Crimpshrine

Crimpshrine were a three-piece punk rock band from Berkeley, California that were active from 1982 to 1989. They were essentially a teenage garage band for their first few years, with Jesse Michaels (later of Operation Ivy and Classics Of Love) even being their vocalist for a duration. By 1986, a soldified line-up of vocalist/guitarist Jeff Ott, drummer Aaron Cometbus, and bassist Pete Rypins had emerged. They regularly shows in the Bay Area, and were regularly featured on various compilations, in addition to releasing two EP's, an LP, and and a handful of splits, all in the span of just a few years. Despite their short tenure, they're regarded as incredibly influential in their equally melodic and aggressive approach and prominent, technical bass lines. In a broad sense, they're kind of like the bridge between Descendents and Green Day or Jawbreaker, but grittier. I don't know, they're worth checking out if Bay Area punk is up your alley. Just a quick note on the two compilations here: Sound Of A New World Being Born includes their early material, including their first two EPs. Duct Tape Soup consists of tracks intended for an LP in 1988, but released over a variety of splits and compilations instead. Enjoy.

9 Song Demo (1987)

1. Over The Years

2. Wake Up

3. Another Day

4. RDC

5. Walk Away

6. Can You Feel That?

7. I Don't Know Why

8. My Friend

9. Tomorrow

Sleep, What's That? EP (1988)

1. Bricks

2. In My Mind

3. Sleep, What's That?

4. Tomorrow

Quit Talkin' Claude... EP (1989)

1. Butterflies

2. Situation

3. Easy Answers

4. Inspiration

Lame Gig Contest (1989)

1. Left Outside Again

2. Safely Wasting Away

3. Along The Way

4. WNWSFK - Can You Feel That?

5. R.D.C.

6. The Tour

7. My Friend

8. Wake Up

9. New Scenery

10. Concrete Lawns

11. 2nd Generation Junkies

12. MSFMB

13. Another Day

14. Rearranged

Crimpshrine/Mutley Chix (1989)

1. Crimpshrine - Closed Doors

2. Crimpshrine - Caught Up

3. Crimpshrine - Fucked Up Kid

4. Mutley Chix - Small Town, Big Hell

5. Mutley Chix - Lamp

Jawbreaker/Crimpshrine (1993)

1. Jawbreaker - Better Half

2. Crimpshrine - Sanctuary

Duct Tape Soup (1992)

1. Trying Too Hard

2. Summertime

3. Caught Up

4. Left Outside Again

5. Safely Wasting Away

6. Wake Up

7. Pick Up The Pieces

8. RDC

9. Construction

10. Closed Doors, Closed Minds

11. Pretty Mess

12. WNWSFK

13. Can You Feel That?

14. Along The Way

15. Free Will

16. Fucked Up Kid

The Sound Of A New World Being Born (1998)

1. Another Day

2. Rearranged

3. Over The Years

4. Walk Away

5. Bricks

6. Sleep, What's That?

7. MSFMB

8. Second Generation Junkies

9. In My Mind

10. Tomorrow

11. Butterflies

12. Situation

13. Direction Of Things To Come

14. Sanctuary

15. My Friend

16. Tour

17. Easy Answers

18. Inspiration

Filth

Filth were a five-piece hardcore/crust punk band from the East Bay, California that formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1992, with reunion shows occurring in 2010. They released one EP and two splits, with the Blatz split later being re-released to include both bands full discographies. Thus, sometimes you'll see Destroy Everything as a compilation, but everything's included on their individual original releases here. Even with their minimal output Filth proved to be highly influential, with their throat-scorching vocals, brash dual guitars that occasionally slip into some semblanc of melody. Lyrically, they can be both life-affirming and vitroilic, calling out hypocrisies and injustices seen outwardly while on a quest of self-expression and individual freedom. You may incidentally already be familiar with one song of theirs, since pg.99 cover "The List" (originally included on their City Of Caterpillar split, though now often included on reissues of Document #8). Enjoy.

Live The Chaos (1990)

1. Today's Lesson

2. Lust For Glory

3. Hate

4. Freedom

Shit Split (1991)

A Touch Of Blatz

1. Blatz - Homemade Speed

2. Blatz - Lullaby

3. Blatz - Chuck

4. Blatz - Berkeley Is My Baby (And I Wanna Kill It)

5. Blatz - Cockroach Cafe

6. Blatz - California

7. Blatz - Dolly

8. Blatz - I Don't Care About You

9. Blatz - Fuk Shit Up

Destroy Everything

1. Filth - The List

2. Filth - You Are Right

3. Filth - Night Of Rage

4. Filth - Filth

5. Filth - Violence As A Solution

6 Filth - Scarred For Life

7. Filth - Banned From The Pubs

This Is Why We Are The Drunks (1992)

1. Submachine - Suicide Drive

2. Submachine - Laughing

3. Submachine - Beer Song

4. Filth - Buttshits

5. Filth - Dear Fuck

Bread And Circuits

Bread And Circuits were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo band from the Bay Area, California that were active from around 1998 to 1999 (can't fully confirm). They're perhaps best remembered as one of Sarah Kirsch's many excellent projects (whose résume also includes Navio Forge, Fuel, John Henry West, Torches To Rome, Silver Bearing, Please Inform The Captain This Is A Hijack, and more). In Bread And Circuits, she was also joined by Struggle, Swing Kids, and Yaphet Kotto drummer JOse Palafox. Lyrically, they leaned heavily on sociopolitical issues, playing with an intensely energetic sound that clanged angular, melodic guitars against dual shouted vocals. Their sole LP was an Ebullition release, and highly recommended if you're a fan of the previous bands listed. Enjoy.

Bread And Circuits (1999)

1. Trophy Room

2. Hampton's Floor Plan

3. The End Of History

4. Bread And Circuits

5. White Man

6. Statue Of Limitations

7. Bretton Woods

8. Letter From Chase

Bread And Circuits/Former Members Of Alfonsín (2003)

1. Bread And Circuits - Bloodbath

2. Bread And Circuits - Shameful Library

3. Bread And Circuits - Dying By Degrees

4. Bread And Circuits - Nuremberg Principles

5. Former Members Of Alfonsín - Kinetic

6. Former Members Of Alfonsín - Devil's Vocabulary Test

7. Former Members Of Alfonsín - Hurricane

8. Former Members Of Alfonsín - Magic Maker

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.

It Runs Deep (1988)

1. It Runs Deep

2. Can't I

3. Think For Yourself

4. Camouflage

5. Blind Faith

6. Fuck Your American Dream

7. Ignorance

RuiNation (1990)

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

The Detonators/Econochrist (1991)

1. The Detonators - Day To Day

2. The Detonators - Crime & Punishment + Angry Young Men

3. Econochrist - Petty Ways

4. Econochrist - Uncontrollable Urge

Another Victim (1991)

1. Another Lie

2. Your Duty

3. Purge

4. Any Questions?

Trained To Serve (1992)

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

Skewed (1993)

1. Withdrawal

2. Words Alone

3. Bled Dry

4. Passed On

Discography (1988-1993) (1994)

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

Spotify

Apple Music

Spy

Spy are a five-piece hardcore punk band from the Bay Area, California that formed in 2020. Thus far, they've put out two EP's and a split of straight-forward, raw hardcore, with stomping ferocity, gnashed breakdowns, and throat-shredded vocals delivering lyrics with charged sociopolitical statements. Highly recommended stuff, especially if you've been coming up with other incredible bands such as Gel, Scowl, Sunami or Restraining Order. Enjoy.

Service Weapon (2020)

1. Violent Majority

2. Running Out Of Space

3. Bootlicker

4. Service Weapon

Habitual Offender (2021)

1. Afraid Of Everything

2. Obtained Under Duress

3. Exceptional American

4. Habitual Offender

5. Labor Dispute

6. Negative Mind Power

Spy/Maniac (2022)

1. Spy - Clobbered

2. Spy - 1-800

3. Maniac - Last Rites

4. Maniac - Rapture

Satisfaction (2023)

1. No Redeeming Value

2. Surveilled

3. Carceral Attitude

4. Koniec

5. Do What I Can

6. Pay No Mind

7. Not For Me

8. Wrong Place Wrong Time

9. Big Man

10. Hidden In Plain Sight

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Torches To Rome

Torches To Rome were a three-piece post-hardcore band from the Bay Area that were active sometime in the mid to late 90's. They were formed by singer/guitarist Sarah Kirsch, alongside Steve Chamberlain and Aaron Schlive (who was previously the drummer in Portraits Of Past). Kirsch is best remembered by the litany of amazing projects she was involved in, including Fuel, John Henry West, Navio Forge, Pinhead Gunpowder, Bread And Circuits, along with many more. Torches To Rome put out one demo and one fantastic full-length on Ebullition Records, which will definitely appeal to fans of those aforementioned projects. It's raw, throttling hardcore that bends into angularity and cathartisis, making for a desperate 8 tracks, influenced by DC bands such as Fugazi, but pushed to its absolute limit. Enjoy.

 

Demo (1995)

1. Young Arsenal

2. Torches To Rome

3. This Is Not A Step

4. Life Led Idle

5. -

Torches To Rome (1999)

1. Mass For The Dead

2. Young Arsenal

3. Life Led Idle

4. This Is Not A Step

5. Torches To Rome

6. The Guards Are Itchy

7. Idle Heroes

8. Numbered Days

Fuel

Fuel were a four-piece punk/post-hardcore band from the Bay area that were around from 1989 to 1991. Though short-lived, they've proved to be hugely influential. This is thanks to their sole album, Monuments To Excess, which is an absolute must-listen and includes all their recorded material (after a 1995 reissue). Sonically, they took clear and heavy influence from the DC and Dischord bands that had popped up just before they did. The first two Fugazi EP's were certainly gospel to them, along with other Revolution Summer-era bands such as Rites of Spring, Embrace, Dag Nasty, and Soulside, among others. They were unsurprisingly well-versed with the Dischord roster, and though that influence is very apparent, Fuel took that sound and ran with it, crafting some incredibly dynamic songs and fine-tuning the dual guitar/vocal approach of Fugazi, and that was later carried on by Hot Water Music (a band who have cited Fuel as an influence, and it shows). Enjoy.

Fuel/Angry Son (1991)

1. Fuel - For Lock Of Better Words

2. Angry Son - Thrown Away

3. Angry Son - Suffocation

Monuments To Excess (1995)

1. Disengaged

2. 2:52 (Instrumental)

3. Some Gods

4. Remains To Be Seen

5. Cue To You

6. The Name Is...

7. Why Can't You See

8. Actualized

9. Habit

10. Not Up For Sale

11. Take Effect

12. Untitled (Instrumental)

13. Incomplete

14. Fuel Hymn (Activate)

15. Turn On

16. Why Can't You (Shield Your Eyes)

17. The Name Is...

18. For Lack of Better Words (Shine)

The Nerve Agents

The Nerve Agents were a five-piece hardcore band from the Bay Area that were around from 1998 to 2002. They played a dark, fast-paced style of punk rock that was typical of the area at the time. They did progress a bit in their few years together though, starting with the straight-forward debut EP and ending with their more progressive LP The Butterfly Collection, which featured some unique guitar work and slower songs. They were also quite well-known for the use of bass in their songs, which functions just as prominently as the guitars. Overall, The Nerve Agents are just a straight-up good hardcore band, with two fantastic LP's and one EP to their name. They also put out a split with Kill Your Idols, but unfortunately I don't have it. Enjoy.

The Nerve Agents (1998)

1. Carpe Diem

2. Unblossomed

3. The War's Not Over

4. Level 4 Outbreak

5. Share The Pain

6. Starting Point

7. Black Sheep

8. I Keep Screaming

Days Of The White Owl (2000)

1. Spring Heeled Jack (Intro)

2. Fall Of The All American

3. Prey

4. Days Of The White Owl

5. Portland

6. Off Come The Blindfolds

7. Your Warning

8. Jekyl And Hyde

9. Next In Line

10. The Invincible

11. Dead Man Walking

12. Out On The Farm

13. A Sad History

14. Just A Visual

15. Evil

16. The Blue Lady (Outro)

The Butterfly Collection (2001)

1. The Poisoning

2. Crisis

3. War Against!

4. The Vice Of Mrs. Grossly

5. Madam Butterfly

6. Princess Jasmine Of Tinseltown

7. What Then?

8. The Legend Of H. Gane Ciro

9. But I Might Die Tonight

10. Metal Pig

11. New Jersey

12. So, Very Avoidable

13. Oh, Ghost Of Mine

14. Frost

15. The Cross

Wild Moth

Wild Moth are a four-piece post-punk band from the Bay Area (San Francisco), California that formed in 2012. They play a dark and noisy style of punk that prominently features loud, angular reverb-laden guitars that are balanced out by the heavy low-end melodies of the bass. The vocals make for some memorable melodies that bring a sense of catchiness to the band's raw energy. Overall, they blend post-punk, indie, shoegaze, and punk together nicely to create a distinct sound that would appeal to fans of classic bands like Joy Division, Sonic Youth, and My Bloody Valentine, as well as modern bands like Creative Adult and Cloakroom. Enjoy.

Wild Moth (2012)

1. Morning Sickness

2. The Spectacle

3. Guilt

4. (How) Nothing Moves

5. Shape

Mourning Glow (2012)

1. Mourning Glow

2. Patience

3. Prison

4. Relic

Over, Again (2013)

1. Behave

2. Souvenir (No Future)

3. Coma

4. Into Your Hands

5. The Dreamers

6. Blossom

7. Turn To Never

8. Spiral

9. Window Grey

10. __

11. Pt. Dume

Creative Adult/Wild Moth (2014)

1. Creative Adult - Ephemeral Thing

2. Wild Moth - Rewind

Mirror (2015)

1. Mirror

2. Gallery of Walls

Inhibitor (2015)

1. Mirror

2. Gallery Of Walls

3. Silver

4. Thinner

5. Buried

6. V

7. Hello, Star

8. Traces

9. Drain

10. You Found Out

Bandcamp

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Everybody Row

Everybody Row are a four-piece punk band from the Bay Area, California that formed in 2014. They were started by members of Comadre, and definitely fill the void that that band left. Everybody Row are a lot more of a straight-forward rock band than their predecessor. They punch out some energetic, catchy, uptempo songs that are as hard-hitting as they are catchy. Perhaps most notably they include a prominent organ, which gives them both a very unique sound and a very classic rock vibe, which makes for one hell of a good band. They're definitely highly recommended as a straight-up good rock band. You can't go wrong with that. Enjoy.

The Sea Inside (2014)

1. The Sea Inside

2. Coming Out Close

3. Escape Plan

4. Keep Running

Tiny Empires (2015)

1. Tiny Empires

2. No Direction Home

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