BSPH: Catholic Discipline - Underground Babylon

Let me tell you about the song that sounds like the best thing ever.

"Underground Babylon" is a song by the band Catholic Discipline. They were an odd new wave / post-punk outfit from LA captured in its ragged glory in Penelope Spheeris seminal punk documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization". In fact - their performance was the best thing in entire film (which is saying something because there are also bands like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Fear, X and Germs taking down the house) - but Catholic Disciplne stole the show as if it was their goddamn job. Their performance was epic, no less. 

Their name comes from one the Bessy's dayjob occurrences - he found the words "Catholic Discipline" written in the bathroom in "dripping red letters". The band consisted of members of various LA groups who were hanging out together in 1979-1980 - most notably Phranc then of Nervous Gender on guitar, Craig Lee of The Bags on drums, pre-El Vez Robert Lopez (yep) on keyboards and others. And then there was one and only Claude Bessy aka Kickboy Face, editor of Slash Fanzine and the middleman for everyone and everybody - giving hell as if it was his last stand. They all gathered to play music in a different manner than usual - explore that misty something-something. 

Unfortunately the band didn't last long enough to capture their delightful havoc on the proper record - it's natural when you just want to play some music and don't give a damn about such stupid things as commodification of your output for sake of vanity bullshit like fame and fortune. So - aside from ragtag better-than-nothing but hard to find 2004 "Underground Babylon" compilation - "The Decline of Western Civilization" is the only place where you can find their songs in good quality. The fact that we have at least that is already a miracle all things considered. But this is so unfair you might get angry and unable to cool it down... But back to the song.

"Underground Babylon" is an understated epic. It is a punk manifesto of sorts. In its core "Underground Babylon" is a song about a hangover - bound for glory. The protagonist had finally came to senses after the long and winding and rather rough party night (left for your imagination). He doesn't remember what happened exactly but he knows it definitely was quite fun. He then finds a phrase "Babylon Must Fall" written on the mirror with a lipstick and wonders who might did that but not very much, headache creeps. After cleaning up he lays down and succumbs to his thoughts and unintentionally reflects on his life. That thing happens sometimes, it is part of the hangover "fun"-program. He comes to a conclusion that he "regrets" "nothing" - because why bother with such things. Unlike all those "dumbfucks with bland little brains and bland little dreams" - he goes beyond, makes it new, experiments with fear, tastes guilt, tastes death, stands by his doom with nothing but dare...  Because why not? After all - nothing really matters.

It sounds big, jagged, buzzsaw angular, razor sharp in a loving embrace of a subliminal melody entwined with this unmistakable zero-fucks steamroller groove and headache whirling clanging guitar and keyboard combo doing their best impressions of irritating imaginary flies and floaters truly madly deeply in love with bananas. It feels like a culmination of something you have no idea what it is but you feel its immense gurgling shine burning you.

And after listening to it - you feel a little bit lighter.