MALKIO

Fuuuuuuukkkkkkk this one just doesn't get out of my head. Ultra catchy Montreal punk - forceful femme vocals and hook forever laid on top of a ridiculously solid rhythm section. The most obvious comparison is from France, though I think it sells MALOKIO somewhat short. There are only four song on this tape (five on their 2014 recording, that might actually be better), but these Québécois have set a seriously high bar for future efforts. Highest Escape recommendation. 

 MALOKIO

TRIGGERVISION

In the relatively early days of The Escape, I posted some New Jersey freak show noise rock and my pal John sent me additional recordings from the same band...and a casual obsession with TRIGGERVISION began. I feel like they embody what SONIC YOUTH was going for years earlier, but that they did so with the artistic perspective that only time can really provide. That doesn't mean the second wave is better than the first, but using experience and knowledge as tools can't really be a bad thing. Then a few months ago I got an email from Daniel asking if I wanted to hear some unreleased TRIGGERVISION recordings....I did, and Daniel delivered. Almost an hour of studio and live recordings (including their first from 1987) that will absolutely melt your mind. Psychedelic freakout prog/no wave/punk, they simply don't make them like this anymore, and I strongly suggest that you dig real deep into what TRIGGERVISION had to offer. Seriously and endless gratitude to Daniel for sharing...there recordings make my brain hurt. And these recordings make my brain work, which is even more important. 

1987-88

PROBLEM REACTION SOLUTION

These bands were like weeds in the mid-'00s. Bulldozer crust with gruff vocals and Scandi-lite guitar leads that kinda sounded like '90s pop punk if you dropped them onto a STRUNG OUT record. There were often little hints of black metal too, but that was before people openly acknowledged that the Burzum dude was a fucking nazi (full disclosure: I wore a Burzum shirt for most of my first Japanese tour 1996 - it's not a thing I feel awesome about). Some of these recordings make me cringe when I hear them, and some of them strike a nerve...the right nerve, and they make me nostalgic. Check the TERROR LEVEL RED 12" for example - it was maybe a little late to the picnic in 2007 (an unavoidable timeline perhaps, as they were really young), but holy SHIT does that thing hold up today. See also Southern California anarcho-crusters PROBLEM REACTION SOLUTION....the metal tinges are more on the melodic and anthemic end (MAIDEN, HAMMERFALL), but none of that detracts from the guttural dual vocal churn that makes up most of this 2005 release. Pretty sure this was all they ever offered, and a fifteen year old $1 bin demo probably isn't going to make of a blip on most radars since, you know...it's not "cool," but I'll take the guitar break at 2:42 in "Drug Addicted Population" any fucking day. Also, "Mass Murder" shamelessly rips "Eye Of The Tiger" in the best possible way. 

POLICE STATE TAKEOVER

THE NUCLEAR FAMILY

Strap in.

A chaotic performance from Australia's THE NUCLEAR FAMILY captured in Sapporo in 2016. Think early punk, when there were no rules and when you could just kill one hook for four minutes and call it a song. Think saxophone. Think STOOGES meets GERMS. Think MUTANTS. Think fucking punk then think free jazz and then ask yourself is technical ability is really the only true barrier. I typically house the live bangs over at Escape Is Terminal, but I feel like it would be criminal for this document to get lost in the less-visited shuffle. Take your time here, THE NUCLEAR FAMILY is neither an easy nor pleasant ride. But they take you where you need to go. 

LIVE IN JAPAN

THE MOLDS

Pay Attention. Because if you're going to harness decades old sounds and regurgitate them as your own, then you need to put in the work required to make them your own. That's what THE MOLDS have done. Airy '80s indie/alt as a base, and then they...well, they make it theirs. Beats are weird, guitars feel like they are descending from all directions at the same, and moments like the chorus in "Bad One" sound like lost nuggets from the 120 Minutes era of primitive late night cable TV alt discovery. Like, even though it's on the internet for anyone to see and hear and have, THE MOLDS make themselves belong to you as you listen to them - it's a rare feat, and not an easy one. 

SALTINE

AREA DENIAL

Further evidence that it doesn't have to be fancy to be good. Like, really good. Buffalo is only a couple of hours from Pittsburgh, and I hear CAUSTIC CHRIST and SUBMACHINE is in this demo (bridging generations, y'all) - meat and potatoes hardcore punk, lyrics full of vinegar and frustration. "Audio Masturbation" is far and away the choice cut, and off the rails burner that never seems to let up, even when it slows down...the REALLY RED cover is a strong move too, of course. This one dropped in 2012 and the band appears to have gone silent, but I'll take what I can get. 

AREA DENIAL

THIS TAPE SUCKS

Screaming Ohio punk/hardcore comp stuffed with under the radar burners. DEFNICS, OFFBEATS, BEATOFFS, ZERO DFX, DUMBSHITS, and LOUD AS FUCK combine forces on this home taped collection that likely pre-dates the actual OOPS! Records release in 1982. The songs are presented in an entirely different order, and without several bands that are on the eventual release...but you get one extra DEFNICS song, and that is very good news for you. Aside from the missing bangers, this is a perfect dose of early '80s Middle America punk - you can hear ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS and PAGANS creeping into a few songs, a reminder that this comp is very decidedly from Ohio. Like the Digging In Water tape from a few weeks ago, I'm under the assumption that the hands responsible for this tape trading masterpiece are also responsible for the official release. But assumptions are dangerous, so maybe you should just be content to blast OFFBEATS' "M16" and think about making your own band a little better.

THIS TAPE SUCKS