Manchurian Candidates

Time for some more U.S. hardcore, this week we have Austin, Tx's Manchurian Candidates.  These dudes were around from the mid 90s until about 2001.  They toured extensively and I saw them play four or five times as they seemed to open for every great band that played in Georgia during that era.  Collected for you here is their 7", entitled "Double Crossed", and their "Between Reality and Shadow" Lp.  Great chaotic HC that reminds me alternately of "The Word As Law" period Neurosis and the first Logical Nonsense Lp.  The 7" is a bit rough and primitive but the Lp sees their sound fully matured... a blistering whirlwind of tempo changes and crunchy riffs.  Some of my favorite stuff from the late 90s... 

Manchurian Candidates - "Double Crossed" Ep & "Between Reality and Shadow" Lp

Various - Reconstruction Lp

OK, I've got time for one more post before the hectic holidays...  Here's one last record from France for now - the Reconstruction compilation from Stonehenge Records.  This one collects all the emo "heavy-weights" - Fingerprint, Vanilla, Undone, Ivich, as well as some grind (Ultimate Disorder, Co-Exist) and crust (Autonomia Indigena) to keep things interesting.  All the bands on this one deliver, with the exception of Cause & Effect... as much as I love their 7", their track on this one is little more than a throwaway.  A shame, too, since it's the only other song they appear to have released.  All tracks seem to be exclusive to this LP.  Check it out.

V/A Reconstruction

Cause & Effect - s/t Ep

Well, let's stay in France for a little while longer... up next is one of my favorite French HC 7"ers of all time.  Another one on Panx records, this is Cause & Effect and their one and only Ep.  This one is very melodic and fast, a combination that I just can't get enough of.  These guys remind me a bit of contemporaries like H.D.Q. or even Pegboy and perhaps newer groups like La Fraction or Inner Conflict, minus the female vocals.  This 7" came out in 1995 and garnered a lot of playing time on my turntable back then.  If you dug the Exit Condition Lp, definitely pick this one up. 


Cause & Effect - s/t Ep

Undone - Dark Future Lp

For this week's post, here's another French band - one which leans more towards the "emo" side of things I suppose.  Undone were one of a few groups from France in the mid 90s who took their cues from Dischord bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace as well as early Ebullition Records hardcore.  On Stonehenge Records, along with the likes of Fingerprint and Ivich, Undone mixed chaotic tempos, quiet intros and bombastic crescendos with impassioned screaming vocals.  Beyond their French counterparts, this record brings to mind pre-"screamo" groups like Frail, Angel Hair and Inkwell.  As much as I like those bands, the French groups were always better at this I thought.  Undone had a couple of Eps as well and you can find them for download at Fugitive Equilibrium.  All of their material is out of print but Stonehenge continues to put out "anarcho-emo-punk" to this day.  

New link with corrected files!
Undone - Dark Future

Enola Gay/Vomit Yourself split LP

 

...And now for something completely different.  I'm a little weary of posting U.S. punk and HC for the moment, so here is a split LP of French bands - Enola Gay and Vomit Yourself.  This one dates from 1995 or so and both bands play blistering hardcore.  Enola Gay, one of a gazillion bands with that name, remind me alternately of Doom and early Extreme Noise Terror - great Euro crust-core.  Vomit Yourself are even faster, with shorter songs bordering on grindcore.  Both sides of the LP totally rip.  This one came out on the great French label Panx.  Enola Gay had a 7" and a couple of splits which I never tracked down but this record seems to be the only output of Vomit Yourself.  Download and be destroyed.

Enola Gay/Vomit Yourself split LP
 

Pollution Circus - Destroy Authority... Ep

Here's another group who appeared on the "Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers" compilation.  Long before Against Me and all the bike-punk crap that is out there these days, Pollution Circus was a band that combined ultra lo-fi tunes and militant anarchist lyrics.  The songs are simple and full of spite.  These tracks, like their song on "Earth Rapers", are rather poorly played and recorded but somehow that lends to the urgency and effect.  This 7" and a few compilation tracks are all that they released.  Go here for the "In the Spirit of Total Resistance" comp. and another PC track.  I found a little info about Pollution Circus on the web, including a Myspace page run by one of the former members and another short info page. 

Pollution Circus

Jesters of Chaos - s/t 7"

It's been a busy week here and finally I've got some time for a new post.  This time out I've got the Jesters of Chaos, who we met in the last post.  Their track on the "Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers" comp. was always one of my faves from that collection.  This is their one and only 7" Ep which came out on the short lived Horton Recs label.  These dudes hailed from Seattle, Washington and played some great HC with a strong U.K. influence.  This 7" and the track from "Earth Rapers" were their only official releases.  Here is a rip of their demo tape which included all of these tracks, plus the rest of the recording session.  The quality on this "discography" is a bit lacking but for the completist it's good to have.  Here is their Myspace page, which is more of a tribute to their lead singer who sadly has passed away.  Check out the high quality rip of the Ep below.

Jesters Of Chaos - s/t Ep

Various - Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers

Time for another compilation... this week it's Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers, a double 7" put out by Hippycore records in 1989.  This one was a benefit for Earth First!, came with a huge lyric/essay booklet and has some awesome tracks surrounded by some filler.  Here's the complete tracklist:

Sins of the Flesh - Technology (The Evil)
Bent - Intellectual Hypocrites
Jesters of Chaos - Nuclear Delicacies
Pissed Happy Children - Graveyard at Sea
Reality Control - Hold My Breath
Conspiracy of Equals - Gender Slavery
Machine - Blind Man's Holiday
Samiam - Insightful
Pleasant Valley Children - Fuck, Kill, Destroy
Pollution Circus - Kenny's Song
Seein' Red - Earth First!
Christ On A Crutch - Christian's Crack Diary

My faves are Jesters of Chaos, Conspiracy of Equals, Reality Control, Pollution Circus and Sins of the Flesh (even though this song was on their Lp as well).  The early Samiam and Seein' Red tracks are cool also.  I never cared for Bent or Machine and as such, never heard anything else from those groups.  I will be posting some more from the bands with better songs on this one soon.

V/A Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers

Confrontation

 

Here's another post of some So-Cal crust - Confrontation.  This includes their two 7" Eps... "Dead Against the War" and their "1989" demo pressed on vinyl.  Dead Against the War was always my favorite... it has a great metallic, almost industrial sound to it.  One of these guys went on to form Dystopia and you can definitely see the parallel in this Ep.  The Demo 7" is more traditional crust-core - not bad at all but a very different sound from the later Ep.  There is also a Confrontation/Cantankerous split 7" out there but I've not been able to track down a copy... even a rip of it would be appreciated if someone has it.  One last note, DATW just happened to be the first release for Tribal War records... one of seminal labels of the 90s and one that will appear frequently on this blog.  Enjoy.  

 

Confrontation - "1989" Ep and "Dead Against the War" Ep
 

Bazooka Joe

 

This week I've got a band we met back on the "They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid..." comp. - Myrtle Beach South Carolina's Bazooka Joe.  Here are their two Eps which, along with their compilation tracks make up their entire recorded output.  Great melodic HC with political lyrics.  Go here for their other tunes on the "What Are You Pointing At?" comp.  Found some info on them here and it looks like they're reformed and may re-release these Eps and record some new material!  Definitely look out for reissues as hopefully these tracks will be re-mastered - the recording quality on these records is sorely lacking.  Still, the strength of the songs shines through - especially on Pastor of Muppets.  Download below.

Bazooka Joe - "Pastor of Muppets" & "Send in the Klowns"

Subvert

Time for some more metallic U.S. hardcore - this time from the Pacific Northwest.  This week I've got Seattle's Subvert, a group that existed from 1986-1991.  They put out a 7", an Lp and a split Lp with Antischism.  Included in this post are the Subvert "Discography" CD that Selfless Records issued in 1993 and their side of the split with Antischism.  The Selfless CD includes the 7" and Lp, as well as some demo tracks.  The split Lp was recorded live in the studio (as was the Antischism side... those tracks appear on their collection CD on Prank Records).  Subvert was another U.S. band that incorporated leads and other aspects of metal but was firmly a hardcore band in lyrical content and ethos.  These tracks are faster than most "crossover" of the time and therefor especially enjoyable to me...  download and see for yourself!

Subvert - Discography CD and Split Lp w/ Antischism

After Subvert, several members formed the crusty punk/doom metal band Christdriver who did an Ep and Lp for Profane Existence.  Not my cup of tea, but good for what it was.  Here's some info on them.

Various - They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid, But Boy Do They Work Hard!

 

Up next is a great compilation from back in 1989.  Put out by Maximum Rocknroll records, here is "They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid, But Boy Do They Work Hard".  14 tracks of U.S. punk and hardcore... a very representative sampling of the U.S. scene at the time.  This one has some crust (Nausea and Apocalypse),  a lot of  straight up hardcore (Christ On A Crutch, Detonators, Dead Silence), a little pop-punk (Cringer), even some ska-core (Downfall), which was all the rage at the time.  This compilation has a special place in my heart ever since a buddy of mine in high school gave me a tape with this record on one side and Christ On Parade on the other.  A very formative cassette to say the least. 

Here's the full tracklist:

The Detonators - Denied
Amenity - Follow
Christ On A Crutch - Nation of Sheep
Nausea - Clutches
Apocalypse - Techno-Doom
Conspiracy of Equals - Is It Right?
Screeching Weasel - This Bud's For Me
Jawbox - Bullet Park
Dissent - Superman
Downfall - Long Way to Go
Dead Silence - Hope
Cringer - Pay to Play
Bazooka Joe - Phoenix
Libido Boyz - Mr. Greenthumb

Everyone of these songs is great... from the best tracks ever by the Detonators, Screeching Weasel, Christ On A Crutch and Apocalypse, to hidden gems like Conspiracy of Equals, Bazooka Joe and the Libido Boyz.  You'll be hearing some more from these lesser known bands on this blog in the future.  For now, though, check out this rad comp., one which introduced me to a whole new level of DIY punk and hardcore when I was a teenager. 

V/A They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid...

A//Solution

Here's some of that SoCal crust-core I mentioned in the last post.  The great A//Solution and their seminal "Butterfly" Ep.  This one came out in 1989 on Teacore records from the U.K.  These guys were definitely listening to tons of Antisect, Sacrilege and Deviated Instinct and you get some seriously crusty riffs on this one.  There's a myspace page dedicate to them which has a little info.  I know one of their singers committed suicide a few years after the band broke up.  There is also a CD from A//Solution which contains the recordings they did for an Lp that was never released.  Those tracks are good, but nearly as raging as those on this Ep.  I've gone ahead and included them here as well.  Download and enjoy:

A//Solution - Butterfly Ep and Things to Come CD

Sins of the Flesh

For the second posting I've got a great metallic hardcore band from Sacramento, CA - Sins of the Flesh.  They were around in the mid to late 80s and put out one LP and one 7", both of which are presented here for you.  The fast tempo, metallic crunch and leads, along with the overtly political lyrics really make me think of a U.S. version of Concrete Sox.  The 7" moves a bit more into crust-core territory, part of the emerging scene in California at this time (Apocalypse, A//Solution, Confrontation, Glycine Max, etc.)  This stuff is very underrated and there's not much about them I could find on the web.  Here is the one interview I was able to track down.  The LP was on Street Records out of Santa Barbara and the 7" came out on Desperate Attempt Records.  Check it out!

Sins of the Flesh Lp & "Know Your Enemy" Ep

Exit Condition - Days of Wild Skies

Welcome to Twisted Tracks... a new MP3 blog that will focus on out of print punk and hardcore records from the 80s and 90s.  I will post hard-to-find records that I love which I've not seen posted on the 'net anywhere else, and also high quality rips of some of my favorite slabs of wax.  I hope you enjoy the tunes and please leave comments and feedback. 

To start this blog off I've got an appropriate release. I took the title from one of the songs off this record.  This is Exit Condition's Days of Wild Skies LP...  One of my all time favorite UK melodic hardcore records.  This LP originally came out on the great Meantime Records label.  Boss Tuneage Records did a great Exit Condition reissue which featured many of the songs from this LP, but not all.  So here is the LP in it's entirety.  If you like this, you should pick up the collection CD from Boss Tuneage which can be found here: Exit Condition 1988-1994

Download the LP here: Exit Condition