Mass Media Records is a label, print shop and now a fully stocked bricks and mortar shop carrying tons of independent music, apparel, zines, books and all kinds of outsider DIY ephemera. The label started in the early 90s as a way to document the “orange county peace punk” scene which was a group of idealistic punks set into motion by the peace punks in the UK such as CRASS, CONFLICT, and ANTISECT to create their own politically conscious hardcore punk scene amidst a growing trend of violent apathy in the 2nd wave of hardcore in Los Angeles and Orange County. While our release schedule has picked up in the past years we have always been committed to releasing music by bands whose sound and message embraces the Do-It-Yourself Independent spirit and the political ideas that naturally spring from such radical rejections of mainstream conventions. Through the network of label trading Mass Media Records operated as a distro set up at shows selling independently released records for many years and has now grown into a physical store. In a time when music has very much transcended the physical realm we feel that much of the artistry and proliferation of ideas (both aesthetic, poetic, political, or whatever) lies in the physical product of records, tapes, cds, zines and books.
Collector/Horder-isms aside, we would hope that the power that music and words gives us in our daily lives might be relegated to more than a simple file on a device.
RECORD OF THE WEEK 12/09/2011 BELLEVUE DISCOGRAPHY LP
Record of the Week 12/9/2011
This Week’s Record of the Week is an excellent Discography on Static Age/ Swiss punk Archive’s of ZURICH’s BELLEVUE. At their best the band does a very dark interpretation of the 77 UK punk which they were directly influenced by at times making something very close to what the darker ADOLESCENTS/RIKK AGNEW songs would later transmit. The use of alternating GERMAN and ENGLISH lyrics give the repetitive buzzing guitars even more dour militarism. “Deathwalk” is definitely the standout track and is a perfect mixture of slightly tuned guitars and monotonic vocals that lead the listener to their grave face down in the snow.
This is a great reissue from start to finish and even the live material is well done and worth hearing!
Now available in very limited quantities (only 500 pressed for the whole world!) at the shop and in the webstore.
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