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