Holy. Fucking. Shit. Sista Sekunden is the best thing to come from Sweden since cheap furniture and those fucking delicious fish. Their live show was one of the craziest I’ve seen all year, and I knew I’d have to check out some of their recorded stuff, so I picked up ” Skyll Inte På Oss”, which translates into “I have no fucking clue what this means but it just melted my face off”.

The band sings in Swedish, but that shouldn’t really turn anyone off from listening, and besides, gives you one more reason to get off your lazy ass, buy illegally burn that Rosetta Stone, and learn a new language you god damn slacker.

Musically, they play old school hardcore (think CVA era Paint it Black) with a healthy dose of skate punk in the veins of Good Riddance (actually, one of the members of the Sista Sekunden was in the Satanic Surfers).

Highly recommended for any fan of punk rock, I’ll be singing* to this one for a while.

*Pretending I know Swedish

Mp3:
Sista Sekunden – Skyll Inte På Oss

More Sweet Tunes:
Sista Sekunden Live
Paint it Black – Surrender
The Steal – Bright Grey
Lighten Up! – Absolutely Not!

Buy:
Interpunk

On Sunday, against my better judgment (I wasn’t feeling well, and wound up running a fever), I headed out to The Barbary to go see Minneapolis punk rockers, Off With Their Heads. I got there late, but the show was also running about an hour late as well, so I made it right in the middle of Dirty Tactics set.

Dirty Tactics

Most people seemed to be hanging out in the back for these Philly locals, except for a small handful of people (including Dan Yemin, who seemed to be digging them). I don’t know why, because Dirty Tactics were pretty tight live. While a little more garage/indie influenced than I usually dig, they didn’t sacrifice any speed or punk rock sensibility (an oxymoron?), and had a sound that they could call their own.

smalltown

Coming all the way out from Sweden (the 2nd Swedish band I’d seen in a matter of 3 days… weird), Small Town played melodic punk rock mixed with pop sensibilities. I wasn’t really feeling their set at all that night, just a bit too poppy for me.

The Bomb

I always feel bad for bands that feature a prominent member of another more influential band, as the focus is usually on how the new band compares to the old. I’ll try not to fall into the same trap (although it may be unavoidable). Chicago’s The Bomb played a solid set, featuring Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun fame. The live performance energy was a bit underwhelming (although I noticed a reccuring theme with shows I go to… Sundays are fucking tame), but the guitarist made up for it with his constant kicks and jumping around the stage. The vocals set this band apart from the sea of other punk bands out there, and I’ll definitely add them to my list of bands I need to check out.

Off With Their Heads

Finally, the reason I came out to the show to begin with. Unfortunately, due to the fact it was “karoke night” (whoopie fucking do), the band had to play a shorter set than usual, and since apparently everyone in the crowd was fucking lame, the dude with a 101 fever was rocking out the hardest (seriously, to say that I felt like I was at an indie show would be to kind to describe this crowd). Only a handful of people were singing along at all (which seemed strange for a headlining band).

Nonetheless, Off With Their Heads played a tight set, with the majority of songs coming off of “From The Bottom”.

Setlist (Not in order, and from what I rememeber):
-I Am You
-Until The Day…
-Go On Git Out Now
-Janie
-Keep Falling Down
-Fuck This, I’m Out
-For The Four

MP3:
Off With Their Heads – Until The Day…

More Sweet Articles:
Off With Their Heads – From The Bottom
Over Stars and Gutters – Consider This Your Curse
The Soviettes – LP

Buy:
No Idea Records

Friday was a good, good night. After seeing Teenage Bottlerocket the night before, I headed out to the First Unitarian Church mostly to see first band Lighten Up, but also to see Mischief Brew. I met up with some friends of mine there, and before we knew it, Lighten Up took the stage.

Lighten Up:

The second Philly hardcore band Lighten Up took the stage, a handful of us already opened up the majority of the floor and started stage diving with the first opening note. Ripping straight into “Dolphins Are Sharks With A Good Publicist”, the band (and the crowd) didn’t let up for a second that night. 10 minutes later, Lighten Up was thanking everyone for coming out and packing their gear, leaving those who’ve never heard of the band asking: “What the fuck just happened?”, a definite sign you’ve succeeded as a hardcore band.

Setlist:
Dolphins
Sk8/Tired
Invisible Checks
Reality World/Bet
Gronzy?
Life On Earth
New Song
Absolutely Not

Meisco
Meisco was up next, and to be honest, I was pretty bored during their set. Their slightly more punk rock Flogging Molly sound was pretty solid, but I think it may have been the fact I was still running on that hardcore high from Lighten Up’s all too short set. Still, the crowd seemed pretty into them, and were dancing for the majority of their set.

Sista Sekunden

Show stealers! Hailing from Sweden, with members from a group of respectable bands, including the Satanic Surfers, Sista Sekunden played furious old fashioned hardcore. I rarely pit for bands I don’t know, and never for bands that I can’t understand the lyrics (they sang in Swedish), but holy shit, they got the Lighten Up crowd moving again with what was potentially the most insane live performance I’ve seen in quite some time. Completely insane, definitely check them out if they come in your neck of the woods.

Mischief Brew

Ahh, the reason the majority of the people were there. Philly’s own folk punk band played a hell of a set that night, but after Sista Sekunden, I don’t think any band would be able to follow that set up. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t in the mood for the folksy anthems, although I did stay and watch them. There were a decent amount of younger kids in the audience (for some reason, Mischief Brew strikes a chord with the Leftover Crack fans) and I found myself catching kids who had no idea how to crowd surf (I saw at least 3 people dropped on their heads, and I temporarily left the show to go get one girl some advil).

The crowd did go completely apeshit however once the band busted out into an old Orphans song (Erik’s old band before Mischief Brew).

Setlist:
Ain’t It
Citizens
Circus
Romania
Roll Me
Liquor
Sly
Nomads
Boycott
Bastards
Tom

MP3:
Lighten Up! – Invisible Checks
Mischief Brew – Thanks Bastards

More:
Lighten Up! – Absolutely Not!
Mischief Brew

Buy:
Interpunk

Ahhh yes, it’s the weekend of non-stop shows. I got my “show extravaganza” started last night at Philly’s Barbary with Higher Giant, Cobra Skulls, and Teenage Bottlerocket. One hell of a good start to an onslaught of moshing.

Higher Giant

First up was New York’s Higher Giant. Sometimes referred to “Grey Area version 2″, Higher Giant features members of prominent bands such as Grey Area, Kid Dynamite, and The Arsons. Playing slightly poppy melodic punk rock, Higher Giant put on a damn good show, although it didn’t really seem like many in the crowd had any idea who they were.

A group of a few dedicated fans (ok, me and one other person) were shouting along all the words, and the rest of the crowd did seem to be digging it even though they were unfamiliar with them. They played most (if not all) of their 10 songs from their two EPs “The First Five” and “Al’s Moustache“.

Setlist (Not in order):
Lets Go!
Caballero
Chopsticks
The Dealer
Bad Investments
Friday The 13th
The Well
Union Square
Roasted Intolerance (Not Sure If They Played This One)
Dangerous

Cobra Skulls:

While Cobra Skulls were setting up, I left to go grab some snacks (cashews in the house motherfucker) as I didn’t eat dinner yet, and needed something to hold me over (come to think of it… I still haven’t eaten). Unfortunately, this means I missed the majority of their set, but I was able to catch the last few songs.

I’ve never heard them before, but think Swingin Utters meets The Clash with some Latino influences. Sing-a-long anthems, seemed like everyone in the crowd was digging them, including myself. Definitely need to check out some of their recorded work.

Teenage Bottlerocket:

Yeees! Being a fan since I first heard “Total” back in 05 (fun fact: the first post I ever made on this blog was about Teenage Bottlerocket), it’s been about a year since I’ve last seen them come around Philly at J.C Dobbs. Busting straight into “Skate or Die”, the crowd was all singing along, and a pit finally broke out by the 3rd song (uhhh… by me) that kept up for the rest of the night.

Teenage Bottlerocket blasted through their infectious Ramones influenced pop-punk, and I was actually a bit surprised by how little was played off of their newest album, with the majority of songs coming straight off “Total”. However, the new songs definitely transcribe well live… as expected.

The band claimed that this was their best Philly show ever, and while I usually know when band’s say that, they’re usually full of shit, but seeing some of their past shows here, this was definitely the best Bottlerocket show I’ve ever been to.

Setlist (Not in order, although pretty complete):
Skate or Die
Radio
Go Away
Bigger Than Kiss
In The Basement
Stupid Games
Be Stag
Lost In Space
Crashing
Welcome to The Nuthouse
Forbidden Planet
Repeat Offender
Bottlerocket
Blood Bath At Burger King
So Far Away
Pacemaker
She’s Not The One
Fatso Goes Nutzoid
Patrick
So Cool

MP3:
Teenage Bottlerocket – Skate or Die!
Higher Giant – Union Square

1 2 3 Go! (Read These Articles):
Teenage Bottlerocket – They Came From The Shadows
Teenage Bottlerocket – Another Way
Higher Giant – Al’s Moustache
Higher Giant – The First 5

Buy:
Fat Wreck
Higher Giant Super Official Website

Philadelphia produces the quirkiest punk rock: we’ve got Atom and His Package, The Dead Milkmen, and The Low Budgets. Self proclaimed value rockers, The Low Budgets features Joe and current bassist Dan from the Dead Milkmen.

Their off-beat humor begins immediately on their 2005 release “Aim Low, Get High” with their government brainwashed the masses with techno intro, and continues through out the entirety of the album. Musically, the band plays light hearted, synth driven punk rock, not too unlike The Dead Milkmen.

A regular in my rotation, unfortunately, the band has been on hiatus since vocalist Chris moved to Berlin.

MP3:
The Low Budgets – Stupid Dead Kitty
The Low Budgets – Lawsuit

Value Rock:
Leave Us A Loan
Atom and his Package vs Fugazi

Buy:
The Low Budgets

Denver’s Colorado’s Espirit De Corps debut EP “Under Constant Influence” is chock full of post-hardcore goodness (something you won’t hear me say very often). With 5 songs averaging just around 14 minutes, the music sort of reminds me of La Dispute’s and HORSE the Band’s illegitimate child.

In my opinion, Under Constant Influence doesn’t really take off until the 2nd track “Black Gold”, a pulsating, garage influenced song only accented by the gruff passionate vocals and harmonizing synths behind. From there, the rest of the EP doesn’t let up: from the gang vocals of “On Conquering” to the desperate We’re Fucked! cries found on “Forget The Titanic, We Sink Faster”.

A must for any fan of post-hardcore, and even for those of us who tend to pass on most of the genre (or just downright fucking hate it)… this one’s a keeper.

MP3:
Esprit De Corps – Black Gold

Send These Articles To 2000900545 People Or Something Bad Happens:
Title Fight
Smoke or Fire – This Sinking Ship
Fifth Hour Hero
Static Radio NJ

Buy:
Esprit De Corps Myspace

Fredericksburg, VA… I fucking miss you. I headed down to the ole’ college hometown to celebrate the 3rd homecoming since I’ve graduated (class 07′ mofo), and since we don’t have a football team, it’s pretty much a good excuse to go and party with some friends.

The weather abso-positively sucked. Raining, cold, and all around miserable, it put a damper on things a bit. Add that to the fact a lot of my friends were sick and had to leave early… it was a bit underwhelming this year. However, it was still a good time, especially Friday night. Over the course of the weekend, I saw local reggae band The Transmitters twice, and also saw Talib Kwali (who I got a shoutout from, for being the only one who knew the words to KRS ONE songs, because I’m ooooold school muthafucka).

Good times, little weird this year, next year no one’s allowed to get sick. It’s always really depressing when I have to leave.

MP3:
Groovie Ghoulies – Til Death Do Us Party
Atom and His Package – Before My Friends Do
Municipal Waste – The Art Of Partying
Bigwig – Friends
Bouncing Souls – Manthem
Lagwagon – To All My Friends
Blanks 77 – Sick
Freygolo – Sick and Down
NOFX – Just The Flu
The Vapids – The Kids Are Sick

More Mixes:
Four Square, Speeding Tickets, and West Virginia‘
Homecoming 08

Buy:
Interpunk

mc chris? You mean this nerdy mofo is legit? Damn fucking straight he is. As nerdy as it may be, mc chris is my favorite rapper, and he’s back with his latest EP “Part Six Part Two”. Just like the previous installment”Part Six Part One”, the album features four new songs and three new skits.

For those unfamiliar with mc chris, his rap shines through the rest with his distictive voice, hilarious lyrics, and often nerdy topics and references (oh, and if you watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force or Sealab, he was on those as well).

In the latest chapter of his hilarious saga to hell, mc chris definitely dabs into a few new musical styles (ska beat and some slight J-pop on one song). The rhymes are also pure comedy genius, as shown on the Harry Potter inspired “Neville”: I am the chosen one/no need to hold a gun/i take you there like a double decker bus does/I am a Gryffindor/stand up to Voldemort/I break it up like it was Horcruxes.

Even if you don’t get all the references (I refuse to watch Star Wars), I still recommend this if you’re willing to branch out and listen to something different between your stage dives and mic grabs.

MP3:
mc chris – Neville

mc chris FTW:
mc chris – Part Six Part One
mc chris is dead

Buy:
mcchris.com

About a month ago, I posted the news that one of my favorite bands The Steal decided to break up. By far my favorite band to ever hail out of the UK, The Steal also decided to post their entire discography for download.

For people who’ve never heard of them, I highly recommend starting out with their Self Titled and/or Bright Grey. Really, it doesn’t matter, it’s all solid. Grab it while you can here!

MP3:
The Steal – Kids With Kids
The Steal – New Friend

The Possibilities Are Endless:
The Steal – Bright Grey
The Steal – Self Titled

Buy:
Banquet Records

Holy crap! Those two words can pretty much describe my reaction on the first (and twentieth) time I’ve listened to Aneurysm Rats latest release “Dying to Live”. Just one look at the cover and you know you’re in for a no bullshit ride.

Aneurysm Rats dwell in Philly, and it definitely shows through their music. Pulling influences from other punk/hardcore outfits around “The City Of Brotherly Love Other People’s Stuff So Jack It” such as Paint it Black and Lighten Up, the Rats rip through 12 fist pumping songs in just around 15 minutes. They also know their roots as well though: think Black Flag meets Paint it Black (especially on songs such as Aloha).

Uncompromising and brash, I’ll be damned if “Dying To Live” doesn’t make my top 10 of the year.

MP3:
Aneurysm Rats – Left to Right

More Quickies:
Paint it Black – Surrender
The Steal – Bright Grey
Lighten Up! – Absolutely Not!

Buy:
Assassinated Records