A split ten inch record that spans the globe, this split features two songs a piece from Bears and Todos Caerán. The former of which hails all the way from Tasmania, Australia while the later resides in the chilly streets of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. If that’s not a global split, I don’t know what its.
Combining post-hardcore and screamo, Bears function with a restrained sense of emotion and anticipation, always teetering on the brink of explosion. For their part, Todos Caerán continue where they left off with their self-titled release. Heavier and slower than their counterpart, Todos Caerán throws back to the early nineties wave of hardcore/screamo. Abrasive at times and sometimes intricately beautiful, Todos Caeran are not for the weak of heart but for those ready for the return of true screamo.
Kicking off this free music December madness is hardcore group Kids. The band features the drummer from Captain, We’re Sinking, and features a blistering pace and rabid beats that make it the perfect soundtrack to mark this free music frenzie!
I often neglect the hardcore enthusiasts on this blog, so here’s one that just graced the inbox and is certain to make up for my neglect. Twenty tracks of raw, brutal hardcore courtesy of Bullet Tooth and put together by Jamey Jasta and Hatewear Industries.
Here’s some aggressive punk rock from Toronto in the form of two EPs. The band is known as The New Enemy, and the Two EPs are known as Outsourced and Shakedown, released in 2008 and 2009. For both outings the band actually enlisted Canadian punk legend Simon Head (SNFU, Closet Monster) as producer. Both great introductions worth checking out.
I haven’t posted any 80′s style hardcore in a while, so here’s a disc by Subverse to remedy that reality. Full of energy and pure destruction, this Vancouver band aggressively straddles the line between thrash and punk.
I think this is the first classic piece of punk on this blog as of now, and I couldn’t think of a better piece to kick off with. Seamen existed in the 90′s around the Vancouver punk scene and apparently put out a little gem by the name of Liquor Face. It’s fast, sloppy, surprisingly well mastered, and embodies everything Vancovuer’s hardcore scene stood for in the 90′s.
Local Edmonton hardcore act, and great friends of mine, Todos Caerán, just dropped their self-titled debut on Calgary’s Bart Records. The five song cassette plays through with energy, passion and distortion – a throw back to the now all too extinct emo/hardcore wave of the mid-nineties. It teeters on the edge, pulling you in with steadily growing anticipation before exploding through your speakers to fully captivate you, keeping you there with a sense of perfectly restrained emotion. Throw in some introspective lyrics and you have yourself one solid debut. MyEndlessMinutes are hosting a free download of the cassette here. The download password is “mem”. If you like what you hear, pick up a copy fromBart Recordsfor five bucks.
Taken right from the news section: “Florida’s Spanish Gamble is giving away free advanced digital copies of their upcoming Paper + Plastick debut It’s All Coming Down. The album is set for a March 23, 2010 release date and includes a both vinyl and cd package.”
The album is gruff, rough, and tough, check it out if that’s your thing.
Maybe I was a bit brash with my last ska related conclusion that North American Ska died after the 90′s. Readers like Susan and Carlos point out that Streetlight Manifesto and Catch 22 rose to fame over the past decade and it’s true, if you dig deep enough you can uncover some really great recent innovation in the genre. Keasbey Nights, for example, took over my playlists for years. But at the same time, those are exceptions to the rule, even in the underground. Gone are the days of finding a million Reel Big Fish clones on Moon Ska Records (which depending on who you are, might be for the better). Consequently you’re much more likely to stumble upon ska groups like Germany’s Dirty Bees overseas than back at home. Anyway, tangent aside, Dirty Bees are a fantastic street punk inspired ska group with a tight brass section and sloppy vocalist making for an undeniably fun time.
Bytow, Poland’s No Se are the latest band to offer their album as a free download. This hardcore punk band plays coarse punk with angry vocals like Poison Idea, Negative Approach, and Agnostic Front.
