Engerica - There Are No Happy Endings

Engerica split up in 2006. Their last gig was a Halloween dress-up party. This album delivers an interesting blend of crunchy British punk and childish lyrics. Don't be put off, it'll grow on you.

Refused - Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent

Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent is the second-last full album Refused released. It's far more refined than their demos and This Just Might be the Truth, but nowhere near as amazing as The Shape of Punk to Come. You're not ready for that one yet...

Rival Schools United by onelinedrawing

Just today I spotted a copy of this split EP from New York post-hardcore group Rival Schools, and onelinedrawing- solo project of Jonah Matranga. Despite the band not being active for nearly five years, they will be playing various festivals in 2008. New songs are appearing, so it looks like they might be back with another album sometime soon.

Nice Strong Arm - Reality Bath

I tripped over a couple of tracks from this album on Vinyl Mine and liked it a lot, so I tracked down my own copy.

A punk/indie band from Dallas, I really only know what I can find on the internet, and in my infinitely small grasp of this era in music I can't really compare them in context. Out of context then? They're a lot like Refused in places, a later hardcore punk band I happen to love. I would also compare some songs to guitar-heavy indie like Interpol, maybe Joy Division in places (not for the better). Reality Bath was the band's debut, released on Homestead Records circa 1987. What I have found with Nice Strong Arm is a record of honest late-80s indie rock, and purchase on that steep ledge of music-that-happened-before-I-was-born.