Hightide Hotel — Secret Somethings Vol. 2

Hightide Hotel play a sort of airy, contemplative pop-punk or alt-rock that sounds like nostalgia made sound. Reminds me of a less distortiony Hold Tight!, but with less haste and more vocal harmonies. This well-recorded album has a good flow and good energy and makes for solid background tunes in any situation, although I'd be hesitant to call it an upper. Solid, sincere tunes for sure.

Hightide Hotel — Secret Somethings Vol. 2 (2011)

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Ballad
3. Ultimatum
4. Hollow
5. Your Bed
6. My Bed
7. Hospital Green
8. Malice
9. Closer
10. Outro

Hightide Hotel is a five piece from Philadelphia.

http://hightidehotel.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hightide-Hotel/100540060010431

Plant — Friendship. Love. Truth.

Plant's debut demo, a type of arty stoner metal or hardcore rock that's fast and raw and intricate. Members of Swamp Thing and Snuff Daddy. It's complex enough to come out as really high intensity, with a wall of sound made by everything being a little blown out, but still sounds approachable and simple on a superficial level. Real talk, listen to these dudes.

Plant — Friendship. Love. Truth. (2011)

Track Listing:

1. Without A Heart
2. Spilling Sand
3. Alone, Alone
4. Yeshi Dhonden

Plant is a real time band, just getting started.

http://plantnyc.bandcamp.com/

In Between — Demo

The worst part about this demo is that it's too short. These tunes are so smooth they disappear before you really grasp what all is going on. It's like listening to Lifetime, with the multiple guitars doing their own thing while the vocals lead, except that the vocals sound more like the dude from Silent Majority/Capital than Ari Katz. Some really smart song structure, powerful semi-melodic vocals, and awesome energy go a long way. Members of Praise, Sacred Love, and Broken Bodies. Solid melodic hardcore of the kind that's all too rare.

In Between — Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Luckiest
2. GBSB
3. Different Language
4. Lyons Mill
5. A Little More

"From Baltimore MD, our influences include Lifetime, Silent Majority, Dag Nasty, Turning Point, Gorilla Biscuits, Hot Water Music." I'd call that a fair assessment.

http://www.facebook.com/LuckyPierre3
http://photoboothrecords.bandcamp.com/album/demo

Alone In A Crowd — Self Titled Reissue

Alone In A Crowd was a short-lived band from the late-80s NYHC scene, with members of Side By Side, Judge, Raw Deal, Breakdown, and Uppercut. You can read the full bio below, but long story short they were really only around long enough to record an EP and play one show. This is pure spontaneity: four songs and a cover (how many bands do I know that have done that? How many bands have I been in?); that kind of impermanent catharsis that hardcore is better than any other genre at producing, and it really comes out in their sound. This reissue of their 7" includes the live recordings from their single show (the conversation between songs is some of the best I've ever heard), so basically it's the same thing twice. But that's good, because it's two different versions of "When Tigers Fight," the hardest song ever written. Also "Teenager In A Box," a cover from Government Issue, an under-appreciated early DCHC band. This is what hardcore should be. Enjoy.

Alone In A Crowd — Self Titled Reissue (1989)

Track Listing:

1. Is Anybody There?
2. Commitment
3. Who You Know
4. When Tigers Fight
5. Teenager In A Box (Government Issue)
6. Is Anybody There? (Live)
7. Commitment (Live)
8. Who You Know (Live)
9. When Tigers Fight (Live)
10. Teenager In A Box (Live)

Reissue Bio: "Although 1988 was just the beginning of Punk Rock & Hardcore for many, for Alone In A Crowd it was their last chance to say what they wanted to, a farewell to a scene they held in such high regard. New York Citys Side By Side had just broken up, it was early 1988 and Jules Massey (vocalist) wanted to form another band. Lars Weiss, who played bass in Side By Side and Uppercut, was the first to be asked, he was to play guitar. Howie, an old friend of Jules, came in to play second guitar. He was later in an early incarnation of Moondog (which later evolved into Quicksand). Lars recruited ex-Breakdown guitarist Carl Porcaro to play bass, who was then playing in Raw Deal (later known as Killing Time). Weiss also brought in Rob Sefcik, who was drumming along side Lars in Uppercut. Songs were written. Soon after the band recorded their debut release at the legendary Don Furys studio. With vocals that were reminiscent of those on the Antidote EP, the same bottom heaviness of The Abused and Negative Approach, and that Don Fury drum sound, this record was a classic from the start. A 7 ep was released on Rhode Islands Flux Records in 1989. Two pressings sold out very quickly and it was never re-issued. Finally, 15 years later, it has been re-issued for the first time on cd with additional studio and live recordings and a video of their only show."

http://www.myspace.com/aloneinacrowdnyhc

Chronic Sick — Cutest Band In Hardcore E.P.

Chronic Sick might well have been the first American punk band to go the direction of full-on irony. I think they were really trying to out-punk the punks. See, they caught a lot of flak in their day for dressing like fuckups (punk), flirting with with swastikas and other ignant symbology (really punk), and writing lyrics that pissed of the burgeoning hardcore scene across the land (PUNX). Mostly it was the first tune off this LP that caused the real controversy, "There Goes the Neighborhood," about some new folks moving to town — "oh my god they're black!" But here's the thing, rather than being an actual racist anthem, these dudes were pointing out the ignorance embodied by bigotry. And in that light — impersonating people you disagree with to point out their flaws (think Colbert) — they're actually a brilliant band (The Landlords had a similar song about rape — in the liner notes they annotated it with "some people actually think like this!"). The rest of the tunes follow similar lines; rather than saying precisely what they mean (a la early Minor Threat, say) you might have to flex your head a bit to get what's going on.

Not only that, but they play some mean riffs. Today, this might be considered pop-punk, or at least going that direction. At the time they were probably just more influenced by 70's punk more than Black Flag, so it comes out really melodic and approachable — ironic, considering the title this EP claims for them. Anyway, sound quality's pretty good considering its age, and the content is just as applicable today. This is a real gem of a record.

Chronic Sick — Cutest Band in Hardcore E.P. (1982)

Track Listing:

1. There Goes The Neighborhood
2. Dress Code
3. Public Suicide
4. Man-Rape Blues
5. Mucho Macho
6. Pain For Profit

From Last.fm: "Chronic Sick were Bobby The “K” (music, lyrics, lead guitar, backing vocals), Greg Gory (Vocals), Arnie Barrs (bass, backing vocals) and Joe Albano (drums). Formed in 1981 in New Jersey, this hardcore punk band had two releases on Mutha Records : “Cutest Band In Hardcore” 12” (Mutha 002), and a self-titled 7” EP (Mutha 008) between 1982 - 83’."

Hostage Calm — Demo

I picked up this 7" a couple years back, really because it had a cool cover and a band with an intelligent name. Turns out these guys have gotten pretty big in recent days. Their current sound isn't really my thing (arty experimental HC-rock, sort of like Ambitions or Energy), but at least at the point when they recorded this demo, they were one of the tightest melodic hardcore bands on the east coast. Some cool riffs, smart lyrics, a powerful drive in the rhythm section, akin to How We Are but with more approachable vocals. The last track is a real banger. Definitely worth checking out.

Hostage Calm — Demo 7"

Track Listing:

1. One Face
2. Greyscale
3. 400,000
4. Weighed Down

From Last.fm: "Hostage Calm is a rock/punk/hardcore band from Connecticut that debuted in the summer of 2007 with a 4-song CD-R Demo, later re-released on a 7” by Headcount Records. Their first LP, Lens, was originally released in May of 2008 on Redscroll Records, also based out of Wallingford. Hostage Calm released their second LP, Hostage Calm, on Run For Cover Records in August 2010."

http://www.myspace.com/hostagecalmct

http://www.facebook.com/HostageCalm

http://hostagecalm.net/

Drug Church — Demo

Ok, we're back! (read in Ray Cappo voice), with Drug Church, an Albany band that features Pat Kindlon (from End of A Year) on vocals. The music is in that gray area between melodic hardcore and post-hardcore, reminds me of that Permanent/Resonance split I was spinning earlier. Or like Quicksand, but with Pat dropping his characteristic dry-throated cynicism overtop it all. Think hard, crunchy guitar but with minor 7ths and arpeggios, and sticking to Pat's "fast drums are poison" mentality, not that they're particularly slow. Anyway, it's three cool tunes of good quality, and like the masterpiece that is this song, yo, it'll make you think!

Drug Church — Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Visualize Latham
2. Scotia Snake God
3. Pro Attitude

Drug Church is a new band from Albany, NY, with members of Self Defense Family and California.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drug-Church/137868099608576
www.drugchurch.bandcamp.com

End Of A Year — with Caroline Corrigan

Maybe I'm too into this band, I don't know. End Of A Year (or Self Defense Family as they are now known) has metastasized beyond being just a semi-typical hardcore fivepiece, spreading into this weird conglomeration of different artists (you can read more about it here). God that sounds pretentious on my part. But in just the last year or two the band has broken new ground for hardcore; I see them sort of like Fugazi for this decade. Anyway, this is four tracks from their new "You Are Beneath Me" LP (a cool album, although venturing farther from blastbeats/breakdowns hardcore than ever, but that's not really an issue. This does sound pretty different from their demo though. Also every track beyond the intro is someone's name, wiki them if you're ever bored.) with Caroline Corrigan, an Albany musician and artist, on vocal duties. So it's the same tunes with melody in the vocals; lyrics are the same too (this is the band that wrote, "people do people things;" truer words were never spoken). Definitely worth checking out if you're into music.

End Of A Year Self Defense Family — with Caroline Corrigan

Track Listing:

1. Marissa Wendolovske
2. Eric Hall (Acoustic)
3. Jeni Leigh
4. Philip Jose Farmer

Band bio: "We wanted to play music we liked so we got together and did it. No one else really liked it and we were pretty comfortable being the band who tours the country but no one really likes. Revelation called one day and it was pretty weird but i like the Kiss It Goodbye record a lot so we decided to go with it. Then that didn't go the way we planned and we started to put out a bunch of 7 inches. Deathwish Inc saw that, and got in touch, it was weird but i really like the Blinding Light album so we decided to go with it. End Bio."

http://selfdefensemusic.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_a_Year
http://www.myspace.com/endofayear

End Of A Year — Warm Demo

One of the best post-hardcore bands out there, although I guess that's a pretty ephemeral term. End Of A Year take some influence from Rev Summer bands (note the Embrace song as a band name), and turn it into their own beast. They're pretty big, you should definitely check them out if you've never heard them, cause I certainly don't have the words to describe them.

Anyway, this was a demo from a few months after they got started, but everything that makes them great was already going on even then. A lot of these songs were actually rerecorded on the Disappear Here LP a short time later, so there are some easy comparisons to be made. Basically, these recordings are a little less professional (as in, it sounds like they're having fun), the bass is higher in the mix, and it just generally has a warmer sound (as I guess the title would suggest). If you're a fan, you definitely want to get your sweaty little hands on this, and if you're not yet you might as well start here, cause it only gets better.

End Of A Year — Warm Demo (2004)

Track Listing (might actually be out of order):

1. If You're Not Into It, You're Dead
2. The Birthplace Of Plastic
3. Caldor
4. Hey
5. It Was A Total Nightmare
6. Good To Meet You
7. 60 Degrees 10 Seconds After It Rains
8. Odometer
9. Kentucky Is A Revolution

Band bio: "We wanted to play music we liked so we got together and did it. No one else really liked it and we were pretty comfortable being the band who tours the country but no one really likes. Revelation called one day and it was pretty weird but i like the Kiss It Goodbye record a lot so we decided to go with it. Then that didn't go the way we planned and we started to put out a bunch of 7 inches. Deathwish Inc saw that, and got in touch, it was weird but i really like the Blinding Light album so we decided to go with it. End Bio."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_a_Year

http://www.myspace.com/endofayear

I Have Dreams — Three Days 'Til Christmas

I'm not gonna lie, this is screamo. Normally I would never put this kind of thing up; I've always had this gut feeling that screamo is inherently a shit genre. But I guess this proves me wrong, I Have Dreams is… good. Really good. I think what usually puts me off is the overproduced bullshit that typically makes the rounds as screamo; the empty lyrics, stupid haircuts, the emphasis on being "brutal" and sexualized over having any meaningful content.

This is different. It still has the genre signatures, switching between dissonant hard parts and lighter distortionless singing. But this is a cheap recording probably done in someone's basement, the guitar work is intelligent, and the lyrics are actually pretty deep. Not in the weird Jesus-y way most other Florida bands try to be either. Plus it sounds like they're having fun (you know, in addition to the sadness…), and getting real into it. These are some emotionally charged jams, but definitely worth checking out. 'In Good Hands' is an absolute killer track too.

I Have Dreams — The Days 'Til Christmas EP

Track Listing:

1. Three Days 'Til Christmas
2. Countless Rooftops
3. In Good Hands
4. I Don't Imagine You And I Anymore
5. Thank You For Having The Courage To Help A Friend Change His Life For The Better

Lyrics:

From Last.fm: I Have Dreams was a screamo/emo band born from the ashes of a band called New Ethic, when their guitar player Daniel died in a car accident. New Ethic played their last show in August, 1998 with Daniel’s best friend Mike Hanson in his place, and it was about a month or two later that I Have Dreams started playing. The band consisted of Allen Compton and Mike Peters on vocals, Mike Hanson on guitar, Ben Seals on bass and Clayton Rychlick on drums. I Have Dreams were more than a band - in the words of Mike Peters: “It was an attempt to cope with the pain everyone was feeling after Daniel’s death.” I Have Dreams were together for roughly six months, and they broke up in the Spring (around April/May) of 1999.

Bane — Live at Rotunda

If you're at all like me, you've been aware of Bane for years and years. They're one of the longest-operating hardcore bands probably ever. And whatever your opinion of the music you have to admit that they put a lot into it. Anyway, I was just thinking of the first time I heard 'Count Me Out' or 'Can We Start Again,' and how powerful and sincere those songs were. And then I discovered that I actually had this live set of Bane's, so I thought I'd share it. Sound quality is alright, for a live hardcore show. But if you have ever heard these songs or seen them live, you know how impressive all of this really is.

Bane — Live at Rotunda 5/27/01

Track Listing:

1. I Once Was Blind
2. Count Me Out
3. Snakes Among Us
4. What Makes Us Strong
5. Can We Start Again

This is Bane. This is hardcore.

You can see a video of the set here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htczOphmuJg

http://www.myspace.com/banecentral

Title Fight — Light Up The Eyes

This EP is sweet. It's a little rougher, a little more basic than their later releases (see The Last Thing You Forget), but it has the same poppy energy and melodic sensibilities as the rest of their work. I don't really know too much about it, other than that it appears to be their first non-demo release, and it came out in 2006. Its still really sweet, despite all the dudes in the band having been roundabouts of 16 when it came out. So yeah, check it out, it's some of the best pop-punk I've ever heard.

Title Fight — Light Up The Eyes

Track Listing:

1. Light Up The Eyes
2. Hope
3. 53 Reynolds
4. Call It Quits
5. Let Down
6. Flying Solo

Title Fight are a band from Kingston, PA. It's pop-punk at first glance, but everyone in the band is into hardcore — some of them are actually related to the singer of Cold World — and that influence comes out really strongly. They formed when they were all 13, and it seems to be the dominant thing in their lives, college, relationships, and everything else taking a second place. Lyrically, it's kind of similar to Jawbreaker in style, and the music is pretty distinct from most other things I've ever heard. It's good. Get into it.

www.myspace.com/titlefight

Offsides — Demo 2007

Offsides rules. Hard. A lot of female-fronted hardcore bands either go too far and turn really crusty and ridiculous, or come off kind of soft and poppy. Not Offsides (or the Libyans… just sayin, that band's sweet too…); this is really good, really sincere hardcore that just happens to have a female vocalist. I guess the lyrics are a little different from those usually written by dudes, a little more emotive and ambiguous, but that's not really a bad thing. Anyway, the music is sweet, vocals are sweet, and from the pictures it looks like they have a really sweet live show. Definitely trying to catch them the next time they come around. I don't really know too much about this demo, but it came out a couple years back and is of reasonable sound quality. Plus it has an intro AND an outro, so it has to be good, right? Also, any band named after a Ten Yard Fight song is a necessary part of your life. Get into it.

Offsides — Demo 2007

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. No Direction
3. We're Messing With Texas
4. Sets Us Back
5. Growing To Fit
6. Outro

Offsides is a female fronted, kind of melodic straight edge hardcore band from Florida. They have a full length and a couple of splits out, and generally rip it up really well.

www.myspace.com/offsidesct