(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): DIP LEG

Monday, 19 May 2014

DIP LEG

Band: DIP LEG

Genres: Punk / Screamo / Post-Hardcore
Related artists: Unknown.
Country: Okayama, JAPAN
Years Active: 1999-2006
Song: "Rod Lost Die Understand"
Album: "The Sympathy Without Love"
Year: 2004
Label(s): I've Come For Your Children / Papakerma / Satire Records /
This post's artist is from the May 2014 Mix. This is track #15.
You can download the May 2014 Mix#5 right here or get the new June Mix#6 here.
For fans of: Snøras, Hue, Gauge Means Nothing, Nitro Mega Prayer, Hot Cross, Off Minor, Bright Calm Blue, Envy, Apollo 18, Lautrec, Dream Caste, Cease Upon The Capitol, Eyes Of Verotika, Secret Arms and Birthday Boyz aka PROPER Screamo.

Ryan Lewis (I've Come For Your Children label, Meatcube label, member of Sanctions/Cease Upon The Capitol, one of my heroes and a stand up guy) has been the primary reason that Japanese screamo has made its way over to North America and many parts of Europe. You really should peruse his blog which consists of pretty much only Japanese artists and they are generally all punk/screamo/hardcore bands. It's called Sanitized Japan and you should definitely check it out here. DIP LEG was the first amazing band I came across when I found out about said blog.

DIP LEG is fucking sweet. highpitched screaming over adventurous guitars with very little heavy riffs or breakdowns. Most instrumentals by this band are swirling, playful and chaotic simultaneously. They sound a heck of a lot like Snøras if they chilled out, nailed every note and included more clean vocals - or if Envy sped their music back up, dropped the atmospherics for sweet licks and their vocals became higher-pitched. The drums are outstanding, which I came to appreciate more after Ryan (drummer from Cease Upon The Capitol) told me he was influenced by her. The bass riffs are really bouncy and don't follow the standard guitar format (aka just copying that shit) and remind me of bands like Choke, Serotonin and Hue - that's complex and amazing.

The band slow it down with some really intricate riffing and interesting time shifts. They mold these into some very original, passionate, beautiful and driving music. 'The Sympathy Without Love' is a great album. It can run together but considering their sound is great, don't expect any complaints from me. Without a doubt "Rod Lost Die Understand" is the cream of the crop, as the ridiculous section from 1:36-2:15 is absolutely stunning and the best moment on the record. The band occasionally toys with clean singing (like "President Took A Sad Ending" and "We Exclaim On A Proven Sham") with mediocre results, although it doesn't detract from the music as the vocalist is proficient enough. I love the screaming, though one could make a case that a little more variety would help the band, as the vocals can get a little monotonous.

I recently acquired 'No One Is Hurt At A Place Of Love' and it's a great followup EP but didn't grab me the way their first EP did at first, although after 4 spins it really clicked. This is a phenomenal album that also included a live 14-minute set. Some notable tracks are "Aggression For This Half A Century", "One Of The 6.4 Billion Pens" and my favourite "News".

DIP LEG's first release was a split with Struggle Minds and is a much rawer and unpolished affair that predates the band's swirling and technical guitars and instead has the band following a much thicker and hardcore vibe. The vocals sound like a different vocalist simply because his scream doesn't hit those emotive high-pitched screams he pulls off on the 2 later EPs. Part of me likes this release as much as their later material even though I generally dig the more thought-out and original approach. I love "A Round Light" in its demo stage, as it bridges the band's 2 sonic styles perfectly.

If you haven't already checked out DIP LEG, insert dip shit joke. Lazy.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2000 - Struggle Minds split cdLP (download here)

2004 - The Sympathy Without Love cd/cassetteEP (buy here)

2006 - No One Is Hurt At A Place Of Love cdEP (download here)

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(2004) DIP LEG - "Rod Lost Die Understand" (from 'The Sympathy Without Love')