WOODY ALLEN IS SCUM AND HERE'S THE RUNDOWN, YOU CRAZY NIGHTMARES:
PICK OF THE WEEK:
LISTEN:
"Land of Nod" by Permanent Ruin
WHERE: San Jose, CA
FROM: San Jose EP on Not Normal Tapes
AVAILABLE: Now
At the bottom of Permanent Ruin's tumblr, there's someone wearing a shirt that reads "It's only going to get worse." As "Land of Nod" prepares to enter its half-speed second movement, Mariam Bastani (formerly of Condenada) maliciously growls, "It's a waaaastelaaaand." I sure hope you find solace in hopelessness. "Land Of Nod" is the closing standout from this group's most recent EP - a prime cut of hardcore played as noisily and heavily as possible. Rapidfire trash sounds give way to a slower-moving death knoll that announces the deadened American landscape.
WHERE: Providence, RI
FROM: The Mi Concha EP, self-released
AVAILABLE: Now
LISTEN:
"Boom Pow Awesome Wow" by The Traps
WHERE: Providence, RI
FROM: Boom Pow Awesome Wow on Castle Face
AVAILABLE: Now
LISTEN:
"Life of Leisure" by Failed States
WHERE: NYC
FROM: Demo 2014 CS
AVAILABLE: Now, maybe
Good luck finding anything about Failed States at this point in their history. I sure as hell couldn't, just a lot of unwanted hits about Propagandhi's last album. The only thing I've taken away from a lone event page is that the group features members of Nuclear Spring, who put out a 12" that I heard once on a friend's record player and loved. The overall vibe on "Life of Leisure" leans towards an aggro-brand of post-punk, what with the tight, quasi-technical playing and those catchy, spiny guitar hooks. It's an in-and-out punch - bristling with energy, always shifting around in its seat, and with an awesome chorus that essentially demands that an audience sings along to it. I'm way into what this band's doing, I'm excited to see what they're up to next, I want to get my grubby hands on this demo of theirs, and you should totally give this track a listen. Fin.
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PICK OF THE WEEK:
"Priest In The Laboratory" by White Suns
WHERE: Brooklyn
FROM: Totem on The Flenser
AVAILABLE: 3/10/2014
WHERE: Brooklyn
FROM: Totem on The Flenser
AVAILABLE: 3/10/2014
When I saw White Suns a few months ago, their lineup had briefly reduced to a duo (after their drummer had mysteriously gone off the grid), looming behind an array of electronics that frothed out hellraising noise, effectively disturbing every single resident of Vassar's main building in the process. With their follow-up to 2012's Sinews on the way, the reformed trio have turned back to drums, guitars, and microphones to rip it up with a more traditional setup. The first taste from their album, "Priest In The Laboratory," finds the group barely holding it together amid their cathartic, postindustrial roar, freely oscillating between movements as frenzied rhythms sputter like a choir of broken engines. A nervous yell sounds off intermittently: "Melancholia: / Is! / Is! / A cancer! / That waxes and wanes!" Repeated listens will drive you to the brink. This track is a carnival made from a rusting scrapheap.
LISTEN:
"Land of Nod" by Permanent Ruin
WHERE: San Jose, CA
FROM: San Jose EP on Not Normal Tapes
AVAILABLE: Now
At the bottom of Permanent Ruin's tumblr, there's someone wearing a shirt that reads "It's only going to get worse." As "Land of Nod" prepares to enter its half-speed second movement, Mariam Bastani (formerly of Condenada) maliciously growls, "It's a waaaastelaaaand." I sure hope you find solace in hopelessness. "Land Of Nod" is the closing standout from this group's most recent EP - a prime cut of hardcore played as noisily and heavily as possible. Rapidfire trash sounds give way to a slower-moving death knoll that announces the deadened American landscape.
LISTEN:
"Mi Concha" by Malportado Kids
"Mi Concha" by Malportado Kids
WHERE: Providence, RI
FROM: The Mi Concha EP, self-released
AVAILABLE: Now
Malportado Kids is Victoria Ruiz and Joey Defrancesco of Downtown Boys, a rising political punk sextet based out of Providence, RI. Much like their main project, this duo attacks with a noisy, confrontational approach that entails blown-out production and a lot of bilingual shouting. "Mi Concha," the opening track from their new tape, is a battle cry against dudes who view only conventionally beautiful white women as viable partners. Ruiz, of course, words it more bluntly and eloquently: "Mi concha no es bastante blanca para ti (My c**t is not white enough for you)!" she chants above a four-and-the-floor thud and a tropical synth line that pinches your nerve endings. "Mi Concha" is an aggressively danceable celebration of sexual liberation for women of color that cannot, will not be ignored.
LISTEN:
"Boom Pow Awesome Wow" by The Traps
WHERE: Providence, RI
FROM: Boom Pow Awesome Wow on Castle Face
AVAILABLE: Now
John Dwyer says simply of The Traps, "COACHWHIPS PLAYED WITH THEM, THEN I CAME HOME AND TRIED TO RIP THEM OFF." For sure, in considering that The Traps disbanded about a decade ago, a listen through "Boom Pow Awesome Wow" leads one to realize that most garage-punk groups from the past ten years can only dream of making rock'n'roll as simple and pure as these guys did. This opener from the group's unearthed collection of rarities is a tonesetting lo-fi explosion that matches a surf sensibility with sludgy, barebones thrashing and hoarse, mostly incomprehensible shouts (aside from, y'know, "BOOM POW / AWESOME, WOW"). These dudes just don't seem like they ever learned how to give a fuck, and I admire 'em all the more for it.
LISTEN:
"Life of Leisure" by Failed States
WHERE: NYC
FROM: Demo 2014 CS
AVAILABLE: Now, maybe
Good luck finding anything about Failed States at this point in their history. I sure as hell couldn't, just a lot of unwanted hits about Propagandhi's last album. The only thing I've taken away from a lone event page is that the group features members of Nuclear Spring, who put out a 12" that I heard once on a friend's record player and loved. The overall vibe on "Life of Leisure" leans towards an aggro-brand of post-punk, what with the tight, quasi-technical playing and those catchy, spiny guitar hooks. It's an in-and-out punch - bristling with energy, always shifting around in its seat, and with an awesome chorus that essentially demands that an audience sings along to it. I'm way into what this band's doing, I'm excited to see what they're up to next, I want to get my grubby hands on this demo of theirs, and you should totally give this track a listen. Fin.
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