Clikatat Ikatowi

Clikatat Ikatowi were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from San Diego, California that formed in 1994 and broke up in 1997. They were one of many incredible bands to come out of San Diego around this time, many of which were Clikatat Ikatowi's labelmates on Gravity Records. Notable other bands included Heroin, Antioch Arrow, and Angel Hair. I've already gotten around to those bands, so this band is long overdue for a post on here. If any of the aforementioned bands/label are familiar to you, then you've got a decent idea of the sound Clikatat Ikatowi was working with. There's also a strong sense of Fugazi influence, particularly in the dynamics and rhythms, along with the pairing of high octane energy mixed with solid instrumental chops.

They pushed the boundaries of traditional hardcore to include odd time signatures, spastic drumming, serrated and angular guitar work (with an emphasis on octaves and dissonance), frantic bass lines, and desperate shouts in the form of vocals. This is jazzy, screamy hardcore at its finest. Another thing they are noted for is their drummer, Mario Rubalcaba, who was also a member of 411, Hot Snakes, Rocket From The Crypt, The Black Heart Procession and Off!. Clikatat Ikatowi are criminally underrated but undeniably influential, with their LP Orchestrated And Conducted By being an absolute essential. Enjoy.

Demo (1994)

1. Saxby's Gail

2. Meatho

3. Identity Crisis

4. Librarian

5. Off To Here

6. Transmission

7. Affirmation

Orchestrated And Conducted By (1996)

1. Too Simple

2. Affirmation

3. Ground Zero

4. Desert Oasis

5. Identity Crisis

6. Science Fiction Reality

7. DNA Timebomb

8. Transmission

9. Welcoming The Shift

Live August 29th and 30th, 1995 (1997)

1. Too Simple

2. Pleiades Of Dance

3. 8 Hours of Drama

4. An Ear

5. Trials And Tribulations Of Diane Smith

6. Iglomats

7. Science Fiction Reality

8. Rise And Shine

9. Feeding Of The Birds

10. Ramble On Candy Wrappers

11. Adjust The Picture

River Of Souls (1998)

1. Trials And Tribulations Of Diane Smith

2. The Feeding Of The Birds

3. The Appliance

4. Rise And Shine

5. Pleiadian Dance

6. Ramble On Candywrappers

Second Story Window

Second Story Window (not to be confused with the band From A Second Story Window) were a four-piece hardcore/emo band from Del Mar, California that were from 1993 to 1995. They only put one EP and one LP, both of which were on the legendary Gravity Records. Along with their labelmates such as Heroin and Antioch Arrow, Second Story Window are often credited as being a pioneering screamo band, and share a lot of commonalities with the aforementioned bands. If you dig the noisy, aggressive shrieking of those bands, with a bizarrely melodic tinge, you will undoubtedly like this. Enjoy.

Second Story Window 7" (1993)

1. Bottle Opener

2. Justified

3. Pole To Pole

4. Abigail

5. Left Behind

Second Story Window LP (1994)

1. Big Eyed Blue

2. New York Loop

3. 86 Submunitions

4. Unfinished

5. Hypothalemus

6. Circus Act

7. Targeting Precision

8. Executive Realignment

9. Sophisticated Engineering

Angel Hair

Angel Hair were a five-piece post-hardcore/screamo bamd from Boulder, Colorado that formed in 1992 and broke up in 1995. Members were also in The VSS post-Angel Hair. Stylistically, they were similar to other Gravity Records bands, such as Antioch Arrow and Heroin. Dark bass lines, sharp guitar tones, menacing drums, and of course the spastic vocal delivery were their strong suits. Angel Hair recorded a handful of 7"'s and such before disbanding, all of which were compiled by Gravity on Pregnant With The Senior Class in 1997. That's what's below here. It's 18 tracks of some of the best hardcore to come out of the 90's, so get on it. Enjoy.

Pregnant With The Senior Class (1997)

1. Witch Hunt Scene From Star Trek

2. This Stool is Cool

3. Origin Of Species

4. Stigmata Martyr

5. The Wax Museum

6. Blood Believe

7. Space Ape

8. Land Of Enchantment

9. Pre-Super Model

10. You Were Ugly But You Got Cute Again

11. Kisses

12. New Rocket

13. Crash Course

14. T-Minus Sixty Years

15. Second Cousin

16, Lazy Eye

17. Bedroom Scene From Communion

18. Bonus Track

Mohinder

Mohinder were a post-hardcore band that from Cupertino, California that formed in 1993 and broke up in 1994. They came, they went, they conquered, like many of their Californian contemporaries Antioch Arrow, Indian Summer, Heroin, Portraits Of Past, the list goes on. In a very brief amount of time, the band released a handful of EP's that would be compiled later on years after they had called it quits on the aptly titled Everything. Mohinder worked with Gravity Records, like the aforementioned Antioch Arrow and Heroin. This should give you an idea of both how good they are and how influential they've been. They were an incredibly intense act, playing manic bursts of dissonant aggression that can end as quickly as they begin. Their discography consists of 18 frenzied tracks that are an assault on the ears in the best way possible. Mohinder are easily one of the most highly recommend bands I could name for anyone remotely interested in their little niche, so do enjoy.

Everything (2001)

1. To Satisfy

2. Run

3. Give

4. Inhuman Nature

5. Numb

6. Of Sound Mind

7. 101

8. Number One

9. Imbalance

10. Itch

11. Expiration

12. Beautiful

13. The Static Cult

14. Mission

15. Acceptance

16. Division

17. One Warrior

18. Alien

Heroin

Heroin were a four-piece hardcore/screamo band from San Diego, California during 1989-1993. Here's a band that predicted "The Shape of Punk To Come" years before that phrase even came into existence. Heroin kind of bridged the gap between the melodic punk sound coming out of DC/Maryland in the late 80's (Rites Of Spring, Embrace, Dag Nasty, Moss Icon, etc.) and the post-hardcore/screamo bands that would dominate the California/San Diego scene in the 90's (Antioch Arrow, Portraits Of Past, Angel Hair, Indian Summer, etc.) Heroin take the basic "emotional hardcore" essentials (the fast pace, personal lyricism, intense music) and push the levels on those in a darker direction to pave the way for what bands after would do. They were vicious, cathartic, and broke down what might have been melodic songs initially into all-out emotional torture fests. From the first few seconds of "Head Cold", they pulsate with a ferocity that's been caged up too long.

When I first heard them, I thought they were around in the later 90's, because the year their discography album was released was 1997. Even for that era this was exceptional stuff, but when I found out these recordings were from 1991, and 1993 at the latest, I was blown away. They are incredibly underrated, and even Geoff Rickly, the figurehead of post-hardcore for the last 10 years, cites them as a major influence. They were the first band to put out a 7" on Gravity Records, which is another sign of what that label and that sound would carry on to do. Their members also went on to other major projects, such as Antioch Arrow and Battalion Of Saints. Heroin's first 7" was called All About Heroin, and it came out in 1991. They put out another 7" in 1992, which was self-titled, and a 12" in 1993, which was also self-titled. Posthumously, a discography album was released in 1997, which compiled all their material. That is what's posted below, and I definitely suggest giving this a listen, since it is a staple classic in post-hardcore/screamo. Enjoy.

Heroin (1997)

1. Head Cold

2. Undertaking

3. Indecision

4. I've Got Mine

5. This Time

6. Never Ever

7. Has Been

8. Leave

9. Wander

10. Blindly

11. With No Name

12. Meaning Less

13. A Portion

14. The Obvious

15. In General

16. Moving Parts

17. Another

18. Destination

19. [Untitled Track]