American Hardcore (CD Soundtrack)

 

Sound: B-     Music: A

 

 

It’s very rare that a film spawns a soundtrack that could be considered essential.  Baring that in mind, and I do not say this lightly, the American Hardcore soundtrack is essential listening for anyone with even a mild interest in punk or “indie” music.

 

For anyone not familiar with hardcore, this collection is comprised of music made in the early through mid 80’s by young kids who decided that they were going to make the music they wanted to make.  They organized their own tours, recorded their own songs, and released their own records.  I’ll try to stay away from all the typical angry, angsty, young, and poor things most people say when trying to describe punk.  After all, why try to intellectualize or define something good? Why not just shut up and keep listening?  Enjoy it.  This music is fast, driving, and alive in a way that unfortunately so little is.

 

What’s great about this Rhino package is that this soundtrack, which features bands from Black Flag and Minor Threat to Negative Approach and Flipper, is that it’s basically a hardcore starter kit for those who’ve never heard these bands or want to get more broad idea of the whole scene from this time period.  Even people who are lucky enough to know and own material from these bands already will be pleased to see that a lot of great but obscure tracks made it to this comp.  Not just the songs most readily associated with the artists.

 

If see this disc, pick it up, go home, throw away your Green Day and Blink 182 records, and turn this up as loud as you can.  If you aren’t blown back against the wall throughout the entirety of this comp, you might be dead.  Both the terms punk and indie have become very fashionable in the last few years, if you’d like to find out what these labels meant when they actually meant something, then check out the American Hardcore soundtrack.

 

 

-   Jarrod DeArmitt