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Waking Records

SPOTLIGHT: Waking Records

This week we are taking a look at Waking Records... this long gone record label put out a lot of great releases, and a few of them are still available for very cheap. Once we sell out these items are gone forever.

WAKING RECORDS (all items going out of print):
FAERIES - Riot In The Hive Mind CD $0.25
FICTION - Names CD $0.25
HELEN OF TROY - Face That Launched... CD $0.25
HUGS - The Tarpit CD $0.25
MEMORY AS PERFECTION/SCENT OF HUMAN HISTORY - split LP $0.25
REDS - Is:Means CD $0.25
STOP IT!! - Demo CD $0.25

THE FAERIES - Riot In The Hive Mind CD
Crazy and weird hardcore from New Orleans. A bit of PG. 99 and a bit of Mr. Bungle. Recorded by Jeff Kane of City of Caterpillar and Malady and Mike Taylor of PG. 99... This CD comes packaged in a 7" sleeve with a nice boolet. (Waking Records #7)

THE FICTION - Names CD
The Fiction have stuck together longer than most bands these days, and it shows on "Names," their second full length and 5th release overall. With each release they've shown growth here they are tighter than ever, producing a record that twists and turns all over the place but is undeniably cohesive. The record pulls one hundred different ways, with changes throughout that swing you from pummeling aggression to somber longing to butt shaking all at the drop of a hat. It's never gratuitous though, never manipulative. Every second of this record is passionate and engaging. "This isn't typical hardcore, but heavy music with time changes, great breakdowns, a lo-fi sound and interesting melodies" - Punk Planet. (Waking Records #11 CD)

HELEN OF TROY - The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships CD
This is the final record from Helen of Troy, available posthumously a year after their final show. This release consists of four songs of spacey yet harsh and aggressive "prog-core". Multiple vocalists complement each other nicely with intertwining spoken/sung parts and all out screaming. The guitars range from meandering and ethereal to direct and pummeling, all held down by precision drumming. This record will please the band's existing fans and fans of members' earlier bands such as I Am The Resurrection and The State Secedes, their current bands Gospel and free republic (of soul), as well as fans of bands like Acid Mother Temple and Explosions in the Sky. With an additional extended noise track featuring members of Books Lie and Meneguar, this record has something for everyone and is definitely their best effort and a fitting end. (Waking Records #10)

HUGS - The Tarpit CD
Hugs follow up their self-released debut one-sided 12" (with a repress now available through Slave Union) with The Tarpit, a 13 song, Mike Lust produced (Ten Grand, Sweep the Leg Johnny, Lustre King) full length. Building on the same foundation as their 12", The Tarpit reveals a more mature, involved, and fully developed sound combining elements from mid-'90s bands like Universal Order of Armageddon with hints of '70s stoner-rock. Hugs fuse art, punk, and social consciousness to create a record that is passionate, angry, and full of integrity. (Waking Records #9 CD)

MEMORY AS PERFECTION/SCENT OF HUMAN HISTORY - split LP
This split 12" features two newer bands, Long Island's Scent of Human History and Louisiana's Memory as Perfection, teaming up to offer varied yet complimentary approaches to modern hardcore. Scent of Human History, containing most of the former members of Sometimes Walking, Sometimes Running, give us four songs that go back and forth from moody, brooding instrumental segments to fast and chaotic screamy hardcore. Hypnotizing at one moment, violent and spastic the next, Scent creates a dramatic roller coaster that fans of 12 hour turn and PG. 99 will enjoy. Memory as Perfection offer up five songs in a different vein. Laid back yet driven, the music shifts from clean, noodley and jazzy guitars - similar perhaps to Off Minor - to straight forward distorted rock all driven by pounding basslines. More shouting than screaming, the vocals could be likened to an angry D. Boon. The influence of Shotmaker can be heard at times, but Memory as Perfection has their own thing going on. The record is packaged in a beautifully letterpress jacket with an original block print done by the amazing hot iron press. All profits from this record go to the Long Island Freewheel Bike Collective and New Orleans' Plan B Bike co-op. (Waking Records #2)

REDS - Is:Means CD
Born in the spring of 2004, REDS brings together four individuals with disparate backgrounds in a way that both creates tension and finds harmony. Their individual roots are recognizable - traces of rock 'n roll and a touch of poppiness amidst the frenzy of hardcore - but find balance and unity within the songs. On their debut full-length, "is:means", the songs fly along at furious speeds, rarely letting up, and never losing their intensity. The lyrics, mostly shouted and screamed but occasionally sung, strive to pointedly connect the personal and political - showing clear anger and frustration yet never letting go of positivity and optimism. Always on the verge of falling into chaos, REDS manages to hold it all together and focus their energy into a roaring collection of passion and fury. Waking Record's profits from the sale of this CD will go to reestablishing and rebuilding non-mainstream endeavors in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (Waking Records #13)

STOP IT!! - The Enhanced Demo CD
Before their amazing full length debut on Robotic Empire and The Perpetual Motion Machine with "Self Made Maps" Stop It!! had been playing for over a year and recorded a demo that knocked me off my feet when I first heard it. This is way above and beyond what should be thought of as a demo, with songs that are as fully developed and "mature" for lack of a better word as any "seasoned" band could hope to have. These songs had to continue to be available so here they are, re-mastered and better than ever! In the same vein as "Self Made Maps" - harsh yet melodic hardcore that twists and turns, rises and falls - these songs are a bit more furious and harsh than the full length - noisier and wilder, more screaming than singing. The CD also comes with enhanced footage, a 20 minute video that compiles footage that will truly allow people to understand the Stop It!! experience. The cd is packaged in silkscreened chipboard covers with a full color insert. (Waking Records #8)