Poll of the Day > PotD's very own hardcore punk topic.

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argonautweakend
06/09/19 12:17:09 PM
#53:


ill add aerogramme to my list of things ill at some point listen to.
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argonautweakend
06/10/19 10:43:14 PM
#54:


song of the day: "searching for a former clarity" by against me. 2005

Inspired by sunny day real estate, this song is sad. I remember this album well. Against me started out as a guy playing acoustic songs in his bedroom, to then having a band, than having a band get noticed and popular. A lot of older fans don't care for this album and beyond, at least i imagine because I remember a lot of fans of the band giving this album disdain, some going so far as to even take the song title "even at our worst, we're still better than most" literally which, is a joke, but also it's true imo anyways. But the sound was different from their last few albums in some ways. I entered around this time, so i wasnt an original fan so nothing was being "ruined" for me, or anything. Of course everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I do recall on the music: punk board here this album was getting hated and especially the music video for "dont lose touch" since it premiered on MTV.

anyways, i really like this song. its a pretty bare bones song with sparse instrumentation, an sounds almost haunting. I especially like the lyric "and you beared witness to mortality in exchange for the ticket price" which yes, I would. Like I don't want anybody to die, but it would be a hell of a story though....or maybe a show billed "against me and then im going to kill myself at the end" uhh i dont know....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RPISPdhDQQ" data-time="
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argonautweakend
06/16/19 1:25:52 AM
#55:


I'm going to add another theme idea for this topic. Today I will be talking about my favorite album of all time. I suggest you do the same! You dont have to get as in depth as me, but fuckin talk about it. I'll listen, at least.

My album without a doubt is Zen Arcade by Husker Du. 1984 on SST records.

At some point before this album, guitarist and co-singer/songwriter Bob Mould told a music journalist they were going to do something different beyond just making a record and touring. They made a record and toured, but the sheer weight of this album is massive. Husker Du is, by Dave Grohl's own admission, the biggest reason Nirvana even existed in the first place. Husker Du was the biggest band, just about, that came up before grunge existed that was instrumental in its formation. This album in a way I wouldn't even call a stretch is directly responsible for changing music history.

This album contains 23 tracks over roughly 75 minutes. Some have said this is a true punk headphone album(guy from therapy?), and it really is. It does sound good in that sense. It also tells a loosely connected story. It also contains several genres of music(at a bare minimum - psychedelic, hardcore, acoustic, "free jazz?" Piano interludes, stuff like that.) Its a massive listen on every scale.

The story, as far as I can tell, has always been told as a boy who is not content with his home life, so he runs away, only to realize the real world is even worse, so he returns home, singing the song of

"whatever you what, whatever you do, where ever you go, whatever you say"

Then there is a story by Bob Mould himself, who I would consider to be an authority on the topic of albums he's made, which is way cooler

"According to Mould, Zen Arcade is about a young computer hack from a broken home who dreams about killing himself after his girlfriend dies of a drug overdose. Instead, he lands in a mental hospital where he meets the head of a computer company who hires him to design video games. Then he wakes up and goes to school, Mould said. The only thing we never agreed on was the name of the video game. We thought it was Search.

So, like, the story isn't 100% coherent, but there is yet another level to this album.

So, who are Husker Du? Theyre a punk band from Minnesota. To this point theyve made pretty decent hardcore with the occasional flair for something dramatic. They were heavily inspired by earlier pop music, such as the beatles(covered ticket to ride ), the byrds(covered 8 miles high) and the mary tyler moore theme song, as it was set in Mn. They like it hard and fast, but sometimes soft. This kinda made them a small influence on the later emotional hardcore and emo genres. What made this album as unusual as it is? Probably meth and or other drugs. This was recorded and edited in one massive 80 hour session for only a few thousand dollars, because they werent rich. Every song on the album is a first take recording but two. That is some meth shit right there.

The album is hard when it wants to be, soft when it wants to be, and weird when it wants to be. It starts off with 4 songs I consider to be the best opening tracks in music history because they all sound good but that also tell ac story. It begins with the fast and catchy "Something I Learned Today" that is followed by "Broken Home, Broken Heart" which I sets the tone for the album: somebody is deeply hurt. This theme is followed up throughout the album. Next is "Never Talking to You Again" which is an acoustic track that sounds raw and stripped and again, he's hurt. Next is "Chartered Trips" which is a catchy and solid listen that furthers the arc. So right off the bat we have-

Person has:
1. found out something bad about you.
2. been hurt.
3. vowed to never speak to you again.
and
4. has begun the process of leaving.
5. 30 minutes to remove his cube.
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argonautweakend
06/16/19 1:26:08 AM
#56:


Interspersed between the songs are psychedelic and piano interludes to set the mood. When listened to as a whole album these are enjoyable. the song "hare krishna" is super weird, and it steals the beat from the song "I want candy". Up next is a solid collection of some of the most brutal hardcore up to this point; still ravages today. If you have like, problems, listen to "pride", "I'll never forget you", and "the biggest lie".

After that you have a collection of slower, weirder tunes that I think we get into the shit that inspired the grunge genre or at least a bit of 1990s music. The most obvious example is the opening to "whats going on" and "1979" by the smashing pumpkins. These tracks are introspective and searching.

Then, you get into the final section of the record. Song 17, "Pink Turns to Blue" written, sung and drummed on by Grant Hart, is an eerie look into the protagonists relationship with a drug user who's lips have turned from pink to blue. reminds me of what that bastard Walter White did to Jessie, even if its not the exact same scenario. Next is "Newest Industry", which is a part of a series of Husker songs aptly titled by me as "1984" with another prominent example being "Divide and Conquer" after a song on the later Flip Your Wig. This song is a look into a post apocalyptic wasteland of the United States after constant war destroyed us all and used up all the resources. After all of this the author can only say "I'll sit around, smoke cigarettes and I'll babble, "what the fuck?" Next is the piano interlude "Monday Will Never be the Same" which transitions nicely into the epic "Whatever" which is a massive song because its deep, hard hitting stuff that really makes you think about how you look at others and yourself, which you didn't get much of out of this genre until a little later. This is the song where it seems that the narrator has decided to go home, pledging to his parents he'll do whatever they want. Despite the use of the word "whatever" the words in this song carry a lot of gravity. "mom and dad i'm sorry. mom and dad, don't worry. i'm not the son you wanted, but what could you expect? i made my world of happiness to combat your neglect" that's some deep shit. "The Toothfairy and the Princess" brings back some more trippy aspects, as we move to "Turn on the News". This is a very nice rock track, Grant Hart, or somebody also knows how to do the Spongebob laugh (source: 29 seconds) which ive always felt comical. This track shows that while Bob Mould wrote and sung most of the tracks, he clearly had some talent. He also recorded drums and vocals at the same time if I am not mistaken making it even more awesome.

Then, we get to track 23, "Reocurring Dreams", which is the end. Everything up 'til now has been flat out pedestrian. The end of the loosely based narrative arc is he was dreamin' is a 14 minute free jazz whatever instrumental track. This showcases Hart's talent as being a legendary drummer. You didn't have shit like this in punk rock at the time. There's a chance in studio he was drumming barefoot as well. He keeps a solid, tight rhythm as the bass dances along and the guitar alternates from being quiet and droning to hard and heavy. This is a really interesting musical experience. In the video "camden palace 1985" available on Youtube they transition from this song into their searingly haunting cover of "eight miles high" by the Byrds effortlessly producing one of the sweetest transitions of all time. Anyways, the music reaches a climax I've called "the edge of the earth" then drops off a cliff.
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argonautweakend
06/16/19 1:27:38 AM
#57:


I don't really know what else I can say, this album is just a wild and crazy listen from start to finish with an anvil's worth of emotion with weird stuff filling in the gaps. I hated this album when I first heard it because I did not understand it, but after revisiting it and taking time to listen it struck me. this began my transition to when I began to take music seriously in my earlier years.
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argonautweakend
06/22/19 10:40:52 PM
#58:


Bump
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ToastyPOP
06/27/19 2:56:41 AM
#59:


Here's a couple random selections from the 90s.... Not really hardcore though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qikqDUuufKA" data-time="

Satanic Surfers - Worn out Words

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nL5DFHrXgQ" data-time="

Dillinger Four - Open and Shut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGQcoMJc5w" data-time="

Jawbreaker - Jinx Removing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj6CyApYCyI" data-time="

Face To Face - Disconnected
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Black_Crusher
06/27/19 9:12:54 AM
#60:


Grindcorp9000 posted...
D.O.A

D.R.I

Dead Kennedys

Nausea


Took 17 posts but here we are.
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kind9
06/27/19 9:22:21 AM
#61:


A couple tracks that may or may not belong here...

Breach - Lost Crew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7270chLA8" data-time="

They were like a post-hardcore/metal band. Highly underrated.

Snot - Joy Ride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WT52ya1574" data-time="

This is a nu metal album with heavy hardcore influences.
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argonautweakend
07/01/19 2:24:55 PM
#62:


i do plan on listening to these random songs in here at some point. i did see a jawbreaker track at first glance. thats cool i like them.
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argonautweakend
07/05/19 9:37:22 PM
#63:


Bump. Might post something later
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argonautweakend
07/11/19 1:43:05 AM
#64:


So ive been meaning to write something for a while, so here we are.

This post is going to be about a screamo band. Now, upon hearing that name a lot of people are likely wanting to throw up. Emo, and screamo, really get a bad rap because, at least in emo's case, a fundamental misunderstanding of what it is. Screamo is kinda like that, too...in fact, the term "skramz" was used to apply to "the real shit" as far as I'm aware, which would include stuff like the band I'm going to talk about. However I don't really care. A lot of 'hot topic' bands came about and soiled the name, but hey anything is art, just good and bad. So, what is emo music, for those unaware? Well it's an offshoot of hardcore punk from Washington, D.C., in the mid-late 80s. Sunny Day Real Estate came around in the early 90s and brought it back and fueled the genre on well into the current day. So, originally it was hardcore punk that knew how to slow it down, with a vocalist really upset about some shit. Then it morphed into all different kinds of stuff, but what remained are the two defining hallmarks of the genre: a vocalist who sounds almost as if he wants to die, and tempo shifts. Songs on an album go from fast and frantic to slow and heartfelt without skipping a beat. Screamo is not too different except it gets way more frantic when it does and the vocalist, well, screams.

So, the band I am thinking of is Saetia, and the album is really just their entire discography with some live tracks A Retrospective, released in 2001.

Saetia existed from 1997-1999 and hail from New York City. They leave us with 17 original songs.

The thing I like about this album really is one of the things I like about bands like this so much: the interplay between fast and heavy and slow and smooth. The opening track "notres langues nous trompent" sets the albums mood by firing right out of the gate, but in the middle of that song is gets slow and smooth. Compare that to the almost bluesy opener of "postlapsaria" which goes from that to the heavier stuff. Thats it, this band can and does change tempo at will, and it doesnt sound out of place because the instrumentation is pretty tight. The music sounds youthful but the musicians know their instruments, including vocalist billy werner.

So on that note, what do the vocals sound like? everybody wants to know, especially "converge" haters. Well, I'd never call billy werner the best vocalist, but his voice doesn't lie to you. Sometimes it comes off a little bit awkward, as baring your soul tends to do, but he grapples with screaming, quiet screaming, and singing very well. He doesn't sound like he has any real training, which adds to the charm. It seems obtainable. I don't know how to sing, so while I couldn't do a full song I feel like I could take a line or two and shout it out and it wouldn't sound too dissimilar. But what I find beautiful about it is none of this actually makes it feel cheap or "low talent".

For anybody who wants to check this band out, please do. Discovering shit like this is what I live for, though I don't check out music nearly as often as in the past. If you don't like aggressive and shouty lyrics, at least stick around for some of the tender and sweet moments because they really are rewarding
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argonautweakend
07/11/19 1:45:57 AM
#65:


Postlapsaria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ0bVPy8PZ8" data-time="


and a live version of the album opener "notres langues nous trompet" man watch the drummer go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUhXzDwkY2E" data-time="
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argonautweakend
07/14/19 12:06:37 AM
#66:


Not going to do a full review but i really like the album "keasbey nights" by catch 22.

This is a ska/punk album that features:

-inventive songwriting
-great drumming
-a precursor to streetlight manifesto with a mini orchestra on songs like "Kristina she don't know I exist"
-catchy. Ooh chantey choruses

Rec'd so often on gamefaqs in the early-mid 2000s on the music:punk board and that's why im able to speak to you today.

A decade or so later streetlight manifesto which features some catch 22 people covered the album. I don't prefer it but this is also good and it's nice to see different perspectives on the songs. I just prefer the lower fi production of the 1998 version. But yeah not bad.
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