new low in record collecting

So recently I've hit a new low point in my record collecting. I was in the Princeton Record Exchange a few weeks ago with Annie, who was visiting from FL. Going through the new arrivals, since I found a few early SST records. Usually if you see a few punk records, it means that someone dropped off a collection. I'm on the second to last box, and some dude comes up and starts leafing through the last box. I wait for him to move and then move to that one, which I saw had good stuff. When I get there, I smell something pretty foul. Annie looks at me, and I swore it wasn't me. So I try to ignore it, and keep browsing figuring the smell would go away. A fart would, but this was no fart... The dude crapped his pants! Now in the grand scheme of things, when someone craps their pants, you try to get as far as possible from them (which Annie was smart enough to do). In my world however, looking through that last box was something I couldn't just give up on. I basically held my breath as long as I could, then ran out of there. Got some decent scores, but I've definitely hit a new low...

7":

The Ergs!- Books About Miles Davis
Unless you've been living under a fucking rock, you know that the Ergs are by far the best pop-punk band out there. This little record is a teaser single for the new LP/CD coming out in a few months. This song has been in their live sets for a while now, so it's nice to finally hear a recorded version finally. The song's a bit slower than some of their other stuff, but the Ergs are so diverse that they can totally pull this off. The majority of it is just guitar and maracas... The B-side is a cover song by someone I'm not familiar with, but sounds pretty cool. Their new LP, Upstairs/Downstairs will be great, I can't wait.


They Live- Blurred
They Live were a band from Buffalo, who released a bunch of records in the late 90's/early 00's. Their sound is close to Infest, mixed w/ some fast Japanese thrash. This record was recorded way back in 1998, but was never released (until now of course), and the lineup is kinda weird since it's only 2 of the members, but it still rips. They Live were really great, but I think this may be the only thing still available. It makes for a great starting point, plus the fucking Turning Point cover is worth it. I'm glad I'm not the only one w/ a huge soft spot for good youth crew HC. Someone needs to put together a discography CD for these guys.


Reason Of Insanity- Live on WFMU
ROI have a bunch of records out, but unfortunately none of those are in my collection. This being my first experience with them, I'm really into it. These songs were recorded live on the radio in NJ, but I'm fairly certain that they didn't play a show here. They're songs are real fast dirty old school hardcore thrash, and the quality is pretty good for a live set. They do a Zero Boys cover, which is a little sloppy, but still fun. Interesting fun fact is that Brandon from Government Warning/ Direct Control plays drums on these tracks. It's a limited to 300 pressing, so good luck finding it, the label's already out of copies.


Let Down- Crossed Off
I saw these guys in Philly a few weeks ago, and thought they were pretty good (despite horrible sounding equipment), had a real good old school hardcore sound. First of all, the record itself looks awesome, with a 2 color silk screened cover, which folds out in 3 panels. It's almost a shame it had to be folded. What you're getting is 4 really pissed off straight edge hardcore songs. Before modern sxe hardcore became emo lyrics with mosh parts, there were bands who wanted to play hard and fast. This really reminds of Shark Attack or No Justice, and I'd like to see these guys real soon.


CTS- s/t
There's a good chance you've never heard of CTS or their awesome demo tape, which came out in 2003 or 4. They basically didn't play out of the upstate NY area, so I'm surprised they landed on my radar at some point. I loved their demo, and this is just a vinyl re-pressing of that demo. The recording sounds a little brighter even, maybe it was remixed or remastered. The songs are super lo-fi old DC sounding hardcore, but with a slight modern thrash sound. Kinda reminds me of the Slogan Boy 7", which came out a few years ago. It's cool that their demo is on vinyl, though the cover art isn't as cool.


Tangled Lines- Wash The Shit Off
I saw this band recently on tour w/ I Object, which I suppose is a fairly good comparison. Like I Object, they have a female singer and sing about social issues over some fast hardcore. The music has more of a youth crew style with harmonics, and the singer's voice is a much higher pitch. I like the group vocals, and start and stop parts. There's an intro song, which I remember not really liking live also, but the rest of the songs have some real cool fast singalong thrashy hardcore. They've got some more records out, but this was a limited tour 7" (or at least a limited tour version). Oh yea, they wore matching outfits live, which was adorable.


The Trouble- Live at the Rat
DUDE, the Trouble is(was) so fucking good. You may know of them since their singer went on to sing in Panic, but the Trouble has a more punk influence, kinda like the Pist. This record is 4 live tracks from back in 1997, and the quality is really good. If you haven't heard "Nobody Laughs Anymore," their LP, you're really missing out. I don't know how you can get this record, since it's a limited promo dealie, but do yourself a favor and check out the Trouble.

LP:

Bury The Living- All the News That's Fit To Scream
I had recently stumbled upon a few BTL records in some used bins and other places, and liked what I heard. They've been around for a while and seem to have a bunch of records out, this LP being the newest one. Their sound is heavy (but not metal) fast hardcore, which has a similar quality to the Holy Mountain but with a more stripped down Deathreat styled approach. Must be something about Memphis, TN that turns out the most surprisingly good HC bands. They recently broke up and reformed, so hopefully they'll tour again.

CD:

The Unlovables- Crush, Boyfriend, Heartbreak
I got this from the same label that I ordered the new Ergs 7" from. I figured I was ordering stuff anyway. might as well check it out. All I knew was that it was a band from NY w/ Mike Erg and a female singer. The songs are super poppy sugary pop-punk, kinda like the Muffs or maybe the Dollyrots. This kind of stuff I have to be in a mood for, it's good though. I'm just not always in the mood for really happy pop music. It's good, and I'd be interested in hearing more.

demo:
Seasick- Drug Vacation demo (cd-r)
Seasick is a local NJ band, who I've seen since their beginning and various lineup changes. They started out as a fairly standard modern sounding thrash band, but this demo they've add a more melodic touch to their songs. Sorta reminds me of Paint It Black, with some Propaghandi influence. The lyrics are still political, and the songs are still fast, but there's a heaviness to the guitar riffing too (plus a blatantly stolen Bad Brains breakdown). What's really cool about this demo is that there's a full live set at the end; it's not often you get a 20 minute long demo. The playing isn't too tight, but I think they rushed to record before tour. I still don't know what a "drug vacation" is.


I NEED MORE DEMOS! I love hearing new bands, and I try to review everything I get...