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!
Cosmic Joke – S/T
This earnest hardcore ain’t no laughing matter.
Just one look, and I know that Cosmic Joke are real good dudes. (I can imagine at least two members in weekly MtG sessions.) That hugely personable spirit makes all the difference with regards to the band’s recently-released self-titled LP. Because, at its baseline, the nine-track affair is standard SoCal-leaning hardcore — “Kamikaze” defines the kind of enthusiastic and kinetic, but not overly involved or intricate noise the band bashes out across the LP’s 13-ish minutes. But what should be a pretty straightforward affair really excels when that approachability and personality that infuses COSMIC JOKE rises to the surface. It’s most obvious in the lyrics: “Empty Nesting Doll” takes an oddly positive spin to family drama (“A joyous occasion overshadowed with grief/Peel back the pain and find a sense of relief”), and “Morphine” tackles drug use with surprising nuance (“We’ve got more blood to bleed/No stone’s been left unturned/No lessons left to learn”). And efforts like this — distinctly hardcore but with more nuance, empathy, generosity, and quiet dignity — are further reflected in the tones and overarching feelings of other cuts. “Throwing Stones” feels like a proper anthem because of whatever joy comes from this elevated outlook, and “Howard Beale” flirts with poppy transcendence while keeping those Docs planted on terra firma. So, it’s hardcore as hard and core as it can be, but with some new angle/perspective that flushes out the toxicity and the overly-indulgent tendencies for something a smack more earnest. And from that slightly more free-flowing approach, the sheer emotional heft feels extra charming and effective, and we all come together in celebration of more honest and open displays of life. If this deeply empowering experience doesn’t move you completely, then nothing can help you.
Final Thoughts: Texture and Approachability Have a Place in Real Hardcore, 7.3 / 10
RIYL: Bad Religion, Converge, and earnestly hanging with your Buds
Get The Album Here
The Bad Plug – S/T
Deadly simple punk rock from Italy.
Thankfully, this Milan-based trio have reviewed their own self-titled 2022 EP: “Straight drum lines. Noisy synths. Raw guitars.” Yet The Bad Plug accomplish so much more across these four volatile cuts. When they bash together Stooges-style punk and rockabilly into the anti-work anthem “My Job,” they show the complexities of a streamlined approach. By filtering garage punk through a grimy blues cheesecloth in “TBP,” they exemplify how certain genres are innately aligned. Just as they reach new heights, they cut out all those layers and texture in “Goin’ To My Funeral,” which somehow seems like the more complicated move. And they’re not done yet — they spend half of the 12-minute EP bashing proto-punk, blues, and rockabilly together to make “Noise of Boredom,” a decision so bold it boggles (and bruises!) the mind. Whether they zigged instead of zagging, or found novel configurations to brash noise, The Bad Plug prove that there’s heaps of magic in working with what you’ve got. That, and cheap synths are likely the new busted-up guitar.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple Doesn’t Mean Boring, Stupid, 8.2 / 10
RIYL: Lost Sounds, The Bubblemen, and tiny basement shows
Get The Album Here
Blues Lawyer – SIGHT GAGS ON THE RADIO EP
Bay Area rockers explore the joys and burdens of life.
February’s ALL IN GOOD TIME made clear life’s tedious bureaucracy. But before you check the schedules for nearby trains, Blue Lawyer clarifies our real odds for happiness with their excellent new EP, SIGHT GAGS ON THE RADIO. Sure, “Every Once In A While” paints a grim picture (it opens with, “Every once in a while I can feel something that’s good”). And things don’t exactly look up with “Have Nots,” a Springsteen-ian ballad inspired by singer Elyse Schrock being priced out of the Bay Area. Yet there’s a quiet grace to that acknowledgement (and big, hazy hooks to boot). “True Love’s Only Name” then turns up the haze and melancholy; it’s a slow-churning, utterly relatable love right when we need it most. Yes, it’s followed by the breakup jam “Our Divide,” but that’s more a celebration of life through pain. So, really, the joy’s in what you make of it all, and accepting the rare moments where minor greatness lands amid a sea of shortcomings. Yes, you can have the bad without the good (and you most certainly will from here on out), but the right soundtrack makes everything alright. Even if that’s just more janky harmonies and vaguely shimmery hooks.
Final Thoughts: Life Sucks and There’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll, 7.7 / 10
RIYL: The dB’s, The Mayflies USA, and permanent renters status
Get The Album Here
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