I was a latecomer to Cave In, only really starting to listen to them around 2015 or so when I got a Hydra Head sampler with this EP among the stuff. And I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it sure wasn’t this. This is pretty indie rock, and while I know it’s not representative of all of their sound, it’s still kind of jarring to listen to this and try and square it with the reputation of Cave In as a hardcore band.
[Read More]In some ways, there’s some real similarities between My Bloody Valentine and Floor. Both use a ton of guitar to sometimes disorienting effect, but leaven them with vocals that are kind of at odds with the overall tone. MBV uses dream-like vocals, and Floor uses clean singing (which is unexpected in something this heavy), but it results in a dual thing that gives them a really interesting feel.
[Read More]After Jawbreaker broke up in the wake of their sole Geffen record, there were a couple more releases to tie up the band’s catalog. In addition to a live record we got Etc., a collection of rarities, outtakes, and singles. Jawbreaker were great enough that even though this collection of stuff isn’t coherent, it’s still a good overall release. Some things I could probably do without, like this alternate take of “Boxcar”, but I’ll forgive those sins to have the rest of the material all in one place.
[Read More]This song is a great example of how John Linnell is capable of writing a bouncy, charming song that nevertheless has a melancholy core to it. He usually bangs out at least one of those on each record, and there’s always some turn of phrase in them that really sticks with me. “There’s a restaurant we should check out / where the other nightmare people like to go / I mean nice people / Baby wait / I didn’t mean to say nightmare” just runs through my head all the time. Lincoln is real good, y’all.
[Read More]A thing about U.S. Maple is that they frequently sounded like they were playing three different songs at the same time. It legitimately sounds like they got their wires crossed while playing, but then it kind of comes into focus and you realize it was all deliberate. It’s very difficult to sound this chaotic on purpose.
Metallica’s throwback to their heyday began with 2008’s Death Magnetic, but 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is the record that really brought things back. There’s no way for Metallica to really capture the fury of Master of Puppets at this point in their career, but they can certainly try and write songs in that vein. It’s certainly a decent album, but it kind of lacks a spark. There’s monster riffage all over the album, but it just doesn’t sink its hooks in.
[Read More]The formula is so simple. Just big guitars, big choruses, and a fun tune. It’s Cheap Trick, basically. But, dammit, it’s still delightful, and I can’t get enough of this. I miss Gaunt, y’all.
The formula is so simple. Just big guitars…aw, fuck it.
The formul[gunshot]
One of the things I always liked about Crackerbash is is how rubbery their bass always sounded. It’s so propulsive, especially when it separates a little from the main guitar line.
[Read More]Last time we heard from PJ Harvey, we got “Sheela Na Gig” from Dry. That song smokes, of course. And this is the song right after it on that album! What I’m trying to say here is that this record is amazing.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but there was a period of time where I bought more or less everything Lookout Records put out. This wasn’t a great policy. Aside from ending up with considerably more pop punk than I needed, there was some pretty low wattage stuff down roster on that label. This album being a good exhibit. This is from a split LP, and as you can hear, this is just straight ahead vintage rock. It’s inoffensive, but also pretty unexciting.
[Read More]Backed by the Neptunes (Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo) doing all the production, Pusha T and Malice made gangsta rap that always sounded vicious and lean. Their first two records, fueled by those fantastic beats, are pretty outstanding, even if the lyrical content is…let’s go with questionable.
You know, I think Guy Picciotto was more comprehensible with Rites of Spring than he was with Fugazi. I’m not entirely sure how that happens, it’s not like he wasn’t yelling with both bands.
[Read More]Prolific post-punk act Two Inch Astronaut are keeping the Dischord sound alive. It’s interesting to me how subgenres of rock splinter off and just keep going forward once established. All it takes is a band or two to set the template, and we’ve got an entire new set of bands to keep track of. Anyway, I like this album, it sits squarely in my interests.
[Read More]EDITOR’S NOTE: Deathspell Omega turn out to be Nazi shitheads, and you should not in any way patronize them. I’m leaving the original text here, but fuck these guys.
One of the attractions of extreme metal is the virtuosity that bands can display. A talented band like Deathspell Omega can really make you wonder exactly how they can manage to create that kind of racket. But it’s not just the spectacle with this band. Deathspell Omega is incredibly adept at evoking a mood, and they create songs that go to very interesting places. This track, from Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice (“if you seek his monument, look around”, from an inscription on the grave of Sir Christopher Wren inside St. Paul’s Cathedral), is a good example of the drama that they can create within a song.
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