DECEIVER

A complete grinding noise assault.  Just guitar and drums, and it honestly doesn't sound like they have known each other all that long, but for some reason I am drawn to demo....it's like noise and powerviolence and grind and hardcore all deconstructed until there is nothing but the most raw energy and frustration left, and that power is being channelled by monkeys; perhaps primal is the word I'm looking for.  There are 11 "songs" here, in a total of just over 6 minutes...mind you, I am not claiming that this is good, in any traditional sense of the word, but Baltimore's DECEIVER are pushing the boundaries of music, and I fully endorse their efforts.

IWASLIED2

MAXIMUM SECURITY

Early 80s hardcore punk from Glasgow, Scotland.  Extremely basic and rudimentary in their approach, MAXIMUM SECURITY took about three songs to warm up to me, but by the time "UK Utopia" entered my aural canals for the the first time, I was completely hooked, and the fact that the guitarist can barely make notes through the generous twisting of the distortion know became an asset, not a drawback.  The bassist seems like the musician of the band, with walking and meandering bass lines in most of these seven tracks, and perhaps that's what gives this demo it's real charm and sets it apart from heaps of 80s releases by bands yearning to be the next Riot City act.  Political, as you can see here:

and forceful punk that might have been hardcore had it been born a few years later.  Seven songs, seventeen minutes, gruff awkward vocals, blown out pencil thin guitar and frustrated drum beats...what more could you possibly want from your punk?

FROM INNOCENCE TO IGNORANCE

PEPPERMINT SUBWAY

Musically, there are parts of this that would easily fall in line with late 80s UK punk shits, you know after the mohawks have fallen and the leather jackets have become slightly passe.  But then comes "M.O.S." and "Land Of The La La's" and PEPPERMINT SUBWAY dive straight into college rock that likely appealed to fans of early R.E.M, CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, or THE ALARM. If you aren't double clicking your closed minded ass away from Terminal Escape by now, and if you can sort through  the weedpatch to find a few flowers, then you are in for a quality demo.  "Destination X" is a Motor City  worshipping burner, "Psycho Surf" is a little silly, but it was Cincinnati for fuck's sake, and it was 1988, so I'm guessing that most folks didn't know any better, and a song about zombies is usually a good time.  Nine tunes here, and to be fair, four of them are probably worth keeping, but that's not for me to decide...listen for yourself.

SUBTERRAINIAN JUNGLE

(and yeah, they spelled it wrong twice)

FUCKBOYZ

The nice gentleman who runs Cosmic Hearse slipped this to me in San Jose a couple of months back in hopes that I would share it here, and I hate to let a good man down (though my friends might argue that contention).  FUCKBOYZ were Florida's finest export to the west coast, and in between taking drugs and breaking hearts, they managed to record a few amazing songs and get themselves threatened by the mob (something about a girl...someone's daughter or some shit).  Raucous and brilliant punk rock from the folks who would later bring us HICKEY and YOGURT (they brought us other shit as well, but bringing OFF DA PIGS and AGALLOCH into this discussion might only serve to confuse things). These songs are great, and I really wish I had been around to see FUCKBOYZ (though had I been here for that, then I would have missed ILLEGITIMATE SONS OF JACKIE O and innumerable GLUE shows back where I came from, so I guess it's kindof a wash), but I consider myself lucky to call half of the band my friends, and even the "Melt With You" cover is pretty awesome. Enjoy your week.

 

SMOOTH TASTE LOW TAR

BIG SKIN HEARTS

This one man band from Chikasha, Oklahoma started a pretty brilliant self promotion blitzkrieg back in 1992, by placing these demo tapes all over the University Of Oklahoma campus. There weren't really that many rockers around, and we kinda thought we all knew each other (or at least knew who everyone was), and then here comes this vaguely punk, very noisy, grunge tinged self recoded demo tape...and it's from Chikasha!?!! And even from a place like Norman, we were impressed and intrigued. The closest comparison I can namedrop is GOD'S ACRE, who sounded a hell of a lot like NIRVANA's Nevermind a year or so before that relatively famous record was released (but GOD'S ACRE were way dirtier, and therefore, better). These ten songs are hopelessly catchy and melodic, but filthy and distorted at the same time, the guitar tone is something to be strived for, even if one doesn't care for the tunes.  No song titles, just "Five Songs" on side 1, and "Five More Songs" on the flip (that kinda added to their mystery), but check out the last tune on side 2 and think SCRATCH ACID, then listen to the finale to the first side and think MUDHONEY, and then think of one dude making this magic all by himself.  In Chikasha, Oklahoma.

BUGGERNAUT

STREET WITHOUT JOY

Methods Of Power is two mesmerizing ambient drones from Johnathon Davis, aka STREET WITHOUT JOY.  First comes "Revision no. 1" with its swarm of cicadas in the form of a lone organ and/or noise maker, and then "Analog" on the flip side is a stark and minimal track reminiscent of something SUICIDE might have created in one of their darker moments.  Not for everyone, perhaps, but I find myself coming back to these two songs over and over, enjoy.

METHODS OF POWER

FISH OUT OF WATER

Since today is the start of a new decade and all, I thought maybe I should post something super special and/or poignant. But then, I really don't give too much of a shit about any of the other holidays, so why should this one be any different?  So instead, I'll celebrate this otherwise average Friday with a compilation cassette put together by Ruptured Ambition Tapes back in 1989.  Lots of unknown and killer crap on here, most notably the two tracks by CRUST, whose vocalist is a dead ringer for SIOUXSIE, and even though by '89 Ms. Banshee was plastered all over MTV and had little to do with anything remotely underground, these songs are stellar.  GROOVY TRASH's "Permafrost" is sadly not a MAGAZINE cover, but it's close stylistically, with heaps of keyboards hovering over the whole tune. ZYGOTE delivers a predictably good track, as do CULTURE SHOCK, OI POLLOI and CONFLICT, but even these bands are overshadowed by COWBOY KILLERS blazing UK punk.  It's not all glorious, the TATTOOED LOVE BOYS song is possibly as awful as the name of the band, THE RETREAT are boring as piss, and while C.D.S. is pretty ripping, and probably the heaviest band on the tape, I just can't get over a song called "Bomb Pizzaland," perhaps I'm closed minded. But three clunkers  in 90 minutes?  Them's pretty good odds, and plus, you get two NICK TOCZEK songs, so there's nothing to complain about.

FISH OUT OF WATER Side A

FISH OUT OF WATER Side B

 

And, only vaguely on topic, today will be my first January 1st in half a decade that I will not be foolishly running into a frozen (or nearly frozen) Lake Michigan at 12:00 CST. I will make a half hearted attempt to soak myself in solidarity by plunging into the pathetically warm Pacific Ocean, and for those few shivering moments, my heart will be in Milwaukee.  A Fish Out Of Water indeed.