Monday 7 August 2017

CAMPBELL TRIO

BandCAMPBELL TRIO
GenresPunk / Post-Punk / Rock / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo
Related artistsMy Soundtracked Life and Apanhador Só.
CountryPorto Alegre, RS Brazil
Years Active2009-2016
Song: "Don Copal or the Department of Death"
Album: "The Campbell Trio Sings the Blues"
Year: 2011
For fans ofLife In Vacuum, Drive Like JehuNorth Of America, Terry Green, The Holy Shroud, Animal Faces, Desiderata, Dream Caste, Christiansen, Hot Cross, At The Drive In, Cantilever, Encrypt Manuscript, Refused, For The Mathematics, Thursday, Beast Jesus, Frodus, I Am Alaska, Sweetheart, Gaff, Secret Arms, Serotonin, Polina, Creepozoidz and Daniel Striped Tiger aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released / OverAllRex / Amendment Records / Ediciones Incendiaries / Discos Podridos / Boiler Room Recordings / Subterránea Records / Sad Punk
This post's artist is from the August 2017 Mix. This is track #1.
You can download: the August 2017 Mix#8 right here or get the new September 2017 Mix#9 here.

Daniel G. Wilson has been a recurring and important person in my life since I started doing things with Zegema Beach Records. After interviewing me nearly four or five years ago (linked here) he also put on a release show for a band I played in (linked here). He has also been instrumental in getting me into new bands. He quickly showed me The Love And Terror Cult right after our interview and more recently introduced me to a band named CAMPBELL TRIO from Brazil. CAMPBELL TRIO seem like a shrine to Bruce Campbell (their page is named "The Bruce Campbell Punk Rock Trio's Appreciation Page") as well as sassy, mathy, emo/rock not unlike North Of America, Life In VacuumAt The Drive In and Drive Like Jehu. Let's get started, shall we?

In 2011, two or so years after their formation, they released the unreal 'The Campbell Trio Sings the Blues' EP via OverAllRex, Sad Punk and Subterránea Records on cd. Like all CAMPBELL TRIO releases, the production and sound on this recording are flawless and really showcase how the three members can weave intricate and powerful rock, emo and hardcore. Following an instrumental and relatively uninteresting intro track is the band's crowning achievement, "Don Copal or the Department of Death". This song is the mad notes and it is one of the closest things to The Holy Shroud meets Drive Like Jehu that I've ever heard. Starting with one funky-ass bassline, the song sways and cuts until 30 seconds when that ridiculous start/stop breakdown chorus with sexy palm-mutes grabs you by the neck for 15 seconds and then slides nicely into more awesome bass riffs. Then there's the midsection that sounds like 90s emo and slowly climbs back into righteousness at 1:44 with some fantastic sing along of "come in / don't be afraid". It then circles around again to that bombastic chorus at the end. "I in Us, a Love Letter" and "Salvador Limones' Lost Souls Alliance" are good tracks, with swaying, driving emo to Drive Like Jehu worship. "Ehnay / And I, End I" is another of my favourites on this 7-song EP, as I include the secret track. The aforementioned banger dips into some likely, late-Frodus influence while "Y's" includes some seriously punchy stop/starts that don't quite reach the definition of breakdown, and instead more of a mathy palm mute in the vein of math/skate geniuses Choke.

An extension from the EP and most likely recorded in the same session, their offering on 'Quad' is titled "Bebop (or The Instability of the Downbeat)" begins with jazz radio intro that delves full-force into dancey post-hardcore, flaunting melodies and speed that many bands couldn't pull off after a decade of working together.

Quite recently CAMPBELL TRIO threw five songs on a '3-Way' split with Zat and Quiebre. They open with "Weekend at the Park" which showcases a fair amount of melodic, clean vocals but doesn't abandon the aggressive, pumping and still screamy core that is CAMPBELL TRIO. "Pariah" draws blood quickly but continues to inject that dancey vibe that Life In Vacuum is now known for, with shouted vocals that generally hover between sassy crooning and screaming. "A Reminder" is the shortest and most aggressive song the band ever released as in a mere 1:22 they blast through a dense and intense take on hardcore. "All Our Nine Elevens" is the most drawn out and perhaps the most driving/building of all the CAMPBELL TRIO songs. It opens with the first half in indie rock/post-hardcore territory using clean vocals and somber, Fugazi-esque instrumentals led primarily by the bass and eventually adopts the typical and awesome CAMPBELL TRIO sound after 3:26 and kicks some serious ass.

I'm not sure if CAMPBELL TRIO is still active but I hope to hell they are cuz they rock me good.

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

2011 - The Campbell Trio Sings the Blues EP (stream/donate/download here)

2012 - Quad 4-way split cdEP [w/Goddard, Motel Mattress & Debate] (stream/donate/download here)

2015 - 3-Way split 12"LP [w/Zat & Quiebre] (stream/donate/download here)

________________________________________

(2011) CAMPBELL TRIO - "Don Copal or the Department of Death" (from 'The Campbell Trio Sings the Blues')

(2011) CAMPBELL TRIO - "Y's" (from 'The Campbell Trio Sings the Blues')

(2011) CAMPBELL TRIO - "Ehnay - And I, End I" (from 'The Campbell Trio Sings the Blues')

(2012) CAMPBELL TRIO - "Bebop (or The Instability of the Downbeat)" (from 'Quad')

(2015) CAMPBELL TRIO - "A Reminder" (from '3-Way' split)

(2015) CAMPBELL TRIO - "Pariah" (from '3-Way' split)

(2012) CAMPBELL TRIO - "Salvador Limones" live video

(2014) CAMPBELL TRIO - Full Set live video

________________________________________

CAMPBELL TRIO additional links

________________________________________

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this article. We are still active and we are planning to release a full-length soon. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. this ^ , and we've just released a new song, that will be in our upcoming full length: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxQoQk2Jy3A

    thanks a lot for the extremely kind words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to help release this on cassette, please email me!
      zegemabeachrecords@gmail.com

      Delete