Record store haul: May 23, 2015

It's been just under two months since my last haul—I wasn't planning on going but I was in the area and had some free time. And, apparently, cash to burn. Despite the increasing stock of crappy, overpriced represses (I try to never pay more than $15 for a typical record, and neither should you!), I managed to snag a pretty decent selection of music.

Ballast – Fuse (LP, $8)

Remember these guys from the last haul? They had both albums there, and since I liked the first one I picked out so much I decided to grab the second. More of the same slightly-melodic, slightly-crusty hardcore. Not sure which one is better yet, as I've given each just a spin or two, but these guys are still really good. I doubt they're still around (it's hard to say for sure) but if not, at least they left us with two fantastic albums.

Snowblood – The Human Tragedy (LP, $4)

This is a random obscure sludge metal band I discovered a couple years ago; they're not fantastic but their music is pretty decent if you're a die-hard sludge fan like me. For some reason there were three copies of this one in different parts of the store; they were all in disappointing shape but at the price it was hard to pass up, if not just to play once or twice and see how they sound on vinyl.

Cloud Rat – Cloud Rat (LP, $3)

I had actually heard of this band before—I got one of their splits in a mail-order haul from an online distro and they were decent enough, and $3 for an LP (even a shorter one) is a good deal. And they're great on this album, too; furious, relentless grindcore that tries (and succeeds) to push a few boundaries and stand out. These guys are worth checking out.

Muslimgauze – Deceiver (2×CD, $9)

I've been meaning to check out Muslimgauze for ages, hearing about his stuff here and there on the Internet for years, and I suppose it's finally time. I generally like middle-eastern-influenced music (maybe because I listen to so little of it so it's usually new and interesting), and Muslimgauze combines traditional Arabic tribal music with heavy, glitchy, and very-'90s-sounding electronic beats, combined with ambient sound collages and some stuff that sounds like noisy hip hop. It's pretty neat stuff, though I'm not sure how he managed to keep up the same shtick for the dozens of albums he did; even these two discs start to drag on after a while (after all, it's over two hours of material). Still, a cool novelty and I'm glad I eventually got around to looking into it.

Atheist – Elements (CD, $7)

Atheist – Jupiter (CD, $5)

I don't listen to much older death metal, but when I do, it's usually Atheist. (Maybe because they're only sort-of-death-metal—there's a lot of proggy jazzy stuff in there). I discovered these guys only kind of recently but I have been loving all of their albums; even though the first two are usually considered the best I think Elements is my personal favorite, and Jupiter is still good despite being the odd one out (released after a seventeen-year gap). Elements is a 2005 remaster from Relapse and, while I'm usually not thrilled about remasters and represses, I think I prefer this edition. You get some nice bonus tracks and it sounds amazing in the car—something I can't say for most older metal. One of those bands that, if you're into death metal at all, you should listen to at least once.

Robedoor – Rancor Keeper (CD, $5)

This is the third time I've gotten Robedoor from the record store even though (like I mentioned in an earlier review) I'm pretty sure I don't really care much for it. Drone can be good stuff but Robedoor is usually kind of boring. But this album is actually pretty good, and it had been so long since I listened to it that I forgot all about it. No, it's not amazing as far as drone goes, but there's some interesting stuff going on and not just indie-avant-wankering like I usually get with these kinds of releases. Even if the music isn't noteworthy the packaging on this album is really cool—the vertical cardboard gatefold has this neat angular-cut housing for the CD with a foam liner. Unique, if nothing else. Plus the Cthulhu wizard guy on the cover is pretty rad, you have to admit.

Various artists – D;O;UXF? (CD, $3)

Supposedly this is a compilation of local Columbus bands, though I wouldn't have known since I've never heard of a single one of these bands before—but the extra sticker teasing "OLD, WEIRD CBUS COMP" was hard to resist. Even the cashier told me I was in for a treat. There's a really bizarre mix of music here—going from noise to weirdo minimalist electronic to funk rock to cybergrind (and those last two were even the same band). Compilations like this are usually neat in concept but provide average music; this one isn't much of an exception. It's neat, and I'm glad it exists, but I probably won't be listening to it much at all, though there are a couple standout artists.

Record store haul: April 4, 2015

They moved everything around at Used Kids! I hate that. I felt like I wasn't going to find anything good since I'd be spending the whole time figuring out where all the good stuff went. Turns out that was a dumb assumption.

Coil – Horse Rotorvator (LP, $19)

I haven't looked a ton, but I was under the impression that most things Coil released were pressed in limited supply and it's basically impossible to get anything by them for a reasonable price anymore. Details are dodgy but it looks like this is a unofficial 2011 repress, sadly (it looks and smells brand-new—or at least too new to be almost thirty years old), but I'll take what I can get. Classic experimental industrial goodness.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – Kollaps Tradixionales (2×10" + CD, $15)

It's not my favorite Silver Mt. Zion album, but it is one that deserves another few listens from me—plus I can rarely resist ten-inch pressings (especially if they come with a CD). The artwork and packaging is really nice, too, not that I expect any less from Constellation and this band. Weirdly, it seems like whoever owned this previously listened to the CD a lot and never touched the records, as the packaging is pristine apart from the disc and its nasty paper sleeve. Anyway! Good stuff.

Ballast – Sound Asleep (LP, $6)

I've never heard of this band before (and it looks like neither has anyone else, really), but I like trying out random punk LPs just to see what I get. It turns out these guys are pretty good! What is it about those crazy Canadians that makes their punk so excellent? Slightly crusty, slightly anarcho (I am still not sure how this is a genre or what it means, though), slightly old-school hardcore, and all-around very angry. Worth seeking out.

Black Army Jacket – 222 (LP, $3)

I only remember this band because they did a split with Corrupted years ago (among many other bands); those splits were usually really bad but I figured that at three bucks I wouldn't be losing much if it were bad. Fortunately, it's not; it's fairly standard crust punk with a slight sludgy edge to it. Nothing terribly special but worth a listen nonetheless.

Emperor – Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (CD, $5)

It's always good to have extra metal CDs for the car. I've already heard this classic album more times than I need to, but it's nice to have a hard copy around to finally supplement my copy of Scattered Ashes, their best-of that I got years and years ago. There's few bands who do symphonic-progressive black metal like Emperor did (that is, don't make it into a horrendous cheesy mess).

Sunn O))) – 3: Flight of the Behemoth (CD, $7)

There's something nostalgic about your first Sunn O))) album, isn't there? No? Still, I love this band (even though I'm pretty sure I still don't know exactly why) and when the mood for drone strikes, they're my go-to. Curious to see how this plays in the car. (I don't think I ever tried with my Monoliths & Dimensions CD.)

Celeste – Animale(s) (2×CD, $5)

I enjoyed their previous album Morte(s) Nee(s) so at two discs, it's twice the opportunity to impress me again! (Yes I know it doesn't work that way.) Actually the album is just an hour long so there's no need for it to be on two CDs; I wonder what the reasoning was there. To match the LP? maybe it was too hardcore to put it on just one disc? Anyway, it's tough to get more misanthropic and bleak for this kind of extreme punk, so if that's what you're into this'll do the trick.

7 Inch Grab Bag, part 3

In case you missed my recent haul post, I got a grab bag of ten randomly-selected 7" records. Here are my thoughts on the final four!

Bevil Web / 3 Dream Bag – Split

1995 • Simple Solution Records

Lo-fi rock from the hazy days of the mid-'90s. It's a bit too slow and uninteresting for me, though I have to admit Bevil Web can gloom it up with the best of them. It just feels a bit too sloppy and unrefined to really be of any excitement. Both bands are basically the same thing, though 3 Dream Bag is a bit more acoustic and nasally. Neither are really that great. Oh well.

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Destroy! – Burn This Racist System Down!

1992 • Havoc Records

Yes, finally, more grindcore! This is old-school stuff, too, from the early '90s. Songs are short, to-the-point, growly, razor-sharp; there's also a couple really long meandering ones in there too which is interesting. It's hard to expand much on what makes a grind EP good, so just take my word for it that these guys had their stuff down. Totally recommended (just don't cut yourself on those edgy lyrics...).

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Digression – Controlled

1996 • Surprise Attack Records

Early metalcore, and a very kind of primal version at that. Very aggressive, lots of chugging breakdowns, but also with this lo-fi punk aesthetic. It's probably not something anyone would consider "good" from a purely artistic standpoint but it's interesting to me because, for all the awful DIY punk I hear, I never have really heard any DIY metalcore, and it feels unique just for that. But that's just me, and this still isn't that great. Maybe. "Diary" is pretty good.

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Love + Respect – Deep + Heartfelt

1989 • Penultimate Records

I still don't like garage punk and I don't really like Love + Respect, but there's definitely worse out there. I don't like how most of it is just kind of dumb; I guess Love + Respect is at least tongue-in-cheek about it but that doesn't help that much. The music is just too simple-sounding to hold my interest. I dunno. At least "If I Only Had a Brain" has this neat noise rock thing going on that is a bit different from the rest of the tracks; I like that one.

7 Inch Grab Bag, part 2

In case you missed my recent haul post, I got a grab bag of ten randomly-selected 7" records. Here are my thoughts on the next three!

Humanbodyflawed / The Jan-Michael Vincent Car Crash – Split

2001 • Obtuse Mule

Grind! Grind! Grind! At least I think that's what's going on with the Jan-Michael Vincent Car Crash. It's crazy, technical, mathy stuff, and a great big mess of it. Weird growly bass, oppressive angular guitar, muffled screams make for a bizarre and alienating listen. Humanbodyflawed is similar but, somehow, even weirder; the extra guitar fuzz tries to mask some truly strange musical forays that go from Dillinger Escape Plan to Pig Destroyer to god knows what. This is an EP worth seeking out, for sure.

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Big Meat – Botulism

2003 • Sit on My 2-Faced Bitch Records

Not sure what I'd say this is. Hard rock with a punk edge? Garage rock, maybe? Probably. Anyway, I'm not totally thrilled by it, though it's not awful. Just kind of generic aggressive rock, very indicative of its time (early 2000s). Worth one listen, and then I forgot all about it. "Thundercleese" is a little catchy, though.

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Play Your Own Theme Song

1999 • Mortville Records

I hate reviewing splits, but at least this one has the unique premise that all four bands are recording theme songs for themselves. Kinda neat, kinda silly.

• The Chumps – Awful garage rock. Cheesy, unoriginal music, bad vocals, goes on way too long. Not even worth thinking about. Please move on.
• The Commies – Snarly pop-punk kind of stuff, a big anthemic song. Also cheesy but at least they seem to know it.
• Los Tigres Guapos – Something like horror punk maybe? It's also a little silly but these guys are actually kind of good. Not much to say about a one-minute track, though.
• Reclusives – More straightforward old-school hardcore punkabilly. I'm not a huge fan, but I can tell they're not a bad band.

7 Inch Grab Bag, part 1

In case you missed my recent haul post, I got a grab bag of ten randomly-selected 7" records. Here are my thoughts on the first three!

Medicine Man – Céad Míle Fáilte

1993 • Thrashing Mad

I wasn't expecting this at all. From the cover, it looks like some kind of cheesy folk rock, but in reality it's more like old-school hardcore punk, Minor Threat style, with a bit of a hard rock / heavy metal feel at times and not-very-good vocals. The riffs are a bit dissonant and not particularly memorable, but there's some really nice bass work going on. All in all, I kinda like it. Not something I can see myself getting super into, but it's pretty good stuff.

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The Rumour – Frozen Years / All Fall Down

1979 • Stiff Records

Cheesy '70s pop/rock, as I had suspected. Sort of an XTC feel with the spacey synthesizers and acoustic guitars, but not as carefully composed or expressive and it's a bit too repetitive for me. The B-side "All Fall Down" is definitely a bit better with an interesting dub feel, but it quickly gets too silly. Nice guitar soloing, though.

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DCOi! – DCOi

2008 • xTruex Records

Nice and crusty! Fast, modern-sounding west coast punk (well, it was 2008), and it's some really good catchy stuff, switching between noisy blasting and crunchy, driving rhythms. I won't say it's the best modern hardcore I've heard and they're certainly not unique or anything, but it certainly gets the job done well for when you're in the mood to break stuff.

Record store haul: August 3, 2014

Finally! It's been nearly a year since I was able to make it down to good ol' Used Kids Records. It was worth the wait.

Deafheaven – Roads to Judah (LP, $15)

Deafheaven's first and best album. This edition is a really nice translucent red vinyl (I think every red record I have is translucent; what's up with that?). Honestly I don't remember this album too well, but I know I liked it, so this is a good excuse to revisit it. Also, check out my review of Sunbather here!

Descendents – I Don't Want to Grow Up (LP, $10)

Classic old-school pop punk back at its finest hours. No, it's no Milo Goes to College, but it's still one of their best. They had All too but apparently it sucks so I didn't get it.

Æthenor – Deep in Ocean Sunk the Lamp of Light (LP, $6)

Æthenor – Betimes Black Cloudmasses (LP, $6)

It looks like someone dropped off a whole load of Southern Lord Records products, and pickings were pretty good. Æthenor's first two albums were good (as was their third, I suppose), especially Betimes (which I learned a few years after first hearing it that it's not "Bedtimes"!). Great avant-garde dark ambient which I bet is gonna sound great on wax. Nice packaging on Deep in Ocean with its paperboard insert. (There was a KTL album too but KTL sucks so I left it for some other sap.)

Pentemple – O))) Presents... (LP, $10)

I had second thoughts on getting this one since I wasn't sure if I actually liked this album or not (I think I did), but I'm glad I did. It's a beautiful package—an embossed front cover, hefty cardboard sleeving, and a really nice marble brown color on the record. It's more improvisational dark ambient like Æthenor, but definitely blacker and doomier stuff.

Isis – Wavering Radiant (CD, $5)

Despite Isis being basically my favorite band in high school and still a band I very much enjoy, I never got around to actually getting a hard copy of this album when I own almost everything else they ever put out that wasn't live or very limited. It's probably their second-worst album (Celestial takes the bottom spot) but that's not saying a lot since their whole catalog is still very much the pinnacle of atmo-sludge.

Nasum – Grind Finale (2×CD, $9)

These guys have been one of my favorite grind bands for a while, and this is a fitting wrap-up to their career. A nice two-disc digipak of all non-album tracks, plus a really cool 80-page (yes, eighty) booklet of biographies, anecdotes, lyrics, posters, etc. Really looking forward to a long flip through it.

Offspring – Smash (cassette, $1)

Erasure – The Innocents (cassette, $1)

These two tapes are for Jordan; I've never really listened to much Offspring and hardly any Erasure. But mostly I was surprised to find any good tapes at all; we basically cleared them out of good stuff a year or two ago but they must have gotten a small bunch in since the last time I was there.

7" Grab Bag ($1)

It looks like the store has been rearranging some things, including paring down their once-massive indie 7" section. There were a few of these 10-packs of miscellaneous 7"s left for a buck, so I couldn't resist grabbing one. They did the same thing a few years ago with CDs, but I think those were 5 for $5 or something; not really the greatest deal. Anyway, over the next few posts, I'll be digging through what I got and seeing if there is any new good obscure crap to play. Stay tuned!

Record store haul: August 31, 2013

Set Fire to Flames – Sings Reign Rebuilder (2×LP, $5)

To be honest, I'm not really the biggest fan of Set Fire to Flames, although it's been a really long time since I listened to them. Less Godspeed post-rock and more field recordings and improvisational meanderings in strings and guitar. It has a really nice booklet inside, too, very reminiscent of the F♯A♯∞ CD booklet, with bizarre photos and semi-transparent pages.

324 – 冒涜の太陽 (LP, $6)

This was kind of an odd buy—I have only heard of 324 because they did a split with Corrupted and Discordance Axis. Usually the grindcore bands Corrupted does splits with are awful (maybe I just don't like Japanese grind?). This album is pretty decent, though; nothing groundbreaking, but definitely worth a spin or two.

Mouth of the Architect – The Ties That Blind (CD, $3)

Used Kids' metal CD section is usually pretty lame, with mallcore and hair metal that deserved to be sold back. There were, though, about five or six discs of what I'd consider "good", and this was probably the best of them. Mouth of the Architect never really got their due as one of the best "post-metal" bands of the 2000s, but at least I appreciate them. I'm even going to see them play tonight! It should be awesome. (And you can read about it here soon!)

Sugar – File Under: Easy Listening (CD, $5)

Normally I wouldn't have picked this up—my girlfriend already has it on tape—but this is some sort of special edition. It comes bound in a book of sorts, with a bunch of pages (like filing folders, get it?). The CD is in the first one, and the rest have tabs with the song titles and a lyric sheet stored in each. It's bulky and a bit goofy, but I think it's a pretty cool way to package the album.

Leftöver Crack – Mediocre Generica (CD, $5)

Anyone who's read my review of Fuck World Trade knows I'd jump at the opportunity to pick up their first album too, even if it's only on CD. It's not quite as good, as they hadn't perfected their sound just yet, but it's definitely still underrated and a great, raw album.

Leftöver Crack – Rock the 40 oz. (CD, $5)

And what did I find right next to it, but the final item needed to complete my Leftöver Crack collection! Their first two EPs and some demos on a compilation CD. It has surprisingly good quality for what it is, although I can't say I prefer these versions of these songs over those on Mediocre Generica and Fuck World Trade. Obviously still worth having if you're as big a fan as I am.

Robedoor / Leslie Keffer – Hooded Communion / Silver Bridge (LP, $8)

I just know this one was a mistake, and I haven't even listened to it yet. Noise/drone releases are always a crapshoot, especially splits, and there's always more bad than good. I don't even think I actually like Robedoor.

Curmudgeon – Human Ouroboros (7", $3)

I actually discovered this band about a week or two ago on Bandcamp, so it was a really surprising coincidence that this EP just so happened to be in the store. Raw, old-school powerviolence, and that's all you need to know. Good stuff (and free on Bandcamp, I think).

The Crimson Curse / The Festival of Dead Deer – Split (7", $2.5)

Half of the reason I got this was because it looked like some more sweet raw punk stuff. The other half was because it's a square record! How is that not cool? The music itself is a little average, but at least listenable. Lo-fi screamo on one side, weird mathcore on the other.

Molemen – Put Your Quarter Up (12", $4)

I'd never heard of Molemen before, but having two of my favorite rappers on one single (Aesop Rock and MF Doom) made this incredibly appealing. The A-side is actually a surprisingly good track, too—drawly boom bap about arcades or something like that. Considering Used Kids' hip hop section is always dismal at best, this was definitely a neat pickup.

Killing Joke – Sanity / Eighties (12", $2)

Okay I really only got this because my girlfriend likes to randomly sing "Eighties" now and again (who can blame her, really?). I have barely listened to any Killing Joke and the A-side isn't particularly good, but whatever.

And today instead of a sticker I got a button! Hooray!

Record store haul: April 29, 2013

Another trip to Used Kids; hopefully it won't be the last before I move out of walking distance to the store (even then, I'll probably still go now and again). What I thought at first was going to be a bust of a trip turned into one of my better hauls, even discounting the three Fugazi records I passed up. (In retrospect, I probably should've picked up Red Medicine, especially considering the regular 20%-off Monday sale, but oh well.)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2×LP, $15)

Alright so maybe this was kind of a silly decision—I already have this on CD, after all—but as Godspeed is still one of my favorite bands and this copy is in practically mint condition, I couldn't resist. (Considering shipping, it was definitely cheaper than actually ordering a new one.) It's the kind of album that was definitely made for vinyl, anyway; once I get my system set up when I move it'll be one of the first ones to hit the needle.

Red House Painters – Songs for a Blue Guitar (CD, $5)

A year ago or so when I was at Used Kids, they played this album over the PA system and I quite enjoyed it (it might have helped that I could tell it was a band I already liked), so I was a bit surprised to see it one the "featured CDs" shelf. Anyway, for $5 you can't really pass it up, even if it's just a CD. It's no Down Colorful Hill, to be sure (they traded their slowcore sound for something a bit more folksy and even country-tinged in parts), but by no means a bad album and certainly worth getting.

Wir – The First Letter (cassette, $1)

I was a bit disappointed that I could only find one decent tape today, even though they'd spread out their collection on the floor (even the stuff usually tucked away on a shelf). At least I was very satisfied with what I got. Despite being down a member, this is actually pretty good as far as Wire goes—sure, it won't hold up to Chairs Missing or Pink Flag in most people's eyes (and it doesn't need to), but for later Wire I'm pretty impressed.

Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Apartment 213 – Domestic Powerviolence (12", $6)

While not my favorite part of the Agoraphobic Nosebleed catalog, I like 'em enough to have wanted to grab this one anyway. And besides, how can you pass up 320 gram yellow-orange splatter vinyl? You can't. Not even if the music is kinda weird and AnB's side isn't really even powerviolence.

The Locust – Locust (7", $3)

All these tracks appear on the Locust compilation I reviewed not too long ago, but it was neat to grab this anyway. It's their very first EP, which was release in a number of limited colors; mine is clear. Pretty raw early noisecore; niche stuff, to be sure, but cool regardless.

Sugar – Changes (12", $5)

I thought this was Copper Blue for a second and was disappointed that it wasn't; still, "Changes" is a fine song and the rest of the tracks on this maxi-single are about as good as Sugar's alternative power-pop gets. As far as the record itself goes, it's mastered really freakin' loud and doesn't take much advantage of its analog medium, which is a bit silly.

Shit and Shine – Bass Puppy (12", $3)

I'm not really sure why I got this. I haven't listened to Shit & Shine in years, and when I did, I didn't even like them. Maybe time has improved things for me, but I didn't find this release too terrible. It's some sort of power noise / brostep experimentation, with loads of distortion, power electronics, and heavy dub beats. It's one of those things that's kind of crappy, but in an endearing, artsy-underground way. Does that make it good? I dunno. (Also, limited to 500! Neato.)

Oh, and I got a free Used Kids sticker too! I don't have a picture, so you'll just have to use your imagination.