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La Muerte No Espera is the tough stomping intro to side two and work really well.  My interest has already been hooked and I'm invested enough to embrace the build up of it.  The bass tone is so mean, it feels like it's about to come out of the speakers and punch me in the face, or maybe my speakers will become possessed and eat me Black Roses style (Youtube Black Roses Vincent Pastore if you haven't seen it. It's totally worth it).  So turn off the lights, get it all nice and spooky and then let out all your aggro with this one.

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As a big power pop fan and a fan of the Tranzmitors this song obviously is right up my alley.  Super big hooky power pop that would snuggle in nice and cozy on any of the Power Pearls compilations (well at least the first couple).  Sweet and simple and to the point just like it should be.  Also I really have been digging Fashionism's visual aesthetic (I think I really just like that color of blue a lot).

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Hey look we managed to write about a song that isn't the super punk one!  Aquarian Blood's LP is full of punk bangers but for some reason the slower, weirder and darker Funeral Moon caught my attention.  Maybe it's because everything just feels slightly off.  The drums have a weird stutter to it and some of the keys seem kind of off time at points and it all just feels weird.  It also feels pretty raw and has some dark anarcho punk vibes.  Really cool stuff all around. 

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I don't know if I gushed a ton about the Exotica tape, but if I didn't I should have.  The drums really sell this track for me.  They could have gone with a straight pogo beat to match the driving bass but switching it up gives it an anxious energy that I really like.  Oh yeah and I'm always a fan of a good grunt.  I feel like I should have more to say about this because I listen to it constantly but for real it just does everything I like about punk right.  This whole 7" rips though so do yourself a favor and click that link below.  

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When that build-up continues to pulse faster and faster, you know you're in for some Mängel-style punishment.  Apparently Rat Cage is just one guy?  Well, he must love Totalitär as much as I do.  "No Consolation" as a closing track just absolutely rages, almost to a tiring degree.  But finally, just when the tension needs to be broken, the song launches into that groovy, half-time pace that'll have you circle-pitting until the track finishes fading out.  Afterward, you can throw on that ski mask and go cool off in a nice bath of Swedish hardcore 7"s.

I personally can't get enough of Joe Sussman. Luckily we have Nancy and Dangus Tarkus to provide us with high energy rock in a time when we need it most.  It feels a little weird to pick a cover for one of these but Dangus Tarkus makes this their song.  The original is by Pantherman from Holland and is a very Bowie-esque glam rocker with a little disco feel to it.  I highly suggest at least googling Pantherman because his costume is great.  Sadly there's no live videos to confirm if he wore that while performing (it would be a shame if he didn't).  The DT's turn it into a tough rocker that really shines at the chorus.  Sussman's voice is almost melancholy when he sings it.  It feels super heartfelt and honest in a way.  It makes me feel things about friendship and what not.  I could totally see this song playing over the ending credits of an 80s coming of age/summer friendship movie.

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At a quick glimpse, the bright, cartoony aesthetic that brings to mind 90s pop punk might have been a turn-off for me.  Still, there's really just an upbeat ray of positivity emanating from this LP.  And sometimes, me liking a band just comes down to good songs, and when I heard "Why Do I?" it stood out amongst the other tracks coated with saccharine as having a more bitter flavor.  This song might induce a slow shimmy rather than energetic hopping up and down, but the melody has an addicting 70s power-pop vibe -- almost like "Why Do I?" could be mistaken for a more sullen moment on a Holly and The Italians record.  It's not a sad song exactly, but it's got this subtle sense of longing.  I'm also sucker for a call-and-response vocal part: Q: "Not this time." A: "No, not this time."  

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"Aguas Negras," the closing track of Side A, is a single banger among many on this debut LP from Rata Negra.  If I understand correctly, this band is comprised of people from both La Urss and Juanita Y Los Feos.  Upon hearing this record, that combination is immediately familiar because the rocked-out edge from La Urss comes through, and then is coupled with the unmistakable vocal signature of Violeta from Juanita Y Los Feos.  Rata Negra rides that line of shameless melodicism in their brand of punk without crossing into the dreaded vibes of  pop-punk territory.  This record is chock full 'o catchy numbers, and "Aguas Negras" just happens to be the most infectious of the bunch, and stands out as a nice melodic moment both in terms of the vocals and opening guitar line.  Though upbeat, there is also this eerie melancholy feeling brought on by distant echoing backing vocals.  Plus, you get the most bang-for-your-buck in terms of squeezing in syllables.

I used to hate drum machines.  I never understood the need for them.  Maybe this came from being a drummer and obviously never having trouble finding a drummer for a band.  With age I have come to really love the sound and feeling of drum machines, it really can add something different to a song.  Drums are also super expensive and break constantly so for real a drum machine is a much more cost efficient route and it also won't get too drunk to play before your set and won't skip out on band practice because it's not feeling good or hurt your feelings by telling you it doesn't like the song you wrote.  I really enjoyed the Racecar cassette we had last year and liked UV-B stuff i've heard and SBF is the best of both worlds.  Burn Both Ends is definitely the Ramones, only downpicking "ballad?" of this 7".  It kind of reminds me of the song Vaccuum Rebuilder off of the Janitor Scum LP, the kind of slower poppier finisher to the whole thing.  This definitely has more of the 70s punk vibe to it though, kind of like The Boys  (for some reason First Time by The Boys keeps popping in my head after listening to this song).  But yeah the whole 7" rips and this is the perfect close to it (even though I hate a fadeout).  

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I have been in love with everything Warm Bodies related as of late.  Their demo (or domo) started it all off though.  I've had a copy of the cassette upstairs in my "office"/giant room of clutter for a while and it gets played constantly.  Sadly the quality of it isn't the best and usually I'm working on something when I get a chance to listen to it.  So it's super exciting to have this on vinyl and sounding super clear and loud.  My Face Fell Off is the weird ripper.  The lyrics are definitely a thing of their own.  I don't even know where to begin with those.  I mean I guess if I was going to throw away a body part on purspose I would start with my nose.  But yeah this is a certified rager in the current Mid-western variety.  Super tight drums and bass with super loose vocals and guitar.  The whole band is a driving force while you are being pleaded for help to find the singer's eye and nose (which was willfully thrown away).  

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So this time around, while you can still expect the tough, pit-clearing parts and wild, avant-garde divebombs from Concealed Blade, there's still this element of being unashamed of your love for hard rock on this record.  Between the nod to Kiss at the beginning of track 1 and the Quiet Riot-esque drum intro on this track, this record doesn't simply make my mind jump to think just a typical tough hardcore record.  "Bought And Sold" is one of the slower songs on the record, and while it's a "hard" jam no question, it's also kind of the sing-along, fist-pumping rock anthem of the record.  The middle section has this dissonant guitar break and then what follows alludes to a proper guitar solo!  I don't know if people will read this and think I'm crazy, but I think YINZ all need to embrace some rockin' in your hardcore every once in a while.

Uranium Club is getting down to the bottom of who makes things in this day and age.  Who made the man? You did.  Who built the wheel? Uranium Club of course.  Who made an amazing album that's sure to be at the top of everyone's 2017 end of year lists? Uranium Club of course.  Their song Opus feels like four different songs seamlessly put together into one masterpiece.  Taking the formulas of Wire and Gang of Four with a dash of Television Personalities to make a new proof, which is angular, catchy and driving.  The repetitive nature of the "choruses" gets this song stuck in your head immediately.  

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