I had so much stuff to wrap up at the end of 2019 I had to hold off on posting some reviews until now. So while a few of these releases are certainly happening right now, a few others are lingering from the later portion of last year, and I'm just getting to them now. But below you'll see a great variety of music represented and I think there's some cool stuff coming from all angles of the underground, especially as we dive right into 2020. The majority of these releases reviewed are self-released efforts and sometimes that's where you find some of the best gems. I'm excited to see what's in store for these groups going forward and encourage you to check them out for yourself!
APOCALYPSE TRIBE, “Ai Mageddon”
Here’s a thing you probably wouldn’t think could exist, but
it does, and does so in a really awesome way.
A handful of musicians in Syracuse got together to do this
project that, given Syracuse’s hardcore musical lineage, is so far left field
of anything the town has produced, yet fits so firmly within the confines of
hardcore-punk that if you do not find yourself circle pitting in your living
room when listening to this you might also not have a pulse.
Karl from Earth Crisis does vocals, but
does not sound like his usual self and really gets to unpack all his tinfoil
hat conspiratorial paranoia upon the masses (song titles like “Big Brother Big
Pharma”, “The Detention Camps” and “Fake as Fuck News” ought to give an
indication), while drummer Corey Koniz (Slapshot) levels the kit as
ridiculously fast as possible within the confines of 90 second tracks.
The bass playing is utterly ridiculous
and is frequently the standout point of many of the songs.
In all of about 24 minutes you get 13
songs that lie somewhere between Sick Of It All and Rancid freaking out about
the end times and mass hysteria.
It’s friggin’ wild.
(Indecision Records)
BRIEF LIVES, “Weird Energies”
I’m not sure what the current status of this band is.
I recall seeing them play a tiny
hole-in-the-wall place at Gainesville Fest a few years back and was blown away
by their extremely energetic performance and chunky post-hardcore sound.
They went silent for awhile and now,
all of a sudden, they have released this record (online only).
Apparently, this was recorded a few
years back and shelved until now and I’m not sure why.
Either way, Brief Lives represent
Richmond and since the time I saw them I feel like their sound has been
mainstreamed a bit.
It’s not quite
as heavy as I recalled, but it still sits firmly in that
post-hardcore/alternative rock realm, and is an enjoyable listen.
The clean and crisp recording of J.
Robbins just pushes that sound further and the vocals, courtesy of local rock
god Valiant Himself are…
well,
it’s the only part of this I’m lukewarm to.
They have a bit of a mainstream, almost bro-y vibe to them
that I suppose could go with the music.
However, I’ve always preferred a bit more of the slightly more
aggressive approach to vocals with this style of music.
But that’s just me.
Stoked to hear a cover of Helmet’s
“Milquetoast” at the close of the record.
Maybe they’ll play some shows?
Maybe not?
(self-released)
CHRMR, “Warbirds”
I had bagged a bit on this band in the past and it was
purely because I had some other idea in my head of what I thought they would
sound like versus what they actually did sound like.
Which is sort of stupid when you think about it, right?
So on their third outing the
Rochester-based CHRMR go in a bit heavier, but continue to do their own
thing.
Pretty much all of the
vocals are clean and there’s plenty of times where it works fine, but some
parts where a hearty bellow would suit the music a little better.
Things take a little while to get going
as they move through their mish-mash of somewhat sludgy smart metal with dashes
of proggy parts and wandering melodies.
The group hits their stride midway through the record though with the
off-timed heft of massive rocker “Lends”, followed by the Queens Of the Stone
Age-set-to-sludge slog of “Victoria”.
Near the records end we get the instrumental dirge of “Deep Fade Event”
that drags the bass through Yob territory while atmospheric guitar brings the
sound back from the deepest depths of the ocean.
An overall good effort with quite a bit of variety.
(self-released)
FACET, “Duck”
I went to go check this band out on a lark the other week
and was highly impressed with what I encountered.
I mean, in terms of bringing it on the live front they still
seemed a little green, but they are a new band and there’s always a little
leeway to give when you’re just getting going.
But I couldn’t deny that wild bass tone and energy.
Plus, they are most definitely the only
band I’ve ever heard cover an Unwound song (“Devoid”, for those wondering) and did
it with aplomb.
So, based on that
alone it was evident I was in good company.
And after catching them do that cover I went back to this 8
song demonstration and realized, ‘oh, these dudes really like Unwound’.
Imagine those knotty, thick bass lines wrapped
around guitar riffs that meld melody and noise under a blanket of fuzz.
However, whereas Unwound deftly weaved
between the overwhelming and the subdued Facet seems to add a healthy dose of
post-hardcore heaviness to the majority of their music.
I’m not complaining.
It sounds great to me.
More please.
(self-released)
NERVER, “Believers Hit”
Nerver are some new cats from out of the Midwest whose
gnarly rock attack is already quite advanced for a band so new.
Taking some cues from local peers
Bummer in the sledgehammer riffs department, as well as from contemporaries
like Superthief in terms of
spazzy
noise rock and a variety of musical curveballs at their disposal, Nerver has
laid some solid groundwork for their debut. “Boilermaker, Please” may showcase
the group at their heaviest and most bombastic, while later in the album
“Congratulations” may be the most unnerving (no pun intended), and
off-kilter.
Currently, this is
only on cassette and digital so those who like small physical media will be
satisfied as well as those who prefer non-existent physical media.
(Ghost Is Clear Records)
RULE THEM ALL, “Dreams About…” EP
It’s always interesting to see a band completely rooted in
hardcore throw in some curveballs that take them to another level.
Rule Them All certainly have a sound
that does not deviate terribly from traditional melodic hardcore.
However, what makes them interesting is
their exceptionally talented songwriting is overtly on display, yet still feels
sneaky- interesting time signatures, little melodic flourishes, and some quick
tempo changes all show up but flow naturally. They somehow combine the more
melodic heaviness of bands like Burn, mixed with a bit of SoCal style
reminiscent of Ignite if both those bands came up in the Long Island
scene.
The vocals are bold, gruff,
but still carry a melody and well thought-out lyrics throughout the five songs
on this EP.
Definitely one of the
more interesting, and fairly new, hardcore bands going at it right now.
(Flatspot Records)
RYOKI CENTER, “Strychnine”
Somewhere between the bombastic, unhinged grunge-y weirdness
of Harkonen or Tad and the sinew-y, calculated skronk of Shellac and Multicult
lies Ryoki Center.
They meld an
exceptionally awesome mix of both the big heavy and the subdued lurking,
creating a moody vibe that doesn’t so much leave you down in the dumps as it
does make you feel kind of energized about being bummed.
This is quite the stellar debut and a
welcome listen that melds some dirty sounds, while being very smart and
exacting about it.
“Rural Access
Intercept” may be the best example of this on the record, combining an eclectic,
wild opening before settling into a trance-like groove for the majority of the
song.
Opener “New Leash” lets
loose the heavier, wild side of the band and I really can’t imagine starting
things off any differently as this is the most energetic track on the whole
thing.
A great start from this
very interesting band.
(self-released)
UNIFORM OPERATOR, “Kinds Of Light”
Matt LaQue has been in a zillion bands and all of them are
quality.
He just has a knack for
coming up with great riffs, wonderful melodies, and lots of songs.
Uniform Operator is another of his
bands, hailing from Buffalo, NY.
If you were to take Superchunk at their most rag tag and noisy, along with
Matt’s vocals, which are a dead ringer for Mac McCaughan, and then add a
truckload of grimey bass guitar you get the basis for Uniform Operator.
It’s a wonderful formula, what with
short songs with lots of singing, crazy catchy riffs, and a lot of energy.
Here and there their bassist (whom is
only listed as ‘Sam’) takes over vocals and brings a more old-school/East Bay
pop-punk kind of a feel to a few of the tracks.
The first half of these dozen songs totally slay.
And around the halfway point things
lose a bit of steam, but pick back up with “The Red & the Black” (again,
Superchunk vibes galore) and “What Action Does” (which, to me, sounds like
Burning Airlines at their most aggressive), and closes out with the upbeat
rocker “Is There Anyone?”
A
definite good use of just over half an hour of your time.
(Peterwalkee Records)
XETAS, “The Cypher”
Listening to Xetas third record (which is my first listen to
them at all) I’m reminded of the energetic cacophony produced by Milemarker way
back to the early aughts, minus the synthesizers.
They have a way of creating the sort of thoughtful, yet
raucous kind of punk bands like Majority Rule and Pg. 99 were capable of, but
temper it all with a bit more restraint and a little more simplicity.
There’s a good amount of emphasis on
the vocals to make them an instrument of the band, and not just a randomly
yelling/screaming afterthought (a point of pride for 99% of punk bands) where
there’s decent interplay between the members and some arranged vocal melodies.
This is most evident on “The Bystander”
and “The Objector”.
They’re not
the centerpiece of the music because it seems all the parts are working equally
to create some cool music. So somewhere between uptempo post-punk (“The
Teacher” could easily have been a lost track from Mission Of Burma’s “Forget”
compilation), and savage screamo-what-have-you lies an exceptionally well-done
album from Xetas.
(12XU Records)
