BG ROCK 1 - CONTROL/NEW GENERATION LP

As requested by Miso from the excellent Muzika Komunica blog, here's the first installment of the BG Rock series on state run Bulgarian label Balkanton. CONTROL seem to be one of the most exciting and influential punk bands from Bulgaria. They play mostly fast driving tunes with bouncy drums with catchy guitar riffs, and a keyboard blended in the mix to give it more depth. They remind me a little of some 80's Polish punk - like a poppier ARMIA. 

BG ROCK 1 - CONTROL/NEW GENERATION LP

NEW GENERATION have a more new wave sound, with many influences creeping in. I don't really know how to describe them, or how to convey their importance to the Bulgarian punk history, so once again I've pulled a excerpt from Ivailo Tonchev's Bulgarian scene report, because he just says it best...Enjoy this rarity! Oh, and if there are any other Bulgarian punk/new wave enthusiasts out there - I can't find the BG Rock 4 - Atlas/Class split!!! Any help??

A band that really stands out here is NEW GENERATION. I suppose I will need at least 20 articles like this to be able to describe them, one of my favorite ever bands. They described their style as "cold wave" yet it was really diverse in sound, probably the closest comparison will be JOY DIVISION. They started in 1985 as WOTZEK AND CHUGRA and this was one of the many projects of these brilliant musicians/artists... Other projects as KALE, ABSOLIUTNO NACINAESTI, VHOD B, LAKSHMI OT NAPISCHIM are also worth mentioning. These projects were quite varied musically... from goth-sounding wave up to minimalist improvisations. As KALE they took part in the first rock festival in Sofia, where they were officially thrown out with the help of the police. Something was really scaring the people around this band, they were too extreme and too radical for our short minded scene back then. They were the first to put out their underground films, to form their FAN CLUB (which was not T-Shirts, autographed pictures... but a serious communion between like-minded people). They didn't get enough recognition in their early years, at least I fear the scene wasn't grown up enough to understand their message, people found them too "weird" and too dark, yet this is what I love so much about them! Well, they were well accepted back then by most of the people in the scene, but I yet think not that many people understood what it was all about. They released a split LP with CONTROL in '89, a CD as a posthumous "best of" in '98, and countless tape releases, mostly spread though their fanclub. They split up around 1992 after the death of their leader/songwriter D.Voev. It was a sad event back in those days.

BG ROCK 3 - MILENA/REVIEW LP

Today I bring you a rare  LP from the dawn of the Bulgarian new wave/punk movement. I became obsessed with REVIEW's track from the Bulgarian Archives comp EP a while back, and since i can never seem to be satiated, I made it my mission to track this down. Don't expect raging hardcore or familiar punk angst here; this is something totally different. The REVIEW side is a mix of new wave and what I can only assume is a traditional Balkan sound - really unique and mostly incredibly catchy. The MILENA side is the singer from REVIEW's solo project, and honestly is as pretty far away from punk as you'll ever see on this blog. It's pretty much just radio pop or something, but I felt it necessary to include it for completeness's sake. Below I've included Bulgarian punk scene veteran Ivailo Tonchev's account of the bands...

BG ROCK 3 - MILENA/REVIEW LP

REVIEW bore the only female punk STAR (?) here - MILENA. REVIEW did a great LP of gloomy wave/punk, the first underground film movie "WATERFALL MANAGER" and split up. Later on there was a tape released by DS music. MILENA was their vocalist, quite fascinating with her mohawk and her unique dressing style. Sadly the 90's fucked her a lot. She did one great and extremely hard to be found LP, where she was supported by the musicians of ERA ("HA HA") and later on turned to glam rock, metal or now she's into crossover... ok, she was, as I saw her last summer and she had again ripped a new style, this time sort of acoustic rock... kinda boring, huh...

BACTERIA - Cassette

BACTERIA form Portland released this sole cassette sometime in the early 00's. These 10 lovingly-crafted hardcore tunes summon a combination of DEATHREAT, ECONOCHRIST, and POISON IDEA - nuanced by killer unpredictable basslines, breathless negative hollering, overflowing guitars, and a straight-ahead punchy/steady drumbeat. Ready for the "members-of" list? Ok: ILEGAL, BOMBS AWAY, WARCRY, LEBENDEN TOTEN (both of their drummers!), HELLSHOCK, ESTRANGED, etc..
Shouldn't need to say much else, eh? Download and tear up your house. 

BACTERIA Tape

I wanted to type out the lyrics to "Bacteria," but I gotta catch the train to Oakland - just check em out on the wonderful scan...

ANTI-SYSTEM / MORBID HUMOUR Split EP

Such a perfect little split for today's post! I believe the two bands shared a member or two, but MORBID HUMOUR was sadly short-lived. Their material on here is two blended-together tracks of pleading, desperate anarcho-punk, which were also featured on the "Daffodils To the Daffodils Here's the Daffodils" comp LP along with one extra track. Such a shame they didn't do more, as their offering totally wins the split in my book (as does their artwork!) Not-so-fun-fact: according to Ian Glasper's book "The Day the Country Died," the bassist later went to prison for stabbing his girlfriend to death! Yeesh!

ANTI-SYSTEM / MORBID HUMOUR

The two ANTI-SYSTEM tracks are featured on their debut "No Laughing Matter" LP. They were one of the more ferocious hardcore-styled bands to come out of the early 80's anarcho scene. Completely blazing! It's rare to have such a consistently great split record in which the two bands are so similar in their intention and awesomeness, while being so different in sound, and still serving as a great pair-up. Solid split, and hard to come by.

V/A - "Sons Of A Bitch 2" Cassette (Latvian punk)

Full-on assault of 21 of the earliest, most primitive hardcore punk bands from Latvia! Let me just come clean by saying I do not know the (probably fascinating) history of Latvian punk, and this tape was among many others like it in a box of tapes (that also rule, but I have little info about) I got from a dorky ex-tape trader. Some of the material on here is really fucking innovative and angry, and surely must be an authentic reaction to the then-recent independence from Soviet rule (1994 Russian troops withdrew, according to Wiki). If this was a Japanese comp, there would certainly be a much stronger hype for it, and more of you would download it....but all you should need to know is that this is raw and fierce as hell! All tracks are "taken from demos and live records 1993-1995," according to the liner notes. Some of my faves: SMOGS,  DILONIS, 33-X ΛETHИЙ ЛOДOHOK, ORGASM FAKERS, and THE ANGELS & LITTLE FROGS.

V/A - SONS OF A BITCH 2

As I listen to this while examining the J card layout, I fear that documents like this are nearly extinct and obsolete due to this very medium that I'm using to share this tape....let's hope we can continue to document things in their "pure" forms as well as on the internet, so all this important material doesn't get lost in a galaxy-sized sea of 0's and 1's.

Interested in more Latvian punk like I am? You should visit my buddy Miso's blog - here - as he seems to know a good deal of Latvian punk (and lots of other rare stuff from that part of the world), and this website also has lots of info on Latvian punk. Also, does anyone out there have "Sons Of A Bitch 1"?

PARALISIS INFANTIL - DEMO '87

My knowledge about punk/hardcore from Argentina is fairly scant, aside from the Invasion 88 compilation and bands like LOS VIOLADORES and MASSACRE PALESTINA, so when I caught wind of this reissue, I had to check it out. It's so shocking to hear stuff like this and consider that it hasn't gotten a proper release until 2012, because it's so fucking excellent - leagues above most new releases by current bands in my opinion. The guitar lead on "Hijos De Burgueses" puts it in the same camp as "all time best punk songs," much like "Secret Police" by NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS, or "Kids of the Black Hole" by ADOLESCENTS, etc...Purists/collectors should still be able to track this EP down somewhere, as it was only released a few months ago. Great melodic punk to kick off the week!

PARALISIS INFANTIL - DEMO '87

SOGLIA DEL DOLORE - Verde EP

Here's one I always wanted to track down, and finally managed to pick up when I was in Berlin last summer.  SOGLIA DEL DOLORE was from Italy (Sicily maybe?) and this is their sole release form 1985. Very interesting and cool anarcho-punk with some experimental elements sprinkled throughout. The fold-out cover clearly indicates inspiration from the CRASS camp from the years just before, and the sounds also reflect the impossible-to-pin-down distinctions common through the early 80's anarcho stuff. Sometimes it's a mess, sometimes it's accidentally tighter, but most importantly it contains the element of punk magic and spirit that can't be faked, positioning this EP among the 80's Italian essentials! 

SOGLIA DEL DOLORE EP

Sorry, I was too lazy to scan the foldout lyrics/poster, but if anyone is interested, I'll happily add more images!

Адаптация (Adaptation) - Джут Cassette

Hey, how but some punk from Kazakhstan today? Why not?
All I can tell you about ADAPTATION is that they formed in 1992 by the core member Ermen Erzhanov, and followed in the socially protesting footsteps of GRAZHDANSKAYA OBORONA. The music also really reflects the sound of GROB - heartfelt, moody, melancholic  and with that beautiful Russian crooning. Don't be frightened by the 8-minute first track - just allow yourself to get  hypnotized by the steady beat, swirling guitar lines, and desperate vocals, and time doesn't even matter. Then the songs only get better from there, but decide for yourself. Amazing tape - especially on a rainy or sad day.

Адаптация - Джут

JOYCE MCKINNEY EXPERIENCE - Joyce Offspring LP

I've been having trouble staying on top of this blog lately. I feel like infrequent posts = infrequent visitors, so I'm gonna try and kick it into high gear for the next week, starting with this criminally under appreciated album by JOYCE MCKINNEY EXPERIENCE from the UK. Avid readers of "Music Not Noize" (assuming there are any...) may recall my term for the SOFA HEAD LP I posted a while back - "post-anarcho." This one seems to fit neatly in that category as well, for a lot of the same reasons as SOFA HEAD. JME stands out primarily for their phenomenal dual front-women harmonizing/trade-off vocal dynamic. The multiple front-person vocal thing is usually a bad idea, and is really hard to pull off, and though I never actually saw JME, it really works well on their records. In addition to this LP they released a 7", 12" EP, and some stuff on compilations, but I think this is easily their finest and only essential material. Expect melodic, catchy, smart, gritty, rambunctious punk, fronted by women of course. Released in 1988 by the always reliable Meantime Records.

JOYCE OFFSPRING LP

"Stuck For Words"

To make people change their minds / so they can hold a different view

When someone is ignorant for years / what chance have I of getting through?

CHORUS: 

No! We cannot tell you what to think / you wouldn't wan that anyway

I'll tell you something you already know / what's the point? We don't know...

So I'm thinking as I'm walking / How axactly to convey 

My opinions and emotions / in an interesting logical way

CHORUS 

But are you listening? Do you wanna hear / or is our music just a noise in your ears?

When I shout you just ignore me / but then you cannot understand me!

CHORUS

THEE NODES - October 2011 Demo

Here's a neat little cassette I received for review a little over a year ago. THEE NODES are from Montreal, I believe, and I got a note with this claiming it was the only copy. Probably not the case anymore. Five tracks  of hi-fi snotty punk with really demented vocals. I hate terming things 'KBD' as a style, but this would definitely fall into that category. It seems to have been recorded over some French spoken word thing, which is still evident between the tracks (I made the in-between song stuff their own tracks, in case you're in the mood for just the tunes). Following the 6 catchy punk jams from THEE NODES, the tape also contains 3 tracks of solo work from the vocalist, Mr. Node, complete with a heavy tape hum. 

THEE NODES -October 2011 Demo

MISTRAL - Unisex/Stop L'amour 45

Wanna hear one of my favorite songs ever? MISTRAL's "Unisex" is the epitome of a perfectly crafted pop song. Bouncy beat, eloquent and urgent male/female vocal interplay, warm bubbly staccato bass-lines, and a guitar lead outro that will only make you want to dance harder through the end of the song. Catchy catchy CATCHY! This one is a staple on every mix tape I've made in the last 5-or-so years. The B side is no slouch either. I know absolutely nothing more about this band other than they also did an LP, which I've never heard, but would be eternally grateful if someone out there would share it! 

MISTRAL - Unisex/Stop L'amour

HARD-CORE LJUBLJANA LP (with bonus tracks)

I've been listening to a fair amount of punk and hardcore from what was once Yugoslavia lately, so I figured this would be an appropriate collection to share. HARD-CORE LJUBLJANA presents some of the finest hardcore bands from the mid-80's in the biggest city in what is now Slovenia, and is a quintessential compilation of Ex-Yugo hc/punk (alongside the stellar Noč Nad Jugoslavijom tape). 

The comp was originally released in 1986 and features racket from: 

UBR - probably the best known on here, and maybe even the best known Yugo hc band throughout the international hc scene // ODPADKI CIVILIZACIJE - blazing, raw, straightforward hc with memorable songs // TOZIBABE - Three-piece, all women, very dark punk band. Their once elusive Dezuje EP has been reissued and is now relatively easy to find, and is one of the most unique and brilliant punk records worldwide! (I cannot resist sharing this must-see TOZIBABE Youtube video) Their tracks on this comp are more on the rudimentary side, but are still invigorating in that "inept + genuine expression" kind of way // EPIDEMIJA - More raging fast and raw hardcore - like a rawer and harsher version of early DC stuff, such as SOA // III. KATEGORIJA - Last but definitely not least, perhaps the strongest material on the comp! Similarly to the previous bands - raw, fast, pounding hardcore with convincing gruff vocals, and moments of attempted melody that never fail to explode into a full-blown hc assault! 

V/A - HARD-CORE LJUBLJANA LP

This is ripped from the reissue from the early '00s, which contains a slew of bonus tracks, not included on the original issue (2 from UBR, 2 from ODPADKI CIVILIZACIJE, and 5 from III. KATEGORIJA). This is a total no-brainer for international hardcore fiends!

SCHLIESSMUSKEL - Komm, Setz Dich Zu Uns EP

I noticed I hadn't posted any German punk yet, which is ridiculous! Too much focus on the obscure places I suppose (if there can be too much?). I'm correcting this with the debut EP from SCHLIESSMUSKEL today. The great Wild Devil Rules blog posted a couple LP's by them a while back, and said that they were considered to be a "fun punk" band. Not a term I'm familiar with, but I can hear it a bit on here in the music and see it on the band photos. I really like the mix of melody and speed on this one. A few of the tracks are blistering fast, with that snare right up front in the mix just cracking away at my skull, while remaining tuneful and catchy...and, well, fun, yeah!! This was the fourth release from the classic We Bite label, and the year was 1986. Fun punk - tear up your bedroom/cubicle/mom's house/library/skate rink/barber shop/bus stop/or wherever you're jamming your downloaded tunes!

SCHLIESSMUSKEL EP