Day 13: The Yardbombs - Freedom Is Calling...

The Yardbombs are an Australian political punk band, with an old school fast paced style.  Although they are politically driven, it's not all doom and gloom, so don't let that fool you into thinking that they don't know how to have fun.  When listening to the track "Optimus Prime" I was listening for some sort of message or theme, until coming to the realisation that it was just about the paranoia of a truck that winks at him.  "Antisocial Media" is a punk song for the current generation, appealing to all those who view social media platforms as another way to taunt others, waste time, and not socialise with their friends in person. The final 3 tracks on the record are covers, and these are some of the most left field choices I've heard from a punk band to date.  "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?" by Australian rockers The Angels (who I am not familiar with) and "Whats Up?" by the 4 Non Blondes.  If you're a punk fan and want a fast ride through 18 tracks that don't take themselves too seriously, listen to a taster below and track down the record for yourselves.

(Wewelsburg Records, 2015)

Day 12: Cake - Motorcade Of Generosity

A few tracks in to this debut record by alternative rock band Cake, they sound so effortlessly cool.  The vocalist sounds so relaxed, yet still delivers his lyrics with a level of intensity and perfect enunciation.  The trumpets will take you on a cultural journey from the Caribbean to Mexico in a way that all just seems to make sense.  This album doesn't require you to think too hard about what you're listening to.  It just wants you to sit back and enjoy.

(Capricorn Records, 1994)

Day 11: Cage The Elephant - Melophobia

Another album, another sound.  Though this time they have definitely matured as a band, writing music from their own experiences rather than relying on the sounds of their inspirations.  Cage The Elephant have evolved into a modern rock band with Melophobia.  They still wear their influences on their sleeve, but as an addition to their songwriting and not as a basis.  From the Bowie influenced open track "Spiderhead" to the Velvet Underground inspired closing track "Cigarette Daydreams".  What they have created here is their most consistent sounding record to date, and one that I really enjoyed.  If you're a fan of rock in any form there will no doubt be something on this record you'll  enjoy.

(RCA & DSP, 2013)

Day 10: H2O - Don't Forget Your Roots

H2O are a hardcore punk band from New York.  This record is a tribute to many of the acts that inspired their music and inspired them to play.  There is a good variety of hardcore and punk bands represented, all flowing very well in the H2O style meaning it doesn't sound like a crazy mess of different sounds.  I've never cared for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and hearing a band I love cover one of their songs still didn't change my opinion.  I don't know how many times I've heard bands cover "Start Today" by Gorilla Biscuits so it was refreshing to hear "Cats and Dogs" get some love on this record.  The track that best represents their own positive bouncy style is "Safe" by Dag Nasty.  Their cover of Warzone's "Don't Forget The Struggle, Don't Forget The Streets" is a great closer and perfect summary to the record, hammering home the message they want to deliver with this tribute album.  If you like what you hear, check out some of their original material, and check out the original artist's works too.

(Bridge Nine Records, 2011)

Day 9: Pianos Become The Teeth - Demo

Pianos Become The Teeth are a post-hardcore band hailing from Baltimore, Maryland.  The demo here consists of only 2 tracks which would eventually be re-recorded for their first EP Saltwater.  The first track "All Children Make Mistakes" has more of a rock vibe, but the second track "Idiosyncracies" is where they set out the groundwork for the sound they would become known for.

(Self-released, 2007)

Day 8: J Dilla - Rebirth Of Detroit

This is the second posthumous release of Detroit based producer J Dilla.  This is a 21 track collection of his unreleased work with various Detroit rappers contributing on top.  A year later this would be re-released as an instrumental album.  As this is a J Dilla record, there are tracks and moments on this album where I wish I could be listening to the instrumental version.  Too often I found my attention taken away form the work that J Dilla had put into creating the beats on this record, with my focus instead drawn to the mixture of rappers on the individual tracks.  There are some highlights however.  Posted below is a track featuring Danny Brown.  Unlike some of the other tracks on offer, he isn't in a state of idol worship (or Dilla worship) and has clearly put a rap together to complement the instrumental that J Dilla has produced.  While this certainly doesn't compare to Donuts, it's worth a listen for those of you craving more material.

(Ruff Draft Records, 2012)

Day 7: Reaching Forward - Complete Discography 1998-2000

Reaching Forward's Complete Discography collects their first full length For The Cause, their first EP Pride Is Everlasting, and the tracks they recorded for their 2 split releases with Bloodpact and Ensign.  At the end of the record is a bonus live set recorded in Poland.  Reaching Forward are a straight edge youth crew band who play with a New York hardcore style.  There's a lot of good stuff on here, but my issue with collections and discographies like this is there's too much to take in.  I guess it depends how you yourself would approach listening to a discography on one CD.  Would you pick out certain parts to listen to, or do as I do, and listen to them in completion?  I've never been one to skip a track, as I like everything in context.  After listening to the frantic 32 tracks on offer here I was burnt out.  I'd suggest seeking out the individual records on here and judging them as separate pieces, especially For The Cause.  The live recordings don't enhance the collection either, I've just listened to the same songs in better quality a few minutes earlier.  Ignoring the run time though, Reaching Forward are a tight band, with the ability to deliver some fast paced catchy hardcore tracks, that will get your adrenaline flowing.  I'm going to go back and listen to the records on offer in this collection separately for a second opinion.  Posted below is the discography.

(Martyr Records)

Day 6: Autopsy - Fiend For Blood

In the short 12 minutes that this EP sticks around for, there is nothing memorable here to get excited about sharing with you.  There is also nothing bad to write about.  Unless you're interested in exploring Autopsy's discography I would skip this release and listen to Acts Of The Unspeakable from yesterdays post.  But for those who are curious listen below to a glimpse of what was to come.

(Peaceville Records, 1991)

Day 5: Autopsy - Acts Of The Unspeakable

The first death metal album of the blog.  I got into this band recently, so far only listening to their first two records, Severed Survival and Mental Funeral.  They retain their familiar sound on this release, but with the pace constantly shifting from full speed to slow almost doom like riffs.  Despite the pace changes, they still manage to speed through almost 20 tracks in just over 30 minutes.  I actually preferred and looked forward to the slower moments of the album.  This did make it hard to pick out any favourite tracks, as I was more looking forward to moments in songs.  There are a few tracks which retain some consistency from start to finish, like "Your Rotting Face" and "Funereality".  I would probably go with these as my favourites due to the consistent structure making them more memorable.  I'm going to go back a year in their discography tomorrow and listen to their Fiend For Blood EP.  Stay tuned.

(Peaceville Records, 1992)

Day 4: Cage The Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday

I feel like I've just listened to a Pixies record, and all it left me with was a desire to go and listen to the Pixies.  This isn't a terrible record, they play very well as a group, it's just not their sound I'm listening to.  Their debut self-titled record had a southern rock n' roll sound, while this album is all over the place with its influences.  In isolation there are some great tracks to listen to here.  The second track Aberdeen seems to set up the sound for the record but then it's sadly a jumbled mess from there on out.  Go and listen to the Pixies or The Stooges instead, but if you're curious you can listen below. 

(Jive Records, 2011)

Day 3: Ramallah - But A Whimper

This album isn't entirely new to me, but when I first became aware of it I only managed to find and listen to a few select racks off of it.  Today was my first full playthrough of this album, and it immediately brought back good memories of the white trash hardcore band Blood For Blood.  Take the rock & roll edge out of Blood For Blood and add a metal twist and you've got Ramallah.  The two bands share many members, most importantly vocalist Rob Lind, still just as angry and pissed off at society and the world, but this time taking an empathetic view of other people's struggles.  They take their name from the city of Ramallah in Palestine, but that doesn't make them strictly a political band.  The version of the record I listened to was the 2004 re-release which features 2 bonus tracks, bizarrely one of which is "What Difference Does It Make?" by The Smiths.  After doing some reading around the project I also discovered that Jacob Bannon of Converge did some guest vocals on a few tracks, which upon re-listening to the record are hard to miss.  I don't think the band have as much staying power with me as Blood For Blood do on my playlist, but they piqued my interest enough to warrant giving the follow up record Kill a Celebrity a listen in the future.

(Bridge Nine Records, 2002)

Day 2: Pulling Teeth - Demo 2005

In your face. That's the best way to describe Pulling Teeth.  Being one of my favourite hardcore bands of the last decade, I was surprised to discover I hadn't listened to their first release.  This 3 track demo started out as a side project for members of the band Slumlords and showed off early the massive potential they had.  Obviously not as well polished as a properly mastered recording, Pulling Teeth still deliver an aggressive taster of things to come in just over 3 minutes.  All 3 tracks were re-recorded for their first LP, Vicious Skin.  Pulling Teeth produce, high intensity, fast paced, anger driven hardcore with heavy thrash and metal influences.  If you are a hardcore or a metal fan, do yourself a favour and listen to Vicious Skin.  I mention on my about page that I was in a bad habit of replaying the same dozen records over and over.  Vicious Skin is one of those records.  So let this demo be a taster session for you, enjoy it, and listen to Vicious Skin.

EAT. SLEEP. WORK. DIE

(Self-released, 2005)

Day 1: Anti-Cimex - Made In Sweden

Kicking off this blog is a live recording by the Swedish hardcore punk band Anti-Cimex.  This is a band I had never heard of until this year, let alone listened to.  This show comprises of songs from their self titled release (aka Criminal Trap) and their comeback record Absolut Country of Sweden.  It does feature one track from Raped Ass, which is a shame as it is one of the best EP's that Swedish hardcore has to offer.  This is a raw recording, so don't expect a well mastered release, they are a punk band after all.  Posted below is the entire 30 minute set.  I believe it was filmed, but to my knowledge was never released.

(Distortion Records, 1993)