Categories
Music News

Lower announce UK Tour

Lower_Tour

Copenhagen post-punks Lower have been smashing some serious support slots all over the UK this month. An ATP date with Merchandise on the 9th, and a run in with Fucked Up at the Scala on the 18th saw the four-piece prove their worth in tow with their debut album release Seek Warmer Climes, out this week on Matador Records.

Showing no sign of slowing, Lower have just announced a run of headline UK shows in August, as well as joining Chelsea Wolfe on tour in Europe. Check the UK dates below.

August
2nd – Visions Festival, London
3rd – Bermuda Triangle, Brighton
4th – Sunflower, Birmingham
5th – Broadcast, Glasgow
6th – Castle, Manchester

Categories
Live Reviews

Merchandise live at the Islington Assembly Hall

Merchandise / Lower
Islington Assembly Hall
9th June 2014

LowerIts been about two years since Florida’s premium genre crossing punk band first appeared on the radar. At the time, they had just released breakthrough record Children of Desire on Katorga Works, a label that has released some of the best American punk and hardcore of recent years (Hoax, Hounds of Hate, Creem). Perhaps it is because of this that a gig at the Islington Assembly Hall, a rather grand venue and certainly one you wouldn’t expect to see a Katorga band play, came as such a suprise. However, Merchandise’s star is truly rising, with a record due out on 4AD this year surely to cement that.

Denmark’s Lower opened the proceedings to a somewhat sparse crowd. Lower are a band that carry a fair amount of hype around them, releasing a split with fellow countrymen, Iceage, they are the perfect band to play before Merchandise. A droney post punk band that could play in front of an ATP crowd, or a noisy hardcore crowd.

With a debut LP due out imminently, parts of the band’s set were unfamiliar to much of the crowd, lending to a fairly uninvolving show. With that said, despite a lacklustre response from the audience, the performance was strong. Its clear that the band’s ability to write songs has grown a lot between records, with the new songs played tonight being the highlight. Be sure to see them support label mates (Matador Records) Fucked Up on the 18th June at the Scala.

After Lower, the stage was set for Merchandise. Mercifully, the crowd had grown significantly, and whilst it wasn’t a rammed venue, there certainly appeared to be a lot of support for the band. Merchandise have two main strengths. The first of which is their vocalist Carson Cox, not only does his Morrissey-esque croon hold up throughout the hour they spend on stage, he’s also an excellent frontman, connecting with the crowd with ease throughout, and thanking the audience in such a way that it never comes off as trite. The second highlight of the band is their guitarist D. Vassalotti who is a constant showman, always experimenting with what noise he can create within the surprisingly poppy music being played.

Merchandise_LiveMerchandise played a set that covered much of their discography, from audience favourite ‘Time’ to ending on ‘No You and Me’ from their recent Record Store Day split with Milk Music and Destruction Unit. Perhaps a bold move to finish their set with a song from a split that only a few people may have heard, especially when omitting such well known songs as ‘In Nightmare Room’ yet I believe it to be a risk that paid off.

As well as songs from their past, a couple of new songs were played, most notably ‘Little Killer’, a song that was posted online just a week or so before. What strikes you the most is how hooky this track is, not only catchy but also finishing within four minutes, leading one to wonder if this marks an end to the sprawling, ten minute tracks that made their Children of Desire LP so memorable.

As the show draws to a close, you’re overwhelmed with not only how strong Merchandise’s performance was, but also how accessible much of their set was. Merchandise could be a suitable support act for some really big bands if they so choose, and with a new album penned for the end of August, we could be seeing them playing some very interesting shows sooner rather than later.

Tim Lewis

Categories
Features

The Young Ones was my first punk rock

the_young_ones_rik_mayall

It’s hard to express quite how important The Young Ones was to my generation. When it first aired in 1982 it changed everything. It roared through the playground like a tidal wave. It changed the way we spoke, the way we thought, our humour. The Young Ones were our heroes. It was glorious, chaotic anarchy and it was on our TV sets. It divided generations. I remember friends and family whose parents wouldn’t let them watch it. It was a bad influence. Crazy, weird, too damn rebellious.

You loved the Young Ones like you loved your favourite band. Maybe even more. They were total punks and Rik Mayall led the whole thing. News of his passing hit me like a sucker punch. It felt like a part of my childhood has just died with him.

And it goes far beyond and before The Young Ones. The Dangerous Brothers, Kevin Turvey, Lord Flashheart, Drop Dead Fred, Alan B’Stard, endless brilliant Comic Strips. And all of it so funny. All of it ingrained into our collective consciousness. To this day we still endlessly quote from his repertoire. It never goes away, does it…Cod Piece Face?

I never got to meet Rik Mayall. I did get to meet Adrian Edmondson once at the Kerrang! Awards where I drunkenly tried to persuade him to reform Bad News as a rap-metal band (can you imagine how good that would have been?!) He humored me as I slurred at him stating that Bad News were a better metal band than all of the other rock bands in the room that day.

It’s true. Bad News, along with The Young Ones, were a huge part of my adolescence. We would endlessly watch the two Comic Strip episodes that featured this perfect pastiche of heavy metal in all its ridiculous glory. Rik Mayall was incredible as the bands incompetent bass player Colin Grigson. As I type this now quotes from the TV shows and two albums they made fill my head, still making me laugh.

I was lucky to get to see Bad News twice live. Once at the Marquee where they jammed with Jeff Beck and Brian May and again at the legendary Donington ‘Monsters Of Rock’ appearance that features in the ‘More Bad News’ episode. At the time, there was a lot of controversy regarding Bad News being on the bill. In those days Monsters Of Rock (now Download) was a one stage, one day event with only six or seven bands on the bill and the audience was aggravated that one of those precious spots was taken by a ‘joke’ band. On the day, however, there wasn’t a single person in the crowd that wasn’t having the best time ever as the band were pelted with whatever the audience could lay their hands on, which can be seen in all its glory on ‘More Bad News’.

Bad-News_rik_mayall

So that’s it then. Goodbye Rik Mayall. Thanks so much for all of the laughs. Thanks so much for making the eighties less bleak than they could have been. Thanks for brightening up our world.

The last words go to (p)Rick.

“This house will become a shrine, and punks and skins and rastas will all gather round and hold their hands in sorrow for their fallen leader. And all the grown-ups will say, “But why are the kids crying?” And the kids will say, “Haven’t you heard? Rick is dead! The People’s Poet is dead! And then one particularly sensitive and articulate teenager will say, “Other kids, do you understand nothing? How can Rick be dead when we still have his poems?”

James Sherry

That exploding tonic water eh…

Categories
Buzz Chart Music

Control Group

Control_Group_You_Can_Be_The_StarControl Group
‘You Can Be The Star’

Hot on the trail of critically acclaimed EP Shoes Of the People, Brooklyns Control Group have just dropped a music video for their new single, ‘You Can Be The Star’.

Front man Daren Korb’s loosely strummed chords and heartfelt vocal resonate for a few profound moments before the pre-chorus kicks and ‘You Can Be The Star’ turns it up past 10. Recalling the good times of bands like Weezer, it’s clear that despite the more radio friendly stance Control Group have taken on this new single, they’re still keeping it real.

‘You Can Be The Star’ offers some contrast to the grunge infested 2013 EP, steering things to more accessable territories. This is no bad thing, with a sure knack for melody and accurate hook placement, it’s clear these guys know exactly how to write songs. Which is no suprise, considering Korb’s recent successes in the video game world, with his smash hit soundtrack to Supergiant Games’ Transistor selling like hot cakes.

With Korb making a firm transition from the gaming music world and into the mainstream, Control Group announce their debut album Hot Swap is due this summer, keep your ear to the ground for a release date.

Categories
Features Music

Crossfire Buzzbombs: 12 featured tracks for June

Photograph shot in 1987 by Stephen Marc. Buy it here.

Alvvays – ‘Archie, Marry me’ (Transgressive Records)

As indie ‘hits’ go Canadian pop crew Alvvays have crafted a stunning contender for the best laid-back summer tune of 2014. Melt this into your ears on a sunny day for best results and look out for the album dropping on July 21st. – Zac

Iggy Pop & Nick Cave feat. Thurston Moore – ‘Nobody’s City’ (Gun Club cover)

The coolest, second coolest, and third coolest rockers of all time covering the fourth coolest rockers of all time. One’s the leader of the Stooges, the other the leader of the Bad Seeds and the third the leader of Sonic Youth. Together they pay a mighty tribute to Jeffrey Lee Pierce, leader of the chaotic blues-punk outfit The Gun Club. If you enjoy this little number, get a copy of Miami and Fire Of Love. Immediately. Describe the track? Fuck that, this needs to be heard to be believed. – Ross Horton

White Lung – ‘Snake Jaw’ (Domino)

Hot on the trail of gnarl left behind their shit kicking new single ‘Drown With the Monster‘, White Lung have just dropped the equally stonking B-Side, ‘Snake Jaw’. If you need it loud and you need it now, hit play for a snarling fix. – Dave Palmer

Eight Rounds Rapid – ‘Stalker’ (Cadiz Music)

Hailing from Southend and featuring rhythm and blues punk rock legend Wilko Johnson’s son Simon on guitar, Eight Rounds Rapid’s debut album ‘Lossleader’ is a perfect and very British slab of strutting pub punk rock. Vocalist David Alexander has the perfect ice cold vocal sneer, distilling the essence of Alternative TV, Wire and Dr Feelgood and making it sound totally NOW. Check them out quickly before they fire off all eight rounds. – James Sherry

Chain & The Gang – ‘Devitalise’ (Fortuna Pop)

Ian Svenonius always does good party manifesto. I first heard his “13 Point Plan To Destroy America” with Nation of Ulysses then got to interview him as leader of Gospel influenced MAKE-UP for my old grunge fanzine Velvet Sheep when he said “the only reason we make music is cos what can poor people do to fight against the context they’re forced to live in, in terms of capitalist society? The great promise of rock & roll is the idea of self-creation”. And he’s created yet another brilliant band Chain & The Gang who return after a triumphant MAKE-UP reunion (I was there, I testified as Ian repeatedly smacked a microphone into his Steptoe-esque teeth) with the brilliantly understated “Minimum Rock & Roll”. To call it lean is an understatement.

On the brilliant teaser Ian intones that this record does not contain the following: “Extraneous words, unnecessary sounds, frivolous notes. Fewer Words — Fewer Notes — Fewer Beats. You’re tired of hearing them, we’re sick of making them”. Like The Cramps this is cut to the bone. Still funky, still sexy, still incandescent. But made from rubbing two sticks together rather than with a flame thrower. If politics is about personality these days, I say we should all clamour for Ian’s immediate election. – Nick Hutchings

Perspex Flesh – ‘S/T’ (Static Shock Records)

Hailing from Leeds, Perspex Flesh play a particularly ugly and thrilling mutant form of hardcore punk that is bathed and smothered in so much feedback that pain is as much a part of the listening experience as pleasure is. However, underneath the swathes of noise lay some killer punk rock riffs and rhythms. Excellent new hardcore that looks forward as much as it does to the past.- – James Sherry

Jack Ruby – ‘Hit & Run’ (Cargo Records)

On his liner notes for this remarkable reissue Thurston Moore says “Jack Ruby may be the most influential punk band from New York City that no-one ever even knew about”. He first wrote about them with Byron Coley for his ace book “No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York 1976-1980” and now with the help of the internet connections have been made, and the rediscovered sound is like the connections of two live wires unearthed. The band’s George Scott III went onto become the bassist of the kinetically brilliant Contortions, but if you’re familiar with James Chance’s sound then you’re only half way there. Think of Crime – the rediscovered roughcut diamonds in police uniforms who proclaimed San Francisco to be doomed, with a dose of Electric Eels “Agitated” and Sonic Youth’s “Shaking Hell” and you are nearer the compelling carnage of this proto-punk “Hit & Run”. – Nick Hutchings

Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires – ‘The Company Man’ (Sub Pop)

Need something to put the swagger back into your step? Maybe this Alabama quartet can help. ‘The Company Man’ is Southern rock at its finest; underpinned by a fuzzed-up beast of a riff, topped off with Mr Baines’ rootsy road-dog drawl, and probably an absolute belter when played live. Here’s hoping for some UK dates soon. – Alex Gosman

Lola Colt – ‘Vacant Hearts’ (Black Tigress Records)

Lola Colt’s sonic explorations never fail to satisfy. Live, or on record, the past couple of years has seen this six-piece consistently deliver the most mesmerising, psychedelic soundscapes you could ever wish to indulge in. Now approaching their highly anticipated debut album, scheduled for release at the end of the year, Lola colt have dropped their third single ‘Vacant Hearts’. As per, this track oozes cool, and is laced with that hot desert sand ‘Colt fans will be oh so familiar with. – Dave Palmer

Wonk Unit – ‘Lewisham’

New Wonk Unit album Nervous Racehorse is melodic, indie-tinged punk at its finest, and ‘Lewisham’ evokes the same feel as the best that Fat Wreck or Epitaph had to offer in their mid-90s heyday. A ridiculously hook-laden ode to the South London borough that is bound to get you out the door and on your skateboard. – Jono Coote

Wussy – ‘Teenage Wasteland’ (Damnably)

Taken from Wussy’s fifth album, Attica! Lead track ‘Teenage Wasteland’ is the perfect introduction to the Cincinnati five-piece’s restrained rock ‘n’ roll. A slow burner that builds on a quaint piano riff to an uplifting crescendo. Prepare for howling pedal steel, throbbing Hammond organ, and an obligatory theremin thrown in for good, psychedelic measure. This is a summer haze to be fully embraced. – Dave Palmer

Arctic Flowers – ‘Anamnesis’

Playing gothic-tinged hardcore punk in the vein of TSOL/45 Grave/Nerve Agents, Arctic Flowers often stray closer to UK ’77 and 80’s post-punk sounds than the aforementioned comparisons. ‘Anamnesis’ finds the group at their fastest and loudest, but they are equally at home creating foreboding, gloom laden dirges. – Jono Coote

If you would like to contribute tracks next month or write for us then don’t be shy, get in touch.

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

The Proper Ornaments

Wooden HeadThe Proper Ornaments
Wooden Head
Fortuna POP!

The Proper Ornaments are what you could call a band of enigmas. Materialising sometime back in 2010, The Proper Ornaments rocketed into the music blogs with their fantastic debut single ‘Recalling’, followed by, well, not much at all. A promising EP in 2011 was again met with praise from the blogs, but was trailed by little else. However, regarding the bands history, and the other pie’s it’s two main contributors have their fingers in, it’s no wonder this debut has been a long time coming.

Primarily comprised of Max Claps and James Hoare, their song writing partnership can be traced back to a second hand clothes shop. So the story goes, Claps struck up a conversation with the clerk –then, James Hoare- to divert his attention while Max’s girlfriend of the time attempted to steal a pair of boots. As it happens, the two got on like a house on fire. After finding solace in a shared love of The Velvet Underground, the boot heist was history and The Proper Ornaments’ seeds were sown.

Now, emerging from the shadows once again, the irregular musical career of The Proper Ornaments becomes just. With Claps having spent the last few years flitting between a number of musical projects, most recently Lets Wrestle, and Hoare’s permanent role as song writer with Veronica Falls, this debut album has been a long time coming. And after the first listen, it’s certain to say that Wooden Head was worth waiting around for.

Easing in to the first of its fourteen tracks, album opener ‘Gone’ is a laid back ode to the lofty guitar hook and blurred vocal, setting the subdued tone for this twee LP. But be careful when you say ‘twee’, mind. Things aren’t buffed to a sheen and polished to perfection here, this collection of songs holds a particularly warm and comforting quality.

The Proper Ornaments

‘Ruby’ sees the Ornaments channel Peter Buck style fretwork and a yearning Michael Stipe-esque vocal into a three minute, sun-kissed spectacle. With more dizzying guitar reveries found on ‘Now I Understand’, the highlights of Wooden Head come at the half-way point, with the kraut infused ‘Stereolab’ cooking up a hypnotic haze that never wearies. Kept awake by a motoring bass line and suitably subtle guitar hook, ‘Stereolab’ oozes warm, psychedelic cement, keeping you fully stuck to this record for the second half.

When it comes to riffs, ‘Always There’ is another track on this album that just keeps on giving, with dark, surf guitar tones escalating to a higher sonic level. ‘You Shouldn’t Have Gone’ is arguably the dreamy climax of this entire album, as well as the second half, veering away from the softer sounds found on Wooden Head to explore some twisted, psychedelic garage territories. Building up to an ear-bending guitar solo, this track is tainted with Brian Jonestown Massacre vibes and is to be played at no less than full volume to ensure maximum sedation from these soothing sounds.

Wooden Head is a record that feels natural and organic, each track holds a just-rolled-out-of-bed kind of closeness and intimacy. The song structures un-wind progressively, but never tire – there’s not a song on the record that breaches more than three and a half minutes. It’s a cool collection of lazy guitar pop that, while nodding to the past for inspiration, creates fresh, uplifting harmonies, tainted by a comforting gloom.

Wooden Head is due for release June 9th via Fortuna POP! Grab yourself a copy and spin it this summer.

Dave Palmer

Categories
Music News

Clouder release ‘All the Royal Years Are Gone’ video

Clouderphoto by Bryan Bruchman

Brooklyn bad boys Clouder have dropped a new music video for ‘All The Royal Years Are Gone’. One of the many footstompers featured on Clouder‘s fantastic sophomore album, Sister Raygun, out now on Fleeting Youth Records. Filmed at Pianos in Brooklyn, this music video see’s frontman Eric Gilstrap commanding the venue like a general. Hit play below for a taste of Clouder’s raucous live show.

Stay tuned, Clouder are currently working on new material for an upcoming 4-way split with Slippertails, Hippy, and Pow Wow! due later this year on Fleeting Youth Records.

Categories
Buzz Chart Music

Le Rug

Le_RugLe Rug
‘Harold Camping / Dead In a Hole’
Fleeting Youth Records

You may not yet be aware of Ray Weiss, but rest assured, after hearing these two tracks you will not be forgetting him any time soon.

Recognised for his work with the excellent Brooklyn band, Butter The Children, the singer and guitarist’s own post-punk project, Le Rug, are gearing up for a new album of noise titled Press Start (The Collection). Better still, these carpet beating maniacs have shared two whacked out new tracks to get us all excited.

From first listen, ‘Dead In A Hole’ confirms you’ve struck musical gold. The comforting chords that open up this ditty set you at ease before flicking the switch to full on, four-to-the-floor commotion. After an adequate ear-hammering, you’re thrown back down the gloomy alleyway of instrumentation. Accompanied by Weiss’ warped vocal that offers a strangely consoling presence when atop the warbling synths, before shredding you to pieces, plunging back in to his screeching chorus mantra, “I’m dead in a hole”.

‘Harold Camping’, the ‘A’ side of the pair, creeps in with a sneaky bassline before unleashing a shrieking chorus. Seeping back into a trumpet infused verse, Weiss keeps up his knack for carefully misplaced instruments, inducting some horror movie style keys and dissonant guitar stabs to keep this frantic song on course.

Put the questions surrounding the band’s name aside, and these two tracks will undoubtedly find their way into your subconscious and haunt you all week. Weiss keeps things manic and unexpected, with huge dynamic changes, slapping you in the face when you least expect it, but there’s a presence of control and thought in every bar. Naturally, Le Rug will appeal to those who enjoy something a little bit different, but immerse yourself into these songs for a while, and you’ll appreciate how such a warped mixture of sounds can be channelled into satisfaction.

Press Start (The Collection) is released June 17th via Fleeting Youth Records.

Dave Palmer

Categories
Features Music

IMO: Why Slip It In is the best Black Flag album

Words by Ross Horton

blackflag_slipitin

Whenever you ask someone what their favourite Black Flag record is, you tend to get a snap answer. Usually it’s one of three – the iconic (rightly so) Damaged; the brutal My War; the late-era masterpiece In My Head. Occasionally you’ll get some hardcore animal saying First Four Years. All are, of course, perfectly reasonable and perfectly righteous choices – what fan of punk music could live without any of them?

If your favourite is amongst that list, fair play and kudos to you – but when it comes to the best Black Flag album, after a little discussion people tend to come around to the idea that Slip It In is (probably) their best record. It also happens to be my favourite. Over the course of the record’s eight blistering tracks Messrs. Ginn, Stevenson and Rollins – and of course the inimitable, endlessly captivating Miss Kira Roessler – create a ridiculously tense atmosphere.

Tension, to me, is what punk’s all about. Disagreements are welcome here, of course. But to this mind and these ears, the most cathartic release that human beings tend to be able to experience – be it sonically, sexually, sensually – comes after a period of unbearable, excruciating tension. Goddamn, the record is called ‘Slip It In’!

The terse mood of the record is its primary success: Sure, Black Flag were always about feeling powerful and feeling pointless at the same time… but Slip It In gives you tonnes of the former, an almost unbearable amount of the latter, and it’s the first record in their catalogue where Rollins’ testosterone-fuelled aggression finds its greatest outlet.

That outlet is Greg Ginn’s highly advanced, mature songwriting. The songs on Slip It In are quite frankly incredible. From the first track to the last, all of the tunes are solid gold. Ginn’s ever-expanding guitar abilities enabled his band to crash and pound away without it ever seeming like pointless, bottled fury.

The title track, which opens the record, is an exercise in genius songwriting – Ginn pits Rollins against Roessler in a fucking amazing coital showdown. The riff chugs and squeals away underneath the dramatic interplay between the two primary characters, and the two singers play their roles in superb fashion. They put so much emphasis into their respective performances that the listener feels like a grubby, squinting voyeur gawping through an open window at some illicit sexual encounter between some musclebound maniac and his more-than-willing punk princess prey.

Roessler’s yearning, seductive groans remind the listener of Kim Gordon at her sneering best, but Kira’s sexual sparring partner (in the track) isn’t Thurston Moore, it’s Henry Rollins – which flips the vibe completely. The lyrics seem to be half-condemnatory, half-celebratory towards adultery… but the singers play it in such a way that we can all see the resemblance to the kind of horrid situations we all get ourselves into sometimes. Sometimes you can’t help yourself, and the song deftly recognises that.

And then, after the night before, you’ve got Black Coffee. This is one of the more ‘conventional’ punk cuts on the record, but it’s also one of the best tracks in the Black flag catalogue. Rollins gets into an Iggy-like cyclic depressive state while drinking his black coffee and staring at the walls and imagining horrible things that may or may not be true.

Sonically, the track writhes and slashes away in a refreshingly violent manner underneath all the lyrical paranoia – don’t listen to those folks that try and taint the punk credentials of this record by slapping stupid tags on it: I’ve read ‘heavy metal’, ‘jazz metal’, ‘jazz punk’… all are bollocks, to be honest.

It’s a fitting musical (punk) backdrop for themes and events we can all identify with – paranoia, thinking you’re wrapped up in a horrible conspiracy, hating yourself, voiding out, staring at something blankly for interminable amounts of time, looking for answers that aren’t so easily found (if there are answers at all.)

black-flag_john_travolta_grease

Tension, tension, tension. There’s a phrase to describe being tense: ‘Wound up.’ The third track of Slip It In is fittingly titled then, no? It’s remarkable because it’s one of Rollins’ best compositions – the guitar bends and chugs are undoubtedly down to Ginn, but the bruising sensibility has all the hallmarks of Rollins’ finest songwriting.

It’s this kind of tune that would go on to inspire grunge bands, especially Mudhoney – Mark Arm has always maintained that his favourite Black Flag albums are the later ones. The scraping guitars, the thundering drums, the streetwise slinky tightness of the instrumentation… Wound Up has it all. It’s a lithe, nefarious cut in that grinds you down and rolls over you in equal measure – the pent-up aggression Rollins conveys in his lyrics is translated perfectly when Roessler, Ginn and Stevenson lock into a groove rather than join in a clatter-fest. Who said punks can’t ‘play’ huh?

Back to Mudhoney, and can you detect the similarities between Sweet Young Thing Ain’t Sweet No More and the next track on Slip It In, Rat’s Eyes? Apart from sounding very similar riff-wise, both lumber along on a crushing slice of sludge riffing. Rollins sounds fucking demonic barking away: “I see the world through/Rat’s Eyes/Rat’s Eyes/Rat’s Eyes…”

Ginn’s abrasive tone on this cut is totally punk – it’s confrontational, belligerent and builds a tonne of tension into what would ordinarily be a mid-album slump. Of course, Black Flag had never heard of such a preposterous idea… can you find a dull moment on any of the ‘proper’ records? (I’m not counting What The… , which isn’t really a Black Flag record, or Family Man which was an important experiment but nothing more.)

The next number is a beast – killer instrumental Obliteration. Obliteration opens with a gong-hit, and then spirals outwards with tremendous off-kilter down-tuned riffing. On this track, Ginn’s riffs roll and sway and creep and splatter with a monumental gravitas – there’s tonnes of kinetic energy going on in this track.

Some call Ginn’s fretboard explorations noodling, some call it pioneering – either way, it sounds awesome, as though the track is careering towards some kind of inevitable doom. Stevenson’s complex drumming is taut and locked-in at all times – it deserves highlighting here because he’s obviously tied into his leader’s madman guitar pyrotechnics.

The Bars! Roessler kicks the record back into gear with a monstrous bass groove before Stevenson drops in with a tight-as-fuck rhythm and Ginn rocks up with his best Ron Asheton impression, all guitar-grating and squealing solo jamming. Rollins’ jagged lyrics go back to their paranoiac comfort zone while some A-grade hardcore punk crashes around him. It’s the most ‘Black Flag’ song on the record i.e. it wouldn’t be out of place on My War or Damaged, likewise In My Head… but it’s place here on Slip It In practically assures the guarantees I made earlier.

If you’re one of those Luddites that doesn’t own an iPod or any portable listening device (I am one such heathen) then The Bars would be a shoe-in for any Black Flag mixtape you’d ever care to put together. It’s that good.

The fact that it’s completely unrepresentative of the album it belongs to only adds to its charm, in my view. Why bother regressing so obviously, you could ask, but the answer is clear: because they kill hardcore punk every time. They kill it.

The hyperspeed thrashing of My Ghetto would go on to inspire numerous grindcore acts – it has a furious, undeniable pace, a blazing rhythm and a searing, shrapnel-sharp guitar assault. At only just over 120 seconds, it’s the shortest track on the record… and the stone-wall refutation that Black Flag couldn’t do punk after My War, if any were needed.

The ferocity and chaos of the track is carefully orchestrated and the focus and intensity they imbue the track with is staggering. Imagine what it’s like to be hearing that for the first time, you know? It’s a fragment of hectic, ripping punk that says and does all it needs to before it fucks off and leaves one final titanic number to close the album out.

That gargantuan slice is You’re Not Evil – imagine throwing howling MC5 garage rock in a blender with Blue Cheer’s crushing blues-rock, then dicing it up and stretching it out. Here you find Black Flag going against any expectations of what it means to be ‘punk’, but totally embodying the very ethos of ‘punk’ in their sheer distaste for close-minded musical bigotry.

Sure, it can seem ‘progressive’ – but ‘progressive’ doesn’t mean it’s ‘prog-rock’, you dig? It’s got more in common with the Dead Boys than Jethro Tull. The Stooges made tracks this long with regularity, and they’re the daddies of punk.

Ginn’s guitar playing kicks it to another level on You’re Not Evil – he synthesis salty acid-rock tones with a blistering metallic aura and practically innovates and shimmies with each passage of the track. It’s a moment of undeniable brilliance on an album full of them – and certainly the most interesting album closer Black Flag ever did (bold, I know, but hey.)

Slip It In is one of the best punk albums of all time, and it holds up against some of the better-known and better-loved iconoclastic records of 1984 (even My War, also released in 1984!). In 1984 Meat Puppets released the unquestionable masterpiece II, Hüsker Dü released the kaleidoscopic masterpiece Zen Arcade, St. Vitus released their epochal self-titled debut… And they’re just SST’s releases in 1984! Greg Ginn’s label! Unreal ain’t it?

Without Black Flag, music would be a dire place. Punk would be vastly different, without a doubt. I know Grant Hart blames Rollins for bringing ‘jocks’ into hardcore and thus ruining it – but he also brought a whole generation of angry, paranoid kids into the scene… and those kids would eventually pioneer the music of the following generation.

If you are interested in guitars, punk rock, rock, the female contribution to punk, the interplay between the sexes in music, the art involved in playing aggressive music… you have to get Slip It In. You have to cherish it. You have to consider it amongst the pantheon of rock and roll’s finest records. Ignore the bullshit that Ginn has got up to in the intervening years, ignore the lazy accusations that they abandoned punk, ignore any hate and believe this: Slip It In is Black Flag’s greatest album. Dig that.

Categories
Live Reviews

Vertical Scratchers live at The Waiting Room, London

Vertical Scratchers
The Waiting Room, Stoke Newington
May 8th, 2014

It’s with a sense of relief that we greet Vertical Scratchers as a power-trio as they step out onto the small but cosy stage in The Waiting Room tonight.

Vertical Scratchers, you see, have made an album this year – ‘Daughter Of Everything’ on Merge Records (review here) – that over-flows with quirky genius pop songs that are utterly addictive and compelling. They are the latest song-writing vehicle for John Schmersal, part of the stunning 90s noise rock band Brainiac whose incredible run of music was cut cruelly short in its prime with the death of singer Tim Taylor in 1997. After some time John continued to make challenging music with the brilliant Enon before most recently, moving onto Vertical Scratchers.

However, a brief glance at YouTube showed some footage of them playing live as a two-piece and to be honest, the performance wasn’t a patch on the lush pop of the record. It lacked bottom end without a bass player, obviously, and the songs were not shining through in the way that they should have done. Which is why, when the band walk out onstage tonight, that it is with a sense of relief to see them emerge as a three-piece, hardly pausing for breath as they begin to plough through the choice cuts on ‘Daughter Of Everything’ with energy and gusto. Occasionally Schmersal’s soft vocals get lost under the barrage of fizzing guitar and crashing drums but the melodies contained within songs such as ‘Turn Me Out’, ‘Memory Shards’ and ‘Way Out’ cut through like a razor and crackle with energy and static. ‘Pretend U Are Free’ brings things down a little with its Beach Boys-style harmonies and ‘U Dug Us All’ is slimily hypnotic and mesmerizing.

Let’s hope there’s much more to come from Vertical Scratchers. With this band Schmersal has crafted some of his greatest songs to date. Fingers crossed he’ll continue to scratch that itch for some time to come yet.

James Sherry