Anyways, here's a bunch of records that I checked out over the last few weeks. Some of them are really, really good.
ABANDONCY, “Hollow//Living”
This album title is set up kind of like a two-parter and it seems rather fitting because I feel like I’m sort of listening to two different records. I’ll give Abandoncy credit for not falling into an easily-categorized style by trying their collective hand at a few different things, but it does make describing their overall sound a bit challenging. Yet I tend to consider that a good quality. The first few tracks definitely bring a vibe where they’re embracing their Midwest roots with loose and angular indie rock, but mixed with some of the punk energy of groups like Hot Snakes colliding with some screamy post-hardcore chaos akin to what Level-Plane Records was wholesaling us in the early aughts. Halfway through the record, though, they switch gears into far more morose territory with a couple spooky, drawn out tracks that are pretty interesting but worlds apart from the records upbeat first section. They tread full-on into a lonesome acoustic track before closing out the record with the long, slow, and big-sounding “Let the Dead Die In Vain”- think epic riffs followed by some Envy worship. It’s a good tune to go out on, even if it is still a somewhat different beast from where the record began. In a way, while “Hollow//Living” becomes almost too varied it ends up being more of a journey through repeated listens and that’s pretty cool. I give it up to Abandoncy for making the listener put in a little work to meet them where they are, but they also could work towards meeting the listener a little closer too. That cover though… no in-depth discussion needed there. That cover is pure doll-under-the-bed-coming-to-kill-me nightmare fuel. Yikes. (The Ghost Is Clear Records)
BLACKLISTERS, “Fantastic Man”
It’s been a little while but the UK’s Blacklisters have returned with an absolutely massive new record and that makes me a happy person. To be transparent I should mention a couple things- Blacklisters share a member of USA Nails, who I’ve released records for, but I’ve enjoyed Blacklisters before that member change occurred. Also, I have had a demo version of this record for months now because I was approached about releasing it but I had my hands full, so I’m a bit partial. Now that the air is cleared let’s get to this new LP. As I said, it’s wonderful. If you have enjoyed Blacklisters brand of completely off-the-wall chaos before you will be pleased. Sharing the same sort of noisy punk energy and belligerent drunk losing their handle on basic language the more they yell at you (and as the song goes on) style as bands like Pissed Jeans gives a basic foundation of Blacklisters modus operandi. Yet each song sort of feels like it continues to build and build until it just goes off the rails and crashes into the side of a mountain in the best possible sort of way. They’re also big on finding that giant, ugly riff and running it into the ground like on the most excellent title track, as well as on the nauseatingly hypnotic “I Read My Own Mind”. The UK really knows how to do noise rock well, as there are a bevy of great bands past and present showing us dumb Americans how to do it better and Blacklisters are one of the best. (Buzz Howl in the UK, Learning Curve in the US)
BURIED ALIVE, “Death Will Find You” 7”
This is pure nostalgia for me and I am not afraid to admit that. I recall the rumors of this Buffalo supergroup of sorts starting back in 1997 and the hype was justified as even at their first show they totally crushed it. From there they just played anywhere and everywhere and were a constant throughout NY. Their first LP, “Death Of Your Perfect World” remains one of the absolute best hardcore albums of the late 90’s. Everything about it is immediate, intense, and incredibly vicious. So as these dudes re-convene to play a few shows and record a bit of new music the question will always be ‘do they still have it?’ Fortunately, a couple of these dudes never stopped playing crazy hardcore music. Vocalist Scott Vogel has pretty music lived his entire life on a stage and drummer Jesse Muscato continues to play in numerous punk and hardcore bands. While other members have tried their hand at various other styles of music they remember how to write a riff worthy of inclusion into the Buried Alive canon. There are two new songs on here (one is under a minute and the other is a solid 2 minutes of fury), as well as two re-recorded songs from a split 7” they did 20 years ago. The new stuff is consistent with Buried Alive’s fast-to-moshy-slightly metallic leanings, which may sound incredibly redundant for hardcore. But they were always good at throwing in quick and creepy melodic bits, or little curveballs like an unexpected transition or a breakdown that purposefully trips up halfway through to keep things interesting. The only difference between the new versions of the other two songs is basically just a better recording. Whatever the case, I’ll always associate Buried Alive with moshing my godamned brains out and I don’t see why this new stuff cannot inspire that same sort of non-stop animalistic, survival brain behavior. (Bridge 9)
CANYONS, “Stay Buried”
I will always associate Kansas City with some of the best of Midwest indie-emo music of the 90’s. That being said, Canyons (of KCMO), remind you that bands such as Coalesce and Season To Risk also called the region home and offered a much heavier alternative to the earnest, plaintive rock the area is known for. Canyons definitely lay on the heavy and bring to mind more of that busy and chaotic Breather Resist sort of style to their sound. On one end their newest offering is just riff upon riff piled atop one another until it avalanches upon the listener. On the downside there doesn’t feel like a lot of cohesion tying those riffs together and very busy drumming that furthers the chaotic nature of their sound. The positive of that is Canyons write pretty short songs so you don’t need to invest a lot of time figuring it all out. So if you like your music to come right at you, spin you in circles, and then bail out before you have a chance to figure out what just hit you you’ll probably enjoy this. (The Ghost Is Clear Records)
DISSOLVE, “Until the Drugs Wear Off” EP
I can’t believe these dudes are all still alive. Every few years this seemingly unkillable Poughkeepsie, NY band re-emerges like Godzilla from the filthy depths of the Hudson River to drop another record or EP or whatever upon the region and just demolish everything in sight. They’ve been a band for going on nearly 30 years at this point and they just remain consistent in their distaste for humans in general and showing it through crushing sludge riffs, manic vocal ravings, psychedelic metal leads, tons of drum fills, and roots in that Tri-state style of hardcore that considers a triumphant night as opening for Neglect and then doing Camaro burnouts in an abandoned strip mall parking lot before retiring for the night smoking crappy weed in your parents garage/bedroom. The lyrics for any Drug Church song ought to get you in that frame of mind if you’re not already familiar with the region. Dissolve are the unheralded torchbearers/lifers for downstate NY and they completely annihilate with their songs about varying states of mental imbalances, the Inhumans, killing your boss, and wrapping it all up in lines like, “and now you’re going to die here wearing that stupid look on your face” and samples from “Falling Down”. Dissolve have a pretty deep discography and I suggest checking it all out beginning with their ’96 full length “Dismantle”. They took a pretty long break after the early 2000’s, but have been consistently releasing new stuff for the last 3-4 years in the form of several EPs. Expect to see them around ever-so-rarely and expect complete destruction. (Maitsuba Records)
KNOT, s/t
The prolific and steadily-reliable Exploding In Sound record label offered up, several years ago, a record called “A Distant Fist Unclenching” by the Boston-area band Krill. In my humble opinion it remains one of the greatest albums the label has put forth in their deep catalog (bear in mind they have also released every Pile album, so this is a bold proclamation). Shortly afterwards though Krill called it quits and that’s the last we really heard from them. However, Knot has since emerged. Knot is all three members of Krill with an additional second guitarist. So is it the same band/sound? In a lot of ways it certainly is a familiar, and pleasing, return. There remains clean and somewhat math-y guitar leads and tricky drumming with those nervous-to-lackadaisical kind of nasally vocals as only singer/guitarist Jonah Furman can conjure up, as well as a healthy dose of rocking choruses. So yes, the particular traits unique to Krill are present. However, I’d say gone are some of the giant swells that band was known for and, for lack of a better description, heavier rocking parts. In place is an overall cleaner sound to the guitars and a recording that, for whatever reason, makes me think of sounds and tones from the likes of early Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, or Television. Maybe because it’s minimal and heartfelt. There’s no fancy bells and whistles to it. It’s just honest and real. On this debut Knot are playing in a familiar way, but one which disposes of any superfluous additions and sticks with the truest sound they can. And I happen to think it’s very good, so how’s about that for an opinion? (Exploding In Sound)
NO MAN, “Erase”
No Man is Majority Rule with the addition of a fourth member, who does all the vocals. I’m not sure how familiar a younger audience is with Majority Rule, despite them having done a few tours over the last couple years as charity benefits alongside the seemingly more legendary Page 99. However, in the early 2000’s Majority Rule was consistently playing in the Northeast and blowing minds every time they passed through, so they hold a bit more value to me. They had a wonderful take on hardcore, in which they would get lumped in with the ‘screamo’ sect, though I always found them to be way more interesting than that. Either way, under this new banner of No Man they chart a similar path, though I’d say a bit more direct overall. The songs tend to be a little shorter and the bass and guitar rumble a bit heavier, though that could simply be a case of recording choices. On about half the songs there are familiar nods to Matt Michel’s playing in Majority Rule with some of those spooky and unnerving guitar melodies, though as stated, the overall vibe is a bit more straightforward with plenty of fast hardcore parts and mudslide-dense sludge sections to activate your inner mosh goblin. I recall their first LP being a little more direct than this, though this one is a total crusher and I’m stoked to see these three individuals continuing to pound out visceral and engaging music alongside a vocalist who totally does justice to the sounds being laid down. Older Majority Rule fans will assuredly be pleased and it’s a perfectly cromulent release for a younger set to completely flip out over as well. (self-released)
PIG DESTROYER, “The Octagonal Stairway”
Some people have been kind of critical of Pig Destroyer ever since they began the mandatory addition of an additional member every year, bringing them now to around 9 members (14 if you include the grill operator/cook, tambourine player, Scott Hull’s secret government liason, and the person who wipes the sweat from Blake’s electronic gizmos after he’s done jumping around on them). While peak PD for me was “Phantom Limb” I hardly feel as if their material after that was bad in any way. Everything they have done still remains ferocious, incredibly tight, and their experimentation/inventiveness is welcome even if not always my cup of tea. On this EP they may dish out some of their most experimental material yet. The first half remains consistent Pig Destroyer- grinding, fast, vicious, relentless. Once they hit track three, “Cameraman” it slows down just a little to make way for a killer breakdown sure to make you punch yourself in the face repeatedly without even knowing it. Now that I’ve recovered and can type again the second half is weird noise tracks/samples, one of which is named after their last LP (but is a slow creeper of industrial beats and samples), while closer “Sound Walker” takes 11 minutes to drag you through an extended sort of Nine Inch Nails-styled jam session. I can easily say the second half of the EP is impressive as far as constructing sound collages, but it’s not for me. The first half- in the vein we’re all fond of- does a fine job of grinding audio violence sure to please. (Relapse)
PRIMITIVE MAN, “Immersion”
I saw this band once several years ago and they were painfully loud and also painfully boring. I respect the hustle (or in this case, a suffering crawl versus ‘hustling’) of being punishing, slow, and unpleasant. Primitive Man excel at all three. But if you’re looking at all, anywhere here, for a hook, or a song you’ve come to the wrong niche corner of the extreme music world. Oppressive sludgy doom coincides with massive feedback, harsh noise, and garbled screams for over 30 minutes and six tracks of material to bum you the fuck out. I personally have zero interest in this, despite my occasional praise for the heavy, doomy, sludgy, sometimes-almost-not-music offshoot (I give it up for that most recent USA/Mexico record for example) of extremity. Primitive Man just don’t do it for me. But you there- yeah you, the person who hasn’t showered in 4 weeks and has been wearing the same tattered Grief t-shirt and ripped jeans that both somehow find a shade darker than ‘black’, smoking meth in an abandoned car and hanging out with a rat that repeatedly visits to see if you’re dead or not- this is a record specifically made for you as you contemplate whether you actually are dead or not. (Relapse)
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