2020

In Hardcore:

Mil-Spec - World House (Lockin’ Out)

Big Cheese - Punishment Park (Quality Control/Triple B)

Mindforce - Swingin’ Swords, Choppin’ Lords (Triple B)

The first line of the constitution of hardcore reads thus: PICK UP INSTRUMENT AND CREATE. Inarguably this is a crucial (sic) jumping off point but has also given rise to the idea that pick up and create inevitably leads to shambolic genius. Has the time come when we can all look in the mirror and accept that Not All Demos Are United Blood? Prob not. It’s kind of why I’m pleased that Mil-Spec exists. Mil-Spec is not yet a GREAT hardcore band. They might never be. However, they are an interesting hardcore band and appear to be pursuing song writing, craft and aesthetic in combination. Their World House 12” is one of the releases I enjoyed the most this year and capably demonstrates their interests in these things - they’re reaching for something at all times even if not fully grasping it. In contrast, I think both Big Cheese and Mindforce have reached and grasped the respective targets they were aiming for. Big Cheese is a remarkably good live band and their Punishment Park LP should be lauded for achieving what few hardcore LPs can claim to do - it does not overstay its welcome in the slightest. Plus, “Write Off” certainly contains the most moshable moment of the Year Without Moshing. Mindforce is a different beast and crucially they are a beast who try to sound like Slayer in places, which again, ought to be lauded. Much like Mil-Spec and Big Cheese, it is obvious that Mindforce put much thought in to this 7”, much like their previous release Excalibur. Their song “Hellscape” features the patented four single-note bass intro to a mosh part that was previously perfected by Iron Age on their track “Cheat Death”. Seems fitting that part would roll around again this year. The second line of the constitution of hardcore ought to read: PUT DOWN INSTRUMENT AND THINK. RIP Riley Gale & Wade Allison.

What Is Old Is New:

Neil Young - Homegrown (Reprise)

Don Cherry - Om Shanti Om (Black Sweat Records)

It seems fairly dull to talk at any length about the Year That Was. Everyone went through some shit & I imagine will continue to do so. Two old records Done New brought me great solace in the shit going through times. It also seems fairly dull to talk at any length about the resounding genius of Neil Young. Like, this just isn’t up for debate right? I’ll take a Monsanto Jam Band Neil set over almost all other contenders - as above; always reaching, even if not fully grasping. Thankfully, the amount of times NY has fully grasped are immense in scope. Homegrown is an interesting record because it is extremely beautiful in places (Separate Ways, Little Wing) and self-effacingly silly in others (Homegrown, We Don’t Smoke It No More). I suppose NY has a history of that and is much more interested in song writing (/Pono designing/electric car mechanics) than crafting concept albums. Doesn’t matter when the songs are this good. The NY Archive project is one that has borne remarkable fruit so far. Don Cherry was a jazz trumpeter and band leader of the Organic Music Society. He got an early break playing with Ornette Coleman, which makes sense when you hear the records Cherry went on to make as a bandleader - albeit they were more spiritual by a serious magnitude than the work with Coleman. The “Om Shanti Om” record is a bootleg of a live set performed by the Organic Music Society on Italian television in 1976. Thankfully some worthy archivist has preserved the video of this set on youtube. The trumpet playing on this record is expansively good. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that Cherry FEELS where others just play (even if it is a cliche). I really enjoyed this record this year and find something new on each listen. Gian Piero Pramaggiore plays sublime italian guitar and wears beads. A lost moment in a lost time - hope there are more Times to lose after the Year That Was.

Putridity:

Undergang - Aldreg i Livet (Dark Descent/Me Saco Un Ojo)

Stormkeep - Galdrum (Ván)

Has Undergang ever utilised the phrase “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” for promotional material or is that too on the nose? Something is rotten in the sewers of Copenhagen maybe. The google translate function suggests that Undergang’s 5th full length record includes tracks titled “Pre-Fluid” “Spontaneous Bacterial” and lead single “Voluntary Donation of Vital Organs”. The body and its fluids are ever-present in Undergang’s back catalogue and particularly in their vocal style. No other death metal band comes close to capturing the bubbling gurgles of last breath. Undergang is also worth talking about because they don’t sacrifice memorable parts for technical ability. I saw Undergang play in 2019 and the bassist took every chance available to pantomime cutting his own throat or hanging himself. All metal bands should adopt this practice if they are to be taken seriously. Alternatively if you take metal seriously then you start a band like Stormkeep, which is, I think, people from Blood Incantation et al. doing black metal worship as academic practice. This kind of record gets called “icy” a lot. I think this is kind of a lazy way of talking about and thinking about a record that is executed with great warmth towards genre (i.e. the members of this band have studied meticulously at the Frost Altar) but also is attempting to do new and interesting things. I don’t listen to vast amounts of black metal so I’m sure other interesting new bands have passed me by but Stormkeep stuck with me this year. The artwork is incredible. Sometimes pantomime and commitment to genre is enough in metal, Undergang and Stormkeep take a step above their peers with memorable parts. Which leads me to…

Songwriting still matters:

Self Defense Family - Jesus of Nazareth / Make Me A Pallet Fire… (Run for Cover)

Nick Cave - Idiot Prayer (AWAL)

My greatest takeaway of the year is that songwriting should matter, and a handful of records (including all of the above) prove that it still does matter. Outside of hardcore and metal I was reminded of this point most clearly by two quite disparate artists. Self Defense Family really started making interesting music when they changed their name and since then have consistently made records that rarely sound like one another. The Jesus of Nazareth and Make Me A Pallet Fire records do not sound alike. I think the Jesus single might be a high point for a particular era of this band (given they probably have at least three notable “eras” now). I take great inspiration from this band regarding the approach of writing lyrics off the cuff and interpreting them at a later date. While autofiction about the historical Jesus is fairly niche, Nick Cave has revelled in religious iconography for at least two decades and turned early to Christ as Carpenter for lyrical inspiration. This year he made a solo piano record in Alexandra Palace. It’s quite beautiful and the songs speak for themselves. Cave, like SDF, has had eras and his most recent trilogy of records is a peak of song-craft and introspection. I like it a lot more than his spooky rockabilly bar band era. Proof positive that some mellowing and some expanding can serve to shed trope and reveal something closer to the truth. I’d like to see less trope (Undergang faux-beheadings aside) and more truth in music in the next decade.

LM.