Out fourth and final Record of the Week feature focusing on seven new releases from Luk Haas’ incredible Tian An Men 89 Records label. Go to tam89records.com for more info on these releases, and check out Maximum Rocknroll‘s October issue for all of these reviews and many, many more!

Never Mind the Taqwacores Here Is the Real Deal compilation 7″
Of course I’m fascinated by this compilation of Pakistani bands. I want to know to what extent expatriates versus native Pakistanis are involved in these bands and scene(s). Unfortunately, for the bands that do have contact information, some of the links (to Facebook) seem inoperable. Scoping the others didn’t answer my questions, so I’m still ignorant. From listening to the comp I can tell you metal and grind are big influences. MARG gives us a bouncy, mid-tempo track with languid vocals and some noodly guitar leads. The lyrics (translated into English) critique society. CORNHOLE‘s track, “Beards in Power,” is catchy enough through the verses, losing something on the chorus. BVLGHVM plays a standard nasty grind with rather short songs. CHOOTS (which apparently translates as “vaginas,” though any subtleties there may be lost on me) play a quick, fast metal track, with the vocals dominating over the music. “There isn’t a tunnel with fucking light, ain’t no pearly gates, ain’t no Satan to torture you, there is nothing.” MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION plays a heavy grind attacking religion with lyrics in English and a native language. FORESKIN precede their track with what I believe is a sample of the BAD BRAINS, before attacking “faggots” who don’t headbang. “Break those mental barriers and run to the fucking front.” This song is about 25 seconds long. GLORIFIED WHORE MONGERS play some demo-quality metal, which I prefer to the work of BATHORY, who seem an influence. KAFIR E AZAM has a short, well-executed grind track. Overall I’m more excited about there being kids into metal and grind in Pakistan than I am for much of the music here, though a few of these songs I’d be glad to hear wherever they’d originated from.

—Jeff Mason

CHORNAYA RADUGA – All of Us Will Fly… EP
This 7″ appears on the always-interesting Tian An Men 89 Records, that has been putting out records by punks who live in parts of the world where they lack the resources to do it themselves. The label is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. On this release, they bring us Bender’s (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) CHORNAYA RADUGA, who belts out four songs of post-metal that is informed by emotional hardcore and melodic punk. The first track, “War,” begins with a bomb siren and launches into a depressive, downtrodden song about the business of war. The other three songs delve deeper into the post-metal side of their sound and almost resembles nu-metal in a few moments, but those moments are (thankfully) brief. There are also some solid, confident guitar solos taking up a good chunk of time in these songs. This is a solid release for fans of this style.

—Greg Harvester

This month our Record of the Week feature focuses on seven new releases from the amazing Tian An Men 89 Records label. For decades now, Luk Haas has traveled the most unreachable corners of the globe seeking out punk and underground rock scenes, and releasing music on Tian An Men 89 that the rest of the world would never otherwise get a chance to hear. The man is a true hero!

BEIRUT SCUM SOCIETY/DETOX split EP
Punk from Lebanon! The first track on the BEIRUT SCUM SOCIETY side sounds like a slowed down FLAG OF DEMOCRACY’s “Madhouse.” The second song is more of a rock ‘n’ roll oldies/rockabilly, complete with harmonica, then the third continues in this vein with a more punk vibe to it, à la VIBRATORS with snotty vocals. DETOX reminds me of early 45 GRAVE with some RIK AGNEW-related moments, complete with keyboard. Then there is a hardcore jam that moshes into a punk breakdown mess in “Play a Fucking Instrument”—there is a lot going on here, but it’s cohesive and good. This definitely diverges from a path at times, but it’s firmly rooted in early ’80s punk, yet more aggressive than melodic—creative, weird and carnival-esque very early punk mixed with art punk shit, using irony and humor to address serious issues. I love the DETOX tracks on here, but the whole record is good and seriously solid if you wanna get weird…which I do.

—Mariam Bastani

MAZHOTT EP
Wow, writing about a Syrian punk band while shit is hitting the fan over there seems rather surreal. Tian An Men 89 has done it again, yet again delivering the goods! The first track has a street-punk beat that blends with a guitar solo that could only have been produced in the East: rich and intoxicating like pipe smoke or potent herbs. The second self-titled track sticks to a similar style, with some funky drumming and some cow-bell, while on the flip “Bakaloria” goes in a more rock ‘n’ roll direction, with choppy guitars and a dancey melody. The final track (“Sai’een”) is performed live and starts out with a ska-sounding guitar which turns into sad solo, accompanied by lyrics which I can tell are filled with pain, anger and sincerity. Who needs to speak a common language when you have music like this? A real gem that will be appreciated by anyone who understands what punk actually means, as opposed to (only) what it may sound like.

—Layla Gibbon

This month our Record of the Week feature focusses on seven new releases from the amazing Tian An Men 89 Records label. Go to tam89records.com for more info on these releases, and check out Maximum Rocknroll‘s October issue for all of these reviews and many, many more!

V/A – Disenfranchised in India compilation LP

Tian An Men 89‘s documentation of punk and alternative rock in far-flung corners of the world continues with its first-ever compilation of bands from India from the last decade. TAM89′s website contains a succinct explanation of its desire to document and encourage self-expression in different countries, whatever the permutations and definitions of alternative punk music people choose, regardless of styles and trends in the West. This does however collide with the mass globalization of punk and alternative music, by both major labels marketing to “emerging markets,” their use in Hollywood films that are distributed globally, and the internet allowing access to a clear idea of “what you’re supposed to do”… So there are sometimes less surprises than you’d hope for, as some band in Delhi basically regurgitates the ’90s Seattle grunge sound and NIRVANA or GREEN DAY, as those influences are sometimes more apparent than people with a vague idea left to just make up their own thing on a limited set of resources or ideas. Punk’s radical DIY template is its greatest victory, not the music, not the fashion or specific ideas, but the ability for people to take control of their own music, art and culture as an avenue for self expression—and there’s a great power in forwarding that in new places via these compilations, where bands can see their music pressed to vinyl, often for the first time, and exposed to a worldwide audience. But, despite the open-minded approach to punk, it’s still looking for a Western set of music values (the concept of punk itself) in a country that probably has way better local music that has nothing to do with punk or hardcore. Set that aside, the fourteen bands here each contribute one track with a lyric sheet and short history of each band, and there’re a lot of rewards here for the open minded not looking for a specific sound or result. The comp opens with one of its strongest tracks, by TRITHA ELECTRIC BAND—an eclectic trip-hop/ethno-punk artist from Kolkata who tours extensively in Europe, whose track here, “Fish Market,” is more of a punk-edged new wave stomper—like a hard TONI BASIL track but with the same infectious, bouncy fun and catchiness. JEEPERS CREEPERS play a catchy track of lo-fi indie rock, threaded around a solid spindling guitar line. BLAKHOLE cranks one of the comp’s few fast, noisy thrash blasts. BULL ENGINE approximates the aforementioned ’90s Sub Pop grunge sound, with a heavy Cobain-ish twang. Mumbai’s PUNK ON TOAST plays stripped down, garagey punk that is actually not too far off from, say, THEE HEADCOATS, but with ’80s-style boilerplate political lyrics and meek vocals. The RIOT PEDDLERS have a high-energy melodic hardcore sound that would be well at home in Orange County skateparks. The SCRATCH CARDS play solid, basic hard rock ‘n’ roll. TRIPWIRE plays jangly mid-tempo punk with a ’60s pop feel. And OUTLINERS end the comp with a dreamy, layered track reminiscent of one of the more subdued B-sides by the ENGLISH BEAT or SPECIALS, with its shuffling ska-ish guitar lines.

—Ken Sanderson