12 Weeks, How Many Records? Part 3

So I’m working at a library again and there’s this guy who’s put over 200 CDs on hold. At the same time. That’s led to some discussion about how he’s going to listen to them all. Someone floated the idea he’s a DJ; I like to think trucker. Regardless, there’s widespread doubt he’d listen to them all. Checkouts for three weeks, then you get three renewals – so in theory, twelve weeks to listen to 200 records. And all these discussions got me thinking. I could listen to 200 records in twelve weeks. Right?

Well I decided to keep track. What follows will be every record that I’ve listened to in full over the next twelve weeks, starting August 5th. I’m not gonna include repeats, even though I’ll definitely give a good chunk of these more than one spin; the idea is to see how many different records I listen to, not to count how many times I listen to, say, Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes, in three months.

I’ll break it up into three week segments: 1) initial checkout (8/5-8/26), 2) first renewal (8/27-9/16), 3) second renewal (9/17-10/7), and 4) final renewal (10/8-10/28). That’ll take me up to October 28th. I’ll have a few short sentences about the record and a link to check it out. And so, without further ado, let the great experiment begin!

117) Rancid - Let's Go (1994, Epitaph Records)
118) Rancid - ...And Out Come The Wolves (1995, Epitaph Records)
119) Rancid - Life Won't Wait (1998, Epitaph Records)
120) Rancid - Indestructible (2003, Hellcat Records)

Rancid’s one of those bands I probably should’ve seen live by this point and still haven’t. That makes missing them at Riot Fest this year a bit more of a bummer. But it’s always a blast to listen to those classic 90s records. I love Let’s Go, and …And Out Come The Wolves is a fucking classic, packed with some of their best. Life Won’t Wait is heavy on the ska, and I really liked Indestructible when I was in high school, so for me that’s still a lot of fun to listen to.
Listen to Let's Go on YouTube
Listen to ...And Out Come the Wolves on YouTube
Listen to Life Won't Wait on YouTube
Listen to Indestructible on YouTube

121) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Devil's Night Out (1990, Taang! Records)
122) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - More Noise And Other Disturbances (1992, Taang! Records)

Everybody and their dad knows “The Impression That I Get.” But you should check out early Mighty Mighty Bosstones if you haven’t. They give off the same impression (see what I did there?), but they’re heavier than you would expect such a popular ska band to be. And continuing the topic of Riot Fest, were absolutely incredible when I saw them there back in 2014.
Listen to Devil's Night Out on YouTube
Listen to More Noise and Other Disturbances on YouTube

123) Venom Prison - Animus (2016, Prosthetic Records)
124) Venom Prison - Samsara (2019, Prosthetic Records)

Venom Prison is this kick-ass death metal band from the UK, who hopped across the pond for a tour. It’s impressive hardcore influenced death metal on record, but live they absolutely slay. Vocalist Larissa Stupar is all over the place with her voice and she does it without even looking like she’s trying. Impressive stuff.
Listen to Animus on Bandcamp
Listen to Samsara on Bandcamp

125) Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today (1989, Revelation Records)

This falls into the category of ‘of course Steve O would listen to this.’ Love my straight edge youth crew hardcore, what can I say.
Listen to Start Today on Bandcamp

126) The Lawrence Arms - A Guided Tour Of Chicago (1999, Asian Man Records)
127) The Lawrence Arms - Ghost Stories (2000, Asian Man Records)
128) The Lawrence Arms - Apathy And Exhaustion (2002, Fat Wreck Chords)
129) The Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever Told (2003, Fat Wreck Chords)
130) The Lawrence Arms - Cocktails & Dreams (2005, Asian Man Records)
131) The Lawrence Arms - News From Yalta (2014, Epitaph Records)
132) The Lawrence Arms - Metropole (2014, Epitaph Records)
133) The Falcon - Gather Up The Chaps (2016, Red Scare Records)
134) Brendan Kelly & The Wandering Birds - I'd Rather Die Than Live Forever (2012, Red Scare Records)
135) Brendan Kelly & The Wandering Birds - Keep Walkin' Pal (2018, Red Scare Records)

You knew we were going to get there, I knew we were going to get there, we all saw this coming. The Lawrence Arms are one of my favorites, right up there with Propagandhi, and Brendan Kelly is one of my favorite songwriters. So it’s not a surprise I went full binge with the remaining Lawrence Arms discography, the Falcon, and the Wandering Birds stuff. All awesome in their own way.
Listen to A Guided Tour of Chicago on YouTube
Listen to Ghost Stories on YouTube
Listen to Apathy and Exhaustion on Bandcamp
Listen to The Greatest Story Ever Told on Bandcamp
Listen to Cocktails and Dreams on YouTube
Listen to Metropole on YouTube
Listen to Gather Up the Chaps on YouTube
Listen to I'd Rather Die Than Live Forever on YouTube
Listen to Keep Walkin' Pal on YouTube

136) Rise Against - The Unraveling (2001, Fat Wreck Chords)
137) Rise Against - Siren Song Of The Counter Culture (2004, Geffen Records)
138) Rise Against - The Sufferer & The Witness (2006, Geffen Records)

As highlighted in the last section, I still enjoy old school Rise Against. The Unraveling feels very different from the band now, but you can trace that lineage. Siren Song and The Sufferer & The Witness came out when I was in high school, so there’s a certain nostalgia attached to those records (especially Siren Song since I first saw Rise Against shortly after that came out), but those are also the last two, in my opinion at least, that are solid all the way through.
Listen to The Unraveling on Bandcamp
Listen to Siren Song of the Counter Culture on YouTube
Listen to The Sufferer & The Witness on YouTube

139) The Weapon - At What Cost/Shotgun Anarchy (2018, Self-Released)

This is really the first cheat on here – a two song digital single of old-school hardcore fronted by Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach. For a band I haven’t really listened to much since high school, they’ve been mentioned on all three segments now. Weird.
Listen to At What Cost/Shotgun Anarchy on Bandcamp

140) Bane - Holding This Moment (1998, Equal Vision Records)
141) Bane - It All Comes Down To This (1999, Equal Vision Records)
142) Bane - Give Blood (2001, Equal Vision Records)
143) Bane - The Note (2005, Equal Vision Records)
144) Bane - Don't Wait Up (2014, Equal Vision Records)

That first Rise Against show, back in 2005, Bane opened. That was the first of the at least half-dozen times I’ve seen them live. Loved them back in high school, still do today. “I am not a superhero.”
Listen to Holding This Moment on YouTube
Listen to It All Comes Down to This on YouTube
Listen to Give Blood on YouTube
Listen to The Note on YouTube
Listen to Don't Wait Up on YouTube

145) Winterfylleth - The Ghost Of Heritage (2008, Profound Lore Records)
146) Winterfylleth - The Mercian Sphere (2010, Candlelight Records)

Winterfylleth is the Old English name for the month of October, and they play a British take on Cascadian black metal. I’ve seen Primordial comparisons abound too, perhaps owing to their homage of place. Both will give you an idea of what to expect, and it’s perfect for those fall nights that drip a little closer to winter.
Listen to The Ghost Of Heritage on Bandcamp
Listen to The Mercian Sphere on Bandcamp

147) Panopticon - Autumn Eternal (2015, Bindrune Recordings)
148) Panopticon - The Crescendo Of Dusk (2019, Self-Released)

Carrying on with the autumnal theme – I’ve raved about Panopticon on here before and probably will again (spoilers?). Autumn Eternal is the closing chapter in the Kentucky/Roads to the North chapter, and, obviously, a perfect fall record. The Crescendo of Dusk has a B-side from that session and the majestic Scars of Man double album. One black metal, one folk, an ideal encapsulation of what Panopticon does.
Listen to Autumn Eternal on Bandcamp
Listen to The Crescendo of Dusk on Bandcamp

149) Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit (1998, Asian Man Records)
150) Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire (1999, Asian Man Records)
151) Alkaline Trio - Alkaline Trio (2000, Asian Man Records)
152) Alkaline Trio - From Here To Infirmary (2001, Vagrant Records)
153) Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning (2003, Vagrant Records)

Hey, can you tell we’re into fall records. There’s something about Trio that makes them ideal for the season. I got into From Here to Infirmary and Good Mourning when I was in middle school/high school, and they’re still the two records I go back to the most.
Listen to Goddamnit on YouTube
Listen to Maybe I'll Catch Fire on YouTube
Listen to Alkaline Trio on YouTube
Listen to From Here to Infirmary on YouTube
Listen to Good Mourning on YouTube

154) Good Riddance - Thoughts And Prayers (2019, Fat Wreck Chords)

I’m ashamed to say it took me this long to listen to the new Good Riddance record, brilliant with its snarky title. Good Riddance is consistent and Thoughts and Prayers hits all the notes they always do, and even includes their first Spanish language song. Look for a full random record when I’m done with this experiment (actually it’ll be up first cause this is a lot of damn work).
Listen to Thoughts and Prayers on Bandcamp

155) Audio/Rocketry - Audio/Rocketry (2016, Valley Home Records)

Music by friends, part two! We booked Audio/Rocketry to come down and play in DeKalb when they were on tour for this record, and the power went out, and they played in a gazebo in the park and were totally chill about the whole thing. Awesome, heartfelt folk and punk music from the Great White North, I think Audio/Rocketry is sneakily becoming my favorite A/R record.
Listen to Audio/Rocketry on Bandcamp

156) Eric Ayotte - Wavering (2010, Sleep City)
157) Eric Ayotte - Transparency (2015, Pike Records)

Music by friends continued! Eric plays some of the most meaningful punk inspired folk music (why yes, I am trying to avoid the term ‘folk punk’) you’ll hear, with tunes dripping in emotion. It’s easy to connect with too, and I don’t think it’s because I lived in Bloomington or have a connection to Upstate New York like he does.
Listen to Wavering on Bandcamp
Listen to Transparency on Bandcamp

158) Fall Of Efrafa - Owsla (2006, Alerta Antifascista Records)
159) Fall Of Efrafa - Elil (2007, Alerta Antifascista Records)
160) Fall Of Efrafa - Inlé (2009, Alerta Antifascista Records)

It’s epic doom and crust punk inspired by Watership Down. And somehow they manage to get more majestic over the course of three full lengths telling the story of Watership Down. Which is about rabbits. Yeah, it’s nerdy as hell, but incredible. The ‘fields are covered in blood’ indeed.
Listen to Owsla on Bandcamp
Listen to Elil on Bandcamp
Listen to Inlé on Bandcamp

161) We The Heathens - The Blood Behind The Dam (2016, Self-Released)

It’s crusty folk punk, which I don’t really listen to that often. I mostly listen to The Blood Behind the Dam because of “The Thunder Breaks,” which is about Watership Down. But it’s pretty good stuff throughout.
Listen to The Blood Behind The Dam on Bandcamp

162) War On Women - War On Women (2015, Bridge Nine Records)

Just go listen to any of War on Women’s releases. Especially if you haven’t already. If you have, you know how incredible this ferocious slab of hardcore is.
Listen to War On Women on Bandcamp

163) Gouge Away - , Dies (2016, Eighty-Sixed Records)
164) Gouge Away - Burnt Sugar (2018, Deathwish)

I’ve raved on here before about Gouge Away and they’ve won the bracket before (, Dies & Burnt Sugar), so you probably should have listened to them already. Great hardcore that’ll rip your face off.
Listen to , Dies on Bandcamp
Listen to Burnt Sugar on Bandcamp

165) Red City Radio - The Dangers Of Standing Still (2011, Paper + Plastick)
166) Red City Radio - Titles (2013, Paper + Plastick)

I listened to a ton of Red City Radio when I was driving around out West when I skipped undergrad graduation to drive to California. The Dangers of Standing Still was basically the soundtrack of that trip. Titles would’ve been a perfect fit on that trip too. Catchy, meaningful pop-punk, with dueling vocalists that’ll never be as great as they were on these early records (I think I prefer Paul’s songs and I miss him in this band).
Listen to The Dangers Of Standing Still on Bandcamp
Listen to Titles on Bandcamp

167) Wasted Potential - Wasted Potential (2014, Get Party Records)
168) Wasted Potential - Nervous Conditions (2015, Get Party Records)
169) Wasted Potential - Living Up To The Name (2017, Get Party Records)

Wasted Potential is so fucking cool. You need to listen to this band. It’s fast as hell and rad as fuck. I’ve raved about them a couple times on here before (Wasted Potential & Living Up to the Name).
Listen to Wasted Potential on Bandcamp
Listen to Nervous Conditions on Bandcamp
Listen to Living Up to the Name on Bandcamp

170) Junior Battles - Idle Ages (2011, Paper + Plastick)
171) Junior Battles - Rally (2014, Paper + Plastick)

Oh, Canada. How do you constantly turn out such fun and catchy punk. There’s something about PUP that reminds me of Junior Battles (and not the other way around). Creative and thoughtful, even if you’re not into how poppy the vocals are.
Listen to Idle Ages on Bandcamp
Listen to Rally on Bandcamp

172) The Kreutzer Sonata - The Gutters Of Paradise (2018, Don't Panic Records & Distro)
173) The Kreutzer Sonata - The Rosehill Gates (2019, Don't Panic Records & Distro)

If you have followed this site, you know how much we all dig this hardcore/street punk mix. And since our friends make awesome music, you won’t want to miss this blast of introspective energy.
Listen to The Gutters of Paradise on Bandcamp
Listen to The Rosehill Gates on Bandcamp

174) Good Clean Fun - Straight Outta Hardcore (2001, Phyte Records)
175) H2O - Nothing To Prove (2008, Bridge Nine Records)
176) H2O - Use Your Voice (2015, Bridge Nine Records)

Talk about PMA. Few have done it as well for as long as H2O. Certainly not the heaviest of NYHC, but never lacking in quality. As for Good Clean Fun, nobody does hardcore with as much tongue in cheek. It’s easy to tell how much fun they’re having.
Listen to Straight Outta Hardcore on YouTube
Listen to Nothing to Prove on Bandcamp
Listen to Use Your Voice on Bandcamp

177) Dropdead - Dropdead (1993, Selfless Records)

Hardcore, grind, crust, powerviolence, however you slice it, Dropdead is a legend. Just a wall of politically influenced noise. Not only is it timeless, there’s few who’ve come close to matching what Dropdead has done here.
Listen to Dropdead on Bandcamp

178) Teenage Bottlerocket / Human Robots - Teenage Bottlerocket Vs. Human Robots (2019, Fat Wreck Chords)

Just a fun little split with a TBR song about Miguel’s baby daughter and Human Robots, aka Ray Carlisle’s son Milo. More than just a novelty split, it’s a fun sub-ten minute spin.
Listen to Teenage Bottlerocket Vs. Human Robots on Bandcamp

179) The Flatliners - The Great Awake (2007, Fat Wreck Chords)
180) The Flatliners - Cavalcade (2010, Fat Wreck Chords)

Let’s continue that Oh Canada theme. Kinda like Toronto’s answer to Red City Radio, the Flatliners are at their best when they’re playing fast and heavy (or playing ska). Good stuff.
Listen to The Great Awake on Bandcamp
Listen to Cavalcade on Bandcamp