August 2010

American Hardcore: A (Kinda) Proper Document of the Hardcore Scene

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Yes, the book American Hardcore preceded the film of the same name by about five years. But author Steven Blush teamed up with a buddy – director Paul Rachman who made a name for himself working on music videos – to produce the filmic version of the book.

In reading Blush’s work, it’s easy to be drawn into an historical trek through major hardcore scenes across the country. Illustrated by show flyers, album covers and set lists, the book moves at a quick clip. But that’s to be expected when considering the music covered therein.

TWOFR: Dark Skies x Red & Gold

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Dark Skies

Self Titled

(Empty Records, 2006)

Ya know, I love the MC5, but I don’t really need them name dropped every ten minutes (this was an example of name dropping to ensure my credibility). The trio that is Dark Skies draw from that pool of rock and release an album of music easily surpassed by the cover art.  I’m pretty confident that living in the sixties and seventies would have provided me with a great deal of fun, so I can understand the affinity bands have for attempting to recreate that time through notes.  Each track of this recreation has positive elements, whether it’s the funky bass, a musical freak-out or guitar screeches, but when taken as a whole, the album falls short of anything that could be listened to more than once, or even once all the way through.  Empty Records is toying with our emotions folks.  The general public will be exposed to The Reatards or some other viable act and then we’re given Dark Skies.  Mr. Empty Records Label Boss, we want to love you, but give us a reason.

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