While flipping through the mounds of flyers I've accumulated over the years, I realized they're not really doing anyone any good smushed between LPs on the shelf. I thought, why not start scannign and share with the world?? So I created a blog on Tumblr called Flyerz Not Noize. Check it. Music Not Noize is not don't, don't worry. Just starting new projects to keep things fresh.
If you ever get the record-digging bug in Warsaw I highly recommend making your way over to a store called Hey Joe. Its a stuffy and cramped space the size of a long narrow window display, and is packed with vinyl. It's a bit pricey, but you an find tons of European punk from the last couple decades - especially Eastern European and Balkan. We all dropped a fat stack of zloty! I was able to cross a couple records off my Polish punk wants, one of which was this cool second single from ŚMIERĆ KLINICZNA. This single sees them frantic and snotty, staying away from any notions of reggae. Complex drum work and a sax on "A.s.p." adds a jazz element to the basic punk structure and attitude. The flip is mostly straight-forward punk, but not forgetting to include some twists to set them apart from the rest.
I hope you all don't hate me for not providing downloads for the "Random Shelf Pull" series. I needed a new format for posting without going through all the treacherous tasks of ripping files, scanning, photographing, resizing, etc. I know, "wah wah." I spent a little time ripping some records today to win you back...
I'm grateful for my sweet and thoughtful friends. Especially when they know my musical tastes well and go out of their way to gift me great rare records! This thing is limited to 100 copies and is a one-sided 12". Despite the fact that I find both of those details to be ridiculous and unfortunate, this record totally kills. If you're like me, you have only heard the disheveled and incoherent SKJIT-LARS track from the Welcome To 1984 compilation. This release shows the Norwegian punk wacko spurting forth 15 amazing, short, and catchy as fuck hardcore punk tracks, all recorded between 1981-1985. It's not so much in the tradition of the Norwegian bands you may be thinking of, but more akin to Swedish punk Gods MISSBRUKARNA. Bits of experimentation spice up the calamity but don't distract from the urgency. Many thanks to my friend Arndt for this!
It's easy to get distracted by how amazing "Girl On The Run" is, but this whole EP is so interesting and solid. "Porno Grows" relies on unconventional rhythms that almost have a Latino flair, topped off by piano tinkling and Honey Bane's youthful perspective of porn in London. We can all relate to "Boring Conversations" - pretty straight-forward. Essential CRASS release.
Sometimes being an avid record collector/enthusiast makes it hard to choose what to listen to. I'm one of those freaks who requires music to be playing about 95% of the time I'm at home, and the wall of records sort of blurs my ability to choose what to play, so I often just select something at random and throw it on. This trick has produced an array of results, from rediscovering a long-forgotten classic, to a first time discovery of a brilliant record that got filed too early, to a record that I actually just don't like that much and is occupying precious space in our living room. OR, sometimes I simply throw the record on and walk off to go cook, clean, make the bed (which I'm pretty bad at remembering to do), and forget to pay attention to the sounds. What a waste, right? Waste of awesome sounds, I mean. So I'm borrowing Greg's idea of writing a little something about each random pull to engage more with my collection. That's what the vinyl record is all about right?
First pull is the fucking brilliant second album from 1986 by the legendary Chicago-based ARTICLES OF FAITH. It's quite a bit more melodic and has a "softer" feel that their earlier works, but retains an extremely high level of intensity. I was 3 years old when In This Life was made, but I've done a lot of "research" over the years and it seems to me that this record is an incredible anomaly of its time. The arrangement and pulse of "Doesn't Have To Be That Way" is challenging and curious, but still manages to hook you in and make you believe it's totally natural. I hear pure honesty and intuition, which creates a sound that was a result of a special evolution and can't be copied. Few voices in punk can match Vic Bondi's. This is also one of the key punk LPs that reminds me how important melody is to me, and consistently pulls me away from the atonal and nihilistic end of the spectrum of punk/hardcore. I'd never let this one go!
When you're in Barcelona and you're desperately digging the bins, trying to turn up something exciting, you definitely pick up something that looks like this for 6 Euros. A few days prior, on our first entry to a record store of the whole trip, my travel-mates and I stumbled upon an original PARALISIS PERMANENTE Al Acto LP, ESKORBUTO Eskizofrenia 1987 LP pressing, DESORDEN Generacion Kaos LP, each for 12 euros or less. So I already had the record-scoring fever boiling through me and felt lucky. This ZARAMA single, from Discos Suicidas circa 1983, isn't particularly as exciting as the CODIGO NEUROTICO EP I'd hoped to find, but I knew nothing about it and it's actually a pretty cool discovery. "Zaramaren Erdian" is like an upbeat POLICE song fueled by power-pop-punk. The B side is a little more tame and ska influenced, but its catchiness actually makes it worthwhile for a flip every once an a while. The A side will be a new mix tape staple for sure.
I always liked EA80's tracks on Keine Experimente II and other compilations, but I only started really paying attention the last few years. They have a huge catalog of self-released albums dating back to 1982, and they're utterly impossible to find here in the states. I had a German friend make me an MP3 CD-R with like 6 EA80 albums while I was in Germany a few years ago, and it was just so dense that I couldn't dedicate the time to it, especially on that format. Ebay (tisk, I know) and Discogs have been useful resources for finding a few of their records, but they don't pop up that often and I'm not made of money. The more I discuss this band with German friends, the more they convince me that EA80 is one of the most important bands in the history of German punk, and I'm missing out on the brilliance of their lyrics because I don't know the language. Luckily this gem was reissued right before I come to Europe and it was fairly easy to grab a copy. The extra 7" is included in the download file. Simply unmatched, passionate, unique punk.
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