LA VIDA ES UN MUS - Forced Exposure

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Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #

BRUX	Fills De la Nit	7"	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 298EP
$14.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/24/2024 Brux are back with four tracks of their trademark sound. Four flanged out hard-hitting anthems, mixing the sharpest possible post punk with the roughest street rock'n'roll vocals. They keep their boots firmly pressed between two styles which seem polar opposites, resulting in new sounds made up of old formulas. Too angular for boot boys yet too crude for post punkers. Blending both blitz eras with death rock and current punk wave, and resulting on a fully formed band not afraid of displaying all their influences at once. Originally released by the band's label on a 100-run cassette at the end of 2023, this recording was simply too good not to exist on vinyl.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
FULMINE	Randagio	7"	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 299EP
$14.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/24/2024 The debut six-track 7" from Fulmine -- an international skinhead masterclass from some global drinking buddies. The five-piece band featuring Luca, Sarny, Alex, Chubby Charles, and Joe went into Fuzzbrain studio and cranked out six tracks in as many hours without a single rehearsal. The sound is very basic, rough and intense with lyrics that are very incendiary. This is proper old school mid paced Italian Oi! with the crunching bass and a vocalist who chews glass for that authentic gravel tone.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
KRIEGSHOG	Kriegshog	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 042LP
$33.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/24/2024 2010 release. The new wave of brutality and hardcore massacre has arrived. Tokyo punks Kriegshög are back with their first full length. After three lovable 7"s at LVEUM, they finally went for the album. Thirteen tracks of extremely bass-driven hardcore destruction. The recording is relentless, full of energy, and distorted. Yet, moving from the ultra blown-out recording of their earlier output. This is the band's most dynamic recording so far and in our humble opinion is destined to be a classic and genre-defining album. Second press of Kriegshög LP which La Vida Es Un Mus released back in 2010. Released in time for Static Shock Weekend 16 where Kriegshög will played their first ever European show. This time around the LP comes housed in a heavy-duty, paste-on board sleeve with heavy weight inner sleeve. Overall a top-quality packaging for a top-quality record.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
KRIEGSHOG	Love & Revenge	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 300LP
$33.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/24/2024 Kriegshög is back. Five years after their last single and 14 since their debut album, the Tokyo Hardcore band finally delivers a new release. Love and Revenge is a record of consummate savagery and monster riffs. Picking up where the Paint It Black 7" left, and moving forward as a heavy toned hardcore record that finds the band in its own realm. While following the Japanese tradition of long running bands operating at their own pace and mastering their sound along the way. The band leave behind their speedier sound, moving now at a slower tempo but still pummeling their riffing sound. The incorporation of a new drummer, adds much more than a steady beat, amplifying the Kriegshög sonic experience. Their sound is still very bass driven, to the point of becoming nearly hypnotic -- quasi psychedelic at times, the guitar tone is crunchy and nasty and the vocal delivery has only got more brutal, with a glass eating demon on the mic conjuring the darkest side of your soul. Perfect for night rides into the abyss. Their influences are still there. With Kuro, Zouo, or The Clay shaking hands with the darkest '70s hard rock via Jerusalem and modern stoner rock via Kyuss or Sleep.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
LAME	Dejad Que Vengan	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 290LP
$34.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL A decade after the international boom of the Iberian Hardcore scene and its subsequent decline, some members of the bands Orden Mundial and Barcelona, scattered around Europe, got together to form Lame, with Morreadoras' bassist on vocal duties. These seven songs were written in Mallorca during four days and recorded in pieces between Mallorca and Berlin shortly after. An instantaneous and fleeting project, quick and concise, with no time for regrets. A journey through the generalized madness that affects us from far and near; a mixture of reflections and blind head-butts against the padded walls of understanding. The loss of control, the loss of time, the loss of oneself and the loss of dear departed all meet at once. Resignation is death indeed. What does it sound like? Unabashed hardcore with a broad spectrum of current and classic influences. Serrated guitar riffs, mechanical deep bass lines and hypnotic drumming backing an extremely sharp and vile vocal delivery. It can remind you at times of Chain Reaction and GRB, of Rudimentary Peni and Nog Watt. All passed through a Mediterranean filter.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
BRORLAB	Working Out In Heaven	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 273LP
$34.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL La Vida Es Un Mus first fell in love with Antwerp's Brorlab with an urgently abrasive EP which from 2020. Fast forward to 2023 and they are back with a totally out of control 12" of modern fuckwave. The A side is seven new songs of their trademark dadaist electronic punk, full of fuzz guitars and sharp nasty beats, with a vocalist that fits perfectly the Honey Bane-Chitose vocal range and smart attitude. The B side brings bang back to life the eight tracks from their criminally obscure debut EP, which will make any lover of ear-damaging noise smile with pleasure. All-in-all an aberrant slice of psychedelic gabber infused punk for the end of time.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
NOSFERATU	Society's Bastard	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 263LP
$34.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 12/1/2023 40 plus years after Out of Vogue and Pay to Cum came, USA HC punk has died many deaths. Only to be brought back to life wave after wave. Perhaps only to be sold again as a cleaner version of itself. However there seem to always be a bunch of miscreants that spit on HC grave and enjoy making dirty and aggressive fast music as if their lives were on it. Nosferatu is one of them. Here is the long-promised vinyl version of last year's cassette tape. On it are 11 songs of boom box sounding hardcore punk. Fast and raging, without an ounce of metal or cuteness on it. Think of YDI or E-13 but also Wretched or Systematic Death. Short songs as burst of energy with an attention to detail to their craft the way only someone who has worn out their Herejia or Anti-Dogmatikss tapes can create. In so many words, Nosferatu sounds as the missing hidden track on Killed By Hardcore Vol. 2. This version of Society's Bastard comes as a double A side 12" with the same program repeating on both sides. Packed in a beautiful sleeve and recorded at D4mt Labds in a whim merely a week after writing them.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
INSTITUTE	Ragdoll Dance	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 287LP
$34.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL Ragdoll Dance is the fourth album by New York-via Texas punks Institute. Most underground punk bands don't make four albums, but it makes sense for Institute. Even on their earliest releases, Institute's sound teemed with possibility, drawing from a long history of anarcho-punk, post-punk, and hardcore, and fusing those aesthetics with great, classic-sounding songwriting. Ragdoll Dance finds Institute back with their original lineup (including Albert from Nosferatu and Altar of Eden on drums) and returning to a DIY approach to recording, working both at home (using the same setup as singer Moses Brown's solo project, Peace de Résistance) and with Joe and Owen of D4MT Labs, whose gritty yet vital recordings have documented some of DIY punk's best contemporary bands. Institute also chose to work within the hardcore community to release the record. While Ragdoll Dance is culturally embedded in the world of DIY hardcore punk, musically it tends to move back toward the more eclectic sound of Salt and Catharsis. The album's title is a nod to Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Brown also cites arty post-punks Magazine as an influence on the record, which shows on tracks like "City" and "Where's It Go," energetic, left-of-center pop songs that challenge but also gratify. If you're looking for the savage young Institute, though, "Uncle Sam's Hate" and "Plateau of Self" crackle with raw rock and roll energy that few groups can summon, particularly groups with Institute's inimitable style, musical chops, and lyrical weight. While so many punk bands peak early, Institute has continued to refine these qualities, and Ragdoll Dance's assured tone makes it as vital as anything they've recorded so far.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
STINGRAY	Fortress Britain	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 288LP
$33.00 IN STOCK Crashing dirty carnage somewhere between Neuroot, Ripcord, and Sacrilege comes Stingray's debut LP. Tin Savage barks his brutish textural east London drawl on top of unrefined metal-tinged hardcore punk veering between scandi wallop, jacked up amphetamine hardcore, and jaw snapping mosh lusciously and confidently. Recorded by Jonah Falco at Fuzzbrain Studios and mixed and mastered by Chris Corry in the Paincave, Fortress Britain is a ruthless and unrelenting blunt instrument.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
TUBE ALLOYS	Magnetic Point	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 279LP
$33.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL Tube Alloys have made a type of record that is in short supply these days. A record that is untethered to prevailing musical trends, punk or otherwise, in either their native Los Angeles or further afield. It's in keeping with a tradition, sure, one pioneered by bands like Wire, Swell Maps, and This Heat, who sought to combine the vitality of punk music with an omnivorous ear for the avant-garde. But Tube Alloys honor this tradition with their disinterest in nostalgia and their ability to cast an irreverent eye towards our present and -- crucially -- our future, rather than endlessly rehashing our past. In short, Tube Alloys are adventurous where many of their contemporaries are content to play it safe. In doing so they tick a lot of boxes for those with open minds and open ears, while simultaneously making sense of the innate contradictions found in any great work of art. Their songs are muscular without being boneheaded, clever without being nerdy. A dry Australian humor is barked with an American sense of self-assuredness. Songs end before you've had a chance to digest their brilliance, or they explode right when you think they've already peaked. And just when you think you're comfortably along for the ride, the songs disappear altogether, and the record's centerpiece abruptly takes shape as an oblique spoken riff on "Time." And time it is, for something a little different.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
JJ & THE AS	JJ & The As	7"	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 281EP
$14.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL JJ & the A's release their debut six-track EP and it's a barrage of punk nuggets that explode out of the speaker. The treble is on full and the bass down low as the Danish/Barcelona power-punk band unleash hell and fury. This is punk from the golden eras of the late '70s and early '80s and even a bit of early '90s from people who have been involved in hardcore scene for all of their adult lives. It's relentless and is an absolute fireball of speed and energy. Think a mix of Gorilla Angreb, Screamers, Spits, Rip Off Records, and those classic Killed by Death 7"s that now are worth thousands. Get your dancing shoes on and enjoy every last second of this gem that came out of nowhere.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
SPIRITS DI LUPO	Vedo La Tua Faccia Nei Giorni Di Pioggia	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 277LP
$32.00 IN STOCK Bursting through the door with a raw martial snap, Spirits Di Lupo blast out snarling anarcho-hardcore anthems inspired by the raspy maniacal sounds of the '80s Italian punk greats and the sloganeering/passionate-rant lyrical delivery style of the UK's legendary anarcho punk scene. A riveting combination that doesn't pull any punches and serves to highlight the beauty of the world rather than dwell in the brooding fodder that usually haunts those genres. Catchy, rudimentary and ecstatic music of the highest order.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
BARRERA	Visiones Nocturnas	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 249LP
$26.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL Barrera follows up the Nuevo Sonido Balear path started by Orden Mundial, Pou and Pena Máxima with a debut release filled to the rim with lust, sex, power, and distortion. Their songs are slow and acidic, with a tortured tone that would make Gloom or Brainbombs cry. The seven songs on Visiones Nocturnas are themed around the death of romantic love and are not afraid to look at the darkest side of life with a nihilistic conviction. Musically the record follows the path laid by Stickmen With Rayguns or Flipper but are firmly rooted in Spanish punk with Desechables as a clear point of reference, both aesthetically and sonically. Although Barrera occupy their own space with a sound that is clearly their own nightmare. Recorded and mixed by Chano Morales at Impala Uno Studio, Mallorca. Mastered by Shigenori Kobayashi at Noise Room, Tokyo. Artwork by Barrera.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
OHYDA	Pan Bog Spelni Wszystkie Pragnienia Lewakow... I Dojdzie Do Katastrofy!	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 253LP
$29.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL "Hurtling out of Lesser Poland full of indignant rage and armed with defiant conviction come Lublin's OHYDA with a third LP that puts Kaczyński and his PiS cronies to shame. The legacy of Polish forefathers Dezerter lurks behind razor-sharp riffs and tightly-wound drums, but this record is no mere exercise in homage paying. Where other efforts may hide behind prescriptive cacophony, OHYDA leap out from the dark with a sound that is both cleaner and more considered while somehow remaining belligerently heavy and grotesque. Such is the catchiness that loiters beneath the swell of this tortured LP you might even pick up glimmers of TZN Xenna's 1985 7" Dzieci z Brudnej Ulicy. Right-wing populists and pro-lifers are amongst the victims who are dressed down with both fury and absurdity. There's also an entire tune that goes after Kaja Godek, which deserves a round of applause in itself. The band's best work to date." --Christopher Dodd (Bad Breeding). Pan Bóg Spełni Wszystkie Pragnienia Lewaków... I Dojdzie Do Katastrofy! was recorded at the local Culture Center (CK Lublin) by Dariusz Kociński and mastered by Jack Control at Enormous Door Studios. Sleeve art by Dziki, mincing the head of Kaja Godek, a prolife/anti LGBTQ+ activist, with lettering help from guitarist Mike Champagne.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
SIAL	Sangkar	7"	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 270EP
$13.50 IN STOCK SIAL returns with six tracks of back-to-back pure hardcore assault. Repetitive riffs and unrelenting screams will have you under a spell and bound for a very dark place. This record takes influence from all their previous releases, holding true to the classic sound of raw punk and made it their own- just the way it's meant to be. Behind the harsh energy of SIAL lies a deep-rooted resistance towards a state system that only benefits the rich and the majority race. "Sangkar" means "Cage" in English -- a place full of anxiety and violence. Home is Nowhere. No one is safe. Recorded in October 2022 at Project 416, Singapore. Recorded and mixed by Izzad Radzali Shah. Artwork and layout by Izzad and Hafiz. Mastered by Will Killingsworth (Dead Air Studios).

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
IRREAL	Era Electronica	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 259LP
$29.50 IN STOCK Following up their 2020 EP Barcelona, Irreal delivers eight troglodyte anthems of radikal hardcore punk. Borrowing heavily from the Hear Nothing era Discharge and echoing equally Suomi classics Destruktions/Mellakka and AOQ demo era Cro-Mags, Irreal creates a maelstrom of hypnotic feedback. Era Electrónica Catalan and Spanish anarchist lyrics bind the bands primitive sonic assault, delivering a modern hardcore punk record without an ounce of modern attitude. Punk as it is meant to be; nasty, aggressive, political and uncompromising. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Markus at No Master's Voice in Copenhagen. Cover art by Arturo PS.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
MOCK EXECUTION	Killed By Mock Execution	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 254LP
$29.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL Chicago's Mock Execution return with nine tracks of unadulterated sonic aggression. Their debut LP Killed By Mock Execution takes cues from the dirtier sides of both Finish and Japanese hardcore while keeping their engineer boots firmly set on the traditional UK crust sound of yesteryear. Executing a magnificent hybrid of Doom and Gloom, Gai, Kaaos, and the entire early 2000's Crust War catalog, Mock Execution tear through flanger solos, huge crash cymbals, burly driven bass and No Security split era intros and that's only part way to the band's sound. Recorded by the band on an 8-track tape recorder at their tiny practice space, during the height of global pandemic and civil unrest in the USA between 2020 and 2021, and graced with artwork by the inimitable Monykaos.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
SOAKIE	Soakie	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 208LP
$23.50 NOT IN STOCK Debut seven-track album from half-Melbourne, half-NYC Soakie. It's total no nonsense blistering, fast, and energetic hardcore with a vocalist that sounds like she has been chewing on glass every day since birth. She has a real rasp and anger that is part Nick Blinko (Rudimentary Peni) and part Vi Subversa (Poison Girls) but the music is totally pummeling and would sit perfectly for those that love pogo punk, Teddy And the Frat Girls, The Feederz, and Good Throb in equal measures. "Boys On Stage" is a real standout with the lyric "There're too many fucking boys on stage" sticking in your head from one listen. Soakie was recorded by James Rumsey and mixed by Ian Teeple who also took care of the artwork. Includes A3 lyric insert.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
STRAW MAN ARMY	SOS	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 252LP
$28.50 NOT IN STOCK New York's Straw Man Army return with SOS, the follow-up to their 2020 debut LP, Age of Exile (DM4T 001LP). Emerging from the D4MT Labs group that also includes Kaleidoscope and Tower 7, Straw Man Army's delicate musical touch, embrace of melody, and rapid-fire, clearly articulated vocals separate them from the louder and noisier end of New York's fertile punk scene. While Age of Exile examined the legacy of colonialism through the musical milieu of melodic anarcho-punk, SOS turns its attention to the increasingly bleak prospects for the human race and planet Earth. While Straw Man Army's lyrical approach remains dense and thought provoking on SOS, their musical scope grows wider, encompassing Age of Exile's melodic take on anarcho, bleak and brooding post-punk, psychedelic instrumental excursions, and even the wistful pop of album highlight "Beware". SOS is everything Straw Man Army's fans could have hoped for in a follow-up and so much more, cementing the band's status as one of the most original, exciting, and important groups in the contemporary punk underground.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
CHISEL, THE	Retaliation	Cassette	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 247CS
$12.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL Cassette version. It's going off and The Chisel are back to cause a bit of bovver. Following a trio of explosive singles, the band finally bring us their debut full-length album, Retaliation, on the London-based punk institution La Vida Es Un Mus. Having formed in early 2020 and featuring a crew of members with long-term associations to the London punk scene, The Chisel quickly secured a reputation as one of the most exciting bands from a pool of contemporaries that includes Chubby & The Gang, Stingray and Big Cheese. Their sound is rooted firmly in punk but with influences that run across the board to create a distinctive blend of Oi!, anarcho, UK-82 and hardcore. Retaliation is an unmistakably British record that draws a line from 1982 up to the present day, pushing its way into your collection and torching your stereo. Opening with the agitated force of "Unlawful Execution", the tone is firmly set by a song that addresses the brutality of the Met Police. "Come See Me" is a ferocious ode to camaraderie in the face of mouthy boneheads and bell ends. "Shit Life Syndrome" is a poisoned reference to the same cynical phrase used by physicians to describe the effects of people living under poverty and in the grips of substance abuse. It's one of many songs influenced by singer Cal's experiences of growing up in the working-class town of Blackpool. With tunes like these The Chisel show that they'll never pull any punches. However, beyond the fury and the swagger there's another side that plays to an additional strength; the ability to write a memorable hook. Songs like "Retaliation", "Tooth & Nail" and "Not The Only One" could be described as modern day anthems (the latter has become a fan favorite since the arrival of their first live shows) and cement their identity as a band not to be defined by their influences. Retaliation is 14 tracks of dance floor-stomping-working class Chisel-music. Here and now, The Year of The Chisel. Recorded by Jonah Falco at Total Refreshment Centre, London, March 2021. Mixed by James Atkinson at the Stationhouse in Leeds. Mastered by Daniel Husayn at North London Bomb Factory. Cover painting by Tara Atefi.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
CHISEL, THE	Retaliation	CD	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 247CD
$17.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL It's going off and The Chisel are back to cause a bit of bovver. Following a trio of explosive singles, the band finally bring us their debut full-length album, Retaliation, on the London-based punk institution La Vida Es Un Mus. Having formed in early 2020 and featuring a crew of members with long-term associations to the London punk scene, The Chisel quickly secured a reputation as one of the most exciting bands from a pool of contemporaries that includes Chubby & The Gang, Stingray and Big Cheese. Their sound is rooted firmly in punk but with influences that run across the board to create a distinctive blend of Oi!, anarcho, UK-82 and hardcore. Retaliation is an unmistakably British record that draws a line from 1982 up to the present day, pushing its way into your collection and torching your stereo. Opening with the agitated force of "Unlawful Execution", the tone is firmly set by a song that addresses the brutality of the Met Police. "Come See Me" is a ferocious ode to camaraderie in the face of mouthy boneheads and bell ends. "Shit Life Syndrome" is a poisoned reference to the same cynical phrase used by physicians to describe the effects of people living under poverty and in the grips of substance abuse. It's one of many songs influenced by singer Cal's experiences of growing up in the working-class town of Blackpool. With tunes like these The Chisel show that they'll never pull any punches. However, beyond the fury and the swagger there's another side that plays to an additional strength; the ability to write a memorable hook. Songs like "Retaliation", "Tooth & Nail" and "Not The Only One" could be described as modern day anthems (the latter has become a fan favorite since the arrival of their first live shows) and cement their identity as a band not to be defined by their influences. Retaliation is 14 tracks of dance floor-stomping-working class Chisel-music. Here and now, The Year of The Chisel. Recorded by Jonah Falco at Total Refreshment Centre, London, March 2021. Mixed by James Atkinson at the Stationhouse in Leeds. Mastered by Daniel Husayn at North London Bomb Factory. Cover painting by Tara Atefi.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
HOME FRONT	Think Of The Lie	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 244LP
$26.00 NOT IN STOCK "Charlottefield put you on alert -- ears pricking, pupils dilating, fur-on-end -- like all the good stuff does. It happened every time I saw them. Fizzing and spitting like power lines in fog, tendons bulging through your skin, moments of calm, rip currents of color. Sometimes you think you're staring into the heart of the machine. Then panels shift, cogs twist and you're facing in the opposite direction. Some kind of elastic relationship between guitars, drums and voice, desperately pulling away and snapping back to the center. Disorientating and beautiful. I wish I could see Charlottefield again. Once more." --M Edward Cole White vinyl.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
S.H.I.T.	Hidden In Eternity/Eraser III	7"	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 214EP
$14.50 IN STOCK Finally! "Hidden In Eternity" and "Eraser III" are put to the perfect format and classed up nicely by some of the finest design work Ryan Tong has ever done. Taking the path of 2018's bulldozing What Do You Stand For? LP, S.H.I.T. cranked out two perfect tracks of hyped-up hardcore bombfall with the signature snarl that you've come to know and love. Perfect music. Written and performed by S.H.I.T. Recorded by Dylan Frankland at Palace Studios. Mixing and additional recording by Jonah Falco. Mastered by Arthur Rizk. Artwork by Ryan Tong.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
QUARANTINE	Agony	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	MUS 246LP
$29.00 IN STOCK Breakneck audio level destruction from Quarantine on their first full-length release, Agony. The demo was a glimmer of perfected USHC pastiche but Agony pushes the limits of aggression to some kind of land speed no man's land where United Mutation, Gudon, and My America by FU's are firing live ammunition into each other's boomboxes in a bid for hardcore punk long play supremacy. Instant classic from a group of utterly blue-chip musicians on the label that can't be beat.

Artist	Title	Format	Label	Catalog #
STRAW MAN ARMY	Age Of Exile	LP	LA VIDA ES UN MUS	DM4T 001LP
$29.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL "I've lost track of how many times I've listened to Age Of Exile in the past few weeks. I got a preview before it came out and on the first listen, I was hooked. My first impression was that it sounded like Kaleidoscope (with whom Straw Man Army shares members), but it's reaching toward something more like the song-oriented anarcho punk of Zounds and Crisis. I've been playing this record into the ground in the subsequent weeks, though, and there's so much more to hear than a simple 'this kinda sounds like this' comparison. One thing Straw Man Army shares with Kaleidoscope is a sense of rhythmic sophistication and inventiveness. We expect that a neo-anarcho band will have some interesting marching band snare patterns, but there's so much more to the tracks on Age Of Exile. Every song has a unique groove (or rather several of them, frequently overlapping), giving the album a sense of scope and breadth far beyond most contemporary punk records. And then there's the sense of melody, which is equally sophisticated. While the interwoven rhythms make each song seem like a dense tapestry, the guitar melodies have a sense of sweetness and directness that makes Straw Man Army seem approachable and human. And then there are the lyrics, which I haven't been able to dig into thoroughly, but are as dense, poetic, and vibrant as the music, focusing on how to live in the rubble of empire. Age Of Exile is a striking album no matter which aspect of it you focus on, and it's so distinctive and consuming that I can already tell it's going to be a big part of the soundtrack to this part of my life." --Sorry State

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