Six…No Skips, a monthly recommendation series from 185 Miles South. I’ll tread through the 50 years of punk and hardcore to pluck out some records that I think are good enough to merit you giving them a spin. ‘70s punk singles to one of the best of the 2020s, I got you.
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Let’s jump in…
1. Menace – G.L.C. 7” (1978)
Dude, it’s “G.L.C.” You know it, you love it, but that’s not why I chose this. I had my Itunes on shuffle one day and the B-side, “I’m Civilised,” popped on. What was this? I thought to myself. Have I lived my whole life as the ultimate Menace poser who only liked “G.L.C.”? Shameful, I know. I’m straight up baffled by how good this song is. So do yourself a favor and jam both like I did three times today already.
Jam these tracks: “G.L.C.” / “I’m Civilised”
2. RIISTETYT – SKITSOFRENIA LP (1983)
Ever since Daniel from Sorry State did the Finnish starter kit, I’ve spent a lot of time with hardcore records from that country and have carved out a slew of favorites. A handful of them appeared in the 1st wave Euro hardcore 7” tournament that we did last year: Terveet Kädet Ääretön Joulu, Rattus Rajoitettu Ydinsota, Mellakka Ei…, and Kaaos Totaalinen Kaaos. For 7”s, I’d add the Tampere SS record too. For LPs, it’s Appendix Ei Raha Oo Mun Valuuttaa, Bastards Järjetön Maailma, the first two Rattus 12”s, and my favorite, the one we’re talking about today, Riistetyt Skitsofrenia.
A unique thing about the Finnish HC bands compared to their 1st wave American counterparts is that they all got better as they went along. For so many early USHC bands, their first record is by far their best. By the time Riistetyt put out Skitsofrenia, they had already ripped a split 7”, their own exclusive 7”, a couple demos, a bunch of comp tracks, and their first LP, Valtion Vankina. So it’s kinda wild to think the next thing that they put out was going to be the one, but it was.
Their sound is totally dialed in on Skitsofrenia, blending the power of UK 82 with the sheer unbridled wildness of their early run. The recording captures it perfectly, letting the rippers rip and the plodding songs like “Odotus” and “Irtolainen” sound pummeling. There are memorable parts all over this thing, like that riff on “Vapaaehtoiset Kuolemaan” that sits between the verses or the opening of “Ala Elämään” that makes you feel like you’re falling down a mountain. The record doesn’t lull either—some of my favorite songs are on the B-side. The title track kicks it off on the flip and “Rotat” into “Takaa-Ajettu” might be my favorite 1-2 on the LP.
Havoc did an American press of this, so it’s not that hard to come by.
Jam these tracks: “Vapaaehtoiset Kuolemaan” / “Ala Elämään” / “Skitsofrenia”
3. OUTSPOKEN – A LIGHT IN THE DARK LP (1992)
This is one of the first hardcore records I got into and it’s still one of my favorites and super important to me. I love that it’s deathly serious and how nothing sounds like it, not even anything else in their own catalog. In my head, it’s the spiritual follow up to Verbal Assault’s Trial LP—a driving, 3/4 fast, powerful hardcore punk album with an all-time frontman laying down masterful lyrics on the top of it all. Dude, “false illusions and lies draw us into a losing game that we cannot win”…c’mon…too good.
The opening guitar riff is iconic, as are the first lines John Coyle spits when the whole band kicks in.
I've seen some change so fast
It was in a flash
Will their sincerity last?
As soon as the next bandwagon rolls along, their old feelings will be gone
They'll be moving on.
True dat!
If you’re a bassline head, this album has a plethora of them for you. No less than four songs kick off with the bass sans its six-string counterpart, with “Burning” probably being my favorite. Every track on this record has a memorable part, whether it’s a riff, a lyric, or something like how the drums change from the fills to a straight beat at the end of “This Human Machine.” Even the closing track, “Prisoner,” which clocks in at four minutes and drags a little, still hits you with a memorable opening and those huge "you can't imprison my mind" sections.
My favorite song on the record is the 3rd one, “Daydream.” They tap into some of the bounce that they displayed on the title track of their first 7”, Survival, and Coyle’s flow is so tight. Adding that little clean channel guitar on the chorus is a masterful chef’s kiss. Yeah, yeah…the whale sounds are sick too.
Jam these tracks: “A Light in the Dark” / “Daydream” / “Outside My Window”
4. INEPSY – CITY WEAPONS LP (2005)
One time I was in a strip club in London, Ontario, having a good time watching a single mom apathetically shake her hips while she smoked a cigarette. As a show of solidarity I joined her, lighting up a Parliment as I tossed a $2 coin onto the stage in appreciation.
“DUDE, THEY’RE GOING TO KILL ME!!”
What the fuck, man? I turned to my left and it’s my bud, Bedge, in a full on panic. Apparently a menacing, portly woman had sidled up to him and whispered in his ear, “Buy me a beer or I’ll have you killed” before gesturing to a couple shady looking bikers in the back.
You’ll have to get into those podcast archives to see how this story ends, but anyway…my point is that I imagine those bikers listened exclusively to Bon Scott era AC/DC, Motorhead, and Inepsy.
You can miss me with 90% of motorcharged (motorcrust?) bands, but Inepsy rules. This record is full on, you guessed it, Motorhead worship with the punk sensibilities dialed up to 10—a much better Canadian export than Bret Hart or Sum 41 for sure.
Jam these tracks: “Invading City Weapons” / “City Weapons” / “No Order! Disorder”
5. LINE OF SIGHT – DISSENT 7” (2018)
Ever since the Supersoul comp put the final death nail in the ‘90s youth crew revival, we haven’t witnessed another significant rebirth of that style. The First Step emerged shortly after and carried the torch for a while and then at some point Mindset seemed to take over. Other than that, it’s been pretty grim. No other band of the genre has done a great LP in the past 25 years and few have really matched their dynamism even in smaller doses.
One who who did was Line of Sight with their Dissent 7”. These five songs clock in at roughly seven minutes and are oozing with the elements that subpar bands of this genre lack: anger and intensity. The aggressive youth crew toms on “Raze,” the Insted/UC worship on “Dissent,” the full-throttled YOLO on “Show of Force.” This is the good shit.
Jam these tracks: “Dissent” / “Show of Force”
6. BLOODSTAINS – ANTI-SOCIAL 7” (2023)
Yeah, it’s OC but there’s no cool ocean breeze, no hint of salt in the air. You’re still nursing that hangover from too many kamikazes last night and you can almost feel the heat of the pavement through the bottom of your Chucks. You’ve got another couple miles to go ‘til you’re home and the only thing keeping you going is the three songs you’ve been jamming on repeat from that band your buddy hipped you to. The band is Bloodstains and you swear those tunes could’ve been written within the walls of 1801 East Wilshire Ave, Unit 2 in Fullerton. You weren’t even alive when the blue album or Living In Darkness dropped so this is the closest you’re going to get and you know it.
Jam these tracks: “Anti-Social” / “Extinction”
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