Saturday, April 6, 2019

Wolfpack - New York Wolfpack (1988)


Probably the first hardcore LP out of Albany featuring vocalist Steve Reddy who went on to start Equal Vision Records, Wolfpack (eventually New York Wolfpack) was pretty standard NYHC by way of the capital city. While historically important, this didn't really do much for me for a while but the more I hear it the more I dig it now. As far as I know this is their only recorded output, but start to finish a pretty solid record overall.


It sounds like the vocalists were on a revolving door for a while, including Don Sullivan from other classic Albany hardcore band Fit For Abuse. Definitely a lot of influence from other American hardcore of the time, particularly DYS which is where you can assume they got the name from. In the video above they're opening for Jerry's Kids at 288 Lark which must have been a killer show at an already legendary defunct local club. There are still pristine copies of this record in circulation if you know where to look!

Tracklist:
  1. Black Mark
  2. Stood Up
  3. Bustin' Out
  4. Suicide
  5. Chipmunk in the Road (track missing from zip file)
  6. Rich Life
  7. Pack of One
  8. Pride of the Pack
  9. Black Book of Hell
  10. Wolfpack
Posted by at No comments:

1313 Mockingbird Lane - the Second Coming of (1989)


To patrons of Valentine's and Last Vestige, you may recognize organ player Kim from serving you up some drinks and records respectively. Albany's 1313 Mockingbird Lane (name inspired by the address of the Munsters) were rulers of spooky garage rock which was equal parts sleazy rock and psychedelic weirdness that makes for a good toe tapper. They were pretty prolific in the late '80s and the '90s, disbanding in 1996 after playing their last gig at Pauly's Hotel.


Definitely for fans of The Cramps, probably more accurate comparisons can be made but I've always had a blindspot for garage rock. This is their second effort, so it has lots of grit and grime which feels pretty complimentary for the source material. Something brings to mind Murder City Devils too, but it may be from the obvious use of organs and the general dark atmosphere. Drop some LSD, put on a sexploitation movie, and get weird with this shit.


Tracklist:
  1. Teenage Devil Doll
  2. Tilt-a-Whirl
  3. Things Are Different Now
  4. Egyptian Caveman
Posted by at No comments:

Lumpen Proles - She Wasn't Home b/w Positive Thinking (1983)


Active from 1982 to 1985, not sure if I heard Lumpen Proles first on the Hudson Rock comp or the Live at 288 comp someone dubbed to cassette for me (still looking for a copy if any are around) but this shit is pretty cool and wasn't out of the norm for Albany in that era. Very reminiscent of Gang of Four and Theatre of Hate, this slice of post punk is definitely a band I wish had more recorded. I had heard of them reuniting in 2015 for their first show in 30 years, and I know they had played a Scumfest gig too, but somehow they remained under my radar until someone told me "yes they are THAT band from those comps" and I was promptly bummed on missing out. Give it a listen, it's dark and gloomy.


Tracklist:
  1. She Wasn't Home
  2. Positive Thinking
Posted by at No comments:

ECFU - Demo (2002)

Schenectady, the Electric City, has bred some memorable adventures in punk from my days in the Sleaze and Scag Rotter but unfortunately I hadn't been acquainted with these dudes at this point. Members Paul and Ron later went on to form Acid Reflux, while Joe and Andrew ended up being members of The Jury, making this demo an all-star lineup of simple straight forward hardcore with loads of snark and speed. This was done before the era of downtown revitalization that tried to put a new coat of paint on the rusted husk of a burnt out industry city and you can hear every bit of the grittiness that encompasses the Old Schenectady on this demo perfectly. Ron, as a warm up of what was to come with Acid Reflux, with the perfect combination of simplistic and clever lyrics written together all as a band.

Tracklist:
  1. New York Shitty
  2. Al Side
  3. My Dad Sucks
  4. Ruiners
  5. Fuck You, You Suck
  6. Killing Spree
  7. Early Retirement
  8. Send More Cops (Zombies)
  9. Electric City Fuck You
Posted by at 1 comment:

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Suzy Wong and the Honkeys - We'll Cum to the CuntTree (2006)


If I had to guess the year this came out I'd say 2005 or 2006, but I could be mistaken. I know that my old band Scag Rotter did more than a few gigs with this Cobleskill crew of weirdos, and I was stoked every time. A clear Bikini Kill sound here, though exactly what they'd cite as their primary influence I am unable to speculate. All I know is that these folks were tough as nails and wrote killer songs that were slow to midtempo but no less intense in a live setting.


I think this release particularly stands the test of time, but they also came out with another release a year or two after that is solid too. Not sure how the band ended, but it sounds like some members aren't on such good terms with other members? Beats me. Download it.

Tracklist:
  1. Lynze-e-e-e-e We Kicked Your A-a-a-a-ass
  2. Bloody and Fucked
  3. Dopeface
  4. Hole to China
  5. Lori's Baby
  6. Astrologicality
  7. We're All Friends Now, Right?
Posted by at No comments:

Permanent Trip - Demo CDr (2005)

Definitely a necessity for your Albany collection, straight up stoner hardcore punk from the Krak brothers Jay and Jared who, to anyone involved in the Albany scene '00s to today, you are acquainted with alongside other familiar faces Sean Doody and Nate Wilson. Blending Ripcord-esque fast punk parts with psych heavy breakdowns lend to a killer atmosphere that make this demo necessary to listen to start to finish each time you hear it. They put out a great 7" too which is totally worth your while, and this CDr which I heard found a short cassette run too (lemme know if you have one you wanna get rid of). Fondest live show memory: PT playing on the floor downstairs Valentine's at the Total Fury show and Jay having to stand with his foot against the kick drum to keep it from sliding. At least it was packed enough so it looked normal to have Jay standing in place.

Tracklist:
  1. Coffee Break
  2. Stasi
  3. Rotten
  4. Dregs
Posted by at No comments:

The Tragics - Mommi I'm a Misfit (1981)



The Tragics, or The Misfits as they were originally known before anyone had heard of Glenn & Friends, were another ripping late '70s style punk band from Albany and another one of the earliest examples of punk from the area. Kind of a passing resemblance to X-Ray Spex and the Damned here, but definitely rougher than either one ever were. This was another international cult hit thanks to the exposure of Killed By Death record compilations, and their records were highly sought after for a time. They rereleased the back stock of this record in 1990 as "Mommi I'm Still a Misfit" with updated sleeves and a photo book insert. In 2007 Loud Blaring Punk Rock (now known as Loud Punk Records) put out an official reissue that you can still stumble upon occasionally. Check it out!

Tracklist:
  1. Pretty Boys
  2. Laughing Lover
  3. When I Was Young
  4. Mommi, I'm a Misfit
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)