Bad Advice - Do Not Resuscitate 7"

Another one from that batch that Alex over at Grave Mistake Records sent me.  On a side a note I can't speak enough about how great Grave Mistake is, Alex really has his shit together over there.  There's a ton of releases over there, the site is easy to navigate, the prices are very affordable and all 5 7"s I have, contain download cards.  Refreshing to know that in this day and age that bands an music lovers alike have GMR as a resources.  If you're a digital only kind of guy when it comes to your music collection (I am definitely NOT, why buy digital copies, when for a few more bucks you can have it as a complete physical work of art) or you like to give your records a virtual spin first, they have a Bandcamp, so you can pleasure yourself to your heart's content. This here record, of the five that Alex sent me was not the first one I played because the cover didn't grab me like some of the other ones did, but I kind of like the simplicity now (it reminds me of some much older records that were a simple yellow affair) and it makes total sense with the single's title track. Another thing that didn't grab me at first was the vocals, there's some kind of studio effect, like reverb or something that really makes it stand out. For some reason though that all went away when I played side 2, and was completely gone by the time I gave the record a second spin...now I can honestly say the vocals are important on this record.  The erst of the band is as solid as a hunk of concrete, if you close your eyes you can image their busy hands creating this beautiful racket.  All in all I prefer side 2 with it's short little blaster like the other two on side one, and a longer number that has some moshing (I hate that word, growing up on the west coast we always called it slamming, it wasn't until crossover came to be that we heard it, but I think you get what I mean...a slower grinding part sandwiched between the hectic stuff) parts.  This is a damn good record and well worth picking up, and if you don't believe me go check out reviews at Punk News, Empty Hands PVD, My Wife Says I'm An Angry Person, and the almighty Dave G. (et al.) at United by Rocket Science. You can buy the digital version, the vinyl or give all the tunes a listen HERE (do yourself a favor and go there), but for now my favorite track... Anger Problem

Night Birds - Fresh Kills Vol. 1 & The Other Side Of Darkness CDs

I spend way too much time on the computer, or so my wife says as she's sitting in the recliner with the laptop in hand.  Shit it's in the 100s during the summer and below 0 during the winter, so there's 6 months right there trapped in the house.  Being a music lover in the middle of nowhere there's no other way to pursue my hobby other than through the computer.  With that in mind, was stumbling around the net and found myself a pretty damn cool record label in the form of Grave Mistake Records.  Great selection of label releases, superb distro, well organized, fantastic prices and with the guarantee of prompt shipping...after 30+ years of buying records it's cool to know there are still places like this, only bolstered by the opportunity the net provides.  Somewhere as I was perusing the place I found that he (Alex, cool as all get out) was open to sending out records to guys like me who like to review new stuff.  So being the whore that I am, I contacted Alex, and sure as shit in about a week, there was a package from Grave Mistake.  5 7"s and 2 CDs, so off and on here I'll be giving these a listen and letting yall know what I think (as if my opinion counted for anything...it is very important to me). No sure, being the vinyl lover that I am, why I went for the CDs first, but I did and definitely wasn't disappointed.  Night Birds are a hardcore style band, with surf leanings at times, simultaneously outta New Jersey and New York (where cities are clustered together like apartments).  These guys have a bandcamp, a facebook, a myspace and something called an Oknoway, so they have fully utilized the net (for suckers like me).  This first CD, "Fresh Kills Vol. 1" is a collection of two of their EPs and a demo, and basically represents their early stuff.  If you want to read a well written review go to punknews.  If you want my humble opinion, this stuff slays...urgently.  The singer is right up my alley these days, screaming that is singing, no cookie monster stuff.  You can actually tell what the guy is saying and the lyrics don't disappoint.  The guitar is the driving force of the band as it was in so many first wave hardcore bands, power cords and surf noodling.  The bass is the back bone and only serves to strengthen that driving force.  The drumming is the icing on the cake, hard hitting when it needs to be but down to earth when that is called for.  I DIG this band and I back that up by saying that they have made it to my iPod!  I picked out some of my favorites and hands down the best tune on both these CDs is "Living In The Middle", so if your attention span is short, at least give that one a listen. Midnight Movies Bad Biology Living in the Middle

More of the same here, maybe just a tad bit more polished, these guys are no slouches when it comes to doing what they do.  You get their first full length in the form of "The Other Side Of Darkness".  Again if you want a "real" review go get that at punknews.  Not a dud on this one, but here's three... Neon Gray Born of Man and Woman Landfill Land In case you're interested I found an interview, but in the meantime go to Grave Mistake Records and pick up these bad boys or check out a whole host of other shit they've got for your listening pleasure.

</div> A couple of live tunes from a set last year in Brooklyn... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsCaXvcAZyg&amp;w=560&amp;h=315]

Babes in Toyland - Dust Cake Boy b/w Spit to See the Shine 7"

You know ever since I shared my email on the side there I've started to get lots of emails related to this place...go figure (so far no serious spammers). Most of it is bands and labels wanting reviews, which I think is cool (my buddy Erich does not...hahahah). I take that back, I don't mind if it's a grass roots DIY type of thing, sort of in the spirit of what I, myself, am doing with this place. Apparently though it's not just music lovers that stop by once in a while, I got this email the other day...

Hello, I just found mustard-relics.com on my search for relatable sites, and I believe it is a great fit! I am looking to secure a link on mustard-relics.com for my site, GunSafeStore.com --- In exchange for this link, we'd be willing to offer you fresh new content for your site in the form of a well-written and researched article by one of our professional writers, or a one-time monetary contribution, or even both. Please let me know what you think, and I look forward to hearing back from you.

So what the implication here is that along with my bullshit rants about my own past/present/future and a profound love of music, you can also count on Mustard Relics for your gun safe needs. I do own several guns, mostly in anticipation of the inevitable zombie apocalypse, so a gun safe might be warranted, especially with grandkids around and the high crime rate here in the middle of nowhere (somebody might steal my shit). I wondered though if I could trade an ad for a gun safe big enough to put my records in, now that would make sense.

Babes In Toyland hit the scene in 1989 with this their first single and at that time I was not impressed.  I was too busy with the advent of power violence and grindcore.  The guys who were involved with the college radio station were though if memory serves.  I got this 7" not to long ago, and listening to it now, I think it rocks the fuck out.  The rambling style on the first tune, takes you for a ride while the dirge of a second tune, leaves you wanting to lean back and listen.  Wiki sez they were associated with the Riot Grrrl thing, but that "Babes in Toyland never associated themselves with the movement" (that made for an interesting tangent, I'd heard of Riot Grrrl but never looked into it...interesting).  In case you didn't know, good music can be performed by women and/or men.  Pretty fat sound for a three piece, I'm always impressed by that... Dust Cake Boy Spit To See The Shine

...a sweet live version of that first tune from a must see documentary (1991 The Year That Punk Broke)... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y6NHbiWbps&amp;w=420&amp;h=315]

I guess front-woman Kat Bjelland went on to be in another band that had several releases called Katastrophy Wife...in the words of some utube commentator "more intense insane screams from the rockin' Kat Bjelland." [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djzIz0zE8fE&amp;w=790&amp;h=596]