Built on a Weak Spot

I think at some point after I posted the other Crown Roast single someone asked about this one via e-mail or something. So to if that person is still out there, here is the Three Course Meal single. Much like the George 7-inch (you can still grab that one here), this one is quite the ripper as well. The a-side treats you to two pretty solid blasts of noise-punk. However, in my opinion the b-side is the clear reason to hear or own this single thanks to the largely destructive and ugly tune “L-Pill” that consume most of this side of the wax. As many of you probably already know, former Crown Roast member Craig Clouse does similar noise making in the behemoth that is TODD. You can also find him doing even further bizarre things Shit & Shine, whom are incredibly good as well. In the meantime though, take a step back in time to listen to this precursor. It’s mighty enjoyable.

Crown Roast – Three Course Meal [MP3]
Crown Roast – Vertravlich [MP3]
Crown Roast – Codebook [MP3]
Crown Roast – L-Pill [MP3]

You can actually still pick this single up at Little Deputy it appears. If you enjoy it, well throw down the little cash that they are asking for copies of this. Enjoy!

It would appear Menfolk are a band that I should have been privy to a bit sooner than I was. Up until a couple or so weeks ago, I had no idea who these guys are. It probably has something to do with them being based out of Denmark and that being a bit far from here. However, that hasn’t really hindered me in unearthing stuff before, so it’s kind of a mystery to me how these guys slipped under my radar this entire time. They’ve been together since 1999 by the way. However, they’ve only released on other album during that span in ‘05’s Colossus. Thanks to the French site Nextclues though for bringing these guys to my attention though. After learning about their recently released second album Beast One/Man Nil out on Play/Rec, I quickly tried tracking it down for purchase only to unsurprisingly learn that getting the vinyl shipped to me in the states would be a rather costly endeavor. Thankfully though the label has a digital outlet as well and I didn’t hesitate to thrown down the 8 or so dollars for the album in nice high quality MP3’s. If there is one thing to be said for this whole digital thing, it’s sure made hearing releases that in most cases would be too expensive to buy much more affordable and easier to hear.

Menfolk appear to have heard a few Shellac records during their time, as evidenced through the bands razor sharp guitar sound. However, Menfolk don’t let it do all the talking on this record, as they have two bassists that enjoy creating quite a racket of their own leaving them with a sound that is certainly less rigid and methodical than a Shellac, but maybe closer in relation to Rapeman. Either way, it’s a noisy mess that I am fully behind. I imagine if you’re a fan of 80’s/90’s Chicago inspired noise-rock, then you’ll be too. Check out a tune below…

Menfolk – Matador (stream)

If you’re interested in getting copy of Beast One/Man Nil then head on over to Play/Rec where it’s available on LP or digitally.

Kind of a change of pace, as I get caught up on some things I want to listen to. A long while ago I wrote about the Athens, Ohio based God and Texas…mostly focusing on their first couple of albums. I highly recommend tracking down either Industry Standard or History Volume One. Not to say their later albums are lacking, but that’s where the primo stuff is in my opinion. But then again, I imagine you really couldn’t do yourself wrong by checking out just about anything from the band. Anyway, what I have here is their 1992 single featuring the tunes “Comrade General” on the A-side and “Chromalox” on the B-side. To my knowledge “Comrade General” is exclusive to this single, so I figured some may be interested in hearing it. The song “Chromalox” actually appeared on the bands third album that would appear in 1993 called Criminal Element. The two songs certainly serve as a glimpse to what was to come, featuring a much “meatier” sound. The band was obviously heading in a less noisy direction, but still it remains very appealing to those interested in such sounds.

God and Texas – Comrade General [MP3]
God and Texas – Chromalox [MP3]

The bands last couple albums can be found on Amazon for little to nothing; however the other two may take a bit more searching on the likes of Musicstack or other types of marketplaces. Enjoy!

Coming across Fatalists was just the result of my rather late night boredom and mouse clicking. It all eventually led to me to some of the bands tunes and it was enough to compel me to grab their debut record Between the Aisles released not long ago on Gamma Proforma. Thankfully the songs I heard were pretty representative of what I would end up hearing on the rest of the album. In whole, this is some fairly discordant post-punk that doesn’t stray too far from the McLusky/Future of the Left side of things. That however may be partly attributed to the noticeably playful lyrics that seem to be a continual occurrence throughout the record. Fatalists certainly seem to have a bit of a rougher edge however, favoring a bit more abrasiveness instead of the more bass driven groove typically attached to such music. I’m certainly enjoying what these guys are offering up though, as it kind of incorporates the both of best worlds from post-punk and the noisier spectrum of rock that I so love.

Fatalists – Leave Me Undead (stream)

Those interested in picking this up can head on over to Gamma Proforma or Amazon for copies. Enjoy!

I am pretty ashamed of myself for completely forgetting that Jethro Bodine had a sister named Jethrine. This is coming from a person who spent a large portion of their summer vacations away from elementary school plopped in front of a television watching reruns of The Beverley Hillbillies since we only had about 4 other channels to choose from. Anyway, I mention that because not long ago I was passed along an EP from the Portland band Jethrine, whom have apparently taken a liking to the rather obscure character. It wasn’t until this point that my memory was jogged. Anyway, the EP, which is titled Wildlife, was just recently self-released by the band and made available digitally for free via their Bandcamp site. Although they are from Portland, all the members have at one point lived in either Chicago or St. Louis during the lives. It certainly must have rubbed off rather heavily on at least a couple of them because Wildlife is pretty much a direct leap to about 15 to 20 years ago when a label like Touch & Go was dominating many peoples listening habits. I’m certainly ok with that and I’m thinking quite a few out there may very well feel the same, so I couldn’t let this one just slip by.

Jethrine – Narcosis [MP3]

Due to the relative ease of obtaining Wildlife, I would hope many out there will give this a listen. If you’re interested then just head over to the bands Bandcamp site where it is available for free download in a number of different qualities and formats for the pickier types. Enjoy!

“This album was recorded in our practice space in the month of April 2010. We were very drunk, and very stoned. We’ve recorded quite a bit of stuff before, but this recording actually captures realistically what we do and how we do it. Cheap, loud, and drunk”

Well, I can certainly believe that after having listened to Peaced, the new five song 12” from Austin, TX’s When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. Some may remember seeing their last album Not Noiice on these very pages a couple or so years ago. At the time I believe there were upwards of around seven people in the band, however they’ve since brought it down to five. I’m not quite sure having any more members would have changed much about this record anyway, as it’s basically a high volume treble heavy blast of noise from start to finish. If this is in fact the way they do things, then I am kicking myself for not finding a way to see them when they rolled through Kansas City a couple months ago. On record, over the last couple at least, they really don’t sound much like they do here on Peaced. In fact, this seems to be heading more so in the direction of Expensive Shit, a side project that contains three members from When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth in which they are pretty much free to indulge in as much noise improv as they please. Peaced probably blurs the lines here a bit more however, still employing traditional riffs underneath a very heavy coating of fuzz, reverb, and maniacal shouting. All five tracks seem to take the same three components and shape them into a noticeably different style however, which for five dudes that had probably completely lost track of time and their whereabouts is fairly impressive in a way. If you’re looking for more Texas noise/scuzz, then Peaced is definitely a good place to look.

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth – Closet Athlete [MP3]

For those interested in picking this up, hit up the band here for copy. For those over seas, Riot Season/Black Labs is doing a short run of 100 that can be pre-ordered now.

Damn, I don’t think I was really expecting the sort of aural beat down that Grids unleash on their recently released 12” EP White Walls. I mean, their single from last year on Lunchbox certainly had its “noisier” moments, but Grids have seemingly notched up the aggro by a significant amount on this release. I almost feel like what I wrote about the band a year ago doesn’t necessarily even apply anymore. It seems they may even be a bit self-aware of this too by naming one of their songs “Gone Soft” (unsurprisingly it’s not soft at all). However, I’m not complaining as this is easily the best set of tunes I’ve heard from the band. It’s completely ugly and confrontational noise-rock that has some serious weight to it along with throwing in some interesting tonal shifts. Everything just hits incredibly hard to create one large and ill-tempered record that does just about as much damage as it can possibly do in eighteen minutes. In the end I absolutely love where this band is going and if they hadn’t already caught my full attention over the course of the past year, well they certainly have it now. White Walls doesn’t mess around.

Grids – Gone Soft (stream)

If you’re enjoying the track above, then definitely hit up Inkblot Records where they currently have copies of White Walls available. It definitely comes recommended. Enjoy!

I really don’t think I’ve stumbled across as much great, interesting, and quality rock coming out of Australia as I have this year. I’ve had my ears open to what the underground had been producing out of the country, but it really seems like they have a fairly special thing going on particularly right now. I could be wrong, maybe it’s a coincidence…I somehow doubt it however…but if it is it’s a coincidence that I am certainly thankful for. The latest in musical discoveries is coming from the Melbourne area and is a monster of sound called ZOND. The band has just recently issued their self-titled debut through R.I.P. Society and I’d have to say it’s nothing short of spectacular.

It’s actually quite difficult to put this record into words, as it challenges you to try and describe it in a way that doesn’t come off as being as just a blanket of noise. The problem being that it most certainly is, but defies the whole noise label in a manner that bands like My Bloody Valentine, Goslings, and maybe a handful of others have over the years. There is just as much melody and beauty to uncover when all of the feedback collides to form the immense and powerful sound that ZOND creates. I’ve listened to this record a handful of times through now and the amount of different sounds and directions the instruments take on throughout the disc are impossible to count. Vocals are hardly represented here, but rest assured that they are in fact here as faint echoes of voices fade in and out, never quite being able to make out what exactly they are saying. It’s a bit chilling in a way as they sound trapped underneath the overwhelming density of the bands sound, almost on the verge of just giving up hope of being found altogether. And really, I think that’s one of the difference makers in ZOND’s approach. They tread the fine line between triumphant and hopelessness in a way that somehow loses no energy.

ZOND – Stupid Gods [MP3]

Not really sure of where this one is available other than hitting up R.I.P. Society for a copy. Regardless, I definitely recommend it. This album is up there as far this year goes, no doubt.

Edit: The LP is currently in stock at Goner Records for those wishing to pick this up in the US. They should be popping up in other distros as well rather soon. Jump on this or keep your eye out!

A couple or so years ago a review popped up on Your Flesh penned by AmRep founder Tom Hazelmyer for the disc Harlem by the Denton, TX group White Drugs. Seeing as how a large chunk of my music taste and a slightly smaller but still rather large chunk of my music collection have been molded around Mr. Hazelmyer’s label, I took the heaping praise he laid upon the disc to heart and sought it out. Unfortunately at the time Harlem was a bit harder to get a hold of, but nonetheless I got a chance to listen to it and it proceeded to prove why it got all those kind words/comparisons with a blistering set of dirty garage flavored noise. Information about the band seemed pretty scarce however, even with the presence of a MySpace and an actual working website. There was little in the way of actual activity from the band, other than the physical evidence that is Harlem which was released on the bands own label Kunstwaffe

So yeah, that was probably early ’08 and time passed and then I noticed the name White Drugs in a list of bands that would be performing in August at the AmRep 25th anniversary bash. Very cool I thought, however I couldn’t quite figure out how they fit in with the whole thing aside from definitely sharing many attributes of plenty of bands that were part of the roster over the years. Then out of pure coincidence an opportunity arose to hear the bands new record Gold Magic and I gladly jumped at the chance to do so. However, not only was I extremely pleased to hear a new White Drugs record, I was given my answer as to why they were playing the AmRep bash in the first place and that’s because Gold Magic is in fact being put out by AmRep in conjunction with Kunstwaffe on July 20th.

With Gold Magic the band continues onward with the full rock ‘n roll swagger that their previous material was dripping with, maybe even more so than before. All I know is that this thing locks into a groove pretty early and keeps with it for damn near the entire half hour by pumping out absolute riffs galore that are given a deep bathing of filthy feedback. To put it simply, you’d be wise to check this out. It’s everything you would pretty much want to hear on a release from a label that has helped develop a certain style of music as much as it has.

White Drugs – Black Wizard Gloaming (stream)

As of right now, you can pre-order Gold Magic through the bands Kunstwaffe label. It’s limited to a pressing of 350, so don’t slack folks and pick this up. For those interested in hearing the bands previous record Harlem, which I highly suggest you do, it’s also available on the site now as well. With that, enjoy!

MLU has popped up on these pages already a couple times, thanks in part to their excellent contributions to the Slavescene split tape and then their side on a split LP with The New Flesh. All of this only contributed to my eagerness to hear this full-length as soon as it was made available through Rotted Tooth. Somewhere along the line the band went from a two piece and added a third member to play bass I believe. At least I don’t recall there being any sort of bass on their previous releases, if there was…I sure wasn’t hearing it. That however didn’t stop them from being one of the more impressive auditory abrasive/abusive bands I’ve heard in awhile. So with the addition, it’s no surprise that this comes off as the most forceful material they’ve managed to put out. The added low-end combined with the albums shift towards a repetitive battering of feedback sort of lands them in an area close to one of my old favorites Glazed Baby. Much like them, MLU champion a sound that maybe blurs the line between actual rock and noise a bit more than some would maybe rather hear but uses precisely placed riffs to keep things hinged in a sense. It’s those types of random bouts of explosiveness that end up making this record.

MLU – Vom Dog (excerpt) (stream)

Anyone interested in picking up a copy of the bands debut self-titled LP can do so by either getting it directly from the band here or it’s also available through Rotted Tooth, Fusetron, or Permanent Records. Enjoy!