Cult Punk Sewer Witches

Picked this up on a whim from No Patience distro sometime last year but have only gotten around to giving it a proper spin now. This is the 'Attic Noise' 7" by Anasazi put out by Toxic State Records 2012. Toxic State have been responsible for a run of pretty decent 7"s, being responsible for the very cool Thriller 7" and the self titled Crazy Spirit 7".

Anasazi sound like the murkier end of the 80's post-punk/goth spectrum and as such i dig this 7" a lot. I dig the deliberately esoteric vaguely occult vibe these cats give off. Which is odd as i don't normally get into that "I'm a new-age pagan, but i like punk too" nonsense. If you like Lords of the New Church, Bauhaus, mid period Killing Joke, Christian Death et al it's a pretty sure thing you will like this. 

Excellent dudes over at I Could Die Tomorrow have put up a download and purchase link, so check it out and possibly buy HERE.

Burning Chrome

This is a test press of Chrome Dome's 'Negative Vibes' 7" released by EXSS records in 1999 and limited to 150 copies. Picked this up from DX (of Distort zine fame) online when he was selling some records. Nothing fancy here just the record in a plain sleeve. Chrome Dome are a band I waver between really liking and finding incredibly annoying. Obviously i like them enough to pick up this test press.

Starting in 2009 and playing minimal synth with a heavy goth influence, Chrome Dome bring to mind the damaged synth of Primitive Calculators and the whole post punk "Small Band" scene they helped create. They strike me as a band that could only have formed in the art friendly incubator of Melbourne. Which is not to say this brand of synth punk couldn't be peddled in other Cities, I just find their whole approach to be for want of better words "very Melbourne". A friend of mine puts the classic battle between this way "Like assholes? move to Sydney, wankers more your style? Melbourne's your place". 

My small collection is pictured below. (From Left to right clockwise: Cut Ties 7" - Nihilistic Orbs - 2011, Self Titled 7" - NoPatience Records - 2010,  Self Titled Cassette - Psychotic Reaction - 2010).
 

Their self titled cassette and only full length (to my knowledge) wavers between slinky synth punk numbers ("Life is a Party") and tracks like "I Can't See Her" an annoying dirge featuring obnoxious vocals that sound like two people lost in a nightclub yelling at each other trying to indicate where one of their lost friends are over a cobbled together synth line. Despite their flaws I remain intrigued enough to steadily pick up their releases.

G-Beat?

So i am sure i am not the only one to have noticed that so many rawpvnx have been crossing over into peacepunk/goth (why do we have so many sub-sub-sub-subgenres?) recently. I read an excellent article that dubs this newish "wave" Gbeat HERE.

On this note i picked up the Belgrado 12" from NoPatience recently. I described this record as female fronted non-angular (it rolls instead of stop-starting) post punk. This might make my top 10 the ammount i have been playing it of late. For fans of Killing Joke, Joy Division, 45 Grave.

Check out this track:

Then Buy the damn thing from Lewis NoPatience.
 

You are lucky....to have us in your life.

Picked this up directly from Iron Lung Records. Grabbed it largely because it had unreleased Total Control (who contribute a brilliantly minimal Devo cover), Walls and Iron Lung tracks on it. I also figured the output of that label is largely of a high standard and I figured I might discover one or two new bands from it.

The Iron Lung Mixtape Volume 1 cassette put out obviously by Irong Lung Records in 2011. This tape is now sold out, but I have seen copies popping up here and there and it's well worth the time finding one. Every track on it is (or was at time of release) unreleased. Especially worth it for the Slices track "Bottom of the Barrel" a mid paced bruiser that careens along steadily until veering out of control in the closing seconds and the Walls track "Blinding Light of Truth" that drags itself mournfully through it's length like a shambling bog creature. Good stuff. You can buy a digital version (or listen to select tracks) of this over at the Iron Lung Bandcamp here.

Merchandise Merchandise

Scored this in a trade about 8 months ago, but really wanted to post about it as this band rose quickly to being one of my favourite bands. Merchandise - Strange Songs in the Dark. Put out as a dual release between Katorga Works & Drugged Conscience in 2010.

Heard about them through excellent and worthy blog I Could Die Tomorrow around the time of the release of the Schoolyard Remix 7" (2010) and that song hooked me immediately. One of the few songs in which I prefer the remix to the original. Beautiful pop songs buried beneath layers of noise, at times reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine in approach as much as sound. The combination of vacant yet tuneful buried vocals and shimmering noisy guitars has echoes of the better side of the 80s underground. Go and do yourself a favour and buy this record (bigcartel currently down). You can also download almost their entire discography thanks to their label/blog gods ICDT linked earlier.