12"

No Talk - Leather Discipline Lp (Cut Throat, Death Exclamations)
After releasing four amazing 7" singles that have been long sold out by now No Talk announced a 12" a few months ago. It took some time but here it finally is: "Leather Discipline". The band added a fourth member to their line-up so singer KGBeasly could put down his guitar and put all his energy in destroying his vocal cords live. Most songs on here do have two guitar tracks though. "Leather Discipline" definitely takes a different angle than No Talk's previous outputs. These tracks are more rocking and there are goofy backup vocals all over these songs. I really had to get used to them. The record overall is pretty damn silly. I don't think these guys ever tried hard to be taken seriously, but they are sure taking shit to a next level on this 12". From record title to the artwork to the song topics this record breathes S&M. Titles like "Erotic Asphyxation", "Sexcop" ("give head or your dead") and "Sexual Frustration" really say it all. Although this record turned out to be nothing like I had expected I grew to like it a lot. The riffs are strong, there are plenty of hooks and how could one not love Beasly's vocals? Play it loud and sing along to these perversities, but make sure you won't find yourself growling "Maaaasturbating, maaaaaasturbating, maaaaasturbating" out loud in the cantine at the office after spinning this record one too many times.

Raw Power - Screams From The Gutter Lp (Toxic Shock)
This record shouldn’t need an introduction. Screams From The Gutter is considered one of the best Italian hardcore releases ever. Some would even say it’s one of the best hardcore releases ever in general. Raw Power definitely had a sound of their down. Lots of guitar solo’s and double bass drumming on this record yet it stays punk from start to end. Later on they apparently turned into a shitty heavy metal band just like many American hardcore bands did. This record is classic and was recently re-released on Toxic Shock with the original artwork which in my opinion looks great. Somehow I got my hands on colour vinyl copies.

Secret Prostitutes - Never Mind the K.B.D. This is A.D.D. Lp (Bad Hair Life)

I'm still bummed out by the fact that I passed on Secret Prostitutes' first Ep when I had the opportunity to get a copy. The distro review described the band as a KBD-style punk with an Indonesian singer, which is an apt description, but at the time the whole thing just seemed way too gimmicky to me. So unfortunately I missed out on said Ep, but I was to make sure I wouldn't miss out on the Secret Prostitutes again when I read that these Houston punks were going to release a full-length. This Lp brings twenty three songs to the plate of which you've only heard two on previous releases and both of those have been rerecorded. All of these tunes are too catchy for words and the singer's high pitched Indonesian vocals fit the music perfectly. I had expected his singing would become annoying after several listens, but nothing is further from the truth. Despite not having a clue what the man is saying his lyrics put a huge smile on my ugly face. There are two or three songs on here that are sung by a girl too which makes for a nice change. Perhaps the Indonesian lyrics are a bit gimmicky, but who cares if the songs are this great? "Never Mind The K.B.D. This is A.D.D." is a crazy but most of all amazing record. This shit is pure punk rock goodness. Don´t miss out on it!

7"s

Bloody Hammer - Apathy is Bliss Ep (Cut Throat)

Debut Ep by this one-man-project from Houston, Texas. "Apathy is Bliss" is definitely an odd title for a man who is doing time in practically every band from Houston I know. Okay, that's an exaggaration, but sometimes you gotta spice things up. This Ep brings to mind the No Talk 7"s and it's no coincidence that Josh plays in that band as well. The good news about "Apathy is Bliss" is that it delivers no less than elevens songs whereas all but one of those No Talk records were singles. Yes, you're getting your money's worth here. I think all these songs were taken from the two demos Bloody Hammer released before. Josh only included his best songs on the record. I'm glad the Bombettes cover got ditched. Two songs are odes to Italian punk. They're manic. The rest is classic punk rock with killer riffs and punk as fuck lyrics. The vocal delivery is raw and harsh. Any punk should be able to relate to these songs about alienation, self-destruction and hate. "Apathy is Bliss" is one killer Ep! A new Bloody Hammer 7" should be out soon. You'll find yourself flipping this thing over and over until then.

Daylight Robbery - Red Tape Ep (Residue)
This Ep was Daylight Robbery’s first output. It dates back from 2008. This 7” delivers you four catchy garage rock tunes. The drums and bass drive the music. They give the guitar player the opportunity to do some cool sometimes melancholic leads. This record has a melancholic vibe overall yet it’s pretty catchy at the same time. The vocals are passionately delivered by both a boy and a girl. It’s nice to hear a band that actually tries to sing for a change. I have no problems with loud screaming whatsoever but too many bands just go for those uniform pissed off sounding screams which get boring pretty fast. If you’re all about fast and angry hardcore, you’ll want to skip on Daylight Robbery. However, if you like some melodic garage tunes to sing along to, look
no further.
 

Daylight Robbery - Red Tape Ep (Residue)
Red Tape is Daylight Robbery’s second Ep and it’s a bit more defined than their previous release. Three songs of garage rock this time around. The first two tracks are a bit faster than the songs on their previous release. Again, these are some catchy tunes. Whereas the vocalists were kinda taking turns each song on the other 7”, the singers both sing on all tracks on Red Tape. They add up well and I think it gives the band a more coherent sound than before. The song on the flip is slower than the songs on the a-side. This song is my personal favourite. I’ve spun the b-side many times in a row when I first heard this record. Overall, I think this record is stronger than their previous release which wasn’t bad by any standards. So if you liked the Selftitled Ep, give this one a shot too. If you haven’t heard Daylight Robbery yet, then I’d recommend you to give this one a shot.

No Slogan - Killed By Gentrification 7" (Disobediencia)
This band never hit me until I heard their 12” on Residue. After hearing that record I was hooked and realized that I had dismissed this band way too easily. No Slogan hail from Chicago and play mid paced hardcore punk with gruff vocals. The music has a pessimistic sound to it and the lyrics cover pretty dark territory. It’s hard to explain what makes this band so good. No Slogan plays music that plenty of other bands are playing but they happen to do it a lot better than their peers. Good riffs and impressive vocals set this band apart. Give No Slogan a chance sometime. They don’t seem to get much attention while they are great at what they do. Unfortunately for them their style doesn’t seem to be what the punks want to hear these days, but what can you do?

 

Retainers - Waste of Time 7" (Fashionable Idiots)

I think this was the Retainers final output. They are no more, but I guess you could say that they went out with a bang. With this release they deliver two more blown out garage punk tunes. Those who’ve heard their Lp (which was pretty limited I think) should recognize the A-side of this single, because it was the first track on there. “Waste Of Time” is a really strong garage punk song that’s catchy as hell. It definitely sticks. On the B-side we find “Die Baby Die” which might not be as good as the A-track but is still pretty damn good. After listening to this single I just know I will be singing “All I ever do is a waste of tiiiiiiiiime” in my head if not out loud all day. Can’t we all relate to that line?

Slices - Selftitled Ep (16 Oh)
This 7” came out of nowhere for me. I was certainly surprised by this Ep. I know little about Slices. In fact I don’t even know if they’re still around. These guys from Pittsburgh play some disturbing hardcore. Their singer sounds frustrated and pissed about it. His voice is great and so are the lyrics as far as I can tell. Slices’ rhythm section consists of heavy bass and pounding drums. The guitar sound is weak in comparison to the bass which creates a sinister atmosphere. The band shifts from mid-paced to downright slow on this record. At times the music is draining at other times it’s angry as hell. With this release Slices have easily delivered one of the most exciting 7”s of this year so far. Great band.

White Lung - Local Garbage Ep (Hockey Dad)
White Lung made my jaw drop when I first heard their debut over a year ago. Boy, time sure flies. These four ladies from Vancouver serve us three infectious (post-?)punk songs on this here Ep. White Lung's rhytm section is solid and I like the bass lines a lot. What really makes this band in my opinion is Natasha's creative guitar playing. She does some crazy stuff. Furthermore White Lung's singer, Mish, has such a strong voice. She can sing and has a bit of a cynic sound to her vocals. I have listened to this Ep so much and yet I am unable to explain exactly what makes this band so damn good. I simply love this Ep and recommend you to give it a shot. This was the first pressing.