Faucet - Bitter Insane Melting

 

Label: self released

Year: 2020

From the "Almost Best Of" file.

An all encompassing, scathing record that sounds genuinely "weird" and "unhinged". Lots of layered sounds that recall a punk format, but that veer into a bleaker, more ominous realm. Good shit for bad times.

DL

Barren Womb - Lizard Lounge

 

Label: Loyal Blood

Year: 2020

From the "Almost Best Of" file. 

Scandinavian rock that remains off kilter enough to stay interesting, but familiar enough to stay satisfying. Riff forward, as it should be.

DL

L.O.T.I.O.N. Multinational Corpoation - Alphabrain

 

Label: Sub Pop

Year: 2020

From the "Almost Best Of The Year" file comes this two song ep of techno-industrial-punk for your enjoyment. It's basically the soundtrack to the scene in the late 80's movie where the "good guy" has to go into a dark, seedy nightclub full of cyber-punks dancing to some sinister DJ. This is the music playing as he tries to push his way through the throngs.

DL 

Throttle - Shoot Out

 

Label: Reproductive

Year: 1995

It's December in my part of the world, which marks the end of a particularly bizarre year (assuming you keep your calendar Gregorian on dat ass), which marks the beginning of my own personal slog towards recognizing the "best" music of the previous 12 months. It honestly is a weird tradition, but being a slave to cultural constructs, I feel obliged to carry it on. So, this will be the last post of old music of the year. The next posts will be a series of records that came out this year that were really good, but not quite "Best Of" material. Then sometime around Christmas I should have my shit together enough to trouble you all with the actual "Best Of" BS.

Until that time, let's go out on a banger. Shall we?

In my opinion, which is currently the only one that matters here (by default, not importance), this blog was built for records like the one posted here and now. It's a band who flew under the radar of bands already flying off scope. But a band who trafficked in some seriously burly and necessary noise rock bluster. The kind that should have been more readily heard back when it was current. The kind that would appeal to fans of bands like La Gritona, Green Magnet School, Slughog, and similar degenerate types. Not that you're a degenerate per se, it's just that you're not exactly "prom material", you know? (that being said, I actually went to both my junior and senior proms, plus I was on the homecoming court my senior year! Big man on campus alert!)

Throttle is an apt name for this band, as that is the effect of the music. Fucking essential!

DL

Silver Salute - Happy Eyes

 

Label: Amphetamine Reptile

Year: 1995

Two guys from the band Vertigo walk into a bar...in Minneapolis...and probably order a couple Hamm's. End of story.

Fast forward to those same two guys, still in a bar, still in Minneapolis, probably still drinking a couple Hamm's. But this time they are joined by their buddy Mike Phillips. This time they brought their instruments. And this time they belt out two pounding rockers in the grand tradition of Minneapolis Hamm's drinking, noise rockers. From Man Sized Action, to Replacements, to Cows, to Guzzard, to Janitor Joe, to Gnomes of Zurich, and on into present day bands like Blind Shake keeping the torch burning.

Honest to goodness rock music. Should be easy...but it's not, else more folks would be doing it. So, when you find it, go with it. 

DL

Mercury 4F - You Throw Me Up

 

Label: Bovine

Year: 1994

First off, I do not know how to make the fahrenheit symbol on a computer keyboard that this band employs in their name. I'm certain the method is a quick Google away, but honestly, who the fuck has the time? And do I really want my wife and kids seeing that I'm researching how to type the fahrenheit symbol? Talk about embarrassing.

Regardless, I wanted to get this posted in time for you to have it to play tomorrow at your Thanksgiving fest. If you are not an American person, or an ex-pat of some lineage that celebrates Thanksgiving, then...I don't know what to tell you. I guess, just go to your neighbors house, change the name on the mailbox to your own, cough in their faces, and declare it your dominion by divine right, or something. Then make a big meal, argue with your weird conservative uncle, and go to sleep at 5:00pm on the couch, drunker than you should be in the presence of your parents.

Nothing REALLY says "I'm thankful" quite like lumbering Swiss caveman noise rock, and Mercury 4F deliver the goods!

Save me the tofurky wishbone!

DL

The Meices - Words b/w One Hand

 Label: Word Of Mouth

Year: 1993

This is as close to pop-punk as you'll catch me. Had I not seen the band live, lo those many moons ago, I probably would not have thought of them as "that band that was a lot like Seaweed", and instead would have said, "is this band from Orange County...and was that a Poison riff?!".

But in reality, they do have enough grit to their sound that they avoid any comparisons to Strung Out, and they stick to rocking and not trying to be cute. It's good. I swear. If you like a newer band like The Dirty Nil, then this one is right up your alley. If you like an older band like Seaweed, then you'll be alright.

Plus, I told in the last post that this was coming!

DL 

Melvins - With Yo' Heart, Not Yo' Hand

 

Label: Sympathy For The Record Industry

Year: 1990

Notice a trend of "M" bands being posted? Is it possible I reached into 7" #4 (Meices [spoiler alert...they may be posted next] to Shadow Season currently...but just ordered more boxes to space out records that were too crowded to flip through) and grabbed a handful of records to digitize? Was there something more nefarious at work?!

Regardless of how it got here, now it's here. Three songs from Melvins (I really wish they were more prolific, don't you?), one of which is a Malfunkshun cover. One is the kind of Melvins song you want to hear, a big, warm, fuzzy, sludgy bruiser. And one if the kind of Melvins song that drives you nuts, a repetitive noise throw away. Those are always "funny" aren't they? Ha, ha, you like our band and spent money on our record, so here's a joke song where I just repeat "Anal Satan" over a broken drum beat loop. Thanks Melvins!

I notice there is one slight jump on side B, but that's the record I have. It's a millisecond little skip and will not negatively affect your enjoyment of the music. But it's a 30 year old record...so give me a break. Sympathy for The Record Industry pressed this thing on like, ten different colors of vinyl, and a couple label variants...so they got their money's worth.

DL

Morsel / Cigarhead - Morsel / Cigarhead split

 

Label: Simple Solutions

Year: 1995

Speaking of bands who put out records on Choke Inc., and start with the letter "M", let's listen to a little Morsel. The Ann Arbor, MI band certainly fit into the noisy cadre of the Choke Inc. roster, with their rumbling bass and punching riffs. They could have also fit in well on Reproductive Records alongside Spore, Milkmoney, and Slughog. You only get one song on this split, but it's a great one. You get a good sense of how big their dynamics aimed, and how they could take a melody and bury under six feet of dread. The singer also played flute, and would sing on stage into her flute blow hole, run through a Leslie cabinet to give the vocals a warped screech (not very screechy on this song though). 

On the flip side we visit with Cigarhead. I know far less about the band, and as far as I know they only released two split 7"s...so, not exactly prolific. They were from Dayton, OH, which I can only assume means they were buddies with Dirk from Doghouse (Stronghold represent!). The drummer would later play in Enon and Holy Fuck, and prior to Cigarhead the folks were in a band called Sunken Giraffe, which also spawned Brainiac. You can hear a bit of that Brainiac mania in Cigarhead, but they play it more straight. Relatively so anyway. It's still more abrasive than is typically appreciated in mixed company. Not to cast aspersions on how hard you party or whatever, but...you know.

DL

Milkmine - Super M

 

Label: Choke Inc.

Year: 1993

Been watching any news lately? Anything going on I should be aware of?

Well, if not, how about some music to occupy your mind and help you into the forthcoming weekend? How about this two song 'lil slab from the incomparable Milkmine on the unfuckable-with Choke Inc label? It's good. I promise. Maybe the best Cincinnati noise rock ever? Maybe?

Three dudes, two of which play bass, zero guitars. So, I think you would be excused to hear a Godheadsilo "sound" in these two songs, but you'll also hear the DNA of Rapeman and Flipper in the single minded, head down, deliberate charge that Milkmine utilizes. 

Hey, but seriously, if there's anything important going on in the news that I should be aware of, please let me know. Ok? Thanks.

DL