EARTH JERKS

Technology. Think about how many geniuses of the past were limited by the availability of a means to create. You might have thought of some killer synth oddities in your brain in 1951, but what the fukk were you supposed to do with them, you know? Thankfully it's The New Millennium, and enter: EARTH JERKS. The product of one San Francisco dude and a few devices, EARTH JERKS create a palpable vibe with these two tapes - hypnotic synth/organ drones meet cryptic industrial weirdness, all presented with a subtle confidence that is rare. The subdued sixth track is my personal favorite, perhaps because it stands so far out from the full on presentation of everything else included in this post...but any single number here is, without question, a part of an overall vision. And when I close my eyes to really see with EARTH JERKS is doing, all I want is more.

EARTH JERKS

L'ALEPH

Fast and raw Italian hardcore circa 1996. The whole thing is packaged in stapled cardboard at there are like five different inserts and a handwritten note about how half the band quit and they are looking for new members and are gonna keep playing...it's a time machine in cassette form, really. But the bonus is that the jams are really damn good - furious raw hardcore masking infectious hooks. As always, you're welcome. And I'm kinda sorry that I rarely (read: never) repair dead link, but I'm too busy (read: distracted).

L'ALEPH

BAJA BLATZ

It's too bad this was a project band, but if we never get more than these nine tracks then I will still consider myself lucky. Feisty and furious in your face punk with high end guitars, snarling vocals (I'm talking that almost shrieking, early '90s kind of snot and venom) and an unabashed affinity for a serious hook. Apparently they never checked to see if it was acceptable to play lightning fast raw punk with teeth and make it catchy as hell...I'm not sure if The Rules say this sort of thing is acceptable, but I damn sure know that I say it is.

BAJA BLATZ

ASSÄSSINI

Just under six minutes of raw, bombastic hardcore from Mexico that sounds exactly like the cover implies. Driven by thundering drums and hollow, hoarse vocals that drown out the wash of guitars, ASSÄSSINI are fierce and hideous. Which is just how you like it.

ASSÄSSINI

I GIVE UP

Early '90s sounding DIY hardcore straight out of early '00s Milwaukee. I GIVE UP perfectly capture the determined churn, the discordant guitars, the lurching tempos, the general cacophony and the vocals....three dudes just spewing their guts and you know they mean it. I like when you can just tell, when it sounds desperate, when it sounds like they are just about to....well, just about to give up. The samples and bits between tracks (mostly culled from banter off of rehearsal tapes) are a touch goofy at times, but they add a welcome touch of unpredictability to a demo that already sounds like nothing else. I only saw the band once, and I remember them sticking out and confusing people...I'm guessing that happened a lot.

THE NAME SAYS IT ALL

ANIMADVERSION

Tripped out mutant psych punk from Argentina, ANIMADVERSION dole out a mixture of lo-fi and off kilter '90s punk and drench it in a world of weird.  Guitars are damaged and deranged, and I instantly feel a '90s Mission vibe (that's HICKEY, TINA AGE 13, RUDIMENTS, et al) that helps work me through the marginally tuned guitars. Weird hippie shit and punk collide in this collection of tracks spanning a few years in the early-mid '90s, there are live jams and what appear to be rehearsal jams...but give me one creamer like "Loas, Altruista, Magnificente Spid" and my ass is sold. If you want professionalism then move right along (or move on to the band's later studio releases), but this thing is gold.

DE GRABACIONES ABSURDAMENTE ECONTRADAS 1992-1997

THE KANAMITS // WORMEATERS

Ripping tunes with a fierce guitar lurking in the mix, THE KANAMITS dish out trash/hardcore with maximum intensity. "My Rules" is the obligatory mid tempo banger, and it brings the mosh like few others can - irreverent and determined hardcore along the lines of Sacramento's RAD. WORMEATERS take their raw approach in a decidedly more sinister direction - a nasty, blown out attack that holds absolutely nothing back and employs a complete lack of subtlety. The epitome of primitive hardcore with a possible Oi! fetish...really really mean shit. I think these bands are from New Jersey, but I might be wrong. I know this tape is a creamer (and I'm not wrong that often).

TO SERVE WORMS