Is that headline in poor taste? Do a lot of my readers have scabies? I hope not. I did, once, when I was a teen. It really sucked. Why am I telling you this? I guarantee my mind is on this litany of new releases I've decided to check out and I assure you they're bringing me great joy and not scabies (though that Rabbit EP might give you scabies, jury's out).
BEDTIMEMAGIC, “Sleep Together” EP
On first listen to this new effort from Bedtimemagic a lot of it just wasn’t making sense to me. Too much going on. How can just two guys make things this complicated? But after a couple more listens it kind of came to me that they’re sort of like Big Business (which is rather obvious, and a bit lazy on my part as far as descriptors go - a bassist and drummer duo shouldn’t automatically relegate them to tat comparison) meets The Locust. They do big gnarled riffs and pair it up with spazzy and unpredictable parts. It’s still not the sort of thing that grabs me by the balls, but at least now I can make sense of it in my head. Whereas on really short tracks like “Keep Dreaming” it starts off all weird and cool with some almost video game sort of repetitious sound it then just sort of goes off into some chaotic thing, but then you get to “Soporific” where they again go for brevity and just nail it with a fast ripper where the chaos is reined into something you can grasp. In the middle of this quick 6 song EP they turn in a long, exceptionally emotional song with “Turn Down Service” that kinda pulls at the heartstrings. It’s kind of hard to tell with this group if they’re going for serious or ridiculous. The subject matter of the songs appears to be heartfelt and therapeutic. Their chaotic nature and the goofy onesies they insist on wearing live allude to comedy? I’m not sure. There’s a lot going on here, some of it really great, some of it kind of unnecessary. I do enjoy their experiments with added percussive elements and some of the added electronic sounds here and there, which works to great effect. (The Ghost Is Clear)
FIDDLEHEAD, “Death Is Nothing To Us”
It’s going to be hard to top Fiddlehead’s last album, “Between the Richness”, as it showed a band fully realized and in command of their sound. But I gotta say, this new one is catching up to it. I was relatively unfazed with a couple of the singles they released prior to the album coming out and I thought maybe the band had gotten stale. But when those songs are now heard in context with the rest of the record, as well as with the lyrics in front of me, it’s a whole other thing. Musically it’s just as on point as before and their own description of ‘hardcore energy with anthemic 90’s alternative and Revolution Summer emo’ is right on the money. As for the songs themselves, “True Hardcore (II)” eloquently bashes gatekeepers and dusty old heads stuck in ‘the good ‘ol days’ who shit on anything current while you get some of the best lyrics and tearjerking joy from “The Woes” with it’s 108 wink-and-nod followed by the line “The woe is me, the woe is you, here in our rooms, so walk with me and I’ll walk with you out of our doom.” Sadly, it’s followed with a single incredibly corny line at the end of “Fiddleheads” stating “but I don’t just want to get by, good thing I got my ride or dies”. The last two tracks on the record are some of the best material the band has written- “Fifteen To Infinity” with it’s great mid-paced groove and closer “Going To Die” with another lyrical wink, this time to Bad Brains, and a fantastic diatribe on odes to those who’ve passed, the joys of life, and the uplifting spirit of getting back up and getting by. It’s quite beautiful honestly. There’s a lot of depressive rumination throughout this record, both from a personal perspective, as well as from the viewpoint of others, and a general sadness for humanity. But it always feels like there’s a bit of light a the end, where you take in all the bad and you process it and then carry on with positivity in your life despite the grief and (at times) hopelessness that comes with getting older. And it’s all set to a great soundtrack. You’d do well to give this a thorough listen. (Run For Cover)
MAXIMUM MAD, “Anxiety” EP
I thought maybe Portland’s most riff-tastic sludgy rockers had called it a day, but here’s an EP of new material that says otherwise. I’m really glad this is out in the world too because I recall having heard a couple of these songs live in the band’s somewhat rare public appearances and you all need to catch this. Heirs to the lumberjack heaviness of other Northwest luminaries like Harkonen this sounds almost like unintentional tribute and there ain’t a thing bad about that. My favorite track here is “Baby’s First Noise Complaint” due to how alarmingly catchy it is, but closer “Cigarette Mother” isn’t too far behind with it’s world-ending final couple minutes. Put this on and immediately watch your beard grow and a tallboy of Rainier magically appear in your hand. (self-released)
PRETTY PLEASE, “Discount Wax Museum”
This band has been quiet for awhile now and I thought maybe they were a flash in the pan. Thankfully, they have graced us with more sludgy grunge to bang your head and rip the sleeves off your flannel to. With vocals that unabashedly fall somewhere almost perfectly between Alice In Chains and Nirvana, the music isn’t far behind those two either. Although I’d say that both grunge forefathers had a bit more depressing demeanor to much of their material and Pretty Please sound a bit more fun, even if the lyrics pine similar territory. They break it up in the middle with the solemn, but still kinda fun, “Burn This Fucker Down” that has all the simplistic repetition of early Weezer (but, ya know, good) before getting back to the relentless riff sniffing. This is a good one, check it out. (self-released)
RABBIT, “Bardo” EP
Rabbit were pretty damn hard previously. This just ups the ante. Previously I had compared them to other NYC rippers Warthog (and ya know, even in their more moshy parts a bit like Ekulu now that I think about it), but Rabbit has leaned way more into their metal side here and I think there’s no going back. Everything is pushed way into the red and where glints of hardcore once were Rabbit just say ‘fuck it’ and go for more disgusting speed, howling solos, and grimey-ass breakdowns. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a group that takes all of the filthiness of second-generation cassette-only death metal band, and pair it with the most devious hardcore and d-beat around. Do you like things really fast? Second track “Tail Wags Dog” is basically a grind song with an evil solo tacked on in the middle. Do you like things slow and beatdown-y sans macho pit calls? Closer, “Anti-Priest Summons Baphomet” should whet that appetite and cause rotator cuff injuries. I don’t know if physical media of this EP exists, but I imagine if you leave a sawbuck at a sewer pipe emptying into the Gowanas Canal a golem in a patch-covered battle vest will emerge and give you a tape of this along with a bag full of airplane glue. (self-released)
SELF DEFENSE FAMILY, “Law of Karma Live: Fake Shit Wins But Not Tonight” 2xLP
It’s a little odd to think, given a lengthy timeline, that most people now would know Self-Defense Family vocalist Pat Kindlon from his non-stop touring band Drug Church (or maybe from his podcasts he co-hosts). But before all that (well, kind of concurrent with) Self-Defense Family was releasing records seemingly every month. The groups earlier incarnation as End Of a Year may have been even more prolific. Between the two there’s probably at least three dozen LPs, 7”, splits, and EPs which is wild to think about. Self Defense Family has been rather quiet over the last few years as Drug Church became basically a full-time band. However, there’s a lot to be said for SDF and their ever-evolving sound. This is a live record, which is kind of a rare thing these days. But if you’ve ever seen SDF then you know this will be a treat. Why? Well, not only is their music great, but Kindlon’s between-song banter is legendary so some of that is basically worth the price of admission. They’re a band that never really spends much time revisiting old material and they tend to focus on whatever they’re up to at that moment. In the case of this album, recorded in 2019 across a few shows, they’re playing material mostly from “Have You Considered Punk Music” and “Heaven Is Earth”, but sprinkle in a bit here and there from various EPs (there’s a lot to draw from honestly). Two of my favorite SDF songs make an appearance here- both from the aforementioned LPs- “Talia” and “Watcher At the Well” and they’re played true to form. Kindlon’s raspy growl is at opposite ends of the mostly somber and slow music; obvious musical touchstones being stuff like Lungfish, anything made by Alex Dunham, Slint, and even early Tortoise to a degree. SDF takes patience, but there’s a wealth to devour here and not just the hilarious vamping from Pat between tracks. Additionally, I don’t have my vinyl copy yet, but the label releasing this- LandLand Colportage- is known for going all out on creative handmade/hand-screened packaging, elaborate design, and beautiful screen prints, posters, and other artistic ephemera. So it’s a cool bonus that I know is coming my way once the physical media is out there. (Land Land Colportage)
TACOS, “3”
Last time I checked in with Tacos (at least on record) they were a duo. Since that time I’ve seen them on a few occasions and they had become a trio with the addition of Helms Alee drummer Hozi Matheson-Margullis on bass and vocals, thus giving the band a lot more room to work with different sounds, ideas, and vocal patterns (with all three members sharing the mic). Tacos already had a good deal of commonality with Helms Alee (outside of just sharing a split 7” together) in terms of a big burly sound and dueling male/female vocals and now it’s a bit more. However, I’d say this result, while certainly not lacking in regards to heavy and lumbering rock, leans pretty hard into psychedelic melody and weirdness more than I had expected. A mid-record acoustic sort of interlude gives way to the lengthy “Coug Snugz”, which spends much of it’s time meandering and exploring before it’s eventual break into a harder finale. And by the time they close with “Ye Olde Growth” they’re drifting into the ether, an almost pleasant ending to a record that shows it’s love to all things Pacific Northwest heavy fuzz, an obvious adoration of the melodic interplay and ripping rock of Heart, as well as some unexpected twists into the unknown. (Nadine Records)
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