Women in Drag: The address given for their untitled cassette, in Albuquerque, NM 87123. Source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 29, October, 1985. Street view date: June, 2014. Sample quote from the review: “Sun-baked punk, thrash, Egypto-crypto-weirdness.”-Tim Yohannan
 
I have always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Maximum Rocknroll. On the one hand, they were an indispensable and formative resource for awesome writing and great comics (and I may or may not have submitted an EP in desperate hopes of being reviewed by them). On the other hand, their editorial tone could come off a bit snobby, and I kind of agree with Jello Biafra when he said, “If ‘Holiday in Cambodia’ were released today, it would be banned from Maximum Rocknroll for not sounding punk.” Still, my feelings are ultimately fond, and I love that Marc Fischer and alternative archivists Public Collectors have created Hardcore Architecture, a sort of punk rock home tour. From the site:

Hardcore Architecture explores the relationship between the architecture of living spaces and the history of underground American hardcore bands in the 1980s. Band addresses are discovered using contact listings found in demo tape and record reviews published from 1982-89 in the fanzine MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL (MRR). Google Street View is used to capture photos of the homes. Street names and numbers are removed to respect the privacy of people currently living at these addresses.

Two things immediately jumped out at me. First, I am reminded that most of inhabited America is fuck-ugly. Like, suburbia from an Alexander Payne movie kind of ugly. Second, more than centrally located big cities or towns, it appears a lot—if not most—of the rage necessary for the mosh-pit comes out of the suburbs. It makes sense: they have the room and the money for instruments, I can’t say I blame them for their disaffection—that shit is bleak.
 

Honeymoon Killers: The address given for their “Uncut! Uncensored!” cassette in New York, NY 10009. Source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 15, July, 1984. Street view date: Oct., 2014. Sample quote from the review: “A screeching pet rock cousin to New York’s current school of avant-noise bands. The difference here is their fondness for trashing 50′s standards. “Who Do You Love” and “Ubangi Stomp” have never been abused quite like this before.”-Jello Biafra
 

Civil Defense: The address given for their “Gun Control” EP, in St. Paul, MN 55119. Address source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 16, August, 1984. Street view date: Aug., 2014. Sample quote from the review: “An uneven debut but C.D. have potential.”-Jeff Bale
 

Short Notice: The address given for their “Blond Sex God!” cassette in Lawrence, KS 66044. Source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 27, August, 1985. Street view date: May, 2011. Sample quote from the review: “Decent, with plenty of potential.”-Tim Yohannan
 

Active Ingredients: The address given for their “Service with a Smile” EP, in Lexington, KY 40503. Address source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 16, August, 1984. Street view date: July, 2012. Sample quote from the review: “I half-expected this to be another uneventful American thrash record, but this EP contains some weirder material with unusual vocal inflections and some spastic structural shifts.”-Jeff Bale
 

N.O.T.A.: The address given for their “Toy Soldiers” cassette EP, in Tulsa, OK 74120. Address source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 5, March-April, 1983. Street view date: April, 2014. Sample quote from the review: “Much better than their earlier tape. The sound is fuller, there’s more attack, and the lyrics are every bit as good.”-Tim Yohannan
 

Fish Karma: The address given for their “To Hell with Love…” cassette in Tucson, AZ 85719. Source: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, issue no. 15, July, 1984. Street view date: July, 2013. Sample quote from the review: “What is it about Arizona that creates such warped people?” -Jello Biafra