LIFESAVERS

 

Several years ago a dude gifted me a stack of tapes in Eugene, Oregon. It was more interesting than most random stacks, and he had a story to accompany each one. Do I remember the stories? Nope. But if I recall correctly his gateway genre was contemporary christian alternative rock which was....well, it was a new one for me. I have posted a few of the other tapes previously but this one got half buried in a forgotten box until a couple of weeks ago. If you're looking for a game changer then you should probably move along, but I'll be (gad)damned if this isn't a pleasant late morning listen with a cat lounging in a sliver of sun and a cup of coffee in hand. Think PSYCHEDELIC FURS, MODERN ENGLISH, DRAMARAMA, THE ALARM....you know the drill. Enjoy your coffee, maybe get saved in the process.

A KISS OF LIFE

G.B.H.

 

Maybe this isbn't the time (or place) to discuss GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM and their place in the world of UK punk, and maybe this isn't the time (or place) to talk about how even though 1986's Midnight Madness And Beyond... it kinda sounds like a sellout record (especially in retrospect - listen to "Horror Story" for fuck's sake) but it still fukkn jams. UK82 mingling with early NYHC and MOTÖRHEAD doesn't really seem like a bad thing....does it? Say what you will about Combat (and Combat Core) (and there's plenty to say), but they're the reason HELSTAR, MERCYFUL FATE, AGNOSTIC FRONT, LUDICHRIST, ENGLISH DOGS and other hordes made their way into bargain bins at middle American shopping malls in the '80s, even dragging VENOM and CIRLCE jerks with them. And for that, I think Combat. You want the best G.B.H. record? Go listen to City Babies Attacked By Rats, but I heard this one first thanks to those capitalist commercial record selling motherfuckers. You wanna fukkn slam your way through a (probably) miserable Thursday? Well......here's Midnight Madness (and Beyond....).

MIDNIGHT MADNESS AND BEYOND...

ENFER DORÉAL

 

On 2009's Devotion, French savant Maxime Primault (aka ENFER DORÉAL) both reinvents and confirms the brilliance of drone. Musique Concrete imagined as atmosphere. Simplicity. Patience. The casual tumult of "Amlothi" coming out of the excruciating 13+ minute "Reborn On Assi Ghat." The ability to make the "Rainbow Warrior" sound so incredibly hopeless and beautiful at the same time....this is a special artist. I'm late to the game (this is typically the case) but I am so glad that I have arrived. And now - listen to "Une Respiration D'ombre" in darkness and silence. You'll thank me. 

DEVOTION

KALX

Y'all know the drill with these tapes, but even so....this is a really good one.
Here's life as broadcast on KALX in Berkeley 39 years ago today. 

HERE

Worth noting that life as broadcast on KALX in Berkeley 38 years ago today was posted last year.... 

PARANORMAL

 

The feeling I had when I first pressed play....It was familiar, but I haven't felt it in a long time. It's about feeling immediately connected to a sound, about not knowing what exactly is going to happen next but already knowing that it's perfect. You want to talk about vibes, we're talking about a continuation of the NHFTK ---> NEON PISS pipeline and I swear if PARANORMAL had forged onward they could have achieved such heights. It's so well done I don't even really feel like I need to say anything else....gorgeous, ramshackle, infectious melodic punk. It's mostly spot on, but it's the just-barely-off parts that makes it even better. 

PARANORMAL

DOGGISH BOYS

 
I don't even know what to say here. Just listen, okay? A wild and unhinged spectrum generated hip-hop mix tape orbiting the mind of JEFF DOGG. Chopped and/or Screwed drug addled rap dispatches like you've never even imagined from the Pinhole Family.....the shit sounds weird, the shit is infectious. I feel like this is something Aesop would have created and/or released (which reminds me that I should hit that dude up to say hello). Just listen, okay?

DOGGISH BOYS MIXTAPE

UPRIGHT CITIZENS

 

In the mid-2000s I was on a tour that stopped in Pittsburgh. At Andy's place after the gig, most everyone crashed out while Andy and I nerded out about records and life and shit. I had never heard UPRIGHT CITIZENS so Andy slapped the record on the deck....and everything changed. It's just a perfect record start to finish. Classic DeutschPunk influenced by their North American contemporaries but beyond that, the record is just fukkn good. I was as sad that it had taken me so long to find them as I was excited that I was able to be reinvigorated by the discovery. If you in 2026 is like me in 2006, then you're welcome.  

OPEN EYES, OPEN EARS, A BRAIN TO THINK & A MOUTH TO SPEAK