Rise Of The L.O.T.I.O.N

My brother-in-law sent me a message the other day, saying that after a long stretch in electronic maelstroms he had found a couple guitar albums that gripped him. Digital Control And Man's Obsolescence is one of these albums. The band - New York hardcore noiseniks L.O.T.I.O.N. It kicks off with the winding up of helicopter engines, cataclysmic drumming sounding like automatic fire, feedback heralding in Hell on earth. The sharp short songs inflict wounds both real and imagined, a firebrand brutalism that revels in industrial destruction and repetitive mayhem - with tracks titled 'Ultimate Wound Kit', 'Torture Report' and 'Fukushima Fallout', the desolation is feral and complete. It plays on real life global fears, and perceived futuristic fallouts on the horizon, as mesmerised by human evil as cyberpunk dystopias. There is no hope, no salve, no miracle cure - and L.O.T.I.O.N. exist to aggravate the wounds.

Glued To The Opportunist‏

Wow. This four-track 7" from Texans Glue is brutal - and weird. There is no doubt that this is a hardcore band with their feet stomping skulls as only they know how - caught up in their own maelstrom, you have a feeling that this crew don't care who or what is around them, as long as they are breakable and combustible. Get it here.

Grab Some Merchandise

I heard Merchandise, a Tampa Florida 'supergroup' made up of members of Cult Ritual, Divisions and Nazi Dust - a few weeks ago over at a mate's place, and immediately fell in love with them. They released a sweet EP a little while back, but their recent LP (Strange Songs) In The Dark (Drugged Conscience/Katorga Works) is amazing, 7 songs of non stop awesomeness. I dont know how to describe it without it sounding redundant - lets just say this could be the best underground pop album of the year. There are gargantuan amounts of white noise and distortion on here that will appeal to shoegaze altruists, but overall its the languid rhythms topped by the withering vocals that set it above and beyond most releases Ive listened to in the past six months. Its endearing, which isnt something you can say about most albums that dish out this kind of dissonance. Its downbeat for sure, but give me something that rivals its murky beauty and we'll call potato potarto, ok? It really is that great.

Merchandise have also just released Gone Are The Silk Gardens Of Youth, a cassette produced through Cult Maternal. Its much more demo-ish, but 'Schoolyard' comes from that. Download the tape here.

But seriously folks, dont sell yourself short there - get this LP!!!!!!!!

Merchandise - Loss

Merchandise - I Locked The Door

Merchandise - Schoolyard