MORE STILL/FORM FOR YA.

 You got a song from the upcoming Still/Form LP, but how about a little more of a teaser?  Why not.  Here's a short video for the record with some other sounds found on "From the Rot Is a Gift", due out August 19th.

You can pre-order it now over HERE.

THE FAST AND THE WEIRD... IT'S THE MAY REVIEWS

 Once in awhile I go in on some crazy punk stuff, as opposed to my typical fare of noisy and weird.  But not to fear, there's some of that present this time around.  I really do enjoy when bands can take fast punk rock and do something wild with it.  Also, I do try my best to push new bands making freaky sounds and not just prop up established bands, or old heads still kicking around though I'll say the newest Helms Alee (a band well into their second decade together) makes some unique creative leaps, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to review a discography from my hometown's first hardcore band from the early 80's that are more important on a national level than one would expect.  So dig in.

BASEMENT FAMILY, “Eerie Ennui”

This is a tough one to explain, but that’s part of what makes it so intriguing to listen to.  I think like contemporaries in bands such as Almanac Man or Kinghorn, or even Season To Risk if you want to go way back, Basement Family blend a handful of styles into a cohesive whole without any of it sounding forced, or out of place.  But it still makes for a wholly unique sound that can be tough to nail down.  There’s plenty of Midwest indie rock influence throughout with twangy, jittery rock consistent with aspects of the Touch and Go catalog.  And there’s also a whole lot of long-game, thought-out portions that insist the listener invest the time into the sound.  Shifting from delicate, softly cooed melodies to noisy-feedback sections falling off the rails, and into chunky rhythmic passages Basement Family tend to write longer songs.  That’s not to say this is intended to be enjoyed with a furrowed brow, necessitating that one absorb themselves into the record completely to squeeze out some degree of pleasure from the exercise in patience.  There’s some really catchy parts in here too.  “Head Retention” leads with ethereal vocals, carried by an up-tempo boogie throughout that eventually builds into an intense stop-start guitar claxon and a tumbling crescendo.  “Serial Queen” does the slow shuffle with a fun, noodly guitar riff backing it while “Struggle Run” has a strong bass riff with a wavering guitar strum and repeating high-end melody coming back over and over.  If heavy distortion were applied to it all it could become a post-hardcore anthem I tell ya.  But I digress.  A band such as this may kind their closest kin in groups like Knot (or Krill) in terms of being this smart, but noisy, and rather mysterious kind of entity.  This is definitely one of the more engaging listens I’ve had so far this year and I feel like I’m still wrapping my head around what they’re doing even after dozens of listens. (The Ghost Is Clear)

 

BIRTH ORDER, “Farewell, Square Horse”

There’s plenty of more current stuff that I’m reminded of when listening to Birth Order, but none of it I can precisely put my finger on at the moment.  If I dial it back in the wayback machine, their sound is a big amalgamation of various aspects of the Hydrahead mathcore stable, as well as the weirder heaviness of stuff like The National Acrobat.  But think songs that alternate between faster all-out abandon and slower, chunky/math-y heaviness with howling, drunken vocals that occasionally veer into tastefully sung choruses like on “Crabgrass” and the title track, which are a bit out of character (just a bit) from the rest of the record in the best way possible.  Most of these songs lean on the long side and perhaps they would benefit from trimming them down a bit, though for the most part they can make it work effectively. This is a low-key nice surprise, and rather unexpected.  A quality release worth checking out. (The Ghost Is Clear)

 

CATATONICS, THE, “Hunted Down” discography

I found it incredibly surprising to see a label like Southern Lord take an interest in, and release a discography for, the little-known Catatonics.  After all, all they really ever had to their name was a 7” released in the mid-80’s, as well as a comp appearance before splitting up.  I’m personally interested in this because The Catatonics were the first real hardcore band from Syracuse, emerging around 1981-1982 and splitting by late 1985.  I was just a kid at that point so by the time I got into hardcore almost ten years later The Catatonics were a long since forgotten relic.  Honestly, I don’t think I was even aware of their existence until the early 2000’s when their name would occasionally pop up in conversation, even though I’d seen their drummer’s glam-punk band Libertine in the late 90’s without knowing his bona fides (I’ll get to that in a second).  Later, around 2010-ish a local band named themselves after the group’s lone 7” and paid homage to the absolutely furious hardcore The Catatonics could dish up.

So, yeah, Syracuse wasn’t always known for militant mosh madness.  When drummer Belvy K relocated from NYC to Syracuse as a teenager he essentially started a scene in this town by getting this band going.  His whirlwind drumming style would lead him to join 7 Seconds and D Generation for awhile after The Catatonics called it a day before he returned to Syracuse to start Libertine, this time as a frontman.  The dude sort of fell off the radar after that but I recently learned that not only is Belvy K a co-founder/owner of the well-respected Brooklyn Bazaar venue in NYC but dude is the friggin’ godson of Debbie Harry.  So, I guess if punk points were credit cards this dude would have the Centurion Black version.

Anyways, not only does this discography have the sought-after “Hunted Down” 7” and comp track (“Descending In E”), but also demo tracks and live tracks, all of which have been remastered and polished up.  For the studio tracks the dusting off makes them sound absolutely raging.  The live stuff…  well..  they did their best.  The quality isn’t terribly great, but it was 1984 and I’m sure no one was doing a professional soundboard recording of some crazy punk band in a crappy VFW hall.  It isn’t essential material, but gives a well-rounded picture of the band moving from juvenile goofing off about seeking out more beer and kicking over neighbors lawn ornaments to the aforementioned “Hunted Down” where you can hear the band at their most vicious and playing their instruments like fucking jackhammers.  It’s fast, ripping hardcore and also catchy as hell.  “Hey, fuck your mother buddy!”  Welcome to Syracuse.  (Southern Lord)

 

DADDY’S BOY, “Great News”

Somewhere in the wreckage of a three-way pileup between Pissed Jeans, Born Against, and a station wagon full of Kill Rock Star vocalists the resulting collision produced Daddy’s Boy.  The whole thing is crazy, noisy punk energy with blown out bass distortion, off-the-rails guitar work, and vocals that feel almost reserved against music this chaotic.  Lyrically the songs attack the issues of the day and waver between sardonic wit and being pretty straight forward and on the nose.  Compared to the group’s last recording the vocals are more spoken this time around, whereas previously there was a bit more range going on overall.  It’s a unique contrast to how absolutely bat shit crazy the music is.  Still, it’s an 11-song ride where pretty much every song makes it’s point in less than two minutes and I cannot complain about that.  In fact, I think I’m going to go do crimes in front of a federal building after hearing this.  Get wild.  (self-released)

 

DEAF CLUB, “Bad Songs Forever” 7”

Deaf Club is another in a very long line of band’s helmed by Justin Pearson and retains very similar qualities to his other myriad of weirdo punk groups.  For whatever reason I’ve never had more than a passing interest in all these bands.  Maybe it’s because they have a similar sound?  Maybe they’re a little too constantly spazzy for me to fully appreciate on a consistent basis?  I admire the dude for helping make completely fucked up noise and somehow getting thousands of people into it.  Like, how does that happen?  Anyways, Deaf Club is, I guess, a bit more direct rather than the total mindfuck that The Locust goes for, and it’s a bit less metal than Dead Cross I suppose.  I was primarily drawn to this because of the cover art from one of my favorite creators out there- Paul Rentler.  It looks wild and the music is wild, so good match.  There’s four songs here, the first kind of a slower, chunkier, rhythmic beast that I’m way into.  Second track has an almost early Dillinger Escape Plan feel with it’s wild guitar antics and faster pace.  They rock a Pixies cover, warped into a version fit for circle pitting around a trash fire, and then close with “Ride With Cops, Shoot With Robbers”, which is sort of a good summation of all the elements going on throughout.  Oh, and Justin Pearson has been copping the lyrical and vocal style of Sonny Kay for years, but Sonny does it way better.  Still, props for wearing a killer influence proudly on your sleeves (that is if the shirt has any). (31G)

 

HELMS ALEE, “Keep This Be the Way”

Every single Helms Alee record is thoroughly excellent.  They’re a band that has never let me down because every one of their records has been so wonderfully consistent that they will be a sure bet for quality.  But I’m convinced I’m not the first to say that this is probably the band’s weirdest record to date.  If you’re six LPs (not to mention a handful of EPs) and 15 years into your time as a band it’s probably time to mix things up a bit regardless of how unique and awesome your sound is to begin with.  What have you got to lose?  This new Helms Alee came around with not too much pre-release hype so it’s a bit sudden and maybe that’s intentional.  Either way, on here guitarist Ben Verellen does the least amount of singing he’s done on any previous record.  I’ve always been a big fan of his distinctive howl, but that’s not to say bassist Dana James and drummer Hozoji Matheson-Margullis don’t have excellent pipes of their own as they carry the lion’s share of vocals throughout the whole record.  They also harmonize fantastically, but any fan of this band already knows that.  Verellen does add significantly more oddball effects to his guitar sound this time around, including a warped bending throughout the title track making for a disorienting listen, as well as an almost acoustic rendering of “Big Louise” (one of the few times the band has ever covered another artist).  The record opens with one of their biggest curveballs with a smattering of what sounds like synths (but I think may be more strange guitar effects), saxophone, and largely harmonized vocals carrying “See Sights Smell Smells”, and they added some cello keys to other tracks here.  But I’ll say some things do remain consistent on “Keep This Be the Way”- James’ massive bass tone, and the absolutely thunderous nature of the drumming.  The rhythm section of Helms Alee will always be absolutely mind-melting and it’s a hallmark of their sound.  And the harmonization of the three different voices of this band always makes things moody and somber, like the mist rolling over the forested hills of the Pacific Northwest in Winter, where the band calls home.  There’s a few classically heavy rockers fans of the band will no doubt enjoy as “Tripping Up the Stairs” and “Three Cheeks To the Wind” deliver the huge distortion and lumbering heaviness the band do so well. Despite trying out some new things on this record I still predict fans of the group are loyal enough to go along for the ride.  I know I’m enjoying it.  (Sargent House)

 

REAPER’S GONG, “Splintered Sun”/”Fevered Sheath” EP

Here we got some shoegaze-y grunge punk on a ‘friend’s basement’ recording budget.  But I think that’s rather intentional given this is another project from Full Of Hell dudes (who certainly know their way around a recording studio) further expanding their interest in various nooks of the noise rock spectrum.  I listened to their first demo and this is a little more honed in on achieving a certain sound, and despite the rough quality of the recording, it sounds better than that demo.  These two songs go by quick, but it’s enjoyable- sort of spooky, atmospheric vocals paired with junky, trash-sounding grunge punk and a hint of melody…  yeah, count me in.  For those into obscure references- this bears a strong resemblance to the likes of Shoppers and Sigh Down One.  (EstrangedCommunications)

 

WARTHOG 7”

NYC’s Warthog has now released 5 seven inches.  Why not just go for an LP at this point?  Then again, I guess I am personally of the mind that when it comes to super intense crossover thrashy hardcore I’ll take short and sweet, making me want more, rather than 10-15 songs that will likely sound rather repetitive to me.  So maybe this band has people like me in mind as their audience for these regular 7” slabs of insanity.  Whatever the case, they have been at it for at least 5-6 years at this point and up until recently my only frame of reference for this band was that their bassist was the original bass player for The Men- a very good band in their own right, but vastly different than this.  Warthog are no frills, heavy-handed really fast hardcore.  Just as much as they go for early 80’s NYHC they go in for Motorhead and d-beat crustiness too.  These are songs you expect to last no more than a minute but the three tracks here average out at over 3 minutes each, but it feels like it flies right by with how fast and ridiculously aggressive they play.  You really can’t go wrong with stuff like this, it’s a total blast.  (Toxic State)

STILL/FORM, "FROM THE ROT IS A GIFT" DEBUT NEW TRACK, PRE-ORDER LP

 

The first single from the new STILL/FORM LP, "From the Rot Is a Gift" is now streaming at Decibel.  Take a listen to "Loyal, Like Dogs" and then go pre-order a copy of the record on LP, CD, or digital via the Hex Records bandcamp, or through the band's own page.  All LPs come on clear yellow/black haze vinyl and are expected to ship between August and September.  The entire record will officially be out August 19th.
The track is also now up on all streaming services for your convenience.

CHECK OUT "LOYAL, LIKE DOGS" AT DECIBEL
PRE-ORDER "FROM THE ROT IS A GIFT HERE OR HERE