
TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS
THE BRUTALIST BRICKS
La Castanya
New Jersey’s TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS are back after a two year break with their fourth album and Matador debut, The Brutalist Bricks. This extraordinarily assured, wideranging album explores new ground for Ted, showcasing his singer-songwriter side while remaining emotionally and energetically true to his punk roots. From the thrilling opener and video track “The Mighty Sparrow” to the apocalyptic “Last Days,” startling influences reveal themselves. Sure, hardcore punk vibes are there, as is acoustically driven power-pop - but from Elvis Costello to Billy Bragg, there’s a softer, at times more introspective side at work, with one entirely acoustic number. In one song, the ghost of Josh Homme seems to hover momentarily. From start to finish, Ted’s inventive, sparkling songwriting and his tightly wound, explosively chopworthy band keep the momentum ferocious and fascinating.

TRAPPED IN A SCENE
BY IAN GLASPER
Cherry Books
Released on 21/09/09 The underground hardcore scene of the mid-late Eighties was UK punk rock's last significant creative gasp. Emerging from the wreckage of the anarcho punk scene spawned by the likes of Crass and Conflict, it took its influences from the studs 'n' leather punk bands of the early Eighties such as Discharge and GBH, and also the nascent American hardcore movement and the emerging metal/punk crossover scene. Filter all of this through some through fiercely DIY aesthetics and you had a potent movement that spawned such seminal acts as Napalm Death, ENT, The Stupids and Heresy. With the backing of John Peel and an unwavering work ethic, these bands, and the labels that launched them (including Earache and Peaceville - both now widely regarded as having some of the finest metal rosters in the world), pushed musical boundaries into new and previously unexplored avenues of extremity, helping to shape the alternative music scene we know and love today.

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR
2
Subpop
Retribution Gospel Choir is a rock trio founded in 2007. The group features Alan Sparhawk on guitar and vocals, Steve Garrington on bass and Eric Pollard on drums and vocals. Alan also fronts the band Low with his wife, Mimi Parker, and Steve also plays bass in Low. 2 is Retribution Gospel Choir’s 2nd full-length and Sub Pop debut! Eric Swanson recorded these performances at Sacred Heart Studio in Duluth, Minnesota, and Matt Beckley mixed the recordings at Faux Rock in Sherman Oaks, California.


THE DAY THE COUNTRY DIED
IAN GLASPER
Cherry Books
'The Day The Country Died' is the long-awaited follow-up to Ian Glasper's successful 'Burning Britain', and sees the author exploring in minute detail the obscure, esoteric, UK anarcho-punk scene of the early Eighties. If the bands in 'Burning Britain' were loud, political and uncompromising, those examined in 'The Day The Country Died' were even more so, totally prepared to risk their liberty to communicate the ideals they believed in so passionately. With Crass and Poison Girls opening the floodgates, the arrival of bands such as Zoundz, Flux Of Pink Indians, Conflict, Subhumans, Dirt, The Mob, Rudimentary Peni, Anti-Sect, Omega Tribe and Icons Of Filth heralded a brand new age of honesty and integrity in underground music. It was a time when punk stopped being merely a radical fashion statement, and became a force for real social change; a genuine revolutionary movement, driven by some of the most challenging noises ever committed to tape. Anarchy, as regards punk rock, no longer meant 'cash from chaos', it meant 'freedom, peace and unity'. Anarcho-punk took the rebellion inherent in punk from Day One to a whole new level of personal awareness

RORSCHACH
REMAIN SEDATE/PROTESTANT (DOUBLE 180 GRAM VINYL)
Gern Blandsten

THE FREEZE
I HATE TOURISTS
Schizofrenic Records
Legit reissue of this collectors' holy grail. An absolute monster of a disc, up there with any of the Killed By Death big hitters. A different sound then their more hardcore later stuff, the A-side is synth driven new wave snarl, not unlike a heavier Pointed Sticks, but it's their B-side that is the draw: total three-chord Ramones-driven snot-punk. Classic.

UNIFORM CHOICE
SCREAMING FOR CHANGE
Whising Well Records
Recorded in 1985, this is the debut album from this ground-breaking Orange County straight edge band. Featuring Pat Dubar and Patrick Longrie (of UNITY), this band was the West Coast's answer to MINOR THREAT, and played a strong influence on NO FOR AN ANSWER and INSTED, as well as the rest of the O.C. hardcore scene.

CHAIN OF STRENGHT
THE ONE THING THAT STILL HOLDS TRUE
Revelation Records
We are proud to bring back the definitive release of this classic straight edge band from Southern California. During the hardcore years of the late eighties, Chain of Strength showcased its straight power with this album. They did several passes through the states and did shows with bands like Gorilla Biscuits, Sick of it All, Youth of Today, Bold, Soulside, Social Distortion, and the Cro Mags. This amazing release also includes the 7" release "True Till Death" from Revelation and the self released 7" "What Holds Us Apart" plus an unreleased track. Chain of Strength brings you hardcore straight edge in the purest form. Most of you already know, others are still learning.

FLIPPER
GENERIC FLIPPER
4 Men With Beards
The first record from San Francisco, CA's legendary Flipper, originally released in 1982. Despite being a part of SF's punk scene Flipper were really only punk in spirit, eschewing conventions and making no concessions. Sludgy, distorted, atonal, noise rock jams that sound as urgent and heavy as they must have 25 years ago. Now available on 180-gram vinyl.

FLIPPER
SEX BOMB BABY
4 Men With Beards
Originally released in 1987, "Sex Bomb Baby!" is actually a collection of Flipper material dated no later than 1982, comprised of singles, B-sides and compilation tracks. The single version of "Sex Bomb" is an all out classic, a frenetic, yelping punk answer to "Louie, Louie" and the rest is no slouch either, outrageous, harsh, sludge-punk from San Francisco, CA's finest. Now available on 180 gram vinyl.

BAD RELIGION
NO CONTROL
Epitaph
"No Control" is one of the albums that helped bridge Bad Religion's more reckless, earlier direction with their more focused (but just as pissed-off) '90s-era with the strength of such cuts as "Big Bang," "Automatic Man," the title track and "I Want To Conquer The World." "No Control" is one of the band's best all-time albums and an archetypal blueprint for the genre. Bad Religion has been setting the standard for years; this album is yet another stone in the band's long road to identity and style. Now available again on vinyl.

BAD RELIGION
HOW COULD HELL BE ANY WORSE?
Epitaph
With this album, a fuse was lit leading to an explosion that spawned a new religion: Bad Religion. This, their second record and first LP, is nothing short of genius. Shattered-glass guitar riffs, fast, furious drums and a 16 year old Greg Graffin's voice for the ages. Now available again on vinyl.

BAD RELIGION
SUFFER
Epitaph
Bad Religion's 1987 release is one of their finest. The band (which saw the original line-up reunite for the album's release) was improving and becoming more and more focused with each successive release, and "Suffer" showed the band as one of the world's top, thought-provoking punk outfits. Although many similar-sounding bands have taken Bad Religion's patented sound further chartwise, few have been able to truly top such Bad Religion classics as "You Are (The Government)," the title track, "Do What You Want" and "What Can You Do?" Now available again on vinyl.

HUSKER Dü
ZEN ARCADE
SST Records
Hüsker Dü broke all of the rules with Zen Arcade. First and foremost, it's a sprawling concept album, even if the concept isn't immediately clear or comprehensible. More important are the individual songs. Both Bob Mould and Grant Hart abandoned the strict "fast, hard, loud" rules of hardcore punk with their songs for Zen Arcade. Without turning down the volume, Hüsker Dü try everything — pop songs, tape experiments, acoustic songs, pianos, noisy psychedelia. The album was recorded and mixed within 85 hours and consists almost entirely of first takes. That reckless, ridiculously single-minded approach does result in some weak moments — the sound is thin and the instrumentals drag on a bit too long — but it's also the key to the success of Zen Arcade. Hüsker Dü sound phenomenally strong and possessed, as if they could do anything. The sonic experimentation is bolstered by Mould and Hart's increased sense of songcraft. Neither writer is afraid to let his pop influences show on Zen Arcade, which gives the songs — from the unrestrained rage of "Something I Learned Today" and the bitter, acoustic "Never Talking to You Again" to the eerie "Pink Turns to Blue" and anthemic "Turn On the News" — their weight.

HOT SNAKES
SUICIDE INVOICE
Swami Records
The Hot Snakes 2nd album and a return to the sinister throb. Their chemistry now a congealed flan-like murk, with Rick's Guitar work and Gar's organ, Bass and Hi Tech sensibilities a new addition for these recordings. Still present is the enormous boom and the violent DSPN (Downstrokes Per Minute) levels, but now compacted aftershocks are swung like an army of baseball bats. The new Hot Snakes monitor the output 'Off the Meter' and decide to 'go wild'. Together they hammer out a 13 story phallus to appease the gods.

YOUTH OF TODAY
CAN'T CLOSE MY EYES
Revelation Records
The Youth Of Today "Can't Close My Eyes" 7" was originally released by Positive Force Records in 1985, the now-defunct label once run by 7 Seconds frontman Kevin Seconds. It was later reissued as a 12" with an extra song by Caroline/Schism Records in 1988. And now it's available on Revelation Records, completely remastered with new artwork and photos. Features the "Can't Close My Eyes" 7" in it's entirety, the extra track from the Caroline/Schism Records 12", as well as 5 rare compilation songs from the V/A "Connecticut Fun" LP originally released on Incas Records in 1985. Crucial!

DEAD KENNEDYS
FRESH FRUITS FOR ROTTEN VEGETABLES
Manifesto Records
First released in 1980, and one of the first hardcore albums ever, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables has been called “the Dead Kennedys’ signature statement.” Containing the classics “California Uber Alles,” “Holiday in Cambodia,” “Kill the Poor,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “Chemical Warfare,” and “Let’s Lynch the Landlord,” this is an album that every hardcore fan must have. According to Kerrang, it is the “#3 Punk Rock Album of All Time,” and Mojo has it as “#9 on the Top 50 Punk Albums of All Time.” Original line-up of Jello Biafra, East Bay Ray, Klaus Flouride, and Ted on drums. This new edition has a new o-card that restores the original color to the front cover, and the tracks have been digitally-remastered from the original studio tapes. The vinyl version of Fresh Fruit is also available.


CURSIVE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOUSES AND HOMES (LOST SONGS: 1995-2001)
Saddle Creek
An odds-and-ends collection of tracks from beloved indie rock Omaha quartet CURSIVE. Includes two previously unreleased tracks, along with ten sought after tracks taken from out-of-print singles. Includes a 24-page booklet featuring the story that is the album's namesake, written by frontman TIM KASHER and illustrated by Eastern Youth artist YURIKO YOSHINO.

HUSKER Dü
METAL CIRCUS
SST Records
Released in 1983. As one of their early records, it was largely rooted in the band's initial hardcore punk style. However, signs of a new style emerge on Metal Circus, particularly in the songs sung by Grant Hart ("It's Not Funny Anymore" and "Diane"). It also features some of Bob Mould's most passionate singing, and shows further development in his guitar playing.

BLACK FLAG
IN MY HEAD
SST Records
Hot on the heels of the live record came In My Head which showed significant improvement over My War and Slip It In. Rollins and Ginn were exploring by-now standard lyrical themes: hate, paranoia, loneliness, anomie, and violence, but framing them around music that was demanding, powerful and exciting. This is what you expect out of Black Flag; edgy and uncontrolled.

BLACK FLAG
EVERYTHING WENT BLACK
SST Records

GORILLA BISCUITS
START TODAY
Revelation Records
Over the years, few records have earned the distinction of "classic." Within the punk and hardcore realm, even fewer have made an impact on the way an entire genre sounds. At the top of that small list, however, is Gorilla Biscuits' "Start Today." Hailing from NYC, Gorilla Biscuits carved a niche within the NY Hardcore scene. Blending the aggression and energy of bands like Agnostic Front with a sense of melody likened to the Descendents and Dag Nasty, Gorilla Biscuits still stands as a unique reference point for every hardcore band that has come after them. The compact disc version of "Start Today" has now been remastered, leaving the components of the original recording intact but with a bolstered sound, as well as new packaging in a limited edition digipak and extended liner notes and photos. This is an essential part of any record collection.

ZERO BOYS
HISTORY OF...
Secretly Canadian
From 1979 into 1983, the Indianapolis based Zero Boys were the finest hardcore blitz in the Midwest if not all the lower 48 states. Proof is "Vicious Circle". Though before and after that LP's 1982 release they recorded the "Livin' In The '80s" 7", songs for three comps and released the post-mortem "History Of..." cassette revealing their transformation into a toured band warming to the metaphysical and their demise while still waving torches of rock 'n' roll panache. Those tracks not on the "Vicious Circle" LP all appear on this collection.

BLACK FLAG
DAMAGED
SST Records
Probably one of the most important West Coast punk records of all time. Black Flag reached an new level of intensity and raw fury with this release. This could be Henry Rollins lifetime highpoint. Maybe guitarist Greg Ginn's as well. Although rumor has it his "high" point keeps getting higher and higher...

CIV
THE COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY
Equal Vision
The complete 43-track discography of NYC punk-rock band CIV. Best known for their hit song "Can't Wait One Minute More," this release contains the band's 1995 debut album, "Set Your Goals," their second and final release, "Thirteen Day Getaway," plus B-sides, live tracks and rehearsal recordings from the CIV archive.


JAWBREAKER
ETC
Blackball Records
"Etc." is the long-anticipated collection of A-sides, B-sides, covers and outtakes by the band Jawbreaker. Presented chronologically, the journey begins in November '88 with a track recorded on the first Jawbreaker demo (before they were even known as Jawbreaker) and ends 20 songs later with the trio's final studio recording, a version of "Boxcar" re-worked at the end of the DGC "Dear You" sessions (hey, the studio was paid for). The artwork for "Etc." is warmly inviting to the familiar legions, who will revel in the band's track-by-track commentary and printed lyrics (courtesy of Aaron Cometbus). DOUBLE VINYL VERSION!!!!

THE MARKED MEN
GHOSTS
Dirtnap Records
Blurring the rawness and velocity of their self-titled debut with the slightly more developed songwriting "chops" of the last two, the Marked Men have truly delivered the best of both worlds. You can pop the needle on "Ghosts" for 5 seconds and instantly be left without a doubt as to whom you are listening. It ain't pop-punk. It ain't power-pop. It ain't KBD or '77 style punk. At this point, the Marked Men sound like absolutely no one but themselves.


IRON AND WINE
AROUND THE WELL
Subpop
This triple LP collects songs ranging from out-of-print to never-before-released and spans Iron And Wine's earliest sessions which yielded the band's debut (2002's "The Creek Drank The Cradle") through material recorded for 2007's "The Shepherd's Dog". The double disc is broken into two sections. The first is an assortment of hushed home recordings, unedited and raw, and the second highlights moments captured in the studio with the help of other musicians, friends, and engineers.


FLOOR
DOVE
No Idea Records
The mighty behemoth has arisen! FLOOR returns with 34 minutes of bone-crushing, down-tuned mayhem! Enormous walls of chaos smash noise mongrels coast to coast, border to border! Deep within the bombstring assault lies a sweet ear for melody, like a secret coupling of MELVINS and JOY DIVISION. The entire second side of the record is inhabited by "Dove", an eighteen minute torrent, replete with rivers of feedback and the signature FLOOR double guitar stagger and punch. Welcome to FLOOR’s legendary, long-lost first album, recorded in 1994, but cryptically, mysteriously never released... until now!


D.R.I.
DEALING WITH IT
Beer City Records
Where do you go and what do you do when you achieve near legendary status with your debut album? In DRI’s world, you release “Dealing With It”, a record that infused their increasing technicality with a love of metal and the raw, fast as hell Hardcore sound that they patented. Surpassing their debut, was never going to be easy, but with their second album, the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles managed to do just that in maelstrom of vicious, catchy, cerebral Hardcore and Metal.. Reissued on Beer City along with twelve never before heard tracks and interactive video interview footage, DRI’s legacy is once again ready for punk rock and metal consumption. Welcome to Crossover…

MONO
YOU ARE THERE
Temporary Residence
Throughout their six-year career, this Japanese quartet has ascended consistently in both popularity and critical acclaim. But still elusive is the successful translation of their powerful and violently beautiful live performances to their recordings, until now. Once again recorded by Steve Albini, the album extends the cinematic drama of 2003's "Walking Cloud And Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered And The Sun Shined" while surpassing the sinister heaviness of 2002's lauded "One Step More And You Die". If "Walking Cloud" was a nuclear winter, then "You Are There" is the post-war rebirth. This band isn't heavy like Black Sabbath. They're heavy like Beethoven.


EARTH
2
Subpop
For 1993's Earth 2, Dylan's guitar was joined by the bass of Dave Harwell. No need look to further than Earth 2 to experience the drone the way it was meant to be heard: huge downtuned guitars playing riffs so slow that each one lasts forever, LOW END that slides and lurches like a blackened glacier of fuzz and hiss, slow motion notes stretched so far that they become a single note washing over you like a sticky wave of tar and molasses, melodies that are indistinguishable because the notes are pulled so far apart they threaten to come apart completely.


THE SHINS
WINCING THE NIGHT AWAY
Subpop
Their third album is the sound of a band growing up and out. James Mercer's infectious, indelible melodic style is still at the core, but on various songs he also channels a Morrissey vibe, pairs a hip-hop beat with lush melodic lines and searing guitars, toys with tweaked-out piano steeped in psychedelic strings, utilizes fractured synth samples, adds gauzy, arpeggiated keyboards that cloak thunderous anthems, and even takes cues from early Jesus And Mary Chain sweeping, fuzz-toned epics. The album also contains the lilting, exhilarating, rollicking, rock-solid pop songs we've all come to covet from The Shins.


EARTH
PENTASTAR
Subpop
The last LP before Earth split up, this is an underrated classic. They ditched the drones in favor of amazingly rockin fuzzed out riffs that they repeat endlessly, with little variation. They still got that great tone, and it's coming from a similar place philosophically as the earlier stuff, but more intent on a groove. Even has a Hendrix cover. This album is essential!


IRON AND WINE
CREEK DRANK THE CRADLE
Subpop
The Creek Drank the Cradle is filled with hushed, restrained vocals, affecting lyrics from a naturalist's perspective, exploring relationships and the hope born from them, all of which come across as though whispered to you personally, accompanied by guitar, banjo, slide guitar… Taken as a whole, The Creek Drank the Cradle, Iron and Wine's debut CD, is an ode to an older South; a part of America that is defined by "traditional values," pastoral imagery and arcane manners.

IRON AND WINE
SEA AND THE RHYTHM
Subpop
5 songs recorded in Sam Beam’s bedroom from the same sessions that gave us 2002’s The Creek Drank the Cradle. The Sea and the Rhythm includes “Jesus the Mexican Boy,” which has been a big audience favorite at recent Iron and Wine shows. Sam and his co-conspirators will be recording the new Iron and Wine full-length this summer at Chicago’s Engine Studios with Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Holopaw, Red Red Meat), scheduled for release in early 2004.


THE SHINS
OH INVERTED WORLD
Subpop
From the ashes of Flake, then Flake Music, The Shins took shape in 1997 - same members, different instruments, different approach, culled nearly a decade of playing together. Counterpoint guitars gave way to a single guitar pitted against calculated keyboard passages, swarming indie rock machinations to pop-base melodic endeavors. The resulting sound germinates in a post-punk aesthetic with nods to a traditional pop ethos.


SLEATER KINNEY
ALL HANDS ON THE BAD ONE
Kill Rock Stars


IRON AND WINE
OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS
Subpop
Iron and Wine return with one of the most anticipated releases of 2004. "Our Endless Numbered Days" is the second full-length album from Iron and Wine (essentially Sam Beam), and it was recorded both at Sam's Miami home and in Chicago's Engine Studios with Brian Deck (Red Red Meat, Modest Mouse, Ugly Casanova.). On it, Sam is aided and abetted by his regular touring and recording conspirators: his sister Sarah Beam, Patrick McKinney, Jeff McGriff, EJ Holowicki, and Jonathan Bradley.


MUDHONEY
SUPERFUZZ BIGMUFF
Subpop


THE APPLESEED CAST
THE END OF THE RING WARS
Goodcore
A stunning display of powerful emotion shines from the post-hardcore glory that defines Appleseed Cast. "Ring Wars" is a moving story about tragic loss and the battle to overcome the sorrow that lingers on. Disturbingly honest and passionately-realized, The Cast reminds us that sometimes the only way to feel alive is to grip closely the pain that made us who we are. This record will make your heart soar.


ENVY
A DEAD SINKING STORY
Temporary Residence
Once every several years, a band emerges that is so powerful and overwhelming, you are left in awe after a single listen. Tokyo, Japan's ENVY is such a band. Ten years, hundreds of shows and three LP's after their inception, Level-Plane is very proud to present their latest effort, A Dead Sinking Story. Picking up where All the Footsteps You Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead left off, A Dead Sinking Story is an epic fusion of anger, sadness and strength; a sonic journey through incredible songwriting and newly incorporated electronic soundscapes which give the listener only an inch or two of breathing room. Both breathtaking and unrelenting, A Dead Sinking Story clocks in at an epic 62 minutes; this is truly hardcore reserved for the hardcore.


MONO
HYMN TO THE IMMORTAL WIND
Temporary Residence
Just in time for their 10-year anniversary, Mono return with their fifth studio album. Written and arranged with a hopeful, romantic narrative in mind, the songs string together like chapters in an epic love story. The music is naturally majestic, with Mono's trademark wall of noise crashing beautifully against the largest chamber orchestra the band has ever enlisted. The instrumentation is vast, incorporating strings, flutes, organ, piano, glockenspiel, and tympani into their standard face-melting set up.