Roarrrr…Grrrr… Three guys – on bass, drums, and guttural screams, respectively – play definitely heavy, thoroughly metal anthems called things like “Don’t Kill My Sister”. They pack an impressive stash of effect pedals, which warp the bass from growls to screeches, and include standout percussive passages whereby they rhythmically pummel things with sticks. Opener “Midnight Train To The Dogfood Factory” sets the LP’s tone: racous, obnoxious, and sometimes absurd. After listening to 19 exhaustive tracks of morbid imagery and slaying bass lines, you may feel tortured enough to write your own Liberties-inspired anthem of pain. I’d simply call mine “Ouch”.
— Reviewed by KG in Punk Planet #75, Sept./Oct. 2006

Northern Liberties – Secret Revolution CD (Worldeater Records) You want edgy, angular, experimental post-hardcore, you say?Want it to be quasi-intellectual, you say? As if it could be anything else – given the first demands. And you want a whole hour of it? Don’t want to pay too much for it, either? OK, Worldeater Records will sell you this album or $6. That’s pretty fair, I think. It’s a good album, too, even if, with 18 songs on it, it’s a bit much, especially since Northern Liberties are something of a Dogme project, in that the line-up consists of one drummer, one percussionist, and one bassist. OK, you get vocals, too,, lots of effects on top of it as well, but if you want guitars, you’ll have to search elsewhere. What you get here is raw, artistic expression in the vein of No Means No or Shellac. Not an easy album to listen to, by no means, at times it’s extremely bleak, but it’s rewarding in its own way. If you dig: No Means No, Fugazi, Shellac

reviewd by – Jon A.

The new NORTHERN LIBERTIES CD has come out and it is amazing! Really, it is so good. If there was ever a band in Philly that gets overlooked it’s NORTHERN fuckin LIBERTIES. They have a sound that goes beyond explanation. Similar to the band that once called Philly home, MACHINE THAT FLASHES, NORTHERN LIBERTIES is a percussion and bass combo overlaid with vocals. A fellow named Justin belts out bizarre lyrics with a sense of infectious madness. Here are the words to Midnight Train To The Dogfood Factory – “O canned food, Broken hearts, Heads on sticks + burning cars, Flightless birds + sightless worms, Fly into a black sun, that never burned – Midnight train – pulls away – Destination: Death Factory.” Yes, their words are out there. Seeing them live sometimes gives me goosebumps it is so- so- fuck, words fail me to get the right mood, and the sound they build. Comparisons – humm. a bit Joy Division, with part Fugazi and an added touch of heaviness, it’s damn intense. Definitely if you want to check out a band that is pushing boundaries that need to be pushed, it is NORTHERN LIBERTIES. The recording they built sounds real good and the CD is filled with Justin’s artwork – intricate drawings that make me think of what Nick Blinko would do if he ended up squatting in Philly during his formative years…

— reviewed by – MIKE STRAIGHT from SLUG AND LETTUCE number 87, Spring 2006.

Some bands just follow the fashion and bore the hell out of me. Rarer are those that find a niche of their own. They also don’t make life easy for the common music reviewer, but at least they command our undivided attention. Philadelphia three-piece Northern Liberties, founded in 2000, only need drums, percussion, bass and vocals to make their music work. Of course this is conjuring images of NoMeansNo and Ruins, and strangely enough Northern Liberties cover a song by a band called Ruin (not Ruins). Secret Revolution is basically a rock album, where the bass is played like a guitar, giving the music a weirdly humming and droning sound. The lack of guitars puts the music into a very deep register, but Justin Duerr’s vocals sometimes have this enigmatic punk quality that gives the songs a festive ambience. His brother Marc enriches the songs with his busy drumming, while bass player K. provides melody and rhythm. Northern Liberties are best when they are carried away by big melodies, like on Angels With Broken Glass Teeth and Long Distance Shadow. Their punk roots are showing when they cover Ruin’s Great Divide or on the Fugazi-like Auto Pilot. The album’s only problem is that one hour is just too long for this genre so full of detail. The artwork has been created by singer Justin Duerr, who combines exceptional technique with a weird twist of spirituality into an artistic entity which is as original as it is beautiful to behold. Sold for only 6 US$ (plus postage if you live outside the US), Worldeater Records distribute their releases for the lowest possible price. Those who are into guitar-less alt punk rock music which is experimental and catchy at the same time, will have to get a copy of Secret Revolution.

— DISAGREEMENT.NET, May 2006

I was really excited about this disc and now that it is finally in my hands all I can say is that Northern Liberties are one of the most unique and forward thinking acts around these days. Building on a foundation of so many varied influences that touch on rock, punk, indie, goth, dark grunge and a slew of other different genres these guys are at the top of their game on their sophomore disc “Secret Revolution”. While their last album, “Erode and Disappear” already had many of these elements, “Secret Revolution” expands on everything ten-fold with songs that are even more out than then ever before. They’ve got a sound that still loosely reminds me at times of Butthole Surfers’ “Independent Worm Saloon” mixed with a little Black Sabbath a pinch of Christian Death with all kinds of other influences going on. It’s just impossible to pin them down at any moment and with so much variety in song-writing here it could be easy for things to get clumsy and sloppy but Northern Liberties never let that happen for an instant. There is no guitar present but the bass-work is outstanding and since it has to pick up the slack of guitar there’s all kinds of awesome stuff going on with the playing style from organic, clean rhythms to distorted riffs and freak-outs that completely kick ass. The drumming is tight and Justin Duerr’s voice perfectly suits their sound with his off-beat and unique range that can stretch from shouts, to spoken word and very interesting singing with some effects used to make things really out there and psychedelic. As for the songs themselves, it would be impossible to describe them here as each song is so different than the one preceding it that it would take a 4 page essay to write all of the details out although each one is a stand-out as far as I’m concerned. ?”Auto Pilot” rocks hard with heavy riffs that reminded me instantly of Black Sabbath only a bit quirkier but the feel is there and the pissed off vocals during the chorus really add some extra punch. “Beyond Beyond” is another really unique song that ranges from spaced rock complete with acoustic bass guitar and soft, eerie vocals before exploding into crazed indie, stoner punk that rocks and grooves with an excellent bass riff and rock solid rhythms. Then there is the one, two punch of “Monument” and “Love Dove” the records two most powerful tracks. “Monument” begins with an intense spoken word segment that for whatever reason reminds me of Rozz Williams type stuff and then once again the song erupts into a frenzy of electrifying riffs that are heavy on the punk and rock n’ roll influence with an undeniable groove that you won’t be getting out of your head anytime soon and the song is immediately followed by the catchiest song on the album “Love Dove”. This song is just so catchy and unique that I can’t even get over it. It’s got upbeat acoustic bass guitars and another show-stopping riff that sounds so simple but it is absolutely perfect. The song reminds me of so many different things, hell even some type of odd grunge and Justin’s vocals once again remind me ever so slightly of Rozz Williams at times especially when he delivers the line “God is hanged to love”. I really don’t know what else to say about this record. This is something entirely different and they really have carved a niche that is all their own. There’s also some bonus material here including a live song and some other extras. The disc is topped off by another top-notch layout including the kind of cool artwork I have come to expect on all of their releases. I highly recommend this record as this is something truly unique and original and a record that is so damn well written that these guys better get some serious attention for their efforts!
-reviewed by JS

Holy drummers. There’s about fifty ounces of percussion to every ounce of bass. No guitar. Vocals and percussion. Tons of rhythm. Noise punk with experimental edges that are barren from what people normally associate rock music with. Sometimes they land with a dull thud and sometimes it’s really damn good. I think I’d like it more if they really amped up the bass licks a bit.
-J. Sin

Rad 14 song album of spazzy basement art-punk from this Philly drums/bass/vox trio that’s tied up in the intriguing urban-underground Worldeater collective, who also cranked out the fucking stellar Humanasaur CD-R reviewed elsewhere on this list. Northern Liberties are sort of a heavier, modern day version of The Butthole Surfers, a psychedelic punk assault slinging metaphysical vibes all over their album, but with a spare drums/bass/vocals n’ effects lineup and apparent love for black mascara post-punk that puts these jams somewhere between the dissonant riff-heavy freakouts of Lightning Bolt, sullen Cure/Joy Division gloom, melodic hardcore marches, and spacey, psychedelic angular avant-punk that touches on USAISAMONSTER, folk, and cosmic effects tripouts, bound together with bizarre feverdream lyrics and really cool zoned out vocals. Yep, a cool, weird mix of Load Records damage, the Butthole Surfers acid visions, and pop punk.

I suppose these folks would be full-scale extreme–the lyrics certainly fit–but it seems they have more delicate constitutions. That’s not bad, actually, as these stripped-down songs are perhaps even more menacing in this context. One of the more intriguing bands I’ve heard in a while.

Fuzzy bass-drums-vocs music that seems heavy but sounds more like Pavement than say Nirvana or the Melvins, cuz of the doubled up melodic vocals. Very early 90’s dirty indie-rock, reminds me a lot of Charles Brown Superstar or Swirlies or other indie-rock bands that put distortion pedals on the bass and leaned heavily on melody. Good stuff, if you like this definitely check out Charles Brown Superstar. Moments of this could be lumped in with Comets on Fire.

1) simple bass melody, idie rock’ish vocs a la pavement, grungy distorto moments but pop is maintained
2) noise intro followed by big tribal drum onslaught and fuzz-bass
3) cool echo bass line, very pop vocals
4) driving fuzz bass fun
5) tribal intro turns into melodic, midpaced, reflective
6) heavy psyche rock, grunge tone, less melody and more heuvos, echoey vocs set tone
7) reflective indie rock wth acoustic intro and ÒheavyÓ later part
8) up-paced driving pogoÕing rock, tribal out-tro
9) feedback intro, good driving rockin
10) spacey feedback/efx intro turns upbeat rock
11) acoustic instruments in intro, same rockin
12) different beat, tribal, devolves into indie rock melodic vocs
13) a bit doomier, darker
14) slow bass arpeggio, heavy waltzy, psyche grungy
15) ignore, 6 seconds
16) quiet space intro to wild spazz psyche rock a la Comets on Fire, goes back to spaciness here and there
17) looped sound collage with beat
18) kinda gothy with chorused bass and slow echoey pace
19) brief acoustic instrumental

— Reviewed by “your imaginary friend”, from the online music archive at KZSU 90.1 FM, Stanford Ca.