Tear Off//Clean Up/Don't Get Bored split tape review

Tear Off//Clean Up/Don’t Get Bored split tape review

Tear Off//Clean Up’s melodic punk has a non-straight edge 7 Seconds vibe to it- very sing-songy, but with some energy behind the instruments.  These guys should be the band that gets the beer drinkin’ beardos energized to see bands at Riot Fest, in a good way.  Melodic and energetic in a way that says “You can mosh but you don’t have to”.  I see fist pumps being more favorable here.

Don’t Get Bored is the kind of band that would fit perfectly in 1980s Midwest nowhere/anywhere.  Snotty, contemptible, and juvenile, yet full of energy and honest, ya gotta love it.  Sonically, it could fit in next to something like Pure Disgust, but the band taken as a whole definitely is a thing in itself.

-Aunty Social

Don't Get Bored- self titled review

Don’t Get Bored- self titled review

This is the godchild of John Brannon and Todd Swalla; pure, unadulterated, no additives, one hundred percent 80s Midwest snot.  The only difference between the two eras is the higher production quality.  The Necros vibe is almost unreal; I love it.  Deep Wound and Jerry’s Kids also have a little influence here- maybe they have an uncle from Massachusetts.  Just imagine if it were the 80s again, because this band perfectly embodies that vibe- the juvenile, nascent, short-sighted, live-for-today zeitgeist.

-Aunty Social

Tear Off//Clean Up- demo tape review

Tear Off/Clean Up- demo tape review

This is blue collar melodic hardcore punk with a heavy sing-a-long vibe a la 7 Seconds, Frank White, early Descendents, and the like.  It’s well put together, but doesn’t perfectly match up with the rhythms of the song, which is part of what gives it the soul that it has.  It’s clear, but not clean- hell, you could give this to a crusty in between their shitty Contravene discography CD, Disclose bootleg tape that they paid $100 for and it still sounds like shit, and a still unwrapped LP of Mischief Brew’s latest record, and it would fit in just fine.  These are some cool catchy guitar driven punk rock songs.  Buy a pint of R&R and a pack of Native Spirits for the complete TO/CU experience.

-Aunty Social

Ill Blood- Prisoner of Life tape review

Ill Blood- Prisoner of Life EP review

Mid-tempo hardcore definitely taking a few cues from 90s bands (both hardcore and non-hardcore bands), especially given the sort of groovy riffs the guitar player rings out.  Mix in a few mosh riffs, a few breakdowns, and some simplistic though decipherable lyrics, you’ve got this group, Toledo’s Ill Blood.  The vocals for this kind of music are usually more guttural and low, and here, they are more often than not shrill and high; it’s not different in terms of quality.  The guitar work here is very good; it’s distinct and clicks in your brain right away.  I wish there were more memorable riffs on here, but that’s not to say they’re bad.  In fact, the guitar is the best thing about this band.  The bass is cleverly disguised between the guitar and drum sounds, though it rings out independently a couple of times.  The drums are clear and well-played, you’ve gotta love the smoothness here.  For fans of mid-2000s era Bridge Nine bands, no doubt.  I’m not feeling it as much as I anticipate others might be, but this is worth a jam.  Now, let’s hope for a split 7” and see what they can do when backed with a completely different band’s sound.  I feel like this is a lot like the movie Shaft- definitely an acquired taste, kind of cheesy and campy, but you can dig it.

-Aunty Social

The Plain Dealers- Terminal Darkness 45 review

The Plain Dealers- Terminal Darkness b/w Die With Me 45 review

I wasn’t a fan of this 45 at first, but I did come around to it eventually; the A-side is a decent first effort, although it takes a minute to kick into gear.  The narrative is interesting, though the B-side is a better musical expression of this.  The bleak, dark tone of the lyrics is contrasted by the simplistic driving chords of the guitar and the bouncing bass lines that ring of a punk rock sound from happier times- still, it manages to work.  “Die With Me” is a bit more fitting in terms of blending the sounds and the words- both are equally bleak, and more driving than the A-side.  For an initial effort, thumbs up.

-Aunty Social

The Plain Dealers- Get What You Get 12" review

The Plain Dealers- Get What You Get 12” review

With a careful mix of Jabbers-era G.G. Allin, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols, the Plain Dealers play some of the catchiest music I’ve heard to date, and still manage to sound original without it seeming contrived.  This record had me singing along to the words in no time, and relating to them shortly thereafter.  The mix on this record is just fantastic- everything is audible, none of it overbearing; I don’t think there is one error in the audio mix here.  The nascent voice is a piercing sneer that rings in one’s ear for hours- classic.  The guitars, bass, and drums mesh together to create an impeccable rhythm that drives the vocals along as the singer croons about scum-city living- much as Detroit is known for that sort of thing, Cleveland is also an arbiter of dirty, depraved life, and I could not be more glad that it is, because it is cities like that which inspire people to create music like this.  One of the best classic-sounding punk records I’ve ever heard, and that includes the classics.

-Aunty Social

Dismantle- In Stride tape review

Dismantle- In Stride tape review

Mixing 80s hardcore and what I call new age hardcore (the sort of metalcore-influenced mid-tempo hardcore done by bands like Expire, Rotting Out, Trapped Under Ice, the Mongoloids, Backtrack, Malfunction, Take Offense, Soul Search, etc.), this tape is a little different than the band’s ‘Complaints’ 7”, but in a good way.  This seems to be more go than slow, and has a very distinct guitar tone, not too far off from the ones used in Nardcore bands- in short, it’s more punk than hardcore, and I like it.  The vocals are slightly nascent shouts delivered in differing bursts of length, with words/lyrics largely aligned to a philosophy of “fish out of water, but certainly not out of place”; it’s relatable and individualistic.  The lyrics are better here, but still comparable to the EP, so not fantastic but not bad either; par/birdie for the course.  For a demo, I dug it pretty well.  Also, I must say that the last song has a bass line very much like Negative Approach’s classic ‘Ready to Fight’, and that’s cool as hell.

-Aunty Social

Dismantle- Complaints EP review

Dismantle- Complaints EP review

Taking the negative vibe of modern hardcore and the lyrical subjects of old school hardcore, and mixing the sounds of both, this group is definitely caught in the middle between the sound types and eras.  The vibe is good, the songs are driven, sound slick, and is memorable if nothing else for the repeated parts with gang vocals (All I Am and All I’m Not, Heavy Hands Heavy Head).  Lyrical prowess varies, but is largely relatable- internal struggles, anti-humanity, anti-religion, and general frustrations with society and life; it works for what it is.  The singer’s voice is a bad shrill at times and it’s an occasional distraction, but it doesn’t interfere with the overall presentation of the music.  Another solid Toledo-area hardcore band; enjoyable, even though I’ve heard better- it’s good for what it is and doesn’t worship the ground modern bands walk on.

-Aunty Social

Drose- A Voice 7” review

Drose- A Voice 7” review

This slab o’wax is straight up STRANGE- sort of a mix of many genres.  The first song is an instrumental kind of industrial noise with a slight incline towards noise rather than music- weird, but good.  The second song “My Face” is like loud industrial, possibly gothy rock, if the imagery were different.  The record sleeve/cover isn’t indicative of any goth style, at least that I’m aware of.  Still, this song is a very catchy, semi-danceable number- soothing in the way that loud music probably should be.  “A Cry” continues this post punk/industrial/dancewave vibe- very simple vocals and drum rhythms, grindy guitars, and crunchy bass sounds; it sounds like postmodern cyborgs fucking in the back room of a gothy nightclub- one is hard pressed to turn down something like that.  “Knuckle” keeps the vibe going, but seems more like noisy no wave music, being largely devoid of structured music, but still having female vocals sing and give a purring sort of howl in the background- interesting.  For those who like City Club’s soundtracks and those who like their shit way off the beaten path.  I was truly surprised that I liked this, and even more than I happened across it.  Ka-ching!

-Aunty Social

Professor- Publish or Perish EP review

Professor- Publish or Perish EP review

This is college-core.  Punkademia.  Hardcore with a smartass, sarcastic sense of humor, yet not lacking in the bite of some of the songs, not afraid to make nods to the influences of the band- Descendents, Integrity, Tragedy, Sick of It All, Hüsker Dü, and anarcho punk/crack rock steady.  Even though the music is largely written with a sense of disillusion and discontent, the humor of the lyrics still hits a bit harder, which isn’t always good; however, here it tends to be complimentary rather than detrimental.  Taking away the context and value of the lyrical content, the music is standard Midwest/east coast hardcore with a sense of speed and heaviness to it.  Another band from Toledo waving the flag of TOHC and contributing to their end of the scene- whether they are their own scene or an extension of other ones is a matter of perspective, but this EP definitely stands on its own.  Worth the listen.

-Aunty Social

React- Drown 7” review

React- Drown 7” review

A simplistic, albeit enjoyable band in a multitude of ways, React proudly waves the flag of Toledo hardcore, though they are no doubt regulars to the Michigan scene as well.  This brand of hardcore has much in common with the likes of Integrity, late-era Negative Approach (they even cover ‘Evacuate’ on the record), Best Wishes-era Cro-Mags, early 90s-era Agnostic Front, and Sick of It All.  In short, it’s hardcore infused with a heavy, metallic sound, but not quite under the umbrella of metalcore.  The vocals heave the heaviest sense of this sound, a raspy banshee who continues to growl with desperate fervor, though the guitar’s deep, heavy tone is another factor in this sound.  The drums, meanwhile, convey the sound of a punk band on speed more than anything else.  The album art is simple, but as one knows, simple is not always easy- however, I’ve not found a deeper meaning to it.  Not a bad EP.

-Aunty Social