Mixtape #02 - Noise Rock

Work is dragging me down, it's almost summer but it rains everyday, and I haven't had a drink in a week. No wonder I'm in a mood for some angry music. So there we have it, a mixtape fully dedicated to some of the most aggravating, cathartic music around.

This mixtape features bands that are usually associated with Noise Rock, which - to be honest - I don't consider to be a musical style per se, at least in a sense of being a well established musical expression that falls within a defined set of conventions. That said, I do think it's a valid way to describe most of these bands, as they all use Rock as a foundation to put forth some of the most violent, fierce and unorthodox music made today. 

I tried it to keep the compilation short and simple, and hopefully varied enough to hold your interest. If you like what you hear, support the bands. They're just a google search away. Here's the setlist:

01 - ZA! - Buggamaistah, Spazzfrica Ehd; Papa Dupau vs. Ceausescu
02 - Melt Banana - A Dreamer Who Is Too Weak To Face Up To
03 - Kong - Leather Penny
04 - Young Widows - Lucky And Hardheaded
05 - Mayyors - The Crawl
06 - KEN mode - The Ugliest Happy You've Ever Seen
07 - Todd - Eagle And Child
08 - Today Is The Day - High As The Sky
09 - Zeni Geva - Dead Sun Rising
10 - NoMeansNo - Oh No! Bruno!
11 - Pissed Jeans - False Jesii Part 2
12 - 5ive - Kettle Cove
13 - Hebosagil - Ovet auki

Zeke - Punk Fury

People will seek motivation just about anywhere to overcome the lack of will to do such mundane, everyday tasks. Hard drugs, going to church, self-help audio books (ugh), and so on. Most of the time, I turn to music for a pick-me-up, especially the hard-hitting stuff. Fast and furious will do fine. ZEKE will do better.

Here's a bunch of fellows that don't like to beat around the bush, 2 seconds in and you'll know exactly what they're aiming at: to entertain your primitive self by playing some nasty, gritty, capital letters ROCK. They sound like they've been on a steady diet of Motörhead and amphetamines for years. Vocalist/guitarrist "Blind" Marky rasps like an angry Lemmy Kilmister gone full punk, the riffs sound like they were spewed out by the Dwarves and the rhythm section of Jeff "The Kid" Matz (bass) and Donny "Paycheck" (drums) would make Discharge proud. Hell, even their aliases cry out Rock n' Roll.

Music nowadays needs bands like ZEKE, who remind us of the urgency that defined the early stages of punk and hardcore and that should have never gone out of style (thanks a lot, Green Day). Their booze-drenched tunes pack enough punch to make you want to hit the road, literally. This stuff reeks of cheap fuel and burned rubber. Kings of the road indeed.

So, the next time you're in the mood for some "Ace of Spades", tune in some Zeke. If all the name-dropping made you the least curious, chances are you're going to like it. Go grab their latest output, Till The Living End, play it loud and antagonize your neighbours. Next time a cup of joe just isn't enough to get you through the day, you know where to turn to.