I've been pushing this whole, 'look on the brightside' thing all year in the face of massive societal/governmental failure to contain a terrible virus, an out-of-control police state that has responded to the problem of police brutality by doubling down on the brutality with zero consequence, dumbfucks who have difficulty accepting that just because something bad doesn't happen to them that it must not actually exist, and now wildfires raging a dozen miles from my residence and making it impossible to go outdoors for more than a couple minutes without coughing/getting a headache. Truly, I'm sort of past optimism. You finally got to me 2020. I really tried my damnedest to exert PMA even when shit's been super rough. I still, personally, don't have it super bad. But man, I don't got a whole lot to be hopeful for right about now. The things that keep me afloat and from retreating to a little hole in the ground where I can just hibernate until the world resets itself are just working. If I have creative projects to work on and thing to keep me busy I'll make it. So if that means just writing about cool music for no other reason than to keep myself entertained and busy than so be it. Here's one wonderful book, and a bunch of records that kept me afloat these last few weeks.
There’s a story in “Blood and the Sweat” where our primary subjects, the Koller brothers who have been the core of Sick Of It All since 1986, describe having a bit of downtime while at a European festival they were playing so they decide to swim out to a float on a nearby lake. As Pete Koller swims out towards the float he notices his brother Lou struggling to keep up and he nearly drowns. Pete comes to his rescue to carry him back to shore but becomes submerged himself while trying to help. They are aided by bassist Craig Setari, who realizes their predicament, and runs out to the lake to help. It’s a beautiful tale of brothers and bandmates helping each other out when things are dire. And, from another angle, it could be seen as a dangerous, yet hilarious, anecdote of born-and-bred New Yorkers fumbling in nature and somehow making it through an ill-advised excursion halfway across a lake. Such is the theme for this book, focusing on the brothers from Sick Of It All, their upbringing, beginning of the band, their numerous records, and their travels throughout the world playing hardcore for anyone who will listen. It’s incredible stories of shows they played, hijinks they concocted, wild situations they have been in, and the almost impossible odds that a few metalheads from Queens have dodged that have allowed them to be doing this for over 35 years. But character has a lot to do with it too. The first interview I ever conducted was with SOIA at, arguably, the peak of their popularity when I was 16, just starting a fanzine and they played my town. The brothers were hanging out at the bar of the venue, chatting with some women. I carefully approached them and asked if they would have time to do an interview. They immediately agreed, left the group they were socializing with, and within a few minutes we were chatting on their bus and they were incredibly cordial, polite, and patient with me as a I stumbled through my questions. There was no pre-arranged set up, no waiting around, no going through agents or managers. Those dudes were engaged and open as if I were doing them a favor or something. That is part of what makes Sick Of It All one of the greatest hardcore bands to ever grace the world. They’re real and they absolutely, without an iota of doubt, love what they do. They consider themselves lucky. However their passion, talent, and refusal to let ego get to them have a lot to do with their success as well. The myriad of stories contained here follow a mostly chronological path, but you can really pick up anywhere in the book and find an amusing aside, or an exciting story. The only time it gets bogged down is when they spend a few pages venting about the current state of music, their waning popularity in the states, and other old-man-yells-at-cloud-isms that I suppose anyone who has been in the game as long as they have who now find themselves a bit befuddled with how to appeal to a younger audience may be prone to engaging in. That’s where editing really comes in handy. Otherwise, this is a super enjoyable read. It’s over 300 pages and I blew through it ridiculously fast.
(Post Hill Press)
BULLY, “Sugaregg”
I’m not sure what to say about Bully regarding their third full length other than it’s just pure and glorious rock made for summer drives. Bully is essentially the moniker for vocalist/guitarist/songwriter/recording engineer Alicia Bognanno. She’s got some backing musicians to round things out, but it’s mostly just her providing the crash and bang behind this album. From the jump Bully has been a loud and brash rock group, yet on “Sugaregg” there are more hooks than a Candyman cosplay convention to compliment the underlying dirt present on each of these tracks. Bognanno can at once go from whispering and sweet to rebellious shouting in the space of a couple measures of music. Every song has it’s catchy lead or power riff as it goes from the full-on propulsive grunge of “Every Tradition” to the grimey bass lead of “Where To Start”, and then slowing things down into the ramshackle ballad “Prism”. However, every slacker-rock instinct appears to be calculated and given a studio treatment that is both clean, but far from polished. Think of Superchunk with a vocalist who can sing just as sweetly but doesn’t really give a fuck. Bully provides a great soundtrack that helps one to ignore the shitty reality we’re all currently living in while still acknowledging that there’s rough spots all over. If you get the record it comes with a bonus flexi with an additional song… why it’s not just on the actual record is beyond me, but hey bonus for you right?
(Sub Pop)
CONSTANT ELEVATION, “Freedom Beach” 7”
For a little project band these dudes come across with a pretty impressive blast of catchy hardcore punk. Featuring Vinnie Caruana from The Movielife/I Am the Avalanche on vocals and Sammy Siegler from every single NYHC band that has ever existed Constant Elevation drops their second 7” in less than a year. I’m drawn to this band not only because the members have impressive backgrounds and I’m curious as to what they come up with together, but there’s a also a strong sense of design here that brings to mind 80’s hip-hop (particularly with the band’s logo, which reminds me of old EPMD records for whatever reason) and that always makes me take a second glance (plus they have a song called “KRS Two” if that’s an indication of some cross-influence). The fact that these dudes play fast and catchy hardcore is no surprise, but it honestly comes across more aggressive than I would have imagined, which is a fun surprise. Sammy beats the hell out of his drums like there’s money in them and while Caruana is known for his melodic vocals in his other bands he’s capable of pulling out a pretty tough bark when he wants. They crank out four songs in under seven minutes. “Bob X. Cursion” seems to be the single here as it has the most melodic twists and turns before it closes with a mosh part that will make you tear apart your couch cushions, while opener “I Love You and Never Want You To Die” kind of does the same thing except one hundred times faster. I think, overall, this feels a little closer to Siegler’s other project-ish band World Be Free. Both are rooted in fast and melodic hardcore but I guess Constant Elevation is OK with being a little faster and more aggressive from time to time. Whatever, you have 7 minutes to spare, what have you got to lose?
(Revelation)
HEAVY SIGH, “Hard To Care”
Delicate and soothing shoegaze/dreamgaze rock that makes use of some additional instrumentation to separate it from the pack. Heavy Sigh have been quietly doing their thing for a few years now and have a couple of EPs to their credit. This is their first crack at a long-player. At times they remind me of fellow New Jersey emo-rock stalwarts Prawn in their more climatic moments, as well as when they bust out complimentary strings and horns here and there. Furthermore, Heavy Sigh frequently add some synth to their songs, which often creates some cool background texture. Occasionally it makes its way up front, like on the almost darkwave, gothy ballad “That Bad”. Guitarist/vocalist Suzy Forman pushes the dreamy sound of the band with light and breezy vocals. While bands like Nothing are seemingly the leaders of this current wave of bands, with their atmospheric-to-loud stylings, Heavy Sigh tend to keep their ‘heavier’ moments constrained to more of an emotional heft rather than cranking up the distortion and tossing their instruments around (though the paint-peeling climaxes in both “People Pleaser” and “Glare” make an exception). They do a good job of keeping things spacey while making a big sound, as evidenced by the brief and almost acoustic “The First Time I Knew” where Forman’s vocals dominate and truly show her range as a singer. Worth a gander if you dig the current crop of shoegaze-y rock bands out there.
(Cult Of Nine)
NARROW HEAD, “12th House Rock”
If you were to take a focus group and a bunch of scientists to come up with a band that perfectly hit every 90’s alt-rock trope from music, to art design, to personal style that lab-grown group would be Narrow Head. Whatever checklist existed to create this made sure to tick off every last box. I saw this group maybe a year or so ago play to a small crowd and I enjoyed what I saw, but did not expect they would gain a whole lot of traction. I kept some tabs on them though and for whatever reason I noticed them getting on huge bills, big festivals, and other random events that led me to believe they had some people behind them. I guess it worked because this record is being issued by the very well-known Run For Cover so more power to the band for getting somewhere. Regardless of what (or who) got them where, this new LP shows the band expanding further upon their throwback alt rock where you can imagine the likes of My Bloody Valentine, early Deftones, and Smashing Pumpkins having a pow-wow, bleaching each others hair, trading Ben Davis shirts for flannels, and comparing their Chuck Taylors to others Airwalks. Someone in that posse probably made someone else a mix tape with glitter hearts on it. I really do enjoy this stuff, particularly the shorter, heavier songs (such as “Crankcase”, “Night Tryst”, and “Hard To Swallow”), but it’s such a simulacrum of what I grew up with that I’m looking over my shoulder wondering if I’m being trolled. I was an impressionable teenager when this stuff first came around and it’s like Narrow Head followed me to Lollapalooza ’95, stole Billy Corgans gear, and then time traveled to 2020 and made this record with it.
(Run For Cover)
SISTERS, “Make It Hurt” EP
Sisters, out of the San Diego area, recall just as much about prime mid-90s post-hardcore as they do the somewhat more progressive and mainstream permutations that came out of that sound and into the current era. The members here are true lifers of indie music, having played in a list of punk, hardcore, and rock bands longer than my arm so they’re no strangers to delving into a sound that they were likely there to witness the first time it came around. The fact that there’s a litany of more modern sounds here is both refreshing in its variety, but occasionally not my sound of choice. Additionally, they write relatively lengthier songs and that can sometimes be a little tough for me to keep up with. Strangely enough, it’s the longest track on here, “Say Goodbye”, which is my favorite and the strongest showing in my opinion that keeps a momentum going throughout it’s nearly 6 minute run time. You get one quick rocker (“Open Your Eyes”), and then three additional tracks rounding out this debut EP.
(self-released)
SOULSIDE, “This Ship” b/w “Madeleine Said” 7”
There is a chunk of the late-80’s Dischord catalog that I appreciate yet don’t find myself listening to, or have some difficulty getting into. I can name all the bands, but my brain cannot retain a lick of their music. It was the post-Revolution Summer/pre-Fugazi being the biggest band ever era of the label that produced bands like Scream, Beefeater, Grey Matter, and Soulside. All of these bands have their merits, it just didn’t resonate strongly with me like much of the rest of exceptionally diverse Dischord roster. So, to my surprise, when Soulside decided randomly to begin playing some shows again a few years ago after not being a band for like 25 years it seemed unexpected. Most of those dudes had gone on to do the decidedly different Girls Against Boys with a fair degree of success. Why would they need Soulside? Well, regardless of intention they found themselves coming up with a few new songs. And honestly, it fits in fairly well with their back catalog as well. However, now I find myself more readily open to digesting and retaining their music. Chalk it up to getting older and being able to take in different parts of a song, influence, and so forth. That’s not to say Soulside play music that’s over people’s heads, it really isn’t. To a younger listener in 2020 Soulside is basically emotional alternative rock. Maybe in the late 80’s it fit a bit more with punk (because they’re punks), but even to my older ears they sound like a kick-ass late 80’s Sub Pop band. This newer material is a bit more on the nose politically and vocalist Bobby Sullivan’s croon is a bit more wizened and raspy, but still melodic. “This Ship” opens up with some downright dirty feedback and noise but then becomes anchored throughout by a strong bass riff that forms the foundation of the song. “Madeleine Said” recalls a bit more early GVSB with another strong bass riff, but a jangly guitar riding until it bursts into a strong chorus. Sullivan remains relatively calm, yet altogether commanding in his vocals. There is a third song, “Survival” that appears on the download, but not on the actual 7” and it’s a bit more clean than the others and has the most poignant heartstring-pull of the bunch.
(Dischord)
SULACO, “The Privilege” EP
I love that unexpectedly these Rochester lifers will bust out another recording every now and again. If you have any familiarity whatsoever with these members previous bona fides there will be no question as to what this will sound like. These dudes are basically architects of the ultra-technical mathy-metal that knows how to insert a groove to keep things exciting. Some of them have been playing together since the early 90s with bands such as Lethargy (pre-Mastodon), and going up to groups like Brutal Truth, Kalibas, and Nuclear Assault. And like their previous material they come up with riffs so sick they would be denied basic healthcare for having pre-existing conditions. Falling within the same sonic territory as other bands that can blend the crazy technical with heavy groove such as Burnt By the Sun/River Black and Soilent Green they just relentlessly hammer out musical piledrivers. Personally, bands that get incredibly technical are often difficult for me to keep my attention on but Sulaco succeed by doing a couple things- they keep the songs short (with the exception of the seven-minute “Warning Signs”) and they have a particular style of laying down those bulldozer riffs that I associate with being completely Rochester, NY. It’s just a thing that my brain tells me is familiar Rochester, NY metal. From years of attending and playing shows in that town they have a few things that belong to them and no one else- garbage plates, House Of Guitars, and those riffs. So take a little time and feel Rochester with a crappy used Krokus t from the H.O.G., a garbage plate, and the new Sulaco EP.
(self-released)
