musicfordummies

2006-05-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Totalitar are one of my favorite bands. They were from Hudiksvall in Sweden and began their career sometime in 1985-6. They released several 7" records but in 1991 they sort of disappeared for a while but returned in 1994 with a new line-up and released their first full length, the amazing Sin Egen Motstandare. They released another fine full length called Ni Maste Bort and several splits and ep's before finally disbanding in 2003. They were in my opinion the world's finest d-beat punk band and featured here is my favorite release of theirs, the incredible Klass Inte Ras ep that was released on Prank Records in 1998. Enjoy!

1. Klass Inte Ras:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/01_-_Klass_Inte_Ras.mp3
2. Arbetets valsignelse:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/02_-_Arbetets_Välsignelse.mp3
3. Socialt Avsatt:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/03_-_Socialt_Avsatt.mp3
4. Styrka genom ingenting:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/04_-_Styrka_Genom_Ingenting.mp3
5. Intelligenses barbari:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/05_-_Intelligenses_Barbari.mp3
6. Till slaget:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/06_-_Till_Slaget.mp3

2006-04-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a while but I'm still here...

Sometimes you come across a band or a record that just simply blows away all your ideas on how a certain type of music should sound. The band of todays' post is way too often described as just another youth crew band, their records just another addition to the overflowing category of sxe hardcore but that is such a huge misconception. SECTION 8 were something more than just another youth crew band.

The first time I heard them I was completely blown away. It was a song on a sampler from Burning Heart Records and the song just blew all the other bands out of the water. The intensity and power of the song simply kicked me in the mouth and broke all my teeth. This was something more than just the average band!

A while later I acquired their first and only full length album, entitled Make Ends Meet, and every song on that record was even better than the first song I heard by Section 8. There is something about this band that just exceeds other hardcore bands. American Nightmare are like an emo band compared to Section 8, at least when it comes to intensity. The singer in Section 8 actually sounds like that he is about to burst, that if he will not scream the lyrics with all his heart he will die. It is like listening to a man who has lost everything and is losing his mind and screaming at a wall seconds before blowing his brains away. The songs themselves are like Rush suddenly discovered youth crew hardcore and figured they could do something new with the genre. They are not lost in technicalities or show off guitar wanking, just taking the hardcore formula and running ahead with it for a few hundred metres. Adding little touches here and there to make it more interesting, be it an open chord in an unusual spot or octave notes used in an innovative way. The songs themselves are so fast that it's hard to keep up but they never descend into mindless thrash territory, always keeping the melody and tightness in check. Then there are all these innovative parts that come out of nowhere but fit perfectly into the songs and some of those parts go on forever but are still continually changing. Oh man, I could go on forever about how amazing this record is but I guess you already can understand how in love with this record I am. I have owned it for almost 5 years now and it is still on my top five list of best records ever made.

just check these songs out:
HERE COMES THE PARADE
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/section_8_-_01_-_here_comes_the_parade.mp3
TO FEEL IS TO LIVE
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/section_8_-_02_-_to_feel_is_to_live.mp3
MEDIA ATTENTION DOESN'T EQUAL BEING HEARD
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/section_8_-_03_-_media_attention_doesn_t_equal_being_heard.mp3
THE EGO HAS LANDED
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/section_8_-_07_-_the_ego_has_landed.mp3
MAKE ENDS MEET
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/section_8_-_11_-_make_ends_meet.mp3
ONLY IN AMERICA
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/section_8_-_12_-_only_in_america.mp3

2006-01-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

To serve and protect! We all love cops, don't we? Seems like these bands don't.

NOFX - puke on cops
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/058_-_NOFX_-_Puke_On_Cops.mp3

Doom - police bastard
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/015_-_Doom_-_Police_Bastard.mp3

Rotten Sound - police raped a pensioner
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/029_-_Rotten_Sound_-_Police_Raped_A_Pensioner.mp3

Millions of Dead Cops - dead cops/america's so straight
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/mdc_-_now_more_than_ever_-_02_-_dead_cops_america_s_so_straight.mp3

Shitlickers - sprackta snutskallar
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/052_-_Shitlickers_-_Spräckta_Snutskallar.mp3

DS-13 - fukk the cops
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/032_-_D.S.-13_-_Fukk_The_Cops.mp3

2006-01-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

It's not common to hear punk/alternative music sung in arabic but here's one song...

Ire. I first heard about the band (who were from Canada) when reading about them in a great fanzine called Rumpshaker. One of the topics discussed was that Atom from Atom & His Package accused the band of being anti-semites because of the song featured here which is sung in arabic and is about the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel. Radwan, the singer in Ire, is originally from Lebanon but had emigrated to Canada with his family where he discovered hardcore punk and became involved in that. He also sang in The Black Hand who were awesome as well.
Ire is one of those underrated bands who made awesome music but seem to be almost completely forgotten.

Check it out:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/ire_-_01_-_Atfal_Al-Hejara.mp3

2005-12-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

yeah I know, I know...I'm terribly slow updating this site. fuck it...

here are three versions of the same song...

original one by Bad Brains:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/01_Sailin__On.mp3

Moby's version:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/moby-_Sailin__On.mp3

Living Colour's take on it:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Living_Colour_-_Sailin__On_(Acoustic)_(Bad_Brains_cover).mp3

Enjoy!

2005-11-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

The Dicks were a part of the first wave of punk bands in Austin, Texas along with Big Boys, MDC, The Offenders and many others. Formed sometime in 1979/1980 by singer Gary Floyd who was 26 years old at the time and had recently relocated from a small town called Palestine in Texas. It's interesting that he actually began putting up flyers for gigs by the band even before there was a band, just to get the name around. He was eventually joined by some musicians and began playing real shows, mostly at the local dive bar, Rauls, that was the hangout place for all the social misfits of the town, punks, goths etc.

Gary had been a conscientious objector to the Vietnam war, was (and still is) flamboyantly gay and right from the start the band declared themselves a "commie fag" band. Their live shows must have been quite a spectacle with Gary pulling chocolate frosting from his panties and throwing it at the audience and inviting members of the audience to suck his dick on stage.
Their first ep entitled Dicks Hate The Police was released in 1980 on R Radical Records (a label run by members of MDC) and was unlike most other punk at the time with its blues-y riffs added to the speed and rawness of punk.
Their next release was an awesome split live LP with Big Boys, recorded at Rauls.
Just before the release of their debut LP, Kill From The Heart (on SST Records), the band moved to San Francisco along with DRI and MDC where they resided and rehearsed at a squatted former beer factory called The Vats where Crucifix, Neurosis and many others began their career.
The Dicks joined up with Crucifix and the Crucifucks on the three month Rock Against Reagan tour in 1983, after which everyone except Gary quit the band and moved back to Texas. Gary recruited new members and recorded one more ep and one lp (which was released on Alternative Tentacles) before calling it quits in 1986 and Gary formed Sister Double Happiness.

Alternative Tentacles were nice enough to release an extensive collection cd with the best material byu The Dicks titled simply '80-'86, a cd I recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in old school punk.

Hate the police:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/the_dicks_-_01_-_dicks_hate_the_police.mp3

Saturday night at the bookstore:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/the_dicks_-_03_-_saturday_night_at_the_bookstore.mp3

No nazi's friend:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/the_dicks_-_09_-_no_nazi_s_friend.mp3

I hope you get drafted:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/the_dicks_-_14_-_i_hope_you_get_drafted.mp3

Anti-klan part 1:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/the_dicks_-_08_-_anti-klan_(part_1).mp3

2005-11-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

To fit the current mood here's some songs about suicide, depression and being left out. If my computer weren't such a fucking piece of crap I would have put the original version of that Vonbrigdi song and some Purrkur Pillnikk songs but I guess technology isn't my best friend but anyway, these are good songs. I hope you enjoy them. Soon I'll make a proper post and move back to punk after this too long stay in rock and roll territory.

Black Flag - nervous breakdown
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/01-Black_Flag-Nervous_Breakdown.mp3

Dead Moon - castaways
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/dead_moon_-_07_-_castaways.mp3

Wipers - d7
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/08-wipers-d-7-rh.mp3

Dead Moon - sorrow's forecast
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/dead_moon_-_02_-_sorrow_s_forecast.mp3

Wipers - no one wants an alien
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/08_no_one_wants_an_alien.mp3

Wipers - potential suicide
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/09-wipers-potential_suicide-rh.mp3

Vonbrigdi - sjálfsmord
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/vonbrigdi_sjalfsmord.mp3

"abandoned by the future and the past don't understand"

2005-10-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Before I begin todays' post I've got two questions...

first, is anyone reading this?

second, should I start writing this in Icelandic or stay with English?

This time the featured band is Blue Cheer. They were one of the bands on that history of rock music documentary (the one that I mentioned in the post about Grand Funk Railroad) that totally blew me away. The song was "summertime blues", an Eddie Cochran cover, played so loud and aggressive that you could just feel the intensity. And to see Paul Whaley play the drums was a real eye opener, he pounded the crap out of those drums!
Their records aren't that easy to find so it wasn't until a few years ago that I acquired a copy of their debut lp, Vincebus Eruptum, but man was it worth the wait! A fuzzed-up and loud as fuck electric blues fest from start to finish.

But let's get into the history of the band. Blue Cheer were formed in late 1966/early 1967 by Paul Whaley (drums), Leigh Stevens (guitar) and Dickie Peterson on bass and vocals in the San Francisco area. Being a power trio, it's easy to see who their influences were; Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and all those bands. They quickly made a name for themselves but not always a very positive appraisal because at the time, most people weren't really ready for music to be this extreme. Their concerts were so loud that some guests worried about getting permanent hearing damage like this quote illustrates:
- I was turning deaf, maybe for the rest of my life. Their concert had been the loudest thing I ever had audienced to and, in terms of volume, nothing could never compare with it since. Just three tiny long-haired boys and an imposing wall of amplifiers. Amps were piled up so tight that litterally filled the whole stage. I had never seen something like that and my ears were out of touch. At moments, I wished I had to get away for good ...-.

Their debut album,Vincebus Eruptum, was released in january 1968 and made it all the way up to number 11 on the Billboard chart, mostly due to their cover of "summertime blues" which was a semi-hit of sorts and even got them spots on some tv-shows.
Their second lp, Outside Inside, was released in august of the same year and contained more of the same loud and fuzzy electric blues noise that they were known for, a little toned down perhaps in loudness but faster instead.
At this time, the peace and love vibe of San Francisco was giving way to a darker and more violent time with the Charlie Manson episode and the violence that was starting to erupt at concerts and festivals, all the drug abuse starting to take it's toll on people, and Blue Cheer (who are named after a variety of LSD apparently) were not exempt from that. Their shows at this time were very violent with the band destroying their instruments and the crowd being equally destructive and violent, often leaving several people injured. Leigh Stevens found all this too much to bear and quit the band and in my opinion the magic of the band was lost. That's not to say that their later material is bad, it just doesn't have the same vibe and they also, like so many of their contemporaries, began softening their sound to try and get more radio airplay.
After the third lp, New and Improved, Paul Whaley quit the band as well. Dickie Peterson kept the band going for a few years with several different line ups but eventually he broke up the band.

Blue Cheer were pioneers. They are considered by many to be the first heavy metal band, they had a huge influence on the early punk bands and the whole genre of stoner rock/doom metal wouldn't even exist if it hadn't been for Blue Cheer (ok, and Black Sabbath). Enjoy!

Summertime Blues:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/summertime_blues.mp3

Out Of Focus:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/out_of_focus.mp3

Just a little bit:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/blue_cheer-03-just_a_little_bit.mp3

Satisfaction (by the Rolling Stones):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/blue_cheer-06-(i_can_t_get_no)_satisfaction.mp3

2005-10-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I know almost nothing about today's band but I was floored when I first heard them.

The Creeps were a garage type band from Sweden who released several records in the mid- to late 80's. I only own their first one, simply titled "enjoy the creeps" but it is an awesome record.

When I first bought it I thought that it was a re-press of a record from the late 60's because everything about it reminds of that era from the sound on the record to the style of music to the look of the cover, even the haircuts and clothes of the band on the picture on the back reminds of the late 1960's but no, after some internet research I found out that the year it was released was indeed 1986. From what I understand they released several more records but moved from their initial sound to a typical 80's new wave/garage sound so I'm not that interested in checking it out. If you know anything else about the band please let me know, or just if you want to tell me my taste in music sucks then post a comment, it would be nice to know if someone is actually reading and checking this site out.

Down at the nightclub:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/down_at_the_nightclub.mp3

Just what I need:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/just_what_I_need.mp3

She's gone:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/she_s_gone.mp3

2005-10-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

It was never the idea to have only punk on here but so far that's mostly been the case so I think it's time to change that now.

Grand Funk Railroad are one of my all time favorite bands. I first heard about them when I was around 10 years old. I was just getting into music and me and my friends were dubbed the "Kiss gang" by the people in Hvammstangi, the tiny town I grew up in. We were rebels; we listened to hard rock (mostly Kiss and Twisted Sister), smoked, stole stuff and so on. My best friend at the time somehow got a hold of a video tape that documented the history of rock music from the 50's up to the mid-70's (I remember it was hosted by John Sebastian) and we religiously watched the hard rock/heavy metal part of it. Along with the bands that everybody knows about like Black Sabbath and Kiss there were a few bands we had never heard of before. Grand Funk was one of them.

Then a few years later, when I was about 14 or 15 years old, the legendary Icelandic rock icon Pétur Kristjánsson came through town with his travelling cd market. I borrowed a bit of money from my mom and went there and lo and behold, buried in between endless amounts of crap cd's there was a Grand Funk best of cd. I was thrilled and purchased the thing. I remember that when Pétur saw what cd I was buying he was ecstatic and said that Grand Funk were one of his favorites and that he had seen them playing live in London in the 70's, said it was one of the best shows he ever saw.

Anyway, I went home and put the cd on and was immediately blown away. The one song I had heard before, "we're an american band," was good but almost all the other songs were even better. I eventually lost the cd but a few years ago I came across some Grand Funk vinyl in a second hand shop and have been collecting it ever since.

Grand Funk Railroad were formed in Flint, Michican by Don Brewer (drums), Mark Farner (guitar and vocals) and Mel Schacher on bass in 1968. Very early on Terry Knight, a friend of theirs, who had been a radio dj became their manager and producer and it is no doubt thanks to him that they became as popular as they were for a short period of time around 1970.

After a very successful appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1969 they landed a deal with Capitol Records and their first album entitled "On Time" was released later that same year. They played a lot of festivals at this time and thus built a big following among Americas' youth without much radio support. They got so big that in 1971 they sold out New York's Shay stadium (a 50.000 capacity venue I believe) in something like 72 hours. They were the second ever band to sell out that stadium (the other one was The Beatles) and they still hold the record for fastest selling out the venue. Their first handful of records all went into the top 20 on the national charts. All this they achieved with almost no radio support and with the music media almost completely against them (they got bad reviews in almost all of the music press and ironically used those articles in the inner sleeve artwork for both Grand Funk Live Album and the double best of album that was released in 1972). For some reason the music press elite thought they were a below average band that catered to a pre-teen audience thus not being artistically valid enough. What does the press know anyway?

It has to be said that the marketing gimmicks pulled by Terry Knight played a big role in making the band as big as they were. Just to name an example he supposedly payed 100.000 $ for a huge billboard ad in Times Square, New York advertising their third album "Closer To Home". He also sent out ridiculous promo sheets declaring the band to be the biggest and best band since The Beatles, a revolutionary group that would transform American society. A bit over the top, perhaps?

Anyway, the band fired Terry Knight in 1972, brought a keyboard player into the line up (Craig Frost was his name) and started evolving from their early, distorted hard rock sound into a safer, more radio friendly rock territory. Their biggest hit is from that period though and if it hadn't been for that song the band might be almost completely forgotten since history has not been kind to this band. That hit was the title track from the "We're an American Band" album. They had a few more radio hits in that mid-70's period but eventually lost their momentum and faded into an obscurity that not even Frank Zappa could save them from but he produced their last album. An album some say is their best material but I don't agree with that.

Mark Farner quit the band and started a solo career. Mel and Don continued playing together for a while under the name Flint but just released one record. I haven't heard that yet but Mark's solo material is terrible, well not maybe terrible but very average and dull.

The band has reformed several times but only once with all the original members. I think they should have just let this dead dog lie still. The current version is Don, Mel, Bruce Kulick (who spent I think 12 years in Kiss) and two other bozos.

They released a lot of records in their relatively short livespan, as was the case with most bands in those days. A total of 11 studio records, two live albums and one best of lp. There have been several records with the reformed line ups but I'm not interested in those.
Because of this amount of records released it's almost impossible to pick just a few tracks so this time I'm just gonna take tracks off their first LP and do a feature on their other stuff later. I'm also picking stuff that wasn't necessarily their "hits" because I think some of their more unknown material is just as good or even better.

Anybody's answer:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/anybody_s_answer.mp3

High on a horse:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/high_on_a_horse.mp3

Heartbreaker:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/heartbreaker.mp3

t.n.u.c. (check out that awesome drum solo and remember that this is way before the time of pro-tools and other such gadgets, this is one take):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/t.n.u.c..mp3

2005-10-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

I can't be arsed writing a lot and making an in-depth post today but just so something get's posted I'm putting up three songs for your listening pleasure

Frantix were from Colorado, USA and released two 7" and one demo tape, all of which are featured on a discography cd released by Afterburn records in Australia in 2003. The band was formed sometime in the very early 80's and broke up in 1984. Their shows were renowned for violence and chaos just like so many punk shows in those days. In my opinion they were just an average american hardcore band but the song featured here stands high above the rest of their material with it's downtuned sloppiness and awesome lyrics.

My dad's a fucking alcoholic:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/01_My_Dad_s_a_Fuckin__Alcoholic.mp3

Reagan Youth on the other hand are one of my favorites from the early 80's us hardcore scene. They were from New York and were a regular at CBGB's at the legendary sunday matinees. Their lyrics and artwork were very tounge in cheek attacks on racism and american society, and they are especially sarcastic since the singer's family were holocaust survivors. All of their stuff has been re-issued by New Red Archives and I recommend all of it. Awesome band. The story of their singer is very tragic. After the band's break up he became addicted to heroin, was at one point seriously beaten up in a drug deal gone bad and had to be hospitalized for weeks. A while later he began dating a prostitude who was also addicted to heroin. He was very much in love with her. His mother died in a car accident shortly thereafter and then one day his girlfriend went into a pick up truck with a customer, telling Dave she would be back in twenty minutes, but never returned. The customer turned out to be Joel Rifkin, a serial killer, and he had killed her. A month later Dave committed suicide. Ain't life grand, eh?

Reagan youth:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/reagan_youth_-_a_collection_of_pop_classics_-_01_-_reagan_youth.mp3

Everybody knows the Dead Kennedys. They need no introduction. This track is taken off a demo tape from 1978 and I don't think it's on any of their later releases. Check it out.

Dreadlocks of the suburbs:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/02-dead_kennedys_-_dreadlocks_of_the_suburbs-sdr.mp3

I will do a more "proper" post in a few days when I've decided on a theme.

2005-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Vikings, fjords, "smugan"... you getting the clues?

Yes it's time for that norwegian punk history lesson. Well actually it's not that much of a history lesson because I know very little about the history of punk in Norway but I do know a few good bands from the late 70's-early 80's in Norway so why not put some of their stuff here?

Also, as all you Icelanders have been lied to in school and the media, Norway is our "ancestral home" so apparently we are supposed to feel some sort of connection with them (I don't but then again I don't feel any connections towards anyone, anywhere). Forget all those Celtic slaves, we are of true scandinavian heritage blablabla, same old nationalist crap... anyway, I'm not gonna let this site turn into a venue for political tirades on my behalf, this is about music so here we go...

Kjött is a band I know almost nothing about but they were apparently together from 1978-1981 so they must have been part of the first wave of punk bands in Norway, at least that's what they sound like: a mix of classic '77 punk and the same eclecticism that Icelandic bands from the same period were known for (no doubt a result of musical isolation and therefore a good breeding ground for experimenting with sounds and styles). They released two 7"s one 12" and one LP which I can't be bothered naming. Here are two songs from them:

Se og hör:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Kjøtt_-_03_Se_&_Hør.mp3

Jeg vil bli som jesus:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Kjøtt_-_07_Jeg_vil_bli_som_Jesus.mp3

Hærverk were around at the same time as Kjött but only released one 7", the "stengt pa grund af hærverk" in 1980 and I personally really like that one. Their sound was typical of the era, raw but very tuneful garage punk with varying tempos. The track I'm putting on here is probably their slowest and most poppy but I just think it's so fucking good that I just have to use it.

produkt av 70 ára:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Hærverk_-_01_-_Produkt_av_70_åra.mp3

I read somewhere that Betong Hysteria were the first hardcore band in Norway. Can't varify for that but still, their 1983 7" "spontan abort" is without doubt a hardcore record in terms of sound, style, aesthetics and lyrics. It was their only release and I don't know anything else about the band but the song "snutan kommer" is a mix tape classic

Snutan kommer:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/16_betong_hysteria_-_snuten_kommer.mp3

Siste Dagers Helvete released one LP entitled "the hell" in 1984 on the very dubious german label Rock-O-Rama (who released some nazi music as well) but apparently SDH knew nothing about that. I have no more info on the band except that apparently the singer has a distinct finnish accent but I wouldn't know since I'm not norwegian and have no idea what norwegian with a finnish accent sounds like.

Jeg föler ingenting:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/siste_dagers_helvete_-_the_hell_-_03_-_jeg_føler_ingenting.mp3

Kafka Process are probably the best known of the Norwegian bands from the period, no doubt thanks to the discography that Skuld Releases put out a few years ago entitled "ingen fattig, ingen rike" and the fact that they were very busy getting themselves on comps all over and toured Europe several times and last but not least their only release while still active was a split LP with UK punk legends Disorder (who I think moved to Norway for a time but I'm not 100% sure on that) that came out in 1985.

Mentalt ut av balans:
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/03-kafka_prosess-mentalist_ute_av_balance.mp3

I was gonna put more stuff here but because I don't want to fill Palli's webspace with obscure norwegian punk I'll let this do for now.
Some other Norwegian bands of note were Bannlyst, Svart Framtid and Akutt Inleggelse (two of whom went on to form the homoerotic and all-in-all awesome rock band Turbonegro) as well as Jin'rik'sha who were around in the early 90's and I was told had a huge influence on His Hero Is Gone.

Heart First Records from Germany have been very active keeping the legend of Norwegian hardcore available so if you're interested in this try to find them on cyberspace somewhere and delve into the mysterious underworld of true norwegian underground hardcorepunk

hardcorepunk ist krig!

2005-09-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

I'm too lazy to make a long post now with all the research and writing and crap that goes along with that but so you get something new to check out I'm putting three cool cover songs up here. I love cover songs when done with passion and originality. These three are also picked because the world recently lost some of it's finest musicians when Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash died.

In the next few days/weeks I will be doing posts with special themes like punk (or just music) from different parts of the world or with a special lyrical subject in mind so keep on checking this site for updates.

That's all for now, I hope you'll enjoy these three tracks as much as I do.

Johnny Cash w/ Joe Strummer - redemption song (by Bob Marley):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/johnny_cash_-_unearthed_-_disc_3_-_redemptio_-_03_-_redemption_song_[w._joe_strummer).mp3

Johnny Cash - heart of gold (by Neil Young):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Johnny_Cash_-_Heart_Of_Gold.mp3

Joe Strummer w/ The Pogues - London Calling (The Clash):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Joe_Strummer_and_The_Pogues_-_London_Calling.mp3

2005-09-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

NO GODS, NO MASTERS!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the almighty grandfathers of crust: AMEBIX!

Before I start I want to apologize for the lack of updating on my part, I was busy learning how to use my computer and I'm glad to announce that as from now I can not only update this site with songs from my own computer but I can also rip my vinyl onto the computer and put it on the net! Awesome indeed (thanks a million Palli!). I was gonna have a non-punk update now but when I started ripping those Amebix records into my computer I just knew I had to pay tribute to them here.

Amebix are one of those bands you either "get" or you don't so some of you might not understand what the fuzz is about but I am a huuuge Amebix fan, I love everything they ever did in their almost ten years of existence. And those of you out there that have heard my band Hrydjuverk play should be able to hear now where my vocal influences come from.

Amebix started in 1978 in Devon, UK. At first none of them knew how to play instruments and in those early days there was a lot of swapping instruments and changing personel but somehow they managed to record a 6 song demo tape that eventually came into the hands of Crass who put one of those songs ("university challenged") on the first Bullshit Detector comp that they released on Crass Records. Ok, I know I said I love everything they did in their existence but I must admit that this demo tape is rather crap.

Anyway, shortly thereafter the brothers Stig and Rob Miller who were the core of the group met a guy called Martin whose parents had a manor house somewhere in the area but didn't actually live in at the time so the three of them moved into that house, stayed up all night making music (Martin was now the drummer with Stig on guitar and Rob (aka Aphid, aka The Baron) on bass and vocals), drinking and doing drugs. At this point their music began to evolve into what they eventually came known and relatively popular for: dark, apocalyptic, tribal and repetitive mid tempo punk with a big metal influence as well (Venom, Motörhead etc).
But eventually Martins parents returned, were obviously not very pleased with what was going on, Martin had a mental breakdown, was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic and has been in and out of institutions ever since.
So Stig and Rob moved to Bristol where they met up with local punk legends Disorder and moved into a squat there which had at some point earlier sold all the doors from the house to buy glue for sniffing(so you can imagine what the state of the house in general was!). They borrowed the drummer from Disorder, recruited a synth player named Norman and continued rehearsing their music in between all the drinking and drug-using.
They eventually got some music recorded and their first 7" was released on Spiderleg Records, a label run by Flux Of Pink Indians. Shortly thereafter came the "winter" 7" and following right in it's tracks is their masterpiece; the "no sanctuary" 12" record which was recorded in Southern Studios in London like most of the good punk coming out of the UK at the time (and some Icelandic stuff as well like Ekki Enn by Purrkur Pilnikk). In the studio they met Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys fame and later signed a record deal with him and so became the first UK band to release a record on Alternative Tentacles. That was the "arise" full length, released in late 1985. A record which Jello was at first a bit reluctant to release because he felt it was too metal but eventually put it out and boy am I glad he did because it's an awesome fucking record.
The band had at some point switched drummers, began going on longer tours and eventually made it out to mainland Europe. They didn't release another record until 1987 but toured extensively in the meantime. That record, "monolith", turned out to be their last one and the band broke up after their Monolith European tour.

Amebix had an incredible impact on music in general, not just punk. They were innovative in their simplicity, not afraid to play slow when the punk trend said fast fast fast, had a huge influence on metal bands like Sepultura and you can even hear Amebix influences in electronic music, especially of the "drone" variety. Lyrically they were almost Shakespearean at times with their use of rhyme and midieval imagery while always being to the point in their biting criticism of society, technology, war and especially religion.

Today, Rob Miller lives in the Isle of Skye off the coast of Scotland where he forges swords (yes, real fucking steel-I'll-kill-you-in-one-blow swords) in the old style (without the use of modern technology) and as a true testament of punk and it's ethics, he tought himself how to do it. DIY! Stig is living in Bristol and struggling with a heroin addiction I think and I have no idea what the others are up to.

Picking just a few tracks was really difficult because I love almost everything they've done but I tried to pick songs that represent a certain point in their career.

Winter (off the winter 7")
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Amebix_-_winter.mp3

Battery humans (first track off the no sanctuary 12" (it takes a while to get started, long intro))
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/Amebix_-_battery_humans.mp3

Largactyl (off the Arise lp, I picked this song because it's about the drug which Martin was put on and made him practically into a vegetable, when I was in rehab all the speed junkies were put on this drug):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/04_Largactyl.mp3

Right to ride (off their last ever demo recording, bonus track on the re-issue of the Arise record, check out the Motörhead influence):
http://www.kaninka.net/villi/10_Right_to_Ride.mp3

2005-09-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Some people say they were the greatest hardcore band ever. Bold statement. I'm not sure I agree with it but fucking good they were.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you.... (drum roll please)...

Negative Approach.

Formed in Detroit, Michican in 1981 by vocalist John Brannon, guitarist Rob McCullough and two others who were soon replaced with Rob's brother Graham on on bass and O.P. Moore on drums. Being a punk in those days was no easy life in the American midwest, the scene was hardly existent in Detroit until about 6 months after the band started, and they're only refuge was a skatepark where the punks hung out everyday and if they dared venture outside that they risked getting jumped and beaten by jocks and rednecks or the good old enemy of punk; the cops.
So anyway, the band started gigging regularly and became quite popular amongst the punks in their home area and eventually Touch & Go (which was just a fanzine at the time) decided to release their first vinyl, a ten song 7" that came out in 1982. A year later their first and only LP, "tied down", was released on Touch & Go as well but things weren't going so well within the band so they eventually broke up in 1984 and each moved on to pastures new.

What made NA different from many of their contemporaries is that they're influences were a bit more varied, just to give you an idea here's what they say are their favorite bands in an interview in Suburban Voice fanzine from 1982/3:
"Minor Threat, Misfits, Bad Brains, Iggy & The Stooges, Void, Sex Pistols, 4-Skins with Hodges, Kiss, Scream, Alice Cooper, Faith, Black Flag, Necros, UK Subs, SOA, Angelic Upstarts, Meatmen, Blitz."

You see, at this time you didn't mix all those ingredients. You either played Oi! or you didn't. You played american hardcore punk or british punk. Those two weren't usually mixed together in one band and that's what made Negative Approach unique at the time but controversial as well since the skinheads were not particularly pleased with this development.
Another aspect that made NA stand out from the mediocre pack was John Brannon's lyrics and vocal delivery. That guy was fucking angry, pissed off, nihilistic and full of spite. When asked what he sang about he simply replied: "people I hate." No politics or sloganeering there, just pure anger and rage, just check out these lyrics:

Nothing:
You try to make things work and gain something
It's all no use, it's all worth nothing
Complete satisfaction is too impossible to believe
Nothing's ever fucking gonna work for me

Tomorrow seems so hopeless can't keep it off my mind
Another day of nothing I'm running out of time
I've got nothing I can look forward to
I'm always left with nothing

I'm always told things I don't want to hear
My destiny's become quite clear
Life's never fucking given nothing to me
It's just stood by and watch me bleed

some parts from YOUR MISTAKE:
When I think about you
My anger only grows
You made me hate your guts
But you'd never fucking know

You hate what I do
And I do what you hate
I'm sick of your shit
And the problems that you make
When I reason with you
You always have a fit
You're getting on my nerves
And there's no doubt about it

so anyway, here are some songs off their first 7". Enjoy!

Can't tell no one:
http://www.geocities.com/nahardcore/1.mp3

Sick of talk:
http://www.geocities.com/nahardcore/2.mp3

Pressure:
http://www.geocities.com/nahardcore/3.mp3

Ready to fight:
http://www.geocities.com/nahardcore/7.mp3

Nothing:
http://www.geocities.com/nahardcore/5.mp3

2005-09-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm gonna have to admit something. I don't know shit about computers so I have no idea how I can put songs from my computer on this webpage so until I learn how to do that I'm gonna have to borrow mp3's off bands' pages or other mp3 blogs so I apologize if you've heard all this stuff before, I'm gonna try to update my computer knowledge so I can actually put something original on here

but until then...

Here's The Wipers. People that know me personally know that I have a serious fetish for music from Portland, Oregon and one of the all time best from that city were The Wipers. Formed in 1979 by virtuoso Greg Sage with the intention to release 15 records in 10 years and never tour, play live or do any type of promotion because his idea would be that the mystique would force people to listen to their records more "deeply".
Things didn't turn out that way and they became a "conventional" band that would tour and play live but they were still completely different from all other bands at the time because they could not be identified with any one particular genre of music although they mostly played punk shows.
The first 7" came out in 1979 entitled "better off dead" followed by the superb "is this real?" LP later the same year.
In 1981 their second LP, "youth of america", was released and was quite different from their first lp with songs clocking at 10 minutes with a very phsychedelic sound. That move was a direct response to the punk trend at the time to play as fast as possible and keeping songs as short as possible.
My favorite Wipers Lp came out in 1983. "Over the edge" shows Greg Sage's amazing songwriting abilities reaching it's peak with incredible song structures, beautiful melodies but still retaining that dark, depressive feeling that they had always had especially with Greg's vocals barely in key with the music and he sincerely sounds like a person who is completely alienated from society and very depressed because of that. Suffice to say that I can identify with that feeling very well.
The Wipers continued releasing records sporadically until 1999 but never really reached the amazingness of those first three lp's.

Is this real? (from "is this real?"):
http://buddyhead.com/mp3blog/Wipers-IsThisReal.mp3

Romeo (from "over the edge"):
http://www.strangereaction.com/tracks/Wipers%20-%20Romeo.mp3

Over the edge (from "over the edge"):
http://sonicgg.tripod.com/mp3s/wipers_over.mp3

Return of the rat (from is this real?):
http://www.strangereaction.com/tracks/Wipers%20-%20Return%20of%20the%20Rat.mp3

If any of these links don't work then don't blame me, I'm borrowing this from other sites. I'll eventually be able to put songs here from my own computer and will then do a better job with this.

2005-09-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Next up are Th'Inbreds. "Who?" I hear you ask. Well they are one of the hidden gems of 80's hardcore punk and their first LP, a family affair, gets a regular spin on my jaded old turntable.

Th'Inbreds came from the redneck producing machine that is the state of West Virginia, the poorest state in the US and just that fact gave them a special niche in the US hardcore scene of the time. Their first gig was in march of 1985 and they continued on from there for a few years, playing their last show in 1988 and officially breaking up in 1990. They released one ep and two lp's, all of them great but like I said my personal favorite is the A family affair LP.
The band consisted of Robert (guitar), Bob Art who according to the LP insert is the pissed off guy who yells the words, Billy Atwell (aka Bif 3) on drums and Duff on bass. They varied a lot in age with Duff being in his mid-30's when the band formed, Bob in his late 20's and the other two in their early 20's so it was obvious that their musical abilities as well as influences differed a lot from most of their peers and that is what makes the band so interesting and, in my opinion, great. Their influences, besides the obvious ones like MDC, Dead Kennedy's, Minor Threat and Black Flag, were diverse bands/artists such as King Crimson (who they frequently covered live), Louis Armstrong, Captain Beefheart, Phil Ochs, Crass and Husker Du and they were not afraid to show those influences in their own songwriting with odd time changes, jazz-like instrumentalisations and varying tempos along with the classic punk thrash of the day.

Lyrically they were quite out of the ordinary as well. Very sarcastic and biting commentary on society, politics, the punk scene, the american education system and just about everything under the sun. Their lyrics and the way they're added to the music very much remind me Jello Biafra, and in fact the Dead Kennedys would probably be the best comparison for this band in general without ever really sounding like them at all.
Here's a few examples of their lyrics, just so you get a general idea:

From Positive Song:
"okay, I wanna tell everybody about a very bad thing in this world,
and if everybody skates a lot and goes to a lot of shows,
everything's gonna be okay, alright?"

From History Lesson:
"In the museums and in the schools
displays of primitive kinds and their tools
primitive because they could not stand
up to the machine of civilized man

so we grind their bones up into dust
because they're not like us
dig 'em up and put 'em under the glass
we're safe now that they're in the past"

So ok, enough ramblings from me. I think you get the point by now, I really really like this band.

Positive Song: http://www.claustrophonic.com/mp3/thinbred/FamilyAffair/08.PositiveSong.mp3

Satan Youth: http://www.claustrophonic.com/mp3/thinbred/FamilyAffair/03.SatanYouth.mp3

Exercise 3/History Lesson: http://www.claustrophonic.com/mp3/thinbred/FamilyAffair/10.Exercise3-HistoryLesson.mp3

You can download both their full length records here:
http://www.claustrophonic.com/music/thinbred.php

2005-09-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is my first attempt at doing a music blog so bear with me, I hope this will turn out alright.

First up are The Damned because they are awesome. They started in early 1976 and even at their first ever show caused controversy because the crowd - a disparate group of ageing hippies there to see some other shit band - did not appreciate The Damned's loud and abrasive, noisy version of rock'n'roll (influenced by MC5, Iggy and the Stooges etc) so the drummer Rat Scabies threw his bass drum into the crowd. So right from the start it was obvious that this was something entirely new and violence was to be common place at The Damned shows along with cross dressing, "gobbing" (the audience and the band spitting on each other), nudity, setting fire to drum kits and so on and so forth.
This song is the first single from their first LP and is generally accepted as the first ever punk rock single (but that is up for debate since I think the Ramones and other bands from the USA would be considered the first punk bands). I chose this instead of Sex Pistols because they were nothing but hype and crap music while The Damned could actually write songs and play them properly. Enjoy!

http://www.thedamned.com/media/mp3/damned/new_rose.mp3

"Our gigs were like kindergarten chaos. It was lovely" -Brian James, guitarist for The Damned