Record Review: Vaaska - Todos Contra Todos

Vaaska - Todos Contra Todos LP (Beach Impediment, 2015)
By Nathan G. O'Brien for Scene Point Blank

Vaaska play punk just the way I like it: noisy and fast. Like Criaturas, another band with whom they share membership, all they lyrics are in Spanish; something for which I am a total sucker even through my Spanish is shoddy at best. I mean, I can get through a week in Mexico if I’m only ordering food, taking cabs, and looking for the bathroom but that’s about it. But enough about me. What’s important to know is that this record totally rips.

Vaaska’s versatility is really impressive. D-beat is at the core but surrounding that is a whole load of scorching axe work, agile drumming, and rock ‘n’ roll attitude. The guitar solos on songs like “Guerra Sagrada” and “Masacre” are searing, extinction level licks that explode all over the tracks like mini mushroom clouds disintegrating basements full of crusty punks into piles of ash. And the drumming throughout the whole album drives an anxious, maniacal pace that rarely allows the listener a moment of rest. They play with a real assertive, almost arrogant attitude that I really dig. Kind of reminds me of Nightgaun. Production-wise, it’s fairly clean; not enough echo or white noise to be labeled as “raw”, or as big a room-filling sound as epic crust, but loud as all fuck.  ...Read entire review here.

Record Review: Blazing Eye - Self-Titled 7"

Blazing Eye - Self-Titled 7" (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk, 2015)
By Nathan G. O'Brien for Scene Point Blank

This is some of that rhythmic punk that's making the rounds lately. Kind of like Dawn of Humans (with whom they are currently label mates) but more on the crusty and menacing side than the weird and experimental. Blazing Eye is a quartet out of Los Angeles that share membership with Raw Ponx-affiliated acts like Drapetomania, Tuberculosis, and Sadicos. They have gained a bit of notoriety following a trio of intriguing demo tapes dating back to 2013. This is their big vinyl debut party, and it shows them evolving, albeit subtle, both in terms of style and production. They’ve added some atmospheric, brooding elements that lend them an air of darkened mystery. And the vocals hold a more prominent place in the mix this time around, which makes it easier to decipher the lyrics. To label this D-beat alone would be doing it a disservice. Although they do largely adhere to the beat, they’re sneaky in their approach. Their sound is more pulsing and fluid than it is rigid, allowing for some wiggle room inside the otherwise firm parameters of the D. If ever there were such a thing as danceable crust punk, this is it. That being said, at just four songs, it’s about the perfect length for this type of thing. Although the tempo is engrossing it would likely wear-on a little long over the length an LP. If they ever go that route, hopefully the will employ even more improvisation. I was truly smitten with their first demo tape, and I can pretty much say the same here.

Previously posted here.

Record Review: Asid Bateri - Demo cassette

Asid Bateri - Demo cassette (Dead Tank, 2014)
By Nathan G. O'Brien for Scene Point Blank

Here's some of that good ol’ raw punk that was en vogue a few years ago. You know, those salad days before everyone started going gaga for the gothic, post-punk, all-weird-all-the-time trend that’s hot right now. (Personally, I like both styles quite a bit so I’ve got no complaints. I’m just having some fun here.) While the intro shows a band capable of crafting tight song structures and playing skillfully, the rest of this four song red cassette is noisy, blown-out hardcore in the vein of No Power. Discordant vocals buried amidst a feedback wave of D-beaten low end and cacophonous guitars; this shit bangs you over the head like a Dusty Rhodes atomic elbow dropping from the heavens. It’s unsettling and youthful, and in the true spirit of punk. ...Review continues here.

HDD Radio #30: '90s Rap CD Mix

Here's the 30th espisode of HotDogDayz Radio. Despite all the new changes in his life, Nathan somehow managed to put together a two hour playlist of rap songs from the '90s. Not your typical '90s rap mix though. Sure, you'll hear some of the usual suspects here, but he plays a lot of deep cuts and stuff from less-popular albums. And all off of CDs too. Hey, you gotta do something with them, right? Here's what he had to say about it...

"Yo, I don't hate on new rap cuz I aint tryna be some grandpa. But the last thing Imma pay any attention to is some wack-ass beef between Meek (his early mixtapes were fire tho) and Drake, who's known to be S A W F T saaawwwft.

I was driving down 38th last weekend with the fam listening to KMOJ and telling my wife about missing MCA and Guru (she prolly wan't listening though. Who could blame her, I'm hella long-winded) when I saw a dude on one side of the street rocking a Carolina blue beaded necklace with a Jordan Jumpman logo hanging from it, and another guy on the other side of the street sporting cholo-style with a throwback brown Padres jersey.

I got mad inspiration from that moment. So I decided to make this '90s rap mix."

Hard beats, rhymes, and cuts; forties, blunts, and baggy-ass clothes; Jeeps, JVCs, and bucket hats. Yeah, you know the deal. Check it out, and if inclined to do so, please send him some feedback. Twitter: @OMG_NOB. Bang your head to this. Peace!
-BNB

 
Tracklist:

Digable Planets – 9th Wonder

Company Flow – 8 Steps to Perfection

Jeru The Damaja – Jungle Music

House of Pain – Fed Up Remix (feat. Guru)

KMD – Get-U-Now

Beyond – Vinyl, Cassettes, and CDs
The Dynospectrum – Headphone Static

Atmosphere – Lyle Lovett

Kool Keith – Sex Style

Slick Rick – Kill Niggaz

Erick Sermon – Hittin’ Switches

Das EFX – Kaught in da AK

Redman – So Ruff

Public Enemy – Give it Up

LL Cool J – Soul Survivor

Onyx – Nigga Bridges

Young Black Teenagers – Blowin’ Up the Spot

The Goats – Wrong Pot 2 Piss In

The Alkaholiks – Can’t Tell Me Shit

K-Solo – Rock Bottom
EPMD – K.I.M. (feat. Redman & Keith Murray)

Method Man – What the Blood Clot

High & Mighty – The Meaning

Big L – Street Struck

A Tribe Called Quest – Get A Hold

A Tribe Called Quest – Baby Phife’s Return

De La Soul – Stone Age (feat. Biz Markie)

Del the Funky Homosapien – In and Out

Funkdoobiest – Who’s the Doobiest

KRS-ONE – Mad Crew

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