Hero Dishonest on (If Society, Laja Records) Peterwalkee records

Hero Dishonest are a Finnish hardcore band that have been around since 1999. They even have a video of their first show. Since then they've released at least thirteen albums not including their latest single on Peterwalkee Records. Unless you know Finnish though you're going to miss what they're singing about but that isn't going to stop you from appreciating this melodic hardcore with moments of mathy metal.

A-Side's "Elämä lyhyt, Pasilan silta pitkä" opens with wavering feedback almost harmonizing the guitars circuit loop running together into huge chords with a thick low end and nice kick/cymbal crashes. Spinning at 45 they get a meaty sound with clear separation in those guitars, the chords channeled through different places and married again perfectly. A clean, quiet start to this slower monotone back and forth kick snare beat, completely balanced and when something is this put together it's easy to get right over that language barrier. It's just bad ass, this bass is the lead for the rest to follow with that bubbly low end, the vocal has just a hint of distance like a bathroom wall distance bouncing back. They pick up the pace into hardcore pounding and the unison chorus gets metal scary like Suicidal Tendencies or DRI. You get both era's, break out an old wide skateboard or switch to low end slower riffs like Earth where I'm in these days. (Old and slow) "Nälkälakko" has a close yelling with no effects while the bass and tom solo, taking a weird approach to a fragmented bluesy rock with pieces scattered all over but those riffs where they hit together pick up steam again, scraping strings in unison and that crash of a cymbal taking this out nice and clean. There's nothing forulaic, it's not as fast as possible, just mixing unusual things together and it helps it's in Finnish.
"Jumalan selätys" is a bigger straight rock track with wailing Bleach style notes that pile over each other hinting at Milk Music's crusty rock. They crank the echo and Vellu is yelling real creepy while an organ is dying. They seem to be playing in a different space every track and using a different thematic device, the distortion on their fisted chords is different. A creepy end from inside a death metal church, some maniac bellowing from the pulpit before rocking again. It's weird to hear somethign that's so put together and catchy with nothing vocally recognizable. I'm so ignorant.

B-Side "Tammikuun Seitsemäs" is distorted vocals over mainly bass and tom building that opening rhythm for the crunch of muted chords to follow. They get interesting directions going really quick and the depth and polish of their sound keeps me listening. Chords are slightly transposed around in those minor variations and as much as this should be brutal, a sythe swinging low at the knees, they have a lot of delicate changes and details. I think I heard "Bearing Sea" and "Mona Lisa?" This is fun. "Kaikki Hajoaa" - They don't get absurdly fast or comically growly - this is serious, the depth of this distortion and the slight mathy changes between grunge style chunk, or even a Helmet sort of thing at points. It' contemporary as hell, a progressive throw out the rules stuff of Fucked Up.

Silver ink on rough black cardstock with black and white insert. Get this locally from Peterwalkee Records.

Sokea Piste on Peterwalkee Records

Peterwalkee Records sent over this hardcore wax from Sokea Piste, a Finnish 4 piece making full use of a dual layered guitar attack that continue to explore what happens after rock went punk.
A-Sides, "Kollektiivinen Paniikki" (I appreciate the english translation of the lyrics on the insert) has these guys shaking out brief power chords that are the furthest thing from pop punk, they favor a dirtier sound, the melody is anything but a chance to party. I know that they're pissed off without even looking at the translation insert.
Although you don't even need to know necessarily what they're railing against, but it helps when they eloquently make as much sense as this. It's protest music, plain and simple, they have a lot of beef and anywhere in the world it ends up as some form of this. Hard and fast, loud and heavy.
The nice thing is that this feeling is even happening in somewhere as far away as Finland, there's this marginalized part of society everywhere that ends up working it out like this, (wasn't there that doc about middle east heavy metal...)it's completely crazy it exists and makes perfect sense at the same time. Sokea is Piste and yell this one out, stopping with that precise drop of the hat.
Next up on this side, "Ala Ajattele Kuolemaa", goes on about death, again, in really smart ways. I'm into the lyric, especially after revisiting Refused, thanks to their reunion tour...and this also sounds more and more related to this straight ahead post-punk sound...a little bit of Fugazi's penchant for experimental guitar directions while driving the track dead ahead. The Mission of Burma big guitar sound with minor keys and mono-melodies.
B-Side's "Imbesilli Jattilainen" is about a giant, maybe literal...but is the worst parts of society. Lots of feedback distortion dissonance over a steady great bassline, the whole thing slowly building up, all kinds of guitar as noise, weirdo layers, off key and bent, a little Blonde Redhead. I need more of that guitar experimental stuff in my life...not in melody or the way the instrument is played, but when you examine that brutal raw distorted chord and deal solely with it's delivery....those tiny elements that change this into post-whatever...like this last bit of clone pedal effect melody that's taking the whole thing out.

I've seen these giants in Skyrim and they are not to be messed with...trust me, don't make that mistake.


Peterwalkee recs says:

SOKEA PISTE from Finland (members of KYKLOOPPIEN SUKUPUUTTO, MANIFESTO JUKEBOX)create chaotic, driving, and noisy punk rock with odd time signatures and freaked out guitars! Somewhere bewteen Mission of Burma, No Hope for the Kids, and Steel Pole Bath Tub, SOKEA PISTE is a murderous crush of perversity, paranoia, twisted visions of blind rage, solitary insanity and silent thoughtful violence. 500 copies pressed, 100 on yellow vinyl (mail order only). Silk screened covers, sticker, and digital download with bonus track from upcoming LP!.

Heavy cardstock screened sleeve, on black vinyl with color lyric insert.

Kitty Little / Scientific Maps split on Peterwalkee Records

Pulled another one from the stack of Peterwalkee Records out of Buffalo today, this one is a split between Kitty Little and Scientific Maps who both claim Albany as locations in their bios, and both offer up a couple of songs each at 33 on this long playing EP

The A-Side from Kitty Little starts out with "Milk Shakes", this is pure pop rock, crunchy guitars, really clean recording, chorus sounding vocals. A gleaming, squeaky clean shine on the whole thing. Emerging from a huge distorted riff, the dual vocals from Matto and Jessie are delivered in that insanely energetic way, a frantic kind of yell, and the three piece is already feeling a few times bigger. There's a big drum/percussion break that leads back into that energy that's born out of a lot of live shows and I think they have captured their punch and anthemic punk performance in the studio. "Never Stay" starts to even get into Promise Ring territory for me here, maybe it's the chord progression along with the muted crunch of a downstroke riff. Beating the hell out of equipment and taking a page from the post-rock book of speed along with an inherent instinct for a catchy chord, it's the kind of thing born out of backyards and bars instead of bedrooms in the middle of the night. It's all out there, on the sleeves, to rock.
Scientific Maps on the B-Side starts out with "Oh, You'd Like to Think So" and these guys for me straddle a weird folk/'50s pop line that bands like the Decembrists do....maybe thanks to this horn section along side the high note jangle, or the folksong sounding melody. It's a mashup of genre's, but in the way that something like Elvis Costello is a mix of era's...you've got a classic pop on the jukebox sound alongside a kind of neo-folk structure, if that makes any sense. It's deceptively on the surface something like a bubblegum pop, but then on "The Demon's Bite", the trumpet takes over on this early melody, and there's a thin layer of fuzz on the vocal that places it into something more folk contemporary. When the guitar distortion and the horn get together mirroring their melodies it's pretty interesting how close that sound can get all under a sort of funk groove, that bassline and layers of bopping brass melody...a mystery of influence that is indeed done in the same indie pop spirit as Kitty Little.

On clear green vinyl with download card from Peterwalkee Records who says:

KITTY LITTLE/SCIENTIFIC MAPS SPLIT 7":Two different favors of tasty pop rock deliciousness on this split 7"! Kitty Little brings you more of that Superchunk inspired indie rock you have come to expect! More of their patented male/female vocals, snappy melodies, and gritty guitar action! Scientific Maps delivers up some seriously infectious British invasion style pop rock that any Kinks fan would love! Their songs are so memorable you will be singing them in your sleep! Each band has two songs on their side of the vinyl. Each record comes with a digital download code and both bands have contributed a bonus track exclusive to the download only! Limited to 300 copes first pressing!$5.00 plus shipping.

The Figgs on Peterwalkee Records

It took a while to put this together with The Figgs from long long ago...I swear my friend Matt had a cassette from them in high school that always ended up in his car or mine. The name is definitely familiar, and after learning they're from upstate, I'm positive this has to be the same band - and here they are coming out with a new single on Peterwalkee Records, out of Buffalo...checking out their catalog they've been steadily documenting the upstate NY scene for a while now and this is the first time I've come across them, more proof that by the time I even attempted some kind of map keeping track of the labels it would be sadly outdated and irrelevant.

A-Side and the title track "Casino Hayes" is solidly rocking, slickly produced and the opening sweeping pysche warp riffs give away it's underpinning hard rock cards...a poker reference? Well ask Pete Hayes, who the song was written for by guitarist Mike Gent. It sounds like Pete earned the nickname from a slight obsession (if the song is even slightly biographical), "he stays / unshaved / he crazed" at the slots for days, splitting 3's on the blackjack table. I'd like to think I choose not to know anything about poker or gambling because I might try to make a living at it and spend my life obsessed on a corner trying to beat the system. The sleeve carries this gambling motif into a '50s looking pop art design, with chips on the reverse. It's a heavy rocker, punchy guitars up front in the mix and Gent emotionally pleading to Hayes with a string of clever rhymes counting the ways it's gotten out of hand, and it would take a band with an extensive history to carry an inside joke into a catchy power rock affair like this A-Side.

The B-Side, "Another Point of View" is previously unreleased and was penned by the other founding member Pete Donnelly. A more restrained, nearly alt-country rocker, populated with acoustic and a distant organ, focused more on the bands pop harmonies, it's a far too catchy breakup song about all the difficulties in this somewhat dysfunctional relationship. Keeping it upbeat, instead of wallowing in it, might come off as denial, but it's sold as a singalong pop ballad...you decide.

Faded, faux preworn sleeve on marble light green vinyl with download card from Peterwalkee Records, who also has the 10th anniversary Figgs record, Sucking in Stereo for the first time on vinyl...super limited, so pick these both up.