Narthex Structure - Expression (1994 Undermind Music)

 

Honestly don't know anything about this band. I did some light research and the best I can come up with is they were from Ventura and possibly were in San Diego for a bit? Tracks were recorded in Ventura (1985), San Diego (1986) and Santa Barbara (1990). They are also on record as playing Wabash Hall. Looks like they were in high school when the early stuff was recorded. Researching this did bring me to this page, which documents addresses listed in the review section of MRR in the 80's. That's kind of creepy and amazing. I dunno, maybe one of the old timers who contribute to 185 Miles South know more.  

Lyrics are mostly what you would expect from high schoolers, but musically, this is way more sophisticated. Not sure how I'd classify it overall. Has it's post-punk moments, some more punk-ish moments, but it's hard to pin them down. 

I sold this CD for a cool hundo, so pretty sure the physical copy is pretty rare. If you know anything about the band, please comment. 

1. Blind
2. Chill / Plastic World
3. Disappear
4. Distance
5. Zone Of Expression
6. Wave Me On
7. Scream
8. Man Of Status
9. Today
10. Gutter
11. Turn Around
12. Facsimile
13. Nonsense
14. Human
15. Come Alive
16. Spoke In The Wheel
17. Cancel And Drain
18. Today (Live '85)
19. Max / Exit The Rabbit (Live '86)

DL

Gazoonga Attack - Sex Nerd (2005 self-released)

Really great female punk band from Brisbane. If The Undead Apes, The Tremors, or Hits are Aussie bands that ring a bell for you, well, all had members of Gazoonga Attack. 

1. Random Act of the Devil
2. Disko #69
3. 3am & Who Are You?
4. Almost Through
5. Down the Alibi
6. Muthafuk It Off
7. Looking for a Trespassing Passenger
8. Play That Junky Music, White Boy
9. Test Strip
10. Easey Street
11. Careful Now
12. Flash In The Panty
13. Happy Hour
14. Washing Your Dirt

DL

MEG: An L.A. Sampler (1993 Pronto Records)

Indie rock sampler. Some of these bands (Possum Dixon, The Sugarplastic, would go on to have major label releases, but most of the others would remain unknown. Spindle apparently featured Danny Westman, who played with TSOL and Down By Law. 

Not sure where Pronto Records fit into the early 90's indie scene, but it seems plausible they were briefly a feeder label for Interscope. 

1. Pudding - Patty
2. Pudding - Elsewhere
3. Pudding - Alone
4. The Sugarplastic - Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore
5. The Sugarplastic - Hank
6. The Sugarplastic - Ottawa Bonesaw
7. Spindle - Collapsible You
8. Spindle - William Tell
9. Small Tribe - Kings
10. Small Tribe - All The Kings
11. Small Tribe - Trainsong
12. Possum Dixon - Here She Comes
13. Possum Dixon - Stare Into The Sun
14. Possum Dixon - Sister
15. The Mumbletypegs - My Life In A Nutshell

DL

Dee Why Head - Check Your Headwear (1985 Palomar Records)

 

Big departure here, from a request made via Discogs. I don't really know anything about this. The Google tells me they were from Detroit, and Discogs tells me this was a one and done for the band, and most of the band member's published music careers. 80's melodic rock. I'm told it has some prog rock influence, but between you and me, I don't know what that means. If the requestor would like to throw some more info in the comments, that would be great. 

1. In This Room
2. In The Night
3. Table For One
4. What Have They Done

DL

Hilltop's Finest Noise: Music For The Average American (1997, no label)

Picked this up on a whim, as my wife teaches at the referenced school. Considering this is a compilation of bands with a nexus to Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, I was expecting this to be a heart-in-the-right-place-but-ultimately-embarrassing listen. But that's not the case. A rundown:

• Alterna-metal ain't my bag, but Send It. do it well if it's your thing. 
• Endure play some competent post-hardcore.  My favorite tracks on the album. 
• The Half Wits are a ska (veering into ska-punk) band, which is usually a huge red flag for me. But I like this. "Proud American" is pretty great, assuming it's sarcastic, which I'm sure it is. If it was released today I don't think I would be so sure.  
• With No Sympathy, we're back to the alt-metal, and again, not so bad. Kind of reminds me of Prong at times. 
• Lazy Susan rounds things out,  90's influenced indie-rock with some groove. 

Overall, shockingly decent comp. The Hilltop Lancers have more to be proud about then their amazing English teachers. 

1. Send It. - Alternate God
2. Send It. - In Silence
3. Send It. - Breathe
4. Endure - Exit
5. Endure - Control
6. The Half Wits - Proud American
7. The Half Wits - I Wish I Knew
8. The Half Wits - Metro Ska Police
9. No Sympathy - 619
10. No Sympathy - Daddy's Li'l Girl
11. No Sympathy - Broken People
12. Lazy Susan - Serendipity
13. Lazy Susan - Drain

DL

Super Mixer - A Goldenrod Compilation (1996, Goldenrod Records)

 

Not all these bands are from San Diego, but most have some elements of the San Diego sound. Goldenrod was a great, unheralded label. If you're not familiar, it's catalog is well worth diving into, and this comp is a great place to start. 

Unfortunately, COVID took label co-owner, skateboard photographer, and universally beloved human being Mark Waters earlier this year. RIP Mark. 

As I was looking for a track listing online to copy and paste here, I discovered that this is actually on Goldenrod's bandcamp for $6. Not sure who is running things now that Mark is gone, but no DL link, go BUY. 

1. 100 Watt Halo - Super Good Chromatic
2. Radio Wendy - Fucknut
3. Fluf - Waffles
4. Tina, Age 13 - Foggiehead
5. Knapsack - Don't Mind
6. Chinchilla - Tall
7. Deerheart - Novacaine Slip
8. G.U.I. - Two-Fifty the Box
9. Big Drill Car - Nothin' At All
10. No Knife - Heavy Handed Man
11. 99 Tales - Thursday
12. Unleaded - New Orifice
13. Cold Crank - Hissy Fit
14. ColdWater Crane - Pelican Brief
15. Supernova - Calling Hong Kong
16. Kill Holiday - Cold Shoulder
17. Hemlock - Leg Room
18. Boilermaker - Trunk
19. Overwhelming Colorfast - Sway

Planting A Seed - A Compilation To Benefit Parkinson's Disease Research (2004 Discos De Rok)

This one is for your mom. A great hardcore / fastcore / thrashcore / power violence / add subgenre ad nauseum comp. Deadfall, Holier Than Thou?, Vöetsek, Crispus Attucks, Conga Fury, Hewhocorrupts. Damage Deposit, and tons more for her. Thrash it up, mother! 

DL

The Age Of Quarrel

So I'm listening to 185 Miles South, and once again the subject of the brilliance of the Cro-Mags The Age Of Quarrel comes up. This is the default view, and I don't think I've ever seen it disputed. 

For real, can someone teach me how to listen to this album? It's been over 30 years and after multiple attempts, I still just don't get it. I do get that a lot of it is about a specific time and a place, and I do get it's influence on what was to come in NYC, but musically, what am I missing? I don't hate the album, but I feel left in the dark about what makes it so special. I'm sure this is a "me" problem, so help me out. I need a new perspective on how to approach this album. 

The Smitten Love Song Comp (1994 Karate Brand Records)

 

A couple of heavy hitters on this one (relatively speaking), so hopefully doesn't get pulled. You'll see this and probably rightly grab it for the Jawbreaker, but I'm loving me some Engine Kid. 

1. Jawbreaker - Housesitter
2. Slug - Choker
3. Engine Kid - Insulate
4. Big Damn Crazy Weight - Teenager Went
5. godheadSilo - Spoon
6. Lifelikeweeds - The House Is in Between the Porch and the Barbeque on Mouth Speed
7. Johnboy - 10w40
8. Cherubs - I Want Candy
9. Steel Pole Bath Tub - The Seventh Hour of the Seventh Day
10. Distorted Pony - Insatiable Times
11. Grifters - Look What You've Done to Me Now
12. Unwound - New Radio Hit
13. Beekeeper - Sore Fingers
14. Soul-Junk - Cathleen

DL

Youth For Justice CD Compilation (1995 Earth House Records)

 

Got this for the Quadiliacha. Latter half is spoken word, which has never been my thing, but Quadiliacha.  

1. Faultline - 100% Natural
2. Faultline - Unloved
3. Council Of 5 Nations - Black Belt Jones
4. In Vain - Build Up 13 Stones
5. Faceless - Carewhen
6. Faceless Shroud
7. Ego Filter - Identity
8. Ego Filter - Can't Keep It Inside
9. Emberscent - Toppling
10. Emberscent - Fall End Me
11. Quadiliacha - Ken's Squirrel
12. Quadiliacha - Razor Blade
13. Element 33 - Matthew
14. Element 33 - Viril
15. Mark Lucy - Readers And Writers
16. John Faultline / Mark Lucy - Justice Isn't Equal
17. Bridgette O' Donehue - Dissection
18. John Faultline - The Ladder
19. Jah Hawk Shotgun - Decline
20. Mark Lucy - Scatter The Ashes
21. Bridgette O' Donehue - The System
22. Erin Shafto - Women
23. John Faultline - Guns
24. Alex Farkas - I Am One Person
25. Erin Shafto - The Bitch

DL

Vida-Life Benefit 7" (1997 Lengua Armada)

Kinda speaks for itself.

1. Charles Bronson - Tabloid Suckass
2. Palatka - This Place Is Shit
3. Palatka - New Fdbck
4. In/Humanity - No Thanks Mr. Roboto
5. Dangermouse - East Side Killing Spree
6. Short Hate Temper - Figurehead
7. Eucharist - The Finish Line
8. MK Ultra - Mississippi Freedom Summer Project
9. The Locust - Cattle Mutilation
10. Q-Factor - Waste

DL

Frezno Smooth Soundtrack (2001 Spitfire Records)

 

I don't know what this movie is all about, but the title, cover art, and the dialogue (Ice T!), not to mention the fact that I attended the Harvard of the South Central Valley, Fresno State, means I gotta track this movie down.  Has anyone seen it?

Not going to post the track listing, as there are a lot of well known metal and hard rock bands that may be a magnet for getting this removed, but there are a couple of punk bands like 4 Gazm and White Kaps. 

DL

Lonely Phantoms - Lonely Phantoms (2007, self-released)

 

San Diego based lo-fi hip-hop duo of Aki Kharmicel (Oggie Clog) and Shokraw. Released on a CDr. 

1. No No Bos
2. Blak Chinaman
3. Unhappy
4. Hip Hop Hypocrites
5. She
6. Non Stop
7. Conspiracy Theory
8. Splashin'

If you like it, give them money.

DL

"Shut up and play er I mean post some music."

 Alright, things are about to get a little weird around here.

1. Over the past decade, opinion blogging mostly moved to Facebook, Twitter, etc., and I, for one, am feeling a little nostalgic for old school blogging. I don't like to admit it, but when I post to social media platforms, there's a certain level of conscious and unconscious self-censorship, as a part of me is concerned with how friends and family will react. Here, it's just me you, and no offense, but it's kind of easy to pretend you're not there (I see the stats). So I'll probably bring more of that stuff here, just to get out some of my frustrations, serious and serious, off my chest. Wading through it is the price you're gonna need to pay to get to the music (unless you're using those fancy new buttons over there ----->). 

2. So, I sell music on Discogs . It's a side hustle to get some money into my kid's 529c account. One of the surprising things I learned almost immediately is the appetite for CDs, a supposedly dead format. I sell 10x as many CDs as records. So I'm always on the lookout for rare/unknown CDs. When they sell, if it's something that looks interesting to me and it's not on slsk, I'll rip it. I have a large folder with those rips. It's not all good, it's not all punk, but it is all relatively hard to get. So I'll be going through that folder and posting things. There's still plenty of punk, but lot's of other stuff as well. And I'll still be posting whatever vinyl from my collection that I rip, provided it isn't easily available elsewhere (including slsk).