Wednesday, March 17, 2010

SUBMISSION HOLD - PROGRESS (AS IF SURVIVAL MATTERED) (1997)

Growing up in Northern California in the 90's, I had the chance (nay, privilege) of seeing Vancouver, BC's own Submission Hold live on several occasions. The dual male-female vocals of Jen Throw-Up and bassist Andy Healy were always ferocious, the music was always creative and impeccably performed, and the DIY punk vibe corresponded exactly with where my brain was at the time. Alas, as the years roll by and my ideologies corrode, I find it harder and harder to "get into" political music, but Submission Hold's music withstands the test of time, from their earlier more HC-influenced demos (circa '93) to their later more experimental stuff (circa '05).
These guys brandished their direct-action DIY spirit like a sword, bringing to mind other multi-genred (and multi-gendered) bands like Crass and Italy's Contropotere. Their recorded output was prolific to say the least, with Submission Hold records being released by labels in Poland, Canada, the U.S., Indonesia, Brazil, and Australia during the course of their 12-year existence.
Progress (as if survival mattered) collects several 7" recordings from the mid 90's onto one handy disc, and is a great place to start if you've never been exposed to Submission Hold's swervy, jarring, "post-genre" jazzcore.
Eat more garlic!

Download HERE


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Editor's Note: When pondering all things Submission Hold, I can't help but think of my old pals Saké, a female-fronted, Humboldt-based hardcore band that I basically formed my life around from 1994 to 1998 or so. They played with Submission Hold countless times, and even recorded a split album together at one point. Lucky for you, Illogical Bro cdg (a crucial element in the establishment of the RENROCK label) has started a brand new blog called Data Control, with the first post contained therein being a live Saké recording from 1997. My nads are pumped. Check it out here.

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