I Own Some Records

Very interesting mail day. Akitsa/Ash Pool split + New Found Glory Ramones cover EP.  They sent me the Record Store Day color of yellow/orange!

Today’s haul from the mail and my buddies “garage sale” 

SO MANY RECORDS TO LISTEN TO. 

Rotting Christ - “Apokoathilosis” (Nuclear War Now 2012)

Man, if there is anything I dislike more than double or triple LP’s, it’s any quantity of 7 inches beyond the first (in the same release).  Like seriously, it would be cheaper to just do a 1 sided LP.  Or a whole LP.  I hate having to flip so many fucking records.  

I’ll admit it, this is the first time I’ve ever listened to Rotting Christ, but it’s kind of cool, this box set collects their first three releases, so it’s kind of like I’m hearing them as they came out.  Or something.  Also the fact that this is a 3x7” is cool because it’s each separate release on each 7 inch.  So if I wanted to listen to each one about a year apart, it would be like listening to the releases as they were released! But that would be dumb.

So I listened to each of the records, and it’s pretty awesome to hear how the band evolved their style of Greek black metal, in both production quality and song writing.  The best tracks are the two from the “Apokoathilosis” EP, probably why they decided to name this compilation after it.  That shit is awesome, it’s got all sorts of variation in tempo and arrangement from the normal black metal formula; which they perfected on the earlier EP ” Ade’s Winds.”  I don’t know.  Now I’m going to have to track down the LP that came out after this stuff, because I’m totally into this.  

Crappy review.  My mind is elsewhere, particularly on the fact that I’m going to the A389 9th anniversary shows tomorrow.  

-Log.  

2013 has been awesome so far, and I think it’s only going to get better. 

Baroness - “Red Album” (Relapse Records 2012)

The only way to listen to this album.  I’m very disappointed in myself for taking this long to upgrade.  This is an “own the first press” kind of album.  I’ll get one of those one day. For now I’ll enjoy this beautiful playing copy.  

-Log. 

Amy Winehouse - “Ska EP” (2 Soul Records 2008)

I’m currently spinning a ton of records to thin out my pile of new stuff.  Many short reviews to follow!

I’m a huge AMy Winehouse fan.  I don’t give a shit what anyone has to say about it.  I didn’t know this record existed, but I happened upon it recently, and I needed to open it.  Amy Winehouse doing a bunch of ska standards? Sign me the fuck up! These recordings are raw and energetic, letting the songs speak for themselves.  Fuck this is a great little record and ya’ll should track yourselves down a copy!

oh god. don’t do this to me Yosuke. 

Living Laser - “Versus Pigs” (Trip Machine Labs 2012)

Any record that starts with a sample from the Twilight Zone will get an automatic good start from me.  Its just a matter of the band not sucking to get a good review from then on.  Thankfully Living Laser does not suck, therefore they get a good review.  

Hailing from Poughkeepsie, NY, the town that nurtured me into the music loving nerd that I am, Living Laser automatically get points in my book.  I went to the record release show for this 7 inch on Friday and it was one of the best shows I’ve been to all year.  It was a a place called the Loft, a venue that normally hosts shows for semi-big touring national acts, but rather then play on the stage, all the bands played on the floor, and it was mayhem.  I loved it.  

I’ll be honest, the first time I heard Living Laser, I wasn’t to into them.  They were opening for Municipal Waste, so any opening band on that show wouldn’t have held my interest.  But damn, they are a band that grows on you.  Basically combine riffs of NYHC like the Cro-Mags and catchiness of melodic hardcore bands like Ignite, and you should have a pretty good idea of what Living Laser sounds like.  Their singer is totally unique sounding.  Kind of wailing, kind of yelling, they must be heard, because I can’t really make a comparison to any vocalists. 

A great record.  You should pick this up if you know what’s good for you.

-Log. 

SO MANY 2XLP’S (and one 3xLP) TO LISTEN TO, SO LITTLE TIME! 

Sorry.  I had more computer trouble.  It was pretty awesome.  I’m taking a few days to slim down my coffers of records I don’t plan on reviewing.  I should resume normal reviewing mode next week.  Or later this week.  I don’t know. 

-Log. 

Zoloa - “Cocolia” (Silenzio Statico/Zoloa Records 2011)

Lately I have been complaining about all the new crust bands coming out with shit that rips off old Portland and Tennessee bands.  I don’t know about anyone else, all of that shit just seems so fucking fake to me, like they are hopping on the band wagon, paying tons of money for a clean generic sounding recording and not knowing shit about where the music they are playing comes from.  Then I get this tape from Zoloa, and all my faith in punk is restored.  

Zoloa is a crust band hailing from somewhere in California, and man alive, do they know what they are doing.  With a heavy dose of bands like Disclose or Totalitar as a template, Zoloa mix in a dash of black metal (mostly vocal wise) and create some of the most brutal and original d-beat I’ve heard in years.  From what I understand, these guys have dudes from the Black Twilight Circle involved, and the endless creativity coming from that group certainly shines through in Zoloa.  I can’t say enough good things about this tape.  You must listen to this.  Seriously.  One last thing, there are so many pick slides on here, that you would think that they just discovered them, like no band had ever used them before.  Like there is average 8 or so on each track, and most of the tracks are pretty short.  Also this is not a bad thing, the slides are drenched in reverb and they make this tape that much more awesome.  Please buy this for you own sake.

-Log.  

Get To The Chopper/Orphan Donor - split (Square Of Opposition Records 2012)

I love ordering stuff from Square Of Opposition, they always send a metric fuckton (acutal unit of measurement, look it up) of stuff along with their releases.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m special and preordered the “skittle vomit” version of this record (though to me it looks more like fruity pebbles in soy milk) but I got a ton of stuff, like a ripped out page from an old children’s book, some Where’s Waldo stickers, lots of SOO Records stickers, and other fun stuff.  Also this records cover is all sorts of silk screened and real purty.  I highly suggest ordering from this label, you really can feel the love in each record.  Let’s get down to the tunes shall we?

Orphan Donor’s side is pretty interesting, there are like 7 crazy mathy hardcore tracks similar to As The Sun Sets or stuff like that. Stuff with manic double bass breakdowns with fireworks guitar blazes and/or blastbeats in between. But they have a trumpet player which makes for a seriously off-putting and/or enjoyable and interesting experience for everyone involved.  In my case it was just me listening, so just me.  

Get To The Chopper mellow things out on their side.  And by mellow things out I mean they don’t sound like Dillinger Escape Plan with horns.  They play a brutal heavy hardcore style with grindcore and death metal elements thrown in for fun.  It reminds me of stuff like later Reversal Of Man mixed with I don’t know, Neil Perry and a wee bit of Pig Destroyer for flavor.  But despite these comparisons, I wouldn’t call them screamo or grindcore.  I don’t know.  The riffs contained within these songs are fucking catchy as hell and really are worth the record alone.  

Get To The Chopper win this split for sure, but Orphan Donor’s side is excellent too.  Square Of Opposition do it again for sure.  Go buy this and every other record they’ve released.

-Log.