PHUD - 2 BIG BITES OF

A bedroom cum toilet recording here that really pisses me off no end. The first track 'Don't Know If I Am' is obviously a bloody good song but despite the vocals just about holding up the whole background discordance sounds as if its been recorded via a 0.1 amp which has been filled with a million coked up wasps. What a racket!. Its still listenable but this should have been so much better. The second track is a pure peach, namely 'Echo Location, but again the quality of sound is a total let down and just adds to the listeners frustration. It is a very catchy tune that is reminiscent of early 80's indie gently seasoned with bits of Killing Joke with both blending nicely to produce a good effort. Such a shame it had to be released in this state. Benath a blanket of bedlam we come to tracks 3 and 4 which may be discerned as being very good indeed but once again are hammered into submission by bad final productions that adds such a unbearable coating of shite to the whole proceedings that the flavour of each ditty is almost lost. The final opinion is ambiguous to say the least with the avoidance of this CD left to the consumer but a live viewing of this band a veritable must as I suspect it could be a good do. Again with better production and attention to detail plus patience and consideration we must surely be awarded with a CD worthy of a good band. Sadly here they have let themselves down dramatically.

THE HARDER THE BETTER VOL 12

The doors of lunacy are unlocked by the twisted hand of deviancy and the snarling inmates run riot on this full tilt lesson in head-banging insanity.  Fully focused on aural destruction and discordant molestation we have a compilation of 26 underground onslaughts that virtually all drip with blasphemous aggression.  Brief respite is found early on from the punky, and may it be said excellent, AFS, who’s offering of ‘Wouldn’t Want To Be You’, is a blessed melodic interlude but yet still retains a flavour that gobs in the mouth of acceptance and smacks of non-conformity.  Some of the other tracks go way over the edge of decency and their all-out brutality and blood and gore approach have a blackened charm and violent vitality that the true hardcore brigade will surely salivate to.  ‘Kaliber’ and ‘Dysfunctional Youth’ are other stand out moments from this musical carnage that is definitely one for the dedicated slammer.  For anyone curious enough to enter this sable nuthouse of necrophilia noise be warned – ‘The Unhinged are armed and waiting’.

APOCALYPSE BABYS – 7" Plus

The opening Ramones tribute (1,2,3,4) sets an accomplished, light and unpretentious tone, one which the AB’s succeed in attaining throughout a recording that abounds with varied excursions into many obvious influences but doesn’t stray too far to make it all invalid.  This is a quality, individualistic effort and proves the Baby’s to be a proficient crew of musical composers.  Indeed it is with song arrangement that this bunch of beer swilling buggers are most adept, with each and every song similar to a persistent creeping vine that subtly invades the conscience and stubbornly adheres there with alarming strength.  The variation in melody and approach is inspiring with ‘Dance Til You Drop’ a bop ‘n’ drop beauty, ‘Jacqueline’ being a right good retro romp,  ‘Cops ‘n’ Robbers’ an instantaneous sing-a-long ditty, ‘Does Your Mother Know’ a moronic, sexualised cover done with charming skill, ‘999’ a typical punk rhythm and ‘Still Unsigned’ a sneering jibe at the ignorant.  It’s all there and its produced and delivered to a fine standard.  Highly recommended and old school/new school should find plenty here to enjoy.

LOWLIFE UK - THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS

Motorhead meets the 4 dunken muvvas from Bargain Booze here as we come across a raucous, retro offering of rough and ready punk in all its undignified naked glory. Consistently hard edged throughout with numerous metal/punk crossovers this is a concrete effort that backs up the outstanding ability of a fantastic live outfit. The lyrics are streetwise and the music raw with typically screamed vocals deliciously spicing up the final orgy.

Each track is deliberate in its approach with Short Fuse, No Good When You're Dead, Glad To See You Go (Ramones cover) and Fuck You being the finest examples on a bloody good CD. The main essence of this production is the unrelenting noise, a quality that will appeal to the majority of the punk rock community.

The finale of rantings and ravings are the obvious utterances of the unhinged and as soon as these cunts are locked up the safer we all may sleep in our beds. A must for fans of the band and a must for anyone else who has a craving for good, old fashioned streetpunk.

APOCALYPSE BABYS – THE MORE YOU DRINK

For pissed up passion and a superb collection of inebriated ditties then this fine example of rousing punk rock will serve you well.  Production wise this fuckin’ red hot release is a real cut above with all members perfectly blended  resulting in an excellent discordance that just gets better and better with every hearing.  Despite a fun-time surface persona of drunken cretinism this should by no means at all detract from the AB’s ability to construct damn fine songs with pure punk fuelled lyrics.  ‘Too Old To Dance’ is a pogo pleasure, ‘Sucking The Dick Of America’ is the quintessential angry assault and ‘It Always Rains On Sundays’ is a beautifully crafted nostalgia trip of youthful love.  The UK Subs cover is genius and gloriously reflects the Babies’ skill and insight into a complex scene.  This sackful of melodies is bursting at the seams with quality and is a must for any beer swilling punks collection.  The studio shenanigans is hilarious with guitar man Jools a natural MEMBER of the comedic race.  In short this is a pip and one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time.  And live they are pretty entertaining too – what more can one say.

FAINTEST IDEA – FOR EVERY WINDOW THERE’S A BRICK

The CD creeps open with a moribund trumpet that is blasted away by full cylinder guitar that drags all concerned into a faster, more energetic pace.  ‘You Can’t Break Me’ is a good opener that has some nice ska riffs and a defiant tone that contrasts well with the teasing trumpet that remains placid throughout.  In pursuit of this opener is the seemingly ‘Frederickson-esque’ ‘Chasing Out The Scum’ that really does have the said ‘erberts sound in various parts which is either a compliment or insult dependant on your stance.  Various crescendos’ are reached throughout which ooze promise and ring craft and contribute to a real deal of a punk edged track.  ‘One More Round’ continues the frenzied approach and is a good jig along ditty that is brought to a halt by the more traditional ska of ‘Why Don’t Kids Go To War’ which is a choice moment to spliff up and get down into the two tone zone.  ‘See You In The Gutter’ lacks accuracy but is raw enough to meet certain punk criteria and therefore holds a valid place on this debut CD.  The last two tracks of ‘Cheer Up’ and ‘One Shot, Two Shot’ follow the same thread as the previous offerings with both melodies for the mood suffering piss head.  All in all not a bad first effort with my main criticism that future releases need to improve the production by placing emphasis on power and blending instruments so that they come into their own on any chosen moment.  Judging on a recent live viewing where this lot were fuckin’ superb this attention to detail should be no problem and will come with time given the attitude they show.  Well worth a listen and definitely worth a watch.

SOUTH WEST PUNKS VOL1

The first (I hope) of many fine compilations from Pumpkin Records, in this instance showcasing the punk performers from the South West of Britain.  DIY in ethics and style this is a no-frills expedition that’s uncovers a good variation of sounds and musical approaches.  Loads of bands should benefit from this effort and flag flyers like this that try and promote the punk gospel deserve all the accolades and thanks they get.

Of the bands there is a superfluity of talent with Bus Station Loonies coming up trumps with two contrasting crackers, Harakiri Karaoke producing a quirky curio with ‘I’m in love with your mum’ and the wild onslaught of ‘Suicide Pact’ by Seconds Out being choice cuts.

This CD has the odd dud but the main content is riddled with full on quality stuff whilst covering a diversity of sub-genres.  Overall a fine example of adopting a meticulous approach and chancing your arm with the relatively unknown.  An obvious purchase for the inquisitive.

2 SICK MONKEYS – NOWHERE, NOTHING

Industrialised warehouse punk here that deceptively ensnares the listeners attention with an unsettling, underlying double edged blade that on the one side is gothic and blunt but on the other modern and sharp.  The savage and deliberate bass lines are backed by some exquisite drum rhythms resulting in a sobering brew that is slightly reminiscent of a spectral Joy Division but which has a newer, revitalised punk attitude that seemingly drips oppression with each note.  ‘Nowhere, Nothing’, ‘Never Say Never’ and ‘Bad Old days’ seem borne of the same mood and moment and are individually high class offspring with the latter ending this temperamental trio in superb chant and rant style.  The finale of the quartet is an instrumental effort called ‘Song 2’ that is a choice little snippet that showcases another facet to the Monkey’s outpourings.  As a live band this duo are fantastic and spirited and judging by this 4 tracker it seems they ain’t half bad in the studio either.  Highly recommended.

MAFAFI – IN MONO

Perth punk slammers live up to their name here and certainly fist-fuck the ear drums with a CD and DVD combo that is raw, unaffected and unpretentious in its packaging and delivery.  In fact with this little offering there is no cover at all – just two discs in a plastic wallet.  Like I said raw to the bone.

Having seen this lot live I wondered how they would transfer the brutality onto disc and here we have the answer.  The CD is quick, to the point and a no-holds barred skull splitting attack that drives forth at a relentless pace.  ‘Geez A Swatch Our Fanny’ is a sub 30 second affair, ‘Diablo Vacho’ is a madfuck riot with barking lyrics and the finale of ‘Doon The Noo’ follows a similar thread.

The DVD shot at Angry Mic’s is a one hand-held camera affair that is very good indeed.  Shot in black and white it gives it a documentary type feel that Mafafi seem very much at home in and captures the essence of hardcore at street level.  The punters are mixed but seem pleased with the infectious riot Mafafi cause and the atmosphere and smell of stale smoke and beer fumes are almost tangible.

A small doses recommendation and definitely worth a peek by any lover of hardcore and anyone curious to know what Scotland has to offer the future punk scene.

THE HARDER THE BETTER VOLUME 11

Imagine breaking into a trifle factory and finding the huge containers of ingredients.  Fix your mind on emptying all the contents into a gigantic mixing bowl and admiring the choice concoction of flavours and textures – sweet strawberries, delicious vanilla custard, delicate sponge and fluffy, whipped cream.  Next remove your trousers, curl one down into the tasty bonanza and mix thoroughly.    The resulting potion is a contrasting blend of wonderful tastes and unpalatable crap.  For me the compilation in question is best summed up this way.  ‘AFS’ and ‘The Cretins’ are two examples to savour whilst many others fail to maintain the aural essence and are a classic and paradoxical example of shit-streaked goodness.  Metal-heads will love it and hardcore fans will just play it over and over but - it isn't my bag so my judgement is slightly skew-whiff. Individually you are hard pushed to find a duff track but for me its just too much of something I don't find easy to listen to.