In a sneak preview of what’s to come in MRR #324, which doesn’t hit the presses till next month, this week’s new band alert focuses on a some teenage Danish punks,iceagewho have made one of the best 7″s I have heard this year. It was recorded by Peter Peter, of the Sods and Sort Sol, who also, I believe, recorded my last favorite group of Danish teenagers, Hul. iceage do not capitalize the first I of their band name, in a ee cumming stylee, and their sound is taught, tense, and sounds like it could have been recorded in ’79 — truly great post-punk with an urgent and disturbing nervous energy.
Their 7″ came out on Escho Records, which usually puts out dance music, I believe, so it’s not something I woulda discovered if not for the fact my friend Ethan saw them play when he was touring with his band in Denmark and mailed me a 7″. Unfortunately, I think it’s out of print now, but apparently they are working on an LP, which I can’t wait to hear…
I am so fucking stoked on LA VOZ right now! They come out of the same LA “Raw Ponx” scene as bands such as TUBERCULOSIS, RAYOS X, RABIA AL SISTEMA, and POLISKITSO, and play high-energy, timeless yet fresh-sounding hardcore sung in Spanish. I had the chance to catch them while in LA over the weekend, and before they played, I was told that seeing them would be “like 2001 all over again.” Given that some of my favorite hardcore came out during this era, and that the person telling me this doesn’t hyperbolize, I was already super excited to see them, and they actually exceeded my expectations live. Comparisons to LIFE’S HALT go beyond the superficial.
Check out their MySpace page for the usual riffraff. Not sure how many demos they still have, but a 7″ will be out soon on Lengua Armada. I’m listening to these songs as I write this, and they hone the best elements of those on their demo.
LA VOZ + circle pit! (photo by OldHC Robert)
Also, I want to give a huge kudos to this scene. I’d seen TUBERCULOSIS and RAYOS X up here, but seeing them in their own town and watching these kids, who probably have more reason to be punk than most, getting excited, dancing, singing along to all their friends’ bands, and making shit happen in general was rad and super inspiring. Along with a bunch of great bands, this scene has also spawned a record store, radio show (not just an internet one either), and Fronteras Desarmadas, which is both a print and video zine with contributions from a lot of these kids. For more info and updates, check out myspace.com/rawponxla.
Portland’s ARCTIC FLOWERS may be important to some folks based purely on pedigree. And yes, the skill and experience of guitarist Stan (ex-Signal Lost) and drummer Mike (of a million-and-one great bands, including, currently, Defect Defect) definitely shines through in this band. But the other half of the group, newcomers Lee and Alex, on bass and vocals respectively, land the knockout punch with killer, dark, melodic vocals — just the way I like ‘em — and a solid as fuck rhythm section.
Arctic Flowers’ sound is unabashedly UK anarcho, but not in a way that sounds derivative and hackneyed. The songs sound tough as fuck, and don’t delve into cliché, as this genre so often did in its golden age. Isn’t that the best we can ask from a modern age punk band — take what we know and love, make it your own, and do it well? If we were giving grades, Arctic Flowers would be at the front of the curve.
Arctic Flowers, as seen in the MRR Photo Issue (photo by Paul Curran)
And for your listening pleasure, here’s their 4-song demo!
I’m not exactly sure how long this killer New Orleans band has been around, but NECRO HIPPIES caught my attention with their LP that I reviewed in the current MRR (#321), before I remembered that I had also given their demo a great review a month or two earlier. Here’s the LP review:
The music and artwork here look and sound “authentic” as all shit, and I seriously thought NECRO HIPPIES were some lost early ’80s band until I looked at the recording date. This is music for another Saturday night spent drunk and alone in the basement of your shitty brownstone as it pours buckets outside: semi-snotty, thin-sounding vocals remind me of a more inept Otto from REGULATIONS, screaming and slurring over mostly mid-paced thick and dreary riffs, and stompy drums. This is also one of those bands that are able to come up with the simplest of riffs that still make you clench your fists. Put this record’s opener on your next mix tape.
Sounds, pictures, and more at the Necro Hippies MySpace page, where you can also the dates they’re looking to fill on their upcoming West Coast/Southwest tour, May 10th-21st, 210. Check it out and get in touch with them if you’re down to set something up!
ZOMBIE DOGS is a raging all female, pro-bike, pro-skating, pro-caffeine, pro-feminism, pro-fun hardcore band from Brooklyn. The world (or at least the punk world) would be a better place if more bands fit this description. I’m gonna stop there and point you in the direction of their songs at myspace.com/zombiedogsnyc. Please tour the west coast, or at least play NYC when I’m out there in early May, preferably with DEATH FIRST and NOMOS. Thanks in advance.
Really raw and rudimentary, (in the best sense of the word), all-lady-made hardcore from Brooklyn. It comes with this rad lyric book/tape cover, with songs about creepy feminist for fucks dudes, street harassment and skateboarding! It’s so refreshing hearing challenging, thoughtful feminist and goofy lyrics in this genre of hardcore. So rad!! Tamara has the coolest voice, it’s really tough sounding but not in a SPITBOY way, more like a more hardcore Jenna from MIKA MIKO. She has a similar cool throaty/snotty thing, but this is way more aggro! The guitar sound is so blown out, and listening to this just makes me think of the endless eternal sound of basement hardcore bands. It’s a good feeling listening to a tape on which the riffs bring to mind Flex Your Head, but girls made it, so much cooler than another generi-dude band.
SLAVE SCENE rules, and have been getting some attention due to their coming out of the CULT RITUAL camp, but are a force to be reckoned with on their own as well. Their Heaven Only Knows demo completely knocked me on my ass, conjuring up images of these maladjusted Tampa rejects bringing chainsaws to a Vice sponsored PISSED JEANS or NO AGE show in Williamsburg or some shit, and going to town on all the hip posers getting down to the false, sanitized “abrasive” in-sound. The meek shall reign on earth, indeed. Anywho, after that demo and at least a couple of others, they have just released their first 7″ on Fan Death Records.
For those of you on the East Coast, they’re hitting the road with NAZI DUST in just a few days: Evidently, I live on the wrong fucking coast.
SLAVE SCENE/NAZI DUST “Slave to the Dust” Tour 2009/2010
December 27 – Orlando @ Stardust w/ LLLR, MY LEFT UTERUS, HORRID CROSS
28 – Gainesville @ 911 Depot w/ POST TEENS
29 – Atlanta @ Eyedrum w/ FAILURES, AEROSOLS, SALVATION
30 – Baltimore @ Hexagon w/ NEEDLE GUN, LOTUS FUCKER
31 – Philadelphia @ Terrordome / LEATHER
January 1 – New Brunswick @ ASK SOMEBODY w/ TROUBLEMAKER, THE MEN
2 - NYC @ Stolen Sleeves w/ NOMOS, LOTUS FUCKER, POLLUTION
4 – Providence @ Mars Gas w/ SHV
5 - Boston @ House 11 w/ VACCINE, FAILURES
6 – Amherst @ TBA w/ FAILURES, SQRM
7 – Pittsburgh @ Helter Shelter w/ THRAK, VIRGIN BIRTH, VILE GASH
8 – Columbus @ Legion of Doom w/ VILE GASH, HUMAN BOYS, VIRGIN BIRTH
9 – Nashville @ Little Hamilton w/ MY LEFT UTERUS, FROSTY, BRAINWRECK
10 – Tampa @ Heinrich’s Workshop w/ BRAIN KILLER, SCAPEGOAT
Encountered in a dingy basement in the famous Köpi squat in Berlin this summer, NAILS blew everyone away with their great, driving, mid-tempo hardcore, and the spastic energy of their singer Marc (formerly of Bombenalarm). I was hoping to see a record, or at least demo by now, but no such luck. Are these guys still around? Someone let us know!
Here’s a video from a different gig earlier this year…
Boston has got to have one of the best hardcore punk scenes in America right now. The new SOCIAL CIRCKLE LP is one of my favorites of the year, LYBIANS played one of the best Bay Area shows this year, there’s that NO TOLERANCE 7″, MIND ERASER and the bands associated with Painkiller have been getting a lot of attention of course, and although both BLANK STARE and RED THREAD broke up this year, I’ve been longtime fans of both bands. This year has also seen killer demos from. among others. FOREIGN OBJECTS, CONFINES, and BLOODY GEARS, the latter of which are the subject of this week’s New Band Spotlight. Layla picked out this demo a few months back and asked if I wanted to review it, and I happily obliged:
With the ringing out of the first song’s main riff, the tone is set for these bitter, beaten-down, and captivating songs that are exceptional even by 7″ standards. This band already has a sound that’s their own, but likely draws from THE OBSERVERS and LEATHERFACE,and there’s something very Midwest about these songs as well, making me think of early ARTICLES OF FAITH and HUSKER DU. If Side A is the soundtrack to a frustrated, grey day, driven by disillusionment to live out of one’s own head, Side B it is that day’s night, as the desperation grows and all there is to look forward to is more days and nights of the same.
This demo can be downloaded at bloodygears.blogspot.com, and I believe will be pressed to vinyl soon. Let’s hope they tour in 2010!
Kraków, Poland’s HALT! plays the kind of killer, raw, political hardcore that can only be done properly in Eastern Europe — or so it seems. This band is unique in being a stripped down, modest looking male-female duo playing a style usually reserved for four dudes with spiked hair and studded leather jackets. Their MySpace page features an EP called Postęp which is great, and heavier than what you hear in the video. I can’t tell if the EP is out on vinyl or not, but they’ll have another out soon: a split EP with KRAKOWSKĄ KAPELĄ, so keep your ear to the east…
Along with LOTUS FUCKER, NO MINION, and THE GUILT, DEATHRATS can be added to the list of killer DC hardcore bands that have started up in the last couple of years. This band’s demo knocked me on my ass a few months ago, and it was just pressed on 7″ by To Live A Lie, limited to 300 or something. Here’s the review I did in MRR magazine:
One of the best hardcore demos I’ve heard in a long-ass time. DEATHRATS play ‘dark and heavy’ hardcore that is likely influenced by bands such as DROPDEAD, DEATHREAT, TO WHAT END?, and SKITSYSTEM among others, with a lot of great riffs, cool instrument breaks, crucial feedback at exactly the right moments, and vocal phrasing that works really well with the music, all played a bit faster than usual for this style. Christine’s livid vocals seriously send chills down my spine, and there’s a refreshing earnestness and intelligence to her anger, as she takes on people that project their own misery onto how they treat others, how the male gaze keeps her from developing a positive self-image on her own terms, and how the need for girls to stop hating each other and band together is just as relevant now as it was in the heyday of Riot Grrrl. All of this serves as further proof that girls/women in punk have more reason to be pissed than their male counterparts…
The band’s blog can be found at deathratsdc.blogspot.com, with show info and downloads and what not.
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MRR #323 • April 2010:
This month's issue: Seattle's THE SPITS, SF's DADFAG, PARTIBREJKERS, John Paul of REALLY RED, Chuck Warner of Hyped to Death, ATTENTAT SONORE, SCATHA, FACE THE RAIL, BATTLETORN, filmmaker Colin Brunton, and MOB RULES from Leeds, UK. Cover by Kevin McCarthy.
Buy issue #323 here — use drop-down to choose your location:
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