Honor Role

Honor Role were a four-piece hardcore/post-punk band from Richmond, Virginia that formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1989. During that time they essentially went through an entire reinvention, beginning as a by-the-numbers fast-paced and scrappy hardcore band, before evidently discovering Joy Division and Bauhaus in 1985, which marked their course-correction to a transfixingly winding and melodic sound that proved influential to emo in a similar way that Moss Icon did, with drivingly dark bass lines, tight-knit drum patterns, and ringing, reverberated guitars wrapped around, with an expressive vocal delivery that's reminiscent of T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham. Thought never given quite the credit they deserved, they put out a steady stream of solid albums that pushed the envelope of punk rock's possibilities in the late 80's, with all that recorded material eventually ending up on the 1997 compilation Album. 

Album contains everything from 1985 on, which includes 1985's Judgement Day single, 1986's Purgatory single, the 1986 LP The Pretty Song, 1988's Craig Olive single, and the 1989 LP Rictus (both albums are included on their own as well here). Their early stuff is decent, but it's nothing ground-breaking, so I suggest starting with Album and then try It Bled Like A Stuck Pig or 1982 (which contains the same songs as the Your Skull Is My Bowl split with better quality) if you're interested in hearing their actual origins. Enjoy.

Your Skull Is My Bowl (1983)

1. Graven Image - Child Abuse

2. Graven Image - Fascist State

3. Graven Image - Uncomfortable Environment

4. Graven Image - My World

5. Graven Image - Double Life

6. Graven Image - Trigger Happy

7. Honor Role - Living In The 60's

8. Honor Role - Bowling For Bibles

9. Honor Role - War

10. Honor Role - Southern Lifestyle

11. Honor Role - I'm A Nerd

12. Honor Role - Uptown

13. Honor Role - Infanticide

14. Honor Role - Profit Prophets

15. Honor Role - Cap And Gown

It Bled Like A Stuck Pig (1984)

1. An Hour Behind

2. New Hope

3. Bowling For Bibles

4. Chocolate Milk

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Vance Picked Up Dot Over A Bush By The Tail

7. Early Grave

8. B.D.K.O.

9. Dot Is In Your Car & Boy Does She Smell Bad

The Pretty Song (1986)

1. Throwing Rocks

2. Early Grave

3. My Place

4. Go Places

5. Shuffle

6. Six
7. Anonymous Cave

8. Purgatory

9. Clockwork

10. Observation

11. Present Conditions

12. Care Taker

Rictus (1989)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Swing It / Interlude

5. Skippy

6. Salty Tears

7. So Anyway

8. Thankless Job

9. Familiar And Plain

10. Break The Ice

Album (1997)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Skippy

5. Salty Tears

6. So Anyway

7. Thankless Job

8. Familiar And Plain

9. Break The Ice

10. Twist

11. Lives Of The Saints #135 (Naked Wife)

12. Throwing Rocks

13. Early Grave

14. My Place

15. Go Places

16. Shuffle

17. Six

18. Anonymous Cave

19. Purgatory

20. Clockwork

21. Observation

22. Present Conditions

23. Care Taker

24. Jank

25. Judgement Day

26. Anonymous Cave

1982 (2006)

1. Livin' In The 60's

2. Bowling For Bibles

3. War

4. Southern Lifestyle

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Uptown

7. Infanticide

8. Profit Prophets

9. Cap And Gown

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