Welcome to weird world, version 2022. It's a new year and with that comes the only thing that can save our sanity in these times- new and exciting music. OK, so a it of it is from the tail end of that beast known as 2021, but most of this stuff is coming in fresh for the New Year to you. Let's hope for a slice of enjoyable life within the next 300+ days, right? For now, enjoy this stuff here.
CLOAKROOM, “Dissolution Wave”
It’s hard to believe Cloakroom has been a band for 10 years now and in that time they have created three (four, if you count their debut EP) nearly flawless records which have firmly put them in their own subgenre of the shoegaze/slowcore style. They truly are their own thing and when a band comes around that borrows from them it’s really fucking obvious. Best to just let Cloakroom be Cloakroom. So like their other records their newest “Dissolution Wave” continues what the band has set out to do from the get-go, but things here feel a little less sprawling, though that could be in part it being their shortest (at 37 minutes) and most concise album. In Cloakroom terms of course. Maybe it’s just that the band is a familiarity at this point that I don’t have to sit through multiple listens of the new material to get what’s going on. They still can combine one of the most massive bass tones on Earth with hints of early Pink Floyd psychedelia, somber vocals, a touch of country twang, and Hum-homage (without ripping them off) to create a document consistent in quality with any of their other albums. While the band states that there is an ongoing story through these eight songs there remains variety throughout each track, showcasing all the qualities that make the band great- first track “Lost Meaning” opens things up in the groups most well-known fashion- huge guitars, massively distorted bass, soft vocals, and a lumbering beat. That all quickly fades as the second song, the title track of the record, is an ethereal dreamscape floating in the clouds, shimmering in and out. “Fear Of Being Fixed” and “Dissembler” are the most stoner rock selections here, riff-centered and fuzzy as it gets, the later of which shifts gears several times into more and more mellow sections before it cuts out completely and changes into a simple little coda to close out the LP. All told, this is Cloakroom doing what they do well, the primary difference being combining elements they’re known for in new and interesting ways to make yet another fine addition to their catalog. Oh yeah, and this is the first record to officially feature drummer Tim Remis (bassist of Sweet Cobra and Suicide Note) who has been in the group for a spell now already but first time on record. Yay for Tim! (Relapse)
GLOWING BRAIN, “Brain Dust”
This sounds like Motorhead being played by Hot Snakes. I’m not really sure if there’s anything else I could really add to that. Do I need to add anything more than that? Shouldn’t that be more than enough for your interest to get piqued? Like, if that doesn’t sound like a good time than you ought to re-think your life. OK, so maybe some more thoughtful heavy punk like Sweet Cobra peeks in here and there, like on “Plastic World” and “Bleed Into”, but let’s not get too carried away. Just put on “Everyone Higher Than Everyone Else” and have a non-stop circle pit in your basement until you pass out and then do it again (but slower) because it’s the longest song on the record. This record cover is wild and I think it came from outer space. You’ll freak out, you’ll thrash, you might barf, but you will enjoy the shit out of Glowing Brain. (The Ghost Is Clear)
PRIZE HORSE, “Welder” EP
I’m pretty much always interested in whatever New Morality decides to release when they take a chance on bands that draw outside the lines of standard hardcore. The label itself appears to cater to the ‘core, but they certainly have an ear for other exciting sounds as well. Enter Prize Horse, a Minneapolis trio who are playing (“say the line!”) heavy shoegaze/slow core that errs on the Cloakroom side of things, but with a bit less dour melancholy and a bit more in the airy/dreamy sort of side of the genre. Yes, I know at this point it’s like ‘how much differentiation can that style have?!’ But like all trends in sound/style it eventually boils down to who does it good and who is merely just riding a trend, quickly to be forgotten as soon as the next cool thing comes around. I’d like to think Prize Horse are doing it well. They are not breaking new groundbut they are doing what they do well and creating a worthwhile collection of songs for you to space out to. (New Morality)
STOMATOPOD, “Competing With Hindsight” EP
This just screams Chicago 1993. It’s like some audio engineers got together and decided to do a band that had the sonically astute noisy clatter of Tar and mashed it together with the melodic working man punk of Pegboy. And then there would be several discussions over a six-pack of Old Style as to whether Divot or Southern would release the record. If you’re under 40 none of these references will mean a thing to you and I realize I’m dating myself just by writing all this. But hey, this is what I hear when Stomatopod offer up their newest 6-song EP, and wouldn’t you know it, in true Chicago style it was recorded by Steve Albini. While more than half the record really follows my frame of thought in terms of the aforementioned references both “The Big Parade” and “Out Of Our Hands” veer into a poppier, more direct, framework. Overall it’s a decent effort and all the players seem as if they have been at it for a long time, though whether it appeals to a younger crowd or not is anyone’s guess. But is that even their aim? I’m guessing they are not terribly concerned with that. (self-released)
STRANGE LIMBS, “Not Worth Fighting For”
The new EP from Canadian metallic rock-sludge unit Strange Limbs may as well be a new band. They released an initial EP a little while back in which the music was indeed similar. However, the change in vocalists since that time has such a significant impact upon the overall feel of the music it’s almost best to just start here, forget the past, and see where they go next. The gruff, more hardcore vocals on the previous outing were fine, and fit right in with the abrasive heaviness of the band. But I’ve heard all that before. It’s sort of like the same sound coming out of each instrument (vocals included). Since bringing aboard Jessica Channer to yell into a microphone there’s a bit higher register to complement the grimy sounds of the rest of the group and it makes the music brighter and more interesting overall. Musically (aside from the vocals), the band share some commonalities with fellow countrymen Cancer Bats in the sense of hardcore dudes wanting to just rock the fuck out, a bit of Every Time I Die when they clearly are rocking the fuck out, and some HM-2 love (or a close approximation of it) akin to Trap Them doing their best impression of “Wolverine Blues”. The seven tracks are a real fun listen overall but still vicious and dirty enough to feel ugly afterwards. (self-released)
SWEAT, “Gotta Give It Up”
The debut recording from this LA-based group finds members of Graf Orlock, Ghostlimb, and a wrestler teaming up to make hardcore punk leaning heavy into Thin Lizzy rock n’ roll, minus anything resembling melodic singing. At times this really reminds me of some of the more rock-oriented hardcore that was coming out of the Boston scene in the early aughts like Suicide File, R n’ R, maybe a little Rival Mob, as well just a smidgen of Canadian brethren Fucked Up. This is a debut however, so I think there’s some room for growth. At times it lyrically gets a little too wordy and crams a lot into a short space, but the whole thing sounds like fun for the people making it. For me, I think the band sound the most fun and engaging on the real quick ripper “Mental”, which is catchy, and quite sing-a-long-able. And if you pick up an actual physical copy of this record the cover feels like it’s made out of corduroy. Yo Tuna, you still making them crazy zines? (Pirates Press)
V/A, “Rhino Body Lover: A Tribute To Shallow North Dakota” 2xCD
OK, let’s first get the strange title out of the way: Shallow North Dakota were a 90’s sludge band out of Southern Ontario. If there were ever a band’s band they were most certainly it. Their output was not huge, but their sound was beyond massive. While geography kept them somewhat isolated (I don’t know if they ever made it to the US for shows, despite being all of about 50 miles away) the riffs could not be constrained to mere borders and this 2-disc compilation ought to be proof of that. Nearly 30 bands across the heavy noise rock spectrum have offered their worship of this band in the wake of the band’s drummer/vocalist Tony Jacome untimely demise last year. All the profits of this go to his family, which is a kind gesture. As for the bands representing on here- it’s pretty apparent that they have taken at least a sliver of inspiration from Shallow and by covering their songs (mostly pretty similar to the originals I might add, though Fuck the Facts speeds up “Open Minded”, which could be considered a cardinal sin to these titans of sludge) they shine a light on a band that is often spoken of in secretive, hushed voices and hopefully giving some life to their gargantuan sound. Heavy hitters like The Great Sabatini, Cellos, Throat, Intercourse, Cell Press, Fuck the Facts, and The Grasshopper Lies Heavy all do their take on Shallow’s riff factory and do them justice. While the price tag on all this is a bit more than one would expect (it is a benefit after all) there’s over two hours of music here so you certainly get your money’s worth. (Learning Curve/ No ListRecords)
WOORMS/ THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY, “Various Plants and Animals Under Domestication” split 12”
The Grasshopper Lies Heavy may be waiting on like 5 of their records to actually be released in a physical format, but it certainly does not slow the band down from dishing out one molten slab of sonic heaviness after another, audio format be damned. Here is a pretty quick follow up to their exceptional “A Cult That Worships a God Of Death” full length from last summer. You get four songs taking up one side of this split. The first two are in that lumbering, riffs-as-weapons style the band does so well and they certainly bring that noisy sludge and then stick it right in your brain hole. Following that is an instrumental chaser that opens the door for the closer- an 8+ minute slow burner with a creeping melody that finds the band going in the other direction that they are known for taking on other records. It’s a solid batch of tunes from these gearheads.
Woorms has the B-side with a single 20 minute track that moves through a number of different sections. Things kick right off with some murder sludge straight from some long lost Electric Wizard album, complete with wacky samples before quickly adding some otherworldly sounds that you might find on a Gasp b-side or something. At times they go into more mellow sections, or at least more quiet and subdued. But they eventually bring back the Electric Wizard worship and get all acid-trip death cult on your ass while their vocalist pulls off his best Buzz Osbourne growl here and there. I don’t generally roll with tunes that exceed 20 minutes, but there’s enough wild shit happening here to keep it entertaining most of the ride.
One last note- the actual physical record of this isn’t supposed to come out until November 2022 and they released the whole split digitally just now. Personally that’s just weird to me, purposefully putting this out there so incredibly ahead of time and taking pre-orders on something where half the audience will probably move before their copies get in the mail. Just wait a few months dawg, it’s cool. (Forbidden Place Records)
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