Ludicra - Fex Urbis Lex Orbis

Artist: Ludicra
Album: Fex Urbis Lex Orbis
Release: 2006
Label: Alternative Tentacles

Tracklist:

1. Dead City
2. In Fever
3. Veils
4. Only A Moment
5. Collapse

Black metal is in an interesting state in the post-millenia we live in. The heroes of the old guard are either playing two-show reunion "tours" at BB King's. Others have their own Draven shoe and have an audience that currently consists of Hot Topic. France contains some of the most experimental BM bands out there. Pretentious radical environmentalists break up their post-hardcore band and create a group whose "black metal" and supposedly hermetic living transcends any of the paganry of their predecessors. Stuck-up art kids learn blast beats and tremelo picking and imbue their songs with condescending, nigh-religious ideologies that they see as "elevated." Meanwhile, in Hollywood, the integrity of extreme music is mocked by a Dethklok Metalocalypse's massive audience of people too dumb to get the in-jokes, and Nic Cage's son has his own black metal band.

Ludicra couldn't be more different from your average Darkthrone-worshiping band, but goddamn if they have anything in common with Cascadian natural living or spectral music, dumb cartoon parody or any symphonic embellishment. The three-quarters-dudes, two-quarters-ladies group has been steadily honing their brand of black metal since 1999. They don't use corpse paint. They never make grandiose statements about being amazingly new and different and avant-garde. And while never resorting to string orchestras, synths, or viking/pagan ephemera to seem "progressive," their sound manages to pack plenty of dynamics, contrast and shifts without ever losing catchiness or coherence. While vocalist Laurie Shanaman's lyrics may never concern occultism or other genre standards, Ludicra's primary focuses-- urban decay, mental illness, addiction and other dark parts of their San Francisco home-- remain just as disturbing.

Aesop Dekker is this band's secret weapon. His consistent, hard-hitting and catchy drumwork never needs to be technical, but never resorts to generic simplicity. Every beat clearly adds to the song. "Dead City"opens with his chilling ride cymbals carefully underpinning the steady riffage of guitarists Christy Cather and John Cobbett and the surprisingly audible low-end of Ross Sewage. Shanaman's howls simply sound like none other; they have black metal despair with just enough death metal bite. Yet on a dime, she can change with Cather and Cobbett's clean breaks to croon with haunting clean vocal. "I'm the feeble crack of light/That shines in spite of all," she sings, before going right back into her shrieking narrative.

"Veils" is one of Ludicra's best tracks, opening with shimmering clean tones before Sewage's bass and Dekker's pounding rush heaviness right back in. The epic closer "Collapse" features steady chugging moving into blast beats and Shanaman's vocals run through a slight vocoder effect, which sounds far more menacing than written description allows.

The band have just released their fourth full-length, The Tenant, and it far outclasses this already-excellent release. The band is on tour literally every day of April (and a bit before, as well), so start here and then go see what is likely metal's most underrated band.

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Tour Dates Here

Antidote - Return 2 Burn

Artist: Antidote
Album: Return 2 Burn
Release: 1990
Label: Metropolis

Tracklist:

1. Return 2 Burn
2. Be True To Yourself
3. Positively Negative
4. No No No
5. I Threw It All Away
6. Something Must Be Done
7. Road Warrior

How is that a band can go from making one of the worst 7"s of all time to making one of the best albums ever? We may never know the secrets behind the success of Return 2 Burn, but we can say that Antidote achieved the impossible with their 1990 return to the music biz.

What makes this record so much better than its predecessor? For starters, they got rid of that joke of a vocalist they had on the first record. I mean, he sounded like a constipated Ray Cappo! No thanks, dad. In his place is what may be the hardest frontman in the history of hardcore. You will be powerless to stop the emptying of your bowels the moment he yells "BUST IT." The band motors through tales of love, hate, and, uh, doing what you feel as long as you feel that it's real. "Something Must Be Done" gets its definitive treatment here, turning a once-tepid ballad into a roaring anthem. The real highlight, however, is the the closer, "Road Warrior." One of the most epic songs ever recorded, "Road Warrior" reminds us that no matter where we run, we can't hide from the perfection of Return 2 Burn. Oh, and that the protagonist effortlessly kicks ass whilst looking for gas.

As if you needed another reason to download the record, this is practically the record that not only provided a shot in the arm and rejuvenated the floundering NYHC scene, but essentially started the entire Crossover genre, which spawned legends such as Dog Eat Dog, Body Count, and Municipal Waste.

Remember, you can run but you can't hiiiiiduh.

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-Adam

Monolake - Hongkong

Artist: Monolake
Album: Hongkong
Release: 1997
Label: Chain Reaction

Tracklist:

1. Cyan
2. Index
3. Lantau
4. Macau
5. Arte
6. Occam
7. Mass Transit Railway

I spent the new years by visiting Adam at his punk-as-fuck-living situation in Brooklyn. I probably just say that because of my suburban childhood and current Neo-Nazi lifestyle in West Virginia. Was that statement too harsh Adam White-person? Anyway, while we were in New York City, we dined on the best vegan food I have ever had [note: I do not have many options in the Deep South.] One day we had eaten in this modern, bathroom inspired South-east Asian cuisine restaurant called Pukk in Manhattan [Editors Note: food is mediocre.] Not sure what street it’s on, but maybe Adam will put it in this review. While we were eating, we were listening to the most pretentious vocal house/ambient electronic ever listened to. It was obscure, had weird vocals, and was oddly dancy. Sadly, it wasn’t dancy enough to entice me away from my Pad Thai.

Monolake’s Hongkong is not completely like that and it might be a different genre of electronic altogether, but it is extremely naturalistic and almost experimental, which is very representative of the Basic Channel-school of minimal techno from which it comes. Its beats, transitions, and samples of the sounds from outside (probably from Hong Kong) make this album very cosmopolitan and modern, which remind me very much of the bathroom restaurant. My favorite song of the album is called "Arte." The continual thumping of the bass gives the song a strong driving force, but the overall tone keeps the track very relaxing. This song is perfect for driving, shaving, or managing your checkbook (if you happen to be 50...or me). Not sure what else to say. It’s a very chill album to say the least. Enjoy.

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-Johnny B

Rational Animals - Distorted Temptation 7"

Artist: Rational Animals
Album: Distorted Temptation 7"
Release: 2009
Label: Feral Kid

Tracklist:

1. How To Despise
2. Dark Eyes
3. Everybody's Cool Friend
4. Games And Fun
5. Distorted Temptation

Before we jump into the music, let me apologize for the inactivity on the blog as of late. Life has caught up with all of us, whether it be broken computers, rigid work and school schedules, external harddrive deaths, family emergencies, or arrests, it's made it difficult for most of us to post. This will be remedied soon once I fix my computer, Trey gets some days off, and Flynn is released from the pen. Sorry! Back to the regular programming...

Rational Animals piqued my interested with their pretty solid debut 7", Perception Becomes Reality, but it didn't blow me away like I had hoped. Still, I figured I'd peep their new 7" after seeing their cool yet LONG live show and found myself blown away. For those of you who haven't heard them, the band is often described as playing a style of hardcore pretty indebted to late-era Black Flag sound. To me though, they sound like Gone's "Insidious Distraction" with vocals. And really, the band is more than just a derivative of that sound. The BF comparisons can end with the music, though, as the singer is way too soft compare, even pulling off an Ian MacKaye laugh in the title track.

Every song on this is a straight-up nerd rager. Distorted Temptation sounds like a slightly more furious version of the I Can See You EP, particularly extra-riffy/wanky songs like "Dark Eyes" and "Everybody's Cool Friend." "Games And Fun," which appeared on the Drugged Conscience comp The World Itself Is A Bad Dream, is their hardest hitting song and is one of their finest moments. The real winner is the title track, though, which makes me want to put my head through a wall with each listen. All in all, these songs kick with an extra grooviness not often found in hardcore these days. This is a solid improvement over their first release and I hope Will and co. can keep up the good work.

Here's to Resident Evil 5!

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-Adam

Cub - Betti-Cola

Artist: Cub
Album: Betti-Cola
Release: 1993 (Remaster 1996)
Label: Mint

Tracklist:

1. Go Fish
2. What The Water Gave Me
3. Motel 6
4. A Party
5. Flying Carpet
6. My Chinchilla
7. Electric Chair
8. Nicholas Bragg
9. Pretty Pictures
10. They Don't
11. A Picnic
12. It's True
13. Someday
14. Cast A Shadow (Beat Happening)
15.The Day We Met
16. Surfer Girl
17. Little Star
18. My Assassin
19. Tell Me Now
20. Lucky 7
21. Through My Hoop
22. Leap Frog
23. Backwoods
24. What The Water Gave Me [NFA]
25. Chico
26. Sweet Pea
27. Summer Samba
28. Hello Kitty
29. Wipeout

I love Cub. I love Cub so much that I figured they were some sort of super staple of twee pop, kinda of like a gateway drug into the vast candyland of the genre. However, I asked my twee-loving friend if she liked Cub and said "never listened to them and barely hear anything about them." I was shocked! Granted, I never fact-check, so she might be a freak exception, but I immediately took this to mean that no one liked Cub! I had to change this, I thought. And what do I do when I want to inspire chance? I blog from a Holiday Inn Express in Castle Rock, Colorado.

During our (un?)fortunate Pop-Punk Week we had awhile back, I wrote about their lone LP, Mauler. That album, while great (and not pop-punk,) is so far off from the more representative sound of their first release, Betti-Cola. Originally released as a 3x7" (as cute as it is annoying, kinda like the music!) and rereleased on CD, this might be their most popular release. Though, I love the fuller-sounding Come Out, Come Out more, but that's just me!

This album has their most bare-bone production. The band plays really minimal pop music that is obviously inspired by Beat Happening (whose song "Cast A Shadow" they cover,) only they're way less creepy (i.e. no Calvin Johnson.) The band's most well-known song, "My Chinchilla" makes an appearance. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I like this song, as it's so incredibly cute and annoying that it's uncomfortable. Still, it's their hit. Most of the songs don't quite reach this level of cuteness, thank god, and I think you'll be able to absorb all this.

Unfortunately tagged as "cuddlecore" or just as purely happy pop music (and there's no denying the cuteness factor is hard to take,) the band still manages to churn out some more depressing tunes that always seem to be their best. "Someday" and "Electric Chair" are two of my favorite songs from the band and evoke more sorrow than they do lollipop fingers. It's worth it alone for these types of tracks. Either way, I love this band and I hope you can get into them too. If it's just a little too much for you, but you're still intrigued, then I highly recommend Come Out, Come Out, which is a much more mature effort with better songwriting and a more muscular sound.

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-Adam

Dry-Rot - Philistine

Artist: Dry-Rot
Album: Philistine
Release: 2009
Label: Parts Unknown

Tracklist:

1. Hairless
2. Seen In The Dark
3. Mass Love
4. Honey Stomachs
5. Gas Tube
6. All The Crime In The World
7. My Darling Boy
8. Can A Game Kill Time?
9. Oldest Pornography
10. Maul Test
11. Observer
12. Ran Warm
13. No More Feet
14. Safety Bunker

I always wanted to review a great (see subjective opinion) record that did not seem to be getting the hype (see mysterious guy hardcore) that it deserved. I knew that the Social Circkle City Shock LP was coming out last fall, ordered it in clear from Brandon at No Way, put my needle to the vinyl and voila: punk bliss. I knew that this was going to be it, the unhyped release of 2009. Then procrastination and being a bad friend happened. Fat guy hardcore and mysterious guy hardcore happened. And before I knew it I let Adam down. What a terrible, terrible friend I am to everyone (especially the contributor to this fine blog).

So I missed the time to review City Shock and decided to review the next thing I was excited about: the Dry-Rot Philistine LP. "But G****** (see previously cited interview for reasons), you are going against the anti-hype rule. Dry-Rot is the king of mysterious hardcore hype. What are you doing?" I felt that this LP was known about through partial distribution of 100 test presses and when it was finally released it seemed like those who were excited about it had already been listening to it for six months and those who were lukewarm were not waiting in anticipation by visiting the Parts Unknown webstore everyday alternating between the LP section and the section of the webstore featuring horned-rimmed glasses. But the lukewarm feelings should have melted after listening because this LP is fannnntastic. It is so phat it is more like fffffaaaattttt fat. Car horn fat. After three 7"s and a single off of the album on Home Invasion, Philistine sees Dry-Rot experimenting and plunging further down into the mysterious guy hardcore genre gene pool.

Each side starts off with fast paced great jams perfect for punk themed dinner parties where guests should be able to hang their fixed-gears from accessible hooks for storage and style! Highlights include "Hairless," "Maul Test," and "Observer." Vocals are weird (I wonder why though because soaking the world in bleach seems like more of a germaphobic persons lifetime goal than a mysterious guy hardcore lyric) and match well with the fast paced plunders. The guitars and recording are not drowned in dirtiness leaving me with the conclusion that there are no metal trash cans or metal storage lockers in California (or at least ones of the same quality that many New York, Florida, Massachusetts, and other bands seek in between their breaks of cock-shirting and diddling children when recording their magnum opus'). The jam tracks break up the relentless assault well and they end before the riffs become monotonous.

Buy this record or kitten mittens, which ever you choose you know you will be making the right decision.

Ya busted.

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-G****** (G-Baby)

Dads - Invisible Blouse 7"

Artist: Dads
Album: Invisible Blouse 7"
Release: 2009
Label: Soft Languages

Tracklist:

1. Invisible Blouse
2. Homo Concentration

One of my favorite singles of last year, Dads' debut 7", to steal from the Soft Languages description, consists of "two ecstatic fuck-you's to unite fathers and children everywhere." The band plays a style of music similar to that of late 80s and early 90s college rock, only more blown out and married to a, um, dad aesthetic. While definitely catchy, it's juxtaposed with really fucked-up vocals. Somewhere between human wailing and the death throes of a dying bear, these tortured sounds weigh down the listener, maximizing the agony they convey. To be honest, it's kind of oppressive, but, ultimately, I think I enjoy that feeling after I listen to a song and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The A-side, "Invisible Blouse," is the main attraction, acting as the perfect introduction for the band to the world. The song is insanely captivating and leaves me wishing it was twice as long. "Homo Concentration" changes things up a bit. Instead of a propulsive rock song, it's a slow, torturous crawl, which exacerbates the vocals' emotional effects even more.

I can't wait to hear more from this band. As I've previously stated, this was one of my favorite singles last year. "Invisible Blouse" is so incredibly good. Praise and thanks to the three gentlemen who are responsible for this. Be sure to pick this 7" up from the blossoming Soft Languages. It's worth it for the ridiculous E.T.-themed insert alone.

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-Adam

DJ Screw - All Screwed Up

Artist: DJ Screw
Album: All Screwed Up
Release: 1994
Label: Bigtyme Recordz

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. UGK - Short Texas
3. Point Black - Wreckless feat. K-Rino
4. UGK - Pregnant Pussy
5. Point Blank - After I Die
6. 20-2-Life - Backstreets feat. PSK-13
7. UGK - Something Good
8. 20-2-Life - Inside looking Out
9. Point Blank - My Mind Went Blank
10. PSK-13 - 13 Ways
11. Point Blank - Straighten It Out
12. PSK-13 - Headin' Fo My Trunk
13. 20-2-Life - Da Music

I'm a firm believer that every genre has a legit beginning. Look at modern day pop-punk. Most of the shitty metalcore-pop-punk hybrids will tell you that they're main influence Lifetime. Hell, there is even an awful band named after The Movielife's This Time Time Next Year.

Now a couple years ago the world felt the presence of Houston hip-hop. A big part of that movement was the remixing or "chopping and screwing" of big rap albums. For the most part, that shit was fucking awful. I decided to spend some time looking into it and possibly see what people saw in it. What I found was that the whole thing was the baby of one DJ. DJ Screw started slowing down and remixing music in 1984 when he was 13. During the 90s he took Houston (mostly the south) by storm. He has over 200 mixtapes and put out five albums. He was completely legit about his music. He proved that it wasn't about money when Priority records offered him a big record deal and he declined. He just wanted to make music, do drugs, and hang the fuck out with his boys. That shit is so fucking real (minus the drugs). The codeine actually killed him, though. Bummer.

This is Mr. Screw's first album. Because it was early in the game for him, his selection of songs to screw up are Houston's elite and not the world's. But Houston hip-hop at the time was grimy, slow and vulgar, and a perfect fit for where DJ Screw was at. He made every song dark and heavy. The songs that showcase this are "Something Good," "After I Die," and "Inside Looking Out." My fav is the then up and coming UGK's "Something Good." The beat is absolutely incredible and Pimp C (another Houston rapper that has since died because of codeine) shines while talking about loving his booty getting licked by your sister. They also both kill it on the vile "Pregnant Pussy." It's slowed down so you can really take in the lyrics.

I can satisfy her and at the same time give the kid a pacifier. Enjoy.

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-Trey

Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs

Artist: Keith Fullerton Whitman
Album: Playthroughs
Release: 2002
Label: Kranky

Tracklist:

1. Track3a (2waynice)
2. Feedback Zwei
3. Fib01a
4. ACGTR SVP
5. Modena

Get ready 2 dream. Keith Fullerton Whitman's first full-length album Playthroughs is not only his best work, but is a pillar of 2000s ambient drone. The album was made with nothing but a guitar and some very complex pedals, using some sort of mathematical compositional method that I won't even pretend to understand.

What I can comprehend is that this is one of the best electronic albums I've ever heard; it's absolutely stunning. Each of the five songs is amazing and each one improves upon its predecessor. "Track3a (2waynice)" opens the album with a steady, high pitched tone that rings out with the occasional low-end pulse. It's simple, yet effective. The appropriately titled "Feedback Zwei" slowly and subtly builds its way up into waves of feedback and static. "Fib01a" is the closest thing to KFW's Hrvatski project in that it features glitching, but is far more ambient than anything produced under that name. The track shares a striking resemblance to Farben's "Live At The Tahoe" in its balance of glitch and ambiance.

The next two tracks are where it's at, though. "ACGTR SVP" is the most diverse of the tracks, acting almost as the rising sun. It's the densest track here and it slowly ascends until it reaches a place of shimmering, empyrean glory, all before slowly receding into the distance, gorgeously. Still to come, however, is the true highlight of the album: the closer "Modena." The piece is seventeen minutes of pure aural bliss. KFW returns us to the simplicity of the "Track3a (2waynice)," but adds bubbling and gentle pulsations. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard and I wish it would never end.

Playthroughs is a great introduction to one of the contemporary masters of the craft. If you dig this, be sure to check out his other incredible (yet very different) releases, particularly Lisbon and Multiples.

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-Adam

Cop City/Chill Pillars - Weird Love/I, Animal 7"

Artist: Cop City/Chill Pillars
Album: Weird Love/I, Animal 7"
Release: 2009
Label: Self-Released

Tracklist:

1. Weird Love
2. I, Animal

Copy City/Chill Pillars are a band based out of Lake Worth, Florida. The only distributor carrying the CCCP "Weird Love" 7" brands these songs of fuzzed out, reverb heavy post-punk as "psychedelia" and "headachey." This seems accurate. Each song has its share of effect-laden guitar that tends to ride atop a heavy back beat, but this isn't exactly "China Cat Sunflower." CJ's vocals are slightly monotone and high in pitch and provide a cool balance to the underlying thunk of the song. This band is absolutely recommended by me. There songs are perfect for waste-y punk moods and endless summer sun days a like.

Included here are assorted other unreleased CCCP tracks. The band is on a sort of non-hiatus hiatus, but look out for the new band Love Handles which contains (all) members of Cop City.

A toast to the NY-FL connection.

Download 7" Here
Download Assorted Unreleased Tracks Here
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-Colman

White Guilt - Demo II

Artist: White Guilt
Album: Demo II
Release: 2010
Label: Drugged Conscience

Tracklist:

1. Race And Nation
2. Refine
3. Human Flood II
4. Injusticia
5. Comatose

My introduction to White Guilt consisted of receiving a copy of their first demo in the mail. It read "Name's White Guilt. New band from Syracuse, NY." Syracuse, I thought to myself, that's where my friend is from! I immediately asked this anonymous Syracuse friend if he knew the band or the kids in it. He passionately described them as being "internet shit-talkers who love anything that sounds like it was recorded in a trash can" and had a few other choice words for me. I went home, got stoked on the packaging, plopped the tape in, but then was unimpressed with it as I hammered away at my Xbox360 controller, throwing an infinite amount of cops off of the Empire State Building.

For some odd reason, I revisited the demo tape a little more than a month ago and realized that it was actually really sick and that I was a fool. The music somewhat resembles a more blown-out DYS and the vocals sound like those of Blank Stare (who Drugged Conscience compared them to, as well as Life's Blood), only less hard, less edge, and more reverbed and the whole affair was a solid, interesting start to this band. Also, while there are always too many bands with "white" in the name, the concept of "white guilt" is something that's always fascinated me, so +5 points to them for tapping into that one! If things couldn't get better, I find out that the great Drugged Conscience was putting out their second demo and then I'm happy.

Enough about me, though, and more about the tape! This demo improves upon the sound of the first. First off, the production is way better. While still raw, the band's mixed things a little better. The guitar is actually audible and easily discernible from the rest of the clatter, yet the drums retain their odd quality, particularly that crash symbol. But, more importantly, the songs are better than the first.

The tape kicks off with "Race And Nation," which is their most driving song thus far and is probably my favorite of both demos. Plus, I'm a sucker for nationalist theory, so I'm just going to pretend it's about that (I don't have the lyrics yet!). The sequel to my favorite song on the first demo, "Human Flood II," is absolutely menacing. Really, though, there are no weak moments here and the other three songs are sick, as well. This band is great and, if you couldn't tell from all my exclamation points, I'm extremely stoked on them. [Note: Yeah, yeah, I know I'm stoked on everything, shut up.]

Expect bigger and better things from this band in the future and be sure to pick this demo up from Drugged Conscience while it's still available. Also, check them out on their haphazard March tour!

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-Adam

Skewbald/Grand Union - Self Titled 7"

Artist: Skewbald/Grand Union
Album: Self Titled 7"
Release: 1991 (Recorded 1981)
Label: Dischord

Tracklist:

1. Sorry
2. Change For The Same
3. You're Not Fooling Me

What's the best Ian MacKaye project after Minor Threat? Well, that would be Embrace. After Embrace, however, we have Skewbald/Grand Union! No, their name is not Skewbald nor is the 7" called Grand Union, but just Skewbald/Grand Union. For the somewhat convoluted and uninteresting history of the band, look no further than their section on the Dischord website. I wasn't introduced to this band until relatively recently by my friend Tommy. So, uh, thanks Tommy! How this flew under my radar, I have no idea. For the longest time, I was forced to consider Egg Hunt the third best post-Minor Threat band! Gah!

Anyway, if you haven't heard of this one-sided 7", let me attempt to describe it: it sounds like Minor Threat. So much so that it floated around pre-proper release often labeled as Minor Threat unreleased songs. This is no surprise considering how many Minor Threat dudes were in the band. It's certainly not identical to Minor Threat, as it's a bit sloppier, but that works in its favor. What you have here are three fast and occasionally out-of-control hardcore songs with Ian MacKaye spouting off his usual MacKayisms. I make it sound all so standard with my tone, but it's absolutely incredible and I just don't know how to talk about something in the ballpark of Minor Threat.

Uh...so that's my take on Skewbald/Grand Union! I didn't really say much about this release, but I did say "Minor Threat" seven times. Eight, now.

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-Adam