ABERGAZ

The more you dig and the more you learn, the more you will realize how little you actually know. This one was easy to skip over...weird bedroom digital logo with a high school notebook drawing of a rat crawling out of the world, initially hard to tell who the band is or where they're from. But after passing it over amidst gems on the "I need to listen to these" shelves, I popped ABERGAZ in a few weeks ago. With more than a dozen releases (so far) in their decade and counting long existence, it's no surprise that these Croatians have their approach dialed in and on point. Perhaps a touch too slick for some Escape visitors, I find these tracks ultra addictive. Fast and tight, the approach hits me like RATOS DE PORÃO clashing with catchy Eastern European punk...there's a slight enjoyment curve to be sure, but it's worth whatever it takes to get over and/or around whatever might be in your way. Now....I'm going to spend my Sunday listening to all of the tapes with bad covers that I keep putting off until another day, and then I'm going to listen to more ABERGAZ. There's lot of content in both categories, so these tasks will thankfully spill into tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that...because there's always more to learn. 

MINIMALIZM MEGALOMANIJE

THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE

Aaaaahhhhh, the things I missed out on when I lived in Milwaukee during most of the '00s. Don't get me wrong, I definitely experienced plenty of things also, things that I would have missed if I had live here....but listen to this 2007 bomb from San Jose's THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE. Ruthless posi-grind/violence? Yeah. Sold. I think the S.O.D. "Sgt. D" vibe in "P.O.W. M.IA. S.O.L." might be my choice cut here (it could also just be the initials), but the blurcore Dankstahz riffing of "Life In Pictures" is pretty fukkn addictive. Seven track in 6:46, including samples....and there are a lot of samples. They just don't make 'em like this anymore, and I fukkn missed it. Anyone got a copy of The First Demo for Your Wizard?

THE SECOND DEMO

BASTÄRD

Seven doses of pure fukkn evil from Russia's BASTÄRD. Reforestation never disappoints, so I thought I was prepared....I was not. Heavy on the VENOM worship, BASTÄRD sound like actual evil instead of cartoon evil. Listen to "Black (Fucking) Metal Kings" at full volume, feel the gallop after the guitar break that gallops you into that solo...that solo is deadly. This entire recording is deadly. Primal. Blackened Heavy Metal. 

...IN THE NAME OF THE BEAST

FASLE LIBERTY

I've said it countless times: "How do '80s hardcore recordings sound so good?" The guitars on this demo are DISCLOSE caliber raw while the band is crisp and tight, delivering six nuanced bursts with blinding speed. Seattle's FALSE LIBERTY only released this demo and one (killer) EP in 1986, but they punch way over their weight during their short run. Face melting adolescent hardcore, this is primal urgency put to tape and should be considered essential listening. Also, the record is still relatively affordable, so do yourself a favor....

THE ZOO IS FREE

DIED AT BIRTH

Impossibly blown out emotional hardcore the way that only the Midwestern '90s can deliver. Suburban Chicago, ultra relentless and super chaotic with a a carefree intensity that cannot be faked. Listen through the dirt, listen through the hiss.....just listen. Loudly. 

DIED AT BIRTH

MUZZY

This Portland outfit is fukkn out there in all of the best ways. It's like a true freak found god and decided to burn their PHARAOH OVERLORD, LIGHTNING BOLT, JOHN COLTRANE and PIG DNA records in the dumspter. But instead of catching fire, they just melted together and rose from the dumpster as a Great Wax Satan. So there you go. 

KILL GOD

MUSIC FROM THE UNDERGROUND

I've previously mentioned my life as a teenage radio personality, but here is audio evidence of that short lived venture. I started Music From The Underground with my pal Jon in 1987 when we were both 15, and for the first year and a half or so we would record the show into cassette during the week so the weekend DJ could just pop it in and fukk off for an hour. We were clueless, the segues were bad, the levels were way off, and many of the songs came from cassettes that I shoplifted from Hasting's (before I worked there, shit got way easier then) and dubbed on my dual cassette cassette boombox before returning them to Hasting's for store credit to buy more tapes. Thing got smoother in 1989 when I was hired onto KLOR as the aforementioned weekend DJ...the quality (and content) of the show improved, it ran from 10-12 Saturday nights, and everything was broadcast live, allowing for real time interaction with the denizens of Ponca City, Oklahoma who were spending their weekends cruising Grand Avenue. Of course, there are no recordings of those later episodes, so I offer you this to start your year. It's funny to listen back now, almost 30 years later and feel simultaneously proud and embarrassed, but this show was a hugely important part of my teenage life, and helped to keep my head above water when it seemed that there was literally no hope for an existence outside of that shitty town full of shitty people. Fortunately, however....there was. 

MUSIC FROM THE UNDERGROUND