Vatican Shadow - (2020) Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era LP

 

 20 Buck Spin ‎– SPIN134

Vatican Shadow commands his bleakest night-vision pads and craftiest Muslimgauze-style rhythms in this seriously prime volley for Pittsburgh’s 20 Buck Spin - unmissable for the fiends!

‘Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era’ sees Dominick Fernow back to strong form with six tracks inspired by recent Middle Eastern geopolitics and very much built in the image of latter period Bryn Jones aka Muslimgauze productions, but more than sufficiently distinguished by his transfixing arrangements.

The brooding VS synth glare is in deep and hypnotic effect and the drums programming is some of his deadliest, adapting the mood of the times and media rhetoric in a way that’s never glib or ironic and always with an emotional levity. ‘Rehearsing for the Attack’ is an instant VS classic, trading in rudely syncopated steppers drums and his finest sort of synth subterfuge, and likewise ‘uncontrollable oasis (Real life spy mystery ends with scientist hanged in Iran)’ leaves a heavy impression, while the plot only becomes more expansive, urgent with the closing section’s 10mins of intricate arps in ‘moving secret money’, and his trampling 12 min mission sequence ‘ayatollah ferocity’.

Bob Bellerue - (2010) Steinway CS

 Banned Production ‎– bp146

The Zits - (2020) Back In Blackhead

 

 Feel It Records ‎– FEEL IT 45

The Zits were a short-lived phenomenon, forming in February 1981 and disbanding upon graduation from Oakton High School in late May. Initially dubbed Nic Beery and The Zits, the group quickly shortened things to The Zits while rehearsing and playing a mix of basement parties, high school events, and community centers. Within a few months, The Zits had a solid repertoire of punk originals and covers, which included The Ramones and The Undertones (see track 5 for a great version of "Can't Get Over You"). Inspired by a classmate who had pressed a solo 45, The Zits pre-sold copies of their very own single, and booked time at Eastern Recording in Glen Burnie, Maryland to record their two strongest tracks. Produced by Scott Watson of regional new wave act The Intentions, the two tracks - "Sick on You" and "Beat Your Face" were quickly mixed and sent off to be released as a 45 on singer Nic Beery's own Olympic Records. Both tracks are total teen punk hits with great snotty vocals, crunchy guitar, keyboard, and some of the best dry heaves ever committed to tape! Nearly 40 years later, the single - and it's appropriately low-brow picture sleeve - has gained a reputation as a bonafide Killed By Death/Bloodstains-comp level hitter, and appears here remastered from the original 8 track tape.
But that's not all! The Zitmusic archives yielded an incredible cache of unreleased cassette material taken from rehearsals and live shows. "Back in Blackhead" also features 7 previously unheard cuts, including what could have been the second Zits single - the killer "Bertha Was a Slut", the warped twelve bar "No Dough Blues", and several other exuberant teenpunk anthems. The Zits may have not had the sex or the drugs, but they certainly tackled the rock'n'roll better than most other class of 1981 bands can claim. After receiving a promo copy of The Zits 45, Greg Hawkes of The Cars replied via postcard, "I played your record and thought it was pretty ridiculous." Thankfully that ridiculousness has been preserved on "Back in Blackhead" 

[Code/Neda] - (2019) Tomorrow Doubles the Body Count

Unrest Productions ‎– UNREST49

Commuter - (2017) Chuo Line Express

Fusty Cunt ‎– FUC 194 

Abscheu - (2017) Pretense

 Unrest Productions ‎– UNREST43

Alvars Orkester - (1991) Apparaat CS

Börft Records ‎– börft.49

Black To Comm - (2020) Oocyte Oil & Stolen Androgens

Thrill Jockey ‎– THRILL534 

The music of Black To Comm is as powerfully intoxicating as it is subtly unnerving. Shapeshifting producer and sound artist Marc Richter has established himself as one of the most inventive and ambitious voices in contemporary music. Richter’s mastery of sonic manipulation is matched only by his astounding clarity of vision. Working heavily with sampling and electronic processing, each of his phantasmagoric works is meticulously constructed from a truly omnivorous array of smudged samples, found sounds, and other sonic detritus, collected by Richter from across the history of recorded music and altered into beguiling new shapes. Sound sources seem tantalizingly familiar and yet forever just out of reach, flickering at the edges of memory and perception or submerged in a bristling sea of static. A single piece might strafe elements of Eastern European folk, medieval plainsong, sky-clawing metal and shimmering ambient music, all ingested by Richter into his singular sound-world. Oocyte Oil & Stolen Androgens sees Richter’s turn his wild imagination to an exploration of the human voice, compiling some of his most immediate and affecting music to date.

Broken Column - (2019) A Door's Edge CS

AUTO-da-FÉ ‎– AdF003

Broken Column - (2020) In Exile CS

AUTO-da-FÉ ‎– AdF010

No Artist - (2019) Void Loops CS

 

AUTO-da-FÉ ‎– AdF006

Houkago Grind Time - (2020) Bakyunsified (Moe To The Gore) 12''

 

  Grindfather Productions ‎– GF476

One of the only metal records I heard this year and its dry production and speed feel older than it is, but the drumming and composition reminds me of the great The Kill.


HOUKAGO GRIND TIME is the brainchild of one man grindmaster Andrew Lee (RIPPED TO SHREDS, SKULLSMASHER). The debut full length is a collection of anime and manga inspired goregrind tunes that will appeal to fans of REGURGITATE, DEAD INFECTION, old CARCASS, PIG DESTROYER and the likes.

Lasse Marhaug - (2020) April 1st 2020

Documenting Sound – 18

Original isolationist Lasse Marhaug assumes his natural disposition in an incredible, dread-filled snapshot of life recorded April 1st and dialled in from Oslo for our Documenting Sound series.

A behemoth in the Norwegian Metal, noise, jazz, electronic and experimental scenes for nearly 30 years, Marhaug is something of a polymath - appearing and collaborating with countless artists (Sunn O))), Carlos Giffoni, Merzbow, Maja Ratkje, John Wiese and many, many others), he’s a highly sought-after producer with credits on records by Jenny Hval, Hilary Woods and Okkyung Lee, as well as a photographer, visual artist, writer, magazine publisher - basically he’s done - and is doing - it all.

Lasse was born and raised above the Arctic Circle and made his name up there via the international mail-order scene before moving to Oslo, so he clearly knows a thing or two about life communicating from under virtual lockdown or isolation. His tape here documents an hour of music recorded on April 1st 2020 (and later deftly edited) that provides a glimpse of just how deep his talent runs, using a stripped down set-up of guitar, turntable and synths in much the same grizzled and intuitive way that’s practically unchanged from his formative, teen-aged days in the cold, cold north.

Lasse’s free-ranging taste for raw, crumbling noise textures and scowling drone scuzz is in strong effect on four skull scraping and apocalypse-baiting works. Whether describing huge glacial events and a lack of Vitamin D in the noisy transition of ‘Exiles’, or more sensitively evoking a sense of ambient sehsucht recalling Kevin Drumm’s classic ‘Imperial Distortion’ on ‘Family', or plainly baiting the apocalypse with the magisterial string drones of ‘Perfect Places’, Lasse’s music conjures scowling moods that enact a solidarity for outsiders as much as a frank admission that life’s always been a bit crushing, and we just have to get on with it.

Machismo - (2015) Bodies in Perfection

 

Terror ‎– TR-13

Dead Body Love - (1995) Audiocide '95 CS

 

Slaughter Productions ‎– SPT55

Roberto Crippa - (2019) Ascent LP

 

Second Sleep ‎– SS089

 

GG King - (2011) Esoteric Lore

 

Scavenger Of Death ‎– SOD-04

While I rarely felt like the Carbonas lived up to the echelon at which so many of their fans tended to regard them, one thing that always impressed me was that they never stopped getting stronger as a band. That forward momentum has happily continued in the output of lead singer Greg King. Now operating under the somewhat ridiculous GG King handle, he’s allied himself with key former Carbonas and others for a bracing minimalist punk attack that shreds the approach of that prior band down to its stone-cold gut.

A relentless, anxious frenzy pumps these rapid-fire outbursts, inciting rocket-feet and beer spillage. I’m not enough of a punk rock authority to try and namecheck whatever obscure bands GG King draws from, but it’s safe to say there’s a lot of ’70s UK touchstones in Greg’s record collection – and if not, there should be! There are group backing vocals that sound like a howlin’ wind about to sweep you skyward. The guitars slash ‘n’ stab in a self-contained street rumble. The bass thuds and chugs like a belligerent drunk that won’t step down. The drums rattle and pound until they don’t, stopping on a dime. King’s vocals often remind me of Pete Shelley in the early Buzzcocks, or Colin Newman in early Wire, where you’re dizzy by not only the breathless thrust of the delivery but also the giddy pop undercurrent of it all. And early British punk band Johnny Moped gets a nod with a fine cover of “Incendiary Device.”

Driving the point home, Esoteric Lore‘s artwork uses that classic cheap black & white, cut ‘n’ paste, scribble ‘n’ scramble aesthetic so common to punk and hardcore since before Never Mind the Bollocks. It’s a clichéd look now, but it’s still effective, I have to admit. And since the lyrics are scrawled and typed into the inner sleeve layout, it lets you catch up with some of the words that may’ve zoomed by in the flurry of impact. My favorite is probably “Bored of Breathing”: “You’re always acting like you’re bored of breathing/ But no one is telling you to keep on living.”

GG King - (2012) Last Of The Night Wiggers - Ruff Demo

 

Scavenger Of Death ‎– SOD-07

When the Carbonas died, Atlanta wept. Mothers and children, left orphaned by the deceased, wandered the streets with tears streaming mottled faces. Strong and silent men struggled to maintain composure, and they retreated to basement workbenches, biting lips, cracking knuckles, running hands through thinning hair, sullenly wondering: "Why?" Skies darkened. A palpable feeling of devastating loss plagued the city. Nay, the world.
Thankfully, ex-frontman Greg "GG" King wasted little time in yanking up his knickers and pursuing new noise. He wrote a series of tunes not unlike those he contributed to the Carbonas “ that winning mix of hyperstrummed '70s Europunk and brawny stateside r'n'r pummel intact“ and amassed a crew of friends and former bandmates to help him flesh out the din. He released a handful of solid teaser singles, played a number of good shows. He reasserted himself as one of Atlanta's greatest exports.

GG King - (2017) Another Dimension 7''

 

Scavenger Of Death ‎– SOD-27 

The king returns to the game after a three-year absence, but he's not empty handed. He's got a baby and three brand new tracks. "Another Dimension" revisits a track from Unending Darkness, making full use of the hotshot (read: not inept) backing band GG had at the time, giving the track 100% more dimension. "Make a Movie" is GG King at the pinnacle of his psychedelic hip hop phase, the lyrics inspired by his years in the film industry, where he learned the hard way that Weird Al is not interested in a biopic. "Gilliam Park" is one long, indolent, cosmic hook that builds until it disappears down a wormhole. Unlike many acts whose music suffers in the harsh light of clarity, King really shines with a competent recording.

GG King - (2019) Mass of Entrails

 

Scavenger Of Death ‎– SOD-34 

While I rarely felt like the Carbonas lived up to the echelon at which so many of their fans tended to regard them, one thing that always impressed me was that they never stopped getting stronger as a band. That forward momentum has happily continued in the output of lead singer Greg King. Now operating under the somewhat ridiculous GG King handle, he’s allied himself with key former Carbonas and others for a bracing minimalist punk attack that shreds the approach of that prior band down to its stone-cold gut.

A relentless, anxious frenzy pumps these rapid-fire outbursts, inciting rocket-feet and beer spillage. I’m not enough of a punk rock authority to try and namecheck whatever obscure bands GG King draws from, but it’s safe to say there’s a lot of ’70s UK touchstones in Greg’s record collection – and if not, there should be! There are group backing vocals that sound like a howlin’ wind about to sweep you skyward. The guitars slash ‘n’ stab in a self-contained street rumble. The bass thuds and chugs like a belligerent drunk that won’t step down. The drums rattle and pound until they don’t, stopping on a dime. King’s vocals often remind me of Pete Shelley in the early Buzzcocks, or Colin Newman in early Wire, where you’re dizzy by not only the breathless thrust of the delivery but also the giddy pop undercurrent of it all. And early British punk band Johnny Moped gets a nod with a fine cover of “Incendiary Device.”

Driving the point home, Esoteric Lore‘s artwork uses that classic cheap black & white, cut ‘n’ paste, scribble ‘n’ scramble aesthetic so common to punk and hardcore since before Never Mind the Bollocks. It’s a clichéd look now, but it’s still effective, I have to admit. And since the lyrics are scrawled and typed into the inner sleeve layout, it lets you catch up with some of the words that may’ve zoomed by in the flurry of impact. My favorite is probably “Bored of Breathing”: “You’re always acting like you’re bored of breathing/ But no one is telling you to keep on living.”

Thankfully, GG King isn’t bored yet, and neither are we.

GG King - (2019) September 6, 2019 Hopscotch Music Festival, Kings, Raleigh, NC LIVE

 

Label/Cat#: NYCTaper

Among the bounty of riches at every Hopscotch Music Festival is the variety of punk shows that get put on, both throughout the day show circuit and during the official evening events. Out of a particularly good crop this year, one of my very favorite punk acts was the Atlanta band GG King, who played both this official evening set at Kings and then a day show set at Neptune’s (the downstairs room of the same club) the following day.

This set shows the band at its best, playing high-velocity, hardcore-inflected punk. Frontman Greg “GG” King hails from the defunct hometown favorite the Carbonas, who were at it from 2001 to 2009, and his eponymous band continues many of the things people loved about his last band. In particular, both had a certain pop sensibility that, without making either act cheesy or soft, give them appeal beyond their core audience. This night’s song selection should satisfy both the new fan and the veteran alike; you can hear many of the studio versions on these rehearsal demos streaming on their label’s bandcamp page. Once you’re done here, I recommend you stream your way over to Scavenger of Death Records and discover the rest of what GG King has to offer.

I recorded this set with MBHO microphones into the warm n’ fuzzy Aerco preamp. My man Dave Schwentker was kind enough to track this one out so we could present it to you. Enjoy!

Recorded by acidjack
Produced by David Schwentker

MBHO MBP603/KA200N (at SBD, PAS)>Sound Devices MixPre6>24/48 WAV>editing by David Schwentker>FLAC>MP3

Head Dress - (2020) Obituary CS

 

Audio. Visuals. Atmosphere. ‎– AVA76

Head Boggle Domo - (2008) Master CS

 

Hermetic Archival Series 3 – none

Black Pus / Oozing Wound - (2014) Split LP

 

Thrill Jockey ‎– THRILL 370

An Innocent Young Throat-Cutter - (2008) Death On The Edge Of A Razor CS

 

Turgid Animal ‎– TA268

An Innocent Young Throat-Cutter - (2008) Red Cats In A Glass Labyrinth CS

 

Satan's Din ‎– SD03

An Innocent Young Throat-Cutter - (2008) The Killer Wore Gloves CDr

 

Somnolent Shelter Records ‎– SSREC#008

Aaron Dilloway - (2019) The Gag Out

 

Self-released ‎– none

Aaron Dilloway - (2014) Medicine Stunts CS

 Lal Lal Lal ‎– 058

Aaron Dilloway - (2012) Modern Jester 2xLP

Hanson Records ‎– 250

Aaron Dilloway & Rodger Stella - (2006) Variations On Death Loop Cut CDr

 Hanson Records ‎– HN 162

Hypoxyphilia - (2019) ST CS

 Not On Label ‎– none

Future - (2017) Future 6xCDr

 

Room 2A ‎– none

Facialmess / .nyctalops. - (2017) ST CD

 

Not On Label ‎– none

Bill Orcutt - (2015) Recent Chrome Exploits CS

 

 Fake Estates ‎– Fake-003

Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano - (2018) Gucci Tops And Bottoms CS

 

 Fake Estates ‎– Fake-008

Dog Lady - (2010) Strung For Her Turning CS

Nurse Etiquette ‎– NE86

Don Cherry - (1972) Organic Music Society

 

 Caprice Records ‎– CAP 21827

Absolutely stunning, super rare deep, deep spiritual jazz album from Don Cherry. This has to be up there with our all time best records ever (yes its good). Recorded in 1972 in Sweden, this record is perhaps the first ever 'world' music record - a subtle, organic fusion of sounds that really is out there on its own for grooviness. This record is released here for the first time in 40 years by the Swedish state record label Caprice. It is done with love and we want to spread that love to you too.

Cosmic, spiritual, deep, amazing!