Penthouse - Gutter Erotica

Label: World Domination
Year: 1997

The debut lp from the group known by their United States alter ego, Fifty Tons Of Black Terror (damn you copyright infringement!), with a membership including Tim Cedar (Ligament, Action Swingers, Part Chimp, Die Munch Machine), Graem Flynn (Black Moses), Charlie Finke (The Cesarians), and John Free (The Gin Palace). You caught that Part Chimp thing there, right? Should be enough to warrant a look-see, yes?
Hows about I tell you that this record has some of the wildest, unhinged, bug-eyed, noise-blues put to tape? Kind of like Birthday Party meets The Jesus Lizard meets The Immortal Lee County Killers, meets a busted Rat pedal.
It's really loud, really blown out, really ugly. Basically, it's really something you'll really like if you really give it a try. Really.

DL

Lincoln - Lincoln 7"

Label: Art Monk Construction
Year: 1994

The second self-titled 7" from the band of the same name (like the word "Lincoln" much?). As Phil Fay Fock aptly pointed out, this was when the band "went all thrift store greaser", and moved away from the overtly heavy, chunky sound of their first 7", and began incorporating a more overt post-hardcore sound, taking cues from the Louisville and Washington D.C. scenes around their beloved West Virginia home. So, think Crain, Bitch Magnet, Rites Of Spring, Hoover (whom they did a split with), stuff like that.
It's good, just short (....and, that's what she said).

DL

Rodan - Aviary - 8 Track Demo

Label: Self released
Year: 1993

Here you go, cassette only, 200 released, precursor to the "Rusty" album, and 12 songs (albeit 2 of which are instrumental "found sound" type crap, which, note to future bands: is entirely not necessary). You get those two pieces, you get the six songs from "Rusty", in their infancy, you get a song which ended up on the Half Cocked soundtrack, one from a Simple Machines compilation, and two from "How The Winter Was Passed" 7". The sound quality on each one being far better than what would probably have happened had your band plugged in and rocked out your best material in 1992, into an 8-track machine. It's Rodan, and so by default probably better than most other things. Not everything of course, there's plenty of "things" out there better than Rodan, but relatively speaking, and within the small world of underground music, Rodan make a strong case for themselves.

DL

Brutal Juice - Brutal Juice 7"

Label: Man's Ruin
Year: 1996

Two songs, the last two songs they ever released actually, by a Texas band not affiliated with the lauded Austin scene, but the much less celebrated...Denton scene. A scene not known for too much. Maybe the Toadies were from there abouts? I don't really know. The Toadies were terrible, and I know very little about them, but I'm pretty sure they were from Dallas or something. Just trying to make connections, man.
Of the two tracks here, one is pretty good, I like it, the other one...sounds like something I don't quite understand. You probably will though...smarty pants.

DL

V/A - Shiny Grey Monotone Radio - Show 5

Label: n/a
Year: 2012

Number five in the Radio Show series, and it's a nasty one. Starts off swinging and only gets burlier as it lumbers forward on a mission to pulverize. It finally takes it's foot off the gas briefly about two thirds of the way through, but that respite only heightens the full throttle beating it delivers until the final scree of feedback closes out the proceedings after 54 draining minutes.
The observant (or compulsive, or nerdy) may note that this version of the compilations was the first to offer a few "couplets", or pairing of songs, based on some random trivia or another. Shared membership, geographic locale...my rationale knows no consistency, but maybe you'll pick up on it. Maybe you won't care (probably advisable) and you'll just enjoy it for what it's worth.
The bands are:
Craw
Glazed Baby
Loudspeaker
Shallow, North Dakota
Crawlpappy
King Snake Roost
400 Blows
Love 666
Pride Parade
Brass Castle
Silkworm
Boilermaker
Hum
The Raymond Brake
Pipe
Worst Case Scenario
The Great Unraveling

DL

The Great Sabatini - The Royal We

Label: Self Released
Year: 2012

This six song felonius action, has been generously offered up by the band for free, and I believe you to be remiss, and darn near insulting, if you don't take them up on it.
And why wouldn't you? You enjoy being pulled out from under the warmth of your down comforter by your ankles, dragged through your own home, out the front door, and tossed unceremoniously into the trunk of a waiting 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (last year they manufactured the "Second Generation" Cut Supreme, and arguably the definitive body style), right? Is that Mastodon you can barely make out playing on the car stereo through the backseat? Or maybe KEN Mode? Fight Amp? It's hard to tell with all of the road noise, plus the exhaust fumes are starting to make you sleepy anyhow, and with the anxiety mounting as your mind races thinking about where or when this car trip will end...well, it's just hard to concentrate. Your captors certainly were rough with you, never once stopping to consider that maybe you would have gone willfully on this hellride through the permafrost of the outer suburbs of Montreal. Maybe you would have appreciated sitting in the front seat (it's a nice naugahyde bench after all, plenty of room) with your four new friends, in the relative comfort of the heat. You think they would have asked prior to removing you forcefully from your position (fetal no doubt) in the trunk and set about giving you the heave ho over the sheer wall of this recently abandoned rock quarry (you never even knew this place existed...it's really quite beautiful, and a spot that on any other occasion would have been ideal for a picnic with a close group of friends, followed by a late afternoon swim in the tranquil azure waters below...waters your plummeting body are quickly approaching). Honestly, their actions are bordering on just plain...THUD, ROLL, BOUNCE, IMPALE, BLEED.

The band is on tour n-o-w-...go see them!

DL

Barbaro - Barbaro

Label: Polterchrist
Year: 1999

Let's get that Barbaro dance card punched, with this, their debut album, and the final piece to the discography.
The same descriptors are apt from the previous posts, but for this one, I'll add in Jawbox, and mention there's a bit more of a 90's "alternative rock" kinda thing happening at times.  You know what I mean, those sweeping dynamics and big riffs that come crashing through? Shiner is still a good reference for that type thing. Just don't worry about it, and listen. I rarely know what I'm talking about anyway.

DL

Barbaro - Feeding ep

Label: Hydra Head
Year: 2001

Let's continue in reverse chronological order with Barbaro, yes?
Here's the 2 song 7" that came out on white hot Hydra Head, and most likely opened up the band to those outside of Boston. It's more aggressive than the album that would follow it, and the two songs seem to bring in more of a Keelhaul type sound to their (at this point) semi-melodic post hardcore.
But, let's just take a quick look at the resume of Barbaro main-man Andrew Schnieder for a second, cause it's fucking impressive.
As a performer, he's played in: Barbaro, Slughog, Secondsmile, Throttlerod, 5ive, The Rise Park, New Idea Society, Julie Christmas, and Pigs. And as a producer/engineer, he's worked with: Unsane, Fashion Week, Sofy Major (touring soon with Uncle Touchy), Great Falls, War Amps, Citizens Arrest, Shrinebuilder, Goes Cube, Rosetta, New Idea Society, The Brought Low, Keelhaul, Celan, Made Out Of Babies, Pelican, 5ive, Puny Human, Zozobra, Daughters, Cave In, The Red Chord, Scissorfight, Warhorse, Roadsaw, and maybe most importantly, he managed to get THAT Milligram guitar tone committed to tape. So, as you can see, he's got the bona fides to warrant at least a second look.

DL

Barbaro - Nolte

Label: Dopamine
Year: 2004

Ipecac posted a discography of this band months back, but I guess the link is dead, and it's been requested for resurrection, and since I happen to have the fiery touch of the Lord (also, a possible new band name...Fiery Touch Of The Lord...hands off), I'll repost their records one at a time (cause I have to put them onto my computer first).
This album was Barbaro's final, and seemed to crystallize their musical ideals into a cohesive (yet varied) package. It's essentially the musical heft of late period Shiner meets the lo-fi technicality of Slint, to make a big, muscular, melodic, post hardcore record. Oh, and add in some female vocals. And some unexpected twists and turns.
Boston was firing on all cylinders for a few years in the middle 90s through the early 2000s churning out a lot of bands who unleashed excellent, if mostly unheard, albums that experimented with different versions of "heavy", from La Gritona to Luca Brasi to Converge to Isis to Glazed Baby to Milligram, and on to Barbaro (admittedly far more melodic than any others mentioned here). It's quite a lineage.
Essential listening to post hardcore fans. For reals.

DL

Killdozer - Short Eyes

Label: Amphetamine Reptile

Year: 1990

Two songs from Killdozer, what more do you need? Okay, how about Tom Hazelmyer sitting in on guitar? That's pretty cool, right?

Shit man, if this doesn't do it for you, I'm not real certain I can help you out.

By the way, do you miss me yet?

*originally posted 06-29-10, reposted 09-26-12

DL