Embrace

After first hearing Embrace on Robby and Wild Bill's radio show back in the day, I immediately was struck by Embrace. In fact, I still think it's my favorite Ian Mackaye band.

Being as they were only around for something like 9 months back in 1986, I never got to see them. I stumbled on a bunch of clips from a show of theirs back then on You Tube. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did.

In any case, check out their LP or their only CD; it really is great.

Have A Nice Life Live!

So Have A Nice Life was great last night (minus a few technical difficulties). I really enjoyed it.

Their set list was as follows:

Hunter
Bloodhail
Waiting For Black Metal Records to Come In The Mail
Earthmover

Here is a clip of Hunter:



I also got their tape last night of Time Of Land, which I am stoked about.

New Coliseum announced!!!!

Coliseum preview a new song from their forthcoming album on Temporary Residence, House With A Curse, over at Stereogum. Color me psyched. There's also an excellent interview there as well.

Here is the new song.

The tracklist for House With A Curse (due out June 22nd) is as follows:

01 “Introduction”

02 “Blind In One Eye”
03 “Everything To Everyone”
04 “Crime And The City”
05 “Cloaked In Red”
06 “Perimeter Man”
07 “Skeleton Smile”
08 “Isela Vega”
09 “Lost In Groningen”
10 “Statuary”
11 “Man Was Never Meant To Fly”
12 “Punk/Money”

GREYMACHINE news

So GREYMACHINE's Disconnected is finally seeing the light of day on LP. I am excited as it was one of my favorite releases last year and was bummed it did not come out on vinyl then. Well in May it is due out on Sige Records on 2xLP with 2 color silk screen covers (white and silver on black paper). I cannot wait to spin that on my record player.

You can stream the album here

Have A Nice Life show...tonight!

I am extremely stoked about going to see Have A Nice Life tonight. It should be a good time.

It is at Webster Hall in NYC with Alcest and Woe.

Pyramids WVNDRKMMR update

Here is picture of the box set. Looks like this might be shipping pretty soon, which will be awesome to hear.

Speaking of which, here are some MP3s of track samples by a few different bands

Burial Hex

Base Communion

Windy and Carl

Hoor-paar-kraat

Enjoy

Narrows...Live

Hmmm...Narrows is quite good. I was annoyed that I missed them when they toured through my area, but thanks to the miracle of the interwebs, here is a live set that we can all watch (thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for bringing these to my attention).

Enjoy.

True Widow Appreciation

After finding their album completely by happenstance, I fell in love with True Widow. Interviewing them for Scene Point Blank (click to read the interview), I liked them even more. Here are some videos of the them live and their video from their only album so far (hurry up guys and gal, we are dying out here).

Mamiffer / Oakeater split

Wow, this split 2x cassette may have taken a while to actually come out, but it was completely worth the wait. The packaging is ambitious and cool as hell. The release is sold out, but if you ever get to see it in person, do it; it is impressive and pretty inspiring.

Dead Accents definitely outdid themselves with this release. I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Have A Nice Life show!

Seriously, I am so psyched to see Have A Nice Life Thursday night.

Over the last couple of years, they have released some of my favorite music.

Check this out from them.

Crazy Weekend Over...

...well, almost. Anyway, the Gholas album may be completed, finally. It only took about 5 months. We are listening to the latest mix and trying to decide if its done. In any case, the end is near. Today was our first practice since recording started and surprisingly was pretty decent. We have our first show since I think December coming up on May 8th in glorious Philadelphia; it should be fun.

Final Exit still rules

Final Exit was a great...great band that so very few people heard over here in the US. First described to me as the Project X of Sweden only more of a real band, I immediately sought out their records. Basically, this was a secret side project of the Refused (David the drummer sings here and Dennis the singer plays bass here) that played pretty straight forward but aggressive hardcore.

But, they were from Sweden and there was no real US distribution for them and this was the pre specter of the internet age so downloading unavailable records was a veritable impossibility.

Eventually, their first album, Teg, was released here in the US. I have to admit, that the record did nothing for me at the time (I think it was the production on the CD).

When this sucker, Umea, was released...I lost it. This opens with an intense scream into "Proficiency" (download MP3 by clicking on the title), one of my absolute favorite hardcore songs of all time. The whole album is good and they added a little more variation here and there that definitely ratcheted up their sound.

Sadly, this 7" was the Final recordings of Final Exit, it picked up right where Umea left off though, so it was a welcome release.

I was psyched when the entire Final Exit discography (comp tracks included) were released on this 2xLP set (order here in Europe...order here in the US) with a live DVD of the Reunion the band did. Really, this is an all around great release that people should check out.

Another Nadja album sees the light of day on vinyl...

...and this one was a long time coming. Thaumogenesis was released by Nadja on CD quite a while ago and is finally getting its just desserts on this beautiful Double LP package (designed by Seldon Hunt) via Important Records. One hour plus long track now stretched across 3 sides of vinyl with a James Plotkin remix on the D-Side. It comes in three color variations:

Black / Black (of 800)

Purple / Purple (of 100)

Gold / Clear (of 100)

Order soon if you want one of the more rare colors (both pictured below).

This release also comes with a CD of a live outdoor garden performance by the duo.

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP up for Pre-order

Year Of No Light is dropping their newest album in Europe and you can pre-order it if you want

in the following color combinations and pressing amounts (click on the color variation for ordering links)

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP (Black of 500)

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP (Clear of 100)

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP (Cream of 100)

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP (Light Blue Marble of 100)

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP (Grey Marbled of 100)

for collectors, there appears to be another pressing that is available through Conspiracy (also in Europe)

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 2xLP (Brown of 100)

Pictures of the vinyl pressing variations below, but as for the album itself, Ausserwelt is 4 new songs of Year Of No Light's unique musical vision.

To hear some songs, you can head over to their myspace page.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us Record Store Day

Graveface Records currently has some of the Black Moth Super Rainbow Eating Us LPs that were Record Store Day exclusives in their online store. You can order those there if you are interested.

Here is some info:

LP'S COME IN STOUGHTON GATEFOLD PACKAGING WITH BEAUTIFUL FOIL PRINTING + A 24X24 POSTER; LPS ARE ON 150 GRAM THICK VINYL (FIRST AND ONLY PRESSING OF 1000!!!!), Double Foil-Stamped amber colored vinyl, GRAVEFACE.COM HAS 90 COPIES, ALL HAND-NUMBERED; BONUS SONG NOT ON CD

If you have not heard of the band, click here for my review at Scene Point Blank.

Pyramids WVNDRKMMR Pre-Order

Pyramids are releasing as massive 5x Cassette release through Small Doses. This is a huge collaboration with tons of great artists. Check below for collaborators like Mamiffer, Great Falls, Across Tundras and more.

Pyramids are releasing as massive 5x Cassette release through Small Doses. This is a huge collaboration with tons of great artists.

From Small Doses's website:

"each artist was asked to create an entirely new piece of music incorporating what they wished from the provided sounds, whatever techniques they wanted to employ,and whatever additions they wished to make. wvndrkmmer contains 52 tracks from 52 different artists on 5 cassettes with a total run time over 6 hours. the total edition is 300 copies – 100 copies of the ‘red’ edition and 200 of the ‘black’ edition. the ‘red’ copies will go to the first 100 preorders."

Grab them here quick

Kick Ass...Did anyone else see it yet?

Went to the movies for the first time in a while and saw Kick Ass. Even for all it's flaws, this was an incredibly fun movie. If you want to see something fun, gory, over the top...this is your movie. Above is the R rated trailer...enjoy

Nadja continues their onslaught

Nadja is dropping their first 10" record with Ruins Of Morning. It is limited to 500 on Gold and is coming out via Drone Records.

So grab one if you are interested.

PS--- Thanks to Hammer Smashed Sound for the reminder

The Specials in the US

I love the Specials (particularly their first album which was produced by Elvis Costello), and most of the original line up is in the US playing a few dates. They were on Jimmy Fallon the other night, and this clip certainly brought a smile to my face.

Enjoy:

The Blackest Curse...

...will be seeing the light of day in May. I am extremely excited, having been waiting for this for years.

Hot Damn!

I might be off a bit, but I remember discovering a bunch of bands through the first few Victory Style compilations (Guilt, Bloodlet, Doughnuts, etc.) way back when, same thing with Definitely Not the Majors (Where I first heard Catharsis and Starkweather); so, I always kind of measure compilations up against those.

Well, leave it to Deathwish Inc to bring those memories flooding back by introducing new bands and dropping a whopper full of teaser tracks and videos of their and Deep Six Records recent and upcoming releases. This from Deathwish themselves:

MMX: The Deathwish/Malfunction/Six Feet Under Spring Sampler
Deathwish/Malfunction along with Six Feet Under Records are proud to present "MMX", our most ambitious and eclectic FREE Digital sampler to date. "MMX" features 36 fantastic contributions (many of which are unreleased) from some of the most anticipated hardcore/punk/metal releases due out in the future.

Bands included on "MMX" (in order of appearance): Converge, Narrows, Integrity, Blacklisted, Doomriders, Nails, Bitter End, Rise And Fall, Acid Tiger, Lewd Acts, Killing The Dream, Carpathian, 108, Starkweather, Overmars, J. Bannon, Eshas, Rot In Hell, As We Let Go, The Rival Mob, New Lows, 50 Lions, Trap Them, Mother Of Mercy, United Nations, Ressurection, The Carrier, True Colors, Foundation, Pegasus, End of a Year, Daylight, Irons, and Ceremony.

Lastly, be sure to check out the two new videos located at the end of the sampler:
Integrity "Invocation of the Blackest Curse" (Video trailer) For “The Blackest Curse” CD/LP
Converge "Thousands of Miles Between Us" (Video trailer) For their “Thousands of Miles Between Us” DVD

All in all, the material on "MMX" is a powerful peak into the huge year unfolding in our collective world. A jaw dropping 2 hour FREE collection of material that is proof that heavy and engaging music is still alive and well in 2010. If you dig what you hear, please support these artists by seeing them live and by purchasing their releases and apparel in the DW Estore @ www.deathwishinc.com.

OK, so here are the links to download this beast for free!

Enjoy.

By The Grace of God...live

A while back, I spoke of By The Grace of God's EP For the Love of Indie Rock and how awesome it was. Well, I figured I would follow that up months later with some live videos (of songs from that EP for your viewing pleasure. Did I mention that I still love this band?

Enjoy:

Rocky Votolato & Brooke Waggoner Played...

...last night in Philadelphia in the Chapel of the First Unitarian Church.

So, the wife and I went to see Rocky Votolato specifically (we had been missing him every damn time he came around lately), and it was a real intimate show, actually the 6 PM show was sold out so we caught this at 9PM. After talking with some friends, we took our seats as the show was about to start.

After almost not showing up on time to catch the opener, I am glad that we made it on time. Brooke Waggoner and her two friends (a guitarist and harpist) played some of the most quirky and playful sounding music that I had heard in quite a while. It was excellent with her bouncing piano and excellent vocals fitting in real well with the harp and various guitars.

This is my favorite song she played:

Rocky was great too, playing a wide breadth of songs from all over the course of his solo career. Just him and his guitar and harmonica this time, but it worked real well and was a ton of fun. The French Canadian dudes in the front were hilarious, particularly when Rocky called them out for singing over him during "Mixtapes..."

Here are some examples of some of my favorites that he played that night.

Recording Day 10 / Mixing Day 1

So, last night Gholas finished tracking our album. We had a viola player come in and lay down tracks in certain places, and it came out rather well. I am excited that we have finished the actual recording process, but now the hard work begins...mixing.

Mixing is probably going to be a loooooong process for us, and we started doing this last night. I will say that even though we are nowhere near complete, this recording is much better than that of our EP. Joe did a great job so far in getting us on "tape".

Godspeed You! Black Emperor...Part deux

So, friends are asking me how Godspeed was live, and although these videos will do the live experience little justice, it will convey some sense of the scale of one of their shows. Interestingly enough "Moya" is one of my favorite songs from the band.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is reuniting and playing shows. Above is the announcement. It does not come out though that well, but if you click on the picture you will see the full statement.

This Just Might Be... The Truth...

This was my first introduction to the Refused back in 95 or so.

When, all of the mystery, hoopla, and rumors started swirling around Refused possibly reuniting this summer, I felt a bunch of mixed emotions at those prospects; it also ignited a spark that jogged a bunch of memories.

Like, I said, I first heard Refused in 95 or 96 after seeing the band thanked by another band (an interesting way that my friends and I found music pre-internet proliferation). I remember listening to the this album,This Just Might Be... , a bunch when I got my hands on it, particularly the song, "Pump The Brakes". It was, in my estimation, a cool song that made me want to jump around like a maniac whenever I heard it. Listening back after all these years, the album itself does little for me, but the Intro and this song still put a smile on my face.

Now, Everlasting, I actually found out of release order for the band (I had no idea that it existed), but this still has some really decent songs on it. Yet, I almost never drag this record out for a couple of spins...my loss.

Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent was the album that really made Refused for me. "Rather Be Dead", "Coup d'Etat", "Hook, Line, and Sinker", "It's Not OK"...all just hit the right way. I was bummed that I missed the band when they toured the US with Snapcase for this album. I still take this album out regularly today.

I still remember the day I bought this record. My friend Robby and I were driving to his parents' house near Edison, NJ in late winter 98; and he brought me by Curmudgeon records so that I could drop of some records while we were headed up that way. I happened to see The Shape Of Punk To Come sitting on their racks and was shocked because I did not even know that it was coming out, but I bought it immediately (this was an expensive import version because the US release was actually some time off at this point and I could not wait). While listening to the record in the car on the way back to school, I was quite shocked by all of the electronic elements that dotted the album.

It took several listening sessions with the album before it eventually sank into my thick skill, and shortly following that "epiphanic moment", songs such as "Liberation Frequency", "New Noise", Summer Holidays Vs. Punk Routine"... really the whole record began to dominate my listening habits for a while.

Following some time, Refused came to the US to tour; and I was finally able to see them at Stalag 13 in Philadelphia, PA with a handful of others (I traveled to the show alone because none of my friends could make it.) It was a good show, and I walked away so glad that I was able to see them. A couple of days later, I found out that the band decided to stop and disband. It was a huge downer as I figured that they had just dropped an inventive record (as far as I knew at the time) and opened up my mind to other musical styles as a result. It still blows my mind that so many people cite this as one of their favorite albums.

Nadja (or damn that's a lot of records)

Somewhere along the line, I became completely entranced in the work by the band Nadja. The first time I heard them it was on CD, Desire In Uneasiness; now, at the time I did not fully appreciate what I was hearing, but I did hear something that caught my ear. Still, it was not until I heard Radiance Of Shadows that I was completely hooked.

When I first started collecting this band, there was already a ridiculous amount of music to track down, but their release schedule is insane with records coming from all over the world. Keeping up is both a pain in the behind and a lot of fun, kind of like a monster scavenger hunt that crosses at least three continents (I wish I lived on Antarctica so that I could put out a record from there, though the shipping prices would be ridiculous). I definitely look forward to hearing about the new ones all the time, and love when they sneak up on me but am still able to get the limited color on record (Nadja & OvO collaboration I'm talking about you).

Well, the latest Nadja records are starting to trickle out this year. The Nadja & OvO collaboration The Life And Death Of A Wasp just recently came out via Adagio 830 and Vendetta Records. You can order here. I also recently received the Under A Jaguar Sun double LP (pictured at the top) after waiting for quite a while since pre-ordering, but it was worth the wait and still available here for those that are interested in nabbing this slab of music.

Autopergamene (pictured second due to my fumbling of the pictures) still is not out yet, but should be by the end of April.

Habits and Dying Hard

Old habits are hard to break... (finger) nail biting when driving long car rides, nervous twitching when extremely bored, cracking your neck when it feels stiff even though you swore you wouldn't do it anymore... these are all examples and terrible habits that I have. Typing this with worn down nails (from a recent trip to visit my parents with my dog Holly) is a semi painful experience.

It was nice visiting my parents; Holly got along well with everyone in the house (which was a huge relief for me and the wife). I helped my dad fix his leaky sink. Relaxed a bit. Saw my friend Nathan whom I had not seen in a while. I borrowed a bunch of movies from my brother (YES, Ponyo)

The wife is tattooing our friend Kyle right now. Her first portrait of whom I believe is his grandmother if I am not mistaken. It is coming out rather well.

Tonight the Yankees have opening day...BASEBALL IS HERE

108 Follow Up

So in the aftermath of 108's breaking up and then decision to continue on without Rob on vocals, I stumbled up on this awesome tribute by the band's guitarist to Rob's part in 108. In this Vic details some of the dynamics of the band as well as their current intention to continue.

Good luck guys...

All this really makes it difficult to wait for the new album from them, 18.61 is available for pre-ordering now.

The Jane Doe Double LP is finally being re-issued

This image may be one of the more iconic images coming from the hardcore scene in the 21st century so far. The album is without a doubt a landmark for Converge, and seeing as the vinyl version of it really has not seen the light of day since near its release in 2001, collectors have had to pay exorbitant amounts of money to acquire it in the after market. For those unlucky folk that were not there in '01, they have been fleeced over the years.

Well, Deathwish Inc has finally opened the pre-orders on the re-issue. So, if you ever wanted to own this slab, now is your chance to without laying down a ridiculous amount of cash. One of the 3 Deathwish Inc colors is already gone, so these pre-orders are going fast; do not wait to get this if you want it. You will be sorry.

For those that are unaware of the power of this record, Converge's Jane Doe is a twelve horned beast of an album that seethes and roils and hurls invective like the best hardcore albums do. It certainly captured or mirrored some of my emotions at the time, and it was a mainstay on my stereo for quite a number of years (still is to an extent as this is in my Converge album triumvirate). Angry and powerful, Jane Doe certainly spoke well for its time and holds up to the point of it being every bit as urgent and essential today.

The Blackest Curse Is finally coming out...

...and so is a bunch of other records by Integrity.

The first here is the Red version of their 2003 record on Deathwish Inc, To Die For. This can be had from A389 Recordings under the Pre-Orders heading. Get it by itself or in a package deal that will also net a bonus Integrity / Pale Creation - split 7" (as well as a new 7" from Pale Creation, the LP from Caulfield). If you missed out on the Blue version of To Die For that A389 released earlier this year, now is your chance to not pay ebay prices for this 10".

This year is going to be a big year for Integrity releases as the band has already released the aforementioned Blue version of To Die For as well as the Grace Of The Unholy 7" (both on A389 Recordings) and the In Contrast Of Sin 7" repress on Organized Crime. Due out this year from Organized Crime are vinyl re-issues of the band's earlier Victory catalog including Systems Overload, Humanity Is The Devil, Seasons In The Size Of Days, and the first album from Integrity, the essential, Those Who Fear Tomorrow. If the In Contrast Of Sin re-issue is any indication of how these will look, these LPs will turn out great. A389 Recordings also has the US version of the Integrity / Creepout split that came out last year in Japan. British label, 30 Days Of Night is putting out the Integrity / Rot In Hell split double 7" sometime this year as well, which looks awesome. Magic Bullet is putting out a Record Store Day 7" from Integrity as well (which is coming soon on April 10th); so, be on the lookout for that.

There maybe even more than that, but this is what I have come across.

But...This release here is one I have been waiting for quite a while to hear.

The Blackest Curse will be the latest LP from Integrity, and I cannot wait to hear; luckily, it is finally coming out May 25th via Deathwish Inc. A flurry of releases to document one of the more legendary hardcore bands.

108 Breaking Up? Again? Maybe Not?

My initial reaction to hearing the rumor of 108 breaking up was a mixture of emotions ranging from disappointment to disbelief, particularly with their newest album being released this month. Various information came out where Rob Fish, the vocalist of 108, no longer seemed to feel as strongly about his place in the band even partially trapped by its legacy and themes; so, Rob left 108. For a time, it looked as though the band would be done once again, which saddened me.

108 has always been a special band to me. When I was an impressionable high school kid, 108 was on a mix tape passed to me during mythology class; I played the hell out of this tape, but more specifically the 108 songs on it. It was strange hearing this band scream its head off in "Deathbeds" the first time because I my picture of Hare Krishnas came from Airplane! ; this was intense and blew my mind that 108 was singing about concepts from the Bhagavad Gita and Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Even still, the aggressive music intrigued me. I rushed out and and found Songs of Separation when I could, and again, this album received many spins in my CD player and tape deck (I dubbed the CD to play in my car since I only had a tape deck in it). A couple of years later, Three Fold Misery came out and I became obsessed with the band; the record was just great, but 108 would break up not long after its release.

For years I could only reminisce about the band and listen to their music on my stereo, then they reunited for Hellfest which did not happen, but the band played the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. Seeing them was awesome. The band eventually released a new album A New Beat From A Dead Heart, which was an energetic kick to my own ass.

Fast forward to today and 108 is on the verge of releasing a new album 18.61 (pictured above) while entrenched in some inner turmoil. Rob is leaving the band, and 108 will attempt to soldier on without him. Vic DiCara was always the driving force behind the band; so, I cannot say that the future for the band is bleak...different, yes...bleak, no. In any case, I still love this band and cannot wait for the new album and hope that the band does what they feel led to do.