ZOLGE - Crisis My Guest LP

Bought this very interesting LP on a whim in LA a few years ago based solely on the art and Dogma label. It's kinda hard to pin down what the hell ZOLGE was aiming for here - at times it's fast punk with good energy, and then they step on the breaks for some melodic and dark glam-ish moments. Gloom and spunk interact and collide throughout keeping this one of the coolest and most unpredictable Japanese punk records I've heard from the 80's. 

ZOLGE

NO SIDE - Depressing Day EP (and fuck Thanksgiving!)

First thing's first: it's Thanksgiving, so fuck colonialism, blind tradition, Black Friday/Thursday mass-marketing capitalist distractions, and perverted mass-murder of animals for human consumption. Take a moment out of your day to try to identify all oppressors and the oppressed linked to national holidays like today. This hasn't typically been a political blog per se, but when I look out my window on holidays and notice how different the streets look than a normal day, I can't help but ponder over the whole thing and analyze its essence. As my very brilliant girlfriend would say, "I'm on one" today....

On to the noise! I mean music...This one's a tiny bit noisy in the guitar department, but it's the catchy and driving hardcore sound that hooks me on this EP. I'm assuming that NO SIDE is named after the essential LP by country-mates THE COMES, and they wear the name well. Possibly passed over by the hordes of punkers seeking out clones of the FRAMTID/CONFUSE/DISCLOSE ilk, this is a perfect Japanese hardcore EP and you should abandon whatever bullshit Thanksgiving nonsense you're doing at the moment and crank this fucker. 

NO SIDE EP

MIDNIGHT Demo 2002

No, not the gimmicky and predictable metal-punk band from Cleveland. This is the bleak, heavy, and powerful hardcore band (with a shot '00s crust) from Portland Oregon. While many bands of this style or simply bands from PDX got plenty of attention throughout the last decade, this one somehow got overlooked. Perhaps because of the format? Or maybe they were short lived and didn't play out much? Well I assure you this is top notch punk from an all star cast of folks from bands like FROM ASHES RISE, LEBENDEN TOTEN, HELLSHOCK, LIMPWRIST, and FUNERAL. "Life Enhanced" stands out to me on here as the leading track, despite it's not-so-straight-forward rhythms, which I usually avert from. The other four songs gallop at a faster pace and feature stellar riffs, as well as the appropriate weaving of guitar melodies. Brie's vocals are desperate and massively angry sounding. A demo not to be forgotten..

MIDNIGHT

V/A - SAMTREST: Ex-USSR tape

This is quite a collection of punk, hardcore, noise, experimental, and thrash from all over the ex-Soviet Union: Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia are all represented here. Lovingly compiled and duplicated by a fine punk in Latvia, this tape exhibits an impressive selection of unknown bands, only two of which I'd heard of previously (A.INVAZIJA and TURBO REANMACIJA). Once I decided to sit down and commit to getting through the whole thing, it was an enlightening and enjoyable journey. If you've got patience, an open mind, and a passion for purely raw and obscure punk, this tape is a fucking goldmine. 

SAMTREST

Also worth noting- I accidentally ripped side B first, so the file begins with the right column on the tracklist above. All titles in the Cyrillic alphabet have been just labeled as "Cyrillic" in the file becasue I simply do not know how to type it. 

V/A - GBG Hardcore - 81 Punk 85 CD

A phenomenal document of 14 hardcore/punk bands from the early 80's in Göteborg, Sweden. Apparently this came with a zine, which I unfortunately do not have but would love to see. Many of the recordings seem to be alternate demo or live versions, or simply from rare records such as the ABSURD EP. Styles range from the familiar classic Swedish d-beat hardcore masters ANTI CIMEX and DISARM, to the catchy and upbeat sing-along punk of BUMSEN MUSS MAN and GBG PUNX. Particularly compelling to me are: 

1. the seemingly live DISARM tracks (it takes a few seconds for the person at the mixing board to get the levels right, but once they do it's devastating! Those vocals!). 2. The single track by INJEKTION is insanely catchy, but I mostly love it for the maniacal laughter at the end. 3. Three perfect crude blasts from youngsters NISSES NOTTER, especially the burp that kicks off "Pissefjong." 4. The tuneful TROUBLMAKERS tracks with undeniable swagger and unforgettable choruses! 

An overall essential collection!

GBG HARDCORE

SUBVERSION EP 7"

Dis-jointed (pun intended) hardcore from Belgium, recorded in 1983. This is a rare 7" collection of all their recorded material from compilations, released by Game Of The Arseholes in '08. Six d-beat rippers in the rawest tradition of DISCHARGE! 

 SUBVERSION EP

REJESTRACJA MRR Interview 1986

I just got back from a week-long trip to Portland, and am feeling a little unprepared and unmotivated to do a normal post. So to piggyback on the REJESTRACJA post from earlier this week, I'm sharing this cool one-page interview with them scanned from MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL issue # 39, Aug. 1986! I'll be back to normal posting asap, promise!

DOWLOAD IT HERE

V/A - Russian Punk

This one's shrouded in mystery due to lack of a track listing, but aside from a couple stinkers there's some cool stuff on here. It was among a ton of other ex-Soviet era punk tapes I bought off an old tape trader who needed to make some space. One funny thing is, nearly every track on here sounds like it has electronic drums! Most of it is on the faster and more hardcore, or sometimes metallic side of the spectrum. For the ambitious downloader...

RUSSIAN PUNK 

REJESTRACJA - Live Kwiecień 1986

This is some kind of old tape-trader copy of a great live set from this classic Polish punk band. Interesting song arrangements, commanding vocal chants, and an all-consuming reverbed guitar sound. This band never did a "proper" studio recording, but this material stands pretty strong on it's own. A shame though, because REJESTRACJA were incredible and unique sounding, and are considered one of the most monumental Polish punk bands. 

REJESTRACJA

KAFKA PROSESS - Live 1987

More live KAFKA PROSESS; same venue as the previous post, but a year later. Notable moments on here: one untitled track that I haven't heard recorded anywhere else - and a boss 7 SECONDS cover! I think I prefer the set I posted from 1986, it's a little more intense, but this one's still great and essential for my fellow Norwegian HC/Euro HC fanatics! 

KAFKA PROSESS Live '87

KAFKA PROSESS - Live 1986

A special post of rare stuff today from the almighty KAFKA PROSESS, live at the legendary Danish squat, gifted to me by the same friend who gave me the live SVART FRAMTID stuff I shared before. I shouldn't need to hype this up much more or explain what will happen when you downloadi it. A few notable things - the instrumental intro rules and builds up the energy for the set perfectly, only to have a technical difficulty with a guitar interrupt it all. AND  "Ingen Vits a Grate" is not on their Skuld discography LP, and I never heard it anywhere before I got this CD-R. Sound quality is pretty great throughout this whole recording. 

KAFKA PROSESS Live '86

PARAF - Izleti LP

I don't share much post punk or new wave stuff on here, so you may not know of my affinity with such sounds. PARAF's second album is a big departure from their preceding single and album of raw catchy '77 style punk, but it's no less amazing. Here they've added a strong woman vocalist and switched their sound to more darkwave/post punk, complete with vibrant keyboard lines. They are considered one of Croatia's classic punk bands, so if you haven't heard them and don't mind starting with the dark post-punk/wave material, this one's the best! Also, if anyone has a copy of the Fini Dečko / Tužne Uši single for fair  price/trade, I'm in need of the vinyl only - I have a sleeve and a cracked disc! 

PARAF - IZLETI LP

J.M.K.E. - Kylmälle Maalle LP

I don't mean to brag, but man, I have had some incredible record-scoring luck lately. MUSIC NOT NOIZE will surely be the best way for me to obsess over and share my findings of the last weeks, especially in the case of today's post. I walked into Amoeba Records in SF today for the first time in ages and pulled this monster out of the new arrivals bin - straight from the top bracket of my (mental) wantlist, the elusive first LP by Estonian punk pioneers J.M.K.E.! Not the type of thing you expect to pull out of a bin on the other side of the globe from its origin! The music is lively and upbeat, surging with melodies of the East and brimming with stories from a radical mind in a cold and guarded place. This album came out right on the cusp of Estonia's independence from the Soviet rule, but that spirit isn't the only reason to appreciate this LP - the sounds just croon, move, build, and explode all the way through. It's really the sound of an isolated group of punks expressing and releasing all of their thoughts and emotions in a maelstrom of punk brilliance! 

JMKE LP

A story from the label guy

Love this label!