Murky, and angular post-hardcore from the bowels of Louisville, KY. The d-beat/hardcore edge lingers, but is not the predominant force that it has been on their prior outings. Melodicism, with the blackened-edge of metal lingering on the fringe. I love this, and everything else Mr. Patterson has been a part of.
Never thought I’d hear a cacophonous d-beat band on Bridge 9 – but hear ya’ go! These Italians can really make a mess! I mean that in the best possible way too.
This one was a bit of a surprise – but a pleasant one at that. They remind me of a mixture of the punishing d-beaty crust of From Ashes Rise running alongside a female-fronted melodic-hardcore band. A unique, non-metalcore take on my favourite ‘post-apocalyptic’ genre.
Running a wee-bit late with this one, but things have been hectic as of late. Apparently, Photobucket ate a ‘lead-sandwich’ – so, I hope you’ll forgive the photo-quality presented herein (It might get a bit hairy, to say the least). Anyways, on to some piss-poor exposition!
Best LPs of 2011
Wiccans – Skullduggery
This primal surge kindles the spirit of east coast hardcore (Circa ’86), neanderthal grunting and all. If hardcore became a male locker-room, this would be akin to Steve Clark (86 Mentality) towel-whipping Rob McCulloch (Negative Approach) while riding on the shoulders of Jack Kelly (Some band from Boston. Sheesh). There’s an underlying sense of melody that sets this apart from your “average” neander-core band though. Usually, this stuff is propelled by lots of “guts” and “sweat” (No, you can’t find that at Ace Hardware. I’ve tried), and enough grunting to make “Rut Season” Animal Planet specials “blush”. The build in “Third Estate” is a veritable swelling of “guts”, “bile”, and other assorted things related to masculinity. It stomps faces like Ivan Drago…in an alternate universe – one bereft of the debacle that was Rocky VI…and with Sly Stallone “kissing” the mat while covered in his own mucus and blood. Guts!
Ampere – Like Shadows
Killingsworth (Greatest name ever) and company have, officially, struck the golden-wedge of Ophir – in my heart, of course – with this spicy ball’o’fury. This LP is relentless! It’ll blast your head through your undies, or at least decapitate you, in a sonic sense (Like the rushing of air, filling the void of a nuclear blast). I hope you dug that fox-hole deep enough, otherwise you’ll be coming back a tad shorter (Hardy-har!). How one can even conceive of screamo being “dead” while these cats draw breath, well, its beyond me. Perhaps they (Naysayers, if any) should check their (Again, collective) pulse(s)?
KENmode – “…R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means…means…to…me?”
I’m going to have to start a tally on bands with “vicious names/song-titles” entering the confines of Kurt Ballou’s God City Studios. I’ve a nagging suspicion I’d run out of ‘counting fingers’ in short order. “Until Your Chaos Stops Heroes Darker Handcraft you’ll have to Surrender The Emptiness, Board Up The House, and settle for Scream(ing) At The Sun. Don’t Worry Lady, Death Knows Your Name and The Moon Is A Dead World”. Dang! That’s a lot of classics! If only Jane Lynch and her team of pseudo-adolescents would take the time to conjure up a Godcity Studios “mash-up”! Blood would flow…well…places. Shields would be splintered. One could go as far as to say that it’d be a sore day…a red day, even. Alright, I’m done…and so is the Lord of The Rings series (thankfully). I LOVE this band almost as much as I love Kurt and his goldmine of a studio. It reminds me of my favourite post-hardcore/metalcore records of the late nineties and up (Think Botch, “Jupiter” era Cave-In) with a delicious serving of Louisville greatness a’la National Acrobat and Lords. Songs like “A Wicked Pike” even draw a touch of east-coast post-hardcore greats like Kerosene 454! Not sure if it’ll make you want to “kill everyone now”, as their namesake suggests, but you’ll be slinging “hadokens” with reckless abandon while this is blaring.
Samiam – Extended Vacation Getaway: Vacation Bible School Edition
Good gracious! They’re back! They’ve been away for ever soooooooooooooo long, and I’ve surely missed their absence! Hopeless Records places a record in my “top-ten” every five years or so, and by some sick coincidence it happens every time these gents release a record. They’re (Hopeless) noticeably absent every year in between, however. How strange! The ‘Berkley Five’ are alive and well, and this LP has proven to be a ‘bright-spot’ in a somewhat dreary year. “Trips” boasts better production than its predecessors and is laden with catchy-hooks and soaring melodies. My only gripe with the entire package is the later-end, which appears to be composed of four ‘perfect’ closer tracks. Perhaps, they were aiming for a “Choose Your Own Adventure” angle with “Trips”, albeit with four possible endings? Regardless, I’ll probably be listening to this one almost as much as “Whatever’s Got You Down”.
Wild Flag – “…they’ve got nothing better to do, then watch…”
This may cost the remainder of my “balance” in “street-cred”, but…the truth bids me part this soul-crushing piece of un-cred: I wasn’t a fan of Sleater Kinney. I’m sure anyone with estrogen and a fair bit of punk-“know-how” is, in all likelyhood, wetting their trousers in a “huff” over this little tid-bit. I’m sorry? While I respect their work ethic and (For the most part) their state of being, but couldn’t get into the sonic-angle of their “assault”. This puppy, however, cuts in all the right places! One part Sleaterry post-hardcore/punk and two-thirds jangly B-52s (Self-titled era). You go, girl(s)!
Iceage – The Shape of Dennis Lyxzen’s ‘Straight-Edge’ Tramp-Stamp To Come?
If I hear another music critic referencing Refused’s “Shape of Punk To Come” while discussing the contents shown above, I think I’ll hug their (Collective) necks to oblivion (Fret not! I’ll alleviate the pain by etching emoticons into their laptop screens whilst said “hugging” ensues)! They’re not even from the same bloody country, you wankapotami! These lo-fi punksters-dus play fuzzy punk/post-punk akin to Wire and the Division of Happiness (Or, ‘Joy”, if you will), and their brand of ‘depression’ is served well below room temperature. It appears No Age will have to reconvene at the “drawing board”. Better luck next time, chaps! Hi-ho!
Pygmy Lush – A Recent Acquaintance
This lovechild of Virginian ex-screamo vets proved to be this years “little engine that could”. In all my years, I’ve heard of “screamoans” (No relation to our tan-skinned brethren/sistren of the oceans fair) venturing into the realm of atmospheric post-hardcore, stoner-metal, electro-pop, and shoegaze – but never acoustic-folk music. In fact, this material, for the most part – is wholly removed from the spastic arrangements found on the material these men presented whilst “in arms” with Pg. 99. However, beyond the vocals presented, there are certain similarities with another Virginian act I was enamoured awhile ago – namely – Malady (Which, not surprisingly features members of this band). Its soothing and uplifting, but there is a slight tinge of melancholy about it. Like the last vestige of summer parting way to the autumn draft. Old habits die hard, I suppose.
Facel Vega – Welcome To The Wonderful (Yet, Terrifying) World of Table Muscles!
If you, even in the most remote sense, consider yourself a fan of Dischord Records output (Circa ‘87-’92), then stop reading the improper syntax on this page, and download this LP post-HASTEY! Facel Vega (Not to be confused with Facel Vega of California, or the chap from Street Fighter that fought in cages…with a penchant for courting loose Spanish women) hail from the delightful seaside resort known as Porthcawl, Wales. Don’t be fooled by the kitschy store front windows, overpriced bistros, and “sunny” beaches – in a sonic sense – a true behemoth lurks about these shores. One whose appearance bears more in common with the following picture. Kazaaam!
That’s right, Cracker Jack! The Summer Olympics have been upended by the erudite form of a “power-fist” rendered – via – MS Paint. These gents bring the party like its 1992, albeit on the “other side of the pond”. The singer is a dead-ringer for Guy Picciotto (That’s a compliment, by the way) and the rest of the sonic-mix-ins buzz in and out like the memorable moments of latter-end Nation of Ulysses mingled with the precision of Circus Lupus, Rites of Spring, and Swiz. Post-hardcore? Emo? Rad=Factor-Potato-Wedge? Why bother with your silly post-inanity (Although I usually, do – I’ll forego…this time)? This is delicious, and I’m going back for seconds…and thirdsies…and so on. You should do the same. No, really.
tUnEyArDs – Mark 5:1-19
Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner appear to have been possessed by the deceased spirits of African warriors, and disgruntled postal clerks the world over – and the finite space, between them, appears to be getting a wee bit cramped. “We are legion”, eh? Garbus spins a twisted narrative of western life over off-kilter drum loops, funktacular bass, and a dab of ukulele. Confrontational? Self-condemning(ation)? She just appears to be in an argumentative mood. Its a mosaic of life, splayed about the sidewalk of your local neighborhood. Its the graffiti tagged about your brick wall, in animated form. It is the musical equivalent of the blob-ball of Katamari Damacy – enveloping all in its path. Its rather lovely (I hear “it’s” single and “in the market”).
Fucked Up – David Slays EMI
Writing a blurb/snippet about this treasured piece is a daunting task to say the least. Words, my feeble words, are hopelessly inadequate in describing the sheer joy that courses through my veins and being when the needles touches this vinyl slab. Not since Nation of Ulysses “Plays Pretty For Baby” have I witnessed a band incorporate/channel the sum of pop-culture and reprocess the bulk of it as a mocking caricature of its bloated self. Not only have they managed to do so in around seventy minutes or so, but they’ve virtually upended the “who’s-who” of the professional music world in the process! Just scan around a few websites and zines, if you don’t believe me. Find any “Top 20’s” bereft of the aforementioned LP? Not likely! Not too shabby for “just another street-punk band”. Indeed, it can be likened to Odysseus casting out the ocular organ(s) of his cyclopean captor and coaxing the wounded beast to the ground by exertion of his middle-finger (Via Cyclopean forehead. Front and center) – but, I digress. The sound! What a sound! Its the same F*cked Up you know and love, but multi-tracked to high-heaven and back (With crystal clarity!). Angelic concourses of female vocals chime in wonderous contrast to Abe’s “beastly” (And equally wonderous) jeering. I bet these chaps/chapettes put in some SERIOUS overtime in the studio. Gah! I’m gushing like the Amazon in March and I haven’t even touched upon the greatness of this work! I’ll close out with a few more fragmented sentences. Here it goooes. Hardcore opera. Triumph of life, death, everything in between, and the golden sheen of Ithacan spear piercing conventional thought on “punk-rock” and “hardcore”.
Honourable Mentions:
Ulcerate – Destroyers of All
Deathgrips – Ex-Military
Circle of Ouroborus – Eleven Fingers
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
Spokes – Everyone I Ever Met
PALA – We Don’t Exist
Deerhoof – Deerhoof Vs. Evil
And So I Watch You From Afar – Gangs
Maritime – Human Hearts
Best EPs of 2011
Career Suicide – Sherry! Sherry, baby!
Early 80’s west coast hardcore done right, even if half the songs were written around 5-6 years ago. Half of a “new” EP counts, right? Right? (This EP destroys!)
Criaturas – Spiders, Spiders Everywhere! But Not A Drop To Drink!
The ‘tongue-army’ has mustered a blistering force with this female fronted group of nogoodnicks. Allegedly, this Austin band boasts ex-members of Severed Head of State, J Church, Meadowlark, and Storm The Tower – but I don’t believe them for a second! Like respectable members of those bands would want to be a part of an awesome band like this! Sheesh! Its like they’re trying to defibrillate the corpse of goth-punk from the 70’s? Honestly? What self-respecting member of the homo-sapien family would want to stoke the embers of….yadda-yadda? Take your radtacular brand of raucous rock elsewhere, and spare our fair children!
Mauser – The End Is Effing Nigh?
I wouldn’t say, out-right, that the “market” (If you will) for D-Beat is oversaturated, but its not the most varied genre on the planet,. So, for a band ‘repping the classic Discharge sound to catch my ear – it needs to carry something akin to the “spark of Prometheus”. I mean, one can only have so many “apocalyptic metal-infused punk” records to turn to when they’re worked up in a ‘colourless
nihilistic fury. I, personally, turn to the likes of Death Side’s “To Satisfy Instinct”, Discharge’s “Never Again”, or Talk Is Poison and Deaththreat’s “Master Plan” EP. Anyways, this one invokes the spirit of all these, namely – Death Side. I have a soft-spot for d-beat “done right” by crusty Japanese fellows, and these Floridian’s have nailed it.
Double Negative – Hardcore Makes The World Go ‘Round!
Two more enduring “sonnets” of “love” for the human race. Perfect for a candle-light dinner over a picnic spread…in Chernobyl! – while battling subhuman mutants with hockey sticks! Hopefully, your date has a better “right-cross” than you, because she just used your last molotov “concoction”, and the hordes are closing in. B’Last and Void in a blender (And “read” all over).
Circle Takes The Square – Lamest Name Ever! for An Otherwise Radtacular EP
Not going to lie: I was bit apprehensive about this record. You can’t blame me, considering the wait between this and “As The Roots Undo” was anything but brief. The crafting of the material presented therein isn’t disimilar to the gestation period of a studio band like Linkin’ Park (Or New Kids On The Block, even). The years turned into decades…the decades, to centuries….then stories to myth…myth, to legend. Just ask Cate Blanchett. I’m sure she’d be able to recount the “epic” wait, provided you bring her a draught of water that bears an auspicious resemblance to “arctic water” from a certain Adam Sandler movie. My apologies. The wait has, apparently, addled my mind. All joking (And terrible record titles) aside: this little doggy dropped on my lap, and when the T-50 brown of their “droopy-dog eyes” interlocked with my own – well, I couldn’t say “No”. Its good. Not sure if its “Roots” good, but its pretty solid. It has a decidedly more “metallic” finish about it, but the goofey Gregorian-esque chanting is still spattered throughout. Fans of “Roots” will find plenty to rave about here.
2011 Mix Tape
01. Mauser – “End of The Line”
02. Rival Schools – “Eyes Wide Open”
03. KENmode – “A Wicked Pike”
04. F*cked Up – “The Other Shoe”
05. Deerhoof – “Qui Dorm, Nomes Somia”
06. Ampere – “For Automaton”
07. PALA – “He Who Will Protect Us All”
08. Wiccans – “Crust Royalty”
09. Samiam – “Nightly”
10. Fleet Foxes – “Someone You’d Admire”
11. Ulcerate – “Cold Becoming”
12. Wild Flag – “Short Version”
13. Iceage – “Collapse”
14. All Pigs Must Die – “Sacrosanct”
15. Career Suicide – “Double Life”
16. Death Grips – “Guillotine”
17. Facel Vega – “Copycat”
18. Pygmy Lush – “Admit”
19. Maritime – “Black Bones”
20. The Joy Formidable – “Cradle”
21. tUnE-yArDs – “Killa”
22. Cave-In – “Sings My Love”
Shapes Not Too Selective 