Before listening to this record, I have only ever listened to a “best of record” by these guys. That impressed the hell out of me, but it’s worth noting that they definitely changed significantly over the years, and what we have here is something much, much rawer than what I was expecting.
Tag: Hardcore Punk
When Forever Comes Crashing (1998) by Converge
This is some excellent metalcore, with just about everything you would want from the genre.
Hootenanny (1983) by The Replacements
This is a bizarre, jokey mess of a record, as much of a transition record (in hindsight) as any record I’ve heard by an American band.
What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1983) by Minutemen
This is such a unique take on hardcore – if you can even call it hardcore, since it’s hardly loud enough or musically violent enough to qualify. It’s like something else. I see the descriptor “post punk” thrown around, which might fit, though Minutemen sound absolutely nothing like the British post punk bands (or the …
Milo Goes to College (1982) by Descendents
This is the point where hardcore starts to lose me: where the virtues of the genre are starting to give way to things more common to earlier punk or the later skate punk. It is very clearly the bridge between early hardcore and skate punk/pop punk but I don’t know that this is a thing …
Back from Samoa (1982) by Angray Samoans
I feel like I’ve listened to a fair amount of offensive music in my time but this record is right up there. If you’ve ever wondered where the “piss off at all costs” aesthetic of some bands comes from, it might be from Angry Samoans. Though Gwar and Anal Cunt sound nothing like this band, …
Urban Discipline (1992) by Biohazard
Finally some rap metal that actually sounds like metal. That is the virtue of the band, I guess. They are much more recognizable as metal.
Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982) by Dead Kennedys
This is, if anything, fiercer than Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. It’s also slightly more ambitious, with that horn part, and the spoken word introduction and outro.
America Must be Destroyed
I must admit that my idea of GWAR and what they actually sound like were very far apart. In some ways they remind me of KISS, in the sense that they look significantly harder than they sound.
The Dirty Rotten CD by DRI (2002)
This is a compilation of [i]The Dirty Rotten LP[/i], which I believe is a compilation including [i]The Dirty Rotten EP[/i] and some other stuff. You can really hear the influence of UK hardcore (something I just learned existed) on this band but they’ve clearly added something, most noticeably in the vocals (which are no longer …
Why (1981) by Discharge
I didn’t even know the UK had a hardcore scene until I listened to these guys. The music is brief and loud and fast. It is significantly less musically interesting than many of the American hardcore bands I know, as it focuses very much on a particular style (essentially a super angry and loud, but …
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981) by The Replacements
As someone who has come at The Replacements backwards, this is a bit of a surprise. I mean, I’d read they were a hardcore band before, but it wasn’t really something I got until I heard this record. And it’s still a surprise. Listening to this record finally lets me understand why so many people …
Aass Cobra (1996) by Turbonegro
For some reason I always thought these guys were going to be Black Metal. I guess I just assumed that because of their name, and because their Norwegian. But they’re not Black Metal, obviously. I think I’d normally be kind of reluctant to get really excited about straight ahead hardcore in 1996 were it not …
Songs About Fucking (1987) by Big Black
What probably sounded unbelievably loud – not to mention offensive to a lot of people – has mellowed considerably nearly thirty years later. So much of this record (or even the band’s oeuvre, perhaps) has integrated into alternative rock and even some indie rock. Hell, it doesn’t even sound very noisy compared to what’s being …
Prime Cuts by Suicidal Tendencies (Epic 1997)
We should all just get past the idea that compilations suck. They do, and so those of us who know this should just not buy them (FYI, I don’t own this). That being said, they can be useful to borrow from a friend (like I am doing right now) or what have you. This way …