Underground Communique Playlist 3/16/07

1. Michigan and Smiley - Rub a Dub Style - Rub a Dub Style - Heart Beat
2. Leftover Crack - Burn Them Prisons - Fuck World Trade - Alt. Tent.
3. Citizen Fish - First Impressions - What Time We On? - Blurrg
4. The Clash - White Man in Hammersmith Palais - S/T - Epic
5. Social Cirkle - Static Eyes - Static Eyes EP - No Way Records
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6. Latterman - If Batman Was Real He'd Kick the Crap Out of My Friends - We Are Still Alive - Deep Elm
7. Ambition Mission - Do You Believe / Cutie Pie - S/T - Government Music
8. Hickey - The Prettiest Junkie in Town - Various State of Disrepair - Poverty Records
9. Regulations - Untouchable - Electric Guitar - Havoc Records
10. Toys That Kill - Brain Attracts Fly - Flys - Asian Man
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11. Feederz - Burning MP3s - Vandalism: Beautiful as a Rock in a Cop's Face - Broken Records
12. No Alternative - Life of Suicide - Nights in S.F. 78-82 - Bacchus Archives
13. Descendents - Everything Sux - Everything Sucks - Epitaph
14. FYP - Die Young - Toilet Kids Bread - Recess Records
15. Shot Baker - Echoes of the Dead - Awake (re-release) - Underground Communique
16. Lifetime - All Nite Long - S/T - Decaydence
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17. SS Decontrol - Boiling Point - Power - Taang!
18. Circle Jerks - Deny Everything - Group Sex - Porterhouse
19. AVAIL - Deepwood - Over the James - Jade Tree
20. Circle Jerks - I Just Want Some Skank - Group Sex - Porterhouse
21. NOFX - Don't Call Me White - Punk in Drublic - Epitaph
22. Sainte Catherines - Ring of Fire = 4 Points - Dancing for Decadence - Fat Wreck
23. Iggy Pop - China Girl - the Idiot - Virign
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24. Government Warning - Jocks and Cops - S/T - Feral Ward
25. Out With Bang! - Do What My Cock Says - I'm Against It EP - Fashionable Idiot
26. Strung Up - Oakland Violence - Split w/Direct Control - Tank Crime
27. Acts of Sedition - Remains of Babylon - Split w/Bafabegiya - Spacement Records
28. Career Suicide - Affectations/Shut Up - S/T - Parts Unknown
29. Get Rad -
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30. Lou Reed- Berlin- Berlin- RCA
31. Minutemen- Bob Dylan.../- What makes a man start fires?- SST
32. Observers- Where I Stay- manipulator 7"- deranged
33. Agent Orange- Everything Goes Grey- Living in Darkness- Poshboy
34. AoF- aof- core- bitzcore
35. Amdi Petersen- En Borger...- germaic chortle- havoc
36. Crossed Out- Letch-
37. Poison Idea- god not god- best of- tang
38. The Great clearing off- othello- within this inch...- cheap art
39. Voetsek- kick it- kick it- deep six
40. Catheter- prodigqal son- fubar split
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41. Dystopia-socialized death -
42. Acid Reflux- I'm No Soldier- st 7"- no way
43. cross laws- buried alive- s/t 7"-
44. WHN- Banner Sized Politics- brutiful fearing- six weeks
45. chronic seizure- fly south/ - b
46. Warkrime- everybody hates me- no bs- no way
47. cardiac arrest- fat lord- no bs- no way
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48. Shellac - Doris Wingwalker - Uranus 7" - Touch and Go
49. Muzzled - Losing Touch - Demo - S/R
50. From Ashes Rise - Accomplishment - Ebulition
51. I Attack - Skate City Riot - S/T - A Wrench in the Gears
52. Crass - Mother Earth - Stations of the Crass - Crass Records
53. Assfactor 4- goodies powers/dill dinwiddle- rights reserved split- punk lunch
54. crimpshrine- sleep, what's that?- sleep...-lookout
55. born against- $5 an hour- rebel sounds...- prank
56. descendents- we- everything sucks- epitaph
57. aof- ghost in the house- core- bitzcore
58. D4- - versus god- hopeless
59. buzzcocks- everybody's happy-

All Time Favorites Continued

A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory - Sire - 1991
One of the first hip hop records I got really excited about. In fact, it was the first hip hop record that I actually went out and purchased. It was a mix of hip hop and jazz, which was something I had never heard before. The rhymes on this record were ground breaking and the music was catchy as hell. This record still holds up against modern hip hop acts like Aesop Rock and Atmosphere. This album has seem many a mile.

the Cure - the Head on the Door - Elektra - 1985
For years, I said the Cure was my favorite band of all time and that Disintegration was the greatest album of all time. Over the years, only a few of their records really stood the test of time with me and this was one of those records. I'm not sure why I still listen to this album a lot, but I do. Maybe it's because every song on here could be a hit? I mean, even the weird songs like "the Blood." they're all really good songs and they hold up, where as a lot of other Cure songs sort of bum me out and drive me to depression. yeah, Head on the Door is a great record.

Bollweevils - Stick Your Neck Out - Dr. Strange - 1994
The Bollweevils were one of those bands who played every single weekend and everybody knew who they were. Had nothing to do on a Friday? make a couple phone calls and find out where the Bollweevils show was. On top of that, they were the guys who'd remember your name when they saw you again and made an effort to be nice guys. There was no scenesterism with those guys and they encouraged to take things into your own hands.
This record is probably on my favorites list for nostalgia purposes more than anything, because the songs that came out after it on various 7"s, comps and on the follow up, "Heavyweight" are better songs, but these songs together make a really great album. The short fall of "Heavyweight" is that it doesn't really flow as well as this album. This was the soundtrack for many bored nights in the city. Tim Thomas and I would drive around with no destination, screaming along to every song on this record and I think that's pulling a lot of weight here. Despite the fact that it sounds mildly dated, the album still holds up in my mind and I think it's better than many albums that followed by bands that were much more successful.

Blue Meanies - Full Throttle - Thick - 1997
Jesus Christ, this album is a coked out hell ride from beginning to end. Imagine if you will, a stolen Ferrari piloted by the Grinch and Penny Wise from Stephen King's "IT" sitting shotgun after snorting a garbage bag of cocaine, speeding down lake shore drive at 3 in the morning. That is what this album sounds like. Every single song on this record is a violent assault on your better judgement and violently shakes you until you admit that maybe American ska could be more than generic dance music played by white suburbanites. There is so much going on here that really fucking frightens me and I really think that this was quite possibly the point behind this monster of an album.

the Smiths - the Queen is Dead - Sire 1986
This is my favorite Smiths album. Although Meat is Murder will appear elsewhere on this list, this one is hands down my favorite. The sequence of songs is perfect and the songs themselves stand alone perfectly as well as in the context of an album. Some may argue that this is one of their weaker records, but this is personal opinion, so bight me.

World/Inferno Friendship Society - Just the Best Party - Gern Blandsten 2002
This will forever be my ultimate party soundtrack. From the lead off track you really do wanna break everything in the room straight through then end of All the World is a Stage (Dive), you're a dancing machine. I wish I was more into this band prior to this album, because they would have made my life so much more fun in the early '00s. I will never miss a World/Inferno show as long as I live my friends, nor should you.
The music is part punk, part ska, part gospel, part klezmire and all awesome. These songs are like hand grenades. every last one of them.

Teenage Bottlerocket - Total - Red Scare - 2005
This is probably the only extremely new record that's on this list and there's good reason for that. Generally, an all time favorite would be something you've had time to mull over and get aquainted with. Something that is really part of your life and that you connect with and has been there and stood the test of time. Well, short of the "test of time" part, I've listened to this band almost everyday since I bought this record. It's that good and the songs don't get old. Every song on here is a sing along and the writing and engineering are top notch. They do show their influences, but they're still unique enough to pick out of a crowd of bands from the same genre. I personally hear the Ramones, Screeching Weasel and Descendents in the music and this is pretty much due to the fact that this band is ex-Lillingtons. When I saw this band back in April with the Methadones and J Church, I was smiling ear to ear through their entire set. It was the first time I'd heard them and they were automatically one of my favorite bands. That doesn't happen very often, but in this instance it did. Therefore, "Total" is one of my all time favorites.

Descendents - Milo Goes to College - SST - 1982
The Descendents were one of those bands that I always associated with the douchebag skaters I went to high school with, but once I heard them one spring morning back in 1991, I was hooked. Milo Goes to College blared through the speakers of my friend's car as we were off on some stupid adventure high schools kids go on. This record was the soundtrack to many a road trip to see random bands out in the middle of nowhere and overtime, it got to the point that I couldn't avoid this album no matter how hard I tried. Everyone I knew had it and loved it. Hell, I had it and I loved it, but the NW side punks loved this band quite possibly more than their other staple, the Bollweevils. I think a Descendents shirt and a Bollweevils "big headed guitar kid" t-shirt was standard issue amongst the NW side punks back in the early 90's, because that's pretty much all you saw. I put this record down for a few years and actually lost it at one point while moving between apartments only to rediscover it when I borrowed a copy from a friend. This really should be a standard issue album for everyone.

Underground Communique Set List - Spring Party Edition - 3/09/07

1. Stockyard Stoics - Adolescent Chemestry - S/T - RRR Records
2. Slapstick - Brokedown - Lookit! - Dill Record
3. None More Black - Dinner's for Suckers - File Under Black - Fat
4. Lifetime - All Night Long - S/T - Decaydance
5. Latterman - My Dreams Aren't About Sleeping Until 3pm - Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing - Traffic Violation Records
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6. Vision - Used to Be - Detonate - Chunksaah
7. Heads Vs Breakers - Beneficial Whigs - Apathy is the New Black - S/R
8. Operation Ivy - Hangin' Out - Thing That Ate Floyd - Lookout!
9. Skolars - Unity - S/T - Jump Up
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10. Yesterdays Kids - Ode to Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Can't Hear Nothin' - Panic Button
11. Replacements - Bastards of Young - Tim - Sire
12. Dirtbombs - Earthquake Heart - Dangerous Radical Noise - In the Red
13. World/Inferno Friendship Society -
14. Bomb the Music Industry - Side Projects Are Never Successful - Goodbye Cool World - Quote Unquote
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15. The Clash - Radio Clash - Super Black Market Clash - Epic
16. Choking Victim - Crack Rock Steady - No Gods, No Managers - Hell Cat
17. Toasters - Weekend in LA - Skaboom! - Moon Records
18. Selector - Celebrate the Bullet - Celebrate the Bullet - Chrysalis
18. Specials - Do the Dog - S/T - Chrysalis
19. English Beat - Sole Salvation - Special Beat Services - IRS
20. The Adjusters - Armstrong - Before the Revelution - Moon
21. Dead Milkmen - Bitchin' Camaro - Big Lizard in My Backyard - Restless
22. Bad Brains - Pay to Cum - S/T - ROIR
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23. Hickey - 40oz. of Bad Karma - S/T - 1234 Go Records
24. One Reason - The Black and the Red - All Rivers Run South, All Roads Lead Home - Plan It X
25. Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Ain't Got Nobody - V/A Restless Variations - Restless
26. Bikini Kill - Carnival - CD Version of the First Two Records - Kill Rock Stars
27. Soophie Nun Squad - the Bovinity of Crust - Passion Slays the Dragon - Plan It X
28. Oblivion - Fester - Stop Thief - Johann's Face
29. Winepress - Disappointed - Complete Discography - Harmless
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30. Adolescents - No Friends - S/T - Frontier
31. Ambition Mission - History Defeats Itself - S/T - Government Music
32. Violent Femmes - Add It Up - S/T - Slash
33. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry - Boys Don't Cry - PVC
34. Discount - Clap and Cough - Half Fiction - KAT
35. Riverdales - Fun Tonight - S/T - Lookout!
36. Riverdales - Judy Go Home - S/T - Lookout!
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37. Sham 69 - Hey Little Rich Boy - Complete Collection - Sanctuary
38. 999 - So Greedy - Concrete - Polygram
39. Cheap Trick - He's a Whore - S/T - CBS
40. Screeching Weasel - Guest List - My Brain Hurts - Asian Man
41. Teen Idols - Let's Make Noise - S/T - Honest Don's
42. Cramps - What's Inside a Girl - Date With Elvis - New Rose
43. Crumbs - YOu Make Me Rock N Roll - Alien Girl 7" - Recess Records
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44. 7 Seconds - Young Until I Die - the Crew - BYO
45. Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized - S/T - Frontier
46. Sloppy Seconds - I Won't Grow Up - Garage Days Regurgitated - Nitro
47. Vindictives - Dummyroom - Achtung! Chicago Zwei - Underdog
48. Atom and His Package - Punk Rock Academy - A Society of People Named Elihu - Mountain Collective
49. What the Kids Want - Come On - Loud Quiet Loud - Smack Dab in the Middle
50. Chinese Telephones - Those Hot Milwaukee Nights - Split 7" w/Dan Padilla - Fast Crowd Records
51. J Church - Why I Like Bikini Kill - Prophylaxis - Allied
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52. Busy Signals - Don't Feel a Thing - Don't Feel a Thing 7" - Shit Sandwhich
53. Pkdores - Criticado - Criticado 7" - S/R
54. Carbonas - Don't Talk - S/T - Raw Deal
55. Naked Raygun - Wonder Beer - Understand - Caroline
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56. Smiths - Panic - Louder Than Bombs - Sire

DONE!

All Time Favorites Continued

Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic - Dirtnap Records - 2003The Exploding Hearts came out at the right time in my life. I had just had my heart broken, I was in desperate need of a band that was my own and no one elses. Every song on this record hit home and if I had to rank this record, I'd probably drop it in the top five without hesitation. The Hearts blend a very classic punk and power pop sound with tough yet heart felt lyrics, creating what should be acknowledged as by everyone as brilliance.
Pixies - Surfer Rosa - 4AD - 1988The Pixies were a band that had to grow on me. They weren't my favorite right off the bat and in fact, this didn't become my favorite Pixies record until the late 90's. It took a lot of listens for me to "get" this record and more importantly realize just how incredible the Pixies really were. In high school, I was far too busy listening to punk and hardcore to give the Pixies a serious listen. Although I appreciated what they did, it wasn't until I grew tired of Screeching Weasel and had to put those records down for a while that I was able to digest the Pixies. At that point, it made sense entirely and I became obsessed with this band. Surfer Rosa is a testament to everything that was incredible about indie rock in the 80's and early 90's. It was fun while maintaining a serious edge, it wasn't pretentious and most of all it was firmly independent. The Pixies were not an attractive band and in fact are one of the most awkward bands I've ever seen. It's not even a contrived awkwardness like many of today's indie bands. This shit is genuine and I think that's why so many people related to them.

Naked Raygun - Jettison - Caroline - 1988 (re-released on 1/4 Stick)This was one of those bands that I instantly fell in love with. My cousin played them for me and I loved them, but I couldn't remember their name for the life of me, until this skater kid at school was wearing a Raygun shirt. I ran out and bought Throb Throb and Jettison that same day. Throb Throb was a little weird at first, so I didn't click with it the way I did with Jettison. Throb Throb was a little too artsy for me, even though I thought Rat Patrol was a bad ass song. Jettison though, every song was a full frontal assault of awesome.Naked Raygun is probably the definative Chicago band and still one of my all time fav's. This record could arguably be my favorite album of all time, but I couldn't say for sure.
Heads Vs Breakers - Apathy is the New Black - S/R - 2003
Another album that came out at the right time in my life. I was getting back into punk and hardcore and this Long Island five piece happened to fall into my lap. They were on tour and played on the radio show after playing a show in Lake County. I wasn't really expecting much until they showed up. I was staring straight into the face of a hardcore legend. the guitarist was Rich from the 90's hardcore band Silent Majority. He was easily at least fifteen years older than everyone else in the band and was still completely ernest and wide eyed about the music. I got to talking to the drummer Keith, who despite being 22 years old has already done more in his music career than I probably ever will, and came to the conclusion that he is the absolute nicest kid in hardcore today (and one of my top five favorite people of all time). Once the band was plugged in, they ran through the lead off track from their record as a sound check and I was impressed right off the bat. They showed their influences, but managed to make their influences look like chumps. This really shines through on the album. They were like Lifetime, except better. They were like Grey Area, except better. They were like Kid Dynamite, except better. The Bouncing Souls, Vision, Ensign, Judge, etc. They smoked them out of the water. This record is nostalgic without making me feel old. It's timeless in that it could have come out at any point in punk rock history and I would have loved it regardless. It feels like every kid on Long Island is still passionate about music and everything is still very urgent, which is something that hasn't been seen in Chicago for at least ten years. It seems like every band is someone's favorite band and every song is someone's favorite song. The kids that I've met from LINY are all incredible.Unfortunately, Heads Vs Breakers broke up, due to Rich's poor health and everyone elses desire to do music as a living. They've all gone on to do other bands, the most mention worthy being Theives and Assassins.

Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Thererapy - Tupelo 1993Jawbreaker was a band that I saw a bunch of times and always liked, but when 24 Hour Revenge Therapy came out, they became my favorite band. The next time I would feel this passionate about a band, it would be Against Me! exactly ten years later. From the first note of the Boat House Dreams From the Hill to the last note of In Sadding Around, it is one of the best records to come out of a decade that was saturated with absolutely amazing records.

Cub - Come Out, Come Out - Mint Records 1994I've always been a sucker for a good pop song. My mom raised me on Motown, girl groups, Herman's Hermits and the early Beatles albums, therefore I'm a sucker for a really good pop hook. This is a collection of the best pop hooks ever and I fell in love with ever single song on this record... and Lisa Marr. I saw Cub at the Fireside once and they were incredible. I want to raise my kids on this band.
Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy - Blanco Y Negro 1985I heard this album for the first time in the fall of 1990. I was really depressed, it was raining a lot and I was coming out of a "dressing like Robert Smith" phase. The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy specifically, was the soundtrack to my depression. Now I put on this record when I need to relax or unwind. I can honestly say that this record has saved my life a time or two.