I was worried some of its charm might have come from an idiosyncratic recording or some other chance confluence of factors. Turns out that wasnât the case, because Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom carries forward everything I liked about the debut. The Drinâs music still uniquely combines punk, dub reggae, and motorik rhythms filtered through the hazy, lo-fi aesthetics of early Guided by Voices. Iâm tempted to draw comparisons to PiLâs first two albums or Joy Divisionâs more droned-out, Neu!-inspired moments like âNo Love Lostâ or âIncubation,â but the lo-fi quality and the American-ness of the Drinâs music means those comparisons only go so far. But like those aforementioned bands, as well as the avant-punk/pop music Rough Trade Records released in their early years, pop isnât a huge part of the equation, yet the songs are catchy and hooky in their way⌠itâs just those hooks reside in the beefy bass lines and interesting drum rhythms. I also love how much stylistic ground the Drin covers on this record, from the straight up reggae of âEyes Only for Spaceâ to the motorik punk of âStonewallinââ (which sounds a lot like Joy Divisionâs âTransmissionâ) to âThat Day (Azoic),â the poppiest and most vocal-forward song on the album. Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom is a gripping record from start to finish, and an essential listen for anyone whose tastes veer into the experimental fringes of the punk diaspora.
Record of the Week: Speed Plans: Statues of God LP
Speed Plans: Statues of God 12â (Iron Lung Records) Weâve carried several releases from Pittsburghâs Speed Plans over the past few years, but if you havenât checked them out until now, youâve arrived to the party just in time. Statues of God is the record you want. I keep seeing the Reposâ name thrown around in relation to this record. Admittedly, that didnât occur to me right off the bat⌠instead, I heard similarities to 80s bands like Negative FX, early Agnostic Front, and Youth of Today. But now that I think about it, this sounds a lot like the Repos. Which is to say they sound like the 80s bands I mentioned, but touches like the harmonized guitar leads in âClevelandâ could be deliberate homages to the Repos. I fucking love the Repos (I think I have every single one of their records, which is no mean feat) and I love this, but I donât think you need to love the Repos in order to love Speed Plans. Itâs just a raw, rampaging, nihilistic hardcore punk record, and even though Iâve been listening to this stuff for decades, it still sounds fresh and urgent to me. Maybe thatâs because Iâm boring or that my tastes arenât that adventurous, but I prefer to think itâs because Speed Plans is just that good.
Record of the Week: The Cool Greenhouse: Sod's Toastie LP
The Cool Greenhouse: Sodâs Toastie 12â (Melodic Records) While I try to keep my writing for the Sorry State newsletter snappy, writing about the new album from the Cool Greenhouse, one of my favorite bands in the world, feels like an appropriate time to surrender to my natural tendency toward verbosity. If you havenât heard the Cool Greenhouse before, their songs are very witty and lyrically dense, often analyzing the absurdities of todayâs world and frequently causing me to literally LOL. Their music covers a wide stylistic swath, but they are followers of the Fall who have absorbed the three Rs, and their emphasis on repetition keeps the focus on the lyrics, which are the star of the show. The Cool Greenhouse is quirky and isnât for everyone (especially if you donât have a taste for things that are very British), but if you want to check them out, I encourage you to do so. This album, Sodâs Toastie, is a fine starting point, though their single âAlexaâ is my favorite track, and I also rate the Crap Cardboard Pet EP highly. If youâre already a fan of TCG, as I am, the question is: how does Sodâs Toastie stack up against their discography so far? My first impression was that itâs quite dark. While TCG hasnât shied away from the bleaker corners of reality on their previous releases (see, for instance, â4chanâ from their first album), Sodâs Toastie lingers on downer vibes that make me wonder, âTom, are you OK?â The title track is super depressing (though also hilarious), and âY.O.L.H.â and âI Lost My Headâ are also palpably bleak. After spending some time digesting Sodâs Toastie, though, I hear a lot of variation. âMusiciansâ and âGet Unjadedâ are both musically (if not lyrically) joyous, and âThe Next Stage of Destinyâ and âThe Neoprene Ravineâ are so acid-fried that itâs hard to figure out where they fall on the emotional register. Another thing that sticks out about Sodâs Toastie is its mix of home-recorded and full-band tracks. Who knows if this pattern will hold, but so far the Cool Greenhouseâs singles and EPs have been home productions that relied heavily on synths and drum machines, while their first album from 2020 featured a full-band lineup. Sodâs Toastie mixes the two approaches, and it works. I think the first album missed Tomâs home recording style, which has just as much character as his lyrics, but I also think the band has come into their own on Sodâs Toastie. âGet Unjadedâ and âThe Neoprene Ravineâ are brilliant, the band on fire. While there are scores of bands who take inspiration from the Fall, the Cool Greenhouse seems to have cracked the code on how they wrote and arranged songs, sounding like the Fall without sounding like theyâre imitating them, if that makes sense. I dare say âGet Unjadedâ could hold its own on This Nationâs Saving Grace, and âThe Neoprene Ravineâ would fit onto Dragnet. While those are the big patterns I noticed on Sodâs Toastie, in my mind, the big picture gets overshadowed by the relentless barrage of memorable moments. For me, those include: the Wizard of Oz moment in âMusiciansâ when the song transitions from the spare home recording of its first section to the lush, Fela Kuti-inspired full band section; the bit about cello tape that starts âSodâs Toastie;â when Tom shouts âguitar solo!â in âGet Unjadedâ and then launches into a keyboard solo; the backwards guitar effects in âSodâs Toastie;â the whole of the vinyl-only bonus track âThe Next Stage of Destiny,â a surreal drone whose lyrics are a nonsensical string of cliches delivered by the guy who voices movie trailers; the way Tom hangs on the line âtoo busy sucking on my little green ding dongâ in âThe Neoprene Ravine;â the end of âSodâs Toastie,â when the song seems like itâs going to go on forever, but ends abruptly; the following line from âGet Unjaded:â âI think I can still see joy in people / the way you can still see the ghosts of dinosaurs in birds.â Listing these moments makes me realize that, while most of the hardcore and punk I listen to is geared toward creating albums and EPs that carry a stable vibe through multiple tracks, The Cool Greenhouse feeds my love of the song. There are plenty of my favorite records where I couldnât tell you the titles of the songs, but I donât have that problem with TCG⌠every song is its own universe, with a unique central conceitâa raison d'ĂŞtreâand a wealth of details that make it come alive, like a musical version of speculative fiction. In summation, Sodâs Toastie is another brilliant record by a brilliant group. Hereâs hoping the Cool Greenhouse follows the Fallâs lead and has a long career with a sprawling discography packed with stunners like Sodâs Toastie.
Record of the Week: Inferno Personale: In Ira Veritas
Inferno Personale: In Ira Veritas 12" (Symphony of Destruction Records) In Ira Veritas is the debut record from this band based in Bremen, Germany, but featuring punk expatriates from all over the world, including Italy, Colombia, Germany, and Argentina. Scarecrow played with Inferno Personale on the first night of our European tour last summer, and they peeled back our collective faces⌠they were so raw, intense, and explosive. Thus, I had an idea of what was coming with In Ira Veritas, but even having seen the band, it did not prepare me for how stunning this record is. Inferno Personale features a member of Muro, and they have that way of maintaining an overwhelming level of intensity I associate with Muro and other contemporary Colombian punk bands like Uzi, Systema, and Primer Regimen. Iâm not sure how all these bands pull it off, but their music sounds like itâs being wrenched from deep within them, a primal howl that reaches the primitive parts of my brain. Iâve seen Inferno Personale described as a crasher crust band, and while some moments (like, for instance, the album-closer, âMonologueâ) summon that subgenreâs blur of intensity, what keeps me coming back to In Ira Veritas is how much compelling music Inferno Personale squeezes in amongst the constant bashing. The albumâs cover art is an obvious nod to Wretchedâs second album, La Tua Morte Non Aspetta, and it fuses that recordâs subtle musicality with the raw intensity of Wretchedâs earlier recordings. In Ira Veritas is littered with memorable licks and riffs, dramatic rhythmic shifts, and throat-ripping howls. Like D-Cloneâs Creation and Destroy or Confuseâs Indignation, itâs one of those rare records that grabs you by the throat with its intensity, but has the depth, subtlety, and originality to keep you flipping it over. Throw it in a beautifully illustrated, screen-printed jacket that will make the print nerds drool, and you have an irresistible package.
Record of the Week: The Massacred: Post-Mortem 7"
The Massacred: Post-Mortem 7â (Active-8 Records) Active-8 Records brings us the debut EP from this UK82-style band from Boston. While Post-Mortem is the first Massacred recording to get wide distribution and the band has no online presence, Iâve had the sense theyâve been bubbling up for a while now. I saw them in New York last summer and they were shockingly good, playing with the power and confidence you typically only see from well-seasoned bands. Their vinyl debut continues the pattern, confidently executing a fully formed vision. As I mentioned, the Massacred plays UK82-style punk, and while it would be appropriate to compare them with the Partisans, Skeptix, or Ultra Violent, the band the Massacred makes me think of is the Exploited, but without the goofy shit and if every single track was as good as their best ones. The band is on fire, and while their songs might have a straightforward and traditional framework, theyâre executed in a way that maintains the highest level of intensity without wavering for a fraction of a second. In particular, I canât get over the guitar playing. Thereâs nothing flashy about it, but itâs a relentless barrage of lightning-fast picking thatâs flawless without sounding robotic⌠though they donât sound like them, the way the Massacred approaches playing their music makes me think of the almighty Out Cold. The Massacred has put as much care and attention to detail into the design and presentation of Post-Mortem as they put into the music, too. I love that, rather than the 2 and 3-song singles that were de rigueur in the UK82 world, Post-Mortem features 8 tracks at 33rpm, and like the early Dischord and Touch and Go 7âs it seems to be modeled on, it feels more like an album than a single. The packaging design is also perfect. As with the Public Trust record Active-8 released a few years ago, holding Post-Mortem in your hands conjures a similar excitement to many of my favorite early 80s punk artifacts. This just rules in every way.
Record of the Week: The Annihilated: Submission to Annihilation LP
The Annihilated: Submission to Annihilation 12â (self-released) Weâve been eagerly anticipating new music from Londonâs the Annihilated ever since we heard their demo tape in early 2020. That was one of our favorite releases of that year, and Submission to Annihilationis exactly the follow-up weâve been waiting for. The Annihilatedâs sound is fast and jagged, with a dark and desperate vibe that reminds me of Black Flagâs Damaged. Bobby, the Annihilatedâs singer, has an early Rollins-esque bark, but the music is mega-fast Koro-influenced US-style hardcore that might remind you of killer recent Texas bands like Nosferatu and Save Our Children. As with Koro, the Annihilated has a way of taking hooks (particularly catchy guitar riffs, but vocals, bass, and drums each have plenty of time in the spotlight too) and compressing them into dangerously unstable, hyper-dense cores of sound, this instability further emphasized by the bandâs loose and swingy playing style. If any of the above references pique your interest, check this out right away⌠itâs scorching, not an ounce of fat in its svelte but substantial 19-minute running length. And kudos for putting together packaging for the physical version that stands out from the crowd, with a fold-out poster sleeve on yellow paper thatâs packed with EC Comics-influenced pen-and-ink illustrations, ransom note lettering (the real stuff, not a font), and high-contrast photo collages. Yes, itâs on the nose, but nothing about Submission to Annihilation feels cliche. Itâs as urgent and invigorating as the best hardcore from any era.
Record of the Week: Silence: End of This Flesh cassette
Silence: End of This Flesh cassette (self-released) Demo tape from this new d-beat band from Los Angeles. The Anti-Cimex influence is potent here, and when Silence keeps the songwriting super straightforward and the singer goes full Jonsson, they sound almost exactly like them. Cimex worship isnât the only trick in Silenceâs book, though, as other songs are more complex, both in terms of the metallic riffing (a little more on the Broken Bones / English Dogs end of the spectrum) and the nimble rhythmic changes, which is something I associate with bands on Totalitärâs branch of the family tree. A couple of real nerds could have an in-depth conversation about whether this is mangel, käng, d-takt, rĂĽpunk, or some combination thereof. The playing is super tight, but the recording is raw, sounding (as so many of my favorite records do), like a great band recorded in a minimal but functional way. Every song is unique, but powerful. A killer hardcore punk demo.
Record of the Week: Nightfeeder: Cut All of Your Face Off LP
Nightfeeder: Cut All of Your Face Off 12â (self-released) The debut LP from Seattleâs Nightfeeder, the enigmatically titled Cut All of Your Face Off, came out back in August, but the first edition disappeared so quickly that it was gone before we told you how much it fucking rules. Now itâs back in stock, and I wonât let this second chance pass me by: this record fucking rules! For the past week Iâve been reflecting on what makes Cut All of Your Face Off such a great record, and the comparison that keeps coming to mind is Tragedy. Not so much because Nightfeeder sounds like Tragedy, but rather itâs how the record hits against the background of other stuff Iâve been listening to. Before Tragedy got popular, there was this steady background hum of post-Discharge hardcore bands that was fine, but the scene seemed like it was in a rut. Then the first Tragedy LP came out gave everything a shot in the arm, bringing in some different influences, more dynamics, and more ambitious and interesting songwriting. People latched on, and not only did Tragedy get big, but the entire scene got a shot in the arm. I feel a similar way about Cut All of Your Face Off. There are so many d-beat-type hardcore bands out there right now, and while I love the sound and style, many of the bands are fairly one-dimensional, at least compared to something like this record. Nightfeeder can rip with the best of them (see âAmoral Minorityâ or âAnd Now We Dieâ), but thereâs so much more here, from the epic riffing of tracks like âAsylumâ and âBurialâ (seriously⌠these are fucking RIFFS!) to the Inepsy-style charge of âThe Reaperâs Yieldâ to the anthemic street punkiness of âIâm a Letdown.â I remember listening to this record for the first time and being thrilled by each track as it appeared, each one adding new wrinkles to Nightfeederâs rich yet uncompromising sound. Cut All of Your Face Off is one of the best punk records of 2022, so if you didnât get it the first time, donât miss your second chance.
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