From France comes the debut LP from SPONT AR STAD (State Terror in Breton), composed of eight tracks of anarcho-punk sound heavily influenced by the more melodic British bands of the 80s, such as Passion Killers, and also with touches of the characteristic, more melodic French punk sound. The songs are sung in Breton, and the lyrics explain how power oppresses, regardless of the form it takes. Political and more old-school music, born from old-school values and traditions, was recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely by the band themselves. The edition includes a poster with the lyrics and translations into Spanish, French, and English. The cover is presented as an open sleeve, screen-printed on 250gsm Kraft cardstock. 

Our take: Discos Enfermos brings us the debut release from this anarcho-punk band from Brittany in northwestern France. When I looked over Spont Ar Stad’s record, one of the first things that stood out was the unfamiliar language. I do my best to be a pretty cosmopolitan guy and I’m a lover of language, but I am totally unfamiliar with Breton, the native language of Brittany. It’s a really interesting one too, a Celtic language that’s more closely related to Welsh and Cornish than French and the other Romance languages. That’s something I’d love to learn more about! As for Spont Ar Stad’s music, it also feels very connected to the world across the English channel, evoking aspects of vintage 80s UK anarcho punk few modern bands pick up on. While most contemporary anarcho influenced bands look to heavier bands like Antisect, Conflict, and Flux of Pink Indians, Spont Ar Stad (which, incidentally, means “State Terror” in Breton) pulls more from Passion Killers and Crisis, bands whose music feels closer to post-punk than the hardcore branch of punk’s family tree. The vocals are often unashamedly melodic and earnest-sounding, but a lot of that post-punk flavor comes down to the guitarist, who has a unique and creative style. I love that weird little slide in the main riff to the first track, “Ur Bed Kri,” and “Polis Peplec’h - Justic Neblec’h” is another highlight with its dense, chiming riff recalling the most inspired moments of Joy Division’s early era as Warsaw. While I think the guitarist is a really interesting player, Spont Ar Stad is not virtuosic by any stretch of the imagination, with scrappy production and playing and skittering drums helping to create that edge-of-chaos feeling that makes things sound really grimy and punk. That homespun quality to the production might be the make-it-or-break-it quality to a lot of listeners, but I love it… you can almost smell the sweat and stale beer of the rehearsal space. But while Spont Ar Stad’s music is simple and direct, it’s hardly artless… just listen to the closing track, “Da Reuz,” which ends the album on its biggest, most memorable chorus before closing with a brief acoustic coda. While Spont Ar Stad is bound to appeal to lovers of old UK anarcho, what’s noteworthy about their record isn’t its style, but the way it seems to tap similar veins of passion and musical curiosity.