Gypsy - 4 Songs CD/R (Dirt Cult Records, 2010)

Low fidelity 16th-note pop punk. If that sounds like anything that is up your alley then you should download this immediately. Gypsy is a band/project that consists of Chris Mason (from Shang-a-Lang - Las Cruces, NM), Joe Ayoub (from Marked Men - Denton, TX), and Ryan Maddox (from Hidden Spots - Chattanooga, TN). This band only exists when these three dudes are together for extended amounts of time in Las Cruces - or maybe it only existed for the short amount of time that these dudes were together in Las Cruces? - who knows...


At any rate, this specific style of music probably requires a bit of an acquired taste, but if you are familiar with any of the other bands mentioned already then this should be everything you expect.  The vocal melodies and the decision making of the drummer is definitely the thing that sets this band apart from the others - despite the fact that these are just generally well written songs. I, for one, can't take these four songs off of repeat.


I'm not scared of death / I'm scared of you

Posts I Wish I Had Made Vol. 1: Salvo Rain LP Masters on Used Bin Forever

If your name is Jake Bone or you are in love with the emotive hardcore sounds that came out of the Carolinas in the 90's (Assfactor 4, Unherd, Rights Reserved, Insult to Injury, Eagle Bravo, etc.) then I really recommend going over to Used Bin Forever and checking out the latest post (or almost all of the current posts for that matter, he's on a roll).

Salvo Rain was a band that sounded exactly like that, and they were pretty damn good at it. Their material is somewhat hard to come by, but the post in question contains the ADAT masters of this band's full length (!). It's not every day something of that nature pops up!

Check it:

Salvo Rain LP Masters on Used Bin Forever

Amateur Party - Public Utility Complaint 7" (Paramnesia Records, 2008)

Small Note: Although I intended to only post my own vinyl rips on this blog, this is an upload of the download code mp3's; I did, however, scan the cover - so at least I put some effort into it! 


Amateur Party is what happens when a handful of seasoned punks get together to create something intelligent and meaningful. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA this band consists of some long-time heavy hitters in the realm of great DIY music. This band seemingly functions on a part-time basis in the members' collective free time with somewhat of a revolving door line-up, but the core of this band consists of mastermind Mike McKee (Kill the Man Who Questions, Armalite) on guitars/vocals, Steve Roche (Off Minor, Yo Man, Go!, Books Lie, and uh... Saetia) on drums/etc., and Andrew Martini (Limp Wrist, KTMWQ) on bass.


As far as the music itself is concerned? The biggest frame of reference seems to be the classic D.C./Dischord Records sound, only with much more of a laid-back disposition. Imagine a handful of Fugazi, Rites of Spring, or, hell - even Ignition - styled-songs played in more of a J Church context... Or a Superchunk/random early Merge Records band context. Does that make sense? I don't know; the end result is a unique brand of guitar-driven punk that is as refreshing and inspiring as it is nostalgic.


Included in this download is all of the photographs that were randomly placed onto each 7" cover - some of which are of fellow recognizable Philadelphians Dan Yemin and Andy Nelson (of Paint it Black). That's pretty cool, right? All of the songs on this 7" are about issues directly related to Philadelphia- I think that is a very interesting concept. Mike McKee can write some amazing lyrics, so I definitely recommend reading those as you listen to these songs. Perhaps I need to post some of my Kill the Man Who Questions records now. Anyways, Enjoy.


Oil and location make for such conflicted histories.

Last Match - Self-Titled 7" (Insect Records, 1997)

I'm going to attempt to maintain a once-a-week posting schedule for this blog. I have also been playing around with the look of it as well, made some progress but it could still use some tampering with.


Anyways, I've been listening to this band a lot recently and I got this 7" off of some dude on the internet for $2. Last Match was a hardcore band from Sweden that lasted from 1997 to 1999. They released this 7" as well as a split 7". There is, however, a collection of everything that they have ever done that includes unreleased tracks - but the band itself has even said that many of those unreleased songs are subpar to their other material.


I came to like this band when I randomly stumbled upon their MySpace page (welcome to 200x!) and saw that nearly every other band represented on their page was one of my favorite bands. This band takes a specific experimental hardcore format mastered by the likes of Born Against (who did it with more spite) and Universal Order of Armageddon (who did it with more emotion) and formulates it into more traditional hardcore punk song structures. It comes out sounding not unlike other bands who attempted something similar to this (Palatka, Assfactor 4, In/Humanity [although each of these bands had completely different influences]), but is definitely heartfelt and unique enough in its own right. Sit down for 14 minutes and listen to what this band had to say.


I feel no communication, no enthusiasm in this room / Silence speaks loud / Are we only here to tap our feet to the sound?

Ringers / Blotto - Split 7" (Snuffy Smiles Records, 2008)

"I got a brother in the service and if he gets shot then he deserves it." Like it or not this is the way Ringers slams their attitude in your face from the get-go. This record is a split between two pop punk bands: Ringers from Boston, MA and Blotto from Tokyo, Japan. It was released on Snuffy Smiles Records - a Japanese punk label - and didn't have much distribution in the States. 


Let's get back to Ringers - this band plays a certain style of pop punk most easily identified by well-written songs, guitar chords often fuller than the powerchord typical of the style, gruff vocals, and the melodies of the guitars and the vocalists. This band induces nostalgic feelings traceable back to Newtown Neurotics, The Clash (I'm using this band as a frame of reference), and the slightest hint of the Replacements. Perhaps this is why some people are reluctant to call them a pop punk band, but I still think that title applies. One thing that this band really fucking exceeds at is writing lyrics that are well-written, relatable, and mood-inducing.


Blotto is a pop punk band from Tokyo, Japan that plays music that sounds like it comes straight out of the Midwestern United States - except for the fact that English is probably the lyricist's second language (but you don't see me writing any lyrics in Japanese, do you?). This band plays pop punk with its own slight twist, as well, but these songs are probably more comparable to the slight twangs of Bent Outta Shape and Drunken Boat than the classic punk sounds that Ringers refer to. You'll understand the 'twang' of the guitars that I'm talking about when you put these songs on.


Overall, a pretty solid pairing. I named the blog after a Ringers song from their first LP so I figured I should put something up, and I don't think this is downloadable anywhere else? It might be a little while before I update again (I really need to work on the look of this thing), so enjoy this in the mean time:


All the positive people say 'you're better off dead' / Believe what they read / Well, I'll stay well read

Bread and Circuits - Self-Titled LP (Ebullition Records, 1999)

It only seems appropriate to start this blog off with a band that Mike Kirsch was in, but I'll save the majority of that whole spiel for another time. This band, in particular, really moves me in a way that most other punk bands fall drastically short of. "Emotive Hardcore" is the simplest term that I feel comfortable pigeonholing them into. Bread and Circuits (on this record) was comprised of Mike Kirsch (John Henry West et al.) on guitar/vocals, Jose Palafox (Struggle, Manumission, Swing Kids, Baader Brains, etc.) on drums, Chuck Shackelford (this is his most notable band) on bass/vocals, and Mag (famously of Yaphet Kotto, later on briefly played in Saviours) on guitar. A dream team of sorts for fuckers (much like myself) completely entranced in this very specific style of music. 

There is a lot happening here, but in the context of the band it forms one cohesive aesthetic and sound. The music is mostly mid-tempo but seems to be specifically written that way in order to let the overlying melodies, accents, and elaborate transitions shine brighter. For those familiar with Kirsch's work, Bread and Circuits was the logical progression from Torches to Rome and the logical pre-cursor to the more left-field workings of Please Inform the Captain... and Baader Brains. Lyrically, this band focuses on the staunch politics and guilt-laden topics characteristic of their time, place, and peers. One primary focus of this band was on issues of racial privilege (such as the song "White Man"- "Brother / your time has come for you to awaken from your guilt encased tomb / your voice has taken up far too much room... White Man what have you done lately?") - which weighed a bit more heavily than other bands speaking on the issue considering the mixed racial make-up of Bread and Circuits.

This record has been available on the internet for some time, but this is my own vinyl rip and it sounds better than the other one floating around on the internet. I have also included all of the lyrics as well as scanned images of the covers as well as the entire insert (this will be the format of all posts on this blog).

Bread and Circuits released one other record (a split LP with Former Members of Alfonsin) which is their best material. If you have that record and wouldn't mind selling/trading it, get at me!

The thought of white design / I wouldn't say they spared my life.