NEW ZEALAND MIX

Friday. Last week was an "official" compilation tape from Germany, this time it's a mix tape from New Zealand. The songs on this mix are from between 19878 and '84, and their styles are rather varied. Five killer songs from Y.F.C.'s Between Two Thieves 12" take up side one; angular and quirky, almost post punk, almost arty anarcho weirdness. The sample that makes up the otherwise instrumental track "Lynch" is top notch, and the only bad thing about these tunes is that upon hearing them, I needed to find another record (meaning: I need to find this record). Five bands on side two: SKEPTICS (rather straightforward UK82 style punk from, no surprise, 1982), NO TAG (raucous street punk from their 1983 Oi Oi Oi 12"), two tracks from THIS SPORTING LIFE (rough and dirty punk, reminds me almost of the Australian band X, maybe my top tracks on the mix), and FEATURES (awesome '77 style punk from their 1978 EP).

As you can read on the cover, this was a tape that someone ("S.C.") made to highlight the bands from his/her area, and expose them to someone else halfway around the world. Far be it for me to wax nostalgic for the "old" days (though the days on this tape are way before my time in punk), but there was something more exciting about "finding" or "sharing" a band that you love, as opposed to the modern version of trading URLs. That said, this tape can be downloaded by going to:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/jjjykdjmdz4/NZ Mix Tape.zip

ALS JE HAAR MAAR GOED ZIT (Nr. 2)

Here's the cassette version of Vogelspin's crucial Holland hardcore comp from 1983 (minus a few tracks, because the label folks made their LP compilation too long to fit on a C60). It's easy to call things essential when they are really good, but seriously: this comp is essential for fans of hardcore punk. HAEMORRHOIDS are breakneck proto-thrash, B.G.K. are well documented, as are AMSTERDAMNED and PANDEMONIUM. Brilliant and fiery female fronted punk from LAST FEW, mile a minute insanity from OUTLAWZ and it sounds like ZMIV listened to MÖTORHEAD, G.I.S.M. and DISCHARGE before honing their attack. This is perfect as it is, but the compiler(s) didn't stop with one side, instead they crammed two more superb Dutch releases on the flip: the Hatelijke Groenten EP from 1982 and THE LULLABIES Single Single EP from 1981. The comp features THE JETSET (rampaging and unhinged hardcore that would have been welcomed on the A side of this tape), two goth punk sounding numbers from MASSAGRAF, the primitive and psychotic synth punk of VACUÜM, and four art/punk jams from FARENHEIT 451 that could have come from an early Rough Trade comp. And then THE LULLABIES single, even after all this brilliance, still manages to take my breath away. Can you imagine Dutch punk that feels like early Aussie bands like THE SCIENTISTS or BODYSNATCHERS or perhaps Kiwi punks THIS SPORTING LIFE? As comparisons go, it's a stretch, but I feel like I'm listening to a lost Australian punk single when I hear these songs, and this EP has just shot to the top of my want list. Someone clearly knew exactly what to do with a Dynamic brand C60, and we are reaping the benefits nearly three decades later - enjoying your Friday will be a little easier after blasting "Fashion Punx" and "Victims Of Society," trust me.

ALS JE HAAR MAAR GOED ZIT

HATELIJKE GROENTEN

LULLABIES

LET ME SEE THAT OTHER HAND

If, as the title suggests, this is indeed The Now Sound Of Montreal, then perhaps I like that city even more than I thought I did. This tape doesn't look like much, but it's a screaming introduction to a musically diverse underbelly worlds away from the hardcore and crust bands that have made Canada's greatest angel dust laden 'burgh famous with most Escape readers. Ten songs here, starting way out in left field with MUFTAH IBN AL-KHALISS and then continuing through STOOGES influenced and vaguely indie rock sounding JESUSLESFILLES, snotty  and sharp garage punk from THE AVERSIONS and SILVER DAPPLE, who close out the first side with a dreamy noisy pop song that launches me back to a time when college rock was not yet a dirty word, and originality (and personality) were still celebrated by bands sporting that descriptor. The flip is weirder, and I dare say better, with dark and brilliantly off kilter BOBO BOUTIN starting the side followed by MINGO L'INDIEN launching into a simple (and simply addictive) dance punk jam drowned in synths. LES BIBERONS BÂTIS slink even further away from punk (in fact, this sounds like MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT sucking on Robotussin, heavy on the samples). The down tempo vibe is broken up by a short blast of hi energy bedroom dance music from LE MONDE DANS LE FEU before the tape wraps up with a mesmerizing psychedelic guitar drone from ENCYCLOPEDINE VL, giving a wonderful treatment to a BRIGITTE FONTAINE number with vocals that are absolutely worthy of such a task. This comp is full of bands that exist so very far away from any scene that I have ever been associated with, and perhaps that is part of the appeal - even though their intent here seems to be more mainstream (I base this impression on the web presence of Vintage Violence, who are responsible for this release). Intent be damned, BOBO BOUTIN, ENCYCLOPEDINE VL and I are about to go pick up MINGO L'INDIEN down on rue St. Laurent and we are going to have a party - even the punks like to wear fancy shoes sometimes. 

THE NOW SOUND OF MONTREAL

NZ PUNK // PUNK, INFL BANDS!!!

Apparently, New Zealand punk in the late 70s/early 80s fukkn ruled. DESPERATE MEASURES' opening tune "1984" with its simple droning repetitious riff might be the best song of the next 90 minutes (a bold move when making a mix tape), but the entirety of their 1984 EP is included here, and it's a fucking winner start to finish. Five tunes from UNRESTFUL MOMENTS follow, classic snotty punk with killer HUSKER DU-esque guitar leads set to brooding music with bizarrely affected (with effects, no doubt) vocals. THIS SPORTING LIFE appeared on the last New Zealand mix that I posted, brilliant post punk that mustn't be missed, and side A closes out with a phenomenal female fronted, horn laden track from INSTIGATORS that gives their British namesake a serious run for the money. The flipside is packed with goodies from JOHNNIES, 1ST IV (whose quirky jams like "Fascist Tango" are entirely too infectious), NEOTERIC TRIBESMEN's post punk arty goodness, two tracks of excellent JOY DIVISION worship from CHILDREN'S HOUR, straightforward punk from AFTERSHOCK and FINAL SOLUTION, plus two songs from RIOT III that question my theory that DESPERATE MEASURES take the prize on this mix....the song "Move To Riot" by RIOT III might just surpass DEAD KENNEDYS' "Riot" as my favorite riot song ever (and for the record, the word 'riot' appeared in that sentence quite a few times). As with Australian punks from the same era, there's just something tweaked about most of these recordings - something that makes them strangely kiwi, even though I don't quite know what that means. Hats off to the fellow and/or lass who crafted this mix, because I'm completely smitten with the music in contains...as you will be once these bands enter your musical database. And for the record, I am referring to the database in your brain, not the silicon one on your desktop.

NZ PUNK/PUNK INFL BANDS