BOLO

 

Twelve minutes of putrid, bombastic fastcore / pv from St. Petersburg. You know the feeling when you think you know what's coming and you're waiting with outstretched earholes because you know you want what's coming and then....it's better than you wanted it to be? Well, that's BOLO. Imagine LACK OF INTEREST listening to '90s Florida death metal and then colliding with PARLAMENTARISK SODOMI in a damp (dank) alley on a Thursday morning before sunrise. Oh wait....today is Thursday isn'y it? Interesting.

FRUSTRATION

FUTURAT

 

It's hard to really put a finger on these sounds - they are already inside me, just not quite like this....and every time I listen to Incenerat it stops me dead in my tracks. What do they sound like? See for yourself (please) and decide for yourself (obviously), but this shit keeps hitting like MUDHONEY mixed with TORCHE mixed with early '90s FLAMING LIPS and I am so totally here for it. Also it seemed an appropriate time and place post considering this time and the place we currently find ourselves in. I wish it was as simple as a tape filled with killer jams.....but maybe for a few minutes it can be. Maybe.  

INCINERAT

TAMTAM ARCHIVES

 

Two earlier TamTam volumes have appeared on these pages, and I highly recommend the full set if you missed them the first time/s around. If there's a through line then it's 'freak punk, no rules," but it's better to listen than to try to categorize. STRAWBERRY JAM hit like BIG BOYS if they had cut their teeth in '80s Czechoslovakia. ПАРАШЮТЬІ ХИ-ФИ are completely off the rails punk with an (almost and likely accidental) '80s industrial tinge. TEQILAJAZZZ would have fit in nicely on a random Doomryderz bill in '90s Redwood City while ХИМЕРА seem ripped from the grooves of a long long Rough Trade comp...and the rest of the twenty-two hitters here are just a master class in outsider sounds. The joy of spending time with a collection of completely new sounds from another time and another world cannot be understated, and listening to sounds from post-USSR Russia when anything (might have) seemed possible nails that feeling this morning. Listen to this one, then snag the first two volumes. 

TAMTAM ARCHIVES VOL.3

D.I.Y. CONSPIRACY VOL.6

 

The beefiest contribution to the DIY Conspiracy series, from the bulldozer Scandi-crust of CONVINCE to SHEEVA YOGA's fastcore/grind and an absolute smasher from ΝΥΞΗ leading the charge. Bands from Chile, Denmark, Belgium, Russia, Greece and Czech Republic spatter a Swede-heavy volume in a series born out of Covid isolation. Pop one of these shredders in and you'll be instantly reminded how big DIY punk is....and then you'll likely skip the reflection and start raging. 

DIY CONSPIRACY VOL.6

Гражданская Оборона

 

Look, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert and I'm not going to regurgitate data from wikipedia. Legendary things are hard to write about, and have no interest in pretending that I have any actual or learned knowledge that can bring you closer to Гражданская оборона. They were formed in Omsk (that's southern Siberia) in the early '80s and are a thing of legend, but I only know this because I looked. What I definitely know, however, is that this tape changed me. This collection of Hits From Tapes/Records made me hungry. Undefinable and indescribably punk of the  highest order - primitive and intense, dark and determined. There are almost fifty tracks on this tape, and I could listen on repeat for fucking days and still keep finding new bits to wonder over. Punk, hardcore, reggae, raw drum machine punk....this is just the sound of being against and you can feel it as much as you can hear it. Гражданская оборона (CIVIL DEFENSE) are truly special, and even the uninitiated (read: me) can recognize this instantly. Even two hours in, I know I have only scratched the surface - and that in itself is important. 

GREATEST HITS FROM TAPE/RECORDS

УЧИТЕЛЬ ТРУДА

 

You know the feeling you get when you hear something for the first time and you just know that you've heard it before? That's UCHITEL TRUDA in a nutshell...gruff, catchy and timeless Moscow street punk that sounds like a band you've listened to a thousand times. But you haven't...but you will. You know?

NE V OBIDU

LAND AND LANGUAGE

 

Absolutely devastating collection of underground and experimental hip hop from indigenous artists based in all corners of the globe. Instead of dissecting tracks, I'll give you a (partial) list: NUUK POSSE (Greenland), AMOC (Sámpi), SERHADO (Kurdish rapper based in Stockholm), UPPER HUTT POSSE (Aotearoa, NZ), TJIMBA AND THE YUNG WARRIORS (Australia), HATHUR ZOO (Buryatia), ROLLIN 'N LIL SPADE (Navajo Nation), BANAISSA (Moroccan based in Germany), X PLASTAZ (Arusha, Masaai), LO CUT A SLEIFAR (Wales), M.A.K. (Basque Country)...and that's just the first side. The sounds are all over the place (literally and figuratively) and the delivery is overwhelmingly intense. You can feel the intensity and the isolation in every track, and that is exactly what makes this compilation so essential. The flip features artists from Cherokee Nation, Mongolia, Nairobi, Tajikistan, Chile, Bolivia, Mauritania, Norway, Palestine.....in case you need to be convinced. All praise to the folks who put this compilation together. 

LAND AND LANGUAGE

TAMTAM'S LIVE HITS

 

The first volume of live hits from Saint Petersburg's TamTam club was posted back in September (and years before that on Muzika - Komunika), and this second volume more of the same in the best possible way. A freaky punky reggae party featuring sixteen bands you've probably never heard of...unless you wisely spent time with the first volume, that is. Absolutely all over the place, from wild dirges (SIVVI MOSS) to straight reggae jam band fodder (RAINBOW ARMY BAND, MOTEMA PEMBE), hi-NRG ska/punk (SPITFIRE) and everything in between (ЮГЕНДЩТИЛБ, MAD FISH, РАШИД ФАНИН). Someone covers "American Woman," someone else covers "Rawhide" - there were no boundaries, even if there were rules. The third volume is just as cool....

TAMTAM LIVE HITS VOL.2

SKRIPP

 

It's sometimes interesting how much what I post differs from what I've been listening to. I spent last weekend jamming the SO MUCH HATE catalog, the new SPEED PLANS 12" and a live BUTTHOLE SURFERS tape I just booted, then yesterday the new INNUMERABLE FORMS LP so the evening got a little ugly. But my arsenal of ripped tapes to post is populated with the weird sonic bender I was on a few weeks ago - digging through (and digitizing) oddities and spending a few quiet (dark) cold days and nights with sound. So even though I might spend the day blasting, I'm going to leave you with twenty minutes of understated and subtle electronic experimentation from Saint-Petersburg solo artist SKRIPP. After a couple of careful listens, perhaps my favorite part of 2014's Abrasion Marks is that is doesn't seem to go anywhere...it just....exists. Even the most expressive track, the closer "Rainy," just sits like a picture of an aural moment. There's a swell around the four-minute mark that listens like movement, but really it's just the sound of the clouds shifting and naturally adjusting the (lack of) light in the room. It's careful and deliberate, nothing at all like the insanity dominating my turntable (and my mind) lately. 

ABRASION MARKS

451ºF // GERENEZTENKE

The tape comes from a box handed down by Music Not Noize (who posted a few years back). Belarusians 451ºF would have blown minds delivering on the floor at Gilman in 2001 - rough, no bullshit hardcore bursts like late '90s PV jamming SOA on full. As good as the GERENEZTENKE side is, this is one of the best unknown (to me) things I've heard all year. But what about GERENEZTENKE? Damaged, distorted, cold, disjointed, manic - BIG BLACK meets CRASS meets KMFDM meets GODSTOMPER. Absolutely wild sounding, and genuinely unlike anything else I've heard. 

 

As I write this in late December, the talk is of Zelensky in Washington and Putin's brain rot and Lukashenko continuing to offer up Belarus as a pawn in order to maintain his grip on the people he's purportedly representing. And as I write this, I'm listening to a twenty year old recording with Belarusians on one side and Russian on the other. Both bands on the political left, both bands anti-fascist, both bands struggling to break free from the authoritarian legacies of their respective nations. I have no idea where either band is now, where any of the members are now - it's all a lifetime and a universe away. Does this reality relate to either of these bands...? I have no idea.

451ºF // GERENEZTENKE

SOZNA & YOUNGTRIBE

 

Two Russian artists collaborate to create six ambient drones. I wish it were as simple as that, so I'll refrain from further comment and let the sound conjure my wishes. 

EPHEMERAL

ЯМА

 

This one is a lot for my ears. I don't understand the words, I don't know the band, but ЯМА grabbed me instantly and did not let go. Abrasive, intense, emotive, chaotic and controlled hardcore, this band from Tambov, Russia are deliberate and fierce - I imagine dropping them into a room full of brooding mysterious pretentious hardcore squirmers and watching those squirmers...squirm. ЯМА are not easy on the ears, but a close listen to songs like "Область Абсолютной Тьмы" reveals a band with a lot more to discover and uncover. The band is good, their trip is dark (like reality). 

БЛАТНОГРЗД

июльские дни (JULY DAYS)

 

Июльские дни (JULY DAYS) have made appearances here before, I just need to remind you that there is more. If this were dressed up right (and if we're honest, from North America or Western Europe), there's no reason why you wouldn't be talking about июльские дни  the way people talk about INTERPOL or ICE AGE or even BLOC PARTY - we're talking indie/dark wave/goth of that caliber. And to be clear, I celebrate records from all three of those bands.....or maybe I should say: all four of those bands. Because I just added this Russian outfit to the list. 

КОЛОКОЛ

FATUM

 

Скверна, the first release from Russian stench mongers FATUM, is well over a decade old now, but it'll still spread tension throughout your entire being. Formed in the DEVIATED INSTINCT (by way of HELLSHOCK) mold, they've created massive waves with a string of LPs (the most recent is a devastating split with DECADE) and the nuclear of all of that crust can be heard here. Maniacal, churning metalcrust of the highest order.  

СКВЕРНА

AURA LEVEL FOUNTAIN

 

It's hard to write words about the release with out mentioning the label. Dub Ditch Picnic has been an under the radar favorite at TEHQ for several years, the kind of label that makes you feel comfortable parting with your dollars in exchange for new sounds because the imprint on the shell was a symbol of quality. Of confidence. The engine behind the label was Chris Jaques, who passed away at the tender age of 50 back in April....the catalog is still available digitally, the catalog is recommended, Jaques' efforts are (still) appreciated, and I'm still going to scoop up Dub Ditch Picnic releases whenever I come across them. As for AURA LEVEL FOUNTAIN....it's the sound of a fitting sendoff, honestly. Light and gentle sonic breath with a distant but determined ominous undertone. Three tracks that span nearly one hour. Sounds that you want to settle into and get comfortable....but sounds that will keep you on edge. Paying attention. Because even the beautiful sounds are warnings. 

TULAN TUALN AXCANPA

D.I.Y. CONSPIRACY VOL. 1

The DIY Conspiracy folks spent the year of Covid cranking out some serious mix tape heat, and I was happy to get the first six installments in one hefty batch. Hardcore, crust, DBeat, punk, doom from Bulgaria, Brasil, Italy, Austria, Chile, Greece, Russia, Australia, Singapore, Portugal...this is the kind of conspiracy I can get behind. 

 

DIY CONSPIRACY VOL.1

Defend DIY Punk indeed - especially from thieves and charlatans. 

But that's for a different post. 

SIERPIEN

 

Another brooding dose from SIERPIEN - I feel like I could sprinkle their entire discography over these pages and never hear a complaint.  2016's Смердит До Самых Звёзд (Stench Up To Heaven) is among their most fully realized releases...eight pieces of introspective and moody (and danceable) goth led by a hesitant guitar that is balanced by a shockingly confident booming baritone coming out of the sonic shadows. You put it on and it just removes you completely, and I love a recording that can do that.  

STENCH UP TO HEAVEN

Особые Условия

The first demo we heard from Особые Условия (SPECIAL CONDITIONS) was from 2016, but I suppose in typical fashion...I might like the early stuff even better. Stark, cold, dark Russian punk. Mid-80s Boston (MISSION OF BURMA, MOVING TARGETS) melodies, WEDDING PRESENT presence, and unmistakably frigid Eastern European approach. Plenty of bands have tried to sound like JOY DIVISION - Особые Условия just sound like they are drawing their poison from the same well as the originators. Listen to the guitars on "Марафон," and continued respect to the Siyanie label. 

ПОБЕГ

SIERPIEN

Another dose of synthetic cold from Moscow's SIERPIEN. Melancholic synth/pop by way of dark European wave, the sounds this duo create are timeless, and rarely have I wanted to understand an artist's language more than on this release. "Сигнал" ("Signal") simply begs to be sung along to, swaying alone in a crowded club enveloped by isolation, the light of the chorus pulling back the shades and exposing the early morning sun. It's a song with the force and the hook of a "TiK ToK" or "Domino," but this power may be rooted in KINO by way of SIEKIERA...and accept my apologies if I reached for low hanging fruit. The band sounds like a modern, relevant act that has come from the past (as opposed to a band who are looking to the past for inspiration).  As I mentioned when I previously visited SIERPIEN, body of work is immense, compelling, varied...you are encouraged to get lost. I did, and I still do. 

Реновация 

TRUCKDRIVERS

 

I'm really sure why this one grabs me, but it does. Laid back ska-heavy vibes from the Ural mountains, it just feels...nice. A bit of a CULTURE SHOCK vibe at times though the groove isn't quite as heavy, and in the interest of completely useless references I'll add that the first track strikes me like TUOMARI NURMIO with Mike Muir singing. There are four cuts on this 2013 release, but if it grabs you like it grabbed me, then there is plenty more waiting for you if you go straight to the source. 

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