Tenement - Bruised Music

I've never been known for my fondness of "pop punk", but I had to step up and pick up this Tenement LP when Grave Mistake announced it. I had a 7" they did with Culo that had 2 really catchy songs on it. This is more of the same... Infectious, snotty, catchy pop punk that brings me back to sitting in my room as a kid playing Tony Hawk videogames on my PS2 and listening to the same songs on the games soundtrack over and over. This is one of my current guilty pleasures that I only listen to on my commutes alone...... Hey, everyone can have a soft side every once in a while right?

This is the green version out of /220 which is now sold out.

Pink Du$t

This Angel Dust "A.D." album has been the a hot topic on the internet this year. Some people love it and think it's the record of the year, and some people absolutely hate it. I have tried really hard to get into, but it is just not my thing. There are some songs on here I like (stepping stone, beat my brain, set me up), but over all it is way too poppy for me. It features the singer from Trapped Under Ice, but rarely sounds like TUI as they take a pop punk approach. If you know anything about this blog, you will see I have zero pop punk on it.

This was a split release between Reaper and React Records with /400 on white, /400 on clear, /1000 on black. This pink marble was limited to the band on tour and out of /150, being the hardest color to find. I was never interested in owning a copy of this album until I saw Reaper post a pink copy on their web store, so I figured why not.

Weed & Purp Drank

Here is the Power Trip - Armageddon Blues Sessions LP. It is a 6 song, one sided LP with the other side having an etched Power Trip logo. Power Trip is one of the most hyped bands in the hardcore/metal(?) scene these days. I can appreciate this release for what it is, but it's not necessarily my style so Power Trip is not going to get much play time for me. On the other hand, My girlfriend loves them.  This copy was the most limited press on "Weed and Purp Drank" vinyl out of /326, but there is no green at all in this, so I'll just call it purple marble. 

RSD 14 Pt. 3: Taang! Box Set

I was very pleased to see Taang! was doing a box set this year for RSD with their first ten singles. Some of them are fluff (Moving Targets and Oysters, I'm looking at you), but without a doubt a couple very heavy hitters in there. I have never owned any of these of vinyl, so I was glad to add them all in one shot. 

Nice professional sturdy box, it even has some velvet type material on the inside.

Here's the lions share of the box. It also came with a CD with every track from these singles, a great bonus I quickly uploaded onto my itunes. I had mp3s of alot of these, but they weren't as high of quality as the CD is. It sounds like Taang may have remastered some of the tracks because they sound great. 

A very nice booklet, with a couple pages dedicated to each release.

But let's be real, I really wanted this for the Choke trifecta. Negative FX, Last Rights and Slapshot. I love all of these bands and anything Choke has ever done (including Stars and Stripes). 9 out of 10 hardcore kids are going to say the NFX single is the Alpha dog in this pack, but to me Last Rights just can't be beat. I love Last Rights and I wish they released more material. I'm glad to finally have all these on vinyl, but I wish Taang would have done them all on different colors of vinyl. All copies on black vinyl. I would have loved a Negative FX on red, Lemonheads on yellow, Gang Green on  green, you get the picture. Kind of a missed opportunity in my opinion.

#1405 out of 2000. I was also disappointed with the sheer amount pressed. A "limited" box set I think should not have had more than 1000 made. I would have preferred /500 copies. Then it would really feel special. Something tells me that with 2000 made I'll be seeing these floating around in local record stores for years. 

My Worst Post EVER!!!!

Ok, stay with me here... While going through old pictures and trying to find something I felt like posting, I decided to post this Valentine's Day gift for my girl from 2 years ago. This is (or was?) her favorite record and I threw it in on a RevHQ order as a little surprise for her.

But to set the record straight... I don't like No Doubt or listen to No Doubt. This was a gift. So back the fuck up homes. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Welcome The Slaughter

Vinyl Conflict (which is apparently an off shoot of Grave Mistake Records - don't know the whole story on that though), has been on fire with some great releases. This 7" by Richmond, Virginia's Devil's Hand is so freaking good. This has got to be one of the best and most under rated releases of the year. This shit sounds reminds me of a mix of Motorhead and Judge.  No wimpy bullshit allowed on this record, strictly the hardest. The vocals are excellent on this and the music is unique and refreshing... I dig the little guitar solos. Does anyone know more about this band? Sadly, only three tracks but all of them are instant classics! Give them a listen here and then go buy it!

This is the limited green vinyl version which I think was out of /200.

I Want The Moon

Leatherface, where have I been all these years? It wasn't until earlier this year that I finally gave Leatherface a chance and I have been seriously hooked ever since. The similarities in the vocals from this to one of my all time favorite bands, the Beltones, is remarkable. For that reason alone I fell in love with this on first listen. Isn't it amazing how you can miss out on classics for years (in this case, decades)? As I get older and my musical tastes expand, I start to appreciate new stuff. If I had heard this a few years back, I may have said this wasn't hard enough for me or some ig'nant ass bullshit. Now I can appreciate this in it's fully glory.

The lyrics on this record are outstanding and really poetic. I haven't fully been able to grasp the brilliance of some of them and it may take me a long time to really get what he's trying to say, but it's apparent that the words have much deeper meanings than your average punk rock record ("Springtime" anyone?). This is not an original press on Roughneck Records, but a recent "fan club" release on black vinyl. If you haven't checked this album out yet give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Youth Avoiders

What a pleasant surprise France's Youth Avoiders is. Deranged Records has hit another home run with this blistering punk release. The Youth Avoiders are very similar to some of the other "different" type bands on Deranged like Bloody Gears and Neon Piss, and that is a good thing. Let me just start off by saying that this album is really incredible. It is a very unique musical experience and really a breath of fresh air for me. I highly advise everyone to go download this for free and if you like it then buy it. The band has put all of their releases (including this LP) up for FREE DOWNLOAD on their bandcamp, so what excuse do you have to not check it out? If this isn't in all sorts of top 10 lists this year, I will be shocked. Don't sleep on this record!!!

Check out the track "Long Chains" above.

OG Simpson

A few months back I picked up this 7" for 25 cents because the cover was so awesome. I really had no idea what the fuck it was, or even for sure what the band name was. But I mean, C'mon, it was recorded at "The Salty Bean" for christ sakes, so it was pretty obvious this was going to be a fun way to spend a quarter. Apparently the Moistboyz were an intentionally offensive side project of some band called Ween, that I've never heard of. Also from my internet observations, it appears that the Moistboyz still plays today and has a cult following, and likes to let everyone know that they will "never retire".

The music itself it kind of strange rock/old school punk similar to Iggy and the Stooges mixed with the Murder City Devils. This song by all accounts seems to be coming to the defense of OJ Simpson (I think? It's all quite bizarre). Either way, this is really cool and interesting and actually a catchy song. Check these guys playing this shit live in 1995. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more Moistboyz. 

And fast forward to 2010... It seems like these guys like to get fucked up.

Bloody Gears S/T

Here is the limited version of Bloody Gears' s/t 7" on Deranged. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really love Bloody Gears! They are so weird, dark and unique. It is hard for me to put my finger on them exactly, but I would say their comparisons to Husker Du and Leatherface are somewhat correct. Very dark and a bit melodic without being poppy. Bloody Gears have a harder edge than those two though. Check this shit out! 

Hatred Surge

Here is a 7" from Austin Texas powerviolence band Hatred Surge. I kind of bought this because it was put out by Painkiller and had a sweet cover and band name. I will leave this to some of the other blogger crew that are more knowledgable in this style. There are some parts I like, but it is dual male and female vocals. I happen to find the female vocals annoying as fuck, but once again I don't really know jack shit about this style of music (I'm not sure if this is even "powerviolence"?) so my opinion shouldn't matter much to you. Now I'm off to work, have a nice day!

Pregnancy Scares

Vocals are everything. I wanted to like this Deranged release, but it's just not happening. The music sounds very good, but the high pitched, shrill throaty vocals are just too much for me. I got the white limited vinyl version of this release, maybe I'll trade it someday. I have a bit of a love hate thing going on with Deranged. Some of their stuff is just out of this world, but sometimes they gamble on some real oddball stuff that I just can't get into. Pregnancy Scares made a video for a song on this 7" as well, you can decide for yourself. Pretty cool video though, I must say!

Criminal Code

Here is the Criminal Code "Hollowed" EP put out by Deranged Records. Deranged sticks to its usual design scheme with over simplified art. The only place it says the bands name is on a cheesy little sticker on the poly bag. Deranged described these guys as "moody Midwest hardcore", and I would say that description is pretty accurate. To me this release almost sounds more like moody garage punk than hardcore, but it is pretty good listen whatever you call it. I won't hesitate to pick up their LP when it drops this year. These guys remind me alot of Dark Ages, which is a good thing!

It appears that Crim Code is fans of the square them as a logo. Their "Sacred Hands" 7" looks almost identical to this except it is on a black background. This is the limited vinyl version, but I have no idea how many were pressed. 

White Whale - No Solace

Here is a really refreshing release that I let spin for the first time last night and was quite surprised. White Whale's "No Solace". This was a like a nice refreshing glass of water after walking in the desert all day. Sometimes I just need a chance of pace between my usual haunts, and this fits the bill. Kind of poppy garage rock with a healthy enough dose of anger and distortion to get my attention. These Buffalo NY fuckers are pretty damn good, and I'll be ordering the rest of their releases soon for further investigation.

"Hey man, can you do me a favor and take my place on this ledge?"

When I bought this online I considered the cover to be kind of lame, but then when I got it I was really impressed by the packaging. The White Whale logo (as you can see) is an Obi strip with a little sadistic message scribed underneath. Awesome. These are all Screen Printed on a nice heavy card stock. This release is out of /320, all on black vinyl and released by Feral Kid Records. This is one of the more creative records I've received in a while! 

Big Eyes - Back From The Moon

Last summer I ordered this 7" from Grave Mistake not really knowing anything about the band. I pretty much will always support Grave Mistake, especially when they are putting out some limited color vinyl. I pulled the trigger on the order when it came out, and sadly this is one of the few Grave Mistake releases I can't stand. It's not like every label is going to make stuff that you can dig. The music on this is okay but the singer's vocals are just annoy me and it sounds way too poppy. It almost reminds me of some 90's pop punk that you would see in one of those teen movies or something. Ugh. That's okay, I forgive Grave Mistake for one bad release out of hundreds.

He switched from Rum to Whiskey...

Without a doubt one of my favorite albums ever and one of my favorite guilty pleasures. This record is kind of like when you eat sushi and you eat those little ginger slices in between different rolls to freshen your taste buds. This is just what I need from time to time to get a change of pace from all the hardcore, rap and punk rock. I'm still not exactly sure what to label the Murder City Devils, so I'll just call them "incredible".  This is the band's third release, and it is really a tie for my favorite release by them between this and "Empty Bottles and Broken Hearts". Come to think of it I also have that on vinyl but no pictures of it? Expect a post soon...

I just love how dark and depressing all their shit is. But the best thing about this band is their use of the organ that makes it feel like one long rocking funeral. How cool is the inside of the gate fold? It's a bunch of pictures of the band as murder victims, and it's gory and awesome. This album has my favorite Murder City track, "Rum to Whiskey" on it. Go ahead and listen to it below:

Slow REACTshun

I have to be the last person to post these. I think my Mom already blogged about this shit before me. What can you do? React! Released these two records a while back, and I think I ordered them with that Mindset Collections pre order. First is Growing Stronger's "Toxic Fumes" on gold out of /200. This is a high quality release right here, real angry straight edge hardcore that is super similar to No Tolerance. If you like No Tolerance then check these guys out. The last track is easily my favorite, and the longest on the record coming in at a minute and a half. It's called "My Last Regret" and reminds me of Floorpunch with a fast first half and a nice sing along breakdown at the end, BRUTAL.

I picked up the Tranzmitors latest release on a whim, not really knowing shit about them. But damn I'm really glad I checked this out because now I love the Tranzmitors. That kind of poppy, catchy '77 garage punk and roll similar to the Real Kids. I guess they're from Vancouver, but they totally sing with  (fake?) British accents. Whatever, it adds to the flavor I say. They also remind me of one of my favorite all time bands, The Last Chordz (also with a "z"). This release is on clear blue out of /200, and worth checking out. If you plan on checking them out though, give them a listen first below because I think this is the kind of band you are either going to love or hate, and there is not much wiggle room in between. I love this shit, though.

Soul Swallower - Devoured LP

Heres another one that I got not only based on the incredible art work but also off of reviews on blog sites. Some bloggers had this in their top 10 for 2011. Soul Swallower's "Devoured" on Painkiller is more super heavy raw noize stuff. Some of it is very good when they play the slower parts which are brutal, but the fast parts have just too much, well, noise for my taste. All in all, it is a decent listen and maybe I just need to give it a few more time to grow on me, but the thing is I have already been trying really hard to get into it. I even downloaded it and put it on my phone so I could listen to it while running, and it's still just not sinking in. But what can ya do, right? If it's not really my style then it's just not my style. If you like thrash metal then check this out.

Nomad Raw Noize

Here is one I bought on a whim with my last Grave Mistake order just because of the sweet artwork. Another interesting release from Katorga Works. Apparently this band is from NYC, but they sing in Japanese. I don't really think it matters what language it is because you can't understand a word of it anyways. I gave it one listen and that is probably about it for me, I have never been too big on the powerviolence, d beat, whatever you want to call it style. It's cool for what it is, I guess. I love the artwork so much that I think it was worth the $5. Hand stamped labels, too. Pretty cool.

I mean look how awesome that is. Pouring glue in your ear? Raw Noize baby.