VA - Rien à Faire #31 - Punk, Hardcore, Post-Punk... new stuff only! February 2022

 

The new year's starting really well, January's been a really fructuous month in terms of punk music and this RAF compilation got a lot of killer tracks in store for you all little thrill seekers. A lot of hardcore punk, but not only, and if you're patient enough to listen until the end there are a few "outside the box" surprises there for you.

Seventeen bands hailing from all over the planet, from the US of course but also from Australia, Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Holland, Norway and Japan...

I'm trying to keep as international as possible while not avoiding the great stuff coming from the land of the free.

 

 

N,J'Oi!

 

 

  01 - Insane Urge - There's a World
02 - Assistert Sjølmord - Kontroll
03 - Invertebrates - Red Lake Earth
04 - Lumpen - Renuncia a tu vida
05 - Foil - Peruvian Coke
06 - Jailer - Sexual Janitor
07 - Counter Control - The World is Burning Up
08 - Comunione - Esca
09 - Glands - Break Me
10 - Piss Kinks - Fight I Can't Win
11 - Rampage! - Notion of Elite
12 - Split System - Hit me
13 - ΜΠΡΙΤΖΟΛΙΤΣΕΣ - ΚΟΥΡΑΔΟΚΑΣΤΡΟ - Shitcastle
14 - Thatcher's Snatch - We're Going to Hell
15 - Boucan - French Manucure
16 - Dyatlov - Death Machine - Factory
17 - Gotou - Wet 背

 

 

 YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING HERE

 

 

  

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

VA - Rien à Faire #30 - Punk, Hardcore, Post-Punk... new stuff only! January 2022

 

Welcome to 2022!

It's your lucky day mate! I've selected all you need to calm that nasty jackhammer that's drilling between your ears, yeah that's a bad bad hangover you're starting the new year with and fifteen tracks of nasty hardcore punk, post-punk and other sorts of blissful melodies are gonna take care of it in no time!

This one collects songs from December releases and a couple of late comers I discovered only recently (shame on me).

Happy new year anyway!

 

 

N,J'Oi!

 

 

  01 - Sect Mark - Denied Self
02 - Faze - Tu N'existerais Pu
03 - Ztuped - i don't wanna see
04 - Shock Tactics - Fall Of Rome
05 - Asesinato - Manufactured Crisis
06 - Butchers Dog - Scandal Monger
07 - Glaas - Easy Living
08 - La Milagrosa - Pánico
09 - Gel - Mental Static
10 - Eterno Ritorno - Sola
11 - Mano Fico - Inferno Night
12 - Wipes - Dumpster
13 - Xyresic - Nuevo Orden Mundial
14 - Ultras - Deniability
15 - Börn - Norn

 

 

 YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING HERE

 

 

  

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

Glands

 

 

Glands is a new duo from Roma, Italy, composed of two very active members of the Italian scene: Banfio behind the drums and Johnny P behind almost everything else. 

They both play in Sect Mark (furious hardcore punk band whose next full length should be out on Iron Lung in the coming months); Johnny is also involved in Education (post-latest EP was recently released on Symphony Of Destruction) and in Arabian Tower and manages Hidden Hands records; Banfio, on top of recording many of the bands from the Roma punk scene, used to play in Taste The Floor and Rake-Off among others. I've seen that these two guys now play shows as Glands so I guess that a proper live line-up is set-up and now fully operational.

 

 But enough of the Glands members' resumes the object of my post today is more specifically their Crackhole Demo released at the end of October this year.

I don't know if the demo is digital only in Italy but Richter Scale has released a few tapes in the UK if you're interested.

Glands clearly profess to be part of a certain kind of very straight forward silly punk, made of light-hearted lyrics and catchy rhythms, whose main objective is to spread the good word of rock'n'roll in its most regressive teenage incarnation. And it works really well!

Glands tracks are catchy and fun, the vocals are upfront and snotty as hell, the choruses are made to be sung along to if you're not too wasted yet and the synth actually adds to the melody without polluting the whole thing (which is great). It makes me think of a less low-fi and less "trashy" version of what Lorenzo does in Dadar (to stay in Italy) or what Headlice does very well in Australia. Would that be what that stupid term of "egg punk" actually refers to?

So yes that's a good and entertaining demo and I'm sure that Glands is a lot of fun to catch live. I just regret that the vocals get a little over the top on the melodic side on tracks like Boring Shit and especially on the terrible Walk You Home which could have really been left aside.

N,J'Oi!

 

 

 

You can listen to Glands in Rien à Faire #29.

 

 

 

 

   

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

 

  

VA - Rien à Faire #27 - Punk, Hardcore, Post-Punk... new stuff only! October 2021

 

Well well what do we have here today ladies and gentlemen?

Wouldn't that be another ripping compilation of killer punk songs from all over the world humm? Punk but also hardcore, post-punk and a bit of noise rock isn't it? From the US, the UK, Australia, Colombia, Finland, Italy, Ireland and more right?

 Indeed ladies and gentlemen, indeed!

And that one particularly rips in my humble opinion, just what you need to survive the start of fall and the beginning of the end of time...

 

 

N,J'Oi!

 

 

  01 - Shove - Chopper
02 - Yleiset Syyt - Luovan Keskiluokan Takapihalla
03 - Personal Damage - Shits Fucked
04 - Gluer - Pumping the Iron
05 - Half - Belltower
06 - During - Birds of Juneau
07 - Macros - Iron Fucker
08 - Lafff Box - Weird Punch
09 - Bust - Model Home
10 - Unidad Ideológica - Guerra y Negocio
11 - Thing - My Double
12 - Ejecución X - Hipsters Pokemones de Internet
13 - Anno Omega - Mercato cCmunale
14 - TV Dust - Out Of Control
15 - Strong Boys - UB2FU
16 - Cochonne - Trop

 

 

 YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING HERE

 

 

 

 

  

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

VA - Rien à Faire #23 - Punk, Hardcore, Post-Punk... new stuff only! June 2021

 

Summer's finally around the corner for most of us (sorry if you live on the other side of the equator, wrong pick) but do not worry loyal readers, I will stay focus on my holy task and keep feeding your noise hungry eardrums with ripping punk from all over the planet.

This time we got mostly punk and hardcore tracks but also a few off-the-beaten path surprises, these little boisterous gems come mostly from the US (this RAF batch is probably a bit less diverse in terms of bands' origins than the last three) but let's not forget the bands from France, Germany, Italy, Australia and Greece that will delight young and old farts alike.

 

N,J'Oi!

 

 

  01 - Los Gueys - Poop
02 - Lysol - C-4
03 - Big Bopper - Adultery is Ripe
04 - Sepsis - Born to Die
05 - Et On Tuera Tous Les Affreux - Harpie
06 - Fugitive Bubble - Grotesque
07 - Debt Cult - CA$INO
08 - Veil II - Memory Vault
09 - Bootlicker - Hunting
10 - Deletär - À La Traine
11 - Psico Galera - Vieni All'Inferno
12 - Maske - Schießgewehr
13 - Pigeon - Bad Visions
14 - Mononegatives - Stilted Entrance
15 - Young Ruins - All Ages
16 - The Serfs - Dissection
17 - ΝΟΜΟΣ 751 - Moracu Se Boriti

 

 

 YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

 

SLOI

 

picture by Massimo

  SLOI is a new band from Trento, Italy, that's probably been around since 2019.

Featuring the singer of Impulso (who also plays in the great Lucta and Tuono and also in Astio that I'm less fond of) on guitar (and most probably other members of these bands), Sloi has already more than enough in that short description to make the old punk addict that I am quiver with excitement.  

The band's name comes from "a lead factory that poisoned the area over 40 years ago, called Società Lavorazioni Organiche Inorganiche. Many of its workers died of lead poisoning, while others took their own life in the Pergine Asylum, where they were being treated as mentally ill". This is a good example of a band that draws on recent local history for a change, good!

This little review is a good opportunity to write a few words about the Oltre Lo Sguardo compilation and Sentiero Futuro Autoproduzioni, the young DIY label that put it out.

 

Sentiero Futuro Autoproduzioni is a young DIY structure which can be compared to the very good Occult Punk Gang collective which unfortunately stopped all activities last year. It roughly means that they're supporting the DIY Italian punk scene in general and the Milanese one in particular (the collective/label, whatever you wanna call it, is based in Milan). It is managed by a bunch of people involved in bands like Skalp, Spirito Di Lupo, Kobra, Anno Omega, Golpe etc... (basically most of the current punk bands and collectives based in Milan). It also includes Giacomo (already involved in OPG) who writes for Noisey Italy but most importantly plays in Kobra and writes a lot of cool records reviews on Generic Record Reviews And Weekly Ramblings (aka GRRAWR).

 

So the label only came to life really recently as it's in October 2020, with the release of the above mentioned compilation, that its first record blasted through the ears of punks from all over the Italian peninsula. The tape features 20 tracks from 20 bands including some of my favourite recent Italian hardcore punk bands like Tuono, Lucta, Impulso, Kobra, Golpe, Idiota Civilizzato (based in Germany but singing in Italian) and, of course, Sloi. A must-have compilation which gives a powerful and relevant snapshot of the country's DIY punk scene. It even includes a track by the holy fathers of Milano hardcore, the world famous Wretched.

And on top of that all proceedings go to Ambulatorio Medico Popolare, a volunteer-run organization which "self-manages a medical facility providing free healthcare to illegal migrants and other marginalized identities" in Milan, which is cool. The tape's B side is actually the story of this place told by the ones running it (the activists and volunteers).

I'm not gonna write much more about this tape (just treat yourself, pump up the volume and press play) as today's subject is Sloi and their next release is a lot more relevant in terms of music (in fact the compilation track is also on their self-titled tape).

Sloi's debut release was released by Sentiero Futuro Autoproduzioni mid-April 2021 and the first thing that came to my mind, while the first seconds of La Fine were shredding my eardrums, is the sound similarity with Kobra's album (Confusione) (which was not recorded at the mobile Frizzer Studio for "bands-on-budget" like Sloi's tape though). And you don't just sound like that by mistake, it's clearly the result of a strong "artistic" choice. I don't know if the raw sound (edging with total shit sometimes to be really honest) of the early Italian hardcore classics was the main motivation behind the recording policy but it really sounds like someone just turned all the sliders to maximum in the morning of the session and that's it... which is not totally true actually as the guitars and the bass do sound "classically" good (you know what I mean) while the rest is super dirty to the point of listening displeasure. I guess it's the result of a digital post-recording effect and it therefore does not sound close to the "cheap" and "weak" tape sound of the 80s (where the whole sound is a lot more equally "crammed"/"compressed"). The result is powerful yes but also almost deafening, the cymbals are actually painful to listen to (and Sloi's drummer loves cymbals), the kick is super loud and even the vocals sometimes are way beyond the overload threshold...

 

I understand the idea of being a super raw and noisy D-beat band (the "wall of noise" thing you know) but honestly, even though the cassette has only seven tracks, I'm almost relieved to get to the end because it becomes very unpleasant at some point... And most bands do sound raw and powerful without making you feel tied up in their ten square meter rehearsal room where all amps are stuck on maximum.... 

I'm surprised to have never read anything about it in the few reviews I've found (mostly about Kobra) but it's clearly a really important point concerning this band's sound and the way you/I perceive it as a listener.

 

 

  This being said these guys play some killer raw punk / d-beat shit!

It's fast, it's raw, it's super punk but it does not sound like another D-band, I'm not even sure that the D-Polit Buro would officially let them join the party (it's always worth a try though, the general assembly is fun). No Sloi clearly sounds like a mix of Scandinavian and Italian hardcore, the guitar riffs' heaviness recalls the grey Swedish sky while there is obviously a strong Italian identity (the language and the noisy furiousness maybe). Furious is probably the key word here, seven furious and enraged songs full of a derisory reluctance in front of the hidden face of an Italian system that inequalities and a widespread of assumed fascism have made so repulsive for decades now... And hardcore punk is the perfect medium to spit it all out!

 Of course like everybody writing three lines about any Italian hardcore band I have to drop the same old names of Wretched, Indigesti, Impact, Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, Raw Power, Negazione etc... Ok here they are you can do whatever you want with them now (if you're curious about Italian hardcore you can check Romain's very thorough post on his blog, the two parts are here and there).

I can also think of the other Kobra, the one from the 80s Milano scene, which got the same kind of heavy hardcore punk sound (with an unfortunate taste for lame guitar solos though).

 

 

  Yes I definitely love what Sloi is doing and I'm sure they're killing it on stage but I am still a little bothered by the production which makes, in spite of all the mastery and the power of the tracks, the listening rather unpleasant...

 

There has been recently a certain revival of interest from "big" American punk labels for raw Italian productions, there is of course Kobra on Iron Lung Records but also very recently Golpe on Sorry State (super good album by the way if you like classic throaty vocals d-beat) and it seems that Sloi is also entitled to a US vinyl release soon on Iron Lung. 

So keep your eyes open for a vinyl version very soon.

 

N,J'Oi! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can listen to Sloi on Rien à Faire #22. 

  

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

VA - Rien à Faire #22 - Punk, Hardcore, Post-Punk... new stuff only! May 2021

 

New month, new RAF compilation!

Here comes another batch of straight-from-the-oven punk, hardcore, post-punk and whatever other genres you can fit in-between and around those.

As usual these nineteen bands come from all over the planet, this month we got three from Italy, two from Sweden, three from the UK, one from Norway, one from Indonesia, one from Japan, one from Colombia, one from Spain, one from Belgium, two from Australia, one from Germany and only three from the US (I don't think I ever had such a low ratio of American bands in any RAF compilation before).  

A lot of raw stuff with a bit of a rough sound, I hope you'll like it!

 

N,J'Oi!

 

 

 

 

 01 - Reaksi - Tidak Ada Manusia Ilegal
02 - Sloi - Sloi
03 - Candy Apple - Sweet Dreams of Violence
04 - Posy - Rerun
05 - Golpe - Non Piegarti
06 - Alambrada - Ilegal
07 - Presagio - Antes Era Divertido
08 - MoE - Tephra
09 - Cutters - Modern Problems
10 - Pink Room - Losing
11 - Maladia - Evil Eye
12 - X2000 - Apagando Incendios
13 - Spleen - Flower Basket
14 - LLRR - 週末のフール
15 - Kattpiss - A4-liv
16 - Waste Man - The Siren
17 - Health Plan - Post Traumatic Growth
18 - Italia 90 - Declare
19 - Bitch Diesel - Hail

 

 

If you're old school you can of course download the whole thing HERE (I like old school)

 

 

 

  

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

  

 

 

VA - Rien à Faire #18

 

1st of January 2021... you guys are probably sleeping deeply or are just waking up with a massive hangover... well sorry but there is no time to waste, here comes a new RAF compilation with the monthly dose of heavy music: 

Punk, Hardcore, Post-Punk YES YES YES but let's start this new year with a bit of variety with also some Post-Hardcore, Oi! and even some kind of folk!

A lot of great stuff from late 2020! 

Let's keep it up!

 

 N,J'Oi!

 

 

  01 - Ad Vitam - Lynch Mob
02 - Critter - Do They Know (creep)
03 - Skeleton Glove - Gimme All Your Money
04 - Terminal Bliss - Small One Time Fee
05 - White Stains - Quarantine
06 - Die! Die! Die! - I Seek Misery
07 - Dark Web - Gold Toupee
08 - Die Schiefe Bahn - Vogelarten
09 - Ditz - Gayboy
10 - Tetanus - Find Happiness
11 - Come Holy Spirit - Gracias A La Vida
12 - Lamps - Horse Cow Goat Pig Dog
13 - Moron - Salt
14 - Holehog - Radiation Blues
15 - Golpe - Sei La Tua Prigione
16 - Youth Regiment - In Control
17 - Louis Jucker - The Dam

 

 

Download the full compilation HERE

 

 

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

 

Kobra

 

artwork by Francesco Goat

 Kobra (not to be confused with the old hardcore punk band from the same city and the punk band from St Petersburg going with the same name) is a punk band from Milano, Italy, which has probably been around since 2017 and features members of bands like Dots, Cocaine Slave, Mirrorism and Da Sempre...

 I am really not an expert of the italian scene but these guys seemed to be part of a punk scene that can be summarized by the work of Occult Punk Gang which has released tapes, compilations and organized shows for years in the Milano area. 

After four years at the service of the scene, it looks like the activities of the group have ended a few months ago.

 

But let's come back to the music, Kobra is playing a mix of anarcho-punk, UK82 and italian hardcore punk with a noisy and quite dark atmosphere. Still not an expert but in the Milano area they can probably be linked to bands like Golpe and Scemo.

Kobra first release is a 5-track tape out on Occult Punk Gang in June 2018.

Dark, noisy, angry (I love how the bass sounds!), jumping from mid-tempo to faster parts, Kobra is delivering a super good piece of italian punk which fits well with a current dark/heavy hardcore punk trend you can find in bands like the Finnish-hardcore-obsessed Korrosive, the spanish Irreal or even in the fast italian anarcho punk of Lucta.

 

Kobra is keeping the good old recipe of the dark heaviness of the in-your-face punk of our elders and turns it smartly in a super efficient and quite well built dark modern hardcore punk.

Highly enjoyable!

      

screenshot from a live show shot for CVLT Nation

Two years later you can find a new Kobra song on the benefit compilation Vivi nel 2020 / Benefit Brigate Volontarie released by Occult Punk Gang.

The song will also be on the coming LP. 

Summer 2020, after a couple of line-up changes Kobra releases Confusione, its first full length, on Iron Lung Records.

Mainly keeping the recipe of the demo Kobra introduces a few changes: the guitar sounds super scrambled (drowning the bass a bit too much in my opinion), the drum sounds great (and has improved a lot!) and there is a saxophone!

I think I really like crazy saxophone in punk, it adds a touch of enjoyable weirdness that breaks a bit the darkness painted all over the songs of these depressed punk rockers.

 

  Confusione is a good album that manages to keep a depressing (but enjoyable? ok you know what I mean) anarcho punk atmosphere in a noisy mix which takes as much from the classic italian hardcore bands like Wretched or Indigesti (in the sound) as the super noisy Finnish and Japanese hardcore bands from the 80s... and this touch of saxophone is adding a lot in my opinion!

To be honest I find the super scrambled/distorted sound of the guitar a bit tiring on a 11 songs LP, but that's me.  

 

    

You can listen to Kobra on Rien à Faire #13.  

 

N,J'Oi! 

RAF is on FB

and INSTAGRAM