"Please allow me to wax nostalgic for a moment because it's going to be relevant. So, in the year 2000 when I was 14 years old there was a CD shop in my hometown called Bionic, and this was my favourite shop. I got I think £8 per week pocket money and CDs from Bionic typically cost between £10 and £15 so that meant that at least every two weeks I could buy a new CD. Often these would be from bands I already knew, but sometimes they would be things I just liked the look of. That would be especially true if it felt like something where I was going to get a lot of bang for my buck, such big punk compilations like Short Music for Short People. Discography complete - Special edition campaign 25th Anniversary feels like the kind of thing I would have bought at Bionic, despite the considerably less catchy title.
This is a compilation made up of tracks recorded between 1999 and 2024, and something that's interesting is that I have no sense of when each track was recorded because it feels so cohesive and, more important, everything feels like it could have come from 1999. That's not a bad thing, but all 30 tracks (excluding the sampler at the start) are these raw sounding garage recordings where I'm pretty sure every instrument you hear is an authentic live recording. No sequencing whatsoever.
Every song is great, too. There wasn't a single dull moment. The vast majority of it falls somewhere in the punk sphere, with some songs leaning more hardcore and others leaning poppy, with a surprising number of surfy songs tracks, too.
On the hardcore end, highlights include the colossally noisy Grita by MG15, and the anthemic Esta noche vas a triunfar by Bodega Caníbal. The poppier side includes the jaunty Cómo sobrevivir a una peli de terror by Smoking Victims and the really quite fantastic Mejor sin ti by La Plaga.
All of this is stuff my 14 year old Bionic-shopping Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 playing self would have absolutely loved, and my slightly curmudgeonly 40 year old self loves it, too.
The less punky stuff comes in a few different forms. There's the Thin Lizzy meets Rick Springfield classic rock of Qué hago yo aqui by Johnny B. Nasty & The Rock Circus, the fun and retro acoustic rock 'n' roller Pensando en ti by La Quinta Del Sordo, and the big and moody indie rocker Bad fever by Blackberry Clouds, which is one of my favourites here.
You may have noticed, reading this, that a lot of these songs have Spanish titles. I'm not entirely sure where these artist come from, I'm assuming Spain but it could be Mexico or somewhere else, but I should admit that I have no idea what any of these songs are saying. It didn't affect my enjoyment, either way.
This is an excellent compilation. Really great. One that reminded me of why my young self fell in love with alternative music in the first place. At 90+ minutes, it's a long haul, but at no point did I find myself wanting to skip ahead. I loved it".
Text by Thomas / _Nsigned.com.
I am absolutely delighted that you connected precisely with the message we originally intended to convey through these collections. And I speak not only for myself—as the manager of the record label—but, I am certain, for the other participating artists as well.
...Something that only a true enthusiast and a die-hard music lover could have felt: something that resonates deeply with so many of us who are passionate about music. A shop from the 80s or 90s (reflecting my own generation) and the motivations that bind us to rock in all its forms and across every culture. Sincere thanks Thomas.
Here is a review I prepared for the first installment of the collection. I could also offer some perspective on the local scene where we produced it, as well as on the trajectories of the artists—or, in some cases, guests—coming from other regions...
"Musicians wanting to do different things and originated in the late 70s, cemented the origins of malacitano punk, among punk bands & "new wave" in this spirit we can mention Adrenalina or Sociedad Anonima, seminal bands projects pop rock 80 as Camara and Danza Invisible groups. In the 80, appeared bands like Deskarriados (with another members formed before Fredy Nurky y Komando Suicida), Excomunion, Mucho Morro, DDT, Desamparados En Guirilandia, Capitan Kavernikola, led by Ramone would end up doing covers and intervening as a musician collaborator in projects Extremoduro in the 90s, from the end of the 2000s, Ramone reappears with a new project called Superlumpen. Later, from the mid-90s and well into the 2000s, appeared 12 Aullidos, Rotten Heads, 3 De Bastos, Kataplasma, The Endrogaos, No Picky, Airbag, Kausas Sociales, Malakalaña, La Pila Punk, Enterradores, Kmorra, Smoking Victims, La Plaga, Jarrea, The Castro Zombies & The Mutant Phlegm, Victima O Verdugo, Peste Y Mierda, Pankomio or Peligro Sozial. There's even a project and compilation album, which makes reference to the allegorical alternative and transgressive move of the capital of the Costa del Sol, included in the philosophy "Do it yourself" with designation of Collector's Series..." by Obstinato / PunkExpress".
The first volume is titled “The Incredibles Stories About As The Punks Came From Outer X-pain, Iberian Rock Cities, Collector's Compilation Vol I” (split album limited edition 1000 copies). In this record published by record label and bands own of garage-punk scene of Andalucía (South Spain), appear bands like Toxic Womb, Smoking Victims, Sado After Dead, Mr. Moto, Dirty Sanches, Bodega Canibal, Devil's Dandruff, Hairy Nipples, Icarus Crash or MG15 (in the early 80s called as Slips & Sperma). With important foreign collaborations, such as the participation of the current project of Silvia Escario member of Ultimo Resorte (scene 80s of Barcelona), called Algo Toxico; the legendary punk garage Portuguese band Clockwork Boys; Biscayans urban rock band Salamandras, and nu metal with reminiscent of melodic hardcore of Asturian band Zurdha. Very recomended for people that search good stuff of underground." by Obstinato / PunkExpress
