Salvation - “Morality Interactions” (Youth Attack! 2012)

As per anonymous’s request, I am reviewing Salvation.  I don’t know why anyone would request a review, but if you’d like me to review something I will gladly oblige if I have something by the band/artist, or you would be willing to provide a release for me to review.

Anyway, I bought this here box at Power Of The Riff, where Salvation played.  They and Hoax were on the bill for the first day, and to me they were really out of place.  They are the kind of bands that should play basements and shitty bars with little to no stage, not huge venues like the Warsaw in Brooklyn that has a barricade in front of the stage.  That was my first time seeing both bands, and I was scared that seeing them at such a place would take away from their sets, but both bands still blew me away.

Salvation hails from Philly (so I’m told), the land of cheesesteaks and pro-wrestling (really the only two things that are important to me other than records), and an amazing hardcore scene.  I think I’ve been to more hardcore shows in Philly then I have in New York City there is about a two hour difference between traveling to the two places for me, but I love going to shows there.  Anyway, Salvation play a vile, brutal version of hardcore, with heavy riffs that are played mid paced to fast.  The drummer is tight as fuck, but understands how to make that translate well into hardcore instead of  sounding like some bullshit like, I don’t know, Protest The Hero (the first bullshit band that popped in my head, it could me a million others) or something.  The vocals are way up in the mix on here and are distorted and violent.  This record is fucking brilliant.  I’d suggest you track down a copy for yourself.

As for the rest of the package that the tape came in, gotdamn is it purty.  There’s all sorts of photos pasted all over, and as you can see from the picture, it came with a button set and a DVDr.  This is probably the only tape + DVDr combo album that has ever existed.  It’s so weird to me. I don’t know.  Anyway, the DVD has clips from 3 different live shows, and they really help showcase the intensity of the band live.  There is also a music video that is kind of cheesy, but at the same time totally awesome.  I don’t know.  It’s probably on youtube somewhere, decide for yourself.  All in all, this album is awesome.  

-Log. 

Saw Andrew W.K. last night.  No big deal.  

PS: Not my picture by the way. I didn’t have my camera. But my friend Jen took this and I was with her. I think that counts.  

The Barleycorn - “Live At The Embankment”  (Derry Records 1979)

Last week I went crate digging through Cold Spring, NY, a town that is basically a collection of antique stores.  Sadly there is no record store there, anymore, but there is quite a bit of vinyl in most of the antique shops (I say anymore because my band mate in Wicked King Wicker used to have one and it was awesome).  Anyway, I bought a bunch of sweet records that day, and as of right now, this is the gem out of all of them.  Seriously the best $5 I’ve ever spent on a record.  

If you can’t tell by the cover, The Barleycorn is a Irish folk band.  Honestly this is the first real Irish folk record I’ve ever even been exposed to.  Other than the stuff The Dropkick Murphys play, which I don’t count.  What I love about this is that all the songs are rebel and protest songs instead of songs about drinking and the Irish countryside.  All the songs are created using banjo, guitar, and bass.  Some flute.  The vocals remind me of the vocals from the songs in The Hobbit cartoon.  But yeah, this is played live and each track is full of tons of energy.  Honestly I listened to this over and over before reviewing it.  I’m absolutely in love.

So of course I tried looking into more stuff from this label.  The back of the record advertises titles like “Ireland United: Gaelic And Free”, and “Sing A Rebel Song Of Ireland”.  The internet has been no help of course.  Anyone got any info on the label? Even more so, anyone got any Derry Records stuff they want to part with? Shoot me an email if you do.  We’ll talk.  

-Log.