#80's garage punk

[possible-streetwear]

[andrewckeeper]

LIDMF AI "Fr-Eddie Krueger"

[randomvarious]

The Boners - "Stupid Jail" Motor City's Burnin', Volume 2 Song recorded in 1980. Compilation released in 1998. Punk Rock / Garage Punk

Good morning 🌅

[dankalbumart]

Some Lyres by Lyres Taang! Records 1994 Garage Rock / Garage Rock Revival / Indie Rock / American Underground / Punk

[apocalypta-secundus]

What was Akina's first guitar?

"I actually still have it and keep it in the best condition... because it's never played anymore. My first guitar was a 1948 Gibson, none of the music I played then sounds like what I play now. The rock scene didn't start for me til the 1960s. Now I carry a red stratocaster around on my back, even when fighting hollows."

[chasingcomets222]

I got bored and decided to decipher Rodrick Heffley's music taste to close this years-long debate once and for all.

This post will be on the lengthier side, but a TLDR is attached at the end of the post if you want the basic cliff-notes.

Disclaimer: this is a dissection of the film adaptation of Rodrick rather than his source material counterpart. Comparisons to the books are welcome but irrelevant to this analysis.

Soundtrack

During the roller-rink scene in the opening of Rodrick Rules, Rodrick and Bill take over the DJ table to sabotage Greg's moves on Holly. The song they play is "Cut Throat" by the all-female heavy metal band, Kittie. Aside from Löded Diper's music, this is the only song in the series explicitly used to establish Rodrick's music taste.

However, there's many songs off of the Rodrick Rules soundtrack alone that can be reasonably assumed to fit his music profile as well — for example, those used during the party sequence.

I wouldn't doubt if one or two tracks were intended solely as crowd pleasers, but let's not rule out the entire playlist.

In order of appearance, Rodrick's party mix includes: "Heart Heart Heartbreak" by Boys Like Girls, "Electric (feat. Miss Amani)" by The DNC, "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" by Tokyo Police Club, "Shake" by Bikini Machine, "Move Like This" by Hammerwax, and "Jump In The Line" by Karl Zéro & The Wailers.

There's additionally three other, albeit more subtle, uses of background music to nod toward Rodrick's preferences.

The first instance is during the scene in Rodrick Rules in which Greg confides in Rodrick about his embarrassment from his failed "100 Years Ago" assignment. It's so quiet that it's easy to miss without a keen ear, but "Light Love" by Free Energy plays in the background, mixed to fit in with the ambience of Rodrick's bedroom.

The second is directly before the Löded Diper band rehearsal scene (somebody farted btw), in which Frank pulls into the Heffleys' driveway. "Rock and Roll Slob" by The Boneless Ones can be heard from the garage, once again mixed as part of the ambience.

The third again utilizes The Boneless Ones' discography, and is inserted during the opening sequence of Dog Days at the municipal pool. Rodrick explains it's "time to sell some CDs" for Löded Diper, and turns on his boombox (more on this later), blaring "Miss Fresno."

With the last two points in mind, one can assume the film universe is some twisted version where Löded Diper originally wrote and performed The Boneless Ones' discography (or something closely resembling it).

Band Tees

Rodrick mostly wears seemingly thrifted or upcycled shirts and graphic tees with witty/edgy prints, but there are outliers at times. For example, there's not one, not two, but potentially so much as five moments in Dog Days that he's seen wearing merch from Dead Kennedys, The Who, and Ramones.

While most of his band tees simply include the band's logo or iconography, the latter design takes it a step further by being specific to a particular song title: "Rock 'n' Roll High School" by Ramones.

There's another moment which this may be the case, but it's purely speculative on my end. The Ramones also have a song named "I Don't Care," which is a phrase featured on one of Rodrick's shirts. It's not an explicit reference, but likely a reference nonetheless.

Room Posters

Guns N' Roses, Brutal Truth (Evolution Through Revolution), Stars (The Five Ghosts), Buried Inside (Spoils of Failure), and Decibel are the most notable.

I assume Decibel is in relation to the 70's/80's Italian punk rock band, although I can't find any association between them and this particular artwork. If not connected to them, there's a possibility it may be to the metal magazine of the same name, but I have my doubts.

In this image giving an alternate perspective to Rodrick's room, just off-screen is a Metallica poster, based on the stylization of the ending A. Beside it is a Hanson Brothers poster, which was later replaced in Rodrick Rules with a duplicate of the Stars poster for some reason.

Among his collage of Löded Diper flyers, there's Danny Echo posters as well as Denounce and Billy Talent stickers receiving the Hidden Mickey treatment (also a cameo from the iconic cheeseburger phone on the table).

Of course, there are many other pieces of memorabilia scattered across Rodrick's room, but several of them are blurry from the camera's depth of field or are seen at angles which make them difficult to read or for reverse image sites to identify. So for now, this is the best possible analysis of Rodrick's room in regards to music.

Miscellaneous

An easy-to-miss detail lies in the infamous Löded Diper van. Within the final few moments of Rodrick Rules as Rodrick drops Greg off at school (01:31:52), there's a semi-clear shot of the van's dashboard. On it are a set of stickers, including one referencing Huevos Rancheros, an instrumental rock-and-roll group from Canada.

In Dog Days, Rodrick brings a personal boombox with him to the municipal pool. Along the top is a large sticker for Street Machine, a Czech hardcore/metal band.

Cut Content

In the second studio draft of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, on page 23, scene 43, more of Rodrick's favorite artists are revealed.

The nature of this may be written off as not canon, as it was added into the script while it was still a work in progress and the posters themselves didn't make it into the final product.

What sells it to me as remaining "silent" canon though is that TOOL and Slipknot are often lumped together with Kittie (previously mentioned) as they share an overlapping fanbase. This was more prevalent during the early 2000's within the mall goth subculture, but it's remained fairly consistent for other variants of metalheads over the years too.

TLDR

To recap, the various genres across all of the bands Rodrick is canonically into include indie rock, pop rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, hard rock, industrial, thrash metal, heavy metal, nu metal, death metal, sludge metal, and grindcore.

His musical preferences are punk, rock, and metal-centric but quite broad and inclusive of countries of origin and lesser-known underground artists (some don't break even 100 monthly listeners on Spotify). This leaves the door open for endless possibilities in terms of headcanons.

He's not emo despite popular fan belief, but I still think there's a chance some of his musical leanings could cross over with bands considered emo adjacent for their presence in the community. August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada come to mind with his music taste accounted for, but that's just my headcanon.

EDIT: 9/9/24

I've since made two Spotify playlists from my findings: one being what I imagine would be Rodrick's regular rotation, and the other being an extension of his party mix. I feel I've channeled him well, since a lot of his music taste is basically mine circa 2008/2009.

If you've read this far, thank you so much for your patience, and I appreciate any and all interactions left on this post. Happy listening!! <333

[rabbitechoes]

wow!!! august was a pretty stacked month for new releases and it seems like september will be pretty busy too. there were quite a few great records this month - one being my current album of the year. also trying out a new format so these posts will be easier to navigate. i've started linking to the full reviews on my rym page instead of just pasting them over here. i figure it's much easier to get through that way!! to check out my thoughts on some of the songs that dropped this month click here!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay

🥇 BEST ALBUM OF THE MONTH

◇ released: Aug. 23, 2024 ◇ genres: neo-psychedelia, synthpop, chillwave, dance-pop

to call it a triumph would be an understatement, the sophomore album from Magdalena Bay is a delicately detailed experience that doubles as an immensely enjoyable pop record. to put it simply, i'm feeling diskinserted 💿

my review of Imaginal Disk

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Sky Hundred - Parannoul

◇ released: Aug. 3, 2024 ◇ genres: shoegaze, noise pop, emo, indietronica

on his strongest album yet, Parannoul further refines his sound without sacrificing the scrappiness that made his music so endearing in the first place. my review of Sky Hundred

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NO NAME - Jack White

◇ released: July 19, 2024 / Aug. 2, 2024 ◇ genres: garage rock revival, hard rock, garage punk

Jack White has crafted a staggering garage rock record that perfectly soundtracks a world on fire. my review of NO NAME

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Wild God - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

◇ released: Aug. 30, 2024 ◇ genres: singer-songwriter, art rock, gospel, baroque pop

unlike the more meditative approach of 2019's Ghosteen, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds return with a renewed sense of urgency and a striking crop of songs that are sure to make u feel something. my review of Wild God

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cheshire days - ashley ninelives

◇ released: Aug. 10, 2024 ◇ genres: glitch pop, neo-psychedelia, synthpop

the long-awaited new album from ashley ninelives is filled to the brim with exciting ideas and vibrant production that's easy to get lost in.

my review of cheshire days

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I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU - JPEGMAFIA

◇ released: Aug. 1, 2024 ◇ genres: experimental hip hop, hardcore hip hop, rap rock

JPEGMAFIA is here to stay … whether u like it or not. my review of I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU

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Romance - Fontaines D.C.

◇ released: Aug. 23, 2024 ◇ genres: indie rock, alternative rock, post-britpop

Fontaines D.C. shed their gothic veneer in favor of warmer sounds on their new record, while unfortunately stumbling into style over substance territory amidst a few incredible tunes.

my review of Romance

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Flight b741 - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

◇ released: Aug. 9, 2024 ◇ genres: boogie rock, roots rock, blues rock

the refreshing collaborative spirit of this new King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard record is its biggest strength, but not enough to make this an essential project in their vast discography. my review of Flight b741

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Paradise State of Mind - Foster the People

◇ released: Aug. 16, 2024 ◇ genres: synthpop, nu-disco, chillwave

the fourth album from Foster the People, my favorite band when i was in 6th grade, is an existential ode to synth funk and disco of the 70s/80s that sounds great, but doesn't leave much of a lasting impression.

my review of Paradise State of Mind

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Quantum Baby - Tinashe

◇ released: Aug. 16, 2024 ◇ genres: alternative r&b, trap soul, pop rap

the second installment in Tinashe's BB/ANG3L trilogy is a substantial step down from the first primarily due to its reliance on more mainstream pop/r&b sounds.

my review of Quantum Baby

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Cellophane Memories - Chrystabell & David Lynch

◇ released: Aug. 2, 2024 ◇ genres: ambient pop, ethereal wave, ambient, drone

David Lynch always has a strong vision for what he wants to convey in his art, but unfortunately, this new collaboration with Chrystabell isn't one of his most worthwhile endeavors. my review of Cellophane Memories

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Short n' Sweet - Sabrina Carpenter

◇ released: Aug. 23, 2024 ◇ genre: pop

Sabrina Carpenter's new album should be a bold statement priming her to be the next big thing, but instead it just falls into the same exhausted clichés we've all come to expect with big mainstream pop releases.

my review of Short n' Sweet

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Aghori mhori mei - Smashing Pumpkins

◇ released: Aug. 2, 2024 ◇ genre: alternative rock

Smashing Pumpkins' surprise new album isn't as horrible as their garish rock opera ATUM, but it's just as self-indulgent and outright boring as what we’ve come to expect from the band.

my review of Aghori mhori mei

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F-1 Trillion (Long Bed) - Post Malone

◇ released: Aug. 16, 2024 ◇ genres: contemporary country, country pop

Post Malone sticks out like a sore thumb in every genre he inhabits and that continues to be the case with his first full-length country album - his worst record thus far by a considerable margin.

my review of F-1 Trillion (Long Bed)

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Vultures 2 - Ye & Ty Dolla $ign

◇ released: Aug. 3, 2024 ◇ genres: pop rap, trap, alternative r&b

Ye and Ty Dolla Sign return with a disastrous album full of anthems for divorced dads who were most certainly in the wrong.

my review of Vultures 2

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Popular Monster - Falling in Reverse

◇ released: Aug. 16, 2024 ◇ genres: alternative metal, trap, rap metal

no.

my review of Popular Monster

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this section will be used on occasion to briefly discuss projects i didn't write full reviews for, but i still think are worth checking out. beginning with ...

Sophcore - Moses Sumney

A decent EP, but I would be lying if I said I was a little letdown. Still very pleasant on the ears, just lacking in substance. Sumney still has a very striking voice. Here's hoping the next project is a bit more substantial.

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Some Songs I Wish I Wrote Vol. 1 - This Is The Glasshouse

I didn't have high expectations for a covers EP, but this one really floored me. I really loved his album from last year, As Small As Ants, and it seems as though he's only getting better. He has a really good ear for layered instrumentation, it's certainly this EP's strongest aspect. The arrangements for his cover of Xiu Xiu's "Sad Pony Guerilla Girl" and Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" were big highlights in particular. Definitely give this a listen!

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The Vault - Maruja

A few months after their Connla's Well EP, Maruja surprise dropped a compilation full of improv jam sessions. It's a bit of an undertaking, but for those who are fans of the band this is definitely a treat. There are so many cool instrumental passages here and it brilliantly showcases how many brilliant ideas are swarming around when the band is in the studio. Their chemistry is off the charts. Here's hoping we get some weird jam stuff on their full-lenght debut, whenever that comes out.

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[slutforstabbings]

the NO-SKIP albums: a tag game 🎶💖

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums. 🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules:1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

Thank you so much for tagging me and inventing this game @ventiswampwater ! <3 I added two extra dimensions that I do not expect anybody else to do, but i tried to focus on my current favorite musical textures, and I only picked bands with less than 1.5 million monthly spotify listeners because you do not need me to tell you how good deftones is lol check below the cut for album info ~

and in the spirit of the boops, i'm tagging a lot more people than i usually do in these games, so feel free to ignore me if you don't want to participate lol @loureedpiss @hersweetrevenge @toxicanonymity @deathwestern @grandmawitch @bbwithaknife @sevvventhson @clemkruckinnie @hall0ween-twn @ghostwriterforghosts @barbie-cock @heartrot666 @ethanhoewke @deanmonlover

Apocalipstick (2017) | Cherry Glazerr indie rock, noise pop | for fans of Veruca Salt, Mitski track rec: Trash People art is love and love is sloppy / nothing is all pure / nothing is all dirty

Neck of the Woods (2012) | Silversun Pickups indie rock, shoegaze | for fans of Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol track rec: Dots and Dashes (enough already) see you in the room next door / your feet float above the floor / dress torn above you knees / like you've owned it for centuries

Glow On (2021) | Turnstile post-hardcore, alternative metal, dream pop | for fans of AFI, Title Fight track rec: Underwater Boi i just need to know i'm / working for the big prize / when i get to heaven will i know?

Comfort to Me (2021) | Amyl and the Sniffers garage punk, hardcore | for fans of Descendents, Adolescents, Distillers track rec: Maggot everything you touch turns to gold / i can't wait for you to touch me

GT Ultra (2017) | Guerilla Toss dance punk, progressive pop | for fans of Le Tigre, Oingo Boingo track rec: Skull Pop will there be a warning? / when the clock stops moving? / will you have just 60 seconds? / will you find it boring?

10,000 Gecs (2023) | 100 Gecs hyperpop, pop punk, nu metal | for fans of ??? they're too unique for this sorry track rec: 757 i got problems with my spending / all these horses in my engine / doing 80 in a 30 / but i'm never in a hurry

Mind Control (2013) | Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats traditional doom metal, heavy psych | for fans of Black Sabbath, heavy Beatles songs track rec: Poison Apple don't you worry baby, you're safe with me / i'm the poison apple in your tree

Soma (2013) | Windhand doom metal, stoner metal | for fans of the sensation of a weighted blanket, but sound track rec: Orchard i'm having trouble with the down time / can't pick myself up off the floor

[daibhidjames]

Manic Mondays Released this week in 1981; The "Urgh! A Music War" soundtrack double album. This comp nicely sums up early 1980's underground ranging from Punk (Dead Kennedys, Chelsea, 999, Spizz 80, Joan Jett), Post Punk (Gang Of Four, Magazine, Au Pairs, Echo & Bunnymen( New Wave (XTC, Devo, Police, Wall Of Voodoo, Oingo Boingo), Techno (Gary Numan, OMD), Power Pop (The Members, Go-Go's), Garage (Cramps, Fleshtones, X, Alley Cats) Reggae/Ska (Steel Pulse, UB40), Art Rock Weirdos (Pere Ubu, Klaus Nomi, Toyah, Skafish), plus however you categorize Joolz Holland and John Otway. A glaring lack of Goth, Industrial, Hardcore, Rockabilly, Mods or Pub Rock and a few of these groups have been long forgotten and probably should have been passed over to fix these omissions but otherwise it's an excellent primer of early 80's Campus Radio.

[cripple-punk-dad]

you have probably been asked this a billion times already, but do you have any punk music recs? I feel I do a search myself I get more watered down stuff.

Yeah! My favorite punk punk band is Pure Hell, I fucking love their stuff, my favorite album is noise addiction (idc if people say that's basic it's a good album lol) and also Streetlight Manifesto if you want something a little more funky. SLM is technically a ska punk band. I love ska punk but it's def not for everybody. if you do wanna listen I recommend their album The Hands That Thieve or Everything Goes Numb

Those are my favorites. But the 70's-80's (Don't jump down my throat I'm listing these off the top of my head) classics are bands like the Misfits, Green Day, Joy Division, Rancid, The Descendents, NOFX, The Romones etc. I can't vouch for the behavior of a lot of these bands and the artists in them, pretty much all of them have a history of being racist/ok with Nazis/bigoted in general so take with that what you will, these are just the bands that most people seem to agree are punk rock.

There's like three different generalized eras in punk, you've got proto-punk (60's-70's) (the stooges, the pink faeries etc) which were garage bands that played stuff that kind of hinted at punk before it became commercially recognized, there's early punk (early 70's) which was when punk started gaining momentum, then you've punk rock (80's- late 90's-arguably present day) and after that a whole bunch of sub-genres popped up and mixed together an all that. That being said I'm not a music historian and this is all very generalized information that I've heard and gotten from the internet. This is also focused on the U.S and the U.K. I hope this is somewhat educational, as always do your own research and all that, rock on!

[possible-streetwear]

Poison Ivy

[deadgirlwalking91]

What genre of rock do ,you think fits Adam the most?

Just off the top of my head:

Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock, Garage Rock, Punk Rock, Soft Rock, Glam Rock, Hair Nation, Pure Classic, or Proto (think not love song Elvis)

Hey, Anon!

Ooooh, I think classic/hard/glam rock would be my choice. The 70's/80's would have been his favourite decades.

[dankalbumart]

This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall Beggars Banquet 1985 Post-Punk / Punk Rock / New Wave / Alternative Rock / College Rock / Art Punk / Garage Punk

[weneverlearn]

Dogs, a Poor Cow, and the wild life of Reminder Records

An interview with Reminder Records head, Jeremy Thompson

If your interest lies in the lost new wave (in the original sense of that overused term) of the late '70s/early '80s, you've no doubt heard of Reminder Records. For about four years now, the ever-busy imprint has been churning out high quality forgotten nuggets that bop around the peppier edges of the original punk explosion.

And this month brought their latest release -- previously unknown demos for Legendary Lovers, the fourth LP from the French punk band, Dogs. While the original 1983 album was well into the Dogs' cleaner new wave moment, these mangier demos show they were still doing the zippiest power pop with the best of them.

You can check out / order from The Legendary Lovers Demos right here.

Since he's always got another platter heating up in the Reminder microwave -- and he just went on a trip to Japan -- we figured we'd check in with Reminder head honcho, Jeremy Thompson.

Dogs, circa 1983 (photo: Bruno Trividic)

So first off, tell me how Legendary Lovers came about. Where'd you find the demos, how'd you clean them up, etc...

So the demos were recently found by Bruno Lecoeur. He was the original engineer for the sessions. I guess he thought he'd lost the tapes and just recently unearthed them and got in touch with me.

Did you know there were Lovers demos floating around before working with the band? 

I had first heard about them when I was putting together the first Dogs record last year. Robin WIlls told me that he remembered hearing them in the early ‘80's, and much preferred the sound of the demos to the LP. 

Your wife Mary (singer/guitarist for excellent modern power pop band, Baby Shakes) did the artwork, right? Did the band pitch in ideas? 

Yes! Mary did the art. She does all the Reminder stuff. We sent lots of drafts to Bruno Trividic (different Bruno) to keep them in the loop, but ultimately it was Mary's design.

While working on your Dogs releases, has anyone from singer Dominique Laboubée's family been involved? 

Yes, but indirectly. For this record Bruno Lecour has been in contact with everyone, getting approvals, etc. For the first LP, I was working with Lionel Hermanni, the owner of Melodies Massacre, and it was the same way. He'd communicate with everyone in the Dogs camp and get back to me with feedback, etc. I did send Catherine Laboubee, Dominic's sister, advance copies of the audio and art for this record to make sure she approved before going to press. 

Any more Dogs stuff in the Reminder pipeline?

Maybe yes, there is more stuff, but I need to go through everything and think about how to do it. 

Dogs, circa 1983 (photo: Bruno Trividic)

So tell me about your recent trip to Japan. What was the reason for going? 

We just went for vacation, for fun and to see friends. 

You DJ'd at Fifi's bar Poor Cow, right? How'd that go?

Note: Fifi was the co-founder of legendary Japanese garage punk band, Teengenerate, and other awesome bands. Oh, and did we mention that the amazing 2014 Teengenerate documentary, Get Action, is finally up at YouTube?!

It was really good! I brought a 45 box of some of my best stuff. Lots of people ended up coming, and I got to DJ with some really great people. Was great to be able to spend time with friends that we don't get to see very often. Poor Cow is a very special, one of a kind place. 

In 1995, when New Bomb Turks toured with Teengenerate, Fifi would lament how there were no late night bars in Japan, and how he was jealous of bars here and in some parts of Europe that stayed open until 2 a.m. or later. That was one of the reasons he started Poor Cow in his apartment. So, did he stay open until 2 a.m.? Admittedly, that was a long time ago we toured with them, and I haven't been back to Japan since – so did you see any other late night bars while in Japan?

Yeah [Poor Cow] were open really late. We did a separate DJ night in Osaka the night before, that was like an all-night thing, I think it ended at 5 or 6. Also very fun, the people we DJ'd with had really crazy records. A lot of super rare stuff I'd never seen in person. 

Really the only noteworthy bar we went to was Poor Cow. We spent most of our time [in Japan] sightseeing, record shopping. I did go to a few shows there, but the venues were very similar to places you'd see in NYC. 

Dogs, circa 1983 (photo: Bruno Trividic)

[the-takosader]

TMMSOTI Ramble

Can I just mention how weirdly unsettling it is to know that we've got a partially lost media that we're trying to find the origin of? Now, I know we found the "origin" of it. Darius S.'s broadcast recording from 1984 on NDR2. But in this case, that's not enough.

Now, I know you might be wondering, "Why's he on about this? What's with the massive topic shift from the post he made on Sunday?" Well, it's because I mentioned TMMSOTI in the image, if you were mad enough to go so far as to look closely at the image (It's the normal orientation of the Gas Station dream, next to the biggest text on that image.), but that's not important.

What is important is that it feels weird to know that this song exists, has existed for close to 40 years now, and no one is even close to figuring out its origins. Granted, the search only started 4 years ago, but still. And the strange thing is, they can't even find NDR's official record of the broadcast!

"Strange." Heh. As if I didn't know that's not nearly the worst case of record-keeping out there. The BBC has a much MUCH worse history of record-keeping, especially from the mid-50s. Most of early Doctor Who's serials are audio only now, and who knows how much of Hartnell and Troughton's acting was lost because of the BBC deciding to wipe without backups. (Side note: those are REALLY British names, even to me, a Brit.)

But back to business. TMMSOTI is undeniably a product of the '80s. From the sound of it, it's unashamedly synth-heavy, as heard in the chorus, but overall, it doesn't feature electronic instruments all that much. It doesn't feel so much like punk, or "post-punk", as Wikipedia describes it, but I'm not a connoisseur of that genre. The only song I've really listened to from it is London Calling by The Clash (who have enough range to also write such songs as Rock the Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go), so I'm in no such way describing myself as someone who does, solidly and truly, know what the hell they are talking about.

If there's a solidly defined bassline in there, I sure as hell cannot decipher it. Transcripts I find on Songsterr do not feel solid about the bassline. Literally the only things that feel solid in that song are the guitar and the drums. The guitar feels solid because it's the main driving force, right the way through the whole song. It plays eighth note power chords in the intro and guitar "solo", and arpeggios in the verses.

AS FOR THE DRUMS. HOO BOY. I don't think I've mentioned this here, but I have a minor penchant for the drums (read: done every Beatles song to the best of my ability). I listen to that, I hear someone who's been playing for a while. Every fill has a different pattern. The timekeeping is rock-solid. About as close to metronome as humanly possible.

So, what's so significant about rock-solid drumming? Well, apart from the fact that it's a grand measure of skill, it's also a sign that this isn't just your average garage band (not to be confused with the app of the same name.)

So it's a semi-professional drummer with a skill for keeping time, and a guitarist that knows his way around some chords. The bassline is obscured by the quality, and the synths are generic enough as is. Some theorise it originated from behind the Iron Curtain, but if that's the case, why send it to NDR2, based in Hamburg, instead of the much closer West Berlin?

In my very VERY limited opinion, I think it's much more likely that it's a small West Germany band that got lucky enough to get their demo featured on Musik Für Junge Leute in 1984, where it was then, unceremoniously dumped into the nearest rubbish receptacle. If anything, had it not been for Darius S. taping that night's NDR2 broadcast, we might not have heard this song... ever, in fact. Hell, even he forgot about the tape for that broadcast until digitising them for an archive 20 years later.

I guess that goes to show how remarkably fickle memory is, where no one remembers the song's title or the band's name. Also has the side effect of being fucking creepy when you think about it, because it's quite existential in a way. How, when all's said and done, everyone might forget about us unless we are immortalised in some way. I guess that it helps that the Internet exists now.

[idiotcoward]

Dollhouse - Demo

Quick review for this quick demo before my boyfriend comes home from work. Holy shit the energy on this thing is beautiful. I cant believe how fast past and brutal and punk rock this album feels. It has that same feeling of a lot of my favorite west coast hardcore from the 80’s but it’s modern! And queer! And so fucking good! I especially love the vocalists voice and how melodicly heavy and garage rocky the guitars are!! The bass is also fast as fuck so impressive they can keep up! Of course the drums are awesome too because they suit the music so well in its raw energy!! Check out dollhouse!!