Necklacing is a hardcore band from Massachusetts, their debut EP is up on Bandcamp, and that's all I know about them. They akin-your-face powerviolence with a huge, thick sound that's some of the best I've heard lately.
I is a totally unrelenting release, one that squeezes everything it can out of its seven-minute runtime, packing five brutal tracks in less than three minutes and finishing off with the droney, doomy "_" and the sludgy "Moira". It feels like it's over just as soon as it starts, and I always am tempted to just play it again and again when it's done.
EPs like this are tough to review because they're so short that they don't leave much to talk about aside from a quick description—but basically, if you're into modern hardcore, especially the heavier side, this is a no-brainer (especially because it's free).
I have only a passing familiarity with The Locust, having heard merely Plague Soundscapes and their split with Arab on Radar, and they are still one of the most bizarre bands I've heard when it comes to heavy music (Melt-Banana comes close, I suppose). Gold Standard Laboratories, their old label, has released a bunch of old material culled from various splits and early material. Despite my usual aversion to this sort of raw, early "-core" music (mostly produced by crappy bands who can't sign on to anything more impressive than underground splits), this is a great collection.
For anyone who's heard the later albums, The Locust's older material isn't too much different—still the same old grindcore-meets-noise rock-meets-a total disregard for conventional songwriting and any sort of sympathy for their listeners. The music is as dissonant, spazzed-out, and unapproachable as ever, as each and every song provides an impenetrable wall of bizarreness. Noisecore blastbeats give way to jazz- and punk-influenced grooves and jump back just as quickly, as time signatures, tempos, and riff structures bounce all over the place. The assault never seems to let up for more than a few seconds total, and even though just a few songs break the one-minute mark, the lengthy tracklist makes for a real workout.
As a compilation of old and rare tracks, the long length and exhaustive effort it takes to hear this album is understandable—of course, these tracks probably weren't originally intended to be listened to in this way. Even so, the material here is surprisingly good (compared to old/rare material from similar bands) and definitely deserved this re-release. I daresay I probably enjoy this more than Plague Soundscapes as well, somehow; perhaps for the extra variety and unstoppable brutality.
Definitely a good place to start for anyone who's never heard of the band and a good place to continue for anyone who heard their newer albums but not the early stuff. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can take it, it's very much worth it.
Sun God is a band that I saw play with This Moment in Black History several years ago. They were selling this tape, essentially a discography of everything they'd put out on various singles and splits. It was quite limited so I doubt it's even available anymore, but it was a good place to get a quick feel for the band.
Their style is pretty simple, a sort of garage rock revival reminiscent of early Dinosaur Jr. with a punkier, more anthemic twist. It's catchy stuff, with a lot of great melodies and riffs, though their approach is a little formulaic. It's still music that is relatively fun to listen to, however.
I'm still a bit unsure on my verdict of Sun God as a band, as they're probably a better live act—or at least more well-suited for splits and singles as their songs are pretty samey (even after listening to this a dozen times).
This tape is definitely a niche release, and their Bandcamp page is probably better suited to determining if they're up your alley, and of course probably the best way to experience them in the first place is to just see a show (if they're still around; to be honest I haven't bothered to see if they've done anything since 2010). But at least it was interesting for me to go back to.
Here's a weird one for today, and an old one: a post-punk band from Croatia in the late '70s and early- to mid-'80s. I'm not sure why I even have this album, as this band is awfully obscure, but I figured it'd be an interesting one to look at today.
I've heard few albums whose sound immediately evokes the '80s underground quite like Zastave does—dry, lo-fi production, lots of delay, chorus on the bass, and so on. Though it makes the album feel incredibly dated, it's an interesting aesthetic—one that I've gotten familiar with from diving into old tape releases from this period, and I really like that aspect of it, especially the neat samples used throughout the album.
The style of the music itself isn't the most unique, but it has plenty of interesting elements: jangly guitars, gothic-style vocals, almost motorik drum beats, and some weird Doors-like organs and keyboards to round things out. It gives the album a sort of ritualistic / tribal sound at times, which is pretty cool, though it can get a bit corny at times (like "Oj ponose moj", which isn't a bad song, but that chanting would attract odd looks from bystanders).
I dislike how the songs have a tendency to get a bit repetitive, although on the other hand I guess that fits with what all the other post-punk bands around this time were doing; and for a poppier, song-oriented band like this I shouldn't be too surprised. It still can get kind of catchy sometimes and have the occasional good hook ("Kad se oglasi"), so it's not a huge problem.
Zastave is definitely a neat slice of punk history, though it's probably not something I'm going to find myself going back to a whole lot as the album has worn itself out for me after just a couple listens (and I don't think it was really my style in the first place). Worth looking into for anyone into this part of post-punk, though.
On my last haul post, I mentioned a mystery cassette tape with no decent indication of what the hell it is. I scanned all the inserts and finally got around to getting them online. If anyone has any idea what release this is, PLEASE let me know!
