BUG, “Calamitas”
There is such a thing as Austrian noise rock and apparently
Bug has been doing it for 20 years.
And this is apparently their 8th record. So how about that, huh? I have approximately zippo to go on if
this holds up to any of their previous stuff, so I’ll just get to it and
dissect this as best I can.
Alright, so this group apparently wrote this record as a concept based
around an Italian prime minister and all sorts of other tangentially related
stuff. I can’t make out what
they’re saying, but the vocals are slurred and growling, like they’re at one
speed and the music is another, kind of Harvey Milk-ish. Musically it’s all over the map. There’s wide swaths of Unsane-style
meaty rock, more experimental and weird pedal-heavy parts reminiscent of USA Nails,
some epic math-y sections recalling Breather Resist at their best, and even
some areas that dabble in black metal-s speedy onslaught. Like I said, it’s a mixed bag,
sometimes within the same song.
It’s a bit of a detriment because it causes the band to lose a sense of
consistency. However, the overall
result is generally enjoyable because it’s a lot of neat things coming together
that don’t always meet up. (InterstellarRecords)
EFFECTS, THE, “Eyes To the Light”
Devin Ocampo is one of the most recognizable musicians to
emerge from the ever-vibrant DC scene in the last 20 years. From his start with art-rock
masterminds Smart Went Crazy (where he played more second fiddle) to branching
out more on his own with Faraquet and then Medications his distinctive
wide-ranging vocals and peculiar style of math-y, complex yet insanely melodic
and catchy guitar work is instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever paid
any sort of attention to any of his bands. Now, with The Effects he sets off on another project on
their first official full length (they have released a series of EPs so far)
and it follows suit with much of the other work Ocampo is known for. If there is any noticeable difference
I’d say that with the Effects the drumming tends to be a bit more reigned in
and straightforward, giving the guitars a lot of space to take center
stage. In previous outfits his
leads were often competing with the other instruments, which were just as
intricate, complex, bewildering and jaw-dropping. Additionally, The Effects feels slightly more like a
traditional rock band in places, where an occasional big rock part meets bits
and pieces of XTC or early 80’s Genesis worship, butted up against the
signature style of the main fellow I’ve spent most of this review verbally
jocking. So yeah, if you’re still
a fan of what Dischord continues to release (and why wouldn’t you be?) this is
definitely one of the better records released by them in the last few years. (Dischord)
KINDLING, “Hush”
Eastern Massachusetts Kindling has been pretty damn
consistent throughout their discography, which is pretty sizeable when compared
with how long they have been a band.
Anyway, their formula is a good one: giant distortion and ethereal vocals with a punk beat. My Bloody Valentine, as filtered
through countless basement shows, and always on 11. They even have a consistent design aesthetic flowing through
all their record artwork. I really
liked it all. So on “Hush”, their
newest LP, things are a bit different and it’s been a bit hard for me to
digest. I mean, yeah, they’re
still using huge distortion and the vocals are as atmospheric and dreamy as
ever. But it’s a different (more
boring) looking record. They have
expanded their songwriting palette, which definitely shows some growth on their
part by including bits of synth, mellotron, and even sitar. The recording is more polished and
professional sounding and again, I’m a bit on the fence there because I really
enjoyed the massive fuzz on their previous output. But after a number of listens this is finally growing on me
and I can sit back and enjoy it as a whole for what the band has accomplished
in terms of growth. (6131)
“LIARTOWN The First Four Years”, by Sean Tejaratchi
Anyone who knows me knows I dabble in design and have been
making flyers for punk shows for over 20 years. And people often ask, ‘where do you come up with this
stuff?’ and my answer has more often than not been ‘Craphound’. It’s an 8-volume zine dumping ground of
every odd assortment of weird and obscure clip art one could hope to find to
fill all those graphic design holes you never knew existed. It’s essentially my design bible. Well, the man behind it all is one Sean
Tejaratchi, and for the last four years he has been the man behind a site
called Liartown USA, which is his digital dumping ground for all the bizarre
ideas floating around in his head that he makes reality… sorta. He focuses his design on creating fake advertisement for
billboards, 70’s chapbooks, TV shows that never happened, magazine covers,
business cards, products, catalogs, you name it, and he makes it look
believable. And all that stuff has
been collected into one gigantic book filled with literally thousands of
hare-brained ideas and fake stuff.
Need a calendar of Shitty Lighthouses? He made it. Billboards
for “Pillows: Houston’s First
Pansexual Fuckspace”. Done. Book covers for Hardy Boys mysteries
that never actually happened, including (but not limited to), “The Hardy Boys
Lose Their Shit”. Theres
several. Multiple pages of fake
dialogue Ice-T ‘said’ on “Law and Order”?
It’s there and I currently can’t breathe because I’m laughing too
hard. I can’t comprehend why this
guy spends a massive amount of time designing things long since forgotten,
thrown away, or never useful in real life to make his fake stuff look
incredibly believable, but I’m incredibly happy that he did. (Feral House)
OPEN CITY, “City Of Ash” 7”
I believe the two songs that make up this 7” are culled from
the same recording session as this Philly group’s stellar debut full length
from earlier this year. However, I
can see why they were left off the LP.
They don’t quite fit with the overall character and feel of that
record. These two tracks are a bit
longer (I use that in a loose sense of the word) and slower (again, ‘loose’)
than the rest of their material.
The title track fits more with the LP with its catchy melodies and
overall upbeat feel. “A Condition
Worth a Mention” is the second track and it is way slower, way harsher, and
definitely out of character with everything else this band has done. There is a 7” version of these tracks,
but it’s pretty pricey. However,
it’s Open City and they rule, so my suggestion is go to the bandcamp and plop
down a few bucks to keep up with what is going on with this group. (Open City)
SECT, “No Cure For Death”
I’m not even sure if I can classify this as a hardcore
record. On the vegan straight edge
old man’s supergroup round two (and, I might add, a pretty quick follow-up to
their debut last year) they go even deeper into grind, powerviolence, and death
metal displays of HM-2 worship, a la Entombed, Trap Them, Dismember, All Pigs
Must Die, and groups of that ilk.
I’m totally OK with that.
Additionally, I’m not sure if you can classify this as a ‘full length’
either because the entire record is over in all of about 17 minutes. There is some part groove and a lot of
parts blast beats, where most songs struggle to hit the minute-and-a-half
mark. But within those short
blasts the band manages to cram in a whole lot to think about including
missives on voting with your dollar (so to speak), our current political state
of affairs, and the dreary state of ‘what the fuck sort of dystopian future am
I living in’ paranoia happening like every waking moment. If you know the deal with this band you
know what you’re going to get. If
you don’t I suggest holding off judgment of hardcore dudes over 35 as being old
and tired because these fuckers will blow your hair back. (Southern Lord)
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