Here is the package I mentioned in my last review, good to see you took the bait and kept checking back.


Before I begin, I want to mention how awesome all of the packaging on these records looks, save for two of them. One is a fan club 7" boot of Discharge's 1978 Demo, which I can't really blame them for. And the other is Night Birds' Killer Waves single, which is part of the art of the underground series, so again, nothing to fault them on. NOW ONTO THE REVIEWS!

Tapes
Waste Management- Taster Too With More Live Street Beef
I love this band, and the newsletter than popped into my email telling me that Grave Mistake Records had procured some copies of this was really the push for me to put this entire order together. (Along with a certain D-beat oddity that I'll mention later...). Anyway, the teaser portion of this tape shows the band going in a more frantic and punk direction (on the live side, Craig introduces the ripper Solitude by saying "this is a new one, it's pretty punk soooo you probably won't like it."). Great progression if you ask me, grab this tape or wait till the teaser side gets its inevitable vinyl release. The live side is okay, but it just sounds super distorted. It does have coolAbused and DYS covers though, so even that is worth it.

7"s
Discharge- 1978 Demo
This is an interesting record for two reasons, the first being that it's pre-Cal as vocalist, and also because it's Discharge before they adopted their defining, buzzsaw sound (although the drum beat is still there). This is more akin to other 77' punk bands like Sex Pistols and The Clash, not that it's a bad thing. Pigs and No Future USA are the clear highlights of these four tracks, although there is no reason not to like the other two as well.

The Shitty Limits- Straight Forward/Messin' With The Kid
I know what you're thinking "Jesus, does this guy listen to anything but Shitty Limits and Sheer Terror?" Well yeah, just not MUCH else. But that's okay because Shitty Limits apparently have an unlimited (pun intended) discography of EPs of all sizes and lengths. This one is a straight forward single (and possible Straight Ahead cover rip, if they're into that sorta thing), with of their trademark catchy snotty twang, the B-side on this one (Messin' With The Kid") overshadows the still-excellent A-side, which is something I have mentioned in regards to this bands other EPs as well. A trend? Perhaps!

The Shitty Limits- Here Are The Limits
They say good things come in pairs, and in the case of Shitty Limit EPs, this is certainly the case once again. This time with six short zingers on it compared to the previous single's mere two longer tunes. Quality never depends on quantity for this band, and whether they're putting out two, six or even twelve songs, it always rules. I do wish they would regularly include lyrics inserts though, he sings too fast.

Devour- Insect Circuitry
The unfortunate let down of this batch. I'm not generally into this sort of band, but after hearing their full length on that CD that was thrown into my last Sorry State order, I figured I should give this a try. Maybe I just haven't been in the mood for this lately, but I feel like the songs just sort of drag on, although I'm sure that if you were used to this sort of metallic crusty punk you'd enjoy this band. They're good at what they do, but what they do is just something I don't normally get down with, welp.

U.X. Vileheads- First EP
Alright, back to listening to punk how I like it.Short, fast and dumb. Well, maybe dumb isn't the right word to use... I'll say anti-intellectual instead.Four great songs put out last year on Deranged Records, Canada's best punk label. Lyrics range from hating yourself, to dealing with emotions, to hating yourself, to drowning sorrows in alcohol.The lyrics themselves are snotty, short and sweet. The B-side opens with "Waste, a waste of sperm/A hopeless combination/Of fucked up germs" (Waste of Life). Great fast punk rock with just enough melody to be catchy, and just enough aggression to seem crazier than they probably really are (but they are from Sweden, so who knows).

U.X. Vileheads- Catch 22 EP
Second album these guys cranked out a year later, and the improvements are monumental an really make this a standout. These guys must be growing up, because now we see vocalist Torbjorn singing about jobs, warfare, life sucking (sticking to old habits, I see), and religion. They also play around with awesome lead parts, and have more emphasis on catchy rather than fast, something I can totally enjoy. I thought it was neat that in No Salvation they not only call out Christianity, but also Islam with Worship- not for me/Jesus Christ and Allah/Try to tell me how to be. Its a personal peeve of mine when bands delcare that they are "anti-religion" but are too busy aping another band to realize that there is more to religion than Christianity. Then again, maybe these Swedes were just aping Lars Vilks?

Canadian Rifle- Facts
I've been a big fan of this band for a long time, and they have always reminded me of Jawbreaker had Blake Schwarzenbach been more punk and less sentimental (not that there was anything wrong with him as it was). This record boils down to being 3 songs of real raw pop-punk (emphasis on the PUNK), but never forgetting to pay special attention to the same aspects of songwriting that Jawbreaker did, lyrics, vocals and chord changes. If you like raw pop-punk with raspy vocals, you'll like Canadian Rifle (who are from Chicago, just saying).

Bukkake Boys- Splendid Thoughts
With a name like Bukkake Boys, I'm not sure whether this is a serious band or not (if you don't get it, google image search their name, it'll come to you). Regardless, this is what I'm assuming to be their first EP, and it fucking rules. Full out high-speed balls to the wall snotty 80s style hardcore punk. Can I understand what he's saying? no! Are there lyrics? no! Do I care? A little! Does it rip like nothing else I've reviewed so far in this post? yes! Does it have the best art? yes! This band was getting alot of hype and I thought to myself "this can't be THAT good". It was, and I regret waiting so long. Also, all the songs on the album start with the word mind, which I find hilarious. (Mind Vulture, Mind Police, Mind Karate,Mind Thoughts, Mind Copulation and Mind Melter, just if you were curious.
Matrix Etching: It's a mind record.../From the dungeons of the mind.

Bukkake Boys- Bukkake Boys EP
The second offering by what this band who seem to have taken a serious turn. This time around they are even faster, more chaotic sounding (in a great way) and probably the part that I am most excited about, they included a lyrics insert! Now that they've done that I can pass on the information that they sing about elitists, the benefits of being selfish, close talkers, lying girls, sleep deprivation, arty songs about love, and trends, in that order. Also, total coincidence, but this is put out through Sorry State Records. Sometimes I feel like I can only enjoy music from two or three record labels, it's not intentional. I promise.
Matrix Etching: Fart Collector/Jennifers Among Us

Night Birds- Killer Waves/Squad Car
Because I haven't mentioned any bands from Virginia yet in this post, here's Night Birds! I'm glad I managed to track this down after hearing their first EP a couple weeks back, because this amazing blend of surf and snotty punk rock is something not to be missed. Both songs are ridiculously catchy, with amazing guitar work to boot. Check this out if you like Adolescents or hell, if you dig The Beach Boys you'll probably enjoy this all the same. So fucking (SURFucking) great.



Packages like this reaffirm my belief that punk rock and hardcore are both better suited to the 7" format than full albums. I would much rather listen to 4 Shitty Limits EPs (hell, or even the one Devour EP, and I didn't even like it all that much) than have to sit through the terrible full length releases most bands are putting out, with one or two great songs, another pair of good songs and then 8-10 more songs full of total shit. Keep it fast, short and amazing.

"The big nazi and he's really good friends with a black dude, go figure right?"


I want you to take this
The wrong way
I'm not here for you
But for me.

Grabbed these yesterday, partially to fill holes in my collection, and because they ruuuule.

7"
Tranzmitors- Bigger Houses, Broken Homes
I'm just going to put it out there that Tranzmitors are the best current Canadian band bar-none and also the best band on Deranged Records. Awesome power-pop that no other band can hold hold a candle to right now. And this single is no different. Both sides have short but perfectly crafted pop-songs. I need to see this band before they disappear, too bad they're on the other coast. Listen to this band and then want to tear out your brain a week later when the songs are still stuck in there. Do it.

12"s
Mind Eraser- Cave
I've been trying to track down a copy of this forever, I missed out on it when it first came out and everyone I asked about wasn't willing to part with their copy, but I finally lucked out. I'm not generally into this sorta thing, but when I am into it, I dig it biiiiiiiigtime. Cave is Mind Eraser's debut LP, and in my opinion it's one of their best. Great tunes, with riffs that make it hard for me to make it through without skipping the record thanks to the desk moshing that occurs. Also, it's a perfect length, considering I have the attention span of a fly when it comes to this sorta music. Not too long, but long enough.
Matrix Etching: They'll tell you black is really white.../ The moon is just the sun at night

Left For Dead/Acrid- Hacked to Pieces (Split)
Two southern Ontario bands that were unfortunately before my time, I was stoked to be able to grab this as well. For two reasons- 1)Left for Dead 2)It's shaped like a fucking buzzsaw, what more can I ask for? Too bad that I can't get into Acrid at all, I've tried before with the Sea of Shit LP, but it just ain't happening. At the risk of sounding ignorant, that band just sounds too metal for my sensitive ears. I'm totally fine with just playing that A-side of the this ripper over and over again though, it's that good.

Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures
Not going to give this a full review because if you don't have an opinion on Joy Division by now you need to get off the internet and pick up a record or something. (Or get on it and download them). This is a great repress on vinyl that weighs a ton, awesome!
Matrix Etching:This is the way

RVIVR- RVIVR
Matt Canino of Latterman/Shorebirds fame pulls of yet another amazing band with this new Olympia powerhouse of posi. Great song writing, great lyrics and great vocals between Matt and his partner in guitar/voice Erica, I have a huge softspot for bands with dual male/female vocalists, and this record is a good explanation as to why. This will probably be getting numerous plays throughout the summer, lotta awesome "Whoaaa" parts to sing along to cruising in my car. Almost wants me to cut off my sleeves/pantlegs and grow out my hair. Allllllllllllmost.
Matrix Etching: Future man/That's what I said

Wayfarer- Our Fathers
It rules being able to see a band go from playing their very first show, and then building up to the release of an LP. Southern Ontario band Wayfarer are one of those bands. Great Hot Water Music-esque punk with a really light country tinge thanks to guitar player Steve Sloane's catchy leads. Really well done, I feel like if Neil Young was younger and had a thicker voice, he might have ended up in a band like this. Way(farer) to go!

PS. If you play this record on 45, it sounds like that Coheed and Cambria band, good stuff.

Also, I got a package in the mail today, but that will have to wait until next time, TOO MANY RECORDS.

I saw new things in the same old town that year
After I decided being dead inside wasn't an option.
I think I can be too romantic.
Yeah I think I was just too romantic.

I know you hate how we trade in blood
But tonight who's gonna pay in tears?

Don't make a move
Don't make a noise
Stare into space
Cause noise annoys

It's too bad we've had to go through so much pain
But that pain, it made me go
That pain, it kept me moving
That pain, it helped me grow

Book reviews, eh? Well here's everything I have read in the past 2 weeks.



First off is Rosseau's The Social Contract, republished as the 8th installment of the first volume of Penguin's Great Ideas series. (Hence the cover that while looking absolutely wonderful, pales in comparison to some of the other amazing cover design work that appears in the series.)

As a friend of mine could attest, it was a struggle to make it through this book in a reasonable amount of time, which I think probably comes down to the fact that it's a translation from the native French into very rigid academic English. That isn't to say that it's poorly translated, but as Rousseau himself states at the beginning of the first chapter of the third book: "I must warn the reader that this chapter should be read with care, for I have not the skill to make myself clear to those who do not wish to concentrate their attention". I would argue that was the case of the entire book, rather than solely that chapter.

As far as content, I found myself agreeing with the vast majority of the points being argued. Especially Rousseau's idea that the form of government a nation holds should be dependent on its size and the belief in the unlimited power of the general will. I'm not going to try to summarize anything here, but I will say that if you have even a remote interest in the dynamics of government you should attempt to make your way through this book. Despite being well over 200 years old, it still holds relevance today as we watch how Rousseau's ideas have been sadly eroded and ignored over time.



For a total shift in subject, here's the third (and final, apparently) volume of a collaboration between Danzig Baldaev and Sergei Vasiliev in which they have attempted to document an area of Russian history that has long been viewed with a sense of train wreck-like curiosity. A combination of photographs of heavily tattooed prisoners, and a tattoo-by-tattoo breakdown of what each piece symbolizes (if anything) leads to a series that is worth it for its sheer fascination factor alone. Never before did I think I would even see a tattoo of a man and woman having sex while the woman simultaneously services two male dwarfs. Only in Russia my comrades, only in Russia.

I'll be the first to admit that I (like many) have a border-line unhealthy interest in all things Russian, and even more so all things Russian and criminal. I had heard about this series for a long time, and when I finally stumbled upon this volume (in an architecture museum, nonetheless) I was as giddy as a Soviet school girl. And I was not let down. The book is gorgeous, the photography and illustrations are extremely well done, and there is just enough text to provide a context and explanation without becoming overwhelming. My kinda book.

Now, I'll just have to find the first two volumes, which I have a feeling is going to be easier said than done...



Book number three is the 14th issue of the always underrated Mcsweeney's Quarterly Concern. I was thinking the other day about why it is that I like these so much, and I'm fairly sure it's because I have a relatively short attention span (see my comments on Rousseau) and because when I was younger, the only thing I would read were comic books. Comics, you ask? yeah. They're short, and they contain a small chunk of a story (that is good enough to read on its own), with promise of more to come in a month or so. I feel that's what I find in these awesome quarterly fiction collections from McSweeney's. Stories short enough to keep me satisfied, but good enough (and mysterious enough) that keep me wanting more next time.

Anyway, issue fourteen of this publication opens up real strong with Author/Pediatrician (Crazy, right?) Chris Adrian's A Child's Book of Sickness and Death. Telling the story of children's hospital patient Cindy as she deals with the declining attention she receives from her regular hospital visits as she grows older. I won't reveal too much suffice to say that it is amazing and one of my favorite short stories of recent memory.

While it's a shame that nothing surpasses that gem (although Silvia DiPierdomenico's That Which I Am and Chris Bachelder's Deep Wells, USA both come damn close for very different reasons), there are very few stories that are much worse (I wish I had access to issue 9 so I could read the first act of Denis Johnson's Soul of a Whore, I feel like I was missing something without it, but that's more of a fault of McSweeney's part, not his work). If nothing else is to be said about McSweeney's (both this publication and their entire publishing house), it should be highlighted over and over again that they are consistent. Consistently awesome.

Also, any book that has a painting of George Bush as an amputee begging for forgiveness in gym shorts and a t-shirt has my approval. Just thought that might be worth throwing out there.



I know what you are thinking right now, and it's either a) "Man, this guy reads a magazine called Monocle, he must be a genius!" or b) "What's this idiot going to do with a magazine about 'Affairs, Business, Culture, Design and Edits'?"

My responses to those are a) Yes, yes I am. and b)I have no clue.

I'm still not entirely sure what to think of this magazine, it seems to me that for the most part I am not nearly affluent enough to make proper use of it. (Do I want to order a pair of $500 calf-skin slip on shoes? of course I don't.) However, it does have a few redeeming qualities that will probably keep me picking this up for at least one or two more issues.

Firstly, regardless of what the articles are about, this magazine has heaps and heaps of photos. All of them well done, most of them are interesting. Especially considering that the majority of the time they are discussing places that I will never be able to afford to go, and things I will never afford to do. (Owning a private residence in Brazil? yeah right. But it does look amazing, I will give them that). And with these photos comes background information on the architects/designers/artists, which I do appreciate. I just feel like I need to learn to sift through the snobbery that's happening here in order to get down to the good stuff (which I was doing by the end of it).

Highlight articles included
-Fonts of Knowledge by writer Kenji Hall and photographer Megumi Seki, detailing the history of a 60 year old Japanese font-maker, Morisawa.

-The first installation of The Singapore Sessions, in which for experts are given an urban challenge to complete, in this case how to make urban travel more pleasant.

-Finally, writers Marisa Mazria Katz, Tom Morris & Fiona Wilson's Museum Pieces, in which they took a look at various up and coming contemporary art museums, including one that I probably accidentally walked by last week in NYC, oof.

Now that I think about, I was being too hard on this poor little guy. There is a lot of bullshit here, but the good is good enough that it certainly balances out.



I didn't intend to review Maximum RockNRoll #324 back to back with Monocle, but now that I think about it, it's a good shift into something that doesn't make me seem richer than I am.

After much deliberation, I finally subscribed to Maximum RNR two months ago, primarily for long time columnist Bruce Roehrs' reviews and always great columns. Despite the fact that Oi and street punk have always been looked down upon in this so-called "for the punks by the punks" magazine, Bruce was one of the only people who would touch entire genres of awesome music. Looking at it now, I feel like we probably would have mirrored musical tastes. Regardless, two issues into my subscription and Roehrs passes away.

This issue is an amazing memorial to him, as letters are published from people of all sorts recounting the fond memories they had of him, and despite never meeting him I feel like through my short relationship with this magazine and the kind words said about him, I can take the leap and say that he seemed like a man of the "Fucking best best quality, yeah!!!!", as he would have put it.

Secondary highlight of the issue was an interview with Denmark's iceage, a band of 16 year olds that make better music than the vast majority of people in punkrock are doing right now. So it was cool reading what they had to say. Another cool interview with Swedish girl-punk band Kleenex/LiLiPUT, who I wasn't familiar with before hand but love now. And finally a story of how Chris Johnston of Plan-it-X records purchased a run down building in a dying town with a couple of friends in order to open up a coffee shop/bookstore. Much akin to something I have been rattling around in my head for a while now.

Other than that, this issue was a bit of a let down, it could be due to the fact that it had a somber tone due to Bruce's passing, or maybe I was let down by the fact that RVIVR seemed to preach political to the choir. Not that I don't agree with them, I was just hoping to find out more about the band, rather than Maximum RNR's Fred Schrunk taking stab at DRI for not having political motivation.



Last but certainly never least, is the May 2010 issue of The Believer. This is the first time I picked up this monthly magazine published by McSweeney's (take into account my previous comments on the consistency of the publisher), and I can already tell that it will be a long time until my last.

It occurred to me that the easiest way to write this review was to simply highlight all that I didn't like, because it would mean less writing. But then I realized the only piece in the entire magazine that I found to be even remotely tedious was Annie Julia Wyman's A Glimpse of Unplumbed Depths. Here we have Wyman attempting to regale the reader with a tale of her own boredom that spawned from a book on literary criticism she had to read as part of a graduate course. I make it sound worse than it is, but it feels like it starts strong and ends strong, but the middle is a lot of "bleh".

The extreme highlight is the 'triumphant' return of Nick Hornby's book review column, Stuff I've Been Reading. I say triumphant like that because apparently he abandoned the magazine 18 months ago, realized that his life was meaningless without it and has now crawled back to suckle the believer teat. And I'm glad he did. He approaches reviews much like I do with book and record reviews (as in, he just talks about whatever things he's been into lately), except he is a far better writer than I could ever hope to be, I guess I've gotta work on it. So if you for some unknown reason enjoy reading me rabble on about these things, you'll probably like reading him do the same about 10x more.

Also, the comic section of this magazine rules. At a mere two pages, it has more quality in it than I have read in a couple entire comic collections. I'm growing to enjoy the comic strip format more than the comic book, but that's a whole other post. This gave me a ton of great names to toss into Google and try to hunt down other works from, just what I like! (Oh, and there's an extra 35 inches of comic goodness glued to the inside of the back cover thanks to Jesse Moynihan and Dash Shaw,if you like dads or the T.V show LOST, you'll wanna check it.)

I cant say enough good things about this magazine so I'll just end with a ska reference. Pick it up, Pickit up, pickitup.

How I've Been Spending My Vacation

Totally worth it.

Such a rad show, NYC is such a rad place. brag brag look what I did etc etc.
Some scumbag stole a friend's bag though, if you are said scumbag and for some reason are reading this, kill yourself.

All my life
I relied on one thing
And that one thing
Fucked me up even more

Sacrifice
Don't you forget it
Every day
You'll see her face

That orchestra appears to have a remarkably small repertoire.

Hundredth post. I was thinking of doing something special....I'll post a song that isn't in English instead.



Car aujourd'hui comme demain
Toujours le même refrain...
La réalité, même refrain et même couplet
Toujours la réalité

a terrible internet translator tells me that means

Because today as tomorrow
Always the same refrain...
Reality, same refrain and same verse
Always reality

And the images won't fade
Your voice, my joy, your pain
It's painted on my brain
No matter what I do or say

Eyes turned blind
Mind gone numb
Out of shape
State of the ape

Alright, here goes.... in the order of demo tape ->CDs ->7"s ->12"s. Wish me luck.

Demo Tape
Troops of Tomorrow- Demo
Fucking amazing blend of 80s hardcore and great Oi. The obvious band to compare them to is 86 Mentality, and in my opinion they were one of the best bands of the last decade, so its easy to understand my love for Troops of Tomorrow. I hate calling bands "hard" or saying that "this makes me want to punch stuff" but sometimes nothing else will suffice. "I don't wanna be the change I see/ Cuz I don't fucking care about society ", see what I mean? Oh and a DYS cover, pick this up ASAP.

CDs
Both of these were freebies that were tossed in my order by the lovely gentleman at Sorry State Records. I like getting free stuff, so I'll give these two some quickie reviews.

Chest Pains- Because Our Time is Limited and Valuable
Cool California/Texas sounding punk here. Reminds me a lot of stuff like The Dicks, but slower and not quite as good. There's a sweet (although slightly altered) Circle Jerks cover on here too. Some great frantic, twangy as hell guitar work on here, which I love. My only suggestion is that it should be faster, if this was even 25% faster, I probably would have loved it. Also, cool screen printed CD sleeve, always a nice touch.

Devour- S/T
What I'm assuming to be an extra insert CD from their S/T LP, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Despite the lack of any real packaging (again, most likely a leftover from CD/LP packages), I put this on expecting the standard fare of bands who use stencil fonts and have band names that start with the letter D. This is a lot better though, rather than sounding like a d-beat ripoff or His Hero Is Gone worship band, this is fast, thrashy metallic punk. I don't have any insert or information like song titles or anything, but this was good enough that next time I see it in a distro or something I'll think of picking it up.

7"s

Dry Spell- Magic Man
I know I ragged on Chest Pains for being too mid-tempo, but this is mid-tempo punk done right. From Virginia (big surprise there, right?), these guys are great at songs that are fast but not too fast, and slow but not too slow. Great rock feel to them as well, and some of the riffs in these songs make me wish I wrote them (I.E. The Intro in Magic Man). Lyrics are great in the vein of snotty punk. Nothing really groundbreaking, but everything fits where it should and makes one stellar EP.

The Shitty Limits- Yesterdays Heroes
The first of a few Shitty Limits records in this package, Yesterday's Heroes offers up 6 real quick tunes (only one over a minute, the rest hovering around the half minute mark). Total art-school punk vibe from these guys, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Songs are short enough and to the point enough that you can tell these guys know exactly what they are doing, and their goal is to have short powerful jangly songs with uninterested vocals. They have no reason to lengthen their songs because it wouldn't add anything interesting. Speaking of art school punk, there is a real obvious Wire reference in one of the songs, but I'll let you find that for yourself once you buy this awesome disc.

Criminal Intent-S/T
One of two records I picked up simply because they were cheap and Canadian (My interested in Canadacore wins over again. This one is a Halifax band by the name of Criminal Intent, and what I'm assuming to be their debut EP of the same name. Also apparently put out on Dave from Career Suicide's label, Sewercide Records. There's some nerding out for you. As for the record itself, it's clear that they are heavily influenced by the not-so-straightedge half of 80s Boston hardcore (I'm talking The Freeze, Gang Green, Jerry's Kids, etc.), and they do it fucking well. Bummer that this band is broken up with this being their only release.

Cloak/Dagger- Surf Song
An older single from Cloak/Dagger that I hadn't picked up for whatever reason, not sure why I didn't to be honest. Two songs in the vein of what you'd expect from these guys, but the B-side wins out with the questionably named Concentration Camps. Great guitar work, and the vocals on this side totally annihilate the A-side's Surf Song. As usual, I love the art, but no surprises there.

The Shitty Limits- Espionage
Another cool EP from these guys, this time with longer songs that I can really get into. Side A opens with the two minute title track, which reminds me a lot of what I think it would sound like if Wire tried to play Adolescents covers, or something. Certainly sounds like some British post-punk/California punk crossover, which I can totally support. Best of both worlds, you know? Side B has two shorter songs that are sort of a midpoint between the sort of thing on Side A and the short fast songs on Yesterday's Heroes. We Had A Gang has a really rad power-pop vibe going on, especially with the vocal hook in the chorus, these guys' songwriting prowess wins me over again and again. Closes out with the ultra-frantic Amateurs, the weakest of the three songs, but good nonetheless.

C.C.S.S.- Punkcore/Punkwhore$
The second of the two EPs I picked up out of sheer Canadian nostalgia. From what I've read, this band contained members of Montreal motorpunk favourites Inepsy, despite sounding absolutely nothing alike. This is just straight forward punk rock, in the vein of the Canadian Subhumans. Great catchy guitar parts grab you and keep you listening, while the lyrics are intelligent enough to transcend the music, but not so much that they seem condescending, a good balance. The second song on the A-side, Please Go Away is the clear highlight here. Music rules, vocals rule, lyrics also rule. What's not to like? Also, there is a totally awesome cover of The Dicks' Hate The Police on here, so even if the rest of the EP blew big time (which it doesn't), it would probably still be redeemed.

Inepsy- See You In Hell
Rounding out the Canadian trifecta, I'm years late on this one but here's Inepsy's debut EP, See You In Hell. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I picked this up, so it should be no surprise that I fucking love it. I can't really say anything about this that hasn't been said before so I'll just put out the usual "This sounds like the best parts of Discharge mixed with the best parts of Motorhead" and leave it at that. If you don't have this yet and can find somewhere to pick it up, do it.

12"s
The Shitty Limits- Beware The Limits
Finally, a more substantial amount of music from The Shitty Limits. 12 twangy rippers on this one, and fuck is it good. Great songs with plenty of "pop sensibilities" I'm not sure what I can say here that I didn't say in the EP reviews. I remember reading someone comparing some band to Wire covering Minor Threat, as opposed to the opposite. They might have been talking about this band, I don't remember. Either way, that's probably the best way to sum this up. Fucking awesome.

Darvocets- Are... New Wave
I went into this one blind, after hearing that someone in this band has something to do with Folded Shirt. I was not let down. Not quite as totally weird as that band, which was a relatively neutral surprise (I both hoped that it would and wouldnt be out-of-this-world weird.). Are...New Wave sports 6 tunes, and comes in an inside out LP jacket with dolphins and razor blades silk screened onto it. I think that dolphins and razor blades are a good way to describe this. Reminds me a lot of Black Randy and the Metrosquad, who I totally love, so I'm pretty big on this. Songs range in topic from Bigfoot to anti-gravity travel.

Cloak/Dagger- Lost Art
As I have mentioned time and time again, I really, really like Cloak/Dagger. That being said, I think that this band is best showcased in an EP format. Thats not to say that these songs are bad, because I can assure you, these are awesome songs, with awesome lyrics. It's just that they would be much more easily digested had they been split up into 4 EPs, or maybe even with just a couple tracks left off of this. After a while, the songs sorta blend together. However, as I said earlier, this is far from horrible and it still beats the vast majority of formal LPs that bands like this jump into. I just had unreasonably high expectations I suppose. I'll just blame it on Jade Tree and carry on my way...(even if they made the insert a really thick, slippery glossy sheet, which reassures me of its durability every time I pick it up). If you like Cloak/Dagger, grab this. Just don't let it be your first foray into the band, grab the 7"s first.
Matrix Etching: Let me clear my throat. Ah huh, ah huh, ah god damn!/ What does HEEEEE want?!!!

And I dug that woman's grave
Eight feet in the ground
and I didn't feel sorry until they let her down
They had to let her down

Ramblin around
Rablin rose
I'm gunna put you down
Ramblin rose