Bung And Beyond!

Here is a very special post for everyone. In this "Bung And Beyond" megapost, we will feature some of the exciting, semi-new NYC bands known to few as the "Bungs." This tightly-knit and incestuous group of men-children occupy a very significant space within both the NYC punk scene, as well as American crust. The most established of these bands is the great Perdition, but they've also spawned into newer, lesser known groups, such as Crazy Spirit, Dawn of Humans, Long Pigs, Nomad, and others that I'm forgetting BECAUSE THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME.

Ahem, what exactly is Bung? This is a question many of us have pondered as of late, but one that will forever be shrouded in ooo000ooomysteryooo000ooo. Is this Bung? Possibly. We can't really dwell on what Bung is, though, but realize only that it's a term that they (the Bungs) probably really hate being called and that doesn't actually exist in any true form. The title also only truly belongs to the band Dawn of Humans, probably because the vocalist is the most Bung individual alive. I can tell you what isn't Bung: Long Pigs. They're included here not only because their demo is awesome and their live show great, but because they have Bung-blood.

Much of the current wave of this music has been released by Toxic State records, who is run by members of Long Pigs. They've put out both 7"s featured in this post, as well as a Mental rescue (members of Inepsy!) 7", and probably have more awesome stuff coming out in the future. So yeah, thank them for all the reallyreallyreallyreally sweet treats you are about to enjoy! If you are interested in buying any of these in their physical forms, you should email toxicstaterecords@gmail.com for information on how to do that. And big thanks to Pat from Weed Hounds for ripping this shit, as the computer with the master files apparently shit the bed...

Anyway, on to the actual music:



Crazy Spirit - Self Titled 7"

Artist: Crazy Spirit
Album: Self Titled 7"
Release: 2010
Label: Toxic State

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. The Burning Churches
3. Cool Death
4. Slimey Leech
5. Tooth And Nail
6. Killing Children/Baba Yaga

Crazy Spirit is my favorite of this school of bands, and is probably my favorite NYC punk band behind only the mighty Pollution. This 7" does more than capitalize on the promise of their demo and their wild, non-shroomed shows. If you thought the demo was great, then there is no way you'll be disappointed with this, as it's leagues ahead of it. I'm kind of shocked at how good this thing came out, actually.

Crazy Spirit is a band whose influences are incredibly difficult to pin down, as they've been described as sounding like GISM, Brain Handle, Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, The Germs, and many more seemingly random acts. Utilizing my unmatched musical expertise, I would like to add Bachman-Turner Overdrive to that list. Take that down.

If you haven't heard the band, they play a unique brand of crusty, semi-raw punk. This can be attributed to two main aspects of their sound: the homogeneous, galloping drums that pretty much make them Reggaeton and the vocals of a crazed, redneck, baby-eating, heroin-addled archaeologist with a bowl cut. Walker's throat-shredding, Lemmy-Baby vocals even resemble those of black metal at certain points. Additionally, the high-end bass battles the guitar in a way that suggests it desperately wants to sprout two extra strings itself.

The unexpected jump in quality on this 7" could be attributed to the much improved sound quality. Sure, I was a fan of the trashcan-quality of the demo, but this band truly needs real recording, and this 7", a combination of both new songs and demo favorites, sounds fantastic. The division of each side of the record is interesting, with the riff-heavy, slower songs on Side A and the faster, more ferocious stabs on Side B.

The A-side begins with their mosh-inducing intro, this time recorded much louder and heavier, featuring one of their more tasteful samples (borrowed from "When Faces Change" from the demo) and a slow, plodding riff reminiscent of Siege's classic "Conform." The next track might be my favorite on this side, with, yet again, an incredible riff to lead the song to Valhalla. Or to the bodega on the corner to get a forty. Or wherever these kids go for fun. These two songs get the crowd moving more than any other.

As strong as Side A is, the flipside meets the challenge with aplomb, and when I think aplomb, I think Crazy Spirit! These three songs are faster and, most importantly, harder. Really, though, this side REALLY emphasizes how amazing the guitar work is on this 7". While simple, the riffs are, ultimately, extremely catchy and really make some of the songs. What's truly exciting about this side is the last two songs, which are the two new, non-rerecorded songs of the 7", "Tooth And Nail" and the Russian Mythology/Hellboy-referencing "Killing Children/Baba Yaga." These might be my favorite songs on the record.

I'm definitely so very excited about this band right now and I know I'm not the only one. They occupy an interesting territory in NYC where they garner equal love from crustlords, hardcore kids, art school mustaches, and muppets. Within the first few minutes of hearing this 7", I already knew this one of my favorite records of the year. While it's probably not the best thing I've heard in 2010, it's definitely earned the honor of most pogo-able release of the year.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new 7" coming out in the near future!

Download Here

-Adam



Dawn Of Humans - Self Titled 7"

Artist: Dawn Of Humans
Album: Self Titled 7"
Release: 2010
Label: Toxic State

Tracklist:

1. Head Prcocess/E.I.D.
2. Now
3. Bung Life
4. Energy
5. Destroy I

The Dawn Of Humans 7" featured here, recently released by the wonderfully consistent Toxic State, can be counted as a perfect notch carved into the headboard of hardcore history. A truly wonderful piece of hardcore/punk recording with perfect mixing, pitch-perfect fuzzed out bass and guitar, fast riffs that go back and forth between frantic and bluesy-melancholy and snotty vocals. It took me a while to identify the songs because the insert is printed on acetate and much of the writing is written backwards/upside-down/etc. This is the second Toxic State release I've gotten my hands on in the past month that looks incredible but is insanely difficult to get any information from.

Dawn Of Humans sound exactly like they come out of that now familiar gaggle of "Bung-punks" who haunt New York City's punk community (and hallways), along with the likes of Long Pigs and Crazy Spirit. Dawn Of Humans are little less raw, however, and a little more Bung. Along with blazing fast riffs a little more attention is paid to melodic chord progressions that have the quality of being anthems. Side A includes my favorite track, "Now" which has some awesome "never-never-land," cult of youth lyrics.

I don't really know what to say. As I'm listening to this record now I'm unable to think.

I guess that's the point. Raw punk forever!

Also, the band recently put out a two-song teaser tape with what might be their best material, so keep your eyes out for that.

Download Here (Tracklisting fixed! Re-download if you got the original, erroneous trackslisting.)

-Colman

Long Pigs - Demo CS

Artist: Long Pigs
Album: Demo CS
Release: 2010
Label: Toxic State

1. Positive Outlooks
2. Criminal Walls
3. Convenience Addict
4. Blinders
5. Doomed To Be Blank
6. Synthetic Child
7. "De-personal"

First time I saw this band play (at my apartment, no less,) they were straight-up BAD. It was a terrible set and nothing seemed to work properly for the band. I wrote them off pretty quickly after that and, over the next few months, skipped the few sets I could have seen them play. Fast forward even further to their sister-band Crazy Spirit's 7" release show, where Long Pigs is scheduled to play.

For some reason, I decide to stick around for their set. Hey, seeing a band in a backroom beats hanging out in the main area of a shitty bar, right? Boasting a new drummer and second, very-talented guitarist, the band played a highly entertaining set. Apparently, the band scrapped its old set of songs and wrote a whole batch of new ones, and they're great.

Their new sound is somewhere along the lines of Bl'ast meets Jerry's Kids with the occasional riff resembling early Poison Idea. Or maybe that was their intention all along, but just didn't come out right. Who knows? What I do know is that this demo is sick. The vocals are appropriately bratty and the new guitarist and drummer really fill out the line-up. Seriously, that new guitarist is SICK and a total master of the whammy bar. There's a real energy to this set of songs and one that makes me really excited about what this band does next, especially with a more proper recording. I'm told a 7" is in the works!

Download Here or head over to Play It Loud for a better rip!

-Adam

Bad Banana - Crushfield

Artist: Bad Banana
Album: Crushfield
Release: 2010
Label: Self-Released

Tracklist:

1. Stand Next To Me
2. Pretty Like A Girl
3. Stained Carpet
4. Green & Red
5. STAY @HOMESIREN
6.Big Thought
7. Word Buzz
8. July
9. Oregon Trail
10. Celery

Hey, remember when P.S. Eliot released their infectiously awesome LP last year and you maybe whined about it having cleaner production than the wonderfully overly-lo-fi-fuzz of their Bike Wreck!!! demo?  Cry no more, childrens, for sisters Allison and Katie Crutchfield have put together this sharp lil’ 10-song demo tape in (seemingly) similar ways to that prior work of theirs you just can’t get enough of, sharing drum and guitar/vocal responsibilities and splitting the songwriting duties down the middle.  See here for who penned (and thus played what on) which song.

Crushfield (LOL GET IT???) is hardly wholly removed from the hallmarks of anything the sisters have ever done in their previous musical outfits. If anything, these rawly-recorded songs strip everything to an honest, bare minimum: the twins' vocals, as recorded through what sounds like an answering machine tape; her simple, catchy guitar riffs, mic’d either way too close or way far away; and drums, hit hard and thumped heavily.  Even the usual intricacy of Katie’s lyrics seems relaxed compared to those on Introverted Romance in Our Troubled Minds.  While the subject matter remains similar-- romances and life happenings-- this simplistic lyrical and aural approach works fantastically with the twins’ honest approach for songwriting.  Katie has this crazy knack for articulating feelings of attraction in ways that feel real, straight and to the point that is all over her previous work and continues here: “I could talk to you forever/When I talk to you all night long/I don’t think that this gets better/I wanna talk to you all night long,” she sings on the chorus to “Word Buzz.”  Something in her delivery I can’t nail down really just works.  Allison’s songs aren't so far removed in writing quality or subject matter, and her half of the songwriting is perfectly up to par.  No small feat!  The lyrics to ICDT contributor Catherine’s (who originally posted this on her blog) favorite, opener “Stand Next to Me,” features verses that resonate with darn near anyone who’s ever developed an insta-crush at a show: “I don’t really know you and you don’t really know me/But there’s not a lot of room in here to stand.”

Crushfield sounds like two sisters having fun, and not least because of the adorable childhood photos of them that adorn their muxtape page.  If you come to ICDT for the more extreme side of things-- my death metal posts, Adam’s powerviolence knowledge, Evander’s surveying of all things dark and noisy-- maybe you should switch things up, nyeah?  Or maybe you should take my word for it and download this lil’ gem already.  I’m like the reverse LeVar Burton up in this.  Hell yeah.

Download Here
Tape TBA
Tour w/Sourpatch TBA!

-Asa

Four Eyes - Self Titled 7"

Artist: Four Eyes

Album: Self Titled 7"

Release: 2010
Label: Self Released

Tracklist:

1. City Feeling

2. Anchor Home

3. Older You Get

4. Tough Shit

5. Will's Dead Body

This is a review I've been meaning to write for months, and full disclosure, I have been putting it off because I feel a little bit too close to it to properly write about. For me, the beginning of Four Eyes was near the end of last summer when Nick (bass) and Dan (drums) came to guest DJ with me on my radio show, and Will (guitar) stopped by too. They had been listening to the new Teenage Cool Kids LP non-stop if that's any indication of what was to come. Flash forward a few months, and I was being pestered by Dan to let his new band play his first show. Luckily they picked a name (Four Eyes, obviously) a few days before the show, and I was able to letterpress some posters including them. By the end of January they had recorded with Will, and I was listening non-stop. Now the boys have recorded a second 7", which I'll be helping to put out shortly.

When listening to Four Eyes, it's impossible not to think of some of the pillars of '90s indie rock, primarily Dinosaur Jr. (and then feel free to throw in Superchunk or any other miscellaneous band). What pushes Four Eyes ahead of the pack of other bands doing similar things these days is the sincerity and energy. Singer/guitarist Will has definitely made strides since his more emo days in Tussin while addressing some topics normally beyond the punk register. The moments where Four Eyes are at there best are when Will's singing is at its rawest coupled with indie rock that has no choice but to keep moving and propel itself forward as with "Anchor Home" (my favorite track) or the shorter "Will's Dead Body." I think it's time to reclaim the term "college rock."

The one tip I'd have is an insert! I've listened enough to sing along to every word, but an extra scrap of paper would be nice.

Download Here

To Buy, email foureyestheband@gmail.com, $5 ppd.

-Catherine

Vermin Rites - Demo CS

Artist: Vermin Rites
Album: Demo CS
Release: 2010
Label: Self-Released

Tracklist:

1. Neotoma Cinerea
2. I Can Hide
3. Enslaved
4. Fooled Myself
5. Manipulative
6. Crosses
7. Bottom Feeder


Vermin Rites is a new hardcore band from Ohio playing fast and catchy, pissed-off hardcore based on simple, three-chord riffs. The demo opens up with "Neotoma Cinerea," which features a cool United Blood-era Agnostic Front homage bassline. Also notable is that every song starts with the same feedback. How do they do that??? Anyway, the music is solid, fast hardcore with higher-pitched vocals that are somewhat appropriate. No hate on the vocals on this, but, apparently, the band used to be fronted by an ex-con skinhead without ears. The thought of the hardness of that makes me tremble, even though he's not actually on this recording or in the band anymore. Kind of a shame!

One of my only real gripes with the demo is that the production is a little flat. The songs should have a little more muscle than they do, but I'm sure the band will fix that on future recordings. Like this review, the demo is definitely generic, but it's still a good listen. Definitely interested in what this band puts out next. For fans of: hardcore.

Download Here
Buy Here

-Adam

Confines - Withdrawn 7"

Artist: Confines
Album: Withdrawn 7"
Release: 2010
Label: Labour Of Love/Side Two

Tracklist:

1. Phoning It In

2. Downward Harmonization

3. Bait And Switch

4. Withdrawn

At last, Boston's hardcore/punk band par-excellence has released new material to follow-up last years stellar demo tape. To my happiness--but not surprise--it meets and exceeds expectations. The Withdrawn 7" comes complete with a six-panel fold-out poster that pays tribute to the best of political hardcore, beautiful black and gray pictures on textured paper, and a concise mini-essay about political apathy and art. Keeping alive the best of hardcore traditions, this new Confines record is filled with pointed, directed disgust. Four tracks of spit-at-you, hxc attack mindlessness, conformism masquerading as individuality and "the invisible hand".

Withdrawn manages to maintain all of the dirt and noise that ties the demo together. With slightly smoother production, however, and a little more intention behind the leads the result is a harder-hitting, more maniacal sound. There are major-third chords (My brother had to tell me this. It's that chord that Fucked Up is always playing.) but just as many dirty, atonal riffs that I am reminded of Damaged. Continuing in the direction of the demo, the song-writing is dynamic: stops-and-starts, twisting vocals, mid-tempo beats mixed in with three-chord speed.

Each song on here is impeccable and violent. "Phoning It In" is my favorite track, re-recorded "Downward Harmonization"* is better sounding. I can't say enough about this record. Buy this shit.

Download Here

Buy Here (From Labour Of Love)

Buy Here (From Side Two)

-Colman

*Volker rules!