DEAD NOW, s/t EP
Considering this is ex-Torche personnel I don’t want to make
too many comparisons, but between the harmonic vocals and crushingly heavy jams
spewed forth on this debut EP it’s kind of difficult not to find some common
ground. Dead Now does manage to
differentiate themselves enough though, with the addition of some
prog-meets-groovy areas that will make your Yes-worshipping uncle take a quizzical
double take, just as much as the Satan-worshipping co-worker who showed up late
(again) leeringly mention that this does, indeed, rock. Pair this with a band like Brain
Tentacles to truly get some weird, heavy rock action. It’s not landing on some end of the year list, but it’s
certainly enjoyable. (BrutalPanda)
EMMA RUTH RUNDLE, “On Dark Horses”
I’ll admit I’m new to listening to the music of Emma Ruth
Rundle, even though I have heard her name a number of times over the last
couple of years. It turns out she
is quite prolific and has an almost uncategorizable sound. Of her several albums this definitely
feels the most polished and well-crafted.
I’m not sure if it is the addition of members of Jaye Jayle as her
backing band, or just her natural progression as a songwriter, but there is a
great big sound happening here that leans on the quiet-loud-quiet aesthetic,
but in a way that sounds fresh to me.
While elements of folk, goth, Americana, and sparse- yet melodic-
ruminations meander through Rundle’s haunting and soulful voice it’s the giant
swells within the choruses that really make this something special. Hints of Mazzy Star, or Kate Bush,
Diamanda Galas, Shannon Wright, or even Laurie Anderson may receive
unintentional (or intentional, who knows) nods, but like other great solo
performers Emma Ruth Rundle doesn’t really fall into any sort of specific
subgenre. She is who she is. If you like songs with someone who has
a really great voice, big melodies, and a sound as vast as the Grand Canyon
this will likely appeal to you. If
you already enjoy stuff from Sargent House that doesn’t quite sound like this,
but shares similarities in regards to artistic open-mindedness- say, Helms
Alee, Russian Circles, Chelsea Wolfe, or even Jaye Jayle- chances are you will
already be willing to make the leap to dive into this as well. I’m certainly
glad that I did. (Sargent House)
LAW BOSS, “Diminishing Returns”
Based on name alone I would expect Law Boss to be a group
that deals in exclusively beefy riffs and walls of amps. Something about sounding ‘boss’ and
word association I guess. It’s not
to say this Portland trio don’t deliver, just in a slightly different way than
I had thought. Plus, the recording
is a bit on the quiet end so I’m going to assume they make up for it by
crushing it live or something.
They actually have an interesting combination of sounds that I’m picking
up on- much of which is their uncanny similarity to a Gainesville band called
Cutman that were around about 10 years ago, who definitely had a very ‘boss’
sound to them. That probably means
nothing to most, but the resemblance is really quite remarkable. On a number of songs I’m hearing the
more rocking end of mid-90’s Dischord stuff like Bluetip and Jawbox, in broad
strokes. But once they get to
“Bite, Chew, Swallow” it’s all Jesus Lizard worship- slow, weird, and
serpentine. So feel this out:
beefy post-hardcore with a mix of Dischord rock and a touch of Jesus Lizard. Is that cool? Follow-up: is it ok to address these guys as ‘boss’ or
‘chief’? (self-released)
PIG DESTROYER, “Head Cage”
People are giving this a weird reaction, like it’s not up to
snuff. I don’t know what they’re
talking about. Metal fans are a
picky lot. This is a good release
from Pig Destroyer. I have given
it quite a few thorough listens, compared it to their other output, and I think
it holds up pretty well. While
their last release, “Book Burner” had a visual aesthetic that I really liked
musically it didn’t really take hold as much as I thought it would. This record is a good return to the
semi-unpredictable and manic intensity of “Phantom Limb”-era material. Some people prefer to go back further,
but I’m of the opinion that most all Pig Destroyer material is upper echelon of
metal/punk/grind/what-have-you, so older comparisons are kind of pointless (and
you’ve read this far, huh?). That
all being said I feel like the variety covers a fair amount of ground without
being too overwhelming. Some songs
keep a mid-paced tempo, while others go for the tried-and-true off-the-wall
blasting and light speed delivery Pig Destroyer are known for. “Concrete Beast” meddles with the band’s
unabashed love for old Melvins by inserting slow stop-start riffs that stop and
start in a lot of weird places while “Mt. Skull” and “The Torture Fields” both
unload some of the more murder-spree-worthy breakdowns in the band’s career
(though not quite as all-out-war as “Phantom Limb”, which will probably never
be topped). And much like other PD
releases the art is top notch and worth plucking down some cash just so you can
gaze upon its bizarre horror.
(Relapse)
REBUILD/REPAIR, “There Is No Place Left For Me Here”
I can only imagine that Edmonton, Alberta is not a hotbed of
underground music. I’m aware of a
few musical forces of nature emanating from the middle-of-nowhere Canadian
city, but by and large I’m guessing most well-known bands skip it over. So when there’s not much, make
something right? I’m sure
Rebuild/Repair live by this coda and that alone is worth something. And when they drop some earnest and
fast punk-tinged hardcore with some serious Black Flag “Damaged”-era vocals on
their latest release one can be happy to know someone is indeed doing something
in that town. But that’s just the
first few songs on this record.
After that they sort of lose the trail and veer off into a mid-paced
instrumental and a slow, weirdly melodic track that goes on for way too long, a
song that has way too much clean vocals and could be a throwaway from a Verse
or Have Heart record, and a couple other tracks that go back to their faster
style but go on for a bit longer than a fast hardcore song ought to. My feeling on their style is that I
appreciate it from the jump, but the rest of it is not for me and doesn’t quite
retain a solid focus throughout. (self-released)
SHADOW SNAKES, s/t
Ed Gein got tired of being Ed Gein, brought in Steve Sindoni
(vocalist from Breather Resist and Pusher) and emerged as a 4-piece with a new
name. When the first track of
their self-titled, digital-only, record comes on it might be easy to think ‘how
is this different from Ed Gein?’, what with it’s instant barrage of blasting. But much of this release takes a
decidedly slower, heavier turn, that certainly does recall some moments of
sludgier Breather Resist material from way back and I quite enjoy it. Focusing more on slower, ugly riffs
there seems to be a blend of some mid-90’s hardcore (“The Children Are Full” is
like a melding of Snapcase and Unbroken soaked in sheets of gross
distortion). That vibe continues
on for a bit until we hit “Jesus In Leather”, which definitely recalls the
blast beat/simplistic punk mash of later Ed Gein material. It’s one of the more raging tunes here
that comes across fast and direct.
But for my money I think my favorite track is “The White Coats”. It’s the most differentiated of the
songs on this as it alternates between a slow and creepy melody and an
absolutely killer riff that would make Crowbar soil their cargo shorts. Overall, I’m pretty excited about this
effort, but I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a couple minor critiques- the
first being that at times the recording of the drums feels a bit muddy and when
Jesse is really blasting, or crushing the double-kick it, in turn, makes
everything else that is going on sound a bit indiscernible. Secondly, with a lion’s share of these
songs being on the slower side, and barely pausing between some of the songs on
the second half of this record it makes them run together a bit. Perhaps sequencing to alternate between
the faster and slower songs would be in order to vary it up a bit. Otherwise, it’s a hot chunk of gross
and massive ugliness from some seasoned vets trying out a new style of doing
things that feels somewhat familiar, but different enough that it comes off as
fresh and exciting.
(self-released)
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, “Hypnic Jerks”
I had some preconceived idea of this group falling into a
‘throwback emo’ sort of sound and maybe that was some of their earlier material
because they sure as hell are on some other stuff with this record. Without question, there is definitely a
trippy psych vibe happening here, down to the entire recording sounding as if
it were played back slightly warped.
And I suppose if you’re dropping acid it probably just enhances the
experience. However, I’d like to
clarify that it’s not a Manson family sort of trippy affair where death cults
result from listening to this.
It’s a record awash in a dream where the Beatles and Sonic Youth sort of
collide and traipse through fields, and I swear to you I do not do drugs. Maybe give it a little bit of an
Unwound, “Leaves Turn Inside You” feeling, but more sunlit. It’s certainly not my typical fare, but
I appreciate the variety, as well as the band’s venture into something unique.
(Tiny Engines)
TRAGEDY, “Fury”
So out of nowhere Tragedy just decides they’re going to up
and release a new EP and not tell anyone.
They actually played a show here in Portland several weeks ago, which
surprised me because I wasn’t sure if they were even still together. They announced the show a few weeks
ahead of time but didn’t announce they had a new record. I wanted to go to the show but it
conflicted with another show I really wanted to check out so I opted out. And then the record was already gone,
or something. So the band then did
the unthinkable- they put it on bandcamp.
I mean it’s Tragedy after all.
They don’t really engage with the world at large, especially where the
internet is concerned. But, essentially,
they do not live in our world. If
you like this band then you live in their world, on their terms. And the six new songs here prove that
despite staying off the grid, so to speak, the band hasn’t missed a beat. I personally haven’t caught up with any
of their records in a number of years (I still haven’t heard “Nerve Damage” or
“Darker Days Ahead”), but I’m guessing not much has changed- the songs are
fast, they sound harsh as fuck, the D-beats are plentiful, and the guitars are
thunderous. I was surprised to
hear some gang vocals on the title track, which might be my favorite here, as
it feels uncommon for them. But
yeah, you get the idea- Motorhead meets Discharge levels of speed and
intensity, a love of Japanese crust, high contrast black and white images of
war and desolation, vocals that will punch you in the face, and slow parts be
damned. “Fury” is definitely an
apt title. (Tragedy Records)
