Wednesday 19 July 2023

Articles Of Faith

Articles Of Faith were a five-piece hardcore punk band from Chicago, Illinois that were formed in 1981 by vocalist Vic Bondi and originally disbanded in 1985. They reunited in 1991 for a European tour that wrapped up in 1992, and were inactive again until 2010, when they released a new EP and played a handful of shows. Sonically, the band got their start playing fast, loose and raw hardcore influenced by Bad Brains with overtly political leanings in their lyrics. Where AoF really started to take on a sound of their own was with the addition of a second guitarist in 1983. 1983's Wait EP was a transistional record for the band, with their straight-forward hardcore viciousness still very much intact, but with a darker, noisier, take on it.

They released their debut full-length Give Thanks in 1984, with Bob Mould (of Hüsker Dü) as producer. That influence is definitely apparent on this, as they retain the same fast-paced frenzied attack they developed in their early years, but took a more dynamic, sometimes even melodic approach to it. They were crafting strong songs, with the dual-guitar interplay in the foreground on tracks like "In This Jungle" which was incredibly ahead of its time. After a fantastic debut, the band disbanded the following year, but not before recording its follow-up. In This Life was released posthumously, with Bob Mould once again helming production. The album incorporated those big, distorted and reverb-soaked guitar chords akin to Hüsker Dü, but with one hand still very much on the hardcore wheel that the aforementioned had completely mvoed away from at this point. Lyrically, they eschewed their politics to take a more personal and introspective approach, which paired better with the more melodic sound they grew into it. In some ways you could say they were a precursor to emo, though that's a whole other discussion.

Their full discography was compiled in 2002 by Alternative Tentacles in two volumes. It's worth it to go through everything they released to hear their strong start and quick evolution. I included the individual releases as well (as well as a compilation and live album they also put out posthumously) if you wanted them individually, though the collection is the definitive essential. Highly recommended and insanely underrated, enjoy!

Demo (1982)
1. Articles Of Faith
2. What We Want Is Free
3. Streetfight
4. Poison In My Sweat

1. Everyday
2. My Father's Dream
3. Bad Attitude
4. What We Want Is Free

1. I've Got Mine
2. Wait
3. Buy This War

1. Give Thanks
2. In Your Suit
3. I Objectify
4. Acceptance
5. Everyman For Himself
6. Five O'Clock
7. Hollow Eyes
8. Chicago
9. In This Jungle
10. American Dreams

1. Remain In Memory
2. Doesn't Have To Be That Way
3. Wasn't I Right
4. Wheedle Dee
5. Around In Circles
6. Nowhere
7. Trains
8. Wait For Me
9. Never Really Understood
10. Cambridge
11. In This Life

1.I've Got Mine
2. Buried Alive
3. Sin And Redemption
4. My Father's Dream
5. Articles Of Faith
6. By My Rules
7. What We Want Is Free
8. Born To Be
9. Wait
10. Buy This War
11. Streetfight
12. Ghost In The House
13. Everyday
14. Bad Attitude
15. Dependence
16. False Security
17. Up Against The Wall
18. Poison In My Sweat
19. Belfast

Note: Compilation of material pre-Give Thanks, includes remixed version of the first two 7" EP's, compilation tracks and demos 

1. I've Got Mine
2. Acceptance
3. Five O'Clock
4. Remain In Memory
5. Wait
6. Bad Attitude
7. False Security
8. Give Thanks
9. In Your Suit
10. Trains
11. What We Want Is Free
12. American Dreams
13. In This Jungle
14. In This World

1. Buried Alive
2. False Security
3. Everyday
4. My Father's Dreams
5. Bad Attitude
6. What We Want Is Free
7. Give Thanks
8. In Your Suit
9. I Objectify
10. Acceptance
11. Every Man For Himself
12. Five O'Clock
13. Chicago
14. Hollow Eyes
15. In This Jungle
16. American Dreams
17. In This Life

1. I've Got Mine
2. Wait
3. Buy This War
4. Up Against The Wall
5. Fine Line
6. Empty Rooms
7. Remain In Memory
8. It Doesn't Have To Be That Way
9. Wasn't I Right?
10. Wheedle Dee
11. Around In Circles
12. Nowhere
13. Trains
14. Wait For Me
15. Never Really Understood
16. Cambridge
17. In This Life
18. What We Want Is Free

1. Vic Bondi - Hardball
2. Vic Bondi - Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
3. Articles Of Faith - Buy This War
4. Articles Of Faith - American Dreams

1. With A Vengeance
2. Coming Off The Rails
3. New Normal Catastrophe
4. Hammer Song
5. Brother John

Saturday 15 July 2023

Econochrist


Econochrist were a four-piece hardcore punk band that originated in Little Rock, Arkansas before moving to California and settling in the Bay Area. They were active from 1988 to 1993. In that time, they delivered two full-lengths, three EP's, a split, and a handful of compilation track appearances. Their debut EP came out in 1988, which was a solid albeit standard hardcore release for its era. They really came into their own after their cross-country move that occurred shortly after, along with Mike Scott coming in as their new bassist. His bass lines were the driving backbone to songs still heavily rooted in fast-paced power-chord punk, but with a well-rounded sense of dynamics, balancing elements of melody and dissonance. It also continued to establish their markedly political lyrical leanings. Their gradual evolution continued through Another Victim and their magnum opus Trained To Serve, both released by Vermiform Records. The now-defunct label is best remembered for their work with Moss Icon, Born Against, Heroin, Rorschach and more, all good indicators of the forward-thinking extremities Econochrist espoused in their latter years. 

They dropped their dark and angular swan song Skewed on Ebullition Records in 1993, with their intensive vocal delivery, fretboard frenzied bass work, cutting guitar parts and pounding drums in chaotic tandem, and then called it quits. They marked their gravestone with the following year's retrospective discography, which includes all their released recorded material along with the handful of compilation tracks they dropped over the years. Highly recommended, especially as this band often goes unsung in their placement of genre-pushing political hardcore that emerged in the early 90's. Enjoy.

1. It Runs Deep
2. Can't I
3. Think For Yourself
4. Camouflage
5. Blind Faith
6. Fuck Your American Dream
7. Ignorance

1. Comabox
2. More To This Life
3. Misspent
4. On One Day
5. The Exception
6. Behind Vanity
7. Tunnel Vision
8. Fights That Solve Nothing
9. Bullet With No Name
10. Weak Inside

1. The Detonators - Day To Day
2. The Detonators - Crime & Punishment + Angry Young Men
3. Econochrist - Petty Ways
4. Econochrist - Uncontrollable Urge

1. Another Lie
2. Your Duty
3. Purge
4. Any Questions?

1. Epidemic
2. Behave
3. Deadlocked
4. Treadmill
5. Invertebrate
6. At A Loss
7. 18 And Free
8. New Regression
9. One Sided Story
10. Divine Right

1. Withdrawal
2. Words Alone
3. Bled Dry
4. Passed On

Disc 1
1. Withdrawal
2. Words Alone
3. Bled Dry
4. Passed On
5. Epidemic
6. Behave
7. Deadlocked
8. Treadmill
9. Invertebrate
10. At A Loss
11. 18 And Free
12. New Regression
13. One Sided Story
14. Divine Right
15. Another Lie
16. Your Duty
17. Purge
18. Any Questions?
19. Repel
20. Seek To Use

Disc 2
1. Petty Ways
2. Uncontrollable Urge
3. Comabox
4. More To This Life
5. Misspent
6. On One Day
7. The Exception
8. Behind Vanity
9. Tunnel Vision
10. Fights That Solve Nothing
11. Bullet With No Name
12. Weak Inside
13. Take
14. Tooth Itch
15. It Runs Deep
16. Can't I
17. Think For Yourself
18. Camouflage
19. Blind Faith
20. Fuck Your American Dream
21. Ignorance