Um, so 2018 has been awesome so far. So much good music has come out already and it's not even halfway through the year. I realize I had previously mentioned I was planning on slowing down the review stuff, but honestly there's a lot I want to write about and I think this might be the biggest batch this year so far.
But just writing up review stuff is not all that I aim to use this space for. I assure you, within the next couple weeks there will be some awesome label news. So just letting you all know to stay tuned.
In the meantime, check the stuff out here and get mesmerized at all the cool music happening now.
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THE APPARITION ORCHESTRA, “Obsolete”
The duo of Bob Gorham (Blood Sun Circle, Engineer) and Jon
Davis (Difficult, Night Owls, Another Breath) have worked together on a variety
of projects, including Broken Spirit, that have often involved going off to a
cabin in the middle of nowhere, getting tanked, and writing lonesome campfire
songs that have the weight of 100 suns.
They probably also wrestle bears and survive off of eating coyotes who
might get brave and wander within 200 yards of these guys, but that’s just
speculation.
Who knows what really
goes on out there in the woods.
So
going into their latest collaboration I thought it might just be more of that,
but under a different moniker.
However,
while this music sounds sparse and lonesome most of the time it has a far more
cinematic, movie score quality to it.
I don’t listen to heck of a lot of soundtracks, but if I had to make any
sort of comparison it would be similar to the music that went a long with
“There Will Be Blood”.
That’s the
best I got.
Overall it’s quiet and
disarming, the hint of something sinister going on deep underneath, and
primarily instrumental, save for one track where they are shouting like some
combination of a chain gang’s work song and an ancient ritual being conducted
in a cave.
It’s weird and it’s pretty
cool.
It’s certainly a departure
from the music these guys usually create with their other bands.
(Drops Of Us)
COMING DOWN, EP
They released a demo a little while ago, got kind of quiet,
and now have come back swinging with this excellent new EP of songs heavily
informed by rocking punk in the style of Swiz, Seaweed, Give, with hints of
post-punk melody akin to Echo and the Bunnymen or other late 80’s DC hardcore.
Rochester’s Coming Down is basically
most of hometown stalwarts Like Wolves, but with vocalist Rory Van Grol
(Achilles, Soul Control, Standfast, How We Are) handling the mic.
It makes for a good mix of excellent
people making some exceptional music.
I can’t describe how much joy I feel knowing that long time friends and
creative types continue to make great music in different permutations, it keeps
this whole thing going round and round.
All six songs on this are quite wonderful, but I think my favorite track
might be “Exhausted”, as it combines some great catchy riffs with a perfect amount
of aggression and good sing-alongs- “Trying to understand, your point of
view!”
And check out that great
cover art- it looks like something that would have come out on Cruz Records or
Sub Pop in 1991 meets Keith Haring subway tag.
(Sore Ear Collective)
GLOOP, “The Tourist” CD
Gloop consists of members of Rhin, another band
championed via review on this site, and they pine a similar territory, albeit
with a little less distortion and less thick riffs.
Both bands love the noise rock cesspool of filthy rock,
however Gloop aim a bit more in a Hot Snakes meets early Nirvana fashion,
but weirder and faster.
I’m
perfectly OK with this and welcome their wild clatter.
Eight songs fly right by and wrap up
quicker than you can rip the sleeves off a flannel shirt.
A good soundtrack for the next time you
have a hissy fit.
(GrimoireRecords)
GONER, “goner.” EP
From out of the blue comes this new Syracuse band that
immediately sounds like they have their business together and are ready to
straight up murder you.
I’m
getting a fairly strong Cult Leader vibe here, except with way more blast
beats.
So get in that frame of
mind of very metallic hardcore with lots of noisy, off-kilter parts and furious
blasting.
It’s a pretty damn good
introduction that ought to melt your skin right off of your skull.
The track arrangement really makes you
think there’s only three songs given “Momentary Clarity”s rather epic ending
and then, oh shit, here’s another song!
Add some subtle noise parts as segues and other violent tendencies and
you got yourself a heck of a demo.
(self-released)
HEADS, “Collider”
I feel like between this German groups first LP and this new
one a big change happened, but maybe I’m wrong.
I feel like their older stuff may have been more upbeat and
playing it a bit loose and somewhat rowdy.
However, “Collider” is more serious, a weighty tome rife
with huge sounds and calculated execution.
Imagine the slow, deliberate lurch and morose heaviness of
Young Widows on their “In and Out Of Youth and Lightness” LP mixed with the
bright, shimmering post-hardcore rock of Shiner/The Life and Times.
It’s less chaotic than I thought it
might be, but it’s a welcome listen for sure.
I’m really enjoying it, in particular the lead single
“Urges”, the almost industrial guitar grating of “Mannequin”, and the
unexpected (but very welcome) bluesy textures added by a saxophone at the close
of the epic swell in the final track “Youth”.
I really enjoy what this band brings to the table.
It takes some patience for each song to
unravel and build, but the payoff is worth it.
(Corpse Flower Records)
THE HIRS COLLECTIVE, “Friends, Lovers, Favorites”
I didn’t know too much about this band for a long time.
I’d heard their name thrown around a
bit and knew they were well-known within the trans/punk/DIY community, but I
had no idea what they sounded like.
I really was unprepared for how fucking vicious this sounds.
Although this record abounds with
numerous guests (hence ‘collective’) it seems the bulk of the songs are
performed by the vocalist, drummer, and a guitarist with a fuckton of amps and
cabs belting out 30 second blasts of grind, powerviolence, and monstrous
metallic breakdowns.
In that sense
it’s sort of low-hanging fruit to lose your damn mind to.
On another level, I’m personally not
used to bands identifying as trans to have an interest in creating music this
pissed off.
The closest I’ve
experienced is G.L.O.S.S. and they did not trifle with these sorts of metallic
barrages against sanity.
This is
straight up revenge sort of music, taking that feeling of disempowerment, insecurity,
oppression, and helplessness and turning it all into blistering rage.
So yeah, not only does this record have
about 20 new songs, it also includes the “You Can’t Kill Us” EP, and- savor
this because I will likely never utter these words again- some remixes that are
not half bad.
They actually come
off as cool experiments that completely transform the song instead of just
shuffle around bits and pieces with a techno backdrop.
So kudos on that.
Also, this is one fancy-ass looking
record.
It’s worth your time
(since it takes all of about 25 minutes to digest all 35 or so songs here.
(Get Better Records/ SRA Records)
THE HIRS COLLECTIVE/ THOU split 12”
There’s no information on this record whatsoever.
No band names, no release info, no song
titles, no credits, not even anything on the center labels of the actual
record.
It’s just Thou on one side
and HIRS on the other doing a bunch of Nirvana covers.
And, naturally, doing them well.
At this point Thou have done kind of a
lot of covers and I’m almost surprised that they haven’t repeated themselves on
this collection.
But you get the
best out of both bands and if you have enjoyed this stuff in the past there’s
no reason not to enjoy it now.
While there is no information anywhere on this record the cover art does
allude to what’s in store, kind of (a heart-shaped box?).
I’m going to guess not many of these
were made and they’re probably going to be rather difficult to find?
(Get Better Records)
QUICKSAND, “Triptych Continuum”
Record Store Day, in the last few years, is usually a rather
dull affair with diminishing returns.
However, the idea of Quicksand dropping a 12” of B-sides from their most
recent LP as a RSD release is reason enough to deal with the crowds.
Fortunately, this year I found a store with no dumb lines and more than enough
copies to go around. Opening track
“Multiverse” is a great addition to the new stuff and would have fit nicely on
“Interiors”. It’s got a great main
riff and a great melodic chorus, like any good Quicksand song. Then you get a quick little interlude,
and the last track “Spoken Through Clouds”. That song I can see why they left off the LP, because while
it’s mostly enjoyable it sort of lacks a cohesive structure and then just sort
of ends abruptly. Bonus fun: the B-side of this 12” is etched with a
cool design. Quicksand completists
take note. (Epitaph)
RED HARE, “Little Acts Of Destruction”
I’ve been waiting for this. Ever since this group released their first LP my immediate
reaction was, ‘when do I get more?’
As I grow older I become more enamored with musicians and bands that are
older than I am who can continually conjure creativity in an exhilarating and
refreshing way, and not phoning it in, because I hope to also be able to be at
least a tenth as creative in my own way when I reach their age. The people in Red Hare do just
that. Jason Farrell is seemingly
an endless wellspring of incredible riffs and melodies. Drummer Joe Gorelick compliments his
playing perfectly, maybe a little less gonzo/off-the-rails than he was on the
first LP, but equally as powerful and inventive. Vocalist Shawn Brown continues to have commanding presence
and I feel many of these songs contain some of the strongest, most poignant and
well thought-out lyrics he has written.
Bassist Dave Eight completes the Swiz/Sweetbelly Freakdown triad, which
most of Red Hare is culled from, with his lean delivery. All these characters have spent a long
time playing together and are completely tuned into one another to create a
very distinctive style that combines the best of Revolution Summer-era DC
hardcore, and the more rock n’ roll upbeat energy of 90’s Dischord bands. But comparisons are mostly useless
because eventually references primarily lead back to the band members. No one plays quite like Jason
Farrell. No one sings like Shawn
Brown. It’s been a few years since
“Nites Of Midnite”, which only gave listeners 8 songs. This is a solid 14 tracks, none of
which feel dull, or just shoehorning in to make for a longer record. It all feels vital and welcome, from
the aggressive thrust of “Edit the Family” to the bass-driven drive of “Foley
Artist”, the stop-start stutter rapid delivery of the title track, to the super
catchy feel-good nostalgia trip of “Take a Walk”. Red Hare really nailed it once again and I couldn’t be
happier. (Dischord/Hellfire)
YOUNG WIDOWS, “Decayed: 10 Years Of Cities, Wounds, Lightness, and Pain”
Just to be clear, this is not a new Young Widows LP in the
direct sense (however, just putting this out there to the band- PLEASE MAKE A
NEW LP). It’s a collection of all
their singles, B-sides, and assorted ephemera they have released in their existence
as a band that did not make it onto any of their official full lengths. Since I fucking love this band I
already have pretty much all of this stuff. The songs from the five various split 7”s they did are all
on here, as well as a couple stand-alone singles and comp appearances make it
on to the record. Finally, there
are several songs that never made it onto anything else, so with that you get
around 4 never-released-elsewhere songs.
That should probably be worth the price of admission alone if the very
excellent cover art doesn’t get you first. Again, while I have most of this material on other formats
already I would still recommend this to fans of the band because some of these
B-sides are very strong material for the band. “Long Live the New Weight” might be one of my personal
favorites from the band, as it is the most brooding, mysterious, and
interesting songs the band has done.
I’m surprised it never went onto an official full length. Also, the original recording of
“Swamped and Agitated” is quite wonderful as well, since once again, it is one
of the best songs the band ever wrote and what’s better than one version of a
great song (it’s ‘two’, that’s the answer). So, yes, this is for completist nerds. But I think it’s also great to pick up
if you’re a casual fan of the group as well. (Temporary Residence)
