Syf Records (Poland)

Bandcamp Friday is in 7 days, and I plan to buy the entire Syf Records discography on that day. A micro-label from Poland that is cranking out the nuttiest, most lo-fi punk/electro/industrial/noise I've heard in a while. I think some of it is (probably first ever) digital re-releases from the last thirty years, and some of it is recent/new. I could be wrong. I'm going to try and get in touch with the label for an interview, I'm absolutely enamored with this stuff. Here's a smattering:

Hex Windham, Andrew Anderson, Wanz Dover, Lumpy Records and Richter Scale Records

I hope this finds readers and listeners safe and healthy.

A quick note, CNQ is now accepting submissions for the next Weird Bummer compilation! Drop me a link or a .wav file if you'd like to be featured on the next freeform comp, which will be posted to Mixcloud.

Released or unreleased tracks are fine. It's just something for free and for fun, for those with ears who like to listen. Here's the first Weird Bummer, a little over an hour of hot auditory action:

The first one got over 50 listens! But at least 4 of those were mine.

I'm currently on a D&D kick and deep into making characters that I'll probably never play, but paper dolls is something I've always enjoyed and Fantasy Grounds on Steam makes it very easy to come up with a character on the fly. On the off chance you're running or in a 5E game on Fantasy Grounds, let me know if you need a player, I would be down.

I guess I should be doing something to help during this crisis? Unfortunately I have no skills to help, other than being an expert at keeping my distance from fellow humans. So mayhaps I'm doing my part in this by leisurely creating game characters that may or may not do battle with goblin hordes or an evil mage. It's probably what I would be doing tonight anyway, but tonight, I'm doing it for you. And your elders. And myself, I don't want to get out there and be breathed on.

Meanwhile I'm listening to my recent purchases from Bandcamp and have some stuff to share, and hopefully this helps too in its way. First up is Hex Windham's discography. Hex is a guitarist based down in New Orleans, and he's got his finger in a lot of pies, from the giallo-inspired violin drone of his most recent project with Jeff Louviere and the Quaalords, to his Cajun Punk/Punk Cadien projects and synth-pop/synth-punk collaborations, Hex is discovering new sounds while exploring contemporary and traditional music in a lo-fi milieu. I love the word "milieu!" Here's that most recent John Cale-inspired drone track with Jeff Louivere, along with a few of my favorites from Hex's other projects. Expect to hear one or two of these tracks on the upcoming Weird Bummer Mixcloud compilation:

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And here's the giallo-inspired instrumental band from New Orleans The Quaalords who teamed up with Hex on that first track above. Their Bandcamp page notes this is a re-recording with violin mastered by Sean Magee (Ramones, T-Rex, Iron Maiden) at Abbey Roads:

Andrew Anderson, of the equally incredible Freak Genes, Proto Idiot, and The Hipshakes is putting out a song every day or so during this crisis, and I can't recommend it enough. He's up to 11 songs now. Christ, how am I the only person who has bought this on Bandcamp???? SO GOOD:

From Dallas living legend Wanz Dover, a 7 track ambient album inspired by two weeks in a hospital bed:

New from Lumpy Records, that's Lumpy on the drums. Got the vinyl for this in the mail the other day. Soaked it in bactine:

And finally, I can't stop thinking about this, from 2017. AUUUUGHHH it's so fuckin' good. I discovered it when I got the Richter Scale discography:

Richter Scale is putting out cool Mixcloud mixes which I'm sharing over on the CNQ Facebook page. Follow us both. What's wrong with you. Besides the global pandemic I mean.

New From Bandcamp: Electro-Brut from Texas; a Spooky Track from Chicago; and a Comp of Professional Women Whistlers from the early 20th Century

A couple of weeks ago I'd started an essay on PC culture and punk rock, but never got around to finishing it. The point of that essay was, if you think PC culture is infringing on your punk rock good time, you're probably just being a dick and don't realize it. Then this past Friday I started work on a Bauhaus retrospective, which I also didn't complete. Such is life, ya know. Maybe I'll finish those at a later date -- maybe I won't. If I do, you'll be the first to know! (Assuming you follow the blog.)

Love that Freddie Gibbs album "Freddie."

I should have a new show out this weekend -- it'll feature Freak Genes, because their new album Qwak Qwak is great stuff, and we got our record vault semi-organizized, so there should be some fun vinyl obscurities on the show, plus a lot of stuff familiar to loyal CNQers, as CNQ faves The Bordellos, Doctor Nod, Violence Creeps, Simo Soo, Custom Made Music, and Candy and the Suckers have all released new material since the last time I did a show.

The Candy and the Suckers track is awesome -- it's def what I'm trying to do with the electro-brut parts of Occult Character, only a million times better:

The Sexy Turtle Doves from Chicago put out /a lot/ of material, to the point where I don't check out everything they release. This is a cool, spooky track though:

When I first started doing "New From Bandcamp" posts, I was in a heavy phase, having just discovered grindcore and extreme metal. You don't see that from me too much these days -- not because I don't like that type of music anymore, but just because my music taste is relatively fluid. Here's something odd from Canary Records, a compilation of tracks by professional women whistlers, from 1917 to 1927:

New Rock'n'Roll from Bandcamp & Youtube

Good Lord Almighty it's hot in Texas. I got a few things to share tonight. First up, the latest album from Freak Genes, "Qwak Qwak," is absolutely incredible. It's available via the UK's Drunken Sailor Records, and was released back in April, so I'm late to the party on this gem, but better late than never. So many good songs on this 17 song album. Indebted to Television Personalities, Wire, the Buzzcocks, and the Kinks, their press release says this album's "original inspiration was the Raincoats LP Odyshape. So far, they sound nothing like that."

I love this shit tho. They've got a video coming up for "Give Way," and you can get the album on vinyl from Sorry State Records. Oh, man, this is the good stuff:

Full disclosure -- Metal Postcard is amazing. Here's a new one from the Hong Kong based label:

And you know the first full length release of my own no-fi, electro-brut music project, Occult Character, is on Metal Postcard, right?

Australia's Tom Ugly has a new catchy single. At first I thought, oh, this is good but it's too poppy, but it's growing on me:

Next up is a new video by Sage from Ontario, the single off their new self-titled debut album. God, I love music videos, and I'm glad when new bands do them, and I'm glad when they contact me to feature them. Cool shit, check it out:

From Hartford, CT, a track off a new 6 song album you can get on CD and dl on bancamp, a good first effort: