Naw - Head Pain

 

Label: self released

Year: 2021

The Atlanta train keeps on a rollin'. Choo choo.

Naw is relatively new, but in a short time they have pulled together a nasty album that blends a metallic take on hardcore with a gritty take on noise rock. So, in short, it's loud, it's guitar based, and it keeps its boot pretty squarely on your windpipe. It's squarely within your wheelhouse, I'm pretty certain of it.

DL

New Bedlam - Steady Diet Of Bullshit

 

Label: self released

Year: 2021

More Atlanta goodness that has been hiding in plain sight under my nose for a few years now. I am very observant...don't miss a thing. Finger on the pulse and all that.

Maybe if I was 20 years younger and still stayed up past 10:00pm, I would have been aware that New Bedlam are purveyors of fine, shouted, rocking, full tilt volume pushing in the vein of somebody like The Bronx or Gallows, or a little bit of Refused, or maybe the bludgeon of It's Casual mixed with some of the post hardcore that These Arms Are Snakes was good at? It's a big, full, hammer down approach that maintains maximum impact for the maximum amount of time you would want. Meaty riffs and a healthy vocal bellow...it's a winning formula.

Will I ever get out of my house to see this band in the flesh and experience the thunder in person? They are playing on my birthday in a couple weeks, so maybe if the clown has left the party in time I can go after cake.

DL

Griever - How's My Crying?

 

Label: self released

Year: 2020

In an announcement that will surprise exactly nobody, here is an Atlanta band (the town within which I reside) that I had never heard of until very recently, and who upon finding them, I can now say I know nothing about them. Who they are, what they've done, what size pant they wear. Nothing.

That isn't "strange", because my hermit-centric lifestyle tends to keep me busy with my head up my ass doing things that do not require, or even favor, the camaraderie of others, save my immediate family (who wishes I would get out more). So, a band flying under my radar at this point in my life is pretty much par for the course. But, a band as good as Griever flying under the radar is odd. They should be spoken highly of in those nerdy music conversations you and your friends have when you should maybe try talking about your feelings every now and again. Wouldn't hurt to show some vulnerability you know.

And it would certainly do you well to peep this Griever ep, so you can have something relatively new to talk about the next time you and your friends get around to ignore the underlying feelings you all have boiling over inside. You can talk about how good this record is instead.

DL

Mama Tick - Action City

 

Label: Three Little Girls

Year: 1994

Might as well keep the Mama Tick flowing, right? 

Here are two more punishers for your consideration. The title track being a veritable "rock odyssey" by Mama Tick standards, running through a few ideas before settling into a slow motion explosion at the fireworks factory in a glorious lurch of chugging noise. Then you get a "cover" of Motley Crue's 'Shout At The Devil' which I imagine would confuse Mick Mars enough to rattle him out of his arthritic cage. It's recognizable, but with copious noise and shouting in place of the original sleaze and pomp. It's probably what you should expect.

Anyway, it's more Mama Tick, so just be thankful.

DL

Mama Tick - Torture

 

Label: Bovine

Year: 1993

Two songs from a personal favorite band of mine. The dirt-kicking, thud-rocking Mama Tick team up with a personal favorite record label of mine, Bovine, who also kick their fair share of dirt. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Spoiler alert: nothing goes wrong.

Mama Tick go about their rampaging, clobbering ways unabated and with no regard for your, or your loved ones' well being. 

DL

HELL NO - Superstar Chop

Label: Wardance / X-Mist

Year: 1994

Operating in that transitional time of New York City Hardcore, in and around the also transitional ABC No Rio scene, Hell No were as much noise rock as they were hardcore. Not unlike their contemporaries in Die 116, Mind Over Matter, 1.6 Band, Stillsuit, they took a more grooving, off-kilter, and discordant approach to the more straight ahead (pun intended) matinee sounds they were weaned on. It's plenty loud and aggressive and all that, don't sweat it. But also don't get nervous if the term "NYHC" makes you nervous. You'll like it either way.

On this record you get:

Janis from Citizen's Arrest, The Manacled, Animal Crackers, The Kill Van Kull

Rich from All For One

James Paradise from JJ Paradise Players Club, Freshkills, Go!, The Kill Van Kull, Pigs

Joe from Citizen's Arrest

John from...well...Hell No.

DL

The Nation Of Ulysses - The Nation Of Ulysses

 

Label: Dischord / K

Year: 1990

How many bands do you think The Nation Of Ulysses spawned in the mid-90's? Lesser-thans trying so hard to bite their combination of raved up Revolution Summer post hardcore pseudo-soul pastiche, and tongue-in-cheek revolutionary rhetoric were at every shitty "fest" in every town. They never had anything as witty to say, as Ian Svenonious did, and they never had the same confident swagger N.O.U. had (which made their cosplay so much more embarrassing). And what those second wave tribute bands definitely didn't have were the dueling guitars of Tim Green and Steve Kroner, that produced such an explosive and invigorating punch of interplay. The lyrics and presentation always get talked about (rightfully so) when you hear about The Nation Of Ulysses, but goddamn that band could go full fucking tilt. They somehow managed a dissonant swinging that propelled the whole wild-eyed conflagration into order. Or at least, close to it. Kind of.

All those nerdy wannabes almost ruined N.O.U. just by association, but the source material really is as good as could have been. Electric even. 

DL

Willard - Sunshine Wire

 

Label: The Matt Label

Year: 1993

As has been painstakingly explained in this space, we (me) hail from the Tarheel State (fuck UNC...go Deacs!), and therefore have an chromosomal predilection to NC styled rock-n-roll. Which, for all intents and purposes, could just be an extra chromosome. So, when a blink-and-you-missed-it two song 7" from the gilded age of NC indie rock is threatening to forever slip through the cracks of time (she is a witchy woman!), we (me) here at Shiny Grey Monotone have an obligation by birthright to wrestle it back into the cultural morass. 

Willard were contemporaries of the Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Greensboro powerhouses of the early Nineties, but they did play it a little straighter than say, Polvo. They were a rock band that plied in a fuzzy post hardcore, maybe sorta grungy, kind of straight up, driving rock that has enough weirdness and rough edges that you love it. 

If you're on the fence, which is ridculous, get down from there, here's who played on this record and maybe that will help:

Mark Weddington - Days Of...

Justin Gray - Davidians, Double Negative, Garbageman

Brian Walsby - Snakenation, Shiny Beast, Erectus Monotone, Scared Straight, Davidians, Double Negative, Patty Duke Syndrome, Wwax, Polvo, and he fucking drew the cover of 7 Seconds 'Walk Together, Rock Together'...so...jesus.

David Sullivan - Red Fang, Shiny Beast, Last Of The Juanitas, Facedowninshit, and Party Time.

Solid fucking crew.

DL

Galanas Cerdd / Soli Deo Gloria - Split 7"

 

Label: Moodswing

Year: 1997

If you spent any time in the underground music scene of Atlanta, Georgia in the early half of the 1990's, and were told "there's a new band with Kip, Bruce, Rick, and Mark" you would immediately know what you're in for. Those dudes had made a pretty unassailable collective resume of mathy, knotted, noise rock with their bands Fiddlehead (the original Fiddlehead), Freemasonry, Rebar, and Barrel up until that point. Honestly, some of the best music of the era. From anywhere. No shit. Galans Cerdd continued that trajectory with more Drive Like Jehu-esque propulsive interplay, and on this split 7" you get one song's worth. And it's a really good one song. Promise.

Soli Deo Gloria were also from Atlanta, and also forged a posthardcore path that could have easily found them on an Ebullition compilation alongside Amber Inn, Policy Of 3, Sinker, and the like. Instrumental, but with enough "oomph" to keep you engaged. They are also on a compilation we posted awhile back, but otherwise I don't believe they released anything else.

*sorry, I forgot the link in the original post

DL

Festering Rinyanyons - Swimmin' Hole

 

Label: Train Wreck

Year: 1993

I think this punches our Festering Rinyanyons 7" dance card, as we have now posted all three ep releases form the band. And possibly we saved the best for last? 

Full tilt midwestern noise rock of the finest order, which very well could be seen as the highest order. The leader of the pack. Cracked and disjointed and wild-eyed...it's all there. Plus, a live Pussy Galore cover. What more do you need?!

DL