REVIEWS
New Reviews
BIRUSHANAH, s/t
The cover suggests this might be some sort of psychedelic, new-age kind of hippie bullshit. The music suggests that the world might just have ended and rattled the shit out of your brain. At first there's some very minimalist traditional Japanese harp and slight percussion. It could be the tense silence in a kung-fu movie before the two main characters duke it out. Then it expands a bit into more percussive sounds and all I can think of is the race scene in Akira. Indeed, my knowledge of Japanese culture is truly limited. It doesn't take too long though before shit hits the fan and sticks start pounding on all manner of clunky metal objects. When you have three people in your band all pounding out tribalistic sounds that have all the rhythm of a Brazilian tribe, but as performed by some post-apocolyptic cult out of a Mad Max flick who couldn't quite fashion any real drums. Add some noisy guitar playing along with the madness, and a singer who absconds from any sense of rhythm or timing favoring manic, crazed preaching instead. One song is purely traditional style and doesn't last too long. The other two are the crushing, pounding madness style and each go on for quite a long time. It's kind of a lot to take in, but is still very intriguing to say the least. Just don't be surprised if the end time arrive after listening. (Level Plane, level-plane.com)
BREDSKY, STOVE, "The Black Ribbon Award"
Yeah, I spelled that right. I thought it was going to be a joke too, but Cave-In frontman Steve Brodsky went and dropped his newest solo record under a delicious alias. I'm continuously impressed at how quick this dude can shit out songs, and dish out one effort after another. What does that prolific output sacrifice in terms of quality. Honestly, not much really. Brodsky knows how to write a good song. He writes simple riffs to wrap a song around, runs it through some cool effects, draws upon some interesting melodies, and wraps it up in three minutes or less. It's simple good songwriting with a Beatles-esque knack for catchiness, and a forward-thinking indie rockers keen sense of inventiveness through fancy guitar pedals. Just like all his previous solo output I'm into this one as well, though I guess when put next to other collections this is lacking a bit. Maybe it's because there's 18 fucking songs on this and is a little bit too much to take in. The first couple songs rock my socks, while somewhere about 3/4 of the way through that same feel returns and one feels as if the record is going to wrap up (it's a pretty good point to call it a day). But no, you get about 5 or 6 more songs after that. In a way, it's cool because you certainly get your money's worth. But I'd rather just get a solid record of 10 songs rather than one with filler. Cut the fat a bit and you'd get another fine record from a guy with numerous nicknames. (Hydrahead, hydrahead.com)
C.I.A. MAKES SCIENCE FICTION UNEXCITING, THE #5
In this ongoing mini-zine conspiracy theories are debunked as real deal stuff that has gone down in the recent past. I guess this zine has maybe been thought of as a conspiracy theory zine since their issue dealing with how AIDS came about. But since then it's been pretty much factual stuff that simply was swept under the rug of popular culture. Most issues I've found to be informative and I've learned a thing or two. This issue, on the other hand, deals with an issue that happened within my formative years, so it's really not that far removed from my memory. Ah yes, the tumultuous and shitty 80's. I had to see Ollie North's stupid face on TV all the time, interrupting my quality cartoon time. That stupid military guy was on trial for something and he replied to everything with 'I don't know'. Man, was he dumb. He was off selling weapons to other countries he wasn't supposed to and it dragged on forever. Yeah, I remember that crap like it was '86... wait, it WAS '86. Yup, this zine gets neck-deep into that little debacle we had in the 80's called the Iran-Contra Scandal. Maybe those under 21 have no idea what this was. basically, it's the reason why LA has crack dealers, why Central America is fucked up, why the Middle East uses weapons we made against us, why there was a Taliban in the first place, and what CIA directors are assassinated by American agents from time to time. I won't divulge the whole history, you'll have to do a little research on your own and realize that basically anyone in government in the 80's was a total clown (not much has changed huh?). There is a nice back history on Iran too that helps give context to what went on in the 80's that certainly helps, but I really think the author here could use a good editor because he doesn't check himself enough for errors and seems to have a little trouble moving things along in a linear fashion. Otherwise, valuable history to learn about to further prove that U.S. 'democracy' just doesn't work. (Microcosm, microcosmpublishing.com)
CLOAK/ DAGGER, "Kamikazes" 7"
In some respects records are really unnecessary, even when it's a good band with good songs. Case in point. this Cloak/Dagger record. Sure, they're a pretty good band, mixing up their Hot Snakes love with a bit more hardcore energy for a pretty rockin' wallop. But one song is on their newest full-length while the other is a cover of a Modern Lovers ditty, and slapped together with in a package that took 3 minutes to assemble. It all seems pretty unnecessary, and you may as well track down the full-length (not to mention The Modern Lovers records as well). Now, my label is just as guilty, having done the same thing for a certain crusty Canadian hardcore band. But at least it looked friggin' sweet. There has to be some incentive to make people want this in my opinion... whether it be some crazy collector thing, or includes some killer artwork, or( don't dare say it!) an extra exclusive song. As it stands you'd be way better off just picking up the band's first 7" or their long player and reap the full benefits of their killer rock. (Grave Mistake, gravemistakerecords.com)
DEEP SLEEP, "Manic Euphoria" 7"
Whoh, where did this come from?. With a sleeve that looked about as dull as wallpaper paste I really wasn't sure what to expect, if anything. And given that Grave Mistake Records was behind this I was sort of thinking it would be more fast, thrashy punk hardcore... which can be a mixed bag. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's indistinguishable from whatever else is out there. Deep Sleep, for one, have a kick ass recording and blow the speakers up like a UPS truck full of fertilizer delivering some Waco-style revenge on government property. It's damned loud. Secondly, they do some jangly Hot Snakes-styled playing as fistfucked by Black Flag's angular riff schizophrenia. Finally, they keep things short and sweet and add just the right kind of melody to not only make it vicious, but good. Well done. A nice debut indeed. (Grave Mistake, gravemistakerecords.com)
GLASS AND ASHES, s/t
I'm quite certain the painting on the cover of the second effort by the cross-country collective known as Glass and Ashes is depicting The Nothing. And to be quite honest, I'd be totally stoked if it wiped out Atreyu and his flying dog-dragon thing without mercy... if you get my drift and can cross-reference music with popular culture. Got it. Ok, we can move on then. Despite the raw destruction going on with the cover I'm not terribly inclined to give this any more spins than I already have trying to pin down what the aim of this band is. I'm not going to say they're bad, because they are anything but. Yet they aren't moving me at all either. Sure they lay down the rock. And when I listen closely I can tell they're achieving it with some nice gear to boot. I'm just not feeling what they're doing though. Nothing particularly stands out to me other than hard-rockin', yet without that extra push I'd like for it to be interesting to me. (No Idea, noidearecords.com)
GRIDLINK, "Amber Gray"
Well about fucking time. It's only been, what, 8 years or something since jon Cheng made mention of doing a new grind band after the demise of Discordance Axis. Yeah, hey, we've been waiting. And, finally, this is what we get. The Hayaino Daisuki thing was a cruel joke and now that it is behind us, most of the dudes from that group have finally released a Gridlink record. Good thing too. If you never heard Discordance Axis get your head on straight and get to know the most forward-thinking grind band to pretty much ever blast your face off. Yeah, Dave Witte played faster than any human drummer, ever. But, vocalist Jon Cheng offered some serious screeching vocals (and if you ever caught them live, a pretty nutty stage presence) that were truly unique and made a hell of an addition to the blasting. In Gridlink he offers this talent once again to a totally new group of grinders. Everything here is just as psychotic and fast, but the music is a little more linear, and follows a more predictable pattern I suppose. This doesn't make it any less interesting, as all the players are at the top of their game and conjure up some killer grind craziness. I hate to cross-reference and continually make DA comparisons since Cheng is the only member between the two groups. But what both bands are doing is similar. The main difference being really is that while DA blasted on the drums the guitars were doing really weird shit like often playing slow, or in different times than the drums right. OK, well, Gridlink is just fast everything. And it's done right. They manage to power through 11 tracks in 13 minutes and have you wondering by the end, 'what just happened'. It's great stuff. Worth the wait. Well, let's just say that for as fast as they play you'd think they'd be in a hurry to get things done. I don't know if I can wait another 8 years. (Hydrahead, hydrahead.com)
HOSTAGE CALM, "Lens"
I just realized this band is named after an unreleased Quicksand song. Points right there. Points also for being a band that's essentially going to fall into a kind of straight-up hardcore niche and totally playing against that. What I'm liking about this band is their ability to play passionate and melodic hardcore, yet throwing a lot of curveballs into the mix- a weird part here, some interesting riffing there- to keep the regulars stopping mid-two step and wondering what just happened. While the presentation isn't totally my thing, recalling a bit of the musical and vocal melody of groups like Ambitions, it's done well. And, of course, I like the curveballs in there as well. Lyrically it's in the right place and they're good at driving their points home. So in all, for a fairly new band it's a good effort and I'd endorse this for folks looking for some melodic hardcore that can cross paths with the sounds of Supertouch just as much as it can with the sounds of groups like Ignite or Another Breath. (Redscroll Records, redscrollrecords.com)
HOT WATER MUSIC, "Until the Wheels Fall Off"
Let's hypothesize something. Would No Idea Records exist if Hot Water Music never did. After all, it seems like they were the labels first real big hit and the label still milks whatever they can out of the group. In a way, without HWM there's a chance that No Idea Records may have called it quits years ago. It's merely a thought and by no means any indication of how the label has kept itself afloat. But you never know. Furthermore, would the fetid, bloated monstrosity known as Against Me exist if there were no Hot Water Music, and therefore, no No Idea Records. Let's ponder this and think of how awesome the world would be without Against Me. (pause for silence and reflective thought). There, wasn't that a happy moment. OK, well, let's get to the matter at hand here- a collection of HWM stuff that is either out of print or unreleased. I gotta say, there was a time when I was goofy for Hot Water Music. To date, "No Division" remains one of the hardest-hitting rock jams I own. Yes, I'm one of five people that lists that record as their favorite HWM release. "Forever and Counting" is pretty fucking sweet too. But I totally lost track of the band after that and to date have never heard anything from their Epitaph years. So if the unreleased stuff on this record from those years is any indication I'll flat out say it- it stinks. The first five tracks on this can be skipped for all I care. It has nothing to do with them getting bigger and fatter recording budgets. It has everything to do with the fact that I just love that shitty metal tone they used on their guitars (thank you Steve Heritage and Assuck!) for the first half of their musical career, which is where the bulk of the material on this collection comes from. Indeed, by all accounts this is a band should sound like they do on the newer recordings. But the fact that they took 7 years to get there means I have 7 years worth of something that's not quite right, and to me, that's pretty punk. And I like them that way. So there's a bunch of covers (most of which I have on splits and comps), the "Moonpies For Misfits" EP, the Leatherface split, and the Alkaline Trio split, not to mention a bunch of new artwork. So there it is- a taste of the best and the worst. (No Idea, noidearecords.com)
NIGHT OWLS demo
A handful of veteran Syracuse musician dudes got together and started a band that really doesn't sound much like anything any of them have done in the past... and that says quite a lot considering all of these guys have played collectively in quite a few bands. Either way, it's one of my favorite things to listen to lately. Making comparisons is somewhat trite, but the same punchy rock that bands like Rocket From the Crypt and Drive Like Jehu (in their less meandering moments) could deliver like it was second nature is evident in each of the three songs Night Owls have here. The music is nothing terribly complex, but it remains very catchy and clever, and above all hits you right in the gut over and over. That's the way to write a good song. Since first hearing this I haven't been able to get "Fake Blood" out of my head. Chances are you won't be seeing these guys live much if you live outside the Syracuse area code, as they have... ya know, real lives and stuff. But if you do happen to see their name on a flyer it's imperative you get your ass to the show and witness it for yourself. (nightowls@gmail.com, nightowls315.blogspot.com)
NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE, "Claustrophobic" 7"
I feel like underground art can be a strange medium. Why do bands do all sorts of frilly, multilayered shapes and horrible text that does nothing for the eye. I'm serious. I really pay attention to this stuff. All that stuff looks like shit and it usually makes a good case for the shittiness of band without having to actually listen to them. People ought to take a cue from Nightstick Justice (who probably could have chosen a better name, but that's neither here nor there). Stark black and whit. huge ariel image of a packed town square (or riot/ demonstration/love-in, who knows) with a dense, bold, huge and simple logo across the top- 'NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE'. And at the bottom, all tiny, 'Claustrophobic EP'. Simple. Great. And it let's people know exactly what's going on. It's simple, threatening, stark, and shitty. You don't need to be a head surgeon to understand what's on the record- fast, ultra-pissed, average recording, lyrics that were probably written while recording... nothing new. But they do exactly what you expect them to do with no bullshit to get in the way. You gotta give them credit for that. (Grave Mistake, gravemistakerecords.com)
NO CONNECTION, "Barb Goes To College"
I'm checking this out in demo form, though I understand this will soon be released as a 7" as well. Either way, it's the second batch of songs this Syracuse pop-punk (in the true sense of the term) band has recorded. They re-emerge with a new guitarist, though not much else has changed. The sound remains rooted in that East Bay, early 90's pop-punk/hardcore style- short, fast, catchy, and sung vocals by the girl whose name adorns the clever Decendents rip-off cover. Nice. Seven new ones with a somewhat better recording and just a slightly crunchier guitar sound than before. (myspace.com/noconnection315)
OAK AND BONE demo
What the hell is this name supposed to mean. I have no idea whatsoever, but so many crude sexual variations can be made on it that I'll just let the reader use their imagination. Boners aside, this is a hell of a great new Syracuse band. But I think they suffer on two counts on this demo. First, the recording is lousy. They know this. I've heard all these songs live and they rip. This recording hardly does any of them justice. Secondly, they are a new band and it feels like they rushed into recording this stuff a little too fast as it's not all there, not totally tight, and could use a little refinement. Still, I don't want to detract anyone from checking this out (or checking the band out if they ever play near you) because they seriously kick ass. The sound is like combining the guitar tones of John Reis in Hot Snakes with Queens Of the Stone Age, and dropping catchy riffs that both would be stoked on, as filtered through the brain (and pedal effects) of Evan Patterson of Young Widows. I'm pretty sure that's about what they were going for anyway, so mission accomplished. Now throw and thick and gruff hardcore gurgle of a voice over it and you get the gist. So ya know... it's like the aforementioned bands (whatever sort of genre you'd classify them into), but a bit more hardcore. Again, you're not going to hear that exact majesty on this demo as they don't do the band justice. But of the six jams on this "Momentum" and "On Your Own Or Not At All" show the goods the best, so take that as a guide. I look forward to hearing more. (myspace.com/oakandbone)
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS, "We Ride To Fight (The First Four Years)"
Ya know, for such gnarly-looking dudes they really didn't sound that harsh in their early days. I'm used to the trashed-to-the-point of liver failure, pissing-in-each-others-mouths while they play, evil-as-shit backwoods, fuck-all rock armageddon that PMFS became. but I am fully aware that they got their start on the adult-contemporary emo Deep Elm label. And that is where the majority of this material comes from. In all honesty, does anyone want the laid back Planes. No, we all prefer the hail-Satan, fuck anything that moves Planes right. This sounds like Elliott on downers. It isn't until a good 2/3 of the way through that they kick in with an Unbroken cover, followed by a whole EP's worth of Black Flag covers. The disc wraps up with a few songs showing their transformation from boring into evil. So, ya know, you could stay chill. Or you could paint an upside-down cross on your face in mud and live in the woods for the rest of your life. Which is more interesting. So is this collection really necessary. (No Idea, noidearecords.com)
PORCUPINE TREE, "Nil Recurring"
Ya know, my uncle has been talking these guys up for years. Now, upon finally hearing them I can understand why. This is a band he would totally relate to. Now, don't start thinking this is your parents rock or anything. I gotta give my uncle props. He has pretty good taste in music, is a true connoisseur in fact. He really digs prog rock and Porcupine Tree definitely are prog rock if the term ever applied. But there definitely is that aspect of some mainstream tendencies, really polished production, radio-friendly melodies, and so on that I think folks who are a bit older, a bit more settled, and treasure their Yes and King Crimson records the same way they treasure their children will be way into. See, I'm new to the Porcupine Tree experience, though I guess they have been doing their own thing for well over 10 years now. I'm not sure if this record would be considered an EP or a full length because there are only 4 songs, but it clocks in at over 28 minutes. So you decide. Hell, I'm just noticing that they got Robert "Mr. King Crimson" Fripp to play guitar on the lead track. There's your prog ode right there. (Peaceville, peaceville.com)
PRIZE COUNTRY/ LOOM split 10"
Pretty much anything with Prize Country's name on it I'm going to be retardedly stoked on. They just annihilated the shit out of me with their full length last year and I expect nothing short of full-on sonic rapeage (yup, I think I just made that up). So on this new outing, slapped together in a ridiculous package that is a gatefold 10" with a CD included, the PT dudes dish out two new ones. They stay in the same vein as the material from the full-length, though I'd say they reign in ever so slightly on the recording end. But they went so far as to have Gar (from Hot Snakes) record one song while Andrew (from Playing Enemy) record the other. Search me, I'm a nerd and live for useless knowledge like this, but it seems like cool dudes to work with. The sound achieved is again of the monstrous post-hardcore variety, rocked out and absolutely huge... a good Quicksand-meets later Snapcae-meets-KARP clusterfuck of awesome. Loom, on the B-side, flip things with a couple songs that aren't really anything I'd listen to all the time. But I can certainly appreciate what they're doing, and how they're getting it done. With noodly indie rock in the vein of Damiera getting quite popular Loom make a decent comparison. Except where most of those bands have dueling guitars winding around complex rythms and ever-changing parts that can go from a heavier end to swirling melodies Loom have a guitar and a violin exchanging more noodly parts than a Ramen convention. It makes for an interesting sound, and it's done as well as it can be. I'm half way into it and half thinking, 'OK, I get it... now stop it.. (Exigent, exigentrecords.com)
SCREAM HELLO, "Smart and Stupid" CDEP
From what I understand this is sort of a teaser EP to the band's next full-length. Or, from what the folks at Red Leader Records have mentioned about these kids taking a break to write some stuff and emerging with close to 30 new songs, I'm guessing this is the leftover stuff that didn't make the full-length. I wasn't so hot on this band in the past and I'm not terribly keen on them still. But I don't think they're bad. I think they do what they do quite well, albeit writing songs that tend to be a little on the long side. But when I slap this on I feel like I'm 14 again and zonked out on my couch watching 120 Minutes on a Sunday night. All sorts of late 80's/early 90's indie bands came to my attention and back then I didn't quite appreciate them like I do now. So listening to Scream Hello takes me back to the me that didn't quite appreciate late 80's alternative rock, but it's mostly because the me now doesn't typically like songs that clock in at over 5 minutes apiece. Does that make any sense. Also, is it me (the me now, that is), or does track three sound suspiciously like that Mother Love Bone song off the "Singles" soundtrack. Maybe I'm getting my indie/alterna rock eras confused. (Red Leader, redleaderrecords.com)
SINALOA, "Oceans Of Island"
Dang, what happened. I remember this band as being decent, but nothing to write home about. Somehow this record gets incredibly catchy and awesome about every 5 seconds. Sinaloa are a rare breed- playing a long dead style of emo punk relying on yelped and strained vocals and music that isn't really all too heavy, but hits you where it counts. They manage to do this deftly as if they were solely raised on Still Life, Amber Inn, Moss Icon, Heroin, and other heroes of the Ebullition and Gravity heyday. Yet they bring in some melancholy melodies and instruments (a trumpet on one song, bells on another, a bit of Rhodes on another if I'm not mistaken) that add something new to the equation and keep these songs stuck in my head. I want to say bits and pieces of this remind me of Interpol, but that would be a bit weird. I think it's just that they way these catchy melodies and riffs sound to me there's a bit of that band in there as well, yet channeled in a way that more accurately resembles older bands of the early 90's. Regardless of these comparisons, Sinaloa really has outdone themselves on this release and created a very personal, beautiful, and compelling record. Well done. (Level Plane, level-plane.com)
SMOKE AND MIRRORS, "Flash Thunder" demo
I can't say that I'm all that into this. I feel like I'm being teleported back to 1998 and Lake Effect is in full effect. Something about Erie, PA hardcore always seemed to have a common thread with it, but I can't really put my finger on just what it is. Whatever that trait is though, it's definitely apparent here. There's a bit of NYHC roughness, a bit of melodic hardcore, and a lot of new school bounce. The vocals kind of distract me with a somewhat high-end delivery and lyrics that I dunno... I'm not feeling them. It just sounds kind of cheesy to me. And not cheesy in that mall-emo sort of way. It's more like just hardcore I don't particularly care for anymore. If it were 1998 again I might be just fine with this. But it's 2008 and I'm an old dude who still likes hardcore, but this just isn't my thing these days. (smokeandmirrors814.com)
"STILL WE RIDE" DVD
So I hope you all know what Critical Mass is. You know, the cavalcade of bike riders that annoy the shit out of you on the last Friday of every month by taking up the whole road while you're trying to drive your shitmobile home from your shit job at the end of a shitty week. Yup, that's us. Well, I can see how that's the truth in megalopolis' like New York and Washington where Critical Mass quite literally becomes traffic. In Syracuse we usually just get rained out or nearly sideswiped by confused maniacs with rustbelt attitudes. On this here DVD a pretty thorough document of the 2004 Critical Mass in NYC that coincided with the Republican National Convention is shown. I gotta say, these people got away with a lot more footage than I figured they would. By all accounts half the NYPD ought to turn in their badges for some of the outright bullshit they are caught on camera pulling against these kids. Granted, most 'anarchist' biker types are smelly, naive, obnoxious, overprivillaged know-it-alls who could probably use a good slap upside the noggin. But a police baton might be taking it just a bit too far. When you get 5000 people taking up 16 blocks on bicycles that is definitely something I'd be truly inspired by... until they can't move because they ARE traffic (there's food for thought), and I can see how the city might have to take a bit of action simply because the whole thing is a bit of a mess. But, it's been pretty clearly proven that the NYPD was out to get these folks from the get-go simply because they wanted the city to have a nice image for the politicos and they weren't all that polite with them. Kids get beaten, dragged, pepper sprayed, infiltrated, raided, robbed (some people had their bikes sawed off of legit bike racks by police and taken away), and fucked with pretty harshly. Arrestees (over 200 altogether) were detained in an oil-polluted warehouse for over 24 hours with no food, water, or place to sit... for riding a bike. Pretty fucked. And I learned some colorful insight as well, such as it being illegal for a cop to take your picture unless they are witnessing you commit a crime. Anyways, between the participants, the lawyers, organizers, and more this is a fairly well-rounded documentary that shows that not only were a bunch of smart-alec kids fucked with, but a lot of regular Joe's and Jane's who wanted nothing more than to go for a huge bike ride. Fairly interesting. One thing though- why do people think Fly is a good artist. This cover looks crappy and I've never liked anything that artist has done. Yuck for cover, yay for the coverage. (Cantankerous Titles, stillweridethemovie.com)
STORM OF LIGHT, A, "And We Wept the Black Ocean Within"
Listening to this I wanted to fall asleep. I mean, it's super intense stuff, but it's sooooo slow. I actually had the chance to see them in a movie theater recently and it was quite a different experience. I mean, it was still really, really slow. but it had a lot of presence. And having the drummer from the Unsane in your band never hurts either when the guy can make a single snare hit sound like a freight train ramming into your house. Regardless, the group was incredibly loud but tight as hell making these depressing and plodding dirges animated just a bit. Additionally, they had a full-on movie accompanying all the music and if I'm getting things straight this album has a theme of a bunch of whalers that look like KISS caught in the rain who died at sea. That's my guess. At least that's what the visuals seemed to imply, along with the music. They do a good job of bringing it all together and if you get the chance to see them live you'll definitely understand it all better. But if you're just listening to it on your stereo it gets a bit difficult to make your way through it all unless really slow, Neurosis-styled drone rock is your thing. I know at this point in the game I've pretty much had my fill. A worthy effort nonetheless, just a style that I've heard so much of lately it gets a bit tiresome to me. (Neurot, neurotrecordings.com)
TIDES/ GIANT split CD
OK, so it's getting harder and harder to differentiate the NeurIsis metalgaze bands these days and I'm not going to really attempt to anymore. So this may be the last time where I can really separate who's who because these two are fairly distinctive. If nothing, it's moreso in the recording than anything else. So I'll expand on that thought, just like these songs. So Tides do the long drawn-out thing and made some decent headway on their previous outings. I think they really dropped the ball, though, this time around. One song is their usual fare and nothing special honestly. It just plods along for awhile and stays pretty heavy for the most part. The second song is acoustic and varies it up a bit. But the recording is lacking and takes some of the thunder out of their downpour. Giant, on the other hand, comes through with one massive piece (Giant, massive... see, I'm getting lost in a sea of big things to associate with bands playing 'big' music) that truly shows a group that plans out movements and ideas within songs. I've seen these guys before and looking at their set-up it feels like you just walked into some hot shit music store with all the gear laying around. So they have that going for them. Plus they're all incredible musicians. Finally, they got a really solid recording for this song and it shines, man. You can catch all the ebbs and flows of the song, large heavy parts, melancholy melodies accompanied by some synth/piano bits, and an ending that has been stuck in my head since the first time I heard this. And that rarely, if ever, happens with music of this variety. So that must be a good thing. Anyway, only three songs, but close to a half-hour of music in total. Winner- Giant. (Level Plane, level-plane.com, vinyl on TDB Records, tdbrecords.com)
TORCHE, "Meanderthal"
I may have hyped this up too much in my head. "In Return" was so instantly gratifying that I was waiting for that same bludgeoning of catchy fury in this new full length. I gotta say, the first half of this record definitely delivers. "Triumph Of Venus" presents fast, poppy and catchy noodling dynamics. "Grenades" furthers that soaring stoner-pop ethic, while "Pirana" shows the choppy metal Torche can throw down to any chumps that challenge their heavy side. "Sandstorm" simply drives the point home with (finally) some of the slower, mucky heaviness the band established themselves with. It's actually my favorite track on the record. Yet after that it's a bit of a mixed bag. Each song certainly has it's memorable moments and gravitates between the poppier moments and mean crunchers. But it doesn't have the same instantly gratifying bite that old songs like "Vampyro", "Mentor" or "In Return" have in spades. It isn't until the very last track, leftover sludge droner "Meanderthal", that you hear the band's signature bomb string explosion. Is it an intentional afterthought. Something they're planning on leaving behind. Or is it an obligatory nod to fill the albums quota of brown notes. I can't quite say. What I do know is that while this is definitely a good record I'm not sure if I'm as instantly satisfied as I was on the their last two outings. Maybe it's a grower and needs a little time to break in... which would be odd for Torche. I guess we'll see. (Hydrahead, hydrahead.com)
"TRAIN ON THE BRAIN" DVD
What do you do when you're a middle class working stiff whose getting bored with the rat race. Take a vacation. Sure. Where to go. How about fly out to Western Canada and hop trains across the continent for a few weeks? Hey why not?. Now I'm not trying to stereotype, but I don't know if I've ever met a train hopper that wasn't a middle class white privileged kid pretending to be a hobo. I've seen hobos and they sleep a lot under bridges and panhandle during the day and they look like hell. These suburban dropouts look like they fell in the mud at a Green Day concert and then walked home. Personal taste and hygienic flaws aside, this story takes our narrator on a journey to learn the ways of the rails from a couple friends. It's mostly an attempt to learn how it works and just to see what happens. She naturally meets some total sketchballs along the way, finds danger, way too much filth, and some very unnecessary nudity. This culminates in an attempt to make it out to the National Hobo Convention in Iowa (really, this happens) where some real-deal hobos (ya know, big beards, sack on a stick, Sterno-havin', can of beans-eatin', 40-lookin'-like-70, toothless wonders) party it up for a couple of days before heading back to the Northwest. The trek seems highly arduous and fraught with peril. Yet at the same time a lot of it is pretty darn scenic as well. As for me. Unless I'm being chased by goons in a cornfield and a train is coming on by you'll never catch me hopping a one. I'm all for the DIY lifestyle and travel ethic, but there are far more pleasant methods of getting a free lift. Watching someone else do it though is pretty entertaining. (Hollywood Can Suck It, hollywoodcansuckit.com)
VSS, THE, "Nervous Circuits"
Luckily, I went and bought the full version of this essential re-release. I was a manic Angelhair fan when I was just a lad and in 1996 when I heard some of those dudes had started a new band I immediately picked up stuff by The VSS. Oh yes, this was quite different than Angelhair. Maybe some of that grating guitar mixed with primitive tribal drumming, and nihilistic punk attitude was similar... but what was with all this crazy keyboard stuff and reverbed vocals. Whatever, it was crazy and I loved it. After getting this 7" compilation CD I found the split with Rye Coalition and then came "Nervous Circuits". Again, more wild crazy shit ensued. And next thing I knew they were broken up. I never got to see them, never heard another thing by them. Kaput. Although, some may know vocalist Sonny Kay as the man behind GSL Records and the same erratic voice of Year Future. Anyways, fast forward 10 years and Hydrahead has surprisingly resurrected this gem from the catacombs and given it a hell of a makeover. Now in a big 'ol package that has the original "Nervous Circuits" CD, as well as a DVD of a buttload of video (not high quality, but what do you expect, it was the 90's) that goes to show that despite how out of control their music sounded they replicated it and then some in the live setting. Additionally (for some anyway) there is a bonus CD of some unreleased songs that are pretty good, but I can see why they didn't make the final cut, as well as a radio show performance that stretches on for way, way, way too long. It's a nice bonus though anyway you slice it. So, in many ways, you can see how important groups like Bauhaus, Joy Division, and Echo and the Bunnymen were to this band. But they took some of those influences and twisted into this totally fucked future punk nihilism that was well beyond it's time and still is as far as I'm concerned. (Hydrahead, hydrahead.com)
"X-RAY VISIONS. A LOOK INSIDE PORTLAND'S LEGENDARY X-RAY CAFE" DVD
Anyone who has ever been to Portland, Oregon knows anything goes. There's so much rad shit to do in that town, it's why I keep going back there. Maybe residents there would disagree with me, settled in their cool alternate universe city life. But I don't live there and I have a blast every time I get a chance to go out West. It's no wonder then that between 1989 and 1994 a totally whacked out space called The X-Ray Cafe existed and almost nightly put on entertainment that ran the gamut from spontaneous bands, to Elvis impersonators, to Evangelical spanking sermons, to Spanish language classes, and 25 cent advice sessions. Of course, the occasional band stopped through as well... like Neurosis (in their punk days), Nation Of Ulysses, and Green Day (in their punk days). The usual cast of weirdoes and regulars littered the place and the prime operators were certainly no Joe Lunchbox's either. Hell, they had a venue fundraiser where the two owners remained handcuffed to each other for 72 hours while entertainment continued non-stop the whole time. There were parties, shows, classes, more parties, more shows, riots with police, and more assorted weirdness than you can shake a stick at. It's a miracle anyone even bothered to document all this shit over the years and keep it intact... let alone compile a large chunk of it to make up this feature. I really wish I was around to experience some of this. It's probably half the reason why the current crop of bizarro business owners in that city do what they do. They were probably all raised on X-Ray. The only comparison I can think of is like a giant version of Voodoo Donuts minus the donuts and with more music. Investigate it for yourself to get a little essential piece of Portland's always interesting history. (Microcosm, microcosmpublishing.com)