NO MAN'S SLAVE

admittedly, i didn't really "get" infest 'till i heard this LP. i kind of always felt that their songs were kind of so-so and denunzio's vocals were kind of unfortunate sounding when compared to the other original powerviolence bands (neanderthal, crossed out, man is the bastard, no comment). but NO MAN'S SLAVE totally flipped all those opinions over and now i can safely say that infest is one of my all time favorites, of any genre, and i love everything they've recorded now.


from start to finish this record is just unforgiving and FIERCE. it is brutal and it is mean and it is ugly. starting with probably the best sample to start a record of a heavy band, the record sets off with "cold inside", a breakneck-paced explosion of heavily fuzzed guitars, mental-speed blasts and the most pissed off vocals. ever. and that never lets up for all of both sides, save for the epic "my world...my way" at the end.

its so far from formulaic though. each song is strong and dynamic on its own, and domino's hooks are so scathing. like i said before, the thing i always liked the least about infest were the vocals, and while i really enjoy them now, i still think this is denunzio's best. the vocals match this record so perfectly, equally as raging as the songs are at every second. for the time, even though they had been a band for close to 10 years by the time they recorded it, NO MAN'S SLAVE was and still is far ahead of the curve from what pretty much any fast hardcore band was doing at that time. the LP was recorded in 1996 before infest broke up, and i guess was shelved until 2000 when denunzio finished the vocals (with a little assistance here and there from andy of no comment). its actually kind of crazy to think that afer 4 years its pretty amazing that it ever did get released, but its so good that they did.

this is absolutely crucial listening. infest did for hardcore in the 90's what black flag did for hardcore in the 80's. absolute unprecedented inspiration for so many other amazing bands to follow. own this because it's been repressed and its still pretty available and it sounds so much better on wax.

1) Cold Inside
2) Feeling Mean
3) Sick Machine
4) Upright Mass
5) Terminal Nation
6) In His Name
7) Behind This Tongue
8) What's Your Claim?
9) True Violence
10) Sickman
11) Punchline
12) Contact
13) Effort Falls Down
14) You're A Star
15) Freeze Dried
16) Rabid Pigs
17) Lying To Myself
18) Nazi Killer
19) My World . . . My Way


NO MAN'S SLAVE

ALTON ELLIS SINGS ROCK & SOUL

recently reissued in small quantities as always by portland's champions of sound Mississippi records, this soul-reggae classic from Alton Ellis (who sadly passed away last year) is probably some of his finest work. released in 1967 and recorded at studio one, "Alton Ellis Sings Rock & Soul" is a sweet and soulful departure from the more upbeat rocksteady sounds of the time. Ellis' voice is strong and forward, but just as much smoothed over in a sweet coolness. the horns arrangements are totally unique in my opinion and theres strong catchy melodies aplenty. i wasn't aware how much i was actually playing this record 'till i looked at my last.fm and found that "ain't that lovin' you", probably the most choice track here, was my number one played song over all!

more chilled out old-school summer vibes music to make you wish you weren't reading this but out enjoying the sun, like backyard BBQ style or something. dig in.






HERE
(big up's to oliver, paths are gonna cross soon man!)

TORE UP

smiley lewis, known best for his song "i hear you knockin'" was a big player in the early soul/ R'n'B scene in new orleans. he died way too early in 1966, but he managed to leave behind a wealth of amazing singles, one of them being this amazing jammer "TORE UP". this song fucking COOKS! huge orchestration, perfect harmonies and horns, a jumpy upbeat, a languid sax solo that drips with soul, and of course front and center is lewis' amazing NOLA-style bluesy belt and doo-wop picking. put this on and i guarantee bodies will move. heavy in the running for this summer's #1 jam.



TORE UP

COMPLETE FIGHTING MUSIC

the undisputed and pivotal band that birthed the genre called "power violence", Neanderthal was Eric Wood (Man Is The Bastard, Bastard Noise, Crossed Out) and Matt Domino (Infest, Deathdose). their absolutely mental speed and brutality were unmatched for their time, and for basically never playing live and only having a couple official releases, the influence that these 8 tracks had on modern fast hardcore is amazing and undeniable.


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OH GRAVEYARD, YOU CAN'T HOLD ME ALWAYS

another amazing compilation from Mississippi records that, like everything they put out, was quickly snatched up and is now out of print. the 3rd installment in their "series" of gospel blues collections, this one favors post-war sounds of the 60's and 70's, with warm analog recordings and mostly minimal arrangements on electric guitars. the first track "eternal life" by the Mosby Family Singers is a total scorcher, with deep sultry lead vocals, gorgeous harmonizing and piano-drenched rhythm that comes off almost like a laconic version of Nina Simone's "sinnerman". the solo voice of Laura Rivers' "thats alright" is powerful and earnest, with a mysterious voice barely audible in the background and the perfect amount of room ambience to create a haunted home recording vibe. other tracks are electrified gospel sermons, calling to mind the grittiness of rev. Charlie Jackson on tracks like White Family's "help me jesus" and Joe Townsend's "going over the hill". the album finishes out with an anonymous and seriously pretty fucked up rendition of "we shall overcome" as sang by what sounds like a few giggly children who just sucked down some helium. another classic comp from Mississippi that hasn't left my regular rotation for months.



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