MONSTER TREASURE

So apparently there's this band called MONSTER TREASURE from Stockton, California. And apparently they have captured the very essence of late '80s/early '90s alt/college rock in all of the best ways. The trappings that bands fall into when they try to phone in this shit....the clichés those bands so easily fall into....those of us where were there can spot a fake a mile away, and it fukkn annoys me. But right out of the gate MONSTER TREASURE seems real, like WEDDING PRESENT and SEBADOH and MERCURY REV at the same time but through a time warp purifier thing that can somehow ensure that they aren't openly aping (or directly acknowledging) any of their influences, they are just embodying the thing...and it's amazing. Just listen to "This" a thousand times (in a row....and today) and you'll know what I mean. This demo is from 2012, there are also two recent full lengths that are very worth your time and attention. 

MT EP

LiE

I was super happy that Mau uncovered a handful of these gems before this year's FLIPOUTAA tour in Brasil, and even happier that one of them made it into my hands. LiE were at the forefront of the Y2K fastcore/bandana thrash revival in the late '90s, even though their sound today pretty much presents as hyper speed Japanese hardcore (a testament to the role that fashion and presentation played in that "revival"), and created a healthy splash with their records on 625 Thrash and high energy live shows. Let this 2003 creamer be your reminder: it wasn't all about fashion, it was about a scene, and it was about fukkn shredding the joint....and LiE handled both departments. 

BEST FRIENDS ARE PUNX!!

Two members of LiE have been ripping with HAMMER drummer Jun in FLIPOUTAA for over a decade now, and I am extremely stoked that they will be back in North America in early 2018. It never stops...

FUNERAL LEECH

Just three songs on the FUNERAL LEECH demo released earlier this year, but....fukk. Devastating death doom, and I really look forward to a full length (hopefully?) in the future. It's weird sometimes when you realize that the kids you met when you were little more than a kid yourself are now grown ass men (like yourself), and responsible for things that you can enthusiastically endorse as a fan. Happy to have crossed paths at ABC NO RIO many (many) years ago Lucas, and happy to hold this tape in my hand...it's a fukkn beast. 

THE FUNEREALITY

CORPSPAZM

Cavernous and bombastic Southern California raw punk. A few years ago it seemed like some bands was trying to create a kind of terrifying blackened metalpunk vibe while trying to sound like DISCLOSE at the same time...it usually didn't work. But this? It's like black thrash pogo noise not music and brutal DBeat all at the same fukkn time. Listen to "Deceivers" and you'll see/hear what I mean...the straight beat is so fast that it's hard to tell when it morphs into a DBeat, and the vocals are simply deadly. Only a couple of tapes left in their wake from what I can tell, but I've often said that if you aren't going to leave a substantial legacy, then you should at least make sure that legacy is substantial. 

CORPSPAZM

HVAC

Played with these kids in SF a few weeks ago and was pretty supremely floored. They came out like a bunch of awkward teenagers and just leveled the joint...even the most commanding moments still seemed hesitant in a way that kept even the most engaged attendee on edge. I attended, and I was engaged, and I was on edge. I'm hoping that they recorded some new jammers when they got home from tour, because there's nothing like the road to help a band get tour tight....

MENTALITY

AMERICA '89

Some 28 years ago, friends of mine from another country (future friends of course, I was 17 years old at the time and had one penpal in Tulsa...my punk network was relatively small) toured the United States. A friend of theirs made this mix tape for them to listen to on the long and lonely pre-right wing AM talk radio infested highways in an age of no smart phones and fewer distractions, an age when just making idle conversation and laughing while looking out the window and taking in the landscapes, be they monotonous or majestic, was a perfectly acceptable way to spend a day with your friends and/or bandmates. This isn't just a perfect driving mix, it's also a pretty damn solid slice of what folks were listening to at the time...before the extreme valley between mainstream indie/punk and DIY was fully formed, when bands now considered starter punk were themselves simply starters. I would imagine that most Escape visitors already have (or have heard) most of these tunes, but I give you my word that hearing them in this combination and sequence and context is exceptionally pleasing. My word might not be worth much, of course, but that word, along with a 90 minute mix tape compiled by someone I have never met, is what I have to offer today. 

AMERICA '89

THOMAS

This one has been kicking around in various boxes through various moves over the last several years. Long enough that I have no actual clue how it came into my hands (I have a lot of tapes about which I could make the same unfortunate statement), which means I cannot offer any background information or context....which is a shame, because Lost Angeles is a killer.  The phone number on that tape label indicates a pre-internet release date, and the area code (and title) point to Southern California, but otherwise I am simply giving you 60 minutes of gloriously chill independent techno/house music. I listened to this twice last night after I ripped it. 

LOST ANGELES