Label(s): Tanz auf Ruinen / Dingleberry Records / Pure Heart Records / Arkan Records / My Name Is Jonas / Adorno Records / TKxPV / Trace In Maze Records / Mustard Mustache Records / Crust Baby Records / Fuck Your City Collective This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #3.
You can download: the April 2017 Mix#4 right hereor get the new May 2017 Mix#5 here.
KŸHL are an active band from Germany that have been releasing screamy and jazzy hardcore without resorting to distortion, heaviness nor breakdowns since 2013.
The debut, self titled 'KŸHL' EP from the band is a light and subtle screamo release. The songs rely on soft chords and rarely dip into any kind of heavy distortion. The recording quality also adversely affects the oomph that the songs might emit in a live setting, as it's pretty basic and diy. The guitars are generally strummed at very quick speeds, but lack enough variation to give the songs much depth. The vocals are definitely the most engaging aspect on this release, although the guitars, bass and drums work well to create a decent, airy yet screamy hardcore album. "Ankunft" and "Twenty-One Love Poems" are both very screamy and dreamy and jangly, with a massive 9-minute closer named "Linien der Liebenden II".
There is a noticeable difference on 2013's 'Saus & Braus', first and foremost it's a very good record and vast improvement on their debut EP. Secondly, the production is much better and the guitars, in particular, are clearly audible. The songs themselves are also more engaging and have more of an Italian feel to them, especially "Alles geht, wohin?", "Zur Quelle", "Lebendig begraben", "Rinnsal der Lebenden" and "Von Farben geblendet". "Lebendig begraben" is my personal favourite, as it rises and falls like the chest of a dying loved one and incorporates some sweet dual vocals, without being too far off from Italian screamo bands Øjne and ByMySide. Multiple screamers can be found again on "Müde", a longer track with a very dreamy ending that sounds like The Exploration cooked up a screamo jam. "..." is a deep and dark instrumental track featuring acoustic guitars and some subtle violins, I believe. The following song keeps things atmospheric as the vocals are buried in the swirling, ambient guitars, with the second half of "Schatten der Zeit" picking up and getting a little bit heavier, yet still retaining that dreamy and trippy six-string.
KŸHL released the new EP 'Drittweltsrauma' in early 2016 and again the sound is clearer and more refined than the record preceding it. I find these songs to be very jangly and loose in the way Innards and The Mock Heroic arrange their guitars, but Daïtro seems like the most obvious all-around comparison. I like the EP, but "Zivilisierte Arroganz" is unbelievable. By far the most fleshed out and accessible post-hardcore/screamo on here, the first 1:11 is spent with echoing guitars and screamed vocals that climax at 1:12 with a very groovy guitar riff. The rise and fall of the remainder of the song reminds me a lot of They Sleep We Live and Yarostan and is extremely powerful. If you are reading this, KŸHL, this shit is unreal. I really feel like this particular style fits your talents perfectly and the slower, methodical approach pays off and then some. Seriously, amazing track. I would also be a jerk not to mention that head bobbin' section from 1:30 to about 2:00 in "Klitzekleinkariert" followed by one of the band's heaviest moments to date. All in all a very good EP with an absolutely stellar third song.
Maybe we'll see something again 2018? I dunno. I certainly hope so.
On April 15th, 2017 I was able to catch a glimpse into what the ZBR Fest in Toronto at D-Beatstro will look like this summer. The amazing Vanessa from La Luna put on this show and it was fucking awesome. The ZBR Fest is happening on June 1st, 2nd and 3rd. You can buy pre-order tickets that come with free records, tapes, posters and draw entries that expire in mid-May so nab some now, as the $45CAD package includes 19 bands in 3 days, 5 free 12" records, a free 7" record, a free cassette, 6 free posters and an entry to win some ZBR test presses! Holy shit that's a stupid good deal. Said pre-order tickets are available here.
FRAERA
This four-piece is the new screamo band on the Toronto scene. I'm pretty sure this was their first ever show. The juxtaposition this band dabbles in reminds me Ojne meets Circle Takes The Square and other times I hear the local Foxmoulder influence. Excellent live debut. They will be opening up the final evening of Zegema Beach Records Fest on June 3rd at around 7pm. See ya there, FRAERA!
You know you have an awesome scene locally when RESPIRE is a second, I repeat, second band on a four-band bill. Goddamn I'm gonna miss living near Toronto. Anyways, again minus Emmett, the band soldiered through three or four songs, including the epic "Eternal Light" and its five-plus minute instrumental intro, which is linked below. The band's debut 12"LP is almost sold out so a second press is coming in May/June of this year on clear vinyl, but I still have some copies of the first press left on white as well as the rarer black, right here.
For fans of: Mogwai, Fall Of Efrafa and Locktender
This Quebec City band fucking floored me, and I'm pretty sure almost everyone else in attendance. The violent convulsions of all three band members screaming occasionally gives way to somber moments, but in general this is some seriously screamy and caustic hardcore. In the second video things get so intense that guitarist/vocalist Jean-Christophe stumbles backward into primary vocalist Marie, sending them both careening wildly into the wall. Luckily both came out okay, but shit it was pretty nutso. Check out both videos embedded below as they make up the entire COMMUOVERE set. I spoke with the band who are working on an LP that I really hope ZBR can help with cuz it sounds like it will be phenomenal. They will be going on tour this summer with fellow French screamo band...The Ultimate Screamo Band. Keep on eye on this band, holy smokes.
FOXMOULDER. Amazing. Passionate. Sweaty. Hilarious. Screamy. All excellent adjectives to describe my favourite Toronto screamo band that has been bringing it for over five years now. I grabbed five songs from their set including a new one. Be sure to check out the video for "Shame" that is embedded below, as the members go fucking ballistic during the breakdown a little after halfway through. FOXMOULDER will close out ZBR Fest, because they are Toronto screamo.
Label(s): Dingleberry Records / Voice Of The Unheard / Unlock Yourself Records / Désertion Records This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #7.
You can download: the April 2017 Mix#4 right hereor get the new May 2017 Mix#5 here.
moved from long, drawn out post-hardcore/post-metal to short, dark bursts of metallic hardcore. The early work on 'Weight of Past' is rooted directly is post-metal, most notably influenced by bands such as Cult Of Luna, Neurosis, Isis and Tephra. The five to eight minute songs mix gutteral yells and some classic, Neurosis-esque clean singing, which I'm not the biggest fan of, to be honest. The instrumentals on this EP is excellent though, as it creates a vast and dreary world that is highly susceptible to ambient interludes in addition to swelling breakdowns. By the end of the same year PAST released 'Never Fall Down', a blatant departure from their previous sound, opting for a dirty, post-hardcore smash in the face instead of a lulling and epic post-metal approach. This definitely gives the band character and a finer niche within the punk/hardcore/metal sound, and is the reason why I reviewed PAST. Not for this album, though, as the band sent me their 2016 offering so I jammed that first. I would most definitely note that "Our Flesh", "The Gun", "Dropout" and "Outro" are fantastic songs that really give a strong indication of the style that is refined on last year's 'Cliffhanger'. On this release PAST has really pushed a driving style of dark, blasted and bassy hardcore that can be seen in other current bands such as Remote, The Armed and Young Mountain, primarily.The opening two tracks from this debut LP are phenomenal. PAST drop the fantastic "Spring" first, which sets the tone of the album with brooding, vicious, dirty and dark hardcore with a surprising amount of structure and melody. The breakdown/chorus that hits right before the first minute will have you air-drumming along in no time. "Once Again" further reaffirms the dark path they've taken, as the thick and sludgy instrumentals pack quite a punch, especially once combined with that throaty scream. In addition to the awesome, devastating screams are occasional dual vocals that are placed well but don't really accentuate the music much, as the lead vocalist has such a commanding vocal presence. The LP continues in this vein but I find that none of the remaining songs hit me like the first two, but "Cliffhanger", "Doormat" and "Troth" are definitely very good songs. I'm very happy that Domino Media sent me this for review. Kudos.
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DISCOGRAPHY
2013 - Weight of Past digitalEP (stream/download here)
2013 - Never Fall Down digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)
Label(s): Self Released This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #10.
You can download: the April 2017 Mix#4 right hereor get the new May 2017 Mix#5 here.
YAROSTAN are from Marseille in France. The four-piece take their name from a character in Fredy Pearlman's 'Letters of Insurgency'. The band's debut EP 'Les ruines de notre temps' came out in September of 2016 and has got me very hyped. Although the EP an arc meant to played as cohesive whole, I've found myself jamming one song constantly, two songs periodically and another song rarely. That being said, this is YAROSTAN's first outing and it has had quite an impact on me. Dave, discuss:
The EP opens with the title track, which is also the shortest song on the release at 2:11. "Les ruines de notre temps" splits its time with the first minute being a Mr. Robot quote that flaunts our species' ignorance, disregard and placidity in the listener's face with a blatantly truthful and emotionally uncomfortable rant followed by another minute of long, drawn out hits and feedback. "Les coeurs se fanent" gets right into it and mixes a lot screamy, crusty hardcore of the Daïtro and Potence variety (so, obviously the vocals) and boasts a pummeling opening 2:27 before receding slightly into atmospheric post-rock/post-hardcore territory.
Track three, the ultimate, the amazing "Aversion - Les cors pour assiéger la nuit" is absolutely incredible. I would have initially assumed that the fast, heavy and in-your-face second track would be my jam, but considering the time and effort put into the amazing crescendo and subsequent climax that is the 7:40 of song three, I can't help but be a little dumbstruck. After an quick introduction, the song gets very French screamo (again, Daitro) before settling into a nice, serene groove that brings Young Mountain and Suffocate For Fuck Sake to mind. Giving you time to sway and chill for the section beginning at 1:30, with things climb significantly after 2:45 in the instrumental department. However, the song doesn't explode and instead takes another step back, opting to tug their wave back for a bigger and more destructive blow. The epic drive upwards continues past the four-minute mark until 4:53 when shit goes bananas. Seriously, I'm tearing up right now. At 5:20 a prodigious breakdown takes the song into subterranean post-hardcore with dark, bass-driven claps that erupt like a volcano again at six minutes, making this one of the best songs of 2016, holy fuck.
The closer, "Antarctique" opens heavy as fuck but this is misleading, as after the crashing instrumental 1;15 the song takes a eerie and minimal turn that is more atmosphere than music at points. By 2:30 the song gets back on track, more or less, and rides its own image of Pelican until the 6:26 finish.
I am beyond stoked to see what YAROSTAN releases next. Be sure to check out their bandcamp page and please please please check out "Aversion - Les cors pour assiéger la nuit".
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DISCOGRAPHY
2016 - Les ruines de notre temps EP (stream/donate/download here)
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(2016) YAROSTAN - "Aversion - Les cors pour assiéger la nuit" (from 'Les ruines de notre temps')
(2016) YAROSTAN - "Les coeurs se fanent" (from 'Les ruines de notre temps')
Back in 2013 I contacted what I think was the first or second band that I ever asked to do an interview with (the others I remember being Animal Faces and Amber). You can read it here, as it was a very surreal experience to ask a band that I loved my own questions. Now it's nearly half a decade later and I was lucky enough to help release what I believe is album of the year (thus far) with TRACHIMBROD's 2017 offering of their 'Leda' 12"LP. Released on my label, Zegema Beach Records, along with my German friend Paul and his Through Love Recs label as well as the illustrious UK-based Dog Knights Productions led by Darren (who I interviewed around the same time, here). It comes on a 12" of either black or a half green/half clear mix. It sounds like Suis La Lune meets Raein with an additional sprinkle of Via Fondo. It's fucking unbelievable. Here's a very quick rundown of the 9 songs.
1 "Rum utan fönster" sounds like majestic elves hopping through enchanted forests, screaming with love. It's so fucking chill. The guitars are airy and light but engaging as hell. The utilization of the flute is spot on and I hope it makes more appearances in the future. Unreal opener.
2 "All är som det alltid var" begins as probably the most accessible song, with sugary sweet singing that borders on a medieval, tribal chant. Screams are added later and the song is another very chill one that builds to a pretty steep cliff from the second to third minute and takes a breathtaking leap.
3 "Tärd" is my song of the year. Holy fuck. The opening 48 seconds is good and all, but from about one minute to two minutes the song boasts the catchiest riff of 2017. I love everything about this song, the vocals, the drums, the bass, the structure and transitions, but goddamn that guitar interplay and their chord progressions are, simply put, phenomenal. If you jam but one song from 'Leda' make it this. This was supposed to be the single from the record but the tracklisting got messed up and the track titles needed to be switched from tracks 2 and 3 so that led to this getting bumped in favor of track 2 due to the song title already being sent out as the premiere. That's a damn shame because this is the TRACHIMBROD song on this record.
4 "Begränsad" was the second single released (the first being track #2) and it is on par for the album. It is rooted in a descending/circling guitar riff that leads the track's parts and corrals everything together into a head bobbing amalgamation of awesomeness.
5 "Medskyldighet" is the heaviest and shortest song on here, and is easily one of my favourites. Opening with a incessant drum beat, the guitars swoop in and join the mix for a few bars before the drums, bass and outright screaming is poured on at around 25 seconds. This driving, thumping and engaging segment breaks at 1:12 and dissolves into a fantastic Swedish twinkle that brings Via Fondo to mind both instrumentally as well as vocally, as Lukas is able to perfectly balance a yell with a scream, much like Elina from the now defunct but forever adored Via Fondo did so well.
6 "Ett annat liv" is probably the most Suis La Lune sounding song on here. The chorus' have that spacey and playful guitar tone of Mr. Henning that even includes the solo-heavy guitars that sound like The Strokes. When the song is in verse and bridge, things tend to slow down and the listener is able to relax.
7 "Vi tå" begins like a shoegaze song, only to take a drastic turn at 30 seconds with more of The Strokes soloing and classic Swedish screaming and could have been housed on 'Riala'.
8 "Hjärnspöke" is very post-rocky and has a calm intro for about 50 seconds before a slight pick-up and a very sad sounding riff drop in and transition at 1:38. This new juncture is probably the softest instrumental moment on the record but Lukas layers in all in screaming, which I think is the right call, cuz it sounds awesome. The final minute of the song has the sad instrumental passage climaxing alongside those beautifully screamed vocals.
9 "Saker de säger"is the closer and a more apt one I could not suggest. The opening alone foreshadows big things in its future, although come 33 seconds and the song shifts to the chill mid-section, complete with soothing singing, continuously rolling bass and twinkly riffs. It isn't until two verses and choruses are complete when TRACHIMBROD decides to dip back to the opening riff and close the song in a circular fashion using a gaping riff at three minutes that sucks everything into it like a black hole. At 3:25 and again at 3:50 the void expels all it had consumed in a fantastical explosion of sounds, both bursting with a full spectrum of colors and also cowering in the deep, dark shadows.
1) Dino and Lukas, what have you all been up to since our last interview
back in June of 2013? (linked here)
It's been a while since we did that interview. All of us
have mostly focused on things outside of Trachimbrod to eventually meet up when
the time felt right and pour the new inspiration and perspectives we have
gathered into this new record. The singer Lukas is active in a bunch of other
bands, so is Kristoffer the bass player and the rest of us have been occupied
with studies and other sorts of activities.
2) Was the writing process different for ‘Leda’ when
compared to previous recordings?
Slightly different, we have never been a traditional band in
that sense that we meet every Thursday to write new songs together because we
live in different cities far away from each other. So we have adapted to this
and created a method that works most of the times where usually Hannes or me
writes the foundation for a song and while everyone else contributes with their
unique touch to their instrument. In this sense it has not been that different
in a practical way, but the introspective process for 'Leda' has been a far
more challenging and rewarding process than any superficial mumbo jumbo. The
process has taken a longer time than usual and it has been more difficult also
due to life's creative ways of challenging your existence.
3) What are the lyrical themes for 'Leda'? Is there a general
theme?
I would say that the main theme for the lyrics and music
follows a path of delivering a portion of criticism to the negative byproduct
from the nihilistic ideas and values we are left with to deal with our selves
in todays post-modern secular society. Hopelessness, confusion and fatigue over
the lack of truth, community values and meaning in a spiritually empty
individualistic consumer society and material worldview. A concern for the
unsettling fascist, totalitarian values that are growing because of the neglecting
side of our culture. Trachimbrod is nothing more than a tool of projecting
these thoughts and feelings in a constructive way.
4) What were your musical influences on this record?
When we first got together to talk about ideas for this new
record we shared a common notion of exploring a more minimalistic approach this
time around. Exploring the foundation of our songwriting and sound. Pealing of
the layers of the onion, examining them more carefully before putting them into
the pan, so to speak. Being more conscious and deliberate in our use of
effects and pedals to discard the excessive and keeping the essential. Leaning
towards a kraut-rock vibe to some extent and adding more layers of synthesizers
in some of the songs. All of us in the band have rather different taste in
music which always has been to our common advantage, it has enabled us to blend
more freely and without holding that strongly to ideas that we are supposed
to sound a certain way. The goal has always been to make the most rewarding
musical experience for ourselves and then when we are satisfied we can present
it to everyone else.
5) Do you feel like TRACHIMBROD’s sound has changed or
evolved over time, and specifically from the Sore Eyelids split to ‘Leda’?
The sound of Trachimbrod has always balanced between two
extremes of chaos and order, uniting these two elements on a playground where
they can sort of have a go with each other, explore each other and whatever
comes out of it speaks for itself. I think that we found something we liked
when we did the split with Sore Eyelids and that thing has evolved by itself up
til now and is continuing to evolve.
The sound is a mere reflection of what is inside of us and
the music as result is the physical constitution of this, don’t get caught up in
superficial things like appearance or hypes, look beyond this and I'm sure you
can sense when something feels genuine to you. When music taps into that place
inside of you, the music is good.
Music can in some ways be a catharsis of the divine yet
tragic circumstances of human existence. If you know that life can be
exhilarating at times and excruciating terrible at others you know that
it's working properly. Be sad, or happy and allow yourself to feel these feelings
fully, don't become a corporate zombie and don't take out your frustration on
others in destructive ways. Sometimes we need something to remind us of this
and shake us up from our slumber. To be awake is to see things for what they
really are.
6) How would you describe 'Leda' to someone? Do you think it
fits into any specific genres? Did any of your musical influences shine through
on the final recordings?
I guess there is a lot of ways to describe 'Leda', it's hard
to describe something you have experienced from a different point of view. I
would go with this one: “Do you know the feeling of when you are falling in
love with someone? When you go from the sense of that reality you experience is
one way and then all of a sudden you walk across an invisible line when
everything is different, your senses are stronger the colors around you are
brighter and all the things you thought were problems are now vanquished, well
'Leda' is like that part in the middle, the split second of that
transformation, one foot in the grey and one in colors.” To put this album in
one genre doesn't work, because it's a mix of a lot of things and
also because I personally find genres kind of deceiving in a way. It's more of
a marketing thing in my book and therefore a question for the label minded. The
self titled album by the band True Widow is something I listened to a lot during
the recording phase but I don't think it really shined through on 'Leda'.
7) What led you to the labels you are releasing 'Leda' on? How did you come into contact with Dog Knights,
Through Love and Tokyo Jupiter Records?
Tokyo Jupiter Records was the first label we got signed on
to when we first started and they released two demos on cd. Then in 2012
Through Love Rec. got in touch with us and released our debut album 'A
Collection of Hidden Sketches' on vinyl. Together with Zegema Beach Records
they have helped us with releasing and spreading our music ever since. Our
singer Lukas plays in emo/pop band I Love Your Lifestyle who are signed to Dog
Knights Productions, so that connection came from there.
8) You are supporting 'Leda' initially via a tour in April with
Nionde Plagan, the band which Lukas also plays drums for and my band The World
That Summer is releasing a split 10" with this month. Did this come about
because of the sharing of Lukas between both bands? What is your tour route,
why did you choose those cities?
Most of our touring and live gigs have something to do with
Lukas. He is the one pulling all of his strings and giving most energy into
getting Trachimbrod on the road. This tour though is fully booked by his band
mate Jonathan who's the singer in Nionde Plågan. We're doing one gig in
Gothenburg and after that we're heading to Hamburg where we've played a couple
of times before so it's always fun to come back. Nionde Plågan had connections
with two promoters in Italy so we're doing two shows there which both bands
look forward to very much since it will be the first time. Same thing with
Amsterdam.
9) Speaking of touring, what has been your best show and/or
tour to date?
That's really hard to say i guess. Our last gig was two
years ago in Stockholm and before that it was in 2013. So we've done one gig in
four yours which is really weird. But i think our two weeks long tour with
german hardcore/screamo band Fjørt in 2013 included our best shows so far.
10) Besides the upcoming Nionde Plågan and Trachimbrod tour, do
you have anything else planned as a band, or individually?
We are playing on this years Miss The stars fest in Berlin
in May which will be great because of the amazing line up. None of us have been
there before but we've heard really good things about it. There are some loose
plans on Asia this summer but nothing confirmed yet. We have also started to
talk about ideas for new songs but we will see what happens in the future.
Label(s): Moment of Collapse Records / OSK Records / Hidden Rainbows / Yellow Dog Records / BoredToTheCore Records This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #6.
You can download: the April 2017 Mix#4 right hereor get the new May 2017 Mix#5 here.
Review by JESSE MOWERY:
MARAT was a band that existed for 8 months and only put out
4 songs. These 4 songs are so good in fact that there are 3 different releases
with these songs: a demo, a split CD with Facelift, and a 7”. Also did I
mention they had members of Shikari? Unlike Shikari though, rather than going
for the throat at breakneck speeds, MARAT focuses more on the interplay between
everyone, never really getting that fast but retaining heaviness most of the
time to create some head banging epics. I don’t think I really do these songs
justice by talking about them, you just have to hear them for yourself. All I
can say though is the opener “The Dirt That Clogs The Cosmos” has easily one of
the most infectious octave riffs ever.
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DISCOGRAPHY Click )==>here<==( to download the band's complete discography in mp3 form.
2006 - Demo cdrEP
2008 - Facelift split cd (same songs as 'Demo')
2009 - Songs From the Crypt 7"EP (same songs as 'Demo')
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(2009) MARAT - "The Dirt That Clogs The Cosmos" (from 'Tales From the Crypt')
(2009) MARAT - "As Close As We Get" (from 'Tales From the Crypt')
(2009) MARAT - "Sleepwalkers" (from 'Tales From the Crypt')
A few weeks back Luther Griggs came over to my place. We expected his band, Wimp City, to be playing alongside Solids this April 19th, 2017 at The Doors: Metal Pub & Taco Joint but unfortunately they've had to drop off the bill. This podcast that we did, however, is fucking awesome. It is without a doubt the most casual and interesting one I've done thus far. We played and discussed 13 songs between us, with a back and forth so aligned and dialogue that came so easy you'd think we've been friends for decades. Luther shone some additional light on the Hamilton punk and hardcore scene for me, including his aforementioned band along with his old screamo band Sketchbooks (that sounded a hell of a lot like Wolves!) and a bunch of others that I know almost nothing about. It was truly a pleasure and be sure to check out the Solids, Good Anya (last show), Flea Committee and The Ferns concert April 19th!!! Here is the link. And here is the link to Wimp City's bandcamp page.
Podcast #18 is broken into four parts, each approximately 20 minutes in length. You can stream and/or download each part or the entire thing for free on the OMSB Podcast bandcamp page linked right heeya.
2
LOMA PRIETA - "Poverty Map" (Dave)
BLACK NAIL - "the vultures are waiting to pick yr bones" (Dave)
CERCE - "Intrusions" (Luther)
SANS VISAGE - "Sight" (Dave)
DEBT'D - "Out of Luck" (Luther)
3
BLOODPHEASANT - "I Am The Vulture and I Am Home" (Dave)
SHOPPERS - "IV" (Luther)
SOLIDS - "Fog Friends" (Luther)
Label(s): Self Released This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #5.
You can download: the April 2017 Mix#4 right hereor get the new May 2017 Mix#5 here.
Someone posted on facebook that Colin May had a new band so, naturally, I shit my pants, had a fit, incoherently tried to express my joy to my wife, downloaded it and then got it ready for posting almost immediately. Colin May is, simply put, a beautiful person. After meeting him at a Cleveland show for his band Phoenix Bodies in 2006-2007 on the La Quiete tour, we just seemed to hit it off. He has also spent time in Hospital, Mara'akate and Brighter Arrows but my heart with always belong to the grindy/screamo gods Phoenix Bodies. I interviewed Colin a few years back which is a good read and is linked here.
His new band VAC is one of sludgy and dark hardcore with some minor screamo influences, much like the first Rayleigh EP, Cassilis and Anodyne. The 'Demo' EP begins with "Untitled 1", a rowdy number that perfectly exemplifies what VAC is all about. The middle section from about 35 seconds to 53 is a sweet buildup that explodes afterwards in typical pre-2010 Colin May style. "Untitled 2" is soaked in feedback for 27 seconds and then the speakers explode in a raw, dirty and toxic mess that is sloshed around until 1:20 when the sewage catches fire and ignites in a poisonous cloud of sludgy hardcore. "Untitled 3" is easily one of my favourites, as it descends quickly into subterranean hardcore/metal, gathers forces and then ascends quickly with an army that wreaks havoc above ground from 40 to 60 seconds with dizzying instrumentals and monstrous vocals. "Untitled 4" opens with what sounds like a semi-improvisational noise outro to a live set, but by 50 seconds the ominous cloud that is VAC comes in full force, opting for strong Cassilis vibes, whether intentional or not. "Untitled 5" closes this debut and is the lengthiest song here, clocking in at 4:11. Just before the one-minute mark the guitars and distant yells (not unlike Derek Black) adopt a strong Phoenix Bodies feel, but this dissipates as the song continues to chug along, resembling bands like Jesuit, Anodyne and Creeper more than anything else. It's also worth nothing that this cover art is sick.
THE WORLD THAT SUMMER with TERRY GREEN, NEVER TRUST A WIZARD & TOUCAN SLAM
We had a release party for THE WORLD THAT SUMMER's 10" on April 8th at Clarke Hall in Port Credit, which is just outside of Mississauga by our friend Daniel G. Wilson. Twas a very fun show in a big hall with a few friends and new faces. Terry Green and The World That Summer will be playing together again on May 27th at another house show in Hamilton as a final local show before Dave moves to New Zealand, thus concluding his/my chapter in the band. Please grab a copy of THE WORLD THAT SUMMER's split 10" with Sweden's Nionde Plågan from Zegema Beach Records (should you reside in Canada) right here so I can afford to put out this Terry Green LP.
TOUCAN SLAM
As soon as this duo started and those crazy drums collided with the slap-happy bass I knew what I was in for, and I was stoked about. I think I read these guys play semi-improvisational punk/jazz and that's pretty much exactly what I heard. Combining the off-time madness of Hella, the improv jazz of Ahleuchatistas and the bass as well as vocals of Primus, I think pretty much everyone in attendance was in a bit of a stupor watching them...as well as the guy in the front dancing up a storm. Awesome.
Sounding somewhere between punk rock, jazz rock, surf and post-hardcore lie NEVER TRUST A WIZARD. I'd never heard of this band before but they fucking blew me away. I'm very interested to know if the band has heard of Drummers, Ultra Dolphins and North Of America because that early 2000s, spazzy, yelly and dare I say emo/screamo influenced rock music and hardcore punk hybrid. I would love to see these fellas again, as all three members mesmerized. Be sure to check out that riff that starts at 49 seconds and again at 1:20 in the video embedded below, it's killer!
Links to songs: *2* / *3*
FFO: Fugazi, Drummers and North Of America
We played. It was fun. We started by playing the three songs from the new split 10" with Nionde Plågan (stream here / buy here) in reverse order, so "Moth Volcano" (which we'd never opened with, for some strange reason), "Heat Death Parties are the Bomb, Man" and "What is Dead May Never Die". Then we play "No Hugs for Lucas" from the upcoming 2x12" 8-band split that Zegema Beach Records is spearheading and should be up for pre-order by May 2017. After playing these songs we opted for newer material, playing our three unrecorded songs "2028", "Voltron Division" and our newest and last song with our original lineup "La Fine Non è la Fine". This newest song is post below and has some really good energy, but it's a work in progress so bear with it. We have a house show for my goodbye Hamilton thing with Terry Green and Huge Cosmic coming up on May 27th so more info on that soon.
We are on the cusp of the TERRY GREEN full length LP. I have the tracks and the art so we'll be going to print in April for, hopefully, a June/July release date. These four friends of mine played their new record titled 'LP' from front to back, which means they played the songs "One", "Two", "Three", "Four", "Five" and "Six", a very simplistic naming formula. The record itself was mastered by Will Killingsworth and sounds unreal. You can check out a song from the LP on the Zampler #8 (linked here) titled "Michael Soft Sam" but in actuality is song "One". This was a killer set, with the vocals turned up nice and loud, passionate playing by all, bloody fingers as well as Matt and Louis beating the shit out of their respective axes after playing "Six", which they've only ever played live like...twice or something. I've linked that one below but you can also jam "One" and "Two" below the embed.
Links to songs: "One" / "Two"
FFO: Gillian Carter, Van Johnson and Panthers Bandcamp
Label(s): Conditions Records This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #9.
You can download: the April 2017 Mix#4 right hereor get the new May 2017 Mix#5 here.
It certainly seems fitting (or perhaps even planned...) that the late-era Loma Prieta side project ELLE is being posted directly after my pre-Loma Prieta band post for Sailboats. Although both bands capture the sound of Loma Prieta, it's pretty damn obvious that those good folks have been jamming a lot more shoegaze and noise rock (I'm guessing stuff like Whirr, Solids and later Animal Faces) and a lot less screamy hardcore. ELLE falls more in between the extremes than Sailboats, as their 2016 debut EP 'Elle' captures the raw and passionate feel of screamo (generally through the screaming, but the instrumentals could also be likened to Raein, Loma Prieta and Cease Upon The Capitol) as well as the dreamy soundscapes of shoegaze rock. The leaning toward shoegaze is most evident on tracks like "The Clearing", "Mockingbirds" and "Parts & Parcels" while the screamier, more Dave-stuff is saved for "Pulse" and "Cold Hands".
I was sent the ELLE EP to review by Kris at Conditions Records but was already aware of the band and was planning on doing a post anyhoos. I find that "The Clearing" has a catchy as fuck intro that isn't maintained and therefore seems to sag in the middle. "Mockingbirds" is so late-era Animal Faces I truly wonder if they were influenced by the Toronto legends. "Pulse" is track three and a killer song, boasting some twinkly riffs amidst rolling drums and bass (aka Loma's "Biography" and Beau's "One So Illusive") over passionate spoken word that leads to yelling/screaming. The song bounces around somewhere in screamo limbo and takes on a bit of a Swedish screamo feel, most notably Trachimbrod and Suis La Lune. "Parts & Parcels" is next and is a pretty screamy affair and definitely matches the opening song as sounding like "Loma-light", if you will. Closer "Open Hands" is probably my personal favourite, clocking in at 5:01. The song wastes no time delving into their quickest material that dissipates after 30 seconds like a quiet, calm and soothing rainfall. By one minute things pick up again only to lead into a severely groovy and head bobbin' good time from 1:10 to 3:00 although it slowly erodes during that time frame until the rock is so abrasive that the song quickly and quietly dies. This song in particular reminds me most of the chiller moments of Beau Navire. The final two minutes is reserved for the dissolution and dispersement of those dead sounds as they fade into nothing.
I am keen on hearing new output by the band so hopefully we are graced with another release in 2017. Until then pick up the self titled 12" EP from Conditions Records here.
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DISCOGRAPHY
2016 - Elle 12"EP (stream/buy here) [order the 12" here]
