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