HELTA SKELTA

 

Don't know why this band only popped onto my radar last week, but I am always happy for a new flash obsession. Classic Aussie garage punk in the THOUGHT CRIMINALS >>> EDDY CURRENT lineage with a notable dose of BUZZCOCKS snark. Brilliantly crafted tunes (only three of them) and a sharp, smart delivery that commands your attention even on the sultry stripped down opener "Nightclubbin'." Only three tracks, self released down under and packaged for the world by Deranged (I suspect this was released during the absolute bombardment of Deranged releases in the '10s, a steady assault that was impossible to keep up with even though the quality was consistent...and that's why I missed this one in real time). This Perth act dropped two full lengths and a slew of singles (and, thankfully, tapes) during their run, so you know how I'll be spending my day. Because three songs aren't enough.

NIGHTCLUBBIN'

LOWRIDER

Another deadly collection of old school street jams from Lowrider Magazine. Heavier on the hip-hop this time, the early '90s explosion that combined street soul, classic rap and the adoption of the sound/s by different subcultures creating divergent subgenres under the same umbrella. HASHIM, QUE SA, JEAN KNIGHT (the inclusion of "Mr. Big Stuff" is an anchor point for the rest of the mix), KID FROST, HISPANIC MC's and a timeless slow jam from THE FUZZ that belongs on every Barrio Music, East Side Story and Lowrider compilation - just so every listener is reminded where the roots are. 

LOWRIDER SOUNDTRACK VOLUME 4

ANOTHER FUCKING PROBLEM

 

Gloriously manic early '00s political crust from 2025 New Zealand. Listen to "Never Knew Their Names" and talk to me about punk - because punk rules, ok? There are two more after this one and they are both great....but this was this first one.

SUNBURNT EARTH

UNKOWN ARTIST

 

Who does this? Seven minutes of blues adjacent guitar improvisation with sporadic contributions from a person on the drums. Duplicated on a green cassette with a white cover. No words, no markings, no indicators that might suggest what this is. I don't know who made this or what they were thinking; I don't even know if I like it. I just know that I'm glad it exists.

  GUITAR + DRUM IMPROVISATION

NEW WAVE THEATRE

New Wave Theatre was a television variety show broadcast in (or "from") Los Angeles in the '80s. Eventually the show (or a version of the show) made its way onto USA Network's Night Flight - a program that was a lifeline for small town freaks like me who were limited by cable networks that didn't include MTV. I remember sitting in front of the TV with my boom box aimed at the speaker, ready to record anything that felt interesting...and it all felt interesting. I would love to go back in time and experience those moments again with adult perspective so I could know what I was learning about, but that's not what innocence is. Innocence is not knowing.
No idea if this is a single episode or a collection of segments......because this is from a tape recorded and archived by someone who was doing the same thing I was doing. A stranger from a completely different place living a completely different place, making a recording that I heard for the first time last week. 

NEW WAVE THEATRE

BANKKU RIOT

 

More mania from Indonesia - this time in the form of some way under the radar raw Indonesian street crust. Fast, brutal.....this shit is unhinged and intense from start to finish and I really want to know more about the band. But there's nothing. Nothing but System Fuck Off. So listen and wonder, punk.

SYSTEM FUCK OFF

THE STUPID

 

Full throttle Indonesian street crust - consistent and brutal. 
Choice cut: "Fuck Politicians."

WILD HUNTING