Vinyl Reviews Week 9: We'll Soon Be Done

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombation in 12 Bursts (Epitaph Records, 1998)

Groundbreaking is the most accurate way to describe this LP. The final album by Swedish hardcore outfit Refused, The Shape of Punk to Come is idealistically profound in how precisely titular it sounds. The odd, unnatural change from straight-edge Victory Record hardcore everyband to politically charged powerhouse is the first thing any fan of the band will notice on the first listen. They possess a deeper, more dramatic sound and an energetic prowess that will get even the most obtuse neasayer caught up in the excitement. The music video that accompanies this album's lead single, the electro-breakdown hardcore hit "New Noise," is as groundbreaking as the album. The band are concealed by animal masks as they run down an industrial corridor towards their instruments. Then it turns into a performance video where they break everything with themselves and with their music. The last track, "The Apollo Programme Was A Hoax," has tinges of classical influence, and shows a lighter side to the band. It is grandiose in both melody and simplicity, and features orchestral instrumentation. It's lightness symbolizes the demise of the band later that year, a few days into an ill-fated U.S. tour. A basement show in Virginia was shut down by police, and the band decided to quit shortly after. My copy of the LP is the 2010 reissue on two black records. It came coupled with a DVD about the band's career and eventual destruction, which was a great addition for the cost.

Rating: 10

Vinyl Reviews Week 8: Why Do I Keep Subjecting Myself To This?

The answer to the question in the title is experience. And I bet you thought it was rhetorical. Well guess again. How else am I supposed to become a good music reviewer? Practice does make perfect. Also, that last one is a rhetorical question.

No Use For A Name - The Feel Good Record of the Year (Fat Wreck Chords, 2008)

The late great Tony Sly was proud of this record. Gone were the days of meaningless pop-punk mixed with a SoCal blend of melodic hardcore. This was one of the first truly personal LPs penned by NUFAN. The singer, who was also a father and husband, passed away on July 31 of this year at the young age of 41. The saddest part, other than leaving behind a family, is the potential that NUFAN could have realized with their unfinished 2012 album. This is the first punk LP I ever purchased from an actual record store, so it has a special place in my heart. It is also the only album I've heard by No Use all the way through, so I'm unbiased in that way at least. The album opens strongly with "The Biggest Lie" and continues the pace until midway through it. "Pacific Standard Time," the eleventh track, is the last great song on the album. The one-two punch of "The Feel Good Song of the Year" and "The Trumpet Player" are the focal points, but on the LP, they're split between the A and B sides. The packaging is typical Fat Wreck: a sleeve with black standard weight vinyl.

Rating: Decent 7

Vinyl Reviews Week 7: Can I Still Get Into Heaven If I Kill Myself?

Finally I have my first new alphabetical edition to the collection since I started this reviews column, so this week will start with a pretty good Arkells 7" I picked up from the band in Toledo. Good stuff, right?

Arkells - Whistleblower/Kiss Cam 7" (Dine Alone Records, 2011)

This Arkells 7" single has a great story behind it. Arkells was touring and my friend Will and I caught the show in Toledo, Ohio. They played a great set, and we went back to the merch table to hang out with them while the headliner Lights (a superbabe) was setting up. I asked how much the 7" was without really looking to see if it was an EP or a single or what songs were on it. I bought it, we hung out some more, and then went back in to catch a few songs from Lights before taking off. Lo and behold, the 7" had my least favorite Arkells songs on it: "Whistleblower" and "Kiss Cam," both from their latest album Michigan Left. They're good songs, but not that good compared to Arkells's other work. "Kiss Cam" at least has some great melodies on it. And they get to use my $5 to pay for gas or food or whatever, so it's all cool. Don't worry about it, Arkells. The 7" is standard black vinyl and came with a download card so I can get rad with these songs on my iPod. That deserves some snaps.

Rating: Decent 5

Vinyl Reviews Week 6: I Liked Green Day Before They Were Terrible

The title is pretty self-explanatory. And false. But hey, I get hipster cred, so it's cool.

Fugazi - Red Medicine (Dischord Records, 1995)

Fugazi's mid-decade bout into a more experimental atmospheric kind of post-hardcore is captured here on wax. Margin Walker, my only other vinyl album by Fugazi, has arguably stronger songs on it, but this album works better as a unit than Margin Walker. The first track is the only one of independent note (for me). The song, titled "Do You Like Me", has dissonant voices calling the titular phrase behind waves of reverb-laden sweeping guitar. It's Fugazi at their most avant-garde heaviness, and the influence is apparent in other albums I own. La Dispute's Wildlife is spinning right now and seems to be their own take on Fugazi's signature destructive organization. The perpetual sonic experiment known as Red Medicine doesn't have my favorite Fugazi songs, but it is my favorite Fugazi album for that reason. My copy is the 2009 repressing on black vinyl. As with all Dischord releases, the albums are made to last, and mine has lived well on various shelves for the past few years, and it'll have a definite space there for many more.

Rating: Strong 7

Vinyl Reviews Week 5: Goddangit, Bobby

Insert preface here

Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish (Saddle Creek Records, 2002)

In length, Conor Oberst's legendarily inactive post-hardcore project recorded one album and one EP before going on hiatus in the early naughts. Now they're back together, and have already recorded and released another vinyl EP, but their seminal Read Music/Speak Spanish remains the quintessential Desaparecidos release. The lyrics encompass the emotions Oberst feels about the state of the U.S. economy (in 2002) and how family values and structure change (in 2002). He leaves the ghostly whisper-sing of Bright Eyes in the past and develops a howling yell that works perfectly with the crunching guitars. It's a perfect autumn/spring record because it's detached and dense, but honest and encompassing. The bad reputation that post-hardcore gets by being alienating to some lesser fans of the genre is thrown out the window. It's familiar enough that Bright Eyes fans will love it, but close enough to Brand New-esque post-hardcore/emo that new fans will love it and learn about Bright Eyes from it. The 7" The Happiest Place On Earth accompanies the vinyl release (nothing special, one record in a sleeve) and has two tracks taken from the sessions that didn't quite make the actual release. The 7" is short and sweet, and has songs that stand toe-to-toe with the album itself. In short, I love this record.

Rating: Strong 9