BEAUTY PILL, "Please Advise"
I want to preface this whole thing by stating that I think
Beauty Pill is a brilliant band making some of the most interesting and
engaging music these days. I’m
telling you this now because what follows is going to sound like I’m
disparaging the ever-loving shit out of them. For the uninitiated, Beauty Pill is primarily
engineer/composer Chad Clark’s creation, although there is a fairly consistent
group of members/collaborators making up the core of the group. Their songs may reside in the indie
realm, but take from all sorts of sounds and genres and frequently feature
sound collages, horns, strings, and various electronic glitches. Their last release, 2015’s “Describes
Things As They Are”, is a breathtaking masterpiece that friggin’ TIME magazine
called one of the best records of this decade. I’m inclined to agree that it IS up there. The rest of their discography is pretty
darn great as well. So I’ve been
patiently awaiting new material, and finally here we are with what has been
sold as a new full-length, “Please Advise”. Well, up to the point of it’s release that was the
thought. Instead we get a 5 song
EP in which there are actually only two new songs. A third song is a fun cover of a Pretenders tune, of all
things. Then we get not one, but
two, versions of a song they had already released on a previous record. Why? To further feel a sting of deceptive marketing, there are
three additional songs, but only one per format (in other words, to hear all
three you would have to get the LP, CD, and cassette). This just seems ridiculous. In regards to the two new songs you get
they are very good, “The Damnedest Thing” being the better of the two. In the fashion of other BP material
they incorporate varying instrumentation, multiple vocal melodies, electronics,
and are exceptionally clever both lyrically and musically (side note: if
‘clever’ comes off as ‘snobby’ to you then please avoid the band’s twitter as
it’s a regular dive into the long-winded answer to the question no one asked,
with an occasional interesting story).
I was so hyped up on this release and the process behind its songs and
art, but was very much let down by it’s brevity. Although the two new songs are great maybe next time just
sell me a 7”. “Please Advise”? Here’s my advice: if you never heard the band get
“Describes Things As They Are” right now, and then scope out the rest of the
catalog. (Northern Spy)
BIG CHEESE, “Punishment Park”
UK hardcore borrowing heavily from late 80’s NYHC and
nailing it better than actual NYHC bands going for the same style. Big Cheese go for that fast hardcore
style, throwing in some metallic nods (they don’t shy away from the occasional
solo), some thrash parts, and a tasteful use of breakdowns without going
overboard. This record sounds as if
the band went down to Normandy Sound immediately following Sick Of It All
wrapping up “Just Look Around” and the engineer didn’t bother to change any of
the settings and just continued to let more tape roll. It has that distinctive sound attached
to an era, even though it’s coming out now, from another country. And while like a majority of bands that
unquestionably fit into the category of ‘hardcore’ Big Cheese are not
re-inventing the wheel by any stretch of the imagination. They just happen to play hardcore very
well and I bet they’re a riot to see live. “Heartbreak Ball” is the best example on this record of them
effortlessly blending their styles into a cohesive wrecking ball. (Triple B/ Quality Control)
COUCH SLUT, “Take a Chance On Rock n’ Roll”
Surprise! Couch
Slut decided to release their new record a couple months ahead of when it was
scheduled because maybe they were just feeling a little daffy that particular
day. No matter their reasoning, I
completely love the fact that one of the most dangerous-sounding bands out
there right now decided to name their newest noise-rock-drenched,
blood-curdling animosity-driven, knife-wielding, hammer-to-your-stupid-face
record “Take a Chance On Rock n’ Roll”.
It’s like a dare to listen, as their ‘rock’ can be downright
frightening. Their songs meld
later-era Black Flag sludgy-weird freakouts, Unsane’s grimy scum rock, and a
dash of punk-hardcore punch to make things both energetic as well as
unsettlingly heavy while lyrically it’s cringe-y tales of desperation, abuse,
loss, and seedy characters. They
sound more together than ever on this record and perhaps it’s in part due to
the addition of second guitarist Amy Mills (who, up to this point, had done
engineering duties on their previous records), or maybe they’ve just been at it
for awhile and know just how to perfectly fuck up your day. No need to extrapolate the
possibilities honestly, just know that this thing is a monster and I fully back
it. Take a chance dummies. (Gilead Media)
GAYTHEIST/INTERCOURSE split 7”
Obviously, I’m super partial to Gaytheist so being objective
towards their material here is difficult.
So I’ll be factual. They
offer two songs that didn’t make it to the new full length, and have been
reserved for this 7”. Neither of
the songs hit the 90-second mark and “Cracks” is the better of the two as far
as I’m concerned with it’s bouncy bass intro and sharp jabs that break into a
spiraling melody throughout the verse and then get right back into thrashing
around for the remainder of the track.
Quick, catchy, riff-y, fun, and clever… all the hallmarks of what we have come to expect from the
trio. Intercourse hail from the
opposite end of the country and present a very short original track, as well as
a cover. Their messy brand of
chaotic metalcore harkens back to “Safe Place”-era Coalesce for the first song
with even less regard for individual well-being while they follow that up with
a “My War” cover that offers nothing new for the first half, but drags the
second half out in a sludgy free-for-all as if their intake of downers suddenly
kicked in full force and none of them were able to stand up straight
anymore. 4 songs total in all of 7
minutes, what have you got to lose?
Also, this is some seriously fucked up cover art. Groddy. Groddy to the max.
(Learning Curve Records)
METZ, “Acid”/ “Slow Decay”
Any opportunity to hear some new Metz stuff is like a
friggin’ holiday to me- take the day off and play on repeat. Naw, just kidding, I work from
home. So I just listen to it on
repeat all day anyway… on the
clock… as I compile reports. Alas, sticking it to ‘the man’ does not
carry any weight in my 40s’ working for a non-profit like it did as a young man
mopping floors for some heartless corporation. But Metz certainly fills that void. This was released as one of those
bandcamp day things and consists of two songs left off their most recent full
length “Strange Peace”. One song
sounds very in line with that Metz sound- loud, crashing guitars, a simple
riff, lots of feedback, and drumming that hits so hard you’d think the guy
doubles as a mob enforcer on the side.
“Acid” is the fun, kick-ass single that never was. “Slow Decay” I can see how they opted
to leave it off the LP. While the
overall structure of the song fits in with Metz material it’s the wavering,
warped guitar sounds that throw the whole thing off into some
semi-hallucinogenic stupor. It’s
still a banger though. These dudes
definitely have a knack for releasing quality singles, and even though I’m not
sure if this one will ever make it’s way onto wax it’s a fun little reminder
that our favorite globe-trotting Canadian trio are still here, just quarantined
until they can make stages slippery with sweat, rock, and other bodily fluids
again (in a safe sort of way of course). (self-released)
“MUTATIONS”, by Sam McPheeters
“Mutations” is a hodgepodge of stories, anecdotes,
observations, and lore author Sam McPheeters (Born Against, Mens Recovery
Project, Wrangler Brutes, MRR columnist, Vermiform Records founder, artist of
countless record covers, and all-around shit-pot stirrer) has found himself a
part of over the last few decades.
There is no set theme here, aside from a repeated mantra that he longer
feels the ties he once did to the hardcore-punk music scene and a lot of looking
back at some of the things he did in those years with some degree of
regret. And while anyone over the
age of 40 will clearly look back at some things in their youth with some level
of cringe I found way more entertainment in not only Sam’s humorous style of
prose, but in the random weird things present in the 80’s and 90’s punk scene
he found himself immersed in. I
love the stories involving minutia, odd scenarios in which underground figures
are revealed in situations both outlandish and surreal- the Koller brothers
from Sick Of It All on a rather hostile live radio debate with the author in
1989, Long Gone John from Sympathy For the Record Industry mournfully
retrieving over 500 of his master plates from a bankrupt record pressing plant
in 2001, the singer from the Crucifucks living out of a boarded up house in
Lansing after decades of tormenting the public and feeding wild animals in his
backyard. McPheeters has found
himself interacting within all corners and varying factions of this giant
umbrella scene with a resulting mish-mash of wonderful stories, often centered
around strange circumstances and correlations to seemingly unrelated
subjects. It’s a highly
entertaining read that hardly puts forth the notion of ‘things were so much
better in my day’ bullshit that so many aging punks spew forth as if they were
possessed by the spirit of their parents they so adamantly swore never to
become. Rather, it simply says,
‘Here’s some weird stories and observations. Things were different.
I don’t so much connect with these things now, but here ya go’ and does
so in a way that makes unexpected connections with a lot of snarky humor. (Rare Bird Books)
SHINER, “Schadenfreude”
Last time Shiner checked in with us they offered up “The
Egg” way back in 2001, a record that laid out their rarefied form of rock n’
roll in a bit more of a straightforward (and somewhat less distortion-heavy)
fashion. The band has been on and
off since then with live performances while main man Allen Epley focused on his
other group Life and Times, which may as well be Shiner 2.0. However, as a songwriter he remains so
incredibly consistent that if his music were a disappearing act David
Copperfield would blush with envy.
For the unfortunately unfamiliar, Shiner bring big atmospheric rock that
somehow floats in a dreamy realm while being aggressive at the same time. Epley’s guitarwork is often compared to
fellow space-rockers Failure, but his songs tend to feel more weighty while his
vocals remain ethereal and authoritative all at once. The post-hardcore meets bendy-guitar warble of lead single
“Life As a Mannequin” in a slow-motion crawl creeps until the big chorus payday
pops off like opening bay window curtains after a week straight of rain to
overwhelming sunshine. But it’s a
precursor to the more mid-tempo “Nothing”, which remains more upbeat throughout
and revels in a massive, triumphant chorus that is as shimmering and
positive-sounding as what I imagine Andrew WK’s voicemail greeting must
be. If you have been a Shiner fan
in the past, or appreciate anything Allen Epley has lended his musicianship to,
I have no doubt that you will flip your toupee over this new offering. It’s exactly what you would expect and
you will be a happy person as a result.
(self-released)
WAILIN’ STORMS, “Rattle”
Samhain and Bauhaus take turns injecting texture and mood
into these swampy doom-punk anthems that really showcase when a band’s name can
evoke exactly what you might imagine the music sounds like. The North Carolina-by-way-of-Texas band
is now into their fifth record and just beginning to gain some justly deserved
notoriety. But when you make a
record like this, well, let’s just give praise where it’s due, OK? If you require a soundtrack for
committing a crime of passion in the middle of nowhere on the most humid night
of the year this would be the soundtrack playing in the background. Having had the good fortune of seeing
this band once in a small room with maybe 50 other people, the red floods they
brought being the only light in the darkness, and their incredibly
eardrum-shattering (yet perfectly dialed in) sound seeming an ideal match for
what they presented on record I couldn’t help but be reminded of my favorites
in Blood Sun Circle, though maybe a bit more bluesy. What sort of scene are Wailin’ Storms a part of? They seem to check off most every box
for ‘too X to be Y’ in each iteration of heavy guitar music. So best to just take them as is because
whatever little classification someone aims to box them into is a moot point. Either way you’re going to get blown
over by their sound. (GileadMedia)
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