The Shortwave Channel - Bright Lights They Hurt 12"/CD (1997)

    The Shortwave Channel was a post‑hardcore band from San Diego, California. A somewhat unorthodox band even for the San Diego scene, The Shortwave Channel was a three piece band that featured drums, bass, and Moog synthesizer. The band's sound was a surprisingly well meshed mix of post‑punk and post‑hardcore, comparable to fellow rockers Antioch Arrow and Giving Up The Ghost. 

    The Shortwave Channel's songs are hypnotic and repetitive, prone to breaking out into bursts of energy; the bass is played as a lead instrument most of the time, which reminds me a lot of Canadian indie rockers The Inbreds, while the Moog either slips in sparingly or rises up to give the songs an extra atmospheric push. In their short existence, the band only managed to release one album, "Bright Lights They Hurt," on Wrenched Records. Fellow Wrenched bands included Evergreen, The Interstate Ten, and Antioch Arrow.

Bright Lights They Hurt

Bright Lights They Hurt CD 1997

Miss Black America - S/T 12" (2011)

    Miss Black America was a hardcore/screamo band from Vancouver, British Columbia who was active in the early 2010s, they released one full-length album as a 12". Glenn Alderson and Chris Vanderlann and of The Corta Vita and The Day After Tomorrow band, as well as members of Preoccupations, North Of America and D.B.S played on this record. 

    Miss Black America had a tense, chaotic sound full of ear-piercing screams and tension-filled instrumentals. The vocals sound shrill and desperate with a touch of spazzy, sass reminiscent of bands like Terrifying Girls Highschool also of Vancouver. Miss Black America seamlessly incorporated the sound of 90s hardcore and emo and elements of 2010s screamo culminating in an unforgettable sound. 

    Incredibly, the band was only active for a week during which they wrote and recorded their entire album during rehearsals and then played one show at the end of the week before splitting up. Listening to the finesse and talent the band clearly has on their album makes it nearly impossible to believe they recorded those tracks within a week of forming. 

    Years later in 2015, the band Wars, which included Vanderlann of Miss Black America, released an album as a "follow-up" to the self-titled 12". Despite being a very different band, Vanderlann got together a group of people to create an album in the vein of Miss Black America. The album is similar in many ways but drives into the spazziness that Miss Black America played around with. With multiple vocalists/styles ranging from shrill to much lower and growlier and noisy chaotic instrumentals, I would describe this album as a little more artsy and experimental while remaining within that small but distinct screamo sound of the 2010s. 

    Miss Black America remains one of my favourite bands of the 2010s, creating their own alluring sound that keeps them a firm staple of Canadian screamo. 

    Note: If anyone has any additional info on or photos of Miss Black America and related projects please let me know! 

Note 2: Thank you to Chris Vanderlann for giving me some more info on the band and sending their album under the name Wars!

S/T 12"

Facetime: Return To Mushroom Island, We Will Smoke Again (Wars)

Bandcamp

S/T 12" 2011(Boat Dreams From The Hill)

S. Process - Self Titled 12" (1998)

    S. Process was a post-hardcore and later, an electronic post-punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (or New Jersey?). I first stumbled onto the S. Process 12" when I was taking a deep dive through Track Star Records catalog; immediately, I connected with it and had to find a copy. After this 12" however the band took on a more commercialized electronic sound that doesn't resonate with me nearly as much so I decided to just cover the 12" for this post. 

    S. Process continues in the same vein as other Pennsylvania bands like I Am Heaven and Jazz Man's Needle; with slow, spidery and dark songs that build up and explode with remarkable patience and creativity. In my opinion this is a really underrated and almost forgotten release that more people should be paying attention to. If you are a fan of I Am Heaven and are looking for more of that special kind of post-hardcore this 12" is your answer.

ST 12"

ST 12" 1998 (Track Star)

Generation Of Vipers - S/T 12" (1994/1998)

    Generation Of Vipers was a hardcore band from Little Rock, Arkansas; who were active for a short period in 90s. The band featured members of William Martyr 17, Crown Of Glory, Full Service Quartet, Hundred Years War, Chalk, Chino Horde and Thumbnail. Despite the members making their way well around the emo/hardcore scene in the 90s, Generation Of Vipers remains relatively unknown and underrated. Their discography only includes one 12" and a 1994 demo tape that includes the songs off of the 12". 

    Generation Of Vipers mixes fast paced, punk-inclined vocals and guitar with a scattering of slow, moodier guitar riffs that have a distinct "emo" edge. Their 12" is a perfect blend of heavier hardcore and emo; with screamed vocals and chaotic guitars mixed with slower, "emo" style song structures. It's easy to compare this LP to Unwound's Fake Train and it really is a hidden underground gem. The band really found that perfect medium with their sound. They also made great use a lot of samples of speeches or voices in the intros and outros to their songs. Their 12" packaging really stands out to me, the cover is handmade, with a painted print that looks like snakeskin and glued bits of paper with a title, a photo of the band and more. You can feel the effort and passion that went into making their music right down to the handmade covers. 

    It surprises me how little the band is talked about, especially considering the impressive list of bands the band shares members with. Thumbnail and William Martyr 17 are some of my favourites.

RIP Chris Horne

S/T 12"

Generation Of Vipers 12" 1998 (Landmark)

Nine Days Wonder - Aluminum 7" (1999) and Scenery Is In Disguise Here 12" (2000)

    Nine Days Wonder was a Japanese emo / post-hardcore band that formed in 1997 and were active well into the 2000s. They toured with The Exploder, Envy, Elliott and more. They released two albums, a couple EPs and two compilation CDs, however this post will focus on their first two releases.

    Nine Days Wonder instantly clicked with me after listening to their 1999 7", Aluminum. They have an incredibly tight and technical sound somewhat similar to the likes of Maximilian Colby or Sleepytime Trio. Aluminum stays to the mathy, hardcore sound while their 2000 12" strays a little from hardcore into a more post-rock realm with a few heavy hitting tracks scattered throughout. 

    Akira Kawasaki of Nine Days Wonder was also in Mouse On the Keys, an interesting nu-jazz/post-rock project that is also worth checking out. 

    I'll be using the Spotify links for this post as they are actively copywrited by Dim Mak. 

Aluminum 7"

Scenery Is In Disguise There 12"

Aluminum 7" 1999 (Dim Mak Records)

Scenery Is In Disguise Here 12" 2000 (Dim Mak Records)

Perilisium Cantos - Nails Into The Head Of Christ (1995/2021)

    Perilisium Cantos was a hardcore band from San Fransisco, California that was active from 1995-1996. The band contained members of Shroomunion (Mark Rodgers), Indian Summer (Eyad Kalieh) and Agents Of Satan (Frank Marchi). Perilisium Cantos brilliantly mixed elements of hardcore, noise and "emo" to create an incredibly unique and refreshing addition to the 90s D.I.Y hardcore scene. They created sprawling, complex and experimental songs that displayed each members musical prowess and creativity; its completely criminal that this 5 song 12" was vaulted for nearly 30 years before being released. Only the song "Switches" was released when the band was active, on the incredibly stacked "I Can't Live Without It" compilation.

    Perilisum Cantos is a band that demands recognition, being a supergroup of talent from the 90s hardcore scene and creating an incredibly impressive and solid lineup of tracks. This is one of 2021's most unhearalded releases and I wholeheartedly reccomend giving this one a listen if you are a fan of the "emocore" genre in any capacity. Mark Rodgers really blessed every band that he was a part of and Eyad Kalieh and Frank Marchi demonstrate perfectly, how incredibly talented they are at their respective instruments.

Nails Into The Head Of Christ

Nails Into The Head Of Christ 12" 2021 (Insect Records)

I Can't Live Without It 12" Comp 1996 (MTNCIA)