This past year (2018) was a great year for full length LPs
and 12” EPs. When putting together my list of favorite releases of the year I
noticed it had only a single demo and only a few splits (that ended up getting
trimmed down to just
one). While I tried to balance out these releases it had
me thinking, was this a year of stagnation or fortification. Meaning were bands
just not coming out or were bands that were already established just doubling
down and working harder on their releases pushing out demos that might have
excited me. This question is still on my mind and honestly I’m going to try to
compare it to the list I make at the end of 2019 to see if there are any
correlations.
Now onto my Best of 2018 list(s), the (s) is added on there because
I’m trying to do something different. I’ve noticed I’m buying older records
more than newer records but still paying a lot of attention to new releases and
loving them. I don’t like not owning records I listen to (sometimes) daily.
Something rubs me wrong about that idea. So this first post is a list is the
top releases from 2018 that I own physical copies of and the second post will be
a list of my top releases that I don’t have a physical copy of (yet).
This is
a band that has been on my radar since I first heard their demo last year and
when I saw the art by
Mark McCoy I knew it was going be something to take note
of. I don’t just love this record because pissed off and fast hardcore (that I’m
known to be a sucker for) I love it because it is not without purpose. The band
and its message have a meaning beyond people wanting to tour or have a record
out. It encourages people to think beyond their own experiences. To me, I
needed this band and I need more bands like them, not sonically but emotionally,
with a worldview and lyrics that explore issues rather than just say if they
are wrong or right. For Regional Justice Center the microphone is a spotlight
for those struggling, those locked up and those circumscribed to one narrative
about a particular group of people. It seems obvious but when you live in your
own echo chamber and don’t hear new ideas, new stories, new concepts and our
minds don’t compare and contrast it with our own beliefs we will not grow. And
if you make your life the same day in and day out it doesn’t matter if your
cage is locked or not.
Self
Defense Family (and End of a Year) has been one of my favorite bands for almost
15 years now. A lot has changed, but not that much has changed. Their music has
evolved, but isn’t so far from the original material that it isn’t recognizable
anymore. As a
puritan, this is my favorite of their LPs since Disappear Here. Rather than do an in-depth breakdown of this record (that I would love
to do but don’t have the time for) I’m just going to pull out some of my
favorite lyrics.
“Wall of flowers
between myself and dinner guests / Chain and stanchion between myself and all
the rest.”
-From the song The Supremacy of Pure Artistic Feeling
“I don’t pray but sometimes I find
something worthy of praise / Nature, God, I’m grateful for the problems I’ve
got / Their scope and scale and what they are and what they are not.”
-From the song Watcher At The Well
“Explaining motherhood to a man / Cold
observation but he’s not capable of understanding / Detailing math to a dog / Won’t
retain a word but if you’re lucky he may be a good boy and nod.”
-From the song Have You Considered Anything Else
For most
who stick around in movements it takes conviction. And with conviction strongest
tests come from oneself rather than outside influence. Questions like “does
what I do matter?” and uncertainty can spiral someone away from beliefs they
may have head strong at one point. But if your question is “what else can I do?”
your convictions can only grow stronger. Forewarned lyrics are not direct statements;
they use allusion to make you think about the world beyond your gaze. A world
we all live on and take from every day and at least for me the lyrics make me
question if I can give more back. The more reasons, the more tenets, the more
action you take, the more you put yourself into something; the more you can do
in its name. The final track on this cassette is titled A Thousand Cuts and it
begins with the lyrics “How dare I even raise my voice, against the ills of
this world when they all live in me?” These lyrics are not unlike thoughts I
have had about myself (and others) actions. I have a personal credo; I try to
always have both my feet on my soapbox. Now, this song’s lyrics don’t only
focus on this idea of feeling as if you shouldn’t speak out when you are part
of the problem but it was something that hit me hard when I was listening, like
something I hadn’t felt in a long time. I highly recommend checking Forewarned
out and taking the time to read the lyrics while you listen to it, and then
perhaps taking some time for yourself, outside (weather permitting).
Great Reversals –
Stalactite (Dropping Bombs Records)
The day
before my birthday last year (March 4
th 2017) I got to see Great
Reversals for the first time and I knew from the end of the first song that I
would want
Head2wall Records to work with them. Fast forward to May of this year and
their drummer Eric sent me a message with a link to the record. It didn’t end
up working out where we would be able to be a part of bringing it to the world.
That really sucked, every year I feel like this happens where I hear a record
where I want to do it and we just can’t weather that is because another label
is already attached or things just don’t line up and it always seems that those
records are some of my favorites of those years. 2013:
The Sanity Universal by
Seizures, 2015:
Return to the Valley by Putrid Brew, 2016:
Never by Withdrawal
and 2017:
False Walls by Unfair Fight immediately jump to my mind. They are all
incredible records that might be closer to wounds that I have to pour salt into
because I lot them so.
The Best
Straight Edge Record of 2018. I don’t have anything else to say about this
record that you can’t learn from listening to it. So go listen to it!
Fixation –
Marked (War Records)
If
someone asked me what I want hardcore to sound like in 2018 this is the record
I would play them. Obviously this isn’t what most hardcore sounds like right
now and there are a lot of other great new hardcore bands currently killing it.
But this is my shit. This is what I needed to energize my love of hardcore.
Just go listen to this fucking record.
Blacklisted
is and will always be one of my favorite hardcore bands and though the volume
of their output isn’t what it used to be the few songs that trickle out still
blow me away. These two songs are ones I’ve needed to hear from them for a long
time. The A-side Slow Moments seems to be about how George processes parts of
his own life and the flipside of the record I Should Have Been a Murderer is
about how the world sees him. This contrast is perfect and both these songs are
incredible not just lyrically but musically. Blacklisted is not your average
hardcore band, they are still evolving, growing and creating art that stays
with you beyond just when it’s hitting your ears.
I
picked up this LP when I went to see La Armada on December 14th at
the Seward Café in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve wanted to see them live for
years but have always been out of town or worked when they have played in an
area I was living (I need to stop moving around so much). Well, when I finally did get to see them,
they blew me away. Sometimes you can see the best band of the year, month,
week, hell even just the best live video of a band you may see in a day and
only one or two of the members is moving around or drawing any attention to
them. You can tell the energy of the performance comes from them, they radiate
it. Well La Armada is not one of those bands; they all were exploding with
energy from the first note to the last cymbal crash. And this wasn’t their
first night of tour, it was the last show of a three week run and they still
where incredibly energized.
Big thanks
to Carlos over at
No Echo for his write up about Moonkisser, it helped me find
one of my new favorite bands. Obviously any comparison to Quicksand will grab
my attention and though I hear it, the sound isn’t what reminds me quicksand
the most. It is the energy and attention you can hear in the music. I love music
but these songs pulled me in like no band has since
Renee Heartfelt and
Memorial. My best words for this band couldn’t do it justice; it’s another
record you HAVE to hear.
Ekulu –
Ekulu (Triple B Records)
It has
been a long time since I listened to a record and wished there were more songs.
Usually records are too long or just right. This is Ekulu’s demo as a 7”. Their
next release is my most anticipated release of the future.
A few runner up records I've picked up would be...
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