LISTEN: Gaphals - "Regimen" LP

Whoa. Been a while, huh? Did you even notice I haven't posted since July? I'm still alive. I moved to a new state. I got a new job. I moved to an area where I don't really know anyone, so maybe this will mean getting back to regular posting? Ah, who knows.

Anyways, I'm sitting here at work trying to power through this mental block, and I'd have to say my main motivator are these Swedes Gaphals playing their invigorating, electric, unrelenting punk rock into my eardrums. Screw coffee or an energy drink, just put on Gaphals' 2013 LP Regimen and feel the adrenaline rise. Give it a spin below.

LISTEN: Friend Collector

Friend Collector (feat. members of The New Flesh) is a noise rock/punk band from right here in Baltimore. Most will take them as just a bunch of rampant noise with no purpose, which is missing the point. From what I've gathered, this is a band that plays with reckless abandon and an inescapable fury of noise in order to obliterate expectations. Instead of attempting to make something from a mold of another band or familiar sound, these guys are freeing their demons in a most unadulterated manner. Certainly, this isn't going to be a band for everyone, but the noise here is an attempt to break down walls and put forth a challenge. Friend Collector have no intention of writing catchy songs and crafting something that is easily definable or interpreted -- as the irony of their name might suggest. This is a band that is expelling raw, primal emotion as a form of catharsis; it's the sound of anger, frustration, and confusion swinging around like a physical, emotional wrecking ball. This is music that translates its message through sonic assault, not melodic hooks. It's the equivalent of climbing a mountain, standing on the edge, and screaming out until your lungs have no air left.

DOWNLOAD: Tremors II - Ghost Bats EP

Naming your band after a sci-fi/horror movie franchise about mutant earthworms suggests you aren't taking anything too seriously. And, really, that's why some bands are so much fun (Gwar, anyone?). When a band's mission becomes "Be loud, rock out, have fun," the enthusiasm and good cheer bleed through the music, allowing the listener to share in the celebration. For a band like Tremors II, which features ex-Frontier Myth members, being successful in music all depends on how much fun you're having. On the Baltimore quartet's latest release, the 3-song Ghost Bats, they sound particularly aggressive and heavy, as if a bodybuilder was jumping around on a pogo stick. Ok, so my off-kilter metaphor might be a little abstract -- or, knowing my history, just an incorrect metaphor. In a more literal, and accurate, sense, Ghost Bats sounds a bit like Hot Snakes wrestling with The Jesus Lizard -- the latter's influence is most evident here. It's visceral punk rock with touches of noise rock's inescapable, crushing volume.

LISTEN: The Midgetmen - Loud Enough LP

No, this isn't a small person tribute band to The Minutemen -- in case you happened to be wondering such a thing. No, this Austin-based band of self-proclaimed "slop-punk" is a six-pack of the good times. The same sort of rough, loud, and honest sounds that gushed out of '90s underground rock bands such as Guided by Voices, Dinosaur Jr., and Sebadoh is present here, like a time capsule of the best memories. The Midgetmen's latest LP, Loud Enough, is stuffed with crunchy, fuzzy, rattling, buzzing guitar riffs, shout-along verses and choruses, and even hits of jubilant horns that make this one enjoyable ride.

The Ex Return With New LP Catch My Shoe, Hear First Single "Cold Weather Is Back"

By Nick Helderman

While studying abroad a few years back in Slovenia, I stayed at a hostel in the capital, Ljubljana. The hostel sat inside the walls of a cultural arts center called Metelkova, a sort of artistic and social oasis set in the heart of the city. One night, I was informed by a professor that a "Dutch punk band" was playing with an "Ethiopian jazz saxophonist" at one of the venues located in Metelkova. I didn't think much of it at the time and decided to pass on the show, exhausted from a day of walking around the city. This decision was, most definitely, one of the dumbest I have ever made in my life. A few days later, I watched video that another group member had taken and was floored by what I saw.

Back in 2006, legendary anarchist punk band The Ex collaborated with Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria (or Mekurya) to produce Moa Anbessa, an album that that epitomizes fusion as it mixes the aggressive, energetic muscle of The Ex's punk roots and Mekuria's one-of-kind jazz style. Moa Anbessa would be my introduction to The Ex, a band that has been true to their roots and ideals for years, baring their collective soul since 1979. Their last release as a band was 2004's double-LP Turn, but they toured the world with Mekuria supporting Moa Anbessa up until the first half of this year.

2009 marked the band's 30th anniversary, but it wasn't until this year that they released an album of brand new material: Catch My Shoe. The album is the band's 25th CD/LP release on their own Ex Records and 123rd release overall. While Catch My Shoe has already been released in Europe (out September 6th), it won't receive it's official release Stateside until January 25th of next year via Carrot Top Records. The album is the first without original vocalist G.W. Sok, who left the band in 2009, and the first with new vocalist Arnold de Boer of Zea. It was produced/recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. Hear the first single from Catch My Shoe entitled "Cold Weather Is Back" and watch video of The Ex performing with Getatchew Mekuria after the hop.

LISTEN: Byrds of Paradise - "Barefoot Generation"

MP3: Byrds of Paradise - "Barefoot Generation"

Rupture. Chaos. Fury. Unbridled enthusiasm. Energy. Unstoppable. Freedom.

“Barefoot Generation” is a total loss of control – the kind that carves smiles out of indifference. It’s a blast of garage rock that’s about letting loose and killing off inhibitions. With buzzing electric guitars, wild drumming, and sonic aggression, it packs quite a kick. On the surface it’s a mess; after repeated listens it’s like being a passenger in the middle of a tornado. It’s a fun ride that’s not easily reigned in or grasped, because the point of the matter is just to live in the moment, with no apprehension. Listening to this song is the sonic equivalent of standing on a mountaintop, screaming until all the air has exited your lungs.

BUY: "Barefoot Generation" is from Byrds of Paradise's forthcoming debut LP, out January 2011 on Don Giovanni.

Byrds of Paradise
Official Site
MySpace
Don Giovanni Records

Frontier Records Celebrates 30 Years

Legendary Los Angeles-based independent record label Frontier Records is celebrating 30 years of life this year with Dangerhouse's YES L.A., its 100th release. Lisa Fancher founded the label in 1980 and continues to own and operate it. Frontier was among the first to document the Los Angeles punk scene, and, over the years, has been instrumental in releasing classic punk, alternative country, paisley underground, goth and pop records by bands such as Adolescents, American Music Club, The Damned, TSOL, and Elliott Smith's old band Heatmiser. Frontier found initial success releasing the classic Circle Jerks record Group Sex, but it was its release of the Suicidal Tendencies' eponymous debut LP with the MTV hit single "Institutionalized" that really helped put the label on the map.

Fancher has also made it a point to reissue out-of-print catalogs as well, including Born Innocent from Redd Kross, two legendary slabs of punk vinyl from The Weirdos: Weird World Vol. 1 & 2, Dangerhouse Vols 1 & 2 featuring crucial 45s by X, The Avengers, the Adolescents’ Complete Demos 1980 – 1996 and The Middle Class' compilation Out of Vogue.

“When I founded Frontier Records in 1980, I had no idea what running a record label entailed, I just wanted to turn other people onto the local bands I loved,” says Fancher. “It’s pretty cool to have outlasted so many independent – and major – labels thirty years later but what really still makes me want to continue is to continue to release great music that still needs to be heard. Especially now!”

Refused Reunion?

Seminal hardcore punk band Refused set the web aflame in the past few days after their website was updated with the words "Coming Soon." Many are presuming this means a possible reunion of the band that disbanded in 1998. Others think that it might just mean there are deluxe reissues of some kind on the way as the site also features the Epitaph Records logo.

The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts, the band's third and final album, was ahead of its time in many ways. It was a bold statement to title it so, but it certainly did foreshadow what was to come.

We'll have to wait to get official word on what "Coming Soon" is actually referring to. In the mean time, we can go crazier with these two unconfirmed reports.

EDIT: Prefix Magazine is now reporting that the band is not reuniting. Epitaph is simply set to reissue the band's legendary swan song, The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts.

R.I.P. Ron Asheton

Today, Ron Asheton, guitarist and bassist for The Stooges, was found dead in his home. He was 60. His playing influenced so many musicians, across so many genres. A true architect of rock 'n' roll as we hear it today. Rest in peace, Mr. Asheton.