HALLOWEEN- A TIME FOR REVIEWS

Trick or treat fuckers!  Here's some treats!  OK, most of these reviews are not about anything spooky.  I guess you could relate some of the art in Bat Butt zine to things of a Halloween/horror nature, and perhaps the cold, synth-y spazzcore of this month's Bonus Round pick The VSS to some spooky sort of realm.  But otherwise there's just a lot of good stuff here, and not much horror business.  So get to it.  And for the love of Pete, you'd better be reading these in costume!

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BAT BUTT zine #3

I had no clue that this was an international zine based out of South Africa!  I had simply assumed, by a couple of the artists featured that I enjoyed (and the primary reason for me purchasing this) that is was an American publication.  But this art zine features artists from all over the world.  And that’s really all it is-  just black and white art, with no central theme, by lots and lots of contributors.  Mine came with all these cool stickers and prints from some of the artists, so it was well worth it.  Of note is the centerfold and stickers by regional artist Ryan Besch/Your Cinema.  Also entertaining was Alice Edy’s four-page story “Heavy Things”, as are the numerous mutated contributions from Florian Snyman (including the cover).  For those into oddball art/Juxtapoz style, but on amore DIY level this is a pretty cool thing to check out.  (Bat Butt)

BRAIN TENTACLES s/t

At this point I think the Relapse catalog is comprised of about 50% projects by both Bruce Lamont and Dave Witte.  Both these highly prolific individuals have so many bands between the both of them it was inevitable that they eventually teamed up to give birth to the super bizarre freak that is Brain Tentacles.  Rounded out by bassist extraordinaire Aaron Dallison (Keelhaul) this mega-beast sounds like the result of King Crimson getting schwifty with Morphine after huffing glue in a filthy alley.  Here you get a whole album of horns (mostly saxophone) melding with drums and bass guitar, and not much in the way of vocals conjuring up a lot of low-end proggy weirdness, yet with enough interesting parts and beefy riffs (can a saxophone create a ‘riff’?  In this case, yes) to keep even the simplest 3-chord purist bobbing their head.  It’s weird stuff, man.  But it’s really great to have some out-f-this-world variety amongst all the heaviness Relapse tends to be known for.  This is still real heavy, just in a super odd sort of way and I can roll with that.  (Relapse)

BURN, “From the Ashes” 7”

This is the first ‘new’ material that Burn has released since 2001, which was the last time that they did some reunion stuff.  Before originally disbanding in the early 90’s Burn had released a lone EP, but had a whole album’s worth of material that made it’s way onto a couple bootlegs that floated around throughout the last couple decades.  A few of those songs surfaced as proper recordings between “Last Great Sea” and “Cleanse”, material they released in their brief 2001 reunion.  On “From the Ashes” two more of those older songs get proper recordings and you can tell it’s from an older Burn era as they are faster, and more in line with the proto-post-hardcore that they helped invent.  The lone brand new song here, “Novelist (Drums Of War)” has a slower, groovier feel, mixed with some more complex riffs and passages indicative of “Cleanse”-era stuff, as well as guitarist/riff architect Gavin Van Vleck’s riffy/noisecore act Die 116 that he was a part of after Burn’s initial run.  The youngin’ in me loves the faster, raw hardcore songs.  The noisenik in me is intrigued by the chunky, off-kilter heaviness of how they write now.  The overall recording on this release leaves something to be desired as it sort of doesn’t feel finished, like they skipped something along the way between mixing and mastering.  But I digress.  It’s good to see a band like Burn not only writing some creative new music (even if it’s only one song thus far), but still incredibly engaging in the live setting.  Hopefully the LP they have planned can respectfully continue their legacy.  (Bridge 9)

EVERY TIME I DIE, “Low Teens”

When a band gets both Tim Singer (Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye, No Escape) and the character from Panic At the Disco to do guest vocals on your record you know they draw from a pretty wide palette.  Such is the case on the new ETID record, a band that consistently knows how to absolutely wreck your life.  So many bands from the time they got their start completely fell off the map, disbanded, or just flat out suck shit now.  Many have rightfully/unfortunately carried the tag ‘metalcore’ like the flaccid, tired, shriveled penis that it has become.  Yet Every Time I Die has succeeded big time and still sort of held onto that tag.  They write some of the most engaging pile driving riffs, with some of the most well-written lyrics one can imagine on every record.  They do not disappoint.  They are consistently the sound of a raging party and a violent tornado smashed together all the time.  They are, by far, one of the best live bands you will ever see.  And on “Low Teens” they move the needle yet again in an evolved direction by throwing in some new things and a few curveballs.  Like opener “Fear and Trembling” with it’s slow and disjointed riff both hammering at your skull and confusing the listener all at once.  “It Remembers” is the most ‘rock’ song on the record, and while I feel it ventures a little too much into bro-rock country I can’t help but enjoy it (I used to feel the same about “Revival Mode” and now it’s one of my favorite songs of theirs).  “Awful Lot” plays with Torche-level tuning and city-leveling riffs (as well as one of my favorite vocal breaks on the record- “Acknowledge me you motherfuckers!”).  New drummer Daniel Davison lets loose basically any opportunity he gets, which really works well for this group regularly sounding like they’re headed off the rails anyway.  This is most noticeable on the ridiculously aggressive “Petal” and “The Coin Has a Say” (with, again, a choice lyric: “I can’t go back to what I was/ Metallica without the drugs”).  It’s only on closer “Map Change” where it feels ETID get a little too caught up with being kind of all over the place and the song ends up being a sort of riff salad.  However, for the speed freak in you there’s plenty here to draw from in terms of breakneck pummeling like “1977”, “Glitches” and “I Didn’t Want To Join Your Stupid Cult Anyway”.  For ungodly heavy music that is well-written and smart, but encourages listeners to get unbelievably stupid you can’t really get any better than ETID.  (Epitaph)

GATECREEPER, “Sonoran Depravation”

I am hardly the man to go to if you are seeking a well-rounded opinion on death metal.  I have nothing against it.  I generally find much of it to be decent (minus gurgle vocals), sometimes impressive.  But I don’t spend much time really delving into it.  That being said, Gatecreeper plays pretty decent death metal.  It hardly raises the bar, but it knows how to make HM-2 style riffs collide with moshy beats and a lot of double-picking between the slow parts to easily spin many a bored, basement dwelling hessian into a furious drywall-punching freak.  Basically, they get the job done.  Nothing fancy, good name, heavy riffs, lots of metal, and no over thinking it.  Sacrifice your out-of-shape gut to the dancefloor Goatlord.  (Relapse)

SIGH DOWN ONE, “Memory Is Short Longing”

I’m not sure how this got on to my radar, but I assume it had something to do with getting lost in some internet musical rabbit hole.  Before I knew it I had stumbled across this French-Canadian group and I thought it was worth talking about.  Anyways, what you get here is an album’s worth of songs that have an equal split between atmospheric shoegaze with accompanying soothing vocals, old Sonic Youth’s clattering noise rock, and some lo-fi punk nihilism.  For me, it makes for a wonderful mix that keeps things moving at a good clip with just enough negative vibes to even out the flighty mellow ones.  The washy-note-bending may open up a song, but is eventually kicked to the side by more aggressive, distorted guitar abuse, all the while the vocals tend to remain on the soft and airy side of things.  Nowhere is this more present than later in the album on “Nothing In Return” which would be a perfect place to start for those just looking for an idea of this group’s sound. (L'Oeil du Tigre Records)

SUPER UNISON, “Auto”

The quick progress of one of the East Bay area’s most exciting new bands, Super Unison, may lead some to believe they might not be ready for a full length album just yet.  But this trio works as if they have been playing together for a long time.  While each member has musical backgrounds with other bands Super Unison is quite different from the ultra-hyper and aggressive Punch that vocalist/bassist Meaghan O’Neill Pennie emerged from, or the noodly indie/emo style of Snowing that drummer Juntin Renniger cut his teeth in.  And while O’Neill Pennie’s vocals are quite a bit different than the ferocious shriek (one of the best, in my opinion!) that she displayed in her previous band she offers a wide range of different styles in this band, going from an almost cooing in the beginning of “Keeper” to that well-worn throat shredding by the first chorus, and into an almost snarky Bratmobile riot grrl vibe in the bridge.  In fact, I think it might be my favorite song on the record just because it accurately conveys the most well-rounded representation of the band.  That’s not to say the rest of this record doesn’t rip.  It’s quite fantastic.  I’m thoroughly enjoying their rough and tumble punk blasts, peppered with post-hardcore melodies and occasional haunting guitars (like on the chorus of “You Don’t Tell Me”).  Much of the music here, if I were to make a couple comparisons, kind of reminds me of old Superchunk or Garden Variety, but darker and a bit more aggressive on the whole.  Anyway, enough hyperbole from me, just get to listening to this.  It’s one of the better releases I’ve heard all year and one that I have been very much looking forward to.  (Deathwish)

TURNSTILE, “Move Thru Me” 7”

Side A has a Bad Brains “Supertouch”/”Shitfit” 1-2 punch style of crazy fast and aggressively catchy followed by gonzo heavy and mean, and evokes a similar feel to the DC legends.  Side B has the title track, which is much more in line with what people are coming to know from Turnstile.  That is, it could have been on “Non-Stop Feeling” and no one would know the difference.  So yeah, it’s a good song.  Then they drop a Give cover, which is weird not only because that song is only a couple years old and that band is still very much active, but Give is a considerably different kind of band than Turnstile.  However, both bands are very much doing their own unique thing so I guess there is common ground in that respect.  Plus, they probably hang out, so why the fuck not, right?  Either way, this is a very excellent 7” from a band that I would never expect to enjoy.  But let it be known my guilty pleasure is now very much public.  Turnstile is pretty fucking great.  There, I said it.  Please get out of my way now so I can mosh and sing along like an idiot.  (Pop Wig)

Bonus Round:

THE V.S.S., “21:51” and “Nervous Circuits”

I’m not going to bother with a single album from this band, I’m going with their full discography.  They were short-lived and churned out a handful of 7”s (collected as “21:51”) and one full length.  Some may recall a few months ago when I reviewed the Angelhair discography.  Well, after that group split most of the members came back as The VSS.  The approach was still spastic and chaotic, except they were adding elements that were (at the time) lost to the punk scene, that being primarily cold and jagged   The result is this manic barrage of otherworldly, dystopian noisecore.  It’s very difficult for me to decide which of these records I like better.  “21:51” is the sound of the band working out ideas, still a bit clingy with that off-the-wall Angelhair sound, but the meshing of synths and distorted vocals forcing it’s way in for tremendous effect.  “The Fist and Fingers” is a lumbering, bouncy chunk of heaviness, punctuated by disorienting doubled-up vocals and spooky feedback, while “I Cut My Teeth” has a bit more of a stop-go punk vibe and Sonny Kay’s outer space vocals that breaks into an almost minimalist synth and guitar bit before exploding into full-on chaos as the whole thing collapses.  The collection closes with “Response”- an alien transmission of a far off drum coda that could either be an exit, or an indication of things to come. 

post-punk riffs and banks of strange, alien synths.

“Nervous Circuits” is the band’s lone full length that came together not too long after the group’s initial spate of singles.  It’s a much more bold affair.  The recording is far superior and the band is far more confident in their approach.  Part of me wishes it sounded as odd and cold as the 7” stuff, but it’s a great undertaking.  The compositions are more in line with post-punk offerings like Echo and the Bunnymen, Bauhaus, early Joy Division, but with a deft weight to them indicative of a punk/hardcore band.  Even so, after Kay closes the opening track with the sudden howl of “I eat the body and drink the blood” they launch immediately into “In Miniature”, which sounds like the keyboardist mashing one set of keys back and forth until it breaks.  There’s a bit more variety on this record- “Sibling Ascending”s post-hardcore march, “Effigy”s ultra-slow piano coda, the upbeat and catchy synth-driven “What Kind Of Ticks?”, and the swinging mania of “Swift Kicks” (one of the best on the record).  All of these songs are carried by vocalist/effects operator Sonny Kay, whose unpredictable, manic howl not only is a harrowing complement to the dizzying music, but he remains one of my favorite lyricists weaving stream of conscious associations that come together to paint a weird portrait of things that may or may not be related.  I sadly never witnessed this band.  They made one East Coast jaunt to my knowledge back in 1996, or ’97 and news moved slow then.  If I had known I would have traveled anything short of 400 miles to witness the live spectacle they created.  But I guess I’ll have to settle for this stuff here to keep me warm.  Over the years both Hydrahead and Sargent House re-issued “Nervous Circuits” in different formats, so it’s not very difficult to track down.  (VSS)

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEX FEST!

HEX FEST (AKA 'two awesome shows)
December 30th and 31st, 2016
The Vault, Syracuse, NY

Friday, December 30th
Doors at 6PM
ACHILLES (fresh off a 4-year hiatus of relocating, business starting, and child-rearing)
PSYCHIC TEENS (Philly 3-piece feedback, gothy-post-punk-y, whatever)
BLOOD SUN CIRCLE (owners and makers of gear beyond compare)
+ a couple more
_________

Saturday, December 31st
Doors at 6PM
ED GEIN (crush, kill, destroy)
BLEAK (kill, crush, destroy)
GRIZZLOR (destroy, crush, kill)
DIALYSIS (kill, screw, marry?)
+ one more I guess

TICKETS
Day One here: http://hexrecords.bigcartel.com/product/hex-fest-day-1-dec-30th
Day Two here: http://hexrecords.bigcartel.com/product/hex-fest-day-2-9dec-31st
BOTH DAYS: http://hexrecords.bigcartel.com/product/hex-fest-both-days

Event page (to keep up with all the gory details..):  https://www.facebook.com/events/1781116372167516/?action_history=null

PSYCHIC TEENS RELEASING A RECORD THROUGH HEX!

As you probably suspected, Philly's own Psychic Teens will be releasing an EP through Hex Records in early 2017! The band is currently recording the release, set to be released on 12" and digital, at Red Planet Sound with Joe Smiley at the controls. Keep an eye peeled for the band playing around the region through the rest of the year and for the record to come out in early 2017!
In the meantime, you can check out their music over at http://www.psychicteensnetwork.com
You can pick up their previous releases through SRA Records and Reptilian Records
 

HEX FEST ANNOUNCEMENT #2

Exhibit B:  Ed Gein.

 

SUMMER'S DONE. READ REVIEWS AND GET OVER IT.

As the season comes to a close I realize I was just bum-rushed with a plethora of awesome records.  So much stuff that is really right up my alley in terms of what I tend to dig the most.  And a bunch of it shows up here is this review block.  So get cozy, read on, and really give some attention to a bunch of groups that are excelling at making my ears happy.
Oh yeah, Hex Fest is really happening at the end of the year.  You saw the thing about Achilles playing here, right (ahem, look)?  Yeah, stay tuned because in a few more days I'm going to give a few more details on things.  Don't be stupid, keep an ear to the ground, or an eye to the sky because I only advertise using subsonic thumping transmissions and smoke signals.

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ALPHA HOPPER, “Last Chance Power Drive”

What the heck did I just listen to?  How many weird subgenres and odd reference points can I shoehorn in here to attempt to describe Alpha Hopper?  You got a vocalist that sounds like Polly Styrene mixed with Yasuko from Melt-Banana.  Musically things bounce from post-punk weirdness with creepy leads, and clunky post-hardcore (think a somewhat more aggressive Unwound at times) to very 90’s riot grrl style, and more modern spazzcore stuff.  It’s a weird stew, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it.  If you’re feeling a bit adventurous I’d suggest you do the same.  (One Percent Press/Radical Empathy)

DOWNTOWN BOYS s/t

So this Providence-based band is kind of everywhere now, seemingly blowing up out of nowhere.  The thing is, though, they have been around for a bit and this LP (which is essentially a demo from a few years back) shows them in an embryonic sort of form.  It shows a group displaying their now-trademark blend of punk chords, deep saxophone flavor, and shouted vocals in both English and Spanish.  But it’s a band that hadn’t quite found it’s footing just yet.  Things don’t mesh as perfectly as they do now.  The ideas are there, no doubt, but the vocals are a little more random and off-rhythm (they still are, to a point, but it works effectively these days to command attention).  The saxophone is a little more present as well, also vying for attention when sometimes restraint makes more of a lasting impression.  I don’t want to knock it because what Downtown Boys are doing now (especially on the excellent “Full Communism” from last year) is so good, and this record just shows what they were working towards.  I guess if you prefer the revolution to come off as a bit more scrappy this is a pretty good place to catch some of that fire.  (One Percent Press/ Radical Empathy)

HELMS ALEE, “Stillicide”

The opening track on Helms Alees’ new record starts with the piano coda that closes out their very first LP, “Night Terrors”, before it mutates into a maelstrom of swirling distortion and thunder.  They have had two records between these two, so it’s kind of interesting the Seattle trio recall a tidbit from their first LP on their fourth long player.  I guess it shows that since that time they have remained a strange, bewildering beast, but have grown in many ways as well.  It’s that touchstone from the past opening a door to reflection, yet showing what’s new.  What remains consistent is how Helms Alee is the bewildering sound of hiking through the redwoods on a foggy morning before reaching a beach in the Pacific Northwest.  You look in one direction and there’s the water- calm and cool.  You look behind you and trees rise up like skyscrapers.  And in front of you are some of the most majestic mountains you’ll see.  It’s at once mesmerizing and beautiful, but you also realize the hugeness of all these things, how little you are, and it’s sort of terrifying and weird.  That’s the sound of Helms Alee.  They can twist and turn with odd rhythms, sinewy melodies, harmonized and haunting female vocals.  But they can quickly hit the distortion and come off as the most thunderous sasquatch of a beast you’ll ever hear between drummer Hozi Matheson Magullis’ polyrhythmic tom rolls, Dana James crushing low end and Ben Verellens howling baritone.  Whether it’s the continuous crush of the title track and “Galloping Mind Fuk” (sic), or the long, slow burn meandering of “Creeping You Company”, to a perfect combination of all their styles (melodic, weird, and pretty to beefy and mean) on “Andromenous” this new LP is really an excellent addition to an already stellar catalog from a great band.  (Sargent House)

KINDLING, “Everywhere Else”

It sure is popular now for bands to do the whole shoegaze thing.  For the most part I’m fairly pleased with the current tidal wave of bands copping this style.  I’m sort of wondering how many of these bands are ex-members of NeurIsis worship bands?  Kindling, to their credit, spring forth from totally chaotic spastic hardcore band lineage.  But that’s not important.  What is important is that Kindling is a good listen.  This is their first LP after a cool little EP last year and it’s filled with upbeat, punk-informed walls of guitars and atmospheric female vocals that bring to mind both the fairly obvious My Bloody Valentine, as well as the sounds of Lush.  They’re not re-inventing the shoegaze wheel by any means, but they certainly do it quite well, keeping things energetic, loud, occasionally heavy, and fun.  Definitely recommended.  (No Idea)

MULTICULT, “Position Remote”

Multicult would probably wholeheartedly agree that they share quite a bit in common, sound-wise, with the revered Jesus Lizard- snarled and howled vocals, knotty and intricate guitar lines, and one of the best damn bass tones you’ll ever hear.  But where Jesus Lizard were all proficient musicians that gave the illusion that all their music was careening off the rails at all times, Multicult present no illusions to how calculated and precise their somewhat misnomered categorization of ‘noise rock’ really is.  Every note, riff, grating guitar scree, or gnarled bass dirge has been fine-tuned to sound exactly as it is intended.  You will hear no difference whatsoever between this record- excellently recorded and engineered- and their live show, aside from a very loud ringing in your ears once they are through since they play so fucking loud.  So yeah, The Jesus Lizard can be master magicians at making you think they’re just being fucking awesome off the cuff.  Multicult offer a very similar level of talent, as well as a strikingly similar sound, but with an air of astounding determination and intention.  This is easily their best sounding record yet and the songs are pretty dang good too.  (Reptilian)

NIGHTWATCH zine #12

This is the metal issue.  Oh, maybe I should back up.  Night Watch is an art zine featuring loads of artists contributing work towards a theme (hence, ‘the metal issue’) and a couple interviews with some of the artists.  They have had many of the same contributors throughout their run, but have added some excellent new ones as well.  They may as well have titled this the Lemmy memorial issue because he shows up in many of the pieces throughout this zine.  The stand-outs include the Motorhead board game of Life spread, Phil Guys ‘What Me Worry’ Lemmy, Edward Justin Wright’s indecipherable metal guy diagram, and especially Ryan Besch’ Dan Clowes-meets-Charles Burns “Sin Town” piece.  This whole thing is wrapped up in a wildly detailed metallic ink cover.  Fun times.  (Night Watch)

POWDER ROOM, “Lucky”

For whatever reason I thought this band was going to be heavier and noisier than they were when I gave their last LP, “Curtains” a cursory spin and sort of dismissed it.  The thing is, this band is really good.  It just takes a little while for their music to sink in.  At least on this new record they very much nailed it, as they say.  Taking the attention to detail, allowing space for songs to breathe, and a similar heaviness and direction of Young Widows, and couple that with some of the pedal board love and rocking nature of a group like Roomrunner I’d say Powder Room have a good thing going on.  There is a bit of confusion with this record as the liner notes allude to all 11 songs being on the record, and in a particular order, when in fact a song from each side is missing and instead show up as a bonus 7” that comes with the LP (probably due to time constraints).  It’s a minor concern though as it all works out in the end.  I especially enjoy when these guys are moving slow, particularly on the creepy and ungodly heavy “Black Dress” (which happens to have a very catchy and sing-along-able chorus) and the bluesy “Workaround” (which also happens to have a great harmonica section that could only be topped by Unsanes’ “Alleged”, but in a far less scummy, far more positive, yet equally heavy sort of way).  Even though the slow and heavy comes off better on this record, opening track “Vanburner” has an alarming urgency that draws you right in with it’s repeated bleeps and galloping rhythm. (Learning Curve Records)

TRUE WIDOW, “AVVOLGERE”

I was quite vocal about this Texas band’s last LP, “Circumambulation” and how I just wasn’t into it really.  I mean, compared to their first two LPs it was kind of a downer, and not in the way that this band kind of pride themselves on being.  I thought, with time, I’d re-visit it and see if things changed.  Nope.  It’s still pretty dull.  So I have to say that it’s very good to know that on their fourth LP True Widow have once again found some of that magic that made their first two records so excellent, but in a sort of different way.  On the first pair of LPs they dished out True Widow really excelled at doing a loud-quiet-loud thing to give their somber shoegaze/stoner rock some great dynamics.  With “Circumambulation” they seemed to mostly give up on that loud-quiet-loud thing and went for somewhat flat versions of their overall style.  “AVVOLGERE” (whatever that hell that means or stands for) continues to sort of abandon the loud-quiet-loud thing, which is sort of disappointing, but they have made the majority of songs here a bit more upbeat and added a considerable amount of hooks in the riffs to keep things interesting.  It’s the small changes with this band that make the difference.  A casual listener might not be able to notice, but it’s at least what I’m picking up, for what it’s worth.  Whatever it is, I’m into it and knew I’d enjoy this record right from the start of the first song, “Back Shredder” once I started humming it for the rest of the day after one listen.  Glad to see they’re back on their game and doing cool stuff.  (Relapse)

VINCAS, “Deep In the Well”

This Georgia three-piece lays out some dirty, greasy rock that both reminds me of Cows in it’s repetitive and wild noisiness, but also of The Birthday Party in it’s stark, creeping evil.  It’s not quite what I had expected, but I’m into it.  Maybe there’s a hint of goth to it, due to the low, baritone vocals and cold post-punk elements.  But it’s a little too loose and erratic to start wearing black nail polish and lighting candles to.  So, I guess I’m getting a bit of a Jesus Lizard vibe too.  But TJL borrowed heavily from The Birthday Party.  So, yeah, kind of back to square one with my references.  Hell, the dudes in Psychic Teens ought to meet up with these characters.  They’d probably really get along well.  Fuck around with this for a bit while watching “Scorpio Rising” and then wander out in the desert for a couple weeks and let the concepts of death and weirdness sink in.  (Learning Curve Records)

Bonus Round:

THE FAREWELL BEND, “In Passing”

I’ve made a big to-do about Dischord-related type bands through these older reviews, particularly from the short-lived Slowdime label (Kerosene 454, Regulator Watts, etc).  The label may have been based in DC, and distributed by Dischord, but the bands weren’t relegated to just being from DC.  Case in point, the post-Boys Life/Giants Chair off-shoot Farewell Bend.  The group hailed from that vast expanse of nothingness known as the Midwest and featured the exceptionally unique nasally vocals of Boys Life frontman Brandon Butler, the extra-tight snappy drumming of Giants Chair alum Paul Ackerman, and bassist John Rejba, also of Boys Life.  From the rolling, almost post-hardcore rhythm of “The Pen Ran Out Of Ink” to the more upbeat and anthemic feel of “Go Easy” there’s no doubt that vibe of other mid/late 90’s Midwest emo bands of the Caulfield Records roster is quite present here.  Think more early Jimmy Eat World, the less weird/more rocking aspects of Drive Like Jehu, a good bit of Superchunk, and for a more modern example Boston’s Krill.  A lot of people tend to think the epitome of 90’s Midwest emo might be The Get Up Kids or Braid, but this is pretty far removed from Braid’s poppy technicality or Get Up Kids lowest-common-denominator pop rock, even though if Farewell Bend were to have played with either of those bands (and I imagine they probably did at one time or another) it would work out just fine.  I feel like what they were doing was a great example of indie/emo of the region for the time.  They got a great big room-y recording out this, their lone full length, with a bunch of great rocking songs with substance (even being able to create a great sing-along part out of the line “A little too much time spent fucking around”).  Yet it’s the longest, and most out-of-place song on the record, “St. Christopher” that is easily my favorite.  It’s slow and steady repetition through most of the song of “Help is on it’s way/ Gotta head to the freeway/ Help is on it’s way/ In the Western sky” before it breaks into a very upbeat section, followed by the stop/start crescendo with the chorus of “They say I waste my life/ Maybe they’re right”.  It’s a heck of a song I tell ya.  Currently not too sure of what the individual members are up to aside from Brandon Butler, who played some shows as part of a briefly reunited Boys Life earlier this year and has a very part time band going with Ryan Patterson of Coliseum called Six Bells.  But this here, this is easily my favorite project he has been involved in, even though it’s not the most known.  (Slowdime Records)

HEX FEST ANNOUNCEMENT #1

More info coming soon.

IT'S AUGUST. READ REVIEWS.

I don't really care all that much about any opinions you might have regarding my opinions because my mind is going to be completely distracted this week while I'm finally, after 20 years of wondering how the hell they played those songs, going to see Drive Like Jehu not once, but twice.  If you're there feel free to fight me in person over my use of the word 'shoehorn', or my opinion that the new Star Trek has more plot holes than Florida has meth heads.  I'll be out of the office either way.  Discuss.

BLACK PILLS demo

The members of Taxa vary up their whole thing with this side project focusing on much harsher elements to get their point across.  Black Pills is no less involved or immediate as the post-hardcore thoughtfulness of Taxa.  Black Pills create heavy, dissonant music that is grating and hostile, but at the same time, one can tell that they didn’t just start hammering away and shat out four songs by the end of the day.  The vocals have a harsh, static-y delivery to them while music is chaotic in a later-era Level Plane Records sort of way (or perhaps having a Deadguy-ish appeal) but it still held in check by solid songwriting.  They could shoehorn themselves in to the crust scene if they had more D-beats, but the songs are unique and varied enough to fall under a general heading of hostile, yet creative hardcore.  A good start from these West Coast Canadians.  (self-released)

GREAT REVERSALS, “Mere Mortals”

Do you like Verse?  Do you like Trial?  Do you like Have Heart?  Do you think a mish-mash of all those bands together would be like the best thing ever?  Then this band is for you.  I always appreciated that all those bands had thoughtful things to express, but the way in which they (primarily Verse and Have Heart) did it didn’t really do much for me.  The music generally moved too slow, was melodic without really having much to latch on to, but the lyric sheets tended to provide some inspiration.  So the parts of those bands I see a lot of in Michigan’s Great Reversals doesn’t really do it for me.  But when they invoke the heavier, chuggier elements of Trial I’m a bit more interested.  Aside from the mid-90s stuff that I came up on I guess I tend to prefer my hardcore fast.  Still, I won’t deny that this band actually has substance, clearly exists for a purpose beyond just getting a pit started, and has a strong in belief in what they do.  And again, if you are a fan of slower, melodic hardcore you will probably really enjoy this.  (BitterMelody/ State Of Mind/ Hydrogen Man)

GUN CANDY, “Of the Third Kind” demo

I had the good fortune to have played with this band on a couple of occasions in their brief existence and I hope to play with them much more because they are a fierce and chaotic live group.  While new to the Buffalo scene they are composed of individuals who have been doing all sorts of things in a myriad of bands over the years, so they are no strangers to this hardcore stuff.  Either way, they took the dive and have cast an 8-song demo tape into the world for you all to audibly consume.  It’s not the greatest recording, but the songs are pretty damn rowdy.  Are they looking for a Black Flag “Damaged”-era vibe?  Maybe.  Some of the guitar work certainly alludes to that even though the majority of songs move a lot faster than even the briefest of Black Flag rippers.  The vocal variations move from straight-up shrieking to spoken/yelled, to some deeper hardcore shouts.  I love the weird art/mascot that looks like it was cribbed from an ad for mailorder horror props in the back of a 60’s comic book.  Not a bad start, but definitely a worthy group to catch if they happen to play in your town and/or prefecture/province/kingdom/reservation/conquered land mass.  (Peterwalkee Records)

PINKO s/t

I randomly came across this Texas-based band through some weird internet rabbit hole searching and I thought their name was really cool.  I’m glad the music that I got out of it was just as cool (if not even cooler) as the clever name.   Pinko rock out some crazy-ass 90’s San Diego spazz-out scene style chaos on their debut release, citing (whether they are conscious of it or not) groups like Angelhair, Clikitat Ikatowi, Song Of Zarathustra, and Nation Of Ulysses, all the while delivering vocals that could be swapped out with Guy from Fugazi if he was having a panic attack.  In other words, this shit is for me.  From what I could glean from their online presence this may just be a project band as each of these members seems to be involved in several other projects.  I listened to a few of the others, this is easily my favorite.  Drop your other shit and do this thing full time.  Make it happen you commies.  (self-released)

RINGWORM, “Snake Church”

I feel like there was a good stretch of inactivity for this long-running Cleveland outfit spanning from the mid-90’s to the early 2000s, or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention to them during that time.  I was always under the impression that they were older dudes who couldn’t commit to the road and had grown up adult schedules and shit.  I mention this simply because now, in 2016, they are much older dudes with probably even more responsibilities, yet I feel like Ringworm has been more prolific than ever within the last 5 years.  They have steadily released new albums, EPs, and splits, done a fair amount of touring, and have continued to stay consistent despite a handful of membership changes over the years.  This, like the last several Ringworm records, is a motherfucker of metal, hardcore, and crossover thrashing.  It is always hateful and Human Furnace’s screams are nothing short of shredding (yes, I’m applying this term to vocals instead of guitars).  He’s one of a kind.  This one, however, seems like the most straightforward metal album I have heard from Ringworm.  It doesn’t sound as dirty, and nixes obligatory breakdowns every now and again in favor of just crushing with speed, power, spite, and some truly heavy metal guitar solos.  It’s a solid effort that fans will enjoy no doubt, but lacks just a little of that grime that makes Ringworm truly ferocious.  (Relapse)

RIOT STARES demo

Right away this band gets all sorts of points for having one of the better names out there.  I mean, when you do a play on a Deadguy song title I’m already going to be interested.  Add to that some simple, yet revealing cover art and you got the makings of (probably) something cool.  At the very least you get some dudes whose heads are in the right place.  So musically, this actually bears a pretty strong resemblance to Snapcase (“Progression Through Unlearning”-era) and some mid-era Refused (“Songs To Fan the Flames…”), which is kind of weird.  But hey, a point of reference is just that.  And both those bands in that era sounded fairly similar anyway.  So yeah, mid-90’s bleached hair and baggy pants enthusiasts take note.  It might be difficult to properly mosh in Jncos, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this band who love pinch harmonics as much as they love evolving beyond playing just e-chords and actually rocking the fuck out a bit.  (self-released)

SECT s/t

As far as most supergroups go they tend to not always measure up.  The members of Sect are probably the last people who would describe themselves as a ‘supergroup’, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to name the personnel involved when trying to promote this group.  Yet they have a good sense of humor about it all as they credit themselves as being ‘vegan straight edge’ and ‘old’.  Given the players involved it is sort of a mish-mash with varied results.  Some of this sounds like straight up powerviolence, while there are the occasional chunky grooves crammed in here and there (which I can only guess the Earth Crisis contingent of this group wrote), which feels slightly out of place compared to the grindy and hostile vibe of the rest of the music.  Over it all Chris Colohan’s recognizable grizzled shouting is front and center, though it does not always come off as confident as it has in his other bands.  Maybe because some of the music is a bit different than other bands he’s fronted?  Maybe because of this being a project band with members spread over two coasts, several states, and two countries, thus limiting the ability to really get everyone in the room together regularly to get comfortable with the music?  I don’t want to slag it because this is a pretty cool project that churned out some pretty vicious music that is rooted in ideals I can get behind.  But I think with a little more time together the band could feel a little more cohesive.  (self-released)

THROAT CULTURE, “Everyone Loves You” 7”

It’s not a hard stretch to say that a band from Albany takes some influence from dumpy NYHC.  It’s quite another to say they pair it with weirder grungy noise rock and pull it all off effortlessly.  Throat Culture have somehow taken those two flavors and made them taste great together.  Their demo hinted at these ideas but had more of a post-hardcore feel overall.  This new 7” really extends the members musical interests and makes them fit into their own thing and the result is really great.  If you really reach back into some more obscure territory No Escape kind of had a similar thing going, but maybe leaning just a bit more metal.  I guess my only hang up with the four songs on this record is that they don’t always end solid.  A couple of them seem to just sort of drift off at the end, as if they ran with an idea but didn’t know quite how to wrap it up.  But maybe I’m complaining just because I want more of this stuff.  Gimme more.  (Head 2 Wall Records)

Bonus Round:

PREMA, “Drivel”

Throughout the early 90’s when Krishnacore became a thing and bands like Shelter and 108 were creating crazy music, one-upping just about every band out there with some of the most intense and heartfelt live shows ever. Equal Vision Records seemed to be the place to go for these bands to find a home as well.  One such group of young upstarts called Prema were what was to be (maybe) the next wave of Krishnacore bands.  They released an EP of post-hardcore leaning jams that gave an indication of good things to come.  And then came time for their full length.  Well, they completely did a 180 (instead of a 108, zing!), more or less dropped the Krishna style, and threw everyone for a loop.  Just as an aside, this was around 1996 so the hardcore scene didn’t really know what to make of it.  They were opening their record with the slow and weird “Sounds, Shapes, and Shades” before the next track, “Smoke”, came on sounding like a spaghetti Western soundtrack before exploding into some San Diego-style chaos.  “Morphine Addict” probably wasn’t a good way to impress the straightedge crowd, even though it’s catchy dissonant lead plugged away like it had escaped John Reiss’ brain and traveled to Philadelphia to plant itself in Doug Freeman’s guitar.  Most of the songs on this record hovered near, or over, the 6-minute mark.  Even the last song- “Hair Dye”- is over three minutes of jazzy meandering before exploding into the crux of the song and the chaos that spews forth from there on out.  The whole thing was very Drive Like Jehu worship, which was fine by me because I was just getting into them around when this record was released.  Even their label, Equal Vision, didn’t seem to know what to make of the band.  I distinctly recall an advertising campaign in every zine out there describing them as “Rocket From the Crypt stylee (sic)”, whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean, and throwing credit towards the incorrect John Reiss band.  I don’t think the band stuck around for long after this was released, and aside from drummer Ryan Mclaughlin playing on most of best Ink and Dagger material I’m pretty sure most of the members of this band didn’t do much musically afterwards.  It’s kind of a shame though because this is one really cool record from some very creative musicians.  Unfortunately, it came out at a time when hardcore was pretty rigid and this band, who certainly did not fit into those rigid confines, was thrown into the middle of it.  Too weird to exist, as the saying goes.  But I think it makes for a pretty good lasting album.  (Equal Vision)