The New Scheme #18

The New Scheme u iss

en e ht g i ee

This Will Destroy You Paint It Black Kidcrash Antlers :: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

18

The New Scheme Issue Eighteen

Z's //

C–Scott Russell

Publisher & Editor Stuart Anderson

Contributors Chelsea Bashford Ryan Canavan Nick Cox Pat Dixon Michael Flatt Andre Medrano Zach Moroni Sam Sousa

Photographers Jason Bergman Peter Betancourt David Mizelle Scott Russell Andrew Weiss

Cover Photo Chelsea Bashford

Help Wanted We are always looking for help in the following areas: • Interviews and features • Columnists • Photography • Reviews (books/publications, music) • Distribution

Fine Print All contents are © 2008, New Scheme Publishing Concern, All photos © by each photographer

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

Published By

New Scheme Publishing Concern PO Box 18830 Denver, CO 80218 http://www.thenewscheme.com stuart@thenewscheme.com The New Scheme is published quarterly.

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contents

8

Columns

6

Paint It Black

8

This Will Destroy You

13

Antlers

17

Young Livers

21

Cassette Labels

24

Kidcrash

27

Record Reviews

31

DVD Reviews

46

13

17

21

27

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

editor’s note

This always happens. A new issue has finally crawled to completion, and all I can think about is the disappointment of not having made good on every promise in the last editor’s note (or the three before that). This time, there has been incremental progress (and more of it than usual). Given the hectic nature of my life–and those of everyone else involved–progress that’s slower than I’d prefer is way better than none at all.

The slow process of redesigning the magazine after years of roughly the same look has at least begun. There will be much more of a continuous feel to the upcoming issues. Even more so than everything else, I realize this is going to take a couple more issues to get right. After staring at it so much over the last few weeks, I don’t even know what I think about it anymore. When I can finally look at it again in a little while, I hope it still seems like an improvement. We’ll see.

The “digital mixtape,” which I’ve also been planning for some time has finally come together. This is a development that, admittedly, is long overdue. I remember resisting the urge years ago to join the glut of magazines using free CD samplers to try and sell issues. Similarly, I’ve been slow to offer any sort of digital music on the website, or anywhere else. But, starting with this issue, there is an mp3 player on thenewscheme.com. This mixtape of sorts features a song from each of the bands interviewed in the issue and several from reviewed records we particularly liked.

This will be expanding with future issues, including being made downloadable in some form. I am excited and relieved to finally have this figured out, but even more excited about the songs that are included. I have listened to the whole thing on repeat several times while finishing the issue. I’m sure you’ll find at least a few new songs and bands that interest you as well.

Each of the bands that are interviewed are included on the mixtape, as well as all the records which have this headphone logo next to them in the review section:

As always, I’m hesitant to take this project too far into the digital realm. But, this new way of delivering at least a small portion of the music covered in each issue is exciting for us (if not old news for just about everyone else).

I’m not going to promise any huge leaps forward with the next issue. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way over the years. But, with a solid staff in place and a stack of great summer releases already filling the “next issue” shelf above my computer, I think #19 will be our best issue yet. The “classics” feature from last issue will be returning. I have it narrowed down to one or two records and I’m confident it’s going to be as strong as the Small Brown Bike piece.

See you this summer,

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

Ryan Canavan

The Things That Matter

“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like. Books, records, films– these are the things that matter. Call me shallow, but it’s the fucking truth.”

- Rob Gordon (John Cusack), High Fidelity

Damn right. After all, why are you reading this zine? Hoping to find a similar-minded girl or guy sitting in the same coffee shop before a show reading it as well? Yes, you know you are.

And who can argue with relate-ability? Everyone, especially those of us still figuring out life (and particularly those persuaded by independent music, art, literature, and/or radical politics) are just looking for other people with similar interests. Once in a while you find those people and life is good. But it doesn’t mean you’ve got life figured out. There are always new things, new stuff, new life to explore.

Check this out: I am now 30 years old and I guarantee that I’m probably a good five years older than about 80% of the readership of this fine publication. I have a college degree, I’ve worked professionally in the mental health/ human services field, I’ve chosen a wonderful life of unemployment and adventure for over two years now, play in bands, book shows, run a label, and have been in a great relationship for over three years now. I’ve seen and done a lot.

But I’m really no closer to being a complete person who has the whole world figured out than I was 10 years ago. I’ve just learned a lot and perhaps gained a bit more common sense. I’m just as confused about why things happen, where I am right now, and where I’m headed. That never changes.

And by that assertion I’d like to add that the quote at the beginning of this column holds true as a measure of good human interaction, moreso than some big ‘what does it all mean?’ cloud looming over the heads of those too young to vote, the twenty-somethings trying to make a go of independence, past the balding throes of mid-life crisis adults. No one can tell you who you are, or what you love in life. That’s for you to figure out through your own experience. So why not keep it simple and enjoy each other’s company through things that matter?

Here’s a real short beginner’s list from me, touching on a little bit of each.

Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

OK, so it’s going to be a film soon and there’s no way in hell they’re going to get each important bit of story in there. It’s just impossible.

Hopefully they won’t fuck it up too much. As for the graphic novel, well, it’s one of the greatest comics ever written. It’s the story of superheroes outlawed in the wake of a true superhuman (Dr. Manhattan) coming into being and changing the way civilization plays out. It shows the displaced heroes as real and vulnerable people trying to live their lives out, that is until they start getting killed off. It’s only when Rorschach, a lone vigilante who never surrendered his mask to the law, takes notice of the murders and (in effect) gets his old cronies to begin the fight once again. That is about the most basic description I can break this story down to without giving too much away in this otherwise incredibly involved and detailed missive.

The sub-story of the Black Freighter pirate tale is exceptionally intriguing as well, and plays right into the main story. So many classic quotes, characters and the fate of the world. The vulnerability of the human condition, of fear, wonder, doubt, and paranoia makes this one a classic. So amazing. Read it before the film drops so you don’t end up posing with the post-movie dorks who pick up on it too late.

Barton Fink, written/ directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Maybe I’m optimistic, but since the Coen Bros. are hot shit these days (No Country For Old Men, Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski) it shouldn’t be too hard to track this down. Still, it tends to be one of their less popular films. Like any of their deeper films the point of this film can be taken in numerous ways- is it a portrait of the depravity of Hollywood and all the phonies that go along with it as seen through the eyes of a newcomer that’s, deep down, just as fake as the rest? Is it a comment on the story of the average Joe being ignored by the gaudiness of cheap entertainment? Or is it a complex metaphor of a man trapped in Hell, wondering just how he got there in the first place? Maybe it’s just a flick about writer’s block?

Either way, this 1991 film starring John Turturro as a 1940’s New York playwright hired by Hollywood bigwigs to come out that way and write for the pictures tells the tale of a guy thrown into an uncommon situation and trying to get through a massive writer’s block once given his first assignment. His fast-talking, hard-boozing peers (and bosses–wonderfully played by Tony Shalhoub and Michael Lerner, as well as John Mahoney) in the biz urge him not to be so serious and just let it flow. His lumbering, oafish neighbor (John Goodman) in their dismal hotel attempts to guide Barton (Turturro) through his rough spot with everyman tales, all the while being ignored by Fink, whose lofty ideals regarding ‘the common man’s theater’ make him a snob to the people he envisions championing. OK, so does that sound a little too high brow? That’s understandable. That’s why, naturally like many Coen brothers’ films, murder and black comedy ensue.

The dialogue and characterizations, scripted and filmed by the brothers, is, as always, incredible. It’s also where the classic, “Look upon me! I’ll show you the life of the mind!” quote that was sampled way back when by the mighty Bloodlet came from. While I like just about everything the Coen brothers have done I often feel that this is a particularly wonderful gem of theirs that is often overlooked.

I don’t think I want to get too involved with any one record to round this out simply because there are far too many good ones out there.

Therefore, I think I’ll just leave it at what I’ve been listening to lately. How about that?

Lemuria, Get Better (Asian Man/ Art Of the Underground) Prize Country, Lottery Of Recognition (Exigent) Setauket, Trial and Era (self-released) Iron Lung, Sexless/ No Sex (Prank!)

Superchunk, Here’s Where the Strings Come In (Merge) Pissed Jeans, Shallow (Parts Unknown) Undertow, At Both Ends (Excursion) The Life and Times, Suburban Hymns (DeSoto) Lungfish, Talking Songs For Walking (Dischord) What do you like?

Challenge me.

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

hanginghex@hotmail.com www.hanginghex.com www.myspace.com/hanginghex

Sam Sousa Notes From The Lost & Found

On a message board, that shall kindly remain nameless, there came a recent post about a Fucked Up 7”. The 7” is the third I believe the band has released as a show-only 7” (meaning if you didn’t attend, you didn’t get it). For there new Christmas single the situation is a little different, they pressed 1,000, took most to the show for sale and then gave the rest to select distributors. But before the distributor knowledge became available, a kid on the board noted he’d be attending the show and would gladly get a copy for anyone who asked. Now I know for this single it’s a little different since the public had a shot at a few of these, but for the most part those of us who didn’t go to the show should not own this record, none of us, we were not there, it is not for us. Shortly into the new year the single started popping up on eBay and the band responded with the following statement: “A lot of David Xmas 7”’s are on eBay. Just for the record–if you are selling one of those, we think you are a DOUCHE. We had to spend more than two weeks wrapping those things and getting everything together so you assholes could click a button and flip them the next week. Fuck you!”

I agree with this sentiment.

Here’s a better example: the Paint it Black Goliath 7” only available at their record release show for New Lexicon. Only 500 pressed and the song is exclusive to this release, until the odds and sods collection of course, and this release exclusive to one show. The day after they played people on the board started asking for copies, offering both cash and trades. That same day they began to appear on eBay and as of right now with five days left to bid, the record is garnering $27 (It ended at a whopping $66).

A few weeks later a phantom bidder bought two copies of Hot Water Music’s Till the Wheels Fall Off reunion tour edition, one at $400+ and one at $350+. Neither record was paid for, but obviously someone willing to pay for the record was outbid by at least a dollar. No Idea, who pressed both the regular and tour versions of this record replied by throwing around one hundred copies up on their web store and eBay with the following statement, which I edited, but the essence remains: “Okay, this blows. People are putting these things on eBay looking to scalp people. Bummer. Look, people are going to feel compelled to flip these to make a fast buck, but this is ridiculous. REMEMBER PEOPLE: all it takes is TWO CRAZY PEOPLE bidding on an auction to drive the price way, way up.

This is NOT a reflection of reality! Think about it! So a dude in Orlando sold one of these for $405... so what? That is just STOOOPID……..WHAT’S EVEN CRAZIER is that this 2xLP is about to be released with a “real” cover, inserts, and printed labels for $12. THINK ABOUT IT!........To combat this IDIOCY, or at least to make myself feel less complicit, I am putting up SEVERAL of these records as a buy-it-now deal. I will CONTINUE to put them up here as long as people buy them. For real. I have FOUR-HUNDRED COPIES. No joke. 400.

At least half of these are supposed to go to the Chicago show this coming weekend (at $20 a pop), but screw it: you want to pay an inflated price to get one today, go for it. At least a good portion of the $$ will go straight to the band…..”

My issue here is on several fronts, but notably though, not with the band. It’s cool when bands/labels go out of the way to make a unique experience/memorabilia for the audience whether a tour only version, the occasional koozie, whatever. My gripe is with collectors on a bevy of fronts.

First, if you weren’t there, you don’t deserve it, if you stumble across it fine, but don’t try to coerce people out of their unique gift, it’s theirs because they were there and you were not.

Second, you should know better, as a collector you’re all about having a unique piece, something that sets you apart, and this isn’t for your obtainment to be used as a trophy, it’s for someone elses. If you want something unique then get to these shows, you say you can’t, well then find a local band whose shows you can attend and get their rare stuff. All this bidding, all this “gotta gotta, gimme gimme” means nothing, because you weren’t there.

Third, for those who do attend and get the record, save it, the band/ label spent a lot of time and money to press up something real nice for you to have as a keepsake, a memory of a certain place at a certain time. Are

your memories available to the highest bidder? If so I’ll take the dinner you and your grandpa had just before his death, I didn’t get that chance and the steak from yours looks better. I don’t understand why people are quick to sell a token of their time. Should I sell my Fest 6 koozie to some dude who wasn’t there? Should I wear a Lollapalooza t-shirt when I never have and never will attend? No on both counts.

Let’s go back to the Fucked Up single because for me it brings up an ethical dilemma about record collecting. Now in the case of this particular single I got it at Insound and the money went to benefit the George Herman House, a transitional housing and life skills program benefiting women with mental illness in Toronto. I am more than pleased to get a rocking record and be philanthropic. In fact, just this past weekend a friend and I had a lengthy discussion about the absence, nay, disappearance of benefit records from the underground community. I bring this up because I think constantly about the buyer who obtains the used benefit comp. What about the original intent of the purchase? Was it not to benefit something greater than our own collections? Was it not to create a larger sense of purpose in the underground? To find a way for all our screaming and dancing to mean something?

I’d like to believe so, I want to believe so. I been thinking about this because of a Food Not Bombs compilation from Anomie records I bought on eBay. None of my money went to a Food Not Bombs. All of my money went to some dude’s pocket. Now I hold issue with both the seller and the buyer.

First of all, I can’t imagine any profit made is going to wind-up feeding any needy or homeless people, it will however feed the profit margins of said salesman. To me they owe a portion of their profits to the originally intended destination or at the very least to a like minded organization. I really began to feel weight about this after I bought the Vida Life comp used on eBay. The out of print 7” on Lengua Armada, which for full disclosure I bought for my Palatka collection, was meant to benefit an AIDS foundation in Chicago, a foundation and a city I am distant from. But obviously it isn’t the only place where AIDS is an issue, so shouldn’t I fork up a little dough to an AIDS foundation, shouldn’t I pass a long the charity once meant for these people? I think so.

For myself I began a bucket into which after every benefit-related purchase I deposit five to twenty dollars based solely on my financial status at the time, and when it is full I give the money to a charity inspired by the compilations I have purchased. It isn’t much, and in fact I may buy so few comps that it seems futile, but I got to make my first contribution to Wayward Council just after they were robbed a few months ago. It wasn’t much, but I believe in this place and what they do for their community. Plus getting robbed is fucked up. I recently dropped my second set of ducats at Harvest of Hope, whose immediacy with fund distribution is impressive and insane; I recommend you send the money there.

But what happened to the philanthropic nature of punk rock? It appears to be dead, when it appears at all. There was a time when people preached from stage, organization had booths at shows, and change seemed like energy in the air. Maybe I’m old and a bit jaded, and too disconnected from any sense of said scene, but it seems we have become a stagnant place framed by the nervousness that comes with offending others and not seeming too preachy. There is room for all sounds and ideas, but to achieve this place we must first express ourselves in a way conducive to reaching abroad. Part of reaching out is promoting alternatives, not just alternative styles either, but alternative ideologies.

In case you haven’t lately, because lord knows I hadn’t, give The River Bed by Small Brown Bike a spin. I panned this album when it first came out, called it a great disappointment and discouraged everyone I knew from buying. Turns out it is really fucking good. Cornelius is a band a friend of mine just exposed me to, go expose yourself and for that matter by any album put out on Assorted Porkchops. Listen to Harry Nilsson, it’s good for the soul. And buy the Yo Man Go! 7” from Square of Oppossition, the band rules, the labels rules, and if you don’t know now you know sucker!

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

Paint It Black

It was a pleasure to interview Paint It Black screamer Dan Yemin and bass player Andy Nelson via cell phone while they drove around, got lost, and we got disconnected, reconnected, etc.. Check the review section in this issue for more on their most recent release, New Lexicon.

What do you think it is about you that gets you into these seminal bands, you were in Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, now with Paint it Black, these are all considered important bands?

Dan: I started each of these bands, so it’s just persistence, you know.

Yeah, but you have an outside job, so it’s not like your only job is doing music?

Dan: Oh yeah, it’s like half and half.

So would you say music is your only hobby, it’s your only thing outside of work?

Dan: Um, I’m into other stuff, but I don’t have time for any other stuff.

I’m into movies and I’m into literature, but instead of reading like a novel a week, I read a novel every six weeks. Before I was doing bands I used to read for like an hour every night before going to bed, but now at that time I’m just passing out, I’m just too exhausted to really read. So yeah music is pretty much the most consuming hobby I have. Andy seems to be able to track like a bunch of other things that he knows a lot about and is into, and I like cinema and literature, but I have very limited exposure to it because I just run out of time and run out of steam.

What is that like being in a band with members of Affirmative Action Jackson? I know they have such limited releases [such as their five-song split 7” with The Sound of Failure on Dine Alone which we here at The New Scheme highly recommend], but the music alone seems to have such a sense of humor to it.

Dan: It’s awesome being in a band with them, two-thirds of that band is in Paint it Black, they’re, first of all, great at arranging songs, and second of all they’re hilarious.

I’m a big fan of AAJ, but I’m kind of baffled as to why you have only the five songs available?

Andy: We have a lot more, this year we were supposed to record three 7” for Relapse, No Idea and Level Plane and we just didn’t. We’ve been really busy, Jeff (drummer) plays in about four other bands and Josh is in like two or three bands and I play in three or four bands and its just been really hard to get together, but there are lots of songs that are coming once we record them, so… We actually recorded them last year and we hated how it came out so we just scrapped it. So at some point we’ll do some more.

Is there ever going to be another Armalite record?

Dan: We talked about writing a 7”. We’ve been trying to play a show out of state beside the Fest. We tried to organize this New York show and it just fell through again. But I think it would be really hard to keep us from doing something again, we love each other as people and as musicians so you probably just have to be patient.

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

Words: Sam Sousa // Photos: Jason Bergman

I’ve been listening to the new record and I know it was produced by the great J Robbins and then sort of reproduced by Oktopus from Dälek and as a bass player I instantly noticed the record is bass-heavy. I thought it had these two polar aspects, on one hand it’s melodic, but there are parts of it that are very heavy. Is that a product of working with Oktopus or is that a specific direction the you all choose to go in?

Andy: For my two cents, Dan and I both feel like modern hardcore and punk records, and really even any records, metal especially, have this concept of what heavy sounds like which really just means super compressed and super loud, in terms of mastering, but there isn’t really any low-end to it. The bass itself isn’t that distinguishable. Our main influences as far sounds go are Black Flag and Bad Brains and those records sound completely different. They were recorded twenty years ago or more and just the approach to how records should sound back then and how they were mixed was totally different than how it is now. Dan and I were just talking about some of these metal records where you can’t even distinguish the notes. They’re heavy, but you can’t even tell what notes they are because they’re so compressed. Even on Paradise [Paint it Black’s second album] the bass was higher up in the mix than most records like it, but we were sort of trying to make something that is really bass heavy and that was part of the appeal of Oktopus. Dan is a really big fan of the production work on their records which have this incredibly gnarly and sinister, huge low-end to them, just totally evil-sounding. And they’re hip-hop so they have that Escaladedriving-by-blaring effect, and rock records don’t sound like that. We sought out Oktopus because we wanted to bring that sort of aesthetic to our record and I think he did a really great job. There’s some parts on the record where it’s actually so wall-of-sound it distorts it over and I think it’s a natural thing, where you just hear it crash all at the same time. Our contemporaries would just sooner have it all sound flat. I am

really happy with how it came out, especially as the bass player, to get so much love because a lot of people in bands I’m friends with, bass players, barely even know they’re playing on the record. The Metallica record that people say there isn’t even bass on is a perfect example.

Dan: I don’t want to take potshots at our peers, I just think a lot of times the people that record music tend to be guitar nerds and even though I’m a guitar player I think guitar is overrated in hardcore, especially the kind of heavy that comes from a Les Paul plugged into a dual amplifier and then the same part tracked six times on six different tracks so it sounds really thick. That doesn’t sound heavy to me. The stuff we’re really influenced by, and we’re influenced by a lot of things a lot of which isn’t hardcore or punk, but in the hardcore or punk I think is the most gnarly and heaviest, it’s really the bass that is making it kick you in the gut. I think we’ve forgotten that in modern times. I just wanted to revisit the concept of heavy and who better to understand that than a hip-hop guy with roots in hardcore. He’s an old hardcore kid I’ve known for like sixteen years, so he understands our punk and hardcore reference points really intimately but brings a whole other set of reference points as wide ranging as Public Enemy to My Bloody Valentine. We just thought it was time to take another shot at what it means to be heavy and put a different spin on it.

[At this point in the interview I ramble on for nearly a minute about bass playing, there is really no need to reprint it other than to mention I end my statement talking about Kid Dynamite and the astounding and intricate guitar work on both albums.]

Dan: As a songwriter I have always been in love with the bass as an instrument. I’m a guitarist, but I’ve always owned a bass and I’ve been a huge fan of Paul Simonon of The Clash or Bruce Foxton of The Jam and

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

even Geddy Lee of Rush, players that kind of take the lead. I’ve always been fascinated by them, especially if they can do it tastefully. Everybody always jocks the guy from Rancid, but I think on the first two records he overplayed way too much. The bass for Fugazi is crucial, he doesn’t really take the forefront, but he’s really subtle about it. So I always thought it was important for the bass to be doing something, not just following the guitar riffs. But when I listen to those Kid Dynamite albums now I’m just like, “where’s the bass?” It’s so thin and not as present as I want it to be now.

If you don’t mind me asking how old are you?

Dan: I’m in my late thirties.

And how old were you when you got it punk and hardcore?

Dan: Fifteen.

Do you remember what it was that drew you here?

Dan: It was the aggression, the dynamics, and the politics simultaneously; Reagan Youth, Minor Threat, Suicidal Tendencies, Hüsker Dü at the same time. Well first, it was the Pistols, Generation X, Stiff Little Fingers, and then American hardcore came right on the heels of that.

What was it that drew you here?

Andy: In like ‘95 or ‘96 I started going to First Unitarian Church, saw Avail and I went to Stalag 13, and saw Dropdead and the real band that sort of changed it for me was Ink & Dagger. I saw them and I was just blown away, my mind was blown by the energy a D.I.Y. band could harness and I was like ‘Sign me the fuck up.’ And ever since then I’ve been going to shows in Philly and started playing in bands and started putting on shows and getting hands-on and that was it, I was a lifer.

The reason I ask is, I am a couple years shy of thirty and as I get I older I look for people who are still here. This place has a tendency to be youthoriented, and I really become more and more convinced that punk and hardcore should really be for older people.

Dan: Probably my favorite band right now is older dudes, it’s Dillinger Four.

Your lyrics tend to have a personal take on a political subjects, and I am wondering what motivates you in that direction.

Dan: Well it’s pretty simple. The world’s a mess and people are either doing something to make it better or doing something to make it worse.

That’s an oversimplification but it’s true and I don’t like liars and thieves, especially if the behavior has large-scale consequences for a large number of people. It doesn’t piss me off any less than it does when I was sixteen during the Reagan years. I was kind of appalled when I realized what the Republican Party was all about in the ‘80s and that people could run illegal wars in Central America and fuck over the poor to serve the rich. I was like ‘Really? You can get away with that?’ and other people as they got older are like ‘Cool, how do I get in on that?’

But I feel it’s more disgusting now to see grown people behaving like animals. I know what it’s like to get older and not turn into a douche bag, so I’m less tolerant of people who do. They’re like ‘Well, you know, there’s all these practical issues preventing me from uh...’ and I’m like ‘No, I actually know you’re lying, cause I’m out there too and you’re just fucking lying.’ It’s not that hard to keep giving a shit and not just give in to what mass culture is selling us.

I was looking at the cover of your record, the lit, isolated parking lot, the title New Lexicon, and thinking about where you wanted to go for this record with that low end theory, is there a direct correlation between all of that.

Andy: There wasn’t any real direct connection between the title of the record and the layout. I think the goal whenever you’re creating some art work for a record is to make the record look the way it sounds, which I think a lot of bands, especially punk bands fail at because they succumb to this cliché, and we’ve certainly done it a million times too, where it’s just like some fucking skulls, or George Bush with some KKK headdress on, which doesn’t really indicate what the record sounds like. The point is we never really made an effort to have something that looked drastically different than a lot of hardcore records. I don’t know if we succeeded with that.

Yeah I think it does, the cover is pretty straightforward, there is no neon or intense threatening imagery, it’s just very subtle and very attractive.

Andy: I’m nervous to spell out what the theme of the art work is. There is a theme to it, but I think it was just born out after finishing

“...even though I’m a guitar player I think guitar is overrated in hardcore, especially the kind of heavy that comes from a Les Paul plugged into a dual amplifier and then the same part tracked six times on six different tracks so it sounds really thick. That

”

doesn’t sound heavy to me.

10

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

the record and having sat on it for awhile. We played it for a few people and we sort of realized, which we didn’t when we were making it, the overall sort of vibe to the record. The idea we had for the layout is just to be an extension of the overall feeling of the record, and as far as the actual design we wanted something that was clean and sort of simple and classy, and it’s all designed to look like a book which speaks to the idea of a lexicon. There wasn’t any direct link to all of that, though now that you mention I think if we’re striving to go to a place other bands don’t, it tends to be a lonely place and I think that desolation was something we walked away from the record with, not that it’s a bad thing.

Dan: I don’t think there was a correlation between the title and the imagery so much as with the imagery correlating with the mood of the record. Andy had the most pronounced opinion about what the art should and shouldn’t be and he has the most refined aesthetic sensibility within the band so I trust his judgment. It turned out that Andy asked a friend in town who is an old punk named Clint and he has a design company called Tomorrow for advice and he was like ‘Dude, have you looked at my stuff lately?’ I hadn’t seen his work in maybe eight years and it was a style I wasn’t really into. But I checked out the stuff he had done over the last couple years and it was exactly the style we were talking about. It worked out great because I’d much rather work with friends than with strangers. Clint did a really great job of paying attention to the content and came up with this grim and desolate look, but at the same time the front and back covers are really beautiful.

They’re lonely and in some ways represent the American mainstream culture as this kind of desert, you know, shopping through parking lots at night is like a desert. I like the gas station picture because like Andy said ‘It’s awesome cause you’re in this desert and you crawl on your belly miles and miles to get this oasis and it’s a fucking Shell station.’

Welcome to America. Most importantly, it parallels the music because in some ways the music is really grim and dark, and the subject matter is also grim and dark in a lot of ways, but I think also strives to be beautiful and transcendent and end on a hopeful note. To get back to your question about what got me into punk in the first place, I was alienated and lonely. I was like a bleeding-heart, New York Times-reading nerd growing up in a really, really conservative suburb in really conservative time and I as became aware of my surroundings and how I didn’t fit in anywhere, it was the same time I discovered punk. I had been walking

around in this strange land and finally ran into someone who spoke the same language as me and it was like finding home.

Do you think that sort of alienation is what drove you to be a teen psychologist?

Dan: Adolescents and young adults make a lot of sense to me, a lot of times they make more sense than their parents do and maybe that’s because I’m punk. So I feel like I understand because I am alienated from American mainstream culture and from a lot of my peers in a lot ways. I definitely feel like I still intimately understand the adolescent experience even though I’m two decades past it. It’s an exciting time, but it can also be a really lonely time because teenagers are in the process of becoming.

I only got into your band recently. I went through a withdrawal period from punk and hardcore and one of the things that got me back was having a kid. Feeling a sense of conviction about the spirit I feel in the music. I find your work, especially Paint it Black, inspiring. It really is a great motivator. I’m just wondering for what do you find inspiring or motivating?

Dan: I feel motivated by a lot of my peers’ bands in terms of spirit and conviction and lyrical content. Dillinger Four is a constant inspiration. It’s just like biting political critique but also it’s hilarious and if you’re going to be political you have to be able to laugh at yourself because it’s so deadly serious and it can really drag you down into a pit. The cool thing about being punk is that there isn’t that big barrier between the artist and the audience, so a lot of my favorite songwriters are my friends in Philadelphia. The No Idea family down in Florida, a bunch of grown folk punks who do a label and a distro and still walk the walk, put on this huge cultural event every year which is also the best adult punk party of the year and it certainly makes SXSW and CMJ look like the wastelands that they are. They whole thing just really inspires me, reinvigorates me every year… I find inspiration all over the place you just have to be willing to find and not succumb to being jaded because it gets easier the older you get. It’s a copout, because jaded is a sister to apathetic and apathy is really dangerous.

Paint It Black—www.paintitblack.org // Jade Tree Records—www.jadetree.com // Jason Bergman Photography—­www.jbergs.com :: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

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The New Scheme Digital Mixtape, Issue 18 Available now at: www.thenewscheme.com

Featuring 12 new songs: Antlers - “Catalpa” ­ courtesy of Rorschach Records — Caspian - “Crawlspace” —courtesy of The Mylene Sheath The Catalyst “This Bike Is A Gravity Bong” —courtesy of Perpetual Motion Machine Haram - “Drescher Clock” —courtesy of Lovitt Records Kidcrash “Parrots Just Don’t Understand” —courtesy of Init Records Paint It Black “Past Tense, Present Perfect” —courtesy of Jade Tree Records Saint Jude “Voices Carry” —courtesy of Tor Johnson Records Them, Roaring Twenties “Harry Caray Frontier Guide Hawkeye” —courtesy of Sickroom Records This Will Destroy You - “Threads” —courtesy of Magic Bullet Records Under Pressure - “Whip and Rein” —courtesy of Escape Artist Records YOG - “Love Process Failure” —courtesy of Get A Life! Records Young Livers “Fair Well” —courtesy of No Idea Records All 12 songs are from new records, each available from the labels above.

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:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

This Will Destroy You :: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

13

This Will Destroy You revolves around the idea of a slow, steady buildup. Originally intended as a demo to be sold at shows in and around their native Austin, Young Mountain ended up being released by Magic Bullet. Soon after, their songs slowly began to appear in film and TV projects all over the place as the record went on to sell more than 20,000 copies. This same slow, steady growth is evident in each of the band’s songs, which tend to arrive innocently and quietly. But they chug along toward something that uses dynamics and patiently melodic riffs to demand your attention.

Whether those who heard the band in the background of VH1, MTV, BBC, an HBO boxing documentary, or a Pentagon briefing on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts were among those 20,000 record-buying fans is hard to say. The same goes for people drawn to their track on the Prom Night soundtrack, where TWDY appear alongside Rihanna, Britney Spears and Timbaland. What’s clear from all this is that the band’s brand of cinematic, glacially-paced music is suitable for many purposes.

For their self-titled sophomore effort, the band employed a familiar approach with stunning results. The 11-minute “The Mighty Rio Grande” is a perfect example of what makes the band so effective. On the first listen, it seems like very little happens; just the slow rise and fall of careful, howling guitar riffs. But it doesn’t take long to realize how much is going on around every one of the countless corners the song subtly turns. “Threads” uses similar tools to create an almost completely opposite effect. At just over five minutes, it’s dual guitar lead is careful, though the melodic payoff is almost immediately apparent and downright catchy.

Young Mountain was a simultaneously comfortably familiar and adventurous debut, which put them in league with Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai, among others.

Their follow-up delivers on all of this promise, ambitiously thrusting them further toward the forefront of epic, cinematic rock music. Along the way, the seven songs also launch them beyond any sub-genre ghetto, making it clear that they are far more than simple background music or another instrumental band. It may have been hilariously ironic when their music appeared in the background of a government briefing, discussing a hurricane relief effort. But given any amount of careful attention, it’s obvious that This Will Destroy You is a fitting moniker for one of the most effective and devastating records to come out in some time.

This interview was completed via e-mail with guitarist Chris King, just before the release of the new record. [Anderson] Explain how the band first formed, and what happened between the original recording of Young Mountain and it finally coming out on Magic Bullet.

We have been playing in bands together since we were in high school and This Will Destroy You formed about four years ago. Young Mountain was initially supposed to be a demo for the band. We never planned on it being officially released. I randomly talked with Brent from Magic Bullet online one day and this led to him asking us to be on a compilation CD for the label. We then sent in the demo just to thank him for putting us on and the next week Brent contacted us and asked if we wanted to tour with a band he had just signed (Sparrows Swarm and Sing) and re-release Young Mountain on Magic Bullet.

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:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

I know songs from Young Mountain ended up in a lot of TV and film projects. How do you guys feel about this? Do you think it helps the band, exposure-wise? It seems like those things can be great, if people actually have the desire and ability to find out who is playing the song in the background.

The band is influenced by certain scores and contemporary composers (i.e.

Max Richter, Philip Glass, Brian Eno), so getting involved in TV/film projects seems to be a sort of natural progression for the band. I think it can help exposure-wise; some TV shows have started crediting bands which is definitely a positive thing.

How did the band find out about one of your songs being played during a Pentagon briefing? What was the briefing for? Do you think the irony of your band name was lost on them? Do you get paid for a gig like that?

We kind of just randomly found out about the whole thing. The briefing ended up being on disaster relief/post-Katrina. HAHA, yeah didn’t really think about that until now and NOPE, fucked again by the man.

Obviously, there was some degree of expectation regarding your new, second record, especially given the success of Young Mountain. Did you feel the need to ignore all that, when writing and recording the new record?

Yeah, the sense of expectation is definitely something that is apparent and hard to ignore. We tried to not let it dictate our approach with writing and recording the new album, but was kind of inevitable in a way.

How does your songwriting process usually work? How has it changed over time?

We usually all get together and work off of a riff or beat that we are all into. As things progress in the writing we usually try to pinpoint on a mood for the song and go from there. As a band now I think we have a more defined, focused idea of where we want the songwriting to go.

Young Mountain ended up being a sort of learning process for us–both in the studio and writing.

Photos–Andrew Weiss www.andrew-weiss.com

Even more than on Young Mountain the songs on the new record seem not just layered, but really carefully planned out. How much thought is given to the arc of each song, dynamically and otherwise? What about for the whole record?

The new album has more of a subtle dynamic than Young Mountain.

The arcs/crescendos on the new album seem to build and recede much slower, but ultimately to a more dramatic effect. The writing ended up being somewhat calculated; but still tried to keep it as organic as possible.

It doesn’t seem like you guys have toured a ton to this point, especially given the belated success of Young Mountain. I know health concerns led the band to drop off one lengthy tour. How much of a priority is touring extensively at this point?

Yeah, there have been a few issues holding us back from going on the road full time, but things now seem to be resolved so the plan is to do as much touring as possible in 2008.

Obviously, your band does not have vocals, and that’s worth mentioning when me, or anyone else is attempting to describe, or review it. But it seems to me that “instrumental” has become seen as both a trend and a genre/label lately. Given the short, or long-term history of music this seems sort of ridiculous. How do you feel your band is defined, in good or bad ways, by your lack of vocals?

Really doesn’t matter to us - labels/genres can be such bullshit–but can ultimately end up being a positive thing if it gets people into the music.

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

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16

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

Antlers

Words : Jeff Byers Photos : David Mizelle

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

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Richmond, VA’s Antlers are an incredible instrumental band that people should know about. It would be easy to define this band by their “ex-members of” statuses—the group includes past and current members of Mass Movement of the Moth, Gregor Samsa, Olive Tree, and Resonance—but Antlers’s music is far different and more exciting than the members’ past endeavors. Their record label, Rorchach Records, describes Antlers as “Don Cab with ADD.” I think that’s pretty accurate.

I wanted to get out of the old Q&A format for this interview. There was an idea of going camping and editing journals from the trip, but schedules weren’t lining up, so we took to the Internet. This interview took place across the three cities of Harrisonburg, Richmond, VA, and Washington D.C. from four separate homes and offices. This was then transcribed and sent electronically to The New Scheme in Colorado. The internet is crazy, right? This is an interview with Antlers’s Christian Brady (bearded guitar), Wolfgang Daniel (guitar), and Cory Bise (four-eyed bass). Drummer Mike Ashley was working.

Jeff Byers: So we are just doing this now?

Cory Bise: go for it JB: ok, I want this to have a human interest element to it......Wolfgang, what was it like to finally find the internet?

Wolfgang Daniel (WD): Life changing JB: So I think I’m going to put a lot of what just happened in but let’s go ahead and get the usual out of the way. What does everyone do in the band and what’s one thing no one knows about you yet? I’m doing some camp counselor shit, here Cory: I play bass and sing a bit. I’m wearing a robe.

JB: do you have a name?

Cory: cory “cory bise” bise JB: OK and who wants to share next?

WD: I play guitar and I’m currently in photo school Christian Brady: I am Christian, guitar (right) player in the band Antlers, I also am apart of the singer ensemble. I am currently growing the nails on my right hand to better my fingerstyle ability. However, I have to cut them at the end of February for massage school.

Cory: Christian, do you listen to kaki king?

CB: I have once…a few years ago Cory: I like her stylez JB: So can someone answer or talk about how your band got started.

Maybe if you can mention sonic youth...

CB: cory?

18

Cory: Wolfgang and I were at a mutual friend’s house and were talking about Don Cab and such.

WD: Cory asked me if I wanted to play music in a band involving two drummers.

CB: Wolfgang asked me if I was interested in playing with them. We played with just one drummer in the beginning then added Mike Ashley then the first drummer left; and mike stayed and it was beautiful.

Cory: Started talking about wanting to a mostly instrumental band that was mostly mathy, though I hate that term, with a very melodic, poppy element, too.

JB: That sounds pretty normal. From an outsider’s point of view, you four are the last four to be in a band together for admittedly unknown reasons.

Cory: I didn’t know any of these guys really at all.

JB: So what’s that like starting a new band with new people?

CB: It was awesome. It’s like immediate friend crushes.

Cory: And that came from me playing with the same people for years and years and wanting to play with people I really knew nothing about. I had been doing Gregor Samsa for awhile and as much fun as that is and with as many great opportunities that have come from it, I felt like it wasn’t really my band. I was just a player.

CB: A player in the music of life.

JB: Your music sounds really intricate but the songs are really short. How does the fact that the four of you didn’t know each other well factor into the songwriting process given the “note-y” stuff that you guys are able to accomplish?

Cory: Well, it wasn’t easy at first. Personally, I get very uncomfortable playing with new people.

CB: I thought it was pretty easy going, but maybe I don’t remember. We wrote “Dogwood” the first practice.

WD: Yeah we were kinda stuck on a couple things but the more we played the more it developed.

CB: There were a couple of stray hairs -- because we trimmed them up and found the right flow WD: Once things clicked it all moved pretty fast.

CB: Now the length of our musical hair is growing quite vividly.

JB: So IN THE FACE OF FUCKING ADVERSITY....what made you want to keep going? I think starting a band trying to keep people committed is hard. How did that work for you?

CB: We were all really stoked about it. It was easy to commit. How could we not want to make musical love in the basement of Wolfgang’s house?

Cory: Well I think we were all ready to do something new. Some of our bands were on hiatus, some were ending. It just seemed like the right time to start something new, with new people…a “perfect storm” of sorts CB: What are you doing, Wolfgang?

WD: Playing guitar CB: awesome.

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

JB: nice. I just went and peed. My advisor started talking to me while peeing. It was weird.

CB: If this were a video chat I would laugh so hard Cory: It was very easy, though. I think that’s why it was easy to commit.

We all got along great and agreed on most everything.

CB: I want to see that sweet robe JB: Anyways....so you did this record....

Cory: It’s green, brown, blue and grey.

JB: Is it dad-like?

CB: Really?

Cory: Very dad like CB: oh i got it.

Cory: I got my roommate a robe and a pipe for Christmas.

CB: the visual I mean. nice JB: You better be wearing slippers.

Cory: nah. Just boxer briefs and the robe JB: You need to step it up. So you don’t have many vocals...why not?

Cory: Ah... good question.

CB: That’s probably the most difficult thing to do because we don’t really use mics. However we’ve been toying with the idea Cory: I had just gotten back from a Samsa tour and I was over the sound checks. We played with Ghost Mice a couple of times and I liked the idea of being able to set up and play anywhere CB: So writing parts that are vocal appropriate is like...confusing maybe?

But our two new songs have vocals.

JB: That’s weird because I was wondering you know....you put out this record and, for the most part, people have no expectations of you but you put it out and it doesn’t have many vocals. So now I wonder if you’ll consciously write like that because of expectations whereas before you had no expectations yourselves CB: i would describe us as an instrumental band, so lack of vocals is appropriate. Mike wants to sing more on top of loud parts. I’m stoked about it. His voice is great.

JB: So how might you deal in the future of writing?

Cory: I still don’t want mics JB: Do you feel people might have expectations of you after this record?

CB: I don’t think so. I think people dig it and will be into whatever direction Cory: We don’t have any expectations of ourselves.

WD: We’re just doing what we want to do.

Cory: We show up and play and if we like it, we work on it.

JB: Can you tell me about the record. Why are you releasing it in three formats?

Cory: I love vinyl. I don’t buy music anymore unless it is on vinyl.

CB: Tapes are good for old car people. Rorscach Records offered to do vinyl and cd and Perpetual Motion Machine wanted to do a tape so...we’re down.

Cory: I just love having these different ways to put out the art. Well, i asked paul if he wanted to do the tape.

CB: oh. THATS SO REAL. JB: Wolfgang, what are you doing right now?

Cory: Semantics.

CB: Playing guitar.

Cory: Eating.

WD: Both.

JB: textin’?

WD: Actually in all honesty I’m eating a california burger.

JB: To those that don’t know Antlers, can you try and describe “THE ANTLERS EXPERIENCE” if they were to come to Richmond and see you play.

CB: Wolfgang did you see that hiwatt combo on craigslist?

WD: no how much was it going for CB: 1978 Hiwatt Custom 100..combo..very rare..Celestion spkr..$1900 JB: HEY! Cory: Family oriented.

CB: Cory is so right.

WD: I dance a lot and Christian bangs his head real hard.

CB: Antlers family. A state of being.

Cory: We’re all long lost brothers.

CB: And everyone in Richmond is so beautiful, and supportive. It’s amazing.

JB: How was the LP release show? was it a proud baby-birthing moment?

Cory: So fun.

JB: There were SO many people there.

Cory: We had Taylor Burton, Andrew Clock and this guy James play with us.

WD: Real good. I fell off the stage.

CB: the record release was really special.

JB: And now, Taylor is playing with you proper?

CB: I wish.

WD: Hopefully.

Cory: He said he’ll play with us permanently.

WD: That rules.

CB: For real? That’s great news.

JB: How do you think that will change the dynamic with a new horn player/ drummer/multi-faceted dude?

CB: It’s just going to be more layered, fuller, more energy – it’s going to be very powerful. Taylor is a genius. I love him. Musically and personally.

JB: You guys are relatively older....how do you think the internet has affected your band?

CB: I’m turning 23 Saturday WD: I’m the baby at 21.

Cory: I turned 26 two days ago CB: Aquarians por viva!

WD: Ill be 22 in May Cory: Are we really considered “older”?

JB: I consider you somewhat older. Maybe not mike and Wolfie though. it’s hard to pin down sometimes.

Cory: Well I went to high school on the eastern shore of Maryland and that was before popular internet use.

CB: I’m not sure what you mean by that.

JB: I guess I think you guys grew up without a lot of Myspaces and sendspaces stuff where music is so accessible, you know.

CB: Yea, we didn’t have much internet hype growing up.

WD: I grew up in Richmond seeing bands like Stop It!! and Light the Fuse and Run but Myspace was around when I was in high school.

CB: Our buzz has been a very word of mouth based buzz. It’s nice in that regard. I prefer, because I’ve been in bands before that thrived off internet hype/ JB: Yeah...I guess I don’t know where I’m going with this. I just thought it might generate discussion. So I guess you could see the difference between Antlers and past bands.

CB: Absolutely. Antlers being “known” or whatever felt kind of over night.

JB: And I wonder how you interpret that and does it make it more fulfilling...

CB: Yea -- Mike was telling me last night when Meadows played in Richmond that some people in Brooklyn were talking to... a band from Richmond when they were up there about Antlers, and were anticipating the show.

JB: But you know, some kid in California probably has no idea who Antlers is. I feel that you guys have a lot of regionalism if that makes sense…

Cory: At first I thought it was because we were/are all in other relatively popular bands before CB: Which is nice, because that’s word of mouth, that’s real. so real.

Yea, I totally thought that too Cory but I don’t really think so.

Cory: Yeah, now I know that it isn’t the case which makes me feel better CB: I think people recognize the energy that we give off, and can totally lose their “self” in it.

JB: I think you can tell that Antlers operates in a different way than say Samsa who releases a new song each week leading up to a new record and Moth who had Adam working it, you know so it’s kind of refreshing to see a band not really succumbing to that sort of stuff. I mean, Wolfie doesn’t know how to use the internet!

Cory: Yeah, but I also learned a ton from being in Samsa….the power of networking

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

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“ I am currently growing the nails on my right hand to better my fingerstyle ability.

However, I have to cut them at the end of February for massage school.

”

CB: Adam had brilliant strategy–and created a very wonderful thing, and created spaces for amazing experiences but Antlers definitely rides the backs of the constellations. We just resonate with good people, and the support feels really nice.

WD: Yeah. People have been real enthusiastic about our live sets.

JB: When you’re not doing Antlers, what do you guys enjoy doing?

Cory: Camping. Being outside. Eating good food CB: I’m in massage school currently and it’s so great. I love it–also, I play in another band, “meadows”. It’s experimental acoustic pop...and I totally love eating.

WD: Wating and school work.

JB: Best food you’ve had on or off tour....GO! Cory: Tofu scramble in Chicago.

CB: Malabar Indian food, short pump Richmond.

WD: Vegan omelet in Eugene, Oregon. It’s real bangin.

CB: tofu hoagie, some corner shop in Philly….Che Café, California JB: Near the Veggieplex?

CB: Yea, totally Veggieplex (now Planet Mollie).

Cory: Philadelphia is such a great place CB: Absolutely.

JB: If Antlers were going to have a dinner party what would each of you make and why?

WD: Burritos because I cant make much of anything else.

CB: I would make nappa salad and make some fresh juice with beets carrots apple and ginger.

JB: nappa salad?

CB: And maybe some vegan mac n cheese.

Cory: My girlfriend is the cook. I’m terrible at it. I do love burritos, though CB: Nappa salad consists of shredded nappa cabbage with toasted slivered almonds and crushed up ramen with a apple cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil and soy sauce dressing JB: I made these awesome sandwiches with marinated portabellas, fresh mozzarella, and pesto last night.

CB: I love sandwiches. Sandwiches are my favorite food.

WD: Harrison street TLT (tempeh lettuce tomato) CB: omg... TLT. JB: This interview will come out in mid-march I think. What are your plans for Antlers in the future?

CB: continue to play music and put out a one-sided 10” JB: seriously?

CB: I think so. I think Cory mentioned that Cory: Yeah. With an etching on the other side…of a sandwich CB: We have 2 new songs, 2 in the works. An etching of a sandwich is genius.

JB: That’s awesome. How do you write songs being apart from each other?

Cory: We’re also going to be putting together a long tour in august.

CB: I come down (from D.C.) to practice every two weeks or so. We practice from 2-4 hours when I come down.

JB: Well does anybody have any thing else to say?

Cory: Gremlins is on.

Rorschach Records www.rorschachrecords.net P.O. Box 14712 Richmond, VA 23221

www.myspace.com/4ntlers antlersrva@gmail.com David Mizelle www.flickr.com/photos/dave_o/

Perpetual Motion Machine www.theperpetualmotionmachine.com PO Box 657 Hamilton, VA 20159 20

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

Young Livers

I whipped up this interview with Matt Farrell via the very intimate form of dialogue called e-mail. He was kind enough to be patient with me, and my on going serious of questions.

Last year the Young Livers released The New Drop Era on Kiss of Death/No Idea, an attention grabbing album, which holds nothing back; it was without a doubt the punchiest record of the year, and I mean it feels like you are being punched in the face. It is the kind of album only endless belief in your songs can write, an angry sing-a-long. I caught them at Fest 6 where their live show knocked me on my ass.

Expect great things from these guys.

By: Sam Sousa I happened to catch you guys this October at the Fest 6 and you rocked, in fact Friday at the Atlantic was the best night for me. How did you like the Fest being both a player and a spectator?

Fest has to be one of the greatest experiences for me as I am sure for everyone. Tony and everyone involved do an amazing job of bringing in such a great roster of bands. We are very grateful we get to participate and attend. It can be very hectic when you become part of it and not just a spectator but it is also very rewarding. As far as Friday at the Atlantic the atmosphere there was both intense and heart warming. A room full of such wonderful people all in the throws of the music and the energy. See you at Fest VII.

You’re from the North East originally if the rumor mill serves correct, so it must be a certain amount of the energy surrounding the Fest that drew you to Gainesville?

The rumor mill is correct. I grew up in Rochester, NY and when I was 16 landed in Wilkes-Barre, PA where after a few years I met Chris who grew up in that area. When I was in my late teens some of the older people in our area put together a weekend music fest. It was around for a few years and a fair amount of Gainesville and Florida bands used to play.

So when I had decided that it was time to move on from PA one of a few choices was Gainesville. We landed here mainly because we became friends with some guys from down here in a band called Building the State and they had a place for us to crash. Of course the Fest also played a factor.

How did you get into punk rock?

Probably the same way lots of people did through skate videos and my older brother who turned me onto a lot music that totally captivated me when I was young. After being introduced I started seeking new music on my own and finding out about local shows and playing music.

Skate videos and older brothers must account for ninety percent of male punk involvement. What were some of those early bands?

I think I remember my brother signing up for a subscription of Thrasher magazine and getting a free copy of Drive like Jehu’s Yank Crime. Also I remember getting a free snowboarding video with Coming Down the Mountain by Jane’s Addiction and also stumbling onto Dinosaur Jr. and Descendants through another video.

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

21

What new music pushes or excites you?

To be honest it seems to me that by the year fewer and fewer bands push or excite me, I think that music in general is getting diluted. Although this past year I heard some great new music. I really enjoyed the new Glass and Ashes, Torche, Baroness, Marked Men and the Underground Railroad to Candy Land (thanks Ben). There was a lot more but that’s just off the top of my head.

Do you ever find your creative energy to be a reaction to others output?

It is definitely a reaction in regards to working with others in the band. There is a motion or sway involved in our interaction and creativity. We hit stride or fall flat based on how we interact with each other. There really isn’t one person who writes in the band, it’s a collective process.

You guys are playing an upcoming benefit for Harvest of Hope with Against Me. Do you think there is an inherent relationship between punk rock and philanthropy?

Well I guess I would like to think that they should be inherently the same idea but whether that is true all the time I’m not sure and that’s just my thoughts. I think we touch on that some with the ideas in our band perhaps.

People formulate there own ideas on what punk rock is and what to do with it. We were excited to be part of the show with Against Me and it’s great that they are putting their popularity to good use. A lot of bands I think may forget that they can do that as they get more attention.

We just played that show last night and the energy there was tremendous and the people who run Harvest of Hope were very kind.

You guys all work for a living, which is something I hate to say, playing in a band how do you feel about that sentiment, that work is what you do to live rather than say your art?

Shouldn’t it be reversed, shouldn’t you be playing music for a living while work is something you’re driven to do? (Note: I don’t mean by some larger altruistic work related force, but instead by the forces of capitalism.) How do you guys all manage to balance that?

I think most bands would love to have the opportunity to play their music as their sole source of income. Unfortunately unless you’re willing to shape that art into a form that matches what is popular or selling at that time it is unlikely (at first) that you can manage. We all have to work multiple jobs (each one of us works at least two jobs) to make ends meet. Most of us have had to look for new work after tour and not many people will hire some of us because they know that were in a band. There is nothing uncommon in that for most people in bands (spending a lot time working in kitchens or warehouses). I’m fortunate that my primary employer lets me take time off and return at the same wage and also is locally and employee owned.

We all have to work very hard but I think it’s worth it I feel like we earn what we get.

22

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

What is “The New Drop Era?” The New Drop Era was the point in Great Britain’s history in which the government introduced a new means of executing people by hanging. The new system involved a platform in which the convicted would stand on with a rope around his or her neck. Given the signal the platform floor would drop out and I’m sure you get the rest.

Why only an eight song album? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the short record. Lately things seem so self-indulgent and over the top, that an eight song album is refreshing.

We had just about hit the one year mark of playing together and we were feeling that the best way to capture the inception of the band was to record the first material we put together. We had spent our first year practicing 3 or 4 days a week in the sweltering practice spot till sometimes 5 or 6 in the morning.

We felt that as the band went on from there it might not have the same feel. So we took those first 8 songs we wrote as a band and recorded them.

What’s the sentiment behind the song “Drinks Are Our Amnesty?”

I try to write lyrics that are somewhat ambiguous but represent the feeling behind the song. Any lyrics I write I present to everyone in the band for criticism so that it represents all of us well. Dave writes lyrics for what he sings and Chris helps me on occasion or if he has an idea he would like to convey he writes. As far as that song in particular I hope that whoever reads it can draw their own conclusion. It was reflective of the time prior to that in which all three of us had transplanted and had a lot of things changed in our lives.

Young Livers­: www.myspace.com/younglivers No Idea Records: www.noidearecords.com

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

23

Calling the idea of a cassette-only label new probably isn’t accurate.

They’ve been around, in some form or another, for as long as cassettes. But a reemergence of cassette releases and cassette-only labels began to surface within independent music a few years ago. The reasons for this are varied, as illustrated by the three new cassette-only projects featured here. For two of the three, the format represents a combination of novelty and aesthetics. For a third–Utarid Cassettes in Malaysia–the cassette release is more a matter of accessibility. The romantic notion of spreading new music by the trading (and proper release) of cassettes is very much a necessity for them.

Putting on a cassette, or even dusting off your cassette player, can be an exercise in nostalgia and futility. But the same could be said, to some degree for vinyl and CD’s, which don’t seem far behind these days on the slow march toward extinction.

All three of these interviews were conducted via e-mail with three new cassette-only projects.

How and when did you decide to start releasing music on cassettes?

Do you release music on other formats?

Chris: Dead Format started in 2006 when we re-released the Robert Blake/Erik Petersen split cassette. I had originally released that on cassette in 2001 but was never really happy with the way it came out. John had been looking to start something since his work schedule didn’t really allow him to be in bands anymore, so we got together and started Dead Format as a cassetteonly label. I also run Square of Opposition Records, which started in 2001 and primarily releases vinyl.

John: It really got started as a joke. We were always cracking jokes about how we hate CD’s and that we wanted to release music on a format that would never make any money for anyone.

How do you produce your releases? Do you do the packaging and/or reproduction yourself? How many copies of each release do you typically start with?

Chris: The starting amount varies based on the artist. Most of our releases have been around 100 copies, but a few have been more. We bought a duplicator when we started the label and all the packaging so far has been pretty standard J-card photocopies.

John: The great thing about doing a tape label and having our own duplicator is that how many we run is never an issue. If we run out and need more tapes we just make them. It’s a really low-pressure way to release music.

Do you find it difficult to get cassettes carried through conventional distribution channels? Do you look for trade and distribution within the community of cassette labels?

John: Yes. Then again, we don’t really try to get them carried by anyone.

Chris: Right, you can see what John brings to the table. Yeah, traditional distributors have not been super-supportive of cassettes from my experience.

The releases sell mostly through the artists, trading, and at shows where I set up my distro. I have a lot 24

of trading connections from running Square of Opposition for so long, but I don’t think that we have yet traded with another tape label. We would definitely love to trade with another tape label, it just hasn’t happened yet.

What do you think the pros and cons are of releasing music on a seemingly obsolete format? Do you think cassettes are any more obsolete now than CD’s will be in a few years?

Chris: Man, seriously, fuck CD’s.

John: I second the fucking of CD’s.

Chris: Tapes are definitely obsolete. Most people don’t even have tape decks in their cars anymore!

Our label is called Dead Format because tapes are just that. It’s a shame. I have always personally had a fascination with the cassette format. It could be the same thing that drew me to vinyl in my formative years, I don’t know. I am old enough to remember when vinyl and tapes were IT, but I am young enough to have owned CD’s almost my entire life and hear all the bullshit about CD’s being superior, etc. Fuck that. CD’s are impersonal and disposable. I welcome their demise.

John: I really like how tapes are inconvenient. Music shouldn’t always be a user-friendly experience.

I enjoy how cassettes force you to experience a whole album instead of jumping to just the tracks you want to hear. We both love vinyl and collect vinyl.

Chris: I think we both have a pretty romantic image of formats that have lost their commercial value in the “real” marketplace.

John: But records cost so much and require a dependence on other entities to make them for you, whereas tapes always worked with the DIY ethic that we love so it just made sense.

Chris: Yeah, fuck iPods too! Long live obsolescence!

How much time and thought do you put into the artwork for each release? Do you try to shy away :: THE NEW SCHEME ::

C—Chelsea Bashford

from typical plastic cases? Where do you get the actual cassettes and/or cases for production? Are they getting difficult to find?

Chris: Actually, all of our releases have stayed within the J-card/plastic case realm thus far. We always just leave the artwork and packaging up to the artists involved, so I guess that’s just the way they’ve wanted it. It’s not hard to find tape supplies at all–just search the internet. Some companies we have used are DeltaMedia (tape.com), Crown Magnetics and Raintree.

www.myspace.com/deadformat deadformat@hotmail.com 2935 Fairview St, Bethlehem, PA 18020

Cassette Labels tapes is quite low, so there is no point for me to produce more than 100 copies of a particular release.

It would be dumb of me to press like 1000 copies when it would usually take almost forever to sell even 100 copies of a particular release. But I must say that I have been pretty lucky so far, since most of tapes that I released have sold out.

The packaging depends on the release. If a band required the packaging to be totally unique then it won’t be sent to the factory to be produced.

If it is just the standard packaging, then it will be sent to the factory. It all depends.

Do you find it difficult to get cassettes carried through conventional distribution channels? Do you look for trade and distribution within the community of cassette labels?

How and when did you decide to start releasing music on cassettes? Do you release music on other formats?

It started when My Disco from Australia wanted to come to Southeast Asia for tour and they ask me if I can release their tape here, so it was just like a friend lending a hand. But now it’s become a more serious label and I can’t believe I’ve done 12 releases so far. I also have a record label named Quiet.Still.Dead.Records where I release CD and vinyl, but I’m more focused on utarid:tapes.

How do you produce your releases? Do you do the packaging and/or reproduction yourself? How many copies of each release do you typically start with?

Well, usually I will ask the band to provide me with the master and I will then bring it to the factory to press it. All the reproduction is done at the factory.

Most of my releases had a limited run of 100 copies (and most of it will not be re-pressed after I’ve run out of the original presses). I think there were a couple times when I had to press more than 100 copies of particular releases. This has nothing to do with being “elite” or whatever. The demand for

Yeah, most of the times it’s extremely difficult to get a tape distributed around the world. That’s why most of my tape releases were released in a limited run of 100. Just look around most distros and you will see that not too many of them carry tapes. I am not blaming anyone. This is expected. Most people prefer vinyl and CD’s over tapes. Some even prefer mp3s, which is pretty depressing if you see it the way I do. I can say that I am pretty lucky to be in South East Asia because vinyl is not something that is as affordable as tapes and there are a lot kids who are still into it regardless of the trend or whatever. I can say that I am quite happy that there are quite a number of people who still dig tapes more than anything else. Those are the ones that keep on supporting Utarid Tapes. Trading with other labels/distros who release/carry tapes is a good way to get rid of a huge chunk of a particular releases.

What do you think the pros and cons are of releasing music on a seemingly obsolete format? Do you think cassettes are any more obsolete now than CD’s will be in a few years?

Obsolete format? Maybe in America but not in Malaysia or Indonesia. The pro is that it is cheap :: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

and affordable for kids over here. I mean for 10 bucks (USD) the kid can have like 3-4 tapes. That means more music to listen to. People will need to keep in mind that the exchange rate is killer around this part of the world.

It is quite funny to hear Americans whine about how their dollar is losing its value.

Not everyone around here can go and paypal like 20 bucks for one CD from some distro. Most kids also don’t have their own record player so they are missing some crucial 7-inch releases that they read in MRR or some other zine. One of the cons that I can think of is that a lot of people seem to missed out on some great music from round here that is not released on vinyl or CD formats. Just because it is not on those two formats doesn’t mean the bands couldn’t rock as good as those who have a 7-inch out. Another con is that a tape release will only be considered as a demo in MRR. I think some poeple will need to get their heads out of their butts and realize that a tape EP or LP is still an EP or LP and not a demo or a tape collection or anything like that.

How much time and thought do you put into the artwork for each release? Do you try to shy away from typical plastic cases? Where do you get the actual cassettes and/or cases for production? Are they getting difficult to find?

How much time I spend on the artwork depends on each individual release. If it’s something less typical then I would be spending a lot of time. Getting some personal touch on some of the releases is time-consuming and requires a lot of my attention and time. Typical tape releases don’t consume as much time as those less typical and special ones. It’s the same with me using the plastic case or not. Most of the special releases are the ones without the typical plastic case. Since the tapes are produced and pressed by the factory, I never had any problems or difficulties finding it. None of my releases are home-dub, each and every one of them are what some people call “pro-tapes” and are only produced in a proper factory and pressing plant.

25

What is coming up for your label in the near, and distant future?

Right now I’m working on the demo tapes for Enoch Ardon from Spain. Other demo tapes that will come out are from local bands Tyrant, Merkuri and Almost There. There’s also a collection tape coming up from Graf Orlock, Pete The Pirate Squid, Daitro, Violent Breakfast, Mr.Willis of Ohio, Dominic, Only For The Sake Of

Aching, Bökanövsky and Cotidie Mori and also a discography tape by now-defunct Singaporean 90’s emo band Ila Mitra.

utaridtapes@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/utaridkaset

cassette. Several different fabrics were used, then mixed and matched on each pouch.

All my cassette reproduction thus far has been done by the awesome people at Dead Format. They run their own cassette label as well, and were recommended to me by Mike from Rok Lok Records. Together, we’ve done runs of 100 for both of my releases thus far. In the future though, I’m looking at doing some even more limited runs of 50 for upcoming projects.

Coriander Casettes How and when did you decide to start releasing music on cassettes? Do you release music on other formats?

When I realized that it was a cheaper format to work with yet very versatile in terms of presentation and sound quality. I’m not trying limit the creativity of releasing music on any other format, but the lower cost factor allows me to produce more releases thus giving me an opportunity to help out more of my friends and bands I appreciate.

How do you produce your releases? Do you do the packaging and/or reproduction yourself? How many copies of each release do you typically start with?

That all depends on the release. For example, with the Brendan Sullivan - Wooley Eyes cassette, I had to wait a considerable amount of time for him to record and create a body of work that he wanted to present in cassette format. During that time period, we exchanged a lot of emails and phone calls discussing how we would go about exhibiting the cassette aesthetically. Brendan decided he wanted to make each cassette unique visually and I worked with him to create that. We ended up spending a fair amount of time sitting down at an Office Depot, making enlarged copies of photos of various landscapes, copying vellum paper sleeves, making mini track listings, and leaving with paper cuts and ink-blackened hands to show for our efforts.

On the other hand, the Coffin Dancer/Kid Crash split was fairly easily to do. The bands kept it simple with all-blank, white cassettes– considering the bands sound nothing alike making it easily identifiable to whomever were to listen to the cassette (granted you had prior knowledge of the bands before listening). It had a simple J-card insert that was designed by the sister of a member of Kid Crash.

On my next release for Algernon Cadwallader, my friends Kim, Ali and I (mainly Kim) cut and sewed together 100 pouches for the cassettes to be placed in, instead of your traditional cassette case. Each pouch is completely unique to that 26

Do you find it difficult to get cassettes carried through conventional distribution channels? Do you look for trade and distribution within the community of cassette labels?

I wouldn’t really know much about conventional distribution channels. I spread the information about my releases through various distros, local record stores (especially Backbone music in Delray Beach, FL), and through multiple message boards. People have the option of ordering them individually if they please through my MySpace account I just created a blog for Coriander cassettes as well. I haven’t had much time to work on it yet, but that should be another source of information once I get some adequate time to update it.

What do you think are the pros and cons of releasing music on a seemingly obsolete format? Do you think cassettes are any more obsolete now than CD’s will be in a few years?

Well those who purchase, create, or trade cassettes realize the importance of keeping an obsolete format alive. I suppose it generates an element of exclusivity, which I would consider a con, but I plan on providing the songs from the cassettes digitally once the cassettes go out of print, so long as the songs aren’t available on any other format (for instance, the Coffin Dancer/ Kid Crash split is also available on a 10” vinyl format through Denovali Records). I know how frustrating it can be to want to listen to a certain album while driving a car or riding your bike or walking around school campus but being unable to do so because you don’t have any means of playing cassettes aside from your home stereo (at least in my case). This way, people can download the music, make their own CD’s or put it onto their mp3 player and still enjoy the music meant for anyone to listen to.

Cassettes and CD’s are only obsolete if you allow them to be. For me, I play cassettes more so than I do CD’s. By that rationale, CD’s are more obsolete format than cassettes to me.

How much time and thought do you put into the artwork for each release? Do you try to shy away :: THE NEW SCHEME ::

from typical plastic cases? Where do you get the actual cassettes and/or cases for production?

I urge the bands/artists to come up with their own creative ideas in terms of how they want to visually present their body of work and I do my best to make their requests come true. Sometimes, they might mean typical plastic cases and as previously mentioned, it might not. Everything is up to those that I am helping. I just act as an aid in the grand scheme of things. This isn’t my art, it’s theirs, so rather than getting in the way of that process, I want to support it anyway I can. That’s my contribution to the art I suppose.

What is coming up for your label in the near and distant future?

Next up is the Algernon Cadwallader five-song demo, which, if all goes correctly, will be a stunner of a release. I’m truly excited to see how those turn out. Hopefully by mid-year, I will have helped Brainstorm, Rockfist and Teenage Cool Kids with a release all in time for their summer tours. I’m not necessarily sure what material will be released on the Brainstorm and Rockfist cassettes, but the Teenage Cool Kids will be a rerelease of their demo tape, which was originally released by another label.

coriandercassettes@gmail.com www.myspace.com/coriandercassettes coriandercassettes.blogspot.com

C—Andrew Weiss

[ Kidcrash ]

Self-sufficiency is an important trait for any band. But for a forward-thinking post-hardcore band based in New Mexico, it’s downright crucial. Kidcrash have already risen quickly from humble beginnings in Santa Fe, releasing the angularly melodic New Ruins in 2004, which provided a cleanly produced, strong introduction to the band. As good as New Ruins was, it can hardly hold a candle to even the first minute of Jokes, their newest effort. Produced by frontman Alex Gaziano, every second of Jokes reeks of a reckless, usagainst-the-world spirit.

Kidcrash combine towering, urgent hardcore intensity with the angular rhythm section flourishes of latter-day Chicago post-hardcore. Their sound is as heavy as it is nimble, and as fresh as it is deeply rooted in multiple facets of aggressive music. Imagine Born Against playing Cap’N Jazz covers, while snorting lines of Pixy Stix off the coffee table at the Level-Plane offices and you’re in the ballpark.

Any of the nine songs on Jokes could easily become a complete clusterfuck, and each one seems like one for a few fleeting moments. But the performances and production are just precise enough to keep everything together without becoming cold and surgical. This balance between precision and clusterfuck is what makes Jokes one of the most immediately satisfying and continually stimulating post-hardcore records in years.

This interview was conducted via e-mail with Alex Gaziano.

[Anderson]

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

27

Explain how Kidcrash first formed.

C—Peter Betancourt

In the summer of 2000, when I was fourteen, I spent a couple weeks at a music camp in the Jemez Springs, New Mexico. I’d been going there every summer since I was eight. I met a funny kid named Buster, who was a year older than me. We bonded over a newfound interest in “punk,” namely The Promise Ring and Millencolin (of all bands). We tried to write a song together. It was the first time I’d ever played music with someone else and it felt fucking awesome.

Realizing we both lived in Santa Fe, we thought it would be cool to meet up after camp and play some more. We did and more fun ensued. Buster and I decided that we needed more people in the band. High school started and through a chain of acquaintances we procured another guitarist, John, who was a junior. He was old. We knew he was legit because he had a NOFX patch on his bag and liked the Get Up Kids. John was “experienced” too. He’d played in a band with his older brother, however, when we practiced for the first time, John couldn’t even play standing up.

We needed a bass player. I’d like to lie and say we’ve had the same lineup the whole time, but we actually had another bass player for a couple months, but he already had another commitment so we recruited Buster’s friend Kevin as our bass player. He had never touched a bass before, but we liked him, and we still do. He bought a bass and we all learned how to play together on our shitty instruments.

We’ve had the same members since then. I’m only 21 and it all seems like ancient history. It’s nice recounting the narrative.

Some people seem to think we’re a new band.

What happened between your first record on Lujo, and Jokes which led to the change in the band’s sound? Has your songwriting process changed drastically since the band started?

C—Peter Betancourt

Well, New Ruins was by no means our first record. We have nearly 50 songs recorded before it scattered on CDs, hard drives, and even a cassette of our first practice. They are not good songs, but they’re there.

Between New Ruins and Jokes there is an EP called I Haven’t Had A Date In Four Years, Goldie Hawn, Goldie Hawn, Goldie Hawn… that we did our first US tour with. Wedged between New Ruins and Jokes, it makes for an adequate musical bridge. It’s funny, I think all of us have argued at one point or another that our sound hasn’t changed that much.

Besides vocal style, writing songs in major keys instead of minor keys, and production quality, our songs are essentially the same. The writing process has varied, but we never had a method to start from. Since we were relative infants when we started the band, the process of writing has been quite transparent to us. It’s been difficult writing for the past two years because we’ve been spread between Washington State, where Buster and I go to college, and New Mexico where John and Kevin live. We’ve managed to record three split records over that period during breaks, but it’s been painful. My riffs are so lonely!

Do you self-produce the Kidcrash records by choice, or out of necessity? Do you think it makes for a more cohesive result, without an outside person engineering and/or producing the record?

Both. We’re older now. It’s harder to come across cash, and since we were so unhappy with New Ruins’ “over-production” and sterility, I thought I’d try and do a “serious” recording for once. I’d always tried recording as a hobby, but never thought we’d actually release something I did. I worked really hard on Jokes, and the result is okay, but eons past my early attempts. We were working some serious equipment and space constraints, but are all still very proud of the result. It really feels like we made that record.

It was surprising to me at first that you guys were from Santa Fe. To me, your sound is pretty firmly rooted, in different ways, in both the midwest and northeast. How does geography affect your sound? Are there a lot of bands in the southwest that are at similar to you guys?

28

Being from a city that is geographically isolated, one’s tastes become

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

pretty diverse, because of the randomness of bands that come through.

New Mexico is only on the tour route of the brave, serving as an oasis between Austin and San Diego. Many great bands have come through and I thank every one of them for leaving the comfort of their threehour costal drives to inspire us. There were a few great local bands that were playing similar music when we began, bands who we owe some very hefty thanks to. But most of our influence was drawn from various bands that came through Santa Fe and word of mouth from “the older kids.” This was before MySpace, of course.

Does your location, in the corner of the US make touring more difficult for you guys? I see that you have made it all the way to Florida at least once.

I could complain, but there have been thousands of bands before us who have toured just as hard from such hardto-reach places, put up with all the same shit of being a touring D.I.Y. band. Just as they know, we know, the rewards are indescribable and unnamable. It’s the reason we’re miraculously still a band and touring after seven years. We’ve done three US tours now, playing 50 shows last summer. I don’t think we could do that again. We’re doing a European tour for a month in April, which is beyond any dreams we ever had as far as touring. It feels surreal and silly even speaking about it.

I saw that Jokes is available in a couple places on cassette, in addition to CD and LP. how do you guys feel about the cassette medium at this point? Did you do that just because you were approached about it?

Yes, we were approached to do it, and otherwise I’m not sure we would have gone looking for someone to release it on cassette. To be honest, it’s my favorite format of Jokes and I think it’s mainly for nostalgia’s sake. There’s something attractive about the format for that reason. As a kid everything I had was on tape (i.e. Boyz II Men, Dinosaur Jr., Kriss Kross, Rocket From the Crypt, etc.) Plus, you can’t throw a CD, record, or iPod at a wall and have it still pump out the jams.

What is next for the band, now that Jokes has been out for a little while? How has the response to it been so far?

As I said, we’re doing a European tour in the spring.

John and Kevin are coming up from New Mexico to practice for a few weeks before that and hopefully we can write some music too. We have a split 7” coming out with L’Antietam on Narshardaa Records. We toured with them last summer, and we couldn’t be more excited about that. Jokes has been received well for the most part, and most of the criticism has been legitimate. Only one critic from Nu-Metal Magazine, I mean, Decibel, has gone out of their way to attack the record. Oh well. Criticism in the “punk world” is often so disappointing, failing to do the record justice, even the bad ones, and providing hollow, antagonistic, subjective spewings rather than a thoughtful descriptions. With music so readily available to the listener via the Internet, it seems as though reviews should really try and offer something more than that.

Kidcrash www.thekidcrash.com www.myspace.com/thekidcrash Jokes available from Init Records

www.initrecords.com New Ruins available from Lujo Records

www.lujorecords.com

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

29

30

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

Able Baker Fox

Record Reviews

The Austerity Program C—Abby Moskowitz

Cloak/Dagger

Able Baker Fox Voices

Haram

Joe Lally C—Antonia Tricarico Zs C—Scott Russell

It is impossible to talk about Able Baker Fox without talking about their pedigree: a third of the Casket Lottery; three quarters of the final Small Brown Bike lineup; a blind faith of the underground with a lot to live up to. In every way this is musician’s album. The recording receives top production from Ed Rose, the playing is at full capacity; each member has exhausted and stepped beyond their prior abilities. The dueling guitar exchange of “Stuttering” features concise picking matched with prog-style bass. Meanwhile, the sublime echo in “Palindramatics” is an effect that offeres a quick and fun change of pace from the blunt attitudes of prior tracks.

As always, Jeff Gensterblum displays explosive joy and sharp instinct in his barebones pacing and daring fills, a style and authority matched only by the likes of George Rebello or Janet Weiss. “October” puts his dexterity to the test. He never quits, with rolling toms reverberating behind foregrounded guitars. The real standout on Voices is Ben Reed, whose subtly progressive bass work on “Brand New Moses” works in tandem with Gensterblum to sound like the product of one man. There is an obvious rapport between the two players. The cohesive rhythm section emerges to give a funk to some of the straight rock compositions.

Moreover, Reed’s vocals come to the foreground on several tracks, in particular “Folding Pocket Blades” and his metal-tinged dramatic delivery.

On other levels, this album falls flat. It fails to deliver on the promise of their prior bands’ split LP. Mike Reed has done away with the shouting he did with Small Brown Bike, and while it works for his other current band LaSalle, it cannot match the intensity demanded by the sounds of Able Baker Fox. His deadpan delivery on the chorus of “Deadspace” falls short an unintentionally ironic embracement of the song’s title. The Casket Lottery frontman Nathanial Ellis’s performance is a mixed bag. He commands the mic and attention on the album opener, but on the closer “Whispering” he sounds bored with himself, lacking conviction.

Nonetheless, Voices is a bold album in spite of what lacks. It’s a well-crafted statement on the

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

environment, and humanity’s role in its destruction and our persistent ignorance of the damage done. [Sousa]

www.secondnaturerecordings.com

The Austerity Program Black Madonna Black Madonna is a product of the tension between man and machine. If Godflesh is too dated, and modern electronic metal acts are too extravagant, The Austerity program manages to take the idea behind early industrial and lend it a sensibility that acknowledges the developments in post-rock rather than those in post-hardcore. The Austerity Program is comprised of guitarist Justin Foley, bassist Thad Calabrese and a drum machine. They actually list the drum machine as a member of the band, which is appropriate. At certain points in the album’s first track, “Song 12,”–they don’t name their songs–it’s hard not to imagine the two musicians having recorded a drum track, and then just cranking up the BPM to see if they could keep up. There are moments when the drum machine seems to be winning. Add to this a penchant for intentional feedback and coarse-sounding guitar effects and the result is a brand of industrial metal that sincerely questions the way man interacts with his own creations. The relationship between Foley, Calabrese and the machine is fraught with conflict, but also demonstrates that tense relationships can be the source of amazing results.

At times, the guitar work nearly matches the drum track in terms of repeatedly reproducing the exact same sound quality at a metronomically precise pace. But then there are other moments when chords are bent which, combined with the feedback, give the guitar sound a distinctly organic quality. Vocals are sparse on this album, but when they’re there, they’re not screamed in a way that mimics a distorted guitar, but howled in a way that proudly exerts one’s humanity. This is when the musicians demonstrate a capacity that still eludes the machine: the ability to improvise and express selfhood. [Flatt]

www.hydrahead.com

31

American Steel Destroy Their Futures

Get this album now. Do not hesitate.

Destroy Their Futures has sing-along choruses over sharp, but ethereal guitars, political lyricism coupled with straightforward songwriting. This is real protest music.

The album opens with “Sons of Avarice,” a scathing look at the racist undertones of US military involvement. The song questions the nature of fighting for freedom whether it is for the people or markets, the bosses or the workers, over a tight drumbeat that leads to the anarchist shout of “No gods, no masters.” It is followed by “Dead & Gone,” an indictment of America’s passive and hypocritical media paralleled with an end-of-the-world outlook. These objections continue throughout, from the lower-class anthem “Love & Logic,” calling for the ‘huddled masses’ to rise up to the condemnation of religious fervor on “Razorblades.”

Rory Henderson sings with an endearing snarl, with a believer’s vitriol.

At points, the album couples its political bent with an earnest sense of romance as on “Mean Streak,” a fierce endorsement of true love over a dancefloormoving thump, or on “Old Croy Road,” where Ryan Massey’s tale of familial comradery and pain in the wake of paternal death sounds like a vulnerable song

by The Clash.

American Steel stakes their claim on the trifecta of pertinent lyrics, tight musicianship, and accessibility. It is not the Propagandhi approach of political confrontation mixed with equally aggressive music. Rather it is a combination of soul-style rhythm and Crass-style verses. This is a smart record. The Whitmanesque “Speak, Oh Heart” finds Henderson yelling out to his soul, eager to

The Ax Black Sea (7”) The Ax are new, though both halves of the duo–drummer Adam Jelsing and guitarist/vocalist Chris Pierce–have been playing together in different bands for almost a decade. These two songs feature an effortless combination of angry blues and gritty indie bar rock.

At this point, there would be less fair comparisons than bands like The White Stripes or The Black Keys. But The Ax are much more cathartic and engaging than either band. Both of these songs are slow and straightforward, but carefully layered. “The Zodiac,” the B-side was my favorite of the two, piling evolving riffs on top of choppy drumming. Vocals are intermittent, but still strong when they appear. Their angry tone, but laid back delivery aptly sum up what The Ax have going on. It may only be two songs, but this 7” is a strong introduction to an intriguing new band. [Anderson]

www.whoaboat.com

Paul Baribeau Grand Ledge

I can’t tell, but Baribeau is either thirteen or thirty; his voice is awkward, cracking when he screams. Like Daniel Johnston it is disjointed and out of tune, yet in harmony with song and sentiment. Lyrically, Baribeau seems beyond his years. His ramblings present a laundry list of advice, dispersing stories and sharing secrets. “Ten Things” is the album’s best track, an upbeat strummer with lists of lists; ‘Name ten things you want to do before you die and then go do them,’ certain only of inevitable death. “Better than Anything Ever” finds Baribeau reflecting on witnessing someone else’s joy and finding his own joy within from that.

At times his voice is atonal, flat, and low, not basso tenor, but low like the muted strings. The guitar is simple and frantic, optimistic acoustics where the palm gives the songs a drum like pop. Baribeau’s guitar strumming seems trapped in a race to the end of each song, creating a frenzied sound, which along with his off kilter voice, distinguishes him in a sea of bad dramatic folk singers. The bubbly pace of opener “Christmas Lights” accents the pitied memories as lyrics, each in their own place but in melody with the other. “Hard Work” is a palm muted fluctuating track confronting

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follow its call anywhere. “More Like a Dream,” the album’s closer, finds Henderson’s unresolved issues colliding with off-time drumming that sounds like the work of a million snares. It cannot be said enough: this album surpasses any political pop you have heard in quite a long time, a near-perfect record whose sound finds a brother in Shake the Sheets. This is a thinking man’s album, a working man’s remedy and the new blueprint for drunken sing-a-longs. [Sousa]

www.fatwreck.com

personal weakness. Baribeau never tries to jazz up the songs with solos or excess instrumentation; he keeps his folk/ punk straightforward with a child-like wonderment we should exercise as adults. [Sousa]

Plan-It-X Records

Battlefields Entourage of the Archaic (CDEP)

Comprised of one 13-minute track, Entourage of the Archaic isn’t going to keep anyone busy for long. As one-song releases go, this one does have quite a bit to it. Strong, sudden dynamic shifts make for a surprising first listen, while careful songwriting keep it interesting on the fifth. They mix the extremes of cold, sparse electronics and a fast, galloping take on doom-metal. This is most effective when they settle somewhere between the two extremes, which works like a more ominous Red Sparowes.

It’s tough to ignore the obvious influence of bands like Cult Of Luna and Isis on Battlefields’ sound. This is their second consecutive release that is solid and more than a clone of any one band or subgenre. But they also haven’t done a ton to break away from their obvious influences either. Entourage of the Archaic could serve as a solid, one-track introduction to Battlefields.

[Anderson]

Init Records

Beware of Safety It Is Curtains (12”)

Beware of Safety’s brand of instrumental rock collects influences from a number of places, none of which seem to include their native Los Angeles. Their winding, slow-developing epics will earn them equally quick, apt and incomplete comparisons to Explosions In The Sky or Red Sparowes. They also use big, but glacially paced dynamic swings that nod toward Mogwai or Yume Bitsu. But there is more to it than that. Some of the guitar riffs have a feel and tone that are obviously informed by Built To Spill and Dinosaur Jr more than recent peers.

The pieces that Beware of Safety constructs these six songs with are pretty easy to nail down. But the way

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

they put those pieces together is smooth, while being subtly unpredictable. This is partly because the length of each part varies from song to song and section to section. The resulting songs seem sort of oddly shaped and uncomfortable on the first listen. After a few more listens, this variation adds another layer to all of the songs here. Without even a subconscious idea of when the next riff might arrive–let alone what it will be–each song takes on a life of its own. In a crowded subgenre, that’s the most a new band can hope for. [Anderson]

www.mylenesheath.com

Black Cobra Feather and Stone

Black Cobra contains former members of Cavity and Acid King among others, so it’s no surprise that the result is really groovy stoner rock a la High on Fire and The Sword. “Feather and Stone” is a continuation of what Black Cobra did with Bestial. The opening track, “Five Daggers,” is a super-charged scream of stoner fury.

“The Sapphire Falcon” gives a little clean groove before marching into–you guessed it–stoner fury. Great grooves coupled with super heavy bass work are the most notable features on most of the tracks on this album.

“Below the Cusp” has some pretty cool off-melodies combined with the great drum work. Vocals are shouted, slightly distorted and seem to be using a flange effect. “Thanos” is a trippy phase tune instrumental to break the disc up a bit. “Red Tide” picks right back up and is one of the fastest tunes on the album, sounding the charge and pounding into the listener’s skull. The best song on the album is “Dragon and Phoenix,” which is about five minutes of good groove. You can’t ignore this stuff. It’s going to grab you and have its way with you. [Dixon]

At A Loss Recordings

Blunderbuss Self-Titled

Reviewers (including this one) spend a lot of time simultaneously decrying succinct genres, and completely relying on them. Bands like Blunderbuss complicate the process even further. Instead of falling right into, or

even blending genres, they seem to live directly between them. They rely mostly on thick, mid-tempo guitar and bass riffs, which sound like a more reckless version of Mono. They add regular (but not constant) melodically monotone vocals, which sound more like Quicksand or Shiner. So, in a way it’s a meeting of post-hardcore and post-metal. I can’t figure out the algebra on what the sum of that would be, but it’s interesting.

“Worn Windowsills” is a winding, persistent highlight. It opens with one of the best riffs of the whole record, and a slightly quicker tempo. All of its five minutes display a near-perfect combination of exuberance and restraint. “Sin Built Stairs” is another longer track, which has an uneasy Touch and Go feel. Here, Blunderbuss visits the altar of The Jesus Lizard briefly, but effectively.

Like Therapy, or Cave In after them, Blunderbuss also found an effective way to take the best things about forward-thinking heavy metal and apply them to a more contemplative sound. The resulting record is complete, with immediate appeal and staying power (much like the band itself). [Anderson]

www.escapeartistrecords.com

Carol Bui Everyone Wore White

Her strong yet emotive voice, driving musical accompaniment and full sound are a package that can only lead you to one conclusion: Carol Bui rocks. Hard.

This is reportedly Bui’s first full length, and she certainly could’ve done worse than recording it in DC’s legendary Inner Ear Studios and having it engineered by TJ Lipple of Aloha, who also makes a few appearances on drums. But ultimately, the studio and engineer are transparent, as they should be; Bui is utterly listenable on her own. Her voice, which sounds almost like a bolder version of Maura Davis’s [Denali], stands out on the track, and her dynamic vocal lines fit her voice perfectly.

Her comfort with the sound is obvious everywhere.

From the opening seconds of the record, Everyone Wore White completely defies expectations. The first track “1” completely bowls you over with its power.

Bui’s voice enters and is immediately confident and rich in tone and feeling. Another intriguing element is the string accompaniment, apparent on “Quan Am,” which has a decidedly haunting quality as a result.

It’s true: this Vietnamese siren knows how to put a record together. The track-to-track variety is noteworthy: “The Year After” is light years away from “2” in terms of volume, tempo and sheer power, yet both paradoxically pack an equally emotional punch. This is the sign of a mature songwriter.

For the discerning listener and the guitar amateur alike, the guitar tone on “St. Elizabeth’s” is alone reason enough to give Bui your ears for a few minutes. And yet “Qua Câo Gió Bay,” a short traditional Vietnamese a cappella number, shows the uninhibited power of Bui’s voice, negating any suppositions that it’s only the indie rock icons like Lipple who help fill out her sound.

In the end, Bui defies every stereotype of the female singer/songwriter. She holds her own against even the most aggressive sound coming out of, well, anywhere. [Cox]

www.fiftyfourfortyorfight.com

Building the State Faces in the Architecture

By now, you probably think that you’ve heard every band from Gainesville, Florida and that they all sound just like Hot Water Music. You wouldn’t be completely out of line for thinking that. Building the State, however, will make you rethink your presuppositions about the city. Their blend of lush soundscapes and a strong rhythm section may help them start a new movement in The Sunshine State

This EP is apparently the third release from the quartet, which isn’t surprising, judging by their incredibly cohesive sound. You can guess that there’s at least a bit of an epic element in the recording, judging by the fact that the four songs last just over nineteen minutes, with

the longest weighing in at a heavy 5:12.

Even if “Untitled IV” doesn’t win points with you for originality of name, the song is arguably the best display of their lush sound, with the dreamy guitars laid over the solid rhythm section’s foundation. When they leave that territory on “Intent on Harm,” the quasi prog section doesn’t sacrifice any cohesion or, surprisingly in spite of its odd time, catchiness.

The four songs together create a great sonic landscape, and it’s about time that these boys start gaining some recognition for themselves. The musical diversity of the songs is truly notable, as is the fluency with which they pull off the myriad sounds. So don’t be surprised if you start hearing more from Building the State. They might just be the band that puts Gainesville back on the map. [Cox]

www.myspace.com/buildingthestate

The Catalyst Marianas Trench (12” EP)

Attaching the word “stoner” to describe a band’s sound isn’t a new idea, though it’s usually not all that descriptive. But, as is the case with The Catalyst, there are times when it is useful. First of all, The Catalyst’s sound borrows heavily from grunge and later AmRep bands. It’s a bit more urgent than most examples of either genre, though the term “stoner sludge” isn’t that far off. Beyond that, the opening track on Marianas Trench is called “This Bike Is a Gravity Bong.” What the effect of the band members’ pot smoking (or their resulting beards for that matter) has on their music seems both obvious and irrelevant at the same time.

Each song is based one a chaotic mix of shouted vocals, active, cymbal-heavy drumming and squealing guitar and bass riffs. Are you sitting up and taking notice yet? I guess I wouldn’t be either. But the devil is in the details and these four songs have more than their share. There is an obvious Melvins/Jesus Lizard influence; charging guitars constantly at odds with angular rhythms. There is also a dark psychedelic feel to many of the guitar parts, which nods toward Unwound or Karp in the best way. This is obvious in the intro to “Proceed With Caution,” the most distinctive track. There are even parts, especially toward the end of “Kyle Vs. Robocop” that are deceivingly catchy. All of this is topped off with some of the more frantic, choppy edge that’s shared by many of The Catalyst’s more recent Richmond-area post-hardcore peers.

The result, covering almost 20 minutes is a mix of sounds that is focused and broad at the same time. Its sound is thick and unruly, but the songs seem carefully orchestrated (and shorter than many of their neopsychedelic musical neighbors). Rather than spreading everything out into eight-minute jams, they cram contradictory ideas together into a tighter package. This approach is often attempted, but rarely pulled off so gracefully. [Anderson]

www.theperpetualmotionmachine.com

Cease Upon The Capitol Self-Titled

A good way to preface this review would be to state that someone who is not already into screamo–or “skramz,” if you must–probably won’t enjoy this album.

That being said, this is probably one of the more solid full lengths that the genre gave us in 2007. Hailing from Nashville, the band excels at shortening post-rock epics into sub-three minute songs by playing at full speed, with the singer screaming his lungs out 99% of the time. Sound familiar? It should, because that’s exactly what this music has sounded like for the past ten years or so. Envy is the obvious reference point, and the two singers sound very similar much of the time. However, Cease Upon The Capitol’s overall sound is more urgent and less despairing, which allows a listener to appreciate the beauty of the songs while simultaneously rocking out full heartedly. Every now and then the wall of drums and yelps backs off and allows the guitar player to show off some pretty interesting guitar lines. Also, the singer decides not to be so unforgiving on his vocal chords at

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

a couple points, and instead goes for some well-placed sung/spoken lines.

Overall, the album doesn’t offer us anything new from this style, but moments like these make the album memorable and prove to me that this band definitely knows what it’s doing. [Moroni]

www.sonicdeadline.cjb.net

Chainbreaker Hetzjagd im Nichts

Ever since I was younger (and much more excited about hardcore), European bands have had an obvious mystique. This is still the case, especially when, like Chainbreaker, the lyrics aren’t in English. Hardcore has always been plagued by too many lyrics about the positive aspects of personal empowerment or the negative aspects of some unnamed jerk. For all I know, Chainbreaker’s lyrics are rife with these clichés.

But since most of these songs are sung in German, I’ll never know. Their sound is a good mix of old and new.

It leans toward the classic, driving sound of Negative Approach or Italian standard bearers Raw Power. The songs are simple, with aggressive guitar riffs and choppy rhythms. But, they’re never overly repetitive, predictable or particularly easy to pigeonhole. The recording is clear, but hardly polished and suits the songs perfectly. There isn’t a shortage of records like this out there, but few are being made so convincingly in this style, especially around these parts. [Anderson]

www.vendettarecords.de

Christine Badasser

I had no idea what I was in for when I popped this disc into the CD player. What I got was a crust-punk/ doom/stoner rock disc with female vocals. It just plain rocks. “How We Roll” starts us off with a nice good rhythm that flows well into “2 Dead Dogs.” “Jaundice” is a bluesy grunge tune with both male and female vocals. You’ve gotta love a band that just comes right out and kicks you in the nuts and puts out some damn good rock ‘n’ roll. Christine mixes stoner rock really well with blues and older grunge. Hell, “Grave Lilly” is almost a ballad. You have to love a band that has song titles like “Darkside of the Gloryhole,” “Motherfucker” and “Skin Conquistador.” Nashville’s Christine is definitely worth checking out if you’re into some good groovy stoner rock with a punch. [Dixon]

www.supernovarecords.net

Cloak/Dagger We Are…

Jade Tree hasn’t been releasing many records the last couple years, though their batting average has remained remarkably high. Cloak/Dagger is the first new band to appear on the label in a while. The Richmond quartet isn’t killing itself to chart new territory musically, but they still manage to put together an urgent, relevant debut. These 14 songs cover little more than 25 minutes, but still pack a serious punch. Content to bask in the space between mid-90’s Dischord post-hardcore and more straightforward rock bands from San Diego around the same time. The guitar riffs simultaneously bludgeon and charm the listener. Along with the Reis-like vocals, this makes Hot Snakes/Drive Like Jehu comparisons obvious. But the faster, choppy rhythm section work along with thick, dirty production nod just as emphatically toward Swiz or even Gray Matter.

In reality, Cloak/Dagger are actually faster than any of the above bands. Their songs are surprisingly melodic and varied, never defined by their velocity. The result is a strong and refreshing record, which isn’t nearly as simple as it first seems. [Anderson]

www.jadetree.com

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Caspian The Four Trees (Double LP)

Collapsar Integers

The promo sheet pretty accurately describes this record: “Like Rush on crank.” Off-time rhythms, highly technical guitars and perfect syncopation of the rhythm section make for a really intriguing listen. Swirling, chaotic beats permeate this six-song full-length.

The songs are pretty long, with the shortest breaking five minutes. This gives Collapsar some time to develop each tune. Considering there are only three dudes making this music, it’s very impressive. Elements of jazz make it into the mix, bouncing back and forth in your ear. The songs speed up, slow down, go left, then right, then straight, then backwards, then dissonant, then crunchy. I love it.

This album is beyond words to describe. I think I’m going to just have to use the word “Duuude” to describe it. Add as many u’s as you’d like, but get your hands on this album. [Dixon]

www.escapeartistrecords.com

Comadre Burn Your Bones (LP)

Comadre are an awesome hardcore band from Redwood City, California. Burn Your Bones is their second full-length album, and their experience shows in the way the songs flow. While much of the album is an emotional mess, they are able to effortlessly focus their energy to circle-pit anthems and rhythms that are even (gasp!) danceable. Moments like the fleeting disco beat in “Breakfast of Champions” really take Burn Your Bones to the next level. Compared to their previous output, this stuff is a little slower and definitely has more melodic hardcore tendencies. But it still remains somewhat difficult to pin down completely. The one variable that doesn’t let up is the never-ending positivity these guys seem to exude.

My only qualm with the album is the inclusion of two movie quotes that don’t really add anything to the music. It’s easy to see why they were chosen, but the interruptions they provide are somewhat annoying to me. No biggie. “Hit me up on my Celly-Cell,” despite its retarded name, is easily my favorite song on this record.

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overused by their peers. Instead, a careful and collective effort from every band member makes it devastating and enlightened at the same time. There are many variations on this same process throughout The Four Trees, with widely varying sounds, but consistently engaging results.

Caspian don’t do a whole lot to break out of what has become a very established, even overrun subgenre. But over the course of both LP’s that make up their second proper full length, they use a detailed and expansive approach to produce one of the best examples of it I’ve heard in years. [Anderson]

www.mylenesheath.com

C—Andrew Weiss

There are countless details important to enjoying about any record, at least one you plan on listening to more than once. Trying to list, rank, or even put more than a few of these details into words is almost impossible. But every once in a while a band is able to nail all of these details at the same time. The result is a record capable of transcending trends, genre labels and often, explanation. The Four Trees, is certainly an example of this rare feat, which is a good thing for Caspian and every casual listener who happens upon these 11 songs. However, it’s bad for me, since I have the task of trying to figure out exactly why it’s so effective and somehow put that into words.

The Four Trees is Caspian’s second record, though it’s the first I’ve heard.

Hailing from Beverly, Massachusetts, they play swirling, dynamic, guitar-heavy instrumental rock. The glut of generally similar bands these days is hard to ignore, but it’s also irrelevant almost immediately. These songs are generally comprised of heavy, deliberate rhythm section work and acrobatic, lyrical dual guitar lines. Each one has a life of its own; defined by huge, intense dynamic shifts and riffs that are heavy and downright catchy (often simultaneously). Tiny details to the production, and careful construction of the transitions between strong sections in each song, make the record flow almost perfectly. When they aren’t jarring you into attentive listening, they’re lulling you into a false sense of comfort. Often, they’re doing both.

This spectrum of sounds was originally solidified by bands like Pelican, and Russian Circles, or Mogwai and Tortoise. The towering, heavy-handed buildup on “Brombie” nods more toward Mogwai or even early Neurosis than more recent peers. But even at this peak–and one of the record’s heaviest moments–it still has a powerfully melodic undercurrent, without the twinkly guitar leads

The energy level is through the roof and they manage to bring it in for an epic sing-along that closes the album.

I highly recommend this band to anyone that loves life.

[Moroni]

www.adagio830.de

The Dauntless Elite Graft

It has been nearly impossible for me to write this review, perhaps the most difficulty I have ever had with one. The band is to-the-point punk rock; eight chords, steady drums and songs about the working class.

Get the pint glasses raised, there are plenty of group choruses, and crowd chants to get you riled up. “I Can Move if the Funk is Happening,” the album’s centerpiece is a send up of the greedy and their manipulation of the lower class. Choppy guitars coat the album all over; ska beat upstrokes give the album a playful tone as on the chorus to “Running Battle.”

Joseph Alderice and Lee Wall share vocal duties swapping off gruff shouts and gravelly melodies. At times, they are reminiscent of early American Steel or Panthro UK United 13. “Our Own Legends” finds the two in rough harmony about the faceless thankless nature of being a company man. Better yet is “Gallows Humour” where they confess that songs are futile in changing the world but indulge in the joy they find hope in music. What makes this album so hard to describe is their relatively stripped down nature of the songs. It truly is a solid album; now go get it. [Sousa]

www.plan-it-x.com

Defcon 4 The Bad Road

It’s hard to pinpoint why Defcon 4’s The Bad Road is such a tedious listen. While the songs feel like a haphazard and badly recorded amalgam of hardcore and metal tropes, I can often get past that. Their decision to make the album a group of four long tracks, each divided into movements seems like a big mistake. The songwriting simply doesn’t hold up over the course of

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

these longer tracks.

At times, singer Dug Moore achieves the grating sound of Wes Eisold of Some Girls. As the front of otherwise nondescript musicianship, a tonal range that doesn’t go beyond “slightly more irate” and “slightly less irate” is difficult to appreciate. He does, however, have a very broad vocal range, pitch-wise, if musical featsmanship interests you.

Whether they’re plodding along in an even, stoner-metal 4/4 time or blazing through crust-punk blast beats, I’m just not interested. The riffs aren’t fun, they aren’t impressive and they just aren’t interesting.

[Flatt]

www.supernovarecords.net

Desoto Jones Aurora

Standard borderline generic, emo-rock from the Philadelphia area. This is Desoto Jones’ debut full length after a couple of EPs and they deserve credit for getting their sound in shape for it. That said, there are precious few remarkable moments on this record. The best comparison that comes to mind is Jimmy Eat World.

Desoto Jones have a rock vibe that threads through most of the songs on this album, at times taking a more straightforward approach. There are also a few more stripped down, simpler songs. For example “Don’t Fail Me” brings to mind Four Minute Mile-era Get Up Kids, while other parts sound a bit like a poor man’s Foo Fighters.

It is really hard to get excited about one more emo-rock band that doesn’t take risks, explore new ideas, or deliver any undeniably captivating moments.

This genre is so bloated that simply going through the motions without making any glaring mistakes isn’t enough. Despite feeling like this toward Desoto Jones, I gave Aurora a few more listens and I have to admit that these guys are able to craft some pitch perfect radio ballads. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear a track off this album on a network teen drama soundtrack. Although I wasn’t a big fan of this record, Desoto Jones are very tight musically and have put together this collection of songs with a keen eye toward detail. [Medrano]

www.deepelm.com

The Dukes of Hillsborough/ The Mercury League Split 7”

The packaging is great on this one: a thick plastic sleeve, one page double-sided insert, and blood red vinyl with black splatter. The Dukes of Hillsborough bring a heavy vibe to the split, choosing low-end chords and a slow building chorus. The vocals are deep and gruff, Hot Water-style, dropping lines on “Spiderico” about ‘cool guy cynicism.’ On their second contribution, “Reinventing Axl Foley,” they take a shot at pessimists and embrace the bright side over skate punk drumming.

The Mercury Lounge has a similar style, chugging guitars and open chords accent the spoken/sung vocals and a full speed ahead guitar solo on “Knock ‘em Dead.” Their second song, “Alarms” is much rougher, coming across like Holy Mountain playing a pop song, the gruff gang vocals and pounding drums are sure to get you moving.

Join the vinyl resurgence and get this one. [Sousa]

www.accidentprone.com

The Fiery Furnaces Widow City

To paraphrase Al Swearengen, The Fiery Furnaces go through pop genres like Sherman to the fucking sea. Where in the past, the sibling duo has used trip-hoppy electronics as the accoutrements to their off-kilter, piano-based songwriting, Widow City finds them applying straight rock guitar. The style-to-style movement takes place not only album-to-album, but song-to-song and moment-to-moment.

However, if one is familiar with any of their four other albums from 2003’s Gallowsbird’s Bark to 2006’s Bitter Tea, then Widow City will serve as a logical progression. At this point in their impressively prolific career–five great albums in five years–The Fiery Furnaces have cemented their style. Flatly delivered, ironic lyrics telling a loose, extended narrative; sharp juxtapositions of various styles; broad instrumentation; the kind of magnifying-glass production that lets you hear fingers sliding on the guitar strings.

On this album, to mime the grandiosity of rock, they let the sound get a bit bigger. “Navy Nurse,” an excellent track buried in the middle of this lengthy

album, opens with a heavily distorted, sharp riff (a Fiery Furnaces riff!) in the vein of The White Stripes. But they never lose their cool. Despite the gesture toward hard rockin’, The Fiery Furnaces’ mechanical delivery continues to dominate. The other most interesting track here is “Uncle Charlie,” which functions like a mix of extremely fast jazz and post-punk with wowed-out guitar effects and free-form percussion laced with especially bizarre lyrics, “Make a wish for the day: No more revenge cobbler or whiskey pie.” Really fun stuff.

Despite largely sticking to The Fiery Furnaces established songwriting style, Widow City is full of great surprises. [Flatt]

www.thrilljockey.com

and I don’t mean it in the “this would have been cool earlier” type of way. I just mean the audience for this type of band is smaller than it was in the past.

While not exactly my cup of tea The Flatliners do have some catchy songs and have refined them into a smooth, coherent album. Also, I would rather hear something like this than another band screaming nonsensical ironic drivel over keyboards and super fast guitars. [Medrano]

www.fatwreck.com

The Friendly Skies Self-Titled (CDEP)

The Flatliners The Great Awake

As soon as I put this on I thought “Wow, this sounds a lot like NOFX.” Then I looked, and sure enough it is on Fat Wreck. The Flatliners are not a carbon copy, but mid-90s NOFX with a slightly more radio friendly feel pretty much sums them up. A look online revealed they are also touring in support of NOFX, so the pop punk heavyweights seem to be passing the torch north of the border to these young Canadians. This is not bad by any means. The production is slick, they play fast and tight, and the songs are arranged with as much sophistication as can be expected in the genre.

There are a few songs here with a ska influence.

One has choppy, ska-core moments, sort of like Against All Authority. Another is more bro-ska, the kind of stuff stoner dudes with Hurley t-shirts that dabble in alt-rock might dig. This only appears on a few songs and doesn’t dominate the album, but I thought it was a peculiar touch. 10-12 years ago it seemed like every pop-punk band was sprinkling ska parts throughout their records but that influence has since faded.

The vocals are a little gruff on most songs. I can hear a few different points of reference throughout the album. In some parts its NOFX-ish with a snarl, at other points the guy sounds like the male singer in fellow Canadian outfit Fifth Hour Hero. The Great Awake is littered with rowdy choruses and sing-alongs, which I think will make this band more accessible and appealing in a live setting. A decade ago this band could have been huge. I mean really, really huge. This is not a diss,

The Friendly Skies are a new instrumental duo from Portland. Their sound mostly consists of solid, hypnotic drumming and winding baritone guitar lines.

Melodic keyboard leads and guitar loops appear often as well. There are a lot of bands with similar lineups and general ideas about music. But the Friendly Skies have a much more organic approach than the current crop of laptop-dependent cut and paste artists. It lands between the winding, slow motion riffs of early Tristeza records and a more angular approach ala Tortoise.

In all, the six songs here cover just over 15 minutes. If there’s one thing that unites all the bands that inform The Friendly Skies’ sound, it tends to be long songs and 60-70 minute releases. But this concise demo is a good introduction to an intriguing new band. I rarely review demos, but The Friendly Skies are onto something here. This is a solid, complete set of songs that may only be a demo, but has a lot more impact than most demos–or, a set of songs on a MySpace profile–which is more common these days. [Anderson]

www.myspace.com/friendlyskiesmusic

Ft (The Shadow Government) The Black and White Album

Ft (The Shadow Government) is the brainchild of Joel Anderson, beginning after the sudden and tragic end of his previous band, Ten Grand. There is a very collective feel to everything about this, with members that are spread out all over the upper Midwest (Iowa

The Drift Ceiling Sky

I’ve noticed a trend that people looking for more experimental records have been turning to an ever-growing number of bands making what basically amounts to modern jazz records. The list of important acts in this genre is extensive: The Jaga Jazzist and Samuel Jackson Five are just a few.

But it seems that these two groups of people—musicians who suddenly decided to up the ante on musicianship in independent music and those looking for more from musicians—have really begun to find each other.

Enter The Drift, San Francisco’s answer to the aforementioned overseas acts. You’ll frequently hear this quartet compared to Miles Davis, which, truthfully, isn’t that far off. If you consider the type of experiments that Davis did in the 70s before he got more into the fusion trend of the 80s, and you consider where The Drift are coming from, it seems that these kids subscribe to that school of thought. With well thought out, yet seemingly improvisatory song structures, these four fine musicians flesh out this six-song, sixty-minute collection. The record features selections previously only released on vinyl as well as two remixes by notable names Four Tet and Sybarite. If you missed these vinyl-only tracks, here is your chance to experience them.

You’ll be glad to be given another swing at “Nozomi,” an achingly beautiful free ballad that recalls the finer moments of Vincent Gallo’s recorded material and the beauty of Jeff Buckley’s more sedated masterpieces. If you’re of the hopelessly backward ilk that cannot unlink the word “jazz” to less savory associations like the swing craze of the late 90s, you owe it to yourself to broaden your musical horizons, and The Drift is a great place to start. They’ll even meet you halfway by mixing in some indie rock so you can relate to it

more easily. Listen to “For Grace and Stars” and you’ll be amazed what can be accomplished with just guitar, cello and trumpet. The profundity of this song immediately puts the band on your radar as something to revisit frequently. This is just the kind of release that keeps on giving.

In addition to keeping an eye on this release, however, be sure to look forward to their future material, which will undoubtedly be at least as musically rich. Their new full-length, rumored to have a spring 2008 release date, will certainly offer new depths for the music listener of more discriminating taste.

[Cox]

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

www.temporaryresidence.com

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has enlisted the help of Whitney Testa (Tornavalanche, Forstella Ford) and Pete Biasi (Signal To Trust, Falcon Crest) among others. The resulting sound is theatrical and unpredictable, without losing the angular and monolithic quality that so many other upper Midwestern bands have been known for.

Driving, eclectic percussion and gang vocals are the only common threads through the record. Other than that, it’s anyone’s guess from one track to the next. “Watch Out For That Bullet, Guy” is dominated by crackling electronics and an imposing, monolithic bass loop. But then “The Greatest Generation Doesn’t Have to Apologize for Anything” is a much slower rock song with prominent horn lines. The closing track, “Momo Eat the Tax Man” is probably my favorite track. It features the most melodic vocals anywhere in the records’ 35 minutes, which ends up sounding a bit like Les Savy Fav or Plastic Constellations.

The defining factor of The Black and White Album is a broad, loose, collective nature. That’s also the best and worst thing about it. The songs, taken as a whole are a pretty bumpy, dynamic ride. After a few listens, there are a lot of cerebral and conceptual ties between the songs. Depending on the mood you’re in, this is either really interesting or sort of off-putting.

[Anderson]

so there’s good reason to include it here too.

It would be difficult, if not impossible,to find better-crafted pop music today. It is clear that the formula for bulletproof songwriting has been exhaustively studied by this brilliant pop duo. Other than “Cake Parade,” this is evident on “Long Week,” on which Burhenn takes the mic for a shift on lead vocals.

And when the hook kicks in, the harmonies are, to put it simply, perfect.

You may not have known that Davis was so incredibly talented. Sure, he held down the drums expertly in Q And Not U, but who knew he could write such incredible pop anthems? Places should be your next stop when you need your next fix for anything by The Beatles. Georgie James certainly won’t disappoint. Sure, John and Paul were two of the most legendary songwriters of our time. But when you listen very carefully to this record, it’s not clear that they knew anything that Davis and Burhenn don’t know. They prove that pop didn’t die when Lennon was shot. It lives on in the vocal melodies on the title track, the hook of “Cake Parade,” the tantalizing bridge of “Only ‘Cause You’re Young.”

So let Georgie James show you what two incredible minds bent on a pop takeover can do. You’ll be stunned.

[Cox]

www.modern-radio.com

Haram

Genghis Tron Board Up the House

For fans of Genghis Tron’s first full-length, Dead Mountain Mouth, the band’s second release, Board Up the House, won’t keep you up at night, in a good way or a bad way. While the release finds the band indulging in some more familiar song-writing strategies, the progression toward more typical industrial is mild. They have maintained most of their electro-grind sound, but there is more space in the songwriting. At many moments, guitars and the drum programming are synched to create a stomping or heavy staccato effect. When the stomping comes at the same time as distorted-but-melodious vocals it’s hard not to think of certain radio angst-rock, which, of course, is frightening.

Genghis Tron gets away with it because their sound is generally so well informed by breakbeat electronic from Squarepusher to Dälek and grind from Pig Destroyer to Ed Gein. But now we can throw into that mix straightforward metal like Unearth.

They continue to make use of various song constructions including short keyboard interludes “Recursion” and “The Feast,” short, explosive grinds like “Endless Teeth” and “Colony Collapse” and longer, extended compositions that allow for subtle crescendos and decrescendos, thematic departures and returns. In this way, Board Up the House is a rich, diverse listen, maybe even moreso than Dead Mountain Mouth.

When combined with Dead Mountain Mouth material, the songs from Board Up the House will offer a slightly more diverse live show that isn’t entirely composed of atmospheric interludes and hair-blownback breakbeat-metal frenzy. Nonetheless, it’s hard not to wish that such an inventive band had tended more toward experiment than convention. [Flatt]

www.relapse.com

Georgie James Places

If you weren’t paying attention, you may have missed out on the marvelously listenable EP by Georgie James, John Davis’s (of Q And Not U) new collaboration with singer/songwriter Laura Burhenn. The EP left listeners wanting more of utterly memorable pop music. So praise be that Georgie James is back with a full-length album, their Saddle Creek debut. The only conceivable qualm one could have with Places is that of 12 songs, only 10 are new; “Cake Parade” and “Need Your Needs” were found on the previous EP. And it’s a legitimate gripe; the material is so incredible that you’re left wishing there were two new songs. Yet “Cake Parade” will certainly sit in the top five songs of the year,

36

www.saddle-creek.com

Drescher

In the time since Haram released a solid debut full length, they replaced their original bassist and added a third guitarist. I know what you’re saying: Collective Soul were pretty amazing back in the day, but who else is transcendent enough to really earn it? In all seriousness, Haram harness the six additional strings perfectly. A three-axe lineup is something that’s attempted much more often than it’s pulled off. But Drescher is even more layered and cathartic than their debut, which helps them immensely in their quest to make it work.

The fingerprints of Haram’s D.C.-area upbringing are all over Drescher, though not always in clear-cut ways. The lurking, ominous tone of the songs–along with the mid-tempo approach and melodically monotone vocals–are reminiscent of Bluetip and Kerosene 454 in the best ways. Songs like the six-minute “Fever Sleep” wind guitar and bass lines together into meandering epics, much like Seattle’s June (who also employed a three-guitar approach). Most of the other, shorter songs have more off-kilter urgency without dynamics or melodies that are completely apparent on the first listen. This is best illustrated on “St. Feliu” and “Marbo Court,” the closing track. Both feature a restrained sense of both melody and dynamics, which work on the first listen and take a few more to really sink in. That balance is the best thing about each of Drescher’s 31 minutes. The restraint is almost frustrating at first, but is ultimately what makes Haram stand out.

[Anderson]

www.lovitt.com

Harlots Betrayer

These Ohio natives really pick up the pace with some sickeningly fast riffs coming out of a single guitar/bass/drum combo. This is their breakthrough from the underground, after releasing two other full-lengths and a digital-only EP. “The Weight Unweighable” starts Betrayer off by hitting you over the head with a mix of technical proficiency and chugging. The next tune, “Avada Kedavra,” uses a fast, technical chromatic riff combined with some really great groove and stop-beats.

There are no words to describe what happens two minutes into “Full Body Contortion,” so I’m not going to try. Thank God they slowed down a bit on the beginning of “Dried Up Goliathan,” and put together a really cool, trippy eight-minute opus, with clean vocals.

Betrayer features melodic, technical grindcore, in the vein of Cephalic Carnage. The album closes with the 12-minute “Suicide Medley.” This tune is better than most albums. It starts slow and calm, guitars melodic

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

and soothing, then the rest of the band comes in and creates an excellent atmosphere. Betrayer can be very post-hardcore. Seriously, what are you still doing reading? Get on the interweb and buy this. [Dixon]

www.lifeforce-america.com

Hennes Site Høst Høst

Everything about Høst screams black metal: completely unreadable logo on a black and white cover, equally unreadable old English font on the tray card, songs about Norway and a grainy photo of a pale skinny dude with his shirt off. The catch? This band isn’t from Norway, or even Finland. Hennes Site Høst hails from the lesser-known black metal mecca of Moorhead, Minnesota. I’m a purist about a number of things, and black metal has certainly never been one of them. But, the music and geography to a lesser extent, lead me to want to call this grey metal. The songs are much faster and clearer than most black metal, new or old. There are even some downright melodic, thrash-influenced guitar leads here and there.

The hissing, grating tone of the production and deliberately repetitive dirges that have always signified black metal are certainly included. Overall, both are executed faithfully and energetically. There is a continuous feel to the songs, which leans in the direction of songs that seem interchangeable. But, there is enough variety to make this worth repeated listens.

I think casual observers of black metal will probably really enjoy the subtle variety here, while purists will want to write it off. I’ve only met a few black metal purists, and they tend to be as unintentionally hilarious as many of their favorite bands. So, if I were in Hennes Site Høst, I wouldn’t worry too much about them. I would also advise these guys not to rock corpse paint and head out on the town. I’ve never been to Moorhead, Minnesota, but I’d imagine that doesn’t go over too well there. [Anderson]

www.initrecords.com

His Name is Alive XMMER

It seems like there has been a lot of buzz surrounding His Name is Alive for some time now. It probably didn’t hurt that the Detroit duo was featured in the film Jerry Maguire. This electrofolk group has done it again with this follow-up to last years Detrola, which received a good amount of critical acclaim.

They have an interesting style, which seems to grab influences from all over the map. “Go to Hell Mountain,” for example, exhibits this very identity crisis.

It can’t decide between mid-tempo pop anthem, quaint folk piece, or abrasive experimental-90s-throwbackindie. Yet, this is an identity crisis in the best possible way. When, just after two minutes, the caustic guitar anti-solo comes in and eventually gives way to a poppy verse with a guitar accompaniment picked in the high register, you know you’re dealing with a band wanting to explore new territories. Simultaneously.

The very next track, “How Dark is Your Dark Side,” seemingly in response, sounds like a chaotic din of a theme song piped into a post apocalyptic toy factory.

Yet this segue is nothing if not seamless. Only a few tracks later, the transition between “Oh Miss Flower” and “Put it in Your Mind” functions like the anthems of the mid 90s post-alternative group you loved for being different than anything else on the radio. “Come Out the Wilderness” features a blues-inspired funk rhythm that is as infectious as the West Nile Virus, and when the percussion comes in to back it up with a quasi marching groove, you know you’re in good hands.

The ground that HNiA covers in the course of XMMER is rather remarkable. In this day in age nearly everyone involved in the recording industry promotes the “stick with your sound, only make it more poppy” ideal. The result is a line of progressively more intensely mediocre releases from bands, which in some cases, had real potential. Yet HNiA eschews this model by pushing the boundaries by going wherever their creative energies

Indian Slights and Abuse / The Sycophant

take them. The result is the notably diverse sophomore effort from this band that seems, in contrast to so many others, to be progressing in the right direction. [Cox]

www.silvermountainmedia.com

Holden Caulfield …And Never Will (CDEP)

There is a rich history of hardcore bands coming from seemingly unlikely places. This is the case with Holden Caulfield, chugging along since 2000 from their home base in Huntington, West Virginia. Their sound is a straightforward mix of modern Northeastern hardcore with a few requisite (but thankfully not overdone) metal influences. There are also a number of standard, but well-executed breakdowns. These too, are thankfully not overdone. Over the course of five songs, elements of most major hardcore trends are represented tastefully.

This doesn’t seem to be done intentionally, to hedge their bets. Rather it seems the natural extension of careful songwriting. The songs are put together tightly, melding closely related subgenres seamlessly. With only 15 minutes of evidence, it’s tough to render a full verdict on Holden Caulfield. On first glance, their sound is general in good and bad ways. It covers a lot of ground in a manner that won’t pull you in right away, but also isn’t easy to pigeonhole. Thanks to strong production and execution, it’s a good introduction to a solid band.

[Anderson]

www.cornzine.com/holdencaulfield

Human Host The Halloween Tree

Human Host use various tools to create these eight songs. The album features a lot of electronics, both samples and keyboards. The vocals often sound kind of like 70s anthem rock whaling, but without the 70s anthem rock backing. This actually works pretty well and is sort of fun. You could picture those same vocals over some “just dirty rock’n’roll” revival type stuff, in which case they wouldn’t be nearly as cool.

The first song is strange (in a good way), with a steady electronic funeral procession-like build up and bizarre lyrics that are mixed and repeated. It sounds kind of hip-hop-ish in some places. It is a very interesting opening to album that takes off from there, constantly

beat make it another excellent tune with some great grooves going on. Vocals don’t even arrive until over half way through the tune, and are hauntingly well delivered. This is an excellent disc from these Chicago-ites. Droney, groovy, and just plain good, Indian’s two vinyl releases are combined onto one glorious disc and it’s not one to miss. [Dixon]

www.seventhrule.com

C—Jim Newberry

I’m going to change things up a bit and talk artwork first, which is excellent on this album. The front cover of Slights and Abuse depicts a man whose mouth is being forced open in the wreath of thorns. The back cover, for The Sycophant, shows a ghostly bishop biting the head off a dove. Had I not read the liner notes, I would have sworn that this was the new Iron Monkey album.

Slights and Abuse begins with the title track. These guys hit that aggressive stoner/grind sound perfectly. This is a fast, heavy, screamed, sludgy piece of doom. Next up we have “Second Death,” with pounding drums, thundering bass, and more of the groove/grind/doom feel to the guitar riffing. Vocals sound almost spot-on to Iron Monkey–an almost vulture-like cawing and scream.

“Cursed Reform” is a noisy starting stoner groove tune, continuing with the theme. Up next is a 15-minute epic, “Fatal Lack.” It starts pretty slow, pushing right into a doom dirge–think Sleep’s “Jerusalem”.

The Sycophant portion of this double album starts off with “Lust,” a fast assault of great groove-oriented doom. This album offers more in the vein of Sleep, High On Fire and EyeHateGod. “Pigs in Your Open Wound” is a fuzzy and nasty tune that just makes me smile. “Allotriophagy” is a really creepy piano and noise piece, reminiscent of what you would expect whilst dining at the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. We end our disc with a nine-and-a-halfminute-long chug for The Sycophant. Strange key combinations and a rolling

shifting and surprising the listener. A lot here reminds me of Mars Volta, in both lyrics and musical style.

Given how eclectic their stuff is I think this is an apt comparison because Human Host bounce around a lot.

They experiment through every part of every song. Some times it pays off, and at other times the results aren’t as enjoyable, but it makes for an interesting listen.

By the end of the album I’d had enough weird.

Still, pretty good and I will put this on from time to time.

[Medrano]

www.myspace.com/terrafirmarecords

If These Trees Could Talk Self-Titled (12”)

These six songs represent the first proper recording from this Akron, Ohio-based band. Started as a solo project in Pittsburgh by guitarist Zack Kelly, he has since moved to Ohio and put together a proper band. The result is a five-piece, three-guitar instrumental band. Like many vaguely similar bands, careful, meandering guitar leads form the basis for most of the songs. At their most pastoral, there are strong hints of Explosions In The Sky and even Tortoise. In their more aggressive, monolithic moments it sounds a bit like a thicker Russian Circles or less metal Isis.

The real test of bands like this comes in the third or fourth listen. The songs start to seem familiar enough to sink in, while the fairly obvious reference points for their sound become less relevant. Thankfully, ITTCT easily make up for a lack of outright originality with careful songwriting. The best example of this is “Signal Tree,” which starts out as the most melodic and mellow track on the record. It doesn’t hit you over the head with the expected (but still rewarding) wall of noise within the first minute or so. Instead, it gives you just a few hints of the heavier riff-based sound they’ve already shown they have down. This slowly but surely leads into a thick chorus, at least three minutes into the song. Instead of a chugging metal riff, it arrives in the form of a towering and melodic payoff, then slowly dissipates. But the real coup is that everything surrounding the song (and the record’s) obvious melodic and dynamic pinnacle is just as strong. This attention to detail and relentlessly intriguing song structure is engaging at first. But after a few listens, it soars past the obvious reference points and instru-metal ghetto becoming a strong, versatile record by most any measure. [Anderson]

www.mylenesheath.com

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

Intronaut The Challenger

Having long been a fan of Intronaut, I was really excited to hear some of the new stuff they’ve come up with. The Challenger contains three new tracks along with some live tunes and a remix or two. We start off with the title track, a progressive thrashy tune to set the stage. Odd time signatures come back into the picture with this, and I was reminded of what I liked about this band in the first place. “Whittler of Fortune” starts off slowly and builds. This also contains an awesome riff about three quarters the way through the song, just before breaking into to a jazz/clean break. The drums on this album are absolutely amazing. The last of the new tracks is “Deep Architecture,” which begins with a trippy jazz fusion theme that is returned to through the song.

The live stuff is amazing, including some great tracks from their first two discs, Null and Void, (a pretty good joke) including my favorites, “Sores Will Weep” and “Gleamer.”

As interesting as this album is, I’m eager to see another full-length release. [Dixon]

www.translationloss.com

Jesu Lifeline (CDEP)

Justin Broadrick continues to refuse to rest on his laurels. He could have, after being there for the inception of one genre (grindcore via Napalm Death) and creating another (industrial with Godflesh). And after mandating the coinage of yet another genre – “shoegazer metal”–Broadrick’s music continues to evolve.

Lifeline, a four-track EP, is a more-than-satisfying follow-up to 2007’s Conqueror, especially considering only eight months separated their respective release dates. In terms of instrumentation, Broadrick has made greater use of keyboards and ethereal effects, downplaying the focus on trudging, fuzzing guitars. If Jesu is a combination of metal and shoegaze, then he has turned up the shoegaze a mite and turned down the metal (save for one notably low-end guitar refrain on “You Wear Their Masks” that provides a ball-dropping interruption to an otherwise jangling chord progression).

This new ratio is especially apparent on the third track, “Storm Comin’ On.” A tom-heavy drum track leads the way for female vocals by Jarboe, former member of Swans, whose presence on the album is

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Austin Lucas Putting The Hammer Down

Much of Austin Lucas’ story is going to be familiar to anyone paying attention to independent music lately. He spent many of his post-adolescent years playing in punk and metal bands, only to decide to release a record of country-inspired tunes. This has become even more common over the last few years, usually with mediocre results.

But before discovering fast, heavy music Lucas spent his summers traveling to folk and bluegrass festivals with his father. Even more importantly, he spent years learning to sing. I am as much of a proponent of the D.I.Y. aesthetic as you’ll meet, but there is something that’s refreshing (and immediately obvious) about someone with classical vocal training. This is even more important in the slowed-down world of Americana/alt-country.

Vocals are important, but so is a record’s first song, and Lucas nails that too. Opener “Man Alive” is not only the best song on Putting The Hammer Down, it’s also one of the best examples of this often overrated genre I’ve heard. Persistent banjo and fiddle parts add a perfect accent, but never interfere with careful guitar and vocal lines. The vocal melodies especially are subtle, but repeated just enough times to really sink in by the end of the song. This is followed by “How Are You My Lover?” which is another solid song, though a totally overboard side-to-side panning effect on the guitar line makes it downright disorienting. The quicker, lighter “Bruiser” and “There’s Always Someone Tougher and Meaner” don’t sacrifice staying power for immediate appeal. This is especially true for the latter, which is downright catchy.

“Hollywood” is more of a classic country ballad, which showcases Lucas’ voice better than any other track. “Shipwrecked” closes the record as adroitly as

a fitting tribute to a clear influence on Jesu’s sound.

Jarboe’s alternatingly light and incisive vocals are layered in several concurrent tracks, creating a palimpsest similar to those Broadrick usually lays out in guitars.

Lifeline makes it hard not to look forward to Jesu’s next full-length, which, at Broadrick’s recent output rate, could be coming out in a week or two. [Flatt]

www.hydrahead.com

The Loved Ones Build & Burn

After a solid first EP and full length, The Loved Ones carved out their own corner in the world of straightforward, anthemic punk rock. The requisite heavy touring led to the departure of founding bassist Michael Cotterman early last year. But, The Loved Ones are back with both guitarists from The Explosion who recently disbanded (about two years late). Chris Gonzales switched to bass for The Loved Ones, and they began work on Build & Burn. This is very much what you’d expect, though a straightforward rock influence is more pronounced. A lot of bands have tried to mix in a little more Springsteen than they should, though these guys only overreach a couple times. “Louisiana,” a postKatrina working class tribute is forced. But “I Swear,” an unabashed ballad, is much more graceful.

The Loved Ones are still at their best when the tempos are faster (though still slow in punk rock terms).

“The Bridge” and “The Inquirer” are solid, mid-tempo anthems that sound like slowed-down latter-day Hot Water Music. “Pretty Good Year” and “Sarah’s Game” are both a bit faster, with a good balance of immediate impact and staying power. The real strength of the songs on Build & Burn is the addition of catchy, effective and rarely cheesy vocal harmonies. Vocal harmonies are to legitimate punk rock what nudity is to performance art.

It can be the most effective tool to grab attention, but is usually just an overused gimmick. The Loved Ones handle the double-edged sword perfectly and Build & Burn is better for it. It’s catchy enough to have you singing along the second time through, but not blatant enough to draw in the high school jocks.

In the end, Build & Burn has a lot more hits than misses and won’t change your life, but will help brighten your spring. [Anderson]

“Man Alive” opens it, though with a much slower tempo.

Somehow, everything that most of this sub-genre gets so wrong, Austin Lucas gets right. Absent are the sophomoric and constant whiskey references, the ill-fitting cowboy shirts and the repetitive and badlyexecuted harmonica and/or lap steel lines.

In their place are wellwritten and perfectly sung lyrics and vocal lines. Unpretentious and careful execution don’t always make for good promo photos, but they make for worthwhile records in a genre that seems to produce a lower percentage of them year after year. [Anderson]

www.magicbulletrecords.com

Kenzari’s Middle Kata/Nihilists

Self-Titled

This split covers almost 50 minutes, featuring two German bands I’ve never heard of before. If this weren’t daunting enough, both bands are compared to At The Drive-In. To a certain and admittedly small sector of music fans (present company included), this is a bit like comparing your band to The Beatles. You can’t judge a band by their bio, but I have to admit that I didn’t rush to put this on. When I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised by both bands’ contributions.

Kenzari’s Middle Kata’s six songs of driving, angular post-hardcore remind me of Ten Grand and early Standstill. The guitar lines tend to be by far the most melodic part of every song, though never repetitive or obvious. The rhythm section borrows carefully from more driving Dischord bands. This sets gives most of the songs a quick pace, though not always a fast tempo.

“Roman Á Clef” uses a long sound byte effectively as a vocal line for the first half of the song. It adds an imposing and uneasy feel to an already tense track. Their songs range a lot in dynamics and length, from just over a minute, to almost eight. Their timbre and approach is consistent, though the tempo and specific methods of construction vary a lot. Good stuff that borders on great after a few listens.

Nihilists’ open their side of the split in an even more ominous and gritty way with a short sound byte of their own. It quickly gives way to a heavy, post-metal guitar riff and frantically shouted vocals. The suggested comparison to fellow German natives Yage isn’t too far off, as are American bands like Yaphet Kotto or Malady.

Their guitar lines tend to be much heavier than Kenzari’s, working closely with the rhythm section. The melodies are less obvious, though they are there, alternating between the vocals and dual guitar lines. “Endless Somersault” is probably the best example of this, which ends up sounding like a cross between The Refused and JR Ewing.

Both bands have a similar, immediate appeal. But after a few listens they seem more distinct from one another, with different takes on the best post-hardcore of the late 90’s. [Anderson]

This is the first solo release for Thomas Bonvalet, half of French post-rock duet Cheval de Frise. Despite using just acoustic guitar (and occasionally his feet for rhythm), Bonvalet creates an unpredictable release. The songs string together into one 24-minute composition, with jagged textures stacked together for a dizzying result. Overall, his approach is reminiscent of Midwestern post-rock projects (think Drag City) as well as a more confrontational take on neo-classical.

Most releases like this tend to lean heavily toward being either maddeningly dense or unintentionally soothing background music. L’Ocelle Mare is, at times both. It starts out as fairly engaging background music.

But the second half of the record is punctuated with loud, percussive tapping and flurries of arpeggios.

The contrast between the halves helps to break up the record and add crucial variety. In the end, it won’t change the way you think about instrumental post-just about everything music. It will, at different times both drive you crazy and lull you to sleep. I have a feeling that this is more impressive to see live, though the record still has its share of moments. [Anderson]

www.millipederecords.de

www.fatwreck.com

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L’Ocelle Mare

Split

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

www.sickroomrecords.com

Joe Lally Nothing is Underrated

I’m going to get this out of the way now so we can move on: Joe Lally plays bass in Fugazi. With their indefinite hiatus going on four years, Lally has continued to record and tour. His solo debut, There To Here was released just over a year ago. As was the case with that debut, Nothing is Underrated features a number of guest musicians, which are featured on all but one track. Ian MacKaye engineered most of the record and contributes guitar and backing vocals to a few tracks.

Fellow Fugazi alum Guy Picciotto contributes guitar and even some clarinet. The most consistent appearances are from keyboardist Sam Krulewitch and drummer Ricardo Lagomasino–both of Capillary Action and often Lally’s touring band.

Not surprisingly, each of these thirteen songs center around Lally’s signature bass lines. They are simultaneously melodic and cathartic, though on these

songs they are given more open arrangements and slower tempos. The formula works best on the more haunting songs, including “Map of the World” and the keyboard-heavy “Skin and Bone.” Taken as a whole, this seems much more scattered than it is on the first listen or two. But given some time, it’s actually fairly cohesive–especially considering the different lineup on every song. Obviously Fugazi’s shadow will loom large over anything that Lally does. But this is still an interesting, deep and strong record on its own merits, and well worth the time it takes to start to wrap your head around it. [Anderson]

www.dischord.com

Kaada / Patton Live; A Perfect Place

I’m going to tie a couple reviews into one. First off, I must admit my bias to Patton’s work. I’ve been a huge fan since his time with Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and the more experimental stuff that he’s done (Fantomas, Loveage, etc). His work with Kaada is among my favorite–mostly because it is just so far out there that there is no way to classify or review it. The Live portion of this review is a DVD–Live at Roskilde festival in 2005.

The set was shot in black and white, and is every bit as bizarre as the music is. There is almost a 50’s style to some of the music, and it’s very unique. The cool thing about watching this is seeing how the performers are able to pull off some of these incredibly odd tunes. Trust me–you don’t need acid to understand the appeal of this psychedelic genius.

Next, A Perfect Place, the directorial debut of Derric Scocchera (one of the founders of Fantoma Films) follows a pair of friends trying to dispose of a body after a poker game goes sour. Fantoma Films is best known for their catalog of cult films reissued on DVD. I had high expectations for a film that starts off with the bashing of someone’s head by a bass guitar. To be perfectly honest, the film was not quite weird enough for me. It seemed fairly normal, and had a couple of scenes of odd happenings. Overall, it was interesting but not quite strange enough. The score was composed by Mike Patton, and has some really strange tunes on there.

Patton accurately captured the mood of the scenes with the score, and furthered the strange experimentation with an almost 50’s flair to some of the songs. A Perfect Place will release as a DVD/CD set, and is sure to please all who are interested in experimental music and noir films. [Dixon]

www.ipecac.com

Khann Tofutopia

These vegan stoners from Florida got their debut album released on Black Market Activities, so right away I was expecting some form of brutality. What I didn’t expect was to be assaulted on nearly all sonic fronts within extreme music. Unlike so much modern metal that seems to create songs through genre cut-and-paste, Tofutopia’s changes are surprisingly subtle. Khann can start with plodding death-metal influenced hardcore, move into passionate screamo, let it mature into something with a bit of an epic post-rock feel, then bring the whole thing down on top of you with a killer sludge riff. The main thing that helps pull this off is a dual-vocal attack from Andrew Lacour and Joshua Vitale.

Between these two, there is an answer to virtually every vocal demand. Death metal bellowing, hardcore yelling, blackened rasps and passionate shrieks are all easily within the reach of these guys.

I suppose the only problem with this kind of roller coaster ride is that it may be difficult to endure for fifty minutes, which is what the album clocks in at. With so many peaks and valleys, Tofutopia as a whole lacks direction, and feels like it could (maybe should) end at several places before it actually does. It’s definitely worth a few loud listens, though. This band is definitely onto something, and their songwriting is as good as many veterans’. When taken in one song at a time, they kill.

Call me old-fashioned, I just hope that their next effort

will sound more like an album, and not just a bunch of great songs smashed together. [Moroni]

www.blackmarketactivities.com

Landmine Marathon / Scarecrow Split

The first three tunes on this split are from Landmine Marathon, and are certainly the better of the six tracks here. That’s not saying a whole lot though, unfortunately. The vocals sound evil, but the music isn’t very interesting. The main theme of the music is almost thrash mixed with punk rock, and it isn’t executed very well. “Skin from Skull” starts off, and honestly the chorus is a little too clearly meant for sing-a-longs.

Landmine Marathon’s last tune is “Changing Addictions,” which is a fast tune that’s a little sloppy.

Scarecrow plays the next three tunes, “The Scum Also Rises,” “Twilight’s Last Gleaming,” and “Scapegoat Parade.” First, this is like old-school thrash. Mostly, the production is really bad, which I think is on purpose. The vocals are not good, nor are the drums, which sound a lot like Metallica’s last offering–hollow and off the main beat. I’m trying to find something to like about this, but I really can’t. Sorry guys, this is a big miss with both bands. [Dixon]

www.level-plane.com

Lafcadio Kibosh

Lafcadio reminds of no one more than HORSE the Band. The problem with HORSE the Band is that they can’t seem to take anything seriously enough to make you really feel invested. And while Lafcadio smile at you like The Jesus Lizard or Faith No More, they don’t lean forward, winking like a twitcher. When they move from quirky, tinny verses to scathing, triplet-firing breakdowns, you can believe them.

One their favorite techniques is synching the screamed vocals with uneven rhythms, ala The Dillinger Escape Plan. While most vocalists for bands that play with odd time signatures sing over the complex drumwork, bassist/singer Benjamin Masbaum often sings into it with wild, punctuated howls and amelodic moans. Engaging vocal work like this is what’s missing in a lot of bands that, while writing interesting songs, fail to command the listener’s attention past the second or third track.

Like HORSE the Band, their production is thin, allowing the actual musicianship in their loose arrangements to show. This unenhanced, filterless recording makes for a genuine listening experience. Again, you can believe them.

Kibosh is a short album of burts and spasms, sustained bliss and defibrillator blitzes. File under “experi-metal” alongside Unsane, Psyopis and The End.

[Flatt]

www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com

Maritime Heresy and the Hotel Choir

Over the course of their three records, Maritime have proved exceptionally difficult to review. Their debut, Glass Floor was just plain difficult to listen to.

It had the best of intentions, but ended up awkward in all the ways it was supposed to be angular. Next, We, The Vehicles was difficult to review for more personal reasons. I actually really liked it and after years of flinging poo in the direction of anything remotely Promise Ring-related I had to swallow my pride. Where I found most Promise Ring releases somewhere between cheesy (Nothing Feels Good) and horrible (the rest of them), Maritime had somehow gotten it right. Just catchy enough to elicit toe tapping, but never obvious or repetitive enough for head shaking.

After further member changes–frontman Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier, the Ring alums

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

and original members–they seem to have found a solid lineup. Didier claims that due to this, Heresy feels like Maritime’s first record. There is some truth to that, though it’s tough to ignore the fact that it also sounds a lot like their most recent record. Almost every song has at least one or two instantly memorable hooks.

Hooks have never been a problem for von Bohlen, but as with We, The Vehicles they are supported by careful song construction. This takes many forms. On “Pearl,” it’s a slow, steady tempo and a simple and near-perfect keyboard part. “For Science Fiction” and “Hand Over Hannover” are more steady and straightforward, with enough clever dynamics to hold the attention that’s so quickly hooked. The faster tracks ended up being the best, especially “Hours That You Keep.” It’s, for all intents and purposes, a really smart pop-punk song.

Remember those?

Like every loud, opinionated smart-ass, I don’t like to admit that I was ever wrong. Very Emergency is still annoying. But von Bohlen and company have now put out two consecutive records that, from beginning to end, find me eating my words. [Anderson]

www.flameshovel.com

The Mass Holocene #6

You may remember my initial review of City of Dis a while back. Well, The Mass is back for another attack of sludgy, punky and jazzy metal. Yes, they have a bit of everything in there. This is indeed a curious mix, but it works really well. A Botch/jazz influence is immediately apparent on “Trbovlue.” “Human Shield” is a punk mixed with jazz break neck, followed by the straightforward metal approach of “Fat Cobra.” The last song is “Ilirska Bistrica,” an 11-minute clusterfuck of every genre you could imagine. These guys are truly unique, and this is an exceptional EP. Not everyone is going to understand this record, and that’s just fine. Those of you who do will really appreciate an amazing experiment, fusing jazz, doom, technical metalcore, punk, and hell damn near everything else. Highly recommended with the twisted artwork of Johnathan Wayshak. The production is perfect, with no samples or overdubs. Stuff like this makes me happy to keep listening to metal. [Dixon]

www.themass.us

MGR Wavering on the Cresting Heft

MGR is a solo album by M. Gallagher of Isis. It is what you would expect from the guitarist–lots of ambience, noise and slow tempos. It starts off with the song “Allusions,” a slow flange in the background underneath clean guitar and bass lines. “It Darkens His Door” comes up next, and has some really great lines in it. Again, there is atmosphere behind the guitar and bass work done, and it really creates a pleasant listen.

Wavering on the Cresting Heft moves like a wave.

“Ruminations of Before” explores the types of melodies that make Isis so interesting to listen to, while adding more ambience and layers of soul behind it. Next up is “Equilibrium,” the album’s shortest song, clocking in just shy of six minutes. The album ends with the two longest tracks, “The Night Splits, Wide and Open” and “And it Falls, By the Gallons.” The former is a layered experiment, clean and distorted, clear and vague. The latter completes our ambient journey. This is excellent background music, and Gallagher has really created some excellent atmospheres with this release. [Dixon]

www.conspiracyrecords.com

Minion Out of the Carnage… Let Me Back in (LP)

Some serious At the Gates-worship going on here. Don’t compare them to The Black Dahlia Murder, though. This Bremen quintet recreates the classic Swedish sound with all of the chunk and grit intact,

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avoiding new-school death metal polish the majority of the time. These guys don’t really innovate on any level, but after taking in the aesthetic of the album as a whole–particularly the cover and band logo–it becomes clear that they aren’t trying to do anything new. Out of the Carnage… thrashes pretty hard throughout, and has some stellar moments that made me want to get off the couch and rock out all over the place. This makes for a well-executed album overall and definitely worth your money if you’re into this sort of classic metal. [Moroni]

www.vendettarecords.de

The Ocean Precambrian (2xCD)

This is a double-disc set, and has some of the most innovative metal out there packed into it. There are nods toward Meshuggah, Coalesce, Botch, Mastodon, and old Cave In, but these influences are expanded upon.

The first disc’s songs are all named after the Hadean and Archaean geological periods. Down-tuned guitar riffs with off-tempo beats throw the listener into the fires of the ancient times.

“Eoarchaean” pounds you like a pile-driver, while “Paleoarchaean” brings dirtier, punk-rock feel to the album. The first disc is a teaser, with just five tracks. Disc two covers the Proterozoic eon, with three eras, each with several periods within it. We start the Palaeoproterozoic era with “Siderian,” a clean riff with saxophone and an almost tribal beat. This progresses to the Rhyacian period, expanding upon the theme set by the previous track. Clean vocals help obscure the same line, with a screamed/growled harmony behind it.

“Orosirian” has strong guitar work backed by orchestral strings. This is a great tune, featuring Caleb Scofield from Cave In lending his pipes.

The Palaeoproterozoic era ends with “Statherian,” a slow, almost classical decay. The pace quickens, and The Ocean expertly blends the previous theme with pounding drums and crunching guitars. We progress to the Mesoproterozoic era with “Calymmian.” This is over eight minutes, and slowly builds until the wall finally collapses, builds, collapses and builds again. “Ectasian” has a great piano introduction with strings, which spends nine minutes evolving into an almost progressive metal piece.

The final era represented is the Neoproterozoic, comprising just two periods. “Tonian” is a very odd song with a clear jazz influence. The disc ends with “Cryogenian,” an instrumental piece with a piano and string arrangement in the background.

The Ocean is a collective with numerous guest singers and additional musicians. What I loved about their last album was that it was a game to pick out the singers of the various parts. This time, they’ve ruined the game, by listing the guest vocalists in the liner notes.

Let’s recap, shall we? Reason to listen to this album: there is nothing like it, and it is brilliantly done. You really feel like you’ve accomplished something when you finish listening. Reasons to purchase this album: two discs, two full sets of liner notes, complete with all the answers to the game of “who’s singing what.” Few bands can pull something like this off, and you really do need to support it. The experimentation of these two discs fully supports the idea of musicians as artists, your speakers their canvas. [Dixon]

www.metalblade.com

Off With Their Heads All Things Move Toward Their End

How does No Idea do it? How do they consistently find the best bands around? Off With Their Heads hail from Minneapolis and have a perfect blend of anger and melody, like lemonheads: bitter and fun. The band is fronted by Ryan Young; vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and band mainstay. Over the course of the record, eight extra players show-up, most notably Dillinger Four’s Paddy Costello and Davey Tiltwheel, which should give you a clear idea of where this band falls. The album collects 14 tracks from various comps, split 7” appearances, and even an unreleased number.

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Young’s penchant for melody draws this apart from modern pop-punk, as in the bouncing piano of “Call the Cops.” He easily flips the pen and inks the angry self-loathing sing-a-long “Closed Early.”

The album breathes best at the end with the inclusion of the To Hell with This & All of You 7”, four tracks whose minor notes and key work give a Murder City tinge to the pop flavor. Primarily “Don’t Laugh, I’m Totally Serious,” a lament of a pathetic man pining for a lost love over bloody lips and cocaine, it burns slow with a morose croon. A piece of personal degradation like “FYYTSNTWMF” works out over insistent guitars and a humming organ. What works for OWTH is their ability to change rapidly, which I gather is mostly Young’s, from verse to chorus, from pop to agro-pop. He has a keen awareness of his self-loathing and wears it like a badge of honor. [Sousa]

www.noidearecords.com

The Orange Man Theory Riding A Cannibal Horse From Here To…

This is the first proper U.S. release of The Orange Man Theory’s first full length, though it was recorded more than two years ago. Hailing from Rome, the band flew to the Massachusetts to record with Steve Austin [whose label is now releasing the record in the States].

Their sound is something of a throwback to the best metalcore of the late 90’s. They mix stop/start rhythms with smoother guitar riffs, which remind me of Botch (without blindly ripping them off like so many current American bands). There is also a pretty evident arena rock influence, though it never takes over their sound.

“Vampires In The Sun (Surfin’ Transylvania)” is the most obvious highlight, with a downright poppy guitar line and vocals that perfectly mix singing and screaming.

The distinctive two-part breakdown, just after the song’s mid-point is one of the record’s best moments. It’s followed by a melodic (but hardly catchy) section, which features the best things about melodic hardcore and none of what’s cheesy.

The heavily 70’s rock-influenced “Vortex of Cows into the Sweet Tornado” and the more heavy, frantic title track are both strong as well. The Orange Man Theory isn’t going to throw individual elements at you that have never been incorporated into modern hardcore. In fact, much of what they’re doing is quite familiar. But they manage to mix everything in a unique way, avoiding almost all of the genre’s pitfalls. This is metalcore at its’ best–dense but not impenetrable and varied in its approach, though focused in its execution.

This was recorded more than three years ago. But I still can’t help but think this is a timely reminder of what was best about this genre before it was taken over by suburban kids, wearing their sisters’ jeans. [Anderson]

www.supernovarecords.net

Orthodox Amancer En Pruera Oscura

There’s something brittle about Orthodox’s brand of doom–think Earth, Boris, Sunno)))–on Amancer En Pruera Oscura, as though the song might fall apart at any moment. This isn’t an unfounded anticipation; they actually let it fall apart again and again. That’s one pleasurable thing about this album: despite the long, instrumental compositions, you’re never sure what to expect. The first two tracks seem relatively directionless, never building to anything, never taking the listener anywhere in particular. The third track, however, “Solemna Tridio,” is all business as it works its way from a Catholic mass chant with a high-distortion riff backdrop to a frenetic peak using the same riff.

The highlight of Amancer En Pruera Oscura’s middle portion is the first recorded jaw harp I’ve heard since Snoopy played on a Charlie Brown cartoon. The effect of its presence here is minimal.

“Templos,” the last major track of the album progresses with the viscosity of chilled molassis. Over the course of the song’s 15 minutes, there are three brief moments of interest where the plucking, stand-up bass, wind instruments and gong seem like they’re doing

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

something other than providing atmosphere for a heady art film. There is some really fun rim-shot percussion in the last minute as well, but the track serves as a microcosm for the album, which takes 50 minutes to put forth 15 interesting ones, though its general blandness might be a worthwhile build for the immense threeminute set of guitar solos that conclude the album.

Mostly, Orthodox is a bit self-serious and indulgent, but capable of some exciting moments. [Flatt]

www.southernlord.com

The Out_Circuit Pierce The Empire With A Sound

The Out_Circuit is a long-running collaborative/studio project headed by former Frodus mastermind Nathan Burke. This is the second proper record for the band, though their first came out way back in 2003. For better and worse (though, usually more of the latter), this feels very much like a studio project. It’s obvious that Burke is going for a very hypnotic, lush feel to most of the songs. This is accomplished through generally strong, but rarely impactful keyboard and synth lines.

Haram alum Andy Gale plays drums on most of the tracks, while a host of other contributors make appearances as well. The most notable are Thrice guitarists Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi (who also mixed the record) and Coalesce singer Sean Ingram. Though only featured on a couple tracks, drummer Matt Johnson (Roadside Monument) throws down one of the record’s best performances on “The Hexagon.”

Most of these songs were obviously labored over in the studio, as they are tightly constructed and most are heavily layered. But it also, like most studio projects, comes off pretty flat most of the time. “The Hexagon” features by far the strongest dynamics on the record, with great drumming to boot. My favorite overall is “The Fall Of Las Vegas,” which has the only significant feeling of urgency on the whole record. Not incidentally, it’s also the track that Ingram contributes vocals to.

Like “The Hexagon,” it also has very active drumming that, combined with Ingram’s vocals helps to overcome a pretty standard keyboard part to make for a strong track. The rest of the record has its moments, though most of it sort of drifts by. It’s so carefully put together that at times you can’t see any cracks in its construction.

This mostly works against Pierce The Empire..., as seamless and uneventful can be closely related and it leans a bit too much toward the latter. [Anderson]

www.lujorecords.com

Paint it Black New Lexicon

It is without a doubt the most aptly titled hardcore record I have come to know, a sonic tour de force of anger and thunder filled with glimpses of sun and hope.

New Lexicon is a paradigm in punk, a shape-shifting record deserving of more than lyrical quotes and auditory metaphors. It is at best a tone, or an emotion, contained within the walls of thirty minutes’ time. Jared Shavleson’s drumming, on his first recording with the band, is both ambitious and understated. He foregoes grandeur, not for lack of ability but for benefit of song, a conservative pounding with the occasional groundshaking fill. During the sludging first verse of the third track, “We Will Not,” his snare sounds like it belongs in the corps.

Yemin’s voice takes stomps to the forefront on this track as, declaring it a “sermon for the vermin, a song to draw blood.” This is an album for the times, eschewing cries for peace and understanding. It’s a statement of anger and disgust with a nation without ethics, dragged to a forgotten war and strung-out on consumption. The opening two tracks are blistering, but it is during third track where New Lexicon stakes its claim. Call it the thesis; everything beyond this point is about calling a spade a spade, about letting people who are irate know they are not alone and letting the elite be forewarned, like on the brutal “White Kids Dying of Hunger,” where Yemin wonders aloud “What will take to fucking shake you up?”

Rosetta Wake/Lift

OK, Rosetta’s debut was phenomenal and their split with Balboa was excellent, so I had some questions: How can they push the envelope? Are they going to fizzle out with their sophomore full-length? Thankfully, Philly’s Rosetta have done it again, and have thus captured my heart once more.

The album starts off with “Red in Tooth and Claw,” picking up right where they left off with the split. What I love about this band is their ability to crush and then back off with melodic and delayed passages. It’s such a great experience listening to Rosetta–you just sit back and smile with your eyes closed the first time you hear it. Each time you listen, you get something new that you hadn’t heard before. The mixture of ambience, noise, crushing guitars, pounding drums, off-kilter bass lines and their ability to knock it down to clean interludes makes this band one of the best newer bands to come out in a long time.

Tracks two through four are the trilogy of “Lift,” which features an airy intro leading to the crash. The second part of “Lift” is an ambient interlude, leading directly into the third. Rosetta lulls you into thinking that this portion is going to let you down easy, but then comes right in and grabs you.

After “Lift,” we have the other title track, “Wake,” where almost ten minutes of bliss ensue. This band is just fucking brilliant. “Temet Nosce” is the next to last track, just under 15 minutes of ambience and preparation. It

The tone of this album is heavy, the low-end theory worked out in hardcore. Rumbling would be the only way to describe the guitars. Andy Nelson’s bass work draws a new map. I have never heard punk sound this threatening, this window-shaking. The credit for this new sound should go to the work of co-producers J. Robbins and Oktopus (of Dälek). Robbins’s work is in the uppermost echelon of production, always clean and sharp, crisp without excessive volume. Oktopus adds the perfect amount of bass drop and provides distorted interludes to bridge the aggressive onslaughts.

Adding to all this thump is the pointed guitar sounds of Paint it Black’s other newcomer, Josh Agran.

Like Shavelson, Agran is reserved, showing no overt riffage or displays of prowess through excessive soloing.

Instead it’s all palm mutes, plucked harmonies, and shredding momentary fills. Take the verse of “Saccharine” which gets a metal-tinged bit of licks, while the chorus has a funky chop to it. Better yet is the album closer “Shall Game Redux,” whose closing breakdown becomes an anthem of its own. It’s a fierce treatise against the privileged and their hoarding, entitled attitude, as is nearly the whole album.

In an age of self-indulgent, over-produced, excessively layered music, Paint it Black has crafted a bare, heavy album to be reckoned with. [Sousa]

www.jadetree.com

Papermoons Self-Titled (7”/CDEP)

A lot about Papermoons’ debut EP is pretty immediately recognizable. A careful combination of nostalgic Americana and melodic indie rock isn’t exactly a brand new formula. Combine that with the similarities between Matt Clark’s vocals and Ben Gibbard’s, and I’m not going to be the only person looking to marginalize Papermoons at first glance. But, it’s also apparent pretty quickly that the duo of Clark and drummer Daniel Hawkins are on to something.

All five songs here have a similar, patient and straightforward feel with carefully melodic vocal lines.

The arrangements tend to be surprisingly layered for a two-piece band, which gives the songs depth. Coupled with fairly simple songwriting, this gives Papermoons a crucial (and rare) combination of immediate appeal and something new to listen for after numerous spins. All five songs are strong, though the more country-influenced “Exist” might be my favorite. It sounds a bit like Limbeck, though less repetitive.

Papermoons are nostalgic but never trite and

ends with my favorite, “Monument,” a 13-minute epic with every element of Rosetta in it. There is the noise, ambience, crunch, crash, lift, and everything in between. In short, this is a phenomenal second full-length. [Dixon]

www.translationloss.com

C—Scott Kinkade

simple but never boring or predictable. I could even see Zach Braff using these songs in his next shitty romantic comedy, though I’m still not ashamed to listen to them.

These balances are difficult for any band to strike, though they’ve pulled it off effortlessly on their first official release. [Anderson]

www.teamsciencerecords.com

Perth Express Discography

Last summer I had the fortune to see this band (along with every other awesome band around) live at Dude Fest in Indianapolis. The guys at the Relapse table had been talking these Germans up all morning, but they played early in the day so everyone was saving their energy for what was to come later (Ed Gein, Phoenix Bodies, Ampere, and Pig Destroyer to name a few). Despite the underwhelming crowd response, they definitely played a tight and powerful set. Since then, Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records has released this album, which combines everything from their demo, self-titled 10-inch, LP, and split with Hellström. On CD, their style of technical crusty hardcore with a slight smattering of European screamo translates well, due partly to uniformly good production quality throughout the release (except on the demo, of course).

If His Hero is Gone got back together and kept doing what they did except with some Mastodon riffs thrown into the mix, they might just call themselves Perth Express. The band starts pummeling on the first track and only lets up a couple times–no wait, just once–for the next hour. However, if being pummeled for an hour straight is the kind of thing you’re into, than this record is for you. I suppose it’s a cool thing to be able to spend twelve bucks and know you’ve got everything a band has released. But sitting down and listening to this straight through is definitely a chore. It’s not impossible though, and the band brings some changes into their sound that might keep you listening if you haven’t been put off by their monotony by the time they come. Perth Express is more intelligent and less derivative than most other bands out there mining the crust/metal vein, but the overwhelming similarity between releases is disappointing. It should at least be easy to discern where one release ends on this album and another begins, but their sound is the exact same throughout, which tells me that this band is treading water. They need to move forward, or else risk becoming irrelevant. [Moroni]

www.tdbrecords.com

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

Prize Country Lottery of Recognition

Unlike The Blood Brothers and These Arms Are Snakes who have made use of modest electronics, keyboards and dance beats to give a new sense of post-hardcore in the 2000s, Prize Country works within the older tradition of two-guitar riff trading.

Lottery of Recognition sounds like a more guitar-savvy version of pre-End Transmission Snapcase.

Singer/guitarist Jacob Depolitte upturning howls are a dead ringer for Daryl Taberski, as do his vague, pseudosocial lyrics. “We turned this heaven to hell / and we just watched / not this water’s hell / and we can’t swim,” he sings on “Into the Depths,” an otherwise inspired example of how pop song constructions can make louder music extremely palatable.

One really nice part of this recording is how the bass guitar is in the foreground in the mix, giving their rhythm section a powerful boost and calling attention to some excellent drumming. If I have a complaint, it’s that Depolitte’s lyrics are absolutely humorless and cover well-worn territory. It sucks to have excellent, moving music completely undercut at its highpoint by something like, “It’s my moment / my moment / my moment of clarity.”

Despite the lyrics, however, this is one of the best post-punk/post-hardcore records I’ve heard all year.

Because this is their first record, I’m very excited about Prize Country, and to see where they’ll go next. [Flatt]

www.exigentrecords.com

Qui Love’s Miracle

The first time I listened to Qui, I was driving with a friend, listening to the first track or two on all the CDs in my review stack. When I popped in Love’s Miracle, I said right away, “Man, this sounds a fucking lot like The Jesus Lizard.” When I got home, I looked them up, and it turns out my impression was astute; just the way I like my impressions to be. It turns out that David Yow, ex-vocalist of The Jesus Lizard, joined Qui in 2006, and the group has since been signed to Mike Patton’s Ipecac Records.

This is precisely the product one would expect from a band with that history. The ironically titled Love’s Miracle is comprised on nine tracks of stoner rock wanderings, including two covers: Frank Zappa’s “Willie the Pimp” and “Echoes” by Pink Floyd. If playing covers

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is a way of naming your influences, I suppose these seem accurate, but we probably could have guessed.

This version of “Willie the Pimp” is nonetheless one coked-out, ass-stomping blues fest you don’t want to miss.

The drums on this album really compliment the bouncy, stuttering guitar riffs. Qui’s Paul Christensen uses a wide assortment of fills and rolls that he sometimes uses to round out an otherwise very angular sound, and other times to sharpen edges.

During the feedback-laden bridge of the album’s opener “Apartment,” Christensen takes a solo highly reminiscent Tool’s Danny Carey. Qui is one of those bands in which the drummer holds the loose playing style together.

Love’s Mircacle would be a good pick-up for anyone still interested in The Jesus Lizard’s version of prog-rock, and a lot of people probably should be.

[Flatt]

www.ipecac.com

Rahim The Same (CDEP)

“The Same” is the single from Rahim’s forthcoming record “Laughter”. It features “When She Arrives,” a short but catchy B-side. The single is available digitally on the band’s website or as a 7” on green vinyl.

Both songs are driving and have a definite pulse.

“The Same” punches you in the face with it, whereas it is slightly more subtle on “When She Arrives.” The single has almost a tribal quality to the beat, whereas “When She Arrives” delivers it in a more traditional manner. Think of it as the poppy counterpart to “The Same,” which is more rhythmically experimental in its straightforwardness. This is purportedly the new sound from the quartet, which recently underwent a lineup change. These tracks speak to the strength of the new lineup and make the new record an interesting prospect.

[Cox]

www.rahimrahim.org

Red Handed

Ride Your Bike Bad News From the Bar

This is run of the mill lo-fi singer-songwriter stuff from Fort Collins. The vocals sound extremely young and in many places suffer from the distinct sound of someone trying to load too many effects onto the vocal tracks. A lot of the songs can be described as Dashboard Confessional with a lighter footprint. They aren’t bare, but are constructed as a platform for the vocals, and much of the music seems secondary. The guitar work is tidy and contained and most of the drumming exists as background.

There is one pretty cool song with a trumpet and a rolling rhythm section called “Knack for Faith”. It has a sunny tone and the most distinctive sound on the album. The vocals are similar to the rest of the record, but its thoughtful song structure makes it stand out as the most mature and appealing. That and the song “Dig In Deep” is Ride Your Bike is at his best. It’s polished and melodic, with a good balance between the smooth guitar work and vocals. The rhythm section provides a subtle foundation, making the song pleasant all the way around.

The CD did not come with a lyric sheet, but the lines that are most evident are pretty typical of the genre. Talk of expired relationships, the frustration of daily life, and above all, longing for the past. There are a few cringe-worthy lines, but most of the lyrical content is neither exceptional nor disastrous. The Deep Elm website says the album was conceived to accompany a screenplay and each song tells part of a story. It is difficult to pick up on that by just listening, making even more of a case for a lyric sheet to be included.

Toward the end of the album I began to feel the boredom set in after hearing yet another cloying opening line. There really is a repetition issue on this.

After listening to the entire album, it is challenging to think back and identify where one song ends and the other begins. The songs with a fuller body remind me a little bit of Chamberlain circa 1999. If you like this kind of melancholy tinged melodic rock you might dig a few of the songs on Bad News From the Bar. [Medrano]

www.deepelm.com

Saint Jude

Wounds Remain

Always Hard–The First Recordings

Bleeding off their debut 7”, Red Handed is running back with 14 drops of early ‘80s tinged hardcore. Clocking in just short of 30 minutes, this group of teenage boys brings an urgency and vitality few other bands can compete with. The opening title track is a down tempo shouter that opts for never speeding up. A bold move since most leading tracks tend to be explosive, yet Red Handed plays it heavy and cool.

Throughout the album Dustin’s gruff snarl/spastic spit is reminiscent of Sam McPheeter’s. Tracks like “Other Side” find him rushing the lyrics about brotherhood, while the sludge sarcasm of “Maggots & Snakes” plays off the long relationship between hardcore and irony.

Much of the album’s songs conjure up the slower thrashy side of hardcore, calling to mind JFA or even the band they choose to cover–Black Flag–their version of “Room 13” gets a breath of fresh air. The drumming of “RH Army” and “17 Years” bring tight rumbling fills adding a fluid consistency of aggression to the record.

The former is a statement of threat from the band to any enemies, perhaps the most juvenile of the teenage group’s songs. The latter is about waking up older to the inconsistencies of public discourse. “Other Side” contains the album’s distinguishing guitar solo, a fortyfive second piercing shred coming from nowhere, but by no means out of place. Between the 7” reviewed last issue and this full length there is obvious growth, like on “Time is Up,” where the fuck you attitude has shifted from rival youth to changes in city landscape.

Red Handed employs a particular amount of minimalism, no elongated intros, no dueling axes and songs barely hit the two-minute mark; it’s just eight chords straight up and broken down. [Sousa]

Saint Jude hail from Providence, a city most will identify with genre-bending art school dropout indie rock bands. On their first recording, these guys fly directly in the face of this conventional wisdom. They play straightforward, thrashy hardcore which mixes sludgy metal, frantic rhythms and strong, gravelly vocals.

Comparisons to His Hero Is Gone/Tragedy won’t be far behind, though Saint Jude wears it well. The combination of subtly intricate guitar and bass work, along with fierce vocals put this ahead of most similar bands (even on their first recordings).

Most of the songs are succinct, especially “When The Mosh Calls, You Answer!” which covers exactly 11 seconds. But, as is usually the case with this genre, the best songs tend to be the slightly longer ones. “Voices Carry,” at just over four minutes is the most developed and effective track here. The choppy rhythm, even in the slower, ambient section is odd at first. But it works well, leading to an uneasy and effective buildup.

Though the recording quality is solid, I think these are essentially Saint Jude’s demo recordings. This is a solid release regardless, but taking that into account makes Always Hard even more impressive. [Anderson]

www.rivalryrecords.com

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www.torjohnsonrecords.com

Severe Torture Sworn Vengeance

Dutch metalheads Severe Torture are back with another offering of super fast technical death metal.

This is the tech stuff that’s usually come out of Poland (Decapitated, Vader, etc.) I love this type of death metal, and the spooky intro at the beginning of “Dismal

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

Perception” is really interesting. The guitars are fast, technical and melodic. The drums are fast, tight, and provide blast-beats a’plenty. The bass chugs along, while the vocals are barked in the style of Vader and The Chasm. “Serenity Torn Asunder” is next and pummels away, using some great fills and breaks. It’s straight-up death metal, refreshing and heavy.

Tunes like “Dogmasomatic Nausea,” “Repeat Offender” and the title track make Sworn Vengeance definitely worth checking out if you like your metal fast, aggressive, loud and in-your-face. A limited-edition first pressing comes with a couple bonus tracks, “It’s the Limit” (Cro-Mags) and “Eyemaster” (Entombed). As if those weren’t enough goodies, if you get this disc on iTunes, you can get yourself an additional EP with an Autopsy cover. Guest vocals on “Buried Hatchet” by Jason from Misery Index and Che from Born From Pain. I can’t help but get up and move listening to this record.

[Dixon]

www.earache.com

Skullflower IIIrd Gatekeeper

Crucial Blast has re-released Skullflower’s 1992 album, IIIrd Gatekeeper. The album was originally released on Justin Broadrick’s (Godflesh/Jesu) record label. It contains what you would expect from a band that was released by Broadrick. It’s slow, dirgy, dirty, industrial, down-tuned and noisy as hell.

The album starts off with “Can You Feel It?” which must be meant as rhetorical question – because if you don’t, check your pulse. It’s experimental, and you can’t help but feel a little agitated listening to it.

It’s described as “post-industrial,” and that’s exactly the right description. “Black Rabbit” sounds like it came directly out of a gothic metal club. It paints the scene right before blood starts pouring out of the sky. “Larks Tongues” is a wall of feedback from guitarist Matthew Bower and bassist Anthony DiFranco, punctuated by screaming and pounding of the drums by Stuart Dennison. Imagine that Al Jorgensen of Ministry had a bastard child with the devil after the apocalypse has come, and that’s what Skullflower sounds like. This is an excellent re-release. [Dixon]

www.crucialblast.net

Sleeping People Growing

Sleeping People are back with their sophomore release and, after a few lineup changes, they don’t seem to have lost any time. If you want more evidence, the forcefully cohesive “Mouth Breeder” will give you more than enough. It’s nearly nine minutes of challenging melody after challenging melody, a veritable sonic journey.

“Grow Worm” rocks complex time signatures with even more complex guitar lines. This references the most listenable and popular of the mid-90s work released by Touch and Go. You hear that, Steve Albini? Your throne is being calculatingly eyed by Sleeping People.

Yet one of the most interesting aspects of the record is the percussive and orchestral builds throughout “Underland” and “It’s Heart Loves Open,” which seem to slowly crescendo toward the album’s closer, “People Staying Awake.” At 6:30, the song displays substance to match its musical complexity. Its labyrinthine sections twist and turn through one another, creating a maze that is nothing short of enthralling. (And if you’re a Pinback fan, you might be interested to know Rob Crow makes a cameo here.) The record ends, and you have the feeling that Growing functions like any album should, not as a set of songs per se, but rather as a whole work.

Don’t call Sleeping People prog metal. They’re much more complex than that, blending some nice electronic lines (“...Out Dream”) and some other indie rock elements. In the end, just call them one of the artists of the year, and certainly a band to watch as their sound progresses. [Cox]

www.temporaryresidence.com

Tombs Self-Titled (12”/CD)

Tombs are a new band from former Anodyne frontman Mike Hill, which takes a much slower and more contemplative (but no less daunting) path than his former band. This is, by any measure an absolutely huge sounding record. But when you factor in that it’s the band’s first release, that it’s only seven songs (in under 30 minutes) and that Tombs is trio, the breadth is even more impressive. Each of the songs is a lumbering, mid-tempo beast in its own way. The daunting, all-encompassing sound is notable, but so are the little details throughout the songs. The production helps to balance gritty, imposingly raw tone and more than enough clarity to accent the subtle post-new wave melodic flourishes.

There are some obvious influences, especially Neurosis (especially vocally) or the more cerebral post-metal leanings of bands like Swans. This is at its peak on the opening to “Darker Than Your Nights,” which begins as a haunting, slow motion introduction. After a split-second pause, the song transforms itself, quickly and completely. It piles the heaviest guitar and bass work on the record on top of a jagged, up-tempo drumbeat. More than anywhere else on the record, Hill’s vocal line puts this part of the song over the top. It’s somewhere between Steve Von Till and early Mike Patton, distinct and complex but not overpowering in the mix.

Even after numerous listens, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Tombs is just a trio. But the extra space in the arrangements actually acts to create a sound that’s clearer and in some ways heavier. Most similar bands tend to try adding an additional guitar (or two), maybe a keyboard or

Sleeping Pilot Panic Sex

Most of the “buzz” surrounding the Canadian music scene has slowly and surely declined (as every such buzz always has). But it doesn’t mean that aren’t still new, potent bands coming from north of the border.

Sleeping Pilot are an Ottawa export, and waste little time making an impact on their first full length. The band shares a bassist with The Grey, who released an excellent record on Lovitt last year. Like The Grey, they weave together influences from the best parts of East Coast post-hardcore from the last two decades or so. Sleeping Pilot uses a bit wider brush, including everything from acrobatic guitar and bass riffs to choppy, frantic rhythms and longer, riff-based breakdowns. There are a lot of moments that will have any fan of early Level-Plane releases (especially Neil Perry and Kaospilot) smiling. The vocals and a few of the guitar riffs have attended mass at the Church of The Refused. This can be a blessing or a crutch and Sleeping Pilot weave it into their sound in a careful, gainful way.

“The Machine in the Ghost,” the six-minute closer is the best window into the whole record. It opens with the slowest, but heaviest sections of the whole record, but quickly throws in the most melodic part as well. A slow, perfect build-up covering the middle third of the song is both the most imposing and catchiest moment here. The riff it slowly and surely morphs into represents the best, most exhilarating things about post-hardcore/ screamo–before both terms were kidnapped by MySpace bands trolling for booking agents and pubescent girls.

[Anderson]

sonicdeadline.cjb.net

Slingshot Dakota Their Dreams are Dead, But Ours is the Golden Ghost

More than three years have passed since Slingshot Dakota released Keener Sighs, their debut full length.

Since then, both of singer/keyboardist Carly Comando’s band mates left to form Bridge and Tunnel. Undeterred, she recruited drummer Tom Patterson and they soldiered on as a two-piece band. The result is actually more lush and memorable than their previous incarnation.

Comando’s voice and classically trained keyboard playing

some gritty electronics. This often works, but just as often the towering “wall of sound” they were looking for gets tripped up by muddy mixes and broad sounding riffs. Tombs find this “wall of sound” effortlessly, but they have a more nimble and sharp edge to their songwriting and production. This leads to a record that is dynamic and fierce, without losing any of the huge, gritty density so many five and six member bands can’t pull off half as well. [Anderson]

www.blackboxrec.com / www.level-plane.com

are much more dynamic and versatile than most of her indie rock peers. The songs aren’t always fast, though they are all energetic and helped along by Patterson’s often frenetic drumming. The opening track, “The Golden Ghost” is an obvious highlight, with a chorus like that perfectly walks the line between immediately catchy and well developed. “Ohio!” demonstrates a similar balance, with an ideal trade-off of the melody between the keyboard and vocal lines. “Until The Day I Die” (part 1 and 2) are much slower, but no less catchy.

On first glance, there are a number of much simpler peers that you could lump in with Slingshot Dakota. But without easy, repetitive rhythms or shoddy one-hand keyboard playing, Their Dreams are Dead… runs circles around almost all of them. [Anderson]

www.slingshotdakota.net

Soul Control Involution

On their first full length, these Providence natives don’t waste much time getting to the point. I guess since their debut full length covers less than 23 minutes, they don’t really have that luxury. Their sound combines elements of classic Northeast youth crew and more 90’s post hardcore. They mix choppy rhythms that are a bit slow by modern hardcore standards with shouted lyrics about personal empowerment. Does this seem like something worth rushing out for yet? I didn’t get think so. But there’s a catch, which is most obvious almost immediately. “On Survival” is the opening track and it’s one of the more exhilarating new hardcore songs I’ve heard in some time. It reaches anthem status by the 30-second mark, which is also a third of the way through the song. Despite monotone vocals and fairly straightforward guitar riffs, there are more than a few oddly melodic parts interspersed throughout the record.

Some of the longer songs have a tense, off-kilter feel that nod in the direction of the most direct Quicksand material.

None of these eleven tracks take a serious run at reinventing the wheel. But tight construction and deft cliché-dodging make that irrelevant. Soul Control’s sound is smart and youthful at the same time. Let’s face it: you can’t wear a band hoodie and cargo shorts every day, but both are still comfortable. Involution represents that same feeling–the most timeless parts of hardcore’s

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

past, which are still as welcoming today as they were when you were 15. [Anderson]

www.rivalryrecords.com

Teenage Bottlerocket Warning Device

I have never been a fan of leather jacket punk rock, it always sounded like oldies played in half the time. I was apprehensive to spin this disc. No need, Teenage Bottlerocket is the most inviting band of the issue and Warning Device is an album full of enticing tracks. The album bursts open with pop-punk on “Bottlerocket” where guitarist Roy Carlisle angrily yelps he is ready to explode in just under a minute. That catchy riff and hook of “In the Basement” really showcases the bands songwriting ability, former Lillington Kody Templemen stands out as an exceptional modern vocalist. It is not professional, but it is appropriate and that makes it endearing.

The “1234 Go” combo of centerpiece tracks solidifies their awesomeness, starting with the breakup cut “Pacemaker” where Brandon Carlisle gives his toms a workout. “Social Life,” track of the fucking record by the way, embraces the joys of sitting at home and watching Rambo II. “Welcome to the Nuthouse” is a straightforward sub-two minute jam of pounding drums and upbeat guitars, while “Anna’s Song” slows it down with a tempered high-hat and a declaration of dedication.

From there the record begins to wear thin as this genre can do. The lyrics, the 4/4 ride, the three chords, all begin to bleed together. They avoid complacency by placing two of the album’s best tracks towards the end. First is “Totally Stupid,” an upbeat embracement of juvenile behavior and friends as being all the rage.

The closer, “Wasting Time,” is a final reminder of what Teenage Bottlerocket does superbly: love songs.

Something about the masculine yet non-aggressive approach of vocals and the poignant nature of the lyrics creates sweet, but sapless, power pop. [Sousa]

www.redscare.net

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Thank God/Tigershark Split (10”)

Thank God is all over the place, but definitely has an overall mid-nineties emo feel to it. Vocals in the first song sound quite a bit like Racebannon, and though they touch on a little bit of weirdness, they don’t really cross any of the lines Racebannon does. They do, however manage to cover a lot of ground in the span of only three songs, all of which are pretty good. On the other side, Tigershark starts off nice and crusty, but loses energy as things get more complex. At some point the vocals drop out and the band goes off on some repetitive guitar jam, which loses me completely. Luckily, it abruptly segues into “The…I…Um…We…Uhh,” which recaptured my attention, and somehow manages to be simultaneously relaxing and creepy. Thank God features ex-members of Antischism and Guyana Punchline, and Tigershark has ex-The Assistant and The Setup dudes.

[Moroni]

www.theperpetualmotionmachine.com

Them, Roaring Twenties Future Sandwich

Rather than try to run from their native Chicago’s extensive history of progressive rock music, Them, Roaring Twenties have chosen to fully embrace it. Their spastic approach, with angular rhythms and fractured, noddling guitar lines will have fans of Make Believe or Tortoise feeling right at home. Much of the drumming is busy, even by the standards of this style. It often sounds like fast-forward jazz, a style usually employed by slightly more confrontational bands like Lightning Bolt or Hella.

Despite a genuinely chaotic feel to the music, there’s something cohesive to most of the record.

Highlights like “We Prefer A Little Hair Down There” may easily fit into a sub-genre, but are also tough to ignore. Detailed parts are carefully arranged into a perfect arc, which transcends the funny title and skit-like vocals in the middle. The lighter and more stable “Labia Arabia” is probably the best introduction to the band, with staccato rhythms anchoring downright catchy guitar riffs at warp speed.

The artwork accompanying Future Sandwich, even more than the music, goes above and beyond.

The CD comes packaged in a mini board game box, complete with an actual fold-out board game. It works sort of like a Chicago rock and roll CandyLand, where the objective is to be the first to return to Fuck Mountain after visiting all the locations. The other spots include Chicago mainstays like Fireside Bowl, Beat Kitchen, Electrical Audio and even O’Hare Airport. Along the way, you’ll need the mini dice (also included) and game cards.

These include commands like “You get compared to that other band from Chicago - Move back 1 space,” and “You love for meat scared away another hot vegan - Roll again.”

The completeness of this daunting project is amusing and impressive. If this were simply a novelty project, it would be a strong one. But the CD that accompanies this ridiculous package and board game is just as interesting and well put together. It is a shame that it may take a leap like this one to get people to buy actual CD’s in 2008. Regardless, Future Sandwich is worth hunting down for two reasons, even if you only need one. [Anderson]

www.sickroomrecords.com

Tournament Swordswallower (CDEP)

Tournament is a new band. They hail from Brooklyn, feature members of a handful of bands neither you nor I have ever heard and already endured a couple lineup changes. Intrigued yet? Neither was I. Thankfully though, there was actual music included with this band biography. The five songs are comprised of what is essentially post-hardcore in slow motion. What results is actually pretty intriguing, gathering influences from mid-90’s San Diego, Chicago and D.C.-area bands. The

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quicker, shorter songs lean toward Drive Like Jehu, especially the engaging “Nightlion.” After a couple listens, “Traveler,” which is roughly twice the length of the other tracks, is the real highlight. With a slower tempo and sludgy feel overall, it shows a surprising amount of depth. For one, it has the most melodic guitar and bass riffs anywhere on the EP. This is surprising, coming from the slowest and in some ways heaviest song here. The result is similar to a less metal Faith No More or a more accessible Karp. Either way, it’s a great song that makes for the perfect mid-point on a solid EP. [Anderson]

www.myspace.com/tripmachinelabs

Vancouver / Zatokrev Split (CDEP)

This split features two bands from the hardcore/ metal crossover scene in Switzerland, each contributing two songs. Zatokrev lean more toward traditional metal, with choppy mid-tempo riffs that are repetitive in the best way possible. “Out Of Despair” harkens to the most aggressive moments from early Neurosis material.

“Pro Co,” their second track is a bit more unsettling and off-kilter, like a slowed-down version of Today Is The Day. Both of their songs are strong, though they may not jump right out at you on the first few listens.

Vancover on the other hand, do just that. Both of their songs have similar structures, each coming in between five and six minutes each. They are ambitious: dynamic and cathartic at the same time. If Botch’s angular, slower moments mated with the more urgent end of Cult Of Luna’s dirges, this is what you’d get.

“Apparatus” covers all of the band’s bases without resorting to a simple quiet/loud/quiet/loud structure, a pitfall most of their peers fall straight into.

If you’re like me, you haven’t heard of either of these bands or even given the Swiss hardcore scene a minute of your time. But both bands, especially Vancouver are worth looking into if you’re still a fan of ambitious combinations of metal and hardcore.

[Anderson]

www.getaliferecords.com

Wildildlife Six

Simply put, Wildildlife’s Six is a remarkable debut. One track to the next, they demonstrate wildly (ha) different influences. They are just as comfortable and convincing playing guitar lines that recall Broken Social Scene on “Things Will Grow” as they are with Mastadon-ish riffs on the following song, “Tungsten Steel.” Avant-garde noise and doom follows, full of skreels and thrudges on “Epilogue.” And yet, this movement feels natural. This works because while they’re traversing genres, they maintain an extended crescendo/decrescendo pattern, so that “Tungsten Steel” picks up where the slow burn of “Things Will Grow” leaves off and “Epilogue” picks up the pieces.

This is an impressively intuitive ordering of tracks.

Six demands a lot of its listener. At the same time as one must be familiar with a wide array of influences to feel at home, three of its seven tracks are between 13 and 19 minutes long, each rising and peaking several times before it’s finished with you. One gets the impression that these are meant to serve as the album’s real foundation.

The first of the long tracks, “Magic Jordan,” ends its first movement at about the halfway mark (eight minutes in) and then shows yet another side of Wildildlife that sounds like Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice or Do Make Say Think, a meandering, arhythmic collage of chimes, guitar loops and far-off, distorted vocals. It’s fucking masterful.

This album is rich and diverse enough that I could spend another six paragraphs going through each track, trying to pick out sounds-likes and describe sonic juxtapositions (and probably failing), but you’d be better off picking up the album if any of what I’ve written here interests you. [Flatt]

www.crucialblast.net

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

The World/Inferno Friendship Society Addicted to Bad Ideas

For quite a while now The World/Inferno Friendship Society has been one of the most unique and exciting bands in independent music. The band’s lineup has varied, drawing on a wide range of musicians, each with distinct contributions. World Inferno’s sound has often been described as “cabaret punk” and I think that is fitting. They traffic in discreet, swanky lounge songs infused with punk rock. Addicted to Bad Ideas is in keeping with what has made this band legendary, putting the cabaret thing to work and adding a mixture of sounds from strings, pianos, percussion and rock guitar riffs. Singer, Jack Terricloth, has a distinct voice that gives each song a stamp of its own.

The album opens with the string-heavy intro “Peter Lorre’s Overture”, an instrumental until the last minute or so when they launch into a driving flurry of straight ahead punk rock. Some songs on the album call to mind The Misfits in their heyday, taking a perky 50s pop sound and adding a dose of darkness. The best of this batch of songs is the sixth track, which has a prohibitively long German title.

Unlike some other bands who are known for their epic live shows, The World/Inferno Friendship Society are able to approach that appeal in their recordings as well.

Although seeing them live is something you should do if you get the chance, this record isn’t just a tool to learn the songs in anticipation of seeing them live. If you like punk rock, weird quirky bands singing about a range of topics in fresh language, independent music, or any combination of the three you will like Addicted to Bad Ideas. [Medrano]

www.chunksaah.com

YOG Years of Nowhere

Formed several years ago, Switzerland’s YOG have only recently released their debut full-length, which was actually recorded in late 2006. The resulting sound does lean heavily on the elements of a few prominent American bands blurring the boundaries between metal and hardcore. Prescribed comparisons to Converge and Pig Destroyer are easy to make, but the way these elements are put together has everything to do with why Years of Nowhere is so successful. A combination of fresh, reckless energy and an attention to detail define all 13 tracks. The sound is cohesive and focused, but never one-dimensional for more than about a minute at a time. As a result, Years of Nowhere breathes new life into a genre (or combination thereof) that I thought was long dead.

“Love Process Failure” opens the record with an acrobatic oscillation between choppy hardcore and more frantic blast-beat metal. In just under three minutes, it acts as a perfect trailer for the rest of the record. In general, the best songs here are those with a bit more time to develop. “Merge” is the biggest highlight. It combines the best things about the energy of early Converge and the careful riffs of the Jane Doe era.

The careful pummeling gives way to a well earned, perfectly timed two- or three-part breakdown, which ends the song. “Kal-El” takes a similar path, but with more choppy and angular rhythms. The way these odd pieces all fit together is a smart and worthy homage to Coalesce.

Closing track “Death By Silent Tyrants” is half as long as the 12 songs preceding it combined. The long closing track is just another metal-core staple that YOG nails. It starts with a pair of dissonant, slow-motion guitar riffs that carefully (but not surprisingly) build up into a wall of noise. Then, just past the four-minute mark (exactly the song’s half-way point) it all comes together. At this point, I’m as annoyed as you with even the concept of an “epic breakdown.” But for the second time in a 30-minute span, YOG put one together–and at this point even the most jaded hardcore fan (read: me)–is hitting the rewind button three or four times. It’s the perfect climax, at the perfect time, to the perfect closing track for one of the most truly noteworthy heavy

Under Pressure Come Clean / Black Bile (CDEP)

A CD reissue of a European LP is not far down the list from Black Flag bars tattoos and colored vinyl 7”s when it comes to requisite cultural currency in the world of hardcore. But compared to those four Charles Bronson demos you absolutely must own on splattered blue vinyl, this CD version of Come Clean seems downright crucial. Along with Black Bile, their newest release, I also received the CD version of Come Clean. Thanks to this vocation and their somewhat forgettable name, I’m not sure if I had heard of Under Pressure before or just thought I had. Either way, I’m glad that both of these CD’s arrived in my mailbox when they did.

Under Pressure are from Winnipeg, which is an isolated city, even by Canadian standards. That means, among other things, that you won’t see Under Pressure rolling through your town every six months. In fact, it seems that they embark on one legitimate tour per year. For the sake of what’s left of modern hardcore, I hope Escape Artist spread both these records far and wide and that the guys in Under Pressure decide to quit their day jobs and tour full time.

From the first moments of Come Clean (the record, and the opening title track), it’s obvious that Under Pressure is onto something. They mix gravelly, but somehow melodic vocals with guitars that alternate between mildly melodic and completely punishing. At times, it’s hard not to think of fellow Canucks Fucked Up or early Black Flag (the band, not the tattoo). There is also a prevailing feel, between the just sludgy enough production and the slower, brooding moments that nods in the direction of Sabbath or The Melvins. But the best thing about both of these records isn’t in the ingredient list. Let’s face it: a lot of bands have mixed Flag and Sabbath. Somehow, Under Pressure presents this common, if not overused formula in a fresh and perfectly proportioned way.

They occasionally throw in some unexpected sounds, most obviously the offkilter horns in “I Explode.” But overall, the devil is in the details. The net result is a collection of songs that all work perfectly together, without falling into any set pattern or routine. Each has its own unique payoff, mixing the tension of slower, more metal-influenced hardcore with the thrashy persistence of the old standards.

hardcore records I’ve heard in years.

Let’s face it: it’s 2008. At this point, the term and the idea of “epic” heavy hardcore is hard to swallow with a straight face. But Years of Nowhere is it. So leave your skepticism behind for a few minutes and plunk down the extra cash to get this thing AirMailed over the pond. [Anderson]

www.getaliferecords.com

Zann Three Years in the Desert

From their home base in Berlin, Zann have been kicking around Europe for a few years. Their sound covers many of the more classic bases within the metalcore heyday of the mid to late-90’s. Most of the songs are defined by abrasive guitar riffs, which are relentless but rarely repetitive. Heavy and haphazard, but never sloppy, they nod definitively in the direction of early Converge records. For the most part, the songs are a step or two slower than most newer bands. This mostly mid-tempo delivery along with the drummer’s choppy style lands close to Unbroken. There are some short, but effective moments that momentarily sound like the monolithic breakdowns Botch made famous.

Over the course of these six songs, which occupy little more than 25 minutes, Zann cover a lot of ground.

They employ a lot of familiar tactics to get their point across, but it’s well taken nonetheless. They use many of the elements that originally made early metalcore so effective. But what makes Three Years in the Desert stand out the most is what they don’t use. There is very little of what ruins most similar new bands–repetitive riffs, an endless parade of breakdowns and half thought out blast beats. I won’t write Zann off as classicists, though I welcome their approach to narrowing down the best things from a long worn-out genre.

Break out your Edison Records t-shirt before you tear the shrink-wrap off this one. [Anderson]

I’m treating both records as one, since they arrived in my life in that manner. But in reality, they are both pretty unique from one another. In some ways, it seems clear that Come Clean is the slightly earlier record. On average, it barrels forward a bit faster, though it also has the clearer variety in sounds. Black Bile has a darker feel and slightly heavier production. It also features the only song that seems way different on paper, the eight-minute dirge “The Last,” which closes the record. But, after many listens, picking the one you should get first seems almost impossible. They are similar enough to be an obvious continuation of the same idea, but each is unique enough to seem crucial.

Do yourself a favor and just get both. Under Pressure may not be able to save hardcore, but I wouldn’t take that chance. [Anderson]

www.escapeartistrecords.com

Zs

Various Artists

Arms

Keep Singing! A Benefit Compilation for Compassion Over Killing

The herd of indie rock bands looking to mix pseudo-jazz leanings and instrumentation is getting harder to ignore all the time. But within the first two minutes of “B Is For Burning,” the opening track of Arms, it’s clear that Zs are putting almost all of them to shame. Of all the incomplete tags for Zs, “brutal chamber music” seems the best fit. The quartet includes drums, guitar, keyboard and tenor saxophone, all of which take turns being the point, counter-point, or a combination of both. Somewhere between the carefully fucked-up rhythms of early Don Caballero or Karate and frenetic post-jazz, you’ll at least find a starting point for Zs. I usually find myself waiting for either the quiet moments between flurries of notes, or the peak of chaos from said flurries when it comes to similar bands, but Zs employ a variety of tactics to capture and hold my attention with all different rhythms and timbres.

“Nobody Wants To Be Had” finds Zs at their most immediately engaging, thanks to choppy, robotic lines, complete with the group vocal refrain “Blood everywhere… blood everywhere.” Even at their loudest and most abrupt, they manage smooth transitions from one section to the next. Next, “Balk” covers more than six minutes with what is essentially one long, smooth transition. It’s a fitting midpoint for an album of daunting moments, which fade effortlessly from one to the next. “I Can’t Concentrate” is next, opening a bit like “B Is For Burning” began the record, with reckless abandon and precise execution. The record closes with “Except When You Don’t Because Sometimes You Won’t” and “Z Is For Zone,” both of which explore smoother soundtrack-style pieces.

I’m sure that Zs’s sound is more impressive live, with all four members reportedly tearing through reams of sheet music. Even more than previous efforts, Arms is a great representation of the reckless precision that puts them well ahead of the pack. [Anderson]

Though the benefit compilation seems to be a fading phenomenon, Keep Singing! is Exotic Fever’s fourth. This one benefits animal rights group Compassion Over Killing (http://www.cok.net), and features fifteen exclusive tracks. The highlights include Strike Anywhere, des_ark, Life At These Speeds, Ampere, Off Minor and Gina Young. Most of the music falls one of two camps. There is a lot of energetic/dynamic post-hardcore as well as a handful of more mellow, introspective singer/songwriters (of which des_ark and Gina Young stand out the most). The fact that all fifteen songs are exclusive to this compilation already makes it worth finding. The Strike Anywhere track alone is worth hunting down if you’re a fan already. “Punks In The Park” is one of the better des_ark songs I’ve ever heard, and is hopefully an indication of where her new full length will be headed.

There is also a booklet (and PDF file on the CD) with vegan recipes from some of the bands and liner notes from Exotic Fever head Katy Otto. This may all lead you to think of Keep Singing! as a harbinger of a forgone era in punk/hardcore, which it is. But the amount of quality, exclusive music and the execution of the liner notes make it anything but quaint. [Anderson]

www.exoticfever.com

www.planariainc.com

www.vendettarecords.de

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

45

Audiobook

By: Eugene S. Robinson

This audio book is almost exactly what the title describes. Thus, by any conventional measure, I’m not exactly in the middle its demographic. I haven’t been in a fistfight since elementary school, weigh almost 140 pounds soaking wet and can barely tell UFC from WWE. Having never been on either end of a proper ass kicking, I will have to defer to the experts. Luckily Robinson is, by any account, just such an expert. Best known as the commanding frontman for Oxbow, stories of the beatings he’s doled out before or during their sets may have been repeated (and exaggerated) over the years.

But, it’s still safe to say that if you heckle Oxbow and only get Robinson’s penis pressed on your forehead, you got off light. He also has years of experience as a Brooklyn bouncer and mixed martial arts fighter, having fought not just on and off stage, but in and out of the ring. Last but not least, he is also an accomplished writer, having written and edited pieces for everyone from GQ and Vanity Fair to Vice and Grappling Magazine.

I’ve never been a huge fan of audio books, though this one does everything right. First and foremost it’s read by the author, which is more of a bonus given the dual power of Robinson’s voice and his writing. The content of the promo–which is roughly half the full version, but still almost an hour and a half–is far more than either self-promoting memoir or semi-insider gonzo journalism. Just the chapter titles (“So: You’ve Been Stabbed,” “The Anatomy of a Prison Fight” and “Curbs, Car Doors & You”) make it clear that this will either be hype and bluster or intense and sobering. Somehow, it is almost exclusively the latter. Many of the stories are first-hand accounts from Robinson’s own exploits, while the rest are from interviews that the author and few other people ever could land.

Even a finicky, soy-eating pacifist, who gets a little nauseous at the sight of a squirrel carcass in the park like myself is curious about the anatomy of a prison fight.

The way Robinson tells it is both detailed and riveting.

But more importantly, he does just enough to put it in a context that makes it seem important without glorifying it. How do you make prison fights, or knocking out drunks behind a club seem important without glorifying it? I just finished listening to it being accomplished for 80 minutes and I still don’t know exactly. But Robinson pulls it off, and every single minute of Fight is riveting.

[Anderson]

C—J. Bennett

46

Live at the Troubador For the last few years a group of comedians have been touring together, performing at non-traditional comedy venues. They have foregone comedy clubs in favor of places better known for hosting rock bands than comedians.

This DVD catches the group’s appearance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

The DVD showcases a variety of comics ranging from Comedians of Comedy mainstays, to fresh up and comers, and some of the bigger names in contemporary comedy.

Patton Oswalt, the creator of Comedians of Comedy, hosts the evening and does a set at the end of the show. 16 comics perform in all, with most sets covering between five and eight minutes. Throughout the DVD there are random scenes from backstage; nothing too enlightening, mostly just comics ripping on each other before/after their sets.

I enjoy stand up comedy quite a bit, but am not familiar with the industry/culture of it at all, so I am not sure how this compares to other similar projects.

There is a lot of funny stuff on here though, so I liked it and if you like to laugh you probably will too. Some of the highlights for me were: Dana Gould skewering his family; Jasper Redd, whom I had never seen or heard before delivering what I thought was one of the strongest sets start to finish; Blaine Capach ripping on adult men wearing sandals anywhere other than the beach (something that drives me insane); Eugene Mirman having a go at MySpace and the bands that use it as a lifeline; and Maria Bamford’s performance which was creative, wide-ranging, and extremely funny.

After David Cross’s stand-up he and John Benjamin engage in a bit where they alternate on stage, use video clips, and wind up singing a song together. Sarah Silverman and Scott Agee also do a duet. I am not really into songs as comedy but there are some laughs to be had.

All in all this is a pretty cool DVD. I think I am more inclined to watch something like this when I am flipping channels and find it on Comedy Central than I am to sit down and pop it in, but it’s a good time. [Medrano]

www.myspace.com/thecomediansofcomedy

Benjamin Gibbard curated this volume, choosing all the performers and contributes a solo song of his own.

Other notable inclusions are Minus The Bear, who play a newer song, which reminds me how much better they sound live than on record. Former one hit wonders Harvey Danger reappear with a pretty strong track.

Like Gibbard, Eddie Vedder contributes a strong solo performance. His performance is solid and cathartic, with just his signature vocals accompanied by some sort of electric ukulele. Sub Pop veterans Kinski turn in probably the loudest performance, as well as one of the best. Some smaller, but still interesting Seattle bands like Tiny Vipers, The Can’t See and The Cave Singers all turn in worthwhile performances as well.

Each of the bands plays one song twice, with no overdubs and they are presented on the DVD in the order they were recorded. These small details add to an authentic and intimate feel. As Minus The Bear play, about halfway through the DVD you can see the late afternoon sun pouring into the living room. It’s sort of like having the five or six best seats to a house show, which would be impossible to put together outside of this well-orchestrated project. The digital video quality is strong, as is the sound quality (recorded by Eli Janney, formerly of Girls Against Boys. Each of the songs is shot in a way that’s artful and interesting, but straightforward enough that it doesn’t take away from the song.

Once the performances are over, they show not quite the destruction, but instead an imposing relocation of the whole house. The shots of the house being slowly driven down the street on a massive truck, are much more cinematic than the bands’ performances. This final segment is short, but pulls together the whole project perfectly. Again, this locality and context really does add a nice wrinkle to an already strong set of musical performances. In the end, this is much more intriguing than most other DVD compilations, with considerably more replay value. I’m excited to see and hear future volumes, from what is already a strong series (even with only four volumes released so far). [Anderson]

www.trixiedvd.com

Burn To Shine

Vol. 4, Seattle, WA, 01.27.07 There have been a lot of DVD compilations of live performances over the years. The Burn To Shine series was started by Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty and Christoph Green, with a much more complete and cohesive theme than so many similar projects.

Each volume features a hand-picked group of bands, all from a given city. Then they find a house that’s ready to be torn down, film all of the bands playing one song each in said house, then film the house’s demise.

The concept adds a much more continuous, localized feel to each volume.

This volume is the fifth (though the fourth has yet to be released), and features Seattle. Death Cab frontman

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::

C—Jim Saah

www.hydrahead.com

Comedians of Comedy

C—Nikos Kourkoulakos

FIGHT:

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking

DVD

:: ISSUE EIGHTEEN ::

47

48

:: THE NEW SCHEME ::