EYES ON YOU

A great five track burner from EYES ON YOU. 1986's killer Received With Thanks 12" was one of the last releases from COR Records (who were also responsible for records from POLITICAL ASYLUM, CHAOS UK, XPOZEZ, SACRILEGE, A.O.A. and loads more), and this demo from the previous year features more of the same tuneful punk. Clearly a few US bands had infiltrated the band's sound, and Bob Mould's vocal patterns are just as evident as the MOVING TARGETS guitar parts (Bob Mould creeps back in during the solos), and EYES ON YOU use those influences blatantly to crank out catchy punk full of huge guitars and hooks galore while never straying to far away from their UK punk foundation. I have no cover and no information about this tape other than what you see in the scan, and I apologize for posting this without so much as song titles...but I'm sure you will find the music well worthy of overlooking this relatively minor shirking of my duties as blog administrator.

EYES ON YOU

VAASKA

Today, Noise Punk Mondays honors the departure from the Bay Area of Uncle Lo-Lo. Logan (that's what God named him - it was society that dubbed the man "Uncle Lo-Lo") has been all butt-hurt lately because he claims that I give more love to Albany than to Texas on The Escape, so today I present Logan's raw DBeat punk band: VAASKA.  Killer noisy shits with unmistakable rock down through the very core -even when they try to deliver bare bones DBeat, VAASKA tweak it just fukkn right. They are playing shows in Europe soon, and even my European friends will agree upon seeing them live: You can take the raw DBeat out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the raw DBeat. Killer cover of "¡Policia No!" to close out this fukkn rager, and on the day that Uncle Lo-Lo boards a plane and ends his entirely too short stay in San Francisco, let it be known that I have love for Texas. A bizarre and conflicted love, especially after my adolescence spent languishing there, but a love nonetheless. 

VAASKA

GUIGNOL & MISCHIEF BREW

I realize that this might be a tough sell for a lot of folks who stop by The Escape, but I assure you that if you take the leap, you will be rewarded with wonderful tunes. This tape came to me courtesy of Terminal Escape visitors (like yourself) who also happen to be friends, and it falls well outside of the rather narrow musical parameters that I have set up here (though that was not my intent at the outset - it just kinda happened that way because I'm into punk) but GUIGNOL & MISCHIEF BREW define their own parameters on this release, so preconceptions be damned. Fight Dirty is a fucking party on wheels - equal parts Old West soundtrack, Gypsy fireside brawls, Eastern European horn ensemble, THE POGUES on steroids and a smattering of THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS...it exists on a whole different plane, and that plane is way more fun than the one we are currently spending our time on. 

FIGHT DIRTY

Also - I saw DEVIATED INSTINCT Saturday night and was pretty floored. Only stayed for a few songs since I'm a grown up and have to get up early to go to work (which doesn't necessarily make me an adult...it might make me working class, or perhaps just an idiot, the jury is still out) but I STRONGLY encourage punks on the West Coast to go see these fools - shit was amazing. Sunday in San Francisco, hopefully I'll stay for the whole thing!

STREET LEGAL

I know - the cover is probably the best thing you've ever seen, right? I was so totally prepared to ridicule the shit out of this release when I popped it in the player...I mean, BUTTHAND?! Turns out Butthand isn't just a snortle inducing name for a tape, it's a fukkn killer demo from Kansas City's STREET LEGAL. Female vocals, great bass work that drives infectious hooks deep into your subconscious so that tomorrow at work I'll be mentally humming "Fast & Free" but I won't know what the song is or where it came from - it will just be in there. Can we get back to the cover for just a moment? Yeah, that's an ass superimposed on the back of a hand flipping you off. Similar vibe to the equally killer NECRO HIPPIES demo, even though they don't really sound that similar...they feel similar, and that's what a vibe is all about, ain't it? Seven songs - great tape - get into it.

BUTTHAND

THE APATHY COMPILATION

You want killer mix tapes on your Friday - and fukk, you've earned it, so why shouldn't I deliver? Well, luckily for you (and for my reputation), delivery is one of my specialties! Today, I present The Apathy Compilation, courtesy of Apathy Tapes...this mix comes from 1981 and was likely put together by an enterprising young chap (or lass) in his (or her) bedroom late at light while the parents were asleep. "Job well Done" I say to Apathy Tapes, because this is a top notch collection of early UK punk, featuring the likes of VIOLATION, DISTORT, CHRONIC, LIVING DEAD, FRICTION AGITATORS and others over the course of one glorious hour (give or take a few minutes). This shit is all top quality, so dig  in like I know you want to. I want at least a dozen comments about how great this tape is.

THE APATHY COMPILATION

SOOTHE

Four rippers from Japan's SOOTHE, clocking in at just over nine minutes. Musically, SOOTHE don't stray too far from the classic Japanese hardcore formula, though there is something innocent and adolescent sounding about these songs and the female vocals often sound as if they are coming from a very very angry teenage girl. Healthy bits of melody (especially from the vocals) make for a more than infectious listen. These songs will likely be shunned by Japan hardcore purists (see: innocent and adolescent), but I can't shake a distinct COMES comparison - especially with the vocals - and I can't get enough of them.

FIST

INTERNAL AUTONOMY

More dark punk from INTERNAL AUTONOMY. The vocals are still drenched with SIOUXSIE influence, but simultaneously softer and more on edge, and the guitars are distorted and fukkd so much that moments sound like a lost JESUS & MARY CHAIN recording with driving bass and drums moving things along at a steady pace. "Sick" is a total Crass Records throwback tune, while "Buffalo Land" is dreary 4AD styled shoegaze reanimated in the form of political punk, and the combination is fantastic. There are moments I could live without (the solo that extends through the majority of "The Pain" is a notable example), but as a whole this demo is an excellent chunk of late '80s female fronted UK anarcho/goth punk. 

SONG AND SPEECH