Chest Pain/Naw Dude - split

Artist: Chest Pain/Naw Dude
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: Depleted Resource Records

Track List:
1. Chest Pain - Sexfear
2. Chest Pain - Brave New Bullshit
3. Chest Pain - Murderers
4. Chest Pain - Carcinogen
5. Chest Pain - Mass Produced Death
6. Naw Dude - Displacer Beast
7. Naw Dude - Failure Pile
8. Naw Dude - Posi Creep
9. Naw Dude - Violent Pizza

Since I've already posted Chest Pain's discography tape I'm mostly posting this for the Naw Dude side. I was kinda surprised that someone else hasn't posted this elsewhere (at least if someone has Google ain't finding it). If you've been here before the Chest Pain side of this split should be pretty familiar. Super fast, super pissed, super tight hardcore. The Naw Dude side is similar, but not so much so that you can't tell the difference between the two.


Download: Chest Pain/Naw Dude - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Chest Pain/Naw Dude - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Nagoya City Hardcore

Artist: Various
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: Prank Records, Agipunk Records, MCR Company

Track List:
1. 九狼吽 - Soul Head
2. 九狼吽 - The World
3. 九狼吽 - Bastards Law
4. Reality Crisis - Engrave
5. Reality Crisis - Rise Again Make Your Burning
6. Reality Crisis - Sucidal Law
7. Zilemma - Alone Soldier
8. Zilemma - ヒビカセロ
9. Zilemma - 紫 -Descry February Ver-
10. D-Clone - We Make Next Generation
11. D-Clone - Hatred
12. D-Clone - Darkness
13. Demolition - Hell Angel's Destination
14. Demolition - Rising Thunder
15. Demolition - Life in Black

Holy fucking shit. I love this compilation. Everything about it. Every song is is perfect blazing fast hardcore punk. The artwork (by Sugi) makes it abundantly clear what you're getting yourself into and is punk as fuck to top it off. The booklet it comes with is surprisingly high quality with lots of huge photos. My favorite being the one on the back of an upward looking view of what I assume are the stairs leading into the main punk hangout in Nagoya City. I've only had my copy for a couple of weeks and I can already tell this is going to be something that I gush over every time I look through my records.

I still can't believe I actually got a copy of this. Especially since I ordered it so long after it came out and it was limited to 1000 copies. I got my copy from No Idea Records. If you're lucky they might still have some left. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS.

I decided I'm not even gonna try and pick a favorite track on this. It's just too hard to choose. Nagoya must be a happenin' city because when these are your local bands you're doing something right.

While doing a bit of research on this compilation and on Nagoya's scene I came across this blog run by what I assume is a member of Nagoya crust band Disgust. It appears to mostly just be a place for information on upcoming local shows. It's totally worth checking out just for the flyers though.

I really wish I had a scanner big enough to capture the LP sleeve and the giant booklet in one scan. I'd have to stitch multiple scans together and I've never had that turn out very well.

Download: Nagoya City Hardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Nagoya City Hardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War

Artist: Joey Casio
Title: Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War
Release: 2009
Label: K Records

Track List:
1. Debtor's Prism
2. Artists in Times of War

I don't think my girlfriend has even heard this yet. She picked it up because it was cheap and was put out by K Records (who has quite the impressive roster). This record is some sort of weird mix of house and what I believe is called "dance punk". I must confess I know next to nothing about either genre. I rather like this though. The beats are danceable and borderline infectious. And I love the keyboards.

I googled this Joey Casio fellow and came across this short article about him. I found this bit to be particularly amusing:

A little while later, Joey moved to San Diego to be in a relationship. When describing to a friend his idea for a punk band that played all electronic instruments, and no guitars (“Like Gorilla Biscuits, but all on keyboards”), he was introduced to the late 70’s LA band, The Screamers. With their snarling vocals, drums, synthesizer, electric piano, and no guitars, The Screamers became a huge influence on Joey.

I guess this is what happens when hardcore kids make club dance music.

Download: Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Smittens/The Just Joans - split

Artist: The Smittens/The Just Joans
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: WeePOP! Records

Track List:
1. The Smittens - What Do We Do Now?
2. The Smittens - Summer Sunshine
3. The Just Joans - Gin and Platonic
4. The Just Joans - I Hear You're the Man Now, John

I like to give my girlfriend grief about liking a band named The Smittens. She would. The truth is they're actually pretty good. Some of their material is a bit too slow and quiet for my tastes but their side of this 7" is just upbeat enough for me to really get into it (despite the depressing lyrics). I'm not so much a fan of The Just Joans' side. It's not bad, it's just not my thing.

Download: The Smittens/The Just Joans - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Smittens/The Just Joans - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance

Artist: Allo, Darlin'
Title: Henry Rollins Don't Dance
Release: 2009
Label: WeePOP! Records

Track List:
1. Henry Rollins Don't Dance
2. Dear Stephen Hawking
3. Heartbeat Chilli

This is not hardcore, but it is actually tangentially related. Allo, Darlin' is an indie pop/twee band from London. "Henry Rollins Don't Dance" is their second release under the name (they put out an EP as The Darlings before changing their name).

"Henry Rollins Don't Dance" is a catchy and upbeat tune that from what I can tell is about dating a dude who likes hardcore punk and just wanting to be able to dance to normal music with him. As much as I like the title track I think "Dear Stephen Hawking" is the best song on this 7". It's a little bit slower and a little bit more melancholy, but the lyrics are really thought provoking in a romantic sort of way. The last tack is just too slow for me to really get into. I like the use of the ukulele, but it's not enough to save it from being skipped most of the time.

I was lucky enough to catch Allo, Darlin' during SXSW last year. They played outside in the freezing cold on the patio of a pizza place. I don't think they were prepard for the cold at all since it was March in Austin and being from England they probably thought Texas was always warm. They're going to be back here again for Chaos in Tejas 2011. Why and how they got put on that I have no idea. Not that I'm complaining.

This rip is from my girlfriend's small but excellent record collection. I think you can easily find it elsewhere online but I wanted to post my rip here along with scans of the cover and insert.

Download: Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Pizza/Tideland - split

Artist: Pizza/Tideland
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: Cosmic Debris Records

Track List:
1. Pizza - Do-Do-La-La
2. Pizza - In Your Head
3. Tideland - Graveyard Song

Both Pizza and Tideland hail from Sterling, Virginia. That town should sound familiar to some of you out there. It's the home of pg. 99 and a myriad of other fantastic bands. I'm pretty certain Tideland has at least one member who was in pg. 99, and you can hear the noisy Sonic Youth influence that pg. 99 was apparently all about. However neither Tideland or Pizza is remotely close to screamo or hardcore.

Pizza's two songs are nice and quiet. Relaxing even. But not in the almost eerie way fellow Virginians Pygmy Lush can be at times. In comparison the Tideland side of this 7" is pretty loud. But not as loud as one might expect if all you've heard from the Sterling scene is pg. 99 or Pig Destroyer.

I'm still not sure what the hell the animal on the cover is supposed to be. Some kind of rat dog? I've included 600 DPI scans of the cover and insert so maybe you can figure it out.

You might still be able to buy this over at Robotic Empire. Their store doesn't say how many are left in stock and this has been out for a while so don't hesitate to order it.


Download: Pizza/Tideland - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Pizza/Tideland - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Chest Pain - Chest Pain

Artist: Chest Pain
Title: Chest Pain
Release: 2009
Label: Self Released?

Track List:
1. Yellow Noose
2. False Self
3. Murderers / Shop Till You Drop
4. Reverse Baptism
5. A Lifetime of Spit and Swearing

When I first met Matt Needles I figured "Needles" was just some nickname he'd acquired long ago that had just stuck well enough for everyone to know it. About a year later I asked him what his last name was and he said it was Needles. I thought he was just bullshitting me. But then he showed me his drivers license. Needles is seriously his last name, at least according to the great state of Texas.

I got this rip from another blog, so the credit goes to them for posting what I assume is their own rip from the cassette.

Matt (who plays Bass) was kind enough to give me the proper track listing since he knows how anal I am about that sort of thing. So what you'll find below isn't really anything you can't find elsewhere, but I like to have all my i's dotted and my t's crossed when it comes to my mp3 collection. Matt suggested I throw this up here, but I probably would have done it anyways since this little demo (I guess it's a demo) is really fucking good.

Don't let the first minute or so of the first track "Yellow Noose" fool you, Chest Pain is fast as hell hardcore. Some might even say power violence, but whatever. 6 songs in just over 8 minutes is perfect as far as I'm concerned.

I like to think Texas has consistently produced some of the best hardcore for decades now. Bands like Chest Pain are part of the reason that belief is continually reaffirmed.

Download: Chest Pain - Chest Pain (FhG 192 kbps)

Crow - Flock of Beast

Artist: Crow
Title: Flock of Beast
Release: 2009
Label: Prank Records

Track List:
1. Flock of Beast I
2. Flock of Beast II

Another short but sweet rager from Crow.

I was gonna post a link to buy this but it appears to be out of stock everywhere.

Download: Crow - Flock of Beast (LAME 3.97 V2)