Reviews: BRAIN F≠ / BIRTH DEFORMITIES / SHIRKS / WET HAIR / COKE BUST etc

Okay, it has been some time since last post. Busy with school finals, then having family visit for 2 weeks left me with little time to listen to music, much less get on the computer. My mind was complete mush to be honest. 

It's hot as hell, and summer is here, and I have some free time again, so that means time to listen to music, and obsess about music, and wonder what's coming out next, etc. Catching up with the stuff I've received, as well as purchased over the past couple months. Here's the latest. I will post more reviews in the next week. 

BIRTH DEFORMITIES - tape

Midwestern Hardcore early 80s style. Raw and unhinged, as only that region can produce (seems the coasts are too self-aware to make music this good, among other things). Lyrically it's to the point, no political sloganeering, just angst and insolence. "My Walls" and "Hate Group" are my favorites on here. Sound wise, think Necros meets Vilently Ill. This is members from Cülo, and Nick from Cowabunga, so you should have an idea what lies in wait. Proceed with haste. (Cowabunga c/o Nick Lovro, 311 Stearn Dr, Genoa, IL 60135 / cowabungarecords.com)

BRAIN F ≠ - So Dim 7"

Lo-fi punk rock that hearkens back to the days of yore, and yet is very much of the moment. For some reason I can't quite figure out, I'm reminded of the Tyrades. Anyhow, these two songs are raw, fuzzed out, and straight to the point. The energy is up, but they never get thrashy or wild. Slightly hyper and focused, you could say. I like the dual vocals, and the female vocals is what really gives the sound a distinct edge. The title track is my favorite, and the second song, "Symptom Set" t'aint bad either. Makes me want to hear more, fer sure.  Need to pick up the previous single now... (Grave Mistake, PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241 / gravemistakerecords.com)

COKE BUST - Degradation EP

First time I heard these guys was on the A Product of Six Cents II compilation. For a band that plays it hard and fast to stand out on a collection of other bands who aim to break speed records, says something. I still have yet to hear the LP though. Which I'm told is pretty good. So for now, I have this EP to crank. Which I think is pretty damn good. Obvious comparisons are Infest and Ripcord. I also hear some early NYHC in there as well, in particular the breakdowns. A bit of feedback between songs give this a feel that everything was done in one take. Makes me look forward to their potential West Coast tour later this year. The majority of the songs are speed fests, with "Deathbed" being the slowest, and maybe because of that, also the standout track. Not to say any of the other songs suck, because they're all good. But it's "Deathbed" that really grabs your attention. Mid-tempo, with heavy percussion, and repetitive riff that recalls classic hardcore of twenty-five plus years ago. (Grave Mistake, PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241 / gravemistakerecords.com)

INSTANGD - Drag Utan Drog EP

Picks up where their second EP, "Konkret Och Brutal", left off. Straight forward no frills hardcore punk that mixes US and Scandanavian influences seamlessly. Short, raw, and largely quick tempo blasts, throwing in time changes, pauses, and more to keep it interesting. Really like introduction to "Primitiv Energi". Sounds like it's going to be post-punk, then they let it rip with some full on hardcore. "Instangd/Fri?" is another stand out, with it's catchy rhythm, and over in seconds. The whole record is pretty good I should point out. Comes pressed on orange vinyl. I keep wondering when they're going to fly out and play some shows in Los Angeles. (Sorry State, 111 Old Pittsboro Rd, Carrboro, NC 27510 / sorrystaterecords.com) 

NIGHT BIRDS - Fresh Kills Vol. 1 CD

So a couple years ago I wrote a snarky asshole review of this band's demo for Razorcake. Fuck, was I a prick. Now I'm  eating crow like no tomorrow. A complete change of opinion. Listening to this, I am now of the opinion Night Birds are one of the best bands in the US. Certainly a band I'm going to push on my friends as I embark on my "super awesome summer". This disc is the perfect soundtrack for this warm season. These guys sound like they stepped straight out of late 70s / early 80s OC punk. Definite Adolescents and Agent Orange influences. This is the music that the Adolescents should have been cranking out after their classic blue album. Fast tempos, catchy as hell, a lot of attitude in the delivery, and the guitar playing is top notch with it's surf-esque style - just check out "Prognosis: Negative". This disc collects their "Killer Waves" 7", "Midnight Movies" EP, self-titled EP, and the aformentioned demo from 2009.

THE SHIRKS - Cry Cry Cry EP

Fuck yeah!!! This is some high energy Pee-unk rawk right here. Think of the Saints bred with the Stitches. It's driving as hell, catchy, and there's a slightly sketchy  edge that really puts this over the top. The title track has a chorus that reeks of a future classic. "On Time" is just as ripping, and if anything, ups the energy even more. Can't get enough of the line, "I'm on time for a good time", and how it's delivered. "Prostitution Summer" slows down sightly, giving the song more swagger and attitude. Live, these guys must rip it up. They better! Reminds me of the late 90s/early 00s when there were some good bands playing places like Al's Bar, Bar Deluxe, and to a lesser degree, the Garage here in LA. (Grave Mistake, PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241 / gravemistakerecords.com)

WET HAIR - Radiant Lines 7"

This is well worth your time to seek out. Wet Hair remind me a lot of Suicide, with just a little more going on. Synth driven, with layers underneath the shimmery drone. Music for late afternoons. The title track has a slight swagger to it. The drums shuffle, while the synthesizer climbs and rolls around, and the vocals sit somewhere in the back corner.  "Decay" buries the vocals underneath the synthesizers, which have a layer of drone on one level, and a poppier/playful layer riding over the top. Comes packaged in a 7" x 7" booklet of color collages constructed by Wet Hair: Shawn Reed and Ryan Garbes. One time pressing of 500. I checked the Not Not Fun site, and it's out of print. So check their distributors. You can find that information here: http://notnotfun.com/past.html

REVIEWS (Big Crux, Cülo, School Jerks)

I should have posted this a while back. But with daily life and all it entails, things get in the way of allowing me to sit and listen to music uninterrupted. So, apologies to anyone who sent stuff and expected a review much sooner. I have a few tapes and a couple CDs to review, which I'm working on now. Should have those posted in the next couple weeks. 

BIG CRUX - Compromise Crisis EP

Whoa!!! Better than what I was expecting. This sounds like something SST would have released in their heyday. A lot of people say that about current bands, and what they fail to mention is the SST they're referencing is the later 80s period when they released garbage. I'm referencing the era of SST that had the greats: Hüsker Dü, Minutemen, Black Flag, and Meat Puppets, and Saccharine Trust. Big Crux have the sparse sound of Minutemen, where the bass figures prominently, and the guitar is unadorned. Then throw in the funk elements of Big Boys. The songs are catchy and instantly memorable. The musicianship is tight and the songs are solid as hell. "Big Funk" is the definite A-side, with "Boys To Men" which really goes into Minutemen territory sandwiched in between the other slice, "No Stars", which ends with the same energy as the opener. I hear they're talking about an album. Please please please!!! (Iron Lung, PO Box 95521, Seattle, WA 98145 / lifeironlungdeath.blogspot.com)

CüLO - Toxic Vision  EP

Easily one of thee best hardcore punk bands out there these days, and perhaps any day, before, and in the future. This is their third EP, and they show no signs of sucking. "Toxic Vision" is their best yet. Gnarled sounds that have the subtlety of a cinder block through your window shield. Fast as fuck, the guitar sounds like hell, and the drums are chopped to bits. Lyrically nihilistic to boot. If this record was released back in 1981, it would be on every collector's list, and fetching rent on eBay. So, get it now and blow your fucking mind!!! (Deranged, c/o Gordon Defresne, 2700 Lower Rd, Roberts Creek, BC V0N 2W4, Canada / derangedrecords.com)

SCHOOL JERKS - Control EP

Can this band do no wrong?!? Here's their third release and they show no signs of losing intensity. Think of Dez-era Black Flag and that's close to what these guys sound like. School Jerks have a little less polish though. The songs and delivery are fast and manic. Everything sounds like it's about to come flying apart in one glorious mess. Six songs with a raw and dirty sound. The drums sound like hell, the guitar sounds like it's played with a jagged piece of rusted metal, and the vocalist sounds disgusted with everything. Can't choose one track over the other. They're all good. Get the other two records and play them in conjunction with this. (Cowabunga, 311 Stearn Dr, Genoa, IL 60135 / cowabungarecords.com)

SEE YOU IN HELL US tour dates!!!

People are already talking about Chaos In Tejas, which is a few months away. One of the bands that are on the bill is SEE YOU IN HELL from the Czech Republic. They've been around for a while. and released some great stuff. Their recent releases with SYSTEMATIC DEATH, and CONTRAST ATTITUDE, both on Insane Society Records, are top shelf stuff. Pick this stuff up from them when they come through your town or order it direct from the label: http://www.insanesociety.net

Here's the tour dates:

SYIH+LOTUS FUCKER
June 1, Wednesday: Nashville TN
June 2, Thursday: Austin TX (Chaos in Texas)
June 3, Friday: Austin TX (Chaos in Texas)
June 4, Saturday: Austin TX (Chaos in Texas)
June 5, Sunday: Austin TX (Chaos in Texas)
June 6, Monday: Kansas City MO
June 7, Tuesday: Minneapolis MN
June 8, Wednesday: Milwaukee WI (with Origin of M)
June 9, Thursday: Chicago IL (with Origin of M)
June 10, Friday: Cleveland, OH
June 11, Saturday: Pittsburgh, PA (with xBrainiax)
SYIH+xBRAINIAx
June 12, Sunday: Philadelphia, PA
June 13, Monday: Washington, DC
June 14, Tuesday: Baltimore, MD (with Lotus Fucker, Origin of M [Japan])
June 15, Wednesday: New York, NY
June 16, Thursday: Albany, NY
June 17, Friday: Boston, MA

SCHOOL JERKS / CULO / TIMEBOMBS show in Fullerton, CA

Here's a flyer for the SCHOOL JERKS / CüLO / TIMEBOMBS show in Fullerton, CA at the Riff Haus.
Make the drive!

SCHOOL JERKS / CULO TOUR DATES!!!!!!

Alright, I have the tour dates for SCHOOL JERKS and CüLO. Looking forward to this!!! I plan to hit at least two of their shows in the LA/OC area. See you there. And the flyer was taken from the staticoponx website.

Feb. 18h - San Francisco - Hemlock Bar (1131 Polk Street) w/ Wild Thing
Feb. 19th - Sacramento - Axewave Manor (2426 33rd) w/ Verraeterisch
Feb. 20th - Los Angeles - South Central Farmers Collective (41st and Long Beach Blvd) w/ Tuberculosis, Destruye Y Huye, Drapetomania
Feb. 21st - LA-area - TBA, hopefully something but email us if you can help
Feb. 22nd - Phoenix, AZ - Sound Kontrol (25th Street and Chambers) w/ Elders, Otro Mundo, No Bunny
Feb. 23rd - Fullerton - Riff Haus (1150 E. Valencia Dr.) - w/ Bad Antics, Concussion, Timebombs
Feb. 24th - Bakersfield -  Munoz Gym (1931 E. California Ave) w/ DADT, Carcinogenz
Feb. 25th - Oakland - The Swamp (35th and Market) w/ Ecoli, Neo-Cons

On the way down Culo only are playing
Feb. 11th - Minneapolis
Feb. 12th - Fargo, ND

A quick list of my favorite releases of 2010. A bit late, but...

Here's a list I compiled in late December of my favorite releases of 2010, in no particular order.

NU SENSAE "TV, Death and the Devil" LP

MUCH WORSE "Proper Execute" EP

THE ENERGY "First Album" LP

MASS HYSTERI s/t LP

COMPLICATIONS s/t LP

THE BOSTON STRANGLER demo tape

UX VILEHEADS "First.. EP

REGULATIONS "To Be Me" LP

TOTAL ABUSE "Mutt" LP

GASCHAMBER s/t LP

SOTATILLA "Vituiks Meni" EP

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY "Through The Confusion" LP

PAHAA VERTA s/t LP

TIMEBOMBS "Mumbling" 10"

NOMOS "Notes From The Acheron" 12" EP

CULO "Military Abuse" EP

BLOODTYPE s/t EP

SYSTEMATIC DEATH / SEE YOU IN HELL split EP

COAL FREAKS s/t CD

I have a couple reviews to post soon. Things here are busy at the moment, so time and energy is sparse... 

The print issue is still in the works. Have a couple more interviews to transcribe and will complete the layout soon after. 

Whatever became of Felix from Life's Halt? Right here....

When I first moved to LA in 1997 Felix Reyes was one of the first people I befriended. I believe Life's Halt were pretty much starting out at that point. I do remember going to some of their practices when Nate played drums, and one time we rode our bicycles up and down Venice Beach putting up LH stickers on any inanimate object we could.
Life's Halt eventually blew up and put out a few records, did a couple tours, or more. They split up in 2001 I think. Noel went on to play in Annihilation Time, Jon and Charlie have been in a number of bands, and Felix played in a couple as well. Then he moved away, started a family.
But, as time went on he got the itch to play again, and has a new band called Big Crux. Sounds more San Pedro than Seattle. But I think this was where he was bound to end up, since he talked a lot about the Minutemen way back when.
You can check them out here at this site:http://bigcrux.bandcamp.com/