Strange Transmission...

It seems that a signal containing the fifth album by Man Or Astro-man?, Intravenous Television Continuum has been accidentally intercepted by our satellites here at NKINW headquarters. Our team of experts has been anxiously deciphering the materials, hoping to find some insight as to why the signal was broadcast in the first place. Formed in Alabama in early 90's, MoA_M? released a slew of data collections in the form of vinyl phonographic audio plates and silicon digital discs. The exact intentions of the group are unknown, as most of these caches were devoid of any direct lyrical statements. Samples of film and television dialogue on the discs, from sources such as David Cronenberg's Videodrome and Rod Serling's Twilight Zone, suggest that the group may have had malevolent motivation. There are certainly a few fringe neurotics and peddlers of the fantastic who suggest that the band were aliens themselves. That the music was only a cover-up, the real message being beamed via subsonic waves directly into the cerebral cortex. These cracks have even gone as far as to proclaim that the band is merely an advance guard from some other galaxy, and that their transmissions were intended to ready us for First Contact. To speed our evolution. Recent breakthroughs in the crypto-linguistics division has discovered that the group may again be becoming active. Rumors of a 'tour' beginning immediately have sent shockwaves of fear and awe through the scientific community. You can view their old website here, but it hasn't been updated since 2005. Better off checking the HTML code at their Myspace, if you want to prepare yourself for your inevitable demise at the hands of these goons.


ITV file #7734onerth: Status: Strictly Classified (DL)

You know what is like, so awesome?

This here mixtape I put together for you. These are selections from my top 25 most played tracks on iTunes. Most of the artists on the comp can be found either here on NKINW (use that handy search bar at the top of the page), or on the blogs in my link list on the right. If there's a track that you really like, feel free to request more from that artist, and I'll probably have something to post for ya. These are the jams that I play almost every night of the week. These are the songs that get me pumping my fists, shredding on my air-guitar, singing along, dancing, stumbling, and sometimes they even give me a boner. That last bit was a lie. This is a decent place to start if you're new to the blog. I've been shamelessly pimping this thing like a motherfucker, but I still don't get too many hits, and almost no comments. What up with that? Well, now this shit's even on Facebook! Yup, once again, I've buckled to peer pressure and hopped on that shitty "social-networking" crap. Enjoy, fuckers.

I'm not sure what the actual track order is, because I'm too lazy to figure out how to get them in the sequence I want. (Click the image below to enlarge. Yeah, click it. Ooooh, just like that.)

"Heaped upon impassive floors. Defeated by forevermore." (DL)

The state of things.

Everyone knows that irony has eaten itself, and parody has replaced subjective reality. I'm not the biggest rap fanatic, but I can appreciate some quality jams. In the last few years, there haven't been many of those, though. Here's a couple clips that pretty much sum up where commercial rap is at.

LOOSEWORLD x Waverly Films: Reggie Watts in F_CK SH_T STACK from LOOSEWORLD on Vimeo.

Are you offended? Good, then we've got your attention:

B-Boom. Da-Blap. Da Boom-boom Blap!

(skip to about the 1:30 mark)

"Love Just Ain't A Game I Play"

Having said that, I do enjoi a good love song. The Queers have been writing love songs, for retards like me, for days. I think this album, "Grow Up", has the best balance of the bands ooey-gooey, "girl, I love you" sap, and straight out rockers. Especially on side B, which opens with two of their toughest jams, "Junk Freak" and "Gay Boy"(combined here as one track). If they really were a Ramones rip-off, as some fingers have waggled, then these would be the songs penned by Dee Dee. This is a good go to album when you've got girls on your mind, but you've got beers in your gut.

Some Notes from the back of the LP:
The Queers Are:
Joe Queer Guitar Lead Vocals
B Face Bass Vocals
W/ JJ Rassler Guitar, Greg Urbatis Bass, Magoo Pirhana Bass, and Jeebs Pirhana Drums.

Remixed by Ben Weasel

"I'll Be True To You" by somebody else.

LOOKOUT #0090
3rd in our Retro series.

"Boobarella, it's funny, that's her name." (DL)

[On a side note: shortly after ripping this LP, my needle bit the dust. I'll be posting some CD's or digital rips for a while.]

Your Mother ate my dog!

First, I'd like to thank the anonymous reader who sent me a link to this one. I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing it here (w/ my own zip and link). Your Mother were from Pleasanton, Ca. and played a hybrid of punk, hardcore, and complete dorkery. Your Mother isn't "cool." Hell, Your Mother isn't even good looking. But, Your Mother was always hilarious, and most importantly, fun! Yup, I know, fun isn't tough, or metal, or punk. Neither am I. Or you, you friggin' posers. I swear I must have seen these guys play a hundred times growing up. Probably more times than I've seen any other band. Gwar and the Swingin' Utters follow close behind. The zip contains their CD, "One Big Inside Joke" and [ I accidentally included] a bunch of tracks that they have posted for free on their website, including a wicked sweet cover of Weird Al's "Dare to be Stupid" (which, by the way, is the best DEVO song that DEVO never wrote). This is one of the CD's that really got a lot of rotation when I was a teenager. I'd have to say it influenced a lot of who I am, even. Because I am a fucking dork sometimes.

One Big Inside Joke (DL)
(Certain songs run across multiple tracks, and some tracks are just a couple seconds long. This is intentional. They're fucking with you, dude. Uh, doi.)

Stress Builds Character

Seriously.

My life is fucked,
as is yours.

Go to work.
Pay your bills.
Do not question.

Stay asleep.
Marry and reproduce.
Stay in debt.

Put it on credit.
Wait until tomorrow.

This is what we get.
The end is now.

[This album is perfect. I can't believe you don't own a copy.]
(DL)

"The Funny Thing About Regret Is..."

I've seen the Butthole Surfers live twice, now. Once, when they opened for Nirvana on New Years Eve '93 going on '94; and again last October, when they shared a bill with the Melvins. The more recent show was part of a reunion tour, and to be honest, left me a little cold. They played most of the songs you would expect, and pretty much note for note. All told, it was a decent performance from a band I've been listening to for twenty years. So why didn't I have fun? Several reasons. Firstly, the venue was divided into terraces, and unless you were one of the first couple hundred people to get there, you couldn't get within 25 feet of the stage. Yawn. And, secondly, they played that shit straight as can be, and Gibby spent most of his between song banter complaining about the shitty venue. Well, sorry Gibby, if you weren't booked at a better club, but it's not the audiences fault. To be fair, ten years will grow you up, and turn down the punker antics. Oh, and they looped the theme from The Price Is Right and played it full volume for at least twenty minutes before they went on stage, which ruined every one's buzz. Maybe that was the point. You see, I first read about the Surfers in the seminal book on early DIY/Indie culture, Our Band Could Be Your Life, and I was like, "holy snappers, these cats are cuhrazy!" They took acid everyday, and fingerbanged girls on stage, then set the drum cymbals on fire, etc. So, when I saw them play in '93, I felt prepared. I wasn't. That was and is the craziest show I've seen, and one of the best. Yeah, it was at the Oakland Coliseum, a huge sports arena, but that just meant they could fit more freaks in the building. The Surfers pulled out the usual antics I mentioned before, while standing in front of three projection screens playing different images, sometimes over one another. Gibby sang through the bullhorn, the music was incredibly loud and mostly unintelligible, and the fans were the weirdest people my thirteen year old eyes had ever set upon. There was a cluster of girls wearing black leotards, doing some kind of interpretive dance. A guy in a wheel chair rocking out, then producing and consuming a strip of blotter acid, at least five hits long. Pot smoke thick as maple syrup filled the air. Anyways, if you get the chance, catch them while their still alive and kicking, but don't expect the legend to hold true. And, in the meantime, enjoy this classic album from 1987. Noise rock at its finest, if you ask me. Oh, wait, back then they were calling it "Pigfuck."

Satan! Satan! Satan!

Killer Bro-ness.

Hey, I'm doing some guest work over at Illogical Contraption. I'll be doing a mini-series about DRUGS, with some of my favorite intoxicant-related tunes. Check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Part Three, fuckers.

This is fun:

Make your own KFC sign.

"You Better Not Stop That Car"

ZEKE kills it. Super Sound Racing is their first proper full-length (Pinstriping the Dutchman's Coffin was actually recorded before this, but was deemed unworthy of release until a few years later). It's an album made by and for dirty rock n' roll heathens who love fast cars, cheap beer, and loose ladies. In these early days (1995ish), they stuck close to a Blues-based sound with simple riffs, two-stroke drums, howled vocals, and bendy, blazing fast solos; all played with the tachometer needle pinned in the red. Later albums would see their style evolve into more of a Motörhead affair: playing even faster and with a greater Metal influence. Let me tell you though, there isn't a single album in their catalog that I don't like, including the Epitaph Records ones. I've seen them live just under a dozen times, and I always leave satisfied, having had my ass rocked-the-fuck-off. I'm pretty sure that of the original members who appear on this album, only Blind Marky Felchtone (Guitar, Vocals) and Donny Paycheck (Drums) remain in the current incarnation of the band. This is a vinyl rip, from the Scooch Pooch release.

Mainline!(DL)

Not funny. Not, no...

I crapped out a new comic. It sucks. Don't enjoy it!

"People are more hideous than monsters"

You thought I was gone, didn't you? Well, to paraphrase a young Johnny Rotten, "I'm back! Wif a vengeance!"

Kicking things off, we've got a three track 7" from Tampa,Florida's Pink Lincolns. These guys are what I would call Punk n' Roll, I guess, because they've got chops (guitar solos), but retain a snotty, fuck you-edness sure to offend your parents. "Sumo Fumes" starts off with a cover of X-Ray Spex that should sound pretty familiar to anyone who's ever listened to punk, anywhere. Then we get my favorite track, "Monsters", it's thought provoking and it jams. What else do you want? There's also a third track, another cover, this time it's "I Got You" by the Split Enz. To be honest, I think I've only listened to the last track/b-side, maybe ten times. But, "Monsters"? About a zillion plays in my lifetime so far. Grab it for that alone, what 'ave ya got to lose?

Smell the Fumes Here

This blog lies...

...Dead, but dreaming. Dormant for the time being. When the stars are right, and the pipes call, and the words are spoken... Awaken! IA! IA! The New Wave will rise and crash upon the shores of man's weak existence... dead but dreaming... soon, all will know thy name...

This is what's hot on the streets?

Fucking-Pure-Killer. I can't get enough of this. [thanks KTK]

"I Don't Want to Live in Anytown"

Reagan Youth are an oft misunderstood band. Sarcasm and satire don't always travel as far as record distributors. Look at these crappy photos, and you'll see that the album imagery is of a particularly sick leftist bent. Swastikas, Klan robes, burning crosses. Ohhh, the eighties. (I'm kind of joking here. I was in diapers when Ronnie was in office. I remember that I called him the Clown, and I would punch his TV face and laugh.) This is Vol. 1 of a two part-er put out by the New Red Archive label in 1990 on beautiful clear-red vinyl. Part 2, which I don't have anymore, covers the later years and sees the band taking a pretty drastic turn away from their punk roots. It's still good, but don't expect any more songs like "New Aryans." If you have ever watched that corny-ass Brendan Frasier/Steve Buscemi movie, Airheads, you might recognize the track "Degenerated", which was used in the finale of the film. Weird.


Run Spot, run.

"There's room on the stick shift for you, doll."

This is the first thing I ever heard from the cum and coke fueled madmen that are the Dwarves. Practically an institution in the punk rock underground at this point, the Dwarves have been polluting the world with filthy ditties about teenage girls, dope, and destruction since the mid eighties. I don't know if any of these versions have since been re-released, but this is around the time of the Toolin' for a Warm Teabag LP and Blood, Guts, and Pussy. I'm not usually into the egomaniacal, "I'm a fucking rock star and I only want your money/drugs/pussy" attitude, but at least these guys have always been honest. No pretense, just scum. You'll probably want a shower after listening to this one.

I'd Eat You To Survive (DL)

Bonus! Here's an interview from a Bay Area free trade rag called Juice. I'm not sure of the year, but it's around the release of Come Clean (2000).

Skate Fast! Thrash Fast!

Useless Wooden Toys hail from Mpls, MN. and play some raging, duel vocal hardcore thrash/smith grind about skating, moshing, and not taking shit so damn seriously all the fucking time. Disrobe are from Chicago. They share members with the Rat Bastards, and sound fairly similar, only faster. I'm just not in the mood for a proper write-up at the moment, so just DL this already.

DAGGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (DL)

(Sadly, Chris Johnson, one of the vocalists from UWT was killed one year and a week ago today at a party by some rotten piece of shit. Even though I didn't know him that well, I can honestly say that this was a tremendous loss. My heart goes out to Ryan, Steve, Cookie, and Chris. Thanks for playing in my basement way back when, and I hope you guys continue to skate and thrash with a fervor as yet unknown.)

...please destroy this if you wish to live...

I know that it has been posted elsewhere, but I feel like this needs to be included on my blog, because this is my favorite album of all. You should own it. I believe it's even still printed in the CD format. Originally released on Nick Blinko's own Outer Himalayn Records, and distributed by the delightfully esoteric folks at Southern Records, Cacophony is possibly the most bizarre and fantastic album to come out of the punk and hardcore scene. Weird is a good word for it. But good weird, like the life and work of the man from whom the album's concept draws its inspiration, Howard Phillips Lovecraft. It's funny, but the first time I bought this album and listened to it, I hated it. I even tried to return it. At that point, I had only heard their early, more straightforward EP's and I wasn't ready. Not for the epic work that is Cacophony. For a song by song breakdown of how each track relates to H.P. Lovecraft's life and writing, check out this page. While you are there, dig around the rest of Piss In A Pod, it is definitely the most comprehensive page I have seen about the Peni and their enigmatic singer, Nick Blinko. They've even got some rare live recordings for the grabbing. (Unlike many of their peers, Rudimentary Peni don't tour, have rarely played live at all in the past twenty years, and only release new material every few years). Rumor has it that the initial tracks for this album were recorded in one take, so I tried to keep that stream-of-consciousness feel by making this a 'gapless album'. I hope you enjoy this record as much as I do, but remember that such things should not be writ, and I will not be held responsible for nightmares, madness, or temporal displacement resulting from the playing of this album.

NEW LINK!08/30

Punk Rock 102

Today's lesson:
HARDCORE
Lecture - "Listening to American Hardcore: Whorehouse of Representatives"
Group Study - "Hardcore in action: Toxic Narcotic"

Notes (DL)