Leeway - Born to Expire/Desperate Measures

Leeway was formed in Astoria, New York, USA in 1984 by guitarist A.J. Novello and vocalist Eddie Sutton under the name The Unruled. They played alongside groups such as Crumbsuckers, Prong, Ludichrist, Bad Brains, and Sick Of It All at the predominantly hardcore punk-oriented CBGB venue and had metal influences from the start. Guitarist and songwriter A.J. Novello said:
“ We might have helped open up a can of worms by bringing suburban metalheads to shows. Years later, it kind of ruined things in the scene, but I can't say I have any regrets." ”

The fact that the band experimented with sound, had two guitarists riffing and solo-ing between them and the singer dressed in skeleton outfits and Yankees uniforms also set them out from the rest of the hardcore punk scene.

In November, 1987 they entered the Normandy Sound studio in Warren, Rhode Island and recorded their first album, Born to Expire. However, due to delays and postponements, the album was not released until January, 1989. Three follow-ups ensued – Desperate Measures, Adult Crash, and Open Mouth Kiss – before the band split. They recently reformed.

Their song "Enforcer" has recently been added to the playlist of the radio show "L.C.H.C" in the game GTA IV

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Kraut - Adjustment to Society

I first heard this band on a mixed tape given to me by my buddy in college. The tape included bands like Bad Brains, Wasted Youth, Minor Threat, Reagan Youth, Cro-Mags, Gang Green, Husker Du, Code of Honor and of course Kraut. The mixed tape was a killer, every song rocks (well, you can't fail with that line-up). I still have the cassette with me - thanks a lot bro!

Here's the Maximum Rock n Roll review I snagged from KFTH:

A potent mixture of '77-style powerchord punk and more contemporary thrashers can be found on this excellent debut album by KRAUT. It is far more riveting than their two EPs, and should serve to silence many of their critics once and for all. Solid production, loads of tight guitar power, abundant energy, and huge hooklines are all showcased here. I don't really accept Tim Sommer's suggestion that KRAUT are the punk group of the '80s, and for all I know, they might actually be the would-be rockstars that their enemies contend, but they sure as hell won't need ex-PISTOL Steve Jones to give them credibility next time around. Highly recommended.
-Jeff Bale, from MRR #5, 1983

This is a MUST download!

PS. I was about to post their first single as well, Kill for Cash (I actually uploaded it already in my mediafire account here). But my buddy from Shotgun Solution just uploaded it last October. So, if you want to read about the Kill for Cash info, go to his site here. You can download it there too!

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Good Riddance - Coverups

This is a re-up from Good Riddance's all covers album aptly named Coverups. The artists covered here are varied from the punk staples such as Black Flag to Battalion of Saints, to Government Issue and Chron Gen. There's a really good cover of the Shangrila's classic the "Leader of tha Pack" plus a Kiss number "I Stole Your Love."

Here's what AMG has to say about the album:

"Cover Ups has California punks Good Riddance doing ten cover songs: "Melt With You" by Modern English, "Feel Their Pain" by Insted, "I Stole Your Love" by Kiss, "Second Coming" by Battalion of Saints, "Come Dancing" by the Kinks, "Outlaw" by Chron Gen, "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las, "Hall of Fame" by Government Issue, "In My Head" by the Psychedelic Furs, and "My War" by Black Flag.

Given that Good Riddance has been around for about 15 years, one can forgive them slightly for wanting to do a cover album, which are normally received with apprehension from fans and non-fans alike. Some of the tunes seemed marred by the band trying to be funny and instead being annoying (the snotty "na-na-na" chorus on "Melt With You," the high-pitched girly shrieking on "Leader of the Pack," etc.). Adding former Lifetime and Kid Dynamite drummer David Wagenschutz made Good Riddance a really tight apparatus on the rhythm end, and hopefully Wagenschutz's talent can bring some respect to the band as legitimate musicians (if that's something they care about, that is). Highlights of the album would no doubt be the Kiss cover and Bill Stevenson of Black Flag, All, and the Descendents doing drums and guitar on the Black Flag tune. To a larger degree, this cover album is similar to the entire school of cover albums: If you're a fan of the band and you like even just a few of the covers, you'll dig the album. If you like some of the songs but aren't much of a fan of the band, you'll be able to tolerate the songs. So the lesson is that cover albums are (in almost all cases) for fans only. Cover Ups is no exception."

Track listing

1. "I Melt with You" (Modern English) – 2:22
2. "Feel Their Pain" (Insted) – 2:02
3. "I Stole Your Love" (Kiss) – 2:37
4. "Second Coming" (Battalion of Saints) – 1:26
5. "Come Dancing" (The Kinks) – 2:20
6. "Outlaw" (Chron Gen) – 3:05
7. "Leader of the Pack" (The Shangri-Las) – 2:09
8. "Hall of Fame" (Government Issue) – 0:57
9. "In My Head" (The Psychedelic Furs) – 2:41
10. "My War" (Black Flag) – 3:43

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Nausea / Terrorizer Split Demo

This is a request, Nausea/Terrorizer Split Demo. I don't know much about this release and I actually forgot where I snagged this one (I totally forgot the blogspot, sorry).

Anyways, I love Nausea & I love Terrorizer. So this is a welcome treat to the fans of both bands. Enjoy!

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the Methadones - 21st Century Power Pop Riot

One of those rare all-covers projects that actually works, the Methadones' 21st Century Power Pop Riot might well actually be the band's best album so far. That's no disrespect to leader Dan Schafer's earlier work, which has been uniformly fine pop-punk, but this set is the first album Schafer has been involved with since his glory days as Ben Weasel's right-hand man in Screeching Weasel (under the name Danny Vapid) that's been this much unabashed fun. It helps immensely that the song selection is spot-on throughout, highlighting forgotten gems and lesser-known cult classics instead of the usual suspects: when the Records' "Starry Eyes" and Scandal's "Goodbye to You" (featuring a kicky lead vocal by Annie Soviette of the Soviettes) are among the most instantly familiar tunes on the album, it's clear that true power pop fans were behind this record. Versions of Elvis Costello's "Welcome to the Working Week" and, even better, the 1979 Costello soundalike "Back of My Hand" by the Jags are instant highlights, with a rockabilly-tinged workout on Nick Lowe's "Heart of the City" and a dead-on resurrection of the Pointed Sticks' "Out of Luck" close behind. (AMG)

Tracklist

Tracklist:

01. I’m The Leader Of The Gang - [originally by Gary Glitter]
02. Walking Out On Love - [originally by The Beat]
03. Back Of My Hand - [originally by The Jags]
04. Welcome To The Working Week - [originally by Elvis Costello]
05. I’m The Man - [originally by Joe Jackson]
06. Into You - [originally by The Crash Street Kids]
07. Full Moon Turn My Head Around - [originally by Off Broadway]
08. Goodbye To You - [originally by Scandal]
09. Out Of Luck - [originally by The Pointed Sticks]
10. Heart Of The City - [originally by Nick Lowe]
11. Starry Eyes - [originally by The Records]
12. He’s a Whore - [originally by Cheap Trick]


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VA - The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young

Q: Sonic Youth, Pixies, Soul Asylum, Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr. Nick Cave... What do these bands have in?
A: They are all fans of Neil Young!

This was released in 1989 and it gathers all the 80's underground music pioneers into this one piece of gem.

I don't wanna spoil this record and let the tracklist do the talking:

1 Barstool Blues - Soul Asylum
2 Don't Let It Bring You Down - Victoria Williams
3 After the Gold Rush - Flaming Lips
4 Captain Kennedy - Nikki Sudden
5 Cinnamon Girl - Loop
6 Helpless - Nick Cave
7 Mr. Soul - Bongwater
8 Winterlong - Pixies
9 Computer Age - Sonic Youth
10 Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Psychic TV
11 Lotta Love - Dinosaur Jr.
12 The Needle and the Damage Done/Tonight's the Night - Henry Kaiser
13 Out of the Blue - BALL
14 Words - Henry Kaiser

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Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos

There were only quite a few songs I like upon hearing them the first time - Mommy's Little Monster, The Legend of Pat Brown, Thirteen, Protest & Survive, Hell's Around the Next Corner, Revenge. Though most songs on my list are either punk or hardcore except the Big Star song, there's another one that I liked when I first heard it - My Girl by Hoodoo Gurus. Hoodoo Gurus is an Australian power pop band and Stoneage Romeos was their debut album & it includes the song My Girl. The said song was played several times in a local radio station WXB 102.7 during the 80's. And I was so impressed by the group's pop hooks that I really got to have the album, which I did. I wasn't disappointed with the album either, which is a mix gargage rock, rockabilly, British Invasion and full-on rock n' roll. If you like good music, you shouldn't miss this one.

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Decry - Symptoms of Hate

I'm going to open November with a bang. Bang, in this case, the three releases of Decry. They're a hardcore band from Southern California which churns out very good, tight hardcore music. Symptoms of Hate is a 4 song EP with a some very tight playing. They got even better with the release of their Falling LP.

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Decry - Falling

This is their first full-length album after the Symptoms of Hate 7" and was released in 1984. It has some powerful songs in it, not as fast as others but sure damn powerful. I've been listening to Decry for the past week now and can't seem to let go.

Enjoy!

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Decry - Japanese MLP

This record, if my memory serves me right, was already posted by Slobo's Only In It For the Music's first incarnation. In case you missed out on that here it is again. This record is more of a rock record than their Falling LP. And for that reason, many fans were alienated. To tell you honestly, when I first heard it I was very pissed off and hated the album so much. I'm crying sell out. When I listened to it again many years later, it's not actually bad at all. In fact I enjoy listening to it. Taste surely changes over time.

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