By Over the many years contributor Chris Coplan has been writing for Merry-Go-Round Magazine, readers have no doubt come to learn that he loves his punk music in every shape and form. Last year, Chris launched The Dredge, a newsletter you can subscribe to here, in which he further highlights his ever-expanding collection of hardcore, noise rock, Riot grrrl, Oi!, and more! MGRM is happy to be editing and re-publishing old editions of The Dredge into a regular column you can explore here on the site! Enjoy!
Lieek – DEEP PORE
A weird shimmy and shake down post-punk’s yesteryear.
When Berlin’s own Liiek say that their 2022 album, DEEP PORE, is “Gang of Four meets Q And Not U meets The Wire,” take them at their word. The 11-track collection of jagged, awkwardly danceable post-punk is steeped in that robust tradition—”Constructed” could easily be a more joyous, less brooding Wire, and “Reckless” nearly summons Gang of Four’s very spirit. So if that’s your bag, you’re going to feel very much at home (that home being a poorly lit English nightclub circa 1979). Do they bother to try and do something novel and/or inventive? “Take On A Dramatic Scale” feels interesting for its pace and harmonies, and “Regressed Over Time” exemplifies a garage rock undercurrent to the record. It’s just enough to make their retro-mining act feel more genuine, a dismissal of more pristine modern trappings for the angular oddities of yesteryear. This is an artifact that doesn’t so much honor the past as try to recreate something essential about it entirely—the fact that Liiek have nailed the baseline so thoroughly makes this a bona fide success. Maybe it won’t move you quite like Wire, but that’s your own baggage, yeah?
Final Thoughts: Clinging to a Post-Punk Past as a Means of Transcendence, 6.9 / 10
RIYL: Gang of Four, Gang of Four, and owning Gang of Four t-shirts
Get the Album Here
NEW VOGUE – WAITING DAZE
This one time, in Montreal…
Having spent five days there in fall 2014, my soundtrack for Montreal was Interpol’s EL PINTOR. But after spinning NEW VOGUE’s latest, WAITING DAZE, I can forget about that LP and how it curated the brutal end of my first marriage. (Mostly.) With their supercharged, unfiltered synth-punk, “BLIND RAGE” and “ON YOUR WAY OUT” capture the vaguely nostalgic, endlessly DIY overtures of places like TRH Bar. “WAITING DAYS,” meanwhile, blasts the synths toward the realm of arena rock, and that perfect curveball feels like the time I swear I saw a yoga studio atop an ice cream parlor. (I won’t explain any further.) And “NOBODY’S ANSWER” captures both my triumphant, hopeful arrival and subsequent deflated exit less than a week later. Is this exactly the sound of Montreal? I don’t know, man, I ate a lot of convenience store sandwiches in that span. What I can tell you, though, is it captures that mix of existential dread and boundless romanticism of a very specific kind of dude in their late 20s or early 30s—a record for drinking shit beer, dancing in the cold, and holding onto your feelings. Or, punk rock born of a very specific, very deliberate city obsessed with past, present, and sorting it all out (over massive hooks). If you can relate, we can slam Coors Light and listen to this record—maybe I’ll tell you about my ex…
Final Thoughts: Ah, to Be Young (And Slightly Shitty) Again, 7.9 / 10
RIYL: The Faint, The 222s, and poutine and beer
Get the Album Here
Crime of Passing – S/T
This sonic smorgasbord is sweet, spicy, and never stale.
Here’s a good rule: the best bands dress like they’re in totally different groups. That’s certainly the case for Cincinnati’s Crime of Passing, whose own lineup mirrors the mighty mix of krautrock, synthpop, and post-punk found on their 2022 self-titled LP. And every one of the nine resulting tracks tries to balance that medley in its own right. “Damrak” plays out like a funeral ballad at a Mad Max-ian death rave; “Vision Talk” sets ablaze the chilly confines of coldwave; “Hunting Knife” oozes sex appeal—if you find haunted basements appealing; and “World on Fire” throws tacks and fireworks onto the pit. (For a fully balanced experience, album closer “Ways of Hiding” distills these varied essences with brutal effectiveness.) Either way, Crime of Passing manage to deliberately commit and still feel wholly free through their palpable passion and technical prowess. (That, and singer Andie Luman has the sonic range of wailing harpie and angsty badass down pat.) It’s not one thing or the other but a glorious blend of intentions, ideas, and sentiments aligned around punk’s unceasing openness. Dress it up how you like, but it rocks out just the same.
Final Thoughts: A Potent Brew That Distills Ideas/Sounds Without Watering Down, 7.9 / 10
RIYL: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Boredoms, and super sick band photos
Get the Album Here
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