Runaway Girls

Once again those dastardly fiends over at  Rise Above Records drop a Uncle Acid single on me that nearly went completely unnoticed. I think I may have just randomly clicked on the website one day and it caught my eye in the new releases section.

Uncle Acid - Runaway Girls

So yes here we have another track from the Mind Control sessions, a track that didn't make the record in the form of Runaway Girls. It's a good track too but then I love everything this band do so that's really no surprise. It's backed by a previously unreleased acoustic version of Devils Work. This is the 'closing chapter' of Mind Control - I really hope there is still more to come from the band.

I have no idea of numbers for this release, in fact I can't even remember why I picked this blue vinyl version, I think at the time it just sounded the nicest. Love the artwork and theme that the band have kept during these releases too.

Wait! Hardcore Gods Live In Parts Unknown

I'm gonna throw up four records at once in the interest of time. Because I hate doing this I always try and find a tenuous link between the records to at least make myself feel better. I bought all of these in physical record stores at around the same time..not bad...that will do!

Madball - Hardcore Lives

Okay, let's get the elephant in the room addressed first. Cynical types might say Madball have gone a bit 'Terror' with this record, the album title, the videos, the first few songs on the record, shit Scott Vogel even guests on the record. But you know what fuck all that. In my eyes Madball can do what they want and that's exactly how I view this record - band doing what they want. 

In fact the band sound like they are having a good time which means it's added a rejuvenation to the band. Plus it's easy to dismiss the Terror thing when tracks like Doc Marten Stomp sound like something Lars Fredericksen would have penned. I think it makes for a really enjoyable listen.

Because I bought this in a shop I had to settle for a black copy of the record. I think it was also pressed on Orange though which I'm sure looks superb. First of three nice gatefold sleeves too.

Cold World - How The Gods Chill

I have to admit to being slightly worried about this new Cold World LP. It seemed like such a long time since we'd had anything new from them and they had shown so many sides to their game that I really didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, this record is superb. Mixing everything the band have done and throwing it into one big melting pot. 

The metallic stuff sounds great as does the rapping stuff. I think in the past it has sounded disjointed on some tracks but Cold World seemed to have made it work pretty seamlessly here.

Luckily I don't think there was a black pressing of this so I was always going to get a colour copy. White in this case, the most common colour.

Bane - Don't wait Up

Good lord, a new Bane record, maaaaan it's been too long. This is probably their last which is a shame but at least they will go out with a legacy in tact as this is a good record. I must admit I haven't given it enough spins yet to really have it sink in but every listen does seem to get better.

Orange copy out of 500 if memory serves. Very nice.

Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown

To start with any band that uses a wrestling term as an album title is okay with me! Now that's out of the way...

I love Every Time I Die or at least I love  MOST of their stuff. The first two full lengths were excellent but they seriously lost me on 'Gutter Phenonemon' and 'The Big Dirty'. Both were just a bit too influenced by the bands more poppy and southern rock flavour for my liking. But since those two records the band have at least been re-writing those wrongs on each subsequent release culminating in this one which is excellent!

The band have got the balance between the mental heavy hardcore stuff and they're rock n roll swagger bang on for the first time since 'Hot Damn'. All my Every Time I Die records are on black vinyl so it would have been rude to break that trend here!

Stranger Places

In 2013 Strange Places released their debut 7" on Carry The Weight records. I liked it a lot and dug the sound the band was going for. Well, their back with another release and it's pretty darn good too.

Strange Places - Stranger Places

On the bands last record I said that they were mixing up metallic hardcore with stoner rock. This time round the band have ditched the hardcore tinge somewhat for a more metal flavour. Shit, in places when the band aren't in the doom/stoner mode this sounds straight up like Ride The Lightning era Metallica. Not that this is anyway bad. The bands infectious personality shines underneath all this and tells you this is a band doing what ever the fuck they want, and it's all the better for it. 

As is the case with most releases it seems at the minute I missed out on the colour version of the record and had to settle for the black version of the release out of 400.

The Coalesce Kids

I'm always eager to fill in the gaps in my Coalesce collection. So recently I picked up a copy of this split 7" from 1997.

The Get Up Kids / Coalesce - Split

This release sees both bands cover a track by the other band. Strangely the tracks are then renamed, I don't know why and I don't know if I've ever seen that before either?!? Now, I don't mind the Get Up Kids, they have some decent songs but this is far from their greatest moment. Coalesce fair far better making The Second Place or 'I'm giving up on this one' as it's called here sound very much like one of their own songs.

I knew this release was available on about 13 different colours so was bummed at first to just be picking up a black one. That was until I took it out of the sleeve and realised it had stamped centre labels, the other copies if seen had proper black centre labels. Discogs seems to suggest this is a 1st Press version out of 300 sold on The Get Up Kids Fall/Winter tour of '97. Be nice if it was that version, can anyone confirm??

New York Crew

Some poor sap listed this on eBay as 'Judge Record', so I knew not many people would stumble upon it. It turned out no one else did and I scored this for 99p!!!!! Brilliant

Judge - New York Crew

Much like the Chain Of Strength 7" I picked up recently there's really not a lot to say about this Rev classic. It's Judge, it's New York Crew! It's hardcore history!!

I believe this is the second press which were all black with the yellow sleeve as opposed to orange.

Forgotten Goals

So last year I think it was, Rev put out a gold reissue of the first Civ record. I ordered it and it completely escaped me that it actually never turned up. That was, until an email came from the store I'd ordered it from asking if I was ok with them sending me a Pink copy as they had never got the gold version in.

Civ - Set Your Goals

To be honest I just wanted a coloured vinyl copy and wasn't bothered if it was gold or pink. This colour seems to suit the cover pretty well so it's all good in my book.

Who doesn't love this record? Back when it first came out I thought it was great and listening again now it's not hard to see why. Great infectious stuff mixing hardcore and that more pop-punk kinda sound perfectly. Shame the follow up was a bit of a stinker.

Pink vinyl version is out of 550 pressed. Here it sits with the black version of the record I already had.

Paid In Full

Back in December I posted up the debut 7" by Cross Me that Speedowax had put out. I liked it a lot and I think I said something like 'by rights these should be the next band to blow up'. Well, I don't know about blowing up but in the last 7 months or so I've certainly seen them getting more attention. They've also just dropped their second 7", but we'll get on to that in a minute. First...

Cross Me - S/T

When I saw that the ever brilliant Speedowax were putting out a second press of the first Cross Me record I jumped at the chance to get another copy, especially as the previous pressing were all on black vinyl. Different colour cover for the second press (it's Speedowax so of course) and a nice red vinyl to boot. 100/107!

Cross Me - Paid In Full

So on to the new record. I was stoked when I heard that Cross Me were putting out another record, and then I realised who was releasing it - The dreaded Flatspot Records. I won't go over it all again but I'd been less than impressed with this label in the past. This time though the record got here with no problems and surprisingly as their packaging is still fucking awful, no damage!

So what of the record? Well it's good, it's really good. The band seem to have gone a tad thrashier on this release and I like it, Bad Company especially from the couple of listens I've had is a barnstormer, sounding like a more metallic Expire! Great stuff and another sweet release from the band. More please!

 

Milky Clear vinyl out of 250