I’ve never done something seasonal like this before, but so much mind-blowing music has already come out this year that I felt like there was the need for something more than just a Year End Top 10. Who knows if I’ll stick with it, only time will tell… OK! Enough chatter! Let’s listen to some records!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
P.S. No particular order<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2026an Expression in Pain <\/em>– Brain Tourniquet (Iron Lung): <\/strong>A bleak one. Something plodding here, even during the fast parts, builds a sense of dread without much satisfaction of release. When the drums and bass plow into these slow, thick riffs leaving the guitars to squall away it\u2019s misery bliss. A glance at the tracklist sums up the lyrical content: \u201cLittle Children Working,\u201d \u201cDesensitized By Bloodshed,\u201d \u201cThe Depths of Human Suffering (Are Boundless)\u201d. Trust me when I say that, despite a sick sense of humor, Brain Tourniquet go beyond edgelord shit into thousand-yard-stare despair. The low-point (a compliment for this music) is the 10-minute closer that gives the record its name. Fave tracks: \u201cSuicide Gown,\u201d \u201c…an Expression in Pain\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s On TV? – <\/em><\/strong>Tee Vee Repairmann (Total Punk): <\/strong>Papa Ishka brings home the bacon once again. I\u2019m not gonna tell you what it sounds like, just do yourself a favor and put it on ASAP. Something genuinely miraculous would have to occur for this not to be my album of the year. I\u2019m not much of a singles-listener \u2013 I\u2019d rather just hear the whole thing when it comes out \u2013 but \u201cBus Stop\u201d hasn\u2019t left my morning-walk-to-school queue since the day it dropped. In fact, What\u2019s On TV?<\/em> is the only thing I\u2019ve ever pre-ordered. I don\u2019t regret a cent of it. A perfect record. Fave tracks: \u201cBus Stop,\u201d \u201cDrownin\u2019,\u201d \u201cPeople (Everywhere I Go)\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Big 4 Mah Boots<\/em><\/strong> EP – Tee Vee Repairmann (Goodbye Boozy): <\/strong>Some bonus songs. They rule too. Fave track: \u201c2 Big 4 Mah Boots\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goodnight Neanderthal <\/em><\/strong>– Gee Tee (Goner): <\/strong>Cheap synths, bad eggs, worse drivers. This brand of car-musclin\u2019, beer-swillin\u2019 rock n roll has been pumped out by a handful of prolifs Down Under for the past few years. Synth hooks so catchy they\u2019ve got me feeling like a mouse on a glue trap. I really loved 2019\u2019s Chromo-Zone<\/em> but Goodnight Neanderthal<\/em> has definitively topped it as my favorite Gee Tee release. Fave tracks: \u201cRock Phone,\u201d \u201cWithin the Walls\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T LP <\/em><\/strong>– 3D & The Holograms (Roachleg): <\/strong>More Aussie shit\u2026 they just don\u2019t quit! They must not have anti-trust laws down there because these guys are also in Tee Vee Repairmann and Research Reactor Corp and probably 500 other bands too. It sounds a bit like RRC but somehow both catchier and more hardcore. Sometimes the synth is earwormy, others it\u2019s just wilding out. Like Rainbow Road if Yoshi was off a speedball. Fave tracks: \u201cVR Execution,\u201d \u201cAsshole Hotline\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m With The\u2026 <\/em><\/strong>– People\u2019s Temple (Roachleg): <\/strong>Punk with a capital Pee. People\u2019s Temple is old school in a real FUCK YOU way. I believe some of these guys are also behind Orange County\u2019s G*U*N*N. You can hear that SoCal slosh, but the NYHC takes the reins here. I wouldn\u2019t want to be against them. Fave tracks: \u201cJANGLING TUNE,\u201d \u201cPATRIOTIC & BRAINDEAD\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Act of Aggression <\/em><\/strong>– Electric Chair (Iron Lung): <\/strong>I can\u2019t tell if this is technically out yet or what but if you\u2019re into this sort of thing you\u2019ve almost certainly heard the YouTube rips by now. I mean, it almost goes without saying but this is going to be one of the most blistering records of the year. Guitars go absolutely nuts. The vox are apeshit and hooky. Looks like they might play around this summer \u2014 they def come to Philly for Something To Talk About fest (tix on sale April 1 I think!) \u2014 so catch them if you can. Fave tracks: \u201cFatal Disease II,\u201d \u201cOD\u2019d and Died\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T <\/em><\/strong>– Zorn (Sorry State): <\/strong>Rising from the depths of Hell… or as close as one can get on this mortal coil\u2026 Philly\u2019s Zorn summon some true necromancer shit for their first LP. Take a mid-80s thrash band of your choice and add a little Poison Idea. It\u2019s what metal should sound like. Zorn dial into the perfect mix of camp, riffage, and genuine nightmare. Their live shows are not to be missed either (coffins and shrouded figures are involved). HAIL SATAN!!! Fave tracks: \u201cAlready Dead,\u201d \u201cNothing Left\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Destabilize <\/em>– 80HD (Artifact Audio): <\/strong>First off, this record just sounds sooooo good. Beautifully defined without sacrificing any intensity. Sasha (the mastermind behind this recording) also plays the drums which are so inventive on each and every track. Every time I think I know what she\u2019s doing I listen closer and realize I don\u2019t have a clue what\u2019s going on. Hogan\u2019s vocals switch between two modes \u2014 it almost sounds like different people \u2014 that bandmate Mike described as \u201cbig monster, little monster\u201d in my interview with them.<\/a> Hog wild! Fave tracks: \u201cCriminal Mischief,\u201d \u201cDestabilize\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n at the edge of our abilities – <\/em><\/strong>Scrounger (self-released): <\/strong>This is the sort of Minneapolis punk I would read about in Razorcake<\/em> when I was 15. It\u2019s poppy, rough around the edges, just overall loveable. Plus they played a Hickey cover at their release show which is major points in my book. Fave track: \u201cnola\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T EP <\/em><\/strong>– Raskol (self-released?): <\/strong>The first EP ruled. This takes it to the next level. I love the guttural vocals, and the guitars are so big and buzzy. The production is so nice on this, no wonder because it\u2019s recorded by legend Trish Quigley. They\u2019ve got a full length, Heights of Despair,<\/em> coming out later this year. Fave tracks: \u201cLust,\u201d \u201cPiss & Moan\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re Stupid As Fuck (Promo 2023)<\/em><\/strong> – DELCO MF\u2019S (MF): <\/strong>Endorsed by stupid (yours truly). 2 songs. 102 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T Tape<\/em><\/strong> – Kinetic Orbital Strike (Sorry State): <\/strong>Best band name on this list and it\u2019s not even close. Drums go nuts, tom fills out the whaz. Saw them over winter break and right before they started I turned to my friends and said \u201cyou know Chris Ulsh from Power Trip is in this band?\u201d and they went :0!!! and immediately disappeared from sight when the drums kicked in. Fave track: \u201cRotten Lies\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Pillow<\/em><\/strong> – Rat-Nip (Song Book):<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>One of maybe three bands I missed at Something To Talk About last summer because I was working the door. Wasn\u2019t familiar with them at the time but now I\u2019m bummed because this 7\u201d rips AF! Fave tracks: \u201cHurt People,\u201d \u201cToo Late\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10,000 gecs<\/em><\/strong> – 100 gecs (Dog Show\/Atlantic): <\/strong>Not every track is good but some are great. Hey, I enjoy this, who cares. Fave tracks: \u201cmememe,\u201d \u201cFrog On The Floor\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upcoming releases to look forward to<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Poison Ruin LP<\/p>\n\n\n\n Delco MFs EP<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phantom is putting something out<\/p>\n\n\n\n Purling hiss LP<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raskol LP<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other notable releases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Desire Pathway <\/em>– Screaming Females<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T <\/em>– Wasted Space<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too Tough To Chew<\/em> – Spados<\/p>\n\n\n\n Limits to Growth<\/em> – Shitty Life<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parker\u2019s First Song Diary <\/em>– Parler Allen<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cries the Mocking Mother Nature <\/em>– Destruct<\/p>\n\n\n\n Broken<\/em> – Nick G<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia\u2019s Apartment (Demos) <\/em>– Abi Ooze<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consume Me<\/em> – Big Laugh<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Pillow<\/em> – Rat-Nip<\/p>\n\n\n\n No Experts<\/em> – Illiterates<\/p>\n\n\n\n Human Outline<\/em> – Wound Man<\/p>\n\n\n\n Demo<\/em> – Ordinance<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T <\/em>– Mirth<\/p>\n\n\n\n Promo C\/S <\/em>– Body Cam<\/p>\n\n\n\n DALEKO OD OK –<\/em> BZDET<\/p>\n\n\n\n Demo 2023<\/em> – Hollow Point<\/p>\n\n\n\n Demo 2023<\/em> – S.H.I.T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Free Violence <\/em>– Feral\/Judy & The Jerks<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHIN\u2019 – PRIMITIVE FUCKING BALLERS<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hardly A Dream –<\/em> Flower<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again<\/em> – Physique<\/p>\n\n\n\n S\/T<\/em> – Waste Man<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ferris Wheel on Fire <\/em>& Everything Is <\/em>– Neutral Milk Hotel<\/p>\n\n\n\n Post-American <\/em>– MSPAINT<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria\u2019s Hunt<\/em> – Glyders<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go Soft<\/em> – The Gobs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"