Reviews

Aklasan

Abi Ooze R.I.P. EP

We may be more than a half-decade out from its heyday, but the NWI scene is still pretty potent. Not only are veterans like LIQUIDS still churning out vital releases, but there seems to be no shortage of cool new acts popping up, like this recording project from Hammond’s Jade Baisa (who’s actually played in LIQUIDS and is backed here by Mat Williams on drums). This EP contains eight tracks of lo-fi punk covering a variety of sounds—some fashionable, some less so. A track like “ABA” sounds like C.C.T.V. mixed with the manic multi-tracked vocals of JUDY AND THE JERKS, and the ramshackle garage-y punk of “Liquidate” sounds not unlike those great early NOTS singles. But she’s also not afraid to slow things down or get poppy. The opening track “Into” has a borderline CRIMPSHRINE vibe, and it’s followed by an earnest slow rocker that reminds me just the faintest bit of some of the emo bands that you’d hear in the late ’90s. I don’t mention that as a slight, more so to point out that the track (and most of the record) is played with a sincerity you don’t really get much these days. It’s actually kind of refreshing and, when paired with good songwriting ideas, makes for a neat record. Unfortunately, this appears to be the final release from the project (hence the title). Bummer.

AninoKo Ugat LP

I’m just going to say that ANINOKO is the most important band in the Bay Area. Their shows are events: families, kids, activists, punks…their community is represented and their community is present at their shows, and that community is open, welcoming, and supportive. Their hardcore is full intensity, and they somehow managed to cram that energy into these tiny vinyl grooves so effectively that I get chills when I hear Jesse’s bass start “Buhay At Lupa” just like I do when they play live. A band made up of Filipino immigrants, singing in Tagalog and confronting issues that directly impact their community and the Filipino diaspora. They just do it a little faster than most activists. ANINOKO doesn’t just fill up space with their hardcore, they open up space for themselves and everyone around them to grow. These people are real, this music is real, and this music is fucking important.

AninoKo / Namatay Sa Ingay split 7″

This split by two American bands comprised of Filipino immigrants—with lyrics in Tagalog—is blazing fast and fist-pumpingly riffy. Though it’s definitely a hardcore record, both bands flirt with D-beat quite a bit. The NAMATAY SA INGAY side reminds me of some stuff WARCRY has put out over the years, while the ANINOKO side sort of has more of a CRUDOS vibe, or even AUS-ROTTEN. ANINOKO’s lyrics are translated into English, and delve into colonization, inequality, and the exploitation of immigrant workers. Though NAMATAY SA INGAY’s side is not translated, the insert says the band is “influenced by ’80s Pinoy punk bands and stories from the third world.” Overall, I think this is a very important release to cop. The tone of US punk in 2019 has centered around lifting the voices of immigrants and minorities, and for decades, bands comprised of immigrants and minorities have been left off of shows, and labels have failed to give them a chance to reach a larger audience. Bands like ANINOKO and NAMATAY SA INGAY are as punk as it gets and, as I saw at an ANINOKO show in San Francisco, bring a lot of joy to punks who feel as though they are being represented in the music they love.

Silakbo Silakbo CD

While the foundation of opening track “Southpaw” is a drum machine hi-hat with a thick metal chug, it launches into a fiery D-beat and I’m thinking PAILHEAD’s “I Refuse,” and that sets the stage: SILAKBO drags you back to the 1980s, but they’re dragging sXe hardcore into the industrial techno clubs with you…and they’re feeding all the thugs and club kids a diet of anarcho-punk activism. A solo project that shines a light on injustice, a band that speaks from the heart of the Filipinx diaspora in California and the rest of the world, a killer hardcore band that offers their material with fucking purpose that surrounds the band like a shield. This first release is hopefully a harbinger—listen to the dark determination of “World of Death” and think about the sonic possibilities, especially when combined with the purity of mission and honest determination that fills every moment of this release.