Making Amends for September

Boom! October is a great month for records I feel. I don't know what it is, I don't even remember what I got last October, but I bet it's great for most people. I actually crossed some major wants off my list, including one that has been in my top ten wants for years now.

The most notable finds here are the ones that I have been searching and searching for, without wanting to resort to ebay, discogs, or whatever other electronic means there are. Those would be first and foremost Bloodflowers, From Her to Eternity, and The Idiot, in that order. I think I may these albums may be entitled to posts of their own.

Other finds of importance: The Cure's "Catch" 12" single, which is significant because it's a German single with the b side being made up of two live tracks from The Cure In Orange performance, which has as of yet only been released on VHS and laserdisc (which had the audio terribly out of sync from the video), meaning high quality versions of these songs are not available. This performance is actually incredible, Simon is a boss in it, and the film is a must see/own for any major Cure fan. All you need to know: they play mostly goth material in an outdoor ampitheatre built by the Romans two thousand years ago. I also got the "Killing The Arab" seven inch, and at a decent deal, but to cut a long story short, I coul've had it for a measly three bucks. It's got that cool embossed centre thing going on that old singles had. Does nobody do that anymore?

Oh and Quickness is awesome. I bought that album on tape in Victoria's Fan Tang Alley back in 2008 or so, and it rips. Even the reggae track. Probably my third favorite Bad Brains album. Stoked to get it on proper vinyl, so I passed the cassette onto Finner. Apparently "Don't Blow Bubbles" is super homophobic, but it kinda just comes across as nonsense (Trash Pits?).

Some new records in there too. Lost Tribe's debut LP is incredible, Condominium I haven't spun too much to be honest. Cutest Band in Hardcore is on No Way, not the legendary Mutha label, so no hype here on that front.

Shoutouts to AK, Blank Stare, Rotate This' 20% sale, Not Dead Yet, Turning Point, the new Sonic Boom in Kensington, trcoffins, Alex and Creem, Blind Prophet, some Zine distro, Grave Mistake, and Hits and Misses.

Sorta Dull Monthly Roundup

I neither have much in they way or quantity or quality to report here. This picture also has two items that weren't in August's snapshot that should have been, thus reinforcing September's inactivity. Some cool stuff for sure, but nothing crazy, no major wants crossed off my list, no heroic stories. 

At the same time though I don't want to be implying that the releases from RXF or Pukeoid or not of quality, because they rip. Rather they're just not boastable (yet) from a record collecting stand point. The Death In June record is a repress, so that's a snoozer on that front as well. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry is the best tangible find of the month. 

September was a busy month for me with school and a new job, so I guess that explains this paltry effort, but October is young and already has some craziness involved, including two items scratched off my ever changing top ten wants (I want to write it down and make it a static pursuit). It will only get nuttier with a fall reading week offering respite from reality but even more importantly Not Dead Yet before that.

September shout outs to Blank Stare (who put out a Canadian version of the RazorXFade LP, Vertigo, Jo, and someone's Toronto distro which was brought to Ottawa for the Punkottawa garage sale.

This Month's Plans : Issue II

After a long hollow void, WAPA is on its way back with a new issue. I hope to begin printing by the end of September. As for content, there will be interviews with OMEGAS and CULO, as well as some general articles and photography. But in reality, it's worth it just for either one of the interviews. The title of the Omegas LP sums them both up nicely: they're simply Blasts of Lunacy.

Also, it seems the Ottawa Public Library is a fan of X (but then again, who isn't?):

Also, I have already plugged this, but the new Blank Stare zine is out and features an article written by me about arbitrary rarities and coloured vinyl. Check it out here.

End of Summer

EDIT: I totally forgot to put some releases in this, I'll have to redo this post as a result. Shiiiit.

I  suppose that the Earth's axis would claim there are another three weeks left, but with school recommencing in less than a week, I would say otherwise. With August over, another record scores update is due.

Highlights: Blasts of Lunacy Euro press (spins at 45, makes it worth it right there), Germ Attak swan songs, and a mini Sex/Vid collection.

Shoutouts to Blank Stare (pick up their freshly printed zine here), some Toronto guy's distro, Thurston Moore for shopping at Vertigo, and Dead Lights.

Another July Has Passed...

...which means one more month until summer's end. I've been doing this thing where I keep track of what I accumulate through the month, and then culminate it with a monthly photo. I hadn't posted any here, but I suppose I'll start doing that starting now with the month of July.

I spent much less on records in July because my summer was basically over. I was no longer travelling to Montreal or Toronto every week, my vacation had already been spent on a trip to LA, and I mentally switched from vacation mode to workfulltimeandpayforschool mode. Regardless still found a couple decent things.

The bottom of this picture is the four 7"s that came with the BEGN of the new Fucked Up album. I love that band, and I think the album is decent, but I think they went overkill with all these releases. Ideally I would have trimmed down the 2XLP in length a bit, and avoided these redundant 7"s. There is nothing about them that makes me want to jam them. This is especially true of the middle ones, but it's just pictures of people or things, and nothing really attention grabbing. What made the slew of the Fucked Up releases in their earlier period exciting was the fact that tons of different (and much smaller) labels were putting them out, meaning each 7" had its own unique vibe. All 7"s released since signing to Matador however come in the exact same packaging and format, rendering their run of releases somewhat stagnant if I were to speak boldly. The constant white bar and text that has been there since "Police" is great because it creates a subliminal bond with their whole catalogue while securing an aesthetic, but all other format opportunities have been somewhat lost in recent times. Long story short: shake things up!

Other notable finds in this lot: A French Cure bootleg (whose picture disc properties are excused by the fact that it features a picture of Robert Smith with Santa), The Cure Happily Ever After (a double LP compiling Faith and Seventeen Seconds for American audiences, Billy Bragg Peel Sessions, some New Order and Depeche Mode, and finally the gayest record I now own: the "Disappointed" 12" single featuring Neil Tennant by Electronic (the music duo of Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr). In conclusion, not enough punk this month.

Shoutouts to: Ross P., AK, Erin Power, Krista, Beatnik Records, Aux 33 Tours, and Vertigo Records.

Finally, I figure I would post the past couple of months here, because they are no longer posted anywhere else. April, May, June:

 

Epilogue

So obviously I have been inactive with this thing, but should anyone really take a blog seriously?

Lately my main man Finner has been working on Blank Stare with Sterling, a label that had a running start having already released several tapes from hardcore bands in Ottawa, Toronto and even NY. The latest release was a Canadian version of the RazorXFade LP, something people will surely be seeking out in the years to come. I just wanna quickly mention that I love when a record has geographic variations.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post: Variations. The last line of Issue I of the zine said something to the effect of "Coloured vinyl doesn't matter." I expand on my frustration for this mostly arbitrary variation in a short article I wrote for the inaugural issue of the Blank Stare zine which will be forthcoming in the following weeks. I'll probably be contributing some other stuff too, so look out for that before I really work on Issue II.

A Few Things

Went to the Omegas LP release show in TO, Mad Men opened and were incredible of course. Got the new Omegas LP, which from cover to the songs is incredible. It only makes me laugh when people hate them. Get into it! Mad Men were supposed to have a 7" but it experienced pressing plant delays. Jonah said they might sell some tests instead, which led to Finner and I stressing out over who, when and where was going to be selling them. Needless to say, none were had, so I bought 2 pins instead.

Photos by my brother Logan. It was his first hardcore show.

I also established a new personal record shopping rule. I've long wanted a Cure discography collection, probably since I was about fifteen. Due to the extensive nature of their releases, I figured I would start with the LPs. Well years later I have most the LPs, but there are some rare ones that are holding out (namely Wish and Bloodflowers!!!). So after having not bought any Cure records in a couple years, and after having constantly passing on the singles, I decided if I found a single I didn't own, and it was under $10, it would be a must buy. I have since made an extensive excel sheet to help me with this quest. I then found this amazing website. I wonder if there are similar sites for other cool bands. Anyway, as cool as it is, I'm bummed cause I just found out my copy of Three Imaginary Boys my ex bought me years ago is a 90s boot. Kinda cool I guess, cause the quest continues!

Lastly I'm moving in May, up one floor, so I'm deciding a whole new record storage format. I'll post about that and try to post about other things as they happen.

Also, lots of cool mail order in lately. Maybe I'll post about it on my dumb tumblr. Record store day this Saturday, only excited for Fucked Up and maybe Bad Brains (the LP not Pay to Cum).

Also, who bothers going to record stores that don't have used vinyl when that option is available?

Long Time No Post

Yeah things are moving along here, but the internet and a blog have been less of a priority. Sorry if I haven't replied to emails regarding trades or whatever, I just didn't have any copies to do so.


Issue I sold out relatively fast, and has been gone for a few months now. Not surprising considering the quality of the 7" alone. For those interested, I'm looking into pressing another 100 copies or so.


Issue II will begin to be made once I finish school on Friday. Anyone's band interested in participating with a 7" release?


I started a lame tumblr which is much easier to update. It's just pictures of records I get and shows I go to, no lame reblogs.


My band, Young Stalin, is basically done. We only had four original songs and played only 7 shows; Ottawa (4), Montreal (2), Toronto (1). We might record our songs later this year, for historical purposes of course. I'll post some live pix at the bottom.


My quality records of 2010 list (with a more detailed analysis in Issue II, I'm sure):
GERM ATTAK - Death to Cops (duh!)
OMEGAS - Sonic Order EP 
MAMMOTH GRINDER - Extinction of Humanity 
URBAN BLIGHT - Total War 
SURROUNDINGS - S/T 
NOMOS // THE MEN - Split CS 
THE MEN - Immaculada 
ANS // ANB - Tribute to Gang Green 
CULO - Military Trend 
VILE GASH - EP 
NAZI DUST - EP 
FUCKED UP - Year of the Ox (but more so the B-Side). The split with Serena Maneesh was pretty good too. 
VACCINE - Human Hatred 
INEPSY - Madness and Overkill 
INEPSY // TOXIC HOLOCAUST - split 


Young Stalin:

Hanging out:

Thanks to Andrew Carver, Julie and Lemire for photos. Special thanks to Lemire for always coming out, hanging out, photoing out, and being a good dude.

ACAB Lifestyle

Let's discuss the Zine a bit more with a not so shameless plug. It comes with the latest Germ Attak 7", Death To Cops. Four tracks of that great Germ Attak sound, but all revolving around anti-cop themes. This was a split label effort. I did 100 copies with the zine, and then 3 other labels did 300. Jo's Capitalicide handled Canada, Loud Punk from the US, and Yellow Dog in Europe. A global effort for the group that recently toured Indonesia, Malaysia and Japn after several North American ventures and one in Europe. Each label had the same crazy cover art, done by Scott Benz, but all had their own variations.

Anyways, this post was made simply to hype the new video, by Ottawa local Paul Galipeau. I think more groups should take on music videos. I think they're an awesome medium, and this Germ Attak video is prrof that a simple concept can still be entertaining. Although it inevitably gets used for promotion, I believe that it can be created and exist outside of this purpose. If you're really into the music, you may simply be looking for a new avenue to experience the music. It's part of the reason fanatics love finding demos and live footage. Sure the music is the same, but it's placed in a new context outside of the album it is compiled with. Anyway, here's one track from the Death To Cops 7".

Wasted (by the heat, by the police)

After being assaulted by the police a few short weekends ago, Ontario is now being assaulted with an intense heat wave, so I'm sticking inside to avoid provocation with either. I was spending that last week outside biking, hence no updates.

Any discussion of the police should provoke a discussion of Black Flag. Each action has an equal opposite reaction right? Well, actually I guess even they did not believe it was equal; "Understand we're fighting a war we can't win..." Anyways, a recent thread on VLV (which is currently down so I cannot link you) prompted the following question:

Which is better; the Black Flag or Circle Jerks rendition of the Ginn masterpiece, "Wasted" ?






I think it is pretty crazy that we even have these two versions, both with Morris on vocals. Of course Circle Jerks stole the song, along with other Black Flag tunes such as "I Don't Care" which appears as a demo on Everything Went Black, and "Red Tape," which was never properly released, as well as some Redd Kross songs. Black Flag's response was to re-record "I Don't Care" with new lyrics. This is the song "You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You!", the last track on the Jealous Again EP.

So which is better? If you know me at all, then you know my vote is being given to Black Flag. Don't get me wrong though, even with the stolen song stigma, Group Sex rips. More interestingly however, is how each respective take on the song represents the group. For example, The Circle Jerks, and Group Sex, are enjoyed by most as a quirky and fast punk band - a great representation of early Cali hardcore. Their version matches this description, with it's sped up tempo, fairly clear guitar sound, and shouted vocals. Black Flag on the other hand are a whole other entity, even if this may not have been established at the time of the Nervous Breakdown release. Even just the way their  name is brought up sounds serious and heavy, music verging on psychotic. Their original version of Wasted matches such an identity as it is being formed. For a seminal classic punk 7" (and years before side two of My War was even conceived), the whole sound is heavy as fuck, and not to be messed with. The instrumental opening is simply brooding, whereas the Circle Jerks version jumps in with vocals immediately. The Black Flag version is simply more

In conclusion, the Black Flag version is better because the Circle Jerks version sounds like an angry punk kid, whereas the Black Flag version sounds like a crazy guy who might attack you with a knife. It's simply much more memorable. This will get examined in greater depth later.

Anyway, while we're on a tangent about police or something, remember that you should buy the zine because it comes with the new Germ Attak 7", Death to Cops, with crazy artwork to boot (view side panel). Toronto: my band is playing there on Saturday, I'll bring copies with me.