Hard to know what to say in these intense moments of discouragement. It keeps me up at night to think about ICE terrorizing my city. I really wish I understood better what I could do, what we could do. I went to our city council meeting yesterday to show support for a stronger separation ordinance, the laws that specify that our city employees (including police etc) cannot aid and abet the ICE terrorism. That's a fine start and all, and I don't want to undervalue it, but how much impact does that have on someone getting disappeared?
I do basically believe direct confrontation/direct action is the only solution. Everything we can do to impede, combat, discourage these thugs is worth doing. Easy to say when I'm inside my apartment spinning records and typing on a computer. Harder to do in 20 F winter weather outside. I can look out my window and see that there's no action in my neighborhood, and I don't hear about anything happening in other parts of the city for hours, until the next day (thanks lack of social media lol). I feel guilty that I'm not being the change I want to see, doing myself what I think needs to be done, but I also don't see the practical opportunity. Is the best I can do limited to going to the protest on Sunday? Is the best our city can do just....suffer?
When I see internet videos of neighborhood watch-style groups chasing away ICE gestapo empty-handed, I feel good. When I see internet videos of people getting disappeared, I feel bad. In the end, I get into these rabbit holes of internet videos. I can't take my eyes away. I guess that's only human. Isn't that just our modern relationship to the internet? The whole internet has become a content-feeding machination of surveillance capitalism. That's a big part of why I try not to be on it too much anymore.
Towards that end, I'll stop there.
Except for this piece of housekeeping information.
I'm going out of town from December 22 to January 25. Back to Baltimore for my winter trip. Any orders placed around that time will ship after I return. Thanks for your patience and understanding. There'll be a BIG distro update at the end of January.
-Dan
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DECEMBER NEW ARRIVALS
I'll start this off with one final SPHC release to squeeze into this year: a new LP by one of the GOATs of punk, Active Minds. They exemplify many of the qualities I find most redeeming and exciting about DIY punk: commitment to DIY and the network of friends, talking the talk AND walking the walk of thoughtful progressive politics, anti-commercial attitude, touring the world and bringing the bands of the world to their home country on tour. Musically, they're a consistent band, they have a signature style that still allows them some breathing room to run with interesting choices when they want to. At this point every new LP always going to have a couple KILLER tracks, always going to have some interesting new ideas, always going to be thought-provoking and relevant. What other band is directly calling out Saudi Arabia right now?? Good for them. For me, they're like Seein Red....I need EVERY record.....so much so that I needed a couple hundred of them in my living room LOL.
HARDCORE FOR THE HARDCORE. The highlight of this month's hardcore stuff is the debut GAZE LP, which I think is the one record that miiiight best the Dart LP for the album of the year. Both are special records, I think, and I'm fortunate I was able to release one of them. Song for song, I just don't think anybody else is writing hardcore at such an elevated level this year (Kuroishi LP is in the conversation too though). God damn, Finland really got it going on huh?
But I don't want to underestimate new Slang LP either. Slang remains one of the best live bands I've ever seen, and they've amassed a STRONG discography over the years. Every LP is a killer. I'm excited for everything they do, and the new LP is a wonderful synthesis of all their ideas over the years. Raging Japanese hardcore in a traditional style, with the mosh undertones (see: that breakdown in "Stop Killing Children For Oil") of their old material and the relentless d-beat-influenced attack of their new material (see: those 2 tracks that are less than 60 seconds long). All I'm saying is, if I heard that groove "Why is the World Silent" in a fucked up basement, I would be punching a hole through a wall. Essential record.
If you're more in the mood for old stuff, we got all the latest FOAD reissues, like this Discharge live LP and a Stalag 17 discography LP that I'm excited to dig into, straight from the Furious Years of Italian hardcore and I tend to LOVE all that stuff but I've never spent time with Stalag 17 before.
Here at BIP, we stock both kinds of music: hardcore AND punk.
And there's nothing more punk than a new Wankys tape. A band so near and dear to my heart, that changed my life forever, that is synonymous with SPHC Records to me. And all these years later....they sound as good as ever, playing all the hits with all the noise, distortion, and chaos you could want. Kuroishi played 2 gigs with them in the UK by coincidence, fuck they were GREAT, I couldn't have been happier singing along to "Princess Wanky" after all these years. More news from The Wankys camp....next year.
Basically as thrilling as a new Wankys tape is this Antisocialiniai Psichopatai LP, a vinyl version of their demo tape from a few years ago. It's like they heard my plea from across the ocean! Because this is a flawless piece of pogo-ing noise-ing punk music, maybe a bit similar to Ignorantes but eastern European not South American. Brilliant shit.
Speaking of my pleas, I'm glad debut Kato LP found its way into the world. This band made an impression on me in a live setting, and the LP lives up to that feeling. Rock solid Finn-influenced crasher crust from here in the midwest.
And finally, I'm so excited to throw on new Esperanza CD. I've been a fan since Eddie did an American pressing of the first 7" over a decade ago, and I was so happy to see them back in action at Kappunk last year. This style of newer generation "raw punk"/attack punk stuff, influenced by Scandinavian PUNK and UK82, a bit loose and vaguely tuneful and a little raw, sits really well with me. See also Skizophrenia/Deletar split 7". Although I dunno, is it fair to say this is really a newer generation style anymore? Last Survivors has been a band for like 20+ years now LOL, The Savages and Raw Distractions already came and went, etc etc.
ANYWAY if you got a need for speed, we got that covered too. Can't go wrong with two legends on one record like Yacopsae/Slight Slappers split 7", or with an old classic like Suppression on a split 7" with Landfill. If you got your finger on the pulse, you're probably already up on Moribund Punishment new split 7", one of the rising stars of Japanese power violence hardcore.
But what's made the biggest impression on me, not exactly a speed one, but this Erosion LP is fucking GREAT. Sometimes I wax poetic with my friends, "where are all the bands that sound like His Hero is Gone and Unruh?"....well, I guess they're in Canada at the moment, because this Erosion LP is the best record of that 90's metallic hardcore niche I've heard in fucking years. Powerhouse shit, maybe a bit leaning into a Martyrdod sense of d-beating, but it's HEAVY like His Hero is Gone was heavy and fast in second and third LPs. Cool record.
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coming next:
more Black Konflik stuff
Swedish and Japanese and USA d-beat extravaganza
power-pop from around the world
obscure Japanese hardcore CDs
Revolucion X discography LP wow cool
Katorga/Asocial Terror Fabrication split 7"
Minneapolis bands demo tapes
more More MORE
Thanks and talk more later.
FEDERAL WORKERS, HOLD THE LINE AND DON'T RESIGN.
-Dan
