Anyone who knows me knows that I can't handle repetition, my ADD just can't handle it (hey, this is why I listen to spastic punk rock).  With that in mind, I've been spinning DC's Deathrats _Self Titled 7 inch _at LEAST 3 times a day, this shit completely blows me away.

Deathrats play aggressive, female fronted hardcore and their 7 inch is easily one of the most brutal, yet catchy records I've heard in a long time. With 6 songs finishing in a mere 7 minutes, it's a quick listen… however one thing that really sets Deathrats apart from all the other adrenaline junkie hardcore bands is how fucking catchy they are.  Most hardcore bands rely on minor chords and dissonance to sound dark and heavy.  Deathrats prove you can do just fine with major chords, mix them with some blast beat drumming, add some charged vocals and you'll still be heavy as any other.

If you like your punk rock and hardcore heavy like Punch, you definitely can't go wrong grabbing Deathrat's _Self Titled_.  Unfortunately the band called it a day early last year (and I never had a chance to see them… fuck me), but that shouldn't stop you from grabbing this gem.

MP3: Deathrats - Self Obsessed

MORE: DNF - Hurt Punch – Self Titled Ceremony – Violence Violence Coke Bust – Fuck Bar Culture United Nations – Self Titled

BUY: Deathrats

If you listen to ska at all, you know who Jesse Michaels is, and if not you probably at least have heard of his most famous project Operation Ivy, the quintessential ska-punk band.  Perhaps you're a fan and have listened to his other band Common Rider (have I dropped enough names for you yet?)  After Common Rider's demise Michaels went on sort of a musical hiatus, but recently came back to music with his latest punk band Classics of Love, and their _Self Titled_ album is definitely a high energy punk album that any fan should check out.

Musically, the songs mostly remind me of later Common Rider, where they dropped the ska/reggae groove for more straightforward punk tunes.  Containing 13 songs, the entire album is a high energy onslaught pausing only briefly for a more mid-tempo ska jam.

It's good to see Jesse Michaels back into the swing of things, and while rumors of Classics of Love breaking up have been rampant, according to their facebook page they wrote: "We didn't break up, someone fix wikipedia because we don't know how to do it" so if they come around your area, make sure you go see them.  If you dig your punk rock with a few upstrokes here and there, definitely give them a listen.

MP3: Classics Of Love - Castle In The Sky

MORE: Common Rider - Thief In A Sleeping Town Bomb The Music Industry – Vacation Scenester 101: How to Be a 3rd Wave Ska Dork

BUY: Asian Man Records

When you think of fast thrashy skate punk, I'm going to guess Sweden isn't probably the first place that comes to mind, but after listening to DS-13 (short for Demon System 13) that might change.  These Umeå, Sweden punks certainly do their home country justice with their release of _Thrash and Burn._

_Thrash and Burn_ is a quick listen with 10 songs finishing in a mere 7 minutes, but with their scathing, adrenaline junkie fueled punk rock, anything more would probably result in an overdose.

With their English tongue in cheek lyrics, DS-13 provides a ripping commentary on everything from racists ("Shoot the racists!") to all the tough guy hardcore bands signed to Victory Records ("Pathetic wankers/Think they're hard/Macho insecurity/Got no place here").

If you dig fast aggressive hardcore that's all go no slow, you can't go wrong with _Thrash and Burn.  _Fans of Bones Brigade and Cut The Shit will find refuge here.

MP3: DS-13 - Straights And Drunks

MORE PUNK ROCK FOR YOUR THRASHIN' HEART: Cut The Shit – Marked For Life Bones Brigade – Endless Bummer LxExAxRxN – First Lesson

BUY: Out Of Print.

Friends, I know it's been a little bit of a while (I've been gone for work… boo) but today we celebrate Mother's Day… that day where we honor the one who has put up with way too much of our bullshit growing up, and still didn't kill us.  Here's a little punk rock mix for all you punk rock moms.

MP3: Youth Brigade – Punk Rock Mom The Vapids – Make Mommy Proud The Misfits – Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight? Bouncing Souls – I Like Your Mom Dangers – Stay At Home Mom Screeching Weasel – Mother Ceremony – Mothers and Fathers More Mixes:

Scenester 101: How To Be A Modern Day Street Punk Scenester 101: How To Be A 3rd Wave Ska Dork Scenester 101: How To Be A Skinhead Scenester 101: How To Be Hardcore

BUY:

Interpunk

Shocking to probably many of you, Less Than Jake is still around and cranking out ska.  Even more shocking to most of you, that music is still pretty damn good.  Now I know that ever since they abandoned ska with their _erhm_… pop-friendly_ In With The Out Crowd _that they lost a lot of their older fans, including myself.  However they had a return to form with their 2008 release of _GNV_ FLA that was incredibly solid, and let me go ahead and say that their compilation _Greetings and Salutations_ is just as good.

_Greetings and Salutations _combines two previously released tour only EPs released in the past two years (_Greetings From_ and _Season Greetings_), adds a few new songs, and makes for a surprisingly cohesive album.

Opening up with "The New Auld Lang Syne", a song about personal perseverance, the chorus also serves as an analogy for these ska-punk lifers in a time when ska could be considered on life support: "Do your worst I'll survive another year".  From there we kick straight into good ole' fashioned high energy punk with horns we love on "Younger Lungs".  The third and arguably the catchiest song on the entire album "Goodbye Mr. Personality" is a mid-tempo ska jam that is all the proof needed that Less Than Jake can still write incredibly killer ska.

The album continues to barrage through the 12 tracks of solid ska punk, with some of the standouts being the very 'whoa' heavy "Harvey Wallbanger" or the circle pit inducing "Flag Holders Union."

Now I've had friends ask me if _Greetings and Salutations _holds a candle to their classics such as_ Pezcore_ or _Hello Rockview _and that's not really a fair comparison.  All of those albums have an incredibly nostalgic value attached to them, helping me get through some of the roughest patches of my teenage years (and admittedly, I'll STILL listen to Great American Sharpshooter after a breakup).  Yes those albums are classics and will always be my favorite, and if you're new to LTJ then I recommend checking those out first (even though they won't have the same nostalgic value if you're new).  However, if you're looking for some solid ska-punk in the veins of their older work, definitely get _Greetings And Salutations, _I like it a lot more than I expected.

MP3: Less Than Jake – Goodbye Mr. Personality

MORE: Less Than Jake - Pesto EP Less Than Jake – Pezcore Scenester 101: How to Be a 3rd Wave Ska Dork

BUY: Fat Wreck

This past Saturday, I headed to my old home state of NJ to catch a bunch of damn good street punk bands that do not play anywhere near often enough.  The show was at Joe's Mill Hill Saloon, which was this small little dive with a stage in it's intimate basement, making it feel like any other house show (but with better bathrooms).

Everything about the show reeked of Philly: almost all the bands (minus Blanks 77) and the crowd came out from Philly to party.  I unfortunately missed most of the openers due to traffic, but I got there at the end of Dopestroke's set, which definitely had people dancing throughout.

Combat Crisis

The first band I was able to catch in it's entirety was Combat Crisis, the Philly street punk band who've made quite a name for themselves.  Combat Crisis had people singing along and sporadic pits throughout their energetic and fun set.  Female fronted punk rock, definitely check them out if you get a chance.

Blanks 77

NJ's finest party pogo punks, it's rare for them to play a show these days, so I try to make sure to catch Blanks 77 whenever they come around.  It seemed like the majority of people there were for Blanks 77, and fairly so… these guys (and gal) have been inspiring pogo pits and sing-alongs since 1990.  Us in the crowd were in a frenzy from the opening note, and didn't really let up for the majority of the show.

Apparently the band is working on some new material as well, which would be pretty damn sweet since their last full length came out in 1998.

HIGHLIGHTS: I Don't Wanna Be Up The System I Wanna Be A Punk We Are The Punks Radio Hits Void (I think they played this one) Losing My Brain Party Train

I missed The Heels because I had to go grab some food (and from the sound of it, I regret missing them), but made it back in perfect time for the other reason I came to the show… Violent Society.

VIOLENT SOCIETY: Violent Society is another band that plays incredibly infrequently these days, and they always put on a damn good show as well.  Some of the crowd thinned after Blanks 77 and The Heels, but there was still a sizeable amount fixed in the basement to see the Philly street punk legends.

Singalongs abound, Violent Society played a bunch from all of their releases… including closing with one of my personal favorites "You're Gonna Fall".  Definitely a good time, it made me realize I don't go to nearly enough street punk shows anymore.

SETLIST: Philly Shreds I Wanna Know It's Only Your Life Can't Stop You Sick Sick Sick Fashion Song Behind The Bullshit Rise Of Punk Call Me Coming Back For You Totally Fucked We Don't Believe Consumed Violated The Problem Alone Time Of Distraught Piss On You Culture Magnet In Crowd Why Do You Deny Mr Suit Sarges Last Stand You're Gonna Fall

MP3: Violent Society – I Wanna Know Blanks 77 – Radio Hits

MORE PUNK ROCK: The Unseen – Lower Class Crucifixion The Virus – Nowhere to Hide Minor Disturbance - Bullet For You

BUY: Blanks 77 Violent Society

When I first heard Delaware/NJ's Caseracer's Self Titled EP some time last year, I was blown away by their cohesive melodic hardcore tunes, and anxiously waited for a new full length.  I'm still waiting for a full length, but in the meantime they dropped three new songs on a split with Tampa punks Ink and Sweat.

On the split, Caseracer opens up with "Uncomfortable Silence / The Death Of My Financial Security" which starts with a very Paint It Black-esque riff (which is NEVER a bad thing by the way), and immediately sets the tone for the split: energetic, melodic, and gruff.  Between "Van Envy" and "Untrue", it's sure to elicit plenty of two-stepping and sing-alongs (or at least it does in my bedroom.)

I've heard the name Ink and Sweat before but never actually heard them until this split, and their two songs definitely have me wanting to check out more.  Dual gal/guy vocals (although even the female vocals are pretty gruff) over melodic midtempo punk rock make for a solid listen.  They are relatively new and this split and their demo are all they've released according to their bandcamp.  If they keep it up, I can see them becoming a household name in our neck-beard, beer soaked music world.

Caseracer has it up on their bandcamp as a "pay what you want" download, and it's definitely worth your time if you dig melodic punk rock.

MP3: Caseracer - Uncomfortable Silence / The Death Of My Financial Security Ink and Sweat - Brickwalls and Pitfalls

More: Caseracer - Self Titled Kid Dynamite, And The Art Of Moshing Everywhere Go Rydell – Golden Age Grey Area / Go Rydell Split

BUY: The EP

Metal-core for the most part has a bad reputation with both metalheads and hardcore fans.  In fact, back in college it was the one thing my metal friend and I could actually agree on regarding music, citing the fact that it's usually not metal or hardcore enough and blending the shittiest parts of both to create one giant ball of mediocrity and disappointment.  Converge is different, and they proved that with their 3rd release of _When Forever Comes Crashing_.

While my favorite and the one I have the most connection with is their highly acclaimed _Jane Doe, When Forever Comes Crashing_ shows us the progression of the band and what led to the eventual mastery of _Jane Doe_.  Incredibly relentless, Converge delivers 11 technical jams (12 if you get the reissued version) ranging from the breakneck speeds of "Conduit" to the slow, mellow, yet unsettling sounds of "Ten Cents."

Life most of Converge's music, WFCC is one of those albums that you really have to be in the mood to listen to in order to enjoy it.  However if you're looking for aggressive yet skilled music, you can't go wrong with _When Forever Comes Crashing_.

MP3: Converge - Conduit

MORE: Converge – Jane Doe United Nations - Self Titled

BUY: Converge

Well we've finally gotten our first round of warm summer-esque weather here in Philadelphia, and I didn't waste a minute heading out to my ancestral homeland of NJ's beaches.  On my ride over though, I needed an album that just reminded me of summer, and Mustard Plug's _Evildoers Beware_ just hit the right spot.

Released back in 1997, _Evildoers Beware_ was actually my first introduction to the ska band Mustard Plug, and it was actually introduced to me by a die hard metalhead.  Many moons ago, in the middle of my high school physics class (which I was bombing by the way) I got tired of my teacher's music while we were working on a project, so I switched his CD with my Lagwagon's "Let's Talk About Feelings".  It took a song or two before my teacher realized (and proceeded to yell at me) but afterwards my very metalhead buddy goes "oh, so you dig punkish stuff like that?  My sister listens to the same thing, there is actually only one album I like that she owns.  I'll steal it for you, you should check it out."  Needless to say it was _Evildoers Beware_, and I've fucking loved Mustard Plug since.

One of the pinnacles of the third wave ska era, if you dig ska (or even if you don't… it was approved by a metal head) you should probably check out Mustard Plug's _Evildoers Beware!_  It'll always hold a special place in my skanking heart.

MP3: Mustard Plug - Beer More: How to be a 3rd wave ska dork Mustard Plug – In Black and White We interview Mustard Plug

BUY: Mustard Plug

I honestly can't believe it's been nearly four years since Paint It Black has put out any new music, and anyone who has been reading this little ole' blog for a while knows how bad I've been jonesing for some new tunes from Philly's finest (although in their defense… Dan's been busy being a new father and playing with old bands while the other members have been touring with their own respective bands). So how exactly does the brand spanking new _Invisible_ EP fare?  Well, let me just say I've been listening to it an average of 3-4 times a day.

With 6 songs in 10 minutes, Paint It Black brings us a new level of melodic hardcore with _Invisible._  Lyrically Dan delivers his witty yet pissed lyrics that we've come to expect from Paint It Black, but the Dr. charts new lyrical waters with songs such as "Little Fists." A rebellion anthem written for his daughter with lines like "_And when things look bleak/I’ll kiss the tears from your cheek/And watch you clench your little fists in your sleep." _it's nothing short of touching and stunning at the same time.

While Dan usually gets the spotlight when people talk about Paint It Black, we can't forget about the other members, who have contributed to creating some of the best PIB songs yet on Invisible (I'm looking at you "Props For Ventriloquism").  The songs remain incredibly melodic without losing any of their aggression, and many are very reminiscent of their killer album Paradise.

I know it's premature but I feel pretty confident when I say it: Paint It Black's _Invisible_ will definitely be on my top 10 of 2013.  Here's just hoping they don't take another 4 years before the next release… FUN FACT: Yours truly is on the album, sort of.  During their secret house show, Dan recorded us in the crowd yell "GO" on his cell phone and put us on "Props For Ventriloquism."  Philadelphia is incredibly terrible at yelling go at the same time, by the way.

MP3: Paint It Black - Props For Ventriloquism

WE'RE AFRAID OF CONFLICT BUT ALWAYS AT WAR: Paint It Black – Amnesia Paint it Black – CVA Kid Dynamite, And The Art Of Moshing Everywhere Lifetime – Hello Bastards Bad Side – Demo Review

BUY: Paint It Black