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Here’s a decent spread of NYHC style items. A lot of bootlegs but they’re all easily identifiable, and there’s a few that are actually pretty cool and nicely done.

Most interesting thing is this Krakdown 7″ with what seems to be an original insert, which is very rare. The story goes that they showed up to Kinkos to make lyric sheets but didn’t have enough money, and got sick of folding them or some such thing, so only a couple hundred were actually made. You almost never see a copy of this E.P. with an insert. Popular opinion, seems to be that their ‘87 demo smokes this recording, and though it is awesome, I think this record stands on its own for sure (even if the recording’s a little on the thin side). A jam like disappointed can’t just be written off quite that easily. If you don’t know Krakdown, well, you’re not necessarily to blame. They’re one of those NYHC bands stuck in reissue purgatory. I think their only available track is on the NYHC: The Way It Is comp, but they have a couple of demo recordings, this 7″, an unreleased split lp, and a wealth of great live sets. A real shame. They’ve always sort of been the NYHC equivalent to Void for me. They were looser and more punky than your average NYHC band with a wild and unhinged guitarist often that would break into squalls of feedback and stuttering atonal solos. Truly a cult classic.

I guess, continuing with the reissue purgatory is this Supertouch 7″ (titled: “What Did We Learn”). Supertouch is weird weird weird band, and until a few years ago they were in danger of being forgotten. I used to get made fun of for loving them in high school, I guess it finally came around though because Revelation recently repressed their album out of new interest in the band. This is their 7″ from before that though, and along with a couple of promo/demo recordings, a comp track on Revelation, and an infamous WNYU live set, it forms really the core of what the band was all about to people (besides stage diving that is). I still really can’t describe Supertouch right. Even on their earliest rehearsal recordings they mixed heavy grooving rock influenced guitar riffs, DC emo-core type melody, and NYHC attitude, delivering a really unlikely mix of all 3.

And then there’s this. Youth Of Today - Disengage on clear vinyl. I couldn’t help but see it and get annoyed. How similar it is to the Supertouch 7″, but how different as well. Disengage is a classic example of the washed-up Straight Edge record. The recording is clean and melodic. It’s a hard core 7″ but only has 3 songs. The cover doesn’t have the band name on it anywhere. The singer won’t scream anymore. While this isn’t far off the record named a few lines above here, the difference is that Youth of Today started off sounding like a bunch of Tasmanian Devils beating trashcans and stringed instruments (seriously listen to the original mix of their first E.P.), and thus it’s way more offensive to me. You’d think by now bands would have learned their lesson trying to transform their youthful hardcore band into some kind of half baked, reconfigured rock outfit, but it keeps happening. I feel like for 25 years it has been an endless cycle of youthful angry boys that make one or two good E.P.s, with a good intro or three, a couple catchy fast riffs, and then they start growing their hair, listening to Joy Division or Ride - or worse just another band of ex-HC guys like Quicksand or Into Another - and then it’s right on to the fanzine interviews where they talk about expanding their sound, how their old music is boring, all that shit. If only there was a way to tell these people that they are living out the same embarrassing cliche ending that so many bands before them have, on par with a high school football player choosing a white hat, or a Canadian citizen loving hockey.

By all means if you start a band feel free to grow, evolve, change, try new things, EXCEPT, if you start a straight edge hardcore band. If this is the path you choose please, all I ask is some good mosh parts, a singer with a powerful and unleashed yell, and at least one good t-shirt design (free of scratchy lettering, too many colors, and anything that has been on a hardcore band’s shirt in the last 6 years). This is all it takes folks. You don’t need to grow, you don’t need to get introspective, you don’t need to plagiarize that Sonic Youth lp you just bought. People have been playing rock music for a major chunk of the last century, so when you get over hardcore, please spare everyone the come-lately rocker vibe, and just quietly put down your guitar and shut up. Thank you in advance, and to all my formerly Straight Edge friends - I still love you.