Cosigner - Cosigner

Artist: Cosigner
Title: Cosigner
Release: 2000
Label: Visalian Records

Track List:
1. Soft and Drowsy Song
2. Left to the Quiet
3. Lift Me or I'll Surely Run
4. Maduro

I thought for sure this would be some kind of late 90's emo when I bought this record based solely on the cover. I was wrong, but this is still pretty good indie pop so it was 50 cents well spent.

Cosigner has a blog of their own. The last post was in April of 2009. I dunno if they just haven't kept up with it or if they're still around at all.

There's a couple of very small skips that I tried my hardest to fix. I suspect only one of them will be noticeable at all. Sadly I cannot say this is a perfect rip because I can still notice them. But I know where to expect them so you might not even hear them.

Download: Cosigner - Cosigner (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Cosigner - Cosigner (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Scarred for Life - Is This the Price of Freedom?

Artist: Scarred for Life
Title: Is This the Price of Freedom?
Release: 2003
Label: Despotic Records

Track List:
1. Powers that Be
2. Empty Promises
3. M.O.A.B.
4. Aftermath of War
5. Wage Slavery
6. Corporate Genocide
7. Grinding Us Down

This is fairly straightforward crusty hardcore with fairly cliched lyrics. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. Because this is actually pretty good. It's just that you've probably heard it all before. But as I've said before, if you have a problem with that you probably don't like punk anyways.

Download: Scarred for Life - Is This the Price of Freedom? (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Scarred for Life - Is This the Price of Freedom? (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Desolation - Rest in Panic

Artist: Desolation
Title: Rest in Panic
Release: 2010
Label: Prank Records

Track List:
1. Rest in Panic
2. Boxed In
3. No Steps Forward

Sugi's terrific artwork kinda gives it away, but just in case you hadn't guessed, this is Japanese influenced crusty hardcore. From San Francisco, Desolation features members of Born/Dead, Strung Up, and Scurvy Dogs. That's about all I know about this band. This 7" is pretty damn good.

I think Prank's mailorder is sold out, but you might still be able to find this elsewhere if you look.

Download: Desolation - Rest in Panic (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Desolation - Rest in Panic (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Nardcore

Artist: Various
Title: Nardcore
Release: 1984
Label: Mystic Records

Track List:
1. Ill Repute - President
2. Ill Repute - Sleepwalking II
3. Ill Repute - It's Not Gonna Happen To Me
4. Scared Straight - Skate To Live
5. Scared Straight - Peer Pressure
6. Rat Pack - Tell Me How
7. Rat Pack - W.W. 84
8. Habeas Corpus - Steal You Blind
9. Agression - The Smell
10. Agression - Calling For You
11. Rich Kids on LSD - U.S. Steal
12. Rich Kids on LSD - Lies
13. Rich Kids on LSD - No Respect
14. False Confession - Feline
15. The Rotters - Song of Howard Hughes
16. The Rotters - Men
18. A.F.U. - High on the Hog
19. Stalag 13 - Statistic
20. Stalag 13 - Do It Right

Oxnard, California (and the surrounding area) has had a fantastic hardcore scene for nearly 30 years now. This compilation from 1984 is testament to the early years of Nardcore.

This was reissued on CD at some point by Mystic Records. I downloaded what I'm pretty sure was a rip of the CD and it sounded like shit. Sometimes when record labels repress long out of print records onto CD rather than use the original masters (often because they no longer exist) they will essentially do what I do and make a recording of the record playing and digitize it. When there's no other option doing that isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, sometimes whoever is responsible doesn't even make an attempt to clean up the audio and it's painfully obvious you're hearing a vinyl rip. I'm fairly certain that's what happened with the CD reissue of this compilation. This rip however has been cleaned up substantially.

This was another random find at Entertainmart, a large used DVD, CD, and video game store with a large but mostly meh vinyl selection.

Just a fair warning: the lyrics to "Men" by The Rotters are extremely homophobic and offensive. I'm not sure if they're tongue-in-cheek parody or serious. Either way it's kind of unfortunate that that song is on what is otherwise a stellar compilation.

Download: Nardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Nardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego

Artist: The Beach Boys
Title: Getcha Back / Male Ego
Release: 1985
Label: Caribou Records, CBS

Track List:
1. Getcha Back
2. Male Ego

What's that? You didn't know The Beach Boys existed well into the 80's? Well, they in fact still exist, but without any of the Wilson brothers.

Any fan of "Full House" can tell you about the time D.J. won tickets to see The Beach Boys and had to make a tough decision on who to bring (spoiler alert, she chooses uncle Jesse). But did you know that for a brief period of time Jesse Katsopolis himself was their drummer (and sometimes guitar player).



And let's not forget the time we found out that Wilson from "Home Improvement" was their cousin.



One last fun fact. There are a mere six degrees of separation between The Beach Boys and Minor Threat.

Seriously though, this single is really bad. I'm only posting it here because it was in the stack of records my girlfriend asked me to rip (this is the last one). Just go and download their early 60's albums.

Download: The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Terror/Ringworm - Dead Mans Hand 02

Artist: Terror/Ringworm
Title: Dead Mans Hand 02
Release: 2003
Label: Deathwish Inc.

Track List:
1. Terror - Out of My Way
2. Terror - Nothing to Lose
3. Ringworm - No One Dies Alone
4. Ringworm - House of Hell

The matrix on Terror's side of this split says "I need maximum output - more stage dives!!!". Anyone familiar with Terror probably knows that Scott Vogel tends to say some really silly things on stage. Back in 2005 I saw them play in Houston with Madball, Will to Live, and Your Mistake at a tiny venue packed with dudes twice my size. During Terror's set someone brought out a mini trampoline. It wasn't out there for long but people put it to good use. Later, in the middle of a song Scott Vogel literally picked the dude next to me up off the floor onto the stage by the front of his shirt and yelled "MORE STAGE DIVES!" and then threw the poor kid back into the crowd. "Out of My Way" is probably my favorite Terror song.

Sadly I have no Ringworm stories. I've never gotten the chance to see them. They're probably in my top five or so bands that I want to see (if you only include bands where it's remotely possible). Both of their songs on this 7" are heavy as all hell.

Download: Terror/Ringworm - Dead Mans Hand 02 (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Terror/Ringworm - Dead Mans Hand 02 (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Upsets - Tommy Gun Heart

Artist: The Upsets
Title: Tommy Gun Heart
Release: 1998
Label: TKO Records

Track List:
1. Tommy Gun Heart
2. Sonic Reaction
3. Vampires

Straight from the bargain bin this was a pretty awesome find. The Upsets are polished but not overproduced punk rock. More rock than punk, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. "Tommy Gun Heart" is catchy as hell and will get stuck in your head. I can't find anything about this band but this record is apparently still for sale at TKO Records. I got my copy for a fair bit less from End of an Ear in Austin.


Download: The Upsets - Tommy Gun Heart (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Upsets - Tommy Gun Heart (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Black Flag - Damaged

Artist: Black Flag
Title: Damaged
Release Date: 1981
Label: SST Records

Track List:
1. Rise Above
2. Spray Paint (The Walls)
3. Six Pack
4. What I See
5. TV Party
6. Thirsty and Miserable
7. Police Story
8. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
9. Depression
10. Room 13
11. Damaged II
12. No More
13. Padded Cell
14. Life of Pain
15. Damaged I


To celebrate the namesake of this blog, here is Black Flag's "Damaged". This album should really need no introduction. But for anyone who isn't aware by now, Black Flag is easily one of the most influential hardcore bands to ever exist. They got their start in Hermosa Beach, CA back in 1977. Their constant touring, especially to smaller towns, helped spread the DIY ethic that has been an essential part of punk for the last three decades. "Damaged" is Black Flag's first full length album and is the first release to have Henry Rollins on vocals. It was put out on Greg Ginn's (lead guitar) label SST Records in 1981 after being recorded only a few weeks after Rollins joined the band. For myself personally when I think of Black Flag this is the album that comes to mind as their most impressive and most important. Much of what they did after this pales in comparison to the raw energy found on "Damaged".

Download: Black Flag - Damaged (LAME 3.97 V0)