IN LIEU OF MY ABSENCE, HERE'S SOME CRAPPY RECORD REVIEWS
WRONG WAR/COMPULSION (Council, split 12” EP)
Where the previous releases from Wrong War never really grabbed me, this one has taken a firm hold of my booty and smacked it into submission, sounding more in line with the rabid post-punk of vocalist Matt Week’s previous band, Calvary than ornery old-codger core. Fronted by former Punch In The Face vocalist Ebro Virumbrales, Compulsion know if ain’t broke, don’t think of fixing it. No frills, Flag-inspired hardcore accompanied by lyrics about life being a pain in the ass. BUY HERE.
WHIZKEY STICK - On The Level (NW Metalworx, LP)
Seeking to shed light on the lesser-known mustachioed rockers from the Pacific Northwest’s past, the NW Metalworx label certainly pull some obscure units out of their bungs. But, as we all know, obscurity does not always equate to boss tuneage. Among the wheat of their discoveries is Whizkey Stik, a mid-70s band from the port town of Astoria, Oregon who sound like they immersed themselves in the David Coverdale era of Deep Purple quite deeply. I mean…just listen to the Jon Lord-like Hammond work of Terry Duoos! Go ahead! Do It! If you’re the type of josephine who enjoys the more 70’s inspired wing of NWOBHM such as Legend or Jameson Reid, you might as well check this out. BUY HERE.
LONG KNIFE - Rip City Bonerpunk Classics Vol. 1 (TKO, LP)
A mo’ than welcomed collection of the seven-inch EPs by PDX’s current Kings of Punk. Where do you go when you’ve exhausted the catalog of Poison Idea? Directly to this sixteen song slab, ya goon! On the bonus 7” thrown in on the deal, No Knife delivers a 7” packed with covers of Leather Nun, Poison Idea and the Cro-Mags. A wide-ranging appreciation for ugly music is something to be admired. Thus, I admire Long Knife. BUY HERE.
DISCHARGE - The East-West Live Dis-aster (no label, LP)
When Discharge came through my town on the Grave New World tour, it angered and upset many a wanna-be Brit punk. Listening to this bootleg made up of two other dates from that tour (Side A NYC Side B SF) it’s pretty apparent they got off lightly that fateful night in Trenton. Legend has it their NYC set was cut short by HR heaving a wet bag of garbage onto the guitarist’s pedalboard. But I can’t hear that exact moment. All I can hear is shitty music and dummies yelling. Side 2 is definitely more dramatic with the band stopping and starting their set over a constant chorus of “FUCK YOU” and requests for D.R.I to come back on stage. When the band makes a sorry attempt at “State Violence State Control” to appease the mile-high hairdo types, the tension is palpable…and highly humorous.
THE TOILET LOVERS - Double-Wide Shoes and a Warm Place to Foul Myself (Firm Stool, LP)
The fifth release from this Lapland-based free-sound collective is possibly the finest to date with their use of amplified nose hair trimmer and shoe horn being really prominent in the mix. Fave tracks include, “My Feet Own Hair (And Dat’s Dat)”, “A Split Second Twitch Of The Dill”, and “Don’t Tell Mom The Guy At The Deli (Ain’t Got No Dick)”.
THE SUBMISSIVES -Live At Value Sound Studios (Celluloid Lunch, LP)
I’ve listened to this a few times and still can’t really get a handle on it…which I guess is a good thing. Sounds like Slumber Party on codeine and that's cool by me. BUY HERE.