Since I’ve been strolling down power violence memory lane lately I figured I would revisit another classic SLAP-A-HAM release, the legendary split between CROSSED OUT and MAN IS THE BASTARD.
Back in the early 90s recording a 7″ was really expensive (read: hundreds of dollars), and since people in bands are generally broke-ass losers, they usually ended up doing it the cheapest way possible. That netted out in a lot of records that could have been good if not for the awful ’4 track in our practice space’ production, but it also gave us a few gems that actually benefited from the raw sound. The CROSSED OUT side of this 7″ is one example:
I definitely feel like PV fggts are sleeping on CROSSED OUT, especially this release which is imo their best– mostly because of the incredibly horrible production (srs). The muffled fuzziness and distorted vocals that sound like they’re melting the tape make it sound even more pissed off than their 7″, and even though I can’t make out a word he’s saying it makes me want to kill somebody! I also love the snare sound, especially the part at 2:35 where it sounds like a lawn sprinkler.
This may rustle some jimmies, since I know power violence dorks and tumblrbros jock them p hard these days, but I kind of hate MITB. The majority of their music is either too boring, too weird, or not brutal enough for me, and they were/are very very very strange, offputting guys (imagine if the Unabomber started a band, basically). But I do love their tracks on this record, which are just a bit more twisted, dark and fucked up than the rest of their catalog- it basically sounds like 70s progressive jazz with shitty power violence production:
Their first song is a noise track called “SOIG,” which confused me greatly when I bought this in 10th grade. The 7″ is not labeled, and I couldn’t figure out whether it was supposed to be 45 or 33. The rest of the songs also seemed to work on both speeds :(
“Instantly Bent” is my favorite track on here, which I will describe by quoting myself: “a long, sludgy intro riff followed by what sounds like an out-of-context sample from a jazz song, like if you took 2 seconds from the end of a Jack Dejohnette solo and looped it a few times.”
I have no idea what “Snake Apartment” is about, but knowing MITB I am sure it’s some obscure reference or allegory to something about how fuked up da system is. Since they did not include lyrics, I will just pretend it’s about a snake getting loose in someone’s apartment, since that is a much less annoying topic.
i always wanted mitb to sound like apartment 213, they killed. this recording is boss as fuck, but yeah i always wanted to like mitb way more than i actually did. weirdness is pretty original tho i guess
1) That abysmal recording quality= A+++. There are only a few bands that can get away with sounding like utter shit, but CxOx are definitely one of them.
1.5) You may want to check out Bone Awl if you are looking for another band in the same vein as this.
2) MITB = ultimate “emperors new clothes” band, in that no one actually likes their unlistenable music but everyone who wants to be cool pretends to because they are seen as important. Are these guys the Crass of hardcore? These guys seem legitimately nuts as well.
“Since they did not include lyrics, I will just pretend it’s about a snake getting loose in someone’s apartment, since that is a much less annoying topic.”
am i the only one who can’t stop laughing at this?
Also, hilarious comment from the source of the download link:
“CoToGoBo said…
Earlier today my mother made me drive her somewhere and since I was driving I brought my Crossed Out 1990-1993 CD and she says “whats this?” and I say “it’s a fuckin revolution” and I turned it on and she groaned like a dying animal.”
Very hard lol at the absurdity of telling your mom “it’s a fuckin revolution”.
My mom always complained when i listened to The Accused- she said the vocals made her lose her appetite (srs). She said this many many times, and even remembered their name.
haha…The Accused! I was such a fanboy, I bought and listened (srs) to Gruntruck cuz of them. Found cassette awhile back….def did not stand the test of time (CRUCIFIXIN’ brings shame and butthurt on me) :(
Bumping this split now. Crossed Out side is fucking A+. MITB side is okay, truth be told I like their side of the Capitalist Casualties split the best, but for the most part I just don’t really care for that band. “Foot Binding” and “Instantly Bent” are both sweet songs though.
YEH!! Cap Casualties split and Born Against Split!
I have all of these tracks from single artist compilations. Always liked Crossed Out (they sound as furious as Despise You does bleak), and I pretty agree with what everybody has been saying above about MITB: Theoretically, they are a ‘rly important and innovative pv band’, but practically speaking, most of it is too out there/experimental to really kick ass in the way I want my power violence to. These songs are amongst their better tunes, though.
It took not five minutes of being around Eric Wood at a Bastard Noise show to realize he was…an interesting guy. As I walked up to say hi, he was already learning in wide-eyed towards this crustie kid, ranting about how you can’t hear any birds in North Korea because the North Korean government has exterminated them all. Later on, I was telling him about how the guitarist of Capitalist Casualties told me that the power violence sound basically came about because bands like his just wanted to sound like the normal 80s hardcore they were listening to at the time, but everybody was hooked on speed and amphetamines, so the music got faster, and what he thought about that. Completely ignoring my question, he just shook his head and said “Mike’s a great guy, but he’s got to get off those drugs…”
It was a good show, but Jesus…that dude is definitely on another planet.
Yeah dude, he’s out to lunch. When I was a kid I thought it was cool and endearing (via being quirky), now I just find it exhausting to deal with weird, mentally unstable people who get super agitated at unpredictable times.
Crossed Out is fucking killer and I agree with your view on MITB. Always found them kind of boring. I was supposed to see Bastard Noise a couple of months ago but that show got cancelled for a couple of retarded reasons. Also the first lines in the snake song sound like this to me: “Got me a snake, take a break.” I’m sure there are revolutionary lyrics to be found in that song, but I’d dig a song about a pet snake a lot more so I’m gonna stick to that.
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/01/bastard_noises.html
“old man yells at cloud”
“YOU SUCK MULE DICKS YOU FUCKING HUMAN MANURE”
Is Eric Wood Two Stacks?
Dear God…
I have many times claimed that “the only GOOD human is a DEAD human” is the hypest intro sample of all times and I stand by this.
“he’s dead.” “Good.” is the hypest outro of all times as well.
Crossed Out is godly. I’ve never been a big fan of MITB or Bastard Noise. I know people who worship them though.
The fact that you can’t understand the lyrics but still want to kill people is a testament to their power.
Crossed Out LOL fact: The singer is in some ad for some hair club for men type product. If I can find a link I’ll post it.
dallas owns a shampoo company. it started as a company that made shampoo for horses.
Usually I can’t stand the low quality 90′s shit you post, but that first song is strangely somehow dope and listenable despite sounding like it was ripped from a used cassette that someone left in the rain for a while. Will play the rest with high hopes.
I haven’t commented in a while, but felt the need to pipe in that the Emperor’s New Clothes thing with MITB is dead-on. If my IRL name wasn’t Dan and I weren’t the bastard I would have nothing to do with this band at all.
Not sheriff people pretend to like them for scene points, or are just musicfags that like unlistenable crap
I had always assumed (without actually listening to them) they were good because their band name sounds cool, but this post has opened my eyes and now I’m sad such a cool band name is wasted.
Musicfag who likes unlistenable crap reporting in. : (
send help
^ it might sound like he is being self-deprecating or falsely modest, but i assure you he is only stating the facts (srs)
I actually like them, am I absolutely a musicfag?
Been trying to get into MITB (not even even for scene points) but i just can’t.
But Sarge wtf is up with that Mumia split story? Is this for realz, like some dude in death row decided he wasn’t screwed enough so he teamed up with a band fucked up beyond the standards of PV?
Halp!
Remember, this was in the mid 90s– the height of the ‘white punx crusading on behalf of poor OTWs’ trend. Everybody was on Mumia’s dick, and MITB just decided to go full retard I guess. I never actually listened to it (via not being a glutton for punishment) but I can only assume it’s as awful and gay as it sounds on paper.
inb4 Kony’s PV band
man is the bastard had great moments. great musicians all around, but some of the stuff wasn’t cohesive as “songs”. i know that when i bought our earth’s blood that i was kind of pissed that it wasn’t a hardcore record. my personal favorite is mancruel.
bastard noise these days seems to be pretty active and putting out material that is as ambitious as the mitb stuff, but more polished and together (in a good way).
i never got to see them live, as i don’t think they came up north all that often. power violence was not around in portland very much, as we were d-beat/street punk city in the mid to late 90s.
crossed out, along with no comment are definite high marks in hardcore. their side is the best horrible recording i have ever heard.
offer me alot of $$ and i’ll sell this record on green vinyl (as pictured)
i just dont listen to power violence anymore. but i still hate parting with records
I got 10 bucks in my pocket…
That should cover it right?
Srs Sarge, love what you do with these recommendations! Sweet to find these bands since most of the time, I have a mixed reaction to these genres. It’s like “this could actually be really sweet but it sucks.” + I don’t have to sit through some overly pretentious review or deal with a bunch of social weirdos to find it. You have the ability!
I’m more interested in Barbie Beatdown. Could you do a post on her?
I’m pretty ghey for both bands, but especially hard over MITB/BxNx (also “70s progressive jazz with shitty power violence production”). As far as unlistenable crap that I like is concerned, I feel like Gasp fit those shoes better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3HP-tBJcDE