{"id":2911,"date":"2021-02-05T20:27:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T01:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2.dougkubert.com\/blog\/?p=2911"},"modified":"2021-02-08T00:13:36","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T05:13:36","slug":"best-compilationsreissues-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/2.dougkubert.com\/blog\/?p=2911","title":{"rendered":"Best Compilations\/Reissues of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

OK, I know, enough about 2020. But first, let us not forget these blasts from the past\u00a0reignited with reissues in 2020, nor the compilations that gave us\u00a0a glimpse into a what a better 2021 could hold\u2026<\/p>\n

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\"100Flowers-DrawingFire\"<\/a><\/p>\n

100 Flowers<\/strong> \u2013 Drawing Fire +<\/em> LP (In The Red)
\nOf the hundreds of Record Store Day releases\u00a0dumped in 2020 over the course of 3 pandemic-induced “drops” (not counting the Black Friday drop, which unofficially makes it 4, adding dozens more dumped), this one was the only essential one. Expanding to 12 songs from the original 5-song\u00a0EP released\u00a0in 1984, this reissue includes additional tracks pulled from compilations and their debut 7″ into an updated version of the deluxe kraft board packaging printed by the original letterpress masters responsible for the original release’s distinct package, Independent Project Press. And while it’s not a complete collection of\u00a0singles and\u00a0compilation tracks as noted by the hype sticker, missing some of the great tracks from comps like Keats Rides A Harley<\/em> and Life Is\u00a0Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself,<\/em>\u00a0or especially the awesome 100 Years of Pulchritude <\/em>CD from 1990 which seems to only exist online and on pirated MP3 CD-Rs, it does<\/em> have some killer tracks. For example, revel in the death rock glory of\u00a0“Reject Yourself”,\u00a0a song that permanently warped me\u00a0when I first heard it on the Hell Comes To Your House<\/em> comp\u00a0as a teenager many, many years ago, sounding something like a feral, mutilated version of Christian Death on a\u00a0psychotropic bender.\u00a0All the songs on this\u00a0pressing sound fantastic, so if your local record store has a stash of these among the dozens of unnecessary Eve 6 live LPs, do yourself a favor and\u00a0give this quality release a\u00a0quality home.<\/p>\n

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\"Der<\/a><\/p>\n

Der Moderne Man<\/strong> \u2013 Unmodern<\/em>\u00a0LP (Rockers Records)
\nIf you’re not signed up for Sorry State Records<\/a> newsletter, you may consider signing up to get\u00a0their scoop\u00a0on what’s going on in the punk world with thoughtfully curated stock and reviews. (Order some records from them while you’re at it, as they always ship fast and have tons of great stuff on their house label and in the\u00a0bins of their brick and mortar store.) Thanks to Sorry State, two reissues by this band from\u00a0Hannover, Germany were highlighted and articulately reviewed in one of their weekly newsletters, revealing\u00a0a true buried treasure of\u00a0early ’80s postpunk.\u00a0While their debut album 80 Tage\u00a0Auf\u00a0See<\/em> is also worth checking out, this sophomore\u00a0release is the stronger\u00a0record with much more developed songwriting, production\u00a0and packaging. Unmoderne<\/em>\u00a0is a uniquely sharp record, and\u00a0actually quite\u00a0modern-sounding despite the title, with a severely austere\u00a0rhythm\u00a0section and angular guitar shards, all mixed together with a dour German edge. It’s a remarkable record that still holds a\u00a0powerful charge nearly 40 years later.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ex<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0History Is What’s Happening\u00a0<\/em>LP\u00a0<\/em>(Superior Viaduct)
\nSifting through the discography of one of Holland’s most prolific punk bands over the last three decades, it’s a challenge to know which of their dozens of releases and collaborations\u00a0capture the quintessential document of The Ex. While I’ll still stand by the essential Singles. Period.<\/em><\/a> collection of their early 7″ vinyl output as the best place to start, the tastemakers at Superior Viaduct made an excellent\u00a0decision\u00a0to reissue their debut LP and this, their sophomore release. Long out of print and difficult to find, the songs on History Is What’s Happening<\/em> still burn with the spare, crackling fire of Disturbing Domestic Peace<\/em> and their early singles, but have a tempered inertia driven by their trademark brand of particularly skeletal Gang of Four-style postpunk, forcefully propelled with throbbing, transcendent basslines, jagged guitar shards and vocals with the spitting intensity of UK anarcho-punk collectives like Crass and Conflict. Along with their debut LP and singles, this album delivers some of the\u00a0strongest material this band had to offer.<\/p>\n