I've got the chance to ask some questions of the original drummer of Anarcrust. I'm more than happy to ask stuff on your behalf, so if there's anything in particular that you want to know then let me know.

Artist: Scatha
Title: Respect, Protect, Reconnect
Source: Vinyl 12" LP
Bitrate: V0 VBR
Running time (h:m:s): 00:30:36
Size (mb): 64.5
Label: Flat Earth Records (defunct)
Year: 1996

1. From The Heart
2. Manannan Weeps
3. Uni-Verse
4. I Am One!
5. Cry! Wolf
6. Respect, Protect, Reconnect
7. Pagan Idolatry
8. Blinded By Sight
9. Prognostication
10. Why Fur?

Following up on my promise to subject you all to some more Jockish hardcore, here it is. Better late than never n' all that.

Scatha were made up from parts of Sedition and Disaffect, but managed to sound all like themselves. And themselves sound like a nailbomb detonating in your cranium, a full-on metal-sharded compression blast ripping you apart. It may be intense brain-bruising music, but it hides some surprisingly complex and delicate concepts. Like Sedition, the lyrics align themselves with the neo-pagan ideology that the band favoured and, like Sedition, they manage to lay bare the unnecessary cruelty of modern life. But they also carry some hope for us all, regardless of whether we go for the whole tribal ethic that they're espousing or not. It's designed to make us think about what future we want, and to act to make it happen.

It always struck me as slightly weird that a 'deep' green band would make and produce music that relies on very modern technologies, but I'm glad they didn't let their ideologies get in the way of putting out this fossil-fuelled weapon of mass deconstruction.

OP's opinion: @@@@

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PS: If you visit the Scatha Myspace page, you'll find a load of demo / practice / live mp3s up for grabs.

Perfectly proportioned UK punkyska label and distro Household Name Records, run by the suave and debonair Lil and Kafren, have redesigned and relaunched their website. And it's all very slick and cutting edge (unlike this clunky affair).

To celebrate their ability to remain young and trendy, they're having a sale. And there are some proper bargains to be had, with reductions ranging from around 20-50% on virtually everything they flog!

In these times of credit crunch and economic downturn, what better way to cheer yourself up than by spending a few of your hard-earned wageslave tokens on some keenly priced noise from a proper DIY outfit?

The Babylon Whackers - Happy Days With…
Rebel Alliance Recordings

So there may not be much sign of summer going on outside the front door, but that doesn't stop me from getting into a tropical vibe. Cold cider, smoking, and skanky skanky sounds are a powerful enough combination to defeat the reality of the weather and transport me to more pleasant mental climes. Throw in the cricket and I'm one happy bunny.

I've got a fine collection of noise that suits this situation perfectly, but it doesn't hurt to throw some freshness into the mix once in a while. So when I saw that one of my fave bands (SB6) had started their own label, I knew that good things were on the horizon. Kicking it off by releasing their own latest album was a great start, but the promise of releasing stuff by other bands that they like meant that I've been keeping a beady eye on what they're up to.

So when this:

In summer 2007, UK underground punk favourites THE FILAMENTS reformed to record an album expressing their love of 2-tone era ska and heavy dub reggae. Joined by dancehall sensation MAJAH TUNDER and one-luv gangsta folk pioneer BABAR LUCK, the result was an exciting clash of sounds filling the gap between the Specials and Rancid, Symarip and The Clash. That sound is the BABYLON WHACKERS. With its positive message of love, hope and unification, debut album ‘Happy Days With….’ maintains an energetic old-school sound that has had people talking all across Europe. Effortlessly blending, ska, soul, funk, reggae, dub and more – and featuring guest appearances from members of THE KING BLUES and SUICIDE BID - these heavy heavy sounds have been set for release in mid-2008.

appeared on the website with an invitation to pre-order, I didn't hesitate. With a pedigree like that, only a fool would. And I may be daft, but I'm no fool.

Yesterday, the package arrived. And it's exceeded even my high expectations. The classic 2-tone sound is loud and clear, and generally sits on the chirpier end of the scale (think Selecter rather than Specials). It's infused with a punky personality that keeps it all bouncing along, lyrically and musically. The unmistakable dubby tendencies are also well represented, and the music clearly knows and shows its original ska and rocksteady roots. There's also a freshness to the whole thing that brings it right up to date without losing these connections to the past. Perhaps most importantly, it never forgets to have fun along the way.

Basically, this record is for anyone who likes fuckin' great music. And if you're here, that means you.

OP's opinion: @@@@@

Download sample track - 'Rudeboy'

I've just added a new link in the sidebar, but I reckon the site's worthy of a plug to get your attention.

So, for those who haven't yet stumbled upon this treasure trove of punk delight, head on over to Kill From The Heart and immerse yourself in probably the most comprehensive repository of global 80's hardcore knowledge.

Or, as the youth say, 'ave a read, innit.

Artist: Sedition
Title: Earthbeat
Source: Vinyl 12" LP
Bitrate: V0 VBR
Running time (h:m:s): 00:39:50
Size (mb): 78.9
Label: Flat Earth Records (defunct)
Year: 1993

1. Earthbeat
2. Tribal Transition
3. Gaia
4. Deconsume
5. Lungs Of The Earth
6. Ecologic
7. Logical Isolation
8. Ride On
9. Trail Of Tears
10. Aphorism
11. Who's The Savage?
12. Sex Biased Roles
13. Key To Co-Existance [sic]
14. New Breed - Bad Seed
15. Death Chant
16. Freedom Is An Attitude

This is the first upload of a double bill showcasing two of Scotland's finest noisemongers. Sedition found a niche in the punk scene for classic wall-of-sound-with-tunes hardcore spliced with a deep ecology / tribal / pagan / anarcho perspective. So in between each track you'll hear chants and noises not normally associated with the music that precedes and follows. The overall production's a little bit muddy but that's not really a problem for the style.

I can't say that I'm particularly fond of the primitivist / deep ecology mindset that's conjured up in some of the lyrics, but there's also a healthy dose of anger alongside that doesn't forget the modern world and its ills. Not that you can really make out the lyrics without the booklet, so you can just wallow in the bludgeoning this download will dish out to your ears and speakers.

You'll also get the chance to hear 'Ride On', a gentle folk ballad originally sung by Christy Moore, remade in a style that you wouldn't have thought possible.

OP's opinion: @@@@

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Well, not exactly. But I'm not dead, just in case anyone was wondering.

I've been pretty busy IRL, and haven't had an ounce of spare time for what seems like aeons but is actually only a few weeks. Much of that time has included knocking up a website for some good friends of mine. And trust me, I'm no coder. Everything I know about XHTML, CSS, PHP and any other random combination of letters you may care to mention, has been learnt by endless hours of trial, error, searching and reading and searching again, cussing, breaking things and finally sussing out something that would've been bleedin' obvious to anyone with a hint of competence.

But I am a perseverer. I just can't let some things lie until I understand what's happening. And coding a website is one of those things. It's not enough for it to look OK, I also have to make sure that it meets the latest coding standards and is as user-friendly as possible to as many people as possible (yes, even you, IE users).

Anyway, to cut a boring story short, this is the result. I liked what I'd done so much that I've used the code for here too. I still need to work on a graphic for the header but, apart from that, it all seems to be tickety-boo.

Other things occupying my life have included: three parties and two barbies; being the personal chauffeur for a teenager and other assorted hazardous loads; supporting my pub cricket team through mostly thin times; visiting friends up country; fixing a locking mechanism on a double-glazed door (not as easy as it looks, let me assure you); and helping a mate create a new garden area.

But I should be able to get back to the noise again this week. You have been warned.

Randy (of Insurgence and Rebel Time) has recently been spreading the word about a bunch of young upstarts collectively known as The Class War Kids. Having checked out the tracks that Randy's posted on one of his blogs, I know why he's so keen. They're very, very good.

In an email to Randy I described 'em as having "a great street-punk sound with just a hint of melodic hardcore - kinda The Restarts meet early Propagandhi", and he didn't disagree. But that's not really to do 'em the full justice they deserve. TCWK get stuck in on their own terms without any problem whatsoever. I'm just trying to give you a vague reference point to start from.

You've got your reference point, now head to Rebel Time and feel the noise. And keep an eye out for their forthcoming CD. It should be a belter.

UPDATE: the band have happily agreed to let me share a few tracks with you lot (a mix of 128kbs mp3 and wma files), so now you don't even have to leave the comforting smell of OPND to grab 'em. Nice one Kids! Thanks also to Randy for making this possible, much appreciated mate. Go pay him and them a visit and say hello.

OP's opinion: @@@@@

Download here.

A couple of mates of mine, Beardy Rob (aka Robert) and Ratty (aka Richard) are doing a great (and knackering just to think about) thing - they're cycling from Land's End to John O' Groats (about 1000 miles) to raise money for the Mines Advisory Group. For those who don't know, MAG works to clear land mines and other weapons from areas of conflict so that people don't get blown to bits, as well as working closely with communities in the affected areas:

MAG moves into current and former conflict zones to clear the remnants of those conflicts, enabling recovery and assisting the development of affected populations. MAG consults with local communities and works to lessen the threat of death and injury, while releasing reclaimed and safe land and other vital resources back to the local population, helping countries to rebuild and develop their social and economic potential.

Beardy Rob is a Turbojugend fiend, responsible for all manner of camp leather-and-denim madness, and Ratty is the semi-retired guitarist from legendary-in-their-own-lunchtimes Bristol hardcore loons The Herb Garden. They're funding the trip themselves and all the sponsorship money they raise will go straight to MAG to help them continue their invaluable campaigns.

I've given away a lot of free music here and it's rare that I ask for something in return but, on this occasion, I'm asking anyone who reads this to give up a couple of pints and throw a few quid into the bucket for this worthy cause. If you can't make an online donation, drop me an email and I'll sort something out with you. You've only got to give up a beer to do your bit, others literally put their lives on the line to carry out this vital work.

Innocent people shouldn't have stumps where their arms and legs should be just because others decide to go to war.

Image © Sean Sutton/MAG

Artist: Civilised Society?
Title: Scrap Metal
Source: Vinyl 12" LP
Bitrate: V0 VBR
Running time (h:m:s): 00:43:04
Size (mb): 94.1
Label: Manic Ears Records (defunct)
Year: 1986

1. Is There Life After Work?
2. Tonight
3. Carefree
4. Pansies
5. Blotting Paper For Breakfast
6. Don't Leave Me Now
7. The Fairer Sex
8. Just A Dream
9. Last Cough Last Laugh
10. Will We Fall?
11. Star Wars
12. It's Getting Worse

Keeping my side of the bargain with Malisha (of Röckin’ Nöiz fame), here's the first album from Civilised Society?, in all its metal-tinged punk glory. The production on this record is great, acid-sharp guitars and thunderous drums balanced perfectly with the triple-pronged vocals. The only criticism I can make is that it's a bit simple lyrically in places, but you can blame that on youthful ignorance and a desire to get the message out rather than spend time with a dictionary. The long hair was always slightly offputting too, but that's just me (apologies to any hairies reading this).

OP's opinion: @@@@

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