Collecting The Wonder Years - part 4 : "Punk Is Dead Get A Job"

This is the latest thing to be released by TWY, and so shouldn't have proven too tricky to get hold of in my long-game odyssey to pick up everything they've released. But, this thing sold out so fast at pre-order, I hadn't even realised it was available to pre-order before it was gone. 1000 copies in all, spread between 500 black swirl, 300 black/clear split and 200 black. Gone. Once they started shipping out, it was pretty easy to see where a few of the copies went : straight to the flippers

 

Fuck that. I was pretty mad. But as luck would have it, Craigos had a spare copy and offered to sell it me, at the same price he bought it for, plus postage from Australia to the UK obv. Top dude. It was the clear/black split version, and I was more than happy with that. A few days later, it turned up, and life was good again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love what they did with the artwork on this, making it look like a filled out IRS form, with band name, record label and lyrics in the boxes, pretty cool.

 

Oh yeah, I should probably mention that this is actually a split with Stay Ahead Of The Weather, who feature members of Into It/Over It and CSTVT. That song is great, but it's all about TWY side for me, their song is fucking magnificent.

 

For the iNerds among us, that Blogger app is actually pretty shit. Not letting you dictate the order of photos, not allowing you adding text in between them, no ability to create links. So I've abandoned that. BUT I did just get one of the 'new' iPads, and have been using an app called Blogsy. Which is a shit name, but it let's you do everything. In fact I think it let's me do more than I can work out on the Blogger site. This post was made with it and look, links and everything.

 

Dragged Into Sunlight - Hatred For Mankind

I first got into Dragged Into Sunlight a while ago when I kept hearing all this buzz about a black metal group from Liverpool here in the UK. They were pretty much being touted as the most brutal and unrelenting thing going, I was powerless to resist. I wasn't let down either, in fact, my expectation were exceeded. Aided by a grimy, lo-fi production, this record is grim, uncompromising and nasty. Not in any theatrical or gore-nonsense way either,  it's just straight up, no bollocks, hard black metal, but utterly devastating. They always play with their backs to the audience too, which I can't help but think is kinda cool. When this first came a couple years back it was CD only, but Mordgrimm have recently given it a vinyl release and put a lot of effort in. Thick cardboard gatefold, real high quality artwork print and hefty 180 gram vinyl. A run of 300 on white. The front cover to this is a bit NSFW, so it's one the kids won't be seeing sitting next to the record player for all to see for a while.

INTEGEHENNA

Seems everyone has blogged this one to bits already but it wouldn't feel right to leave it out as I move through the pile. 200 pressed, pre-order, yadda yadda. The Integ track is crusty metal and sounds great, Gehenna like rabid animals. All in all, hard as nails.

Misfits Collection 1. We are reunited.

Jumping the line here to post something that I brought home today, yet bought over 10 years ago. This is the first piece of vinyl that I ever spent money on, picking it up from some dusty 2nd hand record store. Long thought lost forever due to house moves and shit being in storage in my mums attic. It has never been stored with my record collection, cause back when I moved out of my mums and it got left behind all those years ago, I didn't really have one to speak of. My brother is back from Uni and while he was going through boxes of crap in our mums attic, he came across this and reunited us today. Misfits Collection 1, Misfits self titled, whatever you want to call it. This is the 1988 re-print on black, released on Caroline. Welcome home.

Xibalba / Incendiary split

I try to normally post about these records in the order that I get them in, but that systems all fucked up at the minute. The stack of yet-to-be-blogged about is all out of order and growing, so it's time to just get on with it. This post is also an experiment, as I'm posting from the Blogger app cause I'm lazily not booting my laptop up. It might look, like my ordering system, all fucked up.

Anyway, Xibalba / Incendiary split. 2nd press out of 452 on blue/black marble released on Closed Casket. My good friend and tattoo wizard Kieran picked this up for me when he went to see Xibalba in Wales recently. Top dude. The Xibalba side is CRUSHINGLY heavy, as to be expected. I've heard their next album, it's a monster.

EDIT: I've just checked on Safari, and this came out alright.

Code Orange Kids / Full Of Hell split

I've gone on about how great I think both of these bands are on just about any internet platform that lets me log in and write stuff, so I won't repeat myself anymore except to say that both bands contribute two incredible tracks to this split. Released by Topshelf Records (an out of character, barbarically heavy release for that label) a few weeks ago. This is from the 1st press, on a blue marble out of 500. This is already on its 2nd press now, and that Code Orange Kids EP 'Cycles' 1st press that I posted about here is now on its 3rd! Popular dudes.

Collecting The Wonder Years - part 3 : The Upsides 1st press

I finally acquired a 1st press of The Wonder Years second LP (their first to be pressed onto vinyl) The Upsides. This is the second to rarest color, orange, 300 pressed and released by No Sleep Records in 2010. It marks a huge leap forward from the debut, indicated along the way by a handful of  of 7"s, and thankfully drops all those synth keyboards that plague Get Stoked On It (sorry, just cannot get down with those). In terms of pop-punk, and as a statement of just how crucial and creative this genre can be, it's untouchable and is rightly regarded as a modern classic.

The Price didn't go TOO high on this, which is good for my wallet because I was willing to just keep bidding until I won. A blue pressing that was up at the same time went way above what I paid for this though. The blue is the rarest colour out of 200, which must be the main reason behind the price difference. I can't remember the final sale price of the blue, but with 4 days to go it was up to £66 ($107). It was either the blue pressing or the fact that it was being sold by the guitarist from Such Gold that drove the price up. I'd predict it was the limited pressing. Anyway, I paid £36 for this in the end. Which was later bumped up to around £50 by being charged import tax. The import tax is fine to be honest, it's £4 or something. But it's Royal Mail that pisses me off. Seriously, their "handling fee" of something like £9 is disgusting.

Getting this marks completion of part of this quest to own at least one copy of every TWY vinyl pressed, with all of the LP's now in my grasp. Ok, there's only 2 LP's (3 if we're counting the Upsides repress with new art) but still...

Plenty of 7"s to go though!

View From The Attic Records

View From The Attic Records

This isn't a regular post, but seeing as I get a lot of vinyl heads from the UK checking in, this seems pretty relevant. Two long time friends of mine have just opened up an online distro for punk-rock, emo and a sprinkling of hardcore vinyl. They literally only launched today but have got a real solid starting line up of records from a few labels throughout the Globe. Midnight Funeral Records in Australia and Tiny Engines in Carolina, USA are just a couple of the labels supported at the moment, and there's some brilliant bands on offer. Marathon play a guttural, chaotic blend of hardcore (one of the releases I jumped on and ordered this morning), there's a Milhouse 7",which is so gloriously 90's emo that it's impossible to not love it and Gates are a band from New Jersey who play a wonderful blend of post-rock and emo, and create something pretty incredible to hear, their 1st LP is in stock on a white pressing, also one I ordered without hesitation. Oh! And don't sleep on that Signals Midwest LP, who take a refreshing run at pop-punk and come out with something brilliant and thought provoking with strong melodies and hard hitting verses that fans of Joyce Manor will dig. I won't list everything they've got, I urge you to go check it out, and keep tabs on them as they start to grow. Good dudes, good records.

Get at them : VIEW FROM THE ATTIC RECORDS

VVEGAS / ABRAXIS split 7" GOTU edition #42 of 59

Every once in a while a package containing a record will arrive that causes me to emit an actual, audible noise. Such was the case this evening when I walked in and saw this resting on the kitchen worktop:

Upon spotting the Australian post mark & the Process Cross, I made a sound that can be best described as "AwooooOOOOO!!". My girlfriend looked up from what she was doing with raised eyebrows. And looked away again. The eagery awaited VVegas / Abraxis split had arrived.

Before I go any further, there is something quite special about this version that sets it apart from the remaining copies still available in Midnight Funeral's webstore. This is the Grace Of The Unholy edition, and was only available for a limited time in a secret pre-order announced only to those who know what shadowy internet corners to dwell in. I, being one of those types, saw this announcement and was on it in a flash. Only 59 of this GOTU edition were made to order, it comes in a red stamped & numbered dust jacket and pressed on an exclusive color.

The VVegas side

The Abraxis side

The rest of the package, the inner and outer sleeve, are no different from the regular version. But no less awesome. Beginning with the VVegas side, the artwork was handled by Dwid and features an incredibly detailed Sgt Pepper worship piece. Lots to find on here, it's like a VVegas 'Where's Wally'. Really cool artwork, pretty different from what you'd expect. 

The Abraxis art is also handled by Dwid

And to round it off, a sweet set of patches and a slip of paper telling the conspiratorial saga of Nifi / Neefee, Shack & Lucy. Funny as fuck.

 I wrote here about the 2 bands and the music on this release back when the downloads were sent out, so click away if you want to check that out. Also, as I say on that piece, it has to be said that Midnight Funeral Records in Australia (ran by fellow record nut, former vinyl collecting blogger and general top dude Craigos) did an excellent job in the handling of pre-orders, keeping us informed, sending out downloads and ultimately shipping these out. Amazing stuff all round.

My Own Personal Record Store Day

Fellow vinyl bloggers' RSD posts have come and gone weeks ago, which is fitting, as mine features no actual RSD exclusive vinyl. Ha! (although the trip did somehow end up with me securing a RSD release, but that's still in the post) Last Saturday was the first time since Record Store day that I've actually had chance to get out of the postal code I live in and get to a real life record store. The closest one to me that I know for sure sells a good selection of hardcore and metal is in Birmingham where you'll find Ignite Records. A small but well stocked independent ran by Rich Tandy who keeps a solid selection of predominantly punk, metal, emo and hardcore on the shelves. Ignite is located in a place called The Oasis Centre, a rabbit warren of small alt clothing shops and tattooists, that sort of thing. It's worth trekking through the maze to find Ignite, tucked away on the bottom floor. Rich (who also runs a label, more on that later) is a top dude and will usually hook you up with something solid. Ignite Records' full address is Level 2, Oasis Centre, 110-112 Corporation Street, Birmingham, B4 6SX (that's UK by the way). Get down there if you're from round the way, or passing through. Anyway, here's what I found:

Firstly, Dead End Path's debut LP 'Blind Faith'. This was released last year by Triple B and was something I nearly picked up when I ordered the Bane repress. I never did though, and always thought when I listened to it on my ipod how much of an idiot that made me. So I snapped it up when I saw it on the shelf. From the now out of print 1st press too, happy days! Pressed on a blue/black swirl out of 330.

Iron Chic 'Shitty Rambo' 7". These guys do pop-punk right, featuring (among others) ex members of Latterman, who were also brilliant. Jaded, mature pop-punk, it sounds totally golden. Released on Dead Broke Rekerds in 2009 and this is also from a now out of print 1st press, on a mixed gray swirl out of 500.

Rot In Hell / Vegas split 6", from the 2nd press, or what I call the 'commonly available' press. The 1st press of this was inside the surprise mystery secret Organized Crime Records Halloween 2011 package which I got and wrote about here. So I'm an idiot for buying this again, but there we go. The 1st press was black, this is on yellow out of 300. There's similarities between the 2 pressings, the label art & insert are exactly the same and the outer pocket style sleeve is foil embossed with the band logo's which is a bit like the original wrap around sleeve. Same stuff, less detail basically. And no hand numbered wolf/flower art this time.

Douglas P worship.

And lastly, Napalm Death / Coalesce split. I wasn't gonna get this originally, Rich said he'd come across a copy but it was a bit beaten up. Sure enough the sleeve was a little too dog eared for my tastes, but while hunting for and failing to find £2 change for me, Rich said I could just take this for the difference. Fair deal. Yeah it's a bit battered, but both sides are total fucking rippers, which comes as no surprise.

Has Shane Embury ever not looked 57 years old?

So that's all I bought, but as we were chatting I mentioned how I do this vinyl blog and it turns out Rich reads it, making me feel like some sort of minor celebrity. So he chucked in a couple of the records he's recently put out on his label Speedowax, free of charge. Nice one man. First, Douglas / Deathbed split. I fucking love Douglas. A Welsh, energetic pop-punk band. They have these burts of technicality and noodly bits that make me think of Kinsella-related stuff. I'm sure they've split now, but these are 2 new songs. Not sure what the deal is there. On the reverse, a polar opposite. Deathbed are straight edge hardcore from Atlanta in the vein of Earth Crisis, Snapcase etc... Both of their tracks are total fucking stompers. Real good. This is an orange pressing, out of (I think) 2 different variations.

And lastly, the Snake Road 7", a numbered pre-order copy no less.  These are from Philadelphia and play a really cool hybrid of D-beat, crusty Cursed-style hardcore with some of their own elements thrown in to, there's some nice little bluesy rock breaks that pop up. Feels pretty fresh, I'd expect big things.

You can listen to the Snake Road 7" and then download it for free here or buy both of these direct from Speedowax online here, or just go into Ignite and hit Rich up for a copy. His store is well worth a visit.