INFEST FLOOD

I really busted my balls compiling all these tracks. I think this is everything. Let me know if there is anything missing.

What else can I say? It's fucking INFEST.


*click on pic to download

Infest Demo
1987
VBR


*click on pic to download

Infest 1st 7"
1988
VBR

1 Machismo
2 Where's the Unity?
3 The Game
4 Mindless
5 Which Side?
6 Headfirst
7 Break The Chain
8 Slave
9 Sick and Tired
10 Pliers



*click on pic to download

Infest Slave
1988
VBR

1 Break the Chain
2 Pickled
3 Sick-o
4 Plastic
5 Mindless
6 Which Side?
7 Voice Your Opinion
8 Where's the Unity
9 Screwed
10 Machismo
11 The Game
12 Sick of Talk
13 Iran Scam
14 Life's Halt
15 Slave
16 Head First
17 Sick and Tired
18 Fetch the Pliers



*click on pic to download

Infest 2nd 7" (Mankind 7")
1991
VBR

1 Mankind
2 Judge Me
3 Speak Easy
4 Once Lost
5 Excess Pig
6 Them
7 Shackled Down
8 Just Act Blind
9 Kill the Peace
10 Three or Nothing



*click on pic to download

Infest No Man's Slave
2002
VBR

1 Cold Inside
2 Feeling Mean
3 Sick Machine
4 Upright Mass
5 Terminal Nation
6 In His Name
7 Behind This Tongue
8 What's Your Claim?
9 True Violence
10 Sickman
11 Punchline
12 Contact
13 Effort Falls Down
14 You're a Star
15 Freeze Dried
16 Rabid Pigs
17 Lying to Myself
18 Nazi Killer
19 My World, My Way



*click on pic to download

Infest Live on KXLU
2001
VBR

1 Shackled Down
2 Mankind
3 Judge Me
4 Blinded
5 Nothing's Changed
6 Once Lost
7 Speak Easy
8 Kill the Peace
9 Excess
10 Pig
11 Why Don't You
12 Sick and Tired
13 Just Act Blind
14 Send It All Before
15 Slave
16 Pickled
17 Sick-O
18 Break the Chain
19 My World, My Way

BONUS: Various comp tracks, unreleased songs, live sets, and rehearsals

DOWNLOAD!!!

"Nothing's Changed" from Fear of Smell comp.
"Why Don't You" from Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! - The Record comp.
"Cold Inside" from Reality Part #2 comp.
"Dead at Birth" from Reality Part #3 comp.
Two unreleased and untitled tracks
Live set at Gilman 2/10/1989
Rehearsal tracks

Burn - 2 EP's

*click on picture to download both EP's

When Burn released their debut EP in 1990, New York hardcore was in decline. Many of the most popular and influential bands were either breaking up, signing to major labels, or putting out horrible crossover records. Moreover, it seemed that hardcore, and NYHC specifically, had become musically stagnant. Enter Burn. They took the hardcore formula and flipped it on its head. They fused all the aggression and urgency that made hardcore great with odd time signatures, unusual chord progressions, complex song structures, and lyrics that were heavily introspective and occasionally vulnerable (a real rarity in the super-macho world of NYHC). My friend Jay once summed it up thusly: "They played fucking jazz chords over hardcore music!" In a genre that is often dismissed for its simplicity and repetitiveness, Burn showed that hardcore could be intelligent and innovative without going pop or metal.

Their debut EP is one of the greatest hardcore records ever released. Don't think that's just hyperbole. What Burn achieved on their first record is just as mind-blowing as the Bad Brains' early recordings, Minor Threat's EP's, Damaged, and The Age of Quarrel. Every song stands on its own as a unique and seamless construction. Every lyric has a purpose. And no matter how many times I listen to it, it always knocks me on my ass.

Burn's only real failing was their dearth of material (until 2001 the debut EP was their only official release). Those who were obsessed with Burn collected every soundboard tape they could get their hands on. One of my most treasured possessions was a tenth-generation dub of a 3 song demo Burn recorded in 1992. This unreleased demo was highly sought after by tape traders and Burn devotees despite its god-awful sound quality. Thankfully, Revelation Records released this demo as a proper EP entitled Last Great Sea in 2002. While not as staggering or ingenious as their debut, it is nonetheless a worthy follow-up. They also released a record of mostly new material in 2001 which unfortunately does not meet the high standard of their previous work.

So here are Burn's debut EP and Last Great Sea EP packaged together. Click the links, download the records, and imagine how spectacular a Burn LP would have been...

- Johnny P





Burn [self-titled]
1990
Revelation Records
VBR

1 ...Shall Be Judged
2 Godhead
3 Drown
4 Out of Time



Burn Last Great Sea
2002
Revelation Records
VBR

1 New Morality 3:11
2 Tales of Shatou 3:33
3 Last Great Sea 5:18

The Saints - (I'm) Stranded

(click on album picture to download)

The Saints (I'm) Stranded
1977 (reissued w/ bonus tracks in 1997)
Triple X
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 (I'm) Stranded 3:32
2 One Way Street 2:56
3 Wild About You 2:35
4 Messin' With the Kid 5:54
5 Erotic Neurotic 4:07
6 No Time 2:48
7 Kissin' Cousins 2:00
8 Story of Love 3:11
9 Demolition Girl 1:41
10 Nights in Venice 5:41
11 Lipstick on Your Collar 2:37
12 River Deep Mountain High 3:55


Reviews:

Q (12/00, p.151) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is mean, visceral, feral stuff....a perfect reissue..."
Uncut (8/00, p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...10 sheet metal tracks full of Stoogeish rifferama....It still sounds unbelievably potent..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #14 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...The Saints' kerosene rock'n'roll would sound great in any age....Thrilling stuff..."


"The Saints were to Australia what the Sex Pistols were to Britain and the Ramones to America. Picking up the germ planted by the defunct Stooges, MC5, Velvet Underground, and New York Dolls, the Saints sparked the Far East punk rock movement with a blasting, blistering, scorching sound no one had heard before. Moreover, the Saints were blitzing the unsuspecting in their home of Brisbane in 1973, long before the Sex Pistols or the Ramones had even begun. Australians today hold the Saints in greater reverence than any rock band in its history, save for the Easybeats. After their incendiary, self-released debut 7" single "(I'm) Stranded" b/w "No Time" blew minds of a raving British press on import in 1976, subsequent sales of the single proved to the industry that the upstart punk movement was in fact commercially viable. The Saints pocketed a worldwide deal with EMI Australia, who rush-released "(I'm) Stranded" in Australia and Britain (and in the U.S., on the heavyweight punk label of the time, Sire Records) to capitalize on the new trend. This first LP was actually nothing but eight rough-and-raw demo tracks the band had no intention of releasing, plus the two sides of the much better, cleaner-sounding single. The heavy, buzzing racket on the eight demo tracks borders on unintelligible, they're so cheaply recorded, but nothing can stop a collection of cracklers this intense, with two absolutely astounding, blues-heavy ballads thrown in for great balance -- "Messin' with the Kid" and "Story of Love" drip with genuine, bratty soul. Of the hard-fast tracks, even today's punk fans are amazed at the sheer tenacity and outright fire of "Nights in Venice," "One Way Street," and "Erotic Neurotic." Hear history burning."

- All Music Guide

Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches

(click on album picture to download)

Mission of Burma Signals, Calls and Marches
1981 (reissued w/ bonus tracks in 1997)
Rykodisc
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 That's When I Reach for My Revolver 3:53
2 Outlaw 2:33
3 Fame and Fortune 3:35
4 This Is Not a Photograph 1:57
5 Red 3:38
6 All World Cowboy Romance 5:12
7 Academy Fight Song [1980 7" Single] 3:09
8 Max Ernst [1980 7" Single] 3:04


One could argue that Mission of Burma's first 12" release, Signals, Calls and Marches, was the point where "indie rock" as a separate and distinct musical subgenre well and truly began. Mission of Burma's music had the brawn and the volume of hardcore punk, but with a lyrical intelligence and obvious musical sophistication that set them apart from the Southern California faster-and-louder brigade. Between Martin Swope's tape loops and Roger Miller's often tricky guitar lines, Mission of Burma may have seemed "arty" on the surface, but the bruising impact of "Outlaw" and "This Is Not a Photograph" made clear this band was not part of the skinny-tie "new wave" scene. And Mission of Burma were one of the first bands that gained a large enough following to attract the attention of major labels, but opted to remain on a small label of their own volition -- a move that would raise the "integrity" stakes for many acts in the years to come. Signals, Calls and Marches features Mission of Burma's best known song, the still-powerful "That's When I Reach for My Revolver," but it hasn't stood the test of time quite as well as the full-length album that would follow, Vs.; there are brief moments where the band still seems to be working out their obvious British influences, and "Outlaw" sounds stiffer than it needs to be. But Clint Conley and Roger Miller were already songwriters to be reckoned with, the band sounds passionate and powerful, and if Mission of Burma were not yet at the peak of their form, most bands blazing as many trails as this one did lost their footing a lot more often that Burma did on these six songs; Signals, Calls and Marches was as accomplished and impressive a debut as any American band would release in the 1980s. Rykodisc's 1997 CD reissue adds the band's fine first single, "Academy Fight Song" b/w "Max Ernst," as a bonus.

- All Music Guide

Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand

(click on album cover to download)

Guided By Voices Bee Thousand
1994
Scat
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 Hardcore UFO's 1:54
2 Buzzards and Dreadful Crows 1:43
3 Tractor Rape Chain 3:04
4 The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory 1:45
5 Hot Freaks 1:42
6 Smothered in Hugs 3:00
7 Yours to Keep 1:15
8 Echos Myron 2:42
9 Gold Star for Robot Boy 1:39
10 Awful Bliss 1:12
11 Mincer Ray 2:21
12 A Big Fan of the Pigpen 2:09
13 Queen of Cans and Jars 1:55
14 Her Psychology Today 2:04
15 Kicker of Elves 1:04
16 Ester's Day 1:51
17 Demons Are Real 0:48
18 I Am a Scientist 2:24
19 Peep-Hole 1:25
20 You're Not an Airplane 0:33


Reviews:

Rolling Stone (8/11/94, p.66) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...BEE THOUSAND is a tour de force by a good old-fashioned American basement genius....the real miracle of BEE THOUSAND is that it not only celebrates the power of rock music, it also embodies it..."
Spin (12/94, p.78) - Ranked #10 in Spin's list of the '20 Best Albums Of '94' - "...a thousand hooks, offering perfect distillation of...basement tape aesthetic....sloppily records immaculate melodies capable of breaking your heart...they're so insistently catchy and so fleetingly brief..."
Spin (7/94, p.69) - "...Guided By Voices hides absolutely shattering melodies that call to mind a thousand reference points..."
Magnet (p.96) - "[I]t does show the amount of thought Pollard puts into making and sequencing a record."
Village Voice (2/28/95) - Ranked #8 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.
Mojo (Publisher) (p.57) - Ranked #80 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "[T]hey peak with a batch of tunes that sound like long-lost Beatles and Who demos."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Rarities galore make this a must for any self-respecting fan."
New York Times (Publisher) (1/5/95, p.C15) - Included on Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94 - "...The most consistent album of quickie tunes yet from this 12-year-old Dayton, Ohio band."
NME (Magazine) (8/13/94, p.46) - 7 (out of 10) - "...Exactly why the indie-rock world hasn't yet gone as misty-eyed over Guided By Voices as it did over Pavement and Sebadoh is one of the great mysteries of our age..."

The cult of indie rock thrives on the unexpected discovery, and in 1994 Guided by Voices was just the sort of musical phenomenon no one figured was still out there -- 30-something rock obsessives cranking out fractured guitar-driven pop tunes in a laundry room. Robert Pollard and his stable of beer buddies/backing musicians had been churning out stuff like Bee Thousand for years, but the album's surprise critical success marked the first time the group found a significant audience outside their hometown, and it made a clear case for Guided by Voices' virtues -- as well as their flaws. From the moment "Hardcore UFOs" kicks in, it's obvious that Pollard has an uncanny gift for a hook and a melody, and Bee Thousand's 20 cuts are dotted with miniature masterpieces like "Echos Myron," "Smothered in Hugs," and "Queen of Cans and Jars." However, there are also more than a few duds that threaten to cancel out the goodwill the great songs generate, and Pollard is an acquired taste as a lyricist -- his freakishly poetic verse has a real charm, but it's hard to figure out what he's on about. (GBV's other principal songwriter, Tobin Sprout, contributes less often, but manages a higher batting average.) The lo-tech rumble of the album's D.I.Y. production also wavers between being a help and a hindrance, depending on the songs, and as musicians Guided by Voices veer between sounding like inspired amateurs and, well, just amateurs. On Bee Thousand, Guided by Voices sounds like a passionate and gloriously quirky garage band fronted by a thrillingly and maddeningly idiosyncratic songwriter; its many pearly moments make it a fascinating discovery for rock enthusiasts, but a few years would pass before this band was fully earning the new accolades showered upon it.

- All Music Guide

Die Kreuzen [self-titled]

(click on album picture to download)

Die Kreuzen Self-Titled
1984
Touch & Go
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 Rumors 1:48
2 This Hope 1:10
3 In School 1:23
4 I'm Tired 0:52
5 On the Street 1:34
6 Enemies 0:56
7 Get'em 0:57
8 Fighting 0:36
9 No Time 1:16
10 All White 3:38
11 Pain 1:16
12 Sick People 2:04
13 Hate Me 0:46
14 Live Wire 1:46
15 Not Anymore 0:55
16 Mannequin 1:11
17 Fuckups 1:10
18 Think for Me 1:39
19 Dirt and Decay 1:11
20 Don't Say Please 1:01
21 No Name 1:28

Reviews:

If the vocals weren't nasty enough on that last platter, wait till your ears get tarnished by the clamorous siege of Die Kreuzen's Dan Kubinski. Blistered tonsils split open as he wails out the spit paced growling, a titanic demon which holds your mind in fear. The sheer grounded flavor of the grievous voice makes your curiosity rage in what the next track offers.
Completely insane besets of missiling quickness and savage bass plucks highlight Die Kreuzens debut album. Brutal perfomances of unrelenting fury ravages spasms of exhilating assertiveness. Die Kreuzen force feed 21 alarming tracks (each a highlight in its own right), filling all combinations of vigorous energy and full tilt expressionism. Well-produced with crazed outer graphics, this exceptional platter haunts as it storms with speed, velocity, and engulfing vocal strength. Finally the true slice. On Touch & Go Records...of course.
-Pushead, from Puszone #30, Thrasher Nov. 1984

This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great!
-Tim Yohannon, from Maximum Rock'n'Roll #15

Bio from KILL FROM THE HEART:

Die Kreuzen ("Dee Kroyt-zen") started in 1981 when four suburban kids from Illinois and Winsconsin joined forces in Milwaukee. Their name means "the cross" in German, and they would later say they chose it because people wouldn't know what it means. Their first recordings ended up on the "Charred Remains" comp tape put out by Version Sound, putting them immediately side by side with some of the country's best hardcore bands. They then landed a few tracks on the Master Tape compilation LP on Paul Mahern of the Zero Boys' label. By the end of the year they had a single of their own, the classic Cows and Beer EP on Version Sound. This record was unlike anything else coming out at the time. Die Kreuzen took the basic formula for hardcore and twisted it around so that it sounded sick and scary again.

The band launched a 1983 summer US tour on the strength of their single, and returned to Wisconsin to record their first full length for Touch and Go. The resulting 21-song album, which finally saw the light of day in 1984, is the band's masterpiece. No other record sounds like it, and even the songs that were great on the EP are taken to a whole new level of twisted ferocity. After two more years touring around the US and Canada, Die Kreuzen toned down their sound significantly and recorded the October File LP. This album is more spacey and new wave, losing the edge their first one had. The band continued playing into the early '90s, continually winning new fans as their sound continued to "mature" and "evolve" into less intense areas including the addition of a horn section. All of their records have been reissued on CD (including the rare early material on the Gone Away single just after the Aerosmith cover), and the first LP is fairly easy to find since it sold thousands of copies back in the day.

Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime

(click on album picture to download)

Drive Like Jehu Yank Crime
1994
Interscope Records
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 Here Come the Rome Plows 5:44
2 Do You Compute 7:12
3 Golden Brown 3:14
4 Luau 9:27
5 Super Unison 7:24
6 New Intro 3:32
7 New Math 4:06
8 Human Interest 3:24
9 Sinews 9:12

Spin (7/94, p.73) - "...a show-stopper--a fresh reminder that cutting-edge guitar rock still needs gnarls to transcend..."
Alternative Press (8/94, p.78) - "...The result is an album that the truly technically proficient, cool-as-cake musician, or environmentally artistic producer will enjoy..."
Magnet (p.69) - "[A]n explosive tangle of careening tempo changes, hoarse-throated vocals, barely contained guitar histrionics and mindful aggression."
NME (Magazine) (6/11/94, p.33) - 8 - Excellent - "...Jehu are solid, compact and monstrously tight....YANK CRIME has a deeply masochistic appeal, delivering raging chaos with a military precision...."

The band's second and, unfortunately, final album, Yank Crime is as worthy and awesome as its predecessor, losing not a jot in the change from independent to major label status. Including some longer, more complex tunes this time around, Drive Like Jehu is otherwise essentially unchanged, fusing brawling, crisp rhythms and high volume intensity with technical complexity, feeling like a mad science experiment gone completely out of control. Aside from the guest backing vocals on the frazzled angst explosion "Luau!" by fellow San Diego music fiend Rob Crow, it's again all down to the band's four members, with drummer Trombino providing the strong, take-no-prisoners mix. Perhaps even more than the debut, Yank Crime solidified Drive Like Jehu's reputation as kings of emo. While use of that term rapidly degenerated to apply to sappy miserableness by the decade's end, here the quartet capture its original sense, wired, frenetic, screaming passion, as first semi-created by the likes of Rites of Spring. Whether making it short and sweet, as the surprisingly gentle instrumental "New Intro" demonstrates in three minutes, or taking time, like the nearly ten-minute conclusion "Sinews," the band wastes not a note. Froberg's sense of intense, almost accusatory delivery is astonishingly dramatic throughout, whether in full cry or with a touch of restraint, as on the rhythmic chorus of "Do You Compute." His guitar partnership with Reis is still in full cry, creating honestly epic zoned and screaming feedback roars and waves -- the aforementioned "Do You Compute" is one fine example, as is "Luau!," which builds to a awe-inspiring, eternally ascending rise. While a recording of the band's incendiary live shows would be the best way to remember the quartet, Yank Crime is a thoroughly excellent if unexpected way to bow out, artistic rock that actually, honestly, and totally rocks.

- All Music Guide