Wind Waker - s/t EP

This is the debut recording for Perth's dexterous youths Wind Waker, who have risen ever so triumphantly from the ashes of The Blow-Up. I was blown away when I heard this for the first time and it's easily one of the best records I've heard thus far this year. They are quite frankly masterful when they play live, and their combined precision translates gloriously to recording. Clancey howls and trills about the flaws of others, swiftly thumbing away at her guitar with addictive patterns that change when you least expect them to. Wil is just retarded (-ly adept) at bass and at complementing his lady friend's guitar work. Unfortunately the drummer on this record, Louis III, is no longer with the band (that honour goes to Ringham of Taco Leg/Whalehammer/a-million-other-bands fame). Regardless, his fluent and seemingly effortless playing fits in with the other sounds perfectly. Wind Waker are like one of those jigsaw puzzles with the irregular-shaped pieces. I'm not sure quite how they manage to fit together to create what we're left with - a flawless, structured record that speaks of inexhaustible talents.

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Kerosene 454 - Situation At Hand

I've been listening to this constantly for the last few weeks so I thought it'd be neat to share. Sprawling post-hardcore with emo overtones. The Dischord tag should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect... It's melodic and slightly poppy and there's a lot of 'grungy' style singing which might turn a lot of people away but what the fuck.

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Teenage Panzerkorps - Knut Hamsun

Since forming in 2001, members of the Teenage Panzerkorps (Der TPK) gather every now and then, from the far reaches of the planet, to record short, fuzzy lo-fi songs for your listening pleasure. They're less about pop songs than they are about extremely pleasurable drones. That being said, this EP on Captured Tracks is probably more about actual songs than their previous releases. Three songs, around six minutes of languid tunes that wouldn't have gone astray in the 80s. Plus, who doesn't love a German vocalist with a cavernous voice speaking over music that sounds familiar somehow and makes you reach for the recliner lever on your La-Z-Boy.

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Snuff Film - s/t CS

It makes me hugely sad to think that I was (and still am) on the other side of the planet when Snuff Film played their one and only show, and that this is the only release they'll ever bestow upon their loving public. Snuff Film is a collaboration between Ecoli and Migraine, two quality bands from the Bay Area. I prefer this to either band. Hell, I prefer this to anything. When they play fast it's frenzied and ripping as fuck, it sounds real chaotic but it's all very precise and it wouldn't surprise me if they were perfectionists. When they play slow it's gut-wrenching, like the whole world is being pulled apart seam by seam, or at least your insides. The songs are called The Actor, Subject, Director, Camera Man and Producer and they're about as obscene and as demanding of your attention as I imagine the set of a snuff film to be. I guess this is a concept cassette? I find this tape very sexy in a filthy and abrasive kind of way. I think you might still be able to get a copy from Drone Errant.

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Butthole Surfers - Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac

Absolutely fucking essential psychedelic punk record. If you didn't get the hint that everyone in this group was so far deep into the acid-stained recesses of their own mind by this record and it sounded too 'weird' for you then you will probably never enjoy, or 'get' this kind of music. Everything here is a completely LSD-damaged shitstorm of bizarre vocal effects, screaming delayed guitar and stammering synth dickheadery (yeah). While the Butthole Surfers are probably better known amongst the youngsters for the song featured in the lame computer game 'guitar's hero' or the chart topping 'Pepper', this record is a serious display of broken-minded idiocy and a test of even the most avid hipster's mental stamina.

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Dry-Rot - Permission 7"

Dry-Rot are a hardcore punk band from southern California that play noisy, ugly songs. I like to think of their sound as a mix between Void and something like the Jesus Lizard. They've built up a pretty controversial reputation, due in no small part to the Christian beliefs held by the members of the group, as well as their alienating and violent live shows (the band broke up a year or so ago when guitarist Jordan poured a bottle of bleach over vocalist Drew's head in the middle of a set, but they've since reformed, don't worry). There need to be more bands like Dry-Rot in this age of myspace accounts and disposable internet personalities (the irony of typing this on an online blog isn't lost on me). Permission contains what I'd say is the bands best material, sounding like latter-day Void (the song Permission almost directly appropriates the song structure of Ignorant People from the Faith split), definitely an emphasis on the 'loud and slow' dynamics employed by a lot of 'weird' hardcore bands nowadays. There's a really weird droning indie rock tune to close off the EP as well (this style was explored to a bizarre extent on the Lumberyard EP, and is developed into a sound more fitting the band's Touch n Go style on their new LP, Philistine). I could write pages about how every facet of this band's identity intrigues me but I'll cut it short; download this and check out everything the band has done, they are one of the most important hardcore punk bands playing music today and their records are more than worthy of your hard earned Benjamins.

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The Shadow Ring - City Lights

This band was super weird. They formed in the UK in 1993 and were around, being weird, for ten years or so. This was their first record and was put out on their own label, later going on to sign with Siltbreeze. Their efforts are far from polished; they were playing shoddy amateurish guitar before it was cool. Spoken word and what sounds like somebody hitting pots and pans over atonal uncomplicated guitar that sounds superb in its unsophisticated reiterations. It all doesn't quite add up, yet somehow does.. Some people would no doubt think this band is shit, but they probably wouldn't be reading this blog if they did.

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