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Turncoat

Turncoat [cassette] (2008)
Just a Audial

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Brian
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on January 30th 2009

Though they're already broken up, at the time of their demise Turncoat might have been the best example of a Long Island band playing the slowly popularizing style of thrashy, elder-beckoning hardcore. Then again, they were close to being the only.

Although the recording is a tad cleaner than most things produced in the underground that decade, just everything about Turncoat seems to scream "80s." There's black-and-white liner notes. The vocals are cleanly snarled, yet completely incomprehensible (for lyrics, check the aforementioned liner notes). Also, it was released on cassette. Of course, the fine folks at Just a Audial provide you a code to download the whole thing in high-quality MP3s.

Highlights on this over-before-you-know-it album include: "Room," where the urgency is actually a bit more palatable than elsewhere; Side Two opener "Goners," where you get a rougher plow and nothing but some sound bites from "The Shining"; the stop-starts and bitter playfulness of "From the Inside"; and closer "Delusion," which has one of the rare mosh parts, so it's actually pretty welcomed.

If we're making comparisons, my very bare knowledge on this subject leads me to draw parallels with a more straightforward, better-produced Ceremony (notably the vocals). Phil Douglas and his Hobo House provides that very recording, a place where other bands like Capital, Iron Chic, Agent and Small Arms Dealer have all laid down tape.

Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

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Turncoat

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mikexdude (February 2, 2009)

Anything to fuel the douchebag ego of William Marinovic.

SlowStupidHungry (February 2, 2009)

Yes I'm very happy, you should be happy for yourself, too. It takes a lot of courage to admit you're wrong.

mikexdude (February 1, 2009)

Wow, Will. You STILL missed the point. But okay, you're right Will. Happy?

You are right.

SlowStupidHungry (February 1, 2009)

"As I said, it's easier to make a tape look well made than a CD. Also, like with vinyl, cassettes have a long history in punk/hardcore of being one of the most popular ways of putting out music.

I actually have found it's easier to make CDs look good, in my opinion.

By your line of thinking, why even bother buying a turntable?

What I am saying is not that tapes are horrible, just if that's the only format you're releasing it on, I

If you like a band that only put out a tape, yet are so stubborn and adamant about your irrelevant disdain for cassettes that you refuse to pay 3 bucks for a used boom box, you are missing out.

I have never liked a single new hardcore band that relies soley on cassettes.

You're clearly missing my point. I am mad about the lack of versatility. Not everyone finds cassettes as good as you, and speaking as someone who is in a band, I feel one should make their music as easily accsessable as possible. Not because of what hardcore used to be about.

I have never seen you comment on this website unless it's to argue with someone."

Speaking as someone who is also in a band that has put out a tape and a 7", I find tapes sweet. The downfall of CD's is those shitty clunky jewel cases that break so easily, and the fact that it's IMPOSSIBLE to make a CD-R look cool. As I said, if you get a CD professionally done, it will look better, but at that point, you might as well put out a 12".
-----

I don't post unless it's to defend something. You dismissing all tapes because the kids you go to high school with don't have tape players is a point of view I just don't agree with. There's multiple bands that have released awesome tapes that you will never hear. As I said, that's why you're missing out.

mikexdude (February 1, 2009)

I'd like to make a point that what I am saying is NOT directed at Turncoat.

mikexdude (February 1, 2009)

As I said, it's easier to make a tape look well made than a CD. Also, like with vinyl, cassettes have a long history in punk/hardcore of being one of the most popular ways of putting out music.

I actually have found it's easier to make CDs look good, in my opinion.

By your line of thinking, why even bother buying a turntable?

What I am saying is not that tapes are horrible, just if that's the only format you're releasing it on, I

If you like a band that only put out a tape, yet are so stubborn and adamant about your irrelevant disdain for cassettes that you refuse to pay 3 bucks for a used boom box, you are missing out.

I have never liked a single new hardcore band that relies soley on cassettes.

You're clearly missing my point. I am mad about the lack of versatility. Not everyone finds cassettes as good as you, and speaking as someone who is in a band, I feel one should make their music as easily accsessable as possible. Not because of what hardcore used to be about.

I have never seen you comment on this website unless it's to argue with someone.

SlowStupidHungry (February 1, 2009)

"Good to see your face here, William. I am not talking about demo tapes, I am talking about only releasing your music on tapes. No cds, no records, no mp3s. That's what I am talking about. I find that pretty lame, considering not very many people I know have tape players anymore.

Also, I am not buy one. I have no reason to."

As I said, it's easier to make a tape look well made than a CD. Also, like with vinyl, cassettes have a long history in punk/hardcore of being one of the most popular ways of putting out music.

I don't care if it makes me "pretentious" that I like tapes better than CD's. If all CD's were as well made as the discographies 625 used to release, maybe I'd change my mind, even though I still think the best way to listen to this kind of music is with a record player. By your line of thinking, why even bother buying a turntable?

If you like a band that only put out a tape, yet are so stubborn and adamant about your irrelevant disdain for cassettes that you refuse to pay 3 bucks for a used boom box, you are missing out. Have fun ripping all of the songs onto your iPod and not having the art or the lyrics.

mikexdude (February 1, 2009)

By the way, almost everything I've ever read from you makes me cringe from the pretention.

mikexdude (February 1, 2009)

Good to see your face here, William. I am not talking about demo tapes, I am talking about only releasing your music on tapes. No cds, no records, no mp3s. That's what I am talking about. I find that pretty lame, considering not very many people I know have tape players anymore.

Also, I am not buy one. I have no reason to.

SlowStupidHungry (February 1, 2009)

"There's this new "fad" for hardcore bands to do cassettes. I don't get it. Intentionally being unique or collectable defeats the purpose, in my opinion. It also seems like a waste of money: I've heard it's cheaper, but since the majority of people don't have the player, no one will hear your music. Pointless."

I'm pretty sure demo tapes have been the standard in hardcore much longer than CD's. Tapes are a lot better than CD's because it's easier to make a tape that looks great than it is to make a CD that doesn't look like you made it on your computer. I think the shitty "fad" in hardcore is forgetting tapes and sacrificing workmanship for the sake of convenience. Everyone I know has a tape player. If you don't, it would be well worth your money to go down to the thrift store and invest 5 bucks in one.

mikexdude (January 31, 2009)

Sure, that's a place. But, the bands I know don't press anything else but cassattes. Which is stupid to me.

breakout (January 31, 2009)

You can't play records whilst driving?

mikexdude (January 31, 2009)

My friend said it was cheaper to do cassette. BUT, I just don't think cassettes were ever popular enough like vinyl or sound anywhere as good as vinyl. I don't know, I can see a decent argument for doing records, just not this.

breakout (January 31, 2009)

Actually cassettes are just a little bit more expensive to produce than CD.
I suppose it adds the element of elitism that owning a turntable used to impose; however since vinyl is now so popular again it would seem the resurgence of the cassette has occurred as its replacement.

mikexdude (January 31, 2009)

Wow, Brian, you have a cassette player?

There's this new "fad" for hardcore bands to do cassettes. I don't get it. Intentionally being unique or collectable defeats the purpose, in my opinion. It also seems like a waste of money: I've heard it's cheaper, but since the majority of people don't have the player, no one will hear your music. Pointless.