B-STOCK: Creased outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition
Lou (4:05)
It Doesn't Matter (1:59)
Zerox (3:21)
Friends (3:14)
You're So Physical (3:08)
Cleopatra (3:29)
Ligotage (3:02)
Tabletalk (5:06)
Animals & Men (2:38)
Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face) (3:07)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Creased outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***
This was the golden age of Adam & The Ants - for one or two of the more serious-minded post-punk fans from the early 80s at the very least. A BBC Sessions album that is a tribute to the great DJ himself, John Peel who, had it not been for him, many may never had been introduced to the band. Featuring many different versions of tracks that were included on the debut Dirk Wears White Sox (released later in 1979), these tracks seem even more adrenalin-fuelled that the versions we eventually heard on the fantastic debut that for many has never been matched by anyone since. The opening two tracks, however, come from the early 1978 session that were not part of the debut and opening track 'Lou' doesn't even feature Adam Ant on lead vocals. This track was performed by the band's then manager and punk icon Jordan and sits well with the rest of this impressive collection of recordings that could be classed as Adam & The Ants part one (of three different versions). These sessions link the first two versions of the band very well and are a world apart from the commercial and more successful songs that the band eventually wrote and released a few years later that eventually made them a household - and playground - name for the next decade.
Review: Hearing the journey of a song you really love and all the different incarnations of that song is a pleasure as opposed to solely listening to the same take that makes an album over and over again. Buzzcocks have released the demos they made in the lead up to the release of Love Bites, their second studio album and highest charting album. 'Every Fallen In Love' sounds grittier - the bass and guitars are louder than the polished album version so it makes it a bit more underground punk DIY in style. Moreover, 'Nothing Left' shifts the emphasis to make it all about the riff. There's also numbers on here that didn't make the album, such as 'Mother Of Turds', where you hear them barely able to contain their laughter. It's great to hear a band not taking every step so seriously and enjoying their route to success.
Review: With their 2022 debut LP God's Country, the herald of the true face and voice for modern middle-American malaise came in the form of noise-rock/sludge metal purveyors Chat Pile. Broadcasting from their muted home of Oklahoma City, their deformed sonic mutations pulled equally from The Jesus Lizard, Acid Bath and Korn, while vocalist Raygun Busch (that is his credited moniker) appalled and harrowed with his spoken-word nightmare poetics touching on everything from homelessness and the opioid crisis, to real-life recounts of botched robberies and first-person narratives from horror film characters such as the mother of Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. Expanding their scope both conceptually and compositionally, Cool World takes aim at the entire planet with classism, the horrors of war and genocide, the very real potential for abuse stemming from toxic masculinity, capitalist lies and the nihility of existence all as topics of discussion, while still making time for backwoods journeys into serial killer's isolated farm homes. Musically continuing to pummel with industrial abrasion and hypnotic groove, sonically the band have begun to embrace their sludge-core tendencies while channelling nuanced elements of alternative metal and goth rock, offering new painstaking modes of vulnerability to drive home their despair-laden character studies. Mark our words, there isn't one single other metal/punk/alternative album in 2024 that slaps this hard while instilling such a cold feeling of visceral dread and fear for our ever-despondent cool world.
Review: Punk rock heroes The Clash were midway through their transformation from guitar thrashing rabble rousers to the dub and hip-hop influenced alt pop pioneers they became when this broadcast captured them in live action in the capital of the Netherlands. So, expect a few anthems from the early days like 'London Calling', as well as more futuristic fusions of differemt genres such as 'The Magnificent Seven' and other highlights from their sprawling, ambitious and generally acomplished triumph, the Sandinista! LP
Review: Self-described "putrid, drug-fueled gutter rock from the filthy streets of NYC", Couch Slut deal in ugliness, and boy is business a-boomin'! Meshing the most challenging facets of grindcore, hardcore punk, noise rock and black metal, the resulting cacophony is as unpleasant as it is impenetrable, yet the commanding presence of vocalist and primary songwriter Megan Osztrosits demands you suffer the audible torment while she details harrowing depictions of sexual violence, drug abuse and more singular inner-city horrors through subversive, vitriolic and grimly humoured phrases. Working with industrial hardcore manglers Uniform's Ben Greenberg (with previous production credits for Drab Majesty, Portrayal of Guilt, Metz), You Could Do It Tonight marks the fourth overall full-length from the group, and utterly refuses to dilute or smoothen their ethos of audibly healing through pain, or just pain for the fuck of it.
Review: C.L.A. comprises of 12 cuts from lesser-known Nuneaton Oi punk skins Crux, including their full Keep On Running EP, along with choice compilation contributions taken from A Country Fit For Heroes and Oi! Oi! That's Yer Lot!, all of which were released in 1982. The collection also boasts an early 1981 demo version of 'C.L.A.', making this one of the most complete encapsulations of the band's brief yet seminal back catalogue to date. Pressed to limited green vinyl with a fold-out poster, the Crux fans/collectors are the type to separate the lifers from the one lad who just wears his older brother's The 4-Skins t-shirt to look hard.
Review: You can feel the energy emanating from these rare, almost-lost recordings of heroic San Francisco punks the Dead Kennedys. Laid down in 1978, the same year the band got together, it's hard to work out what's more remarkable - the rabid vibe itself, or the fact that rabid vibe seemed to come so effortlessly and naturally once the founding members joined forces. It's almost like it was meant to be. Across 16 tracks that vitality is laid bare in all its ferocious glory. And while it's great to hear the origin stories behind some of the DK's biggest songs - 'Kill The Poor', 'Holiday In Cambodia', 'Forward to Death' - it's perhaps more interesting getting to grips with the initial ideas that didn't come to fruition in the end. Either way, basking in the glory of an outfit with protest and anti-establishment attitude bleeding from every orifice still feels fantastic.
Review: Doctor Explosion returns with a surprise: they sing in Catalan! This limited-edition single features two tracks - one is a remake of their early classic 'Baby Please Go' (now titled 'Ves-te'n Si Us Plau') and the other is a cover of 'Perdo L'esma', an adaptation by Barcelona's Eurogrup of James Brown's' I'll Go Crazy.' Both songs are sung by Jorge Explosion in flawless Catalan and co-produced by Guerssen and Circo Perrotti. This release feels like a reunion of old friends that recalls the early days of both projects so is rife with nostalgia.
Review: A work that surely needs little to no introduction, 'Repeater', was the seminal debut full-length from post-hardcore visionaries, Fugazi. From the demise of emo pioneers, Rites Of Spring, and hardcore punk godfathers, Minor Threat, came the enigmatic pairing of Guy Picciotto and Ian MacKaye, with the latter's burgeoning artistry left fully untethered to conjure a work transcendent of post-hardcore or alternative rock. Mapping out the blueprint for punk and alternative music throughout the nineties, even predating the likes of Nirvana's 'Nevermind', or Pearl Jam's 'Ten'; few projects have stood the test of time or been cited as such an integral influence by a dynamic range of artists from Rage Against The Machine to The Dillinger Escape Plan to American Football. Aggressive, expansive and highly critical of issues still plaguing our world today, from drug abuse to greed and privatisation, the ethos of, 'Repeater', (quietly referencing The Beatles' 'Revolver') has only swollen with time.
Review: Erosion/Avulsion has been described elsewhere as a "grower", presumably rather than a "shower". We'd say it really depends on definitions of those labels. There are tracks on this eight-song gem that run screaming from the hellfire, committed to converting or killing anything that stands in their way. But then, admittedly, there are also more than a few moments that take the intensity and tempo way, way down, captivating with quiet rather than walls of monumental sound. Nevertheless, even these are incredibly powerful and add to the sense this is metal with proper depth and scope of vision. There's an appreciation of the impact that comes from difference and contrast, perhaps even a determination to prove that. Without overstepping the mark and careering into overuse territory. Overall, though, it's the noise you'll remember most, which comes in thick layers of aggressive, abrasive and, ultimately, infectiously rhythmic waves.
Review: Huge bass lines, a lot of shouting and swearing about the injustices that surround the world we live in today, crashing drums and a harsh guitar all make up the ferocious sound of Punk Rock 2025 and specifically this debut Lambrini Girls album. Phoebe Lunny's lyrics are delivered with venom and clarity that the listener may not want to eventually sing along to but will surely digest and be influenced by as the social ills that seem to be nudging us on a daily basis are still not subsiding. While the world are getting to grips with the rise of bands such as Amyl & The Sniffers this UK take on society's failings are similar to the subject matter one or two Punk Rock bands have been screaming about since the late 1970's. Sexual harassment within the workplace, police brutality and the misconduct that has surrounded the police force recently, same sex relationships, gentrification, gay rights, trans rights...these subjects are all covered here with hints of sarcasm, wit, anger and conviction (vodka and cider too maybe?). One or two light hearted moments mean it's not too difficult a listen despite some of the serious subject matter and all delivered in a way not heard since Bikini Kill or X Ray Spex. A speedy, 30 minute album that'll be listened to again and again for many years to come.
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