CHRON TURBINE, “Skull Necklace Just For You” LP
This sounds like if The Cars were raised on a steady diet of
records released on Amphetamine Reptile, but the catchy pop aspect won out in
the end. It’s actually pretty
fuckin’ great if that first sentence made no sense to you. Thick, riffy, and noisy, but
brilliantly catchy. It loses a bit
of steam in the middle, mostly from slower tracks that aren’t as easy to get
stuck in your head. Yet despite
all that it’s a great listen, one that certainly surprised me, and I was happy
to have heard it. I might actually
be a better person because of it now, so thanks for getting songs like “You
Can’t Touch My Shit” and “Trans Jamder” embedded in my cranium! Printed on a wild silkscreened cover
and limited to something like 200 copies.
Neat! (Peterwalkee Records)
HEIRESS, “Early Frost”
While this band has been going for quite a few years now
their level of activity has been fairly timid, aside from releasing a few seven
inches here and there. And I’ve
never found them to be exceptionally compelling musically. But for some reason I really wanted to
get this record. I think it’s
because the simple cover photo looked really cool to me. It’s one of those ‘behold this majestic
mountain that alludes to how heavy this band is’ sort of thing. Either way, I was sold. And while that cover is cool, the rest
of the packaging looks like some scroll from Lord Of the Rings, and I swear
that a riff in “Damaged New Wind” was lifted from the theme music from “Dune”
(which, by the way, I’m totally cool with). So yeah, think rather epic stuff here. I’d say in all Heiress is in a Neurosis
frame of mind when writing, and filtering it through a sort of mid-90’s heavy
emo core execution. The plus is
that it’s not something one really hears much these days. On the negative, it can get a little
dull at times. Overall, it’s a
fairly engaging listen. (DeathwishInc)
IRON LUNG, “White Glove Test”
This will most likely be one of, if not the most intense
records I hear all year. Fucking
fuck, Iron Lung are unsettling to listen to, incredibly abrasive, and so
pissed. It’s just two dudes coming
up on their 40’s and fucking shit up harder than anyone else in this
universe. Bow down as
schizophrenic riffs blast between powerviolence speed and pounding
Swans-inspired sludge. Wrap your
little brain around the other half of this duo who smashes his drums like a
jackhammer with a giant metal fist at the business end of it. Both dudes do vocals. Now imagine this non-stop pulverizing
for a good 20 tracks (in about 22 minutes), and stare at the insane cover art
of a cleansing hand melding into a head full of junk. Read the words about medical malpractice, disease, and
little people being crushed under a latex glove that smears them out with a
fake vaccine. “There is no hope
for them” goes the line throughout “Brutal Supremacy” (1-3) and it’s a fitting
description for the panicked music Iron Lung drops on you like so many
anvils. Now, one more thing to
fuck with you: they created a
companion album to go with this of noise, soundscapes, and assorted industrial
clanging (much like Neurosis’ “Times Of Grace” and “Grace”). On it’s own it’s exactly as I
described. But as a bonus they
combine both albums to make for one fucking crazy synced-up conglomeration of
powerviolence and noise. This is
so damn good and intense. Lose
your mind to this. (Iron LungRecords/ Prank Records)
NAILS, “Abandon All Life”
There’s no reason one should attempt to do some deep
searching when breaking down the newest offering from Nails. It’s pretty much the heaviest thing
you’re going to hear all year.
That’s about it. In about
17 minutes they drill 10 songs into your skull of the heaviest of heavy metal. Some of it lurches, sledgehammer in
grimy fist, smashing all in its wake.
Some of it has the subtlety of a blitzkrieg, lightning fast and terribly
violent. None of it is
positive. You won’t feel happier
after listening to it. And
sometimes that’s fine. The photo
on the inside cover makes Todd Jones look like a skinny version of that wrestling
manager Paul Bearer (R.I.P.).
Purchase and despise humanity.
(Southern Lord)
NIGHT MARCHERS, THE, “Allez, Allez”
A few years ago The Night Marchers emerged with
ambition. Their first release was
a double LP. Yeah, take that bands
that just put out seven inches!
Considering that main man John Reis (Rocket From the Crypt, Sultans, Hot
Snakes, Drive Like Jehu) basically eats, sleeps, and shits songs coming up with
enough to fill two records worth is not a huge deal. But the band has remained silent since for the most
part. And honestly, I thought that
first Night Marchers thing was a bit dry.
They were really going for a retro garage rock sort of thing, lots of
clean playing, clean production, and a few catchy songs too. So now that they have awoken once again
I feel Reis is really writing shit that harkens to what we all know best from
him- loud, brash, loose, and hot shit rock songs. This new Night Marchers record may as well be an unreleased
Hot Snakes record with a couple Rocket From the Crypt tunes thrown in for good
measure (I’m sorry, I will forever associate any song John Reis sings and plays
guitar on that involves horns to be a defacto RFTC song). I don’t say this as a bad thing. This record is beyond awesome. They know how to dirty it up with
rumbling bass on the opening track (such a great riff), and in “Loud, Dumb, and
Mean” the vocals get so static that it sounds like Reis is going to break the
damn mic. Sing along choruses
abound, witty lyrics that are both humorous and clever, and so many damn riffs
you could pack a garage full of them…
this is the way to go.
Congrats to this band for fully bringing on a kick ass record from start
to finish. (Swami Records)
PISSED JEANS, “Honeys”
I gotta say, Pissed Jeans never disappoints. But for some reason this record is
getting less attention from my turntable than previous records have. Maybe it’s because the band have honed
in on their ‘thing’ and are on a sort of repeat function? I can’t say. Their first LP, “Shallow” was raw, wild, and crazy. “Hope For Men” followed with many
challenges to the listener, separating the true believers from flavor-of-the-month
bandwagon jumpers (yet when you put a face smasher like “Fantasy World” on your
record you could put an hour of noise over the rest and I’d still buy it). “King Of Jeans” really got the band on
solid footing and has proved to be their overall most solid record. I guess maybe they saw the sonic
success of that record and hoped to go for it again. Present are the barnburners (“Bathroom Laughter”, “Health
Plan”), the slow and sludgy grumblers (“Cafeteria Food”), the humor (“Loubs”,
“Cafeteria Food” again), and the swinging riff fests (“Male Gaze”). So yeah, it’s a friggin’ awesome
record. But I feel like I’ve heard
it somewhere before. No
disappointments, just nothing new either.
(Sub Pop)
RESTORATIONS, “LP2”
Top ten of the year territory for this here record. Restorations have a thing going on that
is all their own and they own it. Big
anthems, warms sounds, lush organs, raspy vocals, massive fuzzy bass, riffy
guitars and a sense of songwriting that shows years of experience. This band is deserving of every
dick-stroking comment that comes (cums?) their way. “LP2” is full of the type of big songs that made their debut
LP so great (See “D” and “Adventure Tortoise”), as well as some dabblings in
new sounds that add some trippy, psychedelic riffing to their post-hardcore
rock sound (“Quit” and “Kind Of Comfort”). I am fully down for every tune on this record and can’t wait
to see them showcase this stuff on the live front. Unless you strictly like your music with blast beats or
breakdowns, or straight from a shitty gutter than there is probably something
about this band you can relate to, and therefore enjoy thoroughly. Well done fellas. (SideOneDummy)
RUN, FOREVER, “Settling”
Here’s my compliment that I will bestow upon Run,
Forever: this record’s got some
really nice packaging. That whole
glossy, embossed type on the whole thing looks real good. Oh, the music? Eh, not my bag. Sort of folky-punk/mainstream rock,
touches of Against Me here and there, sensitive-guy-with-a-bit-of-a-grudge-against-his-CEO-Dad
sort of vocals. You know the
deal. Some people fall over
themselves for this sort of stuff and have these semi-seizures (AKA, sad white
people ‘dancing’) in crowded basements and that’s all well and good for people
who are into that. I, personally,
am not. And that’s what I got to
say about that. (Tiny Engines)
