Epitonic Newsletter: Vol. 4, No. 28 'Classic Hardcore on the 'Tonic'
07/30/02
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One of the godfathers of hardcore has come to Epitonic in the one- and-only Bad Brains, who along with Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Minutemen, and others, played a crucial role in punk's fierce evolution during the early years of Reagan's America. The great ROIR label was the first to capture Bad Brains' punishing hardcore-reggae hybrid, releasing the group's eponymous cassette-only debut album, which featured the single "Pay to Cum," available to you here in the bold new mp3 format. ROIR has recently re-released the seminal album on CD and you can purchase it online from Insound or from your local independent record store.
Emperor Norton is asking for help in making Norwegian rockers the Cato Salsa Experience kings of MTV by voting checking the box next to their name in MTV's Viewer's Pick contest. The video for their first single "So the Circus Is Back in Town" features the Nordic quartet kicking out the jams in front of numerous different garages -- an appropriate enough theme for a fledgling garage band. They're up against some stiff competition, including a video by former At The Drive-In members Sparta (visit their Epitonic page to download a track from the Dreamworks website). So if you feel the Salsa, or the Sparta, make sure to vote. And by the way, if you want to really experience Cato Salsa, check out the session they recorded with Nic Harcourt on the KCRW radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic.
We'll be back with you at the beginning of next week.
"Pay To Cum"
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Bad Brains
Hardcore spawned from punk rock in the early '80s as a more violent and more aggressive form of the underground, and DC's Bad Brains were among the most influential and pioneering hardcore groups ever, mixing reggae with their lightning fast bursts of rage.
"So, The Circus Is Back in Town"
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Cato Salsa Experience
Righteous and frenzied garage rock that's a near dead ringer for the bombastic proto-punk and proto-metal of late '60s England and America, but which actually comes from a present-day Norwegian quartet.
"One Armed Scissor"
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At The Drive-In
At the Drive-In makes thickly textured, confrontational rock with a professionally polished edge. Don't be fooled by the clean lines, though: these boys are starting a rock revolution. Will you join?
"Something Wicked"
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The Herbaliser
The duo of Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba has been turning out beat-heavy hip hop since '92 for London's finest, Ninja Tune. Is it just us, or does their music get better and better with each release?
"Eggs"
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Ginkgo
In addition to being one of our planet's oldest living trees, Ginkgo is a foursome from France that produces downtempo and house par excellence.
"Return Of The Spooky Driver"
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Andy Votel
Andy Votel is one busy man. He runs Manchester, England's popular Twisted Nerve record label, which he co-founded in 1998, and works as a DJ, remixer, and graphic designer, leading one to wonder how much he sleeps. A hodgepodge of musical influences, Styles of the Unexpected is Votel's first solo album and features some of his best production work to date.
"Live at The End (Very End Mix)"
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Readymade
Readymade's sophisticated brand of synthetic electro and elastic techno falls somewhere between soulful Detroit techno and intelligent European dance music. Paris-based F Communications was the first label to recognize his talent, but probably won't be the last.
"Take Me Higher"
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Mellow
French electro-pop trio Mellow crafts contemporary homages to '60s psychedelia and '70s progressive with 21st Century instrumentation and studio tools. If Syd Barrett were still making music, it might sound like this.
"Stalker Song"
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King of Woolworths
Mancunian sound artist Jon Brooks makes eclectic and evocative electronic-based music filled with disorienting samples, peculiar allusions, and unexpected stylistic appropriations. Sometimes King of Woolworths sounds like music for films, at others like music for dreams.
"Head over Heels"
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Ian Crause
Former Disco Inferno frontman Ian Crause continues to solider on, his trusty sampler at his side, making anachronistic but delightful pop music.
"My Pal Foot Foot"
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Deerhoof
San Francisco's Deerhoof takes the wide-eyed innocence of the conventional pop song and mutates it, perverts it, undermines it, performs dangerous experiments on it, ending up with messy gems marked by screeching vocals, dissonant guitars, squirting electronics, and some surprisingly good tunes.
"Shop For America"
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Bratmobile
Bratmobile pioneered the riot grrrl movement in the early nineties and then reformed in 1999 to give us more dizzying doses of the new wave punk rock that made them so loved and admired.
"Man Overboard"
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Matt Keating
Idiosyncratic New York singer-songwriter Matt Keating is a well-kept secret among Americana music enthusiasts, equally at home with stripped-down acoustic music and rousing power pop.
"Sisters"
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The Radar Bros.
The Radar Bros. make warm, shimmering, slow motion rock songs that sneak into your heart with low-key attitude and a countrified sheen. They are an old porch rocking chair on a warm summer's evening, a quiet moment with an good friend, and late afternoon sunlight washing over spring-green foothills.
