GJ COPPOLA

 

Listen to the opening (title) track and tell me you're not going to try to fukk with GJ COPPOLA. You do that and I'll tell you to lkisten again....because there are few things like this in our sonic world. BAD SEEDS deconstructed to Moss Side Story vibes - if you know, you know - if you don't know, please learn - you're listening to a story with no words here, and the plot is entirely up to you. It's a gorgeous collection of sounds, grim and hopeful at the some time in part because the artist seems determined to commit to absolutely nothing. It's a slow (s-l-o-w) burn, culminating with "Say My Name" which could be (arguably?) sped up to create the perfect dark/goth/indie track that no one thought they needed. You needed it though...and you needed it like this. Exactly like this. 

BENGHAZI NIGHTS

AUFLAGE 100

 

What a.....what a sweet collection of songs. You could really stop listening after the opening track from GHOST AMBULANCE and feel satisfied - one of the most innocent and sincere love songs I can remember hearing. What follows is a perfectly curated mix of '90s proto-shoegaze and harmlessly mellow indie cuts from TRAUMA GLOW, MANIC YOUTH, COMBAT BEACH, LAUNDROMAT CHICKS, a surprisingly addictive groover by SWELLE and an airy epic from SAKURA.....basically a grip of modern Austrian bands I would never have crossed paths with if I didn't have a well connected pal who likes to meets for burritos on occasion. He says "you're welcome."

AUFLAGE 100

WHO WILL BE NEXT

 

Yeah....more Indonesian hardcore. This shit sounds like it was ripped out of the early '00s "old school meets emotional melodic hardcore riffs" subgenre. Like, you're gonna know what I mean when you hear the shit, I swear you will. Dan Gatewood would (probably) love this shit, I can see him rocking back and forth patting an open hand on his chest and smiling until he thrust a fist in the air and mouthed the chorus to the title track "Straight Edge Today." I miss that dude, but I miss a lot of things and alas I digress..... First half of Dari Sini Kita Mulai was recorded in 2014 but the other three tracks were recorded seven years earlier and are a touch more on the Y2K tip. It's just twelve minutes all in, but the shit takes you on a fukkn journey and I am (still) here for it. 

DARI SINI KITA MULAI

PRE-MARITAL SEX

 

I'll say it again: DIY punk in the '90s was fucking special. The utter disregard for convention and rules from a generation of punks who had a solid decade (plus) of punk innovators and trend-setters to draw from and who also didn't give half a shit about what they were supposed to do or how they were supposed to sound....? Shit was special. These Central (CA) Coast geniuses sound like a road trip from '80s Orange County to early '90s SF, but broken down with nothing to listen to but a Dangerhouse comp and a few Crass Records 45s. Like I said....shit was special. I posted another PMS tape last month and there's another right around the corner, all are recommended. 

SCRUT

THE JODIE MIKULA ORCHESTRA

 

You know I love this shit. The completely random artifacts rescued from the Forgotten Bins in second hand and charity shops across the country (and other countries). Sometimes I pick up a tape and examine it and think that if I don't listen to it at least once then perhaps no one will ever hear the sounds it contains. No one. Ever. And sometimes the sounds are....well, they're forgettable even if the are important, but sometimes the sounds bring my joy. If I can be honest for a moment here: I desperately need joy. So in that spirit, I present the pride of Ennis, Texas: THE JODIE MIKULA ORCHESTRA. Jodie founded the group in the late '60s to bring traditional Czech polkas to the masses (I say "masses" and obviously I jest because I am realistic) and the band carried his mission after his passing in 1989. This 1991 tribute was their first physical release without their band leader, and it captures the casual, comfortable, confident spirit that Jodie embodied - I know I do raw crust and harsh noise here, but "Dark Knight (Waltz)" kinda made me a little misty. And that's why we keep digging, young punks; you never know what you'll find. You might find a place to "forget your troubles for a while" - that's a good thing.  

A TRIBUTE TO JODIE

LITTLE ANGELS

 

File under: Bands I might have seen if my life were different. I bet they were fukkn great in a basement; nasty, writhing North American punk with some of the fiercest  (and destroyed) vocals in recent memory. Check the pick slides on "Clock In" and the urgent ramshackle drums throughout. It's really just a perfect example of what hardcore with honest attitude is supposed to sound like. Apparently there are more cassette releases from LITTLE ANGELS, please send them to me. Slide into my DMs or whatever kids use to request communication these days. I don't know; I am old and irrelevant. 

LITTLE ANGELS

SCUMMY AND THE SCUMS

 

How many Covid projects were there.....? Rhetorical question of course, because there were countless Covid projects across all genres that achieved various levels of realization before things returned to whatever "normal" was in 2022 (or so). SCUMMY AND THE SCUMS fit the bill - a deceptively named project since the entire band seems to be composed of someone called Mr. Scummy. T(he)y produced five glorious minutes of politically charged and relevant (in a "time-and-place" sense) hardcore and offered it to the world in 2021. The rest of us motherfuckers should have listened to "Where's Joe?" but then again...it wouldn't have made a difference. Aside from the people dying, Covid times were some of the best months of my adult life. The future was uncertain but we had the moment. 

SCUMMY AND THE SCUMS

MAX NORDILE

 

God/s this is beautiful. You've heard me talk about Max and his compulsions on these pages over the years, and these comments are no different.......it's that this one hits just right as I type these words. Free jazz mixed with boundary-free experimentation and ambient bliss. (Pharoah) Sanders, (Shane) Embury and (Genesis) P'Orridge embodied in sonic freak skin. There's really nothing like Sir Nordile in the current realm. 

THE VIVID HISTORY OF THE CAPITOL EGGS

NULA

 

It's hard to communicate and/or quantify our connection to this...thing. Yesterday a dude I work with talked about a tour in the '90s when he was stuck in the Lower 48 with The Merchandise while The Band (he was touring with) played a few shows in Canada and he snuck in a CRUDOS show in Boston while he was waiting for them to come back. Then tonight I was listening to Numero Group's Miracle Year record and feeling sorry for myself for never getting to see The Best Band Ever even though I have been lucky enough to see some really fukkn important bands. 

Anyway, NULA are so far outside of the above mentioned realms that it's not even worth discussing. Furious, raging '90s DIY punk from another world - listen to "Žrtve" and "Demokracija" and tell me the shit isn't important....just like CRUDOS and DÜ. Listen to "Anarhija" and tell me punk doesn't rule everything. There you go. That's it. Punk rules. 

POBJEDIMO LAŽ

NINJA HATORRY

 

Full throttle metallic thrashcore from Jakarta.....there's not much analysis required here because 2021's Fase is more akin to a beating than a listening experience. Twenty three exercises in grind mania with a conscious eye towards Y2KThrash - shit sounds like fukkn magic to my ears. It's great from start to finish, but "Youth" into "Me & My Holiday" gives me exactly what I needed this morning. Sometimes, my friends.....faster really is better.

FASE

COLIN LANGENUS

 

One Side: A multi-instrumental freak out captured live in 2007.

Another Side: A collection of improvisations collected by Colin Langenus between 2005 and 2008 and manipulated to create.....this.

SON OF BEETHOVEN // HIGH AS HELL

HIGH AS HELL

OSCAR WILDE

 

Been sitting on this one for a minute because I pledged to read the 1890 novel before I posted the 1980 book-on-tape. But alas.....here's the novel in audio form, perhaps we can all enjoy together. Enjoy the tale of a young and beautiful man who chose to trade his soul for continued youth and beauty while his sins and his years were cast upon a portrait. A bizarre concept (especially considering the time) and Wilde's only novel....I really wish I could share an educated and/or intelligent analysis here, unfortunately I can only say that I recognize its importance. 

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
Read By: Peter Egan

REFLECTIONS OF INTERNAL RAIN

 

Y'all remember that melodic metallic European screamo from the 2000s, right? The sensitive side of stadium crust? REFLECTIONS OF INTERNAL RAIN don't have to remember it...because they embodied it. Enjoy your week.

ANSWERS

MATERIAL

 

Pretty sure there are a few MISSION OF BURMA records spinning in their collective minds. WIPERS too. Although, instead of hip-shot comparisons, I should have encouraged you to focus on the guitar, on the earnest vocals straining through a throatful of gravel. Then again, for the second time in a month I'm going to say that this makes me feel like I felt the first time I heard NEON PISS....and that's a high fucking bar. 

MATERIAL

THE CHOSEN ONE

This one is problematic, but here we are listening to some twenty year old Indonesian punk. The title track "Anarchy Sunrise" is perfect melodic punk and there's a very clear '90s East Bay influence (specifically talking Kerplunk and Let's Go! here) on tracks like "Otoritas" and "Someone Gonna Die," while there are punk ska/reggae bits to keep you guessing and give you a breather ("Stereo" is the choice jam) and a brilliant would-be street busking classic called "Government." And then there's one rampant violently homophobic track what the actual fukk kids?! Sigh....this is why it's so hard to have nice things. Anyway....maybe I should have just skipped this one, but also maybe listening out of context and off of the radar can shed a light on how conflicted, conflicting and challenging everything was. And can still be. 

ANARCHY SUNRISE

EVALUATE WHAT YOU TOLERATE

 

At the risk of repeating myself, the early '10s in the Bay Area were truly special time (much like the early '00s if we're being honest). There are bands here who formed the foundation for some truly great gigs (ACRYLICS, MOZART, MASS ARREST), bands I had never heard of before listening to this comp (MARRAIGE + CANCER, REVOLUTION BUMMER, HIGH ANXIETY, WARP), bands I was familiar with but who were outside of my general orbit (SPACE TOILET, PREENING, BUTANNA). Throw in MONSTER SQUAD, STREET EATERS and NOPES, all of whom are still active a decade (plus) later and you have a magical time capsule that is very clearly about so much fucking more than a few killer songs. But speaking of killer songs, DID IS DEAD, FATTYCAKES & THE PUFF PASTRIES and MABS deliver three of the killerest cuts you're going to hear today. 

EVALUATE WHAT YOU TOLERATE VOLUME 2

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