[engl] GAMES OF POWER lives inside a crystal clear recording by long time friend and Edmonton wizard Nik Kozub, bringing Home Front’s follow up to “Think of The Lie” to euphoric heights and gritty lows. Produced again by Jonah Falco remotely and between sub zero 10 kilometer runs in Edmonton in late February with co-production by Nik Kozub, Home Front have put their best mirror shined boot forward.” (Jonah Falco)

[engl] Originally released in Sweden in 1998, Back in the late 90s in Scandinavia the action rock bomb exploded, The Hellacopters, Gluecifer, Turbonegro, and The A-Bombs. The A-bombs blew the roof of the clubs but sadly was very short lived. The album "And Just Constantly Rotating" was only released on CD. Today we bring it to life again on vinyl. this is super cool, a fantastic part of the music scene in Stockholm 1998.

[engl] Great music and deep inspiration, can come at the most unexpected moments. At the most difficult times, and sometimes at the most contented ones, too. In 2021 Robert Forster had a batch of songs written over a period of three years which he knew would be the basis of his next album. The songs felt strong, like they belonged together. They surprised him, too. They had different things to say, more openly personal about those closest to him. He had the beginnings of one other song too, just music and a melody, no lyrics as yet. There was no rush to complete it, since he was also working on his first novel. It felt like the new songs could wait. Life soon had other plans. In July of 2021, Robert’s wife and sometimes musical partner Karin Bäumler was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and so began the intense emotional challenges of hospital, tests, chemotherapy, of hopes and fears. As it had often been in their lives together for 32 years, music was like a rock, a place they could go. “We started to strum songs at night to unwind after a big day, and Karin knew them because I had written them in the house,” Robert says. “When you are concentrating on a song the rest of life goes away, and music became a beautiful escape hatch for us.” In July, Karin talked with Robert of the fight ahead. Soon after, with Karin resting in another room, Robert quietly played that new song he had set aside and whispered “She’s a fighter, fighting for good”. Those lines became the only lyrics needed for She’s A Fighter, the extraordinary opening track and first single from the new Robert Forster album, The Candle And The Flame. “I have always written from life, about things that are close, but what Karin was going through felt too big to write about,” Robert says. “I thought if I did try to write about it the song would be 100 verses long. The only room I could see in this piece of music was for those two lines and that took me right down to the basics. I couldn’t have done it any other way.” Life found a new rhythm. Karin and Robert’s son Louis came to the family home in Brisbane most days, joining the music sessions. Friends dropped in with meals and one of them was Adele Pickvance, bassist with Robert on the final three albums by The Go-Betweens. She would join the music-making too. “We weren’t thinking of making a record. We decided to put our lounge room songs down on tape in a studio so that we would always have a recording of this thing we did.” Time was precious. The songs were recorded quickly at Brisbane studio Alchemix, without headphones, without overdubs, everyone in a studio room together, eye to eye. “Listening back to the day’s recordings, two of the songs in this raw form sounded complete to Karin and I. We wondered, could an album of songs be recorded in the same way?” After a medical procedure in October that year, Karin continued recording when her health allowed, sometimes just a day or two in a month. The joy and respite the music gave them was priceless as Karin drove the album to completion, shortly after finishing her course of chemotherapy in March 2022. Some will hear songs on the new album with titles such as It’s Only Poison (“The body is a temple/The mind is a box/Your heart is like a river that no one can stop”) and Always (“Time moves in one direction/And there’s been a breakdown at the intersection out on Highway 5”) and conclude these must have been written after Karin’s diagnosis. They weren’t. Nor was Tender Years, one of the greatest love songs Robert has written in a career that now stretches across nine studio albums with The Go-Betweens and seven solo albums of original material. The Roads is set in the countryside of Bavaria, Germany, where Karin and Robert met and lived for many years. Go Free is a song from lockdown, as is There’s A Reason To Live, inspired by the discovery of an old concert ticket in a jacket pocket. All three are saying, better times can be up ahead. I Don’t Do Drugs I Do Time is a clear-eyed observation from a mature perspective (“I remember when we first met/Where you sat and what you said”), as is the album’s closing statement, When I Was a Young Man. Robert says: “That was triggered by a show on Radio National where guests were asked, ‘What’s the most important year of your life?’ For me that was when I was 21, moved out of home, The Go-Betweens began, I started to write good songs.” What he did not know then was how far those songs would take him. Or that at 65, with the help of family and friends, in the most testing of times, he would deliver an album of songs as rich, as meaningful, as life-affirming, as true, as anything a younger person might dream.

[engl] Field Day / ex-Dag Nasty band, continue to push their message of melodic hardcore and punk rock with a new collection, "ACQUISITION." During the past three years we were treated to the news that two of the core members of Dag Nasty were not just playing together again as Field Day, but were also writing new songs. They first released the "2.0" 7" then "Opposite Land" EP followed up with a third 7" "WHY?" at a breakneck pace. Each release sold out very quickly and remained in the charts of German distributors Core Tex for over 10 weeks or more. The strength of each release reignited a spark that captured the spirit of the original Dag Nasty sound. The initial calling card fulfilled its promise – and the line-up consisted of Peter Cortner on vocals, Doug Carrion on bass, Shay Mehrdad on guitars and Kevin Avery on drums to continue to deliver the goods. Now comes “ACQUISITION.” A 13-song collection of previously released material plus 2 brand new unreleased tracks on one 12" vinyl record. Within seconds of the needle hitting the groove, any doubts or fears are laid to rest. You have all the hallmarks of the sounds these guys pioneered, done with a vibrancy that is relevant today. Galloping drums and a driving bassline provide the backdrop to layered guitars that offer melody and texture. Then you have Peter Cortner’s vocals, both the filling that holds it together, and the icing on the cake that really finishes it off. There are and have been a million and one bands playing the melodic hardcore sound, but when it comes to the roots, you have to look back to names such as Dag Nasty, 7 Seconds or Bad Religion. Well, these guys were actually there, and so their influences couldn’t possibly be more genuine. In line-ups of the older generation, musicians were hopping from one band to another, and so influences came together and helped define those trailblazing sounds. The closing track on here, “Tell Me Now”, features a tribute to old peers 7 Seconds with the woah-oh intro and uplifting guitar melodies.

[engl] By 2016 a teenage Drew Owen had put himself on everyone's radar releasing a whopping 19 records (and that was just under the Sick Thought moniker) on pretty much every punk label that mattered over a span of three years. At the time I thought of him as a teenage novelty, an endearing sometimes pesky younger punk sibling who I kept telling "NO YOU PUT OUT WAY TOO MUCH STUFF." However in 2016 Drew sent me what became the "18 & Free" single and had me eating my words, eagerly releasing a single for the kid I kept telling never. Now its 2022 and SICK THOUGHTS are back on TOTAL PUNK with a brand new LP. Drew has proven himself far more than a novelty and here I am eagerly footing the bill again. The shitty attitude is still intact and the songs are still about breaking stuff but the ramshackle production and rough edged tunes of early Sick Thoughts are gone. 13 scorching riff heavy tracks that run the gambit from Stiv fueled Power Pop to ‘Cherie Love Affair’ style Sleaze Rock all masterfully recorded by Drew and Michael Hohan with Drew playing all the instruments. Great music for licking knives or lighting your wallet on fire. Nasty, catchy as fuck, and 100% TOTAL PUNK!!!

[engl] With "Leave Me Alone", Detlef Weinrich presents his fifth album under the moniker Tolouse Low Trax. Weinrich, who has meanwhile turned his back on Düsseldorf and lives in Paris, has long since ceased to be an insider tip and is a guest in renowned clubs and festivals all over Europe. With his new album, he succeeds in an exciting, unforeseen new direction. The velvety heaviness and rawness of earlier records seems to have given way to a new playfulness. A playfulness perhaps in the sense of an electronica reminiscent of the late 1990s, which in its idea of deconstruction and reduction is currently enjoying a new appreciation in the clubs. But also in the sense of an urban vibe of hip hop and dub references, which are woven into a very unique mix in Weinrich's tracks.

[engl] In the ripping hardcore scene that has recently cropped up in Pittsburgh surrounding bands like Living World, White Stains and Necro Heads comes Speed Plans; a writhing, drug fueled, violence machine of manic hardcore in the vein of Repos or Ripcord. When we were first contacting Speed Plans on account of their absolutely raging cassette output, they mentioned wanting to do an LP that was "15 fast ones and 1 slow one." We were sold right then and there. If mean, fast, low-fi and low brow is what you're after then look no further, you've arrived.

[engl] As a massive early Killed By Death style punk fanatic, constantly in pursuit of the ever elusive records and one-off-obscuro sound, I frequently turn up my nose at modern bands playing the style. You can't just crap out a poorly recorded generic riff punk track, slap a "KBD" label on it and expect me to fall for the ruse. I mean bands have done that and had varying degrees of wool pull - see The Uncalled 4's "Grind Her Up" 7" for the best success of this - but it doesn't usually work out. What I particularly enjoy about Rotary Club is that they rework the lyrics into all things landline telephone while heavily referencing the riffage from the genre's top tier tunes, twisting them just enough to make them their own. A refreshing and well executed take to say the least.

[engl] Can I kick it? Yeah, sure, why not? Rippling through the murk of late 2022 to provide an unlikely source of light, Cardiff’s supremely noisy quintet Can Kicker are here with a last-minute shout for album of the year. If you like your hardcore to flex some serious muscle (well… riff-wise) while skirting around the edges of goth and post-punk, with the needle in the red all the while, their self-titled debut just could be the record for you. Like a breeze block to the back of your skull, this is guaranteed to make everything feel frayed and fuzzy at the edges, delivering a knockout punch that’ll leave you reeling. But you know, in that good way. Luke Penny’s voice is often lost in the maelstrom of pulverising power chords, but he’s no grunting hardcore knucklehead. His delivery is an impassioned yelp that’s dripping with anger and a matter-of-fact sneer that instantly sells his conviction, while the band conjure echoes of Die Kreuzen’s’ Century File’ one minute, Blitz’s ‘New Age’ the next. At full pelt, they sound like Protomartyr and Discharge fighting over whose turn it is to slash the cops’ tyres; the rest of the time (say, the scintillating headfuck of creepy-crawling classic ‘Waking Dream’), they’re busy making the holiest of rackets on what’s arguably the best UK punk record since Denim & Leather’s might ‘Sacred Autism’. By the time the scorched-earth anti-psych of closer ‘Stupid Game Part II’ rolls around, you’ll be aware that you’ve been taken on a journey and you’ll want to relive the whole thing as soon as possible. But take a minute to feel grateful that Drunken Sailor are putting this one out into the world, and just in time for us to call it a Christmas gift as well. This album will melt your synapses so you’ve no idea what your brain’s trying to tell you, beyond the certainty that Can Kicker are the ones for you. Records this deliciously brutal yet immediately habit-forming don’t come along often enough - this might be the last chance for a slamdance in 2022, so give your ears a tinnitus-inducing treat.

[engl] After releasing a demo back in 2020 and then heading into hibernation for a few years, only to pop their head out briefly for the occasional show, Perth’s Gaffer drop their debut LP. And it doesn’t disappoint! They’ve churned out twelve tracks of hard-edged punk, post-punk harking back to the scenes of the UK (the mother-land) in the 80s. Bricks, mortar, boots, rain, factory lines, and the pub. However, not a whole lot has changed and so the content of this record is also remarkably modern. It addresses the current crushing stagnation surrounding life, work, and wages today. It’s undeniable: life is tough. We’re all tired, and we’re unsure of the future. But at least we can put back a few drinks and chuck on a record like this. It’s hard to keep up in the modern world, but you get through by the skin of your teeth. “Piles of ear popping punk rock from inside a locked vault where former members of DiE and Cold Meat have been stewing in their own juices and listening to nothing but The Zeros, Blitz, and Chron Gen. This musical escape is a pummelling bop, dragging all and any good graces through a glorious puddle of fuzz, grit, saturation, and agitation. Of all the possible musical notes you can choose on a song, you’re not gonna wanna miss THESE three chords.”

[engl] You can file this one in your mental record bin next to VOM, the Angry Samoans, the Reatards, the Chats (their singer makes an appearance here.), and the Gizmos (my 70s teen band). Y’know, punk-rock with garage guffaws wrapped up in the mix real good. You will find neither grim hardcore nor retro fashion show here. The title track “Good Boy, Bad Boy” reminds me of the Panics, the Bloomington, Indiana punk band after the Gizmos in the early 80s.It’s the aggressive nasal sneer that’s been a mainstay of punktitude since at least Question Mark and Sky Saxon circa 1966. But it’s the opening track “I Wanna Be You” that sounds like the single to me—snarling power-poppy punk with an inverted ironic warning against envy. “Nature Man” is another winner. Is it a modern answer song to the Eden Ahbez/Nat King Cole standard “Nature Boy”? To me, it is! Is there a big Spanish-speaking community in Sudbury? Coz there’s also a song called “Destruye Todo” that takes a mere 24 seconds to “destroy everything.” “Don’t Waste My Time” sounds like a good follow-up to should-be-a-hit-single “I Wanna Be You,” another catchy punker that could be an anthem if anybody was singing along. How about you? Maybe this one? The Chats singer shows up on “Warm Piss.” Yep, you can hear his beer-sodden Oz vocal trading barbs with Jeff’s nasal whine. And there’s more! 18 tracks total! Yay! I got very burned out on punk and garage rockisms in the late 80s. Jazz, noise, and improv turned me on. Hip hop became rock. But my post-2014 Gizmos comeback years perfectly dovetailed with a new generation of punkers who somehow don’t sound tired or full of crap. Who woulda thunk it could NOT suck in this third stupid decade of the 21st Century? Cheers!

[engl] Way out there. From up in the attic, in the village of Cincinnati - the third album from the Drin has arrived to commence 2023. Cold rhythms reverberate through the layers of tape spliced together by Dylan McCartney and his impressive cadre of musical companions. The Drin spawned from a debut cassette edition of 50 on the Future Shock label, since teaming up with both Drunken Sailor and Mangel to issue two LPs. Their loose, careening live unit features members of Corker, Crime of Passing, the Serfs and Fruit LoOops. 'Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom' is the Drin's finest hour as a creative entity. McCartney's incredible command of rhythm lies at the forefront of the mix, complimented by a group that is able to seamlessly transport between post-punk, acid guitar jangle, and krautish experimentalism. There's even a stellar dub track on here. As much as contemporary artists tend to flaunt their affinity for the past - it's entirely worthless to apply such trappings to the Drin. Their genre-expansive abilities and deep knack for rhythm and layering are something entirely new and futuristic. Ohio has never sounded so close to outer space.

[engl] Kalle Hygien's new LP for 2023 continnues on from 2022's "Songs About Chuck" with eight new songs and guests like CP Westman and Mascara Snakes.

[engl] A pivotal figure in Düsseldorf’s Salon Des Amateurs, Stefan Schwander has already amassed a remarkably rich musical reper- toire. Through his Harmonious Thelonious project, he has spent the past dozen years exploring the worlds of Pan-African, South Ameri- can and Middle Eastern rhythms in combination with a minimalistic electronic sound, distilling his very own groove from the point at which they converge. His new album - challengingly entitled “Cheapo Sounds” - sees Schwander move away from tried and trusted recipes.

[engl] Gluer's been around for a couple of years now, started during the pandemic and taking punkrock to new glorious heights as the pandemic started winding down. Here's finally their fifteen song debut! RIYL: Black Flag, Vidro, Hank Wood & the Hammerheads, Dead Kennedys

[engl] Kalle Hygien featuring the Dog Pound! The Dog Pound consists of Benke from Viagra Boys, Andy from Victims and A//Void and Martin from Ras and Assid. Four songs of obnoxious punkrock! 300 copies on black vinyl

[engl] new album! Mega Cooler Indiepunk from Japan.