#7 My Favorite Citizen

Of all the bands to have graced my precious, adolescent ears, My fucking Favorite Citizen amused them the most. They managed to poop out a triumphant number of four songs, known to my hearing. Other songs that have appeared on a comp and were scheduled to appear on an lp remain lost to me. I can safely say that both of us agree that this band holds a special place in our bitter, misanthropic hearts. Hailing from New Jersey, My Favorite Citizen crafted a career which few paid attention. Their first notorious show was at a Mcdonalds, which rumored to be so intense that the cops were called to control the crowd. They played with the likes of Antartica(ex-christie front drive), Rocketscience, Weston, Dillinger Four, You and I, Miracle of 86, and All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavors. I wonder what lucky bastards got to see them with Miracle of 86 and Appleseed Cast. I was barely seven at the time. Yes, go on, laugh your asses off. Anyways, forunately the vocalists take turns struttin' their frail, whiny voices. Those whiny, whiny voices. The vocals are so bad its good and its probably the best I've heard; Cap n Jazz comes close followed by Kossabone Red. 10+ scene points for name dropping! As far as their sound is concerned, they have low quality recordings and their lyrics are damn near impossible to decipher by ear. It has been rumored for a long time that they will be releasing a discography, but until then I'll keep getting a boner over these tracks. I hope you will too.
discography hah!

#6: Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst

For those who already know this album, you know what you're getting into. For those who don't, you're in for it. This is the first release from Kool Keith's alter ego "Dr. Octagon". This whole thing lyrically is just off on some extraterrestrial, gynecologist shit. Keith brings Dan The Automator to produce this album, so you know the beats are going to be just as crazy. Kool Keith is crazy, no seriously, he did Mankind's theme song from WWF, let alone spent time up in a mental house. This is one of the most proclaimed underground hip hop albums of all time, but you'd never hear some sci-fi flow about Star Wars and gynecologists on the radio. Sir Menelik has an appearance under the alter ego "Chewbacca Uncircumsized" on a couple tracks that really add to this album. I'm not here to candy coat it like some pussy Pitchfork review, this whole album is fucked up. This is an acid trip with smart, spastic lyrics with sci-fi sampled beats that will have you asking "What the fuck?". Something your snap-beat r&b friends definitely won't pick up on.

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#5 : What Life Is 2007 Demo

Alright, let's get this done with quick because I premature ejaculate. These guys added me on myspace a few months back, and instantly hooked. This demo is the real 5-5-5 deal, fuck Dominoes. 5 tracks, 5 minutes, 5mb. Not to get all gloom and doom about how bad hardcore has sucked lately, but it's true. What Life Is throws all of that right out the window and from the window comes a breath of fresh air. This demo is exactly what I want out of hardcore punk, it's fast, heavy, and pissed off. You west coast kids have everything. I could just keep on going and just saying how awesome this band is, but I don't wanna sound like some Bridge 9 asshole. Just download it and get a new pair of underwear ready.

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#4: Anagrophobic Nosebleed / Converge : The Poacher Diaries

The great thing about this split is that both bands compliment each other in a way that has only been pulled off every so often. Agoraphobic Nosebleed delivers with 9 tracks of more of the same, but different. Most people would like to make their drum machine the most apparent attribute to this band, but I'd have to take the riffs here. It shreds, it thrashes and keeps you begging for more. Your ears will be mashed harder than a Thanksgiving pot of potatoes. Converge on the other hand, comes with 6 tracks between their releases "When Forever Comes Crashing" and "Jane Doe". This is a little different from the Converge most people know. Not the over produced, crisp feeling we're used to. They absolutely rip on these tracks here. This was the last taste of Converge before the release and transformation of "Jane Doe". This side of the split is one inside of itself. Starts of with some fast, heavy tracks tracks that totally shred. Right before you know it, an attack from outerspace of incomprehensive hits you hard enough to make sure you're still listening to the same album. By "outerspace", I mean this stuff brings back memories of a few Cave-In albums. (Who would've thought?). This 15 track, 35 minute ear mashing split brings two of the biggest names in their respective genre. Nothing to pass up.

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#3 Iron Lung-Cold Storage (A Discography)

Thanks eBay, I still steal your images. Speaking of steal, that's exactly what this is. Iron Lung gives you a discography of sorts covering vinyl and compilation tracks. Well, Iron Lung brings new life to west coast power violence. Although it's played dark and heavy, this brings a reminiscence of the "fastcore" style we all know and love perfected by Infest, Crossed Out, etc. Released in 2005 by Fuck Yoga records, this covers the tracks from the following releases:
"Iron Lung / Lana Dagales Split LP"
"Demonstrations In Pressure & Volume EP"
"Iron Lung / Teen Cthulhu Split EP"
"Iron Lung / Brainoil Split EP"
"Iron Lung / BG Split EP"
"Irong Lung / Quattro Stagioni Split 5""
and the compilations
"Reno : Where Dreams Come True"
"Distrubing The Peace"
34 tracks in as many minutes, so you know this is fast and intense. Just too bad it's not 68 tracks in 68 minutes.

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#2: V/A: The 26th

Council Records has always been one of my favorite labels, but this is one of the defining releases for me. You can find this anywhere from their site to Interpunk, to Ebullition for less than $4. Think Mof this as an "Ode to Michigan" compilation. .Nema, Bev.Clone, Constatines Sankathi, Mainspring and Wallside come together with an individual track together to last 10 minutes. I'll try my best to sum this up in order of tracks. .Nema starts this thing off with some down-tempo, heavy, crust track. There is virtually no production to this track, just the way I like it. Vocals are split into this deep Assück shout and this more mid 90's hardcore emo flailing shout. Bev.Clone are next up, bringing a fun and fast "hardcore emo" track. Some weird parts in it, almost inaudible. It breaks down so nicely towards the middle, just to be picked right back up. Get everything you can by this band. They rule too hard to write about. Constatine Sankathi plays the trumpet. Don't get the wrong idea, it is played so bad and messy in a way it is totally gnarly. I have dubbed them "the worst trumpeting of all time, but the best trumpetmo of all time." Their discography is easy to get a hold of and is worth every penny. Mainspring's track on this reminds me of the original Dawn Of The Dead. The intro reminds me of the music played in the mall. It would be awesome to kill zombies to this, but they'd just end up killing themselves finding their 7". Mainspring plays melodically and heavy, but just as flaily and shouty as all the mid 90's emo was. Next up is Wallside. Wallside is one of my favorite bands in the genre and in general. They play this blend of fast and groovy hardcore. The vocals don't sound so unique, but I can't think of any comparisons to this band. Everything they've put out has been solid, so whatever you do. Look for it. Their CD can be found on Interpunk along with this 7", so spend the $2000 they're asking for it. It is so hard to define the sound of these bands, it is a blend of heavy hardcore and emo that is repeatedly referred to as "hardcore emo". It's that short stint of mid 90's midwest bands that only had a few 7" then died faster than a Fox Sitcom.

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#1: Garden Variety-Knocking the Skill Level

Out of all the bands to dwell in the 'emo' underground, Garden Variety held some of the most energy. Yet, this band still managed to become overlooked amidst the revival in the interest of the whole genre. They released notable splits with Jejune, Dahlia Seed, and Hellno. Knocking the Skill Level marks Garden's second and last album. Not only did they produce a monumental album, whose sound spawned an array of punk bands later to come, it also successfully pissed off the punk purists concerned with categorizing them. This album holds its place in my heart as one of the my favorite releases of that decade. Skill Level contains some of the most infectious melodies, which can only be paralleled to mix tape neighbors such as Franklin and Lync. Each song contains powerful chords that slow gracefully into oddly catchy harmonies. On second thought, let's drop the horrible high school creative essay bullshit. This album ruled. No doubt about it. The great thing about this album lies in the fact that theres no need to hit skip on your cd player because the songs manage to pull you back in with a catchy tune, just when they are about to lose you. That's not to say this is an easy listen. It takes a number of spins to appreciate all the songs. So basically, this is a record that will have you jumping and screaming in your room like the passionate and naive teenager you really are. Give it a try, you might like it!

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