VONBRIGDI - Ó, Reykjavík 12"

Along with the NAPALM AD 12", I've been jamming this the most out of all my new acquisitions. For those who don't know, VONBRIGDI is a great Icelandic post-punk band from the early 80s. They only released one LP and one 7" EP back then, had one unreleased session from 1982, and were featured on a few compilations. This 12" compiles 7 tracks in total, pulled from sources other than their 2 official vinyl releases, and it's all really raw and strong stuff. Rather than listing comparisons I would rather just urge everyone to not think and just download. This is undoubtedly some of the coolest punk from the time period. 

Ó, Reykjavík

NAPALM A.D. 12"

Back in 2012 our longing for more TOTALITÄR was satisfied by INSTITUTION's Domen Är Satt LP. Not that all those TOTALITÄR 7"s and LPs ever get old or played out, but it's exciting to get slapped with new material featuring members of the original band, especially when it just sounds so much like TOTALITÄR. So this year we were presented with the brilliant and succinct NAPALM A.D. 12". The only information actually on this record is that it was recorded in 2012, and Poffen's signature manic vocal style gives him away as the singer. I actually flipped right past this disc months ago at MRR headquarters while digging through the new arrivals because I had heard no news of it, and the cover didn't grab my attention. Once I found out what it was, it proved to be impossible to mailorder in the States. Luckily I had my feelers out for it in Europe and managed to grab it at the always dangerous Static Shock Records in Berlin. Fingers crossed that these TOTALITÄR-related projects will keep churning out more releases! 

NAPALM A.D.

KUD IDIJOTI - Hoćemo Cenzuru EP

Found this one at a cool shop in Nuremberg. KUD IDIJOTI formed in Yugoslavia (Croatia specifically) in '81, and this is their third EP of brilliant melodic, anthemic punk. I can hear that the band has already greatly expanded on the basic UK punk foundation by this point, and the Balkan flair is undeniable. All 3 songs contain at least one huge hook that will bore its way into your conscience without you even noticing - indication of some classic punk tracks. I've got my eye out for the first 2 EPs and Bolivia R'N'R'!

Hoćemo Cenzuru EP

K.G.B. - Party-Sahne EP

Picked this EP up in Bielefeld at Bluesite Record Shop after an amazing hungover breakfast from Hannes and crew. His band GLOOM SLEEPER played their first show with us the night before to a packed room at the university. After the show we were directed to a bar where one of the local friendly punks fed us too many beers and delicious but destructive shots. Most people elsewhere in Germany acted surprised about our shining report of Bielefeld. Needless to say, I highly recommend stopping there on tour if you're playing in western Germany. 

On to the EP - I picked up K.G.B's (KEIN GRUND FÜR BERUHIGUNG) first album many years ago at one of my regular digging holes in Austin and I remember liking a few tracks on it, but there was too much "screwing around," or too many covers or something like that...I can't remember for sure. Party-Sahne was released in 1985 and is a perfect blend of classic Deutschpunk and melodic Swedish punk a la ASTA KASK. There are a few signature riffs, notably the dancey one on "Sekt Ist Kaltgestellt," that made this EP worth the 5 euro and repeated listens after the fact, even among the giant stack of records I brought home from Europe. Give it a try...

K.G.B - Party-Sahne

Vértigo - Demo Tape

I've been back from tour for almost two weeks now, I'm recovered from the jet-lag, and nearly recovered from the awful sickness that I believe was brought on by the jet-lag. Or was it just a continuation of the diarrhea I got the day before I flew back home?

Although I've neglected this blog for the majority of this year, I met a few folks over the course of my Euro travels that actually knew about MUSIC NOT NOIZE. And they wanted to talk to me about it! You can only imagine how reaffirming that was for me (and my ego), so here I am again, telling you all I'm going to try harder to do regular posts. 

I acquired tons of new music on my trip (thanks to the credit card), so I figured I'd share some of my favorite finds. To kick that off, I wanna shine some light on a newer band from Barcelona. We managed to check VERTIGO out a few days before our tour started. They opened for two really great bands from Berlin called LEVITATIONS and KENNY KENNY OH OH. Despite the guitars being pretty low and the bass being a bit loud, I was able to lock in on the vocal hooks and VERTIGO quickly swooped me off my feet. The demo exceeded my expectations, and I urge you all to give it a listen. The track "Vertigo" has a simply overwhelming feel to it, thanks to some thoughtful basslines and unbelievable vocal melodies. 

https://vertigopunk.bandcamp.com/

Yes, I realize it is not like me to simply direct you to a bandcamp page. In the past I always ripped and scanned my own releases. I will continue to do this in most cases. It makes more sense for me to direct you to online versions of current releases because: 

A. I don't have to spend all the time ripping/scanning stuff that probably sounds/looks better on their site. They've already done the work.

B. If possible, you can throw a few bucks their way to support them, because they're currently active and making an effort to reach out to you, the file downloader.