Warm Up Boston – Compilation
This is a Boston based compilation to aid the homeless, which is my favorite charity. When I can, I give to St. Francis House, which is the biggest homeless shelter in Boston.
I feel it’s immoral in a country of our resources that so many people don’t have shelter, don’t have enough food, don’t have adequate health care or good education.
I feel a society should not control its citizens but at least look after them, providing the best help the best that they can.
But our capitalist society is psychopathic in nature and that’s why we all suffer from it to certain degrees. Psychopathic behavior that is not only accepted, but rewarded greatly in American business.
But I feel the young are wise to the game and will change it. As they see that it’s in their best interest to do so.
But let me get to the music. This is a pretty solid release with thirty-three different bands on it! There’s plenty of stuff that TNB covers but also, some nice trip hop music by R.M. Hendrix and Banana Phonetic and good rap by FaTzZ and Akuves.
Let’s check out some cuts:
Michael Kane & The Morning After is a band that sounds like they’re influenced by Bruce Springsteen, but maybe more so by the music that influenced Bruce. “Indiana” is a song that has an anthemic, melodic melody matched with a rockin’ driving rhythm. There’s also a keyboard here, which I rarely encounter, but really adds to the song. This song is as pure, true and passionate as any punk or hardcore band I embrace.
“Center Up” by Crafter is some powerfully, volatile hardcore/power violence- pulverizing its’ victims in perfect viciousness. They get a bit mellow in the middle with some arpeggiated guitar, but roar back with the best and most cutting edge cut on this release.
The Grubs are one of my favorite bands I’ve written about, but alas, I’ve never seen them live. They’re from Haverhill and don’t seem to frequent the Boston/Cambridge area though, I wish they would. But I love them dearly as well as this song they submitted “Droppin’ Out.” This is from my original review of the song- “Like flesh pressed against the third rail, this song reacts and ignites explosively…Please keep making songs that sound like Elvis’s original band were dropping acid and creating a song as great as this.”
“Can’t Seem To Find” by Blind Idol begins with some heavy, low clanging bass that’s aided by grinding guitar leading us onto a headlong, hardcore push verging on power violence. Along with emotional, exasperated vocals that splash onto the oncoming cyclone of bashing rhythms and smashing guitars. It ends with a slower part that at first, appears to be a breakdown but is really just an excellent, intense ending to a powerfully, passionate, great song.
“Lunglust” has been one of my favorite heavy hardcore bands from Boston for quite a while now. So to pick their song “No Host” is a “no brainer” for me. Starting out quietly dissonant this song quickly turns into a metal, nuclear holocaust blast that soon bursts forth into a hardcore panic. The chorus pulls up the thrust a bit, but the drums are still flailing, the guitars are dishing out those naughty notes, while the vocals are bleating aggressively and abrasively away. This song is a musical stampede of energy, emotion, excitement and expression. And is- extremely
excellent.
PCP & The Knives “Your X’ed” begins with a lead riff that is stopped, then starts again and brims with the smell of a classic Black Flag tune. This is hardcore where the bass is barely audible while the guitars slash like knives cutting away at all unnecessary fat. This is the most purely punk, purely hardcore song on this album. And for some odd reason, I consider it my favorite tune on this release.
Maybe one day will be the day that we’ll take care of people’s well-being no matter what political party they’re aligned with, what race, gender or sexual identity, whatever socio-economic category they fall into.
Looks to me that we don’t have that day right now but I still believe we will- someday.
In the meantime, I urge you to lay down ten bucks for some very good music for a very, great cause. I did.
There’s a lot of great music and a lot of cutting edge music to be heard here.
You could stick your ears in the microwave, but I suggest you could do better by warming them up right here.
(Slimedog)
