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Sunday, March 14, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Redd Kross - Phaseshifter
For this next post, I’ll be continuing what I left off, that is posting records released here locally that I actually like. In case you don’t know it yet I’m based here in Manila and acquiring records means ordering abroad or asking your friends living in the US or UK to buy these records for you. Because finding good records in your local record shop is like finding an adamantium meteorite! So finding a good record that I actually like is a total high for me.
But in recent years, local record companies acquired licenses to release Mammoth, 4AD, Victory, Noise, Ryko, Rhino labels among others. For the first time, Pixies, Sonic Youth, Modern English, Sugar, Bob Mould, Cocteau Twins, Warzone and others became available. This move made a lot of us here very happy. And it did lower the CD prices considerably because I don’t have to scour the imports bin or order them.
Redd Kross’ Phaseshifter was one of those records that actually saw Manila’s shores. Boy, I am so glad it was released here locally. It was one of those all-killer-no-filler albums. I actually lent this to one of the bosses in my office. He’s not into rock music but I think he was trying to open his mind a bit (hehehe). Prior to that, he told me he bought Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back to Hell (is that right? who cares!) and the two Use Your Illusion CDs of Guns n Roses and he actually liked them. So he asked me if I could suggest some more ‘rock’ records since I’m the office ‘rocker’ (wtf!). So lent him my cassette copy of Phaseshifter (I already bought the CD copy by this time) and I told him that this will kick the asses of both Meat Loaf and the whole GnR crew! The next day came and he was all praises for Redd Kross and asked me how come he never heard of them before because they were so damn good. For the first time I was stumped. I don’t know what to say. I can’t explain it either. So I told him that there’s no justice in this world we live in (hahahaha). I added that there are lots of bands as good (a lot of them) or even better (not so many bands actually) than Redd Kross that do not get the recognition they deserve to have. Bands like Ramones, Pixies, Husker Du/Sugar/Bob Mould, Joy Division, Descendents/ALL, Wipers just to name a few, deserved more recognition and success than bands like Motley Crue and Warrant got! He agreed with me, though he hasn’t heard any of the bands I mentioned. He just took my word for it just on the strength of Phaseshifter. That’s how good this record is, so grab it if you do not have this one yet on your collection!
Next up is the Posies’ two DGC releases, Frosting on the Beater and Amazing Disgrace. I first learned about the Posies because their songs Definite Door and Dream All Day received considerable airplay in the local rock station. So I first bought the cassette since CD prices were so high back then. The plan was to buy the cassette first then if it’s any good then I’ll buy the CD. Some plan huh. The melody is the key to the Posies. Their ability of churn out good melodies on top of those heavy guitars, say in Definite Door, is astonishing. That makes this record on heavy rotation for months to come especially after I bought the CD two days after I bought the cassette.
And when Amazing Disgrace came out, I immediately bought the CD on the strength of Frosting alone. And what do you know, Amazing Disgrace did not disappoint. ‘Amazing’ offered a lot more to the table than the last one. Elements of punk and some feedback a la Sonic Youth were infused. Terrorize’s intro is reminiscent of the Pixies. What’s more was the guest appearance of power pop stalwarts Robin Zander and guitarist Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick.
But in recent years, local record companies acquired licenses to release Mammoth, 4AD, Victory, Noise, Ryko, Rhino labels among others. For the first time, Pixies, Sonic Youth, Modern English, Sugar, Bob Mould, Cocteau Twins, Warzone and others became available. This move made a lot of us here very happy. And it did lower the CD prices considerably because I don’t have to scour the imports bin or order them.
Redd Kross’ Phaseshifter was one of those records that actually saw Manila’s shores. Boy, I am so glad it was released here locally. It was one of those all-killer-no-filler albums. I actually lent this to one of the bosses in my office. He’s not into rock music but I think he was trying to open his mind a bit (hehehe). Prior to that, he told me he bought Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back to Hell (is that right? who cares!) and the two Use Your Illusion CDs of Guns n Roses and he actually liked them. So he asked me if I could suggest some more ‘rock’ records since I’m the office ‘rocker’ (wtf!). So lent him my cassette copy of Phaseshifter (I already bought the CD copy by this time) and I told him that this will kick the asses of both Meat Loaf and the whole GnR crew! The next day came and he was all praises for Redd Kross and asked me how come he never heard of them before because they were so damn good. For the first time I was stumped. I don’t know what to say. I can’t explain it either. So I told him that there’s no justice in this world we live in (hahahaha). I added that there are lots of bands as good (a lot of them) or even better (not so many bands actually) than Redd Kross that do not get the recognition they deserve to have. Bands like Ramones, Pixies, Husker Du/Sugar/Bob Mould, Joy Division, Descendents/ALL, Wipers just to name a few, deserved more recognition and success than bands like Motley Crue and Warrant got! He agreed with me, though he hasn’t heard any of the bands I mentioned. He just took my word for it just on the strength of Phaseshifter. That’s how good this record is, so grab it if you do not have this one yet on your collection!
Next up is the Posies’ two DGC releases, Frosting on the Beater and Amazing Disgrace. I first learned about the Posies because their songs Definite Door and Dream All Day received considerable airplay in the local rock station. So I first bought the cassette since CD prices were so high back then. The plan was to buy the cassette first then if it’s any good then I’ll buy the CD. Some plan huh. The melody is the key to the Posies. Their ability of churn out good melodies on top of those heavy guitars, say in Definite Door, is astonishing. That makes this record on heavy rotation for months to come especially after I bought the CD two days after I bought the cassette.
And when Amazing Disgrace came out, I immediately bought the CD on the strength of Frosting alone. And what do you know, Amazing Disgrace did not disappoint. ‘Amazing’ offered a lot more to the table than the last one. Elements of punk and some feedback a la Sonic Youth were infused. Terrorize’s intro is reminiscent of the Pixies. What’s more was the guest appearance of power pop stalwarts Robin Zander and guitarist Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick.
Enjoy!!!
Download Here
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Manic Street Preachers - Generation Terrorist
During the late 8os and early 90s, I saw my musical taste shifted from punk to metal, specifically thrash metal. Metal is not that alien to me since my older brothers groomed me to bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. So shifting gears towards metal was like visiting an old uncle. Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Death Angel, Motorhead, Iron Maiden and the crossed-over DRI were the staples around the house for a number of years. And in between my Metallicas and Slayers were the so-called alternative bands like Sonic Youth and the Pixies. To make matters worse for punk music, a bag full of punk and hardcore cassettes was stolen. Though most of them were copies I made from my friends’ LPs, punk classics such as Black Flag’s Damaged, Dead Kennedys’ Fresh Fruits, Crucifix’ Dehumanization, Descendents’ Milo Goes to College and Enjoy, and Verbal Abuse’s Just An American Band we’re lost in that bag.
And then, a slew of “underground” releases were made available locally that made me realized how much I missed punk rock. Bands like Manic Street Preachers, Senseless Things and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin gave me a wake-up call. I know, these bands were not exactly punk bands but they sure sounded like one which was more than ok for me. The Manic’s Generation Terrorist and Senseless Things’ Empire of the Senseless” were totally awesome plus Ned’s Atomic Dustbins’ Kill Your Television” blew me away!
So, I tried to scrounge every music store here in Manila looking for my old punk classics. At first, all I can manage to get were the Clash, the Damned, Minor Threat and Sex Pistols’ records. Then came Tower Records. They carried lots of titles my normal record store wouldn’t carry. I bought my Bad Brains’ ROIR cd there, tons of Descendents, Black Flag and Circle Jerks records plus a whole lot more. I know what it felt like to be in a record collectors’ heaven! But the downside was these records don’t come cheap but that didn’t stop me. I finally got the Verbal Abuse and Crucifix cd’s from my friend who introduced me to crust.
I ran across my high school buddy in our reunion 6 years ago and asked him if he still has the Crucifix and Verbal Abuse vinyl. He still has them but wouldn’t sell them to me. Damn!
Anyways, I was so glad I came across Manic Street Preachers and the Senseless Things. They sure helped me find my lost youth.
Enjoy!
Download Here
And then, a slew of “underground” releases were made available locally that made me realized how much I missed punk rock. Bands like Manic Street Preachers, Senseless Things and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin gave me a wake-up call. I know, these bands were not exactly punk bands but they sure sounded like one which was more than ok for me. The Manic’s Generation Terrorist and Senseless Things’ Empire of the Senseless” were totally awesome plus Ned’s Atomic Dustbins’ Kill Your Television” blew me away!
So, I tried to scrounge every music store here in Manila looking for my old punk classics. At first, all I can manage to get were the Clash, the Damned, Minor Threat and Sex Pistols’ records. Then came Tower Records. They carried lots of titles my normal record store wouldn’t carry. I bought my Bad Brains’ ROIR cd there, tons of Descendents, Black Flag and Circle Jerks records plus a whole lot more. I know what it felt like to be in a record collectors’ heaven! But the downside was these records don’t come cheap but that didn’t stop me. I finally got the Verbal Abuse and Crucifix cd’s from my friend who introduced me to crust.
I ran across my high school buddy in our reunion 6 years ago and asked him if he still has the Crucifix and Verbal Abuse vinyl. He still has them but wouldn’t sell them to me. Damn!
Anyways, I was so glad I came across Manic Street Preachers and the Senseless Things. They sure helped me find my lost youth.
Enjoy!
Download Here
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Anarchy 6 - Live Like a Suicidal & White Stripes - Redd Blood Cells
Another month passed us by and I haven't posted anything yet. Actually, I have uploaded a lot in my Mediafire account but I haven't gone around it. I will be posting them sooner than you think.
Anyways, this came from the comments section of the Anarchy 6 post. A reader by the name of Greba Guru was kind enough to upload the two Anarchy 6 releases - Hardcore Lives and Live Like Suicidal. My Hardcore Lives link is still active though but he managed to put these releases into one link. He also added the White Stripes thing Steve McDonald did for good measure. Steve McDonald added bass guitars on the White Stripes album White Blood Cells and renamed it Redd Blood Cells.
While the Live Like a Suicidal is a cassette-only release of punk/hardcore covers recorded live. The songs covered here were from Circle Jerks (Greg Hetson used to play with Red Cross before going to the Circle Jerks), SOA, Fear, Suicidal Tendencies and Red Cross/Red Kross. I personally like the rants in-between songs, it's hilarious.
The band consisted of members of Redd Kross and Sin 34.
Enjoy!
Download Here
Anyways, this came from the comments section of the Anarchy 6 post. A reader by the name of Greba Guru was kind enough to upload the two Anarchy 6 releases - Hardcore Lives and Live Like Suicidal. My Hardcore Lives link is still active though but he managed to put these releases into one link. He also added the White Stripes thing Steve McDonald did for good measure. Steve McDonald added bass guitars on the White Stripes album White Blood Cells and renamed it Redd Blood Cells.
While the Live Like a Suicidal is a cassette-only release of punk/hardcore covers recorded live. The songs covered here were from Circle Jerks (Greg Hetson used to play with Red Cross before going to the Circle Jerks), SOA, Fear, Suicidal Tendencies and Red Cross/Red Kross. I personally like the rants in-between songs, it's hilarious.
The band consisted of members of Redd Kross and Sin 34.
Vocals: Steve McDonald (aka Chemical Warfare)
Drums: Dave Markey (aka Mark Davey)
Bass: Phil Newman (aka H.C. Skinner)
Guitar: Michael F. Glass (aka Spike Geek)
Tracklist from Live Like a Suicidal:
I Love Livin in the City
State of War
Lost in Space
I Just Want Some Skank - Beverly Hills
12 Hour Trip
Rich Brat
Institutionalized
Shutdown
Slam, Spit, Cut your hair, Kill your mom
Louie Louie
Again, thanks to Greba Guru.Enjoy!
Download Here
Monday, January 18, 2010
Philippine Violators - Sikat na si Pedro
Sorry for the late posts friends, call it extended vacation! Hehehe. Anyways, I was already uploading some stuff and I forget that I’ve already uploaded stuff by Philippine Violators last December! Yeah, it’s called memory gap.
Philippine Violators is one of the pioneers of Pinoi punk. They are fronted by the Espiritu brothers and lived near our place where I grew up. Actually, they’re from a different city but it’s just a 15 minute ride from us.
The posts are they’re first release (At Large!) with the Twisted Red Cross label , the pioneering indie label here in the Philippines that released such classics like the Betrayed’s first album, Urban Bandit’s Independence Day, WUDS’s ARMSTALK and all the great Pinoi comps in the 80’s like Rescue Ladders and Human Barricades, Fatal Response and Third Bombardment, just to name a few.
The second was their 20th anniversary compilation. This was compiled by a Korean entrepreneur. I personally do not a have copy of this one but thankfully my buddy gave me a CD-R copy.
The third one's their 90's release called Sikat na si Pedro. This was an awesome release and quite a departure from their debut release At Large!. This a testament of the band's maturity. I personally like this one and never get tired of playing it. You should check this one out.
The Violators are on hiatus and once in a while, when the members are all present, they hold handful of gigs. But they are all busy now with their day jobs!
Philippine Violators is one of the pioneers of Pinoi punk. They are fronted by the Espiritu brothers and lived near our place where I grew up. Actually, they’re from a different city but it’s just a 15 minute ride from us.
The posts are they’re first release (At Large!) with the Twisted Red Cross label , the pioneering indie label here in the Philippines that released such classics like the Betrayed’s first album, Urban Bandit’s Independence Day, WUDS’s ARMSTALK and all the great Pinoi comps in the 80’s like Rescue Ladders and Human Barricades, Fatal Response and Third Bombardment, just to name a few.
The second was their 20th anniversary compilation. This was compiled by a Korean entrepreneur. I personally do not a have copy of this one but thankfully my buddy gave me a CD-R copy.
The third one's their 90's release called Sikat na si Pedro. This was an awesome release and quite a departure from their debut release At Large!. This a testament of the band's maturity. I personally like this one and never get tired of playing it. You should check this one out.
The Violators are on hiatus and once in a while, when the members are all present, they hold handful of gigs. But they are all busy now with their day jobs!
Download Here
Monday, December 28, 2009
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year
I'm so sorry that I missed to greet you all a Merry Christmas. I was so busy doing something close to nothing that I totally forgot about about. My apologies. Anyways, I'm going to make up right now with an early New Year greeting - HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU FRIENDS!!!
I also have a gift to all you Beatle maniacs and Stones fans out there. I stumbled upon these two compilations - Patti Smith Covers the Stones and and Oasis compilation of Beatles covers. I don't know if these are bootlegs or just compiled by the bloggers themselves.
I'm not very fond of Oasis, they got some good songs though but I'm not a fan nor I'm a fan of the Beatles but I figured a of guys like them, especially the Beatles. So if you like the Beatles or Oasis, then this post is for you. But I can't say the same thing with Patti Smith and the Stones. I love 'em both! (Who doesn't?)
I'm trying my best to find the blogs where I got these to get more info on these comps but to no avail. So there it is, Patti Smith and Oasis doing the Stones and the Beatles repestively. Enjoy!
I also have a gift to all you Beatle maniacs and Stones fans out there. I stumbled upon these two compilations - Patti Smith Covers the Stones and and Oasis compilation of Beatles covers. I don't know if these are bootlegs or just compiled by the bloggers themselves.
I'm not very fond of Oasis, they got some good songs though but I'm not a fan nor I'm a fan of the Beatles but I figured a of guys like them, especially the Beatles. So if you like the Beatles or Oasis, then this post is for you. But I can't say the same thing with Patti Smith and the Stones. I love 'em both! (Who doesn't?)
I'm trying my best to find the blogs where I got these to get more info on these comps but to no avail. So there it is, Patti Smith and Oasis doing the Stones and the Beatles repestively. Enjoy!
Patti Smith - Covers the Rolling Stones
Oasis - Covers the Beatles
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Bob Mould - Body of Song
I case you haven’t noticed it yet, I’m a huge fan of Bob Mould. From his days with Husker Du, with Sugar to his solo efforts, he’s just an awesome songwriter. Some would expect that at this point in his illustrious career he would be churning out mediocre works, but no, he’s just not over yet. In fact he’s just picking up steam, a second wind if you will. His 2005 release Body of Song totally blew me away upon hearing it. Great lyrics, even better melodies. It’s hard to pick out a favorite but I’ll try…
Songs like I am Sound, I am Vision, Best Thing, Missing You plus the mid-tempo numbers such as High Fidelity, Gauze of Friendship made this album a great listen. His lyrics really paints a great picture and never pretentious. He always says what he means, and means what he says. He’s never vague, the way songwriters ought to be.
The other post is the audio rip of the Circle of Friends DVD. This was recorded live at the 9:30 Club during his touring supporting the release of Body of Song. I actually have the DVD, so if like me to upload it just let me know. If there are enough requests I’ll upload it.
Note:
My friend, the Terrorizer, uploaded this record plus the Audio-rip of the Circle of Friends DVD. He said that he found these in the torrent and gonna upload them on his Multiply site. So instead of uploading my copy, I just asked him if I could post these here and he obliged. Great guy indeed! Thanks bro and more power.
Enjoy!
Songs like I am Sound, I am Vision, Best Thing, Missing You plus the mid-tempo numbers such as High Fidelity, Gauze of Friendship made this album a great listen. His lyrics really paints a great picture and never pretentious. He always says what he means, and means what he says. He’s never vague, the way songwriters ought to be.
The other post is the audio rip of the Circle of Friends DVD. This was recorded live at the 9:30 Club during his touring supporting the release of Body of Song. I actually have the DVD, so if like me to upload it just let me know. If there are enough requests I’ll upload it.
Note:
My friend, the Terrorizer, uploaded this record plus the Audio-rip of the Circle of Friends DVD. He said that he found these in the torrent and gonna upload them on his Multiply site. So instead of uploading my copy, I just asked him if I could post these here and he obliged. Great guy indeed! Thanks bro and more power.
Enjoy!
Download Here
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sonic Youth - Hits Are For Squares
Sonic Youth, in my opinion, is the epitome of the so-called alternative rock. I’m not very fond of the term alternative rock since it’s very general, ambiguous at best. Because it can mean a lot of things - noise, grunge, shoegaze, indiepop, etc. Even powerpop bands are sometimes called alternative. But since the term’s already been accepted in most circles, I’ll be using it for familiarity’s sake and not be an ass about it.
Going back to Sonic Youth, they are primarily an art-noise band trained in the Glenn Branca’s school noise rock. They were even lumped with the No Wave movement together with the Contortions and Swans among many others. Their feedback-laden music became the cornerstone for a lot of alternative bands in the 90’s. Over the years, their music became more and more radio friendly without losing their college-radio credibility.
The first post is the album compilation called Screaming Fields of Sonic Love. After signing to DGC and releasing Goo and Dirty, Sonic Youth released this compilation from their years with SST and Enigma records. This is somewhat of an introduction of what Sonic Youth was all about. They picked up highlights from each album and crammed them into this one neat compilation. The album served its purpose well, although the edited versions of Teenage Riot and Candle were kind of a bummer if you ask me.
The second post was Hits Are For Squares. This is a controversial compilation since it was released/available in Starbucks stores. But the idea for this comp is truly amazing – celebrities and fellow musicians pick out their favorite Sonic Youth songs and compiled them into this rather unique comp.
Enjoy!!!
Going back to Sonic Youth, they are primarily an art-noise band trained in the Glenn Branca’s school noise rock. They were even lumped with the No Wave movement together with the Contortions and Swans among many others. Their feedback-laden music became the cornerstone for a lot of alternative bands in the 90’s. Over the years, their music became more and more radio friendly without losing their college-radio credibility.
The first post is the album compilation called Screaming Fields of Sonic Love. After signing to DGC and releasing Goo and Dirty, Sonic Youth released this compilation from their years with SST and Enigma records. This is somewhat of an introduction of what Sonic Youth was all about. They picked up highlights from each album and crammed them into this one neat compilation. The album served its purpose well, although the edited versions of Teenage Riot and Candle were kind of a bummer if you ask me.
The second post was Hits Are For Squares. This is a controversial compilation since it was released/available in Starbucks stores. But the idea for this comp is truly amazing – celebrities and fellow musicians pick out their favorite Sonic Youth songs and compiled them into this rather unique comp.
Enjoy!!!
Tracklist
"Bull in the Heather," selected by Catherine Keener
"Sugar Kane," selected by Beck
"100%," selected by Mike D
"Kool Thing," selected by Radiohead
"Disappearer," selected by Portia De Rossi
"Superstar," selected by Diablo Cody
"Stones," selected by Allison Anders
"Tuff Gnarl," selected by Dave Eggers and Mike Watt
"Teenage Riot," selected by Eddie Vedder
"Shadow of a Doubt," selected by Michelle Williams
"Rain on Tin," selected by Flea
"Tom Violence," selected by Gus Van Zant
"Mary-Christ," selected by David Cross
"World Looks Red," selected by Chloe Sevigny
"Expressway to Yr Skull," selected by Flaming Lips
Download Here
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
PTL Klub - 13 Commandments
I was talking to the guitarist of a local punk band called Bad Omen a couple of months back about music (what else!), and I was kind of surprised that he actually liked PTL Klub's 13 Commandments. Surprised? Yeah because he was not actually into "noisy" bands as he carefully puts it. So, we were laughing our asses off when he confessed that he actually enjoyed 13 Commandments.
He was the reason why I posted these PTL Klub records. Fast, thrashing, and "noisy", the way we wanted it!
Enjoy!!!
Download Here
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