Landlords - Fitzgerald's Paris 12"

It seems like every update there are one or two records that I'm just kind of stuck on... that are just what I want to hear at the moment and I end up playing them over and over. This Landlords reissue is definitely the LP from this batch that's hitting me just right. Really, though, this is two records. Side A is an early recording that's just kind of your standard, run-of-the-mill USHC with perhaps a little more rock influence. All of the tracks on this LP were recorded at Inner Ear, so the whole thing sounds absolutely phenomenal. I swear, if the single worst hardcore band of all time had done a recording at Inner Ear between 1980 and 1988 or so I would probably still love it, and the Landlords are very far from the worst hardcore band of all time, so the A-side is pretty good. However, the gem here is the b-side. It busts out of the gate with this dense, almost pained sound that reminds me of so many of my favorite records... Die Kreuzen's first two LPs, Articles of Faith's Give Things LP, Honor Role's Anonymous Cave EP and The Pretty Song LP. The primary things that seem to change are 1. the band slows the tempos down a little bit 2. they drastically increase the sophistication of the harmonic interplay between the guitar and bass and 3. the vocalist suddenly becomes much more expressive and interesting. Flipping over side A and dropping the needle on side B is akin to the moment in The Wizard of Oz where everything is suddenly in color. I just can't say enough about those eight tracks on side B... I almost feel cheated that this music existed but I'd never heard it, but at the same time I'm so thankful that I get to listen to this now. If you like hardcore music that is dense, complex, and challenging (i.e. you like the aforementioned records and/or similar stuff like the Crucifucks, Spike in Vain, Saccharine Trust, etc.), you need to hear these tracks. Highest possible recommendation.