Sophie's Floorboard: July 2023

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

What We Want Is Free (1982)

1. Everyday

2. My Father's Dream

3. Bad Attitude

4. What We Want Is Free

Wait (1983)

1. I've Got Mine

2. Wait

3. Buy This War

Give Thanks (1984)

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

In This Life (1986)

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

Core (1991)

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

Your Choice Live Series (1995)

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

Complete Vol. 1 1981-1983 (2002)

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

Complete Vol. 2 1983-1985 (2002)

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

Fortunate Son (2003)

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

New Normal Catastrophe (2010)

1. With A Vengeance

2. Coming Off The Rails

3. New Normal Catastrophe

4. Hammer Song

5. Brother John

Spotify

Apple Music

Alternative Tentacles

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.