This is a rather odd and tricky record to write about, and I feel not unlike the gullible and green literary chronicler of yore faced for the first time with the ruthless Finnegan's Wake and wondering how, and indeed why, life had led him to this very moment when, instead of enjoying the open air and hanging out with other human beings, communicating, exchanging ideas, kisses (and possibly a couple of venereal diseases, it was the 1930's after all), he must comprehend the incomprehensible, makes sense of the non-sensical, celebrate the ungraspable, all the while fighting hard to look bright himself and make the author look sensational. It's a tough gig for a tough crowd, let me tell you. It might be something of a tiny stretch to compare the modest Minds Continue's Ep with James Joyce's metafictional monument but the struggle is real.
The internet is not exactly replete with data about Minds Continue (who were from the Tokyo and Yokohama area), clearly not the world's most celebrated orchestra, and I bet AI would be unsurprisingly very quiet about the band - unlike me, because even when I know fuck all, I will make something up. Terminal Sound Nuisance 1 - Machine 0. Will punk writers be using AI? Are they already? And what about academics who write about punk but aren't really part of "the scene"? And those who do reviews? I really hope everyone will give AI the finger but I am already noticing a lot of dreadful, repulsive gig posters and handouts that are AI generated so let's say that I am not crushed with optimism.
Would Minds Continue have used AI? I very much doubt it as the band was very political judging from their lyrics and artwork, with a very strong focus on animal rights and liberation (the band also contributed songs to the Animal Rights Comp Lp released on Tribal War Asia in 1999). This element points to the connection with Battle of Disarm as well who were similarly oriented thematically and it's no wonder that the Ep was released on Ryuji's label DIY Records (Minds Continue would also appear on DIY Records' Ungovernable Force Party For Liberation compilation cd along with Disdomestic Violence or Chaos Engine). Small world. The sharpest among us will have noticed that there is a significant gap in Minds Continue's run and that the band didn't seem to have been much active between 1999 and 2007. However, what is true record-wise does not necessarily imply that they were no longer playing and indeed many Japanese bands just don't really record that often which, in our era of overproduction and race for novelty and constant attention, sounds strangely absurd.
Still, I would argue this 2007 self-titled Ep does look like something of a resurrection since only two songs, "Coexistence" and "Real liberation" had already appeared on the previous Minds Continue's recordings from the late 90's, namely a demo tape and a split tape with Discord (a raw crusty hardcore band with whom they shared a bass player, Teru). I have sadly never heard these tape recordings (you know where to knock if you are inclined to share them) but the style of the two songs off the aforementioned 1999 compilation and the fact the band covered Doom and Mob 47 at the time are strong indications of what these fellows endeavoured to pull out stylistically: 90's cavecrust-infused anarchopunk. Or something.
This record can strike as a little strange as it presents two complementary but different sides. They do match, but you wouldn't necessarily have gone for this coupling. The songs "No more army" and "Real liberation" are cavemen crust anthems with super vocals gruff - almost too much so as they border on the comical with a singer who sounds like he's had more than a few the night before and is vomiting all over the microphone - that stand as perfect tributes to the local custom of loving uncontrollably Doom and Sore Throat, epitomised by such classic acts as Abraham Cross or Macrofarge, with a dash of Collapse Society on the latter number. The remaining three songs have other intentions. The opening "Link" acts as an introduction, of sort, of what is to come. The song starts quite emotional with something akin to screamo-crust (I know, I know) and then kicks off with an epic Cimex-meets-Antisect riff with spoken words (Minds Continue do love their spoken words) done by two vocalists, giving a rather pleasant anarchopunk feel, the whole clearly pointing to the 00's. The next one, "Action of dire", is an oddly-paced crust number with dual vocals, namely your favourite disgruntled bear holding hands with a raspier, more nasal nasal vocalist that, I feel, doesn't quite work in this case. Finally the long, if not lengthy, "Coexistence" borrows to the more progressive anarchocrust bands of the 90's like Jobbykrust (with an almost ska moment!) but keeps it raw and distorted, not unlike late 90's LIFE or Argue Damnation that I personally have significant time for.
Although not a perfect Ep, I think some moments and some songwriting choices sound a little awkward, this is nevertheless a very endearing one, of its time undoubtedly, with songs aiming for some diversity with varying degrees of success (it does work sometimes) and others unashamedly crawling in the cavecrust tradition, like happy pigs in the mud. Yet, I don't think the Ep has a patchwork feel in the 00's context of production. I love the presence of spoken words throughout the record and they highlight, by referring to one classic anarchopunk trait, the band's political ambition, also reflected in the artwork and lyrics. However I have no idea what they were thinking with such a hideous and enigmatic cover. It looks like the cover of an emocore record, right? Certainly does not entice the already narrow-minded crust enthusiast to give that one a try.
