Black Vomit

Quite possibly the bleakest thing ever recorded, this brutal 6-track demo from an intentionally nameless Portugal black band will absolutely blow you away. Blistering fast black metal punctuated by endless blastbeats and genre-typical unholy screams from the Abyss, this limited CDr comes with absolutely no information whatsoever save for the DIY black cardboard sleeve it's crudely packaged in. Released by ultra-indie label Latrina Do Chifrudo ("The Horned Latrine" - ha), even they don't know where this blasphemous 30-minute aural assault came from. Compared to some of the lo-fi black metal out there the demo is surprisingly legit - real songs (shit one of them runs almost 9 minutes) and a respectable sense of intention behind the whole thing. I was predicting an unlistenable wall of harsh "black" noise on my first guarded listen and was really surprised how good it fucking was. Enjoy.

"We simply don't care about protegonism (sic), self reference, identities other shit like that. Black Metal is a tool for something greater, it is a mere process and not a way for self gratification."

???????

Pregnit

Old school rap fans take note, this LP is a definite keeper. Keepin' it on the Seattle tip comes the first hip-hop release from last post's Ever Rat Records (slyly re-monikered Ever Rap for their "urban" catalog) - the debut recording from west side auteur Chilly Uptown. Sportin' the laceless Adidas high tops and sweat hear, Chilly's I Got Rules would have been a little more at home with the late-80's hip-hop outta Hollis, Queens; comparisons with a 16-year old James Todd Smith are undeniable. The guy even raps about NYC at times, making the likeness even more so. "Seattle Rockers" is his best attempt at a Run-D.M.C. metal/rap crossover which actually rocks in a completely lo-fi way (I think he actually samples Vanilla Ice) and will easily pulls some dry smile sat your next house party. Of course there is the token "dirty" rap - the ridiculously titled "Big'z The Way I See It" is a 3-minute showcase of Chilly's extolling his massive genitalia and telling anyone offended to fuck off. The silly "I Got A Love Jones" is his best attempt at a "I Need Love"-esque ballad, and is an absolute riot. The only arguable downside, while unintentionally funny, are the subpar skills of Chilly's DJ. Samples are just a little bit off, fading out kinda at the wrong time, not really in synch with the beat... you just gotta hear it to appreciate it. And shit, it still sounds better than anything Rap-A-Lot was doing at the time. Uptown's career, although predominantly local, stayed strong for the years ahead. He would follow this LP up with the more gangster-ish (albeit equally obscure) This Is My Method in 1991.

It's About To Get Chilly

Ever Rat

Solid cassette-only release from the sadly defunct Ever Rat Records based out of the Seattle, WA area. A cool snapshot of 1989-era GG Allin (unintentionally humorous botched song titles aside), the side A recording with the Disappointments is the real treat on the album - GG drunkenly slurring his way through a 6-minute rendition of "Jesus And Mothers Cunt" absolutely kills. Side B showcases the one and only gig by GG and his "Expose Yourself To Kids" back-up band the AIDS Brigade (featuring future Murder Junkie Merle Allin/Pearl Murder). Years later this show would actually make it onto DVD (it's the one where the band is playing in drag) but this version actually sounds a little better then the shitty VHS sourced for the DVD. Knowing now that the band was in drag explains why GG intentionally changed the song lyrics ("Cock On The Loose" becomes "Cunt On The Loose," etc. etc.) which always escaped me back in the day. The "I Hate My Audience Interview" isn't quite that - it's a recording lifted from GG's infamous appearance on Chicago's WLUP radio morning show. The sound guy dropped some choice snippets of GG over a loop of AC/DC's "T.N.T." to create an outro jingle for the show. You can hear the full version (and whole interview) somewhere on here.

Outlaw Scumbag

Super Wet Cheese

An absolutely astounding compilation from the sadly defunt and clinically insane Tokyo jazz grinders - this epic 45-track retrospect spans a multitude of obscure 7-inches, unreleased rehearsals and long sold-out compilation LPs. Released on Obliteration Records (conveniently owned by C.S.S.O. vocalist Narutoshi Sekine) the CD focuses on the band's material through the mid-to-late 90's. Amazing stuff, some of the songs sound straight out of Meat Shits school while others are ridiculously competent avant-garde grindcore bordering on the complexity of the math metal genre that would surface years later. Somewhat unfairly compared to such goregrind bands as Regurgitate and fellow countrymen Catasexual Urge Motivation, C.S.S.O. easily outshines the competition with their musical skills and absolutely original approach to grind metal. Of course, my favorite material by the band will always be their "Diversion Of Former Customary Trite Composition" EP (which I've already posted on this blog) - an amazing eleven minutes of madness in their coolest surf-music-esque style (very similar to the stuff on their split 7" w/ Dead Infection as well).  As far as C.S.S.O.'s dozens of other releases, I fully recommend their two legitimate LPs - Nagrö Läuxes VIII and Are You Excrements? Both absolutely worth the money you'll shell out for 'em on Ebay.

Shake It Up Bokan

Suicidal Ad-Rock

Digging deep into the mid-90's Grand Royal archives comes a vinyl-only oddity featuring Beastie Boy Adam "Adrock" Horovitz and original Suicidal Tendencies drummer Amery Smith. Between the many B-movie/TV show samples are a bunch of two-minute tracks of Horovitz tinkering with his vintage synthesizer while Smith gets some exercise with a slew of repetitive breakbeats. There are no real vocals per se, just a bunch of silly samples here and there - usually repeating the song title. BS 2000 is best described as a proto version of what Crystal Method and the electronic genre were priming to develop over the next few years. While a good number of the songs are instantly forgettable, there are some real diamonds in the rough. "Baby" is a cool-ass fucking track and deserves to be sampled somewhere by someone. "Copsucker" (which could have easily fit in on the Beastie's Mix-Up instrumental LP) and the weirdly dark "Thrift King" are personal faves. Smith proficiently showcases the jazzy versatility he brought to the best hardcore album of all time and Adrock seems to be having a blast figuring out what his Casio SA-35 keyboard can do. Of course the record has a tough time standing up to the current electronic stuff out there today and most of this could be mimicked today by a 10-year old on his iPad but what can ya do. Enjoy.

Nobody Beats BS 2000

Wednesday Pissing

I got an email from the one-man mastermind behind Finland's Kes-Kusta asking me to pimp his latest release, the 20-song political statement against current Prime Minister Alexander Stubb. Entitled Kiitos, the record is little more than news samples pitted against frying pan-esque drums and über-distorted guitar/vocals. What kept me listening for more than twenty seconds was the subtly ambient track 3 - shades of Corrupted's brilliant "El Mundo" (though thankfully only a sixth as long). For those who are into political noisecore à la RU 486 you will surely find something to like - check out Bleak Bliss for similar sounding stuff.

Thank You

You Guys Hungry?

Here is the famous "lost" record by producer extraordinaire Dick Urine (a.k.a. Richard Yorun) whose claim to fame was producing the early records by a young and confused New Hampshire punker named GG Allin with his band the Scumfucs. After Yorun was killed in a mysterious motorcycle accident in 1987, GG (along with Black & Blue Records owner Peter Yarmouth) unearthed a bunch of forgotten recordings by the deceased producer. Evidently the guy spent the time recording his own music while sitting around in rented studios waiting for his bands to show up. Assembling a motley crew of musicians (including such Rhode Island legends as Jimmy V. Hendricks and Billy "Gee" Goodman on guitar), Yorun recorded nearly a dozen "solo" tracks through the years. GG himself wasn't above contributing some drums to the sessions but don't expect too much - the most all Geeg did was program a tinny drum machine. So how does it all sound? Well, at best it's a strange, snarky slab of lounge music toilet rock. It's not as offensive as some of the song titles may lead you to believe and kinda comes off sounding like a bastard (and less funny) version of "Weird" Al Yankovic. The music is terribly digital - overdubbed guitars straight through the effects processor on top of a drum machine. Yorun fancied himself a crooner and really sings his heart out - unfortunately his vocals can get a trite annoying. The lyrics may raise a dry smile but aren't all that funny, especially if you were expecting some GG-esque filth. Of course the whole record is a tongue-in-cheek excuse for a producer to be the musician he always wanted to be - when someone credits himself as "Vocals & Triangle" you should know what you're in for. There was talk of making a scratch and sniff cover, thankfully it didn't come to that. Enjoy.

Change Your Underwear

Post D

It seems fitting that my 500th post would feature no other than GG Allin since I've blogged more about him than anyone else (Anal Cunt coming in a close second). For today's lesson we have a spirited interview conducted with the Geeg over WSIA 88.9 FM Radio in Staten Island, NY. While some have claimed this interview is from late '86 it was actually recorded in early summer 1988, right after the release of Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies. GG bitches about everything from Cosloy and Homestead, Black & Blue Records, the Great Kat, Stiv Bators and pretty much the everyone else in the punk scene in general. He is absolutely hilarious (slays poor Psycho drummer Charlie Infection - pictured above) and it is so refreshing to not hear him regress to the token "my audience is my enemy" routine from his later years. GG actually laughs at some jokes and at one point halts the interview to rub his dick all over the station microphone. My favorite part is hearing him talk about the recently recorded material (which would eventually become Suicide Sessions) and how that record was originally intended to be a "GG Allin & The Scumfucs" release. His promos tacked on at the end are a riot as well. Astute 'Genocide fans may remember this interview from one of the GG comps I posted a few years ago but this is an unedited crystal clear rip. Fucking awesome.

Smelly Fish

Razor blade included...

I don't if this technically qualifies me as weird but there have been like 3 or 4 albums I've bought in my lifetime that came with a razor blade. This 7" is one of those exalted (offhand, others include GG Allin's Illegitimate Kids cassette and one of the Abruptum albums) and is probably my favorite. As usual, this was one of the "alternatives" in a Relapse Records order that fucking blew away the token grindcore tripe I had intended to order (sorry Dead Infection). While "Sleep" is a good but not great Dystopia track; "Lifeless" and especially "Fucked Upstairs" are easily my favorite Grief songs. I like Grief but their albums tend to get a bit looooong at times (yeah, yeah I know it's doom metal...) but these songs are amazing. I played the downtuned power chords to "Fucked Upstairs" half of my senior year in college so I could bang gothy art school sluts by pretending it was my own miserable song. I guess the joke is on you bitches! Except for that HPV. Enjoy.

Dismal

Tomahawk Slang

It must have been weird being the second fiddle in a 90's Soul Assassins band after their initial breakout album - so many of those groups had such an overwhelming personality at the forefront - the quickly secondary Garfunkels in the posse must have sucked it up with a "shut up and cash the paycheck while this lasts" mentality. Look at House Of Pain. Danny Boy doesn't even appear in half the songs on Same It As Ever Was - and the opener "Back From The Dead" is clearly Everlast's step towards a solo career. Same with Cypress Hill. Once they hit Black Sunday can you think of one Cypress song that Sen Dog has a prominent part? Yeah he says "Insane in the brain" and shit in the background a lot but to me there is a noticeably strange lack of input. Next case study we have the second Funkdoobiest album - 1995's Brothas Doobie. Benchwarmer Tomahawk Funk appears in only four of the fucking twelve songs (I'm not counting the gay-ass "interlude") on the album - twenty-fucking-five percent. I hope Son Doobie made a note of that for his royalty checks. Well, enough of my soapbox. Funkdoobiest's sophomore release is my favorite album from the band - thanks to Son Doobie's amazing skills - "XXX Funk" and "Lost In Thought" are easy faves but amazingly the underdog "Tomahawk Bang" is the highlight of the album. Man - the fattest beat and coolest groove is wasted on Tomahawk Funk (and some no-name named Sebastain Rousett - don't get me wrong, he's a fucking solid rapper but I just don't know who the fuck he is). Sorry T.F., but the first time I heard this song I sat with baited breath waiting for Son to break in with his verse. Oh well, Brothas Doobie is still an awesome fucking album and great kick back to the days I was dating a chick from Maine whose weird veggie-dog granola mom cultivated her own über-pungent hydroponic weed. Actually, I barely remember anything from those days...

Wake Up, America