MISTLETOE

 

A haunting sonic display in four movements - horror and desperation transformed into sound. That Perchta is so calculated, so utterly deliberate, makes the sound even more terrifying. This didn't just happen...this was intentional.

PERCHTA

ME AGAINST IT ALL

 

So this tape was floating around in boxes and on shelves for a bunch of years before I listened to it. I could never remember exactly how or where I got it, but the handwriting on the spine was distinct and instantly recognizable as Max Ward's and that obviously meant that the tape had some weight. Probably a band who hoped to be a part of the 625 roster, or possibly an under the radar Japanese hardcore band who slipped Max an advance copy of a recording. I was savoring this one, and I looked forward to dropping him a line to get the history of the tape after I listened to it...which I would do eventually. Well, "eventually" happened just the other day and I have something exciting to report: It wasn't Max's handwriting. So here are six songs of turn of the century pop punk from England. There are a couple of ska parts too. 

ME AGAINST IT ALL

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

 

A damn perfect episode. Only in the '90s you hear Dutch shredders CKN of a tape with FACE TO FACE or SAWHORSE sharing space with TRAH BRATS...ABC DIABOLO and MR. T EXPERIENCE. It was 1992, and GRIMPLE had just dropped their first EP. It was 1992, the ARTIFICIAL PEACE relic from this broadcast was scarcely a decade old but nonetheless (and appropriately) presented as "classic" North American hardcore. Just a damn perfect episode. Punk rules. 

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #535

EU'S ARSE

 

You should know this already, right? This is the same collection of tracks that 625 and Agipunk collaborated on back in 2002 (which was my introduction to the band) and I can assure you that listening (for the first time in ages) with 2025 ears I was no less floored than I was the first time. What's Inside: the entire first EP from 1982, the split with IMPACT from 1983, live tracks from 1982/83 and a rehearsal from 1984. What You Get: your fucking ass blown out. Seriously, this is quintessential Italian hardcore - listen to Stefano's voice crack on those early live recordings and you can fukkn feel the intensity. Listen to that first EP and wonder why people don't speak THE EU'S ARSE in the same breath as WRETCHED, INDIGESTI and IMPACT - so completely unhinged and still infectious. Some punks reissued this on cassette for their US gigs in 2014 (same year Blackwater reissued the EP) - I appreciate those punks. 

1981 - 1985

ALEX BUENO ORQUESTA

 

There's a dude I work with who travels everywhere in the facility with his tunes. Okay, there are more than a few dudes who do the same thing, but I'm not gonna write a blurb about some foo blasting AC/DC or METALLICA at work because....well....yawn, right? The dude in question is always upbeat, jogs around downtown in a sweatsuit before his shift starts and will frequently jog by the jobsite just to say what's up?!? to the folks who start earlier than him. He's the guy who makes friends with the folks from management without even trying - and they invite him to the private corporate soiree because they want him there. His tunes fit his demeanor always and as soon as I heard the opening bars of "Quiero Que Elijas El Lugar" I thought about watching his entire crew getting shit done with a sly smile on their faces and a pep in their collective step. Energy is infectious, and positive energy is contagious. The sounds of Dominican ALEX BUENO are both, particularly so on 1988's Con Fe y Sentimento, Bueno's first excursion with his Orquesta (highly recommend the earlier recordings with ORQUESTA LIBERACIÓN as well). The confidence of this then 25 year old singer is astounding, even though he was already several years into his career when this was released. Anyway - I'm gonna see that dude at work today, and I'm gonna play this when he's around....maybe I can spread a little bit of that good shit too for once. 

CON FE Y SENTIMENTO 

URGENT MATTER

 

The way they plod through garage punk with a hardcore attitude is instantly infectious, like RADIOACTIVITY and REATARD vibes but played by dudes wearing studded jackets with PÏSSCHRIST patches....it makes sense, I swear it does. If you want hooks, this Singapore trio has got you covered - from the CONEHEADS energy in "No Violence" and "Leave" to "No Shit" (which really should be the song of the summer) and then there's the stunningly perfect "So Punk." The shit is just good, that's all. There's a demo that came before this 2019 tape - I want it. You can have this one now, but I want that one too. 

URGENT MATTER

XYLITOL

 

For all of the hype about the PNW in the 2010s, can we take a minute to appreciate XYLITOL? It's that infectious, white pants wearing squirmy-squirm hardcore done up all sinister and urgent like...plus they're fast as fuck. Dangerous hardcore with no-fi dungeon gnome vocals - the Is Toxic To Pigs? EP is a straight killer and basically this is just a shit that you need. Period. That EP and their 2016 demo are included here, on a tape they made available in Oklahoma City in 2018. I was there. They ruled. Listen to "Punished" on repeat. Trust me....you'll thank me later.  

EVERYTHING IS NOT OK WITH XYLITOL