For those who aren't familiar, Tian An Men 89 Records have been releasing music from the far corners of the earth for well over a decade, and it's through this label that I first heard about punk scenes in Nepal, Algeria, Korea, Iran and the list goes on. Many of these bands destroy the boundaries of what we might consider "punk," but the bastardization of musical genres in these faraway lands often results in songs that are far more interesting than just another rehash of those same three chords that we all love. Several of TAM89's vinyl releases were put to cassette a few years back, and here's the Underground Uzbekistan comp LP for your Friday. The mellow bedroom minimalist track from BGMOLSTY I GROBOVYERZHSTY is my favorite, while HARDCORE OPA are probably the punkest thing on the tape. Other styles range from classic 1-2-1-2 punk rock to more commercial sounding alternative (though delivered in a raw and interesting enough fashion that it ceases to sound even remotely "commercial") to more indie numbers like those from SKIZZERZ. This label cannot be commended enough for exposing these bands to the world (and and exposing the world to these bands). 8 bands, 15 songs
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